Grandi Dolori Sono Muti

MISSING YOU LOTS

A Tragedy and a Travesty

It has been more than a month now since Deep Water Horizon blew up, killed those people, sank and started vomiting copious amounts of oil into the Gulf. Why is it that BP, the government and other entities were not quicker to deal with this? And did no one think about the chemical disbursants turning the oil into sludge, causing it to sink into the ocean instead of floating on the surface? And what of the effects of the chemicals on marine life and other fragile ecosystems? I am not convinced that BP et al really tried everything they could from the start. I think they were chiefly concerned about finding ways to recoup the oil in order to somehow still make a profit from it. They have not been forthright about the volume of the spill, and have been very busy pointing fingers at anyone other than themselves.

Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal reportedly said that the state has lost 2,300 sq. mi. of land since the 1930s. Big oil cut canals for pipes and drilling rigs in the marshlands. As a result, salt water invaded estuaries, marsh grass died, and marshes became open water. In turn, barrier islands began to erode.

In a report I read on MSNBC.com, I read that Jindal has joined with Plaquemines Parish President Billy Nungesser in a campaign to win a permit to dredge a new set of barrier islands as the first line of defense against the oil. But the Army Corps of Engineers has not granted the permit. Why?? What is the objection here? What's the hold-up? God forbid something constructive be done to try to protect the environment. Especially since officials say that the marsh grass cannot be cleaned of the oil. Cleaning it would kill the roots and push the oil into the muck.

Like many other American taxpayers, I feel extremely frustrated and helpless about this mess.

Reaching Back Into the Past

I recently reconnected with someone who I knew 20 years ago.

Hmm. I just read that sentence above and I now feel rather OOOLLLLLDDDD. God, where does the time go? As I write this, I am 46 years old. But I don't FEEL that age at all. Oh, and he's now 51 years old. Holy cow!

In addition to reaching out to him, I have reached out to another old friend who is now...60!!!! None of this makes sense to me. I remember thinking that 40 was old. I mean, OOOOLLLLLLDDDDD! It's very strange, this aging thing, Do not even mention the word, "perspective" to me, okay? Just don't.

I am dismayed to realize how much time has gone by while I was living my life. I realize that this is not a novel thought, but its hitting me rather hard tonight. So, I had to "let it out" via the writen word.

SNOW-MAGEDDON!!

Winter in Northern Virginia is usually rather mild. Sometimes we get ice storms, which are hard to deal with mainly because it makes the roads perilous to traverse. Once in a while, we get some snow. Small amounts. Manageable amounts. Well, THIS YEAR, we were OVERWHELMED. The FIRST storm hit around Christmas time and brought around 24" to my area. We all thought, "Wow. This is unusual, but we got a white Christmas, right?" Then came the second storm. Another 6" or so. Mind you, the area hadn't gotten around to completely dealing with the first storm, so this SECOND storm did not help things at all. Not even a week later, we were hit with a THIRD storm, this one bringing ANOTHER 20 INCHES. Holy CRAP! Now what? Well, the federal government closed, is one thing. Most stores were closed except for tiny mom-and-pop things like 7-Eleven. Metrorail was SHUT DOWN. Amtrak was SHUT DOWN. My car was BURIED in snow--snow up to the door handles, snow up to my thighs on the places near it. No one in the area could go ANYWHERE...except by ski, I guess. Then again, WHERE would one ski to? A friend's house, maybe. Dunno. All I know is that, between storms, I had to call upon my brother R to rescue me. He parks in an underground garage and has an SUV. I explained that I had run out of stuff and desperately needed to get to the store. Among other things, I was about to run out of my allergy medicine. Mind you, there were no SIDEWALKS on which to walk: you took your life in your hands because you could only walk in the street -- what there was of it - which was mainly populated by large trucks!

Being the kind indivdual he is, he and P showed up in P's SUV. They had to park at the restaurant nearby because my parking lot was largely moguls where it wasn't sheer ice. We made it up to a grocery store and back in one piece, but it was dicey in places. I was so grateful to them for this HUGE favor! I spent a lot of time either cooking/baking, reading or sleeping or watching movies.

Finally, after the THIRD STORM had finished and a couple days of sunshine had occurred, I ventured out with tools to try to dig out my car. Holy cow. Between the major storms there had been just enough thawing/re-freezing that there was ICE under the newer snow. Fortunately, I found a young lad helping another lady out and paid him to help me shovel my vehicle out. This took 2 hours. NOT kidding.

As I write this, it is now the middle of March and we STILL have large, ugly piles of snow in shopping centers. I predict it will be the 3rd week of April before all of what's left finally melts.

I have never been MORE ready for Charleston, SC!!

M's Birthday

My friend M had a birthday on March 1st. She's the one in red at the center of the pic. Her friend "I" decided that he would surprise her with a birthday dinner with a few friends the following Saturday night. He chose Chez Andree, a little French restaurant that has been in business for more than 40 years in the same location. I was excited about going there because I'd never been to it before and had heard only good things about it (courtesy of R of course).

I was the first to arrive (SHOCKING!!), and was seated by (I later learned) one of the owners. A waitress arrived almost immediatly to take my drink order. I decided to go with the flow and ordered a cocktail. A few minutes later, A arrived. I had heard about her but was meeting her for the first time. She's a lovely, lively, intelligent and gorgeous young lady. We conversed quietly while we awaited the rest of the party. M and "I" showed up and the look of surprise on M's face was genuine. A success in the surprise department -- YAY! They got refreshments and we talked while, shortly thereafter, G arrived full of apologies. We forgave her instantly: she had just moved into her new home that day and must have been exhausted.

Much good conversation ensued, and in the midst, we managed to order our appetizers and entrees. Kathy, our waitress, was wry, sweet and well-versed in the kitchen's offerings that evening. The food was superb -- everyone was delighted with what they'd ordered. The clientelle is such that we completely forgot there's a bar in the place -- until we retired there after stuffing ourselves with dinner and dessert. While we were chatting with Kathy and a bartender, the chef himself came out and we were introduced to him amid our high praise for his culinary talents that evening. After a while, we left. M and "I" would certainly grab a nightcap elsewhere while I headed home. What a lovely evening!

Happy New Year!

New Year's Eve is a funny thing for a lot of people. On the one hand, you have those who are adamant about being out and about among throngs of people to share the revelry. On the other hand, you have some who insist on staying in -- either with the one(s) they love or alone. I have had experiences on both sides of the spectrum. I still cannot say which I truly prefer, because I have had both good and not-so-good experiences in both situations. For the closing of 2009, my wonderful brother R invited me to share in dinner at the Chart House with a handful of friends. I love the Chart House, I always have. I'm rarely disappointed by the food or service. I feel comfortable in the restaurant -- its open design and view of the Potomac are pleasing to me.

This night was not disappointing. I arrived around 8:30 because the reservation was for 9pm, and I was told the group would gather for drinks at the bar beforehand. The company was good, the conversations better and Chart House did not let me down, yet again. Oh, I forgot to mention the people-watching aspect -- always interesting, and moreso on such an evening -- especially the later it got! Ah, youth is truly wasted on the young, is it not? Anyway...

At around 11:30 we made our way out of the restaurant. Yes, I know: we left before the "magic hour." So what? When you're of a certain age, it really doesn't matter where you are or what you're doing at the stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve. This I have learned well. And a bonus for me: driving up the beltway at 11:45 meant NO TRAFFIC! A rartiy in this locale. I got home, got comfy, read for a bit, and slept the sleep of the innocent. Welcome, 2010, however quietly you arrived in my world.