dark days

if you feel like ruining your morning and find out what passes for civility in the Congo these days, read this. Only strong stomachs need apply.

I firmly believe that evil is not only a useless but actively harmful concept in thinking about why people do things, because I think most people make sense to themselves, even the bin Ladens of the world. But the specific horror of this atrocity leaves me unable to come up with any other explanation about how the decision making process in the brain becomes so convoluted that this actually seems like a good idea.

I finally saw AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH (warning: highly annoying music on website) Friday night, which regardless of your "position" on global warming I urge everybody to see if they haven't already. (As Gore says, repeatedly and convincingly in the film, "This is not a political issue. This is a moral one.") One of the many, many statements in the movie is that it is highly likely water sources will continue to disappear from Africa (the evaporation of Lake Chad stuck with me particularly vividly for some reason). Which means, barring a miraculous turnaround, a lot of poor people's situations will get a lot, lot, lot worse.

Which I suppose means, as far as the depths of barbarism go, we've seen nothing yet.

In personal news, I managed, I think, to talk myself out of a pretty cool (albeit very short-term) job. Memo to self: say probably yes then no, not probably no then yes.

I don't mean to be depressing, as it's actually been a reasonably good week, all things considered. But waking up to that story ... yeesh.

So I will conclude with a semi-humorous anecdote. Yesterday was the first day in a long time I had not much on, so after spending most of the day watching flicks (TRISTRAM SHANDY, KEANE, and VERONIKA VOSS), decided to go for a walk, clear my head, give some thought to things, which I hadn't done since I got back. I've been having some various small job offers popping up, and also some potential long-term gigs, and for the first time in my professional life as an editor I need to start making some serious choices about what type of jobs I'm looking for, what sort of lifestyle I want to lead, etc. Which is nice, but does take a bit of thought and consideration.

So I did that, and spent time considering greater purpose in life, la di dah, and all in all I felt really, really good. And I'm walking home ...

... and a bird shits on my head.

{addendum: it has come to my attention that this may be perceived as a metaphor. it is not. i walked under a tree, felt something, wiped my hand through my hair, and it came out brown. i rushed home and showered. i never saw the bird, though. anyway.}

Nothing better to keep you grounded, I suppose.