lilfluff

On the way to work and on the way home I had the chance to observe flagpoles, noticing some at half mast and others not. For those who don't know, yesterday 19 fire fighters were killed fighting a fire near Yarnell, Arizona yesterday. These were 19 of 20 members of a single hotshot crew (essentially the elite of wildfire fire fighting crews). They were based out of Prescott, meaning one small town has now suffered 19 deaths and taken a big hit to their own fire fighting capabilities. So as I looked at the flagpoles I found myself asking why so few of them were at half mast.

Fire fighters are everyday heroes. Day or night, war or peace, every season and any weather they stand ready to throw themselves into harms way to not merely protect our lives but to simply protect our property. Often doing so knowing that we did something foolish to create the problem to begin with. I remember hearing about five or so years ago during a spike in gas prices about a home that burned down because someone decided to hoard gasoline. They filled twenty or so gas cans and then stuck them all into an indoor closet -- where fumes collected until one tiny spark started a blaze that burned the place down. Seeing such foolishness fire fighters don't abandon us, they put out the fire, shake their heads, and head back to the station and prepare for the next fire. And unless they're showing up to fight a fire at our own home our thanks for them is usually grumbling on our part when we have to pull over to let their truck pass by. Or worse trying to take advantage of their presence to speed through traffic putting them at risk of accidents.

So for lack of a better conclusion I'll simply ask, why the hell aren't more of the flags at half mast here in Arizona and suggest that you thank the next fire fighter you see. They may not be around to thank tomorrow.

I'm feeling rather meh this evening. Such a wonderful word meh. It's not bad. It's not depressed. It's just... meh. No real energy, no upset over that lack of energy, no desire for that energy. Just a shrug and, "Ah well, today isn't bad but tomorrow will be better."

Maybe it is the peas. I willingly, intentionally added peas to dinner. Me, intentionally eating a green legume. Weird. :) Or lack of sleep. I did stay up a little too late last night. Although I got extra sleep the night before.

So I guess I'll just sit back, absorb extra vitamins and fiber, and run through flash cards.

It has been, let's see, oh my over three months. What has been happening in that time? Well, I have been learning that keeping a mustache trimmed is important if you will be eating anything with a sauce on it. Completed the requirements for ACB status in Toastmasters. Mumbled at my car some more (but the mechanic is still cheaper than making car payments on a new or newer car).

On the other hand, I have yet to finish getting my degree or upgrade to Ubuntu 8.04 yet (not upgrading the OS in the middle of a class without making a full backup, and I'm feeling a bit lazy to do that right now).

There are a number of downsides to living in an apartment. One upside is that when there are plumbing problems you just call the maintenance line and say, "Send someone over, the toilet and bathtub are back flowing."

And no need to pull out the checkbook, since it's covered by the money you fork over each month to the company that runs the place. So tell me oh people who keep talking about how I should be rushing out to buy a house or condo, when the plumbing backs up can I call the mortgage company and say, "Send someone over?" And considering a mortgage payment would probably be higher than rent...

I would like a house some day. But I don't think I'll be rushing into it. Meanwhile I'll be keeping an eye on the tub. The toilet just drained, but the tub seems more reluctant to do so.