In the past several years, I've become somewhat apathetic about politics on a day-to-day basis. I don't find myself very loyal to the American way of life. But something in me stirs around this time of year, and when I see posts comparing America to Babylon and and living here to exile, well, that makes me upset. I'm not completely sure why, but I guess I feel like being in exile on earth makes sense, but limiting that to calling America "Babylon"? Well, the problems with America are problems with humanity, not just with Americans.
Anyway, today, I come to complain about the day, too. Actually, the day was great. I donned my "America Rocks" shirt, and entered the family room to find Billy faithfully practicing with his new mixing software. After finishing finishing up some school with Eve-Marie (yes, I'm an evil dictactor. Freedom is fine for America, but not my home. Mwaaahaahaa), the girls and I headed over to my parents' house. Billy joined us later.
It was after returning to our humble abode that it started. The Fireworks. Now...I love fireworks. Well, actually, I think their kinda dumb EXCEPT for when you're celebrating your country's independence, so on the 4th I love them. But I digress.
So, the fireworks are going full force right around the kiddos bedtime (did I mention that the explosions had kept me up till midnight on the 3rd when a few eager neighbors just couldn't hold off another day?), so it was unnerving when Ashlyn just couldn't get to sleep for anything. Billy and I took turns swaddling her and rocking her, but nothing. The upside of this was that we also alternated creating drums loops on the computer. Finally, Billy had the idea of bringing in a CD player to drown out the noise. Thank God for Jack Johnson.
So. all this time I was trying to not begrudge my neighbors their celebration. I wasn't really mad at them, I was just frustrated with Ashlyn and feeling rather sorry for her. But when the fireworks continue despite sheets of rain and end up waking the sleeping beauty back up at 2:00 in the morning...c'mon people.
After I got her back to sleep in the complete dark (oh, yes...the power had gone out sometime between 10:00 and 2:00), I just couldn't get MYSELF back to sleep. Somehow, I've become addicted to my air conditioning and ceiling fan for ensuring a comfortable sleeping climate. So, in the heat of my bedroom, I lay awake for a while till the power came back on. Then, I reset clocks so Billy could get up in the morning for work.
Grrrrr....I hope I get some sleep tonight.
Thursday, July 05, 2007
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I hear you about the a/c thing and the fireworks thing. Tom is just now installing the a/c's in our windows because apparently it's going to be 100 this weekend. We have gone this long without them; I'm proud of me because yes, it is entirely too easy to get so used to climate control you forget what reasonable nice weather is when it shows up. I can stand it til about 85, then I get cranky. I can also stand the cold til about 45, then I get cranky. So I figure I have a wider climate range than lots of folks. So many people, on a beautiful day, drive around with their windows up!!! DORKS!!!!
ReplyDeleteFireworks...check out my bliznog. We didn't want to go past about midnight on the third (the reason ppl shot off fireworks on the third is 'cause they didn't have to go to work the next day so they could stay up late). Our neighborhood chilled at about 11:30 last night. Good neighborhood.
Yeah, well....just cause some people had the day off of work doesn't mean that I got the day off from taking care of my kids. So, I still think that 11:30 or midnight is too late to be setting off bombs.
ReplyDeleteYou're sexy when you make drum loops.
ReplyDeleteyou are right to mean that any place on this earth is subject to the Fall and its ongoing effects, and that was my point exactly, but, again, my words were lost in translation.
ReplyDeleteyour interpretation that i meant America alone is Babylon is misguided. if that's how it came across, let this comment then be its clarification. America is just where I am in Exile, right now, as i explained in my email. it was and is still a cosmic point - America was just my archetype of fallen social structure, looking forward to redemption at the fullness of time. does that make sense?
the whole point of that little paragraph was not to whine or to deconstruct (as you have implied), but to give a simple reminder to a brother or sister or two.
I think it's kind of you to keep saying that your words were lost in translation. That's a nice euphemism for, "why don't you read what I wrote and stop putting your own bias on it?" :)
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I appreciate your diplomacy.
Point taken, and my sole rebuttal will be -- I have a baby in my arms and cannot type well enough to respond. Thanks for stopping by.
Baby-free rebuttal:
ReplyDeleteThe first paragraph of my post was talking about a reaction I had to a post of Andrew's that was my initial reaction. He had since written to me to explain more thoroughly his point.
I did a bad job of indicating this (i.e. I didn't indicate it at all) in my post, so please know now that my reaction to his post was an initial reaction, and is out of a bit of misunderstanding of what his post meant. I should have clarified that to begin with and it was unfair of me not to.
So, to all 5 of you who read this, please go to Andrew's site and comment on his awesome photography, which is why I subscribed to him in the first place (via Anne Jackson)
i appreciate your oppenness to my explanation. your reaction is meritable, though - sincere caution, i think, should be applied to assessing our plight and the grey area where earthly and heavenly citizenship intersect (which is really all-of-life, i assume).
ReplyDeletedialogue, i think, is where learning occurs, and i am comforted to know we've concluded the conversation a little closer to understanding.
after all, that is quite a bit of the point as humans-in-community, is it not?
thanks for the kind words on the photos!
one night a year, until 11:30? c'mon, gurl, be cool!
ReplyDeleteAs I already explained, it wasn't one night. It started around the 1st or 2nd, and continued through last night, at least. We'll see if tonight they keep it up.
ReplyDeleteAnd by the way...after you've not slept more than 3 hours straight for 6 straight months, then you can tell me if fireworks for 2 weeks is quite as fun as it seemed to be for you this year.
For the count... July 11th... fireworks still going...
ReplyDelete