6 July 2013

My dad would have had a love/hate thing going on today. He was a news and weather junky; the TV was often on the local news, then CNN when cable became mainstream, and he freaking loved the Weather Channel. It was almost unnatural, his joy in all things weather, to the point where I thought he was a bit of a meteorological savant. The man could look outside, watch the way the trees moved in the breeze, note the color of the sky, and tell you what would happen and when.

Seriously; the last time I saw him he looked out the open front door and noted the way the trees across the street were moving and mused that we would be getting rain later that night. His dementia had taken a pretty good hold by then, but that part of him was still there...and damned if the sky didn't open up at 10 p.m., with thunder and lightning and pouring rain.

I don't pretend to be half as smart as he was or have even a sliver of his ability to weigh the things he was seeing on TV and come to logical (and usually correct) conclusions, but I realized today that I really take after him when something big happens. I am glued to the TV, changing channels every now and then, hoping for a fresh perspective and new information.

I want real information; I don't want useless speculation (even though I am aware I fully engage in speculation when talking with people online about what's happening.) I want the points to connect logically, and I want to be able to make sense of it.

The difference between us...I have a breaking point. Where he could immerse himself in the news for hours, I have to disconnect and get away from it all after a while if I can.

When today's news of the Asiana Airlines 777 wrecking on landing in San Francisco hit today, I had been on my way out the door, but stopped and sat back, picked up my laptop to connect with people online and find out new info, and I watched for an hour. When I realized I was talking to the TV--please let people be okay, please let people be okay--I decided I needed to turn it off and go to Starbucks.

Sure, I would still be getting info online while I was there, but I would be distracted by the people around me and the work I was pecking away at.

I snapped this photo from the TV before I left, because...reasons.

I was home a couple of hours later, and went right back to watching news coverage. I expected things to get so much worse, and was relieved when things didn't. No, two people dead isn't great, 100+ injured isn't wonderful...but it could have been so much worse.

 And I'll be honest, there were so many times today when I muttered to myself that I would never fly again. Nope, nope, nope. Granted, I might fly again, but it sure as hell won't be any time soon, and I'll probably have to be drugged out of my gourd to do it.

Next vacation...road trip in the Bug.

Yeah, I don't really know where I'm going with this. Maybe just that the events of today reminded me of my dad, and reminded me of how freaking smart he was.