Hal asked where I got the info...

Sorry to do an independent blog on this, and not respond in the comments, but I rarely go back and check up on comments I made on others blogs, and I think this is important...

In a recent post, I was venting about climate change (not surprisingly). Hal noticed and commented that I hadn't cited my information regarding storms getting worse. I apologize, the article I'm refering to specifically is by Kerry Emmanuel and was published in Science in June. I can't attach it here -- sorry, but I googled the name and 'hurricane' and information about it (although no links to the article) immediately came up. Interestingly, there is a lot more interest in this now, and I think we'll see some interesting critiques of his article in the coming months. He has some good points and makes strong connections, however.

Also, there is a lot of discussion regarding whether or not climate change is human induced or exacerbated, as you mention, Hal. I'm blunt on this: Although it may be important to know what the causes of climate change are in order to mitigate it, I don't actually care whether it's humans or not. The fact of the matter is, the climate is changing, and we had better figure out how we are going to deal with it.

Sniffle. Sniffle. Wipe. Cough.

I am sick. I'm also at home. This is the first bona fide sick day I've taken in my professional career. I once called in sick at my old job to go to the amusement park and the rest of the week after September 11 was officially (and aptly) considered 'sick' time. I've certainly decided not to go to work because I wasn't feeling like I'd be productive, but never sick. oh, and I called in hungover once, but I felt so guilty that I went in for the afternoon anyway. Guilt. It's amazing.

I don't feel any guilt today though-- I'm sick. I'm snivvelly, my head hurts, I'm coughing, and I'm cranky. Well, I'm assuming that I'm cranky. The only other living being I've hung out with for a good chunk of time today is Jack, and I can't really be cranky around him no matter what. First because he's cute, and second because I just found out today that it probably WASN'T kennel cough, but something far more DEADLY that Jack was sick with during the first weeks we lived together. (Thanks to Mom and Kate, who pointed out that article to me). Now it seems that everytime he looks at me, he's saying, "I almost died, can't I have a treat?" or "I was near death, shouldn't we celebrate life by going for a walk?"

Anyway, I digress from the point about sick days -- which are great! On my way home, as my head spun from the triple cocktail of cold medication I'd tried to get through the day, I thought about how great it is to have unplanned time at home. I could do some work, some laundry, the dishes, and maybe, if I felt well enough, do some gardening. None of that happened. Well, I did a little work. The reality is though, that I am sick. In the traditional sense. Not in the, 'yeah, i don't feel well," sense, but in the actual, 'my body won't do that right now,' sense. I think my parents, God bless them, instilled in me a weird, "you aren't sick, you just aren't 100%" attitude in me. For that reason, I think I'm able to work through a lot of little illnesses. Either that or was blessed with a rockin' immune system. None of this occured to me until today, I just always noticed that some people tend to take a lot of sick time, and others (like me) not much at all.

Whatever, the point is, that as soon as I walked in the door, I was in pajamas and asleep. (A little freaked out at first to see me, Jack fell right in line and passed out on the couch next to me (yes, it was a tight fit). After a little sleep and some work, I turned to the TV. Spike network plays 2 hours of Star Trek: The Next Generation in the afternoon, and did you know that MTV is STILL making The Real World? I watched some of that too. Then I read. Now I'm blogging. I may feel like absolute crap - not being able to breathe through my nose, coughing (ouch!), my head all stuffy and my shoulders sore (I don't get that one, but it's okay), but this has been a great day!

Going on home.

I've spent the weekend in Boston (i'll blog about my weekend and New England in the fall later), and before I go, I wanted to take a minute to blog abolut my trip out here. It was rainy in Chicago during my layover, but the plane was on time so I grabbed a sandwich and went to the gate. The captain, once we boarded, alerted us that Logan in Boston was experiencing weather delays, and, by extension, so were we. We sat on the runway for an hour. We went back to the gate and people were allowed to go in tot he airport. They came back shortly commenting on the crowds in the airport, as all the planes from Philly to Boston were delayed (including New York). We all took our seats as we pushed off from the gate again because Chicago needed the gate to get their flights in. (People are SO used to being on time in Chicago.)

Three hours later we're sitting on the runway. Only one toilet was working, the rest were full. The plane smelled like mcdonalds and sleep. I was working, but my computer battery was almost done, so I was eyeing my book. There were people at the front coach section gambling with torn up pieces of the SkyMiles catalog. In the frst class section, they were eating.

Eventually, they emptied the toilets, and we took off for Boston. We didn't have a bad run of it, but I have to say, as I sat there watching peoples behavoir deteriorate and patience run thin, all I could think about was the Superdome. As I finished the water I brought on board, I thought about what it must be like to be in New Orleans and how fast things can fall apart.

I'm so tired of this...

I've been beaten about the ears regarding a particular belief of mine: NOW is the time to talk about climate change. Not because we don't care about New Orleanians and the ongoing tragedy, but exactly for the opposite reason - we care. The storms are getting worse. The floods are getting worse, crops are growing like weeds, fires are burning out of control in europe, and now, American citizens are out of their homes for God knows how long - maybe forever.

How can people even think that it's disrespectful to talk about this now? It's everything we have left to talk about. Let's talk about how we can either deal with climate change (anthropogenic or otherwise) or we can get people out of the way when it's coming at them.

I'm tired of being accused of being heartless, we have to do something.

Thursday. I'm tired

How do I blog when I'm asleep at the keyboard. Becky said to blog everyday, but I'm so tired, and I can't think of anything to say. So goodnight sweet blog -- good night! Next time I'm going to try a lame writing game to think of something mildly interesting to say!

Thursday. I'm tired

How do I blog when I'm asleep at the keyboard. Becky said to blog everyday, but I'm so tired, and I can't think of anything to say. So goodnight sweet blog -- good night! Next time I'm going to try a lame writing game to think of something mildly interesting to say!

How big is this root?!

I spent the morning yanking weeds out of the yard with reckless abandon. You should see it. I thought about taking before and after pictures for the blog, but before I knew it I was off and running with the weedkilling scissor looking things. Jackson (back in good health) watched as if I was a lunatic.

It's a big weekend of new beginnings. Beck is off to Wales and Anne is off to Chicago. In ten days, Katie will be here. I'm sitting on the couch thinking about the new-ness of this place and remembering the excitement and terror that goes along with stepping out of what you are used to. For me, the feeling of breaking new ground and stepping out of line is fading now, and I'm both thankful and sad to see it go. For them it's just starting and maybe they feel the same way.

It's amazing to know Becky and Anne and Katie. In fact, when I sit back and think about it, my world is full of absolutely amazing women. Groundbreakers and homebuilders, teachers and learners, computer programmers and creative design experts, marketers and career builders. And that's just a few of them. Yesterday, in a fit of laziness, Anne, Jack and I watched Anchorman. While it is freaking hilarious and I loved it, I couldn't help but think about Christina Applegate's character and what it means to live and work and thrive in the world we live in. I'm s proud of the women I know for making it work for them.