99 Red Balloons

[geminigirl]

I came home to a notice about disaster preparedness from my management company. That's not a promising sign.

Tonight, as I entered JDC, in the intake room, being searched was one of the kids I knew from other work at that site. He'd been released. But he saw me and waved at smiled. I rolled my eyes and shook my head at him. It's hard to escape from the cycle for some kids, I guess.

I'm thinking about the first iteration of the Gulf War...I remember so vividly where I was when Iraq invaded Kuwait...at Buck's Rock Camp which was a life changing experience on it's own...but then Kuwait was invaded, and one of the morning announcements included a comment about "for those counselors who have cars, this will mean higher gas prices."

I went to Germany shortly after that, and although I spoke (speak) German, I wanted English language information...my German wasn't that good. It was impossible to find in my small village, so whenever I travelled to Cologne, I would find whatever English language newspaper I could.

I came back, and learned to drink coffee, and cut school to protest.

I cried the night the war began. I had to play a concert...they put TVs in the green room for the performers.

They put TVs in the cafeteria, in the outer library (which was the lounge where I hung out...we had no study halls, so if you weren't scheduled for something you just kind of found some place to go, or left campus.)

I watched the War on TV.

I hate how this war is being treated like just another reality TV show. It's not. It's reality.

Comments

[emmycantbemeeko.livejournal.com]

I haven't seen any particular evidence that it's being treated as a reality show. I have a boyfriend and a best friend over there right now, and political activistsaside, in my personal experience all I've seen is an outpouring of support for the troops and a huge degree of concern over the welfare of the Iraqi people. I think most people on both sides of the issue are acutely aware of the potential human costs.

Have you had a different experience?

[ruralrob.livejournal.com]

I hate to change the subject - well, not really because I refuse to be preoccupied by the impending Bush vs Saddam slogmatch.

Anyway, I can't help notice how the white kitty on your icon today looks exactly like our Freddie. But Freddie (female) is deaf, like a lot of white cats. How about yours?

[geminigirl]

That beautiful kitty is Oblivion...so named because she is in fact deaf. It's common among blue eyed white cats, but she's got green eyes and is a deaf white cat. I refer to her as my deaf lesbian cat because she's not a big fan of men. She moved in with my ex and I just about two years ago...I moved out and she came with me.

She got her name after about six months of expermenting with different names to see what might fit, and watching her sit through July 4th fireworks and sleep through them instead of panic, and then watching her sleep through my screaming on 9/11, I commented that "I should have just called you Oblivion" and it kinda stuck. It's fun to be able to say "Hi Oblivion, how's the wife and kids?"

She's had a hard life...she was abandoned in Massachusetts, found and taken in and then shipped down here to someone who couldn't keep her, who gave her to someone else, who gave her to us. She's a demanding cuddlemonster too...needs to be with me when I'm at the computer, and cuddles me every night before I go to bed...sleeps on my chest while I read at night. I adore her...she's made my life so much brighter.