Diary Entry
10.25 am I actually brought my criminal law books to the shop with me, and I've even opened one of the books! Then I realised I hadn't finished my coffee, so I'm sitting at the computer for ten minutes or so. The kids are back in school next Wednesday, so that day I'm going to drop them off and head over for a day in the university library. Not that I don't want to get some work done on these essays before hand.
Gary said in his blog he was glad he didn't see the news about the devastation in Asia while he was on his holiday this week because he would have been glued to the television. I know what he means. I almost wish I hadn't seen it myself. I've been glued to the coverage, and now that I'm at work, I even have the radio on the BBC News station. It sounds selfish of me to say I would have done a lot more in the past few days if I hadn't seen it, but it isn't just that. I wouldn't have seen such heartbreaking things if I were oblivous to it.
This morning I saw an interview with an Australian mum who struggled to keep a grip on her two sons when the waves hit, and she had to decide which one to let go of in order to save the other. If she hadn't, both sons would have died. She let go of the older son, who is a mere toddler. However, he managed to grab onto something and was saved. Such a heartbreaking story and I've struggled not to cry. Being a mum, I don't know how I could cope with having to make such a decision, but I am so thankful it had a happy ending! Perhaps it is like the story of Isaac, who was asked to sacrifice his son but in the end, his son was allowed to live. (I hope I have my Bible reference correct. I am a bit rusty in this area and would hate to really show just how ignorant I am. I know the principles and the stories, even if I forget the names. Please forgive me if I'm wrong.)
12.15 pm So much for getting some studying done in the shop. Last night I had a bad stomach ache, and today it's, well, to NOT put it graphically, it's turned into something a bit ickier. We don't have a toilet in the shop. Instead we have to go upstairs to the offices there and use that toilet. Only suddenly, without any notice, those offices are being turned into a private flat! (Hey, that would be really convenient for us ... Too small though, unfortunately.) I popped my head around the corner, and the Pakistani man who owns the restaurant two doors down from our shop said it was okay to use the toilet. I wish he'd told me the water was switched off. I'm so embarrassed! Needless to say I didn't want to spend the day running up and down the stairs and having to tell them I needed the toilet again, not after being unable to flush it the first time, so I've come home. I didn't have any customers all morning anyway, and Simon didn't have any yesterday. Small villages are not easy places to get business in the first place, but during the holidays, they're practically ghost towns.
It turns out I'm not the only American who feels the coverage of the devastation in Asia is a bit lacking in the US media. While listening to the radio this morning, the BBC had had several emails from American listeners who were appalled at the lack of information in the domestic media. That's why they said they were listening to the BBC via the internet. I watched the evening news from CBS, NBC and ABC last night -- we get them on satellite courtesy of the BBC, MSNBC Europe and Sky News respectively. I thought their coverage was pretty balanced. Being only a half hour news programme, of course there were other stories to cover, but they still dedicated at least the first ten minutes of their broadcasts to this humanitarian story. Despite my pledge not to, I switched over to Fox to see if I had been wrong about them. Nope. Not a mention of Asia in what I saw of the broadcast nor on their newsticker at the bottom of the screen.
1.20 pm I was just thinking how sad I am because Simon says we can't go to the British Grand Prix next year. Being a Formula One fanatic, I burst into tears. But I've just switched the telly back on and seen that the death toll in Asia has risen to over 120,000 with more expected. It puts it all in perspective, doesn't it? I'm upset about not getting to go see a bunch of overpaid men go around a track from a vantage point where you can't see more than them flashing past anyway. I'm lucky to be alive, no point crying over missing a race I can watch on the television anyway. Besides, Simon said we can still go to David Coulthard's bash if he has it, or Mark Webber's if he has some kind of fan gathering.
3.38 pm I've tried to convince Simon to go with me to Gatwick tonight, but no luck. I think he wants to stay planted on the computer, just like last year. The shop isn't open tomorrow because of it being New Years Eve. Jack is going with me. He can't help me with the driving, but at least he can keep me company when he isn't snoring his head off. We're leaving at about 2.30 in the morning.
Since Jack's going with me tomorrow, I took Ricky with me to do the shopping this afternoon. My god, that boy never shuts up! If he doesn't have anything to talk about, he asks questions. Thank goodness I remember learning about where clouds come from and where rain comes from! It's worse when I have no answer for him because he jumps from topic to topic.
I called in the shop around the corner to get Simon some cigarettes on the way home from Tesco, and Jo said she'd been thinking about me because she saw someone on the telly last week who reminded her of me. Some actress. Marie's cousin Nick was in there as well, and I've known him for about six years, ever since I worked at the doctor's surgery where he was a patient. He said that when he first met me, he thought I looked like Yasmin Bleeth! Jo asked who Yasmin Bleeth is, and Nick told her she's on "Baywatch". I laughed and replied, "That's stretching things quite a bit there". He's such a flirt, but he's that way with every female, young and old.
9.07 pm I've had a few hours of sleep, but I think that's probably my lot before we leave for Gatwick. I never manage much sleep because I'm much too nervous about going down there on my own. I've tried to convince Simon to go with me again, but no joy. It's just me and Jack. I'll keep trying to get some more sleep, but it's usually futile by this point, so I'm going to have a shower and chill in bed until time to go. I'll most likely fall asleep about 1.00. I have to get up at 2.30.
Gary said in his blog he was glad he didn't see the news about the devastation in Asia while he was on his holiday this week because he would have been glued to the television. I know what he means. I almost wish I hadn't seen it myself. I've been glued to the coverage, and now that I'm at work, I even have the radio on the BBC News station. It sounds selfish of me to say I would have done a lot more in the past few days if I hadn't seen it, but it isn't just that. I wouldn't have seen such heartbreaking things if I were oblivous to it.
This morning I saw an interview with an Australian mum who struggled to keep a grip on her two sons when the waves hit, and she had to decide which one to let go of in order to save the other. If she hadn't, both sons would have died. She let go of the older son, who is a mere toddler. However, he managed to grab onto something and was saved. Such a heartbreaking story and I've struggled not to cry. Being a mum, I don't know how I could cope with having to make such a decision, but I am so thankful it had a happy ending! Perhaps it is like the story of Isaac, who was asked to sacrifice his son but in the end, his son was allowed to live. (I hope I have my Bible reference correct. I am a bit rusty in this area and would hate to really show just how ignorant I am. I know the principles and the stories, even if I forget the names. Please forgive me if I'm wrong.)
12.15 pm So much for getting some studying done in the shop. Last night I had a bad stomach ache, and today it's, well, to NOT put it graphically, it's turned into something a bit ickier. We don't have a toilet in the shop. Instead we have to go upstairs to the offices there and use that toilet. Only suddenly, without any notice, those offices are being turned into a private flat! (Hey, that would be really convenient for us ... Too small though, unfortunately.) I popped my head around the corner, and the Pakistani man who owns the restaurant two doors down from our shop said it was okay to use the toilet. I wish he'd told me the water was switched off. I'm so embarrassed! Needless to say I didn't want to spend the day running up and down the stairs and having to tell them I needed the toilet again, not after being unable to flush it the first time, so I've come home. I didn't have any customers all morning anyway, and Simon didn't have any yesterday. Small villages are not easy places to get business in the first place, but during the holidays, they're practically ghost towns.
It turns out I'm not the only American who feels the coverage of the devastation in Asia is a bit lacking in the US media. While listening to the radio this morning, the BBC had had several emails from American listeners who were appalled at the lack of information in the domestic media. That's why they said they were listening to the BBC via the internet. I watched the evening news from CBS, NBC and ABC last night -- we get them on satellite courtesy of the BBC, MSNBC Europe and Sky News respectively. I thought their coverage was pretty balanced. Being only a half hour news programme, of course there were other stories to cover, but they still dedicated at least the first ten minutes of their broadcasts to this humanitarian story. Despite my pledge not to, I switched over to Fox to see if I had been wrong about them. Nope. Not a mention of Asia in what I saw of the broadcast nor on their newsticker at the bottom of the screen.
1.20 pm I was just thinking how sad I am because Simon says we can't go to the British Grand Prix next year. Being a Formula One fanatic, I burst into tears. But I've just switched the telly back on and seen that the death toll in Asia has risen to over 120,000 with more expected. It puts it all in perspective, doesn't it? I'm upset about not getting to go see a bunch of overpaid men go around a track from a vantage point where you can't see more than them flashing past anyway. I'm lucky to be alive, no point crying over missing a race I can watch on the television anyway. Besides, Simon said we can still go to David Coulthard's bash if he has it, or Mark Webber's if he has some kind of fan gathering.
3.38 pm I've tried to convince Simon to go with me to Gatwick tonight, but no luck. I think he wants to stay planted on the computer, just like last year. The shop isn't open tomorrow because of it being New Years Eve. Jack is going with me. He can't help me with the driving, but at least he can keep me company when he isn't snoring his head off. We're leaving at about 2.30 in the morning.
Since Jack's going with me tomorrow, I took Ricky with me to do the shopping this afternoon. My god, that boy never shuts up! If he doesn't have anything to talk about, he asks questions. Thank goodness I remember learning about where clouds come from and where rain comes from! It's worse when I have no answer for him because he jumps from topic to topic.
I called in the shop around the corner to get Simon some cigarettes on the way home from Tesco, and Jo said she'd been thinking about me because she saw someone on the telly last week who reminded her of me. Some actress. Marie's cousin Nick was in there as well, and I've known him for about six years, ever since I worked at the doctor's surgery where he was a patient. He said that when he first met me, he thought I looked like Yasmin Bleeth! Jo asked who Yasmin Bleeth is, and Nick told her she's on "Baywatch". I laughed and replied, "That's stretching things quite a bit there". He's such a flirt, but he's that way with every female, young and old.
9.07 pm I've had a few hours of sleep, but I think that's probably my lot before we leave for Gatwick. I never manage much sleep because I'm much too nervous about going down there on my own. I've tried to convince Simon to go with me again, but no joy. It's just me and Jack. I'll keep trying to get some more sleep, but it's usually futile by this point, so I'm going to have a shower and chill in bed until time to go. I'll most likely fall asleep about 1.00. I have to get up at 2.30.
posted by Melinda at 12/29/2004 11:37:00 pm
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