I came up to Utah to visit recently, and the drive took me by Price and through the canyon into Utah Valley. I was struck by the beauty of the canyon in a way I hadn't noticed before. I realized that I haven't been through that canyon in the summer and in the daytime for many, many years. I either come through in the evening (when it is too dark to see) or during the winter (when it is still pretty, but not quite as stunning).
I have always wanted to live in Europe. I would love to be around the culture and the people and history, but I would especially love to be around some of the beautiful scenery that I know to be there. But on my recent drive, I realized that comparable scenes can be found nearby. Wonderful green mountains, zig zagging up past each other, trees and bushes of different colors and shapes providing a rich texture to the side of the hill, a great mixture of rock and foliage. Each area has its uniqueness that warrants a visit, but I fear I have been undervaluing much of the scenery available in Utah.
And for those of you not in New Mexico: appreciate your green. It is a rare and beautiful commodity in our region. Grass, deciduous trees are great, so enjoy them if you have them!
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Sunday, July 18, 2010
The Summer of Vandals
Our property has been vandalized no less than 6 times this summer. A littering of our yard with those paper toilet seat covers was probably the least harmful. A couple rounds of TP were more annoying, as it took forever to cleanup and get it out of the pine trees.
A few weeks ago, some street signs arrived in our driveway, with an 'A' style "sidewalk closed" sign on the hood of my car (of course scratching the paint as the sign is metal and intended to stand on cement or asphalt). Last Sunday, my car was egged pretty good (unfortunately, half the street also got egged on that go around).
And then on Friday, we had a whole bunch of pudding cups thrown at our house. They were thrown pretty hard to make sure they'd explode (I was next to one of the windows they threw at). It was pretty bold of the hoodlums to do it because it was pretty obvious that we were home and awake. Most of the other ones were done while we were gone or very late at night.
We ran out, but couldn't see who it was. Then, we spent the next hour cleaning the house and the cars of all the pudding around. Tell you what, if you want to make a real mess in a hurry, use pudding. Either the oils of fat or whatever is in there made it so hard to get off of windows, off the car paint, off the stucco. It took six of us the whole hour of working hard to clean off our house, driveway and two cars that were subject to the pudding blast.
On most of these, my reaction has been a disappointed "really?"; that is to say"this is what you choose to do with your spare time and materials?" I wish I could say something to them, figure out why they're doing what they're doing, and explain why it doesn't make sense, why they shouldn't do such things. But even if I had that chance, I doubt that I would be able to have any sway on their minds. They are at a point where they are vandalizing for the fun of it. There's no message, no revenge or retaliation being invoked. Just mindless harm caused on others.
They are to the point where they no longer think or care about others. A confrontation wouldn't do much to change them. This is something that they would have to learn on their own in a different setting, a setting where they are in a state where they can learn. I don't know what that would be, but I'm sure at some point their hearts will be softened and maturity will occur.
Until that time comes, my responsibility is to forgive them and move on. I am in no position to judge them for their poor decisions, not knowing what other factors may have pushed them to their current state. But I can relieve myself of that burden through forgiveness.
I cannot choose what happens to me, but I can choose how I will react and what feelings to harbor in my soul. I choose to focus on the good and to meet whatever comes my way with a smile. "Come what may, and love it."
A few weeks ago, some street signs arrived in our driveway, with an 'A' style "sidewalk closed" sign on the hood of my car (of course scratching the paint as the sign is metal and intended to stand on cement or asphalt). Last Sunday, my car was egged pretty good (unfortunately, half the street also got egged on that go around).
And then on Friday, we had a whole bunch of pudding cups thrown at our house. They were thrown pretty hard to make sure they'd explode (I was next to one of the windows they threw at). It was pretty bold of the hoodlums to do it because it was pretty obvious that we were home and awake. Most of the other ones were done while we were gone or very late at night.
We ran out, but couldn't see who it was. Then, we spent the next hour cleaning the house and the cars of all the pudding around. Tell you what, if you want to make a real mess in a hurry, use pudding. Either the oils of fat or whatever is in there made it so hard to get off of windows, off the car paint, off the stucco. It took six of us the whole hour of working hard to clean off our house, driveway and two cars that were subject to the pudding blast.
On most of these, my reaction has been a disappointed "really?"; that is to say"this is what you choose to do with your spare time and materials?" I wish I could say something to them, figure out why they're doing what they're doing, and explain why it doesn't make sense, why they shouldn't do such things. But even if I had that chance, I doubt that I would be able to have any sway on their minds. They are at a point where they are vandalizing for the fun of it. There's no message, no revenge or retaliation being invoked. Just mindless harm caused on others.
They are to the point where they no longer think or care about others. A confrontation wouldn't do much to change them. This is something that they would have to learn on their own in a different setting, a setting where they are in a state where they can learn. I don't know what that would be, but I'm sure at some point their hearts will be softened and maturity will occur.
Until that time comes, my responsibility is to forgive them and move on. I am in no position to judge them for their poor decisions, not knowing what other factors may have pushed them to their current state. But I can relieve myself of that burden through forgiveness.
I cannot choose what happens to me, but I can choose how I will react and what feelings to harbor in my soul. I choose to focus on the good and to meet whatever comes my way with a smile. "Come what may, and love it."
Monday, July 12, 2010
I almost witnessed a shooting
Today was an unfortunate day.
On my way to work, I was passed by 2 police Suburbans careening down the road, clearly to some important matter. As I approached the intersection for my turn, I saw the police had turned towards my work. Before I got quite to the intersection, two patrol cars screamed by from the right branch of the intersection, and a fire truck came in from in front of me. From all different directions, they met and converged to head in the same direction: the direction I was going.
I was curious, no doubt, but nothing to really raise my suspicions yet. Then as I was on the road to work, no less than 5 more squad cars came up fast from behind me, sirens ablaze. I moved out of their way, then got back in my lane just in time to see a police truck zooming up from behind and passing me by. Now I knew that whatever was going on had to be a bit more important.
Straight ahead, I could see a conglomerate of cars and flashing lights indicating the focal point of the concern: a building very very near to where my office is. I took a turn early to go around the forming barricade and get to my building on the opposite side of it.
After parking, I got out, grabbed my things, and was on my way inside when I talked to another employee outside. He said that he was at the credit union just before (a building even nearer the scene) and that he had heard at least 15 gun shots when he was outside. He mentioned he had heard something about some guy shooting his girlfriend, or at least some girl there.
Information was trickling in slowly, as everyone in the vicinity was trying to piece together exactly what was happening. Just after a few brief moments talking with the man, a woman from inside the building opened the door and said that we needed to get inside. This seemed to be wise and obvious counsel, which we took. We found out from here that at least 2 people has been shot.
With this reeling in my mind, I went upstairs to my office and started getting things ready for work. As I logged in, I received an email indicating that the building I was in was now in a full lock down. Often, I go and work with some other employees over in a different building, but this meant I was stuck where I was at for now.
As I started to work there, more information began to trickle in about the incident unfolding nearby. A friend of mine sent me a link to listen to the police radio online. I listened as I started working, so I could hear them discussing moving patrol cars and policemen around to assist in a search for the gunman, and where they were securing all of the nearby people (including elementary school children).
About this time, the news reports started coming in with preliminary information. We were on the front page of CNN.com! Apparently, there was a man (originally reported as a woman shooter) who formerly worked for the nearby company. He came in shot his girlfriend and started shooting a bunch of other people. 6 dead, 4 more wounded, the initial report read. The police found several dead bodies, among which was what seemed to be the killer with a self inflicted gunshot wound.
The news reported that the 911 call was issued at 9:26a.m.
...I drove up around 9:36a.m.
A 10 minute gap was all that separated me from possibly driving by (and this would have been very close by) the shooting as it occurred. Interesting thoughts can arise of how things could have been different had I not been detained those extra minutes at home (I planned on arriving about 10-15 minutes earlier than I did). I suspect that nothing would have been different, that I would not have noticed and driven on by to work, only to get the reports later. But still...
There were reports of another possible gunman on the loose, and an eyewitness seeing someone fleeing across a nearby field. This scenario further solidified that fact that we were not leaving the building anytime soon. We received reports that the police looking for the shooter were very hot and thirsty, so we tried to round up some water bottles and snacks to assist, but that was the extent of what we could do, besides turn around and try to get some more work done.
The police radio continued to feed more information about securing the area. I looked out the window and saw several policemen, wearing bulletproof vests and carrying assault rifles, walking through the parking lot, checking cars and searching around for the possible suspect. All seemed to be well in hand, though I wasn't quite sure what to think of the parking lot patrol below. My coworkers and I tried to get work done as we could, but the occasional report and email of information was readily distracting.
Later, I began hearing on the police radio some talk of evacuating people and getting people on buses. I wasn't sure exactly what was being referred to, but I listened on. The nearby community center and some evacuees sheltered there, while a school for the blind right up the road housed the elementary students, waiting for the clear so their parents could retrieve them.
An hour passed, and I caught some discussion of evacuating the building in which I worked. I heard them describe the setup of the parking lot and the way in which they would direct people out. As the hour waned on we saw first another patrol of rifle bearing law enforcement. After some time, we soon saw a steady stream of people exiting our building. Nothing had been officially said or sent to us, but it was apparent that our building was indeed going to be evacuated.
It seemed like the entire building was nearly empty before someone came and gave us the go ahead to leave (our previous instruction being that the building was locked down). So I tried to close up shop as best I could, grabbed my things, and headed down. Exiting the building, there were several military looking personnel inside the lobby, as well as police. Military and police surrounded the building on all sides, ushering us out to our cars and out the parking lot to a designated route away from the scene.
The protective force included a SWAT truck, as well as 3 or 4 mounted policeman (mounties if your from Canada, policemen on horses if you're in the US). They directed us out and on our way. I went out to the other building with coworkers of mine (in a more secure location) where I recounted the happenings where I was. I tried to accomplish a little bit more work before it was recommended that everyone leave for the day.
The final reports seem to indicate that 3 people dies, and several more were injured. This was a tragic event. The police did a fine job securing the many around the scene and ensuring our safety while pursuing the investigation. I happened to be within a close proximity to it, though I don't believe I know anyone involved. Nevertheless, I felt safe, and I am grateful for my safety.
Why did that shooter act the way he did? Who knows.
What would have happened had I come to work when I planned? Who knows.
An odd set of emotions and thoughts surround such an event. I may try to capture them in words later, but this account will suffice for now: unfortunate events happened today.
On my way to work, I was passed by 2 police Suburbans careening down the road, clearly to some important matter. As I approached the intersection for my turn, I saw the police had turned towards my work. Before I got quite to the intersection, two patrol cars screamed by from the right branch of the intersection, and a fire truck came in from in front of me. From all different directions, they met and converged to head in the same direction: the direction I was going.
I was curious, no doubt, but nothing to really raise my suspicions yet. Then as I was on the road to work, no less than 5 more squad cars came up fast from behind me, sirens ablaze. I moved out of their way, then got back in my lane just in time to see a police truck zooming up from behind and passing me by. Now I knew that whatever was going on had to be a bit more important.
Straight ahead, I could see a conglomerate of cars and flashing lights indicating the focal point of the concern: a building very very near to where my office is. I took a turn early to go around the forming barricade and get to my building on the opposite side of it.
After parking, I got out, grabbed my things, and was on my way inside when I talked to another employee outside. He said that he was at the credit union just before (a building even nearer the scene) and that he had heard at least 15 gun shots when he was outside. He mentioned he had heard something about some guy shooting his girlfriend, or at least some girl there.
Information was trickling in slowly, as everyone in the vicinity was trying to piece together exactly what was happening. Just after a few brief moments talking with the man, a woman from inside the building opened the door and said that we needed to get inside. This seemed to be wise and obvious counsel, which we took. We found out from here that at least 2 people has been shot.
With this reeling in my mind, I went upstairs to my office and started getting things ready for work. As I logged in, I received an email indicating that the building I was in was now in a full lock down. Often, I go and work with some other employees over in a different building, but this meant I was stuck where I was at for now.
As I started to work there, more information began to trickle in about the incident unfolding nearby. A friend of mine sent me a link to listen to the police radio online. I listened as I started working, so I could hear them discussing moving patrol cars and policemen around to assist in a search for the gunman, and where they were securing all of the nearby people (including elementary school children).
About this time, the news reports started coming in with preliminary information. We were on the front page of CNN.com! Apparently, there was a man (originally reported as a woman shooter) who formerly worked for the nearby company. He came in shot his girlfriend and started shooting a bunch of other people. 6 dead, 4 more wounded, the initial report read. The police found several dead bodies, among which was what seemed to be the killer with a self inflicted gunshot wound.
The news reported that the 911 call was issued at 9:26a.m.
...I drove up around 9:36a.m.
A 10 minute gap was all that separated me from possibly driving by (and this would have been very close by) the shooting as it occurred. Interesting thoughts can arise of how things could have been different had I not been detained those extra minutes at home (I planned on arriving about 10-15 minutes earlier than I did). I suspect that nothing would have been different, that I would not have noticed and driven on by to work, only to get the reports later. But still...
There were reports of another possible gunman on the loose, and an eyewitness seeing someone fleeing across a nearby field. This scenario further solidified that fact that we were not leaving the building anytime soon. We received reports that the police looking for the shooter were very hot and thirsty, so we tried to round up some water bottles and snacks to assist, but that was the extent of what we could do, besides turn around and try to get some more work done.
The police radio continued to feed more information about securing the area. I looked out the window and saw several policemen, wearing bulletproof vests and carrying assault rifles, walking through the parking lot, checking cars and searching around for the possible suspect. All seemed to be well in hand, though I wasn't quite sure what to think of the parking lot patrol below. My coworkers and I tried to get work done as we could, but the occasional report and email of information was readily distracting.
Later, I began hearing on the police radio some talk of evacuating people and getting people on buses. I wasn't sure exactly what was being referred to, but I listened on. The nearby community center and some evacuees sheltered there, while a school for the blind right up the road housed the elementary students, waiting for the clear so their parents could retrieve them.
An hour passed, and I caught some discussion of evacuating the building in which I worked. I heard them describe the setup of the parking lot and the way in which they would direct people out. As the hour waned on we saw first another patrol of rifle bearing law enforcement. After some time, we soon saw a steady stream of people exiting our building. Nothing had been officially said or sent to us, but it was apparent that our building was indeed going to be evacuated.
It seemed like the entire building was nearly empty before someone came and gave us the go ahead to leave (our previous instruction being that the building was locked down). So I tried to close up shop as best I could, grabbed my things, and headed down. Exiting the building, there were several military looking personnel inside the lobby, as well as police. Military and police surrounded the building on all sides, ushering us out to our cars and out the parking lot to a designated route away from the scene.
The protective force included a SWAT truck, as well as 3 or 4 mounted policeman (mounties if your from Canada, policemen on horses if you're in the US). They directed us out and on our way. I went out to the other building with coworkers of mine (in a more secure location) where I recounted the happenings where I was. I tried to accomplish a little bit more work before it was recommended that everyone leave for the day.
The final reports seem to indicate that 3 people dies, and several more were injured. This was a tragic event. The police did a fine job securing the many around the scene and ensuring our safety while pursuing the investigation. I happened to be within a close proximity to it, though I don't believe I know anyone involved. Nevertheless, I felt safe, and I am grateful for my safety.
Why did that shooter act the way he did? Who knows.
What would have happened had I come to work when I planned? Who knows.
An odd set of emotions and thoughts surround such an event. I may try to capture them in words later, but this account will suffice for now: unfortunate events happened today.
Monday, July 5, 2010
Independence!
On the Fourth of July, I looked out across Albuquerque. I had a decent panoramic view of much of the city. I could see small poofs of red and green and gold light appearing and disappearing across the landscape. Even though people were celebrating by themselves or in small groups, it seemed as if the entire city was rejoicing in one voice, everyone reaching out together to provide pieces of the visual symphony. I sat and enjoyed the scene for some time, reflecting on the liberties that I now enjoy and the promise that freedom provides.
I liked the feeling that we are united in our celebration. What I wish to be more secure in the knowledge of is that we are actually celebrating our independence. Are we just lighting off fireworks because it's fun? because we have an excuse to? out of tradition?
I believe in liberty, and I celebrate the events that provided it for me. And I hope to make wise use of the freedoms I enjoy to benefit those around me.
I liked the feeling that we are united in our celebration. What I wish to be more secure in the knowledge of is that we are actually celebrating our independence. Are we just lighting off fireworks because it's fun? because we have an excuse to? out of tradition?
I believe in liberty, and I celebrate the events that provided it for me. And I hope to make wise use of the freedoms I enjoy to benefit those around me.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
