Haves and Have Nots

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Today was St Patty's Day, and even though I don't have a shred of Irish in me, I still like to wear some green and show some Irish spirit. I also usually pull out my crock pot and make corned beef and cabbage, with potatoes and carrots, and serve it completely slathered with butter and a healthy (or unhealthy) dose of salt and pepper. Mmmmm ... I haven't had a chance to make it yet, but maybe this weekend. 

shirt -- Gap (thrifted)

pants -- London jean (Victoria's Secret)

clogs -- Dansko (outlet)

I actually wore this sash/scarf as a belt for most of the day. I just liked how bright green it was in contrast to the muted tones of my shirt and pants.

Here's a close-up of my belt -- a very nice beaded belt (thrifted, of course)

And wow! do I ever need a haircut! I look like one of those dandelion puffballs.

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And now to switch gears for a minute -- the above calligraphy is the Japanese symbol for help, aid, relief, salvation. I don't know if it is the most fitting of their symbols for what is needed, but I don't think it matters if I am semantically wrong. You all know what I am trying to express.

I did not participate in the blogger's day of silence, although I support all of you who did. I am still struggling with how I want to express my feelings about the tragedy and if I even want to go down that road on this blog. I have a lot of trouble in compartmentalizing my thoughts, and it is quite jarring for me to go from blogging about happy, smiling pictures of me to blogging about my feelings and concerns. These kind of issues tend to consume me, and I want and need my blog to be a place where I can escape the struggles and difficulties and the heart-wrenching stories of the present-day reality -- a place for me to go where I could feel good.

These days, it is not just Japan that causes me both stress and distress -- I am devastated by what is happening in our country. The increasing gap between the haves and the have nots in almost every metric that can be used to assess a person's quality of life is going to make life unsustainable for the vast majority of people in this country. The disparity in disposable income. The disparity in education. The disparity in the quality and availability of health care. The list goes on. It's scary.

Look at the city of Boston, for example. It is expensive to live there even if you have a good job. What about people who don't have good jobs? The people who pick up your garbage and clean your office? Where are they supposed to live? We don't want to pay them more money, we don't want to subsidize their living expenses, and we don't want to help them go to school so they can possibly get a better job.

And then there is the agenda of the religious extremists, which is embraced by the gun-toting zealots. In plain English, that scares me. When did we decide that we, as a country, wanted to move backwards? I don't understand, and I can't comprehend it. 

Ignorance is NOT bliss.