The News

I need help. I'm serious.

CAUTION: Those who avoid reading the news because it is too depressing, you may want to stop reading here.

When things are slow at work sometimes I look at the news online. I boycott cnn.com off and on because they are SO biased politically, but I haven't found a better new site yet, so I went there today. I'm sure some of you will have already heard about one or all of the following, but here's what I saw in the news today:

1) A bombing at the US Embassy in Yemen, multiple attackers, mostly suicide bombers. I think I can understand the idea of dying for a cause, but if your cause is to kill other people? I'm lost.

2) In Nevada, a supposed serial rapist/murderer is on the loose, who leaves the underwear of it's previous victim at the site of his current crime.

3) In Phoenix, a 14-year-old left her living healthy baby in a garbage can. I know this is not the first time we've heard a story like this, but it still shocks me every time. The baby was found by the principal, luckily.

4) Thousands of babies are sick in China because of tainted baby formula. A few have died. The men who say they're responsible say they did it to cover losses of a previous rejection of their business.

Not to mention the devastation that natural disasters are spreading.

I think I can stop there, you get the idea. The news just stinks, I really hate it. But do I just try to be ignorant of goings on in the world? Do I read but try not to internalize anything? How do I feel informed without having to read story after devastating story? And the topics I mentioned are just from ONE DAY. I need advice.

So, I require comment from my readers. Both of you. I want to be an informed citizen of this country, but sometimes the news just makes me sad. (Now that I think about it, there was a really good conference talk about this subject a while ago. I'll read that, too.) So tell me what to do. I'm up for suggestions.

Bad Blogger

I don't even count this post as getting back into the blogging side of life, because it's going to be pretty pitiful. To be brief, Nate and I went out of town FIVE times in the past eight weeks. I just got some pictures from one of those trips, a whirlwind 24 hours we spent with Nate's family in Santa Fe, so I'm posting them......well, because, I have nothing else to say.

When we found out the mountain tram was closed for bad weather, we decided to go on a "hike" (scaling a mountain full of cactus) with Nate's brother Ian and his wife Jessica. (Fabulous people, we love them). It only took an hour or two, but it was pouring down rain almost the whole time, which made it adventurous. Jessica was wearing heels!! Ian had his very expensive camera and tried futilely to keep it dry. My hair was so soaked it was dripping water and hairspray into my eyes so I couldn't see a thing. All in all, we had a GREAT time.