this new orleans thing is really getting to me. there's been a pit in my stomach all week.
i follow all kinds of news stories all the time--almost all involve tragedy, some arguably on a greater scale even than this. this one, however, is really hitting me in the gut. the last time i felt this way was the opening days or the iraq war, when i felt my country was about to kill thousands of people in what i was convinced was a horrible mistake. even though the iraq war still goes on, my outrage somehow switched to a more intellectual level, i don't feel almost ill whenever i think about it even as i still get outraged about particular things that happen.
the same phenomenon occurred with 9-11. it hit me in the gut too--probably the hardest considering how many people i know in new york. three weeks after 9-11 i left the country for mali, and it was like a weight lifted off my shoulders. for two weeks i was cut off from the news and wandered alone through the west african country, practicing my french and (a little) arabic, and depending on the kindness of complete strangers. i missed the attack against afghanistan and the mysterious anthrax in envelopes. but that's okay--warped versions of those stories made their way to me, which was interesting in its own right. and besides, the news didn't go away. it was waiting for me when i got back. in any case, the trip was exactly what i needed.
in six days i leave for syria. i hope it will do the same thing for me. i wonder what the syrians think about new orleans, and everything else for that matter. but it will be nice to take a break from a close reading of the news every day and concentrate more on just experiencing life from a different perspective.
and as for this blog--this blog will also show some changes when i am gone. i intend to continue posting when i'm away. but expect to see a lot less political site. it will be more of a travelogue--much like you will find if you visit my september 2003 archives. i might bring up politics, but probably most of it will be about other stuff. or maybe not. like always, i will post about whatever i feel like posting.
as for the comments, i have never deleted a comment before. nor have i edited one without the commenter's permission (except once, to play a joke on cathy. but she deserved it). that might change when i am gone. i probably won't do it, but i reserve the right to delete any comment that might get me in trouble when i am there. i really don't want to do this, and i doubt i will. but i also think it's only fair to warn you in advance.
if you don't like this place when i'm gone, expect normal programming to resume around september 26th.
