How To Sound Like An Ignorant Ass

1. Have a big flood.

2. Have a big flood that fucks up your Internet access.

3. Have a big flood that keeps you in the basement for half the day.

4. When you're not in the basement, be in bed cause you're sick.

5. If you watch any TV at all, make it PBS Sprout to entertain your daughter while you moan on the couch.

6. If you aren't watching PBS Sprout, watch only TV shows you've DVRed.

7. Go to bed before the evening news.

8. Wake up in the morning and turn on NPR.

9. Realize that a horrible school tragedy happened the day before.

10. Feel like a complete ass for whining about your waterlogged basement.

Comments

[Jessica]

1.

It happens. I went though an entire Physics lecture (at 8:10 AM Pacific) having no idea that 9/11 had just happened. My professor apologized to us later, because he didn't know either--I think we all rolled straight out of bed and into class, so we all had a rude awakening when we got to our dorms or next classes. And since I'm terrified of flooding, I can totally sympathize with your basement situation.

[Celeste]

2.

You didn't know, Cecily. You were immersed in living life. As it turns out, there is never any shortage of sorrow in this world; I don't think any of us can be faulted for not being glued to the tv every minute waiting for the next installment.

[Suzanne]

3.

I actually thought reading your post "There is no way she saw the news yesterday" because I know that you would have been way senstive to the situation if you knew about it.
The stuff you are complaining about sucked. Not in a catastrophic change your whole life way, but in a boy this sucks ass kind of way. It's okay to vent all you want...even if there are terrible things going on the world. I think we are all cognizant of the fact that you are a deeply caring person...

[RainbowW]

4.

meh. all misery is local. maybe i'm an ass too, but while i'm sorry for the misery out at virginia tech, i've got my own problems too, you know? there's only so much energy i can devote to feeling sorry for world hunger before i have to go out and maintain my own waistline. i can't solve nuclear winter; i can make my car payment.

[Whitney]

5.

Yup, I think most of us realized you weren't trying to sound flip! But this is a nice post anyway :)

I'm sure you are, but keep these students in your thoughts/prayers. They had a shooting their first day of school this year as well, and numerous bomb threats over the last couple weeks. So they are reeling right now. Makes me want to homeschool my kids until they're 30.

[Catherine]

6.

HA! I ALMOST emailed you, like, "Hey, maybe you want to change your headline a little..."

:) Hey, you didn't know.

[Sarah]

7.

You were a bit occupied with the flood! Don't feel bad, sweetie.
xo

[Shannon O.]

8.

I didn't hear about it till oh about 8pm last night... I don't watch the news so I was completely in the dark... so don't feel bad that you didn't know either...

[porter]

9.

You of all people would have made a point of acknowledging such a horrible tragedy, there is no need for you to apologize.
Sorry to hear about your bad news, hang in there...good things are surely going to come your way.

[Spacemom]

10.

I spent the whole day with my girls. It wasn't until dinner that I heard about it.
You're not an ass!

[Mary]

11.

I knew something had to be weird- I couldn't believe you didn't mention it, because this is one of the first places I came for your reaction.. you usually have good ones!... but now I know why! :) You're excused.

[Jenni]

12.

Don't feel bad. I knew quite quickly what had happened and still spent the day self absorbed in my own misery, only knowing that had happened made my life AND the world a sucky place.

[Aurelia]

13.

Cecily, I don't expect you to know everything all the time, or to have wonderful analysis all the time.

Security at the school, I expect to be on top of things. THEY sucked ass.

THEY should get fired, THEY should know how to send out mass emails, text messages, phone calls, update a website, notice a fuckin' murder happened two hours previously, and ummm, TELL PEOPLE so we can be safe.

Don't feel guilty about living your life, we all have a right to live our lives safe and secure without expecting this kind of shit to happen.

[Sheridan]

14.

I'm just happy to hear from you! Can I be excused (I do live on the other side of the world) for being such an ignoramus to have worried about YOU? Don't you work on a campus somewhere? I did actually go and look up Philadelphia and Virginia on the map. And then I felt better.

So you can't be that much of a complete ass if I thought of you the moment I heard the news.

[liz]

15.

I ditto the vote for Not An Ass.

[Melessa]

16.

I wouldn't have known if hotmail didn't show me the news along with how many emails I have in my Inbox. Frankly, I was glad to read something different even if I was cringing over the flood and you feeling sick. I vote "Not an ass" too.

[Susan]

17.

You're not an ass; you're a human being.

[Meg]

18.

Not an ass at all.

Your day was your day, and it sucked, and the world keeps turning as it always does.

I sometimes think the most frustrating thing about pain and loss and tragedy is that it is so mundane. We may be shocked, but I don't think it is surprising that another man has killed in this way.

I hope your basement is better. And I'm sending all my thoughts to those at Virginia Tech, and those two things go together fine.

[Karen]

19.

I don't think you are an ass either. Actually, I live in Roanoke, VA which is about a 40 minute commute from VA Tech. Both my brother and father went to VA Tech and my best friend currently attends school there. While none of us knew any of the victims personally, I am quite immersed in the tragedy. Nearly everyone who lives here is somehow connected to the University whether they attended VA Tech, know someone who did, have family who did or are just huge Hokie fans due to our close proximity to the college and their athletic program. Some of the victims graduated from local high schools here in Roanoke. Reading your blog yesterday was a refreshing break from all the media coverage and shock and talking and grieving. Thank you for a little something different, I needed it.

[Ranter]

20.

Welcome to motherhood. My girlfriend in California missed 9/11 because her kids were sick and watching videos all day long. When she finally turned on real news, she called me saying did you know there was a terrorist attack?

[car]

21.

Absolutely. I read it and realized there was no way you had time to be near a tv all day. Actually, I don't pay much attention to the dates, so it didn't even register with me that you had posted that while the VA stuff was going on.
If it makes you feel better, I was consumed with it at work all day, came home, and when my husband came home with the kids from swimming practice started to update him on it, then realized that he had no idea what I was talking about. You weren't the only one.

[Liza]

22.

You're going to have to reach a little further than that, lady. Your day did suck. You spent it sick and spending money on something to keep your new business that will allow you to stay home and nurse and love on your baby, who you are raising to have an excellent social conscience when I'm sure you are still feeling the bite from FurnaceGate. That sucks plenty. No apologies necessary for being too sick and busy doing unpostponable things to watch the freaking news, GEEZ. No pain, on the part of one or even many, no matter how great, cancels out or invalidates a lesser hurt for any other person or group of people. We all feel our own wounds first. Comparison, except for secretly inside your head (or to a good friend) to make yourself feel fortunate for having the lesser or for having survived the greater, is a waste of time. Totally irrelevant. So. I reject your guilt!

[revdrmom]

23.

You know, I did know about it and I still blogged about the flood here. Because sometimes there are no adequate words for the big pains and you have to think about what is right in front of you to keep on going.

[JK]

24.

I figured you were too busy dealing with the flood to have heard too. We still love you. :-)

[lynn]

25.

I was sick too. I whining to my husband "Wah! My head hurts! I've got the chills! I feel like crap! I can't believe I'm sick again!! No fair! Waaaah!" and he interrupted me to inform me that 22 students had been killed at Tech (that was early on when they didn't realize how many it actually was). We live in Virginia and his bosses daughter goes to school there. I felt like such an ass for feeling so sorry for myself.

[Rissa]

26.

So very interesting. Just catching up to all your blogs