More Bits from Elsehwere with My Reality Thrown In..

Yes, I'm writing. Or will be as soon as I finish posting, which is writing but not on the novel-at-hand.

I saw a woman hit by a taxi on Park Ave. and 82nd St. today. I should say I saw her right after she was hit, the moment after she sounded a mild whoop, the kind of sound you'd revise to something much more bloodcurdling and dramatic if you'd rehearsed it first. I'd been walking the dogs, gazing up at the blooming trees and the daffodills and tulips that are just showing. The sky was Kodachrome blue. Then, with no screech of brakes or sound of impact, just the kind of oopsy noise you'd make if you dropped your groceries or your hat was carried off by the breeze, she was on the asphalt.

The driver sideswiped her turning south onto Park while she was crossing. This affluent-looking woman with a chignon ponytail of platinum hair, large tortoiseshell shades, and sleek, dark clothes was sitting in the left lane. She didn't yell but asked quite reasonably (I thought) "Did you just not see me?" I didn't hear a single curse leave her lips. What a civilized woman. I hope she's not much or permanently hurt. Passersby gathered around her with concern and cellphones. She was speaking and rubbing her right shoulder and getting her legs underneath her, but people seemed afraid to assist her in case they'd injure her more. A crossing guard for the school in the next block yelled over to her to stay down, not move, and let the ambulance pick her up when they arrived with the police. Perhaps that was good advice, but I'd try to haul myself out of the street if I could, too.

About the cab driver? I couldn't see him well through the tinted windshield, but he was sure caught, stopped right in front of his victim amidst very light traffic on a sunny, dry day. It could've been a the briefest lapse of attention, the kind we've all had, but those can become irreversible realities when operating several tons of kinetic machinery.

I've seen horrors that I barely recall, but it seemed like this might work out alright, which is a odd thing for me to think. But I do. Another vignette of spring in Manhattan.

Here's an article about how the multiculturalist dictum of "discern nothing, accomodate everything" is not only the enemy of commerce but of science. Why should we try to learn from human history when we can react with PC offense instead?
http://www.nationalreview.com/miller/miller200504140803.asp

Here's an article about a funny order calling itself the Unitarian Jihad. While I don't agree with everything they represent, they don't seem the types to care as long as I bring the sherbet punch for refreshments.
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2005/04/08/DDG27BCFLG1.DTL

You'll notice the wonderful names that members are assigned. Get your own here:
http://homepage.mac.com/whump/ujname.html

I remain, yours truly- The Jackhammer of Sacrificial Compassion