A Neighborhood or a Group of Houses?

Something Andy and I talk about a lot is how today's society lacks unity. Neighborhoods are not communities anymore. They are groups of houses full of individuals with their own priorities and wants and desires. They have nothing to do with each other and couldn't care less. It's a sad situation when I can't walk down the street and say "hi" to passerby without a response.

I'm not claiming to be immune to this isolation. My noisy neighbors bother me a lot, and I'm dreading the time when we rip the plastic from our windows and throw them open. Not only will I get a nice breeze, but a whiff of their smoke and parties. Maybe they would be different if I chatted with them, or got to know them. I would hope that whether or not they know me they would still be friendly and concerned about not making too much noise.

At any rate, I long for neighbors who smile and wave. I would like to know their names and stories. It would be wonderful for someone to know me as well! I'm looking forward to moving out of this university area so that I can live among people who are concerned about the people they live among.

I watched Bobby tonight with Andy and there's this speech at the end that RFK spoke 6 months before his death. On part really caught me and I would like it to share it with you. It is something to think about how we feel about our neighbors.

"We learn, at the last, to look at our brothers as aliens, men with whom we share a city, but not a community; men bound to us in common dwelling, but not in common effort. We learn to share only a common fear, only a common desire to retreat from each other, only a common impulse to meet disagreement with force. For all this, there are no final answers."

The Hole Gets Deeper

When I got home from work last week there was a giant hole in the ground next door. Mornings are more unpleasant with all the construction workers wandering around, huge machines vibrating the house and Wayne lurking about. Even though we're not paying rent here for other people to use our house and the objects around it, Wayne doesn't feel like that's a problem. I'm trying to think on the bright side, but it's not fun.

South Korea probably isn't like how I dream it

Last night I dreamed that I was in South Korea (I think my mind got it mixed up with more backward North Korea). I was stuck in some sort of wooden container moving diagonally up and down. The only place for hand holds so you didn't fall was between the cracks in the wood and whenever the box moved it would pinch my fingers. It was a study on smoke inhalation and smoke was pumped into the box. This didn't make any sense.

Then they were testing a roller coaster, which some how had two different types of cars on it and one plowed into the other. The one full of people fell off the track and no body came to help them. Though apparently, this is typical in "South Korea." After this I woke up. I had to push snooze so that I could get the terrible image out of my mind.

In real life news, our empty lot next door wont be empty for long. It seems as though dear old Wayne (my landlord) is going to build a new house. So that means unpleasant construction next door, and awkward interactions with a rougher set of people. Possibly. I hear some silly girls have already agreed to live in the place next fall, even though the house currently consists of six pink spray painted stakes in the ground. Though, this news explains why Wayne was inexplicably plowing the empty lot.

That's all I have for now!