Watching the news last night, especially after there was no more real information but the stations wanted to stay on the story (even if it meant resorting to “Get” Gephardt—who knows what his real name is—interviewing a lone guy on a bus to ask if him if he had a ride home since all the cars at the Trolley lot were impounded), I was pondering the nature of bad news, horrific news, and how it triggers something in people that is a weird mix of excitement and the longing to be included. After I posted to my blog last night, I started thinking, what is the impulse to do that? Is it really so people can know I’m okay, or do I want to somehow insert myself into a tragedy because it’s news and it’s different even though it has nothing to do with me? I remember when this boy at my high school died of leukemia in his junior or senior year. He wasn’t popular, but not unpopular. Sort of on the fringes. I had a friend who knew him really well, they’d grown up almost as brother and sister. When the school had a memorial assembly for him there was definitely this feeling for my friend of, what the hell? You people didn’t know him! Why are you crying? Why are you making it about you? I do the same thing, I know I do. There’s this desire to say, “I was there. I was a part of that.” Even if the definition of “part” is very, very loose. Anyway. They’ll release the names of the victims and shooter at noon. Meanwhile, there was a workplace shooting in Philly and part of me wonders if the shooter here, an 18-year-old, heard about that and thought, Why not? In Phoenix, an 84-year-old man killed his granddaughter and another teen before the police killed him. Today, a bunch more people were killed in Iraq. A local kid has this to deal with. People are making Anna Nicole Smith jokes and the body is barely cold. I’m not sure what my point is. At my women’s group last night we were talking about where we find our security. Basically anything in this life that seems to offer security really doesn’t.

Since life may be short, you might as well laugh a little today. If you’re a Food Network or cooking show junkie, you will enjoy this rant. (On Rachael Ray: “Complain all you want. It’s like railing against the pounding surf. She only grows stronger and more powerful.”)

If you want to see what libraries are carrying your book, check this out – thanks DL Garfinkle! It’s pretty cool to think about my book sitting there in the Brooklyn Public Library or in Vancouver and Alaska.

FYI, e-mail notification of LJ comments isn’t working for me right now. Which is probably for the best as I have plenty of work to do. Starting now.