Oblivion

There is something to be said for dissociation and ignorance. And for a lack of internet connectivity. Don't get me wrong, I'm pleased as punch to be able to communicate with you via this ingenious medium that Al Gore designed, and even more pleased to be able to communicate with Keith via said medium, but I think there is something to be said for not knowing the perils of the outside world.

Most of my biggest issues nowadays are tied to my work:

a) is my instrument running?

yes

b) does the data look good (aka reasonable? low signal to noise ratios? bumps and wiggles occur when they're expected?)

Actually, today's flight was the best that I think I've ever seen the instrument run, not just for the study, but the entire time I've worked with it.

c) when do I need to get up tomorrow?

Ummm... work at the plane at 6:45, leave for the plane at 6:30, breakfast at 6:00... set alarm for 5:30*.

*she sets her alarm clock to 5:30, and concurrently adjusts the current time forward 10 minutes, knowing that the brown-outs cause the clock to lose about 30 minutes per day.

d) Do I need to bring my lunch tomorrow?

hopefully not... I should be finished up most of my work by noon and thus I'll be able to eat back at the hotel with the majority of the folks here.

and so on.

But I still feel the need to check in on the outside world. And so I have been randomly (once every couple days or so) looking at the online newspapers to see if I'm missing something important. After all, what if something happened to the (Canadian) dollar? What if my home was washed away in a 100+ year flood? What if the US just signed a peace treaty with Iran? What if there was a major hurricane headed for North Carolina? I should be aware of that, shouldn't I?

And yes - we were all somewhat aware of Flossie - but we were also told well in advance by our own meteorologist that she was headed FAR north of us and that we needn't be concerned. (Remember, it's all about work.)

But the thing is: what if there was some huge news event that I need to know about? So I check the news online just to establish that we're still at the status quo out there. Which I think we are. But you know what? Status quo is pretty horrid. I give you the first few headlines that I just saw online:

"Iraq attack toll may reach 500"
"Deadly earthquake strikes Peru capital"
"Noise raises hope for trapped minors"
"Teachers to be taught to spot domestic violence"
"Ripped glove forces early end to spacewalk"
"New Leaf gets 6-month sentence"

...and so on.

I couldn't bring myself to read any of them. Sometimes ignorance really is bliss.

Besides, I have to get some sleep. I have work to do tomorrow.