The End of the World...

The last two books I've read have been full of doom and gloom.  Life as We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer shows us what the world would be like if the moon was knocked into an orbit closer to earth.  Death, catastrophe, plagues, death, starvation - and it felt so real!  I'm seriously freaked out now, and I'm beginning to stockpile food in the basement.  There's a companion novel to this novel that I will never read because it was bad enough reading from the viewpoint of someone living in the country.  The companion novel shows an urban perspective (my present situation) that is most likely too horrific to comprehend.  I couldn't even get myself to read the teaser chapter.  I had to stop about two sentences in when the main character mentioned the tidal wave that wiped out his entire family.  Food storage... must have food storage.

After that engrossing and thoroughly panic-making novel, I went on to read Little Brother by Cory Doctorow.  Another thought-provoking sci-fi experience, except in this one terrorists blow up the Bay Bridge in San Francisco.  I lived in the Bay Area for 5 years, so I had no problems picturing this scenario either.  In this story, Homeland Security comes in and basically creates a police state where freedom and privacy no longer exist.  

So now, not only am I paranoid about the electricity disappearing forever and not having enough food to eat, but I'm completely too aware of the multiple ways I can be tracked, spied on, and basically put in danger. Sheesh, what am I doing to myself?!  

I've started reading a new book.  This one does not take place on earth.  The characters in it have never even heard of electricity.  Hallelujah...

A Good Deed

So when my roommate left her book at the beach last week, a stranger picked it up.  Inside was a printout from mapquest that had our address on it.  

The stranger took the book and stuck it in an envelope, addressed it to us, took it to the post office and paid three dollars to mail it to our house. 

Yeah, some people are just that cool...