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Mar. 20th, 2003 08:32 pmThe war began just before dawn here today. It began peacefully for me. It didn't even wake me up. isupposed everyone was a bit surprised that it started so quickly, it seemed to take a while for the traffic to get up to speed for a weekend. Master went out to get a few essentials that we had forgotten, dog food being among the most important, and some anchors so he can hang the drapes in the front room. i have been fighting against this, we had decided the drapes were the lowest priority because of the view. It seems prudent to do this now. We talked about it last night, but decided against it. Master with His belly pressed against the window in the daylight is not so noticeable, Master with His belly pressed against the window back lit by the ceiling lights could appear for all the world like a 'shoot me' plea.
The safe room is in the process of being finalized. Max gets his own. I refuse to spend any length of time in a bathroom with a man AND a dog. It just won't work.
I am hypnotized by what I see on television. I don't want to watch, but I can't not watch. I've become my son, the Olympic channel flipper gold medalist. I switch from Sky News, to Orbit News, to CNNi, to MSNBC, to MBC, I even watched Iraq 1 for a bit until it went off the air. I hate that I can't stop watching. There is a simple solution, just turn the thing off, but I can't seem to do it. And Master isn't inclined to. I am afraid I will miss something that will effect me directly. I am hoping to hear that the university is closed. The unit may be closed by default, because several teachers have said they won't come in if there is war.
i got an email from my sister this morning. She called me dumb. She wants pictures. i want to believe she is trying to be humorous but it hit me wrong. She said we must be the only two dumb Americans left in Kuwait. Funny, I thought about that and in fact, i personally know only two Americans who have left. One is gone for bona fide medical reasons. She's probably having surgery as I type. The other has only been here since the beginning of this school year. She has not yet adjusted to life as an ex-pat. The teachers from my unit who have left are Brits or Portuguese. The Portuguese left because her son is out of the country and is having difficulties with his mother here. i don't blame her a bit for leaving. The Brits are also new to the country. i resent her calling me dumb. I'm not sure how to tell her how this hurt me. If she is concerned about my safety tell me, but don't call me dumb.
My heart is pounding as i write. Not from fear but from her insensitivity.
At about 12:15 we heard sirens. Now i'm thankful for the soldiers across the street. The news on both the TV and the radio said nothing about the sirens. Master looked across the street, the soldiers were going on life as usual, one even in his t-shirt. They will be my barometer from now on. God forbid i look out there one time and find they have disappeared.
The information has just come out that the university will be closed for at least one week. i have notified my teachers.
We took the dog out today, not to the desert, he did a city run. Right across from the new Hilton Resort, where i think Cristian Amanpour is staying is a new maze of paved streets. There are no houses or other buildings in the area. Max has to be on the lead to do this run, there Gulf Road, a major thoroughfare, is very near, and he could take a visit to that road if he chose. He has to run on paved road, he's doesn't seem to want to jump the curb and run on the parking. He didn't get the speed he usually does because he apparently doesn't like to run on the lead anymore. But he did get his three miles in. i don't know what we will do if we have to stop the runs altogether.
Don't pay attention to the gray-haired guy on CNNi who says he heard air fire in Kuwait City. He is at least 50 kilometers from the northern border. He may have heard the sound barrier being broken by U.S. missiles overhead, but i doubt it. He is simply feeding into the frenzy of the media. Twenty-four hour news stations are good in theory, but in reality the majority of the time is spent in repeating over and over and over the little bit of real news. The rest of the time is filled with sound bites, most often said without thinking of the consequences of their words. Jim Clancy, iI think is the guy's name.
It's a bit odd to me, it is night now. It seems the traffic has picked up. i would have thought that the traffic would be less. i wonder if martial law will be put in place? i have no idea why i wonder. Maybe it is just more quiet now and i notice the cars more easily.
Tomorrow i am not going to spend all day watching the news station.
The safe room is in the process of being finalized. Max gets his own. I refuse to spend any length of time in a bathroom with a man AND a dog. It just won't work.
I am hypnotized by what I see on television. I don't want to watch, but I can't not watch. I've become my son, the Olympic channel flipper gold medalist. I switch from Sky News, to Orbit News, to CNNi, to MSNBC, to MBC, I even watched Iraq 1 for a bit until it went off the air. I hate that I can't stop watching. There is a simple solution, just turn the thing off, but I can't seem to do it. And Master isn't inclined to. I am afraid I will miss something that will effect me directly. I am hoping to hear that the university is closed. The unit may be closed by default, because several teachers have said they won't come in if there is war.
i got an email from my sister this morning. She called me dumb. She wants pictures. i want to believe she is trying to be humorous but it hit me wrong. She said we must be the only two dumb Americans left in Kuwait. Funny, I thought about that and in fact, i personally know only two Americans who have left. One is gone for bona fide medical reasons. She's probably having surgery as I type. The other has only been here since the beginning of this school year. She has not yet adjusted to life as an ex-pat. The teachers from my unit who have left are Brits or Portuguese. The Portuguese left because her son is out of the country and is having difficulties with his mother here. i don't blame her a bit for leaving. The Brits are also new to the country. i resent her calling me dumb. I'm not sure how to tell her how this hurt me. If she is concerned about my safety tell me, but don't call me dumb.
My heart is pounding as i write. Not from fear but from her insensitivity.
At about 12:15 we heard sirens. Now i'm thankful for the soldiers across the street. The news on both the TV and the radio said nothing about the sirens. Master looked across the street, the soldiers were going on life as usual, one even in his t-shirt. They will be my barometer from now on. God forbid i look out there one time and find they have disappeared.
The information has just come out that the university will be closed for at least one week. i have notified my teachers.
We took the dog out today, not to the desert, he did a city run. Right across from the new Hilton Resort, where i think Cristian Amanpour is staying is a new maze of paved streets. There are no houses or other buildings in the area. Max has to be on the lead to do this run, there Gulf Road, a major thoroughfare, is very near, and he could take a visit to that road if he chose. He has to run on paved road, he's doesn't seem to want to jump the curb and run on the parking. He didn't get the speed he usually does because he apparently doesn't like to run on the lead anymore. But he did get his three miles in. i don't know what we will do if we have to stop the runs altogether.
Don't pay attention to the gray-haired guy on CNNi who says he heard air fire in Kuwait City. He is at least 50 kilometers from the northern border. He may have heard the sound barrier being broken by U.S. missiles overhead, but i doubt it. He is simply feeding into the frenzy of the media. Twenty-four hour news stations are good in theory, but in reality the majority of the time is spent in repeating over and over and over the little bit of real news. The rest of the time is filled with sound bites, most often said without thinking of the consequences of their words. Jim Clancy, iI think is the guy's name.
It's a bit odd to me, it is night now. It seems the traffic has picked up. i would have thought that the traffic would be less. i wonder if martial law will be put in place? i have no idea why i wonder. Maybe it is just more quiet now and i notice the cars more easily.
Tomorrow i am not going to spend all day watching the news station.
