Musings on a holiday morning

[pbray]

I haven't been spending much time on the internet lately, so missed good news, bad news, and a stunning example of internet-enabled hatred and bullying. I must say, the minuses of the internet outweigh the pluses on many days.

I've been keeping myself busy. Getting out for long bike rides-- after buying the new bike last month, I missed two weekends of good weather by being away, and then another because I had a house guest, so I hadn't put all that many miles on it. This weekend I've corrected that problem, so I can bring it in for the free new bike checkup this week without shame.

Saturday was consumed with a charity benefit for a local family-- four kids whose mother was murdered by their father while the kids were in the house. It's the type of tragedy that could be the launching point for a story, but in real life you flail and wonder what you can do to help. In this case, because it happened in a small town, the answer was to hold a benefit dance / silent auction / raffle. I leaned on a few friends to donate autographed books for the silent auction, and our book basket was the subject of a bidding war. The event raised over eleven thousand dollars-- I know since I was there after midnight, helping count the takings. This was just one of several events being held in the surrounding communities. Money can't replace what they lost, of course, but it's a way of saying that the community cares, as well as making it easier for their grandparents to provide a home for the kids.

Both real life and the internets have provided plenty of ammunition for the arguments "People suck" and "People are great". Today, I think I'm going to lean towards the "People (on the whole) are great" side of the fence. And with that conclusion, it's time to get organized so I can run errands and try to squeeze in a bike ride before the thunderstorms roll through.

Comments

[melissajm.livejournal.com]

I've decided that most people are mostly good most of the time.

[pbray.livejournal.com]

Most days I believe that to be true. Some days, I'd rather have a robot army.

[pbray.livejournal.com]

Miss you too! Hate the fact that you're no longer a drive away.

Was not racing, alas, but managed respectable pace given the state of New Hampshire roads ("crappy" is the default setting.) And I definitely noticed the difference that riding three days in a row made... need to do this more often so I can build up my endurance.

[http://users.livejournal.com/la_marquise_de_/]

that is indeed a tragedy, and one in face of which others can only try and help, and flail. I'm glad you were able to raise so much.
Happy bike riding.

[pbray.livejournal.com]

There were incredible acts of generosity. And the funny thing is the event was organized by the regulars at the pub-- one night just after the tragedy, we were all in there talking about it, and someone said "We should do something" and next thing you know, there was a plan, a committee and they actually followed through and pulled it off.