Looooooooonnnng Day

Starting at 9am with an appointment with a kidney specialist for mom that took hours. Then came errands and a trip to the post office and the realization I needed to get my car inspected for my registration renewal and setting it up for my sister to take mom to another doctor's appointment in the morning since I'll be in court. Then came supper and I'm just now sitting down to the computer. Fortunately, I finished the Dublin bit of POS, last night. Brendan and Joanna are becoming pretty intense with each other, which works well since it builds during a relative lull in the sectarian violence in Derry. Belfast was the time-bomb at this point.

It helps they're both 15. I can get away with a lot of emotion and "forever-after" stuff that way, like Shakespeare did with "Romeo and Juliet." And there is a hint of that, Brendan being Catholic and Joanna being Protestant in a part of the world where that could get you killed. I wonder if anyone's adapted the play to this area? Maybe it's too obvious, but since I'm not making this that kind of story, I don't mind referencing a hint of it.

I found this great Time/Life book on Ireland, published in 1964. It has a picture of downtown Belfast and it looks so much like Liverpool or Manchester, it's almost funny. Its photo of Derry is kids building an anti-Orange Order bonfire in an area that looks like what would eventually become the "Free Derry" corner. I also have a Fodor's guide book from 1971 that only hints at the Troubles but has some fascinating info on Grianan Aileach.

I may have referenced too much information, again. I'm feeling like events need to be included when reality is, they don't. This is Brendan's story, not the story of the Troubles. He lived through it but he didn't experience all of it. He's focused on his life, unlike his friends whose sole source of entertainment is the havoc they can participate in. And which Brendan helps with, on occasion. But something that's happening is, he's too aware of reality to take any of the posturing by either side seriously. He doesn't know that...he just senses when people are being less than honest...but it builds into an awareness that offers a harsh assessment of mankind.

Which seques into a quick political comment -- Senator Joe Leiberman succeeded in destroying any hope for health care reform from the Senate, and it seems the only reason he did it was because he's angry with the Democratic Party for not playing nice after he supported John McCain for President. He's a vile little man and is proving himself smaller by the moment, and Sen. Harry Reid's shown himself to be a spineless fool in dealing with him. And Obama doesn't give a shit; he just wants a health care bill on his desk by Christmas, even if it means people have to buy crap insurance while the insurers get to keep pulling the same old shit they've been pulling. And they think Americans will be happy with this. What fucking idiots we have running this country. The only thing that would be worse is if the GOP still had control of all three houses of Government.