between an oil slick and an a-bomb

like being stuck between a rock and a hard place. only, you know, worse.

if you're the sort of person who reads the news, and i really hope you are, you may have heard about troubles in the waters around both korea and mississippi. the two places i think of as my home.

here in south korea there's the chance that kim jong-il is really sad about dying without ever trying out his military. this is, i admit slightly worrying. i do not want to be blown up before seeing river again and convincing my brother and his wife to name the new baby ephraim. it's a good name!

thus far, however, the only ill effect i've felt is a kind of sucky exchange rate. i remain confident that any north korea soldiers who accost me could be easily distracted by the granola bars i keep in my purse, just in case. not much food up there. if that doesn't work, i'll invite them home and demonstrate how my television turns on and off when i want it to, and has many, many fine channels. plus: more granola bars in my house.

and back at home in mississippi there's a chance that British Petroleum is trying to ensure that my american family evolves into some sort of x-man-esque half-human, half-tar ball nature-destroying crime syndicate. like, i am actually more worried that i'm going to come home in august and discover that my niece is now made mostly of crude oil.

and now i will cease making fun of the oil spill in the gulf of mexico, because it makes me physically ill. i cannot watch the news without crying. i cannot speak of it to other people without crying. i am crying right now as i type. that is my home. that is where i live. and it is being destroyed in a manner that was completely preventable.