So, the worst part of this whole fire (for me) was the fact that the air was so filled with smoke that I was unable to bike anywhere. Please do not assume that I wish to pretend that the inconvenience I dealt with is anything compared to the countless number of families that lost their homes in the fire. Other than the nightly pyrotechnic show we received, this has been the only physical way I've encountered the fire. You know when you're standing by a camp fire and the wind blows the wrong direction and all the smoke hits you in the face? That's kind of what it was like. Or when you walk into a hotel room that someone has smoked in? That's kind of what it smelled like... for a week. Well, the smoke has decreased (I read that the folks at the NASA Jet Propulsion Lab here in Pasadena have been tracking the smoke and it's reached the gulf coast... get ready, East Coast!) and I'm thrilled to be able to bike around again.
I realized during this time, how blessed I am to be able to bike around town. I'm thankful that I don't commute further than a mile, that I get exercise every day without having to set time aside for it, that I don't add to the pollution problems of LA (let alone the globe), that I can't purchase more than one bag worth of groceries at a time, that I can park for free for as long as I want. One week of driving every day to and from school and moving my car from parking spot to parking spot cost me an entire tank of gas. I recommend everybody consider switching to a bike if not for commuting, than simply for running errands around town!
... Also, this happened yesterday:
For more information: http://laist.com/2009/09/08/another_valley_water_main_break_cau.php
No comments:
Post a Comment