My heart hurts so much for everyone in Los Angeles. I cannot even imagine how terrifying it must be to be there. The fires themselves – scary enough, but then there is so much uncertainty. So many people just going, “What do we do now?”
I know we like to say “things can be replaced, people can’t” – and it’s true up to a point.* But we all have some things that just can’t be replaced, and to just lose everything – that has to be so traumatic and overwhelming.
I’ve sent a donation to World Central Kitchen because I don’t really know what else to do – they’ve kind of become my go-to for disaster relief, because if nothing else, while I may not have any idea what the immediate needs are of folks in disaster areas, I do know that everyone needs to eat. And they handle that very well.
Then of course, everything else goes on, because it just does. We had a big snowstorm at the start of the week, and more last night, so that had to be dealt with, and work still had to be done, because bills still have to be paid. And it feels downright selfish to be stressed about shoveling snow and worrying about work when there are folks losing homes, livelihoods, just everything – cause I’m sure they’d much rather be shoveling snow right now.
There is the bonus of knowing insurance companies are scrambling to figure out how to deny as many claims as possible, because what better business plan is there than “take money and never provide services”? And companies like TikTok telling Los Angeles employees to use their PTO or sick leave in the midst of all this. (I’m sure they’re not the only one, they’re just a big one we’ve heard about. Fuck any company doing that.)
On top of this, we buried Jimmy Carter this week, our shitassed judicial system let Trump skate, Mark Zuckerberg decided to openly be the hateful ass we all knew he was, Elon Musk just continues to exist in the public sphere, and probably some other traumatic things I’ve already forgotten. You’re forgiven if what happened *last week* has already escaped your consciousness.
So if you’re tired, it’s OK and understandable. Wherever you are, stay as safe as you can, help where you can, and try to stay somewhat sane.
Hugs to all.
* And I think it’s easier for me to say because my brain is kinda fucked – I have Lots of Things in my house, but I don’t feel particularly attached to any of it, while I have lost many people over the years. Bonus for ADHD lack of object permanence – I am not sure I’d even notice what things I didn’t have anymore if it was all gone.
Musings of a marginally sane feline-appreciating female. 
This has been the definition of a “turn off the news to save your sanity” week for me. I know a huge number of people in Los Angeles and so many of them are now either homeless, or their family are, or their businesses have burned, and it’s just overwhelming.
One friend alone lost his home plus four more in his family, a family business, and some of his (historically important) grandfather’s archives. They kept taking refuge with each other only to have to flee when fire would come for whichever other house they were now in, so now this huge group of like 25 family members are headed to San Diego. His dark humor led to him pointing out that the last time his family were all fleeing it like this, it was when they arrived in Los Angeles to escape Hitler.
Another friend lives(d?) on Amalfi Drive in Pacific Palisades…one of the original families there, not the super wealthy celebrities. I cried happy tears when I saw the first version of the fire perimeter map and it showed the fire line going right through their backyard — the fire department stopped the fire RIGHT in their backyard. Luckiest family in the world. Maybe the house survived. And then 16 hours later, the fire map updated and nope, some embers apparently caught and the fire got their house and the one across the street. But for 16 hours, it stood, somehow untouched, a little miracle for a brief time, giving false hope — which is somehow even more devastating.
Fires and floods, man. The two things I just can’t fathom. I’ll keep my blizzards and humidity.
And oh my Goddd, I just looked up my friend’s kid’s address. It’s on Mandeville Canyon Road — you know, the one that all the news coverage keeps focusing on. I looked on the fire map and the current perimeter is literally right across the street. So they’re going to lose another house. This poor family, I can’t even begin to fathom it.
Time to watch “The Office” reruns and eat a cupcake.
Yeah, I’ve been watching so much sports. I don’t think I’ve seen this many college bowl games in one year in my life.
I can’t fathom what folks are going through, except that they’re all going to need so much in mental health services, and it’s going to be so hard to get.
PTSD typically kicks in about six months out, so I keep thinking about how they need to start building that care infrastructure now. This summer is going to be a tinderbox in megalopolis full of symptomology.
(Super miss you, by the way. Dang Elon.)
I’m sure there is someone in LA County health & human services hollering about this – I just hope they’re not being told “we can’t think about that right now”…
Miss you too!!
So many people that need to be hit by a meteorite these days, and there is a constant fight for who is #1, but Elon is always in the top five.