There, but for the Grace of -Insert Divinity of Choice- Go I

What does one do when faced with ungrateful people?
I don't mean ungrateful in the sense that they didn't thank me for dinner or for the fabulous gift I gave them.
I mean ungrateful in general. Healthy people who have been given every opportunity to succeed, love, create, exist peacefully and yet they feel that life dealt them sucky cards.
It does not help to stomp in with the "Oh-aren't-you-lucky-boots" strapped on.
It does not help to relate to them the horrific trials of other people you know.
It does not help to help at all.
Call too often and you are being disruptive, call seldom and you are being thoughtless.
Can we start a program, I wonder?
A program called "The Big Switch-A-Roo", meaning, these incredibly lucky people who always find something to complain about, can we send them to, say, the Darfur area of Sudan? Or Chechnya? Or Haiti, can we send them there? And instead get somebody who has walked for days in search of food, somebody who has buried most of their family, somebody who has never known what it is to sleep securely.
Mind you, gratefulness is not the same as complacency. Trying to better ones life is not being ungrateful, but can we at least appreciate that anyone capable of reading this on a computer is:

1. literate
2. computer literate
3. connected to the internet
4. quite possibly rich enough to own a computer

These are things many of us take for granted, when in fact they are sources of great joy.

The richest 25% of the world's population receives 75% of the world's income. The poorest 75% of the population share just 25%. If you live in a household with a computer you definitely belong to the richest 25%.

Stunning facts. Insane, maddening facts that I cannot change, except just do a little Switch-A-Roo that is: "Yeah, you're feeling like being among the 25% of the richest isn't really doing it for you? Well how about a game of The Big Switch-A-Roo? You'll love it."

The Friday Night Cry

Getting a good slap across the face is tremendously healthy every now and then. I just watched Beyond Borders with Angelina Jolie and Clive Owen.
The story was kinda, well, borderline balanced & beyond believable. Unfortunately.
And whoever did the styling, did Angelina a disservice by making her look stunning in every picture - I know, not exactly a problem I face every day, but there are situations that call for looking-like-shite in order to be taken seriously. Like, when I wade through hip high snow, I tend to look a little disheveled.
The essence of the movie, is the enormity of the work and sacrifice performed every day by relief workers. This particular film did not make it beautiful, or even all that hopeful. It made me want to go out there and scoop up every child in need and never let anything bad happen to it. It made me cry, not because of starcrossed lovers, but because I do didley squat to ease suffering in the world. Oh, sure I pay off my bad conscience with donations and such, but that is easy.
Truth is, I'm not very good at doing heroic stuff, I'm a coward.
A very lucky one at that. I figure, the least I can do is stop moaning about meaningless stuff.
Um. Yeah. Blogging doesn't count.

Under the Weather

Annoying throat itchiness going on day 12. Darned. It never fully blooms into a fabulous cold and never fully goes away. Am also allergic to almost all cures, such as eccinachea etc. The only thing I can really do is inhale ridiculous amounts of garlic.
You bet the husband loves it.
Iceland is the weather. The weather rules everything. Something I kind of miss in other places. Despite its name, Iceland really never gets too cold. And never hot. It just sort of hovers around 10°c (about 50°f) in the summer and around -2°c (29°f) in the winter.
What will make or break your day though, is the wind.
The wind can make any day seem like heaven or hell. Depending on its direction it'll chill your bones or just give a refreshing caress. The wind will turn the smallest amount of rain into horizontal showers that easily make their way into undergarments. The wind can make the nicest looking winter days seem like your ears, eyes and jaw will be found, frozen, somewhere in northern Scotland.
The Grouch claims that Iceland has the coldest weather she has ever encountered. She has lived in Minnesota where temperatures tumble down to -30°c (-26°f). I agree with her. After many winters in Finland where similar temperatures are normal, I know what difference the wind makes. Those über-cold places are rarely windy. The forty six layers of clothing that one is wearing for protection actually do their job. Ok, so maybe your eyelashes freeze. And the snot in your nose, but that is sort of fun.
Today, I left the house feeling slightly under the weather. When I returned, the wind had pretty much beaten me to a pulp.
Must...have...more...garlic...