ApocalyptiKC

This day trip I spoke of several weeks ago has turned into a much longer ausflug from the world of blogging and society as a whole. And just in time, too.

The above image, taken by Chris, is an actual photo of what downtown looked like yesterday (thanks to Chris for letting me post this amazing shot). The electrical storm started about 6 p.m. and carried on until well after I finally went to bed at about 2. At about 7:30, a 1,000,000 gallon fuel tanker in Kansas City, Kansas got struck by lightning, sparking a giant fire that rose 20 stories high and is yet to burn out completely.

This, combined with a recent shooting down the street from me that I was still upset about, gave the night a distinctly apocalyptic feel. It didn't help when the downstairs neighbor knocked on my door at midnight to let me know some sketchy middle-aged dude had been peering in her back window before pounding on the back door and demanding gas money for his car 10 blocks away. We called the cops, who checked it out and didn't see anyone.

I had a bit of a horror-movie moment, though, looking out into the porch where she said the guy had been lurking just before the police drove by. The wind and rain was blowing over us, and the intermittent lightning made it pretty easy to see for a few seconds at a time. And just when I was convinced there was nobody out there, I thought heard a noise on the fire escape just above us. Fortunately it was just a cat.

So I'm doing what I can do be a good citizen and look out for the folks in my neighborhood in whatever way I can. I was talking to Jenn about this yesterday and we decided that's one of the main things that separates a community from a neighborhood where no one feels safe. But I feel awful for people like CJ, the name of the kid who was attacked just down the street last Saturday. I generally feel safe in the neighborhood, but you never know when something crazy will happen.

I guess all you can do is take Voltaire's advice and tend to your garden, or in my case, mow the lawn. As of yesterday, I'm now the official grounds keeper for the apartment complex. I'll be mowing the lawn once a week and picking up trash in exchange for a pretty steep reduction in rent. I've even got a bandanna and some neon green t-shirts left over from my days at Westwood Public Works. So if you see what looks like a renegade Johnson County maintenance guy weed-wacking his way through the urban jungles of KCMO, don't be surprised.

Peace.

LW