So I’ve been in a bit of a lull.  Part of it is that I’ve been under the gun at work with one of my co-workers on vacation, so every single word of copy generated in my office has been filtered through me over the past 2 weeks, which can be really draining, making me feel creatively… well, drained.  The other part of it is that what else is there to say that’s not being said out there?  I’m probably thinking the same thoughts as most Americans are these days:  Gas prices are skyrocketing to the point where I’ve seen stations jack prices a dime overnight (although interestingly enough, the L.A. Times says that gas station owners are getting pinched hard too, which means it’s another example of high-up corporate greed running unchecked), prices for everything are going up as a result, people are still dying in an unpopular war, job security is not what it used to be, weather is going berserk all over the country, and every day, they’re finding something new that will accidentally kill you — now, not even the vegetables are safe.  Does anyone else feel like things are falling apart here?  Dump in the usual crap of deadlines at work and increasing commute times and all the other crap running through my head, and you’ve got a nice stew of Not Awesomeness.

My parents tend to believe that I’m a stress junkie.  Not true.  Personally, I hate stress.  Life is so much better when I can just chill out and not have to worry about anything getting screwed up.  What I am is a worrier, and my folks should know something about that — they made me this way.  The other problem is that I’ve been given plenty to worry about.  Not just that, but I’m being bombarded with it from 19 different directions all at once, thanks to the sped-up lifestyle we now lead where news is flying at us all the time and we need the latest up-to-the-second update.  Now if I fart too much after a meal, I don’t think that maybe I had too much soda, my mind starts assuming the worst — that I’ve got salmonella or listeria or Lord knows what else, simply because I’ve been exposed to so much hysteria in the news that I can’t seem to avoid.

News organizations are saying that Americans are becoming generally unhappier and that our stress levels are too high.  Personally, I kind of blame them for causing it.  When the news became more about terrifying you into watching in order to get ratings, things took a turn.  What?  Exposing a guinea pig to sunlight could make it turn rabid, causing it to gnaw through my skull while I sleep?  I must watch tonight at 11 to find out how to prevent it!  Ignorance really can be bliss sometimes, and I’m finding it harder and harder to be ignorant of things going on out there.  And I will admit that it’s partially my own fault because I do like to know what’s going on and I like to be able to intelligently hold up my end of conversations when people are talking about stuff, but at the same time, there’s so much news out there thanks to the Internet and the 25 different cable news networks and regular TV newscasts at every other hour that it’s hard to avoid — or know what to pay attention to. 

I guess what I’m trying to say among this rambling mess is that I think I’m once again hitting overload.  Time to start thinking about unplugging and seeing what life is like on a beach somewhere for a few days.  I can only hope that while I’m away, I won’t start freaking out, worrying about all the stuff going on at home that I’m missing and how I don’t know what’s happening.  I’ll just have to keep in mind that much to my own chagrin (and disappointment), the world will keep rotating normally if I weren’t around for a little while.