"Oh, I'm not doing this for the money. I'm just happy knowing that future generations will enjoy unspoiled median strips and pristine highway embankments." -Lisa Simpson

waiting for the end of the world, part infinity

I am not feeling good today, dudes. Not at all. I am in a multi-dimensional funk. First, I am not feeling well. Second, I am in the midst of trying to establish my future as a contractor with my current work, as they want to keep me but can't afford my keep. I have always been bad at handling situations where I have to pretend to be a professional. I am actually seriously considering some crafty business cards--does it seem like that would help? like my future as a Librarian-At-Large could seem more plausible if I had little business cards that said "Librarian-at-Large" on them? (actually, i want to get someone on etsy to custom screen-print me some business cards that look like the cards from an old card catalogue. But that is a story for another day.) Third, I am still reading The World Without Us. It's great but so, so depressing. I just finished the section on nuclear waste and it almost made me start to cry in the little lounge where I sometimes eat lunch. I'm not exaggerating. The number of totally contaminated, radioactive nuclear waste sites that have been turned into forest preserves is a depressing statement about humanity.

Sometimes I'm pretty upbeat about humanity in general*, but other times I genuinely believe the planet would be better off without us. We're the stupidest species EVER. We take contaminated sites of former nuclear processing plants and use them to house species that are on the endangered list because of us. We make thousands of items that are only designed to be used once out of a product that never disintegrates, plastic. You know? What the eff, humanity?

*the main time I am upbeat about humanity in general is when complete strangers, especially stern-looking older women, smile at babies and children in public. The sight of a grouchy-looking stranger's face lighting up when a kid smiles at them is one of the best arguments I can think of that human beings don't totally suck.

Could everyone update their blog now plz? I'm so bored. Kthxbai.

Unforseen advantages; also, the environmental sustainability of drug users

An Alderman in Chicago is trying to convince the city council to ban tiny plastic bags used for selling drugs. The Health Committee chairman adds, ""We need to use every measure that we possibly can to stop [drug addiction] because it is destroying our kids." I admire the "thinking outside the box" that clearly went on here, but there remains one fundamental problem:

1. This will not, in any way, prevent drug dealers from selling drugs.

HOWEVER, this could still be an advantage as it might encourage drug dealers to use more environmentally friendly means to distribute their products. After all, plastic never disintegrates, and I bet the majority of crack cocaine addicts aren't recycling theirs (and indeed, may not even know what day to put out their recycling for curbside pick-up). This could be an opportunity for some creative re-use, or at least use of more sustainable materials! Possible alternatives to tiny plastic bags: packets made of aluminum foil or paper; the little plastic cases that those tiny memory chips for digital cameras come in; small Tupperware containers (these could be re-used as they are dishwasher-safe); tiny sachets made from salvaged industrial fabric (once emptied of heroin, these could be filled with potpourri and used as drawer/closet fresheners!); film cannisters.

Think about it.
I am filing this one under: "Great ideas."