I know I think a lot about the condition of this rare planet. I know I was anxious when I wrote about this back in February of this year. I doubt that 2017 will not break 2016's record. It was around this time last year I remember the Opening Ceremony for the Olympics. I think it is usually this time of year that I feel the most anxious. When everyone believes it to be too hot to go outside so they stay inside and turn their air conditioners up. As I write these thoughts I sit without a shirt a small fan blowing air on my back. We all need to sweat together now. We all need to cut our energy use together and today.
let's pretend that that everyone in the whole world did their very best to cut emissions, starting today. Even if all that make-believing came true, the world would still get very hot. Fact is, if you add up all the emissions cuts every country promised in their Paris pledges, it still wouldn't keep the planet's temperature from rising beyond the agreement's goals—to keep global temperatures from rising more than 2˚C higher than they were before the Industrial Revolution, and as close to 1.5˚C as possible.
-Nick Stockton, Wired Magazine July 2017
Neil DeGrasse Tyson - The World Set Free, Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey
It's funny to joke and say "whelp who cares we're fucked anyway" as we turn on our air conditioners, as we have every light in the house on. As the skyscrapers we build higher and higher each year are filled round the clock with their heat or cooling empty building through every night filled with controlled temperatures and florescent lights no one is even using. At the very least couldn't we open the lobbies of these buildings to the homeless to make sure of the buildings shelter and climate control? but of course that sort of thinking is naive.
I remember looking up the stats about fossil fuel consumption in America back in 2014. Although my opinions and theology has changed a lot since 2014 the same panic and the same frustration in our culture still lives on inside of me. We need to use more hand tools. We need to wash our dishes with our hands. We need to walk or bike slightly more. WE NEED TO START YESTERDAY. But we aren't, instead my friends make fun of me and call me cheap when I sit in the dark without the air turned on but the fact of the matter is when I hear that damn air conditioner kick on it give me anxiety. Why don't we plant more trees to consume some of this carbon dioxide and the trees could offer us natural shade from the summer heat. Why don't we convert the energy and heat from the blacktop roads rather than burn fossil fuels? Why aren't we pumping out solar panels world wide everyone with money freely donating so that we and our children can live on, because if we try to save our money and live in comfort today what will we have to look forward to tomorrow?
Friday was my last day at the VECC April 15th 2013 to July 28th 2017.
The last day I will ever work during summer for the rest of my life. After this past week it's nothing but adventures both around the world and sleeping in my car hoping national parks in this country.
We both finished our last day at the VECC then Alicia and I drove off to Cincinnati to catch her flight to California. Now this next week will be spent organizing, lesson planning, and preparing my classroom for my first year of teaching. This is so unreal I can't believe I'm actually going to be a teacher. 2017 has been a very good year to me so far and depending how these last five months go...it might be the best year of my life.
It’s just the way you are when you’re overgrown
And in the middle of the night when you’re on your own
I’m chasing down light in the indigo
It’s just the way you are when you’re overgrown
BØRNS - Holy Ghost