Chapel Perilous

And sometimes, I make good decisions

[Note: I lived with my father and brothers within a stone’s throw of the 15/78 interchange from August ’97 until December ’98, and that family unit still calls the area home.]

I often question the wisdom I expressed in my decision to move back to Portland when I did.

However, for the umpteenth time since leaving San Diego, I’m glad I was decisive about leaving.

It stands to reason that classes at CSUSM will be cancelled all week if not longer, but neither the campus (which was briefly threatened by the Witch fire) nor Dad’s apartment (which is well north of the 78) are currently in danger.

My stepmom’s place, which was skirted by two fires in ’03, is likewise out of harm’s way for now.

I get into a nailbiting mood when I remember that the Santa Anas will go on for a while yet. Damn. It.

When things are fine down there they’re REALLY fine, but I still sometimes wonder how people can stand to live in the shadow of the telegenic drama currently being played out.

In Dad’s case it’s easy — he’s tenured faculty, and there’s nothing else to discuss.

But still…

On review

I suppose there’s a cadre of class warriors gleeful that a sizable swath of RB got burned to the ground, but then I think of all the retirees from Carlsbad, San Marcos, and Escondido undergoing the stress of evacuation. I’m certain, even without proof, that there are strivers from the burned areas whose mortgages exposed them greatly to the risk of financial ruin. And for all the credit I might give to my intuition that San Diego (or even Southern California) was not the place for me, I consider myself lucky to be watching all of this from a safe distance after a summer during which there were only two tornado warnings within easy driving distance of my apartment.

Surely there will be another year, soon enough, that will be entirely different.

On further review

Seems I forgot how to read a map (go me!) in the midst of trying to figure out what's going on. Crap. So I'm more worried. But I'll just hafta go to sleep and find out in the morning how things are shaking out.