things could be worse

So here I am, feeling mildly sorry for my perpetually single self and what do I happen to read about in this morning's paper? This 24 year old womman who was blinded and damn nearly killed by a piece on an entertainment center that went flying through her windshield as she was on her way home from work. The "Before" picture shows this beautiful, happy young woman, and the "After" shot would just break your heart. I don't want to sound condescending or patronizing here, but the asshole whose fault this was didn't even stop. And when he got tracked down by police who found fingerprints on one of the pieces of debris (the loser has a record), after lying about it, all he could say when confronted with the evidence was, "Oh, Yeah, I guess that could have been me."

Apparently, the worst thing that will happen to him is a $1000 fine. Meanwhile his victim's life is changed forever. What kind of world do we live in where that is any kind of justice? I mean, the jerk doesn't even have to pay for medical expenses. The poor girl and her mom are left with these staggering bills, even after doctors donated their services and people have sent in donations.

Then again, I guess that guy has to live with himself. . . .
Hopefully that's not an easy thing.

On a lighter note,
One of my favorite things about my apartment is the balcony. Ever since i got my cats, I don't spend as much time out there, since they aren't allowed to join me and it seems mean to sit there and not let them out . . . but anyway, every once in a while, I'll look outside and see a hummingbird.

I love hummingbirds.
I'm not much for religion, but I think that hummingbirds may actually be some sort of guardian angels. I'm not sure exactly how that would work, but they really are little miracles with wings. Perhaps they are lucky charms instead of guardian angels, but either way hummingbirds are pretty darn cool.