captain planet. nowadays, when you ask the innocuous question "how's the weather," it's kind of loaded. here's how the weather's doing: it's fucked up. tsunamis, hurricanes, flash floods, heat waves, earthquakes, mudslides, everything you could imagine. doesn't it seem like each year we're seeing more natural disasters that are supposed to be only legendary or once in a lifetime? i remember thinking last year, "wow, four huge hurricanes in florida! we'll never see that again." it was actually seven major hurricanes in the atlantic, with only four crushing florida -- charley, frances, ivan and jeanne.



after the weather shenanigans of last year and the beginning of this year, i'd bet a tidy sum that four major hurricanes in florida will soon become the norm. that's just how it seems to be working out lately. my beloved san diego has become a winter clothes haven -- scarves, gloves, beanies and thick jackets are on full display during the cold months, oftentimes out of necessity. i'm even find myself contemplating wearing sweats underneath my jeans on the especially chilly nights. outrageous.



things are not right. gaea is unhappy.



but what can we, or i, do about it? buy a hybrid car? reduce reuse recycle? the environment, it's something everyone cares about on the surface, "oh global warming? the environment? rain forests? oh that's horrific!" but then what do we do? what can we do? donate a few bucks to some environmental protection agency? vote for stricter car emission laws? do these actions satisfy our environmental conscience?



it's hard for me to see the big picture effect of things. it's easy to say "hey, i'll be gone in sixty years, why care about the environment?" people say "let's preserve the earth for our children" but i say "what children? yours? i won't be having any." and so, my pseudo-care to make the planet a better place is quickly displaced. but sometimes i feel like the planet is surely going to hell, and i should do something about it. it's much like (assuming i was religious) "everyone is going to hell, i should go help people." it seems like an enviable goal but the task is just too daunting. will my participation in earth days -- planting trees, cleaning sewage, breathing more (or less?) -- really help the environment out? i don't know.



the marketing line is that if we all change our habits a little bit, it'll make a literal world of difference. and i believe that, i really do. i just don't know what little habits i need to be changing.



maybe i should start with taking out the trash.