My last Post

Both of these stories reminded me how lucky I am to be an American. I don't drive down the road worried that this will be the end of my life and don't have to be worried about be screwed over by every person I meet. Then again I have been blessed to live a pretty privileged life. I strongly believe that African countries would be some of the toughest places to live, all of the different militias that try to take control and all of the killings. I honestly would be as nervous as the father was in the story baptizing the gun if my dad started off with a female having her earrings ripped out then the guy that did it burned.. that is a pretty intimidating start to a day. Both stories portrayed my idea of how hard it would be to live in a African country. All the beggars and the militias. At the end of Baptizing the gun, "My embarrassment is boundless as I watch the mechanic soak the "gun" and wrap it around the coil." Again I wouldn't be embarrassed that I was nervous with the reputation that this city has. But it is rare to find trust in strangers like at the end of the story when he shows him his rolex. The end of the Megacity "There is an even darker possibility: that the world won't feel the weight of it much at all. The really disturbing thing about Lagos's pickers and venders is that their lives have essentially nothing to do with ours. They scavenge an existence beyond the margins of macroeconomics. They are, in the harsh terms of globalization, superfluous." I mean in all honesty i feel that way sometimes when i look into space, like we are all meaningless on this little rock in the middle of a huge galaxy, universe. But yet we pretend that we have meaning and that our actions play a roll, but if we wipe each other out the galaxy will keep on spinning and nothing will change, only a few people in this world will ever make an impact that affects all man kind and others that may be out there. And very few of them will be around to see it.

I really enjoyed reading most of these stories and books this semester, a little bit different from what i typically read for enjoyment but it allowed me to see what else is out there, Offutts book was by far my favorite. but I enjoyed most of the others. Thanks a lot for teaching a great class and Thanks for everything else you do. I can't wait till this fall, i'll make sure to pick up a copy of your book and give it a shot. 5 jobs in 1 day seems a little much but i'm excited to see how it turns out.