I Got Nothin'

Y’all, I got nothin’. 

I had a different post planned for last week. And then I got mad. Since posting while mad is probably in the Top 10 of things not to do on a blog, I waited.

Yep. Still Mad.

So I’ve been trying to gather my thoughts about power and sex and – well – Schwarzenegger. And it ain’t happening. Maybe it’s excessive testosterone, maybe it’s the heightened sense of importance that goes with high-profile positions. I think it's simply that these men are total jackholes, but the proclivity of powerful men to cheat on the strong woman who are their wives seems to be ever more pervasive. And it’s pissing me off. What makes the Schwarzenegger situation all the worst is that his chosen paramour was a woman under his employ, a blatant, unforgivable abuse of power, whether it was consensual or not. Don’t even get me started on the dueling births of mistress and wife.

In Romancelandia, the hero archetype, alpha or otherwise, is empowered by his strong heroine counterpart, not emasculated. Our genre is derided by the world at large, scorned for its fantasy elements, for an unrealistic portrayal of love and life, and yet it’s the one place where you can almost universally find respect and love between partners…after 400 or so pages of angst and conflict and hot (or gentle, if that’s your poison) sex.

But that was last week.

That was before the worst tornado in Missouri history tore the City of Joplin and the lives of its 40,000+ people to pieces, only the latest in a year of devastating weather events around the world. 124 people are confirmed dead in Joplin; another 7 have died in Oklahoma tonight from another tornado as I’ve been writing this post. Texas is also under meteorological siege tonight from tornadoes.

Whatever your belief system, all of us can agree that the recent rash of natural disasters is frightening – and awesome as in worthy of awe. I read this Sports Illustrated article about last month’s storms in Alabama right before Joplin, MO was hit this past weekend, and was touched by the people who showed up, pitched in, and supported one another.

As I write this at 11 PM EST, another tornado is headed for Joplin. More families will be homeless. More lives are about to be ripped apart. And sex and power and, more than anything, Schwarzenegger, are suddenly the most unimportant things in America.

Well, maybe not sex.

If you are able to help in any way, shape, or form, please contact the Red Cross by calling 1-800-RED CROSS. They are also available for moment by moment updates on Twitter at @RedCross and I also recommend @BreakingNews for timely updates as the storms continue.

Stay safe. Be Well. Remain Thankful. Have Faith. 

Otherwise, we've all got nothin'.