Explaining the Absence

I've been absent from the Internet, by and large, for over a week now. The explanation is simple in some ways: I needed a break, and then I went on one. I was tired, to put it simply. Tired, busy, and trying to manage too many projects. The reason it's taken this long to say it is because of the second part of the explanation: I went on a break, and this made me even more tired. But it was worth it.

See, I went to London. It was my first time in Britain, and so my first time doing many of the things that can only be done in Britain. I plan on writing a few posts about my London experience, but this post is simply to say that I'm back in action...ish. I've put together a plan to catch up on my schedule, but I have to see how life affects it. It's easy to say, now, that I'll be posting every day again, but that's not always how things turn out.

My plans for the next month or so are simple: write as much as possible. Once the work on the play is done, I'll have a couple more evenings to myself per week, too, which should make a difference on the writing front. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy Drama. It's the travel that I don't like. I don't get to do much on journey, but it's a long enough journey to make. There's about an equal amount of time walking as there is spent on the bus, and often I'm left waiting, and that's time wasted.

Aside from the writing, I have a couple of things I want to do. These include a Zom-B marathon, catching up on The Walking Dead, and reading through my collection of graphic novels. It's the simple things, really. I do also have Game of Thrones coming back, soon, so that's something. Otherwise, though, I'm just going to keep things calm, and let myself have a bit of fun for a while.

It's one of the things I realised while in London: I need to do more things that I enjoy that aren't writing. I need to get out more, and do more, and if money allows, travel more. I've already set my heart upon going to Edinburgh this year if the events at the festival are to my liking, so that's something. And, of course, I'll be returning to London. I have to. As you'll see over the next few blog posts, there's an awful lot of ways one can fill one's time when in London, and it's still possible to have so much left to do.

Time always seems to be the problem, eh?

It's Not Okay

I'm sure people know: London is burning. Fires, riots, looting; it's a scene from dystopian novels, and there are no police around to stop any of this going on. I'm hearing on the news that it's not just the people living in the areas: people are coming in from different areas of London and acting up. Buildings are burning, both homes and businesses.

One of the people I follow on Twitter retweeted something important: Europe is just coming out of a recession. Money is still tight. And no one can afford to pay for all of this damage. These places will remain burned for a while. That's an unfortunate truth London may have to face.

And here's the thing: it's not okay.

It's not okay for people to loot and steal and take everything of value in buildings.

It's not okay for people to burn down these buildings.

It's not okay to do it in the name of a man who was shot by the police.

It's not okay to put people's lives in danger in the name of false justice.

It's not okay for London to suffer.

It's not okay to blame all of London's youth.

This is a strange situation. There's no denying that. People are acting out and I don't see how they can excuse themselves of it when they're caught. Rioting is not cool, no matter what these people think. Bored? Angry? Annoyed at the government? None of those are reasons to endanger lives and damage the financial futures of so many people. Can't get a job? Don't steal from shops. Not in school? Don't make it so people can't afford to go.

Don't just talk about the events going on, contributing to the mass of information filling the Internet: spread the word that it's not okay. And whatever you do, remember that it's not every teenager and young adult in London that's doing this. There are limited groups of people doing this damage.

Hopefully the people of London can get through this. The next great fire that city should see if the Olympic flame coming in. How the guilty youth can forget that their city has so much to offer in the next year is beyond me. Good luck, London.