Knowing I'm lucky

We got an email this morning from the section who tracks our ID cards. We use those instead of a key to get into our buildings. We got new ID cards and they become effective on the 30th. However sysadmins and some others have to get into our secured server room downstairs and that takes some separate tracking and such. So this email said that we had to use our old ID cards until the 19th but the new card would be required to gain access to our office on the second floor (of the server building).

Kind of annoying. Inconvenient.

Until you think about other people in the country who may still not have a place to live or a job to earn money for food and clothing. I read on Doctor Grace's blog she volunteered in a clinic in Louisana and things are still pretty nasty down there. She says (I haven't seen this on Google News yet but it wouldn't surprise me at this point) that FEMA still has more than half the money Congress allocated for Hurricane relief and they may take it back since it's not being used. And bureaucracy in the Red Cross likewise seems to prevent aid from getting to where it's needed.

When you think about other places in the world, no one is planning to blow up one of the cars outside in the parking lot. We have running water and have had continous service lately, no benezine in the river. No explosions in nearby coal mines. I'm not locked up in a secret CIA prison in Europe. No one I know has pled guilty on fraud charges or anything.

So while Matt and I may have our difficulties, overall in comparison things are actually going pretty well. The car outside runs and I have money to buy gas for it (reminder: do that on the way home tonight), I have a house with power, heat and food to go back to, my new dryer got delivered today so I can dry our clothes and everyone I know and love is in (reasonably) good health and spirits.

Win-win I guess. :)