“Sense and Sensibility”

Thursday, January 23, 2020. 7:44 AM.

Today is the twelfth anniversary of moving into this building with my cat, Charcoal. I am very thankful to God our Saviour for allowing me to live here. Charcoal departed six years ago at 18 years old, on January 15, 2014 — just 8 days before the 6th anniversary of our moving into our “new” apartment on January 23rd, 2008.

Whatever Happened to Sense and Sensibility?

When I was a child in school, and we had a fire drill,

We were instructed to leave the building.

Our teacher and all the students walked out of the building into the schoolyard

Where we waited until we were told it was safe to re-enter the school building.

Things Have Changed.

Now we are told, in the building where we live, during the fire drill:

“Stay in your apartment with the door closed until the fire department gives you specific instructions to leave.”

And as we stay in our apartments during the fire drill

We are given this same instruction over and over and over again – about one hundred times!

And before each instruction a very loud, piercing, shrill sound is blasted into our eardrums nine times.

And after afflicting us with this tormenting abuse for a very long time, it stops – for about 40 minutes.