Summer of Violence

My fault. I noticed Future Weapons, season 2 on the Netflix suggestions so I had to add season 1 because I must watch things in order even if it isn't something where order necessarily means anything. So I'm watching that and taking an online SavvyAuthors class, Weapons and Violence taught by Rory Miller which means lots of discussions on the who and why.

I'm finding the differences between the two very interesting.

Rory talks about the cost of violence to the people, why people choose violence, and how fights really work -- the book he wrote suggests it might have started out as a curiosity of the differences between dojo-trained martial artists and a real street fight. But he's been a martial arts instructor, a correction officer, and an advisor in Iraq. He also has a degree in psychology to help give him some serious grounding. The discussions with him are very practical and logical.

Then, on Future Weapons, the host is filled with glee about each new destructive 'toy.' He gets to 'play' with each of them, and it's all presented almost like a game as he shows explosions that can destroy an entire building. Discussing a weapon created to go against tanks, there's a guy interviewed that says it will burn out the inside so hot it leaves nothing but teeth and eyeballs. I think probably not the eyeballs, possibly the teeth, but the discussions are completely different. And there's a military guy on several of the shows who has a Hitler mustache. (I had a hard time getting past that. I mean, I know men are more free now to choose facial hair styles from any period and try out anything new, but really, a Hitler-stache? That's one I thought would never come back -- or at least wait till everyone hurt by the man had died.)

But I finished the sock I started in February when we drove down to Orlando to visit friends from St. Louis who'd gone to Disney. Yes, I said the sock. No, not two. Perhaps I will have a pair by Christmas. I'm not a very fast knitter -- but all my other activities require hands. Neither writing nor reading leave me hands-free to knit.

That's why I've been watching so much television lately.

That urge to get the sock done. Unfortunately, with socks that still doesn't let me go on to a new project. I need to finish the other sock before I do that.

And today we start our new summer schedule. Neither of my children are in school for the next two months -- and we've already hit too-hot-to-go-outside-after-10am weather.

Are you making any summer changes?