(no subject)

I witnessed something unbelievable and disturbing today, as I was driving along one of the busy city streets just north of downtown. There was an elderly woman standing next to a parked car, right by the curb. Suddenly the car started moving, backing up right into the woman, who was knocked off balance and promptly fell down on her face, arms spread out to the sides. She was right behind the car, so her legs were actually under it as it kept backing up... it seemed the driver had no idea what happened at first, but as soon as he realized there was some commotion behind him, he pressed down on the gas pedal and was gone faster than anyone could blink. With the woman still lying face down on the street. I was stopped at a red light directly across them, so I had a good view of the whole incident - though it happened so quickly I barely registered what was going on before it was over. Fortunately, there were a lot of pedestrians around, and at least three people jumped up to the victim's side right away. The last thing I saw was someone helping her sit up - she didn't seem badly injured, probably just in shock from the fall - and then, within a few minutes, I heard the ambulance. Granted, accidents happen all the time, all over Chicago, and this wasn't the first one I've ever seen - but how can anyone not even look behind once as they start backing up out of their parking space, knock a pedestrian over and then just drive away leaving them in the dust???... This is completely beyond me. The woman could have been dead, for fuck's sake. He could have driven right over her legs or arms as she was lying there (as far as I could see, he didn't, but it was a close call). How in hell is anyone supposed to feel safe taking a stroll down the street in broad daylight after seeing something like this happen?... I just can't believe it. I thought things like that were done only by 'bad guys' in the movies. Well, here's a reality check from just a few blocks down, right in the middle of 'home sweet home' Chicago. So if you were, like me, under the impression that only moving cars are dangerous for pedestrians... think again.:/

In other news, there is some fierce Arctic wind rattling my windows as we speak. Again. I've so had enough of this jolly winter season it's not even funny anymore. I swear internet is the only thing that keeps me barely interested in staying alive right now. My flist, emails from friends, updates on Viggo and the slash - if not for that, I would just crawl down into some deep hole and let shitty reality screw itself over and over, which it can do well enough without my eager participation. I just can't seem to care much about the world at large right now. *shrug*