Grandma is in the obituaries today. Heck, I should say it as it is, not refer to the result. Grandma died last week. I ran to the hospital after work, where we saw her struggle before she went. Time was bend, the cold outside was the only real experience. Barely 2 hours after my arrival, I was in a small room where the family was silently gathered around the bed, not knowing where to look. Every second I expected her to take a hurtled gasp of breath, expected her nostril hair to betray silent breath. Take care of gramps up there Agnes. I hear those damn’ angels are terrible cooks.

If not the child’s wining, her restless shuffle over the butcher shops floor was a clear enough sign. Her mother amplified the signal, which would never have reached the butcher due to hight issues and crowd rumble. What is it darling? You have to go pee-pee? The butcher saw a chance to be Mister Nice Guy in front of his clients and offered that Nancy should take the little brat to the pee-pee-room. The woman smiled gratefully, walked away with Nancy, then turned suddenly to realize she had another child in a baby-chair on the floor.

No panic, for other women stood around. 3 Jumped the child, the posh blonde mid-30 attacker wan the right to guard the tiny defenseless human, while smilingly communicating with it in long repetitive vowels. She looked like she loved children, just not enough to bare them. This instant made her re-estimate the firmness of that decision. Think of your nice flat stomach, Caroline. Think of the sweaty tormented woman with greasy hair you saw in your favorite soap squishing the hand of the father. She ordered several fresh sandwich dressings in handy jars which would have taken her ages to compose, and left.

So far for the sweet November rain: Katrina seems to have influenced even Belgian weather. Yesterday was the second hottest November since they keep track.

Could it be this storm changed more than the weather thousands of miles away? At didn’t waste a single dime on books or cartoons during this weekends book expo. I met one single person I know, instead of the tens every year. These tidbits may seem insignificant to you, but this book expo has been on of the few steady givens in this confusing life. Frightening.