A Nightmare

The National Marathon was held last Saturday, March 24, 2007. I'd like to share a snippet with you from the The Washington Post's coverage of the event: "Traffic and Commuters Snarl as District Clears Runners' Route."

O.K., I'll admit, it seems like there might have been better traffic control. But this quote pretty much sums up why we have an obesity—and name-your-rage—problem in this country:

Katie Rynn, 26, a television producer, spent her morning in Arlington County picking flower arrangements for her wedding (she chose calla lilies for herself and white tulips for the bridesmaids) [NOTE: This is what we call adding color in newswriting]. After spending an hour on what is normally the 15-minute drive to her fiance's apartment in Kalorama, she eventually decided to abandon her car and walk the last few blocks.

"A nice, happy morning turned into a nightmare," she said.

A nightmare? A NIGHTMARE, Katie??

A nightmare was 9/11 when the Pentagon was hit and people lost loved ones, or the 7/7 bombings in London, or what the Iraqis, and our troops, live with daily. I can think of a few more nightmares and I bet you can too, and none of them have anything to do with having to walk three freakin' blocks.

Give me a break.