(no subject)

Just now I hear a ghetto-bird

Tonight was a quiet night - I suppose it still is. I did food and flaming mai tais with some friends, then went to their place where a tad more alcohol brought me to that unfortunate conversational steam-roller state. Sigh. I stayed with them for a bit until I was rational again, came home and had another drink while pillaging more virtual sheep. Around midnight I called it a night and crawled into bed. Just as I tucked up a blanket for a cool night, I heard a squeal of tires and an ominous thud. I thought no. I waited, but heard no sirens. Certainly someone else heard that racket. No sounds followed.

Damn. I pulled on my socks, pants, and shoes. I dug my BB out of my bag. I headed out - thinking I might be the only one to hear or care enough to head out and see if anyone needed help. What delusion did I have? I got to the pedestrian bridge and there were over 10 vehicles filled with Arlington's finest. Then they played the sirens. I still don't know what happened. People drove by and gawked, many people poured out of the apts nearby, the hotel the crash collided with, some holding up their camera phones to get video of the calamity. It appeared someone left the roadway from Rt 50 Westbound, jumped the divider median to the Fairfax Drive access road, and finally stopped by hitting the hotel restaurant. One or more crotch rockets might have been involved - can't really see - though while I loathe the drivers who slowed to a crawl to gawk, I was also curious enough to watch from the pedestrian bridge. I thought about my dad in the hospital, and wondered what room they'd go to. The demeanor of the emts was telling - they didn't rush. One guy hollered at traffic to move on, but didn't have time to chase off the vultures. The bridge was covered with locals and tourists laughing and asking what happened, some taping video. Another emt carried a sheet to cover what remained of one of the victims - shielding the stretcher board from view as best he could. A guy was parked on 50 W, I thought he was a vulture, but eventually realized he was the one gesturing wildly to the police, with his hands making rolling motions and pointing to the unraveled guardrail. They rushed one body away, the other seemed not worth hurrying for at all.

Lucky bastards are probably already dead. I didn't mean disrespect by looking after it was clear I could do nothing to help. I hate that gawking activity, though I did some myself - I have to admit. It was horrible, but there is some curiosity - what happened? It doesn't matter - happens every day, just not at the end of my block.