Water Water Everywhere...

I've been away a while... not much going on here. I've been reading the essays of Carl Jung, and finding that most of it is what I already know (I think I said that the last blog entry). So I won't bore anyone with that....

We're having a drought here in Georgia...wildfires happening to the south of us and no rain to be seen. I wish we could get the rain that's being dumped on Oklahoma and whatnot and transfer it over here. And it's not just us... you see pictures in the news constantly of countries that are in drought, and people that die of no water, etc...Some sociologists and environmentalists predict that the next global war will occur over water supplies, and not religion or land or whatever.

But I'm here to tell you right now that if the whole country dries up, and the grasses die and trees are engulfed in flames, that the Mall at Stonecrest will have deep green grass and dew-laiden bushes every day. Obviously the watering ban means nothing to them. There's probably some exception made to big businesses or for places where appearance would affect profit. I have seen on more than one occasion the sprinklers being on in the middle of the day, well past the watering restriction times. And the sprinklers are not always aimed at the vegetation. I can honestly say that Stonecrest Mall has the cleanest pavement around. The cement will never thirst. When the summer progresses, and towns announce that they have 30 days of water left, let us all thank Stonecrest for having such beautiful green lawns, instead of water for the citizens to drink.

Of course, it's not just Stonecrest that is the culprit here. I've seen GC&SU do the same thing. Middle of summer, drought conditions, but the azaelas in back of Atkinson Hall were watered every day.

The reasoning for this goes back to my last post. The goal for the mall is to provide an island, an oasis, if you will, from everyday life. A place where you can spend the day with beautiful landscaping and inviting smells and sounds, with Target built like a castle on the hill, surrounded by lush trees and camoflauging brush that hides the parking lots. All of this so you can spend the day at the mall, inside, spending your money on whatever your heart desires. Further, the mall is isolated from the rest of the world. You have to drive 20 minutes to get there. But the mall wouldn't have it any other way. And I'm sure that the Sam's Club loves it, since they have gas pumps all ready to take you home. And when the suburban sprawl gets too close, we'll build another mall, maybe out near Social Circle, and we can all drive a half hour to escape our lives for an afternoon of consmerist ecstacy. I think that the people at Atlantic Station in Atlanta have it figured out right. That's the way we should do it. And they can use the water, in my opinion, because people are living, shopping, and enjoying themselves right there. OSC was so right about the neighborhood issue. There's still so much to be done to reconstruct the towns and cities into places where people can live with themselves, with nature, and each other. But the cynic in me says that there are so many consmerist-minded organizations (oil, transportation, etc..) that would fight the creations of true neighborhoods. I often think it would be interesting to see how a modern version of the company-run town would work. If, for instance, Wal-mart would have apartments on top of there store for their employees to live in, or have a major factory have a school where the children can go to and a general store to go to, much like the AFB at Warner Robbins.

Just some thoughts. It's time we start getting to know our neighbors, and not just a brief nod as we fly to the Malls, like some shining city in the desert. Which, if the lack of rain continues, is just what Stonecrest will become.