I was half-listening to the news this morning and heard that (what was originally reported to be) EU500 million in art had been stolen from a Paris museum. But the part that caught my ear was the mention that they first realized there had been a burglary when a padlock was broken and a window had been smashed in. And all I could think was, “What, they didn’t just grab the key from under the mat?”

So am I the only one who thinks it’s sort of awesome that with all our technology and advancements and triumph over the elements a volcano can completely shut down air travel? There’s something just sort of satisfying about that. I’m sure I’d feel differently had I been stranded someplace, but still.

There’s always been this push to think of the earth as having a fragile ecosystem that at any point could become completely out of whack due to modern man (er, person) and the world could be ruined. Which I’m not disputing. This world is a fascinating interplay of plants and animals and… stuff. So it’s not out of left field that our screwing with it will cause damage.

But I think we’re giving ourselves too much credit. History has shown that Mother Nature has the ability to do pretty much whatever it is she wants. Whatever we’re doing—however harmful or healing—really doesn’t amount to much in the grand scheme of this planet. Everything could be wiped out in an instant. And I think the dinosaurs would tend to agree on that point.