grief. sadness. numbness.

I can't, and I don't want to, imagine what it's like today to have lost a child, a parent, a loved one at the massacre at Virginia Tech. I'm sad and just horrified thinking about it after watching the news. An alum mentioned that they loved the school, always felt safe there and their is such pride in it. Hokie pride. This tragedy is what many people who didn't know Tech before will associate with it. Think of what Kent State means to people now. Or Littleton, CO. And it was a great place...it still should be...but this spectre will loom in everyone's memory forever, and the sadness will stay with us, and it should. Many of us are grieving out of empathy, but we weren't personally affected...hundreds of families had their lives changed today, and that is even more horrifying. Many people's children, husbands, wives, fathers and mothers...will not come home tonight.

I know all about Hokie pride, and I'm so sad today. My dad loves his alma mater. My two uncles love it. My cousin Kevin and his wife love it. We all love Tech. I'm so proud to have so many family from such a great school, and with their recent success at sports, some years I good-naturedly root against them and tease Dad, my uncle and my cousin...and other years I can't fight the family pull and I give in and root for 'em. In that admittedly ugly brown, maroon and orange color scheme. I won't ever be able to root against the Hokies again. And I don't know if any of us will ever be able to think of the school again and not feel an echo of this sadness today.

Tech, the families, the friends, the community. You're in our thoughts.

35

A year older today. Nothing to see here.
Woulda been nice to have the birthday on a weekend and not have to work, but c'est la vie.

Stanley Cup Playoffs start tonight, so I got that going for me, which is nice. I'm picking the Ducks as a sleeper, though I wouldn't be surprised to see Buffalo, San Jose or Nashville take it all. NSH/SJ in the first round is going to be an insane series--too bad one of them will have to go home. Oh, and I won my hockey pool...back-to-back. Not an easy fight, I got some breaks here and there.

We're going to Texas soon for my cousin Kate's wedding... first trip to the Lone Star state, we're going to have a ball.

Bah. 35.