Got the dining room table cleared of the hundreds of photos--unfortunately, I don't have them in order, but at least packed them in shoebox-sized containers and put them in the garage. (Yes, I'm back-sliding, but I swear I'm going to turn my attention to them again when I have time...I am, I am....)
Darling Dennis came over to discuss the built-ins. He had earlier proposed that we have a high piece (like a bookcase, but deeper, for the printer, fax machine, and so on) on the end that would start above the heat register. However, he's now concerned about it not being anchored properly, so wants to move the register to the ceiling and start the piece on the floor. It's a lot more work for Bill and him (he insists it's no big deal), but there's no extra charge and we enthusiastically agreed. I was happy to hear him repeat he'll bring over a final sketch before they start. He'll order the appropriate pieces today, but it will take up to four weeks for them to come in.
Had (bought made up) sweet and sour chicken for dinner and boy, was it delicious. Pat liked it, too--a Little Egg miracle--and we had a good meal.
I've been wanting to break from my routine of plopping down after dinner and watching television with my wine and pretzels--but then, alas, my ice cream or cookies--and have decided to go out somewhere after dinner. Last night, I went to the library and enjoyed just sitting and reading.
The Virginia Tech story is so dreadful. What's weird is that after the media get hold of a horror like that, it turns into something else. It's a show or a story; it's entertainment. It's no longer simply a twisted, sick individual who murders a huge number of innocent students and employees--it becomes a scenario put on for our enjoyment. How quickly--immediately!--the networks came up with a caption: "The Massacre at Virginia Tech" and how smoothly they slide from reruns of "Scrubs" to coverage of the murder scene. Oh, I'm as guilty of anyone else of the voyeurism needed to watch the stuff. Imagine the feelings of their families to have the people they love now be "celebrities" in death.
Another thought: Last night Keith Olberman was courageous enough to make the point that a dreadful number of young people--so very similar in their hopes and dreams to the students at VT--have been killed in the middle east. How is it we don't recoil with the same horror and grief we do for the college shootings? Is it last year's sitcom?