Where Next?

Everyday I walk through the quad at Syracuse University. I walk dow the streets on campus, off campus. I go to my classes and I don't think twice. This tragedy could have easily been at my school. There is nothing about Virginia Tech that made it more susceptable to this awful event and as we learn more, it makes it even more frightening.

I cannot understand what motivates someone to go on a rampage like this. I rarely get angry enough at people to yell, let alone do what this young mad did. No matter how angry and frustrated you get, how can you take it out on 32 innocent people? Especially people you don't know. It's heartless and selfish.

Every hour that passes, we learn more. I still can't fit most of this in my head. None of it makes sense! It makes you think about your illusion of safety. Walking down a city street, you don't assume safety, yet in high school and on a college campus, for some reason, their is this illusion that you are protected. But then there are moments like Columbine, like yesterday at Virginia Tech, when you realize that anything can happen and not all people are like you and your friends, not everybody has a general respect for others and for life.

I've been watching the news and reading stuff online and I'm trying to find a way to settle this in my head. I do a good job of pretending it didn't happen, but then you turn on your computer and it smacks you in the face all over again.

When you read about the people killed, it breaks your heart. These were kids, so many of them just freshman in college. They all had so much going for them, were so smart, it's terrible. The one thing that gets you, is the 76 year-old professor who survived the Holocaust, only to be murdered by a 23 year-old psycho who couldn't handle normal, everyday life. It's disgusting.

I can't imagine what it would have been like to be on that campus and I'm so thankful I didn't have to live through that. This man shot to kill and he didn't care who he was shooting at. He destroyed more than just 32 lives. My heart and prayers go out to everyone affected by this shooting and I wish more than anything that we could just rewind and find a way to somehow stop him. It's not fair to blame the University for not locking down the school after the first shooting, there's no way they could have known this could have happened. But we do have to learn from this, take this and use it to make sure this never happens again. I don't want this to happen at SU or anywhere else. It's too awful. But as long as guns are easily obtainable, shootings will still happen. This is an example why background checks don't work. This man was clearly unstable, but he did not have a record. He was able to easily obtain two guns and countless rounds of ammunition. Guns don't kill people, people kill people, but guns help.

This can't happen again, I'm tired of the years of my generation's life to be framed by violence:

April 19, 1995: Oklahoma City
April 20, 1999: Columbine
Sept 11, 2001: WTC/Pentagon attacks
April 16, 2007: VaTech

(this is historically a terrible week in April, isn't it?)

The Thesis is COMPLETE

SUCCESS! The thesis is done, finished, fini! Okay, so not quite. I do have to edit and proofread, but, I have written all I wanted to and I'm within the 20-25 pages. So, I can graduate now. I'm ready. I finished all my requirements, I've been accepted to law school and I will be sending out the money to Northeastern University School of Law tomorrow. Done. Absolutely finished. It's now going to be torture to make myself do all my work for my other classes that don't really count besides GPA purposes. But, still... YAY!

Friday was so amazing. I had the best time at my party, I know I already said that in my last post, but still. I had the best night ever, everything went perfectly. Birthday festivities continue this week. Tomorrow and Tuesday I'll be the good kid and do work, catch up on reading for my history class and edit and proofread the thesis. Wednesday, I'm hoping to find some people to do flip night so I can have a midnight drink to commemorate the 22nd anniversary of my birth. Then Thursday is the night I have been waiting for. Not because it's my birthday, that'd be awfully narcissitic of me... No! I am finally going to Daisy Dukes and riding the mechanical bull! I'm so excited (I'm such a dork!) I'm going with Amy, Karla, and TJ for sure, and I'm trying to get at least Maggie and Katy to come with as well. I'll need some liquid courage to help me get on the bull, mostly because I try not to make a habit of making a fool out of myself sober... but it happens. And seriously, I keep finding more bruises from Friday. Me and graceful do not get along...

Best Night EVER

Last night was my birthday party (I know, my birthday isn't really until Thursday). It was such an amazing time. I didn't get to spend enough time with anybody, but I had a lot of fun and I think everyone who came had fun as well. We started the night early when TJ showed up for the 11pm party at 9... but it ended up being pretty clutch because we realized we had no ping pong balls for the beirut table... so TJ and I went to Wal-Mart to remedy that. People started trickling in after 10 and alcohol was consumed... you know how that goes. Lots and lots of fun. The pictures are on Facebook, so enjoy.

I'm officially a Northeastern University Law student. I haven't sent in my money or told them I'm going yet, but I am. I'm very excited! They have an amazing co-op program and I'm excited to do that and work and live in Boston. I'm so excited!!!

About what I said before....

Apparantly I spoke too soon on the whole "yay we're going to be good this year" post about the red sox, because since I wrote that, we haven't won. It's too early to judge, but we'll see.

It's actually Easter right now, blogger's internal clock is all off because it's really nearly 1am. I wonder if they're on central time or something...Anyway, easter stuff is going to be annoying because we have to go all the way to Rhode Island, but it will be good to see the family. Plus, I'll probably get some birthday cards, and that's always enjoyable.

Paper writing sucks, but I'm on page 9 of my thesis which puts me just under half finished (that's right! i'm an optimist!). I cannot wait until I'm done, and while I haven't really read it through yet, I think I like how it's coming along. I hope my professor feels the same way when he gets a chance to read it.

That's all for now, just thought I'd take a break from the paper to occupy myself with this. Sometimes is amazes me how much time I waste doing things like this or checking facebook or playing online games and yet still get my work done ahead of time. It truly shocks me. Today, I bummed around until 3 doing nothing but buying concert tickets, fooling around with iTunes, then I worked on my thesis for 2 hours, then I got dinner and then played online games while watching the Red Sox until 11:45 and I've been working on my thesis ever since, and yet I've written 5 pages and finished reading all my materials. To think what I could get done if I didn't keep fooling around and procrastinating!

Dice-K is my LOVER

Ok, so not really, but he is amazing. To all you detractors out there who just want to spoil my fun: yes, I know, the Royals' pitcher had like the same line and yes, this was just against KC, BUT he was awesome and I predict good things.

I'm such a dork about stuff like this but I love baseball and I love my sox. The first game was scary because Schilling sucked balls, but at least he knows it (www.38pitches.com). I don't see him repeating that behavior too often, his status as hero is at stake, and that's too important to him, plus he wants a contract extension.

I'm a little worried about Tek and Coco, they've been shaky, but I'm pleasantly surprised by the play of J.D. Drew and Pedroia. They were my big question marks. I know it's early, but I'm feeling optomistic. As long as our big guys get in a groove, the rest of the offense will follow, and as long as people stay healthy... I love my boys and they better treat me right this year, a girl can only take so much.

Even better news: I'm home until Monday, so I get to watch the next 3 games on TV, not through online updates. Yay! And though I didn't get to watch this game because I was in the car driving home, I did see part of the 2 hour replay on NESN, and his next start is Wednesday on ESPN, so I will actually get to watch him play. I'm such a loser! Ignore me. :)

Yay for spring, Yay for red sox, Yay for sleeping in my big bed tonight

We're Down to 40 Days!!

What a scary thought. 40 days until my undergraduate career is O-V-E-R. Bad business. Until then, I'm trying to fit in as much friend time as I can without completely neglecting my school work. Hopefully I'm succeeding.

Saturday was amazing. That's what this picture of Jenny and me is from. Pre-bar goodness went on at Maggie and Katy's apartment for a birthday celebration and then out to Chucks. I've never been there on a Saturday, it's pleasantly not crazy crowded like it is on Fridays. I didn't get drunk drunk, but I was in the happy place and spent some quality time with good people.

Sunday was a work intensive day, or at least I tried to make it that way, and I did write my entire history paper and now I just have to fine tune it. My professor made some comments, so I'll work on that as soon as I'm done with this post. The thesis is on page 5 of the 20-25, so I'm essentially 1/4 done. I've been reading and taking notes and I hope to keep doing that and by this time next week, I want to be able to just write. If I read thoroughly enough and take good notes, I think I should actually be in a pretty good place. We'll certainly find out. I have given myself until April 16 to finish a draft, so that's the goal.

Of course, hitting that goal has a pretty big road block in THE birthday party on April 13. That kicks off a week-long birthday celebration for me. I'm not too crazy, so really, there will be the party on Friday the 13th, and then there will be a day-of celebration and that's pretty much it, I'm a good kid. But you only turn 22 once, and it's happening just a couple weeks before graduation. So there will be a celebration, but also work. I want to have the thesis pretty much done before the party so I don't have to worry too much that weekend, but I'll have the Saturday and Sunday to work exclusively on that.