The Blame Game

 

To the people of Blacksburg: your loss is unfathomable.  Not only have you been robbed of 32 lives, but your security, your happiness, and your privacy as well.  In the face of unendurable violence, grief, and invasion, the people at Virginia Tech and those around them have demonstrated enviable solidarity and strength.  It will be these two things that will see the town of Blacksburg through this tragedy.   

Though it is probably of little comfort, your heartbreak is not falling on deaf ears. 

Our thoughts at San Jose State University, and around the country, will be with you as struggle to find a way to cope not only in the next few weeks, but in the years to come: the scars this terrible man left will be deep, but hopefully they will heal.  Part of this healing process seems to be trying to understand why this happened, and working to make sure it never, ever, happens again. 

No student should ever have to fear for their life in the sanctity of their school, whether they are in grade school or grad school.  How then do we address this issue?  Right now everyone is scrambling for someone to blame.  Obviously the murderer is at fault, but he’s dead.  Not much use in blaming him, right?  His parents must take their own share of the blame, but they seem to be just as horrified as the rest of the country by Cho’s tragic rampage. 

Will the scapegoat be the administration at Virginia Tech, for not notifying the student body in time?  Or maybe the police in Blacksburg, for not taking the matter in hand?  Or how about the dozens of teachers and classmates who knew there was something wrong with this guy, but just figured it was someone else’s problem?  Perhaps we could make this into a political issue, and blame gun control laws?

This is not a blame game for politicians and media commentators to manipulate for their own agenda and ratings.  The massacre at Virginia Tech will be a blight on American history forever.  There is no “silver lining” or “bright side” so I won’t try to conclude with such an insulting idea.  

However, this is a wake-up call for schools around the nation and around the world.  We must plan for disasters of every kind, whether they be natural or man-made.  Our school is sorely lacking in any sort of notification system or disaster recovery plan.  I’m sure many schools are in the same boat.  I urge administrators, faculty, and students to honor the memory of these victims and their families by ensuring that no one can take advantage of schools across the nation, which now seem like desecrated sanctuaries instead of the safe haven they were intended to be. Don’t wait for someone else to say something: blog, write letters, talk to your teachers and deans.  As a community we need to protect one another, and devise a system capable of warning an entire campus, while also drilling students and teachers about what to do if something like this should happen again, God forbid. 

Once again, I would like to personally express my condolences to the people of Blacksburg, the students, staff and faculty of Virginia Tech, and their families. 

Virginia Tech , Blacksburg , Jessica Drnek , The World According to Jess , San Jose State University

Heavy thoughts…

Today I was planning on blogging about my trip to San Diego last weekend, but I just can’t get the tragedy at Virginia Tech out of my mind.  It seems tacky to not address it before nattering on about my inconsequential, but fun, vacay. 

Bear with me…

Bunnies, and Chocolate, and lots of shopping!

Easter was awesome. I went to Scottsdale for the weekend to visit my Mom and stepdad, Sam. Apparently, much of the free world also had the desire to see their relatives for the all-too-brief holiday weekend.

San Jose Airport was super crowded, as you can see above. Of course, my Southwest flight was delayed, and almost completely full.

After Mom and Sam picked me up at Phoenix International, I was totally ready for bed. The next morning we went and worked out, got ready, and did some seriously hardcore aka fun shopping. But not before I took advantage of a photo op with the ruler of their roost.

This is the Princely Oliver, and he is King of his domain.

On Saturday we did some more shopping (Yaay!). Mom and I got some super hot swimsuits, which we’re going to wear on our trip to San Diego this weekend (more on this later).

On Sunday, we were total sinners and did not go to church (don’t tell my Grandma). Instead we went to one of my favorite places in the whole world, Lon’s, for brunch. I gorged myself on not ony the excellent food, but also the beautiful flowers.

Here’s a picture of me and my Mommy. Don’t we rival the flowers? : )

After that we ran to the last Phoenix Coyotes game of the season, where they beat the higher ranked Vancouver Canucks. It was pretty exciting.

Here’s a pic of the three of us in my parents seats.

After the game was over it was time for me to go the airport. I would have cried like a baby while saying goodbye like I normally do, if it weren’t for our family outing to San Diego this weekend, which Jeff will be coming along for, the adventurous boy.

Jessica Drnek Lon’s At The Hermosa Vancouver Canucks Phoenix Coyotes Scottsdale Arizona

The Adventure of the Edgar Enema

So, Edgar is way better, and has not been affected by the cat food recall. I figured I would include the adventures of giving Edgar an enema, which the vet recommended after he didn’t have a bowel movement for three days in a row. I know, I know, we could’ve just taken him to the vet, but they would’ve charged us $55 for this relatively simple procedure. When I say relatively simple, it means we didn’t have to perform major surgery, because it was anything but fun or simple for all of us. Before I embarked on this venture, I looked online for instructions, which were sorely lacking. A couple of people had blogged about it, so I figured I would throw my hat into the ring.

The vet said that the most important thing was not to use a Fleet enema, since they contain mineral oil and are bad for kitties. She also recommended an infant enema, since we would have to squeeze this stupid plastic tube into his tiny hinie. Of course the only infant enema at three different stores was Fleet. We stocked up on the six pack, and a tube of KY Jelly. We filled up a big bowl with warm, but not hot, water. Then we squeezed out all the fluid from the baby enemas and cleaned them out as much as we could. The next step was to wrangle Edgar into an enclosed space, and put a towel down on the floor. Thank God Shelly, Jeff’s mom, a critical care nurse came over to help us, because things were not going well before she got there.

She laid Edgar on his side, lubed up the end of the tube, and gently inserted into the target zone until the nozzle was all the way inside (important, because otherwise all the water will just leak out, and not do anything). Then she rolled him from side to side for about 3 minutes, to try and get the fluid to travel up and moisten things up. After doing this about three times, which took about 20 mins, poor Edgar was not happy. We let him go, and he ran around the house for about half an hour before we were finally rewarded with a poop. I have never been so happy to see kitty poo in my life, let me tell you.

Anyway, this wasn’t my most pleasant post, but hopefully it helps someone! : )

Edgar Update

Thank you to everyone who has emailed, phoned and asked about Edgar. Aside from a little stress-induced cold, he is doing much better. We do not think the recent cat food recall had anything to do with his illness, since we don’t feed him wet food.

Tonight he is starting to get back to his old mischievous self (see below as he eyes a prospective toy while I force him to pose).

We hope he will be back to normal soon, or as close is possible for him.

: )