Random Acts of Violence

I have been known to suffer from irrational fears in my day. In fact, I'm dealing with moving past an irrational fear as we speak, but then I hear horror stories in the news or online that stops me in my tracks and I start to think maybe this fear isn't so irrational after all.

After hearing about the random act of violence on Bethany Storro of Vancouver, WA, in which a woman simply walked up to her, said "Hey pretty girl, you wanna drink this?" and threw a cup of acid in her face, I can't help but feel sick. Why anybody would commit such an atrocity is absolutely beyond me. Thankfully, strangers quickly rushed to Bethany's aid after the attack and made sure she got to a hospital. While Storro seems to be in relatively high spirits in the days after her attack, I am not.

Everyday since I heard of the attack, Bethany has crossed my mind at some point. I know she didn't wake up thinking "Today's the day that my life is going to change forever...and it's not going to be pleasant." Nor did Derri Velarde of Mesa, AZ consider how her life was going to change on the day she was attacked (on Friday, September 3, 2010), in what officials think is simply a "copycat crime" of the attack on Storro. She was as unsuspecting and completely helpless as anyone else would have been in the same situation. Scary.

No, I don't worry that I'll have acid thrown in my face or anything of the sort. However, these two attacks have exponentially increased my awareness in the fact that I am a woman who shouldn't go for walks outside too late at night, needs to keep my guard up as I turn onto a dimly lit street when I walk home, and look over my shoulder when I walk out to my car before getting in the driver's seat. As if I needed this reminder.

My heart goes out to these two women and I pray that their attackers are brought to justice very soon.

Climbing out from under a (Round) Rock

Well well... it's been quite a while since I've posted here. I've decided to pick it back up as much as I can because I'm not taking any writing workshops this semester.

"But wait!" you say. "What do you mean you're not taking any workshops this semester? Of course you're not taking any workshops this semester! You graduated college already, silly!"

Yup, I did. And now this girl's all grown up and in graduate school! Yee haw!

One month ago exactly, I left Round Rock, TX to move to Lawrence, KS. I'm currently an MFA student at KU and I must say that I absolutely adore this place. I love the people-- not just the locals. I mean my colleagues in the English department, the professors, the staff...everyone. I love my students (oh yeah, I'm teaching English 101). I love the campus. I love the near 60-degree angle hill I have to climb everyday to get to that campus.

And by "love the hill," I mean I hate it. Oh well, I should be in pretty decent shape by the end of my program.

Lawrence is now my home and I couldn't be happier. Okay, that's a lie-- I could be a little happier if I could catch a UT football game on tv every once in a while (hey--those burnt orange roots run deep).

Don't get me wrong, now. I fully support KU and will especially be doing so tomorrow at my first college football game (of many), but perhaps I should get some rest before I set out for such a long day tomorrow. The hill climb was particularly awful today & my calves are aching. Until next time...