I knew it was a dream; right away, I called the limousine company...
I can't even fathom what the families of those at VT are going through right now. My jaw literally dropped when I looked at CNN Online this morning. For those of us on college campuses right now, it could have been any of us. It's such a horrifying reminder of how fragile life can be.
One thing I find very interesting, however, is the way we as humans learn to adapt to these kinds of situations. We do what we need to do to take care of our own the best way we can. Within hours a Facebook group called "I'm OK at VT" was created, and everyone at VT was encouraged to join so their friends would know they were safe and accounted for. The discussion boards on that site reminded me of the people carrying around photographs after 9/11: students were creating discussion posts for each person that was unaccounted for and/or in one of the classrooms that was attacked. Students posted on behalf of their roommates' parents who hadn't heard from their kids, and then there were also those expressing their general concern for the student body. It would have all felt slightly voyeuristic if I hadn't been checking up on some friends there, too. (Thankfully, everyone I know down there is okay. I know not everyone's news is that lucky, so my thoughts are with you guys.)
Mmm. What a long day. Makes you want to call your mum, just to check in.