I suppose I should say something about what's happened at VA Tech. It would help if I knew what had happened. By all accounts, it sounds like the shooter was a student who went berserk and then suicided. We don't even know what pushed him to the breaking point. Poor grades and the looming spectre of exams? Relationship problems? Drugs?

I should feel shocked and horrified, but mostly I just feel distant and sad. Most of my time at Tech was confined to two buildings; neither were affected by the shooting. I can't visualize it. Maybe it's for the best.

There's nothing to be outraged by, here. There was no agenda -- no statement or viewpoint to rally for or against. Just a tragic loss of grip on reality that made all those deaths, ultimately, meaningless.

My heart goes out to the victims, their families, and their friends. I can't imagine the pain they're in.

I imagine the news breaking across the state and the country, and suddenly, across campus, hundreds, thousands of students' cellphones ringing as their families seek reassurance... Too many of those calls went unanswered.

And so I don't have to begin my day on that note...

Penny found the kite my parents gave her yesterday. I don't know why it's taken her so long to discover; it's been standing by the door for weeks now. But she saw the ladybug picture, and when I told her it was a kite, she insisted on flying it immediately. Since yesterday was a pretty windy day, I agreed.

It was a good little kite, practically lifting itself as soon as there was a breeze. Unfortunately, living at the end of a cul-de-sac, we don't often get a steady enough wind for her to keep the kite up for very long, and she seemed to get upset if I tried to let it out high enough to be stable. So there was lots of up-and-down. But she enjoyed it immensely, and I guess that's what's important.