More of Nothing - including too close to home school bombing

Let's see, how will I bore you now? I have no news on my medical issues – couldn't get in to see the doctor for the more invasive tests until after Labor Day – so I'm guessing that's supposed to indicate a "no big deal" kind of thing…still, do we ever feel it's no big deal when it's happening to us?

I had a lovely birthday, thanks for all the well wishes. Actual day of I went to my favorite bar after work and had a boatload of work friends show up. The weather was decent (didn't rain, although it threatened later in the evening) and I decided to celebrate my birthday with margaritas. Yum.

I've been working for my current company for 9 years, but it's a pretty big company, so I don't know everybody. Anyway, someone said to me, "So-and-so came to your party." Now, I had zero clue who So-and-so was, but turns out he's kind of high up. Whatever, besides he wasn't there for my party, he was there with his own department. One of my friends is fairly high up (it's all relative at my company as the hierarchy is a bit insane) and knew this man. He talked to him and then brought him over to say Hi. So-and-So asked what the occasion was and I said it was my birthday, and these were my friends. He asked what department, and I said, "Well, that group's from this program, these here are from this department, blah blah blah." He then asked, "Well, what department are you?" So, I told him, but I could tell he was a little thrown by the diverse group. It's normal to go out with your own department, but to make friends in other departments?? That's weird. That's what I get for working with a bunch of engineers. ;-)

Every morning (or most), I go to www.freep.com to check on Detroit news and then I go to www.sfgate.com, mostly for the Day in Pictures, but also to see what's going on in the Bay area. This morning, I got quite a shock. Did anybody outside the Bay area hear about a bombing at a local high school? I know I didn't.

The reason it was such a shock is that it was at the high school near my aunt's house which means that I was pretty sure it was my cousin's school. I jumped on Facebook (See? It is useful.) to check my cousin's status. Sure enough, it was her school. I damn near had a heart attack. Nobody was injured and my cousin didn't even know about the bombing until she was evacuated because she was on the other side of the school, but still. This 17-year-old apparent drop-out had made ten pipe bombs (he detonated two, before being rushed by two teachers into another teacher and the three tackled him to the ground), a sword and a chain saw. Supposedly, the plan was that as students came running out of classrooms to escape the bombs that he would attack them with the sword and the chain saw. Thanks to quick acting teachers and the principal, he was swiftly subdued and we have a happy ending.

Does anybody want to come to Detroit and go to the Zoo with me? I want to go, but won't go alone – it's too boring not to have somebody with whom to share the zoo and the animals' antics. Complete strangers think you're a weirdo if you talk to them and I need someone to whom I can say, "Oh, look how cute the rhinos are."