Well, sorry for the long haitus. Paperwork has been a real drag lately…. Plus, I’m on dialup at my folks place, which makes looking at Flickr a minor torture. But I’m chillin’ in the downtown coffeeshop right now, so you all get your Pic of the Day!
Runner Up due to size:
Well, my trip to Boston is being delayed because our many government agencies don’t play well with each other. So until the paperwork gets straightened out, I get a little (unpaid) vacation in Virginia with my folks. Hopefully I’ll get a chance to catch up with some old friends before I ship out.
With any luck, the paperwork will be fixed early next week, so maybe I’ll be on my way by Wednesday. *sigh*
Man, I never realized just how much STUFF I have in this apartment. I’ve made so many trips up and down the stairs to my place, I’m not sure I can stand up anymore. The exhaustion is pervasive, and yet I still have more trips to make….
Wish me luck!
This has been an emotional week. I’ve been stressed out to start with by my preparations for Japan. Trying to support MTI backfilling my position here. Meeting with my friends, some probably for the last time. Slowly dismantling everything and moving it into storage.
Then the shootings at Virginia Tech…
As far as I know, no one I knew personally was involved. I called Gay M., an ex-coworker, on the day of the shootings. She works in McBryde Hall, very near Norris. It sounded like everyone there was shook-up. Then I started reading about what had happened. As each report comes out, it just becomes sadder. How could this happen?
I wish there was a simple answer to that, but I know there isn’t. I’ve faced enough facts in my life to know there’s no way to predict the future. No way to protect everyone from everything. But it’s so incredibly hard to think about the small town where I went to school and worked, suffering through this tragedy. Impossible to understand how so many people could die just a hundred yards from where I went to work every day.
It just fills me with grief to read about those who died. And to imagine what those who are left behind must deal with. Tonight, I was reading about Dr. Liviu Librescu. A Holocaust survivor – when Dr. Librescu heard the gunshots, he blocked the door to his classroom so his students had time to jump from the second floor. Cho Seung-hui shot and killed Dr. Librescu through the door to his classroom.
It is the bitter twist of fate that Dr. Librescu, a random victim in a terrible situation, died on Holocaust Martyrs’ Remembrance Day. Such a stupid coincidence makes a pointless loss of life even harder to understand.
The emotions from this week have to be controlled while the tasks at hand are handled. But not a day has gone by that I haven’t shared the sorrow of my fellow Hokies… not a day has gone by that I haven’t sat and wept for the senselessness of it all.
Today’s pics are in memory of all the Hokies injured or killed in yesterday’s shooting. So far, it looks like no one I know was involved, thank goodness. But everyone I know from Tech is shook up and could use your thoughts and prayers. Classes have been cancelled for the rest of the week, and hopefully those scarred by this tragedy can begin to heal…
This is the roof of the campus chapel, which is recessed into the hill surrounding the drill field. The pylons are dedicated to all the Hokies who have fallen in past wars.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/moogocow3/462072189/
I’m sure some of you have noticed my negligence in not getting the Pic of the Day out recently. My apologies… I’ve been very busy this week. For those who haven’t found out already, I’ve officially accepted a contract position in Japan for the next 6+ months! The initial paperwork is in, and the appropriate people have been notified, so I can make this public now. 
Today’s Pics are all from Japan, in honor of my upcoming trip. I’m not sure what my new work schedule will be like, or what level of internet access I’ll have. But I’ll do my best to keep up our daily pic selections while I’m overseas.
Today’s Pic of the Day is a shot of the Tokyo metropolis from the Roppongi Hills Mori building. My ex-girlfriend works in this building (last I’d heard) and we made a trip to the observation deck on my last trip to Tokyo. Highly recommended if you’re into high-places – my ears popped on the way up and down in the elevator!
Runners Up due to size:
http://flickr.com/photos/yayatan/35736937/ – Another shot from a high-rise in Tokyo. This time, one of the Metropolitan Government Building towers (not sure if it’s North tower or South tower…) My ex-girlfriend and I also visisted this observation deck.
http://flickr.com/photos/ajpscs/360561093/ – A shot of an above-average work of art on a Harajuku girl. Harajuku is a district in Tokyo popular with young cos-players. Many of them hang out just to have their photos taken.
http://flickr.com/photos/sakura-kame/309418976/ – A cool aerial shot of Mt. Fuji! You can see the path up the side of the mountain. With any luck, I’ll get a chance to climb Mt. Fuji while I’m in-country.
http://flickr.com/photos/3amfromkyoto/70597445/ – I don’t know this location specifically, but it looks like a very nice temple/shrine complex in Kyoto.
I was in for some moody landscapes today…
Runners Up
http://flickr.com/photos/15621118@N00/447257503/
Today’s theme is Castles, but no “Look it’s a Disneyland castle on a bright Spring day” shots! Nothing more boring than a stereotypical shot, eh? Hope you enjoy!
Runners Up due to size:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bonsan/329938951/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/gms/350281820/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/garibaldi/395978373/
Bonus “From a Castle, not of a Castle” pic…
It seems like a weird thing to do now that I think about it. Just thought I’d share.
Well, sorry about missing the Pic of the Day on Friday. Just got busy… But on to today’s pic! Or, “Pics” actually, since we have two for today.
Runners Up due to size:
http://flickr.com/photos/bobesh14/441871388/
http://flickr.com/photos/punjabi/441919179/
http://flickr.com/photos/keesssss/441809220/
