I usually keep things more light-hearted around here. The only “current events” I mention usually come from the “Odd News” section.

But I can’t ignore the tragedy at Virginia Tech yesterday.

Headlines all over the country describe a “Rampage” and a “Massacre.“

But the VT campus newspaper reports “Heartache.”

To the thousands of students living on campus, what was once a safe haven will never feel the same again. Especially to those directly affected, their lives are changed forever.

For everyone all over the world reeling from the news, it is another unfathomable, terrible event we are forced to wrap our minds around.

Why did this have to happen? What would possess a man to kill senselessly?

As the events unfold, we can only hope for some explanation. Some way rationalize the horror.

But there may not be an answer.

I hope the survivors can recover some semblance of their former lives. I hope the campus can recover and feel like home again.

And I hope we never become desensitized to violence.

I’ve been on the hunt for a dress watch, since my everyday watch is far too casual for formal occasions (it blinks daisies!). I’d looked everywhere, and I thought my search was finally over.

Unfortunately, I just sent the following message to Macy’s:

After a lot of searching, I finally found a dress watch I really loved (a hexagon-faced Guess? watch).

I am petite, and even after taking out the two easily-removable links, the watch was too big. This is not unusual; I always need to take out extra links and it’s never been a problem.

At first, the two women at the jewelry counter argued with me that no additional links could come out. I showed them my current watch and said that when I purchased it, the jeweler had a tool to remove additional links, I was sure they’d have the same.

She looked, and said that it was different since my current watch had arrows on the back. I picked up my intended purchase and sure enough, it had arrows.

Since neither woman was able to remove links, one of them brought the watch to I guess the manager. I didn’t speak to her, but the associate helping me said she said she had a tool, but was afraid she’d break it, or something like that. I asked if maybe there would be a person available that could adjust it working different hours, but she told me there wasn’t anybody that could do it.

Any watch I purchase, whether it be an $85 Guess? watch or a $300 Seiko, would need resizing. I find that hard to believe that a merchant selling watches would not be able to adjust them.

Maybe I was dealing with three ignorant workers. The one who was helping me did not offer any suggestions and let me leave without that watch. I’m very disappointed and now am on a search to find the same watch elsewhere.

On a side note, the man working at the watch kiosk around the corner from Macy’s was certain he’d be able to do it. I just don’t think I should have to pay someone else to do something that your store should have been able to do in the first place.

The search continues …

On my way to lunch today, I was stopped at a traffic light beneath a pedestrian bridge.

I watched a guy ride a skateboard across. He was followed by another guy on a skateboard with a boom box on his shoulder.

It was a pretty square-shaped boom box, too, making it appear to be the same vintage as the decade when you would actually see people wandering around with boom boxes.

Just seemed a bit odd!

Boomshine.

Addictive, and mesmerizing!