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I saw the preparations for the memorial dedication from Slusher tower, where I was working. The memorial had been completed and the orange fences and earth movers removed a day or two earlier. There was a massive projections screen on the Drillfield for the Spiderman showing the night before, and I mistakenly thought it would be part of the ceremony. On the morning of the ceremony workers replace the screen with a massive tent/canopy.
During the ceremony I stood with Jason and Laurel. The crowd was massive and solemn, packed into tight waves radiating out form the tent. We never saw any of the speaker, the podium, or the platform party past all of those standing closer than us. The news media was minimally visible at first, and we thought that they might give us some comfortable and respectful distance, but as the proceedings got underway there were suddenly moving thickly through us, probing for emotional expressions to record and photograph.
I would have described every previous observance as mercifully brief, with speeches kept to a length and weight that only promoted the community's relief. Both the mercy and the brevity were missing on this day. After the first fifteen minutes, attendees began to collapse from the heat of the direct sunlight. The ceremony continued for an hour and a half thereafter. The paramedics on hand had no time to rest. Whenever they reached the edge of the Drillfield carrying a victim, they turned around to see several more lying on the grass and convulsing.
Between the speeches, the victims families stood in a row with their backs to the stones. As each stone was dedicated, the family was called forward, and descended to the tent, presumably to take a seat.
The dispersal was as usual, with the same mix of conversations and silent departures, hugging, smiling, and crying. As I exited, I found a satellite truck deployed on the field, right in the mids of the crowd and jarringly out of place. Those walking past it gave it a wide space. |
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I paid the various Facebook and e-mail announcements no mind until about a week before, when I realized that I would be in town and not at work. I thought posing fo r a satellite photo to be a fun idea, and hoped that it would work out.
On the day, I departed to arrive the requested thirty minutes early. Others were also moving to ward the Drillfield in Hokie colors, giving the event the usual gathering air. As usual, I locked up at McBryde, and as I approached the Drillfield, I was surprised to see it again filled with an orange and maroon crowd. Entering and taking pictures, I found that the absence of the student body had been made up for by the presence of alumni, parents, siblings, children, and pets. The Marching Virginians were playing to entertain the attendees, while extra band members directed arrivals into place.
I was sent to the 'T' in VT. I moved up the base of it slowly, taking pictures of the crowd and photographers. Cameras were pointed at the field from the tops of War Memorial Chapel, Buruss Hall, Slusher Tower, War Memorial Gym, a bucket truck, and the review stand. Later, a small plane and helicopter circled overhead.
Some of the children were playing with oversize rubber globes. When a small boy who was barely taller than them picked one up, every news photographer with line of sight dropped to one kneed and pointed a camera at him.
As the time approached, the band stopped playing and joined the forms. A former VT football player who suffered from depression addressed the crowd, advocating mental health services. We were instructed to tighten the lines for better definition, and I moved to just below the inner joint of the T. I and another attendee discussed the satellite imaging's ability to penetrate cloud cover as we were told to face the south and wave at the passing satellite.
As soon as the imaging window closed, we dispersed. I hit the Johnson ATM, swung back around to my bike, and headed home. |
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As the anniversary approaches, I am limiting my exposure to news media. There will likely be coverage of the remembrances, and much of it will be crass and sensationalist. I am also limiting my exposure to political and internet discussion, in which invoking the name of Virginia Tech is a favorite tactic for poorly illustrating smugly and ignorantly made points.
I do not envy the experience that those of you who are still in Blacksburg are having, already beset by people without shame or discretion come to further their own ends. |
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I remind you that my current updates are posted at the Seventh Book(![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) contrabassblack |
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The outpouring of sympathy for Virginia Tech was manifested in the astounding volume of the physical gifts and messages. Banners and posters wallpapered Squires and Johnston. Bushels of paper cranes, letters, snacks, and other gifts were handed out to students. Sculptures and memorial walls from inside and outside the school bore signatures and messages.
For months after the main displays at the students centers, lobbies, Drillfield, and elsewhere shut down, a rotation subset of them was displayed in Shultz dining room. A quiet and lonely white haired security guard sat and watched over them full time. I pictured all of these items being handled by dark suited and white-gloved honor guards, working silently and with grim faces to show the highest respect for their work. It was not so.
While working a pre-semester cleanup shift at Shultz, I assisted the removal of the memorial items. It was conducted by several Hokies United members with their bare hands. The new location was a full-size Mayflower rental trailer without a loading rap. We moved the smaller and lighter items easily and quickly, then struggled with the heavy and abrasive wooden display tables, memorial walls, and sculptures. The kitchen and another Shultz worker provided gloves and carts midway through our effort.
Those we worked with were members of Hokies United, a well-established community service organization. They were the ones who placed the original Hokie Stone markers and established and maintained the most major memorials afterward. They were student volunteers, with small University backing. Some nearly injured themselves carrying the walls because they were wearing sandals. They handled the items carefully, but casually. We scratched some of the heaviest items during the four and a half foot straight lift into the trailer. We looked closely after the firs few times to make sure that there was no major damage.
At no time was there a funeral atmosphere. We spoke little other than to coordinate and plan our movements. Most of the noise was our breathing as we strained under the weight. The importance of what we did impressed calm on us rather than melancholy. |
| » The Story Continues |
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I am transitioning between life stages, preparing to start my professional career. Reflecting that, I am transitioning to my other LiveJournal, The Seventh Book (contrabassblack), which I registered in early May 2004 but have not used. I will continue to update The Fourth Book with items relating to Virginia Tech and my career there, as well as other aspects of my life that I associate closely with this time and intend to leave behind with it.
Dec. 30th, 2007 @ 12:33 am
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| » Humwhat? |
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I hear some rumors that implicatively suggest that there may or may not be some sort of holiday today. I hope that those of you who celebrate have a good time.
Also, this is the most impressively lit house on my street.
 
Dec. 25th, 2007 @ 05:23 pm
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| » Going Unlisted |
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I abandoned the goalsheets altogether midway through the summer. I have not even opened the files or viewed the LJ posts since then. I started the goalsheets to counter the stagnation and boredom in my life and drive my self improvement. Some of the goals were mundane, some were vital, and some were outlandish. I found myself accomplishing more of all of them then I thought possible. Whenever I had a desire for action, I would put it on the list, even if its possibility were remote. Later, I would be suspired when the opportunity appeared.
I stopped updating the goalsheets because they grew unwieldy in their length, becoming unreadable and cost-ineffective, even with major sections omitted. They have served their purpose, leading to new outlook, skills, practices, and experiences.
At present, I do not intend to revisit the lists, but I will probably copy the films and books lists soon, and I might check the New Year's resolutions as the year's end approaches. If I should again find myself unsatisfied by my overall progress, I may begin goal listing again to develop actionable remedies.
Dec. 25th, 2007 @ 01:29 pm
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| » Hokie |
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Last Friday was the least important day of my college career. Its purpose was to honor and reflect upon all of the days that came before it, and what I learned, achieved, and endured on those.
I allowed my insecurity to overwhelm my awareness, and convinced myself that my admission to Virginia Tech was some happy accident, clerical error, or quota padding. I knew that my academic and extra curricular qualifications secured my admittance, as did anyone I listed them to, but I took the excessive academic pressure from my parents, my rejection by nine Ivy-League institutions, and anti-affirmative action rhetoric from conservative commentators to heart more deeply than any encouragement.
From the beginning, I questioned the rightness of my Computer Science major, noting that I was not a hobbyist and did not program or run archaic systems for fun. I doubted my ability at programming and problem solving, and my fears were reinforced by my wandering in the Data Structures doldrums.
Yet even with the doubt and the difficulty, I stayed, I stuck, and I made it. I balanced my education with the Professional Writing minor and learned to distinguish the flaws in my academic program from the flaws in my academic effort. Dedicated professors discovered and rescued me, encouraging and enabling me to reach the Human-Computer Interaction coursework that reminded me of the goals, skills, and mission with which I entered Virginia Tech, reintroduced me to inspiration, ambition, daring, and success so that I could perform in my mainline CS courses. After all of the uncertainty, I've graduated with a degree in the major I started with and with the majority of my in-major class.
I did not prove anything on Friday. My defiance and perseverance in the face of adversity were already demonstrated, and my appearing uncrushed and uncowed was a repeat performance.
I learned to hope, to love, to enjoy, and to give thanks early on in my college career, as new experiences and personal empowerment opened me to new joys. Later, when difficulties strained my resilience, I learned to sacrifice, rely on others, and endure. Later still, valuing myself better, I learned to refuse and to reject all manner of wrongs in word and deed, and to plan and act audaciously.
My question of whether or not I was worthy of attending Virginia Tech is laid to rest. If I were not of sufficient mettle and merit to be a Hokie, then I would not have made it through graduation. That too, was already proven time and time again before last Friday.
Dec. 21st, 2007 @ 01:37 pm
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| » Headline of the Day |
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Sex with Americans risky for Mexican hookers
Disease rate higher for those with U.S. clients, study says By Cheryl Clark UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER November 28, 2007 Female prostitutes in Tijuana and Ciudad Juarez who catered to American “johns” had a 50 percent higher rate of syphilis or another sexually transmitted disease than those who didn't, according to a UCSD study.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/mexico/tijuana/20071128-9999-1m28sex.html
Nov. 28th, 2007 @ 02:28 pm
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| » Oh-Seven, Wave Two |
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Last semester, I was pressed with a sense that my time at VT was due to end. People I knew were moving on in masses, organizations were turning over leadership and legacy to people I did not know or barely recognize. On the day that the bulk of my class walked, I slept in and then went about my business as usual.. The world around me appeared to be in sunset, with my day’s work yet undone.
During the summer, I failed to advance my academic progress or career prospects. I spend the majority of the time working for Dining Services, doing jobs and going places that I swore I never would again. In the exhaustion that followed each workday, and my alarm at my financial reserves that continued to dwindle even as I worked full time and cut my spending, I knew it even deeper than before that I am not willing to do this for the rest of my life.
The first meeting of a Computer Science class is a reunion. Walking in, one finds a room full of former classmates, some of them not seen for years. I thought that I would miss the reunion element this semester, being alone in classes full of younger students, but it turned out to be even stronger. In every class, I met familiar students, some of whom I thought had graduated years ago. Many of them are members of my class.
The reunion spirit extended outside of class. Around campus and at events, I met members of my class, including several I hadn’t seen since we were freshmen.
An astounding number of us are still here. Most of us are finishing in December. The feeling of having stayed past my time has left me, replaced by the excitement of seeing my time arrive. I see it reflected in my classmates, as we live through the moments that might define us more than any others. We are still leading organizations, doing research, supporting the community, and working. The legacy of the Virginia Tech Class of 2007 continues to form.
Nov. 12th, 2007 @ 11:51 pm
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| » Black Thought of the Legendary Roots Crew |
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Long story short, this is me and the lead vocalist of my favorite band as he boarded his bus ten minutes ago after playing a blazing concert.
Sep. 26th, 2007 @ 11:32 pm
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| » If You Use or Have Used Ebay, Monitor your Accounts for Fraud |
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Hackers brazenly posted sensitive information including home addresses and phone numbers for 1,200 eBay users to an official online forum dedicated to fraud prevention on the auction site. The information - which also included user names and email, and possibly their credit card numbers and three-digit CVV2 numbers - was visible for more than an hour to anyone visiting the forum.
Early this morning, a series of new threads appeared on Ebay's Trust & Safety Discussion Board, in which the personal information of hundreds of Ebay users was posted. This information included credit card account numbers, as well as the 3 digit security code on credit cards.
The names and contact information -- as well as credit card information that is largely incorrect -- were posted on a eBay security forum Tuesday
Someone used an eBay discussion forum on Tuesday to post confidential information about eBay users along with what may be their credit card numbers.
eBay Shuts Trust & Safety Board after Credit Card Numbers Exposed
eBay shut down an entire discussion board devoted to Trust & Safety issues after someone began posting confidential user information. Someone using multiple User IDs began listing information purported to be eBay users' private and financial data on the Trust & Safety discussion board.
Whatever IT is, you can find IT on eBay… including other members' credit card numbers (with three digit CVV2 number), usernames, and contact information. Has eBay been hacked? Or, is this just a hoax schemed by tricksters?
Sep. 25th, 2007 @ 10:08 pm
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| » Out on a Technicality |
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Today, I went to the Christiansburg DMV to take the road skills test. I arrived at about 10:45, and filled out the paperwork. The attendant found my paperwork in order. The initial wait was short, but the wait for the tester was much longer because he was in the field.
I had taken Tim's Honda Civic (and Tim) for the test, and when the tester got to me, I boarded and turned on the lights for the inspection. The tester took a look at the car, cringed, and pointed out that the inspection stickers expired last month. Tim lives in Pennsylvania, and will have go back there for a new inspection.
I asked my roommate, David, if I could borrow his Civic. Being a sensible person who isn't very close to me, he refused.
I called Jason, and he granted me the use of his Jeep Cherokee. I drove it to the DMV, and again prepared for the test. The tester gave me the same apologetic look. The liscense plate stickers show December 2007 as the expiration date, but the registration shows January 15th, 2008. In North Carolina, licensing and registration are separate processes, handled by different agencies. Because of a dispute with the government and the Jeep's previous owner, they were issued one month apart and their expiration dates reflect that, even though both are valid and they were ordered at the same time. Still, because of the mismatch, Jason's Cherokee is also ineligible to be a road skills test vehicle.
So, I am still not licensed to drive.
Sep. 21st, 2007 @ 08:27 pm
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| » Look Who's Here |
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Bear witness to the presence of José Edwardo de Segovia, born at the ninth minute of the ninth hour in the evening of the tenth day of September in the year 2007.
Sep. 12th, 2007 @ 11:35 pm
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| » That's the Game |
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Sep. 11th, 2007 @ 03:58 pm
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| » Backlash |
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Note the changes in membership numbers.
Sep. 9th, 2007 @ 10:05 pm
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