America and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Week

I first heard about the Boston Marathon bombing at my temp job on Monday afternoon. I was nowhere near a TV and my internet connection was the phone in my desk drawer. I overheard someone in an adjacent cube discussing a bombing that only paid half-attention to the gruesome details. It wasn't until my afternoon break that I glanced at my Palm Pre and realized the seriousness of these explosions. The personal achievement of finishing a marathon was tainted by a senseless, cowardly act.

When a tragedy like this occurs, my great irrational fear is that the suspects and conspirators will never be found or captured, like D.B. Cooper or the anthrax guy from late 2001. Within five days one suspect had been gunned down by authorities, while the other was captured after a remarkably quick manhunt. The surviving suspect is breathing through a tube and responding sporadically, but he deserves no sympathy for his agony.

A few days ago, I felt compelled to dedicate my entire blog this week to the marathon bombing.  Unfortunately, the tragedy in Boston proved to be the indirect catalyst of a really terrible week. Two days later, a fertilizer factory combusted in McLennan County, Texas. A day after that, record levels of rain rocked the Midwest, drenching my hometown and turning major streets and parkways into rivers. The gunfight in Watertown, MA on Thursday night --where a campus police officer was slain by one of the Tsarnaev brothers-- brought everything full circle in the most appalling, disheartening way possible. A year's worth of tumultuous events occurred in the span of five days. Here's hoping next week is not so eventful.

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