Crime

There was a shooting at Westroads in Omaha yesterday and 8 people were killed plus the shooter, who conveniently shot himself (asshole!). So far everyone I know is ok. A dear family friend was in the mall at the time and was locked down in J.C. Penney for hours.

Because the Internet is beautiful, DK let me know about it in IM as soon as he got a news alert, I started texting everyone, and momster IM'd me very quickly to let me know she, my mom & other sister, and our friend Jen were ok, and Watie texted from his studio.

There was a period when I hadn't heard from kww and I kept telling myself she's at work, she's at work, she's not at the mall. But then I remembered that just the day before I had gone to Bel Square for a couple hours in the middle of the day. I convinced myself though that kww was not at the mall and soon she texted that she was all right. But there are families out there who didn't hear from their loved one, didn't hear, didn't hear, and then the news was the worst.

I am filled with mixed feelings.
Feeling #1: What a fucker!
Feeling #2: Sadness that this happened.
Feeling #3: Glad that so far, those I know are ok.
Repeat steps #1-3 ad nauseum.

Westroads was "our" mall growing up. It's where I dropped my Orange Julius hot dog on the floor and sat on a fire truck while I got fitted for new shoes. It's where I went on my first ever date and my second ever date (not with the same person, and a year apart). Poor Westroads. Poor Omaha.