"Heartbroken"

Lost an old co-worker and friend this week: the story broke late Tuesday night, and I read over the on-line article, but details weren't made known until the next day when I learned about who was involved after reading the paper my girlfriend brought home late in the evening. Felt like a sucker-punch to the stomach - as I wrote on the comment thread for the story:

"I had the good fortune to work with Kathy many years ago at Dateline Copies, and remember most how her big, beautiful smile and great, huge laugh would always fill the room. She taught me a lot about patience and being gracious with customers, even under stressful situations, and always treated folks and co-workers with such wonderful warmth, intense intelligence, inspiring curiosity and uncommon understanding. She will be sorely missed in this community, and many of us wish peace to her friends and family during this time of grief."

I also went to UAF with the other victim, the son, and given his involvement with the music scene at the college radio station, he was a peripheral part of the art-circle that hung out on campus. We haven't talked in a few years other than the occasional path-crossing, and the same with his mother - though we waved at each other in a parking lot just last week.

The whole thing is just horrible, and the escalating violence and random shootings in this town is depressing.

And once again I found myself more than a little disturbed at the new depths of depravity on display over at other, related News-Miner comment threads. A surefire way to get my attitude up is reading the vile shit spewed by anonymous cowards who, besides not having any class or personal sense of shame, flaunt their pathological need of getting off on hurting people who are going through loss. I might be an insensitive idiot with some of my editorial panels, but at least I won't be remembered as some asshole who made fun of the recently deceased. Even if they're pretty low, one must maintain certain standards.

All I can say is that there is help out there if you know anyone who might need it. I've been lucky to have had friends and family be there for me in my own sordid past, and I probably wouldn't be alive today if it weren't for their intervention.

24-Hour Crisis Line: (907) 452-2357
Women in Crisis Counseling & Assistance: (907) 452-7273
Narcotics Anonymous: (907) 452-7372
Alcoholics Anonymous: (907) 456-7501

Two versions here, one for print (B&W) and the other for posting - only difference being the "Police Line" tape, the yellow arguably as strong a symbol as the words.