I just read this morning that two more people were shot in the Pike/Pine corridor, this time on 1st Ave. At least fifteen shots were fired, according to police and (at least) two people were hit. According to an Article in the PI, the police gang unit was on the scene not surprisingly.

On a brighter note, the PI also reported on an increased police presence around 2nd/3rd & Pine/Pike, at least in the afternoons.

This morning, not unusually, there was something scary going on downtown. It was at 4th and Pike this time, but that's just one block over from Century Square. Real-time 911 listed it as "Medic Response, 7 per rule." In addition to the 7 firefighters/medics on scene, there were at least 4 police cars and some bike cops interviewing everyone in sight.

On July 31, there was a shooting at 3rd & Pine at 4:30 p.m. after an argument in a crosswalk. The victim's wounds were listed as "not life threatening" (he was shot 4 times). On June 22, a guy was killed with an AK-47 at 2nd and Pine, shot in the face "at least once". On June 1, a guy had the crap beaten out of him by "a group of youths" right in front of the entrance to Century Square. You can see the Century Square sign in the recently-released police photos.

I'm having a hard time this week for some reason. I think it's because I ordered the autopsy report from the justice of the peace. I'm conflicted over whether I should look at it, but I really just got it to show a friend who is an accident investigator. He does this sort of thing for a living, looking at mangled cars and mangled bodies and reconstructing what actually happened.

I don't know if that's it at all though. I've been feeling pretty melancholy for a while now. I didn't post on July 16, but believe me I was fully aware all day long that July 16 marked an important milestone. Four months. Has it only been four months? It seems as though it's been an eternity, as though I haven't seen or talked to my little girl in years and years, but was it really only four months ago that she was walking around, talking and laughing, dancing? Was it only a bit more than four months ago the last time I talked to her, heard her voice?

I can't look at Sarah's pictures any more. At first, putting all the pictures up on the web was a way to keep holding on to her even though she was gone. Now, they just remind me that there will never be any more pictures. I'm trying so hard to be strong for everyone else. Mom and Dad are taking everything so hard. Everyone was here for my birthday. It was a great visit. There was virtually no conflict. Well, Dan and my mom got into it once over what an idiot George Bush is (my mom disagreed), and Michael was being an obnoxious teenager and really hurt his mom's feelings at one point. I remember going through that with Sarah, which made it really hard. Sarah told me once that she thought Michael was going to be OK after he grew up a bit. I trust her judgment. She turned out OK in the end, and she went through some really nasty phases.

My family all came in for my birthday. Today marks three months since Sarah died. I guess that's all I have to say today.

This morning, I caught the bus at an earlier stop. It was cold and rainy, but less scary. When the bus stopped at Century Square, I looked out the window. It looked so quiet. I didn't see the usual drug dealers hovering around. I only saw one woman who looked strung out, and she sat for a minute at the bus stop and then moved away. I was just beginning to think, "Wow. It doesn't look so bad from this angle." But, when the bus started moving again, I saw the flashing lights.

Today, I went into a drug store to buy an eyedropper. I have been experimenting with adding essential oils to my paper to add scent, but the oils are so potent that I have to be very careful or I smell up the whole basement and all the paper in the room (as well as half the house.) An eyedropper would help, I thought.

Unfortunately, the drugstores downtown no longer stock eyedroppers. It seems that eyedroppers are often used in the manufacture and/or distribution of meth-amphetamines. It's kind of surreal when you think about it. Eyedroppers? What's next? Will it become illegal to live in a house with a kitchen in it because stoves can be used to cook meth?