Tales from the West Side Laundromat Part....um...3?

So my sisters are coming to town. Angie and her two adorable offspring Emma & Lane came in tonight, and Brooke coming sometime tomorrow night. So needless to say, I need to pick this place up...SERIOUSLY. I don't know if it's being single, or if it's just because nobody ever stops by here that often, but I've been the biggest slob lately. Whenever I come home from work, I take a look at the state of the place and just start laughing at how out of hand I've let it become.

Anyway...so tonight I was bound and determined to clean my apartment and go to the Laundromat. You know...my most favorite place in all the world. So I get my stuff together, sort the different colors and whatnot and drive my little car down the road and into the parking space on the West side of the blueish building. I see there's one other car there...and think to myself...whew...good...I won't have to fight anyone over dryer #11! Yeah!

I carry in the first basket and pass by the older gentlemen sitting just inside the door. I put my stuff down and head back out for the second load when I see that he's reading...upon closer look, he's reading "Hustler" Magazine. HUSTLER!!! I know I made a face upon seeing it....I mean, I couldn't help it. I thought maaaaybe I could see smuggling a Playboy out into the public....but NOT HUSTLER.

I picked up my pace, started to walk faster...I had the eerie feeling he was going to grope my ass as I walked by...thank god, he just smiled at me instead....although...the smile was equally creepy.

What's wrong with people? Is this what people are doing these days? Going and chillin at the Laundromat, looking at a little porn in between folding and matching our socks? I can't even imagine hauling a vibrator in there and thinking I could just knock one off real quick in between the wash and rinse cycle like it was no big deal.

Okay so I was a little frazzled at this point, he keeping one eye on the magazine and one eye and one raised eyebrow on me as I finished carrying in my final basket. It's then that I realize I only have a 20 dollar bill. The machine only takes ones, fives and tens. So I had to go break the twenty down the street at the carryout. I didn't want to load all my shit back up just to run down the street, but I didn't want to leave my new pretty and needing a wash panties with Mr. Larry Flynt incarnate either. Horrible visions of him sifting through my laundry in search for dirty panties just TOTALLY creeped me out. Nonetheless, a girls got to do what a girls got to do, so I snuck out the side door and drove 60 down Fifth Street with my twenty dollar bill in hand. Bought a pack of cigarettes and raced back. Nothing looked as if it had been disturbed. THANK GOD!!

Mr. Hustler gave me a toothy grin upon my return...I pretended not to notice while listening as the ten dollars in quarters fell into the change cup and tried to pretend like I'd just won ten thousand dollars on a Vegas Slot machine....wish myself somewhere far, far away from Delphos and even further from the Laundromat! The whole time my brain keeps turning the humming of the machines into this really cheezy 70's porn flick music....keeps and eye on the door for a pizza boy who's "got something for me!" Don't ask me how I know these things....even worse...don't ask me how I know what cheezy 70's porn music sounds like....considering I wasn't even born until 1978.

Okay....so that pretty much concludes the weird laundromat drama...however, it's 10:20....there are three baskets of clothes that need put away and I haven't touched this damn apartment....instead I'm writing this....still trying to get this damn porno music out of my head......I seriously need to get my priorities in check.

Oh, well, there's always tomorrow...spoken like a true procrastinator.

okay..okay....I'm going.... *feet dragging off in the distance with the smell of fresh laundry in the air*

Health: You don't miss it, until you don't have it!

Yesterday my mom called here to the office. Never a good sign. It’s always bad news when my mom calls me at work. This being no exception.

She even started the conversation out by saying “Heather, I just go some very bad news!”

That’s when she began the story of my cousin who recently had a baby….who nearly died because of a neglectful Doctor who left part of her placenta in her which then caused her body to start to bleed out faster than what the hospital could transfuse her.

Long story short, another doctor (not hers) came in, rolled up his shirt sleeve, went elbow deep into her, pulled out the problematic placenta and pretty much saved her life…but not after she already had lost over fifty percent of her blood. Blood transfusions followed.

Well, two weeks ago, after retaining a new OBGYN she received the news that when the Dr. who saved her life rolled up his shirt sleeve he wasn’t properly sanitized, which has given her an infection in her uterus which has now been plaguing her for three months. Then yesterday she was told by her new Dr. that they found a rare blood disorder in her test results that she contracted from one of her multiple blood transfusions.

She won’t be able to have any future children, she’ll have to seek treatment for her condition, see specialists….and god only knows what else…and damnit, this just upsets me to no end. Why Rachel? She’s the sweetest, mild-mannered little darling that anyone could ever hope to meet….why her? There are shitty people everywhere….people who don’t care about anyone but themselves….people who are morally corrupted in every way imaginable…and they all live to be 100 and disease free the whole of their lives.

I know that nobody ever said life is fair….and that everyone has their own set of battles and obstacles to overcome….it just is frustrating when a friend has to suffer needlessly for the mistakes made by others, a friend has to battle a disease that someone GAVE her, she relied on those around her to take care of her when she herself could not, and now she’ll be the one who pays for their lack of care and concern.

From the moment my mom told me until I lay down to sleep last night….It was like I was in a haze. I couldn’t really concentrate, smile…..and that’s just how I felt, I cannot imagine what Rachel must be going through.

I’m with you in spirit today Rach…..and I love you…and you are in my prayers.

The other day I got my taxes done with Keith. I have been trying to get him to agree to a time and place to go for weeks now. The last time I brought it up, he asked me if I could just send my W2's to him or drop them in his mailbox....when I told him I'd like to actually go to the appointment, he said "Well maybe I don't want to fucking see you!" and I was like "What?" "What did I do to you?"

I was caught a little off guard by his hostility....I mean, the last few times we spoke, we were civil, even seemingly friendly in a way....and then, just like that...he's all like hating me. I don't know why he hates me....he's the one who has a girlfriend and is supposed to be all fine and great since we've separated....and well now divorced.

So anyways, I finally talked him into going to Brenda the same lady that did our taxes for the last six years and I made the appointment and he agreed to go, this time being much nicer to me in the process. I walked into the tax office, he and Brenda already going over some documents since I got held up at work and was running late. I sat down next to him and handed my paperwork over to Brenda....Keith never looked directly at me....we chit-chatted a bit, however I became increasingly aware of how he never actually looked at my face. He looked at his hands, the floor, the ceiling the chair, Brenda....everything but at me. At first I thought I was imagining it, however...the more time passed the more I discovered that I wasn't.

By the time it was all said and done....taxes formulated and one tax bill paid, Keith stood up, said goodbye to Brenda and without a second more, was out the door.

He couldn't even look at me. Not even for a second.

We were married for six years and I never thought he ever really saw me for who I was, and now, he can't even look at me for who I've become.

Hello! Greetings & Salutations....

Today...wow...what a great day. The sun shined, the conversation was fulfilling and the drive time reflective.Whenever I go on a trip, I always blog about the things I've learned in the process.

Here's the weekends' wisdom attained this time:
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Don't trust guys named Finn to keep their word *sorry J....you are totally forgiven by the way*

Even when going on an overnight visit, you still have to remember to pack an extra pair of underwear...going commando makes it really difficult to try things on when you go shopping.

Tylenol PM...really makes sleeping enjoyable.No matter how many times you visit a place, you still wake up wondering where the hell you are.

Sometimes, the greatest relief can come from a simple phone call. Breathing seems less like a chore.

When you are having an off week....and are being as self destructive as one can possibly be....it's best to just lie low for awhile. Get out of town and dodge. Things look different when you take your own insane self out of the equation.

Yellow Springs is the greatest little hippy town & hemp can be made into just about anything.

Sometimes it's just nice to sleep with someone....even when it's just your little sister....and her dog Kelso.

The Drive from Dayton to Delphos gives you just enough time to think about what you did wrong and devise a plan to avoid these sorts of pitfalls in the future.

And last but not least: Just because someone is wandering, it doesn't mean they are lost. (and in all fairness....I read that on a T-shirt in Yellow Springs...but it's so true isn't it?)

God I'm Such A GIRL!

Yesterday was a immaculate day in the world of womanhood. See lately I've had this problem....every day when I get out of the shower and go to my wardrobe to pick out a pair of suitable slacks to wear to work, I just hate it. I hate it because since I moved out on my own I've lost some weight and none of my pants fit anymore. Being as I've been fairly poor, I haven't had the cash to go buy new ones....so day after day...I put on my pants, strap my belt on as tight as it will go and go to work yet one more day looking like I'm wearing my big-sister's clothes. I sucks to know that you aren't looking your best...especially when losing weight SHOULD mean that you are looking better and better.

So yesterday Steph and I went to the mall to fix this problem once and for all. I was getting some fucking pants! YEAH! Don't roll your eyes either....I'm allowed to get excited about new pants...don't be a hater...accept and move on! *winks*

Okay, so the coolness doesn't stop there. First stop NY & Co. I'm in the dressing room right, i have about ten pairs of nice pants all size __ and I try each one on, and I'm like...nah, they don't look right...after about the 6th pair..the sales woman says..."Honey, they don't look right because they don't fit you, they are too big!" Steph had also told me this just prior, but I thought she was just being nice, trying to tell me I looked skinny or something. So the sales lady gets me a size smaller and to my amazement, they fit....and they actually looked GOOD. My ass looked curvy, my legs looked trim....and seriously...if it hadn't been 10 years since I did a kart wheel, I'd have done one to show my sincere joy of this occasion. I've lost two pant sizes in the last six months. Apparently Marriage is bad for your health.

So last night, I went shopping....I painted my toenails purple, finally accepted a male friends offer to take me out.....tonight at 7:00 pm I'm going tanning, It's like I'm becoming a woman....LOL...that's what Steph said anyways....I'm almost damn near girly.

If you'd have known me as a little girl, you wouldn't believe it. (see above if you need further proof...as a girl....I was just a mess...bra strap showing...messy haired...broken buffalo necklace wearing mess of a girl....!)

REVISED: I Take it Back...I take it back...Please let me take it back!!??

I wrote this post a few days ago.....but I've changed my mind....and wish to revise it at once.

One of the worst feelings in the world is to wish you could take back words
that have already left you.

I wish I could do that now.

Sometimes....I find that honesty is NOT always the best
policy. Oh how I wish that it was!

~hl~

Honesty...it is for the best. Regardless of outcome....if one speaks their mind, and honestly and wholeheartedly express themselves.....how can that be the WRONG thing to do? Perhaps if it's done out of spite, or with hateful rage...maybe. But genuine thoughts and feelings being expressed honestly....it shouldn't be a crime.

I said what I felt, I meant it when I said it...and what's done is done. You cannot control how others will take such honesty...and I've found in the past that honesty can scare the bejesus out of people. However, it's a risk I'm willing to take. Honesty is once again the order of the day.

Another Chapter...Closed.

I have a small collection of memories from my past.....photo's, movie ticket stubs...little tidbits of memorabilia that I've kept as a reminder of the life I have lived, the places I've been and the people I've met along the way.

I keep them in a book. Taped to the cardboard like pages contained and bound by the hard flowered cover. The things in the book are the past. When something has ended, it becomes part of that book. Today, I took the news paper clippings of the announcement of my dissolution from the Sentinel and put them next to the page that holds my wedding announcement. Another chapter closed. From beginning, to end, all within only two pages of my past. Two pages in a book that contains so many.

I stared at the empty pages that make up the second half of my book....it's half full. I'm 29 and it's half full. What endings will decorate the pages to come? Will they be heartbreaks? Loss? Failure? Or will they be made up of my future successes, loves and triumphs? You never really know, you know. Every new person you meet, you don't know how it'll turn out....and the only way to find out....it to just go....go where your heart leads you...or where the wind blows you.

What wouldn't YOU do for love?

I was watching Kate & Leopold with Rachel yesterday afternoon...and the end of the movie has Meg Ryan (Kate) jumping from the Brooklyn Bridge into a supposed time warp in order to go back in time to be with her Love, Hugh Jackman who plays the impressive Leopold, Duke of York.

As Meg is about to jump, Rachel looks at me and says "Would you do it?" I looked at her with surprise and said, "Do What?" "Jump off the Brooklyn Bridge to travel back into time to reunite with a love from a different world?" She laughed a little and said..."Yeah, would you?"

I say to Rachel "Rach, I can't commit to going on a date with a man, let along jumping off bridges to be with one!"

Although, I am hopeful of the day when....there would be no bridge that I would be afraid to jump from if asked by the lips of the one I loved. Assuming such a person should ever exist....and he wasn't trying to get me to do myself in for his own sick twisted pleasure....see now it's these types of comments that have me thinking I have trust issues....because seriously...why would someone I love ever ask me to jump off a fucking bridge? What's wrong with people? Can't I just give him a good foot massage or something to show my love and devotion? And this my friends is why I am single.

~hl~

Imaginary Love:

When I was younger, I used to envy actresses because they were the only ones whom I believed got to live happily ever after, time and time again.

They got to have their relationships written and scripted to be the most fantastic love affairs of all time. Their kisses passionate and lingering....their loves, timeless.

All of which is captured on film, lighted beautifully and tied together with their very own soundtracks.

I wonder if there exists this kind of imagined perfection in such an imperfect world.

Tonight...my friend Alex told me: "I still love you...even when you are dumb!"

It's nice to have that kind of solidarity!

~hl~

Signs of Life:

The other day I was putting on some makeup getting ready for work when I noticed something....I have a wrinkle on my forehead. A FREAKING WRINKLE. It's like I turned 29 and WHAM....my forehead is showing it.

I was talking to one of my friends the other day....he's in his 40's and we got to talking about aging and wrinkles and what not....and I told him that although I hate the fact that I have one....it just goes with the territory.

People who have been through things...get wrinkles. Sort of like people with kids have grey hair.

My mom says divorce causes them! Which would explain why mine popped up when it did.

So....I'm not vain or anything....but I totally went out and bought this expensive wrinkle cream....yeah, it doesn't help...so much for aging gracefully. Won't be long and I'll be lying about my age too!

You know how Prince turned himself into a symbol there for awhile...if I were to become a symbol as opposed to "HeatherLynn"...I think I'd be a "?" One big ole Question mark!

I hate to by cynical here....BUT

I'm almost positive that the girl scouts of America are putting a highly addictive agent, possibly crack cocaine, in their tiny little carb-filled cookies.

I know.....whoa..hold on a minute....you are thinking, "She's not seriously attacking the girl scout cookie, is she?" Well, yeah....I am.

Girl Scout Cookies are the equivalent of crack to the American Housewife.
It's only a matter of time before we start whoring ourselves out on street
corners for them.

What are we teaching our sweet innocent little girls who are to be the women of tomorrow? That cookies are the answer? Not to mention that their sweet adorable faces can be associated with a the national problem plaguing this country known as obesity. And yet we reward them with prizes like bikes and pencils with feathery things on the end of them....

hello little girl....and how many housewives waist lines did you help expand today? Good for you....now just sell three hundred more boxes sweetie and you will win this fantastic pink gym bag!

Ah....nevermind...who cares....I'm ending this post now....besides I got to go get some milk...these cookies make me so thirsty.

~hl~

Does Not Telling Constitute Lying?

Does Not Telling Constitute Lying?

There are certain things that I keep to myself about. There are things that I only mention but do not elaborate on. I do it because although I spill my guts here on a weekly basis I like to keep some things private. I suppose all people are like that in some respect or another. I do it not because I'm embarrassed, or trying to hide anything...mostly I do it when I'm not sure about something.

You know sort of like a math problem....you can't really talk about it, until you've figured it out. How does one talk about a riddle without knowing the answer?

I also don't like to publicize things that I'm not as educated on as a should be....or could be. There are a great deal of people who say things, only to regret them later....or they express how they feel about a topic, only to realize that they based their opinion without having all the facts. Facts that could have drastically effected the outcome of one such opinion.

Okay...I'm talking in circles here aren't I?

So here's the thing......I haven't been talking to my sister about a certain part of my life. Not because I don't want her opinion, but because #1....it's not a huge deal worth hours upon hours of discussion or introspection and #2. because I know that she'd discourage the idea of it. I know her....she's my big sister.....my guardian of sorts.

What sucks now is that she thinks I've been keeping something from her because I don't care about her opinion. Of course I care....it's just that I'm afraid that by allowing her to express her disapproval, she'll ultimately make me feel that somehow, I should feel guilty for behavior that I honestly, wholeheartedly do not feel guilty about.

Now this may make me a complete heathen, It might purchase a one-way ticket straight to hell for me in the eyes of those walking the straight and narrow.....but I just don't believe what I'm doing is wrong.

My relationship with my sister is strange...it seems to run in cycles. We are super close, then we drift apart....then we are super close....then we drift apart. I think the drifting apart....well it's always been because of me. I don't know why I do it, I don't know why sometimes I pull away from her.....it's not because I don't love her...because I do very much.....I wish I knew the reason so that I could begin to watch for the early signs of withdraw as to avoid them in the future.

I'd do anything for her and she knows it. Whenever she needs me, she knows I'm the first one to jump in the car and drive 8 hours to see her.....I love her kids, I'm so proud of her and her accomplishments.....yet, I still don't always open up to her 100%. Why is it that honesty with strangers and friends is always so much easier than honesty with family?

I seem to share this same relationship trouble with my mother as well....it's that whole parent/authoritarian figure thing that seems to throw me for a loop I think.

When I was a kid, my mom had no idea who I was...and she had no idea because I'd have never told her. I was very private about who I was and what made me tick....so many secrets, and deception. As I've aged, I've tossed a lot of those old ways out the window for a new more open approach.....but somehow, I've managed to hang on to a few of my old bad habits it seems.

Do you suppose that someone can understand that "it's not that I don't want to tell you......it's just that I haven't gotten to the place yet where I can?"

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On a side note: Suppose it's a coincidence that the word "heathen" and "Heather" are only one letter off from one another.....they are side by side in the dictionary. It's an odd observation I know....just try and ignore my little idiosyncrasies and I'll try to apologize in advance for future randomness.

Without Regard for Others:

For the whole of my life, I've been the kind of girl who does what I want, regardless of the objections of others. I didn't smoke pot until I was twenty-one and I never smoked it again after that one time....why did I not smoke it the one thousand times it was offered to me prior to that night? I don't know...I just didn't have the want to try it until then. And after....I was like, so that's what that's like....and I never felt the need to do it again. I wasn't influenced by anyone...I did it because I wanted to.

Ya know....I care what others think, to a point. I often seek advice and the opinions of others. However, their opinions and advice are just PART of the decision making process. I weigh the ideas/options and I make a decision based on all sides....but in the end....I do what "I" feel is best for me.

So, for anyone out there who seems worried about me and about the choices I'm making, please don't. I'm 29 years old and I've already made some of the worst mistakes of my life....and don't think I haven't learned my lessons. My life right now......it's not in the most stable place....but I'm happy and I'm loved and I'm living life in a way that makes sense to ME. In the end, when I look back at my life....I don't want to regret not doing the things I wanted, I'd rather take the chance of regretting the things I did. At least then I'd feel that I lived, and I did so on my own terms.

In life, it's easy to want to live the lives of others for them, you don't want to see them get hurt, so you try to protect them, steer them, guide them away from dangerous situations. I know I've felt this way about my little sister Brooke....I used to want to protect her from all that life would surely throw at her, but I also know that Brooke, in order to truly appreciate life, has got to make her decisions herself.....I can't take that from her. I trust that Brooke will ask for my opinion when she needs it, she'll use it when she sees fit and she'll be fine no matter what because regardless of her failures or success...I'll love her no matter what. Unconditional love equals trust and acceptance. Never does condescension or judgment improve a relationship. When someone feels you don't approve of them, or what they are doing.....the door to closeness with that person closes. I keep the door wide open with Brooke, because if she's afraid to tell me something, then I can't help her when she needs me.

One of my greatest accomplishments in my life, regardless of how small a part I actually played, has been helping Brooke be the person she's turned into. Sure, she's a little lost and lacking in direction....but damnit so am I! She's not super lucky in love, she hangs on to guys who maybe aren't the best for her....but what kind of friend or sister would I be to not be on her side. I'm always honest with her about things and I don't hold much back....I tell her exactly what I think and then I tell her that the decision is hers and hers alone to make. But the main thing is, even when she and I differ on something, she knows that with me, I believe that not every question has a right or wrong answer. There's room for many different approaches to a problem. The most important thing is, just to be supportive when you can be, honest about how you feel, yet allow there to be room for differing opinions. Judgment is the worst possible thing to bring to the table when talking to someone you love.

Three Stops.....Three Friends.....Three Days:

This weekend my car carried me south down I-75 and out of town..... I needed to get away after the week I had....this being one of my very first weekends as a single girl....I haven't been with Keith since July...and yet now that I'm not legally bound to him.....it's a whole different feeling when setting out for a weekend away.....It's stupid, but you find yourself thinking that "anything" can happen....anything is possible. You can go anywhere and do everything.

I saw three of my favorite people. With each new stop.....a new experience shared and smiles exchanged....and as I walked through my apartment door tonight upon my return, I feel satisfied.

Satisfaction is a feeling that has been sparce in my life it seems.....and tonight.....I feel it there.....either that or I'm just dead ass tired and I'm mistaking satisfaction for the overwhelming feeling to lie down and close my eyes....but alas, I must unpack and prepare for the start of a new work week.

~hl~

From CNN this Morning....

Six killed as bus plunges from overpass


ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- At least six people were killed when a charter bus carrying a college baseball team from Ohio fell from an overpass onto Interstate 75 early Friday in Atlanta, police said.

Twenty-nine people were injured, including three critically, hospital officials said.
The bus was carrying 35 people, most of them students from Bluffton University in Bluffton, Ohio, Atlanta police spokesman Joe Cobb said. (Watch as a police spokesman describes the "walking wounded" )

The fatalities included the bus driver, his wife and four students, Cobb said.
Nineteen students were taken to Grady Memorial Hospital, the city's trauma center, where three were in critical condition, Grady officials said.

Grady's Dr. Leon Haley said two of the 19 students had been taken to surgery. Another student, in critical condition, was awaiting a bed in the intensive care unit. The injuries for the other 16 were mild to moderate, Haley said.

Officials at Piedmont Hospital said three people had been brought to the emergency room with "slight" injuries. Atlanta Medical Center reported receiving seven students. Four were in good condition, and three were in the intensive care unit, according to a hospital representative.
At Grady, Bluffton freshman A.J. Ramthun, 18, said he and other baseball players were asleep when the crash happened.

"I just wish there was something I could do for the families who lost their loved ones, " said Ramthun, a second baseman from Springfield, Ohio.

"This is something that's not going to leave the guys who were on that bus this morning. This is going to be with us forever. ... We've been a family for the last five months."
Describing the crash, Ramthun said, "The bus landed on the left side, the side I was sitting on. I just looked out and saw the road coming up after me."

The student, who broke his collarbone, described himself as "one of the lucky ones."
He said his older brother had been trapped under the bus and suffered hip damage. "He might not recover from that," he said.

HOV lane confusion?

The crash occurred just before dawn, around 5:30 a.m., north of downtown Atlanta.
The bus exited I-75 southbound in an HOV lane in the center of the highway that leads onto a bridge at Northside Drive. The bus apparently did not stop at the top of the exit ramp and plunged off the bridge onto the southbound lanes of the expressway, according to two drivers, whose vehicles were hit by the bus or debris falling off it. (Watch as police explain how confusion over the HOV lane and exit may have led to the crash )

An Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporter said he saw the wreck during his morning commute and initially thought it was a jack-knifed tractor-trailer before realizing it was a bus.
"There were young people crawling out of the bus. I just tried to help them as best I could," reporter Mike Morris said.

A driver told The Associated Press that his pickup was damaged when the bus smashed through a barrier and plunged onto the interstate.

"When I saw the thing coming, I think I closed my eyes and stepped on the gas," Danny Lloyd, who escaped uninjured, told the AP. "It looked to me like a big slab of concrete falling down."
The Executive Coach Luxury Travel Inc. bus was carrying members of the Bluffton University baseball team, which according to its Web site, was scheduled to play Eastern Mennonite University on Saturday in Sarasota, Florida, before heading to a tournament in Fort Myers, Florida.

School president: 'Sad tragedy' for students

Bluffton University is a Mennonite Church USA affiliated-school 50 miles south of Toledo, Ohio. The community held a prayer vigil at the university, CNN affiliate WTOL reported. It was the last day of classes before spring break. Classes were canceled.

"This is a sad tragedy for the students, families, friends and Bluffton University campus community," President James M. Harder said in a posting on the school's Web site, whose server was experiencing difficulties due to the heavy volume of hits. "We are asking for prayers of support during this time."

Also posted was a picture of members of the baseball team kneeling on the field in prayer.
"We truly are a close-knit community," Harder said at a press conference at Bluffton. "... We know these students on a first-name basis."

Harder said the university hasn't received any official information yet from Atlanta police. "The minute we have official information we'll be in close communication" with parents and students, he said.

Bluffton football players were working out in the weight room Friday morning when they learned the news about the crash, assistant football coach Steve Rogers told the AP. He said the players started trying to call friends they knew who played on the baseball team, the AP reported.

"It hits home harder than it would if it had happened at a bigger school. Everybody knows each other," Rogers told the AP.

James Grandey, the father of the team's coach, said his son, also named James, sustained injuries to one of his legs. The senior Grandey was interviewed by telephone from his home in Ohio.

Grady's Haley said the youth and conditioning of the baseball players would help in their recovery.

"The fact that they're young men, athletes will certainly help them in the long run," Haley said. "... From a starting point, they're all pretty good." Haley added that "they're pretty calm, they're asking the appropriate questions. ... They're very aware of what's going on."
The wreck snarled morning rush-hour traffic in Atlanta.

Aerial footage from the scene showed a mangled barrier fence on the bridge above the bus. Debris and luggage were scattered around the bus, and at least nine fire trucks were at the scene.

Georgia Department of Transportation cameras showed the bus lying on its side in the southbound lane of the expressway. Firefighters surrounded the bus.
The wreck closed I-75 in both directions, police said. Police later re-opened the northbound lanes. Rescuers also brought the bus upright, and it was loaded on a truck and towed away about 10 a.m.

The National Transportation Safety Board said it would investigate the crash because it involved a charter bus.

AirTran Airways said it will offer free flights between Ohio and Atlanta to families of those involved in the crash.

Families can call an American Red Cross center, at (404) 870 4440, for information.
CNN's Tristan Smith contributed to this report.

This story obtained from CNN.com @
http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/03/02/bus.accident/index.html

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I say a prayer for the families of those who have lost a son in this terrible tradgedy.

I just found out that the busdriver and his wife were among the ones killed. The busdriver's wife was the very nice brown-haired lady that gave me my cappuccino every morning at McDonalds. They had three children...who now have lost both of their parents.

God be with them.

~hl~