Byzantium's Shores: chronicling the misadventures of an overalls-clad hippie

I lived in one of Buffalo's larger suburbs, and one that directly borders the city, for two years. In that time there was only one instance of crime in our vicinity, an isolated incident of domestic violence that did not recur. In that incident, some property was destroyed but there were no injuries.

Now, we've moved to a smaller suburb that is farther away from a city that is already half Buffalo's size. We live in a moderately upscale residential community that has its own golf course and elementary school. Not a gated community, but still pretty nice and quiet and the town is small.

And two mornings ago, a murder occurred in a townhouse less than a quarter of a mile away from our apartment. There have been scant details released yet, so we don't know if it was a domestic dispute gone wrong or a burglar who got interrupted in his break-in. The murder happened, apparently, around 10:30 Friday morning....when we were all at home. So while we're home drinking coffee and surfing the Net and watching Sesame Street, a man was dying of a gunshot wound less than a thousand yards away.

It's always frightening when the world decides to remind me that it can be a disturbingly random place.