Well, I almost made it! I have never went to work on 9/11. But I said I would this year. I couldn't. I once made it into the city and a garbage truck rolled over a pot hole and made a "booming" noise...made me so sick hearing it and took me back to that day when I was 10 blocks away and heard a distant boom....which ended up being the second plane hitting the towers. Went back into the subway and headed home. So, today....I made it into the city. I usually stay home. But I was determined. Got out of the subway and my head just played tricks on me. Spinning. Everything was louder than usual. Every rattle bothered me. Every horn rattled my nerves. I couldn't take it! I called the office and turned around. I am home now. Damn this day. F**ked me up real good. I don't know if I can ever get over this freakin day. This will always be a vacation day for me. I just don't know how long its going to take but damn...its been eight years already. I am going to sleep. God Bless America.
The Day that no American will ever forget. We will never forget the suffering and the terror, but we also will never forget the courage and the heroism that were shown on that day that embodied the spirit of us all in the midst of unfathomable horror. God bless the USA.
So much was lost by so many people on that day that it can never be quantified. Can you imagine how those firefighters must have felt going UP the stairs while everyone else was going down? They knew they weren’t coming back, but they did it out of duty. Can you imagine the hell it must have been for those people on the floors above the impact? Actually making the decision to jump rather than face what was going on inside? Or the people on the planes calling their spouses and children to say goodbye? Can you imagine making a call like that? And today - of all days - there’s a thread in the Hangout started by a poster who thinks his life can’t get any worse because he only has one job offer. Unbelievable.
I pulled out of a few courses in the Fall 2001 semester at Hunter College in NYC and was completely useless in a three month internship... I can't imagine still feeling that way 8 years later. perhaps you would feel better if you went into the office after lunch, Almu?
It really does put things in perspective. I remember once being so frustrated after spending the night in LAX because of a cancelled flight and trying to get on stand-bys since 6 AM, I missed getting on the last one around 2 PM, I had been in the airport for almost 24 straight hours at this point and I was feeling quite pissed off to say the least. I realized there was another man also trying to get on the plane who looked even worse off than I was. He had a beard like he hadn't shaved in a week, and looked like he hadn't eaten or slept in a few days either, I've never seen a more miserable look on someone's face ever. We had a small conversation, and when I told him I'd been stuck here for 24 hours trying to catch a flight back to Dallas he kind of stared at me for a second and then told me his mom had died 3 weeks ago, and then his wife died 5 days ago, he had been stuck in the airport for 18 hours, and hadn't had a cigarette since. I just stood there dumbfounded, not knowing what to say. All I could think of was "I'm sitting here b****ing because I had to spend a few extra hours in an airport when some people are going through so much worse." I will never forget that man as long as I live.
I'm glad you took this exact moment to take a stand and get that off your chest. Anyone watch MSNBC this morning? They had a replay of their 9/11 broadcast in it's entirety. It's tough to watch, and I was tempted to shut it off a few times, but it's such a historic event and something worth reminding yourself of.
It's a pretty normal day here for the most part. Cloudy and rainy. It's quite remarkable how far in the distant past it all seems. I knew a few really good people who lost their lives that day. No one should have to live in fear. Not in New York, but also not anywhere on earth. And I only hope that is something everyone realizes. Everyday, people in far off places face the fear of going to school or work and not making it home. Sad that it's such a reality today.
Just between us, when jorge w. delivered the opening pitch in the world series, I was proud of him. I admired him.
