so today is the 6th Anniversary of 9/11, and interestingly enough, it fell on a Tuesday, like today. about 6 years ago, I finally broke down and let the impact of everything really set in around this time, after I had a chance to "chat" with a friend on-line who worked and lived in the DC area (he was at Quantico at the time). he works for a government agency that can't be quite said. I was happy to hear that he was alive and okay (he said he got to work and was met by a security guard with a machine gun who said "Go Home!").
so what was I doing when the towers came crashing down? well, I can say that I (unfortunately) saw it happen live. I was in a staff meeting at the time (working in Residence Life, and every Tuesday the RD's got together and basically wasted time) when the secretary for the office called back and said a plane just hit the World Trade Center. we were "Huh?". the room had a TV, so we turned on CNN. from there, we proceeded to see the second plane hit (going "Fuck!") and then watched both towers collapse. and hit "emergency mode" as RD's. the entire "Time to go back to my building and prepare."
so what did I do? well, we had three TV's going. I went and got a few boxes of kleenex to have around the main lobby area. kept writing down information on the chalk boards. got my RA's together (one was working until 4:30 PM) in the afternoon, and handed out a list of all the residents from the New York City area as well as suggestions for dealing with grief. talked over responses and such. and then ended with "What are you guys feeling now?" as one put it, the attacks stopped our way of life.
as a suggestion, we figured that we needed to provide a break. I went and got a whole bunch of games (mostly card games) and we ordered about 6 sheet pizzas. I called the RD's of the buildings around me and told them that my building was having this break, and that they could send people over if they want. and when things got going, it was me pulling out the comedies in my DVD collection (like "10 Things I Hate About You" to watch. and give people the break.
around 11:00 I was able to stop and go back to my apartment, after all the food was eaten, people had gone home, and the movies were done and things cleaned up. that's when I talked to my friend on-line. and cried. and thought about what this meant. and finally got to sleep.
its odd, since then, though, this hasn't really crept into my thoughts. yeah, I get goose bumps seeing the movies. even watching the clip on WWE.com and the 9/13 Smackdown show (the first sports and entertainment event since the planes hit, and the wrestlers talking about their feelings and basically going out to entertain). and wondering what I would have done.
so those are my thoughts. comment if you wish. I remember what I was doing. do you?
so what was I doing when the towers came crashing down? well, I can say that I (unfortunately) saw it happen live. I was in a staff meeting at the time (working in Residence Life, and every Tuesday the RD's got together and basically wasted time) when the secretary for the office called back and said a plane just hit the World Trade Center. we were "Huh?". the room had a TV, so we turned on CNN. from there, we proceeded to see the second plane hit (going "Fuck!") and then watched both towers collapse. and hit "emergency mode" as RD's. the entire "Time to go back to my building and prepare."
so what did I do? well, we had three TV's going. I went and got a few boxes of kleenex to have around the main lobby area. kept writing down information on the chalk boards. got my RA's together (one was working until 4:30 PM) in the afternoon, and handed out a list of all the residents from the New York City area as well as suggestions for dealing with grief. talked over responses and such. and then ended with "What are you guys feeling now?" as one put it, the attacks stopped our way of life.
as a suggestion, we figured that we needed to provide a break. I went and got a whole bunch of games (mostly card games) and we ordered about 6 sheet pizzas. I called the RD's of the buildings around me and told them that my building was having this break, and that they could send people over if they want. and when things got going, it was me pulling out the comedies in my DVD collection (like "10 Things I Hate About You" to watch. and give people the break.
around 11:00 I was able to stop and go back to my apartment, after all the food was eaten, people had gone home, and the movies were done and things cleaned up. that's when I talked to my friend on-line. and cried. and thought about what this meant. and finally got to sleep.
its odd, since then, though, this hasn't really crept into my thoughts. yeah, I get goose bumps seeing the movies. even watching the clip on WWE.com and the 9/13 Smackdown show (the first sports and entertainment event since the planes hit, and the wrestlers talking about their feelings and basically going out to entertain). and wondering what I would have done.
so those are my thoughts. comment if you wish. I remember what I was doing. do you?
VIEW 4 of 4 COMMENTS
jermhawk:
I was working in this hole-in-the-wall shop. My ex called and exclaimed "are you seeing this shit" i wathed the second plane hit on tv at my bosses house. I then went back and worked the rest of the day with the radio on. I watched the reruns later that night.
jermhawk:
Ya love=comments. Either way i havn't been getting much