tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5470508210648484887.post8142534668520564716..comments2023-10-20T00:57:09.883-07:00Comments on Stupid Stork: My September 11thStupid Storkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00161877442649107282noreply@blogger.comBlogger50125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5470508210648484887.post-47703757995524904132012-09-19T18:32:32.190-07:002012-09-19T18:32:32.190-07:00Which is why I looooove hearing about how it was p...Which is why I looooove hearing about how it was perceived elsewhere.<br /><br />Couldn't agree more - it was technically here but it feels like it was everywhere in 'Western' culture and that we just happen to be the big mascot for it to a lot of other cultures. <br /><br />(which is also why it drives me crazy when people say about this election, or the election in 2008 for that matter, that it doesn't matter to anyone other than Americans.. Yes, yes indeed it does).Stupid Storkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00161877442649107282noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5470508210648484887.post-84566331965694055112012-09-19T18:31:11.308-07:002012-09-19T18:31:11.308-07:00Yeah, whenever I watch the specials every year the...Yeah, whenever I watch the specials every year there's that 20 minutes between when the first plane hit and the second one did which is almost the weirdest/worst part to watch.. Because in hindsight I'm thinking "you have 20 minutes before this becomes the worst day ever, and you realize how awful life is about to get".Stupid Storkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00161877442649107282noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5470508210648484887.post-47644503443877729822012-09-19T18:29:38.370-07:002012-09-19T18:29:38.370-07:00Can't imagine being a plane ride away from hom...Can't imagine being a plane ride away from home when it happened. As it was I was just a few hours away and it was completely jarring and I wanted nothing to do with anything that didn't have to do with being in a room with all my loved ones.Stupid Storkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00161877442649107282noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5470508210648484887.post-8807078493254809242012-09-19T18:28:35.620-07:002012-09-19T18:28:35.620-07:00Read it - loved it. This is the first year I'...Read it - loved it. This is the first year I'm learning about how it was for Canadians. (I love the blogosphere).Stupid Storkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00161877442649107282noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5470508210648484887.post-1429344723482524992012-09-19T18:27:58.790-07:002012-09-19T18:27:58.790-07:00That's amazing. I wonder how many people were...That's amazing. I wonder how many people were actually woken up/told about it from people who were in other parts of the world (and therefor weren't just waking up).Stupid Storkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00161877442649107282noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5470508210648484887.post-2074642283599355522012-09-19T18:26:58.642-07:002012-09-19T18:26:58.642-07:00Woah, big huge awe in the shadow of your husband&#...Woah, big huge awe in the shadow of your husband's awesomeness. I can't imagine it. I feel like a fairly brave person but I don't feel like I have THAT in me. Amazing.<br /><br />13! Wow! I haven't heard many stories from when people were younger.. I often wonder what it would be like to have been a little younger when it happened.Stupid Storkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00161877442649107282noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5470508210648484887.post-18706854048691931752012-09-19T18:25:09.871-07:002012-09-19T18:25:09.871-07:00Me too, lovely, me too.Me too, lovely, me too.Stupid Storkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00161877442649107282noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5470508210648484887.post-89533660383294240192012-09-19T18:25:01.397-07:002012-09-19T18:25:01.397-07:00De nada.. I can't quite explain why other than...De nada.. I can't quite explain why other than to just commiserate, but I love hearing people's stories.Stupid Storkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00161877442649107282noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5470508210648484887.post-59687804347597435362012-09-19T18:24:27.681-07:002012-09-19T18:24:27.681-07:00Never even thought of the CDC as being a target, b...Never even thought of the CDC as being a target, but that totally makes sense.<br /><br />I had a friend who joined the military out of high school and that was one of my later-thoughts that day... Just that he signed up during a somewhat 'peaceful' time and now boom, war. War in a day.Stupid Storkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00161877442649107282noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5470508210648484887.post-59976432268025749632012-09-19T18:22:37.889-07:002012-09-19T18:22:37.889-07:00Good Lord! Can't imagine if my brother did so...Good Lord! Can't imagine if my brother did something like that for a living.. Although since I was going to school right next to a place with fancy military planes (no idea what they're called) when they were launching into the air I felt such relief like "thank g-d, they're bringing in the badasses".Stupid Storkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00161877442649107282noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5470508210648484887.post-3388914464547044322012-09-19T18:17:22.078-07:002012-09-19T18:17:22.078-07:00I lived in Sydney, Australia at the time. I wasn&...I lived in Sydney, Australia at the time. I wasn't long in bed in that deep, deep sleep when I kept getting text messages from a friend in London saying things like 'I just can't believe it'. I messaged back that I had no idea what she was talking about; she messaged me back to turn on the TV. I messaged her back that it was after midnight. She said to trust her, turn on the TV. I did. Oh dear. My boyfriend was flying to the US the next day for work. I woke him up and told him his flight might not be going. I went to work, but we all just watched news online. (I developed an addition to online news that lasted for years, like I could control things by refreshing the screen.) It was my best friend's birthday and we were supposed to go out for drinks. We all went out, but everyone wound up going home without ordering. I didn't hear from my parents for a few weeks; they were visiting DC. A good friend of mine had just moved to DC and was bewildered; her office was told to go home and spend time with family and friends, and she had neither near by.<br /><br />People sometimes call this an 'attack on America'. It wasn't just Americans who died that day. This was an attack on more than that - on our global, 'western' culture. People were in shock on other continents, in other hemispheres.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5470508210648484887.post-14202918831529291122012-09-17T11:09:16.958-07:002012-09-17T11:09:16.958-07:00I'm not someone who easily cries...but I found...I'm not someone who easily cries...but I found myself holding back my tears while reading this post. The events of 9/11 always have this affect on me. My story of what I was doing that day is rather dull compared to other stories. I was 22 years old and was sleeping in before starting my afternoon shift at my job. I remember my phone ringing early in the morning and being annoyed about being woken up. It was my mom, and in my grogginess, I remember her telling me something about the WTC in NY being attacked. I remember thinking something like 'big deal, let me go back to sleep. I can't believe you called me for that.' Obviously, the gravity of the situation was lost on my mid-west, naive, 22-year old self. I can't remember at what point I finally climbed out of bed and turned on the news, but I do remember I fell back asleep after my mom's phone call and took my time getting ready for work and took my time turning on the TV. But when I finally realized the severity of what was happening, I couldn't believe my eyes. And ears. A sadness overwhelmed me, just as it does to this day every time I hear or see or read something about 9/11. The rest of my day was a blur. I don't even remember going to work or what my coworkers' reactions were. But do I remember one of my roommates at the time slept in until early afternoon and how I contemplated waking him because I thought he shouldn't be sleeping so late with such horrible things happening. But I didn't wake him (mostly because I couldn't stand him and he probably would have insulted me for intruding on his sleep). And I remember not wanting to turn the television off to go to work. I desperately wanted to keep watching and listening.samshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04196929017759174547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5470508210648484887.post-64345171858468305982012-09-15T10:10:20.771-07:002012-09-15T10:10:20.771-07:00I am a West Coast native, from the Seattle area, a...I am a West Coast native, from the Seattle area, and was two days into a week long business trip to Los Angeles on September 11th. I awoke that morning in my hotel room from crying from a dream in which a friend, who was a United Airlines pilot, had died in a plane crash. In hindsight, I'd probably heard something in my sleep when the clock radio next radio went off next to my bed. I turned the TV on after my shower, and by then the second plane had hit. I was stunned. The day was very difficult as more and more news came in. I have never felt so homesick and stuck. One of my colleagues was also in town on business and decided to rent a car and drive home to Seattle, the rest of his week cancelled. I e-mailed my brother, who works in tugboats near a Western WA Navy base, and he reported the destroyers and aircraft carrier leaving port, and fighter planes flying around periodically. It sounded like Armageddon everywhere, so much confusion and fear and pain. In the end, I was able to fly home only one day past my scheduled departure date, and was never so happy to be home with what was familiar, when nothing else about the world felt that way.Amy L.https://www.blogger.com/profile/17013013895577702357noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5470508210648484887.post-59522213707673214442012-09-14T16:46:16.024-07:002012-09-14T16:46:16.024-07:00Here from the Stirrup Queen's Friday roundup. ...Here from the Stirrup Queen's Friday roundup. I am also fascinated by other people's experiences that day. I live in the Toronto area, where we like to think of ourselves as the Canadian version of NYC ; ) -- and my dh & I work in one of the tallest office buildings -- him near the top -- so 9/11 hit a little too close to home for my liking. :( I wrote about it a few years back, here: <br /><br />http://theroadlesstravelledlb.blogspot.ca/2008/09/september-11-2001.htmlloribethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09272814565916935113noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5470508210648484887.post-62514672240261040262012-09-14T06:34:53.003-07:002012-09-14T06:34:53.003-07:00I'm a west coast girl with west coast family &...I'm a west coast girl with west coast family & a stepmom that had lived in NY for some time. But when 9/11 happened, I had been living in Finland for 2 years. I had just gotten home from college that afternoon and turned on BBC news RIGHT after the first plane hit the tower. It took me a second to realize what was going on and then I immediately called my family in the US, as I knew they would be awake. My dad answered and wasn't prepared to hear from me that early in the morning, plus my saying "turn on the TV! by the way this is JustHeather, turn on the TV". As he told my stepmom to turn the TV on, I heard her scream.<br /><br />9/11 definitely got news coverage over here, but not in the same light nor in the same intensity.<br /><br />It was a very surreal day and quite a shock. I was very thankful that my family lived (lives) in a small town on the west coast as it really shouldn't be a target for anything terrorist (anymore). I am very thankful that no one close to me was hurt that day, but I'm sad for the many others who were.JustHeatherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05373768249873098150noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5470508210648484887.post-43918802810602862942012-09-13T22:20:50.751-07:002012-09-13T22:20:50.751-07:00When I 9/11 happened, I was in the eighth grade-13...When I 9/11 happened, I was in the eighth grade-13 years old. I didn't see it until I got to school, but I remember being in my mom's car listening to NPR (like she always does, god love her) and hearing them talk about this horrific tragedy. I didn't have any concept of what the WTC was because I was a 13 year old from the south who wouldn't go to NYC for the first time for five years.<br /><br />Then I got to school and saw it on TV and realized the horror. It haunted me for my entire adolescence-not just the terror attacks themselves, but what came after. Growing up in a post 911 world was a test that I feel like I'm still failing sometimes. <br /><br />My husband is six years older than me. When 9/11 happened he was in college. He tried to complete, but just didn't have the desire to anymore. After a year or two he enlisted. He spent 9 months in Iraq (I sent him letters-I've been in love with him since the time I dated his brother when I was a freshman in high school and his brother was a senior, but that's another story for another day) and 3 months in the UAE. Every year on 9/11 I feel more emotional than I did the year before. Maybe because I'm older, maybe because of who my husband is and what he's done for me and our country, maybe because eleven years still isn't enough distance to put between a scared 13 year old girl and the scared 24 year old woman she's turned into.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5470508210648484887.post-88358384987662459672012-09-12T11:12:05.090-07:002012-09-12T11:12:05.090-07:00Very touching post, indeed. It brought tears my ey...Very touching post, indeed. It brought tears my eyes. I still get quite emotional when I think of it. <3 xoAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5470508210648484887.post-26297022174534935662012-09-12T07:13:21.045-07:002012-09-12T07:13:21.045-07:00Thank you for sharing this. I like to hear other ...Thank you for sharing this. I like to hear other people's stories, too...such a touching, powerful post.Fieryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06477507213781894921noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5470508210648484887.post-77413808590871665062012-09-12T01:09:24.550-07:002012-09-12T01:09:24.550-07:00I live on the east coast, as you know, and wanted ...I live on the east coast, as you know, and wanted to comment really quick to tell you my story. <br /><br />I was in 12 grade Psychology class the morning the first plane hit. Our school went immediatly on lockdown because we were located very close to the Center of Disease Control (CDC) which was a worry for a terrorist attack. We were all glued to the TVs in every class and were all very scared. A lot of my classmates had family in NY and WA so I saw a lot of panic and crying as they made phone calls to their families. Atlanta has become a city filled with people from NY, including my husband.<br /><br />My cousin I have been very close with was a Marine at that time and mostly my thoughts were on him that day. I didn't know what it meant for him and that was what scared me more than anything. He later ended up in Iraq and luckily came home safely.<br /><br />Two years after 9/11/01 happened, I ended up teaching a little girl at my preschool who lost her dad in the WTC. The little girl was too young to know what happened but there were a lot of days her mom would come in crying. I still think about them every year at this time.<br /><br />My father-in-law told me he could see the smoke and fires from his work across the river in NJ. I'm so glad your father was fine and I am so glad you shared your story too.Iydkmigthtkyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10806786595303080287noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5470508210648484887.post-85111479936024791402012-09-11T21:51:53.575-07:002012-09-11T21:51:53.575-07:00I was living in Tucson at the time, in my junior y...I was living in Tucson at the time, in my junior year at U of A. I also had class later that day, and was sleeping when my mom called and told me to turn on the tv. I think the second tower hit as I was just getting to my tv. My eyes were glued to the tv in utter shock. My mom told me my brother was flying up to the NY area to "escort" planes to ground. He was flying the F-14's, I was terrified. I couldn't get myself to go to my first class, but needed a break from the coverage and drove to my afternoon class. While we were waiting for the professor to come, (who only came to tell us there would be no learning today) one of my classmates stood there with tears in her eyes. She didn't want to go home, because she didn't know how she was going to tell her two girls their father (her ex) wasn't going to see them anymore. He was in one of the planes headed for L.A. It is amazing how crystal clear these memories and feelings are for everyone.Sarahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14603294136866056332noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5470508210648484887.post-21306490326207332402012-09-11T19:48:32.389-07:002012-09-11T19:48:32.389-07:00I usually just say "from the east coast"...I usually just say "from the east coast" for some reason. But I am definitely a Fairfax County girl & Bub is from Montgomery County. I still get homesick for it all the time!Stupid Storkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00161877442649107282noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5470508210648484887.post-12569995846682516432012-09-11T19:47:36.056-07:002012-09-11T19:47:36.056-07:00That's what I was watching - the Today show. ...That's what I was watching - the Today show. And every year they replay the scantily-edited show again, which is hard to watch.<br /><br />I have always wanted to go to that memorial! My only experience in PA was going to Carnegie Mellon for a brief moment in time before 9/11.Stupid Storkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00161877442649107282noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5470508210648484887.post-5468076163105733422012-09-11T19:45:59.707-07:002012-09-11T19:45:59.707-07:00Agreed. One of my friends said something that for...Agreed. One of my friends said something that for whatever reason struck a chord from me - when we're old ladies, more than likely we'll be shuffling to our grandchildren's schools to tell them about a reality that existed pre-9/11, and about the actual day in a way that they'll never fully comprehend. Just like when I was in school there were people trying to explain Pearl Harbor, I suppose.Stupid Storkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00161877442649107282noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5470508210648484887.post-38310527208030578042012-09-11T19:05:53.011-07:002012-09-11T19:05:53.011-07:00First and foremost, I have chills down my arms. T...First and foremost, I have chills down my arms. This was the last thing I expected to read here today, and yet, one of the most powerful.<br /><br />How did I miss that you are from DC? We are from the other side of the bridge, but Washingtonians the same.Lollipop Goldsteinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01020874415819057995noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5470508210648484887.post-50974856851008622422012-09-11T17:03:32.193-07:002012-09-11T17:03:32.193-07:00Thanks for sharing your story, Stork! I was a jun...Thanks for sharing your story, Stork! I was a junior in college, getting ready for class (ballet that morning- dance major)when one of my roommates started yelling for us to come out to the living room, something just hit the TWC. So, there the three of us sat half-ready for class watching everything unfold on the Today Show. We saw the 2nd tower get hit and as we stared in disbelief, we decided we needed to get on campus. Be around people- make sure we weren't dreaming. My ballet teacher decided to hold class and at the time, we were all nervous, scared, stressed and dancing for a hour helped. My next class was dismissed and I gathered with friends in silence for the rest of the day as we watched and learned about the pentagon, flight 93 and witnessed the towers fall. My aunt and uncle were in Florida, getting ready to board a plane to come home to Ohio that morning. There were frantic answering machine messages letting me know they were safe and we were still checking on family in PA. Many family members live very close to Shanksville and it seemed like an eternity before we knew the exact location of the crash there. Seeing maps indicating how close to family that plane went down was frightening. I had the privilege to pay my respects a few years ago at the temporary Flight 93 memorial, and that was quite an experience.Laurahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02925045129791741306noreply@blogger.com