First thing that ran through my mind was “Why are they bringing up the bombing again? It was years ago”
I saw a program about the Pentagon a couple of days ago. They interviewed a Army Officer. They asked him about a airplane crashing into it, as it is in the flight path of the airport. He said they had systems in place to prevent it. I thought “You are SO fired, buddy.”
Then I wondered if the terrorists knew the building would collapse, or did they think they would just damage them. Still don’t know the answer to that one.
During the time I was hysterical, I was briefly terrified of being drafted (I’m a dual citizen), until my rational circuits took over and informed me that even the US army in a state of crisis has little use for out-of-shape gay flat-footed Canadian residents with bad eyesight and hearing.
I immediately called everyone in my family to make sure they were OK. (“Aunt Dianne? Are you OK?” “Sweetheart, we live in HAMILTON, ONTARIO.”)
I also realized then that I ought to tell Miguel that I love him. I did so yesterday.
As the video was showing all the soot and strewn paper on the streets of NY just after the second tower collapsed, I heard the female morning anchor of the CTV’s “Canada AM” ask the female CNN correspondent on the scene: (paraphrasing)
“What about the loss of records and company information? All the resumes and employee information that were lost… how will that affect people and how will that be restored?”
The female CNN correspondent replied incredulously as people run by: “I don’t think anyone here has thought of that yet.”
What an idiot! Twenty minutes after the 2nd tower collapses and she’s worried about employment records. Sheesh. Do any Canucks out there happen to know who this anchorwoman is for Canada AM? Because I have a new candidate for my “moron of the month” list.
When the pentagon was hit and they showed that there was a gap in it I honestly had the following train of thought: “Oh shit. Someone let Yog Soth out. They let Yog Soth out!!!”
Until that night I kept looking for a guy trying to chalk up the break. Only on Wed. morning did I stop expecting to hear reports of people dying in the area for no reason.
I just was in shock and thought, “Nothing will ever be the same again.” I also knew that we were screwed. Just generally, screwed. There will be lot of changes that we won’t anticipate. Everything will forever be very different.
I also thought, “Shit! This is all Bush needs!”
I then thought that it was a good thing that I had procrastinated about arranging to fly back home for my Auntie’s birthday party. I had been putting it off for weeks, knowing that it would be expensive to get a plane ticket, knowing it would be like pulling teeth to try to get the time off work. And I had just gotten an invitation to the party with a RSVP I had yet to answer. And I thought, “Well, I’m off the hook now!”
This reminds me - when I was a kid, I remember the first significant earthquake I experienced. (This was in L.A.) I thought this was a profound answer to my earnest prayers that I not have to go to school that day. You see, I had a report due on South Dakota, and I hadn’t finished it. I needed an extra day. I thought God had conjured up the earthquake just for my benefit! (I was very young, OK?)
With this event, I am still numb. I know I haven’t digested it all yet.
I was in a training class when everything happened. I didn’t know what had happened until we were getting ready to go to break and they came in and told us our building was being evacuated. (Our main office is directly across from the Empire State Building, so there were some concerns there) When they told us what had happened, I proceeded to get slightly hysterical. A friend of mine was trying to calm me down by telling me to pray to God, that He would make everything alright. My reply? “I can’t pray to God, I’m AGNOSTIC!” :o
I though of the people in the corner offices of the second tower looking out the window at what had just happened to the people in the first and them thinking “Phew, at least it wasn’t us”
And then turning around to look out the other window and seeing a plane 5-10 seconds away. Gulp.
The stuff that goes through your head, it’s weird.
When I first heard the new bulletin on the radio, my first thought was: “Great, just what we need to push Bush over the edge.” Can you tell I’m a little wary of him?
I was sitting there, watching those video tapes and the colorful metaphors people were using. And I knew what words people would hear me immortalise upon seeing that first 767 hit that tower.
I was at work in a call center with no internet access, no TV or radio.
Someone said “There was a plane crash in the Twin Towers”. The thought that it was a commercial airline never occured to me. I had a mental picture of a small sightseeing plane or a helicopter clipping the building and going down. Someone else said it was a 747. “That’s impossible!” I thought.
“No way could a 747 crash into the Twin Towers. No fucking way.”
Argh, I just remembered another thought I had. I remembered it after I read the meteor shower/special effects post.
I thought “Hey, if they catch this on film, they could put this in a movie and save a lot of money on special effects!”
I really am stupid.
But I’ll just bet the footage will useful for future computer animators and stuff, in terms of informing their future work. Though it will be awhile before anyone will think buildings blowing up is something cool to look at in entertainment media.
