Following Abby’s lead, I decided to cook today. I have a huge pot of marinara sauce on the stove now simmering.
I don’t have my drums anymore 
but I still have my sticks. I put on Nevermind and played along with Dave Grohl.
New rule: I only watch TV while getting dressed in the morning. I get all the rest of my news thanks to NPR. I don’t need anymore visuals in my head. It hurts too much.
I am currently a preschool teacher, which is a good diversion during the day. At night, I’m counciling friends who have lost or are missing people. Or worrying about my best friend, who is in the army and called me Tuesday to tell me she’s being deployed. Couldn’t tell me where.
I’m eating comfort food. Cheesey things. Sleeping a LOT. Reading my quote book. Remembering that I have yet to hear of anyone that I personally lost (knock on keyboard) and feeling damned lucky.
I would be playing the Sims, but my DVD-ROM drive needs to be fixed. Damn.
I’m gonna clean my apartment tomorrow, top to bottom. If you could see my apartment, you’d know what an undertaking that was.
I’ve discovered cigarettes.
I went to rehersal for my improv group last night and laughed really, really hard. It felt good.
Earplugs under my headset with loud music on at the office. I just cant think about the whole thing yet….I’ve got a huge deadline next week and I just have to keep working. At home I’ve kept the TV off as much as possible and I’ve been eating too much. Cookies mostly.
Today I went out to the 7-Eleven and bought a Slurpee. I haven’t had one in ages, but I used to love them as a kid and I really needed something comforting today. Just sitting on my couch, drinking this damn Slurpee, made me feel a lot better.
Trying hard to focus on schoolwork.
Went on a toast binge and ate half a jar of jam.
Discovered there is an upper limit for the amount of crying any one person can do in a single day.
Talked to friends and tried to comfort those who are far away.
Well, this Buddhist girl spent the afternoon in a Catholic church, went for the memorial service (No, I didn’t take communion, in case you’re concerned), stayed for the beauty and calm and the quiet that descended once the crowds had left.
It helped.
I don’t have a kitten so I was forced to make do with a dog.
I drank many beers on Wednesday, and am doing the same thing tonight.
I drank too many beers tonight as well. Tomorrow I’m headed towards DC to see my girl and a concert. The drums are calling me, and it’s way too late to play. Recently I’ve found myself drinking too much so I can sleep…
I think this event will force me to use every last bit of willpower that I have just to keep myself sane.
To everyone who has posted to this thread: thank you for the ideas, and if anyone feels like talking, via icq or e mail, check my info, it’s there…
Stayed in the office all day Tuesday, on-line and with the radio on.
Took Wednesday off and spent it on the George Washington Bridge, crying.
Totally blew my diet, lost 7 pounds, and even ate a breakfast sandwich with (ohmigod) bacon. Washed down with a quart of coffee. It was either that or drink alcohol.
I’ve smoked a bunch of weed the last few days. I’d rather be high right now.
I called my family many times, making sure to say ‘I love you’ to them all.
I’ve also been hanging out in chat a bit. No matter how bad things are, chat always gets a smile out of me.
I’ve also been posting my ass off. I think I’ve posted more these last few days than I did in the entire month of August.
I went shopping. I had a little personal victory earlier this week - I officially lost 40 pounds. I decided that a new outfit would make me feel better. And some new bras. And shoes. 
Today, I will go food shopping, and buy lots of good things. The last few days have been full of comfort foods, and fast food, and I have to get back on track before I explode. I may even go to the gym.
Rose
Lots of smoking - I’m up to a pack and a half. Spent Thursday evening with my parents, took a day off from TV and newspapers on Friday, so was rather surprised by Gabrielle.
No drinking family history of alcoholism, and Lord, I don’t need that.
Lots and lots of time online, here and at other sites, sometimes just randomly surfing.
Too much beer and chewing tobacco (usually 1 chaw a night - Tuesday 3, 2-3 a night since). I had my kiddy classes Wednesday and Friday - one class of 3 year olds, 1 class of 4 year olds and 1 class of 8 year olds helped take my mind off it. It was hard though - I almost cried in class Friday. Planning dinner for a friends family tommorrow - Uncle Dave’s gumbo. I’ve already been warned to go light on the spices. I’ll try.
More comfort food, anybody?
Lots of drinking and playing music.
I usually have great coping mechanisms when something bad happens – I talk it out, cry it out, discuss it until it assumes a sane perspective in my mind, whatever.
I am NOT coping well with this.
I finally managed to cry for about thirty seconds on Friday, and that made me feel better. Beyond that, I’ve eaten too much, spent a lot of time at work, done a lot of snuggling with my cat, and done even more snuggling with my husband. We’ve fallen asleep literally in each others arms every night since the attacks, and that closeness is has helped more than anything.
Wednesday night I went out and got trashed, then the next morning as I watched MSNBC with a severe hangover, the whole thing actually sunk in. It was like before then I knew what had happened, but really hadn’t allowed myself to take it to heart. Since then I’ve been glued to the tv.
The only times I’ve gotten up were the times I got online to post/chat/and check my mail. And I smoked like an extra pack and a half each day.
Exercise and spending time with my kids. They’re both wonderful to help keep things in perspective.
Tuesday night, I was scheduled to help lead a 5K race training class at our YMCA. Although I wasn’t sure that anyone would show because of the day’s events, we went ahead with it anyway. About 20 people showed up, and several mentioned that they were very grateful that we hadn’t cancelled. (Including one flight attendant who worked with Midway Airlines — she was very keyed up because of what had happened on domestic airline flights. Little did she know that Midway Airlines would announce its closing the next day, due in part to the disasters on Tuesday. ) I came home and played our new Harry Potter card game with my son.
Wednesday night, my son and I went to our Tae Kwon Do class at the Y. We had a substitute instructor, because “Mr. Phil called and asked if I could teach, because he had something unexpected come up.” I asked after class — unfortunately, the “something unexpected” did involve family or friends in Brooklyn. I don’t know the details, but it hurt to see the pain hitting so close to someone I care about.
Thursday night, Contact kickboxing class. (“Contact” as in hitting and kicking a heavy bag, not one another.) Very therapeutic! Another couple of rounds of the Harry Potter game.
Friday night, I cooked a wonderful dinner, and then went outside with my boys at 7:00 with our candles to remember those lost. The cold winds that were blowing in made it very hard to keep the flames burning ---- a sad reminder of how quickly so many lives were extinguished.
Saturday morning, my son’s soccer game at 8:00 AM. It began with a moment of silence for those who had been lost, and those who were still mourning. Watching a group of 8 and 9 year olds playing soccer was a nice affirmation that life is going on. From there, on to the Y for cardio kickboxing and weight lifting.
Other than that, the best thing I’ve done is to minimize my watching of the TV coverage. My natural inclination is to do so, but I don’t want to envelop my kids in despair and mourning. In avoiding it, I’ve spent more time with them, which I think has helped the mental health of all of us.
The other best thing: I keep coming back to the MPSIMS thread here on the international reaction to this. It always makes me cry, but in a good way. I think perhaps that the phoenix that may arise from the ashes of the World Trade Center is an increased realization worldwide of the fact that we are all brothers, and that a senseless attack on any one of us hurts all mankind.
Where? I could use some nudity right now . . .
Oh. Right.
I’ve been writing and playing diablo a lot and been having debates in my mind.
Today I watched my very favorite of Cheesy Movies on the Sci-Fi Channel.
Flash Gordan. Featuring the ever seductive Ornella Muti as Aura.
“Go, Flash, go!!”
Tuesday and Wednesday were both spent losing my mind and crying constantly. I was in chat a lot, but I don’t remember much of anything from the conversations. I couldn’t eat or sleep, I threw up a lot, and it was impossible to just turn the TV off. I couldn’t do it.
IIRC, I got pretty drunk Wednesday night, but I can’t say for sure.
Thursday was spent being not sober. Many pharmaceuticals were consumed, along with bacardi/cokes and fuzzy navels. I finally passed out early Friday morning, at about 2 o’clock, slept for just shy of 12 hours, woke up and did it all again.
At 3:30 this morning, my friend from Arizona finally showed up. At almost 6 o’clock, he gave me a mystery pill (I still don’t know what it was) after getting a list of all the drugs/alcohol I had consumed in the past 12 hours. He assured me that I wouldn’t die if I took the pill, so I did. Twenty minutes later my body was vibrating and my brain felt like pudding. I passed out and didn’t wake up until about 5 o’clock this evening. I still feel tired, and food would be a really good idea now.
None of this stuff has actually kept me sane, but that’s what I’ve been doing lately.