30 March 2004
Big events in life...
1. When John F. Kennedy was shot (November 22, 1963)
Not even a thought as of yet.
2. When Mt. St. Helens blew (May 18, 1980)
I guess that I was either at nursery school or at my grandparents house...I do remember seeing pictures later on.
3. When the space shuttle Challenger exploded (January 28, 1986)
I was off from school and my mother was making bread in our kitchen. Whenever I smell bread being made, I always think of that.
4. When the 7.1 earthquake hit San Francisco (October 17, 1989)
I was in school. I found out later on. I remember watching parts of the freeway falling while it still had cars on it and the SF Bay Bridge shaking...I just remember it being really scary...
5. When the Berlin Wall fell (November 7, 1989)
Don’t remember. Once again I remember watching the world news that night and then the president speaking about how wonderful that another communist county had fallen and how democracy now had another chance.
6. When the Gulf War began (January 16, 1991)
One of my friends called me up and told me. His father had already been sent to the Gulf.
7. When the first World Trade Center bombing happened (February 26, 1993)
I was in school when they told us. I remember getting really upset as one of my Aunts worked in the building. I remember just waiting to get home so that I could find out if she was okay (which she was). Her office soon moved out of that building and moved closer down to Avenue of the Americas (Nearer to Canal Street). Her new office had a perfect view of her beloved Twin Towers.
8. When OJ Simpson was chased in his White Bronco (June 17, 1994)
It was a Friday night! I had some friends over and we were getting ready to go out to the movies when it all started. Needless to say, those plans were scraped and we watched. Afterwards, we went to diner and everyone was talking about it!
9. When the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City was bombed (April 19, 1995)
I was off from school that day for one reason or another, I think that I had just gotten back from a school trip in Italy. I remember it being a beautiful day outside that suddenly had gotten very dark.
10. When Princess Di was killed (August 31, 1997)
In the states we found out about it on the 30th of August, which was a Saturday. I had gone to bed early for some reason or another. My roomie was thinking about waking me up, as she knew how much I liked her. But she decided that it could wait until the morning. The 31st (here in the states and my 20th birthday) I woke up early and put the TV on low in our room. When I heard, I shouted “Oh My God!!!” And my roomie mumbled “Yeah, I was going to wake you up and tell you last night, but I did not want to ruin your birthday!”
11. When Bush was first announced President (November 7, 2000)
At Work at NIH (National Institutes of Health). We all groaned at the though of what would happen to our research…and it looks like we were right to be upset.
12. When the 6.8 earthquake hit Nisqually, WA (February 28, 2001)
I missed this one…
13. When terrorists destroyed the World Trade Center (September 11, 2001)
I was sitting in the HR department getting ready for my first day of work then this Freshmen Work Study (my job was at a University) said “Oh boy! A plane just flew into one of the World Trade Buildings! I hope that it was not the one with the restaurant! I really wanted to go!”
Me: “Plane don’t ‘accidentally’ fly into a building that big! Where are you from?”
Student: “Nebraska! We don’t have big buildings like that out there!”
We then sat there and watched the other plane fly into the other tower. I was flipping out as I know a number of people that live and work in NYC and a few that work at TWC. I then heard about the pentagon and really flipped out. I could not get through to anyone except my roomie Dave who works across the river from the Pentagon for the Navy. He was trying get through to my family on the phone for me, as I could not. (Because he works for the government, he had secured lines.) Soon all of the cell phones and land lines were gone. I sent some e-mails out to my family (the DSL still worked thankfully) and finally Kate got through to me about 3 hours after it all happened. I remember my first words to her were “What was in those planes other than those poor people? What have these people done?” Later on that night, I talked to my Aunt in NYC. She said that she had been late for a meeting and was packing up her laptop when she saw the first plane hit. She then called my cousins school to tell them to let my cousin know that she was okay. She then called her husband as the second plane hit. She was on the phone to my Mother as the buildings fell telling her “I feel totally safe living in NYC! There is no other place I would rather live!” My Mother thought that my Aunt had lost her mind. But I think that she has the mentality of most people that live and love NYC (and D.C.). After all that has happened, I really don’t think that any place is really safe anymore.
14. When Columbia disintegrated during re-entry over Texas. (February 1, 2003)
I was coming back from an early Saturday morning appointment with the Kitten, it was time for his yearly check up. I remember calling Kate and her telling me that they could see things falling and it was scary. It brought me back to 11 September 2001 and how helpless I felt then.
Not even a thought as of yet.
2. When Mt. St. Helens blew (May 18, 1980)
I guess that I was either at nursery school or at my grandparents house...I do remember seeing pictures later on.
3. When the space shuttle Challenger exploded (January 28, 1986)
I was off from school and my mother was making bread in our kitchen. Whenever I smell bread being made, I always think of that.
4. When the 7.1 earthquake hit San Francisco (October 17, 1989)
I was in school. I found out later on. I remember watching parts of the freeway falling while it still had cars on it and the SF Bay Bridge shaking...I just remember it being really scary...
5. When the Berlin Wall fell (November 7, 1989)
Don’t remember. Once again I remember watching the world news that night and then the president speaking about how wonderful that another communist county had fallen and how democracy now had another chance.
6. When the Gulf War began (January 16, 1991)
One of my friends called me up and told me. His father had already been sent to the Gulf.
7. When the first World Trade Center bombing happened (February 26, 1993)
I was in school when they told us. I remember getting really upset as one of my Aunts worked in the building. I remember just waiting to get home so that I could find out if she was okay (which she was). Her office soon moved out of that building and moved closer down to Avenue of the Americas (Nearer to Canal Street). Her new office had a perfect view of her beloved Twin Towers.
8. When OJ Simpson was chased in his White Bronco (June 17, 1994)
It was a Friday night! I had some friends over and we were getting ready to go out to the movies when it all started. Needless to say, those plans were scraped and we watched. Afterwards, we went to diner and everyone was talking about it!
9. When the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City was bombed (April 19, 1995)
I was off from school that day for one reason or another, I think that I had just gotten back from a school trip in Italy. I remember it being a beautiful day outside that suddenly had gotten very dark.
10. When Princess Di was killed (August 31, 1997)
In the states we found out about it on the 30th of August, which was a Saturday. I had gone to bed early for some reason or another. My roomie was thinking about waking me up, as she knew how much I liked her. But she decided that it could wait until the morning. The 31st (here in the states and my 20th birthday) I woke up early and put the TV on low in our room. When I heard, I shouted “Oh My God!!!” And my roomie mumbled “Yeah, I was going to wake you up and tell you last night, but I did not want to ruin your birthday!”
11. When Bush was first announced President (November 7, 2000)
At Work at NIH (National Institutes of Health). We all groaned at the though of what would happen to our research…and it looks like we were right to be upset.
12. When the 6.8 earthquake hit Nisqually, WA (February 28, 2001)
I missed this one…
13. When terrorists destroyed the World Trade Center (September 11, 2001)
I was sitting in the HR department getting ready for my first day of work then this Freshmen Work Study (my job was at a University) said “Oh boy! A plane just flew into one of the World Trade Buildings! I hope that it was not the one with the restaurant! I really wanted to go!”
Me: “Plane don’t ‘accidentally’ fly into a building that big! Where are you from?”
Student: “Nebraska! We don’t have big buildings like that out there!”
We then sat there and watched the other plane fly into the other tower. I was flipping out as I know a number of people that live and work in NYC and a few that work at TWC. I then heard about the pentagon and really flipped out. I could not get through to anyone except my roomie Dave who works across the river from the Pentagon for the Navy. He was trying get through to my family on the phone for me, as I could not. (Because he works for the government, he had secured lines.) Soon all of the cell phones and land lines were gone. I sent some e-mails out to my family (the DSL still worked thankfully) and finally Kate got through to me about 3 hours after it all happened. I remember my first words to her were “What was in those planes other than those poor people? What have these people done?” Later on that night, I talked to my Aunt in NYC. She said that she had been late for a meeting and was packing up her laptop when she saw the first plane hit. She then called my cousins school to tell them to let my cousin know that she was okay. She then called her husband as the second plane hit. She was on the phone to my Mother as the buildings fell telling her “I feel totally safe living in NYC! There is no other place I would rather live!” My Mother thought that my Aunt had lost her mind. But I think that she has the mentality of most people that live and love NYC (and D.C.). After all that has happened, I really don’t think that any place is really safe anymore.
14. When Columbia disintegrated during re-entry over Texas. (February 1, 2003)
I was coming back from an early Saturday morning appointment with the Kitten, it was time for his yearly check up. I remember calling Kate and her telling me that they could see things falling and it was scary. It brought me back to 11 September 2001 and how helpless I felt then.
