What are you planning to do on 9/11?

[Mr. Anderson]

Last year during all the craziness I remember standing up on my office building's roof watching the Pentagon burn - it was a clear view, only a few miles away, absolutely lovely cloudless sky, 75-80 degrees.

I keep thinking about that lately and images seen on tv from NYC. I'd like to do something on Wednesday this next week, even if its to stop what ever I'm doing that morning and say a silent prayer for all that has happened since and hope we never have to go through it again.

But I'm curious if anyone esle is doing something special, taking part in a scheduled event, going to Ground Zero, or like me, doing something a little more personal.

D

[job]

Well...

I'm not planning anything out of the ordinary.

I'm going to church on the 8th. But I go to church every Sunday anyways.

I'm sure my school will have a moment of silence first thing in the morning.

Other than that...

I'll probably just reflect and pray privately. No need for anything else.

hitman

[Shrek]

Whatever my church is doing, that's where I'll be. ;)

[King Cobra]

Last year, an announcement came over the PA system, straight from the principal, saying that the World Trade Center has been attacked. I was in room 101, with a nearby radio. For two whole periods the entire class was either silenced or motionless trying to listen to the radio. I was rather scared when I heard that one of the towers fell. I was even more like "The world's gonna end" when the second tower fell. Even worse, the entire building (PHHS) was affected by this, and a few kids panicked.

When I saw both towers fall indiv. and the plane crash I, again, held my tongue. This year, I am making the assumptions (very reasonable ones) that the USA has already thought of every single possibility that terror would strike again a full 365 days later, and has a protection for each. I am also assuming that all of these wierd rumors are (a) mostly spam and (b) are being monitored in force.

If I have class on 9/11 this year I think it will be a rather slow day. Again, there will be a radio nearby to listen to for over an hour, in case anything happens. If class is cancelled, I probably will be paying attention to the radio and/or searching news sites to make sure nothing has happened yet. Finally, I plan to place an American flag on my desktop for that day and (if weather provides) let the computer be in sleep mode, so it can wake right up to display it's patriotism. :)

[sevag1]

well for one thing, my school is going to do this thing where every student in the school has to plant a miniature flag in our football field... and i think we're also doing a food drive

[job]

Last year my school was a bit slow to realise what happened.

When it happened, I was in second period track. We had just finished our warm-up lap when our coaches told us that we should have a moment of silence and prayer.

No one really knew what had happened. No one told us.

Even when we returned to the building, rumors were flying. However there was no announcement, nothing. Had there been no rumors, it would have been just a regular day.

Everyone knew that the principal kept a radio in his office, but he made no announcement. Everything that was discussed was pure speculation.

It was not until a student who had just returned from a doctor's appointment came back to school that everyone knew what happened. He had watched the whole thing while waiting in the doctor's office.

In my fourth and final period of the day, my entire class simply talked. Class was forgotten as my teacher tried to call her family. (She is from Jersey.)

Even though I had an English essay due the next day, I was glued to the TV in our hotel. (We had just moved back to the States; we were actually moving into our new house on September 11th.)

The next day, the prinicpal came on the PA system to tell us that the attacks happened.

Yep. That's what happened to me on Sept. 11th. I was not directly affected by the loss of a loved one, so at first the whole day seemed sort of surreal to me.

Ah well. I'll end this long-winded post.

[peterjhill]

I will go to work. i will be watching a few multicast streams probably. The University where I work is having a memorial ceremony for the alumni who died, i will probably go to that.

[Choppaface]

going to go to school, learn some stuff, go home, do homework, eat, sleep, repeat :D

[jelloshotsrule]

i was sleeping as i usually did on tuesdays last year. i woke up and got on my computer at around 10 or so. i checked my email.... one of which says "i see some bad things in nyc right now, are you ok?" i reply "yeah, why not? living in harlem was rough, but i'm fine...." that type of thing...

then i see another email, this from my brother "turn on the tv. the freaking wtc is down. it's not there anymore..." or something to that extent

at that point i turn on the tv. and of course, every channel's on it. i see the smoke the planes going in, etc. oh man. my roommate arrives shortly after saying classes are cancelled and such. i try to talk to my girlfriend. eventually i get a hold of her. her brother and dad worked in the area. she's trying to talk to them. a few hours later she hears from both. they're fine.

around 3 pm i make my way downtown with my roommate. we get as close as we can to the scene (about 15 clocks away at that point) and take some pictures. we see ash all over. covering cars and everything. we see trucks bringing people out (alive, seemingly not badly injured). tons of cops. tons of emergency vehicles. everyone looking down the streets that once led to the wtc in the skyline to see nothing...

the school has some ceremonies and stuff going on. i don't think i'd go downtown... but maybe i'll get up early (class at 11) and check it out on tv and such. i'll also check out whatever the school might have going when i can.... got classes all day though.. certainly will say a prayer for those affected more personally than me. as well as a prayer for the future that we learn from this and change many many things.

my view walking towards it...

[SilvorX]

i have 2 tests (in a row) on the 11th :( one in law and one in math...

[Durandal7]

Originally posted by jelloshotsrule

my view walking towards it...

Yikes, that is truly disturbing.

I'll be going about my business as usual on 9/11. I may watch an hour or two of coverage but I got more then my fill of TV coverage the weeks following the attacks.

[Rower_CPU]

My university cancelled classes and closed dow campus for the day last year...quite scary to see the campus evacuate like that.

Whatever you do, wherever you'll be, take a moment to consider the awful loss of life that day. Humanity, as a whole, was scarred deeply. It's a cliché, but let's hope that humanity's darkest hour will bring about a new light: understanding and compassion.

[krossfyter]

pray

[j763]

Originally posted by Rower_CPU
let's hope that humanity's darkest hour will bring about a new light: understanding and compassion
...and change in the US. 9/11 had a cause... and it certainly wasn't envy.

[mmmdreg]

I'll probably silently remember it but I'm here in Australia and it didn't affect me as much as some of you here so yeah...incidentally, the day it happened, the sky in Sydney was reaaly dark and cloudy..kinda reflected the mood...

[bidge]

I live in Christchurch, New Zealand i had just finished practicing the piano (I get up at 5.20) and my Grandma called telling me that she'd been listening to it all night and that the World Trade Centre had collapsed.

At school we all went to Chapel and prayed for everyone and then worked on convincing the teachers to let us watch it. We managed to watch TV in a few classes. in physics we had an aerial sticking out the window with someone holding it up half of the time and we only just getting a signal.

This 9/11 I will pray personally for last years attacks, pray for the people and pray for it never to happen again

[irmongoose]

I'll be at school, but throughout the whole day I will be praying that nothing happens in New York... my sister has gone to Pace Univestity to study... (BTW, Pace is so close to the WTC that is was a Refuge Center on 9/11). Then I'll come back home and watch the TV specials. The Japanese media is already so crazy about it.. it's like they were a colony of the US or something :rolleyes: :rolleyes:




irmongoose

[teabgs]

I was woken up by the non-stop sirens coming from the hospital across the street. They didnt stop for 12 days. My roomate and I have late classes and at 9:15ish the sirens woke us both up and would not stop. So we got up. My roomate went in the shower and I was drinking my coffee listening to some music to drown out the sirens...we were pissed off.

Then his dad called. "Are you guys ok?"

yeah why?

so I turned on the tv and was in shock....went onto the roof (i was on the top floor) and saw them on fire.

I had a doctor's appointment and so I got ready and left. I was one of the only people walking downtown that day...since the health center is farther downtown then my apt.

I saw the towers falling down as I was walking downtown, everyone looked at me like I was crazy because I was going the wrong way.

The armory is 3 blockas away...the army was there...and all around everywhere near my home. I saw them covered in ash and talking about it and such when I'd go to popeye's or whatever for weeksd to come...

I'm going to class this year. First work, then class. That covers most of the day. I'll reflect to myself most of the day no doubt...a lot of bad stuff has happened since then, but so has a lot of good. the University is doing some stuff...but I wont/cant go. My own thing/....own thoughts and reflections, that is where I will be. I will do what I need to do, and make it as much of a "normal" day as I can...it'll be a rough day here..

[jelloshotsrule]

Originally posted by j763

...and change in the US. 9/11 had a cause... and it certainly wasn't envy.

agreed. things need to change to prevent this from happening again, both with security, but primarily with why people want to do this to the country...

yeah, we had classes cancelled last year. obviously. but it was for the entire week.

the day after (wednesday the 12th) i went to hoboken (for those who aren't familiar, it's right across the hudson river in new jersey) to a concert. the band (sense field) had decided to play an acoustic show without their drummer who was from long island and was taking care of family matters... the show helped pick me up and it was truly great timing in that the band's positive, hopeful lyrics were just what everyone really needed. i'm glad i decided to go...

[vniow]

Hopefully I'll be working at a new job. I just can't believe it's been a year already. :(

[diorio]

I will be at school like normal, but it will be a wierd day. I will probably watch TV for a while and get sick of it. I can't believe its been a year.

[JupiterZen]

Maybe a flight to New York ... :cool: ... never been there before.

I hear they are practically giving the tickets away because everybody seems to be supersticious ... :rolleyes: :D

[jelloshotsrule]

yeah, i can imagine that in general, flights will be pretty slow/empty on wednesday....

with some good reason...... i think

[mischief]

As much as I have sympathy for everyone involved, I feel that all the rhetoric is rather oppertunistic and distasteful. A somber look back I can deal with but the hawkish propoganda that has dominated all year raises my hackles.

It is a dis-service to those killed in NY and to those who were (and are) exploited worldwide by Al Qaida to be out stirring up war sentiment when compassion is a far better weapon. Emancipating and educating the peasants that are so easily made into Zealots is the only long-term solution that doesn't involve Genocide ......... which I hope nobody is actually considering as an option.

Anyway... I'm going to be forcibly ignoring the media and enjoying the county fair with my wife. My tribute is in enjoying life while I can.

[ejb190]

I fully agree with you, mischief.

While we tend to live our lives as strangers and acquantinces, it takes an event like 9/11 to make us realize we are not all that different from each other. And with a little effort we become neighbors and friends. In the weeks following, people seemed nicer, more civil. You still hear stories of people giving selflessly of themselves to help others. Why should it stop now? Now that we are past a national emergency, are we going to go back to our own little worlds of isolation and being afrade of strangers?

I choose to remember 9/11 by dedicating myself to going out of my way to someone else once in a while. It might be helping someone in trouble or getting flowers for my secretary. Maybe even just a kind word. I want to remember by breaking out of my little box I have been living in and meet new people, do things I haven't done, and be the person the everyone has always told me I could be. I choose to remember 9/11 by not letting the world (or myself) go back to the way it was before.

eRiC

[sickboy_osX]

//* The Views expressed in this Post, maybe very explicit, and not for young readers/posters, dont send me hate mail, or flame me for a true experiance of my day *//

September 11th 2001.
Was a day I will never forget.

I was living in Manhattan, working for JP Morgan Chase. I was up all night, and I went to dinner, and was out until about 1:30am, I got home, and hopped on my Computer, and sent out a few e-mails, popped in a CD, and listened to it, and let my buzz from the night of drinking and hanging out with friends.

I hopped into bed around 3 (I had a 8am Meeting at 2 World Trade Center with a Company for an Interview) They called me that morning right after I had gotten dressed, saying the people hadnt showed up from SFO for the interview. So still in my Suit, I decided to go to the Street, and watch the opening bell, somthing i have always wanted to do, but never have been able to.

So I did, then i went up town, to go shopping I was going home that weekend to see my parents, and I wanted to pick up somthing nice.

Then it happened.....

I rushed back down to the street, to see if my Co-Workers were ok (They worked in the JP Morgan Chase Building with me) All except for one were all present and accounted for. He was reported to have been having breakfast down at thw WTC Marriot with a Client. we tried to get ahold of his cell phone...we couldnt..

We then watched (and ran) in horror as the Towers Collapsed...I have never been so frightend in my life.

I went back to my apartment, and took out a shoe box, which had some stuff i had been saving in it, and watched as 6 months of Sobriety went down the drain.

3 days later we heard from our friend the first words out of his mouth were "Those Mother ******** cut off my Armani!" we all laughed. I turned in My resignation at International Development and Investment Group on September 30th and Moved back to Salt Lake City, Utah.

So one year later.... where am I?

Now I am living in Pocatello, Idaho with a girl I got back intouch with in November of 2001.

We are getting married in July of 2003, she is Political Science Major at Idaho State University.

We hope to move to Seattle after we get married. we live in a Beautiful House, and are having fun.

I have now been clean from the Heroin and Cocaine, and Meth since March 9th 2002. (six months yesterday) it is hard to belive I have another 6 months, Sure I may not have a Job writing code, and working with Macs Like I wish I could be doing. But Hey, I am alive and Sober and in Love, and Enjoying my Life.

Someday I will find a Job working with Macs, (I can hope right?) and someday, things will be better and I will be able to support my family, and have the life I had 2 years ago. I will never forget 9.11.01. On September 11th 2002, i will make it a normal day, I cannot get depressed, because I know what can and probibly will happen if I even let go for a minute....

Anyways thats my 2 Cents Worth.

[kiwi_the_iwik]

I work in London as a cameraman for an International News station. On Sept. 11th last year, I went to work as usual (the usual being that anything can happen, so being prepared is the name of the game). However, nothing on Earth could have prepared us all for those terrible events to follow...

My first assignment of the day was to go to the Excel Exhibition Centre near Canary Wharf, in east London. There was a big weapons trade show on, and the police were expecting trouble from a lot of peace activists. Sure enough, it was a bun-fight. 3-400 police interlinking arms, driving back rabid protestors. And there we are, my sound recordist, journalist and myself, in the thick of it - with a few other news crews, and batons and fists flying everywhere. The police eventually managed to gain the upper hand, driving the protestors back with police horses, giving us some much needed breathing space. It was then that we heard of the first incident across the Atlantic.

My initial reaction was that it was a light plane lost in fog - the rumours were downplayed by the time they reached us. I had to hear for myself - I was out of reach of the satellite truck, so I couldn't see any live images. Instead, I dialled the programme clean-feed telephone number on my mobile - it gave me the off-air audio from our news station. What I heard horrified me, as I heard on air the second plane going in.

I was standing next to the line of police, and let out a string of profanity (completely oblivious to my surroundings) - which grabbed their attention. I told them what I had heard, and gave them the same phone number that I was using so they could hear for themselves. Soon, I was surrounded by stunned and disbelieving police officers, all listening to the live bulletin on their phones. It was then a Sergeant came out of one of the police vans with a portable radio, and was swamped by his comrades - the protestors were secondary now, compared to the horror unfolding in New York, and later, at the Pentagon.

News quickly filtered throughout the activists - I had never seen anything like it. As if by some unseen force, the crowd sat down as one, and fell silent. There must have been over 2000 there that day - within the hour, they had all drifted off, quietly stunned, and without purpose.

The news editor called, and sent us directly to Canary Wharf - a grouping of the tallest buildings in London. The satellite truck met us there, and we had clearance to park directly in front of the main building's entrance. The sat. engineer leaned in my car's window as I called the editor, to tell him we were on-site.

"Good," he said. "We have reason to believe there may be an attack here, too - there are unconfirmed reports of a plane without an active transponder flying directly to your location..."

I cut him off - "***** that - I'm going to the McDonald's carpark down the road. We're RIGHT in front of the BUILDING, for chrisssakes!!!!". With that, I turned to the engineer to tell him to follow us. No need - his dish was already powering down, and his engine was starting. He wasn't waiting, either.

Thankfully, needless to say, nothing came of it. And after witnessing the carnage on TV later that evening, I hope nothing like it ever will. But because of it, nothing will ever be the same again.

Tomorrow, I'll be at work again in London - no doubt filming a memorial service for those who tragically died. And I too, like so many around me, will pray and shed tears for those poor souls.

[mymemory]

A year ago I was driving in a very congesting highway when I heard the news on the radio, I just thougt it couln't be possiible something like that.

This wendsday a group of people related with my goverment are gonna celebrate the event (my president is communist).

I am going to work as usual but not as happy as every other day.

[zarathustra]

It will be very bittersweet, but I refuse to change my way of life. If the terrorists can make us put our celebration and way of life on hold, they succeeded in their efforts. I will not give them this satisfaction.

[Moxiemike]

Being self-employed, i'll probably take the day off, at least for a bit and try to get some candid shots--see what people's reactions are.

try to capture it with digital film.

College students, businessmen, the homeless.... whoever.

I'e always been a fan of solemn-ish art. And this is something (and some way) i can really wrap my head around the whole thing.

maybe i'll capture people celebrating life, as opposed to mourning death.

[dreamlance]

I think my university is doing something at noon but I probably won't go. Class, eat, class, work. A year ago, I walked into my humanities class and heard that class had been cancelled and all the airports were closed. I went to the Catholic student center to find everyone crowded around a TV. My roomie is from NY and she was in tears for the next week. For her, it's a really emotional thing. For me, it doesn't hit close to home but I do mourn the loss of life, in any situation really, not just 9/11.

I will also be celebrating two friends' birthdays. Moxie, you have a good idea with celebrating life. Hope it turns out nice.

[jefhatfield]

Originally posted by dukestreet
Last year during all the craziness I remember standing up on my office building's roof watching the Pentagon burn - it was a clear view, only a few miles away, absolutely lovely cloudless sky, 75-80 degrees.

I keep thinking about that lately and images seen on tv from NYC. I'd like to do something on Wednesday this next week, even if its to stop what ever I'm doing that morning and say a silent prayer for all that has happened since and hope we never have to go through it again.

But I'm curious if anyone esle is doing something special, taking part in a scheduled event, going to Ground Zero, or like me, doing something a little more personal.

D

i was planning on taking the day "off", but then i realized i didn't want the terrorists to win and make me, and my country, change its schedule

that's really what the terrorists wanted all along, to scare us and make us change our way of life...in the end, we went back to normal within a few weeks and we won and they lost...period

they were thinking they would pull off another pearl harbor but they didn't...we are too big and strong to get disrupted and shut down by eleven terrorists...when they realize that they cannot change our way of life, then they will stop

the civilized world does not deal in those terms

[job]

i've found it absolutly interesting reading a lot of the posts concerning people's personal recollections of 9/11.

we all had different experiences, yet we share many of the emotions.

[rainman::|:|]

Originally posted by edvniow
Hopefully I'll be working at a new job. I just can't believe it's been a year already. :(

Hey, you and me both... well, i was originally going to start wednesday, but it got pushed back a day, so i'll be getting ready for my first day. You know, a friend of mine (who may be reading this-- hi jeff!) started his job sept 11 last year, which is only really bad considering it was a campus newspaper... jeez

i didn't know anyone who died, i've never even been to the WTC, so if i reflect on it, it will be by accident. Just another day and all that...

:)
pnw

[G4scott]

I am going to be part of a remembrance ceremony at my school, playing taps on the trumpet. We're doing a flag raising before school, and we're having two ceremonies during school.

I remember first hearing about the attacks. Some guy came into my classroom (which was a computer class), and said that some freaks flew a plane into the WTC. Since there was no TV, I got online, and went to CNN.com, and every other news site... The first video that I got was very disturbing... It showed the first building burning, then the second plane flew in, and hit. Everyone was in disbelief. Some of my teachers had the TV on, others had radios on (the news channels at my school are rather lacking... we only get C-SPAN) Then I remember going to band practice... The most erie thing about it was that there were no planes flying. Normally, there are several planes going over our field when we are marching, but the skies were clear. When the planes started flying again, I would always look up, kinda scared at first, hoping that none of the planes were going to be used as missiles...

I just know that America, and the rest of the free world, will show the stupid, radical, moronic, closed minded, idiots that committed this horrible act that they have not succeeded, but rather, have ensured their defeat. The attacks on the World Trade Center were not just an attack on the US, but an attack on the rest of the world. We must not show them that they have made us live in fear, we must show them that we live our lives for the joy of living. We do not fear cowards like them because we know that our cause is just, and that they have no respect for life at all whatsoever. September 11th should be a day of remembrance, but we should remember those who died with pride, and reverence, not with fear and cowardice. Freedom WILL prevail...

[Mr. Anderson]

So I'm going back on to the roof where I was a year ago when I stood there and watched the Pentagon burn. I'll bring a camera and post a pic.......


D

[solvs]

Sleeping (I need to try and get some sleep, I haven't been sleeping much lately).

Hiding from the rest of the world.

Pretending it was all a bad dream.

[Mr. Anderson]

So I went up to the roof and waited around for a while - got a pic of the pentagon, then saw the jets fly over - might have got a pic of them and then as the jets flew really close to where I was, going north up the potomac river, I try and take another pic, cause they were turn away and exposing more wing area to me and it would have been a great pic - the camera dies - damn thing - the batteries were dead - that's what you get using a work camera.......blah!

D

[eyelikeart]

Originally posted by dukestreet
So I went up to the roof and waited around for a while - got a pic of the pentagon, then saw the jets fly over - might have got a pic of them and then as the jets flew really close to where I was, going north up the potomac river, I try and take another pic, cause they were turn away and exposing more wing area to me and it would have been a great pic - the camera dies - damn thing - the batteries were dead - that's what you get using a work camera.......blah!


damn that sucks... :(

which camera was this??

[Mr. Anderson]

it was our work camera, Nikon Coolpix 900 - oh well, that's the way it goes.....

It was cool, I'm glad I got to see it.

D