10 Years Later

Like EventHorizon, I was too young to grasp the implications of 9/11 at the time.

The years after that till the present time, I continued and continue to live in complete emotional detachment from the event. The fact that I lived in Germany at the time didn't help with that.

At the end of the day, I see it only as another terror attack out of the tens of thousands of attacks that have happened in the past decade, hundreds of thousands in the past century.

And just like Plan9, were it not for 9/11 I wouldn't be working where I work and making the money I currently make.

 

9/11 - the day engineers learnt the best way to demolish a steel structure is to start fires in the upper levels and wait.

 

Yesterday was a tough day. My new boss had a big spread on the business page on what his old company had done in the wake of the attack - they occupied 2 floors of the South Tower (I think) and lost about 200 people. I got an email from the guy who I consider to be my guiding light in my career reminding me that he and I went and got shitty drunk for lunch that day after being ordered out of the building. I remember drinking really strong (El Jardin) margaritas and watching military planes buzz the city.

 

They weren't. The guy I work for now used to run a company (and you'll realize who they are in a second) that had/has a big New York operation. At the time, they were located up at the top of what I think was the South Tower. He left maybe 5 years ago, got involved in some sports stuff and hired me and my little chums about 15 months ago.

 

I saw it on TV. Some of my friends were in there. They survived. I sang at a memorial service yesterday.

 

I was in MI when it happened, so I feel kinda detached since it did not directly impact me emotionally, but still when I see pics from that day, or watched the footage they had on tv of the documentary team that happened to be shooting the fire department that day I still tear up.

 

i was very heppy with all the rememberance things on tv yesterday. enen all the football games.

 

I was slanging deli food at a co-op during the attacks. I remember being slightly appalled by the fact that people kept coming in to shop for food. It might have been because I was at that tender age where, as a retail worker, I was appalled by all customers and hated them merely for existing. I know now that they were just doing their part to not let the terrorists win by continuing as if nothing was happening, you know, keep consuming, forget about all the horrible shit that's happening to people who aren't you, keep this economy rolling, etc.

10 years later I think we've just picked up our pace down the winding path to becoming a paler, larger North Korea.