What Were You Doing 5 Years Ago?

I was talking to my dad on the phone, who was watching the news. It happened while we were talking. As soon as I got to the office, me and my sales assistant watched it in my office. I didn’t even try to do any business that day. I hate muslims.

[quote=knucklehead]I was talking to my dad on the phone, who was watching the news. It happened while we were talking. As soon as I got to the office, me and my sales assistant watched it in my office. I didn't even try to do any business that day. I hate muslims. [/quote]

If you were speaking would you say, "Me and my sales assistant watched it in my office?"  If not, why do you write it?

Great Question.

Who could forget.  Just walking out the door to go to work when my son stopped me to look at the television.  Went to work and spent the rest of the day starring at the live coverage.

My son joined the Air Force because of September 11, 2001.

We had the tv tuned in to cnn/msnbc all day long. Clients would wander in and sit and watch with us, then get up and wander out without really saying much.

When I got home from work that night, there was a message on the answering machine from my husband's former CO in the USAF saying, "keep your bags packed & don't go too far from home, we may be calling you back."

One of the guys who worked with/for me lived on Maiden Lane--less than a block from the WTC plaza.

He spent close to a month in our guest room before he was allowed to spend the night in his apartment.

He and I went down to his apartment on Wednesday afternoon--fifth floor of a buldiing that did not face the WTC.  The power was off so we walked upstairs.

When we walked into his place it was amazing--four or five inches of dust everywhere, even though the windows were closed.  Even his clothes in the closet were coated with dust.

We pulled togehter several changes of clothes, his toiletries and a case of wine and headed back for the Upper West Side.

Lots of us went back down there every day for weeks to watch the progress and to deliver bottles of Coke and Sprite to the workers.

One of my better friends was in the South Tower and didn't make it out--I was unaware that he was missing until I saw his picture on the fence in Union Square.

I was on the road, between appointments, when the first plane hit. I cancelled the remaining appointments, as no one was in the mood to discuss their investments, anyway. I spent the next few days talking to clients and trying to keep them from doing anything rash.

The towers had special significance for me, as I spent the entire month of August 1992 in training there with Dean Witter. And the last day of training. we were treated to lunch at Windows On The World Restaurant, at the top of one of the towers. All trainees stayed at the Vista Hotel, which was attached to one of the towers.

February 1993 was when the bomb exploded in the parking garage under one of the towers. The same garage I used to rent a car (Hertz I believe).

To this day, I can't watch any replays of that horrific event. Same goes for any footage of Pearl Harbor.

I fantasize about me standing in front of some Islamo-fascist, with my .357 Magnum cocked and pressed against their forehead. Of course, this terrorist is smiling, thinking that I'm about to deliver him/her to Allah and 72 virgins. That is, just before I tell him/her that my hollowpoint bullets were dipped in pig blood and that instead of heaven, he's going straight to hell. Then I squeeze the trigger. Or...

I blow-off their kneecaps and both shoulders and just as they start to fade away, due to blood loss, I tell them they can't die cause the bullets were dipped in pig blood. Then I watch them fight to stay alive...

Why the obsession with pig blood? In Islam, pigs are considered unclean, the ingestion of which will send you to hell. A U.S. General in the Phillippines (Late 1800's-Early 1900's) was having problems with Islamic guerillas, so he set-up firing squads; shooting the guerillas with bullets dipped in pig blood. The guerilla problem stopped once word got out. Why fight for Allah, if you could be shot with a bullet dipped in pig's blood and be sent straight to hell?

Sorry for the rambling...

I was getting ready for work, very early in the morning.  We had no television at the time because we were living above our workshop. We were building our new home home and hadn’t moved in yet and were roughing it.  My husband called me on the phone from the place where he has coffee and swaps BS tales in the morning with the guys.  Said “You’d better get down here and see this.” So I did. Ran down with wet hair and no make-up. 

My first thought was for my niece who lived at the time near the Towers. She was fine as it turned out. It was unbelievable and surrealistic.  It was also one of those moments that you will always remember where you where and what you were doing at the time.  I can tell you exactly what I was doing and where I was during certian pivitol and memorable events in our lives: the Kennedy assasination, the OJ slow chase and the Twin Towers collapsing. Strange how some events are carved in amber in our minds.

I also thought: "This changes everything".  I went to work and was glued to the television and tried to decide what the heck to do about my clients. Should I call them and tell them everything is going to be OK.  How the hell do I even know that is true?  Basically spent the next 8 to 24 hours numb. 

NASD-  If you were speaking would you say, " one of the guys who worked with/for me...

If not, why do you write it? 

[quote=Malcolm]

NASD-  If you were speaking would you say, " one of the guys who worked with/for me...

If not, why do you write it? 

[/quote]

Yes I would, because it's politically correct to suggest that people who work for you are referred to as working with you.

I would often introduce my secretary as somebody I worked with, and often as somebody who worked for me.

What I would not say is "Me and her watched TV in my office."

[quote=babbling looney]

I was getting ready for work, very early in the morning.  We had no television at the time because we were living above our workshop. We were building our new home home and hadn’t moved in yet and were roughing it.  My husband called me on the phone from the place where he has coffee and swaps BS tales in the morning with the guys.  Said “You’d better get down here and see this.” So I did. Ran down with wet hair and no make-up. 

My first thought was for my niece who lived at the time near the Towers. She was fine as it turned out. It was unbelievable and surrealistic.  It was also one of those moments that you will always remember where you where and what you were doing at the time.  I can tell you exactly what I was doing and where I was during certian pivitol and memorable events in our lives: the Kennedy assasination, the OJ slow chase and the Twin Towers collapsing. Strange how some events are carved in amber in our minds.

I also thought: "This changes everything".  I went to work and was glued to the television and tried to decide what the heck to do about my clients. Should I call them and tell them everything is going to be OK.  How the hell do I even know that is true?  Basically spent the next 8 to 24 hours numb. 

What do you remember about November 22, 1963?

[quote=NASD Newbie]What do you remember about November 22, 1963?[/quote]

I was in my third trimester. I was working on getting OUT of the very same thing that I would devote the rest of my life to getting back INTO. If only I had known....

[quote=NASD Newbie]

[quote=knucklehead]I was talking to my dad on the phone, who was watching the news. It happened while we were talking. As soon as I got to the office, me and my sales assistant watched it in my office. I didn't even try to do any business that day. I hate muslims. [/quote]

If you were speaking would you say, "Me and my sales assistant watched it in my office?"  If not, why do you write it?

[/quote]

If we were all in person having just met for the very first time having this conversation...would you interrupt to correct someone's grammar?  If not, why do you write it?

[quote=knucklehead]

[quote=NASD Newbie]What do you remember about November 22, 1963?[/quote]

I was in my third trimester. I was working on getting OUT of the very same thing that I would devote the rest of my life to getting back INTO. If only I had known....

[/quote]

Your Mom?  You are twisted knucklehead.

[quote=Devoted SA]

If we were all in person having just met for the very first time having this conversation...would you interrupt to correct someone's grammar?  If not, why do you write it?[/quote]

Because if I don't correct them they will continue to make fools of themselves.

How does one learn if their mistakes are not corrected?

[quote=dude][quote=knucklehead]

[quote=NASD Newbie]What do you remember about November 22, 1963?[/quote]

I was in my third trimester. I was working on getting OUT of the very same thing that I would devote the rest of my life to getting back INTO. If only I had known....

[/quote]

Your Mom?  You are twisted knucklehead.

[/quote]

I actually laughed out loud at that one. No, not my mom. Think in more general terms, but include bankrep1's mom.

[quote=NASD Newbie]Because if I don’t correct them they will continue to make fools of themselves.

How does one learn if their mistakes are not corrected?

[/quote]

Poor Newbie, you carry the weight of the grammatical world on your shoulders.

You obviously have never parented anything that doesn't have four legs either.

Children (human ones that is) learn from their mistakes. It's a great gift of life.

[quote=Devoted SA][quote=NASD Newbie]Because if I don’t correct them they will continue to make fools of themselves.

How does one learn if their mistakes are not corrected?

[/quote]

Poor Newbie, you carry the weight of the grammatical world on your shoulders.

You obviously have never parented anything that doesn't have four legs either.

Children (human ones that is) learn from their mistakes. It's a great gift of life.

[/quote]

It is impossible to learn from a mistake if you are unaware that it's a mistake.

I assume you disagree, it will be fun to read why.

[quote=NASD Newbie][quote=Devoted SA][quote=NASD Newbie]Because if I don’t correct them they will continue to make fools of themselves.

How does one learn if their mistakes are not corrected?

[/quote]

Poor Newbie, you carry the weight of the grammatical world on your shoulders.

You obviously have never parented anything that doesn't have four legs either.

Children (human ones that is) learn from their mistakes. It's a great gift of life.

[/quote]

It is impossible to learn from a mistake if you are unaware that it's a mistake.

I assume you disagree, it will be fun to read why.

[quote=NASD Newbie]What do you remember about November 22, 1963?[/quote]

That was your last day in production, right?  The last day you actually had to accomplish something to get paid…

[quote=NASD Newbie]It is impossible to learn from a mistake if you are unaware that it's a mistake.

I assume you disagree, it will be fun to read why.[/quote]

Actually, I agree.

However, I also believe it is a fruitless venture to "point out" someone's error to him/her so he/she can learn from it.

I also think rudeness is a greater sin than grammatical errors.

[quote=Devoted SA]

"What were you doing five years ago today when you heard the news?"

[/quote]

First, I gave thanks that my morning meeting with Brookfield Properties was cancelled.  I would have been at the base of the walkway leading from WTC to WFC when the first plane hit.  I was working with <?:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />Brookfield to setup a scrolling news display at the top of the escalators leading to the walkway from the WTC to WFC.

<?:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /> 

After that I scrambled to implement a contingency plan so that our reporters could have workstations so that the newswires would continue and the Wall Street Journal could be published on time the next day.  These were quite amazing feats considering our headquarters were in the WFC.

--WM

I was a senior in college, who interned the prior summer with Goldman Sachs.  Our summer analyst reception around the very end of July 2001 was in the Windows on the World Restaurant.  I have memories like they were yesterday of being in that room that night... hard to believe a month later it was all gone. 

Found the news out during a class.  Our professor was a former US Marine who served in Vietnam, and he came into the class looking like he was ready to go to war.  I skipped the next class and watched the TVs around campus just as the towers were falling.  My father, a gov't employee, was in Crystal City that day outside of DC - and we had suspected he went to the Pentagon that day, as he has done in the past.  Luckily, he was one of the fortunate ones. 

I will never forget that day as long as I live.  God bless those who lost loved ones and friends. 

[quote=knucklehead][quote=dude][quote=knucklehead]

[quote=NASD Newbie]What do you remember about November 22, 1963?[/quote]

I was in my third trimester. I was working on getting OUT of the very same thing that I would devote the rest of my life to getting back INTO. If only I had known....

[/quote]

Your Mom?  You are twisted knucklehead.

[/quote]

I actually laughed out loud at that one. No, not my mom. Think in more general terms, but include bankrep1's mom.

[/quote]

I thought I'd throw a little Dirk Digglerism out there for ya'.  He always was a funny guy ya' know.  I wonder whatever happened to him.

He’s making movies with Rollergirl.

Poor guy.

Back to the original question, I was on my way to Rotary.  I heard an initial report that an aircraft had struck the WTC, but there were no further details and I figured it was something like a Cessna.  It wasn't until I went into the office after Rotary that I heard the real story.

The funny thing is that I just found out a few days ago that I will probably be going to Afghanistan early next year in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.  I went to the Middle East for a deployment a couple years ago and I figured I would get tagged again before too long.