SpacemanSpiff
Rational Spiritualist
Every few random years on this day, I force myself to make the time to re-visit this site -- my old stomping grounds for a time in my youth -- in order to commemorate this sad day and point those interested to what I feel is a very "important" CivFanatics Off-Topic thread. It documents what we, fellow active CivFanatics of the time, were all thinking & experiencing as the events of September 11, 2001 unfolded in America.
Each year, I think about the context of what was posted at that time. For those interested, 2 years ago here I posted almost every thought I still have right now, so instead of re-writing them, I think this is a good place to start (though I've made a few additional notes this year below) ...
Remembering 9-11, 15 years later
And for those who just want to jump to the original 2001 craziness sans context ...
World Trade Center Plane Crashes
Each time I re-read it, the world and I have changed since, and I see it a bit differently.
This year, it is a Tuesday again. This year, I'm at a computer again. This year, I'm in a cubicle in a cold office building in the Baltimore area again. At lot else has changed, but that is similar enough to be a trigger. My hands are shaking as I type this.
Part of why the original thread and this site was so important for us in the moment: For some, like me, it was our only outlet.
Wha? Why? How? Because as things unfolded (and I mention *some* of this in the 15yr thread), Internet news sites on our desktops (esp. located between the 2 attack locations) wouldn't even answer to a refresh. Then we were asked to stop using all phones, even landlines, to clear all critical communication networks for emergencies. Just before that request came down, I briefly talked with my wife at home with the little kids; she didn't know, and I asked her to turn on the home TV for mutual info (I, myself, had seen zero images yet).
She described to me what she was seeing and then suddenly started screaming uncontrollably as the first tower collapsed ... and I could not imagine how "collapsed" meant anything other than toppling over sideways and taking A LOT more buildings and people with it ... and she could not accurately describe it to me in the moment, just kept repeating "collapsed" which I did not visualize as basically imploding. It was even more harrowing than the harsh reality.
From that point of hanging up with my wife, I was completely cut off. So I turned back to this CivFanantics thread I had started as soon as I'd read that single line of text that a 2nd plane had hit. There, I was able to get more info ... to vent ... to stop and think ... to share ... to interact ... to basically avoid curling up under my desk and rocking in a fetal position muttering to myself.
This community is who I talked with and experienced this with throughout that day. And so, this thread is especially important to me. And so, again on this day, I want to share it with all of you.
All the best to all,
Spiff
Each year, I think about the context of what was posted at that time. For those interested, 2 years ago here I posted almost every thought I still have right now, so instead of re-writing them, I think this is a good place to start (though I've made a few additional notes this year below) ...
Remembering 9-11, 15 years later
And for those who just want to jump to the original 2001 craziness sans context ...
World Trade Center Plane Crashes
Each time I re-read it, the world and I have changed since, and I see it a bit differently.
This year, it is a Tuesday again. This year, I'm at a computer again. This year, I'm in a cubicle in a cold office building in the Baltimore area again. At lot else has changed, but that is similar enough to be a trigger. My hands are shaking as I type this.
Part of why the original thread and this site was so important for us in the moment: For some, like me, it was our only outlet.
Wha? Why? How? Because as things unfolded (and I mention *some* of this in the 15yr thread), Internet news sites on our desktops (esp. located between the 2 attack locations) wouldn't even answer to a refresh. Then we were asked to stop using all phones, even landlines, to clear all critical communication networks for emergencies. Just before that request came down, I briefly talked with my wife at home with the little kids; she didn't know, and I asked her to turn on the home TV for mutual info (I, myself, had seen zero images yet).
She described to me what she was seeing and then suddenly started screaming uncontrollably as the first tower collapsed ... and I could not imagine how "collapsed" meant anything other than toppling over sideways and taking A LOT more buildings and people with it ... and she could not accurately describe it to me in the moment, just kept repeating "collapsed" which I did not visualize as basically imploding. It was even more harrowing than the harsh reality.
From that point of hanging up with my wife, I was completely cut off. So I turned back to this CivFanantics thread I had started as soon as I'd read that single line of text that a 2nd plane had hit. There, I was able to get more info ... to vent ... to stop and think ... to share ... to interact ... to basically avoid curling up under my desk and rocking in a fetal position muttering to myself.
This community is who I talked with and experienced this with throughout that day. And so, this thread is especially important to me. And so, again on this day, I want to share it with all of you.
All the best to all,
Spiff
