My 9/11 Diary, Part Two

(Continued from Part One here - my diary entry from September 11, 2001, that "day that will live in infamy" - and keep in mind I'm writing this at about 10 a.m. California time):

The ride home on the subway seemed to take forever, even though it was the normal 20 minutes. I tried to read my book ("The Perfect Storm"), but really couldn't concentrate, so just gave up and stared out the window. When I got back to North Hollywood I walked to my car feeling what we were all feeling that morning, I'm sure - walking wounded.

I drove back to my apartment. At first I thought about going over to the cemetery and just watching my little TV for a while, but I had to go to the bathroom, and anyway I wanted to call my folks and let them know I'd gone home. I parked my car and started towards the building when I noticed a beautiful yellow-and-white cat sitting a few spaces away. I smiled and wiggled my fingers, and it sat down, but didn't approach me. I cautiously walked towards it but it sprinted under a parked car, so I gave up and went inside (see, I'm always hoping to get a stray cat to follow me home - and this would be a good day for it.)

After picking up my mail (Mom's invitation to Grandpa's birthday party) I went upstairs and into my apartment. Tried to phone Mom but her line was busy. So I got online and sent her an e-mail to let her know I was home and OK. Then I tried to find some news, but Yahoo and Drudge were down.

I went to Internet Infidels' chat group and saw a few posts but after making my own statement, I just decided to sign off. Called Mom again and this time got through. We rehashed all the news and I asked about Laura. Was VERY relieved to hear - she was OK. Her furniture store is only 5 blocks from the Towers, but she didn't go there. She was watching it from a rooftop - I guess from her apartment building. I was so relieved she was OK. Then Mom said she'd heard something about shopping malls being closed. Even in the horror we were able to joke - that if we can't go shopping we KNOW it's serious!

I don't really know what else to write. I'm sitting here watching TV and wondering what else is going to happen, just like everyone else. But it seems like, if I could somehow send this notebook back in time, even just a few months ago, it would seem like a science fiction story. It still seems like that now, as I'm watching the pictures. Just unbelievable.

But it really did happen.

And now - life goes on. I'm hungry. I'm going to "nuke" a frozen dinner and totally go off my diet today. Because the whole world has changed. But I'm hungry.

I have to add this - I just switched to The Weather Channel to get a break from The Terror - and the weather guys are very somber, wearing black suits, and saying things like, "Weatherwise, at least, it's calm on the East Coast." They look very sad.

Oh, and I'm happy to report all the news stations have already got their graphics up - CBS's is "Attack on America"; CNN - "America Under Attack"; Ch. 7 (ABC) is also using "America Under Attack"!. Other networks will follow suit, I'm sure.

Bits & pieces:

• The MTA is closing the Red Line at 1 PM for one hour. Good thing I'm home.
• All the amusement parks are closed - Disneyland, Knotts, Universal.
• Three of the 4 planes that crashed were bound for L.A.
• The schools are still open - poor kids!
• The U.S.-Mexico border is closed. Ha! That made me laugh. If it doesn't stop the gardeners, it's not gonna stop the terrorists! (They just said it's reopened, but slow.)

My feeling about the plane that went down in Pennsylvania - that wasn't the plan, it was aiming somewhere else but failed. Maybe the crew, the passengers, stopped it from reaching its goal. And they just said, someone in the plane called 911 on his cell phone to say they were being hijacked.

Wow - QVC, the shopping channel, has suspended its broadcast "in light of these events." Now you know it's big when they stop selling! (HGTV too, and the Food Channel)
And that ... is where my 9/11/01 entry ends. There are more entries, another one on 9/14 where I repeat the phrase everyone else was saying, "The whole world changed this past Tuesday"; and this:

We're now saying, "the attacks of two weeks ago", and soon it'll be "last month", "last year", "ten years ago" ...

And here we are, dear Stooges Women (and Men), at the 9 year anniversary, and what has changed? Do you feel any safer? I don't, really.

And yet it's certainly NOT because there aren't brave men and women out there, putting their lives on the line every second, trying to keep us safe. So to them, and to their counterparts who died on that day, I have two words that are totally inadequate, yet heartfelt:

THANK YOU!