Day 4644 - 9/11

Has it really been 21 years since the towers fell? It seems like yesterday. I was sitting at the same kitchen table and heating up my breakfast in the same microwave I used this morning when I heard the news on TV. I spent the rest of the day mesmerized by what was unfolding. Could this even be happening? I had ridden the elevator to the top of the South Tower several times and The World Trade Center was a familiar sight when I went to New York on business. The world definitely changed that day and it did not change for the better.

Things may seem normal now, but I think we've just gotten used to all the changes. We are all more suspicious now. I don't remember going through security checkpoints when I used to fly to New York. You just went to the airport and got on a plane. You could even use your ticket to fly on a different airline if you found something that was more convenient. Hotels were much more affordable and I felt safe riding on the subway. Sadly, all that is gone.

When I go to the mall before the stores open on Sunday, a policeman opens the door for me and asks what I am doing. We almost always see police riding the trails on bicycles when we take Dawn on her sunrise walks. Most people in the neighborhood have security cameras now. I've grown to appreciate the added security although it doesn't really make me feel safe. 9/11 put an end to innocence and trust. I'm suspicious of everything these days. If the twin towers can fall while you are sitting at the kitchen table eating pancakes, what else can go wrong?

Luckily, nothing went wrong today. We had a pleasant sunrise walk with Dawn, followed by an equally pleasant breakfast. I went mall walking again and am slowly memorizing the names of the artists on display as well as the contents of the store windows. The mall is filled with things that nobody really needs. The objects on display all seem desirable though. I like looking at window displays. It beats watching squirrels chase each other in the park. 

The temperature was still cool when we took Dawn on her Sunday outing, so we went on a real walk instead of just letting Dawn out of the car to pee. Dawn enjoyed the walk, although I was lagging behind by the time we returned to the car. I guess I had an excuse. I'd already finished walking around the mall five times. On our way to get ice cream we stopped at the neighborhood Chinese restaurant to see what was going on. There was a sign on the door saying that the restaurant was closed due to an inability to find staff. This was sad. The young owners of this place had really put a lot of effort into making the restaurant successful. At least the ice cream store seems to be doing well. There is always a line at the drive through window when we go to get our cones.

When I was getting up this morning I found a tiny snake on our living room floor. How did a snake get in our house? The snake seemed harmless and I took it outdoors, but it was still unsettling to find a snake in your house. I found a very small lizard in the shower last week. I hope this isn't a trend. The ants are bad enough. I definitely don't want to be dealing with reptiles.

After the kennel change we no longer visit the Dalmatians on Monday. The dogs are doing well though. I don't know what's I'll do with the extra time. I guess I'll just go to the gym.

Shadow is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3548 - 9/11

I'm still living in the same house, sitting at the same kitchen table, watching the same TV at breakfast as I was on this day eighteen years ago. I haven't forgotten. Memories fade though. With each passing year, more and more people will never remember this day as I do. They weren't here. There are young men and women serving in the military right now who weren't even born when the twin towers fell. I don't think these people and those who come after them will ever realize how much has changed.

When we were visiting The National Museum of the Pacific War in Fredericksburg recently, I remember thinking how little I really knew about World War II. This is understandable because I wasn't born until three years after the war ended. I never learned about all the sacrifices my Mom and Dad made. They didn't talk about those days much and high school history classes gloss over a lot of things. My Dad would have experienced this museum much differently. He was a Navy man and served in the Pacific during World War II.

I only have one picture of the World Trade Center. It was taken out of my hotel window at the UN Plaza. I used to stay at this hotel when I worked in New York. Although I have never lived in Manhattan, the city was frequently a destination during my ad agency days. I've walked on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. I've taken the express elevator to the top of the South Tower and looked out over the city from the rooftop observation deck. When I watched the towers fall while eating breakfast at our kitchen table I felt like the world I was familiar with was ending. In retrospect, this feeling was surprisingly accurate. The world hasn't been the same since.

I'd like to see a day when the country is unified again the way we were the day after September 11. We're a long way away from that now. When you look at the divided country we've become, it almost seems like the terrorists won. Hopefully, we will find our way again and discover a way to come together. Tribalism and petty bickering is slowly destroying us.

I don't spend a lot of time thinking about the state of the world. Day to day life is challenging enough for me. Today, Janet and I started to clean out the greenhouse so repairs can begin. What a lot of broken stuff I've managed to accumulate. Instead of fixing old lawn mowers, it was easier to just buy new ones. I kept the old mowers though, thinking that some day I might get the urge to fix them. This same perverse logic is why my storage warehouse is still full of old, obsolete computers. If I lived in the country and had a lot of acreage, there's a good chance that every old car I ever owned would be covered in rust out in the front yard.

The long awaited successor to the Land Rover Defender has finally arrived. What were they thinking? After Toyota completely botched the reintroduction of the iconic FJ40, its almost like Land Rover couldn't wait to say "hold my beer." I loved my old Defender. Not so sure about this complex, high-tech replacement.

I doubt that it matters. After we finish fixing up the house and yard, I won't be able to afford a new car anyway. At any rate, life goes on. I did my five mile walk this morning. I drank my fruit smoothie while watching TV pundits talk about 9/11 and then wrote a letter to my sister. Next year I'll probably do exactly the same thing.

Shadow is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day