911

Total Recall: I'm driving west on I-70 heading to work after an early dental appointment that took me way out east. It's also my birthday so I am feeling more than chipper. I'm just about to the I-71 north interchange and quickly approaching downtown. The sky is crystal clear and it's about 72 degrees. Could it be a prettier day? It's a seemingly perfect day. Suddenly 610 WTVN cuts to "breaking news". "A small plane is reported to have crashed into one of the World Trade Center towers and black smoke is bellowing out". Quickly, they cut to a caller who professes to have witnessed the entire event. It was pretty clear that he didn't have his facts clear though. He describes what he thought was a Cessna slamming into the tower. Then, almost out of nowhere, you could hear an explosion, some screaming, and then a sense of confusion and terror as someone announced that a second plane had just slammed into the remaining tower. I remember feeling certain that our country was under attack. I began scanning the sky almost anticipating the worst, a plane slamming into something in our own town. I was frightened. Because it was my birthday, I had one more planned stop before heading into work. That was to the license bureau to get my new driver's license, which expired today (9/11/2001). The mood tense and everyone was still speculating what could possibly have brought about these two plane crashes along with the unconfirmed reports of still others. Not a good day! Fast forward to 2005... Today I turn 46. I'm grateful for all I have: love of life, relationships (family & friends), children, grandchildren, home, career, and toys. I am grateful, too, for having an inquisitive mind and a thirst for knowledge. Today was about as perfect as one could hope for. The weather was superb (86 degrees and cloudless). I spent the day baking myself a birthday cake, watching my beloved Vikings, and relaxing. Famous 9/11 Birthday's Kristy McNichol Tom Landry Paul "Bear" Bryant 9/11 Events in history: 1773 Benjamin Franklin writes "There never was a good war or bad peace." 1954 1st Miss America TV broadcast 1959 James J Wright is born in Columbus, Ohio - Uncle Kenny marries Aunt Bobbie (told him not to) 1985 Pete Rose of the Cincinnati Reds gets career hit 4,192 off Eric Show of San Diego Padres, eclipsing Ty Cobb's record 2001 The worst terrorist attack on American soil - 2819+ die as a result of hijacked airplane attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and a field in Western Pennsylvania