I was an asshole on 9/11

[snapes_mistress]

Sophie's 14th birthday is today. (I just typed "Spohie," ha ha ha.) What a date to have your birthday on. I can't really afford to give her anything, but I should, because I gave Mark a gift on his birthday. So I guess I'll dip into my bill-money stash and give her a card with ten pounds in it.

I was thinking about where I was on 9/11. I was an asshole. Here's why.

I woke up early that morning. It was my sophomore year of college, and my first year at C of C. I was in a bad mood because I hadn't had enough sleep; I'd been up studying for a test. I even remember the class: human sexuality. My classroom was all the way on the other side of downtown Charleston, about a 10-15 minute walk from my dorm. It was hot and humid, and I was in NO MOOD to be out of bed. I had almost overslept, so I threw on some scruffy clothes and hauled ass to class. Halfway there, it started raining, and of course I didn't have an umbrella. So by the time I arrived at the building, I was sweaty like a mofo, dishevelled, soaked, and just pissed off in general.

There was a sign on the door saying that class had been cancelled. (At this point both towers had already been hit, and I believe they had already collapsed too, but I knew nothing of this.) There were a few other people who arrived when I did. Well, I was pissed off. I'd studied all night, then hurried there in the heat and rain for a cancelled class? I threw a mini-tantrum. I stomped around going, "Gaaaaaah, fuck, what the fuck, I walked all the way here and THEY CANCELLED THE FUCKING CLASS???!!!" The other people were looking at me like I was crazy, probably not because I was angry, but because they already knew about the attack and figured I must have, too, and wondered why I was acting like our cancelled test was so important.

So I stomped home in a funk. As I walked through the dorm lobby, I heard from a radio the desk assistant was listening to about an "attack on America..." but I was still so pissed that the words didn't even sink in. I went to the computer lab to check my e-mail, and of course the homepage had a blaring headline about an ATTACK ON AMERICA. But I was still so annoyed with my stupid little problems that even THAT didn't phase me. I saw the words, but it still didn't register in my stupid head that something awful had happened.

When I returned to my room, Aadra (my roommate) was there, and looked upset, and asked if I knew what was going on. I was like, "Can you believe they cancelled my fucking test???" And she's like, "Come here." We went into Hilary's room, where of course there was footage of the towers being hit and collapsing. So then, FINALLY, my stupid, self-centered brain clicked and realized that there was something far, far worse going on than me missing my test. I immediately felt like the biggest ass in the world.

So that's my 9/11 "where were you when" story.

Comments

[mapetitemort.livejournal.com]

School was out when it happened so instead of making homework - of which there was a mountain to be finished by the next day... - I sat in the living room watching TV in disbelief.

And it's been 5 years already. Whoa, time flies. Anyway, I think I better go and write my version of 'where were you when' on my journal.

[snapes-mistress.livejournal.com]

I felt like such an asshole once I realized what was going on. Sure put my pathetic little dramas in perspective.

[mapetitemort.livejournal.com]

You shouldn't, really. It's okay. It was such a shock to everyone, and not realizing what is going on.. I mean, some people hear about it rightaway whereas others don't, and for me there sure was a whole lot of confusion involved. So *pets* you were NOT an asshole, dear!

[snapes-mistress.livejournal.com]

Thanks. ;)

[marketanewyork.livejournal.com]

I was in Brooklyn, watching the towers burn right across the river from us. I saw thousands of people covered in white ahes walking over the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges into our little neighborhood after the towers collapsed. [Thank jeebus I did not see that in person, bad enough with the the burning towers, which made me wretch right there on the sidewalk]
I smelled "everything". For days, weeks, the smoke filled traveled across the river right into our loft.

Sorry I vented here, I just could not bring myself to write about any of it in my journal today.

[snapes-mistress.livejournal.com]

No no, it's okay. I used to go to school at Hofstra, before it happened. We could see the towers from the top floor of our library. It's so strange to think that the view is different now. I haven't been to NY since it happened. There was a guy I'd gone to school with at Hofstra who worked there. He just happened to be late for work that day.

I felt like the biggest asshole in the world once I realized what was going on. Luckily no one I knew was hurt.

It must have been unreal to have been there. You can vent some more here if you want to.

[obliquity.livejournal.com]

That's not so bad. I remember where I was, I was in a class and the guy beside me was laughing about it. After class when we left they had tv monitors in various parts of the college and every time we walked by one of the monitors he laughed again. You weren't a jerk, he was.

[snapes-mistress.livejournal.com]

That IS bad. I knew this stupid girl who said, "You know, I realize it's sad and everything, but I have a hard time like, caring about it." Sheesh. At least I felt upset once I realized what was going on. Some people have no heart.

[obliquity.livejournal.com]

I can understand to a point why people might not care as much as the next person but that's no need to be rude about it you know? Sheesh people!

[snapes-mistress.livejournal.com]

She wasn't rude, she was just a moron. :P

[obliquity.livejournal.com]

well same difference. :P hehe

[sometimeophelia.livejournal.com]

Totally unrelated to 9/11 I think I need your av. Do you agree snapes_mistress?

[snapes-mistress.livejournal.com]

Definately. You are the LOL queen.

[obliquity.livejournal.com]

I didn't make it and I don't know who did so feel free to yoink it. Although even if I had made it you could still yoink it. :D

[wish-girl.livejournal.com]

I'm sticking this on my own LJ, but I shall type it here for propserity...

On 9/11, I was on vacation on the Isle Of Wight. We (some friends and I) had nipped into a pub for drinks and lunch just as the first plane hit, and I looked up at the gigantic television screen streaming the news and said 'Oh, what a fucking accident to happen. Bloody idiot.' and went back to my pint.
I was literally watching when the second plane hit and knew something was bad wrong, and then it seemed like everything started happening in such rapid succession. My friends left the pub to go explore the town we were in (I can't remember where I was...) while I sat and watched my country fall apart. It got around that little pub quick that a hysterical American was watching the news, and the people in that pub were fantastic. I had a few buying me drinks (that I don't think I drank), a few would sit down shortly beside me in sympathy, one woman sat and held my hand when it all got too much.
I felt so guilty for leaving my country when this was due to happen. I had only moved back to the UK in May, so I was just newly there, and I was overwhelmed. I know people who worked in the Twin Towers, and fortunately, one was on vacation, the other called in sick that morning (god, talk about serendipity!) but I had no idea that was where they were. There was talk about the air force base near my mother being under attack, I was TERRIFIED. And you couldn't get through to anyone. I was a world away watching Armageddon unfold, as far as I knew.
I'll never forget that day, both because of the kindness of English strangers and because that was the day I stopped taking my country for granted. *sigh* I wish I could buy everyone who was in that pub that day a drink because they held me up when my own friends had left me to deal with it all on my own. <3
That's my story.

[snapes-mistress.livejournal.com]

Wow. I know the feeling of no longer taking your country for granted... much as I might bitch about the States sometimes, I felt like you did that day, and still do. I've never felt like such an asshole in my life, throwing a tantrum over a cancelled class when such a horrible thing was happening. But at least I felt bad once I realized what was going on... like I said in a comment above, I knew a stupid girl who said she "just can't, like, make myself care about it," or something of that nature.

I also knew a guy I'd gone to school with in NY who worked there, and just happened to be late for work that day, which probably saved his life. I used to go to school on Long Island, and we could see the towers from our library's top floor. It's so strange to think the view isn't the same anymore.

Me on 9-11

[sometimeophelia.livejournal.com]

My story actually starts the night before......Our Campus Programing Board had shown the movie Swordfish I was walking back to my apt, and a plane flew over heard and I remember thinking I wonder if that could really happen.(To this day I will not watch that movie. Woke up- put on a CD and the last song I heard before walking out of my room was "Grey Sky Morning(Best I ever had)" by Vertical Horizon. So I was singing that as I was going to class- Theories of Learning @ 10am- I'm sitting there 15 minutes early and I heard a few people talking about it and I turned around and asked them if they were talking about a movie. They said no and filled me in. The professor walked in there was about 7 of us in there out of the 23 in the class, she filled us in on the plane in PA. My first thought was about my roommate's family becase she was from up around Pittsburgh. The Professor cancelled class, and I ran out of the class room, and went out the door furthest from my dorm. I mention this for one reason--it was the door farthest from my room and wasn't a door I usually went out. Well I'm on my way down the walk to go read my roommate's class schedule on the door and I turn a corner and she's there. We hugged each other and she said I know about the plane, and I don't think my family is in danger. And so she tried my cell phone couldn't get thru, and we went back to the room, and so she found out they were okay. We spent all day making p packets for club recruitment day and watching the TV...