Everyone old enough to remember that day remembers where he or she was.

I was in school.  The teacher I had that year had a habit of giving us something to do and then leaving the room.  I don't remember what she was teaching at the time, but the loud speaker clicked on and we heard the radio report that the President had been shot while riding through Dallas in a motorcade.  As was her wont, the teacher told us to pray (hey, it was the early 60s and a religious school!) while she... left the room.  We were sent home early that Friday while a shocked country mourned. 

Two days later, my sister and I were watching television as the President's accused assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald, was being transported from one jail to another.  Oswald was shot and killed on live tv by Jack Ruby, who like Oswald would have probably lived his entire life outside of the public eye if it hadn't been for the events of November 22. 

The Tourist is filming around the corner from where I work.  So far I've only seen the big Paramount trucks, some crew and the food service.  :D  I doubt I'll see any of the actors.  It looks like they're filming in one of the office buildings.  Still, it's fun to see all the support stuff outside.

Michael J. Fox appeared on This Week with George Stephanopoulos and if you missed his comments, you should really go and watch the video.  He explained that he was ON his medication when he made that political campaign spot because if he wasn't, he wouldn't have been able to speak clearly.  The uncontrollable movements are a side effect of the medication.  His comments are worth hearing.

Michael J. Fox has Parkinson's Disease.  He has been an outspoken supporter of stem cell research in hopes of finding a cure.  He recently made a political ad in support of a candidate in Missouri who supports stem cell research.  On his radio program, Rush Limbaugh claimed that Michael J. Fox was acting and exaggerating his symptoms.  Some of his listeners called in to correct Limbaugh's observation and he later apologized, but that doesn't win him any prizes in my book.

My mother has Parkinson's.  Fortunately, it struck her much later in life than Michael J. Fox and her symptoms are far less obvious.  There are medications for Parkinson's, but they lose their effectiveness over time and no longer control the tremors and uncontrolled movements.  My mother takes 3 pills a day (one after each meal) to control her tremors.  Simple daily tasks like walking and eating can become impossible.  Many Parkinson's victims lose the ability to swallow properly and have trouble eating.

Limbaugh doesn't have to support Fox's cause, but he should have the decency to get his facts straight before making a pronouncement.

I couldn't think of a more appropriate title for today than the phrase on my banner.  There's a website with the same name.

On September 11, 2001, I was at work in midtown Manhattan.  A good friend of mine called me and said, "Call your mother and tell her you're okay."  My response was something like, "Huh?"  He then said, "A plane has hit the World Trade Center."

I remember hanging up with him and repeating his last statement out loud for my co-workers.  Everyone stopped what they were doing.  One of my co-workers happened to have a pocket television which he immediately put on.  I pulled a radio from my desk draw and turned it on.  I keep it tuned to 1010WINS (an all news station).  As word spread throughout our small office, my boss turned on the television in the conference room and we all wandered around watching the coverage on the big television and the small one my co-worker had. 

I tried calling my mother, but she was still asleep.  When I finally got through to her,  I told her that I was ok, but her reaction was the same as mine when my friend called me.  I told her to put on the tv.  When she did, she gasped.  I told her I didn't know when I'd be able to get home, but I was safe where I was.  All bridges, tunnels and public transportation had been shut down indefinitely.  Pedestrians were allowed to walk over the bridges, but no vehicles were allowed except emergency vehicles.

I work on Fifth Avenue.  It's the main road headed south (downtown) in Manhattan.  All we could hear was siren after siren of the cars, trucks and ambulances headed for the scene. 

Once the towers fell, we were cut off from the outside.  The phones were down and people were evacuating buildings all over the city.  The building management wanted us to evacuate, but my boss refused to make us go.  Some of my co-workers left to walk home.  Most of us decided to stay put.  The boss ordered lunch in for us.  Those of us who stayed sat in the conference room watching the reports on television.  As I remember, the only station still broadcasting was CBS because they use the antenna on the Empire State Building.

I knew public transportation would be restored once the events became a little clearer.  There were too many people who needed to get back home for the trains and buses to be shut down for very long.   

Around 3pm or so, public transportation was running again and  I headed for the nearest subway.  The line I take runs underground for only part of the route.  Most of the tracks are elevated.  When we emerged from the tunnel, we could see the enormous plume of black smoke that once was the World Trade Center.  NYC subway cars are normally noisy places with conversations taking place in numerous lanuages.  That day, the cars were quiet.  If anyone spoke, it was hushed.  After we saw the black smoke, the car went completely silent. 

When I got to my stop, I decided to walk instead of taking the bus.  It takes about 20 minutes to walk from the subway, but the lines for the buses were extremely long and I knew I'd wait about that long before I'd even be able to get on a bus.

I was fortunate that day.  I didn't lose anyone I know.  My brother-in-law caught one of the last trains out of the area before the towers fell.  He's still coping with the experience.

I live in the flight pattern of two major airports (JFK and LGA).  Because all flights had been canceled, the silence was eerie.  It made the sound of military jets overhead frightening and comforting at the same time.  They sound very different from commercial flights. 

Things have gotten better since that day, but they'll never be the same.  Even after 5 years, emotions are still very raw.  I hurried to my office this morning because I didn't want to be by the local firehouse when the firemen came out to honor the men killed that day.  I haven't been to Ground Zero.  I used to work in the area and passed through the South Tower every day on my way to work. I don't think I could handle actually seeing the site even now. 

For some reason, Hamlet's last words keep running through my head today:

The rest is silence.

This is too sad. :( The mother hadn't been eating or sleeping properly since giving birth. She fell asleep while nursing her cub, dropped the baby and rolled over crushing it. The poor thing is looking for her baby. The cub's twin was taken away earlier and is in the care of the zoo keepers since the mother is  inexperienced.

complete story

Weird warning labels

His name probably doesn't ring a bell. To be honest, it didn't for me either, but his credits definitely will.

In 1960, writer and composer Joseph Stefano was called upon by Alfred Hitchcock to take a novel by Robert Bloch and adapt it for the screen.  The result was Psycho. The book begins with Marion Crane arriving at the Bates Motel and immediately being murdered.  Stefano believed the character needed some backstory to make her more sympathetic and make her death more important to the audience. 

Later in the 60s, Stefano teamed with screenwriter Leslie Stevens to create and write The Outer Limits.  Stefano also wrote for The New Outer Limits.

He wrote several television movies and for various television series including Start Trek: The Next Generation.

25 years ago, IBM introduced the personal computer.  At the time, the idea that people would use computers in their homes as part of their everyday lives seemed far-fetched.  I've worked as a computer programmer nearly as long as PCs have been around.  I've seen tons of changes in that time...  from black screen with green print to dazzling colors and images... from DOS to Windows... from the Internet being a tool for scientists to the World Wide Web as a school, playground and marketplace for the world. 

Before the start of the 2006 baseball season, my nephew purchased tickets to several games planning to attend with his mother (my sister) and father. Since making the purchases, he applied to graduate school, got accepted to grad school, graduated from college and started graduate school classes at night while working as a newspaper reporter during the day.

Why am I telling you this and what does it have to do with the blog title?

Because of his class schedule, the poor kid can't attend some of the games he bought tickets for. When that happens, I take his place. This past Tuesday was one of those games and it was a special one. I wish he could have attended, but I am glad I got to go.

Mike Piazza made his first appearance at Shea since signing with the San Diego Padres after the Mets didn't bother to resign him after last season. My sister and I got to Shea in time to see part of batting practice. When Piazza came out to take his turn, the slowly growing crowd cheered. Closer to game time, he reappeared wearing his catcher's gear to warm up with the rest of the Padres. More cheers. Just before the game, the Mets (in a great show of class) played a video tribute to Mike's days with the team.

Using the Beatles song In My Life as the music, Mike's great plays during his years with the Mets were played for the crowd. The Padres started back to their dugout during showing and several stopped to watch, including Mike. Of course, the highlights included the awesome home run he hit on September 21, 2001 when baseball returned after the events of 9/11. That one moment did more to lift spirits in NYC than it seemed possible. Yes, it was only a baseball game and, yes, it was just one home run among many that he hit as a Met, but that one act let us know that we could come back and things would get better, although they'd never be the same.

There are two former Mets on the 2006 San Diego Padres. The other is Mike Cameron and he precedes Mike Piazza in the Padre batting order. Cameron was a popular player in New York and his first at bat brought cheers from the crowd. He was the third out in the first. Mike Piazza's first turn at bat led of the second and brought the crowd to its feet. He tipped his hat more than once before taking his place in the batter's box. Most of the crowd remained standing for the entire at bat and he was cheered as he returned to the dugout despite being on the opposing team.

Many fans had signs to express their feelings for the former Mets. Lots of them simply read Welcome home, Mike. One said, Mike Cameron - the best smile in baseball. My favorite was Wish you were here held by a woman in the field boxes behind the Padres' dugout.

After his last at-bat in the game, the crowd gave Mike Piazza another standing ovation as he headed back to the Padre dugout. Everyone knew we were watching a future Hall of Famer. I hope he goes in as a Met.

There are places I remember
All my life though some have changed 
Some forever not for better 
Some have gone and some remain 
All these places have their moments 
With lovers and friends I still can recall 
Some are dead and some are living 
In my life I've loved them all 

But of all these friends and lovers 
There is no one compares with you 
And these memories lose their meaning 
When I think of love as something new 
Though I know I'll never lose affection 
For people and things that went before 
I know I'll often stop and think about them 
In my life I love you more 

Though I know I'll never lose affection 
For people and things that went before 
I know I'll often stop and think about them 
In my life I love you more 
In my life I love you more

In My Life by Lennon and McCartney