Saturday, September 11, 2010

Where Were You?

09/11/2001
I was working for a company in Mequon as a Billing Clerk.  I usually started work around 7:30.  I always had the radio on 94.5 WKTI (which is no longer).  I heard Miller state the bad news and I immediately was chilled and froze.  I don't think I believed my ears.  As they kept saying what was happening, I called my parents.  They were on vacation in Michigan.  I asked my mom if they heard what happened.  She said they were stopped on the side of the road listening to the radio.  We talked about if we were all ok.  I asked about my brother, who at the time was living at home with my parents.  He was around somewhere, but I don't remember if I called him or not.  It was all very surreal.  They guy I happen to be dating worked at the same company.  He got in a little later that day and was in one of his moods - he had many.  As I approached him, I knew immediately he would not provide the comfort I needed and expected.  Many of us sat in the lunch room and watched the footage.  We were all in shock.  Everyone knew someone in that part of the nation at that time.  I did not.  I thought I could thank my lucky stars, but I couldn't.  Someone attacked the country I hold so dear.  I don't remember much of the rest of the day.  I'm sure we eventually went about our day.  I remember later that night sitting with my roommate and her boyfriend watching the news in disbelief.  We waited for the President to speak. We waited for someone to piece it together.  Sometimes I think we still don't have it pieced together. 

I remember that morning like it was yesterday.  It's hard to believe just 2 months later, I would meet the man who became my husband.  When I think about that time and how it has passed, I remember how lucky we are to live in this country.  Every year, I think about where I was and how it felt then and feels now.  As I watched a bit of MSNBC this morning, I realized that the feelings are still raw.

May those who lost their lives that day rest in peace.  May those who kept their lives that day live in peace.

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Little Miss Muffet

Clearly, I am just like Little Miss Muffet... except for the fact that I was sitting on my chase lounge in my living room updating Twitter, when the spider crawled up the arm of my chair and I freaked out.  However, let me set the scene...
Sunday evening.  We were watching that night's episode of Ice Road Truckers on DVR.  Frank got up to take something to the kitchen when he saw The Spider on the wall about 3 feet to the left of me.  He ran to get something to kill it with, but was too slow and when he came back, it was gone.  Not really, though.  It was hiding behind the book shelf.  Mind you this is a 6 foot tall, 3 foot wide shelf with a back.  While we tried to figure out a way to get The Spider out, I decided to stand on the chair and push the shelf back towards the wall - in hopes that I could push it back enough to crush it.  That didn't work.  Since we didn't think of using hairspray as many of my Tweeps suggested, we did use Lysol.  Which, just for the record, doesn't kill a thing.  What it did do was drop the spider 5 feet to the floor.  Which is where the story usually ends.  But not at my house.  Frank proceeded to move stuff around on the floor - school bag, his guitar case, a small magazine rack.  As he was unable to find the spider, he retreated to the kitchen.  Moments later, I screamed like a school girl, hopped out of my chair faster than I have ever moved in my life.  Why did I scream?  Well, only because that spider was crawling up the arm of my chair, about 3 inches from my arm.  This is where I tweeted this.  Frank then started scouring the chair and found The spider in the corner of the chair crawling down into the seat of the chair.  So, this of course, prompted us to pull the chair out, and everything that is lurking behind it.  After moving EVERYTHING, looking with a flashlight.  No spider.  That night I dreampt (not well but that's a story for a different time) about spiders.  It was not awesome.  Now, a week later, I am sitting in the chair for the first time with only minor heebeejeebees.  Also, still no spider.  I am convinced that The Spider laid spider eggs in my house and we'll have a huge mess to deal with.