9/11 again and the memories roll in and circle, everpresent.
I went into this blog today and discovered that all my posts pre-2003 have disappeared. All my comments about the day the Earth stood still for me in NYC. The day I arrived early as usual at work (AboveNet) and the security girl at the front desk said to me - a plane just crashed into the WTC. I said, "What??" and she turned and pointed at the vast window wall of my office - and there it was, one of the WTC towers a towering inferno.
I stood frozen and stared - just slightly south of our building, a couple minutes walk away, the top floors of one of the WTC were a roiling mass of bright orange flame and gray black smoke clouds. I stepped over to my desk by the window wall and stared - not particularly alarmed but fascinated. This sort of thing had happened before. Planes had accidentally hit the Empire State Building in the past, this was just a terrible accident happening again. I assumed it was relatively small plane and accidents happen. I sipped my coffee and idlely wondered how they'd put it out - I assumed they had the mother of all fire suppressant systems and sprinklers in the WTC. Standing at my desk, looking out the window, I dialled Alan in London for our daily morning call. I told him - plane hit WTC this mornng, I'm watching it as we speak. He scoffed. (I hate when people don't believe me when I'm stating something simple and factual. It just so insulting it wrings me out and leaves a bit of anger at them that never ever goes away.) I told him, turn on your radio - nothing - so I said, get CNN up on your computer.
As I stared out the window, waiting for Alan to pull up the CNN news site, a second plane - large, obviously a commercial jet - wheeled in the air and came straight at the other WTC tower at top speed and smashed! into the building. I remember shouting into the phone - another plane! Just hit the other tower! We're under attack - this might be war. I have to go... and I put the phone down and ran to find Marty (our Facilities Manager) and Alan (our Security Manager).
And the day went on from there. All day and into the night.
All my posts about it and all the photos I posted - all gone.
But my memories will be with me long time.
