Comments on: My 9/11 Story http://www.fatcyclist.com/2006/09/11/my-911-story/ It's like reality TV. Except it's real. And there's no TV. Fri, 04 Mar 2022 03:21:11 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9 hourly 1 By: Jsun http://www.fatcyclist.com/2006/09/11/my-911-story/comment-page-1/#comment-504397 Jsun Tue, 12 Sep 2006 02:37:15 +0000 http://fatcyclistspacesarchive.wordpress.com/2006/09/11/my-911-story#comment-504397 It doesn't take an anniversary for me to remember the events from that day, as is the same for everyone I am sure.  Since that day, I have been all the more grateful for the smaller things in life and the opportunities that come with living in the free world. I agree with B21 - excellent riding story.  No wise crack comments needed today. thank you eldon Jsun It doesn’t take an anniversary for me to remember the events from that day, as is the same for everyone I am sure.  Since that day, I have been all the more grateful for the smaller things in life and the opportunities that come with living in the free world.
I agree with B21 - excellent riding story.  No wise crack comments needed today.
thank you eldon
Jsun

]]> By: Unknown http://www.fatcyclist.com/2006/09/11/my-911-story/comment-page-1/#comment-504398 Unknown Tue, 12 Sep 2006 00:35:11 +0000 http://fatcyclistspacesarchive.wordpress.com/2006/09/11/my-911-story#comment-504398 Thanks for that story. Same experience for me as for most people. Got to the boatshed that morning, and tried to train whilst watching the carnage and confusion. Watching it, and realising that but for the grace of God go we. Work and university were a complete washout that day as we sought companionship and some sort of understanding of what the hell was going on. But like you, we came down in the evening to sort something out in that closed space that is training. It still didn't make sense, and still doesn't, but keeping on with what we do somehow seemed to be the most appropriate way to deal with it. Le Monde said the next morning that, "we are all Americans today". I think we still are, five years later. Thanks for that story. Same experience for me as for most people. Got to the boatshed that morning, and tried to train whilst watching the carnage and confusion. Watching it, and realising that but for the grace of God go we.
Work and university were a complete washout that day as we sought companionship and some sort of understanding of what the hell was going on. But like you, we came down in the evening to sort something out in that closed space that is training.
It still didn’t make sense, and still doesn’t, but keeping on with what we do somehow seemed to be the most appropriate way to deal with it. Le Monde said the next morning that, "we are all Americans today". I think we still are, five years later.

]]> By: Robert http://www.fatcyclist.com/2006/09/11/my-911-story/comment-page-1/#comment-504399 Robert Mon, 11 Sep 2006 23:39:51 +0000 http://fatcyclistspacesarchive.wordpress.com/2006/09/11/my-911-story#comment-504399 I was on a long bike ride in Seattle when the planes hit. As I approached work, I wondered if it was some kind of holiday because there was so little traffic. I remember thinking back that the whole city felt deflated, but I think I was revising my memory a little. When I got into work, the first email message said something about how the people in the San Jose towers should clear the buildings, and the people in Seattle and elsewhere should go home and be with their families, but they didn't say why. I asked a guy in the hallway what happened, and I think he misunderstood me. He just said, "Probably Bin Laden." Then he realized that I knew nothing about what was going on and he explained that terrorists had hijacked planes and crashed them into New York buildings. I went home and parked myself in front of a television until the wee hours of the morning. What a helpless feeling. I was on a long bike ride in Seattle when the planes hit. As I approached work, I wondered if it was some kind of holiday because there was so little traffic. I remember thinking back that the whole city felt deflated, but I think I was revising my memory a little. When I got into work, the first email message said something about how the people in the San Jose towers should clear the buildings, and the people in Seattle and elsewhere should go home and be with their families, but they didn’t say why. I asked a guy in the hallway what happened, and I think he misunderstood me. He just said, "Probably Bin Laden." Then he realized that I knew nothing about what was going on and he explained that terrorists had hijacked planes and crashed them into New York buildings. I went home and parked myself in front of a television until the wee hours of the morning. What a helpless feeling.

]]> By: Unknown http://www.fatcyclist.com/2006/09/11/my-911-story/comment-page-1/#comment-504400 Unknown Mon, 11 Sep 2006 23:03:03 +0000 http://fatcyclistspacesarchive.wordpress.com/2006/09/11/my-911-story#comment-504400 Sorry I mispelled news!!! Sorry I mispelled news!!!

]]> By: Unknown http://www.fatcyclist.com/2006/09/11/my-911-story/comment-page-1/#comment-504401 Unknown Mon, 11 Sep 2006 23:00:30 +0000 http://fatcyclistspacesarchive.wordpress.com/2006/09/11/my-911-story#comment-504401 Funny, I thought the same thing.  I was just getting up and my wife ( now X-wife) says a plane crashed into the world trade center.  Being a United pilot I assume it's just some little airplane that crashed and think "what an idiot". Then I go downstairs and turn on the news.  Today I won't be watching much knews, but tonight as I fly to Sydney, I'll be thinking about it.  Glad I got my ride in today. Funny, I thought the same thing.  I was just getting up and my wife ( now X-wife) says a plane crashed into the world trade center.  Being a United pilot I assume it’s just some little airplane that crashed and think "what an idiot". Then I go downstairs and turn on the news.  Today I won’t be watching much knews, but tonight as I fly to Sydney, I’ll be thinking about it.  Glad I got my ride in today.

]]> By: Kevin http://www.fatcyclist.com/2006/09/11/my-911-story/comment-page-1/#comment-504402 Kevin Mon, 11 Sep 2006 22:29:31 +0000 http://fatcyclistspacesarchive.wordpress.com/2006/09/11/my-911-story#comment-504402 This isn’t bike related, but Fatty suggested I share this one here. I was in an offsite with a senior exec and other "leaders" of my company. We are West coast and the offsite started early, so the planes had hit, and one tower had fallen. We were all sitting around some conference room with the TV on. The second tower falls. Shortly after, our exec gets up to talk to all of us who have, understandably, not started the meeting yet. He asks what we think we should do, vis a vis the ALL DAY offsite.  He's getting the "we’re really not into this" vibe pretty heavy from everyone. Then he let's it go. I shit you not. Not two hours into the post 9/11 world, before I knew whether my brother who worked downtown was safe, while NYC was still in major chaos, I heard this argument for the first time:   “If we don't have this meeting, the terrorists will have won." This
isn’t bike related, but Fatty suggested I share this one here.
I was in an offsite with a senior exec and other "leaders" of my
company. We are West coast and the offsite started early, so the planes had
hit, and one tower had fallen. We were all sitting around some conference room
with the TV on. The second tower falls. Shortly after, our exec gets up to talk
to all of us who have, understandably, not started the meeting yet. He asks
what we think we should do, vis a vis the ALL DAY offsite.  He’s getting the "we’re really not into
this" vibe pretty heavy from everyone. Then he let’s it go. I shit you
not. Not
two hours into the post 9/11 world, before I knew whether my brother who worked
downtown was safe, while NYC was still in major chaos, I heard this argument for the first time:

 

“If we don’t have this
meeting, the terrorists will have won."

]]> By: JET(not a nickname) http://www.fatcyclist.com/2006/09/11/my-911-story/comment-page-1/#comment-504403 JET(not a nickname) Mon, 11 Sep 2006 22:09:53 +0000 http://fatcyclistspacesarchive.wordpress.com/2006/09/11/my-911-story#comment-504403 I remember just being angry. To this day it still seems completely senseless to me what happened. I won't watch the news today like most of you because I had all I could take of the images back then and choose not to relive them today. I'm also outraged that hollywood has 2 movies out about this day and justify it with saying "we can't forget about that day so this is why we are making the movie". I think it's obvious from our comments here as well as just about anyone else you talk to that we haven't forgotten, and we damn sure aren't gonna. How could we?   Like B21 said FC, that was the best "why we ride story" I think any of us could put up.   -JET I remember just being angry. To this day it still seems completely senseless to me what happened. I won’t watch the news today like most of you because I had all I could take of the images back then and choose not to relive them today. I’m also outraged that hollywood has 2 movies out about this day and justify it with saying "we can’t forget about that day so this is why we are making the movie". I think it’s obvious from our comments here as well as just about anyone else you talk to that we haven’t forgotten, and we damn sure aren’t gonna. How could we?
 
Like B21 said FC, that was the best "why we ride story" I think any of us could put up.
 
-JET

]]> By: regina http://www.fatcyclist.com/2006/09/11/my-911-story/comment-page-1/#comment-504404 regina Mon, 11 Sep 2006 21:53:19 +0000 http://fatcyclistspacesarchive.wordpress.com/2006/09/11/my-911-story#comment-504404 I was in boston, and I remember thinking stupid pilot when they thought it was a cesna, I was there for ATGDynamo training, supposed to leave on tuesday, did not get away till friday.  What a scary twilight zone kind of town it was, where only the odd were on the street, our hotel had no restaurant so we had to venture out.  Every time we left the hotel we took our plane tickets and identification and anything else we could not live without, because they were storming hotels left and right, and once they did you could not go in again, they would send you your stuff, later.  A bike ride would have been great.  Heck if I had had a bike I would have taken it out of there.  The news has nothing for me today. I was in boston, and I remember thinking stupid pilot when they thought it was a cesna, I was there for ATGDynamo training, supposed to leave on tuesday, did not get away till friday.  What a scary twilight zone kind of town it was, where only the odd were on the street, our hotel had no restaurant so we had to venture out.  Every time we left the hotel we took our plane tickets and identification and anything else we could not live without, because they were storming hotels left and right, and once they did you could not go in again, they would send you your stuff, later.  A bike ride would have been great.  Heck if I had had a bike I would have taken it out of there.  The news has nothing for me today.

]]> By: Unknown http://www.fatcyclist.com/2006/09/11/my-911-story/comment-page-1/#comment-504405 Unknown Mon, 11 Sep 2006 20:09:39 +0000 http://fatcyclistspacesarchive.wordpress.com/2006/09/11/my-911-story#comment-504405 We had a long ride scheduled (vacation day) for the next day.  Debated whether or not to drive out to Noble Canyon given the respect due the victims.  Rode anyways.  My buddy is in the Naval Reserve and thought (rightly) that he might get called up.  Better ride while there was still time.  My daughter was going to fly to New Mexico to see the grandparents (she was 9 at the time) but her flight got cancelled.  She was staying home, so we figured that would be safe.   We had a great ride, forgetting the events of the day before, what with the hard climbs, high speed and technical descents.  We were reminded that this was a special event when we noticed the complete absence of air traffic.  Still a hard ride can calm a troubled mind.  A scary descent can completely clear it, at least for a little while.     We had a long ride scheduled (vacation day) for the next day.  Debated whether or not to drive out to Noble Canyon given the respect due the victims.  Rode anyways.  My buddy is in the Naval Reserve and thought (rightly) that he might get called up.  Better ride while there was still time.  My daughter was going to fly to New Mexico to see the grandparents (she was 9 at the time) but her flight got cancelled.  She was staying home, so we figured that would be safe.
 
We had a great ride, forgetting the events of the day before, what with the hard climbs, high speed and technical descents.  We were reminded that this was a special event when we noticed the complete absence of air traffic.  Still a hard ride can calm a troubled mind.  A scary descent can completely clear it, at least for a little while.
 
 

]]> By: Unknown http://www.fatcyclist.com/2006/09/11/my-911-story/comment-page-1/#comment-504406 Unknown Mon, 11 Sep 2006 20:08:10 +0000 http://fatcyclistspacesarchive.wordpress.com/2006/09/11/my-911-story#comment-504406 An airliner crashes into a field in Pennsylvania.  Another one crashes into the Pentagon.  It's still unfathomable to think that these were the sidebar stories on that terrible day five years ago.  Your last paragraph sums up my feelings regarding the anniversary.  I'm staying away from the news today.  It's just too gut wrenching to re-live.    I remember the days of eerie silence, too.  At the time, we lived right under the approach path for the Bountiful Skypark, so we had a non-stop stream of Cessnas and Pipers flying overhead.  Normally it was annoying, but I actually took comfort hearing them once the flight ban was lifted.   BTW, I'm joining the dark side, Luke.  Starting work for a mostly Microsoft shop next Monday and will be migrating to C# development in the process.  Hope you're enjoying the fall.   KeepYerBag An airliner crashes into a field in Pennsylvania.  Another one crashes into the Pentagon.  It’s still unfathomable to think that these were the sidebar stories on that terrible day five years ago.  Your last paragraph sums up my feelings regarding the anniversary.  I’m staying away from the news today.  It’s just too gut wrenching to re-live. 
 
I remember the days of eerie silence, too.  At the time, we lived right under the approach path for the Bountiful Skypark, so we had a non-stop stream of Cessnas and Pipers flying overhead.  Normally it was annoying, but I actually took comfort hearing them once the flight ban was lifted.
 
BTW, I’m joining the dark side, Luke.  Starting work for a mostly Microsoft shop next Monday and will be migrating to C# development in the process.  Hope you’re enjoying the fall.
 
KeepYerBag

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