Tonight's TV

Doctor Who: I was never a fan of the originals all those years ago. I stumbled on the new one last year and the wife and I loved it! But alas the Doctor did one of his dying changes and is now another actor (I guess that is how it's been done) and tonight is his first episode. Not sure about it, the old Doctor was fantastic!

Numb3rs: I do not know why this is on at 10pm. We watch this as a family, it is a fantastic crime show for a family!!! Yes there is gun play and sometime vicious crimes but the show is about how there are alternatives to guns and force, math. Plus the 'math geek' is not only smart, but funny, has friends, atheltic and a handsome rogue. All good images to the young as saying look smart can be cool and problems can be solved using your head and giving thought instead of instant reaction. High on my list!

You must be saying, B that is a lot of TV (I still have Sunday to plot). Well, we are very busy people and by the time we get home we just want to crash on the couch for an hour. Plus all of the shows are DVR'ed now and takes little time to watch and many are saved for a rainy day or later that year (100 hours DVR). Of course this does not include my History Channel shows and a few TLC things we watch from time to time. Bottom line is I think TV is good, if done right. And when all the work is done and the dog is walked and it is too dark to be outside nothing is better then sitting on the couch for an hour as a family and laughing together and enjoying a good show.

Tonight's TV

My Name Is Earl: One of the funniest shows in TV. High/low brow, well written and acted, should have won emmy's for ALL involved!

The Office: Paired with Earl Must See TV is back!!! In it's heyday I do not think Friends and et al were this funny. Aside from Family Guy I look forward to this hour EVERY WEEK!!!

Survivor: Been here since Season 1 and will never leave. The original reality series, never better.

Supernatural: Thankfully a nice replacement to Buffy. The writing is not there yet but the stories are entertaining and I can watch it with my teenage son without anyone blushing!

CSI: Again another original, I am a little worried on the behind the scenes love stories. I've always seen this as a cross between Law & Order (no character development outside the crime) and NYPD Blue (crime is secondary to lives outside office). I think they are moving too far to Blue and not enough Sherlock Holmes........

ER: I almost gave up on this one last year. The final episode was better than the whole season! And when will Bend It Like Beckem leave the show already, I am so tired of her!

Tonight's TV

Jericho: I enjoyed the first episode. I like the writing and acting but I fear the theme will turn people off and lead to cancellation. It is a great concept, just a little too close to home for some. I look forward to seeing this one through.....

Criminal Minds: In a word, fantastic. The cast is great and the characters play off of each other very well. Mandy Patakin (sp?) is fantastic and I can see the dude from Dharma & Greg was a wasted talent on that show. Here he shines and the support he gets from the rest of the cast makes this an A-1 crime drama.

Tonight's TV

The Unit: With a great cast and excellent writing this drama fills the void left by Over There. A military drama that shows the war abroad and the one's left behind at home. While this is mostly a special ops team, their deployment affects their families even though they are not stationed overseas. Check it out.

Slow night for me, TV wise. It is good because I have Scout meetings and training. Plus it will let me catch up on some of the weekends viewing.

What I Just Read...

Today I have a book review. I am an avid reader and usually finish several books a month. And while I have rambling tastes on books when I finished this one I knew I had to share my thoughts on it.

Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer by James L Swanson

WOW, in a word. This non-fiction book held me from start to finish. It goes from the day Richmond, VA fell to the aftermath of all the participants in this historic event. The author draws on vast amounts of research including but not limited to newspaper reports, official correspondence, military reports, personal letters, diaries and family writings to get to the heart of this story. This is one I will definitely make the boy read and already suggested it to the wife. It gets into the mindset of the people at the time. The end of war, the remaining bitter feelings, the 'smallness' of the world, the expectations of people at the time. When all was said and done the Garrett's (whose farm Booth was captured in) were more concerned by the fact that they had refused a traveler the comforts of a meal and bed then the fact that they were harboring the President's assassin. It is a spellbinding trip as we follow Booth for 12 days and the ensuing manhunt for this man and his band. Go out and find a copy right away.

Tonight's TV

Prison Break: Very happy with 2nd season. Was very worried how they were going to pull it off moving the drama outside the very prison they spent the whole of season 1 in, but they did a great job

Vanished: On my chopping block. Not long for the DVR

How I Met Your Mother: Makes me laugh and better than more then half the crap they roll out as comedy these days. Think early Friends.

Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip: Very surpirsed I laughed at the first one. I love the dialog and inside TV jokes. When the Censor tries to put a beta tape into a VCR I near crapped my pants I laughed so hard, because it is SO TRUE!!!!!

CSI: Miami: I got sucked into this one as the wife loves it. I stuck around and wait for Caine to put on his glasses so I can go to bed, episode over!

Heroes: My most anticipated show of the new year. I hope to God they keep it around!

Rain, Rain Go Away...

We did have a busy weekend, it just got rained out. On Saturday we were up at the crack of dawn for this weekends band competition (again in Cincy) but the forecast was for 100% rain and they changed it from an on field marching competition to an indoor festival. While a good idea it was not worth the drive, gas money, etc, so the band practiced for this weekend's comp in Louisville!!!

Sunday dawned with little to no rain in the forecast and we hit the baseball diamond at Noon and found the fields flooded. SO our double headere was out. We did get some BP in for the boys that did show up. After the BP was done and everyone had left we stayed and had the wife throw to the boy and I sat in the back of the batting cage and talked him threw his swing. He feels he has lost his swing and has not had a really good hit since before the end of the spring season. Not sure why but we are working on it.

I mowed the jungle but with all the rain even at 6pm at night with all day to dry I have TONS of CLUMPS but it had to get done. If I waited any longer I would have had to weed wack the lawn BEFORE I mowed it.

Till next weekend!!!!

The Fall Season Is Upon Us....

and no I do not mean the weather. TV's new season is here and taking a hint from Rocks In My Dryer I will list the shows I watch, new ones I will try out and Summer Season I already miss...

Same Old Same Old:

• ER
• CSI
• Survivor
• The Amazing Race
• Family Guy
• Simpsons
• American Dad
• How I Met Your Mother
• CSI: Miami
• Prison Break
• The Unit
• Lost Criminal Minds
• Supernatural
• Las Vegas
• Numbers
• Doctor Who
• Battlestar Galactica
• Desperate Housewives
• Scrubs
• Weeds
• Brotherhood
• My Name is Earl
• The Office
  

Looking Forward To:

• Jericho
• Heroes
• The Nine

Already Miss:

• Deadwood
• The Shield
• Rescue Me
• 30 Days
• Sopranos

Wow, I spend way too much time watching TV. The thing is we have always 'stored' a show. We usually record an entire season and then save it for a later date to watch. Over Thanksgiving to Christmas when no new episodes are on or after the season finales of your favorites are done in May. Now with DVR technology we have them all at our fingertips. It takes 15 minutes to watch a sitcom and 45 to watch a drama. So we have shortened our viewing time as well as been able to weed out the trash by saving a few episodes "in the can" then if it gets dropped by the network or panned we can just delete them and never have wasted the time on them in the first place.

The point is there are some GREAT shows out there with fantastic writing and acting and that you should skip the BIggest Loser Flavor of Love crap and find some excellent television. You will be pleasantly suprised!

Stolen

What do you like most about where you live?

My entire family is within driving range. My parents and sister are within 3 miles and both my brothers live 3 hours away in the same city. It is clean, quiet and growing. The boy is growing into a man and there are more opportunities here to take advantage of.

Is there anything strange about where you live?

It's the mid-west, coming from New York EVERYTHING is strange!

What is one of your all-time favorite music albums, and why?

Blues Brothers: Briefcase Full of Blues. I first owned it on 8 Track and can sing along to everysong and could play along on either the harp or trumpet! Every song a classic!

Did you have a passion for something as a kid that you still have now? (If not - what is one of your passions now?)

Reading. I read all the time. My tastes have grown but I still fall back on a good fantasy or scifi and will read everything and anything by Stephen King

What do you like most about having a blog?

The way it seems to attrack like minded people. The people who read this and comment so that I may read there's may not be the same class, religion, race, age, etc. But we seem to have similiar ideals of happy healthy families, safe places to live, and a bright future for us and the next generations.......plus I get to rant!

The Weekend Round Up

Ah the busy weekend, the bane of daily (or semi-daily) bloggers:

Friday Night Lights:
The boy is in 8th Grade but in the HS Marching Band (percussion) so he plays at all the home football games. They get to the High School right after school (3:15) and are there till after the game (10pm this Friday). As the dutiful parents we are we attended the game and watched our boy play and watched our team go 5-0 on the season. HS football was not that big in NY and we are enjoying the 'big event' every Friday. It is fun, the boy loves it and we get to see many families we know from Scouts, baseball, school and work. So it is actually win win for us. We just need those seat cushions as the metal bleachers are killer!

Saturday in Cincy:
After the late night Friday the boy and I woke early (7am) Saturday so we could get back to the High School for practice and competition, in Cincinnati. I dropped him off at 7:50am and then went home and relaxed. I did some laundry, played on the PC and worked on the line ups for Sunday Baseball. The wife got home around Noon and we hit the road. We had a nice lunch and did some shopping at Costco, Half Price Books and Comp USA. We then hit the road for the 2 hour trip to Cincy and the competition, our boy went on at 7pm. Well I went by the directions the band gave us and not mapquest, as the wife had suggested. While following the band directions I missed the exit and ended up going 20 miles out of the way. The wife found a south route for us and we used that instead of traveling 20 miles back and when we hit 74 to Cincy at 6:15 we were 60 miles away, remember the boy plays at 7pm SHARP!
Needless to say I broke a few speed limits and we were about 3 miles from our exit at 6:50 when we see a police officer standing next to his car with the radar gun, then jump into his car quick as lightening. I stop immediately and get my stuff ready, as the officer approaches the car and starts to ask if we knew why he stopped us I hand him our info and say "Yes sir I know I was speeding but my son has a band competition that starts in 5 minutes at BLANK High School (I forget the name now), we drove all the way from Indianapolis and I have his sparkley thing here." At this point I pick up the glitter band sash that the boy left in the car in the morning and we had found when we left earlier. The officer takes our info and tells us he'll be right back. When he returns moments later he lets me off with a warning, tells me to do the speed limit, the high school is just up the road and good luck to our son. With that we thanked him and left, by the way 89 in a 65.

We get to the High School, park, run to the stadium, buy tickets, find a seat and as we sit down we hear: Please welcome Hamilton Southeastern High School, and they come marching onto the field. PERFECT. The band results:

• Grand Champion Small Bands
• 1st Place: Class "AA"
• 1st Place: Outstanding Visual Performance
• 1st Place: Outstanding Musical Performance
• 1st Place: Outstanding General Effect
• 1st Place: Best Auxiliary Performance
• 1st Place: Best Field Commander
• 1st Place: Best Percussion

Let's Play Two:
I pick up the boy from the High School at 1am and he and we are beat. During the car ride the wife and I finished the lineups for Sunday's double header. We get to the fields at 11:30 and the team played a fantastic first game and a pretty good second game. We won the first 13-1 (the boy caught and pitched a 1-2-3 inning). The 2nd game we lost but were in it until I left a pitcher in too long and he walked too many batters. I wanted him to work it out and he did but it was too late and we never caught up. My fault entirely and I made sure the pitcher knew that. Next week I am going to use that as a perfect example of how even the adults can make mistakes and that if we can learn from them and use them then it will make us a better ball player and person. I like to add those little life lessons as this is an instructional league and the parents have liked my little 'stories' (I have already talked about Babe Ruth and Ted Williams).

Wrap:
After the games (Noon till 4) and dinner with the family we got home, I mowed the front lawn and we collapsed on the couch and watched Amazing Race and went to bed EARLY. And the week ahead is no easier.

Hope everyone had a great weekend, either running around or sitting in the backyard with a book and the dog!

Dropping the F-Bomb

My kid is a good boy. He has had his problems in school and listening sometimes (show me a 13 year old who does not) but overall we are very proud of him. He is a caller, when he gets home and all of his work is done he will call the wife and ask for a snack (as to not spoil dinner) or call me and ask if one of his friends can come in and play. So he calls me the other day and asks that his friend come over and they play Madden and I say fine as long as your work is done (it was, I check after dinner). A little while later I get another call, they want to play a PC game (and he knows my PC is off limits to friends) since there is only one friend over and I know which game I say fine, no internet and only that game on the PC.

The wife gets home early to take the boy to band practice. She walks upstairs and the boys are in my office playing the PC game they asked to play and as she sneaks in the friend sees the wife but she gives a sshhhhh motion and stands behind the boy who is into the game as it is his turn. She then gives him that smack to the head hit and he turns and instead of ouch or knock it off gives off a "What the fuck, that hurt!!" Now the friend's jaw drops and the wife sucks in all the air in the room. The friend says "Dude that was your mother." He turns red faced and stammers but the wife just says...."Zest or Irish Spring".

Fast forward to 9:30 when I pick up the boy from band. We are talking school and band and stuff when I finally tell him I heard mom came home early. He gets red and really quite and if he could of disappeared into the seat he would have. He looks and me and sadly says yes and that he said some things he shouldn't have. I look at him and break it down like this:

"I am not going to punish you, I am disappointed you use that language but you hear it all the time from me. So I am going to tell you this, you do not need that language, you are a good kid and can express yourself better than that. I am an uncouth city boy who uses language I am not supposed to. You do not have too, it is not cool and it is not needed. I know you hear it all the time on TV, music and your father. I ask that if you hear me talk like that you yell at me and that if music or movies you see or hear have that in it, rethink you choices about listening or watching those things. And the most important thing is that if you do use something like damn or crap you do not let your mother hear it. I will be upset and this is your free warning but your mother will be pissed!!!"


We talked some more and settled the problem then and there (I hope). In the meantime I have controlled my language and made an effort to clean up the Queen's English in our home. We'll see how it goes.

Roy Michael Wallace

This was the information I was emailed for this project. Go to the link above to see more and better information about him and the 2,996 other victims of September 11th.

Name: Roy Michael Wallace
Age: 42
Killed at: World Trade Center
From city: Wyckoff
From state: N.J.

They can tell you much better who we was and what he did, I am here to tell you why he died:

• He died because he worked for a living
• He died because he loved his family
• He died because he worked hard
• He died because he played harder
• He died because he respected women
• He died because he believed in family values
• He died because he loved and honored his wife
• He died because he loved and taught his children
• He died because he enjoyed baseball
• He died because he loved football
• He died because he cheered on the home team
• He died because he celebrated his faith
• He died because he showed up to work on time
• He died because he drove an economy car
• He died because he drove an SUV
• He died because he mowed the grass on Saturday
• He died because he enjoyed a beer and BBQ on Sunday
• He died because he stayed up late talking to his wife
• He died because he always had time for his mother
• He died because he honored and respected his dad
• He died because he horsed around with his brothers and/or sisters
• He died because he carried his youngest on his shoulders
• He died because he liked to travel
• He died because he was a homebody
• He died because he walked the dog
• He died because he stayed up with sick family members
• He died because he cried at funerals
• He died because he loved the cinema
• He died because he liked to watch TV
• He died because he laughed at Senfield
• He died because he cried at the final MASH
• He died because he was a Republican
• He died because he was a Democrat
• He died because he was you
• He died because he was me
• He died because he was an American
• He was murdered because he believed differently then those animals.....

And for that reason alone no matter what else he did with his life, he was killed.

September 10th, 2006

This is how we should be living. It was like September 10, 2001 today. We slept in a little then got ready for some baseball. We got to the diamond at 11:30 and took a little infield practice. We then played 2 games of baseball from Noon till 4. We split the double header (I am now a .500 coach) and had a good time. After the game broke up we came home, the boy put on his Manning jersey (not saying which one, he has both) and then popped down in front of the tube for some football. We ordered a pizza and I am showering and then joining the family for the rest of the night.

Quite days with baseball, football and pizza. Nothing more American then if we BBQued and lit some fireworks........

Enjoy the day!

Realization.

I read what I wrote this morning and I am a little shocked but when I look inside it is how I truly feel since September 11th.  It may not be a very Christian thing to feel but I do believe we are in a fight here that we have never faced before.  In the past there was always a figurehead (Hitler, Stalin, Min, Castro) for us to defeat.  There were always boundaries to show progress (Richmond, Berlin, Tokyo) but there is none of that now.  I think that is why people are having difficulties with it.  During WWII it was Germany and Japan as the enemy.  They had land, they had culture, people and figure heads.  The War on Terror has no such common thread but Islam.  They are from different countries, of different upbringing but share only one thing.  You knew who the enemy was now you do not.  All Muslims are NOT terrorists, but so far all terrorists have been Muslims.  They have no homeland, they are in the Middle East, they are in France, Britain, Germany, Spain, and here in the US.  There is no front, there is no 'progress' to report as our men and women make a push.  No D-Day, no Battle of the Bulge, no Battle of Midway.  Today Afghanistan was the front as a car bomb went off in front of the US Embassy.  Tomorrow it could be Sante Fe, Glascow, Dublin, Orlando or Houston.  That is the problem we are dealing with.  It is a new world, a new war and needs new thought and new tactics.  We are not at war with Saudi Arabia but yet 14 of their citizen's used 4 of our planes as bombs against us.  We cannot bomb Saudi Arabia, we cannot kill every Muslim, we cannot close every Mosque.  What do we do, how do we handle this, how do we defeat this enemy, how to we protect ourselves?  I do not have the answers but I feel like no one is asking the right questions.

Friday

I was reviewed at one of those BloggerChick review sites. I put my name in the hat to see what others thought. I was not pretty. The big thing for me was the pop ups I have. I have no idea where they are coming from. If anyone could lend a hand I would appreciate it.

As the for the rest of the 'review', well I use a blogger template and do not use a lot of code to 'pretty up' the site. The words are my own rambling thoughts, opinions and takes on life. I guess it is not for everyone but then again I am on the way to 40 while they are college age.

In the end I am glad they torched me. I got 67 hits on the day they reviewed me and my daily traffic has increased. It made me aware that the pop ups continue (I thought I got them Brent).

One comment did get to me though...How many 9/11 posts does one need they said. My response would be there should be one EVERY DAY! We are at war people, it is easy not to forget September 11th. Nobody alive on that day will never "FORGET" September 11th. However there are not a lot of people who REMEMBER September 11th!

• Remember the first shot in the war.
• Remember the innocents who died in NYC, Washington DC and Pennsylvania.
• Remember the regular men and women who helped one another get out of that hell.
• Remember the Heroes that charged into it to save others.
• Remember the Mayor for the strength he had to rally the city and the Nation.
• Remember the President who took no shit.
• Remember the men and women and animals who combed over that rubble in the hopes of finding someone alive.
• Remember the people who lined up in the streets and waved, cheered and cried as the fire trucks rolled in.
• Remember the churches, offices, abandoned buildings that served as refuge for those rescue workers.
• Remember the nations that cried with us and offered aid.
• Remember the animals that danced in the streets and celebrated the deaths of Americans.
• Remember the men and women who lined up to serve our country.
• Remember those who died protecting it.
  
• Remember the way the cowards ran and hid in the mountains when the lion roared.
• Remember always that we are at war and when the enemy is willing to kill themselves to kill you no amount of talking will ever change their minds.

There are people that whine about the POW's at Gitmo, they bitch about phone taps on POSSIBLE TERRORISTS. The cry about Iraq. They handle terrorists with kid gloves and those terrorists LAUGH at us and cannot wait to strap on a bomb and take as many of us with them as possible. These people are more concerned with Gay Marriage or No confidence Votes or listening to the Arab Street and finding ways to live together. These are the people who do not REMEMBER 9/11. These are the people that will kill us all. Get your head out of the sand, take off the blinders and open your eyes!!!

As I watched the Towers fall I saw them dancing and cheering and my heart was filled with hate! I am not proud of it but there it is. That burn is with me today and everyday. When I hear about another suicide bomber I cheer, one less animal for us to deal with. When I hear of secret CIA prisons I hope there are others we do not know about. When I hear of another US Service Man dying I cry and rage...why are we in a ground war, bomb them back into the stone age, it is not far for them. Knock them down and do not let them back up.

I read what I wrote and it is a little scary but when it comes to terrorist that is how I feel.

9/11: The Rest of the Day

The rest of September 11th is a blur. I remember sitting on the couch and watching the TV. Mostly staying on NBC but jumping around to the other networks, MSNBC, FOX, CNN, Headline, etc. I remember the phone sitting right next to me. I remember some of the calls (as detailed below) I remember talking to the wife often. But it really is a haze.

When the boy got home from school I met him at the bus stop (our driveway) and brought him in and explained what had happened. As an 8 year old, he took it like everything else; OK, can I have snack. We did his homework, played a little then he went next door to play with the neighborhood kids. I did not let him watch the TV or any of the replays for sometime. When the wife got home it all hit me. I gave her a hug then went to our bedroom. I was so tired, just so drained that I laid down for a second and it all flooded out. I started to cry for everyone and everything that we had lost that morning. With dinner on and wife and the boy going over homework I had a moment to myself. But the boy heard me crying and came to our room and asked what was the matter. The wife told him that bad men had did something very terrible and that it happened in New York City and that made Dad very sad. He came and gave me a hug and then we had a nice dinner with a friend who had come over.

Later that night I needed a drink and the wife and I and our friend had some drinks and watched the TV. Eventually the wife went to bed. I stayed up with friend and we talked and I decided to call in sick the next day. I really did not what to deal with this and have to work at the same time. I went to bed after midnight and slept in the next day.

September 12th I watched a little on the TV but did make lots of calls to family in New York. My cousin was fine at NYU and my Aunt was OK. My parents had lost several people they had known in the Towers. My In-Laws happened to be in New York that morning, seeing a Yankee game and a Broadway show. They woke early on the 11th to go to the WTC to sightsee but traffic is a big issue with my FIL and they decided to leave. According to them they were one of the last cars to cross the bridge out of Manhattan. They could not believe the confusion and hysteria on the ground and hauled ass back to Albany. My Grandmother was still upset and really pissed at "Arabs". To this day she wears a little Twin Towers pin she got years ago. She worked nearby the WTC for 30 years and was devastated that the buildings she saw go up everyday, little by little were now gone.

As part of the project I ask that you please leave a comment. Please grab this graphic and use it for your site and post how you remember that day. Drop your link in the comment box so that I may visit your site and read your words and thoughts and feelings from 5 years ago. Thank you for visiting and God Bless.

9/11: The Phone Calls

As soon as the first plane hit and we saw we were letting the networks cover the story I called my father. He worked in New York City for 20 years. He knew and worked with many companies that operated out of the WTC, and he is a pilot. At first we were all talking about an accident. I was talking to my Dad about Flight paths and Air Control Towers when I looked up and saw the 2nd plane live on TV. As it came into frame I remember saying He comes another one, somebody is going to lose their job sending planes over the city like that. When it hit I was stunned and my Dad said that was no accident. Things started moving in the control room and I told him I had to go.

Soon after I called my wife and told her what was going on. She was a Store Manager for Blockbuster at the time and there were no TV's only movies playing at the store and she was in her office (store still closed) going over nightly numbers and voicemails from district. I told her what had happened. She sent another employee up front to the only TV that got outside stations to put on the Today Show. I told her nobody knew anything and that just the 2 planes had hit the towers. I hung up and told her I would call later.

I called my Dad again and we talked for a few moments. He wanted to make sure I was OK and people were starting to think about getting to the ground floor in his building. One of his co-workers was upset because she was on a phone call with someone at the WTC when the line went dead (she was talking to someone at Cantor Fitzgerald). I eventually hung up.

When the plane hit the Pentagon the first call was to the wife. I told her what had happened and she freaked a little. She yelled at me telling me to not fuck around, I had to plead with her to believe me that the Pentagon was hit, she asked what was going on and I told her I think we are at war. I told her I would call with anything new and hung up.

I again called my father and we talked about 'the war'. He told me to be careful and we would talk later.

I then called my brother in Chicago. He was not home but his now wife answered and we talked for a few minutes. She was freaking out because their apartment was in the shadow of the Sear's Tower and that at some point during the call she looked outside and saw the streets filled with people moving away from the tower and heading to 'safety'. I told her to make sure she was safe and that I would call my brother later.

When the first tower fell I called my wife and just said it was gone. I told her I was going home as soon as possible and I would talk to her later. Eventually I left and got home. The first thing I did was call my grandmother (I did not have her number at work) who lives in Queens. I got her after a few tries (busy lines) and she was in tears. She could not understand why these animals would do something like that to the poor people, she could not understand why they would attack innocent people. Just like Pearl Harbor (my Grandfather, her husband was stationed there in 1941). We talked a little then I left to make more calls.

I tried to call my Aunt who also lives in Queens. I could not get through and was worried. My mother had called and told me my cousin was an EMT at New York University and was helping at the site. No one had heard from him and my Aunt was worried. He eventually came home but it was a long day for them.

After that last call I mostly sat on the couch and watched the entire thing unfold. I took a few more calls from wife and family but I remember little of those as I was just glued to the TV the rest of the day.

9/11: Work

I am joining the program to write my recollections and feelings on that fateful day 5 years ago. Today is my recollections of the day at work.

September 11th fell on my day off in 2001 but one of the directors was on vacation so I got to come in and direct the morning show (4am till 9am) but ended up staying a lot longer. We were an NBC affiliate and we cut into the Today Show every 25 minutes for local news and weather. In between those segments we do some production, hand out and just wait for our lunch break to start (9am). We were not paying too much attention that day until I saw a quick story about a plane that ran into the Twin Towers. Matt Lauer was saying it was some sort of small plane (Cessna or two seater) and not much was made of it. Getting ready to do our 8:56 cut in they showed the shot of the Twin Towers and the smoke coming out of it. NBC stayed with coverage but my master control operator tossed is control to do our cut in. During the segment I made the decision to go back to NBC Today instead of going to Live with Regis & Kelly, like we usually did at 9am. I got into the talents ear and told them to toss back to NYC about breaking news and a fire at the Twin Towers.

The rest is history. At 9am we went back to NBC Network and never left it for several days. About 10 minutes into the "Special Report" one of the Programming people came down and told us to run a crawl stating that we would run Live with Regis & Kelly at 10am in it's entirety. At that point it was clear to us (production) that this was something much bigger as we had been following it while everyone else was looking at commercial make goods and programming conflicts. I said to the woman not to put the crawl on as we were not going on for awhile and that Regis was already being cancelled. We then checked the satellite feed from Regis and saw both Regis and Kelly standing and telling the audience about the plane crashes and that they were leaving NYC and that they were now going to coverage on ABC News (Live's parent studio). The last thing I remember seeing was this look on Kelly's face like, Get the kids and let's get out of here. They dissolved to ABC news and that was the last we saw of them for awhile. I think that is when it hit the programming woman.

For the rest of the morning we were glued to the TV. I remember guys wanting to take a smoke break and one or two of us staying inside while the others went out for air just in case something happened. At one point it was my turn to monitor the situation when the first tower fell. I ran to the back door and yelled it's coming down and then ran back in followed by 5 guys. At first it seemed like the top part was sliding off and then the smoke cleared and it was gone. I remember saying to a co-worker, Now my son will grow up in a world with only one of the Twin Towers standing.

Side Story: While outside taking a smoke one of our employees was approached my a 'Middle Eastern" man who asked him what was happening at the airport and if the planes were still flying. My co-worker said he did not know and when the guy tried to ask another question another 'Middle Eastern' man in the car started honking the horn. The guy left and my co-worker thought nothing of it till the next day.

Then the plane hit the Pentagon and we really started to freak out. We wondered about other targets and other planes and then the United 93 crashed in Pennsylvania and that was the end, that was when we knew it was war and we held our breath waiting for more attacks in Chicago, LA, Dallas, etc.

I had already been on the phone with my wife, father and brother in Chicago. So when it was clear we were on the network and everyone was staying put, when the mid-director came in I told him it was my day off and I was going home. I jumped in my car and turned on the radio (AM) and listened to reports from New York. I remember crossing over the Erie Canal (about a mile from home) when the other tower fell. I just sat at a red light and cried. I grew up in New York City, had been to the WTC many times, my father had worked in their shadow for years and knew how many people were in there and I thought to myself that 20,000 people had just died in one minute. I got home turned on the TV and sat there until the boy got home from school at 3pm.

Hello Karma??

So I threw on sandals, a t shirt and holey jean shorts to run errands, get a hair cut and help the boy with a school project.  Outside the hardware store my car dies.  After an hour we get it started from help from my Dad and a friend who was passing by.  My Dad takes the boy to his house for a BBQ and to work on his project.  I head to the Auto parts store to get a new battery.  It is 11am.

 

I find an auto parts store that is open and get a battery, but the car will not start so I ask to borrow some tools and put the battery in myself.  I get the battery out but the positive terminal takes part of the old battery out with it.  It is fused shut and I spend the better part of an hour trying to get it off.  One of the guys in the shop then comes out to give a hand.  After another hour we decide to snipe the wire and replace the terminal.  We cut the old one off but then find that the shop is out of the part we needed.  They go to another shop 30 minutes away to pick it up ($1.15 part/ they did not charge me).  By the time they get back and the battery is in the car I have to leave for work and actually show up a little late.

 

So here I am in grease covered clothes, without a shower (haircut was on the list of things not done, so why take a shower when my hair will be washed and I will need another one before work), hungry and pissed I have to work on Labor Day.  Didn't I do a good deed yesterday in helping that little boy?

Do A Good Turn Daily

That is the Boy Scout slogan (Thanks Kav, I can't believe I missed that, an Eagle Scout). It can be as cliche' as walking an old lady across the street or carrying groceries in the house for your mom. Yesterday at the Bristol RenFaire it ment helping a little boy who was lost.

As we walked down a crowded path the boy noticed a young kid crying and pointed him out to me. I heard the kid say "Can somebody help me?" We turned around a stopped him and asked him if he was OK, he told us no he couldn't find his mommy. We got down on his level and told him we would help him find his mommy. While we got his name and age (5) we grabbed some wandering minstrels (it is a RenFaire) and told them we had a lost boy. One of the men ran to get security while myself and one other talked with him and tried to get him calmed down. He started to get teary eyed and I explained that a special person was on the way who could find his mommy and daddy and that everything would be fine. Right away the security person showed up and started taking information. I told her everything I knew (name, last name, age) and then told the boy that this nice lady was going to find his mommy very soon and that he should stay with her and her special flag (security people carry a yellow flag on a 10 ft pole so you could find them). He said OK, and we went on our way to enjoy the faire. Later we saw the Security woman again and she saw us and told us that they had found his mom moments after we left. The minstrel's gave us 2 coupons for free drinks with a thank you. I told them it was no problem and the coupon's were not needed.

Dumbest question I asked the 5 year old: "What is your mommy's name?"
Answer: "Mommy."

Of course the followup was Do you know your last name, which he did and we gave that to security.

'Crocodile Hunter' Killed

Stingray kills 'Crocodile Hunter' Irwin - Yahoo! News

I was shocked to see this today. My family always loved his shows!! He will be missed.

HOLY FRACK!!!!

Reaction News

Just my 2 cents on some news stories:

- JonBenet wanna be, way to go fuck head...you got your 15 seconds of fame and now ruined any chance of the real killer ever being convicted with your stupid all stunt. They should send your ass back to Thailand were you still faced charges and let you hang

- Katrina One Year Later: while heart broken at the lives lost and ruined last year I still wonder WHY did the people just SIT AND WAIT?!?!?!?!??! Do something for yourself and stop blaming other people and waiting for someone else to help you. I truly believe that part of the problem was the fact that most of the poor are so dependent on Government assistance that they just assumed someone else would take care of everything. This is a perfect example of the Welfare State to the extreme. People so dependent on the Government they died instead of helping themselves.

- The Blame Game: Everyone likes to point fingers, Katrina, Iraq, Gas Prices....people Bush did not cause all this and Bush will not solve all this, he inherited plenty of Shit from Clinton and the next President will not wave a magic wand and make everything OK. See above, do something for yourself and stop waiting for the Government to take care of it.