In another fine use of company resources, I've figured out who I'll vote for tomorrow. Mostly. I think this is one of the first times I'll be actually casting a vote for purely strategic reasons.

Stra - tegery.

The first reports were that the National Mall was on fire.

And not just the Mall. By the time the federal government shut down at 10:00 that day, the local NPR station had reported explosions at the Washington Monument and the Old Executive Office Building (right next to the White House), plus a plane circling over the Capitol.

And those are just the stories I remember.

There were also reports that a bomb had gone off outside the State Department, IIRC.

And someone had posted what at first just sounded like a newsworthy fuckup of a small-craft flight.

Well, in Boston there's a convention center called the World Trade Center (among other things, there's an annual wine expo there), so when someone came in a said a plane had hit the WTC (as opposed to saying the Twin Towers or such), I thought they were talking about Boston. Then things started to get appallingly clear (if still confused on details). The fact that my office was then in the shadow of the Hancock Tower did not inspire great confidence, since no one knew if a whole bunch of other cities were being targeted as well.

It was lovely to have the Buffistas during that time. During all times, really.

For me, the support I got from you guys when my dad was dying and I was spending all day at the ICU and was trying to support my mom and was away from friends was life-saving. And a couple of years later when my mom was going through chemo so many of you helped in so many generous ways which I will never forget. It made going through both of those difficult things easier in really profound ways and I feel so lucky to be a part of this community.

The chorus and symphony have performances this weekend, and half of the concert is John Adams' "On the Transmigration of Souls," which was commissioned by the NY Philharmonic. It's pretty difficult, technically, and that's very good, because it means I have to concentrate on counting and coming in at the right time, rather than paying attention to the text, which is mostly taken from statements of people who lost someone at the World Trade Center. It's a good piece, but I can't imagine listening to it on a casual basis.

I was at the premiere of this piece at Lincoln Center. It was a bit of a fluke, no one knew then it would win the Pulitzer and I generally dislike modern pieces. So I was there for whatever else they were playing (googling tells me it was Beethoven's 9th), but hearing that piece is seared in my brain. So very moving. And I do remember thinking that it would not be easy to perform, so kudos.

The aftermath of that day was the basis for our becoming a community

I know that this is Buffista History Canon by now, but I've never really felt that way. The reason I thought to check in (from my honeymoon) in the first place was that we already were a community. I think in my mind we became a community after TT went pay and we were all alone (relatively) in the wilds of WX.

I remember reports of a plane in or around Detroit, which had me worried about friends and family back there.

I also remember MiracleMan woke me. THere's a whole story to that, but I'm making breakfast, so it will have to wait for a few.

I was doing Microsoft Word tech support at the time, and I remember the phone call I got from Midtown Manhattan in the middle of all that. He was determined to get his document formatted even though there was an evacuation order in place. "Sir," I said, "shouldn't you be leaving?" "This damn thing's due, and I'm not leaving until it's right!"

I figured his bosses would have given him some leeway on the thing, all things considered, but everybody copes in their own way, so I helped him get his document fixed. He was much calmer once he had that under control.