A year ago today: When I arrived at my office, Iain was watching the TV. Now this immediately caught me as strange, since we turn on the TV in my office only a few times a year. He'd already guessed the first plane hitting the WTC was a terrorist attack. I was not buying that, not willing to think the worst. A few minutes later, I was thinking the worst.
My fiancee and my mother both were on email, already upset. I emailed back: "Well, if you turn on the TV, you'll find that we are at war. With whom it is not clear."
Then word got out that the Pentagon was hit.
The phone lines got all tied up and no one could get through. I could not get through to anyone, although my brother was able to get through from Paris.
Rumors were flying. I was finally put at ease over the plane crash in Pennsylvania when I got through to my father -- I was on edge, having heard that it crashed in Pittsburgh.
Our building was being evacuated, but lots of us came back inside. DC was in gridlock. Buildings were emptying but no one knew where to go or what to do.
I suelched rumors that the State Department and White House were aflame, since my office is not too far from either one - we would have been able to see the smoke.
I could conceivably have gone home to Eastern Market, but I didn't see the benefit -- with word that the Metro was packed to the gills, I would have had to walk all the way around the mall. Hey, we may have been at war, but I was still lazy.
I did eventually leave after noon, after things had died down a bit in my area. I stopped at home for some belongings, then went out to stay with my fiancee in Virginia.
Before I left, I sent out a bulletin to all my friends and relatives I'd not connected with already that day:
Subject: despite war, I'm fine
Just putting out the bulletin, since people are in a panic, TV does not help and phone lines are all a mess.
DC and NY city are emptying, and important buildings are aflame.
I'm fine, so are my parents in Pittsburgh.
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