What I'm Doing Now 2001-20022001 - On September 11, 2001 the world as we knew it ended. With the World Trade Center/Pentagon tragedy, we were forced to realize that America was not beyond the reach of our enemies. Sadly, it was the very principles which made our country great that enabled this attack. Every day it seems there are reports of further planned attacks. People in some of the other countries seem surprised at our reactions of shock and disbelief. They have grown used to this since it is almost a way of life for them and they remark "It happens every day here". Others may have had recent wars fought in their countries and have survived bombings and fighting in their cities. I think that is why this has hit us so hard. There has been no war physically fought in the United States since the Civil War [ I am not counting isolated incidences of rioting as I don't consider them war ] and it is not a way of life, not something we are used to and not something that is the basis of our grandparents reminiscence. We have no stories of hiding in basements or shelters during bombings, no air raid sirens going off daily and no tanks rolling down our streets. I think the most important thing that came out of this tragedy was that this nation is still a nation of heroes. Even people who, for whatever reasons, are hostile towards the United States HAD to feel admiration and respect for those who gave their lives to try to save their fellow citizens in this most terrifying situation. My only request is that their efforts not be wasted. Up til now, the heroes of the young were sports figures, musicians, movie characters ... and not to belittle these people, many of whom try to assist others in their own way, .... now they really have people to look up to and to model their values on. I think this is something that has been missing for a long time. We have had many "role models" but until this incident, we didn't know who our heroes were. I am aware that firemen, policemen, emergency workers and even everyday people put their lives on the line every single day all over the country. Unfortunately, it is usually only heard about in that particular city or area ... if at all. 2002- As I work on revamping this website, it is a time of much reflection and remembering. I can't help but wonder about many of the people who were around when it was created and whom I have since lost touch with. One day maybe I will write to the old email addresses or, in the case of Acrophobia chums, send an ICQ message and see if I get an answer. It would be interesting to see what they are up to. This year has been relatively quiet, too much Diablo, too little research. I'm starting to be like the old ladies in the novels, talking to my 3 cats as if they were 'real people' [ to me they are family and they DO talk back!]. I'm consolidating both Merlin's Magic and The Hiding Place and will soon start a new website, once I decide what I want it to be about. One of the memories I was thinking about was a website I had seen years ago called "Grandmother's House" [I think]. It was done by one of the older 'net citizens and consisted of poetry and artwork that she did. It was a very inspirational place to visit and is greatly missed as I cannot find it now. Maybe something like that would be fun. I could even include a section on "How NOT To Make A Website" and include some of the funnier mistakes I have made. |