Shake, Rattle and Roll

Any of you who were in the NYC area on September 11, 2001 will understand why I and several of my colleagues had a near panic attack yesterday.  Earthquake is not part of the language on the East Coast.  We know they exist, however, because we are not 111 years old, it did not at first occur to any of us that the shaking of the building was actually a quake.  A collapsing building we might have believed but an earthquake?  Can't be.  Until the official word came that yes, that is exactly what it was.  While it is possible but highly unlikely that we will ever experience the feeling again here, in retrospect I am thankful in a wierd sort of way that I did get to know the feeling.  This is not to say I ever WANT to know the feeling again but just that it sort of gave me a perspective on what to expect.  We learned a lot too.  We did commit the one major crime it seems of taking to the streets when we should have found a nice cozy spot under our desks.  Hard to do if you are in a panic mode - which is the second major mistake to make.  I realize that folks on the West Coast are putting out a bunch of mock criticisms of us Easterners but honestly I don't know how they cope with the constant threat of these disasters.  I guess this is yet another example of that old saying that you would always choose your own problems over those of others.  It could be because mistakes and heartaches always teach or it could be that...........IJTWLI

Yakity, yak..............

I had a wonderful weekend.  My sister and I went with my three cousins for the weekend to the Jersey shore.  Michele has a house there and invited us for a cousins weekend to just sit and catch up with family business.  We spent hours recalling our childhood antics and it was very interesting to me to watch as others suddenly stopped talking to take a few minutes to remember and perhaps analyze what each moment meant in our development to adulthood.  We couldn't help but compare what our image during childhood did to our actual adult circumstances.  What I found particularly rewarding was realizing that blood really is thicker than water.  All the years that had passed had done nothing to chip away at our bond.  None of us share friends but all of us share our family memories.  We vowed never to let too much time get between us again.  There is still so much to learn about each other.  Do all families eventually do the same thing?  Is this what you do when you realize how fast time is going by?  Is this a way of recapturing your childhood?  I think most people feel the need to reconnect because..........IJTWLI

PS:  Thanks ladies for being you and loving me.  Love you too !!