9/11/01-9/11/11

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I was 12 years old on September 11, 2001.  I was in eighth grade.  I remember sitting in science class watching the news footage; not really understanding the magnitude of what was happening.

That morning — I used to sleep with my radio on for background noise — I heard about it on the radio as I was waking up.  In that halfway point between being awake and asleep, I thought I was dreaming it.  I also thought I had dreamt John Ritter’s death.  Once I realized that I wasn’t dreaming and that it was real, I still didn’t understand.

By the time I got to school, it had been determined that the planes were deliberately flown into the Twin Towers.  Into the Pentagon.  Some of the kids at school were trying to make it seem like our area was a target because of the missile storage or something, nearby.

We stayed the full day at school and when I got home, every station was covering the story.  I will never forget seeing footage of people jumping out of the towers to escape the fire.  I will never forget the footage of the planes flying into the towers and the towers collapsing being played over and over again.  I will never forget seeing the faces of the people in New York as they ran from Ground Zero and watched their home city in chaos.  I will never forget the estimated death toll rising throughout the day.  I will never forget.

Seeing the footage today, ten years later at age 22, is different.  In a way, I understand the magnitude of what happened.  I understand the loss and the fear that is now synonymous with that day.  I don’t think I’ll ever really understand, though, why.  I guess what it comes down to is that I can’t understand that level of hatred.  Hopefully I never will.

For the rest of my life, I will remember what happened on September 11, 2001 and how it affected me, even all the way across the country in California.  I’ll always remember what I was doing and where I was.  I will never forget.  I will never forget all of the people who were trapped and died in the World Trade Centers and the Pentagon.  I will never forget the people who were trapped in the hijacked planes that flew into the buildings and the field in Pennsylvania.  I will never forget the rescue workers that died trying to save those trapped people.  I will never forget how scared everyone was, how angry everyone was, how proud everyone was to be an American.

In Loving Memory.  

Where Have I Been?!

Excellent question.  I have had a busy last month and a half.  I spent a few weeks in Florida trying not to be struck by lightning or washed away by the outskirts of Hurricane Irene while enduring abysmal internet access.  Family tragedies and personal pains accompanied with an evidently weak immune system have also hampered my updates.  School is getting ready to start up again and with it, the stresses of literature and administration.  Graduation is applied for; now all I need to do is apply for graduate school.

You don't care about any of this, I'm sure.  Let's get to the crux of the matter, shall we?  Let's talk about sustainability.

As I said, school has returned with vengeance and with it, long days spent on campus trying to avoid the snack machines and the questionable nutrition provided by the Student Union.  On my campus, there is a deli, chinese food, pizza, sushi, burgers, and sandwiches of varying sorts.  Notice a pattern?  All meaty.  This offers me few options outside of the vending machine.  What do I do?  I bring food from home.

I like to bring sugar snap peas, carrots, pretzels, chips, clementines, granola bars, and whatever else I can think of that I know will travel well.  With all of this, I put trust in my fearless reusable water bottle.  This one was courtesy of New Wave Enviro.  

It is my Pandabulous water bottle that I wrote about previously.  Along with water bottles, New Wave Enviro also has water filters to ensure that your drinking water is as pure as it could possibly be and they also carry storage containers for lunch travel.  My personal favorite is the stainless steel container.  Like with the stainless steel water bottle, it is the safest in storage because there is no leeching.  

By using reusable things like water bottles and tupperware, you use less plastic bags and packing thereby creating less waste and saving money.  Win win.