[b] Found some wandering notes so I thought I should add them on to this story.

And I am doing better now but I still can't look at the NYC skyline.

Telepathic Cats

A few days after “the tragedies” (as I will now refer to them) Agnes told me around 8:30 in the morning Yaz got up on top of the television set and let out their repeated death howl (as she called it) It was loud and scary. Around the same time, Eddie started running around the house and then stopping and rolling on the floor and doing it for like a half hour, on and off. Yaz howled for about an hour. Could it be the cats sensed the tragedies were about to unfold?

They did sense I was hurting so both of them put off their catfights over who would sleep in my bed, and stayed with me for several days. I could not sleep that well anyway.

Dated Material

While I was riding the PATH train to the Flyertalk dinner Thursday night, I went through my mail and found two things that are now “dated material” and left me with a haunting memory:

*An Oppenheimer News letter with a picture of the New York City skyline with the Twin towers in it.
*A J Crew catalog with a message saying something like “to check out the latest styles visit our store on the World Trade Center Concourse.

Very haunting. And as I looked at it I wished it were not dated.

Therapeutic Dinner

I was glad that I could have old friends and new friends come to Cite for dinner, Cite where I had one of the happiest nights of my life.

What we ate is probably irrelevant. But the talk covered everything, not so much on the tragedies but more on everything from keeping Rudy Giuliani mayor to why this will NOT stop our travel to our security experiences in the new era to what the airlines might do (bonus wise) to get us to fly again (Everyone at the table was flying again or had flights set) to Flyertalk CLASSIFIED gossip! )

For me to just ESCAPE for a few hours and have a fun dinner was the best medicine. It also made me think on how LIVE CHAT has helped some flyers express their frustrations and concerns and fears and emotions.

Thanks to Rich G who first proposed a gathering of Yawkers for a recovery from WTC dinner, Larry U for suggesting we get together and Trans World One for doing a local stopover… Larry U’s purser for letting us say thanks for all the “flight Angels” (my new name for Flight attendants) yummyham for coming to her first (of many I hope) dinner and 2 Many Miles for joining us and Dhammer for adding his own touch to gatherings as he only can.

Talking is the best medicine. And writing about it too.

The “New” Newark Airport

I made it an effort to make it to EWR two hours early because of the government saying lines would be long and bags searched. I was taking my rollaway bag and my computer bag with my trusty MAC. Decided ahead of time to check the rollaway so I didn’t have problems. With its size or with security.

Here’s how my “longer than usual” check in took:

*Ticketing: about 5 minutes including security questions of “did you pack your bag yourself” and “do you have electronic gear.” I showed them the big adapter I put in my rollaway and she said it was ok.
*Going thru x-ray to the Red Carpet Club: 15 sec.

A Middle-Aged G-I Joe

Right before I was to go into the Red Carpet Club this fat guy in fatigues with a mustache stands in my path and says, “I need to ask you a few questions.” So he asked where I was born (Jersey City) and then asked, “Are you a U.S. Citizen” (duh) and then asked to see Identification. Presented my Passport and then GI Joe flips through it and says “I see you have been to Hong Kong, India, Nepal” and then asks if I travel a lot and why. I told him “to escape” he thanked me for my patience and let me go in the RCC.

Listening is the Best

My good bartender friend Maria was there as usual and she told me of EWR being shut down and then her working like 7 hours for all of last week. She said a lot of people were coming in depressed and confused and needing someone to talk to. Maria said she did the best she could to listen and offer support while trying to deal with her own shock and depression over the tragedies.

It still was hitting me hard and Maria told me there were Red Cross people going around the airport to listen and offer comfort. John with the gray beard and kind face came in for some water and I went over to thank him and the Red Cross for their work in helping people deal with this tragedy. He asked how I was dealing with it and I said it was really tough.

So John and I went outside and spent the next 15 minutes of me talking of my physical and emotional exhaustion from this story and from work, my shock, and my disbelief over what happened. I also said I broke down earlier when I saw the Towers gone.

John was very very understanding, like a good psychiatrist or religious leader or good friend: listening and offering comfort and great advice. He said it’s ok to feel emotion over this, to grieve and be angry and just express my emotions. He said the trip I was taking was probably very good just to get away and focus on LIVING.

My flight was near and we had to cut our talk short but John and Maria also helped in my healing process, and I’ll be thankful to them.

Life Now Must Go On