Kidnapped from ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
hammercock
Jan. 13th, 2003 10:02 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
gnomiWhere was I when...
1. When John F. Kennedy was shot (11/22/1963)
Not born yet. My parents were engaged but not yet married.
2. When Mt. St. Helens blew (5/18/1980)
In 3rd grade. I remember it happening, but I don't remember exactly where I was when I heard.
3. When the space shuttle Challenger exploded (1/28/1986)
This I remember vividly. I was in 9th grade, and I was in History class. One of my classmates had been thrown out of class for sassing the teacher (she used to throw people out of class for 10-15 minutes. to allow them to get things out of their systems, and then allow them back into class). When he came back in, he said, "The space shuttle just exploded." None of us believed him, because he was a major joker. But then we turned on the radio and heard the aftermath.
4. When the 7.1 earthquake hit San Francisco (10/7/1989)
This one's also easy - I was in Jerusalem with Young Judaea Year Course, and I'd skipped going on tiyul (sort of a hike thing) that day (it was Sunday in J'lem by the time we heard) because I'd sprained my ankle (again). I'd gone grocery shopping while most everyone else was out on tiyul, and when I came back, there was a note on the bulletin board listing the kids from the Bay Area (we had a decent contingent from San Francisco/Berkeley on my program) and the notation "we've spoken to all your parents; everyone's fine." Of course, the note didn't mention the earthquake or anything, so everyone was panicking as to what might've happened in California. But then we were told about the quake.
5. When the Gulf War began (1/16/1991)
In my dorm room at BU. But I remember the next night even better - it was my birthday, and a bunch of us had gathered in my room for cake that my mother had baked and brought over. The phone rang, and it was my friend Jon. He said, "turn on the radio; they just started bombing Tel Aviv." I said, "come on over and have some cake." So we had what became known as the "War and Cake" party with about 10 of us sitting gathered around my radio and snacking on chocolate cake.
6. When OJ Simpson was chased in his White Bronco (6/17/1994)
Cleveland. I was in a wedding that weekend, and we didn't even know about the slow-speed chase until we were in the airport for the flight back, as we were so focused on the wedding that weekend.
7. When the building in Oklahoma City was bombed (4/19/1995)
In my office. We always had the radio on at that job, and I remember the announcer breaking in on the music to announce that something was going on in Oklahoma. It wasn't until later that I saw the pictures.
8. When Princess Di was killed (8/31/1997)
Now that's an odd one - that was the night that MAB won his Campbell Award. So we were having a "Couldn't go to Worldcon" party that night and didn't have the radio or TV on. We went to bed after the party without turning on the TV or anything. In the morning, MAB turned on the TV to see what had happened over night. I was still asleep, and he came into the bedroom and said, "Princess Di was killed overnight." It was so surreal after the evening we'd had, it took me a while to assimilate what he'd said.
9. When Bush was first announced President (11/7/2000)
At home, watching returns on NBC with MAB and laughing at Tim Russert and his mini white board. Later that week, though, I was in Fire and Ice in Harvard Square, having drinks with two friends, one who had recently left the company I work for and the other who was about to leave. All they had on the TV in the bar was the election madness.
10. When the 6.8 earthquake hit Nisqually, WA (2/28/2001)
At work. Most likely in a meeting.
11. When terrorists knocked over the World Trade Center (9/11/2001)
In my office. A coworker sent me a link to an ABC.com report on the first plane hitting, and that basically signalled the end of any work getting done that day. I spent much of that day on the phone, first at work and then at home, after my boss sent everyone home. While I was still at work, I was trying to get news on-line, but all the first-tier sites were jammed. So I ended up going to second-tier sites (the Boston Herald, NY Post, other newspapers) to get news. And people kept coming up to the floor I was sitting on at the time, as we had a TV (with horrible reception - sound only) to see what the TV news was saying.
</lj-cu
1. When John F. Kennedy was shot (11/22/1963)
Not born yet. My parents were engaged but not yet married.
2. When Mt. St. Helens blew (5/18/1980)
In 3rd grade. I remember it happening, but I don't remember exactly where I was when I heard.
3. When the space shuttle Challenger exploded (1/28/1986)
This I remember vividly. I was in 9th grade, and I was in History class. One of my classmates had been thrown out of class for sassing the teacher (she used to throw people out of class for 10-15 minutes. to allow them to get things out of their systems, and then allow them back into class). When he came back in, he said, "The space shuttle just exploded." None of us believed him, because he was a major joker. But then we turned on the radio and heard the aftermath.
4. When the 7.1 earthquake hit San Francisco (10/7/1989)
This one's also easy - I was in Jerusalem with Young Judaea Year Course, and I'd skipped going on tiyul (sort of a hike thing) that day (it was Sunday in J'lem by the time we heard) because I'd sprained my ankle (again). I'd gone grocery shopping while most everyone else was out on tiyul, and when I came back, there was a note on the bulletin board listing the kids from the Bay Area (we had a decent contingent from San Francisco/Berkeley on my program) and the notation "we've spoken to all your parents; everyone's fine." Of course, the note didn't mention the earthquake or anything, so everyone was panicking as to what might've happened in California. But then we were told about the quake.
5. When the Gulf War began (1/16/1991)
In my dorm room at BU. But I remember the next night even better - it was my birthday, and a bunch of us had gathered in my room for cake that my mother had baked and brought over. The phone rang, and it was my friend Jon. He said, "turn on the radio; they just started bombing Tel Aviv." I said, "come on over and have some cake." So we had what became known as the "War and Cake" party with about 10 of us sitting gathered around my radio and snacking on chocolate cake.
6. When OJ Simpson was chased in his White Bronco (6/17/1994)
Cleveland. I was in a wedding that weekend, and we didn't even know about the slow-speed chase until we were in the airport for the flight back, as we were so focused on the wedding that weekend.
7. When the building in Oklahoma City was bombed (4/19/1995)
In my office. We always had the radio on at that job, and I remember the announcer breaking in on the music to announce that something was going on in Oklahoma. It wasn't until later that I saw the pictures.
8. When Princess Di was killed (8/31/1997)
Now that's an odd one - that was the night that MAB won his Campbell Award. So we were having a "Couldn't go to Worldcon" party that night and didn't have the radio or TV on. We went to bed after the party without turning on the TV or anything. In the morning, MAB turned on the TV to see what had happened over night. I was still asleep, and he came into the bedroom and said, "Princess Di was killed overnight." It was so surreal after the evening we'd had, it took me a while to assimilate what he'd said.
9. When Bush was first announced President (11/7/2000)
At home, watching returns on NBC with MAB and laughing at Tim Russert and his mini white board. Later that week, though, I was in Fire and Ice in Harvard Square, having drinks with two friends, one who had recently left the company I work for and the other who was about to leave. All they had on the TV in the bar was the election madness.
10. When the 6.8 earthquake hit Nisqually, WA (2/28/2001)
At work. Most likely in a meeting.
11. When terrorists knocked over the World Trade Center (9/11/2001)
In my office. A coworker sent me a link to an ABC.com report on the first plane hitting, and that basically signalled the end of any work getting done that day. I spent much of that day on the phone, first at work and then at home, after my boss sent everyone home. While I was still at work, I was trying to get news on-line, but all the first-tier sites were jammed. So I ended up going to second-tier sites (the Boston Herald, NY Post, other newspapers) to get news. And people kept coming up to the floor I was sitting on at the time, as we had a TV (with horrible reception - sound only) to see what the TV news was saying.
</lj-cu
