Watching Letterman tonight, the Fire Commissioner for New York City was on … talking about the rescue team people that were lost at the World Trade Center and he mentioned Pete Ganci, the family friend of Michele – I got all choked up when he was talking about him… Maybe it was just hearing his name on TV, after reading about him the past two weeks.
This morning I stopped at the apartment office to see if there was a package for me because Chelsey sent me a pestering e-mail yesterday asking “Is it there yet? Huh? Huh?” I had to ask her what she was talking about – she had a birthday present sent to me. I didn’t have a notice in my mailbox, but I figured it didn’t hurt to check. And there was a box waiting for me from Terry’s Village! She sent me this super sweet blanket with the words on it “She and I, friends are we… Best of friends we’ll always be”, and they embroidered “I Love Ya Man! Chelsey” on it. Awwwww… I love it!
Tomorrow is dentist day again. Blah. They have to do the scaling on the right side of my mouth. Nothing quite as much fun as having them scrape under your gums, huh? And the day before my birthday too… how much does that suck? Oh well, it’s the price I pay for healthy teeth & gums. Have to keep that beautiful smile looking fabulous!
I have become very skilled at taking photographs of myself & my friends while holding the camera at an arms length away and snapping the picture. Sandra & Myself, the Birthday Girls, With my friend Tom, With the Cow of Lilies.
Mayor Giuliani is on Letterman, and he has me in tears, talking about the fact that 25,000 – 30,000 people were SAVED. When the planes hit on September 11th, there were 30,000 people in the World Trade Center towers. The firefighters and police took advantage of every minute, and saved so many lives. They kept things orderly and got people out. The people were dignified and brave and evacuated quickly. The firefighters and police did their job. It is amazing when you think about it. The size of a small town, moving out orderly in such a crisis. Wow. That says so much.
I was just going to “skim” through my e-mail quickly before I left the office. (Yes, 8:15, and I am still here…) I had two e-mails just JUMP out at me though, and I had to stop and write about them now, before I head home.
THE POWER OF ONE
As the soot and dirt and ash rained down, We became one color.
As we carried each other down the stairs of the burning building, We became one class.
As we lit candles of waiting and hope, We became one generation.
As the firefighters and police officers fought their way into the inferno, We became one gender.
As we fell to our knees in prayer for strength, We became one faith.
As we whispered or shouted words of encouragement, We spoke one language.
As we gave our blood in lines a mile long, We became one body.
As we mourned together the great loss, We became one family.
As we cried tears of grief and loss, We became one soul.
As we retell with pride of the sacrifice of heros, We become one people.
We are
One color
One class
One generation
One gender
One faith
One language
One body
One family
One soul
One people
We are The Power of One.
We are United.
We are
AMERICA.
Wow. So true. That poem really hit me for some reason… and then I came to an e-mail from Naomi with an interesting subject line…
7000 I’s — a collaborative project
From DS Hendler:
As the numbers keep rising of the missing and dead in the September 11 tragedy, it gets harder and harder for me to get a grasp on the number of people lost. The numbers are edging towards 7000, and I am not sure we will ever know exactly how many are gone.
Each person is a point of view, a perspective. Perhaps that’s trite–I don’t mean it to be. The poet Quincy Troupe uses the word “eye” instead of “I” to emphasize the physicality and point of view of the speaker. I’m proposing to do the opposite: I want to collect 7000 copies of the 9th letter of the alphabet as a living memorial to those now gone. I think it would be more meaningful if many people did it, rather than just myself, so I am asking for 700 volunteers to make 10 “I’s” each and send them to me. I think 700 is a manageable number. How you make your “I” is up to you–digital, pen,
paint, whatever.
As I get them, I’ll post pictures and copies to a project URL . If you would like to help, please e-mail me (that’s DS Hendler, NOT Christine) with your name, address, web address if you have one, how many you’d like to do (1-10), and whether you want your name attached to your work, and I’ll send you my address and further project information.
You don’t have to be an artist to join the project! Also, feel free to pass this along to anyone you think might be interested in participating. To sign up, email DS. Visit The 7000 I’s project’s current home for more information.