Small Talk: The Regency Bar

[AnnA]

They are airing a few episodes on the 6th and then a marathon of Season 1 on the 7th, AnnA.

 

Thank you.

 

I'll check put it on my calendar and check it out.

[Mint Julep]

My friend works the Jo Malone counter at Saks and says that the candles are big sellers. Movie stars and rock stars often stop by to buy candles for their dressing rooms.

[AnnA]

In case you missed it during tonight's episode, Bravo is showing a "RHONY Secrets " episode next Thursday. I'm not sure what that means. Maybe they've changed the name of their "Lost Footage" episode.

Edited August 28, 2015 by AnnA

[Llama]

I guess ROSS is everywhere because they are here in NC also. And wow, I am going to have to case the joint also for those candles now. I am having a flashback type thing now of being in Tuesday Morn and seeing a Jo Malone candle and not purchasing it because it was probably more than $10. If only I had known. I case ROSS for Jockey bloomers. You can get a four pack there for $7.99 vs $22.50 or more in the regular store. Chicago is one of my favorite towns for tv shows, movies, books, and one of my all time favorite Top Chef seasons. Oh haha and also House Hunters. I wonder why there isn't a housewife show set in Chicago? Or a Texas town? But I don't think of ROSS when I think of Chicago.

I wouldn't think of ROSS and Chicago either - it seems fairly new here - at least new to me.

I remember Kimberly from the OC having to move to Chicago. That would be interesting to see. I remember Chicago Real World and never saw them film. :( That would have been fun.

[Almost 3000]

I loved the first season of Starting Over in Chicago. Being from and living in So CA it was nice to see all the lovely old homes filled with character and the change of seasons and the city too.

[breezy424]

So my daughter and I were in a Nordstrom Rack tonight.  We've never ventured inside before but I got to say there were some meh buys and then there were some great buys.  Anyhow, I ventured into lingerie and happened upon a rack with shape wear and low and behold, there was a Yummie next to a Skinnygirl.   I laughed inside.  The Yummie was a better product....by far.  No comparison.  Even my daughter commented with no prompting by me.  Unfortunately, there were no Yummie bras. 

 

I do think it interesting that Beth and Heather are directly competing on a product yet there was no focus on this at all during the season....  Well, there really isn't any competition since Heather wins hands down.

Edited August 29, 2015 by breezy424

[AnnA]

They are airing a few episodes on the 6th and then a marathon of Season 1 on the 7th, AnnA.

My cable company has all 8 episodes of S1 available On Demand so I started watching this afternoon. I really like it and unless something changes, so far it's better than any of the RHW's shows.

Edited August 30, 2015 by AnnA

[walnutqueen]

People are questioning the existence of alter-egos and multiple PTV accounts elsewhere on these forums.  I actually know someone who did just that on a former site (TWoP, anyone?) and carried this tradition on to this very site - just so she could be a beyotch with impunity.  (i.e. one name gets "Warned" or "Banned", another name posts) .  Now, I'll go on the record as saying I've created ONE online persona in the decades I've been involved with TWoP AND PTV. but others might not be so brave, and absolutely DO hide behind multiple accounts, screen-names and alter egos.  Sad but true, and enough to make Mods' jobs just that much more difficult.

[WireWrap]

People are questioning the existence of alter-egos and multiple PTV accounts elsewhere on these forums.  I actually know someone who did just that on a former site (TWoP, anyone?) and carried this tradition on to this very site - just so she could be a beyotch with impunity.  (i.e. one name gets "Warned" or "Banned", another name posts) .  Now, I'll go on the record as saying I've created ONE online persona in the decades I've been involved with TWoP AND PTV. but others might not be so brave, and absolutely DO hide behind multiple accounts, screen-names and alter egos.  Sad but true, and enough to make Mods' jobs just that much more difficult.

The same thing happened on Bravo's old message boards and they should have banned by IP address, not just by name/email address. That said, to make an accusation like the one today, starts problems, big problems. Many of us hit the like button and, IMO, most don't do it to "like" their own post. If someone feels that a certain poster(s) also has another account they should go to the Mods, not post something that can cause problems. I am sure the Mods can find out if someone is using the same IP address for more than 1 account/profile name.

[walnutqueen]

The same thing happened on Bravo's old message boards and they should have banned by IP address, not just by name/email address. That said, to make an accusation like the one today, starts problems, big problems. Many of us hit the like button and, IMO, most don't do it to "like" their own post. If someone feels that a certain poster(s) also has another account they should go to the Mods, not post something that can cause problems. I am sure the Mods can find out if someone is using the same IP address for more than 1 account/profile name.

 

You cannot LIKE your own posts,   Cheaters be cheaters; we all know them.  It takes work to smoke them out, which takes away from our positive experience here.  Just sayin'

[WireWrap]

You cannot LIKE your own posts,   Cheaters be cheaters; we all know them.  It takes work to smoke them out, which takes away from our positive experience here.  Just sayin'

LOL, I know you can not "like" your own post, I was referring to hitting like for others posts. The problem with "smoking them out" is that innocent posters get accused and then how does an innocent person defend themselves from that? Like I said, if someone suspects someone of having more than 1 account/profile, I am sure the Mods can find out and correct it if it is against the sites rules. Most of these sites allow the Admin and or the Mods to check IP addresses to see if this is happening.

[AnnaMayWong]

Yes, exactly. And, also this Driving the Narrative.

If you do not write comments and are simply reading that is most assuredly okay. However, no one HERE works magic :-), and if an idea(s) is not expressed that one wishes to discuss then what are the posters to do--mind read?

[Duke2801]

I did read (years ago) on another site where people were "admitting" to have multiple aliases on TWoP. And I won't say that there may have been a couple times I've noticed that a very outspoken poster seems to go MIA...   and then another one seems to "pop up" with a similar writing style.

 

BUT to say occurrences like this are the norm, and not a few isolated incidents, is BS.  THAT'S MY OPINION! //Tamara voice

[NewDigs]

It would not surprise to find that some posters here might choose to have multiple user names. Depending on which of their accts. they are logged on with, I'm pretty sure they can "like" their alter-ego's posts. I doubt there is a board where that does not happen.

I think it was wrong to dump that accusation in the middle of an active discussion, like a pile of poop just sitting there.

I worry more that posters who do use multiple names are the ones driving the narrative.

Speaking only for myself, I frequently lurk in various forums/subforums/threads here at PTV. It can help me catch up on a show but if I don't see my thoughts addressed I usually will post. I have found varying degrees of response.

[NewDigs]

Sorry for double posting.

Moved from Reunion thread. Thought I was in Small Talk. Sorry.

OT, sorry.. :-) But I doubt the moderators are working THAT hard about this and even if they were I don't see them restricting user names to one IP address considering multiple people use the same computer in one household. That would mean one username per household which wouldn't work if there were more than one person in the household participating on these boards. Plus restricting IP's wouldn't really work considering most people have a minimum of a laptop, ipad, and an iphone all at there disposal. 3 usernames right there.

I agree.

Plus, I really don't see it as much of an issue here. I have posted on boards where this was a too common occurrence and it's pretty obvious. And really annoying.

I was on one board that was kind of self-moderating and if a post was reported 3 times it was automatically removed and sent to a queue to be checked by someone sometime and maybe put back up. Maybe not. THAT was bad.

As I mentioned, I don't think I've been on a board where this does not happen. Trolls are everywhere.

Edited September 1, 2015 by NewDigs

[AnnA]

Moving this quoted post and my response from the Reunion Part III thread

 

OT, sorry.. :-) But I doubt the moderators are working THAT hard about this and even if they were I don't see them restricting user names to one IP address considering multiple people use the same computer in one household. That would mean one username per household which wouldn't work if there were more than one person in the household participating on these boards. Plus restricting IP's wouldn't really work considering most people have a minimum of a laptop, ipad, and an iphone all at there disposal. 3 usernames right there.

 

That's not true. Service providers assign one IP address to the router in the home and all devices use that same IP address with a different port allocation.

 

Home Network IP

 

Chances are that there aren't many (if any) households with more than one member posting on this forum.

 

HowToGeek answers this exact question submitted by a user:

 

"SuperUser reader Thomas wants to know if both of the computers in his home have the same IP address:
This question might seem stupid, but I wondered if two computers on the same Wi-Fi network have the same IP address? For example, my dad’s computer and my computer at home.

If so, how does the outside world distinguish one computer from the other (like when a server wants to send some data back to us)?
Do the two computers have the same IP address or not?

 

The Answer
Both computers are seen as having the same IP address externally. Your router will relay requests to the originating computer and the procedure used for this is Network Address Translation."

Edited September 1, 2015 by AnnA

[ryebread]

Trolls are everywhere.  On an unmoderated forum, it might be an issue if the troll was allowed to post inflammatory remarks on the regular.  Here, they are not.  Nobody is.

 

Let people 'like', double 'like', triple 'like' their own posts if that's their thing.  What matters to me is the discussion.  It's fun, thought provoking, sometimes tedious and the mods are great at keeping the flames at bay. That's enough for me. 

 

If a troll is 'liking' their own posts by using a second sign-in, I don't really care.  As long as it doesn't cause problems for the mods.  Does that cause a problem for the mods?  I think flame wars and unnecessary rudeness by boardmates (and trolls) are what cause problems for the mods. 

[Freckledbruh]

Meh, a person could use a VPN to get past IP issues. I could believe a HW hiring a forum poster to post from multiple accounts to beef up her rep.

[AnnaMayWong]

Huh, well, I am flummoxed.

I never pondered nor realized the complexities of Differential Equations and the Art of Masked Postings.

But, then, I am usually unable to properly use the QUOTE 'button'.

[ryebread]

I could believe a HW hiring a forum poster to post from multiple accounts to beef up her rep.

 

Ha!  Now there's a job I could sink my teeth into.  Since I post here like it's my job, I may as well get paid for it.  The problem is, there's not a single one of them that I could stomach defending all day, every day.

 

Even my DH would get on board with me watching and posting about the HWs,  IF I were getting paid for it.

[Freckledbruh]

Ha!  Now there's a job I could sink my teeth into.  Since I post here like it's my job, I may as well get paid for it.  The problem is, there's not a single one of them that I could stomach defending all day, every day.

 

Even my DH would get on board with me watching and posting about the HWs,  IF I were getting paid for it.

Well people get paid to tweet and post on Facebook. Put some feelers out on the HWs you can tolerate and get you some extra bucks. LOL.

[AnnA]

Meh, a person could use a VPN to get past IP issues.

 

Now.......that's the ticket!

 

Throw in a DHCP server; enable VPN Pin security set to change every 30 seconds and explain it to Sonja.   LOL

Edited September 2, 2015 by AnnA

[Freckledbruh]

Now.......that's the ticket!

 

Throw in a DCHP server; enable VPN Pin security set to change every 30 seconds and explain it to Sonja.   LOL

What does Sonja have to do with this?

[AnnA]

What does Sonja have to do with this?

 

Nothing.  It was a joke.

Edited September 1, 2015 by AnnA

[AnnaMayWong]

Now.......that's the ticket!

Throw in a DCHP server; enable VPN Pin security set to change every 30 seconds and explain it to Sonja. LOL

Whoa, whoa! Hold up! Y'all are talkin' waaayy above my pay grade. Lol! :-)

[AnnA]

Whoa, whoa! Hold up! Y'all are talkin' waaayy above my pay grade. Lol! :-)

 

I'm sorry.  It was a geek joke for Freckledbruh.

 

If anyone was going to go to such an extreme to create a VPN because they feel the need to "like" their own posts to make them feel relevant,  they're as delusional as Sonja.  

Edited September 1, 2015 by AnnA

[The Mighty Peanut]

I was given a four day suspension at TWOP because I spoiler tagged a preview and "should know better", LOL. I did know better, I just fucking forgot because I visit a few boards and they have different policies. Anyway, I created a new account which I logged into from my tablet. It was the last days of TWOP and I was a little put out at being given a time out at 36-years-old over minutiae because a certain someone was having one last power trip. The Mighty Peanut has been my main name since 1998, though. I made it because Incredible Edible Egg was taken.

I don't see the point of multiple handles to support oneself. Everyone thought I was an asshole in the BH thread because I support Kim Richards, the Brandi tampon thing irritates me, and I don't agree with the general consensus about addiction. Big deal, it happens. I just took a break and went to The Walking Dead thread to talk about less important things like the apocalypse.

Edited September 1, 2015 by The Mighty Peanut

[Lisin]

We're being really lenient here and allowing some discussion of the "concept" of multiple accounts, however we won't tolerate mod bashing, even if it's mods from another site. Additionally we won't tolerate calling out other posters, so please drop the idea of smoking someone out. It's pointless. Treat every user as an individual user and move along. If you suspect there is a poster out there that has multiple accounts and is using them to troll obviously they should be reported but in general we're not going to mod on theories. You can always send a PM to Mya Stone and I if you have concerns. Thanks.

[AnnaMayWong]

Hey PTVerS! Or, is that simply--PTVer. (lol!!)

Since word on the street is that some possess and utilize a multitude of personas and pseudonyms, how about WE ALL use our collective alleged GHOSTwriter girl and boy skills and PEN that darned toaster oven cookBOOK. Wow! WE ALL could be rollin' in the dough(wink, wink).

Apparently, a few of us already work for the Ho'wives anyway.

And, in a credited acknowledgement of happily hijacking the SPIRIT of Sonja's idea, the TITular title could be TITillating Tales of a Tantalizing Toaster Oven.

[AnnA]

Kristen would buy a toaster oven cookbook so we've got one sold!

Edited September 2, 2015 by AnnA

[walnutqueen]

I can't believe that while I was away for three days puking my guts out that nobody claimed me as their like buddy.

 

Girl code means never outing your like buddy, eh.  :-)

 

 

ETA - hope you're feeling much better, stewedsquash

Edited September 3, 2015 by walnutqueen

[AnnaMayWong]

stewedsquash, so happy that you are well!

[AnnaMayWong]

http://www.allabouttrh.com/sonja-morgan-backpedals-after-comments-about-kristen-taekmans-husband-i-have-egg-on-my-face/

Once again, oh, the irony!

[walnutqueen]

Ha can it be girl code if there are dudes here? I am only one poster. I know about having more than one screen name but I never got the impression it was going on here. I try not to stalk other posters but sometimes I just like the same posters over and over because they are either funny or I agree with some of what they say in a post. Plus since Dave said in the Site Business forum that there are 200 likes per day, I feel like I can go click crazy with the like button if I want to do it. 

 

I am feeling better but it was a virus from hell. It completely shut down this house because I had to shut myself down. The four dudes here were all Wha? Huh? Food? What? Where's? How? Huh?? Are you gonna be able to do anything? NO! SHUT THE DOOR AND GET OUT! 

 

Absolutely - I don't differentiate between any sexes any more (one of the perks of being a crone).  ;-)

 

The dudes will make you sick - they bring home the nasty bugs!  I never get viruses or colds anymore.  All my dudes are cats & raccoons, so I have a better chance of getting rabies than a virus - if one of the raccoon-babies gets a little too aggressive trying to get at the hot dog treats.  So far, they have been amazingly gentle and well behaved for wild animals (and have better table manners than several of my exes!!!).   :-D

[LIGirl]

I don't know if there's a topic that's more appropriate for this, so I'll just give it a shot and put it here...

 

Has anyone gone to see that "Turkish coffee messenger" that Carole, Heather, and Dorinda went to see in an episode aired back in July?  If so, what did you think?  The reason I am asking is because I actually Google'd her and found her website right after the episode aired and scheduled an appointment, which is this coming Sunday afternoon.  (I live on Long Island and she's in Queens, so the drive is doable for me.)  It seems as if her "popularity" took off like a bat out of hell right after the episode aired because within hours after the episode aired, her appointment availability literally went from almost any day to nothing available for a year!  Good thing I decided to Google her so quickly.  ;)  I take all of these "mediums" with a huuuuuge grain of salt because with the exception of one person I've seen (and I can personally vouch that I believe he was legit because there's no way in hell he could've known some of the stuff he brought up to me and my family and friends), I don't ever go for this kind of stuff.  However, I was intrigued by this woman and figured she's local enough for me, so what the hell.  As her website stresses, it's a little bit of entertainment for me if not anything else.

 

I'll report back after I see her if anyone is interested in hearing what she was like for me.  :)

[AnnA]

LIGirl..... Sorry I don't know anything about her but just wanted to say "Hello Neighbor!" I live on Long Island too. I hope you have a good "reading" and a good time. Please report back about your experience with her. I'm curious and have a friend that would love to go.

Edited September 4, 2015 by AnnA

[talula]

I don't know if there's a topic that's more appropriate for this, so I'll just give it a shot and put it here...

Has anyone gone to see that "Turkish coffee messenger" that Carole, Heather, and Dorinda went to see in an episode aired back in July? If so, what did you think? The reason I am asking is because I actually Google'd her and found her website right after the episode aired and scheduled an appointment, which is this coming Sunday afternoon. (I live on Long Island and she's in Queens, so the drive is doable for me.) It seems as if her "popularity" took off like a bat out of hell right after the episode aired because within hours after the episode aired, her appointment availability literally went from almost any day to nothing available for a year! Good thing I decided to Google her so quickly. ;) I take all of these "mediums" with a huuuuuge grain of salt because with the exception of one person I've seen (and I can personally vouch that I believe he was legit because there's no way in hell he could've known some of the stuff he brought up to me and my family and friends), I don't ever go for this kind of stuff. However, I was intrigued by this woman and figured she's local enough for me, so what the hell. As her website stresses, it's a little bit of entertainment for me if not anything else.

I'll report back after I see her if anyone is interested in hearing what she was like for me. :)

Please let us know how it went! I live on Long Island also and my sister and I might be interested even though the waiting list is one year. You can PM me with details. Thanks LIGirl Edited September 4, 2015 by talula

[walnutqueen]

Yes,please let us know how it goes, LIGirl.  This is the perfect place to post stuff like that; and I, for one, am dying of curiosity.  My left brain tells me psychics are just good cold readers (thanks to MrBFD from TWoP & the Long Island Medium thread), but my right brain keeps telling me there may be a chance some people DO have a "gift".

[LIGirl]

Hello to my fellow Long Islanders, AnnA and talula!  :)

 

My left brain tells me psychics are just good cold readers (thanks to MrBFD from TWoP & the Long Island Medium thread), but my right brain keeps telling me there may be a chance some people DO have a "gift".

 

Honestly, I believe for more than one reason that the "Long Island Medium" is not one of those people who has that "gift."  I've heard from more than one reliable person who has seen her that she's terrible and is obviously "reaching" for whatever when she "reads" people.  In fact, the one medium that I mentioned who I do believe is legit said without actually saying their names (but it was clear he was speaking about them) that she and John Edward were pretty much hacks.  I know that sounds like fellow medium trash talking, but I truly believe this guy.

 

I will be happy to report back about what happens after I see this Turkish coffee messenger, though.  Fingers crossed that it's as intriguing as what Carole, Heather, and Dorinda experienced!

[LIGirl]

Okay, so I met with the Turkish coffee messenger today!  First and foremost, she was such a wonderfully kind, warm, and gracious woman.  I don't think I could have had a nicer person doing this.  She immediately put me at ease and was so receptive to questions, concerns, and anything else on my mind.  I won't go into all of the personal details of my "reading" (in addition to it not being very interesting to anyone other than me, I don't even think I can remember it all off of the top of my head!), but please do forgive me if this post is a bit jumbled and all over the place.  Something like this is kind of hard to put all of my thoughts in one coherent way, I guess.  Luckily for me, she told me right off the bat that I was welcome to record our session, which I did on a voice recording app I have on my phone.  I will have to go back and listen to the entire thing to help sort through my current thoughts and go over anything that I may have missed or don't remember.

 

In a nutshell, though, what she does is prepare the coffee and brings a little cup out for me and for herself just like we saw on the show.  However, what wasn't shown (well, I'm assuming she did this with Carole, Heather, and Dorinda, too) was that she has two different set of cards that are sort of like tarot cards, but not like any tarot cards I've seen before, and has me pick several to read from.  While we were letting the coffee cool and drinking it, she "read" one set for me.  That was mainly based on if there was a loved one that passed that I was hoping to "connect" with.  (I said it was my grandfather in this case.)  For these cards, I was able to pick however many I felt comfortable with.  For whatever reason, 9 felt about right (I have no idea why). These cards basically had messages that I guess could be interpreted as coming from the passed loved one.  It was interesting and rather comforting.  Although I admit, nothing quite earth shattering.  I think each person can only interpret and judge it based on their own personal experience with it.

 

Once I drank the coffee down to the grinds (which I must admit was interesting in and of itself for me because I'm not a coffee drinker, but it was honestly fine), she had me do exactly what Carole, Heather, and Dorinda did with turning it over, "swirling it around", and then reading whatever was left behind after "dumping" the grinds into the plate.  Again, I'm not going to go into detail because that'd be boring to anyone but me, but I do feel she ended up addressing a couple of really, really major concerns/issues I was hoping to get some kind of clarity or perspective on. Right off the bat she talked about something that there's no way she could've known, so that gave me hope that she had some kind of "gift."  Long story short(ish), though, I feel like she was about 65/35 on hitting things on the head with the coffee grinds.  She read those for a while and then had me take my thumb and "scrape" around the bottom of the cup and read some more from that.

 

After the coffee reading was done, she had me select 5 cards from the other deck of cards that again, were sort of like tarot cards, but much different than any others I've seen before.  I feel like between these cards and some of the things she said during the coffee reading, there were a couple things that kept coming up and being emphasized that I believe were meant to come up and be emphasized because they were things in my life that she really couldn't have known.

 

I will admit I cried a couple of times even though I hoped I wouldn't, so be prepared if you tend to be a little easily emotional!  Haha.  But it wasn't about anything traumatic or horrible... just having to touch upon a couple of things that can make me a little emotional (especially when it comes to my beloved late grandfather).  I also appreciated that fact that she took her time with me and actually gave me the whole hour and a half that was scheduled.  I honestly thought it'd be closer to an hour and I'd walk away feeling "gipped", but I was literally there for 90 minutes, so that was nice.

 

I think all in all, it was a quite an interesting experience.  Again, I admit it wasn't extremely earth shattering for me personally, but I'm still glad I did it.  I do wonder if maybe I would've had a slightly better reading if I wasn't as nervous because maybe my "energy" translated into a little bit of confusion?  I don't know.  Maybe I will feel more or think a bit differently once I go back and listen to the whole session on my recording and perhaps I will pick up on things I missed or didn't think of on the spot.

 

I will say if you want to take a chance and see her, do it.  But do what I did and go in with the expectation to take it with a huge grain of salt.  Also, please be sure you'll be okay with the fact that it's $150 and you can "afford to lose it" if you don't walk away feeling as satisfied as you hoped.  It's fun at the very least and gives you a lot to think and even be hopeful about at the most.

 

If any of you do end up meeting with her as well, please do share!  I'd love to hear about your experiences, too.  :)

[LIGirl]

Does that mean that Carole, Heather and was it Luann? Kristen? who was the third person? had to pay $450 for the same 90 minutes or were they there for four and a half hours getting their own 90 minutes? 

 

The third person was Dorinda.

 

According to the Turkish coffee messenger's website for each person you add (up to 4 people in a group), you get an extra hour.  But I'm thinking you might get an extra 1.5 hours like I had because, for some reason, her website says 1 hour:1 person, 2 hours:2 people, 3 hours:3 people, etc. instead of 1.5 hours:1 person, 3 hours:2 people, 4.5 hours:3 people, etc.

 

I think she is very gracious for everything the show has brought her.  She not only will not charge more than what she's been charging all along, but she told me that because of how booked up she has suddenly become, she has offered to see her regular clients that she had prior to the show after hours.

Edited September 7, 2015 by LIGirl

[AnnA]

[walnutqueen]

 

Thank you, AnnA, for the tribute.  I honor this date every year in my own way, and will never forget (Alzheimers/dementia notwithstanding). 

[Gam2]

I add my thanks for this remembrance of the worst day on our soil. Those who witnessed this horrific event will never forget. God bless all of those who lost their lives and all of those who lost loved ones. And all of the rest of us who also lost something that day. 

[AnnA]

I live out on Long Island about 50 miles from Manhattan. I wasn't there but did have family and friends in Manhattan that day. Thankfully, they were all OK. Every year on 9/11 they replay the events of that day on TV and every year I say I'm not going to watch it again but I just did.

What I remember most of that day is leaving work in the middle of the afternoon, driving home on the Long Island Expressway and there was not a single car going west. The bridges and tunnels had been closed. I could see the cloud of smoke in my rear view mirror and just couldn't wait to get home so I could watch the news. And then the freakiest thing happened. Two fighter jets flew directly overhead. They were flying so low that the roar was deafening and I swore I could feel my car vibrate. That's when the seriousness of what might be happening hit me. Once I was home, I kept thinking there must be something I should do. Finally, I figured out that the only thing I could do was to go outside and put the flag up on the porch. When I did, so many of my neighbors were out doing the same thing. We waved to one another but didn't speak. I think everyone was in shock.

We all remember exactly where we were and how we felt when the planes hit and the towers fell. If we remember, I just can't imagine how painful this day must be for the families who lost loved ones.

Edited September 12, 2015 by AnnA

[walnutqueen]

I was nearly at the end of a lovely vacation with my Mum; we were on the Sunshine Coast in B.C. Canada.  I'd gone to the store early to get some juice and croissants for our breakfast, but, Canada, eh, the grocery store didn't open for another 15 minutes.  So I was wandering around a drugstore half-listening to what should've been Muzak but was something about an attack on the World Trade Center.  I actually wondered why these fucking lame Canadians would be replaying something about an old bombing from years ago.  That is, until I got back in my rental car and heard it on the radio.  I raced back to our motel and we were glued to CNN, until my Mum realized that my brother was supposed to fly out of Boston that very morning.  It was hours of frantic worry before we learned he was safe, but stranded.  The rest of our vacation was spent watching tv coverage in tears of disbelief and horror.

 

Mum and I pulled out our Canadian/American flag pins and Mum cleverly crafted little red, white & blue ribbons to them.  We've worn those every anniversary since.  We watch the reruns and coverage every year, too; and always talk on the phone on that date.

 

When I was finally able to get on a return flight to California in Seattle, I was in the middle of a full blown early menopausal flop sweat.  Security was quite disturbed by a sweaty woman in a tank dress on a cold & rainy day, holding a little battery-operated plastic fan.  They wanted to confiscate it, and I was in tears thinking I'd die of hot flashes on the plane ride home if they did.   A kindly middle aged female security officer eventually made sure I wasn't hiding a bomb under my dress, checked the little mini-fan, and let me keep it.   :-)

[talula]

I was driving on the LIE to the campaign headquarters of a friend. I heard about what I thought was an accident of a plane flying into one of the towers. As I continued my drive I heard about a second plane crash in the other tower and realized this was a deliberate action. I still couldn't wrap my mind around it being terrorism...not in the place I was born, New York City. Once in the office, the TV was on and you could see the heartbreaking carnage. We all gasped in horror to think of the lives lost on the planes and buildings and to know it was happening in NYC while we sat safe in an office on Long Island. Nothing seemed the same after that.

The buildings collapsing seemed especially unreal since a week before I had stayed at the World Trade Center Marriott Hotel next to the Twin Towers. When they showed a twisted sphere sculpture, I remembered seeing it in a courtyard outside our hotel window. I remember the design of the structure encasing the towers was very impressive. My sister and I couldn't get over how we looked up and couldn't see the top of the never ending gleaming columns...they were the most beautiful buildings we'd ever seen.

View between the Towers from the World Trade Center Marriott Hotel

photo courtesy of Ted Thomas

Edited September 12, 2015 by talula

[walnutqueen]

Two things related (sort of) that I feel the need to share.  In my lifetime, I remember the world standing still in shock and horror twice: once when JFK was assassinated, and 9/11.  I was in Canada both times (born & raised there, but transplanted to my beloved USA  and just visiting during the second event).  The response of the Canadians is something few Americans know of or even notice.  But in 1962, we were ALL sent home from school when the news hit; nobody went to work or school for days thereafter, and we were all glued to our teevees (all 3 channels or so).  It was a devastating event for us.  Same thing during the 9/11 crisis; everyone I met in Canada asked me if there was something they could do for me and offered their profound condolences the moment they learned I lived in SoCal (yes, I sounded and acted sorta American).  I saw the coverage about all the Canadians who opened their homes to stranded travelers, and it did my heart proud.  Canada is, and always has been, your greatest neighbor, eh.  :-)

 

Last night, my Mum was talking about the unimaginable horror that people who lived through 9/11 endured, and how it was the worst tragedy she could remember.  I had to remind her that, while traumatic, this was a single event, and she herself lived through the many horrors and traumas and losses of WWII in Poland and Germany in her youth.  That was a constant and unrelenting terror that she has overcome - it does not define her, much like 9/11 does not define the people in our time.  People everywhere in this world have survived or are facing terrible and horrible events - when I remember 9/11 I also try to remember and honor and care about all of them, as well.  The world can be a very cruel place, and that can sometimes overwhelm us.

[Mrs peel]

I watched the MSNBC replay of the live coverage yesterday. No plan to do so, but I couldn't stop once I started. I remember getting ready for work and hearing about the first plane (I was in Chicago but am a born and bred NYer) and thought of the small plane that hit the Empire State Building in the 40's, sad but it can happen. On the way to work I heard about the second plane and knew this was bad. In the elevator going to the office, which had that in elevator newscast thingie, they were showing the buildings burning. Talking with the other person in the elevator, he suggested if I wanted to see more coverage I go to his office as they had a TV in the lobby. We arrived minutes before the South Tower fell. It still seems unbelievable. By the time I left there, thinking I needed to tell coworkers about the tower falling, the office had closed and everyone else was gone. Going home, no one was talking on the bus, anyone with a radio was listening. Just south of my apt. there was a large Synagogue - there were multiple police cars parked in front, placed there because of the attack. I spent the day like everyone else, watching coverage and talking with family and friends.

I know there has been some controversy about MSNBC doing the coverage every year, that it is ghoulish or just for ratings. But I think it is a good thing we don't forget how it unfolded (though in part it reminds us of the numerous rumors, at one point some newscast "reported" there were 10,000 injured). Watching last night, it was amazing to me how people thought - looking at the enormity of the damage to the North Tower - that it had been done by a small plane. But of course it was unimaginable that anyone would fly a jumbo jetliner into a building.

If anyone is interested, I highly recommend the book 102 Minutes. Difficult at times as it talks about a number of people who died, but very informative and interesting. It talks about how the towers were built, the fire laws that allowed so few stairwells all placed near each other, how the 1993 bombing affected the towers, as well as how disputes between the NYPD and FDNY impacted how they dealt with the tragedy. The title comes from the timeline, 102 minutes from the time the North Tower was hit until it fell. The authors also traced the efforts of several people who helped others get out, but who never made it out of the buildings.

[walnutqueen]

Thanks for sharing, Mrs peel.  I will definitely keep my eye out for the book, too.