It Begins TODAY

[Gvac]

I have made a conscious decision to try to pick up the pieces and go back to being my old self again, and to do so ASAP. Tuesday's horrific events wounded me so deeply, I have little resembled the person I truly am, and the person my family and friends have come to rely on.

As irreverent as I feel smiling, joking, and laughing might be at a time like this, I am going to try like hell to do just that, because as inappropriate as I think that behavior might be, I also feel like shutting myself down like I've done for the past 2 days means that the terrorists have won in some small way. And trust me, old uncle Gvac ain't one to lie down without a fight.

Last night 5 of my closest friends came by (unannounced - probably because they were worried about me and knew I would have said "no") with a ton of food and beer to barbecue and hang out on my deck. They did; I sat in here watching TV, listening to the radio, and talking to a bunch of you on Instant Messenger. This desk has become my command post, and I am in
dire need of a break.

Please don't misinterpret this as me saying I'm forgetting all about the horrendous events of two days ago; nothing could be farther from the truth. It's just my own small way of fighting back. Thanks for giving me a forum to get that off my chest, and I love you all.


<img src="http://gvac.50megs.com/images/prjr.jpg">


girl germs rocks!

[reeshy]

GVAC,

Go for it. You (and me) need to get back to some semblance of normalcy.
Maybe someday, we can all get together for a barbecue and some beer.

Be good, man.

<img src=http://msimg.com/nipimage/AL_firefighters0912.jpg>

[Sunrisa]

Hi GVAC.
I am ver proud of you. I am working on getting to that point of acceptance myself. I was going to actually go to work today but the building turns out to still be closed. I really wish that it was open. That way I could just get this thing over with.
I know that i willl have a panic attack when i get on the train. I will break down when I get to Hoboken. I will cry when i stand on the peir. I will stand motionless as I look at the plume of smoke where the buildings used to be. I cant even imagine having the courage to take the path over to NY. I couldnt take the path that day and now...
But i was going to look at it today. I was going to try. But i guess it is just as well.
I am trying to force myseld to sleep. I did actually eat.

I am a mess but not in shock.
I have accepted what has happened..
I will be a mess for a long time, but i think that we all will be a mess.

I will pray that we get along. I will take Gvac's sign of strenght very seriously and will use his own strength to help me.

it is amaxzing how that works.

i love you guys.

[TomPoo]

I have had this overwhelming guilt when I try to get back to everyday stuff. Yesterday, I was suppose to play in the semi-finals of my Golf league, and I forfeited my match cause I didn';t want to play. My roomate went surfing yesterday, cause he couldn't take watcthing the news anymore, but the whole time he was out there, he felt as if he was doing something wrong.

I want to go into the city and start helping, but I know I can't. They will just tell me to turn around and go home. But at home I just start pacing around the house looking for something to do.
(This is probably the worst case of "do chils" I have ever had)

Late last night I decided to go running on the boardwalk of Long beach. As I was running I noticed 7 battle ships off the coast. everyone was taking pictures and watching them. I didn't know if I should feel safe and happy that battle-ships were outside my backdoor or scared and unsettled because battle-ships were outside my backdoor.

I don't know how to get back to a normal routine while all this is still left unsettled. It is the only thing on TV and radio, it is the only thing people are talking about, and even if you can stop thinking about it for a minute it still is in the back of your mind.

They only way I know I will start to get past this is if there is closure... and to close this is to take immediate action on our assailents... and once and for all end the Middle East threat.

REEKING of AWESOMENESS
----TomPoo

<img border="0" src="http://www.viewaskew.com/clerks/images/pics/danteran.gif" width="200" height="100">

"There's nothing more exhilarating than pointing out the shortcomings of others, is there?"

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This message was edited by TomPoo on 9-13-01 @ 11:21 AM

[flavorsaver]

I have never in my life felt like this. It feels as if there is an unmovable weight upon me. I am generally an unhappy individual, but am in virgin waters. When will this stop? I can barely breathe and I have been on the verge of breaking down for days. I can't get my mind off of things and if not for WNEW I don't know what I'd do. God bless all the rescuers and all involved in the effort of helping our fallen.

<IMG SRC="http://www.angelfire.com/tn/cotcfanpage/images/demon44s.gif">

[The Blowhard]

As long as they are still digging for victims, I will never rest. I tried to get this off my mind last night by having a few friends over and watching a movie, but we really didn't want to watch the movie after all.
Our lives will never be the same after this. I'm just glad that this board has so many wonderful and decent people on it. God bless all of you.

http://members.aol.com/slipknot4twenty/heck.gif
DEATH TO TYRANTS!

[radio junkie]

Every station has the same thing and I just sit here channel surfing only to see and hear the same thing. I break every once in a while to read this board and post if I feel like saying something, so this board has given me a chance to feel semi normal at least. It may take a long time to get back to the routine but it will happen eventually. Hey, they just found 3 firemen alive. There still is hope at least. But that Peter Jennings is so montone. He's begining to annoy me.

The only time I have a drinking problem is when I don't have a drink

[JustJon]

I think it's important that we each try to get on with some sembelence of our lives. I think I would have been a complete wreak on Tuesday if someone had helped me have an occassional laugh. It's ok to live your life, as long as you don't forget the lives of all those who were there.

<img src="http://www.chaoticconcepts.com/bans/rfjustjon2.jpg">

[Dirtybird11]

life is very short and theres no time for fussing and fighting my friends~
we have all cried together-
we have all been affected by this. we will laugh together and we will be forever changed. The time is now. it's a fresh slate. "just like starting over" 2001-
lets re-invent the country. this is the best time to start.. i have opend my eyes for the first time in my life.
i see the good now. i like it.
live your life at 110%. and lets make this the world we have dreamed about.. we can rebuild not only NYC and DC ,we can take this, and show the rest of America we can unite as one~ bring back hulk hogan..i am the real american...it's ok laughter is good medicine..Ron & Fezzy made me laugh with the BUSH in the swamp bit. With the dagger in his teeth. lol. thanks. rock on~

<img src="http://members.aol.com/erinmoran01/images/spicoli5.jpg" height =100 width=300> The dream is over~ John Lennon

[The Blowhard]

Perrynoid, you rock. ;)

http://members.aol.com/slipknot4twenty/heck.gif
DEATH TO TYRANTS!

[reeshy]

I give up-everytime the phone rings-it's nothing but bad news-talk to you guys later- i'm going out and getting drunk

<img src=http://msimg.com/nipimage/AL_firefighters0912.jpg>

[HordeKing1]

It's crucial that everyone understand that all these reactions are completely normal.

In essense there is no "right" way to respond to this horror.

The healing process will be a long one. The emotions that you feel now, are not just OK, they are normal.

http://members.aol.com/slipknot4twenty/hking

[Girlfezzie]

Go for it sweetie.I feel so hurt and wounded that I feel like crawling into the corner and never leaving.I need to laugh a little too. This is just too much.God bless all of you

Ron and Fez and Opie and Anthony- My personal Lubricants.

[jerseyjoe]

The last three days have been the absolute worst. I feel as though I've lost a close personal friend. There is a deep, deep sadness in my heart. New York will never be the same again. I guess time will heal all wounds, and eventually we will get through this terrible period. We can all show our support and diplay our pride by donating blood or supplies to the rescuers, or just by displaying our red white and blue for all to see. Just by seeing those colors can make you feel a little better. And if we all stand together as a country we can get past this and get on with our lives. Thank you for letting me get this off my chest and God Bless each and every one of us.

Peace

[Thunderlips]

Alice Fuzzybutt and I today basically spent our tax rebate check on supplies for all of the rescue workers. She called the emergency number this morning and was told that there was a drop-off location on the Jersey City waterfront not far from us. We went to the mall and bought a crap-load of socks, underwear, t-shirts, work gloves, and food items.

The scene at the drop-off was inspiring. There must have been at least 50 people collecting the donations, and there was a constant stream of people bringing in cases of water and food. To look across the river and see the smoldering ruins, and then to look back and see so many regular people with the same mindset of wanting to do something/anything to help, with several boats just going back and forth. The saddest part was seeing the dozens of ambulances waiting on the street, from as far away as Paterson and Totowa and Tenafly, but they were just sitting there because there weren't any injured people coming out.

Why the hell should I care about going to work now? How can I face tapping on a keyboard for 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, numbing my mind, when it could all be taken away so easily.

I listen to Harry Harrison on WCBS fm in the mornings, and his catch phrase each day is to "Unwrap each day like a precious new gift." Every other morning I just let that go right through my ears, but today I was finally able to cry when he said it. Soberingly true.

I'm numb. I watched it happen, I have been to the waterfront several times and seen the hole in the skyline and the smoke, and I still can't accept it. It has to be there still. It just has to. But it's not.

In the dark, there looks like a ghost image of one tower, seeing its lights through the smoke. Of course it's just a building that I was never able to see before, but it was eery to see last night.

I don't want to go back to work, both because it's a worthless job when it comes down to it, but also because I stared out those windows for hours on Tuesday watching the carnage.

I've been very sleepy, if I laugh about something I immediately feel guilty. I'll be fine, but I just don't want to accept it. I will eventually though simply because I must.

[EffMeBoobs]

Thunderlips and Alice you guys are god's gift. What you did today was patriotic. I want to do the same but I have no idea where to even begin. I don't know where even begin calling. I don't know what to buy. I want to reach out and do everything. I want to make 10,000 sandwiches with Hard-Rock Johnny. I want to buy a dump truck and load it up with shoes and socks. I want to bring in gallons of spring water. I want to give 10 million hugs to people who need them. I want to go to ground zero and pull out survivors. I want to wipe the faces of the firefighters and policemen who can't see through the dust and soot. I feel so helpless. I commend the both of you for your charitable donations today. It makes me feel good to be an American, seeing how we all pull through together and put all of our arguements with people aside and our little problems are trivial to what has happened. If in anyway, does anyone know about where to go to find out information on how to become a volunteer over the weekend? How can one even attempt to enter the city at this point? Thunderlips if you could email me and let me know of this site in Jersey City since I live fairly close by., I greatly appreciate it. Be safe and God Bless.
Lqqieee@aol.com

<img src=http://members.aol.com/muldermanx/images/fmb.jpg>
~Well look up from the ground and see who's laughing last...I do what it takes to pull me through...No thanks to anything that you could do...I'm better off without you~

[iscream22]

Hopefully, ill be ok in a week, (and im in dc). Watching this stuff on tv is do depressing, and I can imagine seeing it w/ your own eyes is hell. But hopefully, every1 here is ok.

<img src="http://www.billybeans.com/images/abbmove.gif">

[Thunderlips]

EffMeeBoobs: the drop-off location we went to was located near the Exchange Place PATH station on the waterfront. Technically it is the "Colgate" ferry stop for NY Waterway, located at the end of Grand Street on the water.

The phone numbers we called for info were 201-761-8621, 8623, and 8625. They were all busy at several times, so keep trying.

[EffMeBoobs]

Thank you so much for the information, I will be going down there tomorrow and all weekend to help out. Thanks again and God Bless.

<img src=http://members.aol.com/muldermanx/images/fmb.jpg>

GOD BLESS AMERICA AND THE WTC VICTIMS<img src=http://members.aol.com/islejg24/images/flagusa.gif>