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this poll thingy is so yesterday...
Jan. 22nd, 2003 11:56 am...but I thought I'd tell the world where was I....
1. When John F. Kennedy was shot (11/22/1963)
Well, if I had a past life, you could ask him/her/it, but for me personally, I wasn't born until June of 74.
2. When Mt. St. Helens blew (5/18/1980)
Not quite 6 years old, living in Walla Walla, WA (SE corner of WA state). This is a very distinct memory I have of watching the coverage on TV in our family room (where we had this big ol' orange chair that I had way too many nightmares about.. but that's another story). I remember looking out the sliding glass door to our back yard, and seeing the blackest cloud I had ever seen approaching in the sky, and then it getting night-like almost immediately. It was crazy, and the ash sucked cause it was a bitch to clean up stuff (like my hotwheel), but we got our requisite vials of ash out of it.
3. When the space shuttle Challenger exploded (1/28/1986)
Another pretty clear memory. About 11 years old, still in Walla Walla, at Prospect Point Elementary, the three 6th grade classes got called together into one room where our teachers made the announcement. We watched the coverage on one of the classroom TVs for a while. The teachers were all weepy and sad, and one of them went on about how they knew Christa McAuliffe personally and I remember just thinking "yeah, right.. whatever".
4. When the 7.1 earthquake hit San Francisco (10/7/1989)
15 years old, at my sophmore years in Walla Walla High School. I don't remember too much about the actual event, with the exception of the bay bridge collapsing onto itself. It was a pretty dramatic thing to think about, but I don't have any lingering fears about it. My partner, however, has some issues with going on the Seattle Alaskan Way viaduct, which is very similar in setup to how the bay bridge was, as well as underground tunnels.
5. When the Berlin Wall fell (11/7/1989)
Still 15 years old, sophmore year, just remember it on TV, and discussing its relevance in some classes. I just remember thinking "oh neat".
This was a pretty odd year for me, as I was dealing with my sexuality in a big way by being very, very active. Not long down this road, I had a few sexual eperiences with a former teacher, which came back to haunt me years later after I moved to college in Bellingham. Whatever, I don't look on this negatively at all, but I was very ravenous and got experienced real quick.
6. When the Gulf War began (1/16/1991)
Still 16, junior year in high school, taking AP history with the most amazing history teacher I would ever have: Carmela Phillips. A short black woman, originally from Martinique (I think?), she would always joke about certain black racial stereotypes like Watermelon and Fried Chicken. She was fantastic, and we discussed that war alot at this time. Kind of scary, as we were approaching 18 and wondering if we would have to be part of this big draft. I met my best friend Jason around this time, and innapropriately fell in love with him of course :O)
7. When OJ Simpson was chased in his White Bronco (6/17/1994)
Hmmm... I remember the coverage, and I had just finished my 2nd year of college in Walla Walla, and I was gearing up to transfer to WWU in Bellingham. Just turned 20. I don't remember exactly where I was, but man, when he was acquitted, it was big, big talk among my classes at WWU.
8. When the building in Oklahoma City was bombed (4/19/1995)
Still 20 yo, first year at WWU, taking Physiological Psych (and going crazy). I was sitting with a girl from my dorm, and she told me about it in class. I don't think I really understood the severity until I saw more news about it later that day. I really remember that classroom though... one of the stuffiest and most uncomfortable.
9. When Princess Di was killed (8/31/1997)
23 years old, I was at my ex-bandmate's parent's house on Lake Sammammish in Bellevue, WA. We had brought our recording equipment and studio to their house to get better room sounds and enjoy the rest of the summer. That album took such a ridiculous amount of time to make, with so much frustration, it didn't come out until about exacty two years later in 1999. So, after recording late, I woke up and the news was on about Princess Diana's death, and as my mom had passed away the previous year, I remember feeling real sad for her boys.
10. When Bush was first announced President (11/7/2000)
26 years old, living in Seattle with my partner Truman, in a horribly opressive basement apartment that probably spawned more fights than any actual real issues did. Sue me, I voted for Nader, because as we all know, Gore didn't convince enough of the populace that he had the fire and conviction to do what was needed. He felt really lazy to me, as did most of the Democratic party. Even though our current president is proving he's a total bastard, the current backlash of protests and uprising against him is very exciting. It's probably a stupid thing for me to say, but perhaps it was good for Bush to get elected, just for the fact that it's apparently lighting a match under our collective asses and forcing us to think about what we feel is important, which, if you believe the current polls, is definitely not to go to war.
11. When the 6.8 earthquake hit Nisqually, WA (2/28/2001)
This is an odd one for people who didn't live in the Pacific NW at the time. However, living in Seattle, I remember this pretty vividly. We just returned from two weeks in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. The first week was splendid. The 2nd week was completely awful. Truman injured his back and was suffering immense pain in his back and down his leg. This crack doctor (who was originally from Kansas, but studied medicine in some South American country I forget) was giving Truman periodic injections for swelling. They didn't really help. The doctor kept on trying to have us meet his family and have us look at property for sale. Then, one day before our flight home, Truman came down with the Montezuma's revenge-like illness, which was such a joy. The next day after we got home, he was still sick, feverish and delusional, and resting in bed. I was on the computer when the quake hit, and all the fun requisite fun and rattling stuff began. I was just really enthralled with how the house was shaking when my partner came blazing out of the bedroom yelling at me to get outside (not the best option, I know). It was hilarious to see this man who had been borderline delusional and completely feverish have this sudden attack of clarity when he realized it was an earthquake. The image of him scrambling out, eyes open wide, was priceless. Anyway, we got outside, and saw telephone poles swaying 45 degrees in both directions. At that point, I thought "we really should be inside under that desk". The quake only measured 6.8, and it was so far underground that it didn't really do any immediate damage. Unfortunately, "retrofit" is the new key word around here, and due to hidden damages, lots of beautiful old churches and buildings are getting torn down as a result. That sucks, really.
12. When terrorists knocked over the World Trade Center (9/11/2001)
Visiting San Francisco for the first time, my friend Davey called us at our hotel, waking us up to the news. It's definitely surreal to be away from home at a time like that. Like everyone else I'm sure, we watched hours of news coverage before we finally decided to head near Fisherman's Wharf to get a credit card that I accidentally left behind at a restaurant. Many buildings and Fisherman's Wharf were closed, with heavy police presence, but it still seemed heavily touristy. Our return flight got canceled, but we got on an earlier one, and in retrospect (and compared to now), it was a very easy and uneventful trip back home.
1. When John F. Kennedy was shot (11/22/1963)
Well, if I had a past life, you could ask him/her/it, but for me personally, I wasn't born until June of 74.
2. When Mt. St. Helens blew (5/18/1980)
Not quite 6 years old, living in Walla Walla, WA (SE corner of WA state). This is a very distinct memory I have of watching the coverage on TV in our family room (where we had this big ol' orange chair that I had way too many nightmares about.. but that's another story). I remember looking out the sliding glass door to our back yard, and seeing the blackest cloud I had ever seen approaching in the sky, and then it getting night-like almost immediately. It was crazy, and the ash sucked cause it was a bitch to clean up stuff (like my hotwheel), but we got our requisite vials of ash out of it.
3. When the space shuttle Challenger exploded (1/28/1986)
Another pretty clear memory. About 11 years old, still in Walla Walla, at Prospect Point Elementary, the three 6th grade classes got called together into one room where our teachers made the announcement. We watched the coverage on one of the classroom TVs for a while. The teachers were all weepy and sad, and one of them went on about how they knew Christa McAuliffe personally and I remember just thinking "yeah, right.. whatever".
4. When the 7.1 earthquake hit San Francisco (10/7/1989)
15 years old, at my sophmore years in Walla Walla High School. I don't remember too much about the actual event, with the exception of the bay bridge collapsing onto itself. It was a pretty dramatic thing to think about, but I don't have any lingering fears about it. My partner, however, has some issues with going on the Seattle Alaskan Way viaduct, which is very similar in setup to how the bay bridge was, as well as underground tunnels.
5. When the Berlin Wall fell (11/7/1989)
Still 15 years old, sophmore year, just remember it on TV, and discussing its relevance in some classes. I just remember thinking "oh neat".
This was a pretty odd year for me, as I was dealing with my sexuality in a big way by being very, very active. Not long down this road, I had a few sexual eperiences with a former teacher, which came back to haunt me years later after I moved to college in Bellingham. Whatever, I don't look on this negatively at all, but I was very ravenous and got experienced real quick.
6. When the Gulf War began (1/16/1991)
Still 16, junior year in high school, taking AP history with the most amazing history teacher I would ever have: Carmela Phillips. A short black woman, originally from Martinique (I think?), she would always joke about certain black racial stereotypes like Watermelon and Fried Chicken. She was fantastic, and we discussed that war alot at this time. Kind of scary, as we were approaching 18 and wondering if we would have to be part of this big draft. I met my best friend Jason around this time, and innapropriately fell in love with him of course :O)
7. When OJ Simpson was chased in his White Bronco (6/17/1994)
Hmmm... I remember the coverage, and I had just finished my 2nd year of college in Walla Walla, and I was gearing up to transfer to WWU in Bellingham. Just turned 20. I don't remember exactly where I was, but man, when he was acquitted, it was big, big talk among my classes at WWU.
8. When the building in Oklahoma City was bombed (4/19/1995)
Still 20 yo, first year at WWU, taking Physiological Psych (and going crazy). I was sitting with a girl from my dorm, and she told me about it in class. I don't think I really understood the severity until I saw more news about it later that day. I really remember that classroom though... one of the stuffiest and most uncomfortable.
9. When Princess Di was killed (8/31/1997)
23 years old, I was at my ex-bandmate's parent's house on Lake Sammammish in Bellevue, WA. We had brought our recording equipment and studio to their house to get better room sounds and enjoy the rest of the summer. That album took such a ridiculous amount of time to make, with so much frustration, it didn't come out until about exacty two years later in 1999. So, after recording late, I woke up and the news was on about Princess Diana's death, and as my mom had passed away the previous year, I remember feeling real sad for her boys.
10. When Bush was first announced President (11/7/2000)
26 years old, living in Seattle with my partner Truman, in a horribly opressive basement apartment that probably spawned more fights than any actual real issues did. Sue me, I voted for Nader, because as we all know, Gore didn't convince enough of the populace that he had the fire and conviction to do what was needed. He felt really lazy to me, as did most of the Democratic party. Even though our current president is proving he's a total bastard, the current backlash of protests and uprising against him is very exciting. It's probably a stupid thing for me to say, but perhaps it was good for Bush to get elected, just for the fact that it's apparently lighting a match under our collective asses and forcing us to think about what we feel is important, which, if you believe the current polls, is definitely not to go to war.
11. When the 6.8 earthquake hit Nisqually, WA (2/28/2001)
This is an odd one for people who didn't live in the Pacific NW at the time. However, living in Seattle, I remember this pretty vividly. We just returned from two weeks in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. The first week was splendid. The 2nd week was completely awful. Truman injured his back and was suffering immense pain in his back and down his leg. This crack doctor (who was originally from Kansas, but studied medicine in some South American country I forget) was giving Truman periodic injections for swelling. They didn't really help. The doctor kept on trying to have us meet his family and have us look at property for sale. Then, one day before our flight home, Truman came down with the Montezuma's revenge-like illness, which was such a joy. The next day after we got home, he was still sick, feverish and delusional, and resting in bed. I was on the computer when the quake hit, and all the fun requisite fun and rattling stuff began. I was just really enthralled with how the house was shaking when my partner came blazing out of the bedroom yelling at me to get outside (not the best option, I know). It was hilarious to see this man who had been borderline delusional and completely feverish have this sudden attack of clarity when he realized it was an earthquake. The image of him scrambling out, eyes open wide, was priceless. Anyway, we got outside, and saw telephone poles swaying 45 degrees in both directions. At that point, I thought "we really should be inside under that desk". The quake only measured 6.8, and it was so far underground that it didn't really do any immediate damage. Unfortunately, "retrofit" is the new key word around here, and due to hidden damages, lots of beautiful old churches and buildings are getting torn down as a result. That sucks, really.
12. When terrorists knocked over the World Trade Center (9/11/2001)
Visiting San Francisco for the first time, my friend Davey called us at our hotel, waking us up to the news. It's definitely surreal to be away from home at a time like that. Like everyone else I'm sure, we watched hours of news coverage before we finally decided to head near Fisherman's Wharf to get a credit card that I accidentally left behind at a restaurant. Many buildings and Fisherman's Wharf were closed, with heavy police presence, but it still seemed heavily touristy. Our return flight got canceled, but we got on an earlier one, and in retrospect (and compared to now), it was a very easy and uneventful trip back home.
