email597.xml

email597.xml

born-digital

email

unknown

yes

2002-08-23

Anna (8:04:54 PM): SUE!
Sue (8:05:02 PM): hey girl
Anna (8:05:02 PM): I tried calling you
Anna (8:05:06 PM): how are you
Anna (8:05:12 PM): where are you
Sue (8:05:37 PM): still in nyc, unfortunately. i'm ok. thanks
Sue (8:06:14 PM): yeah, it's virtually impossible to get through on the phone long distance
Sue (8:06:22 PM): thanks for trying to call though
Anna (8:06:32 PM): I e-mailed you at work, thinking you might be there
Sue (8:06:40 PM): i went there this morning, but they had closed the office
Anna (8:06:50 PM): where were you when it all happened yesterday
Sue (8:07:19 PM): when it happened i was in my apartment
Sue (8:07:42 PM): isaw everything happen from right after the first crash
Sue (8:07:49 PM): it was horrifying
Anna (8:08:04 PM): oh my god you saw the plane hit the 2nd tower??
Sue (8:08:13 PM): yeah
Anna (8:08:18 PM): oh my god
Anna (8:08:23 PM): I'm sorry you had to see that
Anna (8:08:25 PM): how awful
Sue (8:08:25 PM): i didn't know it was a plane at first...
Sue (8:08:39 PM): the shot on cnn was close up
Sue (8:08:53 PM): so i thought it was residual from the first crash
Sue (8:09:09 PM): when i found out it was a second plane i knew it was no accident
Sue (8:09:35 PM): i had to fight hard to keep it together
Sue (8:10:24 PM): there was a horrifying three hour period before noon where our roommate, ingrid, had gone down there to find her blind aunt
Anna (8:10:32 PM): oh my god that's awful
Sue (8:10:32 PM): right before they fell down
Anna (8:10:35 PM): her aunt worked down there?
Sue (8:10:41 PM): yeah
Anna (8:10:51 PM): oh my god
Anna (8:10:53 PM): was she ok?
Sue (8:10:53 PM): she is blind and called ingrid frightened
Sue (8:11:00 PM): asking her to come get her
Sue (8:11:13 PM): she ended up ok, someone assisted her out of the bulding
Sue (8:11:34 PM): my friend paula's cousin is missing though
Sue (8:12:17 PM): and it's real weird here too... people walking around on 23rd and above with hospital masks on because the smoke is so thick
Sue (8:12:33 PM): asbestos smoke, nontheless
Sue (8:12:57 PM): it's real quite too. its eerie.
Anna (8:13:01 PM): yeah I've been watching the news for about 48 hours now
Sue (8:13:21 PM): me too. but i practically lost it tonight so i had to stop watching
Anna (8:13:24 PM): part of me wishes I was there with you guys because I feel so helpless
Sue (8:13:31 PM): no you don't!!
Sue (8:13:36 PM): believe me
Anna (8:13:38 PM): I have no one to mourn with except a bunch of people who have no personal connection to NYC
Anna (8:13:43 PM): no I'm sure it's horrible there
Anna (8:13:53 PM): but I feel completely useless and depressed
Sue (8:14:00 PM): me too
Sue (8:14:13 PM): i tried to donate blood but there was a 7 hour long wait
Anna (8:14:21 PM): I tried to give blood but the blood banks here were full
Sue (8:14:23 PM): i got turned away from 3 different hosptials
Anna (8:14:38 PM): they told us to come back next week to replenish the supply that will be sent to NY
Sue (8:14:57 PM): that's so awesome that the whole country is helping out
Anna (8:15:26 PM): yes we are all really scared out of our wits
Sue (8:15:48 PM): yeah, it was really freaky how it all happened within an hour pretty much
Sue (8:15:57 PM): i kept expecting more to happen
Sue (8:16:04 PM): elsewhere in the country
Sue (8:16:10 PM): still do, sort of
Sue signed off at 8:16:32 PM.
Sue signed on at 8:17:30 PM.
Sue (8:17:56 PM): still trying to hold it together
Sue (8:18:20 PM): its not easy when everywhere i walk its a constant reminder
Sue (8:18:46 PM): not that i could forget anyhow
Anna (8:18:48 PM): I went out to run errands today, just so I could get away from the TV, and I was surprised to find that the entire world hadn't stopped functioning
Anna (8:18:59 PM): but when I think about it, a lot of it has stopped functioning
Sue (8:19:19 PM): yeah, people are trying to function i think
Sue (8:19:26 PM): but its surreal
Anna (8:20:20 PM): I wont' believe it until I go back to NYC and the twin towers are really gone
Sue (8:21:13 PM): yeah.... it's hard to believe. i went on the roof as they went up in smoke, i could see it perfectly from my building
Anna (8:21:35 PM): when I saw it on tv I wanted to convince myself that it was just a movie
Sue (8:21:53 PM): it was weird cause we hadn't realized yet that the first one had collapsed and erin and i were asking each other, how come we can't see it?
Sue (8:22:14 PM): and then there were all these planes flying over our heads and we felt unsafe
Sue (8:22:20 PM): so we went back inside
Sue (8:23:11 PM): only to run into this guy on our floor who ran into his apartment, shut the door and immediately burst into tears
Sue (8:23:29 PM): we found out later that he had been down there
Sue (8:23:40 PM): and had seen people jumping off the towers
Anna (8:23:59 PM): they're not showing that on the news -- the people jumping
Anna (8:24:05 PM): you saw the fighter jets?
Sue (8:24:10 PM): they showed it on cnn
Sue (8:24:22 PM): it looked almost like falling debris
Sue (8:24:43 PM): but you could tell it wasn't if you thought about it
Sue (8:26:13 PM): today the 3rd building at the trade center was smoldering asbestos smoke all day.
Sue (8:26:33 PM): it was really hard to breathe, even way up town around 60th
Sue (8:26:56 PM): people were walking around in hospital/face masks all day
Anna (8:27:02 PM): have you thought about going to your parents'?
Sue (8:27:33 PM): well, i figured that i would have to work so i didn't think going home wold be the best solution
Sue (8:27:39 PM): but now.....
Sue (8:27:52 PM): i dont know.
Anna (8:28:01 PM): I don't think anyone would hold it against you if you went back to Jersey... it's probably best for your health at this point
Sue (8:29:06 PM): i agree. but i'm afraid that i would feel more isolated there and be even more depressed
Sue (8:29:13 PM): which is the last thing i need now
Anna (8:30:50 PM): is the city offering any sort of free counseling?
Anna (8:30:56 PM): or any way for the city to mourn together?
Sue (8:31:14 PM): i'm not sure.... i would think so for victims and their families
Anna (8:32:32 PM): I don't think anyone knows what to do, city officials included.
Sue (8:32:41 PM): i'm not sure. there might be soon. at least i would hope so.
Sue (8:32:54 PM): but you know how new york is...
Sue (8:33:10 PM): and since a lot of people haven't found out good or bad yet
Sue (8:33:16 PM): it might be premature
Anna (8:33:23 PM): right
Sue (8:33:30 PM): though not for those who already know
Sue (8:33:34 PM): i don't know
Sue (8:33:45 PM): everyone is just in shock. plain and simple
Sue (8:34:09 PM): i don't think anyone's figured anything out yet
Anna (8:34:10 PM): the whole country is in shock
Anna (8:34:19 PM): we're all in disbelief that this could happen to our country
Sue (8:34:40 PM): i know
Sue (8:34:53 PM): it's truly unbelievable
Sue (8:35:56 PM): i guess i'm not surprised though, considering how much europe is affected by terrorism
Sue (8:36:04 PM): our time was coming
Sue (8:36:09 PM): as grim as that is
Anna (8:36:45 PM): right
Sue (8:37:23 PM): i heard that americans have been defacing arab americans businesses and property
Sue (8:37:32 PM): that's a real shame
Anna (8:37:57 PM): yeah the Arab Education Council in Chicago had a molotov cocktail thrown at it this morning
Sue (8:38:08 PM): christ
Sue (8:43:56 PM): you going to work tomorrow?
Anna (8:44:08 PM): yes
Anna (8:44:14 PM): and tomorrow morning I start my new yoga class
Anna (8:44:22 PM): I don't want to move on with my life but what else can I do?
Sue (8:45:07 PM): that's how i feel.
Sue (8:45:22 PM): yoga would be so amazing right now!
Anna (8:45:37 PM): I'm looking forward to it, even though it starts at 6AM!
Anna (8:45:59 PM): today I went and bought new plants. it made me feel good to buy living things to put in my home today.
Sue (8:46:35 PM): erin bought some flowers. it's rejuvenating to surround yourself with life. i hear you on that one.
Anna (8:47:06 PM): I like, want to have a baby now.
Sue (8:47:40 PM): i hear that too
Anna (8:47:45 PM): don't worry I'm not going to get knocked up though
Anna (8:47:50 PM): hey is your man stranded in Europe now?
Sue (8:48:05 PM): well, i guess that remains to be seen...
Sue (8:48:16 PM): he's supposed to come back sunday
Anna (8:49:40 PM): at least he's safe
Sue (8:49:48 PM): i know
Anna (8:49:52 PM): I'm reading the e-mail you sent me the other day and I dont' want to depress you...
Anna (8:50:06 PM): but I thought I would point out how ironic it is that you said
Anna (8:50:10 PM): "makes me realize that i'm lucky to live where there are few hurricanes and no tornadoes (i think)."
Sue (8:50:20 PM): oh man
Sue (8:50:25 PM): that's creepy
Anna (8:50:39 PM): you wrote that to me on Monday night!
Sue (8:50:56 PM): that's so fucking weird
Anna (8:51:36 PM): I'll respond to that e-mail later so when you go back to work you'll have something to read that doesn't have anything to do with what happened to you yesterday
Sue (8:51:49 PM): thanks man:-)
Anna (8:52:14 PM): I'm going to go to bed... gotta be doing yoga in 9 hours
Anna (8:52:18 PM): I'm SO glad you're okay
Sue (8:52:37 PM): thanks. i'm glad you are too, sweetie
Anna (8:53:04 PM): goodnight
Sue (8:53:12 PM): night, dude

September 12, 2001