I've been holding back for a while and letting it sink in, watching all of the other posters responses to the tragedy that occurred this week. I hadn't originally intended on posting my feelings because I'm not one for sympathy and everything I could have said has been said already...until recently.

First of all, everyone should know that I am a native New Yorker. I was born in Brooklyn and lived in either Brooklyn or Queens until I was 22. I worked in Manhattan from age 19 to 22.

In 1993, I worked at a Sam Goody located at 5 World Trade Center. To make a long story short, I was working the day of the blast.
I have to admit, it didn't affect me too heavily because not only did I not realize the severity of the situation at the time, but I thought it was a terribly weak terrorist effort.
For these reasons and others I eventually decided to become an ex-New Yorker.

This week I discovered that-luckily-all of my friends and relatives near the tragedy were not harmed. My Aunt Claudia was working in one of the towers (my Mom told me this today). God bless her, she got out. However, already a nervous wreck, Claudia is now afraid to leave the house.

This is the physically closest it has hit home for me. However, I am not posting this for me or my Aunt Claudia. I have come across some upsetting news.
For those of you who didn't know, Angel the compassionate firefighter from the Bronx who recently solved the mystery on "Murder In Small Town X", was amongst the first firefighters to reach the towers before they collapsed. Unfortunately Angel hasn't been seen since Tuesday.

I feel that it is appropriate to post this thread because Angel was a real person. Through the course of the show (and I don't know how many of you watched it, I posted a thread for those who were interested) I learned to admire Angel's compassion and heroism. He showed no fear. In my opinion of what I saw of him, he was an extraordinary person. I would have trusted him with my life. I was rooting for Angel and Katie and when Angel won, I felt the sense of relief as I thought:"Yeah! Good guys do win!"
Ironically, though Angel never once was sent out to play "The Killer's Game" this luck would not prove fruitful in reality. When I read the news it almost-no it did-break my heart. It wasn't fair. Though I have no connection with the man in person, I felt the same warmth I had encountered before in Reality Contestants-my God, a plane just went over and I had to stop-sorry. Contestants like Gretchen and Rodger who we knew were good real people. I connected with Angel in the same way.
Before I go on, I would like to apologize for the melodrama, but
I felt it necessary to pay homage to one of the people that made us love our Reality TV so much. One of our beloved characters is gone. I will choose to remember him as a hero. In reality TV and in reality itself, Angel proved to be the kind of person that gave a damn. He cared about people and he was strong and brave. It's a shame that we have to lose people like that and keep people like (and God PLEASE forgive me for saying this) like Richard Hatch. I suppose it is only because that's who Angel was. I have gained a new level of respect for firefighters and policemen and rescue workers of all kinds. Their test is the strongest.

So, if you've never seen "Murder in Small Town X". I suggest you find it, so you can see what I mean. It was a tragically heroic death for an extraordinary human being. I can only hope that maybe he's still there waiting patiently to be found. God Bless Angel and his firefighting "brothers".

Once again, I apologize for the melodramatic ramble. It's been getting difficult to keep emotions at bay lately, and being a fairly new poster, I don't want to come across as a fruitcake.
I had to stop and cry a few times as I was writing, and when I heard the plane fly overhead, I froze until I heard it go away. It's terrifying.
Thank you guys for listening. I had to get it off my chest.

• RE: For Angel,Dalton, 02:28 AM, 09-14-01
• RE: For Angel,George Tirebiter, 02:34 AM, 09-14-01
  • Welcome Back George...,IceCat, 04:31 AM, 09-14-01
    • RE: Welcome Back George...,George Tirebiter, 09:44 AM, 09-14-01
      • RE: Welcome Back George...,desert_rhino, 03:04 PM, 09-14-01
        • An update,George Tirebiter, 07:10 PM, 09-14-01
• RE: For Angel,PepeLePew13, 06:52 AM, 09-14-01
• RE: For Angel,janisella, 07:48 AM, 09-14-01
• RE: For Angel,ItzLisa, 09:23 AM, 09-14-01
• RE: For Angel,SherpaDave, 11:14 AM, 09-14-01
  • RE: For Angel,Mitrelleum, 02:45 PM, 09-14-01
    • RE: For Angel,ItzLisa, 07:09 PM, 09-14-01
      • For Itz,George Tirebiter, 11:31 AM, 09-15-01
        • RE: For Itz,desert_rhino, 03:26 PM, 09-17-01
          • RE: For Itz,George Tirebiter, 04:15 PM, 09-17-01
• RE: For Angel,dabo, 01:33 AM, 09-15-01
• RE: For Angel,SurvivorBlows, 12:52 PM, 09-17-01
  • RE: For Angel,LadyT, 10:55 AM, 09-18-01
• RE: For Angel,true, 11:23 AM, 09-18-01

Tim...I'm glad you felt you could post here and share your feelings with us. We have ALL needed the support of our SB community this week.

I have personally attended too many funerals of firefighters and police officers. And I'm still amazed by the number of strangers who come up to the bereaved family and stammer out their own stories of how they were helped/aided/rescued or otherwise affected by these public servants in the course of their everyday duties.

What happened in New York was indeed a senseless tragedy but it would have been equally so had it occured in Chicago or Dallas or Denver or Kansas City----because, simply because, it happened to AMERICANS.

Dalton

Sorry I have no reference point to comment on your well thought-out post, as I never bothered with that show. . . but I couldn't help commenting on your disclaimer at the end, in the way of a welcome:

< I don't want to come across as a fruitcake.
Ummmm. . . sorry, but you have wandered not only onto SB, but the OT on SB--and I believe the motto here is actually Fruitcakes R Us. Besides, Off-Topic means just that--no need to apologize for bringing up (almost) anything here!

I've actually not bothered to read much here in the past couple weeks, but I was glad to notice several new names here today, so will extend the "Laurel--and Hardy Handshake" to all of you here. But be careful where you step--the munky tends to throw feces when agitated!

GT

LAST EDITED ON 09-15-01 AT 00:48 AM (EST)

... and don't call me 'Gracie'!

*sniff sniff*
You don't know how much I appreciate the sentiment, guys!

And if I hadn't awakened to a hurricane coming down my throat (literally! after hearing all week that we'd only get a few days of drizzle, we've got 70 mph winds!) I would linger to report in.

Rest assured that the worst seems to be over--I think it's directly offshore from us at this moment, and picking up speed--so Mon Cherie, you need to be hitting the supermarket about now and stocking up on cheesy poofs and such! It'll hit you by this afternoon. . .

Guess someone figured we needed a little diversion, after such an overly-exciting week.

Regards!

GT
(who isn't wasting any time proofreading, cuz she's already had to reconnect three times, due to incessant power surges. . . Fie on you, FPL!)

I love my TrippLite UPC. It fails over to battery on power fluctuations I cannot see in the lights or anything else, and keeps me up and running. It rocks.

Hi, GT. Missed ya, babe!

-- JV

"What rage for fame attends both great and small!
Better be damned than mentioned not at all." --John Wolcot (1738–1819)

Awwww. . . THANKS, whine-o! I've missed you, too.

Don't know what set you off on your UPC, but I've only got an APC UPS (500)--with CPU, monitor, and CDR protected by battery back-up, not my modem. Works great, unless I get an extended outage. You must've had vibes that I was being driven out of my skull by the BEEEEEPing today, though! (We've got to stop meeting in the netherworld!) When our power was lost for hours this morning, I ended up switching it off (which I've never done before)--gotta be using more energy alerting me every few seconds than it's worth, with computer off. . . Stupid beep. Stupid, stupid beep!

And now for the hurricane update: Although it sounded like our roof would come off this morning, it didn't. Sideways rain leaked into the roof vent, but luckily that didn't last long (gotta love that 4' drywall seam that popped above the leather furniture, though. . .) No major branches down, even--although our trashy neighbors' fence came down (our rear-most privacy, of course), but somehow they were inspired to tack it up again already (phew!) With no power, I had no gruesome teevee, so went to bed until my son called to check in at 5:30; the storm had pretty much passed us by then--and of course was centered squarely over HIM near Orlando at that point--so now we'll just have a breezy, rainy night. Probably be beautiful weather by tomorrow, and all our puddles will have oozed out into the bay (one benefit of living on sand).

Worst effect here? Friday night is our usual Chinese take-out night, and we had a new restaurant to try out. Now I have to wait for my lo mein until tomorrow. . . (yeah, yeah--I hear that collective moan. . . but I am a creature of habit, damnit!)

All in all, a minor blip in the scheme of things.

GT

About Angel... wow I didn't realize that this same person would be involved as a firefighter in the New York attacks. I remember seeing a couple of shows including the final one where he solved the mystery and I do remember him now with his occupation listed as firefighter. I am hopeful as an external optimist (I drive people nuts during times like this) that Angel and many others will eventually be found somewhere under the rubble, and it is not too late to give up on miracles. Our hopes are with him and with many firefighters, police officers and the thousands of people in the WTC rubble that they will be found safe or at the very least, not one of them will have their memories forgotten.

Stepping up onto the pedestal
I am a fruitcake. There, I said it.
Stepping back down (wb, GT)

"Permit me to introduce myself. I am Pepe Le Pew, your lover."

What an eloquent post! I never watched Small Town X, but I will keep Angel's loved ones in my prayers. I also hope your aunt finds a way to deal with this experience. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this tragedy.

J.

LAST EDITED ON 09-14-01 AT 09:25 AM (EST)

I'm glad you posted - one of the things that's great about the people here is the willingness to listen. I know we all have feelings about this attack, and I've been really just spewing my words all over this board since it happened.

I think you've posted a lovely, heartfelt tribute to Angel. And no, it's not crazy, for whatever reason, to latch on in grief over someone you didn't really know, because this attack has united us all. You said you'd been reading the posts, so if you've seen mine, you've seen where I mentioned a couple of time that nice cop who gave me info on what subways back to Queens were running on Tuesday afternoon - I walked over to ask him and I just burst into tears all over him! Turns out his father, at that point in the day, was still unaccounted for down by the WTC. I can't get that cop out of my mind - I keep praying for his dad and for him. I don't even know the cop's name to check and see if his dad is still among the missing or if he's okay, but for some reason, I can't get him out of my mind, and I feel like crying when I think that this guy I spoke to for five minutes may never see his dad again. So, no, I totally understand you feeling this way about Angel.

Funny you brought up the '93 blast - glad you were okay in that one, too, but I think we forgot the lessons of the '93 bombing. Plus we repaired it so fast, it's just like it was fixed up and forgotten, know what I mean? Everyone just stored it away in the backs of our minds because it was fixable. Hopefully, the only thing we can come out of with this attack is that the lesson will NOT be forgotten and we'll always be careful, from now on, for the rest of our lives. Because this one can't be fixed, it was a hard lesson to learn in making sure we're always going to be on our toes.

My love goes out to your Aunt Claudia - I hope she is able to come to terms eventually to feel safe outside her home. I'm on day three of being inside, and although it's raining and freezing out, if I can get a train out of Queens, I may head over to 16th and 11th to donate food and coffee to the volunteers. I finally feel like I'm processing it enough that I need to do SOMETHING for them.

****************************************

We're all fruitcakes here. We are, for the most part, adults. And we've made this community of people who care a lot about each other from a place that was set up to post about reality television. Go figure.

I've not posted a lot to other thresds offering my condolences, support, etc. A lot of that has been because I've been processing and spewing myself.

Please, please, please continue to post when you need to. And whether you "knew" Angel or not, I'm sorry for your loss (although, like Pepe, I'm still harboring hopes for those whose names have not yet been released).

And Itz, your thresds have been among those I just haven't gotten around to responding to, for whatever reasons. I'm so glad you're okay, and breathed huge sighs of relief when I saw your first posts.

First off, thanks you guys for making me feel so welcome. Although I have not been a huge spoiler participant, I have made myself known by voting in Superman's thread simply to make my voice heard.

I am a huge Survivor fan, and have enjoyed watching you guys spoil and hash out your opinions. Even the flaming, though violent at times, was fun to watch.

And though I never really spoke directly with too many of you guys, you have clearly become household names here. What a relief to hear news from ItzLisa and VampKira, AyaK and others, and I have to admit, despite other reasons, I teared reading your post on your account of the situation. It was horrifying to watch on TV.

What thrills me the most during this whole situation is the worldwide support we are getting. It's the first time, I think, in history where racial boundaries were completely overlooked, and we all became one. I think it's because we realized that we all are one (with the exception of some terrorists and those hotheaded ignorant Arab-American bashers). I am simply moved by the majority of the human race right now, whereas before I didn't have too much faith in them.

Thank you guys, for maintaining a mature, intelligent and sometimes a positively goofy set of message boards.

Long live SB!!

Mitrelleum, thanks for the kind words! Glad you're with us!

Dave - noooo problem, hon - I know ya luvs me, LOL!!

GT SISTAAAAAAH!!! The prodigal scottie-dog has come home!!!

****************************************

<GT SISTAAAAAAH!!! The prodigal scottie-dog has come home!!!

Bringing this back just for you, Itzy.

GT

Woo-HOOOOO!!!! I LUV that scottie-dog, doncha know...

-- JV

"What rage for fame attends both great and small!
Better be damned than mentioned not at all." --John Wolcot (1738–1819)

>Woo-HOOOOO!!!! I LUV that scottie-dog, doncha know...
OMG! I do believe you're flirting with me (and we all know of your terrible reputation for such behaviors. . . LOL) Mkay--you may consider it for your benefit, as well.

And Webby? LMAO@your kitchen paint drying (below). . . But I also heard something on the radio this morning (could it have been Howard Stern? I usually give him a wide berth, but I had reception difficulties in the car, due to weather) about Steve Buscemi--NOT one of my favorite actors, but. . . they said something about him being a former fireman in NYC, and he'd been called up or volunteered for the rescue efforts--and hasn't been heard of in a disturbing period of time. Like the parade of heartbreaking stories as the teevee news people scrounge around to fill their air time, it really makes it more disturbing to be able to put a face on this, doesn't it?

GT

LAST EDITED ON 09-15-01 AT 01:37 AM (EST)

I found this a very moving post, Mitrelleum, thank you for sharing it. Even though I never had the opportunity to view Murder in Small Town X I did read a few times the thread you started in the other forum and found the comments interesting.

"If the race of man should be left naked upon a desert island, we should become extinct in six weeks. A few individuals might linger, but in a year would become worse than monkeys." (Samuel Butler, "Erewhon")

Though I'll confess to not being a Small Town X viewer (I tried to watch the first episode, but found myself drifting off to focus on some paint that was drying in the kitchen) I'd like to add my 2 cents that my thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of those who died or are still missing -- including Angel.

...for those here who didn't personally know any of the victims, their families, friends, or co-workers who were involved in the attacks (which, given my close proximity to the Boston area that was the origin for 2 of the flights, unfortunately doesn't include me) Angel's involvement probably brings the horror even a bit closer to home. ...and it's also another lesson on just how quickly the highs can become lows.

God bless Angel and all the other heroes who fell victim to this attack...

-SB

Welcome Mitrellium I am sorry I haven't gotten around to posting this. This thread was very hard for me to read. It breaks my heart to see so many people missing. The only consolotion I can feel is that they are with God and are at peace when their lives were tragically cut short. I never watched MISTX, but my heart goes out to Angel.
GOD BLESS AMERICA