Today is the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks which saw hijacked airplanes hit the twin towers of the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. A fourth plane, United Flight 93, crashed in Pennsylvania after heroic passengers foiled the plans of its hijackers to launch a second attack on Washington.

I will never forget this day and the days that followed. This was only a year after we had moved to our previous home. I rotated between working at home and going into the office. It was a day when I was at home and S was in the office. S called me at about five minutes to nine that morning and said, “Something’s going on. Go downstairs and turn on the news.” I went down to the family room and turned on the TV, watching in disbelief with the rest of the world. A passenger plane had stuck one of the towers. The thing I’ll never forget is that after watching the newscasters frantically trying to describe the scene and gather facts, I saw the second plane hit live. Not long after came word that a third plane had hit the Pentagon. Within an hour, the south tower collapsed in what was one of the most surreal things I have ever seen. When the second tower came down a short time later, the New York skyline was forever changed.

To this day it’s still very odd to see old movies or television shows (like Friends) that were shot in New York which have shots of the towers still standing.

Twenty years ago. It’s hard to believe it’s been that long. I find myself living somewhere else, my daughter married and S & I grandparents.

So… “What’s happening on September 11th, 2021?”, you ask? Well, Covid is still around. New variants have developed that are more easily transmissible and more dangerous. That said, while the fully vaccinated are still susceptible, it doesn’t appear to much of a danger to that group who seems to see only mild symptoms. The problem is that, by choice, more than 40% of those eligible have not been vaccinated. With everything open, few mask mandates and kids back in school, newly reported daily cases are high.

S & I are supposed to return to the office in four weeks. Hopefully that gets postponed. Speaking of work, it’s pretty awful right now. It almost as bad as it was in 2018. My boss of 20+ years saw his job eliminated due to a re-org. Others have resigned. I’ve actually been strongly considering moving on myself. It’s hard to imagine making such a change after so long, but I’m not sure if I can or should stick it out much longer.

On the bright side, tomorrow is that start of the new NLF season. You know that gets us excited! And, the Reds are still hanging in there with a good shot at making the playoffs. Thirty-eight year old Joey Votto has been insanely good hitting homeruns like it was 2017. TDub has started pre-school and loves it! The weather is beautiful. It’s going to be 90 for the next three days, but with winter not too far away, I’m not complaining.

I recently discovered that our little town has a library! I had a five day weekend over Labor Day and got myself a library card. It’s the tiniest library I have ever been it, but it was fun. I checked out Lord of the Rings. As a huge fan of epic fantasy, I felt like it was a must-read as many consider it the greatest book in the history of the genre. Sadly, as I near the end of the first book, I have found it a bit dull.

XOXO