9.25.2011
Creating Crayons - Sesame Street
Fond memories. This was one of my favorite videos when I was little :) I was fascinated by the colors.
9.22.2011
9.11.2011
Remembering...
I just wanted to get down what I remember about that day, 10 years ago... especially because so many of you were involved.
I was walking down the hall to my first class I noticed it was eerily silent except for the sound of the same news station coming from room after room. At the end of my hall I stopped in the quad and we sat in silence and watched. Soon after, it was reported that the Pentagon had been hit. Erica, I think I remember you crying and trying to call your parents, we were so worried about them.
We were so close to the city, or at least it seemed that we were that day. Especially with the jeeps from the base rolling past on Rt. 5. Now we were all frantically calling, or trying to call, people we knew in DC and NYC. Campus phones overloaded and went down. I remember my friend Matt Kearney got hold of me on AIM and I let him know I couldn't reach my Mom. He said he thought he could get a line out, and that sweet boy called on redial until my Mom finally picked up. He had to tell her about what was happening. I think, because she had lived through the bombings in London during the IRA madness, she was saddened but not as shocked as we all were. I know she called me that night and told me everything would be alright, that many countries survived this, and more frequently, than the US. Dad said something similar, that he loved me and that it would eventually be OK although things would change. I think now about him growing up in Liverpool, where as a kid many of the houses around him would still have just been holes in the ground from the Blitz, and I think I can see why they were both sad but resigned. It made me mad then, but now I think I understand.
I remember feeling so small, so helpless and kind of numb too - I know I felt as if I should be doing something, anything. Someone, Beth Huggins maybe, found out about a blood drive in Lusby at a VFW. I think about 10 of us went, but other than Beth and Gwyn, who drove, I couldn't tell you who now. I think I was in shock. When we got there the parking lot was full. We sat all day with many, many people from the community in that VFW, all of us listening to the radio and just being there, feeling we were doing something, even as the reports rolled in that let us know that our efforts were probably in vain. I know the Red Cross sent for relief nurses to the blood drive at some point because so many people were there. It was so quiet, even the kids. Everyone just listening and getting up to give blood when their name was called. At some point, Beth asked me if I was going to sign up and I told her that I couldn't (too much time in England since 1986 or whatever). Even though I was completely impotent sitting there to be surrounded by a community of people attempting the same futile effort felt better.
I think it was the next day in my sociology class that some kid stood up and said he didn't understand why this whole thing was a big deal and that it didn't effect him, that I just lost it. I remember crying and then being in the hallway with the professor, and she gently told me that maybe I just needed to be with my family. She was right, and about 3 hours later Ryan Stanley drove down from College Park and we both went back to HoCo. Again, it didn't do anything, but it was better somehow. To be in a familiar place, no surprises.
Anyway, I guess the point of writing this, of remembering, is to say that I hope we all remember not to take things, life, friends, family, for granted. That we were given a gift, in a way, a point in time seared in our minds that we have to live with everything we can.
I love you all very much.
I was walking down the hall to my first class I noticed it was eerily silent except for the sound of the same news station coming from room after room. At the end of my hall I stopped in the quad and we sat in silence and watched. Soon after, it was reported that the Pentagon had been hit. Erica, I think I remember you crying and trying to call your parents, we were so worried about them.
We were so close to the city, or at least it seemed that we were that day. Especially with the jeeps from the base rolling past on Rt. 5. Now we were all frantically calling, or trying to call, people we knew in DC and NYC. Campus phones overloaded and went down. I remember my friend Matt Kearney got hold of me on AIM and I let him know I couldn't reach my Mom. He said he thought he could get a line out, and that sweet boy called on redial until my Mom finally picked up. He had to tell her about what was happening. I think, because she had lived through the bombings in London during the IRA madness, she was saddened but not as shocked as we all were. I know she called me that night and told me everything would be alright, that many countries survived this, and more frequently, than the US. Dad said something similar, that he loved me and that it would eventually be OK although things would change. I think now about him growing up in Liverpool, where as a kid many of the houses around him would still have just been holes in the ground from the Blitz, and I think I can see why they were both sad but resigned. It made me mad then, but now I think I understand.
I remember feeling so small, so helpless and kind of numb too - I know I felt as if I should be doing something, anything. Someone, Beth Huggins maybe, found out about a blood drive in Lusby at a VFW. I think about 10 of us went, but other than Beth and Gwyn, who drove, I couldn't tell you who now. I think I was in shock. When we got there the parking lot was full. We sat all day with many, many people from the community in that VFW, all of us listening to the radio and just being there, feeling we were doing something, even as the reports rolled in that let us know that our efforts were probably in vain. I know the Red Cross sent for relief nurses to the blood drive at some point because so many people were there. It was so quiet, even the kids. Everyone just listening and getting up to give blood when their name was called. At some point, Beth asked me if I was going to sign up and I told her that I couldn't (too much time in England since 1986 or whatever). Even though I was completely impotent sitting there to be surrounded by a community of people attempting the same futile effort felt better.
I think it was the next day in my sociology class that some kid stood up and said he didn't understand why this whole thing was a big deal and that it didn't effect him, that I just lost it. I remember crying and then being in the hallway with the professor, and she gently told me that maybe I just needed to be with my family. She was right, and about 3 hours later Ryan Stanley drove down from College Park and we both went back to HoCo. Again, it didn't do anything, but it was better somehow. To be in a familiar place, no surprises.
Anyway, I guess the point of writing this, of remembering, is to say that I hope we all remember not to take things, life, friends, family, for granted. That we were given a gift, in a way, a point in time seared in our minds that we have to live with everything we can.
I love you all very much.
9.10.2011
Frederick?
Hi all DC-ers!
Would you guys be interested in a trip to Frederick any time soon? I'm just about settled in (a month after moving, ha) and would love to have you guys up to hang out, have dinner, relax, etc.
If there's a good weekend for you all (aside from September 24th when I'm back in Ithaca for a conference) perhaps we could plan something!
Love you all!
~Gwyn
Would you guys be interested in a trip to Frederick any time soon? I'm just about settled in (a month after moving, ha) and would love to have you guys up to hang out, have dinner, relax, etc.
If there's a good weekend for you all (aside from September 24th when I'm back in Ithaca for a conference) perhaps we could plan something!
Love you all!
~Gwyn
9.09.2011
Happy birthday, GWYN!
Say goodbye to being a math professor who is also a cubed number... and say hello to 28! Hope you have a super rad birthday and get to take advantage of the serendipity of having your birthday be on a Friday!
Love,
Abby (and Jack)
9.07.2011
New Year's Eve?
Hello, ever-expanding Quad family!
It's already September... pools are closed, fingers are getting cramped from taking notes in class and typing out papers (for some of us), the ice cream man may be coming around less frequently, and... perhaps we should start talking about NYE, Quad style?? I heard a little rumor, from whom I honestly can not recall, that there has been talk of an evolution in our venue selection. Can anyone confirm or deny this? Where are you all planning to be for Christmas? How about after Christmas?
Despite the 90 degree days reminding me that it's still officially Summer I am feeling excited about seeing you all again, swaddled in Winter garb. :)
Love, Abby
p.s. I tried to attach a photo, just for fun, and it didn't work. :(
It's already September... pools are closed, fingers are getting cramped from taking notes in class and typing out papers (for some of us), the ice cream man may be coming around less frequently, and... perhaps we should start talking about NYE, Quad style?? I heard a little rumor, from whom I honestly can not recall, that there has been talk of an evolution in our venue selection. Can anyone confirm or deny this? Where are you all planning to be for Christmas? How about after Christmas?
Despite the 90 degree days reminding me that it's still officially Summer I am feeling excited about seeing you all again, swaddled in Winter garb. :)
Love, Abby
p.s. I tried to attach a photo, just for fun, and it didn't work. :(
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