Real fact: I could have been there when the towers were struck.
I used to work at 43 Park Place, a small building near the 2 and 3 train station of the same street name. It was located adjacent to a bar and a bit further down was Burlington Coat Factory. The World Trade Center was about three blocks away, give or take a street or two. I worked in web programming for a fashion news web site. Being that I was a college student, I didn't have to work every day; things revolved around my school schedule, naturally. This day, though, I was previously scheduled to come into work.
I'm not sure as to whether I was supposed to come in but called out or was told that I could work from home that day, but one of those reasons put me home in Williamsburg, Brooklyn instead of on the streets of lower Manhattan. I recall receiving a phone call shortly after the first tower hit from my mother, worried that I might have been there. I quickly turned on the television to see the second tower's impact and from there the story has been set in history.
This event did affect me like it affected many hard-working citizens of New York City and beyond who survived this tragedy. Thousands were without work and income while having to provide for themselves or loved ones. I managed to receive some aid from the Red Cross after a long, cold and lonely winter's night wait at a Chelsea pier to be one of the first in line. Things certainly have permanently changed for me as a result of this event and has for countless other people. My heart goes out to those who have lost and have suffered as a result of reckless and selfish individuals.
Many months later, I (and my singer, Tyrone) wrote a (heavy metal) song about our abstract feelings related to the event. It's called Diary of Disaster and for your ears only I will share our collective efforts with you. Special thanks go to the bass player of my old band, Rene, who laid down the bass line in this recording.
