Just a Day in My Life, Memes and Quizzes

How the mighty hath fallen

by Richard S. Crawford

For lack of interesting content, I’m reduced to putting up my answers to a questionaire in my journal.

Where were you when…?

When John F. Kennedy was shot (November 22, 1963)
That was a few years before my time.
When Mt. St. Helens blew (May 18, 1980)
Definitely after my time, but I can’t remember anyway. I think I was at my grandparents’ house, watching television.
When the space shuttle Challenger exploded (January 28, 1986)
In homeroom. It was my senior year of high school. The girl who sat in front of me turned around and told me, “Did you hear that the space shuttle exploded?” I didn’t believe her until I saw the footage on television.
When the 7.1 earthquake hit San Francisco (October 17, 1989)
I was at work; at the time, I was working in the Psychology department at UC Davis, compiling anthropological data into a database for a professor. I was on the second floor of the building. Even though I was hundreds of miles away, I could feel the building shake. But I didn’t realize how bad it was until I got back home and stopped by my friend’s apartment, and saw the shots of the Mission District in San Francisco up in flames. At that time, they didn’t know where the epicenter was, and I tried desperately to get through to my family, who lived near the true epicenter.
When the Berlin Wall fell (November 7, 1989)
I’m not sure. I think I was in a Medieval Studies class.
When the Gulf War began (January 16, 1991)
At my house, studying. A friend called me and told me to turn on the TV.
When the first World Trade Center bombing happened (February 26, 1993)
I can’t remember. How sad is that?
When OJ Simpson was chased in his White Bronco (June 17, 1994)
At work, not caring (and now, almost ten years later, I still don’t care).
When the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City was bombed (April 19, 1995)
I was working at a cafe in downtown Davis. One of my co-workers was a Muslim, and was worried about whether he was going to be persecuted because of the attack. This was before we figured out it was Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols.
When Princess Di was killed (August 31, 1997)
Working at Labor Relations at UC Davis. And not caring. I mean, it’s always sad when someone dies, but I was never enchanted by Princess Di.
When Bush was first announced President (November 7, 2000)
At work, seething with rage.
When the 6.8 earthquake hit Nisqually, WA (February 28, 2001)
Huh? There was an earthquake?
When terrorists destroyed the World Trade Center (September 11, 2001)
At home, getting ready for work. My wife and I were watching as e-mails kept going back and forth across a mailing list we both belonged to, and we finally figured out that something was up. We finally decided to turn on the morning news, something we never do.
When Columbia disintegrated during re-entry over Texas. (February 1, 2003)
At home, checking the news. I remember going to tell Jennifer, who was in the bathroom. “The space shuttle exploded over the Atlantic,” I said.

“Yay!” she said.

“Um. I said the space shuttle exploded over the Atlantic.”

“Yay!” she repeated.

Apparently, she’d thought I said, “The space shuttle is floating over the Atlantic.”