I really do like Tuesdays. It seems weird, but my favorite classes seem to be my 7:30 ones. Last semester, I always enjoyed my 7:30 Friday accounting lab. And now that I have my two hour 7:30 Microprocessor class, I’m loving that too – the material is pretty sweet stuff. Gotta love that Boolean algebra. Maybe it’s just the fact that in all my early classes, I have coffee. Yep, that’s gotta be it. Coffee just makes class more fun. Proven fact. Well, in my head at least. And I need to find a buy a good coffee machine and buy some awesome coffee – I’ve come to the conclusion that it will be cheaper in the long run to do that than buy coffee from Java City twice a week.
And to more serious matters…today is September 11th, 2007. So odd to think that six years ago today, I was in my freshman year of high school while four airliners were hijacked by terrorists. While I was in my microprocessor class today, around 9:00 or so, I remembered how six years ago, I had just found out about the attacks while in my second period computers class…how strange it is to think a moment like that is frozen in my memory forever. That day is still clear in my memory, but not as vivid as it used to be. I wish I’d taken the advice of my history teacher in sophomore year to write a detailed account. He told us that we had witnessed history and should record our impressions. I thought of it as schoolwork(thus didn’t do it) but now wish I had. I did write something for a messageboard(BZPower) back in 2002, so thought I’d post that here now(unedited).
Written 9/11/2002
I can still remember that day as if it happened yesterday…
I went to school as normal, my 1st period English progressed like it always did, and then I went to 2nd period Computer and Business Skills; we were pounding away in the typing program when, sort of subconsciously, I saw a teacher come into the room and whisper to my teacher.(This is around 9:00 Eastern Time) Then my teacher told us that a plane had crashed into the WTC and she turned on the TV.
To tell you the truth, I didn’t really think it was that big at first. I thought that it wasn’t that big of a deal, some small plane had accidentally crashed into the WTC, and I thought, Well, that is really sad and probably a few people died, but at least, probably, not too many people were hurt.
For the rest of the period, we watched the TV, but I didn’t really get what was happening. The next period, Team Sports, was outside, so no TV, but in that class, people were saying how the Pentagon had been hit, the White House exploded, and the Capitol had collapsed.
That was when I began to realize it was much more serious. I could not fathom all those landmarks going up in smoke, and I knew this would be a turning point for America.
The next class, Spanish II, was in a portable classroom, so there was no TV, and I still did not totally know what was going on. After lunch, I arrived in 5th period Physical Science and I asked my teacher, “WHAT happened?”
She then told me how both towers had collapsed, the Pentagon had been hit, and a plane had crashed in Pennsylvania. For the rest of the day, I was in shock.
I went to my last class, geometry and for the first time(but not the last) I saw the video of the towers collapsing. Finally, I got to go home. I walked home, like I usually do and saw my family around the TV. We had planned to have a big turkey dinner with one of our friends, an Air Force Reservist, but no one was hungry. Our friend was crying over what had happened, so we tried to comfort her.
I will never forget that day.
And I know how most of us hate Osama bin Ladin and wish he were dead, but I say we follow the the words of Jesus and “Love our enemies” and pray for him.
I will never be the same and I know most of us never will be either.
GOD BLESS AMERICA!!!!!!!!!!
-James Hogan
Sophmore, Gaither High School
Tampa, Florida, USA
And on that somber note, I am off to get ready for Arredondo Room…mmm, beef stew. Haven’t eaten breakfast today, so I’m starving. Hope everyone has a great day!
Something Weird 