September 11, 2011 -The 10 Year Commemoration
“Where were you on 9-11?” The question remains infamous just as “Where were you when you heard that President Kennedy was shot?” for the baby boomer generation.
Having attended numerous funerals myself as so many long-time residents of New York City alike, we keep those special friends/collegues/college buddies/family members in mind like clockwork each year. So many times we have to remind ourselves that they are gone because it seems like only yesterday that they were here. It still seems surreal.
The best way to celebrate this day for all of those who are gone is to remember the happy and funny times we had with them and laugh. An even better way to honor them is to take inventory of your life. Are you happy? If not, what do you need or want to change to make your life happy? DO IT. Clean house. There is no better time than the present. If nothing else, 9-11 taught us that LIFE IS SHORT! That is the best gift to give back to those who we lost.
One special person lost was a dear friend of my family, a firefighter who saved so many lives but lost his own life in the process. This guy was young and very handsome mind you. He actually got me out of a NYC subway car during a subway fire with a crow bar bc he recognized me standing at the door. Talk about luck and fate! Only problem was that he was more interested in securing a date with me and getting my digits than helping the others down the catwalk to the exit. I thought he was really stuck on me but clearly I was fooled as were so many others as you will see from the story below.
Ode to our Fireman:
Being a tall, handsome Irishman in the NYC firehouse, he was very popular with the ladies. At his wake, there were three very attractive women claiming to be his “serious girlfriend.” They were all acting as though they had just lost a husband. Not only did his family have to deal with this tragedy but they had their hands full trying to assure all three women (complete strangers to them) how special they were to him and keep these three women from finding out about each other. Difficult times call for difficult measures! Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. His brothers were more scared of dealing with these women than having to walk blindfolded through a minefield!
When he invited my brother to one of his parties he wrote BYOB on the invitation and my brother said “dude, if you’re hosting a party, the least you can do is to supply the alcohol!” He responded with “of course I’m supplying the poison, that means “bring your own babe.” There may not be enough hot girls at the party to go around.” This guy was funny as hell and missed by many, especially my brother.