[Kirsty]

Morning girls,

I don't know about any of you but I don't think yesterday has quite sunk in yet.
I hope everyone is well and that all your loved ones are safe.

Perhaps the shock will make us value our life right now, and we should aim to get the most out of it because you never know what will happen. So get fit and healthy and be happy.

And come post and cheer me up cos I feel so depressed reading the news.

Kirsty

[Belle2000]

Kirsty, I know what you mean, its like a movie. I watched footage with my sister and her DH last night while my niece blissfully unaware, danced and played. It was sad to see that. WE still can't really believe it happened. CAlgarians are donating blood and taking in some displaced international flight passengers, but that seems liek nothing in terms of helping.

Ferries full of bodies being removed today. and saddest of all, people still alive, trapped, calling home on their cell phones....can you imagine that?

I am glad you are all safe though, and all your families.

My friend's uncle was on one of the planes that crashed though....they are pretty devastated.

Any good news today? Anyone WI and have great results (like Lolly?)

We should remember how lucky we are, like Kirsty said, and make the most of our time here. Everyone go home and hug your loved ones, dogs, babies, mom and dad, whoever.

[Jen-L]

I don't know the words to say since I am still in shock about the whole ordeal. It is a very sad time here in the US!

My dad was supposed to fly to Pittsburg tomorrow, but found out this morning that everything was cancelled. So now he has to find out if he can get something out of his plane ticket. I am happy he isn't going!

[StaceyT]

The waiting period at the makeshift blood bank is 2 hours and growing. I can't wait that long and miss so much work, although it would be nice to get away.
Lolly: Cheers to you for saving a birdie's life! Many kitties are applauding you!
I'm glad we've heard from everyone, I must get back to work since the borrowers are already calling.
Take care to all!!!!

[Lollybird]

Hi Guys,
I second everything everyone's already said. I think I am going to have to have a news embargo at home because otherwise I will do nothing else but watch and that is starting to freak me. You know, Kirsty, it's funny, I was thinking exactly the same thing - about life and making the most of it, I mean. I have been thinking about what I really, really want to do once my PhD is done, and even where I want to do it. Lots of random thoughts at the moment but they are starting to cohere a little (though not sure emigrating to New Zealand is practical just at the moment!).
The comment and analysis in the UK papers today makes for interesting reading.
hugs,
Lxxx

[TonyaLyn]

Hello Ladies,

I also agree, and my prayers go out to the families and friends of the victims and the nation....

I do hope for the sake of our nation that we resume our normal lives shortly. I don't want the terrorists to have any satisfaction in knowing that they caused kaos in America.

Now, hug your family today, tell them how much you love them, and lets start reporting the "good" things going on with us!!

Our kitty "Belle" has been doing great!! She is litter trained, and so much fun to play with. She loves the little stuffed mouse we bought her to play with!!

My eating hasn't been very good the last couple days (I think it has been the subconscious stress and such because of the events happening), but I am getting back on track today, and walking tonight.

How about everyone else, anything new?

Take care (and I love you all! (sniff...sniff...)

[Janet R]

Good morning ladies,

Well, I'm trying to work today, though not terribly successful. I have tons to do, but I've been waiting on the information to get it done. Unfortunately, the info has to come out of New York City, so I think I will be waiting awhile yet... Due-date is the 17th, hopefully they will be able to get the info out prior to the weekend so I don't have to work Sat. & Sun. (The firm generating the information wasn't destroyed by the disaster, however, as you can imagine, it is very difficult for the employees to get to work... and even if they can get in, very difficult to concentrate!)

I think it's a little harder to move on here where I live.... Constant reminders not only on the news, but also directly affecting our lives due to road closures, and clients and associates who are simply vanished off the face of the planet... Also, you only need to look at the NY skyline to be reminded.

Bright side, they are finding some survivors amounst the rubble and dead.

Hey, at least my appetite has diminished...

Hugs to all my friends,

[Shalyne]

Hello Everyone. I know what you mean about everyone still being in shock... it's so hard to believe what has happened. Merely looking at the pictures of the altered skyline of NY is incredible. My heart goes out to those at or who knew someone directly involved at "ground zero" as they've been calling it. I doubt too much work will be getting done around the world today with everyone being preoccupied with thoughts of what has happened.

[Sweater Girl]

Hi All,


Well I am feeling better today, but am still really sad about what happened (I was shaking for about 3 hours yesterday, it doesn't help that my brother just moved to the US <though he lives in Colorado). My work was cancelled yesterday afternoon I guess due to the proximity we are to Parliment, The American Embassy and to the ministry of defence.

Anyhoo, my eating went straight to h*ll yesterday and I ended the day at 39 points (I needed a skor bar really badly and unfortunately I had baked some muffins the day before). I generally don't eat when I am upset, but yesterday was different.
I went on the elliptical trainer this morning and exercised for half an hour. At least I worked out yesterday morning.

Janet: Remember the world is thinking about all of you in the NYC, DC areas. I am glad everyone you know is accounted for.

Tonya: I understand about one's eating habits going through the window yesterday.

Stacey: I can't give blood right now due to the fact that I have to wait a year to give blood due to getting my ears pierced again

Belle: yesterday I so missed being with my family (I live almost 2 hours away from them now). I went to BFs instead, which was nice, but I still missed my mom and stuff.

Lolly: yeah yesterday I think made everyone realize who precious life is and how precious those around us are.

Kirsty: Agreed. Even though I had a bad eating day yesterday, it is not a terrible thing. I think yersterday will generally give us all a new perspective on our lives.

Jen: yeah, I think a lot of us are very nervous to fly now.

Hmmm... Happy news? I have a boyfriend now and things are going really well. He treats me like a queen and actually let me hold his remote control last night as we watched the news. I have been slowly bringing up my former weight with him, the first time was kind of accidental, I took out my keys and then he noticed my WW key chains and asked what the WW stood for.

Anyhoo, have a good day

Ali

[Belle2000]

Ali - you make a good conversation peice - I dated my b/f right after I started WW so he knew that I was on it, but you are NOT at all ALL like you were before, your before pic doens't even look like you, so its much harder to explain to someone that you used to weight 200 some pounds and how you lost it, etc.Esp if they didn't know you at all before....

I didn't tell my b/f when I reached my 10% adn got my keychain, so he wondered too at first...weird, but I didn't want to share that with him.

ANYWAY.....hope you are all well....

Belle

[TxAggie]

and I thought I would share. I hope you are all doing OK. I am still shaken and eating like crazy. I'll post more later...

We still live
in the greatest country in the world and sometimes we forget what we have
worked so hard for. This, from a Canadian newspaper, is worth sharing.

America: The Good Neighbor.
Widespread but only partial news coverage was given recently to A
remarkable editorial broadcast from Toronto by Gordon Sinclair, a
Canadian television commentator. What follows is the full text of his
trenchant remarks as printed in the Congressional Record:

"This Canadian thinks it is time to speak up for the Americans as the
most generous and possibly the least appreciated people on all the earth.
Germany, Japan and, to a lesser extent, Britain and Italy were lifted out
of the debris of war by the Americans who poured in
billions of dollars and forgave other billions in debts. None of these
countries is today paying even the interest on its remaining debts to the
United States.
When France was in danger of collapsing in 1956, it was the Americans who
propped it up, and their reward was to be insulted and swindled on the
streets of Paris. I was there. I saw it.
When earthquakes hit distant cities, it is the United States that hurries
in to help. This spring, 59 American communities were
flattened by tornadoes. Nobody helped.
The Marshall Plan and the Truman Policy pumped billions of dollars into
discouraged countries. Now newspapers in those countries are writing
about the decadent, warmongering Americans.
I'd like to see just one of those countries that is gloating over the
erosion of the United States dollar build its own airplane.
Does any other country in the world have a plane to equal the Boeing
Jumbo Jet, the Lockheed Tri-Star, or the Douglas DC10?
If so, why don't they fly them? Why do all the International lines except
Russia fly American Planes?
Why does no other land on earth even consider putting a man or woman on
the moon?
You talk about Japanese technocracy, and you get radios.
You talk about German technocracy, and you get automobiles.
You talk about American technocracy, and you find men on the moon - not
once, but several times - and safely home again.
You talk about scandals, and the Americans put theirs right in the store
window for everybody to look at.
Even their draft-dodgers are not pursued and hounded. They are here on
our streets, and most of them, unless they are breaking Canadian laws, are
getting American dollars from ma and pa at home to spend here.
When the railways of France, Germany and India were breaking
Down through age, it was the Americans who rebuilt them. When the
Pennsylvania Railroad and the New York Central went broke, nobody loaned
them an old caboose. Both are still broke.
I can name you 5000 times when the Americans raced to the help of other
people in trouble. Can you name me even one time when someone else raced
to the Americans in trouble? I don't think there was outside help even
during the San Francisco earthquake.
Our neighbors have faced it alone, and I'm one Canadian who is damned
tired of hearing them get kicked around. They will come out of this thing
with their flag high. And when they do, they are entitled to thumb their
nose at the lands that are gloating over their present troubles. I hope
Canada
is not one of those."

Stand proud, America!

This is one of the best editorials that I have ever read regarding the
United States. It is nice that one man realizes it.
I only wish that the rest of the world would realize it. We are always
blamed for everything, and never even get a thank you for the things we
do.

[Jen-L]

Kay, I think that article is making it's rounds via email because I got a copy earlier today. My only hope is that it is truely written by a non-american and not a hoax that someone put out there to make people feel good.

The article itself has a lot of positives and it did make me say, Hey, we are strong and we can overcome this!

I feel yucky... had lunch with a friend and the lunch was not that great. I hate it when I pay too much money for a yucky lunch. This place used to be awesome. Then the owners moved and someone else bought it, changed the menu and it just isn't the same. Also, they first started out with similar prices as the original place, then raised them 2 weeks after opening... the about a month ago they raised them again. And they have only been open for about 4 months now. They used to be so crowded at lunch you had to wait, now they have lots of open tables. I won't be choosing that place again... yuck!

[kimobi]

It really is hard to smile, isn't it? I didn't leave work until after 9 last night because I can get more news here, and then when I got home I turned on the TV. I was still watching around 1 a.m. when CNN showed about 10 minutes of footage, no commentary, except for screaming and crying. It was so moving, and I finally started crying myself. It's like a bad dream.

I'm thankful no one I know was affected. I heard from a friend whose father who had worked in the Pentagon, but he retired last year. His office was in the area hit by the plane. Another friend who's own offices moved out of the WTC a few months ago. A retired professor from my college (Univ. of New Hampshire) was on one of the planes, but I didn't know him.

My job at work today is trying to find out if any local residents have relatives, etc., connected to the tragedy. It isn't much fun. And tonight I'm helping to cover a prayer service that a bunch of churches are holding together.

I wish I had some good weight news to report, but I haven't been OP all week and definitely not since yesterday. The paper's been bringing in food for everyone working overtime on this story, although because we're so far away, I think we all feel helpless.

I hope everyone's hanging in there.

[Belle2000]

Kim - don't worry about the food - you are in the middle of a disaster, you stress eat when you get that way ANYWAY, and at least its free...(bright side?) Good luck writing your articles, it must be desparate.

I watched TV last night as well....its so so sad.

So far none of us have been directly impacted - did Keir have some family in NY? I hope not...I hope they are all okay.

OKay, have to work, just feel lonely today and want to chat...oh well!!

Take care all you girls and hugs to you and your families.

Belle

[Janet R]

I also wanted to comment that until now, I don't think the US has needed help from abroad... This time might be different.

Working late, trying to get stuff done... not succeeding. *sigh*