Today In History...

June 17, 1885…The Statue of Liberty arrived in New York City aboard the French ship Isere.

In November 2002, I went to New York City on business.  Since my hotel room was not ready, I decided to do some sightseeing.  First place was Battery Park to catch the ferry to go see the Statue of Liberty and then on to Ellis Island.  That's Lady Liberty in the back left side of the picture.

Since this was just a little over a year since the September 11 attacks in 2001, it was closed for reasons of safety and security; the pedestal reopened in 2004 and the statue in 2009, with limits on the number of visitors allowed to ascend to the crown.

This is the view heading from Liberty Island to Ellis Island.

While riding on the ferry, the wind was so cold that by the time the trip was over it looked like I had a severe sunburn.  But that's what you get when you ride on the top of the ferry and don't sit inside where you are more protected.

June 17, 1950…Dr. Richard H. Lawler performed the first kidney transplant in a 45-minute operation in Chicago.  We're keeping our fingers crossed that Joe is the lucky recipient of a kidney transplant sometime in the future.

June 17, 1963…The U.S. Supreme Court banned the required reading of the Lord's prayer and the Bible in public schools.  Boo!  Hiss!  I can remember doing this is school up until the time it was deemed unconstitutional.

June 17, 1994…O.J. Simpson drove his Ford Bronco across Los Angeles with police in pursuit and millions of people watching on live television. After the slow speed chase ended, Simpson was arrested and charged with the murders of Nicole Simpson and Ronald Goldman.  Yes, I was one of millions glued to my television set watching the live "slow chase".

Today In History...

...June 8, 1786…In New York City, commercial ice cream was manufactured for the first time.

Now this is a holiday that Joe loves to celebrate.  And we did with a visit to TCBY (hey, it's almost ice cream) where they run a waffle cone special every Wednesday night.

This also makes me think about my dad.  He used to have a bowl of ice cream most evenings as a treat, but would always add a big dollop of peanut butter to eat with it.

...June 8, 1984…"Ghostbusters," starring Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver, Harold Ramis, and Rick Moranis, opened in North American movie theaters.

In November of 2002 I was in New York City for business.  After an afternoon of sight-seeing, I sat down on a bench in Bryant Park to take a rest when suddenly I saw it driving down the street.  It was the car from Ghostbusters.  I couldn't believe my eyes.  Then within a few minutes, it passed by me again I think just to make me know that I had seen what I had seen.

Today In History...(And there were lots of things on this date)

...May 31, 1859…In London, Big Ben went into operation. The name Big Ben initially referred to the bell inside the tower but later came to the refer to the tower.  It is the largest four-faced chiming clock and the third-tallest free-standing clock tower in the world.

While Corey and I were in London in July of 2000, we went to see and hear Big Ben.

We're almost there!

Corey's ready to set his clock to "Ben Time".

We finally made it to see "Ben".  We were thrilled to be standing there at 12:00 noon which meant we got to hear him bong a total of 12 times.

Big Ben adjoins the Palace of Westminster which is where Parliament meets.

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...May 31, 1907…The first taxis arrived in New York City. They were also the first in the United States.  When I was in New York City in November of 2002, I had my first opportunity to "hail" a cab and they are everywhere and lots of them!.  You cannot be a wimp when doing so.  You almost have to throw yourself out on the street and yell "taxi"!

Hailing a cab is as simple as stepping off the curb and holding out your arm -- it only gets complicated when you need to figure out why many New York taxis seem to drive by without stopping for you. The trick is in the lights atop the cab.

•  When just the center is lit, highlighting the medallion number, the cab is available.
• When the medallion number, as well as the side lamps are lit, the cab is off-duty.
•    When no lights are lit, the cab already has a fare they are bringing to a destination.

Seriously, the best way to grab a cab is to position yourself in the street (the sidewalk, though slightly safer, is considered by taxi drivers to be reserved for those who are not dead serious about getting a cab).

Then, you stand 'up-road' to other cab waiters.  This means you stand in front of other people so you can intercept a cab before it reaches them.  Then you yell "taxi" louder than the others and slightly jump up and down and wave your arm.  It works!

The minimum fare in a cab is $2.50.  That means the moment you step inside a cab, it already costs you $2.50.  I remember my ride from Kennedy Airport to my hotel downtown costs me $45.00 + tip by the time it was over.  That was my most expensive ride. So, I can mark "riding in a New York cab" off my bucket list.

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May 31, 1966…Lulu's first movie, "To Sir With Love," began filming in London.  This was only one of the very few movies that I ever attended with my dad.  In fact, I can name the movies he ever went to with us as a family. (1) Darby O'Gill and The Little People; (2) The Sound of Music; (3) Born Free; and (4) To Sir With Love.

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May 31, 1966…Filming started on "The Monkees (Here Come The Monkees)," the first filmed episode of the television series.  The group reached the height of fame from 1966 to 1968. 

I never missed an episode.  Now if I run across one, I realize how stupid a show it was.  But the music was great and they were one of the most popular groups when I was a teenager.

Slumber party at Cindy Stanley's house in 1967 when I was 15 years old.  These girls were in my M.I.A. class at church.  We were probably sitting around listening to "The Monkees".  We were all in love with Davy Jones.

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May 31, 1982…R.E.M. signed a five-album deal with I.R.S. Records, an independent label based in California.

Their song "Losing My Religion" was released in 1991 and the song became R.E.M.'s highest-charting hit in the United States.

Every time I hear this song, it always brings back memories the most vivid being after Les left.  One afternoon Corey and I were feeling a little bit bummed out and so we decided to get on the interstate, drive a little over the speed limit with all the windows down.  I had a R.E.M. CD in the player and we cranked up this song and blew away our troubles for awhile.

Then one Sunday I was sitting in church, had forgot to turn off my cellphone and Corey called.  (Every time he called, my cell phone played "Losing My Religion").  When he called, my cellphone starting playing..."That's me in the corner, that's me in the spotlight losing my religion".  Oh, my gosh - That was me in the corner and that was me in the spotlight when the song started playing.

My 9/11 memories

There are moments in our lives when you can remember exactly where you were and what you were doing and no matter what, you will most likely never forget those moments.

For example, I can remember the details about when Kennedy was shot. I can remember man landing on the moon and I can certainly remember the events of September 11, 2001.

I remember I was getting ready for work and was supposed to drive to Valdosta to visit some childcare providers. I was going in late as I was waiting for Dad to come by the house. I was watching the news when I saw the first plane crash into the first tower. I went outside when I heard Dad drive up, told him what had just happened and he came into my bedroom and watched the news with me. Mom called me sometime in between to ask if I was watching the news. It was about that time that we saw the next plane hit the second tower. I remember seeing all this unfold on television like a bad movie, but it was real. (The above picture shows the twin towers before the attacks).

Eventually I headed on to work, but upon my return home, I couldn't stop watching the news. I stayed up most of the night and couldn't stop crying. There was the loss of some many people. So many missing people. So many sad stories. So many things that would never be right ever again. It was such a horrible event that just kept unfolding hour upon hour on every news channel.

In November of 2002, I had to go to New York City for a childcare training in Harlem. I arrived at my hotel before noon and couldn't check into my room. So, I decided no time like the present to get in a little sightseeing. I took a cab to Battery Park to catch the ferry to Liberty Park and Ellis Island. (I had seen the Statute of Liberty off in the distance a couple of earlier times in my life, but this was the first time I'd been this close). Because of 9/11, the park service wouldn't let you go up into Lady Liberty, so I stayed on the ferry and went on over to Ellis Island. What a fantastic place to visit! There was a special exhibit taking place at this time. It was pictures and quotes/memories of 9/11 from the vantage point of Ellis Island. The displayed exhibit pictures were taken by people who were on Ellis Island looking across to downtown Manhattan. It was a very poignant display. One of things I remember was what happened to the seagulls which frequent Ellis Island. Apparently when the towers were burning and the sky began to turn black, all the seagulls landed on the Island and put their heads under their wings. Scientists believe that it wasn't necessarily the blackness of the sky that made them do that, but it was also that the birds seemed to sense something was wrong. There were pictures showing the seagulls with their tucked heads. It was just amazing to me that even nature was disrupted by all that was occurring.

After I landed back in Battery Park, I asked and was told how to reach Ground Zero. While walking through the park, I came upon a memorial. It is a large bronze sphere which once stood between the two Twin Towers as a symbol of global peace and now stands in the northern section of the park. The severely damaged sculpture was recovered from the rubble of the World Trade Center and transferred here later on. Together with an eternal flame, it is serves as a memorial to the victims of 9/11.
This was taken showing the outside of Ground Zero and the crowds that were hoping for a glimpse into the pit.
My first look into the pit. It was very large, very deep and even after a year since the attacks, you could see the surrounding buildings with smoke scars on their sides. There still were some surrounding damaged buildings.
Across the street from Ground Zero is Trinity Church. This historic Episcopal church managed to stand while the twin towers crumbled around it on September 11, 2001; however the historic pipe organ was severely damaged by dust and debris and had to be replaced.

The gates to the historic church were serving as an impromptu memorial to the victims of 9/11, with countless tokens of remembrance left by both locals and visitors alike. All the names of those who were killed were on this very long sheet of paper. You could read comments written by several of the names and people had left various flowers and items.

The strange thing about being here at this location was that although you were in the middle of New York City, people spoke in hushed tones and the whole atmosphere was muted. I guess people just realized that they were basically looking at or were in the vicinity of a mass graveyard since many of the remains of victims were never found.

I'm glad I had the opportunity to visit Ground Zero, especially after seeing it on the television so many times. It made me appreciate my life even more and I realized that life can certainly change in the matter of a very few minutes.

The Naked Cowboy

I was watching CNN News today and all of the sudden my ears perked up and I recognized an old "friend" being talked about on TV. Apparently he'd won a suit again Mars, Inc. who makes M&M's. It was The Naked Cowboy. He was upset that M&M's had been using a likeness of him in their ads and he didn't like it.

In November of 2002, I went to New York City to do a childcare provider training. While exploring Times Square, I saw people running towards something and there was a big commotion. Though I tried to pretend to not be curious, I slowly raced to where the group of people came to a dead stop. Then I saw him - The Naked Cowboy. Here was a guy standing in the middle of Times Square in his whitie tighties with snowflakes falling down around him. There he was wearing his cowboy hat and boots and playing the guitar in his underwear. And the police were driving around watching him, but not arresting him. He would pose for pictures and people would drop money into his boots which meant you had to bend down to donate money. Talk about up close and personal! Only in New York!!