Where was I?
Jan. 13th, 2003 03:06 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mousme1. When Robert Kennedy was shot (4/5/1963):
Not born. Not even conceived.
2. When John F. Kennedy was shot (11/22/1963):
See above
3. At the start of Montreal Olympic Games ( 7/17/1976):
See above.
4. When Mt. St. Helens blew (5/18/1980):
Judging by the date, I was most likely up at my godparents’ country house, doing the usual things that one does at seventeen months of age.
5. When the space shuttle Challenger exploded (1/28/1986):
I had just turned seven years of age, so judging by the date I was probably in my grade one class at The Priory School learning how to add. I don’t really remember, though.
6. When the 7.1 earthquake hit San Francisco (10/7/1989):
Just beginning 6th grade. My parents told me about it when I got home from school and showed me the photos in the papers. They were worried because my father’s best friend from childhood was living in the area at the time. This was my first real introduction to the news as a way of knowing what might be happening to the people I knew and loved. The only thing I really remember about it is the photo of the overpass that had twisted and crumpled to the ground like a paper bag. It was impressive.
7. When the Gulf War began (1/16/1991):
Still in 6th grade, and by then I was actively paying attention to the news (see above). I remember sitting at the kitchen table and having my father explain what was going on to me in terms I could understand.
8. When OJ Simpson was chased in his White Bronco (6/17/1994):
I was in school, in what I guess would be ninth grade. My three best friends and I were sitting at our usual lunch table and wondering how anyone could be that stupid. What mostly boggled our minds was why he had picked such a visible car to flee in.
9. When the building in Oklahoma City was bombed (4/19/1995):
Still at school, this time in tenth grade. Learned about it that night when I got home from school. It didn’t make that much of an impact on me. I share![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
fearsclave's disinterest in American news.
10. When Jacques Parizeau made his “money and the ethincs” speech after losing the 1995 referendum (10/30/1995):
At home with my parents toasting the “No” victory with champagne. We had been watching the results all night, I cheered when the results went over 50% for the “No” and never looked back.
I still maintain that the PQ were idiots: if you’re going to cheat on a referendum, at least do it properly so that you WIN!
11. When Princess Di was killed (8/31/1997):
I was asleep in my bed (time zones being what they are). I wandered down to breakfast the next morning and pulled out the Sunday comics as was my habit (I read the comics first and then the news). Then, towards the end of breakfast I flipped over the rest of the newspaper (my parents had left it face down for some reason) and boggled. At first I thought it was some kind of mistake, then I spent the rest of the morning reading through the massive amounts of verbiage in the Gazette trying to figure out what happened. Then I thought: “Gosh, what a waste. That’s really too bad,” and moved on with my life.
12. During the Ice Storm (5/1/1998 onwards):
Well, that first day was my birthday (a lot of bad stuff seems to take place on my birthday, go figure). So not much happened other than massive environmental cataclysm. ^_-
I went to school (my school is never closed, and I had listened carefully to the radio to see if it was announced, which it wasn’t), picking my way over the huge branches that had come crashing into the street, only to find that the school was indeed closed. They just hadn’t bothered to let anyone know.
I spent two weeks not doing much, except I went to volunteer at a shelter in Hampstead to help out the elderly people who had been forced from their homes. I worked the night shift, which was really an odd experience.
13. When Bush was first announced President (12/7/2000):
Don’t quite remember where I was. Mea maxima culpa. Looking at the date, I think I was running around like mad trying to pass my Mandarin course. I remember the aftermath, though.
14. When terrorists knocked over the World Trade Center (9/11/2001):
At home on Dr. Penfield. I was supposed to meet my father at the McGill bookstore and I was already really late. My aunt called (I don’t remember why) and told me in passing that there had been some kind of accident with a plane running into a building in New York.
I ran off to find my father who was really pissed off at me. After that I headed off to my Italian class on the theatre of Pirandello, where I was the one who informed them of the “accident” in New York.
It was only in the afternoon, when I headed to the Gamers’ Guild, that I understood the full implications of what had happened. My gamer friends are luckily far better informed than I, and they told me exactly what the events were that had taken place.
I practically sprinted home, turned on the television, and spent the next three or so hours watching the replays with my mother, seated side by side on my bed, unable to believe what we were seeing.
Not born. Not even conceived.
2. When John F. Kennedy was shot (11/22/1963):
See above
3. At the start of Montreal Olympic Games ( 7/17/1976):
See above.
4. When Mt. St. Helens blew (5/18/1980):
Judging by the date, I was most likely up at my godparents’ country house, doing the usual things that one does at seventeen months of age.
5. When the space shuttle Challenger exploded (1/28/1986):
I had just turned seven years of age, so judging by the date I was probably in my grade one class at The Priory School learning how to add. I don’t really remember, though.
6. When the 7.1 earthquake hit San Francisco (10/7/1989):
Just beginning 6th grade. My parents told me about it when I got home from school and showed me the photos in the papers. They were worried because my father’s best friend from childhood was living in the area at the time. This was my first real introduction to the news as a way of knowing what might be happening to the people I knew and loved. The only thing I really remember about it is the photo of the overpass that had twisted and crumpled to the ground like a paper bag. It was impressive.
7. When the Gulf War began (1/16/1991):
Still in 6th grade, and by then I was actively paying attention to the news (see above). I remember sitting at the kitchen table and having my father explain what was going on to me in terms I could understand.
8. When OJ Simpson was chased in his White Bronco (6/17/1994):
I was in school, in what I guess would be ninth grade. My three best friends and I were sitting at our usual lunch table and wondering how anyone could be that stupid. What mostly boggled our minds was why he had picked such a visible car to flee in.
9. When the building in Oklahoma City was bombed (4/19/1995):
Still at school, this time in tenth grade. Learned about it that night when I got home from school. It didn’t make that much of an impact on me. I share
fearsclave's disinterest in American news.10. When Jacques Parizeau made his “money and the ethincs” speech after losing the 1995 referendum (10/30/1995):
At home with my parents toasting the “No” victory with champagne. We had been watching the results all night, I cheered when the results went over 50% for the “No” and never looked back.
I still maintain that the PQ were idiots: if you’re going to cheat on a referendum, at least do it properly so that you WIN!
11. When Princess Di was killed (8/31/1997):
I was asleep in my bed (time zones being what they are). I wandered down to breakfast the next morning and pulled out the Sunday comics as was my habit (I read the comics first and then the news). Then, towards the end of breakfast I flipped over the rest of the newspaper (my parents had left it face down for some reason) and boggled. At first I thought it was some kind of mistake, then I spent the rest of the morning reading through the massive amounts of verbiage in the Gazette trying to figure out what happened. Then I thought: “Gosh, what a waste. That’s really too bad,” and moved on with my life.
12. During the Ice Storm (5/1/1998 onwards):
Well, that first day was my birthday (a lot of bad stuff seems to take place on my birthday, go figure). So not much happened other than massive environmental cataclysm. ^_-
I went to school (my school is never closed, and I had listened carefully to the radio to see if it was announced, which it wasn’t), picking my way over the huge branches that had come crashing into the street, only to find that the school was indeed closed. They just hadn’t bothered to let anyone know.
I spent two weeks not doing much, except I went to volunteer at a shelter in Hampstead to help out the elderly people who had been forced from their homes. I worked the night shift, which was really an odd experience.
13. When Bush was first announced President (12/7/2000):
Don’t quite remember where I was. Mea maxima culpa. Looking at the date, I think I was running around like mad trying to pass my Mandarin course. I remember the aftermath, though.
14. When terrorists knocked over the World Trade Center (9/11/2001):
At home on Dr. Penfield. I was supposed to meet my father at the McGill bookstore and I was already really late. My aunt called (I don’t remember why) and told me in passing that there had been some kind of accident with a plane running into a building in New York.
I ran off to find my father who was really pissed off at me. After that I headed off to my Italian class on the theatre of Pirandello, where I was the one who informed them of the “accident” in New York.
It was only in the afternoon, when I headed to the Gamers’ Guild, that I understood the full implications of what had happened. My gamer friends are luckily far better informed than I, and they told me exactly what the events were that had taken place.
I practically sprinted home, turned on the television, and spent the next three or so hours watching the replays with my mother, seated side by side on my bed, unable to believe what we were seeing.