(no subject)

Oh say does that star-spangled banner yet wave,
O'er the land of the free, and the home of the brave?

I've mostly just been quiet, almost numb: but our national anthem makes me cry, right now.

But our flag is still there, we are still here. And nobody will ever again doubt that this city is part of America.

(no subject)

Oh say does that star-spangled banner yet wave,
O'er the land of the free, and the home of the brave?

I've mostly just been quiet, almost numb: but our national anthem makes me cry, right now.

But our flag is still there, we are still here. And nobody will ever again doubt that this city is part of America.

high rise fire drills, and the real thing

I said yesterday (on rec.arts.sf.fandom) that I didn't know how our office fire drills related to reality.

I have a better idea now, and suspect they'll be rethinking the building's safety and emergency procedures.

Just after noon today, coworkers of mine came around and told us we were being evacuated. The only thing I asked was "stairs or elevators," and since the people telling us to leave weren't sure, I walked down from 17. I now know that I can do this, and where that stairway lets out (W. 45th Street). I still don't know why we were evacuated, since I heard conflicting rumors, but I do know it was at least all of 1515 Broadway (a.k.a. the MTV building). The radio tells me only that there was a (probably unconnected) false alarm that led to Grand Central Terminal being evacuated at around the same time.

Relevant to yesterday's discussion, the alarms did not go off, and nothing was said over the public address system. As far as I could see, nobody was in any mood to argue or ask what was going on: that discussion was saved until we were down on West 45th Street.

The message on my company's main phone number now says the office will be closed until Monday.

Oh, and I don't know why I grabbed my backpack, although if I hadn't been able to get home, but had had to stay with my aunt, or at a shelter, the medicine and change of underwear would have come in handy. I didn't even think about it until I was halfway down the stairs--and I realized immediately that, having grabbed it in the first place, I had to take it all the way downstairs.

high rise fire drills, and the real thing

I said yesterday (on rec.arts.sf.fandom) that I didn't know how our office fire drills related to reality.

I have a better idea now, and suspect they'll be rethinking the building's safety and emergency procedures.

Just after noon today, coworkers of mine came around and told us we were being evacuated. The only thing I asked was "stairs or elevators," and since the people telling us to leave weren't sure, I walked down from 17. I now know that I can do this, and where that stairway lets out (W. 45th Street). I still don't know why we were evacuated, since I heard conflicting rumors, but I do know it was at least all of 1515 Broadway (a.k.a. the MTV building). The radio tells me only that there was a (probably unconnected) false alarm that led to Grand Central Terminal being evacuated at around the same time.

Relevant to yesterday's discussion, the alarms did not go off, and nothing was said over the public address system. As far as I could see, nobody was in any mood to argue or ask what was going on: that discussion was saved until we were down on West 45th Street.

The message on my company's main phone number now says the office will be closed until Monday.

Oh, and I don't know why I grabbed my backpack, although if I hadn't been able to get home, but had had to stay with my aunt, or at a shelter, the medicine and change of underwear would have come in handy. I didn't even think about it until I was halfway down the stairs--and I realized immediately that, having grabbed it in the first place, I had to take it all the way downstairs.