How She Spent a Tuesday in September

Because it is Saturday or maybe Sunday, I'm hoping you have a little time to head over to FranIam's blog this weekend to read her triptych on how she experienced 9/11. Scroll down to her post from Tuesday and read it straight through.

FranIam's blogspot address is "festinalente-franiam.blogsplot.com". The reason that I spell it out here is that she explains that 'festina lente' is a term taken from her stone soup of a religious background that means 'to make haste slowly'. She tells us in so many ways how she made haste very slowly on that day and the days that followed. Very real questions of staying put in midtown Manhattan or following the refugees north into uptown and beyond: Harlem. Worrying and then not worrying about whether she would die that day, both telling friends and co-workers that she loved them in case the world did end and arguing fiercely for peace in the midst of chaos in case it did not.

Fran writes so eloquently of her own experiences that she brought to me so many of my own on those days. Some that I haven't thought about for quite some time. I was amazed at how, though so close to the action that day - she reports that though no traffic sounds were ever heard inside her office high up in a midtown tower, that day they could hear sirens heading to Ground Zero - much of what she experienced was the same as those of us who were thousands of miles away.

Ack. Get out of here. Go read. Now.

Dr. Monkey, why didn't you just call?

From WKOW-TV in Madison, Wisconsin:


"Missing Monkey Captured in Madison

Wednesday afternoon, a Madison resident, city animal control officials and Madison police captured a capuchin monkey on the loose in downtown Madison since early Wednesday morning.

Police say the monkey bit a 20 year old bystander outside State Street Brats overnight.

Authorities spent the day searching the State Street area for the monkey, who was wearing a diaper.

Broom Street hardware store employee Jason Shaw tells 27 News he helped corner the monkey and keep it calm so it could be captured.

Madison Animal Control officials said the monkey, named SuriDr. von Monkerstein (that's shteeeen), will be quarantined and a decision on its future will be made in about ten days. Authorities said the monkey was also quarantined recently after a previous biting incident.

The monkey's owner told 27 News Suri serves as a service animal for her. Monkeys have been known to be used as service animals to provide companionship, and in some cases, perform tasks for people with severe disabilities. But Madison prohibits some exotic animals as pets, such as monkeys and alligators."


Maybe Dr. von Monkerstein was in town to personally hand me my Thinking Blogger Award. I noticed that he gave me this a few days ago. Since then I have been savoring it like a candy store butterscotch. Holding it on the roof of my mouth and sucking on it every now and then just to savor it. (How's that for search optimized copy?)


All I can say is that I am really touched to have been given this award. I'd like to thank my mother, but I can't because this little blog is a secret. So I'll just thank the good Dr.

I am supposed to tag five other bloggers who make me think. Without fail, everyday Johnny Yen makes me think. So I tag you, Johnny.

I am tagging the geographically closest blogger to me, Suzy who not only makes me think on her blog but who will hopefully meet up with me for book swappin'.

And I tag Fran. She is not just a thinking blogger, but a thoughtful blogger. She has amazing powers of both blogging and telepathic drunkeness. Amazing.

Tengrain. Regards. Tengrain's blog is like potato chips on the web. With dip. Fortunately he is prolific so you never have to jones for more.

And Pygalgia. He says he's a hippie gone mean but I doubt it. He posted his picture. If that's a mean guy I'm a neo-con. Always insightful.

I am sure everyone of these bloggers has already received this award. If so, please just accept my thanks for all the thinkable thinky thoughts you plant in my craw every day.