Dr. Frank's What's-it

9/11

I've never been a great one for commemorations and anniversaries and what not, though I say it with deep respect for those who feel differently when it comes to important matters. If I were capable of coming up with a few eloquent, perspective-restoring words in commemoration of the date, I'd give it a shot, but I know I wouldn't be able to swing it. There are those who can and have, though: if you haven't already looked in, check out Michele's Voices.

Despite this, I will say that the relatively trivial experience of catching a glimpse of the characters "9/11" on the top bar of my computer does thrust a tiny spike into my sense of well-being and peace of mind, as a purely personal, largely self-referential matter: it brings back the barest ghost of the sensation of that horrible and surreal day, of being distantly aware of, and strangely out of touch with, my own feelings of confusion and astonishment in the out-of-focus background, while the sharp image in agonizing focus up front was the suffering and anguish of my dear friend Tristin, whose close friend was among those murdered on AA Flight 11 . In truth, though, this is something you never forget, and today is not much different than any other with regard to remembering it. If you're in a commemorating mood, you could do worse than to read or reread Tristin's letter/article about her experience. That's what I did.