It's our Anniversary, we can't go back to where we met, NYC Trade Towers

[symbolman]

There's more to the downing of the World Trade towers than all the death and destruction of our loved ones or personal and private rights by the Bush administration. Granted, our problem is a LOT less than many went through and we mean no dishonor by mentioning this, but it does affect us on this special day, our wedding anniversary. This just hits me each year on this date.

My wife and I met on a Cartoonist board and knew each other for 5 years online before we ever met in person. I agreed to attend a Reuben's Award Ceremony in NYC (sort of like the Oscars for the Pro cartoonists, and they are all there drawing sketches for anyone who brings a pad with them, lot of fun), where we would met in Person for the first time.

The Reubens three day gala event was held in the world trade center. I flew in and was met by my future wife (very drunk and nervous, ME, not her) at the airport and while loaded and happy I asked her to marry me within 15 minutes into the cab ride to the Hotel that sat at the base of the Twin Towers.

I remember taking the ear popping ride up to the top of the Towers for the Sunday Brunch with a giant Snoopy (man in a suit thing), and being at the top of those towers and looking so so so far down on the city, feeling the sway of the building, which wasn't helping my hangover much, lots of partying the night before with the likes of Wiley, Revilo, Dan Pirrarro of Bizarro, etc.

Charles Schulz had passed away that year so it was also a tribute to the creator of Peanuts, his wife was there, at least I got to meet her. My wife had attended many of these yearly parties and Charles Schulz had invited her and 100 other cartoonists out for breakfast, his treat, and had drawn some pics for my wife then, she got to meet him anyway..

After the buildings were destroyed, about a year later we opened up a bag from that event and inside were things like the door key to a Hotel that no longer exists, pens from the Twin Towers, and a digital camera we'd forgotten about, filled with pics from the top of the Trade Center. I used the zoom on the camera on a few of the pics as we offloaded them to the computer to see how good of a definition we got at that height when I realized that I was watching what had been the last few moments of many people in those buildings, the zoom was much like the plunge they took, so I put it all away in our safe and haven't touched it since.

I don't like that because we have or had then a weak pResident, that at the very least the terrorists thought with Bush in office it was the perfect time to attack us, with an idiot at the helm. Because of him my wife and I can't go HOME, to the place where we first held each other and professed our committment. This is part of the reason I've made so many flash works to fight these monsters that allowed this to happen. In a way it's Personal.

On a lighter note, since we are both cartoonists (dunno if anyone knows that, or has seen my Symbolman work, or Mr Nice Cartoons http://www.symbolman.com http://www.mrnice.com ) we decided to get married on April Fools Day. Did you know that at one time April Fool's Day was considered the New Years Day to celebrate? Old History, but I like it.

So now Bush has cost us, and so many people a part of their lives if not their whole life, and it hasn't gotten any better since.

At least we've got a little boy to show for it, our love child (and my last at 53) Conrad would not exist if not for the internet or those twin towers - he's the new life that springs up in spite of Fascist Corporatists like Bush/Cheney and I'll fight for his future and his country as well, just like I did when I was drafted during Nam. They can't stomp it all out, even a dandilion will crack concrete, so in the end he will fail.

I just wanted to share this joyous day with my friends here at the DU and hope that any of your lives that have been changed by that monsterous event have gotten better, even in small ways, or the most important, like Mutual Respect and Admiration for the one you Love.

I got Champagne here, any takers?

[rzemanfl]

1. It is fortunate that you didn't honeymoon in New Orleans-I guess.

[darkmaestro019]

6. My fiance and I wanted to.

Actually it looks as though we will be--long weird story--but it won't be what it should've been. It's not going to be very romantic for me to wander sobbing through the streets, as I am certain I won't be able to avoid doing in some way.

Big things and small things, memories and dreams, money and lives and futures and tiny little happinesses. The * have robbed everyone of something, and some of EVERYTHING.


EDIT: messy

[davsand]

21. This is also our anniversary and we DID honeymoon in NOLA.

We did not meet in NYC at the WTC, however. Married 11 years today.

We had talked about going to NOLA last year for our ten year anniversary and ended up in Las Vegas instead. The running thing for us has always been that I wanted to go to Vegas the first time and Kev wouldn't hear of it. We ended up in Las Vegas ten years later, so I figured it was all good. Little did we realize at the time...


Laura

[mikita]

2. beautiful post, Happy Anniversary,

and I'd love to join you in a toast if you could just add a splash of o.j.!

Cheers and peace! :toast:

Mikita

[malaise]

3. Happy anniversary

to the cartoon couple :D: Nice post.

[H2O Man]

4. Have a very happy day!

I took my dog out early this morning (4:15 am est) because he heard something outside. The weather is warm, with a feeling that rain is not far away. I saw frogs more than two weeks ago, one a warm rainy night, so I know what is coming. I say the words that Chief Paul Waterman taught me; now here they are today, for you and yours!

Aga-Gesta
(13 strings of wampum/13 moons)

Look! There is snow on the ground
Look! There are our tracks
We walk a little further
Look! The snow is gone
We walk a little further
Look! the maple trees grow leaves
the plants are planted
The water runs from the top of the hills
It becomes medicine.

[flpoljunkie]

5. Happy Anniversary!

Enjoyed reading your post very much.

[dpbrown]

7. We've got t-shirts and coffee mugs from Top of the World...

We visited in 2000 and experienced some of the same things you did.

Thanks for the work you've done against the sociopath and happy anniversary.

[darkmaestro019]

8. Happy Anniversary : )

My fiance and I met online too, and knew each other for six years before we met. Been together for four this Nov and will be married in July. Funny how they never tell these stories when Fox is busy making fake-news about the evils of "that Internet"

I wanted to thank you for your.....honor, in putting those pictures away after you realized what you did. That's not quite the right concept--respectfulness? Sensitivity? but whatever you call it, thank you for having some.

[stellanoir]

9. What a bittersweet, touching, and poignant tale.

Happy Anniversary to the two toonists who met at the twin towers!!!

May you have many, many, many more to come.

[symbolman]

10. Thanks everyone!

Boy, my wife is gonna kill me when she sees this :)

I lift my drink to you all! Let the healing begin anew, great words from H2OMan as well, appreciated

[FuzzyDicePHL]

11. Happy Anniversary!

It's our anniversary today too -- I met my BF in person exactly five years ago, after randomly meeting online and speaking by phone for 6mo. :)

[Joe Fields]

12. My favorite casino in Vegas was torn down years ago.

I got over it.

[symbolman]

13. Yeah, that's just about on the same level

Maybe Vegas will make a Twin Towers section of town, like the French section, or even a Ride.. then we can feel all better.. maybe they can make a Pearl Harbor submarine ride there..

Thanks folks!

[Cleita]

14. The British pub my husband and I met each other on St. Paddy's

day has been torn down a long time ago and replaced with an office building.

Have a happy anniversary anyway.

[EFerrari]

15. Wonderful symbolman, may this celebration bring you peace and joy

:toast:

[Gregorian]

16. It's so touching to hear your experiences.

What a story. Thank you for sharing with me/us. On multiple levels, I am touched. When I first started to visit forums, I was shy and scared. I lurked for a long time. I saw your animations. I've watched the evolution of us all. But each of us has a private side that isn't known. But it's there. And when we know about it, it brings us together.

It is a bit weird that just the other day I was thinking of all of the places that are crucial in my life, that I can no longer visit. Different reasons. But now, just memories. Unable to go back in the light of day.

I will have a cup of sake now. Thank you for letting us into your life.

[bleever]

17. Happy Anniversary.

"...even a dandilion will crack concrete..."


:toast:

[Olney Blue]

18. At the top of the Empire State Building last week, night

had just fallen and I stood with many others in quiet contemplation as we viewed the scarred skyline
of downtown Manhattan. The next day, I visited ground zero for the first time, and again,
night was falling. A group of students stood on the corner in the cold, singing the Star Spangled
banner in soft tones, bringing many of us to tears. We really need the memorial- a place to grieve and to share our memories of the people who were lost, of the towers where memories were made.

Happy anniversary, symbolman. Thank you for your beautiful post.

[symbolman]

20. I'd love to see TWO TALL Prayer Wheels

placed there where people could pay respects - Wheels with the symbols of ALL RELIGIONS on them, as you pass into the memorial you can spin them along with everyone else, sending out prayers for everyone involved, I'm a trained sculptor (and there's a reason I'm called Symbolman, I've studied symbolism, along with anthropology, comparative religions, film, all of the art disciplines) and I would LOVE to start a collection or get a grant to create these UNIVERSAL PRAYER WHEELS and construct them both, standing tall where those buildings used to be..

A place to heal, to pass on well wishes, sending endless prayers from all cultures and religions, etc.

In my mind it's just one form of a memorial there that would be appropriate.

[Catchawave]

19. Happy Anniversary !

What a nice tribute to your lives, that will be forever touched :hug: and :toast:

It's funny how most of us lost a part of our lives and spirit in that tragedy. Other than the loss of human life, and "bricks and mortar" so-to-speak, it's still a "missing tooth" on that fabulous skyline. My uncles were on the orginal construction crews, 1970ish, and on the day the towers fell, my daughter overslept, but I didn't know that til 5 hours later. She was fine. Whew.

I agree about Bush, the El Guano's capitalized on this tragedy, for corporate and political benefit...and war :cry: