As usual, not much to do at work so I’m reading through several transcripts released by the NY Times of interviews with firefighters and medics at ground zero, conducted a few weeks afterwards. Most feelings I’ve had about that particular day have been numbed due to all the resultant jingoism and fearmongering. But reading through some of these first-hand accounts has put Sept. 11 back into perspective, past all the crying-eagle image collages and flags on SUVs, beyond all the racism and political bullshit (on both sides). What intrigues me most about these accounts is the little details, subtle but haunting - one EMT, since that day, has a panic attack every time she hears thunder. Another one I read describes people on the scene crying blood, because of the concrete hitting their faces and getting stuck in their corneas.

Terrible, tragic stuff. I’m not sure why I’m reading all of these, instead of maybe Google-Image searching cute kittens or something - but I can’t stop.