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“Today our nation saw evil…and we responded with the best of America.” -President George W. Bush 09/11/2001

The World Center was made up of seven buildings: Two 110-floor twin towers, one 47-story office building, two 9-story office buildings, one 8-story U.S. Customs office, and one 22-story hotel.

The twin towers were 1,362 and 1,368 feet tall.

Approximately 50,000 people were employed in the twin towers alone.

An average of 90,000 tourists and business visitors each day.

“This is a day when all Americans from every walk of life unite in our resolve for justice and peace.” -President George W. Bush 09/11/2001

Between 7:59 and 8:14 a.m. four flights carrying a total of 266 people leave their respective airports.

8:48 a.m. American Flight 11 crashes into the north tower of the WTC.

9:06 a.m. United Flight 175 crashes into the south tower of the WTC.

9:43 a.m. American Flight 77 crashes into the Pentagon.

9:55 a.m. South tower collapses.

10:10 a.m. United Flight 93 crashes in a Pennsylvania field.

10:29 a.m. North tower collapses.

“The time has come for us to re-establish the rights for which we stand– to re-assert our inalienable rights to human dignity, self-respect, self-reliance — to again be the kind of people who once made America great.” -J. Ollie Edmunds, poet

Approximately 3,000 people died in these attacks; only 19 of them deserved it.

Tags: America, Motivational, Nostalgia, Politics, Religion by Eric Sanders
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We just celebrated my daughter’s eighth birthday, and I never had any idea that eight years could pass so rapidly. I was just driving home thinking about some of the events of 2000 and how they seem to have just happened. Here’s a few of the happenings of the year 2000.

We somehow miraculously avoid a global meltdown brought on by Y2K.

The St. Louis Rams defeat the Tennessee Titans 23-16 in Superbowl XXXIV in Atlanta. I actually had to watch this one in the hospital because of my daughter’s birth.

Alaskan Airline flight 261 crashes off of the coast of California killing 88 people.

An IED explodes on Wall Street injuring several but killing none.

Vladimir Putin is elected as Russia’s president.

George W. Bush and Al Gore emerge as their parties’ nominees for president.

Microsoft is found guilty of violating antitrust laws.

Federal agents seize Elian Gonzalez from his family’s home in Miami, Fl.

Windows ME is released.

2000 Summer Olympics are held in Sydney, Australia.

The first of the Subway Series, NY Yankees vs. NY Mets world series, is held. The Yankees won the series.

Iraq rejects UN weapons inspections.

George W. Bush is elected President of the United States despite a serious outbreak of hanging chads in Florida. (I hope they have developed a cream for that by now.)

Charles M. Shulz dies.

Recounts or no recounts? That was the question.

I know it’s only going to go faster from here. All I can do is enjoy it.

Tags: Deep Thinking, Inspiration, Life Lessons, Motivational, Nostalgia, Personal Notes by Eric Sanders
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In early 2000 and 2001 I lived in St. Augustine, Florida. I am an industrial maintenance technician, so the best job I could find was in Daytona Beach. By traveling I-95 it was about a 45 minute commute. Sometimes when I got off of work, especially after one of those days, I enjoyed a more scenic route home. I would take A1A which follows the coast a lot of the way between Daytona and St. Augustine. This route was always very relaxing and serene. It was about 30 minutes longer that the interstate, but it was worth every minute. The acres of undeveloped land along this route is amazing. There are long stretches with nothing but greenery on the left and beach on the right; very few houses, business, billboards, or other obstructions.

Valuable Time With My Daughter

My daughter was 6 months old when we moved there. I didn’t see her much during the week because including the drive I was away from home for 10–16 hours per day. On Sundays I would take her for a ride up and down A1A. Sometimes we would drive on the beach and maybe stop to play in the sand. Other times we would just ride and enjoy the company. This was an awesome time with my daughter, and it gave my wife a break from essentially being a single parent all week.

Tags: America, Kids, Life Lessons, Nostalgia by Eric Sanders
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I’ve been tagged by Chris Melton at soupornuts to post seven random things that you might not know about me and then tag another blog.

1. One of my younger sisters was killed in a car accident in July 2000. She was 18 and had a 9 month old daughter. My parents adopted the kid because the father was a pathetic excuse for a man.

2. When I was 17 I took a friend with me to Florida for a week during spring break. We were both broke, so we slept in my 1990 Chevy Beretta. We ate mustard sanwiches, used public restrooms, and hooked up with some friends who let us use their shower.

3. I enjoy star gazing. I stand in my yard some nights and just stare into outer space. When I go camping I sometimes sleep out on the ground so I can watch the sky. Here’s something for you to try: stare at the moon until you see it in 3–D. We normally look at the moon in 2–D, so it takes a little concentration. It helps to picture it as a ball with a flashlight shining on one side of it. It’s pretty cool when you finally see it.

4. I received a do-or-die driving lesson when I was 13. I was headed to town with my grandfather when he suddenly pulled over on the side of the road, walked aroung to the passenger door, and told me to slide over to the driver’s side. After we were both seated he just looked at me and said, “let’s go.” That was just his style; you can do it or you can’t, but we are not wasting time talking about it.

5. I have never used, tried, experimented, or otherwise touched any illegal drugs…never. When I was growing up kids were still punished for doing wrong, and getting caught messing with drugs just wasn’t worth the risk; although a lot of other things were:

6. In high school I recruited the help of a friend to roll a lit smoke bomb into the principal’s office during school. He got busted but never ratted on me. He knew how to take one for the team.

7. I’m usually known as the quiet or shy one in a group. While I am quiet, I’m not shy. I am always analyzing, thinking, listening, or brainstorming about something. It could be as simple as something my kids did or as complex as the vastness of our universe. Why would God create a universe so huge that we can never experience it all? Has He ever created worlds before us or will He create more after us? I know that the Bible gives us everything that we need to know about life on Earth and in Heaven or Hell. However, I have never read anything that would suggest that our world is the only one that ever has or ever will exist. How much of our planet has never been seen by people? Are there areas of Earth that have never been stepped on by humans? I realize that I could find other people’s opinions for these questions, but are there any definite answers?

I don’t know about educational, but I hope you found this artilce entertaining.

Tags: Life Lessons, Nostalgia, Religion by Eric Sanders
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Four blocks stacked nice and straight. Check.
Blocks are sturdy and rigid, no shaking or wobbling. Check.
Top end of the board set squarely on the blocks. Check.
Bottom end of the board dug into the ground for security. Check.
Pedals in right position. Check.
Everyone’s watching. Block them out. Just focus.
Ok…go! Pedal harder! Come on, get your speed up! A few feet away now, stop pedaling. Balance is the key now. Just aim for the center of the ramp. Ok, front tire over the top, pull up slightly on the handlebars. Back tire over now, push down slightly on the handlebars now to even the bike out it the air. Man, what a rush! Ground coming up quick! Knees slightly bent, firm grip on the handlebars…touchdown! Slide sideways to a stop. Heart pounding. Look back to see if anyone else will try. No, they are pulling blocks down now. Back down to three or maybe only two. That’s right, this day belongs to you!

Tags: Kids, Nostalgia by Eric Sanders
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