Took this from Michele.
1. Where were you when you heard that Ronald Reagan died?
Home, I think. Not sure. I remember where I was when he was shot – at a rehearsal for a school play, and we stopped everything and had a TV brought in. But died? Don’t know, don’t care.
2. Where were you on September 11, 2001?
Trapped in Hoboken. Read this and this.
3. Where were you when you heard that Princess Diana died?
I was home in Rhode Island, actually. And I had woken myself up at some god-awful hour to go watch the sunrise on the beach. I had my camera. I took pictures of the sunrise, I took time-release pictures of myself on the beach, I soaked up the scenery – got back into my car – it was only 6:30 am or something – turned the radio on and heard the news.
4. Do you remember where you were when you heard Kurt Cobain had died?
I don’t. I know I was living in Chicago, but I don’t remember the moment.
5. Take one for The Gipper: Whats your favorite flavor of jelly bean?
I do not like jelly beans.
6. Where were you when Magic Johnson announced he was retiring from the NBA due to AIDS?
No idea.
7. Where were you when Reagan was shot?
I was in junior high – and in rehearsal for a musical revew (however you spell it) we were doing. Jan Grant was our fearless director. Friends Betsy and Beth were also in the show. I remember we were all arranged on the stage, for some musical number, and a janitor walked by and said something to Jan. Suddenly Jan was running for the door – calling out, “Is there a television here anywhere? Can we get a television here?”
8.Where were you when the Challenger exploded?
Freshman in college. Living in an all-girls dorm. Story here.
9. Where were you when the 0J verdict was announced?
I had just moved to New York to go to grad school – and I was living with my friends David and Maria until I could get my own place. Maria was massively pregnant – and they lived in a 5 floor walk-up – so she was NOT a happy woman. She got through the end months of her pregnancy by OBSESSING about OJ. I remember her lying on the couch, her belly sticking way up in the air, her feet up – and I guess David changed the channel to check out ESPN or something, and Maria barked, “All I want to hear about is OJ!!” We all still laugh about that moment. Maria is an intelligent, loving, warm-hearted woman – but in that moment she lost her grip.
David, Maria and I all sat on the couch, watching in horror. The verdict RUINED our day. David and Maria got into a random fight later that night, about … whatever … toothpaste caps being on or off … and then they realized: “Oh, forget it…we’re just upset about OJ…”
Where were you When…
First seen at Redheaded Ramblings who got it from Michele… Where were you when:…
Interesting exercise. I posted my answers on my blog. Although I’m now thinking my memory might be faulty on the Princess Diana question….
1. At a farm market buying strawberries, they had a little tv with the breaking news.
2. At home, watching Martha Stewart Living.
3. Still living with my parents, I had just returned from seeing Batman and Robin at the theater with some friends.
4. I vaguely remember, I was living with my folks, and I think it came on the news or something.
5. Anything but black.
6. I was in high school at the time, it was on the news.
7. I was 5 then, so I have no recollection of it.
8. I was at home, having stayed home from school with the flu. Mom was with me, we were watching the events unfold.
9. In school (my first of two failed attempts at college), a bunch of people were in the tv room near the cafeteria, and watched. I was standing outside with a few people smoking, peering into the window trying to figure out what was going on. Some seemed happy with the verdict, many (including myself) were livid.
1 – at home, in the family room.
2 – maiden lane, lower manhattan
3 – in a deli in fair haven, nj
4 – nope
5 – not a big jelly bean eater
6 – no idea
7 – sitting in the snack bar in high school
8 – driving a bus in charlottesville, va.
9 – in my office in manhattan. we were all crowded around this little 10″ b&w, watching the trial
1. At the farm market with Laura
2. At my office and classroom. I can still remember going to my 9am class wondering what I should do when I walked in and everyone was watching TV.
3. At some bar in Boston with a bunch of friends after a wedding reception
4. Nope. I didn’t even really care.
5. Lime
6. I don’t remember
7. In school. (6th grade)
8. In HS. I was in school for my final exam in Health and people were talking about the Challenger
9. I don’t remember. I didn’t really keep a close eye on the OJ case.
1. When Reagan Died: I had just gotten off the air from my talk show. Two of my co-hosts and I had walked to a bar next to the station for a beer, and one of them (Saint Paul from Fraters Libertas) noticed the slide on the TV.
2. Where were you on September 11, 2001?
Driving to work. I was already having a lousy day, and had been listening to PJ O’Rourke on a radio interview. When the interview wrapped, I flipped to MPR – and heard the hosts hemming and hawing, trying to figure out how to do non-scripted radio. Drove to the office, sat in the conference room watching TV all day.
3. When Princess Diana died: I couldn’t sleep, and was sitting up very late watching some gawdawful movie.
4. When Kurt Cobain kicked: I think I was driving home from work and heard it on the radio.
5. Favorite jelly bean: Lime jelly belly.
6. Magic Johnson w/AIDS: Watching the evening news.
7. When Reagan was shot?: Senior year of high school. The stage band had just played a lunch hour gig, and we were unloading instruments from a pickup truck when the news came on the radio. A bunch of kids cheered. I was a Democrat at the time; I thought “well, Bush has GOT to be better…” I was kind of a moron back then.
8.When the Challenger exploded?: In the control room at KSTP-AM. Things got VERY busy, very fast.
9. When 0J verdict was announced?: At work, VERY purposefully ignoring the news. Everyone in my office (a tiny little company) decided we’d had enough of the BS, and we shut off all radios and TVs. I didn’t hear anything about it until I got home; my then-wife got VERY upset when I said “I don’t give a sh8 about OJ”. (Besides, I think Nicole did it).
How to fill the time running systems tests
So I’m sitting at work, basically twiddling my thumbs while system tests are running, waiting to get on the road to Cali. So when I saw a quiz at Sheila’s I thought I’d write a bit. 1. Where were you…
Where Were You When ?
Heres a Michele-introduced meme, and I have good stories for a few of them: 1. Where were you when you heard that Ronald Reagan died? Standing in front of McSorelys on E. 7th St. in Manhattan, when LilB called to…
My First Blog Meme
Via Sheila O’Malley.1. Where were you when you heard that Ronald Reagan died? At home. I first learned of his death on the web. 2. Where were you on September 11, 2001? At home asleep when it happened (between 6…
Shit, man, that’s pretty much ALL I care about!
That is not true at all. It just sounded rather amusing. Also, there is a grain of truth in it …
:)
Scott:
One of the reasons I am glad I don’t have a TV is that I would pretty much spend ALL of my free time watching stuff like E True Hollywood Story, or celeb-based channels.
And then wake up when I’m 70 and think: “uh … what just happened over the last 40 years???”
yes Sheila – I have the same memory of when Reagan was shot – I vividly remember the janitor and what he looked like – and I’m ashamed to say that I remember that I made an inappropriate comment.
1. At home. I think my husband called to tell me he’d just heard the news.
2. At home. I’m in Chicago, it was still early (not yet 8 am) – I was checking Lucianne.com for headlines and first saw it there.
3. At home, again.
4. Can’t remember. I paid no attention to Cobain when he was alive so his death (once I heard about it) had no effect on me other than “Oh Jeez, another rock-star loser.”
5. I don’t like jelly beans.
6. In the car, waiting to pick my kids up at school. Heard it on the radio.
7. At home, pregnant with my second child; I heard it on the radio news. Terrifying. Six weeks later of course the Pope was shot. About five weeks after that I had the baby – a son who grew up to be a U.S. Marine. I wonder if there’s a connection somewhere.
8. I was home and got a call from my mother-in-law, who liked to go about things indirectly. “You heard the news, of course.” “What news?” “About the Challenger.” “What happened?” “It blew up.” Etcetera. She, oddly enough, had been downtown shopping at Marshall Fields and had seen the explosion on one of their display TVs.
9. Heard it on Rush Limbaugh’s show.
1. I was reading blogs at home Saturday afternoon and pulled up Fox News’ website. It was weird; I knew it was coming but it was still a shock. I actually choked up when they played the ‘tear down this wall’ clip on CNN.
2. I’d had a very boozy session in the pub the night before and stumbled out of bed to find my house-mate watching CNN. I saw the second plane hit live. He asked me how many people lived in the Middle East. I said 200 million or so. He asked if I would miss them.
3. At home. My mother phoned me at 8 am on a Sunday, so I naturally thought something terrible had happened. When I heard it was just Diana I was so relieved (I thought the dog might have been run over or something). I think I said something along the lines of, ‘yeah Mum, that’s awful. I had a really heavy night last night, can I call you back?’ Then I went back to bed and slept ’til 3.
4. No idea. I never liked grunge. I remember exactly where I was when I heard Freddy Mercury had died, though (coming up the stairs in Brixton tube station into Brixton Hill Road).
5. Mango
6. Magic who? Ha ha, only serious, I s’pose I must have been doing my physics degree at the time, but I knew next to nothing about basketball at the time.
7. I was at school. I was also 11, so my recollection is hazy (although I do remember Jimmy Carter’s defeat of Gerald Ford in 1976 quite clearly, and I remember my Dad being greatly relieved at Reagan’s election. I think my Dad’s always been a Republican, even though he’s British).
8. In the computer room at school. My friend Stuart ran in to inform us. Initially no-one believed him and we all thought he was making a sick joke.
9. I was reading the Daily Telegraph web site in my lab at university whilst engaged in doctoral studies. This travesty still rankles.
Welcome – everyone from Tim Blair! Thanks for sharing your stories.
David: Although I love Nirvana – and Kurt Cobain and all that – I am with you on the Freddie Mercury thing. I still miss that guy’s presence in the music scene.
1. Already forgotten
2. Unable to sleep, I got up a about 1 AM Sydney time (11AM New York, I think) and saw it on TV. I didn’t sleep again till 1PM our time.
3. At home. I first saw the news she’d been injured, and said ‘Bloody hell!’ aloud, anticipating the inevitable media frenzy. Then it got more frenzied…
4. No.
5. Don’t like jelly beans.
6. Don’t remember – odd, as I was living in the US (Chicago) at the time.
7. At University of New South Wales in Sydney: saw it in afternoon newspapers (still had them in those days).
8. Don’t remember.
9. In a cafe at Termini station in Rome. There was a caption on a TV there that said ‘OJ no coupabile’ (or whatever the Italian for ‘guilty’ is).