Thanksgiving/Black Friday

Not my edit. It took me 15 minutes to hunt down a picture I thought encompassed and portrayed my kind of message.. :D

The title is self-explanatory isn't it.

Happy Thanksgiving to anyone who reads this. I hope you all had a splendid time whether it was with the comfort of food and family or either one without the other.

I myself had a very lovely day. Good food that I and several members of my family made, and discussions revolving around Doctor Who.

Thennnnnnn... Black Friday. Or rather, "Thursday." Somebody decided it was a fantastic idea to open up shop for Black Friday at 6:00PM on Thursday. Thanksgiving. As though we needed yet another thing to detract from this already stifled holiday.

Anywhooo, I went with some peeps and we shopped. In fact I just got home. It's 1:30. We shopped for roughly 7 hours. Sometimes I question myself.

Last year we started at 11:30 and got home at 4. I've no idea what was different this year. O_o
_____

I would like to say, that I am thankful for so many things... God has brought in so many new possibilities in this past year it's staggering sometimes to consider. I have a supportive family, friends, wonderful books and technology and - and - and I could go on forever. <3

Standing out in the cold waiting for maybe 6 minutes tonight (they let everyone in early) felt like forever. I am so thankful for our electricity and my wonderful bed. I have a bed. That's fantastic too.

There were some very friendly people tonight, the people assisting customers and at the registers most of the time had a smile or a friendly word despite being away from their comforts on Thanksgiving of all days.

Take a moment to be thankful for your bed, your socks, or maybe your gluten free food, or the air you breathe (depending on where you live or what you do for a living). Maybe your music or your HB pencil.

Take a moment to say thank you for whatever your special things are that cast light on the void of confusion that we are living.

~Bright

PS- Am I the only one who still gets a thrill out of the fact that Thanksgiving can be arranged to say "Giving Thanks"? I still think that's cool.

PPS- I wonder how much sense this post makes. Attempting to be somewhat more thoughtful when you're thinking about how hungry you are might not be the best combination.

PPPS- I really like these things.

PPPPS- This morning later on will be fun! I'm going shopping again!!! And I get to see what I actually bought last night since I've kinda forgotten.

PPPPPS- It's now 2:05AM.

9/11 Statistics



copic markers, gel pen

9/11 Statistics
The piece I bring today is in memory of 9/11.

It’s a compilation of a few of the vast statistics and a diagram of sorts for the 4 flights.

I put the information I used into a semblance of order below, these are very limited, but I hope they convey something of the tragedy of “the worst day.”

I connected each flight to its destination. The red words on the curving lines are words I saw repeatedly when I read a transcript from “Voices Inside the Tower.” I had the last letters falling off to allude to those who jumped.

All statistics are garnered from here (check it out for a far more wholesome list):
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2002/aug/18/usa.terrorism

Facts:
Year the World Trade Center was built: 1970
Daily visitors on an average day before 9/11: 140,000
Number of companies housed: 430

Distance from which burning towers were visible: 20 miles

Flights:
American Airlines Flight 11: 92 dead (Crashed into the North Tower)
United Airlines Flight 175: 65 dead (Crashed into the South Tower)
American Airlines Flight 77: 64 dead (Crashed into the Pentagon)
United Airlines Flight 93: 45 dead (Crashed in Shanksville, Pennsylvania)

9/11:
Number killed in attack and aircraft that crashed into them: 2,823
Number killed in the Pentagon: 123

Aftershock:
Number of children left orphans after 9/11: 1,300
Number of bodies found intact: 291
Number of days workers searched for body parts: 230
Number of victims identified: 1,102
Number of people still classified as missing: 105

Underground fires that still burned after 9/11: 69

Survivors of Ground Zero: 0

Thinking

Today my mind is consumed with these things...

Believe me I'm just as curious as you.