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Ladder to Heaven

Doesn't it look like a ladder to heaven or is it just me?                    by GR for the girly network

Remembering...Eight Years Later

  Ground Zero -NYC, as of July 4th, 2009                                                        gr for the Girly Network         

Today we've had lots of rain and gray skies in NYC...seems very appropriate for a gloomy day.  It's hard to believe that 8 years ago, NYC was paralyzed down to its knees.  It's one of the most horrific days of my life and of my generation's.  I can't look back on that day without getting the chills, feeling choked up or having a heavy heart...and I'm sure that every other New Yorker shares that same pain. 

On Sept. 11th, 2001, I was a morning producer at Fox 5's Good Day New York.  I had just finished my early morning duties (I was scheduled on the 4am shift that day) when the Twin Towers were struck by terrorists.  I remember that my heart skipped many beats and I, along with my co-workers, crowded around the TV monitors to watch in horror as the tragedy unfolded.  We were simply overwhelmed with emotion.  How could our beloved city be up in flames?  How could anyone decent and human have so much hatred in their heart?  At that second, I was simply a New Yorker taking-in the traumatic images. 

Those thoughts lasted just a few minutes because immediately after that...we had to snap into action.  There was no time to gasp any longer.  We had a job to do...gather facts, update our viewers and book guests that could make sense of the madness.  We worked for hours and hours on end on 9/11 (I worked for 21 hours straight)...nervous and teary-eyed...but determined to work hard if it meant we could help our aching community in some small way.  I spoke to many family members who were calling the station looking for their "missing" loved ones, hoping we could help them out in their search.  On the other end of the phone, you would hear pure anxiety, a tearful plea or deep despair.  It's probably no surprise why I've blocked a lot of those conversations from my memory...too heartbreaking to bear.

I'll stop there...'cause I really don't want to relive those days after the towers crumbled. 

What I will do is...say a prayer for all those Americans who went "missing" on that dreadful morning and for the people who loved them beyond words.

Fashion Don'ts...

Ext. of Queens Criminal Court                                                        gr for the Girly Network 

I'm volunteering at the NYC Family Justice Center, Mayor Bloomberg's initiative to combat domestic violence. Essentially it's a one-stop shop for women who need services, from emergency shelter to legal advice...and everything else in between.

Anyway, I bring that up because their offices are adjacent to the criminal courthouse in Queens.  I walk over there often and one thing always baffles me.  You see a lot of black and brown young men (not surprising since they're the majority in prisons) going in front of the judge wearing do-rags, jeans down to their knees and hoodies. 

What's up with that?  Do these guys just not have any common sense? To the defense attorneys out there, do you ever tell your clients to wear something less stereotypical and more presentable?   I'm all for expressing yourself through fashion, but there's a time and a place for everything.  First impressions are important (whether we like it or not) and looking a mess just works against you.  I think the judge and jurors will assume certain things by one's apparel, whether you're innocent or guilty.  It may not be fair...but it's how it goes.