Saturday, August 30, 2008

Meme...memories

Judy over at Judysteapot tagged me so that she could find out just how bad my memory is! She wants to know:

What I was doing when......

Princess Diana's death - 31 August 1997 weekend

I can't remember exactly what I was doing but I think it was a weekend because I do remember spending a lot of time in front of the TV on that day. I found it hard to believe at first, and it was so very sad for Princes William and Harry. I must also confess that one of my first thoughts were, *was this just a tragic accident*!

Margaret Thatcher's resignation - 22 November 1990

This is the day after Beccy's birthday but I have no idea what I was doing. I expect I was at work~probably doing an inspection of some day care establishment.

Attack on the twin towers - 11 September 2001

This was less than two weeks after I had started working for Ofsted. I was getting used to being based at home and I clearly remember my mother coming to tell me a plane had flown into the Twin Towers. My initial thought was that my mother hadn't got it right, then when I turned my TV on I though it *what an awful accident* but I soon realised my mistake. I think I spend the day running between my computer doing my work and the TV to catch any updates.

England's World Cup semi final v Germany - 4 July 1990

This was just after I had completed a 2 year secondment to Bristol University for CQSW (Social work). I have no interest in football so I doubt I even watched the match, but I probably saw the highlights.

President Kennedy's Assassination - 22 November 1963

Again I don't recall any detail because at the time I was quite young (19) and I was in the middle of training to become a SRN (state registered nurse). I don't recall whether I was on night or day duty. I can tell you it was pretty hard work back then. I had no real interest in politics but do recall feeling quite shocked that a public person could be assassinated that easily.

I'm not tagging anyone in particular but if you fancy doing this because you have a better memory than me then consider yourself tagged.

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24 Comments:

At 30/8/08 14:35, Blogger Steffi said...

Great and sad memories which I know too!
Have a nice weekend , Chris!I must go to my work now ;O(!

 
At 30/8/08 14:51, Blogger FH said...

Hi Chris, how are you? :)

I remember watching the news about Diana's death at 10pm and I was so shocked. I don't usually idolize anybody but somehow she always appealed to me! Specially when I saw her on TV reaching out to shake hands with people with Leprosy with her bare hands (most dignitaries don't even think to try that without wearing gloves!) while she was in Calcutta,India. She was one compassionate lady!

9/11; who can forget that day! It was so unreal to see the towers crumbling down on TV, felt like I was watching a movie but it was happening in NY for real!! Scary and sad!!

On the home front, we chose the Cheery cabinets, granite and tiles for the kitchen. It will start as soon as cabinets are ready in about 3 weeks!:))

 
At 30/8/08 14:52, Blogger FH said...

That was "cherry", not cheery!!:D

 
At 30/8/08 15:06, Blogger ChrisB said...

Asha But I bet cherry will be 'cheery" can't wait to see the photos once it's all finished.

 
At 30/8/08 15:15, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Thanks Chris - isn't the memory amazing what we choose to forget or comes back with sight, sound and smell. I have read a few others and am amazed at the details of some. Me, well my memory is not that wonderful at the best of times!!

btw you are the first comment I have written on my new laptop!! :)

 
At 30/8/08 15:30, Blogger ChrisB said...

oh I feel honoured. What make laptop have you got? I really have to get one because there are times when I want to be more mobile!

 
At 30/8/08 16:06, Blogger Unknown said...

You will be astonished to know that when the twin towers were attacked, I was in the pub!

 
At 30/8/08 16:06, Blogger Unknown said...

This comment has been removed by the author.

 
At 30/8/08 16:06, Blogger Unknown said...

This comment has been removed by the author.

 
At 30/8/08 16:08, Blogger Unknown said...

The deleted ones were me, blogger was messing around!

 
At 30/8/08 16:15, Blogger ChrisB said...

john you in the pub never :)

 
At 30/8/08 18:00, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I was on the first day of my PGCE when the Twin towers were attacked. I don't remember any or the others, so I think your memory is quite impressive!

 
At 30/8/08 21:19, Blogger BS said...

Diana's death - I was in NH with a boyfriend(at his Mom's house) when the news broke - I wanted to watch the TV - they weren't the least bit interested which made it worse for me.

September 11th - I was on my way to work, then later heard the god awful noise when the Pentagon was hit (less than 15 miles from where I worked)

JFK - I was in the first grade - couldn't understand at the time why all the teachers were crying and we watched it on TV the rest of the day.

 
At 30/8/08 21:22, Blogger BS said...

And ... I had just moved into my new home on Sept 8 and remember thinking "Please don't let anything else happen in DC - I want to at least have a home for a little while. The Freedom Walk takes place next weekend. It's hard to believe that it has been 7 years already. It's a day I will never forget.

 
At 31/8/08 05:50, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I remember Princess Diana's death quite well, exactly 11 years ago. My oldest was a baby, and I remember watching the news on TV about it late at night. What a tragic loss for her sons. She and I shared the same birthday, and I identified with her in other ways as well. Seems many other women did also.

Her death, and Steve Irwin's death, were the most shocking to me.

 
At 31/8/08 06:11, Blogger kitten said...

Attack on the twin towers - 11 September 2001: That's is my little brothers birthday. I do remember that day all too well. I was laying on the couch because I just had surgery. Dan had just came home from work and we were 1/2 way watching the TV and 1/2 way watching our 2 kittens play. Then all the sudden I ask Dan Dan if this was real! I sat there and watched it unfold. My little brother called me at 10 PM that mad because I had not called and wished him a Happy Birthday. I told him I didn't forget, I just didn't know how to be happy on that day.
As far as the others, I have no ID.

 
At 31/8/08 06:41, Blogger Pamela said...

I was in bed -- with the TV going when I heard about Princess Di.

I woke my husband up to tell him.

I came in to my classroom and my teacher was crying - and he told us that Pres. Kennedy was shot. We sat quietly with the radio on until his death was confirmed. I remember watching the funeral on TV and seeing the horses pulling the coffin and everyone following.

I don't remember the World Cup.

I flew out of Washington DC the evening of Sep 10, 2001. I was supposed to fly out on the 11th - but my SonIn Law (who was military) got reassigned shift work and so I had to take an earlier flight. I was blessed, I think.

 
At 31/8/08 10:15, Blogger ChrisB said...

BS it's hard to imagine what it must have been like for you all.

kila she wasn't perfect but I think that was why people loved her so much. She had a lot to cope with all in the public eye.

kitten it was a sad day the world will never forget.

pamela some one on high was looking out for you on that day.

 
At 31/8/08 12:08, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I remember the twin towers. I heard it as I lay in bed at 7 am. I got up and started watching on TV with the kids since we home school. My friends down the street home schooled too and didn't have a working TV so I called them to see if they wanted to come by. Her grandma was staying there and came also and I made tea and brought it down (the TV was in the basement) on a tray so her grandma didn't have to climb the stair an extra time.

For Nov22/63, I was only 8 months old so I don't really remember what I was doing. I likely played, had a nap or two and ate;-).

 
At 31/8/08 15:31, Blogger Sam said...

Diana's death: Sunday morning, in my dressing gown making a huge fryup breakfast, breezily walked into the sitting-room to ask Stu (who had just switched on the TV) what he wanted when he uncharaceristically snapped at me to "Shut Up - something has happened - I think someone important has died". I sat down with him to watch - the newscasters were just talking about "she" - it took several minutes to confirm who "she" was.

Margaret Thatcher - no idea

Twin towers happened just a few months after I moved to the USA. At that time I didn't check the news before work and had no radio in my car. So I drove to work at ILM (about 25 miles) thinking 'why is there hardly any traffic today?' This included driving over the Golden Gate bridge blissfully unaware that it was viewed by some as another terrorist target and that may people were refusing to cross it that week. At that time we had no internet connection allowed at work either, so I started working away with no idea until someone came in and told me the terrible news. I don't believe anyone got much work done after that.

England's World Cup semi final v Germany - 4 July 1990 - I was watching it. The whole of London was deserted - everyone was inside. I still remember Gazza's tears.

Kennedy - before my time.

Another clear memory for me was John Lennon's death in 1980. It was on my grandmother's birthday.

 
At 31/8/08 16:08, Blogger ChrisB said...

Sam I do remember Gazza's tears and nearly mentioned that but wasn't sure if I had the right match!

 
At 31/8/08 17:32, Blogger Attie said...

I was at home and turned on the news that early am to see the tragic event of Princess Diana..I called in to work that day and stayed home to watch it!! I was so sad. Such a beautiful person so tragic.
The Twin towers attack I was at home pregnant and on bed rest...It was unbeleiveable I seen it from the time it started ..It took awhile for it to register than I called my husband at the farm and said you need to turn on the tv...that was when the first tower fell...I was in shock !! I can't begin to imagine what those people all went htrew and still go threw. I had nightmares for a long time and ocassionally stil do!!
The rest I don't recall the events and wasn't born yet when Kennedy was killed ...but my Mom remebers is clearly as if it was yesterday.

 
At 31/8/08 17:48, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I can remember what I was doing when I heard about J.F.K. I was walking through the works at Bristol Siddeley Engines to go on night duty and I can specifically remember that the works was uncannily silent.

 
At 1/9/08 14:21, Blogger Unknown said...

I don't remember what I was doing for most of those and wasn't even born yet for one but I remember 9/11, I was home sick form work, laying in bed watching tv and then boom.

 

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