9/11 Wrapup & Update

Well now, what next? The Project 2,996 poster will be up until I find a smaller one to replace it with; I think I'll keep a link to it on my blog for awhile longer. I'm working on a smaller poster, though.

Remember that song I linked to last year for 9/11 that I couldn't remember in time for this year? I remembered what it was:



The song being played in background is Hands by Jewel. There's an imstrumental version over there in my song list, and you might be able to find an actual version of the song on YouTube.

In related news, PMSNBC is whining about the effects of the attack on Muslims. Then again, this is PMSNBC; this is probably very in-character for them.

Extra special thanks to everyone who read and commented on my Project 2,996 tribute. It was the first time I'd ever done this, but I hope to do it again in the future.

Thanks for reading!

Project 2,996 - Tribute - Christopher M. Colasanti

Name: Christopher M. Colasanti

Age: 33

Home: Hoboken, New Jersey, USA

Occupation: Bond trader for Cantor Fitzgerald

Location: World Trade Center, North Tower

As I read through this article, I start to get a picture of who Christopher Colasanti was. In my mind, I can see him. He's a kind person, who loves his wife and two children, and who "enjoyed the contradictions in his personality and his life. "

...Christopher M. Colasanti smiled a lot during his 33 years, but the smile he saved for his two daughters always had something extra on it.

It was a look of quiet, contented amazement, like he couldn't believe how lucky he was.

"When he was around his girls, he just had that smile on his face all the time," said John Nulty, who grew up with Mr. Colasanti in South Orange. "You could tell he was having that perfect-moment feeling."

On Sept. 11, Mr. Colasanti kissed his wife, Kelly, and children, Cara, 4, and Lauren, 1, before catching an early train to arrive by 7:30 a.m. at Cantor Fitzgerald, where he worked as a bond trader on the 105th floor of the World Trade Center's North Tower.

His plan was to get in early so he could return early to his family in Hoboken. Every night, he gave his girls a bath, then tucked them in.

"He put us first always," Kelly Colasanti said. "He was a great father. He had such a great relationship with both the girls."

Still, he was the guy who maintained ties with the mob of kids he grew up with on West End Avenue in South Orange; the guy who married his high school sweetheart, having met Kelly when they were juniors at Columbia High; the guy who made sure his friends from Dartmouth College got together for dinner several times a year.

He enjoyed the contradictions in his personality and his life.

He was a bow-legged, skinny, bespectacled kid who grew up to be athletic and captain of the high school soccer team and later a triathlete.

He loved playing golf, even though he was lousy at it. He rooted for sports teams that were mostly terrible, like the Nets and Jets, just so he could pull for an underdog.

He gave himself the tongue-in-cheek nickname "The Dominant Force" -- or "Dom" for short -- in the seventh grade, and it stuck with him into adulthood because it was so contrary to everything he was.

"We got along because we ripped each other so well," said John Lynch, his best friend from Dartmouth. "There wasn't anything about each other we wouldn't make fun of. He was just someone you looked forward to having around for a long time."

In addition to his wife and children, Mr Colasanti is survived by his father, Anthony, and two brothers, Gregory and Andrew.

Profile by Brad Parks published in THE STAR-LEDGER.

An aquaintance of Mr. Colasanti added these thoughts as a tribute:

Chris was one of my closest friends in Jr. High and early high school. He always knew how to have fun. He loved Kelly the minute he met her and although their time together was cut short, the love they shared must have been incredible. I pray for her happiness and the ability to move forward with life.

May the victims of 9/11, thier familes, and those who died trying to rescue them never be forgetten.

Rest in Peace, Christopher.

The First of September

Okay, so it's a little late for an update, but still, Here's what's been going on around Dial R.

People, what is the point of even having the stupid Picasa account if you can't link and insert the photos from your albums to your blog? Does anyone know a way around this, you know, other than finding a different image hoster? Changing banners has become a pain, and after the 9/11 one comes down, I have another for Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.

Alas, enough of my ranting. Picasa is awful, but we'll have to do more on that later. I did finally get the 9/11 banner up ther, as you can see, and I put the finishing touches on my Project 2,996 tribute. I wish I didn't have to remember this...

It feels strange having that banner back out, but it'll have to do.

I don't have as many patriotic songs as I did last year. I couldn't find a decent copy of Toby Keith's 'Courtesy of the Red, White & Blue' and I skipped 'God Bless America' becuase I didn't think very much of the guy who sang it. Plus what I forgot what the fifth one was. -.-

Anyway, enjoy. As for me, I'm off to go do some house painting.

Things I find On YouTube

I'm embedding this over here until I can figure out what to do with it, not the least of which being who sings it and/or where it comes from. It could be from an anime by the sound of it, but I don't know. Sometimes it'd be really nice to know Japanese.




~2:56 p.m. Update!!~

Well, according to my online translater, the five Japanese characters mean 'prediction book of black,' whatever that's supposed to be. My second option says 'a black prediction book.' Strange. Well, nothing to do now but hit up Google, I guess.