I've been away from the Internet for a few days and I'm glad. I can barely bring myself to check other blogs or Web sites based in the NYC area. I have nothing thoughtful or eloquent to add to the constant analysis, commentary and news being overconsumed by TV viewers. All I know is that my entire family and most of my friends live less than 25 miles away from Manhattan and this scares me more than people know. I have pictures somewhere on this Web site of the skyline I stared at so many times, the city I've always considered my home. Everyone keeps saying that New York and this country will never be the same and they're right. It's not even about security on airplanes (And, please, would someone in the media put some pressure on the airports for dropping the ball in a big way?), it's about walking down the street without looking over our collective shoulder.

Tales of my trips to the Grand Canyon and LA seem so trivial right now. If anything, this incident (tragedy has been used to death, despite it's accuracy) could force us to concentrate less on the petty bullshit that clogs our days.