Where were you...

It's a weird day. It's been about 24 hours since Bin Ladin has been killed. Whether he was actually killed when we were told he was, I am skeptical. The timing is too perfect. But I digress from the point I was going to make. Osama Bin Ladin is dead.

I've been hearing and reading, for most of the day, about how this is one of those defining moments in history. A day when people go, "where were you when..."? Like the OJ trial (I was in my high school Chemistry class. We actually borrowed a TV to watch the verdict, because OJ has everything to do with Chemistry)

But I really don't think this is going to be one of those moments. At least not for me.

"Ken, where were you when you heard that Bin Ladin was killed?"

"I was shoveling bbqed meats into my pie hole and drinking 22 oz beers."

And I barely missed a beat with the meat shoveling and beer swilling. For that matter, not many of the people I was with really reacted either. I don't know if it's because I was a bit drunk on beef and tasty beverages. Or I don't really think this changes anything. Yes, the man who orchestrated 9/11 was finally killed, almost a decade later. But it's not like the entire terrorist network goes down with it. We cut off a figurehead that was basically in hiding.

But that's not my point either. My point is that I think it's weird how stories like this travel. I think a LOT of people got news of Bin Ladin's dead via some sort of social media. Rumor has it that Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson was the first person to know and tweet that Bin Ladin was dead. Ridiculous statement, but if it's on Conan, it must be true, right?

I admit that someone told me and I went to CNN breaking news on Twitter to confirm. And within hours, there was a terribly Photoshopped image of the supposed dead face of Bin Ladin. Except that it was painfully obvious that someone took all of 30 seconds to composite a damaged head and wounds onto a standard Bin Ladin photo. Then there's the beautiful MLK speech that sums up the sentiment of the nation. Except the captivating first line isn't from any recorded MLK speech. And there's no way to say it was even MLK, but it most certainly wasn't in the same context as the rest of the speech.

Real story may never be known. I have kind of resigned to knowing that everything circulated is, at best, a half truth. Especially when the government is involved. But I don't particularly care. He's dead.

Where was I on 9/11/01? I was walking into Woodstocks, mildly hungover, with some of my closest friends. In a good mood until another friend came down crying saying that there was a huge terrorist attack in NYC. We got upstairs to the TV to see the 2nd plane hit the towers. Good mood feeling....gone. That night, OB and I put on a "Fuck Terrorism" movie night. Can't remember the movies we watched now. But I do remember everything from that morning.

Ask me 10 years from now, "Where were you 5/1/11?" I'll have no idea and probably ask how the fuck I'm expected to remember a random day like that.

Ask me 10 years from now, "Where were you when Bin Ladin was killed?" I'll probably tell you I have no idea when he was actually killed, so I couldn't tell you.

It was a great day for BBQ and beer though.

K