kidchamp dot net

05.02.11

joe and i celebrated the beginning of our ninth year in new york city last night; after a girls-only brunch full of internet lovelies (and, amusingly, the edge), we visited our favorite burrito joint in brooklyn, met a new whiskey bar under the train back to the lower east side, and tucked in for an early night.

i'd seen a few bin laden mentions on twitter just before i put the computer to bed, but i figured it'd be days before we knew anything for sure. i also take no pleasure in celebrating deaths, even when they comfort those who deserve closure. i was half-asleep in bed with a book when my sister called from california with the news; let's say i was ninety percent asleep, as all i really remember was her telling me she was worried about the aftermath and her uch when i told her i'd heard about it via twitter (i'm unembarrassed). i trailed into the living room in time for obama's address and footage of the celebration in front of the white house, a beach ball bobbing above the crowd like the sing-along cue for lyrics which fold back on themselves.

we've been in the city for eight september elevenths. joe has spent almost all of them with first responders; he's spent the other days of the year hammering at legislation for their care, meeting with their families, getting news of their lingering deaths. i can imagine what news of bin laden's demise must feel like to people who were here when the towers fell, and the daily news's BURN IN HELL cover doesn't surprise me. that said, i don't believe in hell.

last night's news was the end of a terrible episode. it wasn't a happy ending, nor was it the end of the responders' story; no one can give them that. we can - i can - hope, respectfully, that this death forestalls some of the crimes we've yet to commit against each other.