A request.

I have previously mentioned that I keep a second diary here at DD. It is a summary of the doings of the forum that I help to administer. I stopped keeping this diary a week and a half ago. I was frustrated because it was taking an hour or more of my time a day to maintain it, I was frustrated because the forum’s administration had made changes to the board that dramatically increased the difficulty I had in tracking posts so that I could summarize events, and I was frustrated by games some of our community members were playing with the board that showed that they neither read the diary I was maintaining nor particularly cared that I was maintaining it. In the week previous to my decision to drop this Diary, three board members, in separate conversations, asked me why I was bothering to maintain this. So I stopped keeping it.

Now I regret it. We are an international community. My board has condolences from Canada, Brazil, New Zealand, Norway, Austria. We are small, but tightly knit. We have all been leaning on each other these past two days. We’ve had thoughtful conversation, we’ve vented our anger, we’ve comforted, and we’ve cried. And it has perhaps been the most inspiring experience of my life to know these people, most of whom I have never met face to face.

New York has only today opened bridges and highways for regular commutes. People who live in the city but work outside of it or vice versa are only today finally making it to jobs. Many who work just outside the city are only now finding out how friends and co-workers in the city have fared over the past few days. Many sad stories are being passed on just now, even as I type this. Neighbors who haven’t come home, co-workers with family or friends who are missing, first hand accounts of heroism and despair.

I have a friend from my forum who is just now hearing from co-workers and friends who live in the city. Some of the news he is getting is terrible. Please stop by his diary and leave a hug, or a prayer, or just tell him you care. I feel there is very little I can do for him, except let him know he is part of a larger community of people who give a damn about him. You can tell him TheElf sent you. Ugly Troll

UT, we’re there for you. Nothing will ever make sense of this. All any of us can do now is hang onto each other, and support our country and our fellows.

Shit. I’m crying.