pixel39 | Recollections and reflections...

It is representative of my macabre sense of humor that I spent my Thursday morning commute coming up with titles for LJ posts:

"Shaken, not squished."
"Well, now, that was an adventure..."
"35W Bridge is falling down, falling down..."
"Still not dead."

And after seeing Spamalot Sunday:

"Not yet dead."

Not a lot of interesting stuff this week, except for the obvious*.

Ordinarily at 6:05 P.M. CDT, Mikey would still be at work, and I would be home, or just getting home. But ISS had a company party, which was to be a dinner cruise on the Mississippi, aboard the Minneapolis Queen. Note the use of "to be", here. [Foreshadowing, your key to quality literature.] Mikey and I arrived at Boom Island Park at a little before 5 and stood around talking with various people until boarding at 5:15. The boat got under way at 5:30, or at least it was supposed to be then, so we'll just say it was 5:30**. We eventually settled up on the upper deck in the stern, with drinks, and watched the scenery slide by. Went through the St. Anthony Falls upper lock, and I learned a new set of verbs--lock down, and lock up, meaning to go through a lock downstream and upstream, respectively.

After we were through the first lock, Mikey and I went down to get some appetizers, because we were starving. We'd just finished chatting with the former CEO (now retired) when another of the engineers pointed and shouted "What the hell is that?" "That" turned out to be a large dust cloud on the east bank, ahead of the second lock and right by the 10th Ave bridge. We wondered about possible demolition or construction, and went out on deck to see what was up.

The people who had been standing in the bow were talking about the bridge coming down. It took a minute to process but then we realized that we could see the 10th Ave bridge way too well, and that where there ought to have been the 35W bridge there was broken concrete and twisted green steel, or simply empty space. And aside from the sound of water rushing over the dam, for many many minutes there was silence.

We came up to the lock, and the lockmaster yelled at us to go away because they'd need the lock for rescue equipment. Our captain informed us that he'd called 911 and they asked him to wait where we were, in case the boat was needed. People took pictures, made phone calls, sent text messages. Eventually the crew herded us inside. Then up to the cabin on the upper deck, which was claustrophobically smaller than the cabin on the lower deck. I went outside and stood by the port side rail watching, for want of something to do. I fielded panicked text messages from Cat. We started backing up to leave, apparently on request of the local police who by now were all over. Then they told us to stop. We stopped. Two rescue boats came downstream into the lock. We left the lock, turned around, and headed back upstream to the dock. On the way, another rescue boat and a pontoon (the captain and crew of the other dinner cruise boat, carrying life jackets to the bridge) passed us headed for the lock. We went back to the car, drove to Mikey's office, drove home, and went in search of dinner.

I was actually *more* rattled on Thursday, when I saw photos like this: http://www.flickr.com/photos/timdan2/979445697/ and I realized just how close we really were, and could have been. That boat at the far upstream end of the lock? That's the Minneapolis Queen, headed back upstream. The rescue boats that are moored in the lock, preparing to lock down are the first two boats that passed us.

Saturday was spent in the Middle of Nowhere being geekily social and doing homework. Sunday was Spamalot, and finishing homework. Spamalot was so funny it hurt. Repeatedly.

For those of you who are worrying--I'm fine. Really. I am. It's just very large to get one's head around, is all.

*Those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about, have apparently been living in a box since last Wednesday: http://news.yahoo.com/fc/US/Minneapolis_Bridge_Collapse;_ylt=AtjeyJozEiRftRk_.uHQvzxK2ocA

**Turns out we left late. Apparently we were waiting on one of the engineers who hadn't shown up--he'd gotten into a car accident right outside the office--and when they finally got in touch with him he told us to go on without him.