I can still remember waking up on September 11th 2001 to the eery silence of LAX outside my bedroom window.  I was a student at LMU at the time, living at Park West, and my unit backed right up to the runway.  Usually, it was bustling with giant airplanes taking off and landing, but not that day.

I turned on the television to discover the events that were unfolding 2500 miles away in New York.  It was surreal to say the least.  By the time I had flipped on the news, the towers were gone, thousands of people were dead, and four airliners had crashed into the earth.

Much has happened to me since that day, getting married, having kids, but those memories still pop into my mind now and again.  I think about all the people who’s lives were forever changed by this event.  As you go through your daily lives, make sure to remember and honor the memories of those who lost their lives that day as well as the soldiers who’ve lost their lives defending our freedom.

This is a picture I took two years ago from ground-zero.  I’m returning to New York next week and you can be certain I will be returning to pay my respects once again.

I’ll be attending the Web 2.0 Expo in New York September 16th – 19th.  I’m really excited because this will be my first time attending a conference.  It should be a great opportunity to learn and discover new trends in the web world as well as network with brand-savvy individuals like myself. 

It’s pretty interesting, the Expo has set up a social networking site for attendees.  I really need another social networking site like I need a hole in my head, but at the same time it validates my point regarding the direction of the social web.  I’ve been saying for a while that social networking sites are going to become smaller in scope but highly specific to a certain audience, as is the case here.

It’s been a couple years, but I’m excited to return to the “Big Apple” and see what the city has to offer.  The only bummer is the hotel prices..$500 a night for a hotel room is a little much!