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What we remember when we remember 9/11

Do you remember where you were and what you were doing when you learned of the September 11 terrorist attacks that occurred 25 years ago? Do you remember what you saw on television or how you felt? Is your memory highly detailed, and are you confident that what you are remembering is an accurate recollection of those details? For most people who lived through the event, their answers to those questions will be a resounding “yes!” As a memory researcher, I know long-lasting and vivid “flashbulb memories” typically are for mundane events like driving to work or cooking dinner. ...

Never forget 9/11

I was sitting in my home office not far from the Pentagon when it happened. The TV behind me had the sound lowered but I suddenly became aware of a major development. I reached for the remote and cranked up the audio. A plane had struck one of the twin towers in New York. TV anchors initially speculated it must have been a small plane that had run off course, but soon a much larger plane struck the building and then a second one hit the other tower. It quickly became clear America was under attack. I saw smoke rising from the Pentagon and went up on the roof to get a better look. My ...

Dear Annie: Some comforts never get old

Dear Annie: I hesitate to write this because I’ve never seen anything like this subject in your column. I am a grown woman, mom and grandmother and still have a “blanky.” When I come home from work and walk in my bedroom and see the piece of the silk end, I immediately feel relaxed. I know this sounds crazy, but it gives me comfort. I wouldn’t call it a problem — more of an insecurity, maybe? I sleep with it, but it stays in my bedroom. I swear I’m a normal person! But I wonder if other grown adults have a childhood habit they still do today. — Still Need My Blanky Dear ...

UTI issues might be due to a conglomerate of kidney stones

DEAR DR. ROACH: Five years ago, I was diagnosed with a kidney stone while getting an ultrasound for a different reason. A CT scan was ordered, which showed that I had a conglomerate of small stones within a calyceal diverticulum in the posterior mid-pole of my left kidney. My urologist at the time said it wasn’t in an area that was amenable to shock wave lithotripsy or a stone removal with a scope. He said that I could have a wire inserted by interventional radiology, then go to the operating room for a stent that would require an overnight hospital stay. He also said that I could do ...

Society of Strangers

“True is it that we have seen better days.” — William Shakespeare Pearl Harbor brought out the best in the American people. We responded by pulling together for a major mobilization when an act of war landed on our soil in 1941. That December day, which Franklin Roosevelt eloquently declared would “live in infamy,” is within living memory. Twenty-five years ago, following the September 11th terrorist attacks, the opposite happened. The George W. Bush White House sowed a society of suspicious, separate and scared strangers. When the World Trade Center towers fell in ...

Dear Annie: Making room for what’s next

Dear Annie: My husband and I are both in our 70s, and he’s been pushing for us to sell the house and move into something smaller for over a year now. He’s not wrong; it’s more house than we need. But we raised our three kids in this house. Every room has something in it — the kitchen table my dad built, the height marks on the door frame, the driveway where our children learned to ride their bikes. I know we probably can’t stay here forever. But I feel like he’s asking me to hand over all these memories without a second thought. Am I being stubborn, or is he being cold ...