Where were you?

I have never done a meme before, in all honesty I'm so new to blogging I'm still not entirely sure what it is, but I'm very keen to try new blog-related things, and this one did bring back some interesting memories for me, so I thought I'd give it a go. Since I spotted this meme on two of the blogs I regularly visit I'm not sure what the protocol is, should I only leave a comment on the blog where it was mentioned first, or on both? Well, I'm going to do both. Hello Vivi, hello Sognatrice.

Here we go...

1) Where were you when Armstrong first walked on the Moon?
I was three months and nine days old, and considering it was in the middle of the night I was probably (hopefully) sleeping. I can’t say I have any strong memories of this one.

2) Where were you when you heard Princess Di had died?
Working as a waitress in Canada with a very flamboyant guy who had been her number one fan for years. He was inconsolable and somehow the rest of us were all caught up in his grief. He never could forgive my then-husband for uttering the blasphemous words “Di Hard” (my ex had a very borderline sense of humour).

3) Where were you on New Year’s Eve of 1999/2000?
There was soo much anxiety surrounding this date, I mean New Year’s Eve is always full of expectations and inevitable let-downs, but this one was just too much. I considered going on a silent meditation retreat, but since I had never meditated before that seemed a bit extreme. In the end I spent it with my ex-husband at his parents’ house, watching The African Queen. It was a let-down (not the film of course, I adore Katharine Hepburn).

4) Where were you on Sept.11, 2001?
Strange enough I was at the local airfield with my then boyfriend, who was half-way through getting a pilot’s license. We arrived only to be told he would not be allowed to fly that day because a plane had crashed into the World Trade Centre. It seemed very strange at the time that even a small two-seater Cessna at a small airport in England would be grounded, but it took a while for the enormity of the situation to really filter through. We went back to my place and spent the rest of the day in front of the TV.

5) Where were you when you first heard about the big 2004 Tsunami?
This one was very uncomfortable. My man and I had just returned from a walk down by the sea and we had been talking about storm surges and tsunamis. I have an intense fear of big bodies of water (my relationship with dams is bordering on phobic) and for some reason I have a great urge to talk about things that really scare me (like snakes). I couldn’t help but feel that our conversation had somehow made the tragedy happen.

6) Where were you when you first heard that Madonna would go on tour last year?
I have no idea, but then I couldn’t really care less. I remember sitting at work when someone told me how much the tickets would cost.