alive and well

for anyone who's watching the news, i want to assure you that i am alive and breathing. in case you don't know what i'm talking about, the bridge on interstate 35 west collapsed, which is the same interstate that i take every day. i honestly think there was some divine interference on my behalf because, while i usually don't travel on that section of the highway, i just so happened to be working from diamonds cafe in northeast minneapolis.

i generally know how to get back home, but i missed the exit because it was a few lanes over. i continued to drive through downtown, all the way to the metrodome thinking "eh, i may be going the long way and out of the way, but i kind of like exploring." it was when i hit downtown that police cars and ambulances and fire trucks were racing by all around me and i thought "wow, it must be a really big accident or fire."

i finally got home and had literally just stepped into my apartment when melissa called and said "thank god you're alive!" i had to ask what was going on and it was then that she told me that the entire bridge had collapsed. she knew that i was leaving the cafe right around that time and would be taking 35 so she called to make sure i wasn't there. i turned on the tv and sure enough every channel was featuring the story. while i was on the phone with her, celeste called on the other line and i thought, "wow i wonder if this has already gotten on the news back home."

instead, celeste started talking my ear off about an upcoming trip to nyc and i had to interrupt to tell her that my lack of direction could possibly have prevented me from serious injury. of course, celeste started freaking out and saying over and over that if anything ever happened to me or my mom she wouldn't know what to do with herself. i left her to call my mom so i could make other calls, and celeste proceeded to be hysterical. my mom had to tell her to stop because i was fine. it's nice to know she cares, though.

i made a call to chris, who was supposed to be meeting alisun, to make sure they were both ok. chris had apparently just crossed the bridge a minute or two before it happened and got stuck in traffic afterwards, wondering why there was a ton of smoke coming from behind him. alisun was still safe at work. the immediate people i care for here in minneapolis are all present and accounted for, thankfully. overall, it seems pretty amazing that there aren't more severe injuries/fatalities, though it's still kind of early. so there you are, my version of the story and proof that i am well.