Hey, dudes.
As everyone knows by now, the 35W bridge in downtown Minneapolis collapsed around 6pm last night. Everybody’s still in shock about it, I think. There are disasters around the world on this scale all the time, but it’s hard to relate until it’s something so completely familiar. The Marys and I walked down to the river over lunch; I warned them ahead of time that I would cry, so they were prepared. The area is blocked off within a half-mile radius, and the Stone Arch Bridge is still closed. All you can really see is one end of the interstate sticking up into the air. There’s just a huge bridge that’s not there, and a river where people died last night. Downtown is pretty empty today. Last night, I was very thankful for the internet. Word got out via text message within 15 minutes of the event. The phones weren’t working because all the circuits were overloaded, so we all checked to make sure everyone was safe via text message instead. The news coverage was pretty horrible to watch, so Wendy and I went for a walk. Minnehaha Creek is so low that it’s not even flowing in places; you can walk all over the riverbed. Along the way, we saw a blue heron, a loon, teenage ducks, a bunny, and gigantic raccoons climbing into a drain pipe after it got dark. Ah, city wildlife. Since Matt was at bowling, I stopped at my house to destink myself and change. I’m glad I did, because I had a ton of emails asking if everyone was ok. (Between that and the text messages, I heard from more than 30 people yesterday. Man.) Afterward, I joined Cindi, Josh, and Katie at Lyle’s. They’d been down near the river watching rescue efforts earlier in the evening, and Josh had some rattling pictures on his phone. I wanted to not have to think about it for a while, but it was on half the TVs in the bar. Tonight after work, I’m headed to Chicago with Matt, Wendy, and Willis. We’re going to a Cubs game and hanging out with Lauren tomorrow, then going to tailgate a Brewers game in Milwaukee on Saturday. Therefore, I must go attend to some bidness now, and I will talk to you guys next week. Be safe.Jenni