5.27.2004

OpinionJournal - Peggy Noonan:

"In New York right now we are planning our Memorial Day weekends. We know we are in a difficult historical time, but we do not dwell on it. We don't always even think. We free-associate, like this: I should get a new dress for the graduation at the Saks sale. They could blow up the Lincoln Tunnel. Meg would love one of those little Chanel knockoffs from the street vender. If New York is bombed while we're in Boston, where will we stay? If Boston is bombed while we're at the graduation, how will we get home? Bring cousin Holly's number in northern Connecticut. Pick up mascara.

From the dire to the banal. No, not from one to another but both interweaved. Having the jits and planning the party. People are dieting because summer's coming and wondering if an al Qaeda hit on New York would trigger a food shortage. "