WHERE WERE YOU WHEN...

So, my kids are all of a sudden fascinated by Michael Jackson, since airplay of his music and footage of his dancing are everywhere and all the time since his recent death.

At the video rental store today, This Is It was being previewed, and they stood in front of the big screen showing parts of Thriller, in total awe. Like I did when I watched it for the first time, near their age now.

They've watched MJ on YouTube, they sing Ben or I'll Be There when they hear them on television, and they're just curious about the reach of his talent, stardom, and absence on the world.

So I started thinking. When they're older, saying "When I learned Michael Jackson died," will be like "Where were you when Kennedy was shot?".

Where was I when I heard that someone famous passed away, what was I doing when history was made?

I can tell you exactly.

When Elvis Died: I was sitting in between my grandparents in their silver Caprice Classic on a little cushion called the "kid's seat", right in front of the dashboard. On a highway in Ohio, listening to the broadcaster talk in what I thought was a weird accent.

When Reagan Was Shot: In 6th grade, and they wheeled in a television set on which we watched the same scene over, and over, and over, and waited for news of the President's surgery and welfare to break. I am pretty sure we ate lunch in the classroom.

When The Space Shuttle Blew Up: In 11th grade, sitting in class (a two-hour class called Cultures", social studies and literature). Someone walked by and yelled in the window "The space shuttle exploded!"

When We Went to War with Iraq, 1st Time: In a VCR Repair Shop in Ocean Beach, California. A guy with dread locks told me "We just went to war, ya know." I rushed to my boyfriend's house, and we sat in front of the television all night.

When The O.J. Simpson Verdict Was Announced: I was in college at UCSD, in a Women's History class. When the teacher asked who thought he would be acquitted, I was one of three students out of 150 who raised my hand. Then I quickly pulled it down, and I still don't know why.

9/11: It was 6 - something in the morning here on the West Coast. I was pregnant and snuggling with my 2-year-old son in bed still. The phone rang once and I ignored it (probably a telemarketer anyway). Then it rang again, and I let it go to voice mail a second time. When the third call came in, I knew something was wrong. I picked up the phone and my Mom kept screaming WORLD TRADE CENTER! I turned on the television, wrapped one arm around my belly and the other arm around my son.

When We Went to War with Iraq, 2nd Time: At my stepson's ball game. A guy I'd gone to high school with said to us "We started dropping bombs about half an hour ago." I put my face in my hands, shook my head, then watched the ball game.

All of these things I remember that had such profound national or global impact, they're all so negative, these things are sad. I don't want to remember only tragedy in this time lapse manner just because I was present for my own history-making moments.

So what I'm going to do is this...go to sleep now and think about all of the wonderful news I got via phone calls, radio and television broadcasts, or the varied verbal deliveries.

That's going to be a longer, better list.