I live in Dallas.

I heard nothing myself, but I know two people, one my brother and the other a good friend of some years, who both were awoken by what they described as a sonic boom that "went on too long". Both live near me. My friend went out her front door and began to look around for the dust cloud, because she said she assumed a nearby building must have fallen down. My brother ignored the sound, after it finally stopped. Neither saw anything, but this email was the first thing I saw when I got up in the morning. It's from a third person I know, who works in an emergency response unit:

>The Shuttle is Gone.
>
>I have been called to get the FirstResponder to cover the debris clean up.
>
>Eric

I am told that the first footage of the breakup to hit the airwaves after the incident was from someone taking amateur footage in "Deep Ellum", a section of "Elm" street 20 minutes' drive from where I live, traffic permitting. So, my understanding is that Columbia blew up somewhere more or less directly above us. Given it's speed, obviously, none of the debris came down around where I live... it all traveled on to counties east of here.

Watching the news, yeah, my reaction also was that it was amazing no one was hit. I watched an interview with two men who were standing "a few yards" from where a globe shaped and, apparently, hollow object landed ... perhaps a fuel cell. They sure were more than just a bit freaked out! Everyone who can be spared has apparently been asked to go out and watch debris sites, and the public has been asked to leave the debris where it is, on the "honor system". Obviously, a less than 100% solution, but who ever expected to be guarding thousands of spacecraft pieces strewn over four or five counties?

I watched very little TV this weekend. I don't know how much coverage this incident got in other parts of the country and world, but around Dallas/Ft. Worth, it's literally all that I saw on any channel all day yesterday. My girlfriend was messed up the whole day ... crying and sad ... so we didn't watch any TV. We just avoided it as best we could, though it was playing on every TV in every restaraunt or store or public venue that would have a TV.

As we were driving on 75/Central, a highway that is a major north/south thoroughfare through Dallas, the overhead message signs read, "Call 972-(some-number) to report debris." It was impossible to avoid news of the incident, no matter how much she wanted to. So, we ate lunch, did some needed-items-only shopping, went home and spent the day watching lighthearted videos to try to help her stabilize.

I understand her feelings, although I'm less emotionally affected than I would have expected. I wonder if my first response was to "stuff" my own feelings so I could be there to console her. I don't know. This whole thing is just really sad, but I feel I'm not quite "real" about it yet...

Actually, writing this is the saddest I've felt in two days. I guess I'm just slow to react. Come to think of it, I guess I usually am.