Gnothicos

Bri gave me an LJ gift! Check out my profile for a wonderful bat.

It feels nice right now.

Music that I find during an important time of life becomes linked to memory like nothing else. Late Spring was full of such happenings.

I have put aside my conquering weapons in favor of peaceful exploration.

I have new nicknames.

I am once again sync'd.

chaos provides.

2007 has been one of the busiest years in a decade. October looks to be the busiest month of the year.

I've found a way to generate euphoria, but I'm having problems making it work whenever I want to. Still, that's better than the ennui that floats about this area, where there are precious few like minds to connect to.

Coming back to LJ makes me think of returning to a childhood home. Everything's just where I left it, for the most part, memories included...

Circumstances have caused me to evolve in the past couple years. There are still a lot of things to learn, but I feel I'm on the right track now.

One of my favorite hotels in Atlanta is the Marriott Marquis. This gigantic hotel's lobby is an atrium that allows for a view of over 40 stories up. The architecture is stunning, and there's a general feeling of festivity all the time.  Many of the stories have plants that dangle over the sides of the halls, which add to the beauty of the place.  There's a mall connected to the hotel, too.

I love elevators. Naturally, I went straight for one of the elevators in the Marquis as soon as I recovered from the awe-inspiring view from the lobby. Windowed elevators, mounted in the center of the two towers that make up most of the hotel, attract people who aren't staying anywhere near that area of Atlanta.  If there was ever a need for proof that cabled elevators are the fastest, the Marquis will provide it.  Here are videos: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxhSwG_uwX8 and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emd3knrvxpM

Pictures: http://www.schumacher.ch/foto/asa2005/wb_IMG_9783 and http://www.carriedobro.com/gallery/dcown14.jpg and http://www.portmanholdings.com/experience_hotels_atlmarriott.htm

Wisdom = 18.

• So far, over $15,000 in donations have been raised by a drive-by donation site operated outside WOWK-TV's studio on 5th Ave.
• The Red Cross will be matching donations up to $10,000.
• The Stone Lodge, located near Pea Ridge next to Ridge Lawn Cemetary, is offering free boarding to those who have been displaced.
• At least one local resident has offered two spare bedrooms to displaced people.

All the support and offers of assistance are amazing and wonderful.

The Emmons death toll is up to 9. Here is the information we currently have:
Seth Justas, aged 7.
Ann Saleh, Seth's mother.
Mary Biss, aged 68.
Ben Lucas, aged 19.
Angel Lucas, aged 17.
Quentin Lucas, aged 14.
Beatrice Devora Yancy.
An unidentified male.
An unidentified victim.

The work at the Emmons complex continues. There have been seven confirmed dead so far, but, because of failing structural integrity of the Jr., crews cannot get to some areas to see if there are more. Two cats have been rescued, and are doing well physically.

http://www.huntingtonnews.net/local/070114-pinson-efire/photos/efire%20(10).jpg
My old apartment can be seen in this photo; it's the second row of windows from the top. The living room windows are on the left and in the center; the breakfast nook can be seen through the window on the right.

The Emmons site is comprised of the original Emmons on the right and the Emmons, Jr. on the left.  They're both quite intriguing.  Most apartments had small doors in the kitched closet which allowed for deliveries from without having to disturb the people inside the apartments. The elevator in the original Emmons still has the operator's seat attached in the car, and has gate instead of an inner door, but it closes automatically now that the elevator has been converted to a button-type. The elevator in the Emmons, Jr. had an inner door, but the outer door had to be opened manually. There were windows in the outer door to allow one to see if the elevator was in motion, as the machinery had minimal logic, meaning it didn't keep track of multiple elevator calls; one had to wait for the elevator to come to a stop before calling it or else the mechanism would abruptly stop and reverse, usually much to the annoyance of the passenger(s). The elevators, combined with extremely ornate ceilings, floor tiles, and other architecture, along with exposed wiring that ran along the ceilings, resulted in both buildings having both elegance a feeling of an industrial ghost from the early 20th century. The buildings use the floor numbering system that is used in most buildings in Europe and Japan: floor 1 is the first floor above the ground floor. I lived on floor 3, so I had a great view of the courtyard and the original Emmons, which is connected to the Emmons, Jr. in the back. A beautiful red door allowed entry to the courtyard from the alley behind the building, making it clear that the architects had thought of everything when it came to easy movement about the grounds.

I wasn't looking to move in early 2000, but when I saw a sign advertising an apartment for rent one Winter evening on the way to EZNET, I decided to make the Emmons, Jr. my new home right away. I've always been drawn to that building, and took whatever reason I came across to explore it long before I moved in.

The time I spent in the Emmons, Jr. provided me with experiences that had a great deal to do with the person I am today. I met several wonderful people there, and the place quickly became a hub for a mystical nightlife.

When the Emmons, Jr. caught fire late January 13, 2007, Huntington's tallest ladder was not working properly, leaving those stranded on floor 4 facing a life-threatening situation for a while. Some people were contemplating jumping, but the firefighters talked them into waiting a few minutes until a neighboring town's truck with a ladder tall enough to reach them arrived.

When I arrived at the Emmons buildings, firefighters were attempting to fight the fire inside. Within a few minutes of going in, though, several sirens and horns called them out. The fire had spread from the front to the back, or vice-versa (most of the tragedy is still mysterious) quicker than anyone imagined it would have. Some windows in the front of the building, on the first floor, were allowing flames to shoot up to the 4th floor, but, suddenly, the fire was moving in on the apartments on the 4th floor in the rear of the building.

The smoke was oppressively thick even to those standing a block away. Whatever was making the fire extremely intense and quick was also creating smoke unlike any many had experienced before, driving crowds from one street to another several times within an hour. It was raining most of the night, and the helter-skelter of the tragedy was sending many people into a sad frenzy. The entire area was truly a disaster, with newly homeless people wandering about, some in search of friends and/or family. Emergency teams from many towns around the area joined Huntington's teams in attempts to rescue all possible and put out the fire.  At least three people died; there are probably more corpses inside. A triage was setup in a restaurant's parking lot, while a morgue was setup in another location that's been carefully kept secret.

The kind managers of an apartment building across 3rd Ave. quickly set up a place for everyone to rest and get refreshments. I began guiding people and offering what little comfort was possible. The local bus company began offering free service to get people away from the horror. A shelter has been set up in the civic center, with more being worked on now.

This is the second disastrous fire to destroy a large, old building in the city within a week. The first was caused by an electrical problem. The cause of the Emmons, Jr. fire is not yet known, but some residents reported seeing a suspicious person quickly running away from the building a few minutes before the fire began.

I am feeling a sense of loss that I cannot find words to describe well. There has been a great deal of suffering, many people are homeless now, and a wonderful building is most likely lost.

Photos, most of which aren't of very good quality because the camera I could get to the quickest is not good for use in the dark, and my zero lux camcorder's battery is longer holding a charge:

1. January 13, 2007 at 11:45 p.m.   The smoke was coming from the Emmons, Jr.
2. Around midnight.
3. Shortly after midnight, a sudden cloud of smoke enveloped the alley.
4. The two buildings.  The original Emmons in closest.  Note the large scorch marks on the Emmons, Jr.
5. Another sudden cloud of smoke.  It's hard to imagine the conditions at ground zero.
   
6. The fire broke through the roof quickly.
7. At 3 a.m., firefighting was still only possible from outside.
8. Shortly after 3 a.m., firefighers were able to get within a few feet of the building.  Some in the front concentrated on the rear section to keep the fire from engulfing the original Emmons, which had almost happened earlier.
   

A fire erupted in the Emmons, Jr. late Saturday night. The Emmons, Jr. is one of my favorite buildings, as well as one of the my most favorite places I have ever lived. As soon as I heard about it, I went there to offer help; I have a strong affection for all who call the Emmons buildings their home.

There are 3 confirmed dead. Firefighters say there are probably more dead inside, but the fire grew so quickly that 90% of the efforts to put it out have been made from outside.

I have pictures, which I will put up soon.

I cannot adequately describe the immense feelings of tragedy I have now. I was attached to that building in a very deep way.

An old apartment building I lived in in Huntington, one of my favorites ever, is on fire. I'm going down to check it out now.

This is awful.

I went to the mall on Saturday to buy Digital Devil Saga 2 after Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha versus the Soulless Army was placed in the DDS2 box by mistake last time I tried. I absolutely love the game I received by accident, so I'm not complaining. I just wanted both. I decided that, since I have some loyalty to Babbage's after having enjoyed being an employee there ages ago, I'd tell them about the accident and, in the process, get the box and manual for the Devil Summoner game. It turns out that DDS2 is $29.99, but, unlike their website, the Devil Summoner game is listed as being $52.99. I ended up paying for it since I didn't want to part with it.

Nocturne was difficult to get, too, but it was also well worth it. My Megaten collection is now complete.

I love my i-Cat.

The i-Cat responds to touch, becomes a beatbox, and has an input for audio. It's fantastic.

Magdelena plays the organ, plays it just for you.

The EZNET plaza cam was not a plaza cam when I was bored.