Where were you when you found out Bin Laden was dead?

Sunday night in the middle of my weathercast I heard a loud conversation taking place in the newsroom. This happens from time to time and it can be very distracting. In the middle of my weathercasts I’m adlibbing, thinking about the weather, the order of my graphics, the amount of time I have remaining, and the last thing I need is something else to think about.

The voices started getting louder. I’m getting more and more annoyed.

Suddenly, I hear in middle of my forecast, “WRAP!!” It’s my producer telling me in my earpiece that my time was up. First the distractions and now this? I was still 3 graphics away from the 7 day. I should have another minute at least! Something was up. I tried to get through the end of the forecast as quickly as possible.

Rushing makes me stutter. It wasn’t pretty. I finish the weathercast and Brent says we’re waiting for the President to make an announcement. Ohhh, OK. That explains why I needed to wrap. And then someone told me WHY the president was speaking. “Osama is freakin’ dead, the U.S. killed him and we have the body!” A producer shouted, while running past me in a giddy voice.

“What?” I needed to digest the information. A wave of emotion rolled over me. This was a historic moment. I grew up in Battery Park City, next to the World Trade Center. I knew people who were there watching the horror unfold on 9/11 day. I felt like I was there with them. But now I feel relieved to know that there’s some closure for the victims of 9/11. It was exciting to be in the newsroom as latest information slowly leaked in. The mood was electric.

Anyway, I’ll always remember where I was when the world found out Bin Laden was dead. I was in the middle of doing the weather. I guess I’ll forgive the crowd of excited editors and producers making noise. Because that news was worth celebrating.