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I cannot believe it's already twenty years since I landed at the Newark airport and made my dream come true. As it was yesterday, I still remember the smells and sounds of New York City, a warm breeze blowing through its streets and avenues, dinning in a trattoria or grabbing French fries to go, rollerblading from the Battery Park all the way to the Central Park, enjoying watching friendly squirrels and the liveliness of Washington Square Park. A walk across the Brooklyn Bridge, browsing Manhattan skate shops, and subway rides to and from Jersey City. Buying T-shirts, books, a Tony Hawk baseball cap, a NYPD hoodie, and other souvenirs. Buying a novel in a WTC bookstore. And all that thanks to my friend Lidija. The day I visited New York City was September 11, 2000. The day I was supposed to celebrate my first anniversary never happened. Instead, the day of disbelief, shock and terror took its place on September 11, 2001. Fourteen years later, after that sad and heartbreaking day, I officially went online and launched my website. Through bernardjan.com I wanted to make everything I wrote in Croatian and English available to everyone, to bring my stories closer to you. And to share what I love with those of you who appreciate it, because there is no greater joy for me than that. I launched my website on September 11, 2015. A year after the launch of bernardjan.com, I opened my @BernardJanWorld Twitter account, and I haven't stopped tweeted since. Not a single day has passed without me being active on Twitter. That happened on September 11, 2016. On September 11 last year, I was removed from the register as the owner of my cottage in Tuhelj, which I had sold twenty days before. These are my 911 loves and memories. BJ Original post: https://www.bernardjan.com/post/911-loves-and-memories Photo by Joshua Earle on Unsplash

I used to have a twitter account but it got suspended for “suspicious activity” (I was campaigning for Conor Lamb and posting those ads on other people's threads. Yes homeless people can be politically active. Congrats to Conor). I also did a get out the vote campaign, and posted Conor's, Beto O'Rouke (Dem. Candidate for Tex.), and Randy Bryce's (Dem. Candidate for Speaker Ryan old seat Wis.) donation page. I did a similar thing for the campaigns of Doug Jones (Dem. Sen. Ala.) and Ralph Northam (Dem. Gov. Va.) [Campaigning for those candidates and having a get out the vote campaign], and twitter didn't do anything to my account then. I wrote to former congressman John Delaney about my situation just prior my bankruptcy and all he stated was that he couldn't help at that time. One time on twitter I posted a birthday card to Bill Gates (it was around the time Jeff Bezsos had just overtaken Bill wealth wise. I also posted a birthday card to Former president Jimmy Carter, I liked his work with habitat for humanity). I remember thinking to myself, after I posted the card if I only had $15.00/hr. full-time job that would be my big break and I wouldn't have to deal with social services, live in my car, etc. In a later post on twitter to Mr. Gates I thanked him for all his philanthropic work (I would also thank Social Services and the churches that supported me as well as homeless advocates agencies and organizations, but it's not like being independent.). Having someone rich for a President (who is only interested in having tax reform benefit the top 1% and having a foundation as a piggy bank for himself and his family makes me appreciate people like Bill Gates and Warren Buffet all the more.). I also made jokes about politics, sports, and other things on twitter. Something like “When Donald Trump last met with Vladimir Putin, the big question everyone wanted to know was is President Trump going to ask President Putin about meddling in our election. It turns out that the only question President Trump asked President Putin was how high.” Comparing Wilt Chamberlain to Christian Laettner I stated “Wilt is ONLY basketball player who has made the 20,000 plateau on the court and off, does that mean Laett isn't great. No Laett is great there is no debate.” I also stated, “How is playing football with Tom Brady like negotiating a nuclear treaty with Iran? You know they are both going to cheat.” Also, “How many times are the middle class going to get screwed? The answer my friend is Joe Bi-den, the answer is Joe Bi-den.” And “You're on the golf course when you should be, all the time. And when you're not your with some Russian spy or a porn star. You're so vain I bet you think this post is about you.” I have a picture of an Iceberg and the caption read Global warming is an illusion, Larsen B just seceded from Antarctica.

A/N: 4 characters are Rose, Olivia, Rose's Autocorrect (RA), and Olivia's Autocorrect (OA). I wrote this scene for Emerson Festival for my school as the opening scene for our devised piece and it is my favorite thing I've ever written! Enjoy (: ---------------------------------------------------------------- (lights go up on Rose & Olivia) Rose & Olivia: (talking to themselves) Do I text her? Do I not text her? Do I wait for her to text me? Do I get ignored for a third day in a row? Do I suffer again? (beat) I'm gonna do it. I'm gonna text her. (Taking out their phones and “texting”) Hi! Rose: Wow, two minds think-- RA: Alight. Rose: Right? Olivia: … Alight? Rose: Damn autocorrect. I meant-- RA: Rewrite. Rose: DAMN IT! Not rewrite. ALIKE! ALIKE! Olivia: (uncomfortable) Right… anyways, you looked really-- OA: Bountiful. Olivia: Today, Rose. Rose: I looked bountiful? Olivia: SHIT. NO, no. Rose: Autocorrect? Olivia: Yeah, what I meant to say was that you looked-- OA: Bootylicious. Rose: OH? Olivia: BEAUTIFUL! Rose: What? Olivia: Nevermind. Rose: Alright… Uh, are you going to the football game tomorrow? Olivia: Nah. Those things give me-- OA: Acupuncture. Rose: Umm. Okay! Thats cool. Olivia: ANXIETY! ANXIETY! Rose: This conversation is giving me anxiety. OA: Smelly. Rose: OKAY LISTEN-- Olivia: IT'S MY AUTOCORRECT I SWEAR! SORRY. I AM SORRY. S-O-R-R-Y. GOD. JUST MY LUCK. Rose: Haha, it's-- RA: Fish. Olivia: (confused) Blub? Rose: Blub? I meant fine. Olivia: Fine… um-- I have something to ask you. Rose: Alright-- RA: Lay on me. Olivia: That's a first. Rose: LET'S NOT GO THERE. I WAS TRYING TO SAY LAY IT ON ME. LIKE TELL ME WHAT YOU WANT TO ASK. Olivia: Do you wanna-- OA: Go drought with me? Rose: There's a drought? Where? Olivia: OUT! GO OUT! Rose: Outside? Olivia: No! Rose: I'm confused. Olivia, what are you trying to say? Olivia: ROSE WILL YOU PLEASE-- OA: HATE ME! Rose: I don't want to hate you. I really-- RA: Dislike you. Olivia: What? Rose: WHAT? Olivia: So that's how you feel about me? Rose: NO! AUTOCORRECT! I LIKE YOU, Olivia! I DON'T WANT TO-- RA: Date you. Olivia: I AM SO CONFUSED. Rose: HATE. I don't want to hate you. Olivia: Okay. Mine was autocorrected too. I definitely don't want you to hate me. I meant to ask if you would like to-- OA: Debate me. Rose: In what? Olivia: DATE. DATE ME. Rose: So you want me to debate whether I should date you or not? Olivia: Wow. That autocorrect actually worked out. Will you? RA: Guess. Olivia: No? Rose: YES. Yes. I want to date you. Olivia: Nice. Rose: Nice. Olivia: Cool. Rose: Cool. Olivia: Thank you for saying yes. (END)