12 hours later

Well it's been a long day. After my last post, I've been home all day and basically spend the day watching the TV, texting my family, and trying to respond to the many, many people who have inquired about my safety. Thanks everyone for the well wishes and prayers. Definitely makes me feel loved and safe today to have so many people caring for me - even if it is from 3 or 4 thousand miles away.

So it seems there were four bombs in London today and they are saying that 50 people have been killed. A few points from my perspective:

• All of my friends and coworkers seem to be fine. Closest I've got to a personal story is my roommate's friend's cousin was stuck in the tube for about an hour, but got out fine.
• A bit strange that my DSL modem was finally delivered to my flat today. Obviously I really wanted it today, because with it I can email everyone and also work from home tomorrow. Good sometimes to work for a big company - remote access is nearly mandatory.
• One of the bombs was between Aldgate East and Liverpool Street and near the Moorgate tube station. That is the station where I get out when I work at JP Morgan's London Wall office. I go there about once a week because the traders are there. No one in that office was injured, but I'm glad I wasn't working there today. Here's a map of the two offices I work in (pink) and where I was on the train and on foot today (blue). My apartment in Balham is about 6 miles South of my offices:

• The Northern tube line seemed to have a problem before the attacks because my friend got to the tube and said there were delays but a train came. Not shocking because there are often problems on the tubes. He made it 1 stop up to Clapham South and they stopped the line and told everyone to get out saying there was a power failure. He then walked back down to Balham and waited to get the overland train that I took. I called him after getting into the city and told him the whole tube line wasn't running, but bus and overland train lines were still running then. He decided to just forget coming into work and work from home.
• I have tickets for this Saturday to see R.E.M. at Hyde Park where Live 8 was. I was really hoping that they would delay it with all that's going on, and they agreed with me. Pushed off till next weekend. Good work Michael Stipe. Should be interesting to see how people act at that big show here only a week after the bombings.
• News reports are MUCH less dramatic here than in the states. There are no massive headlines announcing Terror In The Streets or anything like that, except on Fox News, of course.
• Rudy Giuliani is in London today, not sure why, but I saw him on the BBC and thought it was interesting.

So, I have to say I got quite emotional after being home for about an hour and texting with my family for a while and then Tony Blair came on TV. He seemed visibly upset and it was very moving to see. You could tell he was shocked to be trying so hard to help a whole continent of desperate people that aren't his people, and then his people are attacked in the middle of these talks. It's almost as if the terrorists are saying that the world shouldn't help each other. And perhaps they are. But, fortunately, I know the good people who are working on building health and positive attitudes in the world will continue their work.

Thank you everyone again for your messages and just for caring so much. I am feeling OK now, just quite tired from such an emotional day. Glad I don't have to head into the city tomorrow, but will still be working as I think everyone should try to.

Hope this finds you, your friends, and your family all well and safe.

Love,
Dan