I Lived Through a Homemade Bomb That Exploded 2 Miles from My Work: A Survivor’s True Tale of Survival

Today, at 11:15 am in downtown Clayton, not 2 miles west of where I work, a homemade bomb exploded in the arms of John Gillis, 69, a lawyer trying to get to his car. Mr. Gillis survived the blast, dousing himself in water from the nearby corporate pond to put out the flames. It is not yet known who put the bomb there or if Mr. Gillis was the target.

I not only work just a few miles from where this happened, but I work on the actual street on which it happened. I heard the sirens of fire trucks and ambulances blare down the street, but it didn’t even occur to me that something was out of the ordinary (thus is the numbness caused by living in the city, where I’m more alarmed if I don’t hear a siren on any given day). It wasn’t until an hour later when our maintenance guy told me about the explosion. This was just like the tornado that touched down in June; I had no idea that my coworkers were crouched in the basement until after the danger had passed. I never left my office.

My point is, although I consider myself fairly aware of my surroundings, if not a bit paranoid, the world could be crumbling around me and I’d have no idea. An alien attack could level the Midwest, and I’d probably still meander out to my car around 9:00 to drive to work. Godzilla himself could be stomping across St. Louis, and I’d be looking in the rear-view mirror for spinach in my teeth. I’m completely oblivious to such disasters.

Just a quick note, there will be a very big blog announcement tomorrow in the early afternoon. Check it out before you leave work tomorrow.

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