I’m interrupting my coverage of the 2026 Chicago Fan Expo for something I’d already had scheduled for posting on this special day – the 25th anniversary of the September 11th attacks. The original plan was to wrap up my convention coverage last week, but that was before two tornadoes hit my town in the south suburbs of Chicago fifteen days apart. Thankfully, they weren’t very strong, but the first knocked out my power for nearly a week, and the second my internet for several days after. Needless to say, my writing goals were delayed. My apologies for the disjointed coverage, which will continue next week.

On Sunday, June 31st of this year, I left the New Jersey Horror Con and embarked on a five-and-a-half-hour drive to Pittsburgh. The original plan was to spend the day at New Jersey’s Cape May Zoo with my friend, Jason Schoolcraft, but he canceled. I decided to drive to Pittsburgh earlier than planned and look for things to do before my prepaid hotel check-in time at 3. The stay was intended for sleep only, as I’d drive straight home to Illinois early the next day. I always travel with a specific agenda, but after this day, I’ve come to believe fate sometimes guides us to places despite our plans. So, about an hour before reaching my intended destination, I saw the sign for the Flight 93 National Monument and, without hesitation, steered my car toward its exit. Somehow, I’d managed to slip out of a horror movie convention only to get a glimpse of the real thing.