Celeste Victoria

I created this blog to post the most ridiculous stuff I could find for your entertainment. With all the stress & negativity that goes on in the world today, I figured it would be a good idea to have a site where people could go to laugh. Forgive me if you're expecting something light but I wanted to share a story with you, being that today is the 10th anniversary of 9/11.

I've had my own TV show for over 16 years now. I started in 1995, in a format that consisted of my three friends from high school & I acting like complete fools on camera without too much direction or artistic value. You may argue that the show has the exact same format today, only with just one jackass on screen (if you guessed it was me, you would be correct). That would be a fair point. However, at that time, I thought it would be a good idea to polish up the show some, creating a cleaner product.

In 1997, I went to MNN, the TV station the show was on, and inquired about learning how to edit using their equipment. The lady in the department, Celeste, signed me up for a training session. She told me to be patient as there would be other people in the class who might be older & were probably not as sharp as me. Beyond being pleasant, apparently Celeste was also observant (and accurate). But enough about me. *blush*

When the day came for me to get my edit on, I noticed nobody else had shown up. Celeste tells me that it's just me & her. What was supposed to be a two-hour class, she was confident she could teach me in half that. And good God, she did. In 60 minutes, I transformed from teenage dweeb to teenage dweeb who could edit his ass off. I was ready to take the show to the next level.

I chose to edit my weekly show on Friday nights, mainly because I had school during the day and nothing else better to do once the week was up. Celeste was always there, helping me out if I had any questions and giving me pointers as well. I'll never forget how much faith she had in me that I would be successful. I enjoyed Celeste's company so much that after I was done editing, I would stay with her until her shift ended. After a while, I no longer considered Celeste just a teacher. I considered her my friend.

I believe I was in college, upstate in Syracuse, when I got word that Celeste was leaving MNN and moving on to bigger & better things. This was bittersweet for me, as I was excited that she was blessed with a new opportunity but heartbroken that she would not be there to guide me as she had in the past. Being that I was away, I wasn't exactly sure on what she was going to be doing or where she would be going. I just know when I came back to NYC to edit my show, she wasn't there.

Fast forward a few years later. I was still recovering from Aaliyah's death (my all-time favorite R&B singer & childhood crush) when 9/11 happened. Like everyone, especially those who were New Yorkers, I was devastated. It seemed like everyone had known someone who was affected by this tragedy. I was going through my mental rolodex. Nope, I don't think I knew anyone that passed away in those towers. I guess I was one of the few lucky ones.

About a week & a half later, my mom calls me in my dorm. She was ready to watch my show when MNN posted something right before saying that one of their former employees was missing & they were last seen in the World Trade Center. "Celeste... that's the lady you know, right?" Oh no. It couldn't be. My heart sank. I thought about how supportive she had been toward my dreams. I thought about how willing she was to help me if I needed anything. I thought about her daughter who I had gotten close to & how she was feeling. From that moment forward, I never looked at 9/11 the same way.

10 years later, my emotions toward 9/11 are still a mess. Anger, confusion, betrayal, pain. It's probably one of those things I will never completely get over. Continuing my show 10 years after Celeste passed is my way of honoring her, keeping her legacy alive. Who knows how motivated I might have been to do the show if she hadn't been so encouraging. She will always be one of the reasons the show was successful & for that, she will always be in my heart.

R.I.P. Celeste Victoria
& everyone else we lost on 9/11