Nothing like sitting in a late morning meeting, to have one of your staff come in and announce, "I think you'd better come with me, NBC just announced they've been hit with Anthrax."

My best friend works for NBC. You may remember her as my partner in crime here and here, or here.

She was even with me for this.

You get the picture. We've been friends since high school, lived together in college, we went traveling abroad together and moved to NYC together. We were also both in my friend's wedding in March. She's more than a best friend, she's the sister I never had.

So when I heard this news, I rushed to my phone and there was already a message from her.

"Partygirl, you've probably heard the news, but if not, someone here tested positive for Anthrax...*pause*...and I am freaking out...call me."

I speed-dialed my friend and got her.

"I heard the news, it's probably just the powder and not the liquid, but just in case, I want you to leave the building and meet me for lunch right now."

"I can't leave, we have a live broadcast to plan."

"Fuck the broadcast, leave the building and meet me at X. I'm coming to get you. Tell them you will be reachable by cell, I'll be there in 5 minutes."

Just as I hang up, my widowed friend calls, concerned about D. "It's ok. She's FINE. Everyone's okay, this is not a big deal," I reassure her. "I'm going to meet her now, we'll call you."

Meanwhile, I work literally around the corner from D. and RAN to our meeting place.

I met her and her co-worker, both of whom were frazzeled. Another friend of hers whom I also speak with was quarantined in the NBC building.

Lunch was the right thing to do. I made bad jokes and she hit the wine. We even made her co-worker smile. I left feeling that everyone was okay.

And then I took a moment to observe the streets. People were freaked. Maybe because we were so close to Rockefeller Center, I don't know, but many people were talking on cell phones about anthrax and standing on the sidewalk watching the TV's.

I refused to be caught up in the drama of it all.

I firmly believe this incident was unrelated to 9/11, or a small diversion from the real terrorism that is going to strike next.

There are a lot of crazies in this world. Don't forget about the unibomber. White, educated and American, terrorizing corporate americans.

Terrible people do terrible things for many perverse reasons. Sometimes they are politically charged and other times they are simply mentally ill.

This is something that will never change, terrorists or not.

My friends at NBC aren't letting this stop them from going about their business as usual and to the other New Yorkers and Americans reading this, I hope you won't let this change your lives either.

Be alert, be cautious, be kind and be well.

Panicking will not help anyone.

Maintaining a sense of normalcy will help all of us.

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