Memorial Day Update

Someone replied to my previous post about people who say "Happy Memorial Day"

They say "I think you can be "happy" on these days, happy that you live in a free country while still remembering why you are free, though."

That is a valid thought, and one I can agree with. You definitely can be happy about living in a free country, a country founded on the principles of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Who was this person? Some ultra-conservative, Southern, Red-Stater?

Nope.

None other than this lovely Canadienne from Saint John. More proof that this is not about Southern vs. Northern, Conservative vs. Liberal, Republican vs. Democrat. No, this is more about those who love freedom and want to remain free vs. those who wish to dominate, enslave, and be enslaved.

I, for one, and Lisa, for another, wish to remain free, and to do so, one must remember where this freedom comes from. George Orwell wrote in his "Notes on Nationalism", "Those who "abjure" violence can only do so because others are committing violence on their behalf."

For those doing "violence" on our behalf: We stand behind you, God bless you, and from the bottom of our hearts, thank you for all you do.

Walrilla

Memorial Day

How many of you have heard someone say "Happy Memorial Day!"? Did you think that it sounded out of place, kind of wrong? I know I, myself, have been guilty of this before, but now I try to think before I say it. Memorial Day is not a "happy" day, but one of quiet solemn reflection. A day to spend in remembrance of the fine young men and women who have sacrificed time, injuries, and even their lives, in order to secure freedom and liberty for others.

Go ahead and barbecue, go to the lake, or whatever you do, but spend some time tomorrow thinking of these soldiers who have sacrificed all for their country.

Walrilla

30 Questions

Shamelessly stolen from Dash. He stealed it his ownself from El Capitan, so turnabout is fair play.


1. Have you ever been searched by the cops? Nope. Not even when a friend and I were stopped with a trunk full of guns by a state trooper.

2. Do you close your eyes on roller coaster? No, I prefer to see death coming.

3. When's the last time you've been sledding? What is this "sledding" to which you refer?

4. Would you rather sleep with someone else, or alone? With my wife, definitely.

5. Do you believe in ghosts? Yep, I've even seen one or two before.

6. Do you consider yourself creative? Not really.

7. Do you think O.J. killed his wife? Yeah, the evidence was there. The lawyers and judge botched the whole thing and he got off. (I know this is Dash's answer. Can't improve on the truth.)

8. Jennifer Aniston or Angelina Jolie? Neither one. Mary Ann Forever!

9. Can you honestly say you know ANYTHING about politics? Enough to know there ain't a damn bit of difference between the two parties.

10. Do you know how to play poker? I've played for fun before. Can you teach me how to play for money? Maybe, Texas Hold 'em, No-Limit,10-20 blinds, doubled every hour?

11. Have you ever been awake for 48 hours straight? Once or twice. Definitely not recommended for health and longevity.

12. What's your favorite commercial? The Jack-In-The-Box Holiday party. My wife giggles everytime the Jack ball xeroxes the hole in his bottom.

13. Who was your first love? Mary Ann! Weren't you listening?

14. If you're driving in the middle of the night, and no one is around you, do you run a red light? No, the law is the law, and the tickets are too damn big to pay, anymore.

15. Do you have a secret that no one knows but you? I refuse to answer on the grounds that I might incriminate myself.

16. Boston Red Sox or New York Yankees? Are these sports teams? What sport do they play?

17. Have you ever been Ice Skating? Yes. Once, when I was 10. Never been stupid enough to see if I could snap my ankles all the way through by going again, though.

18. How often do you remember your dreams? Depends if I wake up in the middle of them or not.

19. What's the one thing on your mind? Food, beer, s*x. Yep, nothing like a good s*xophone.

20. Do you always wear your seat belt? Yes. See #14.

21. What talent do you wish you had? The ability to lick my eyebrows.

22. Do you like Sushi? Yes, if it's fresh, and done correctly.

23. What do you wear to bed? Skivvies.

24. Do you truly hate anyone? Yes, the f*cking animal who took my sister-in-law from her family.

25. If you could sleep with one famous person, who would it be? Why bother, if sleep is all you're gonna do?

26. Do you know anyone in jail? Now, no. Previously, some.

27. What food do you find disgusting? Someone else mentioned balut. I pretty much have to concur.

28. Have you ever made fun of your friends behind their back? Why wait until they're not around? Be a man, do it to their face (Guys will understand that one.).

29. Have you ever been punched in the face? Yeah, what guy hasn't?

30. Do you believe in angels and demons? Yes

Walrilla

Do You Remember This?

I do. I wish I had seen this earlier so I could have gotten it up sooner, but better late than never. He still garners my respect and admiration.

Flag-saving moment still winning salutes
Updated 4/25/2006 2:49 AM ET By Bob Nightengale, USA TODAY

The hand was trembling, the voice was quivering and tears were running down his face.

The World War II soldier, who survived the Pearl Harbor attack, looked Rick Monday in the eyes, slowly raised his right arm, and saluted him.

"Thank you," Monday recalls the soldier telling him last year. "And thank you from all of my shipmates."

Thirty years ago today, Monday became an American hero.

It was the day he saved the American flag.

"It was the greatest heroic act that's ever happened on a baseball field," Hall of Fame manager Tom Lasorda said. "He protected the symbol of everything that we live for. And the symbol that we live in the greatest country in the world."

The Hall of Fame recently voted Monday's act as one of the 100 classic moments in the history of the game. Monday, who spent 19 years in the major leagues and is a Los Angeles Dodgers broadcaster, will be honored tonight with a video tribute at Minute Maid Park in Houston.

They'll replay a grainy videotape that was discovered in 1984 showing two people jumping over the railing in left field and spreading the American flag onto the Dodger Stadium turf. One man dousing the flag with lighter fluid. The other lighting a match. And Monday, playing for the Chicago Cubs, running in from center field, grabbing the flag and carrying it to safety.

They'll play Vin Scully's voice from the radio broadcast: "Wait a minute, there's an animal loose. Two of them! I'm not sure what he's doing out there It looks like he's going to burn a flag. ..

"And Rick Monday runs and takes it away from him!"

And perhaps the crowd will duplicate the same reaction as 30 years ago: sitting in stunned silence, then standing, cheering and spontaneously singing God Bless America.

"It moved the entire crowd," Monday said. "I don't remember if we won or lost the game, but I'll never forget the people singing."

Monday, 60, a six-year veteran of the Marine Corps Reserves, still receives letters each week about the incident. Most are from military veterans, others from kids wanting to learn about American history.

"The world has changed," Monday said. "We weren't that far removed from Vietnam at the time. But what they were trying to do in 1976 was wrong. It's still wrong today.

"That little piece of cloth represents a lot of rights and freedoms that people have given up their lives to protect."

"It was a dramatic day, and a day that made you proud to be in baseball," Commissioner Bud Selig said.

Today, questions remain:

Why did these protesters, William Thomas, 36, and his 11-year-old son run onto the field to burn the flag? They were arrested and fined $60. Monday said he never was interested in asking. Attempts to locate Thomas, or to determine whether he's still alive, were unsuccessful.

What happened to the photographer, James Roark, of the now-defunct Los Angeles Herald Examiner, who shot the only photo of the incident? Roark, whose photo was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize, lost his job, became a night cook in Portland and was beaten and killed outside a restaurant in 1995. He was 49.

And the tattered flag that was soaked with lighter fluid? It's in Monday's possession in a safe-deposit box, surviving the hurricanes near his Vero Beach, Fla., home. He was offered $1 million for the flag several years ago, he said, but rejected the overture.

"The flag is faded, and it's somewhat tattered," Monday said. "It wasn't like it was just bought off the shelf. It wasn't in great shape from the start.

"But the flag is not for sale. What this flag represents, you can't buy."

Some Old Stories

Writing that Mother's Day post got me to thinking of my friends and some of the stuff we'd pull on each other. Just normal guy stuff like hitting, punching, swearing, or even kicking (I swear I was NOT p*ssing on your brand new tire, I was just checking it's water pressure.)

Mrs. S.'s son, K., and I would cuss each other like we were sworn enemies. Everyone needs friends with which you are close enough to cuss like a sailor. Nothing says "I love ya, bro!" in guy-talk like telling him to perform unnatural acts upon himself, then informing him of exactly which body appendage or orifice that he reminds you of at that particular moment.

Or Mrs. M.'s son, R. When I met him, he had just been caught in the lead rope on his steer a month or so back, which had shattered his elbow. He was in a cast for over six months. Of course, we teased him about getting rid of that mean ol' steer, and getting himself something he could handle, like a lamb, or a pygmy goat. He got even with us when, not one month after getting out of the cast, he was kicked in the groin at a livestock show by another of his steers. When we went up to his hospital room, we were horrified by what had happened to him. He asked if we could hold something for him while he went to the restroom. When we assured him we would help him in any way, he yelled, "Then hold THIS!", whipped aside his gown, and displayed two of the largest grapefruit wrapped in skin we had ever seen. That's right. His manberries had swollen to an enormous size, and damn near made us pass out from horror and sympathetic pain.

See, these are things only guys would think are funny. I'm sure all of my lady readers are saying how horrible I am to even repeat this, while my gentleman readers are thinking, "Yeah, that's what I would've done, just whupped 'em out and shocked the sh*t out of 'em!"

Hell, we were even doing this stuff to each other's girlfriends, too. K. and his girlfriend and I were out riding around one night. My girl had to be in early for one reason or other, so we were just driving around shooting the sh*t, doing nothing in particular. You know, like we all did when we were young and had no money and still lived at home. Anyway, we were close to an Army base, on a dusty old dirt road called Range Road. It made it's way through some old tank training fields, which were not used any more. Unfortunately for her, K.'s girlfriend was unaware they were unused. As we rode along, I made casual mention of these fields being used for training, and that I had read in the paper that some unit or other was out training. Then I left it alone for a few minutes, allowing her to digest this information, and put two and two together. She started scrunching down in the seat , getting closer and closer to K., and putting a deathgrip on his arm. I then whipped my head around and said 'What was that?" She said nothing, just trying to get smaller and closer to K. "I just saw a red flash way over there.", I said. I kept looking out the window, saying, "Well, maybe it was something way over there." All of a sudden, I slapped the dash with both hands and yelled "Ka-BOOM" at the top of my voice. K.'s girlfriend screamed, squeezed his arm damn near in two, and started looking for something to use to beat me to death. K. started laughing so hard, he had to stop the truck, and I wisely scrambled out of the cab, laughing and stumbling over the cactus and mesquite trees, and swore I would ride in the bed of the truck for the rest of the night.

Mean? Yeah, but you had to be with the crowd I ran with.
Funny? Oh. Hell. Yeah.
Apologize? Sure I did, before K. ever started the truck rolling again.
Do it again? See funny.

Walrilla

Happy Mother's Day!

I know y'all thought I was abducted by space aliens or something, but, unfortunately, nothing so exciting. Just a lot of installs and unpaid overtime at work. Anyway, on to the real post.

I want to say Happy Mother's Day to the most important mothers in my life:

My mother, the lady who carried me, gave birth to me, all 9 lbs., 11 oz. of me, and raised me to know right from wrong,

My grandmother, who also had a hand in raising me, and provided the best birthday meals and after-school snacks in the world,

My wife, the mother of my daughter and my stepson, and,

My mother-in-law, for bringing the love of my life into this world, and acting like she was happy when her daughter married this dumbass, redneck, country hick.

You ladies are marvelous, and I am forever in your debt. I love each and everyone of you from the bottom of my heart. Words cannot express how much you mean to me.

I would also like to wish a Happy Mother's Day to some other very special people. These ladies were the mothers of my best friends back when I was in high school. These were my Second Moms.

To Mrs. S. - Thanks for letting me stay over so much, people wondered if I was your son, too. That homemade hot sauce your son and I devoured at midnight or later every weekend was the absolute best.

To Mrs. M. - Thanks for letting your son and me have free rein of the house while you and Mr. M. went to Equine events. It's been over twenty years, and I never forgot the trust you showed in us. I'm very glad we never did anything to break that trust, either.

To Mrs. C. - Thanks for serving your son and me some of the best meals I've ever eaten outside of my own house. And for laughing at us when you and Mr. C. came home early from his Dr.'s appointment and found the sixpack of cheap beer in your refrigerator that we tried to convince you two was a thank you gift from me for the afore-mentioned meals. Boys will be boys, right?

Thank you all for allowing your sons to be my friends. We weren't perfect little angels, but I'm convinced you three were the closest thing I had ever seen.

Walrilla

Profiling (In A Good Way)

Oh, man, too many good memories to keep them all straight. Let's see what I can pull out of the scrambled eggs I call brains:

Denny - The first one I met when I walked into the hotel. Unfortunately, an introduction was about all the time I got to spend with him. A most gracious, funny, and fun-loving man.

Jim and TJ - Next up were Jim and his daughter, TJ. A more convivial pair you would be hard-pressed to find. Jim and TJ introduced themselves to me and invited me to sit at the bar with them. Who could refuse that offer?

Tammi - Sitting with them was Tammi. I definitely would have liked to get to know her better. She introduced herself, but then had to leave. Maybe next time. Very classy lady.

Confabulator - A great blogger and an even better conversationalist. I spent a good bit of time with him, and thoroughly enjoyed every minute.

Mike - Someone else has called him the phantom blogger. He was there, then he wasn't. Maybe next get-together I can talk with him.

El Capitan - Dude, when the hermanos talk about custom flame jobs on their lowriders, I don't think what happened to you is quite what they're talking about. We definitely need some more hanging out time.

Zonker & Redneck - What can I say about these fine gentlemen, except, we closed the party down at 03:00 a.m. in the morning, both nights, and it wasn't damn near enough time to spend with you fellows. Oh, yeah, grunt, grunt, t*tties, grunt, fishing, grunt! Damned hilarious!

Eric - My pasty-faced patio partner. You know, Goth kids look at you and say "Damn, Get some sun, man!"

Livey - A real live wire bundle of energy. I feel more energized just being around her. When I picked her up at the airport, I began to grin, and I haven't stopped smiling, yet. Just a joy to be around with an almost childlike naivete' about some things, she needs to move to Texas.

Leslie - The Bus Driver, The Omnibus Driver. A wonderful lady that I had the pleasure of chaffeuring, along with Livey, to the Salt Lick on Friday night. Just wanted you to know I'd drive y'all anywhere you want to go.

Rob - I would have liked to have spent some time talking with His Acidic Self, but time only lasts so long. Definitely at the next meet.

T1G - Didn't get to spend any 1 to 1 time with him, but that's an error I'm going to make damn sure to correct next time.

Oddybobo - Another one I didn't spend near enough time talking with. Just as cute as a button

Boudicca - This lady, well, she's huge! A GIANTESS, I tell you, a GIANTESS. I was standing next to her once, and I was looking directly at her kneecaps! (Everybody, I know she's no bigger than a minute, just shhh and let her keep on thinking what she wants. If she's not that big in stature, at least her heart and her mind are.)

Shoe - Wow, just wow. The best cat-herder I ever met, she did it all with a smile on her face, and without using a baseball bat on anyone. I hear the call of mini-meets, shoe.

Elisson - The Dapper Dandy, the International Man of Mystery, and a pretty good poet, too. This is the man who makes Hawaiian floweredy-shirts(yes, that's how you say it in Texas) look like dress shirts. The man is Smooooooooov. Not smooth, but Smoooooooooov!

Kelley - Again, not much time spent talking to her, but I enjoyed what time I was around her.

Christina - What a joy it was to finally meet my blogmom. A classy, quick-witted, funny lady whose intelligence is matched only by her charm.

Dash - Dash, Elisson, and Marcus. The holy trinity of Coool. The extra o is there because they're so cool, it takes an extra o to encompass just how cool they are. Spent some good time talking to Dash, just wasn't long enough.

Denita - Definitely need to meet again for more conversation.

Nancy -Kinda shy, but very sweet. Don't let any of us run you off, Nancy. See ya at the next one.

Marcus - The third part of the trinity, and I'm sure he does voice-overs for Redneck whenever 'Neck loses his voice.

Knine - The Screaming Chipmunk Herder. Man, I didn't catch the story, but I sure wish I had. We need to get together again over cigars and a Guinness or twelve.

Beth - Got to sit with her at the Salt Lick, along with Darth Misha, his wife, and their kids. Unfortunately, it was too noisy for conversation. I would like to remedy that situation, soon.

Darth Misha - Not near as angry as he appears to be on his blog. Very nice, need to talk with him some more.

DeathKnyte & Lord Spatula - I didn't get to meet these two at Salt Lick, and my tired ass slept through the shoot. Definitely my loss, and one I would like to correct.

The Delftsman and his daughter - I am in total freakin' awe! Your heart asplodes, so you decide to come to a blogmeet! I didn't want to move after either of my heart attacks, and they were minor. Dude, you so rock! and so does your daughter!

Every one I met was someone I would like to spend some more time with.The experience was great.

Just to let you know how much fun I had, I'm usually the party pooper. I don't actively try to ruin a party, I'm just the one in the corner, by myself, talking to no one, not meeting anybody, not having any fun.

This time, I talked to everyone I possibly could, I mingled, I carried on conversations, I laughed, I made people laugh, I had fun. And let me tell you, brothers and sisters, that ain't me.

Except, this time, it was. There was nothing forced in my laughter. There was nothing strained in my conversations. Everyone I laughed with, I laughed. There were no nervous chuckles, no contrived smiles. There was only warmth, camaraderie, and genuine friendship.

It was like getting together with lifelong friends you've never met before.

I know that's a weird statement, but it's a great feeling.

Walrilla

Slick Threads, Man

Just a quick note to show the sartorial splendor that makes Elisson and I such dapper dudes and won my award from Acidman.

Late, Again

Okay, I'm working on the recap. Real life is intervening, but I hope to be finished tomorrow.

Walrilla

I Missed It

Well, from all this traffic generated by the blogmeet, I went over 1000 visits. I never imagined this many people would read what I've spewed forth. So to my guest from Irving, Texas at 08:34 this morning, a hearty Thank You, and another one to all who came before, for, without you, none of this would have been possible.

Thank You,
Walrilla

What The Hell Do You Mean, It's Monday?

Whew! I just canNOT get in the groove today. I wanna go back to Austin and relax with a great group of friends again.

Walrilla