Freedom Is A Light For Which Many Men Have Died In Darkness

Have a happy and safe Independence Day.

Take some time out to remember the many souls who sacrificed and died to make our country free.

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Washington Square (Philadelphia) honors those who died in the Revolutionary War. The tomb itself is inscribed with: "Beneath this stone rests a soldier of Washington's army who died to give you liberty."

This square was used as a mass grave on many occasions beginning in 1706 and continuing through the Yellow Fever epidemic of 1793. Paupers, soldiers, common citizens and criminals all lie co-mingled underneath the square. The area was cleaned up and named for George Washington in 1825. In 1956, one soldier was disinterred and placed in the memorial tomb to represent all. The statue, tomb, and memorial were erected to honor both George Washington and the unknown soldier.

An excellent overview of the history of Washington Square can be found here.

Happy 2011

Happy New Year from warm and sunny Florida. PDM and I are down here on mini-vacation (staying not quite a week). Having a wonderful time biking, hiking, eating, drinking. Wish you were here. :-)

Merry, Merry!

Happy Christmas from Fermi and her cats. PDM, too.

No cookies for you.

Trader Joe's finally let me down. No Candy Cane Joe Joes? No Dark Chocolate Stars? For whatever reason, TJ's doesn't have my favorite holiday cookies this year. Bah, humbug! That just ain't right.

Long Weekend CatBlogging

Moxy can't wait to party.

Super Extra Bonus Holiday Catblogging

Just because.

Another One Bites the Dust

It is Friday night. Once again we find ourselves with nowhere in particular to go. After our little version of Cheers closed in 2008, it took a while, but we finally settled in to another Friday night haunt. Quite a few of the regulars from the old pub started showing up there, and one of the bartenders as well. The old familiar pattern was back.

It didn't last long.

The new place changed ownership a few months ago and by late fall the handwriting was on the wall. The last few Friday nights we were there, the place was nearly empty and they had nothing but Bud on tap. Our bartender friend showed up for her shift last week and found the doors locked.

Not really sure what we'll do in 2010. Some friends opened a pub recently, but it is not the easy drive we prefer and it's a smoking bar. Plus, we'd hate for our bad mojo to kill their pub and ruin their investment. The New Year is the traditional time for making resolutions and changes. Looks like we'll be making at least one change, ready or not.

Merry Christmas from Dixie

Yes, I know it is a country song, but this became my favorite Christmas song when I moved away from Georgia and was homesick. I still like it. So here it is for you.

Merry Christmas from Dixie. It is raining in the pines, not snowing. At least not here. But it is a peaceful Christmas night.

And to all, a good night.

The Winter Solstice came and went yesterday with me too busy to notice. But once the pre-holiday crazy rush has passed, this is the season to slow down, take a few days off from your normal routine, laugh and enjoy family, rest and recharge. We defy the long dark with festive lights, a warm hearth, and a hearty feast. It isn't just the sun that seems to stand still this time of year. I love that week between Christmas and New Year. It stems from childhood, I think, when we were out of school and got to stay home and play. Even if you have to work (which I do), that week is a special time when ordinary rules and routines don't apply. We eat lavishly, indulge ourselves, play with new toys, see family and friends, watch movies and bowl games, reminisce about the year that's nearly gone, and nap.

Whatever you and yours do to celebrate the season and push back against the dark nights, I wish you happiness and joy.

Going Away

I'm off to St. Simons Island on Sunday to have some vacation time with my family. Heading back to the ATL on Wednesday, just in time for the another big family invasion (PDM's brothers + mom) of our home for Turkey Day. About a dozen people here overnight at the peak of all this. Stressing about it just a little bit. Which explains the five-day migraine I had this week. We'll deep clean the house and try to get everything ready on Saturday and hope that it doesn't get too dirty again by Wednesday, when I get here and most everyone else does, too. At the tail end of Thanksgiving weekend we have our big rivalry game after a full day of tailgating. Lots of stuff going on.

I'll probably be off the grid while on the island, and very busy when I get back. If I don't get another chance to say so - have a happy Thanksgiving! And To Hell With Georgia! (It's never too early to get your hate on.)

Singing Pumpkins, Flying Cats

Hope your Halloween is less soggy than ours. I feel sorry for the kids slogging around in the rain tonight. The wet weather won't bother us -- we'll be inside watching football. Go Jackets!

Back to Work

That first full week of work in January is always a bummer. I worked every day that wasn't an actual holiday, but even a couple of days off over two weeks is a treat. Our schedule today is packed, and I expect to be slammed with work this week.

What makes getting back to work worse this year is that it is also time for me to start studying again. The last of the three tests that I must pass to become board certified is coming up in late spring. I am so not ready to hit the books again. Seems like I just got over the last test! All I can do is try to chip away at it a little bit every day until it becomes a habit. At least it won't ruin my summer this time. Gotta look at the bright side...

Plans

For once, we have big plans for New Year's Eve. Got bowl tix and a room reserved downtown at the team hotel. I hope this goes well. Let me tell you why I'm nervous about this game. Because it is TECH playing in a BOWL.

Not enough, you say? OK, there's more: It's the Peach Bowl (no matter what they call it now, this particular bowl is not among the fifteen different bowls that Tech has won in the past). We're favored. And ranked. And playing an unranked opponent. And the fanbase has grown cocky and confident. And lots of people are picking us to win. And this is TECH playing in a BOWL (look up our bowl record of late). See? All the makings of an Epic Fail. I hope I'm worrying for nothing. We do have a helluva coach now, and some motivated players who want to end the season on a high note. But LSU is the defending national champ. They still have a lot of those same players. This game makes me nervous.

Have you figured out what you're going to do with that extra second we're getting this year? There is still plenty of time to plan. Whatever you decide to do, I wish you a happy New Year. Cheers!

Merry and Bright

Happy Christmas and Merry Holidays from Fermicat and the kittenses.

Analemma

Happy Winter Solstice, everyone!

So what would happen?

...if we just said "screw it" to getting any Christmas cards mailed out this year?

I'm pretty sure the world won't end, but if it does, please accept my apologies in advance. My bad.

Coolest Advent Calendar Ever

Here it is.

Hat tip: LeNelle

'Tis the Season...

...for procrastination.

I haven't done much about whittling down the list of gifts I need to buy. Even after deciding to do it mostly online, I am not feeling any sort of inspiration. I want to find unique and original things for people, but I don't even know where to start. Other than a few very cool things I picked up at an arts festival, I have only gotten a couple of other items. There is a long list to work through. I'd like to do a good job and find things that the people I love will really enjoy. This is probably one of those situations where my near total aversion to shopping of any kind is getting me into trouble. If you never set foot in a store, you generally don't ever see things that you think someone else might like. Then you sit in front of your computer like an idiot, wondering where to look and what might be out there. *sigh*

And Christmas cards? Yeah, haven't even started.

Moxy Has Moxie

Unlike Silvio, Moxy took the crowded house in stride last week. She was comfortable in spite of the chaos and friendly with everyone. Plus, she had all the toys to herself and lots of people to play with her. Silvio spent most of the long weekend hiding in the closet and under the bed. Zima was outside sunning herself and chasing critters during those brief intervals when she wasn't napping.

Invasion!

Silvio's about a have a bad week.

We're hosting the big T-Day family gathering this year, and the most of the gang arrives tomorrow... with kids. Thirteen people for dinner, and eleven people sleeping here (including us). Silv was bashful with just PDM's older brother here last night. He'll probably spend the next few days quivering under the bed. Or maybe he'll finally grow a set and get over it. The girl cats do just fine, thankyouverymuch.

I took this week off, so preparations have gone on at a leisurely pace. Having company over forces you to clean things up. Having overnight company means you have to clean up stuff that rarely sees the light of day, such as the bottom shelf of the 'fridge. It's amazing how much expired stuff can accumulate -- and we had already kinda sorta cleaned out the old food last week (or so we thought).

I've done my best to ferret out all the hidden cat hair and other dirt. The linens are clean, and the cobwebs have been removed. The case+ of "two buck chuck" (only the best wine for my family!) has been lovingly selected from Trader Joe's, along with some crackers, cookies, nuts, and cheeses. I've got all the stuff we need to make hot bourbon-laced cider. All we need is a few last minute groceries and a beer run. Let the invasion begin!

Happy T-Day to all, and remember: TO HELL WITH GEORGIA!!!