trying to grok

MEMORIAL DAY

Today my family went to one of the oldest cemeteries in our city. There's a section called Soldier's Hill that is the resting place for veterans as far back as the War of 1812. It was humbling to be there today.

As we were driving towards the gates, my mother's eagle eye spotted a lone marker at the edge of the cemetery. Out of the thousands of gravestones in that cemetery, I was honored to have found this one...

Chip Chan went to my high school. I barely knew him, but like everyone else I heard the news that he had been working for Cantor Fitzgerald in the WTC and was lost on September 11. I was so touched that we found his beautiful gravestone today.

We'll grill out tonight like everyone else does, but I'm glad we spent our Memorial Day the way it really should be spent.

Tomorrow morning we pile into the car and make our way across half of the country. By the time we finally get there, our brand new car will already have 3000 miles on it. But we're ready for the adventure...

SWEET

Now this is cool: Theoretical cloaking device could soon become reality (sort of)

FINALLY

We saw X-Men today. Some of the dialogue was cheesy, but you know I'm a sucker for anything Marvel. Now I just can't wait for Superman...

WOOHOO

Erin, Kelly, and The Girl: prepare to be jealous.

My mother's friend came over today for brunch. Her mother passed away last year, and so she brought me the following stash that no one else wanted...

She also brought a gorgeous antique knitting bag. There's all sorts of stuff there, including double pointeds. Don't I wish I could get those for 65 cents like the packaging says! I just bought some for $3.44!

I was in knitter's heaven today.

COACH

Tonight I went to see my old track coach. I graduated from high school ten years ago yesterday, so I wondered what it would be like to be hanging out with him at 28 instead of at 18. But he's still the same wonderful man I remember.

Actually, many at my high school would debate the "wonderful" part. He was rough, the Bobby Knight of high school girls track. He yelled, turned red, and kicked girls off the team. But he was fair too: if you gave track your all, he'd support you to the end. He ran our team a lot like the military, with a strict hierarchy, rigid uniform requirements, and a lot of yelling. That man put so much energy into track that he collapsed at last year's state meet. He's retired now and is just back helping for fun. He's a lot more relaxed now, but I wouldn't have traded what his previous intensity taught me. He taught me dedication and commitment to your team and to your goals. He taught me a lasting respect for my elders. And he taught me to push when I thought I didn't have anything left. And I love him for it.

While I was out on the field talking to my coach, my husband ran into my cousin; she had run track for another high school a few years behind me. She asked what on earth he was doing at a track meet, and he said that I was back visiting my old coach. My cousin was flabbergasted: "That man is a psycho!" Yes, he is, but he's my psycho.

I'M BACK

Tammi is so freaking awesome. She wrote and told me what needed to be done to get Insight to read mu.nu blogs. She rules. And now I can blog. But first...Olive Garden.

DAYQUIL

I've been fighting a cold for a few days, but keeping "bachelor hours" with our friend this weekend did me in. On the way home from Des Moines, I wanted to stop at Walmart to get some DayQuil. What I didn't count on was the asinine rules that are in place now for flippin' meth labs. Even though the Walmart is 24 hours, you can't buy DayQuil at 9 AM on a Sunday because you have to get it from the pharmacist and the pharmacy doesn't open until 11. Of all the annoying things! Luckily I could get Robitussin; apparently it doesn't make good meth. But I still had to get permission from a Walmart employee with braces to buy the stuff! If I were trucking out a cart load, maybe someone could raise an eyebrow, but I wanted one bottle and I was coughing my fool head off at the time. What has the world come to when we can't even buy normal over-the-counter medicines without suspicion?

UPDATE

OK, so here's the deal. We got to my parents' house on Tuesday, only to find that their internet provider can't read mu.nu blogs. My mom has been telling me for months that she can't access my site, and I've been rolling my eyes and thinking that she just doesn't know how to use a computer. But it's actually true! I contacted Pixy Misa and he said that for whatever reason, Insight Broadband can't read anything mu.nu. So I can't post anything or read any of my comments. Needless to say, it's been frustrating. And I'm at my parents' for another ten days...

But right now we're in Des Moines visiting an old friend from college. He was my husband's friend first and mine by default, but he's a really great guy. He's Indian, and it's been interesting hearing the way the pending immigration bill affects his life. He's in the last stages of getting his green card, and if anyone deserves it, it's this guy. Last night my husband threw out some random joke about John Snow, and our buddy not only knew he was the Secretary of Treasury, but also knew who the previous one was! It's wonderful to watch my husband meet his match in global awareness. I wish these two could spend more time together.

Nothing else as exciting as cockfighting to report. I've been spending my time buying yarn and cookbooks. Both stashes have doubled since we arrived. Now I'm starting to panic because we have to fit everything in the car and we've wasted so much space buying warm clothes! Luckily the weather has turned in the Midwest (knock on wood) and we can at least venture into short sleeves.

Forgive me if I can't blog for a while. It's not that I'm holding back! Maybe if something good comes up I can have Erin post it for me again. I think I'll try to call Insight's tech support and see if I can get to the bottom of this mess.

Sad

Hi, this is Erin. Sarah can't blog right now because Insight Broadband is crap.

EDUCATION

Last night we got an education. My father-in-law knows a guy at work who raises gamecocks. We went out to his house and learned all about cockfighting. It was extremely interesting, but also sad. You can tell this man loves these roosters, so I can't imagine how he could risk their lives. But he's been fighting roosters since he was six years old and is really knowledgeable about every aspect of their diet and breeding. I've never really thought of roosters as beautiful animals, but they really were. It was an interesting evening.

HOME SWEET HOME

Right before we left Germany, we ate at a new Chinese restaurant near post. The food was really good, but two entrees and drinks was $30. We just got to Kirksville and ate at our favorite all-you-can-eat buffet for ten bucks. Man, I love this country.

Our college looks pretty much the same. The students all look like they did before, except they're all talking on cell phones. Husband and I never owned a cell until we got married! But everyone here is gabbing up a storm while they walk through campus.

It's good to hear that the local ROTC program is going strong. We got to say hi to our favorite Major. And now we're off to see our old Iranian neighbors. It'll be interesting to hear what they think of old crazy pants.

UPDATE

Last night we went to a very exciting KC Royals baseball game. They have a fabulous military deal: free admission for the soldier and three family members. We had great seats and a heck of a game.

We've been back to Walmart too.

My mother-in-law also told a good story. My husband and I were out yesterday and she ran out to the drugstore. She was chatting in line when she suddenly remembered that she hadn't put Charlie in his crate. She said out loud, "Oh no, I left Charlie in the backyard! He's only one, but he should be OK since I haven't been gone very long." The store manager almost called the cops until she realized that Charlie was a puppy and not a kid!

Tomorrow we're traveling to Kirksville for the day to visit our alma mater. It'll be interesting to see how it's changed.

And I'm dying to buy a cell phone. This ringtone thing is out of control. I've already got my sights on the Dallas theme song...

HOME

Whenever my friends and I would talk about how much we missed Walmart, I always thought that that talk was mostly symbolic. Walmart became a symbol for everything that I missed about the United States: convenience, consumer choice, customer service, and buying a football at three in the morning. When we raved on and on about Walmart, I knew I missed the actual store, but I didn't realize quite how much until yesterday.

When we walked over to the food aisle, and I saw the whole left wall of Walmart (you know the one I mean: the meats and dairy), I honestly got a lump in my throat. I am not making that up for dramatic effect. All of a sudden I saw thirty feet of cheeses. And forty feet of yogurt. There was shelf after shelf of ground turkey, something my friends and I recently rejoiced to find tucked away in our commissary. And when I turned the corner and ran into pomegranate syrup, an ingredient that Erin swore she'd never see in her lifetime, I was overwhelmed.

Dozens of customers ignored the crazy girl wiping her eyes by the pineapple cream cheese and went about getting their items. I kept staring at them thinking how much they took it for granted that they could buy so many items for such low prices. I hope I don't soon forget the magic feeling I got yesterday when I reached for a gallon of sour cream.

When my husband woke up and rolled over this morning at 0600, he joked, "Wanna go to Walmart right now?" Yes, yes I do.

HOME

We made it!

Our flight was long, but it was impossible to feel bummed when we knew we were on a one-way ticket! Even when our little headrest TV screens didn't work, nothing could get us down. I managed to knit most of a sock on the way back. At one point I thought the stewardess was going to reprimand me, and I was all set to pull out the FAA regs and then narc on the lady crocheting behind me, but then I realized all the stewardess had said was "Is that a sock or a glove?"

Within 24 hours of being on the ground, we bought a car. My husband had been doing months of research, and we knew exactly what we wanted. As long as it was close to what we imagined it would be, we knew we'd be happy. A test drive later, my husband was ready to talk business. And now we're the proud owners of a Mazda5.

I've adjusted my sleeping schedule fairly well, but my husband is still waking up at an ungodly hour. Light switches seem weird and I keep forgetting how to dial the phone. Charlie is having the time of his life chasing squirrels and birds in my in-laws' backyard. He barely missed us.

I'll try to write more soon. However, my in-laws only have dial-up, so I don't imagine I'll be online much for a while. And having more than eight TV channels is still too overwhelming for me at this point.

Life is good.

SEEKING

Wanted: New best friends

Must love knitting. And talking about knitting. And reading about knitting, swapping patterns, and making knitting jokes. Must get excited about figuring out a ptbl. Knitting ambition is required: applicants must attempt patterns that make me cringe. Also must be a knitting nerd: must think the binary hat and Fibonacci sequence scarf are awesome.

Must love the other domestic arts. Sewing is a definite. Quilting is a bonus. Cooking is required. Must love calling first thing in the morning to rave about what you made for dinner last night. Must love reading cookbooks, cover to cover. Cleaning skills are a must too. Must be able to help me figure out how to get make-up out of a wedding dress or dog pee out of the sofa cushion. Bonus points if every time I call you you're cleaning the oven, or if you clean radiators when you're bored.

However, mere June Cleavers need not apply. Must have a healthy sense of humor. Preference will be given to applicants who use the f-word while discussing antique apron patterns. I'll even accept devout Catholics with a verified sordid past. Must love Alabama Worley and still keep a copy of Emily Post on the shelf.

Must be a fellow right-wing nutjob, preferably heavier on the fiscal than the social. Must want limited government and refuse WIC. Must be accepting of homosexuals, hate al Qaeda, and argue back and forth with me about abortion. Bonus points if your biracial son thinks his heritage is "Irish." Must love George W. Bush but enjoy talking about the ways he's screwing up. Extreme preference given to military wives who nag their husbands about staying in the Army.

Must have freckles, huge boobs, and look great in flannel. Must be a NON-smoker. Cubs fans need only apply if they fit all the other criteria.

Oh, who am I kidding? No one will ever measure up to Erin, Kelly, and The Girl.