I don't normally show knitting works in progress, but I'll give you ten bucks if you can guess what this is going to be...

Give up? You'll have to wait a few days to find out...

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Reader Beth sent me two things...one outrageous -- Palestinians Unveil Monument Honoring Sheehan -- and one wonderful -- SewMuchComfort.org. The extent of my sewing is typically rank insignia, but if you're good at sewing, you might be a perfect candidate to make pajama pants that actually fit over prosthetics and splints for our recovering soldiers and marines at Walter Reed.

UPDATE:

Amritas points out that the Sheehan thing is a joke. Whew. Though nothing surprises me these days...

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When I lived in Sweden, I noticed that my friend had a bald eagle trinket on her desk. "Where did you get this?" I asked. "Maryellen gave it to me," she replied. "Ahhh," I said. "Who's that?" "Your fiance's mother!" my friend gasped.

Is it regional what we call adults when we're kids? When I was growing up, I never would've dreamed of calling adults by their first names. All my parents' friends, all the leaders of my clubs, every adult I knew was called Mr. or Mrs. In fact, I still think of most of my parents' friends as Mr. and Mrs. (Hi, Mr. Schultz!) I didn't even call my in-laws by their first names until my husband and I had been engaged for quite a while.

Tonight I started volunteering with the Girl Scouts, and I was mildly shocked that the girls call the leaders by their first names. I guess there's nothing wrong with that if it's the leaders' choice, but it struck me as a little odd, given that I can remember all my old Girl Scout leaders' names, but they all start with Mrs! I couldn't tell you those mothers' first names to save my life.

I've noticed that most people around her prefer to go by Miss + First Name, as in Miss Sarah. That's OK with me, being 28 and all, but don't any kids call adults Mr. or Mrs. these days? Or am I just a stuffy fuddy-duddy from Texas?

Posted by: Sarah at 04:46 PM | Comments (8) | Add Comment
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1 I raised my children to address ALL adults as Mr., Mrs. or Ms. no matter what their age. Adult=living independently and paying bills Here in Oklahoma everyone is addressed as Ma'am or Sir. I love it! I used to think it made me feel old, but now I see it's a simple show of respect.

Posted by: Vonn at December 06, 2005 05:42 PM (dEgRi)

2 My daughter lives in Georgia, it is the norm there. Brad

Posted by: Brad at December 06, 2005 06:26 PM (Qz3ul)

3 Sarah, I don't know if it's regional, but I think it just has to do with how "fuddy-duddy" our parents were. My mom taught me to say "Mr." or "Mrs." until the adult told me to do otherwise. But I hate being called Mrs. Erin. It reminds me of when I was in daycare!

Posted by: Erin at December 07, 2005 02:26 AM (O0IlC)

4 That's interesting that you brought this up. When we were in Germany, I noticed that many children were addressing adults as (esp women) Mr or Miss, followed by first name. I was told that this practice was a "southern thing"...I had never heard of doing this...I'm from the north (Yankee) and I grew up addressing adults as Mr or Mrs, followed by last name, as you said. I actually prefer being called by my first name (Mrs makes me feel OLD). When I was in college, most of my professors asked to be called by their first names...liberal university

Posted by: Nicole at December 07, 2005 10:24 AM (KJBDI)

5 i agree. i still feel somewhat uncomfortable calling "adults" by their first name. Even though i fit Vonn's definition of "adult" i don't think of myself as one, and i'd e horrified if some young whippersnapper referred to me as Ms.

Posted by: annika at December 07, 2005 11:58 AM (6x0dA)

6 yes, we are fuddy-duddies, and we happen to be correct... i'm an asst scoutmaster for my son's Boy Scout Troop, and i can guarantee that all of our adults are "Mister" or "Mrs." we even had one of our Eagle scouts turn 18, so we brought him back as another asst Scoutmaster, and all the Scouts have to refer to him as "ASM {last name}", even though they use his first name in the hallways at school.

Posted by: MajMike at December 07, 2005 12:52 PM (zXWkt)

7 My friends children either call me Miss Tammi or if we are really close Aunt Tammi. It's always been there - with all of them. But I noticed so many children don't any more. I still struggle with that. I'm in Sales and when I'm making calls I still refer to them as Mrs/Mr/Miss until I've gotten to know them or they tell me other wise.

Posted by: Tammi at December 07, 2005 09:25 PM (fG4Jz)

8 There has to be SOME benefit to being an adult. I would have never dreamed of calling an adult by anything other than their honorific and surname. I expect the same treatment now that I'm the "grown up". Let's expect more from the kids of the world. GOOD MANNERS.

Posted by: Miss Rogers at December 12, 2005 02:15 PM (WE6BG)

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Remember those puppies who were born about two months ago? Well, Charlie got to meet little Elway this weekend. We managed to take a funny series of photos called Charlie Bullies the Newborn:

Scene 1: After several minutes of being oblivious, Charlie notices Elway has his bone

Scene 2: Charlie comes to see what he can do about it

Scene 3: Despite Elway's best efforts, Charlie gently pulls the bone away

Scene 4: Elway stands by dejectedly as Charlie reclaims his bone

Scene 5: Charlie is a victorious jerk

Despite the fact that Elway holds his own with my friend's 120 lb. dog, he was a bit timid around Charlie. We're hoping that they might do better together in a few more weeks, but from the look of things they may turn out to be friends after all...

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1 Waaaaaaaah! I want a dog too!

Posted by: CaliValleyGirl at December 04, 2005 07:06 PM (nOZSi)

2 Sarah, So cute!! I'm sorry I missed it! And CaliValleyGirl, I have an extra puppy that I'd be more than willing to pawn off to you!

Posted by: Erin at December 05, 2005 02:47 AM (1jSU1)

3 Hey, too bad we didn't mix Winston into the picture! What a mess that would be!

Posted by: Stephanie at December 05, 2005 04:51 AM (MOoZ+)

4 How could Charlie even find the bone with all that hair??? HH6

Posted by: Household6 at December 05, 2005 09:04 AM (T+Tkq)

5 OOOOOOOOO! They are both so cute! (Big statement coming from the biggest chicken in the world). I just want to hug both of them.......as long as they stay below my knee!

Posted by: Vonn at December 05, 2005 10:29 AM (dEgRi)

6 apparently I'm not very observant. I see you've answered the Grok question many times!

Posted by: Monique at December 06, 2005 01:45 PM (AK5UJ)

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Holocaust victims to be reburied at Stuttgart ceremony

The bodies of Holocaust victims unearthed in September at Stuttgart Army Airfield will be reburied there on Dec. 15, a local Jewish leader said.

A Moral War

We took no oil — the price in fact skyrocketed after we invaded Iraq. We did not do Israel’s bidding; in fact, it left Gaza after we went into Iraq and elections followed on the West Bank. We did not want perpetual hegemony — in fact, we got out of Saudi Arabia, used the minimum amount of troops possible, and will leave Iraq anytime its consensual government so decrees. And we did not expropriate Arab resources, but, in fact, poured billions of dollars into Iraq to jumpstart its new consensual government in the greatest foreign aid infusion of the age.

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Interesting article on the minimum wage: Dead-end jobs
The comments section at RWN is hosting some good fights about the article.

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I didn't see this particular reporter badger Laura Bush, but I did see some other reporter (don't remember her name or which network) annoy Mrs. Bush in front of the White House Christmas tree. I must say that Mrs. Bush is the height of class. This reporter asked her if President Bush is feeling nervous this Christmas because of Rove and Libby; Mrs. Bush deflected all of her family's complaints, saying that any Christmas is hard when we're at war and when loved ones are far. She refused to let the reporter bug her about politics and kept returning to praise of our troops and their families. I thought it was touching, but maybe Jessica Yellin took it as an invitation to talk Iraq and try to make Mrs. Bush look heartless. What a low blow.

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I've never been a tattoo person because I have a hard time imagining that I would want something on my body for forever. When my college friend interviewed the local tattoo parlor owner for a paper she wrote, the #1 tattoo for 1996 was the Tasmanian Devil. Do you know any grandpas who would want that on their biceps? I remember vividly the man who came to do maintenance on my grandma's apartment: he had a naked lady tattooed on his forearm. I'm sure that sounded like a great idea when he was 18, but not so much when he was 60.

Still, I gained a better appreciation of permanence after I read the book 7 Tattoos. And I did get tickled knowing that the Fellowship of the Ring all got the same elvish tattoo. I suppose if a tattoo means something or represents an event, it's better than the Tasmanian Devil. But I will say that the most touching tattoo story I've heard comes from Iraq.

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Hey The Girl -- when are they gonna lower our gas prices like they did in the Pacific? We're still at $2.78, and the national average is $2.15? Yuck.

SheepDog asks where our Thomas Paines are. I agree with him that MilBlogs are handling that task quite nicely, but I'd also like to give props to Bill Whittle. His book, Silent America, is a rally cry for our time.

Tanker sent me a link: The Iraq story: how troops see it

And our friend Tim sent me words from Joe Lieberman, a sane man in a sea of crazies. Hard to believe he ran with Al Gore...

Posted by: Sarah at 04:51 AM | Comments (7) | Add Comment
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1 Sarah, my shoppette just put up the new pricing and 200L of regular unleaded is now $133. That's down $30~ or so (maybe less). So keep an eye out they are supposed to have dropped it. HH6

Posted by: Household6 at December 01, 2005 07:26 AM (T+Tkq)

2 I don't mean to make any deep point here, but about that Yahoo story... You've got a couple of soldiers who start giving kids candy, hoping that they are less likely to be attacked by terrorists if kids are hanging around. Is that a great plan? I don't doubt that they developed real affection for those girls, and of course when they were worried about an attack once they tried to protect them, but still, trying to use kids to shield yourself doesn't seem like the best of ideas.

Posted by: Pericles at December 01, 2005 09:37 AM (eKf5G)

3 I love being called to task over gas prices haha I came SO close to posting about this over the weekend, but decided that I didn't want to complain every SINGLE month about gas prices... This was in Sunday's paper - I read it in amusement, after reading an article from back home, where they were complaining about the prices now being in the "high $1.90's." We end up talking about gas prices just about every month now - and apparently, it "costs" AAFES $0.16 per gallon to pay for shipment of the fuel as well as the gas coupon program. The letters to the editor (I'm not sure if they show up in the online version of the paper here or not?) in the Sunday papers have focused on the prices for weeks now. Apparently, there is a lot of confusion about that "average" price we're supposed to be paying - because it includes taxes. And, of course, that doesn't make much sense for the average they base our paying price on to include sales tax, which we don't pay on any of the other goods here. Good grief. I think maybe I should have posted this weekend after all

Posted by: The Girl at December 01, 2005 11:52 AM (IQ2mP)

4 So our gas prices here are $1.90 (on post) for regular unleaded and yours are STILL $2.78? Who's getting that extra $.88 (well minus the shipping fee)?? I remember the almost three years of overseas shoppette gas prices...they've gotten worse, I must say. I'll keep you posted on our "post" prices...and will pray that yours go down!!!!

Posted by: Nicole N at December 01, 2005 12:55 PM (KJBDI)

5 Gas prices in New Jersey just went to $1.84. We are enjoying this while it lasts... Love you guys...

Posted by: Kelly's Mom at December 01, 2005 03:16 PM (f+2Ai)

6 Here is the Oklahoma heartland we're at $1.91. Gas prices are one thing I don't miss about Germany. Stay strong!

Posted by: Vonn at December 01, 2005 11:15 PM (sDFje)

7 That's a pretty big leap isn't it Pericles? That soldiers main motivation for being nice to kids is to draw them in as a quasi-human shield? As if it would help draw some sympathy from Zarqawi's gang! I spent a year in Iraq in a Sunni stronghold and kids swarmed us like we were rock stars. In fact we were discouraged from handing out candy or school supplies straight from Humvees because it encouraged kids to run up to us as we drove by and we didn't want them getting hurt if we were attacked. We try to minimize civillian casualties, get it? The enemy tries to maximize them.

Posted by: Joe D. at December 02, 2005 04:41 PM (jBkpN)

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My neighbor moved over the summer, and she and I were instant messaging last night. She said that she had watched Barbara Walters' The 10 Most Fascinating People of 2005 program on TV, that is until it started to sicken her and she turned it off.

I love how celebrities can't get enough of themselves. (My husband is brutal to celebs, calling them "people who are attractive for a living".) Tom Cruise and Dakota Fanning fascinating? In what way exactly? The winner, the most fascinating person of the year, was Camilla Parker Bowles. Really. That's funny to me, because she's about the last celeb I'm interested in hearing about.

My neighbor was upset. "What makes Tom Cruise more fascinating than Sean Sims?" she asked. I know that's not the point of these stupid celeb-backpatting shows, but for regular Americans, the contrast can sometimes be rather striking. The last sentence of that article killed me:

Rounding out Walters' "Most Fascinating" list are "Desperate Housewives" star Teri Hatcher, Academy Award-winning actor Jamie Foxx and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice."

Really, how dare they lump Condi Rice with Teri Hatcher? Rice works her butt off as one of the most powerful people in the world; Hatcher pretends to be a slutty housewife for a living.

I told my neighbor about something I had seen on TV recently that had made me guffaw. Sharon Stone organized some benefit for Katrina victims, and lots of singers participated to raise money. I swear Sharon Stone started crying during her interview clip, saying what "heroes" these singers were. I laughed out loud. Heroes? For showing up and recording a song that regular non-millionaire Americans could buy to raise money for Katrina? That makes you a hero? I swear, celebs wouldn't know a hero if he bit 'em.

My neighbor replied to the Sharon Stone story: "That just means she has never really met a real hero before. She should talk to me, I live with one."

Amen, sister.

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1 Your Captain is one of my heroes; my nephew, who is soon to be in the 'Stan is one of my heroes. And you, Sarah, are one of my heroes, as was my wife, when she too had to maintain the rear guard while I was sailing the ocean blue in a navy gray ship. Thanks for your service to Russell and to this country. Jim

Posted by: Jim Shawley at December 01, 2005 10:05 AM (CnYsu)

2 I’ll never forget reading a letter to the editor of a newspaper in Virginia during the opening days of OIF. An Army wife wrote in response to all the celebrities griping about how wrong war is, how soldiers don’t want to go and fight, blah blah blah. Anyway, her response was along the lines of “How dare these people talk for me and my family? Why would anyone listen to the opinion of someone whose job is to pretend to be someone else?” She put it much better than I did, and I really wish I had saved that paper, but her thoughts are right on. Ben Stein also puts it in perspective so eloquently and so often. Thanks for all you and your husband do! Rude1, USAF (ret)

Posted by: Rude1 at December 01, 2005 12:34 PM (Cgo1/)

3 Real Heroes have HEART! Celebrities are hollow!

Posted by: Vonn at December 01, 2005 11:12 PM (sDFje)

4 Barbara Walters' list of fascinating people is such a joke. Your post prompted me to e-mail Ben Stein (via his website link) ~ I thanked him for all his support to the troops but especially for putting things in perspective re: the "celebrity" world. Did you catch the article about Bruce Willis making a movie about Iraq? He said he couldn't believe what is NOT being reported about all the positive things going on in Iraq. You have such a wonderful blog. It is always thought provoking. I've been reading it since Jenny and Heidi told me about it last year but this is the first time I've posted anything. I think I was a little intimidated by all you grammar police out there Patti

Posted by: Patti at December 03, 2005 01:06 AM (b/PAv)

5 Sarah, I loved this line: My neighbor replied to the Sharon Stone story: "That just means she has never really met a real hero before. She should talk to me, I live with one." I think you ladies have a helluva lot more credibility when it comes to teaching us about real heroes than Sharon Stone or Tom Cruise. If military wives don't know what heroism is all about, then no one does. From living with them --- and from being our heroes for putting up with us. Bless you all ladies for your love, patience and understanding in living with Uncles Sam's Wayward Boys Club -- the United States Armed Forces. Subsunk

Posted by: Subsunk at December 03, 2005 01:10 PM (SBriA)

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Congrats to Erin's husband on his promotion today!

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The other day I lost my temper with people who look down their noses at those in the military. Therefore, information on this study caught my attention on the news this morning.

Debunking the myth of the underprivileged soldier

...
According to a comprehensive study of all enlistees for the years 1998-99 and 2003 that The Heritage Foundation just released, the typical recruit in the all-volunteer force is wealthier, more educated and more rural than the average 18- to 24-year-old citizen is. Indeed, for every two recruits coming from the poorest neighborhoods, there are three recruits coming from the richest neighborhoods.
...
In fact, since the 9/11 attacks, more volunteers have emerged from the middle and upper classes and fewer from the lowest-income groups. In 1999, both the highest fifth of the nation in income and the lowest fifth were slightly underrepresented among military volunteers. Since 2001, enlistments have increased in the top two-fifths of income levels but have decreased among the lowest fifth.

Allegations that recruiters are disproportionately targeting blacks also don't hold water. First, whites make up 77.4% of the nation's population and 75.8% of its military volunteers, according to our analysis of Department of Defense data.

Second, we explored the 100 three-digit ZIP code areas with the highest concentration of blacks, which range from 24.1% black up to 68.6%. These areas, which account for 14.6% of the adult population, produced 16.6% of recruits in 1999 and only 14.1% in 2003.

The full reports can be read here:
Is Iraq a Poor Man's War?
Who Bears the Burden? Demographic Characteristics of U.S. Military Recruits Before and After 9/11

And for the guy who doesn't think anyone joins these days "for flag and country", what do you make of this?

After September 11, 2001, the educational quality of recruits rose slightly. Comparing 1999 enlisted recruits to 2003 recruits showed an increase in col­legiate experience. In 2003, a higher proportion of recruits had college experience and diplomas, and a lower percentage had only a high school diploma— a shift of about 3 percentage points.

That statistic would include close-to-my-heart recruit Tyler Prewitt, who left the baseball team at Phoenix College to enlist after September 11th and died in OIF II.

For flag and country.

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Dang, I just wasted a lot of time playing around with these lists of celebrity Republicans. The most surprising people? 50 Cent and John Malkovich.

I emailed my friends about 50 Cent and said "Did you know that 50 Cent would've voted for Bush if he weren't a convicted felon?" And then I realized that sentence has a grammatically ambiguous modifier...except for the fact that there's nothing ambiguous about which of them is the felon. So does that make the sentence ambiguous or not?

Man, I wish I was still in touch with my best friend from college; we'd have a blast analyzing that one.

Posted by: Sarah at 12:58 PM | Comments (5) | Add Comment
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1 come on Sarah, diagram that sentence... you know that it is ambiguous as written. C+ for effort.

Posted by: MajMike at November 29, 2005 02:29 PM (zXWkt)

2 I'm not arguing that it's not *grammatically* ambiguous, but what I'm asking -- from a Descriptive point of view -- is whether *meaning* should count at all for ambiguity.

Posted by: Sarah at November 29, 2005 02:34 PM (3l/e2)

3 Can we just agree to say that there is no ambiguity about which one has been convicted?

Posted by: Pericles at November 29, 2005 10:00 PM (eKf5G)

4 Sarah, I knew what you meant. :-) Erin

Posted by: Erin at November 30, 2005 06:39 AM (AUtEP)

5 How about, "...had he not been convicted of a felonious crime", or "...had he not been a convicted felon"? Love your site, Sarah, and wish you and your Captain a great Christmas and New Year. Jim

Posted by: Jim Shawley at November 30, 2005 08:06 PM (bKR1b)

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We've got a problem: Charlie loves snow. So much that I can't get him out of it. And he's become a huge faker, ringing the bell that he has to go to the bathroom just so he can go outside and play. Ugh. I think I took him outside six times already today! He likes to burrow in the snow, flip it up in the air with his nose, and then eat it.

What a weirdo.

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Donald Sensing's Thanksgiving post is too wonderful not to share...

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God bless the Stars and Stripes. For being a military newspaper, I'm often stunned at how many anti-war, anti-Bush opinion columns they print. I know I don't want to read that garbage, but maybe someone does, and they provide the service, even when it makes our president and our military look bad. Usually I just read the online version, so I don't bother with the AP junk, but occasionally I'll come across a hard copy of the paper and want to throw up, as I did when I read this piece, in which the author muses what his life would be like if he'd had to join the military...

What if, for instance, my parents hadn't gone into debt to provide me with a private-school education and the benefits it affords? What if, instead, I had taken the path followed by many in my hometown and pursued my American dream through the military? And what if I was writing these words not from the comfort of my office but from a forward operating base somewhere in the Sunni Triangle?

Perhaps this all can be written off as a neurotic intellectual exercise. But the persistent rumors of a draft (unlikely as one might be) do little to reassure.

Yes, many people join the military instead of having mommy and daddy foot their bills. They become adults at age 18 and deploy to the Middle East where their buddies' lives are in their hands as they sit on overnight guard duty at the Tigris River...instead of kickin' it at the frat house drinking Red Bull and vodka until they puke all over some girl and pass out in the bushes. Which life choice makes you more of a man?

Oh, the draft. It's comin' folks. Been comin' for three years. Except there's gonna be a drawdown of troops next year. So when are we all getting drafted?

Now, I'm sure a fair number of those in the military enlisted out of a lack of other options. I know full well that relatively few in my generation buy into the "for flag and country" bit, and that my sense of patriotic guilt would probably make for a good joke or two in the service. And the honest truth is that nothing less than a full-fledged draft could get me to say goodbye to my wife's puppy-dog brown eyes and put on a uniform.

Maybe I just lack the conviction of the soldiers deployed in Iraq. Or maybe they've just lacked my good fortune. Which of the two is the case, I'm not quite sure.

Actually, I know quite a few soldiers who joined "for flag and country", and I know many who joined just because they wanted a job but end up staying for their country. My husband called the Army a "labor of love" the other day; he could get out and see what other jobs he could find, but he stays out of a sense of purpose and duty.

And, yes, I bet many of them would think you're a tool.

You probably do indeed lack conviction. Not everyone considers it the Worst Possible Thing In The World to get deployed. Some people, my husband included, think it's the most important thing they've done with their lives, and though they don't necessarily cherish the thought of deploying for another year and missing out on their own wives' puppy-dog eyes, they are more than willing to do whatever it takes to see Iraq succeed.

At the very least, when I read about the next soldier killed in combat, I'll make sure to take five minutes out of my privileged day to wonder: There but for the grace of God go I, drunk and naked, screaming bloody suicide at the thought of going back to Iraq.

And that is precisely why we don't want a draft.

There's nothing wrong with not wanting to go to Iraq. It's a normal, natural feeling. But I'm sick and tired of these crap-ass op-eds looking down their noses at soldiers. A fancy-pants degree doesn't make you better than someone who joined the Army. Can you repair track on a tank? Can you accurately fire a 50-cal? Can you make a delicious sugar cookie out of the remnants of your MRE? Oh, you can write. Judging from MilBlogs, so can most soldiers who don't have the "good fortune" of a "private-school education and the benefits it affords". They're writing and selling books, in addition to being mechanics, marksmen, chemists, nurses, and diplomats.

And I'm not convinced many of them would want to trade places with you.

Posted by: Sarah at 07:54 AM | Comments (9) | Add Comment
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1 Interesting article and counter post where you take the guy apart piece by piece. To be brutally honest, I don't want to go to Iraq although my command's asked me if I want to volunteer a number of times. I'm 43, I fulfilled my military obligation in 1989...although I didn't get out until 1992. I spend the remaining 12 years of my 20 in the IRR never having been called up. Last year I was unceremoniously tossed out of the IRR for not having completed Command and General Staff College to make me competitive for promotion to LTC and continued service. And actually, I was fine with that. I have a new life, a new wife, and two wonderful daughters. My days of 'walking the line' are over and I'm damned glad there are young men and women willing to take my place....just as I took the place of the Vietnam era veterans in the early 80s. I agree with you that the author of this piece underestimates and doesn't understand the mindset that draw those of that serve into the military. Some of us do it for the benefits...can't argue that the military has a pretty sweet benefits package that you're never going to find on the "outside." Others do it for the education, experience and discipline that the military provides. There's nothing wrong with a kid out of high school making a decision to go out and see the world with one of the branches of the American military before buckling down and going to college, if that's where they're headed eventually. I have to admit, if I'm presented two candidates for a job position and they're exactly the same right down the line, the applicant with a military pedigree is going to get the job every time! In any case, I've gotten out of hand yet again...posting like this was my blog. I know, I know...just the comments, MajorDad! See you on the high ground...and thank you for your family's service! MajorDad1984

Posted by: MajorDad1984 at November 27, 2005 10:55 AM (tdEnf)

2 I have no patience for people who bad-mouth the military. Usually, and that is probably the case with this author, they have never personally met a soldier...just seen one on TV. I love it how he speculates about soldiers, speculates about their motivations, and you just know, that he has never really talked with one. Oh, the ignorance. I'll make sure to take five minutes out of my privileged day to wonder: There but for the grace of God go I, ignorant and haughty, screaming bloody suicide at the thought of being so cowardly and misled.

Posted by: CaliValleyGirl at November 27, 2005 11:00 AM (cxkhg)

3 Sarah, Pretty good job at slapping the idiot. I bet you are a Whack A Mole Queen with the keyboard. Good job, gal. You said it better than the rest of us can. Subsunk

Posted by: Subsunk at November 27, 2005 07:21 PM (SBriA)

4 Hey Sarah, Man, I've read your blog a while (lurked I guess?) and never commented, but now after reading this, I want to find you and hug you. This made my day!

Posted by: Christy at November 27, 2005 10:33 PM (FcWi1)

5 What if, for instance, my parents hadn't gone into debt to provide me with a private-school education and the benefits it affords? Well, he could have got a part-time job and worked his way through community college. He could have got a job that doesn't require a college degree. (They do exist. I don't have a degree, and I've never wanted for employment.) He could have... lots of things. But yeah, the killer line: There but for the grace of God go I, drunk and naked, screaming bloody suicide at the thought of going back to Iraq. He'd be peeling potatoes at boot camp for the duration with that attitude.

Posted by: Pixy Misa at November 28, 2005 12:57 AM (RbYVY)

6 I've seen this article before and yes that's EXACTLY why I don't want the draft. I would try to get there myself because I wouldn't want this man watching the six of my husband. So he can stay in his namby-pamby protected world while those that serve keep him and his private education a safe place to sleep at night. HH6

Posted by: Houshold6 at November 28, 2005 06:33 AM (T+Tkq)

7 Well said!

Posted by: Vonn at November 28, 2005 03:29 PM (dEgRi)

8 . . . most soldiers who don't have the "good fortune" of a "private-school education and the benefits it affords". Why not have the best of both worlds? I'm pre-9/11, but in our student group, we have a growing number of OIF and OEF vets. In 2002, our president was earning his Bronze Star with 1st Bat in Afghanistan at the Ambush of Takur Ghar. Eric Chen Vice President U.S. Military Veterans of Columbia University

Posted by: Eric at November 28, 2005 07:18 PM (8g/Ur)

9 There were times in Iraq that I got pretty disgusted with the editorial content of S&S. A lot of us said we'd stop reading it if it weren't the only daily paper available. We constantly questioned "whose side are they on?" I've turned down better paying jobs to return to the Army and stay Army. There is a sense of purpose that I can't find in the civilian world. Randy

Posted by: Raven1 at November 28, 2005 10:05 PM (N1rEE)

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Several people have asked about Charlie's Thanksgiving. We're not much for giving him table scraps, but he did hang out in the kitchen most of the day while we were preparing the food, scrounging what fell on the floor -- a bit of ham here, a crumb of bread there. But when we all sat down at the table, we heard an ominous noise from the living room. The husband remembered that our platter of summer sausage and cheese was still on the coffee table. I raced in to find Charlie wolfing down as much as he could before we caught him.

About an hour later, Kelly's son came in the kitchen and whispered, "Um, Charlie threw up." We all had a good laugh at the pile on the dining room floor: three un-chewed pieces of cheese and two un-chewed slices of sausage. No time for chewing when you have to eat as much as you can before someone finds you, right?

Because we had a full house, Charlie didn't get any naps that day. When everyone left after dinner, he crashed for the night. I think he had a pretty exciting Thanksgiving.

Posted by: Sarah at 04:01 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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We cooked for six hours, and our knees and feet are killing us. And so are our stomachs! But it was worth every minute...

I like what Lileks said about Thanksgiving:

ItÂ’s a day that stands aside from the rest, a day on which the simplest and most essential things are revealed as gifts of indescribable worth. And then thereÂ’s pie.

Posted by: Sarah at 03:19 PM | Comments (5) | Add Comment
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1 You girls look so cute! "Rachel" would be so proud of you! Happy Thanksgiving! Love, Mama

Posted by: Nancy at November 25, 2005 02:28 AM (Z+RCN)

2 I can only imagine how much fun you all had

Posted by: The Girl at November 26, 2005 03:30 AM (naaPi)

3 It's so fun to have such good friends when your family can't be close I miss my "Germany Friends"!

Posted by: Angie D at November 26, 2005 12:49 PM (SA3c9)

4 P.S. Did the dogs have a good Thanksgiving? Miss you..

Posted by: Kelly's mom at November 27, 2005 12:17 AM (WXHIS)

5 Ahh look at my sister. You guys look great, I miss ya'll! Hopefully we'll be back over next spring. Happy holidays!

Posted by: Casey at November 27, 2005 01:38 PM (WXHIS)

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Yesterday I wrote a post that I wanted to put up right before Thanksgiving; today it seems absurd to post something so uplifting when I feel so hopeless. Two horrible things happened today to shake my faith in humanity. Sometimes I hate human beings so much, and I fear I'll never be able to grok what makes people do the things they do. I'd never make a good pacifist: some people deserve extinction.

Nothing like heading into Thanksgiving in despair...

But I wrote this cheery post, and I want to still use it. I want to remember that though there are awful, evil people in this world, some people make up for it. And if anyone can make up for it, it's these two.

**********************************************************

Two years ago, I was very frustrated that I was losing all my college friends because of my blog. I went through a very rough patch where numerous friends emailed and said they didn't like me anymore because of my views. When my grandmother died, I learned a hard lesson:

I wish I had friends that I could talk to about how I feel about the world. I have my husband and my mother, and that is basically it...and my mother lives an ocean away and my husband will be gone for a year. We're new to our post here in Germany so I don't have any strong relationships yet, and despite my efforts, I don't hear from my old friends that often. When my grandmother died, I called my mom's best friend to talk about it, and I realized how pathetic I am that I don't have anyone I can count on anymore. And the few relationships I've been trying to hang on to really disappointed me this past week.

But I've been thinking about something lately, something that always makes me smile and know that now, two years later, I do have friends who care.

I met Erin in recycling class here. (Seriously, it's so intense we have to attend a class.) She and I were the only ones who showed up that day, and she gave me a ride home afterwards. We didn't really become friends so much as we became two people who really enjoyed running into each other on accident. When she started working at the commissary, I always was excited to go grocery shopping because I knew I could get in Erin's lane and talk to her for at least a couple of minutes.

I went to the commissary the day after my grandmother died, and when Erin asked how I was doing, for some reason I opened up and told her instead of just saying that I was fine. Erin looked at me and tears started welling up in her eyes. She said how sorry she was and how bad she felt for me. It was so touching because she was just someone I ran into in the grocery line, while friends I'd known for years had failed me. I knew that day that there was something special about Erin.

When the deployment started, Erin got a new and much better job working with a girl named Kelly. Kelly had the morning shift and Erin the afternoon, so when I got off work I would always pop next door for the last half hour of Erin's shift. One evening I stopped by to show off my newly knitted sweater, and it was Kelly in the office instead of Erin. I remember her being friendly but shy, and later Erin told me that Kelly had been so nervous to meet me that she didn't even say anything about the beautiful sweater I was wearing! Hilarious, since that was the reason I was looking for Erin in the first place.

During the deployment, I spent a lot of time popping in and out of their work. I taught them to knit and they taught me to quilt, though they've been much more prolific at their new craft than I have. I shared Thanksgiving with Kelly and Christmas with Erin, which was so generous because Erin's husband came home for R&R on Christmas morning: they opened their home to me on the day of their reunion.

The most exciting day was early in our budding friendship when Erin casually said something like, "I don't know what your views are, but I support the President and the War on Terror." You could hear my heart jumping out of my chest. We began to talk politics, longwindedly and often, and I learned that Erin and Kelly are basically South Park Republicans like me. Kelly and I bought Erin a W t-shirt for her birthday, and I've shared many a Larry Elder and Dinesh D'Souza book with them. Finally I had friends in my life, right here in the flesh and not just in cyber-land, who shared my worldview. And so I opened myself up and shared my blog address with them.

When Bunker died, I went right to Kelly's house. When I read an article that makes me so mad I could spit, I call Erin. Any time my heart hurts, any time I feel happy or sad, any time the dog does something to make me want to strangle him, I call their office. They trade shifts often, but most of the time I don't even care which one of them answers the phone, as long as Erin or Kelly is there to listen to me.

This Thanksgiving, I'm so grateful for my two best friends. I'm grateful that I met Erin, the wonderful girl who cried until Kelly and I let her take home a wounded stray dog, only to find that she's now mothering four unexpected puppies. I'm grateful that Erin introduced me to Kelly, a mother whose heart is so big that she's offered to adopt a relative's children in their time of need. Both of them are such bigger people than I am, and every day I thank heavens that I met them and wonder how on earth I'm going to part from them next year. But for today, I'm simply happy that all three of our families will sit down at the table together and share a fabulous Thanksgiving meal. (And it will be fabulous. We're making everything from scratch, and we even bought matching aprons for the occasion!)

Thank you, Erin and Kelly, for showing me that it is possible to have friends I can completely be myself around, even if Erin does make fun of my Richard Simmons exercise regime.

Posted by: Sarah at 04:18 PM | Comments (9) | Add Comment
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1 Yes, friends and family make me feel so blessed. And Richard Simmons...wow...I am speechless.

Posted by: CaliValleyGirl at November 23, 2005 06:29 PM (oAGxf)

2 Don't start thinking about having to "part" as friends next year . . . enjoy the moment! I had a hard time leaving "my wife" . . . but we still talk all the time. Take photos of the three of you when you are just hanging out being silly . . . it makes for a great going away gift! You will run into them again, I promise . . . it is the Army way and you will make every effort to keep in touch! Nothing can keep girls apart not even miles!

Posted by: H. Sims at November 23, 2005 11:03 PM (gMjwx)

3 Ok, so I'm crying when I'm supposed to be heading to your house. I feel so blessed to have both you and Kelly as dear friends. I love you so much Sarah. Erin

Posted by: Erin at November 24, 2005 05:24 AM (GMkl/)

4 I've learned in life to cherish and to do my best to hold onto the truly good people, because they are the exception, not the rule. They're precious. In other words, count your blessings.

Posted by: Eric at November 24, 2005 02:49 PM (8TPnt)

5 I don't know what happened to make it such a dark day for you, but there are a lot more people out here who agree with you and are happy to read your viewpoints. Good friends will stick by you no matter what, no matter what you believe, no matter who you love and no matter what you do.

Posted by: Mare at November 24, 2005 07:15 PM (vLplQ)

6 So we can safely assume that you've never distanced yourself from friends because of THEIR politics? (Just kidding.) Happy Thanksgiving.

Posted by: Pericles at November 24, 2005 11:42 PM (eKf5G)

7 A late Happy Thanksgiving! I know what it is like to lose friends due to political convictions, happy you found some there. AND you taught them to knit! Lucky them ((:

Posted by: zib at November 26, 2005 08:02 AM (+xbrC)

8 Now I'm sitting here crying while I read your blog Sarah, I miss my Kelly but I'm so happy she has good friends like you and Erin..You all look great...Love you,

Posted by: Kelly's mom at November 27, 2005 12:16 AM (WXHIS)

9 That was so sweet! I'm so happy that you all found each other. Hold on tight, because great friends are hard to find. Vonn**

Posted by: Vonn at November 27, 2005 08:50 PM (sDFje)

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Atta in Prague?: An Iraqi prisoner holds the answer to this 9/11 mystery
Listen to the word on the 'Arab street'
And if you're mad about being misled to war, maybe you should've read the intelligence reports...

Posted by: Sarah at 06:22 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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