Category Archives: holidays

11-11-11

The Surfer's Paradise ANZAC Memorial Today is Veteran’s Day in the U.S. You might know it as Armistice Day or Remembrance Day.

I was thinking about this day and all it means a lot this week. Mostly because the high school kids I work with have answered with surprise when I’ve mentioned today is an international holiday. But also because today works out to be 11-11-11, and the last time we had this date, we had no need to remember anything.

100 years seems so long, except for when it doesn’t. Perhaps the time seems more distant because I live in the U.S., where history comes to be forgotten.

But 100 years ago, my grandfather was 9. The War to End All Wars was still a few years from beginning. Airplanes were brand new inventions, and the great American love affair with the car was in its infancy.

And perhaps this anniversary of the signing of the treaty that ended the fighting in Europe stands out more because the kids I work with have a difficult time keeping the first and second world wars correctly ordered. Or maybe it’s the fact that we talk so much and for so long about the importance of our freedoms in this country, but seem to find remembering the people who have fought for longer than 5 years. We seem unable to keep track of the conflicts we’ve been involved with in the intervening years from the first Armistice Day, much less the people.

So this year, I’m sharing my remembrance. If you’ve ever served and fought for the U.S., or any country, thank you. My hope is that you’ve helped shape this world to become more of a place where we will no longer need to fight. But if we do get to a place without armed forces, I hope we always remember.

Happy Guy Fawkes Day!

Today is one of my favorite days of the year. I cannot explain very well why I love this British holiday. Perhaps it’s because of the political nature of the holiday. Or it could be the really nifty poem that goes along with it. Or perhaps because it’s a random holiday for me to pick up from a country I’ve never visited.

Whatever the reason for my love of this holiday, celebrating it this year made it to the second spot.

Because this year, Guy Fawkes Day was also Christmas.

My parents are very kind, generous people, so when what I wanted was available for a good deal, they approved of an early Christmas. (I always know what I’m getting from them because I generally go shopping with my mom, and it’s difficult to hide the gifts in the cart no matter how many other gifts she’s getting. This is the first year that I’ve received the gift early.)

So this year, instead of plotting a party or heading to the beach for a bonfire, I watch V for Vendetta and set up my Christmas gift – an Asus Eee PC (a netbook [or as I call it, The Baby Computer]). It is pictured below with the big computer and the cousin BlackBerry.

And I love the new addition. It’s a lot of fun to set up, and it makes traveling and typing stories much easier. So thanks mom and dad! Best Christmas gift on Guy Fawkes Day ever!PB050260

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