Arlington National cemetery

I just got done watching one of the Civil War videos by Ken Burns who did the epic documentary for PBS. Anyway, since we are so close to Gettysburg I wanted to go there before we left, but I wanted to brush up on my history before I went. But today I learned that Arlington National cemetery was established in Robert E. Lees front yard so that it would be a reminder to everyone who was responsible for the bloodshed of the Union army. Apparently the man who chose the site had served under Lee before the war and then developed a deep hatred for Lee when he went to fight for the Confederacy after the war began.

Oklahoma

I was talking to a girl the other day that is a fried of mine, but I don't know terribly well. Through some unknown means we got on the subject of her hometown an hour north of Dallas and the fact that she want to college an hour north of that near the red river. On a whim I asked her if she had ever heard of Duncan Ok, which is just North of where she went to school, since that is where my parents were raised and all of my grandparents lived until a few years back. She looked at me as if I were a ghost and she blurted out that that is where her grandparents had lived until just a few years back. I of course said the same thing, and then we told stories about how we both played at the same park as kids 20 years before our paths would cross. I wish I were a mathematician so I could figure out the odds of this happening. If anyone wants to do the math and get back with me Duncan has a population of 20,000 people but I would think one would need to factor in that only some of those people are grandparent age.
Oh, and I called my granddad to see if he know her grandparents, but he couldn't hear me. Oh well, I'll just assume they were best friends.

Quote of the Day

I was talking to a radiologist yesterday trying to convince him to take a job somewhere else, and he said, "The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence, but you still have to mow it."

I think that was a great line.

Right now

Right now I am sitting in a cafe looking out the window and it is pouring down rain. It's Feb 4 so I guess I should be thankful that it is not freezing rain or snow. The groundhog saw his shadow so that means 6 more weeks of winter. I can't wait for it to warm up.

Today I bought a new to me bike. Between the two of use we now have four bikes, but they all serve different purposes. This new bike is called a "full suspension" bike meaning both the front and rear wheels move to absorb the bumps in the trail. I am pretty excited as it is super smooth like riding in a Cadillac or an SUV.

Last weekend it warmed up to about 50 degrees and the sun came out, so I got to work on my motorcycle with my friend Alex who thankfully has more motorcycle knowledge than I. We established pretty quickly that the motor is seized up so chances are my motorcycles is trash, but I read online that if anything can break it loose Marvel Mystery Oil can. So I poured a bottle of it in each cylinder and we will see what happens.

I don't think I have ADHD, but if you know me, you know I need a project and need to be doing something. It dawned on me last weekend when for the first time in 8 weeks or so I was able to get outside for more than 20 minutes to walk the dog. I think I and maybe everyone needs something to hang their hat on. I need a purpose and a mission. It may just be washing the car, cutting the grass, or pulling weeds, but it is so fulfilling to have accomplished something no matter how small. I think it gives structure to my day and it gives me something to look back on at the seventh day and say this is good. I think Sarah would agree with me she gets crazy in the summer and over Christmas break when her days have no structure or purpose.

Oh, and today I got a letter from my grandmother. She sent us $20 cash for Christmas. It would have arrived sooner but she sent it to the place we lived 2 years ago. The guy at our old place opened it found 20 dollars and then wrote my grandma back and returned the money. I don't know this guy, but I think I may go by and meet him, maybe I'll even give him $20. I love it when people aren't crappy.