Memorial Thoughts

5:55am Awoke with phone alarm (too early for a holiday?) ... thoughts about Uncle Robert Russell, a hero in my youth (to this day), visiting our  home in his awesome U.S. Air Force uniform (later flew in the Vietnam War) ... a memorable appearance at the height of action in Orville's Air Force (not Wright) and "missions" I "flew" (Avenues) ...  Years later, the Army ROTC in high school and U of U ...
Dad's WWII service as handsome Lt. Cannon, Renegotiation Officer, Quartermaster Corps, U.S. Army; and Arza's service as a productive farmer supporting the war effort ... our close friend, Hayle Buchanan, who was in the Battle of the Bulge (1944) as an army radio operator in Europe ...
Grandfather Russell's WWI service (Mother's Together book has the photo of dignified "Lt. George Oscar Russell, U.S. Army Intelligence Corps, 1918, before the 11 November armistice) ...
... and others in my life who served valiantly to preserve our freedom.
My gratitude goes to all veterans and their families ... God bless our military troops currently serving ... thank you for your sacrifices.

[Quick clue about my attempted writing style:]
"Stream of consciousness may refer to: Ostensibly unedited, spontaneous ..."
-- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...

And thanks to the Boy Scouts and leaders for getting up early and setting up flags in our neighborhood.  God bless America!

CNBC / Mark Haines

"Mark Haines (April 19, 1946 – May 24, 2011) was the former host of the CNBC shows Squawk Box and Squawk on the Street (which airs from 9-11am ET). ...  On May 25, 2011, Mark Haines' wife Cindy reported that Mr. Haines passed away at home on the evening of May 24, 2011.  He left behind his wife, a son and a daughter."  
-- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Haines

I am one of the many common people who have never made a lot of money on the stock market, but nevertheless have had the good fortune of being educated, enlightened, energized, and entertained by our beloved leader, Mark Haines.  I will seriously miss him every weekday morning, but cheerfully treasure memories of his great humor, honesty, and unique personality.  I envy those on the other side, who must be blessed by his presence there, at the top of his game and livelier than ever. 

I happened to be watching CNBC on the morning of 9/11 when the towers were hit, and could not leave the news for days afterward.  In contrast, I was watching Erin Burnett's last session with Mark recently, and shed tears then as well.  For me, since 1997, it's been an unforgettable ride.  Thank you, Mark Haines, and everyone at CNBC.  May the family feel comfort and the love of Mark’s admiring associates.

The Thirteenth

Early this morning I tried to do a quick post for Friday ...  (You know the date.)
This is what came up (I've never seen before):
"Blogger is unavailable right now. We apologize for this interruption in service."
Now that Blogger is back to normal (lucky for me), I want to share an excerpt from an interesting blog post that Google found for me.  I credit The Washington Post and Elizabeth for her good work:

"Friday the 13th phobias, and the five strangest fears you never knew existed"
By Elizabeth Flock         Posted at 9:22 AM ET, 5/13/2011
"Today’s date will send cold shivers of fear down the spines of those suffering from Friggatriskaidekaphobia. (Also known as Paraskevidekatriaphobia)  It’s a mouthful for a simple phobia: fear of Friday the 13th.
The names of conditions in which a sufferer is plagued by a persistent, irrational fear are usually derived from Greek words and not the easiest to get your mouth around. Don’t believe us? Try to pronounce the word for the fear of long words:
Hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia.  ..."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/blogpost/post/friday-the-13th-phobias-and-the-five-strangest-fears-you-never-knew-existed/2011/05/13/AFJdaO2G_blog.html

"You know, it's me"

This one has to be like really fast food for my 10-minute break.  I just couldn't wait to vent my feelings about a couple of things, so I don't lose sleep tonight.

To radio and TV interviewers' questions, I frequently hear answers that begin with, "You know, ...".  Whenever I hear that, I automatically respond, as if I were the person asking the question, "No, I don't know -- that's why I asked!"  So much for "talking heads".  (Yes, I recognize incomplete sentences.)

The gentlemanly "Hey, ... it's me" ad on TV this morning reminded me of my longing for the good old days (50 years ago?) when proper English grammar was important and acceptable -- even in advertising.  And so much for that.  I guess "this is us" now.  (Ouch -- it still hurts, nevertheless.)