November 11, 2008

There were 6 posts published on November 11, 2008 (this is page 1 of 1).

War and peace on Veterans Day

Walking around the State Capitol building on Veteran’s Day, it occurred to me again how strange its monuments would seem to visitors from another planet.

“Why do you celebrate war so much?” they might ask.

Good question. The Capitol grounds are peppered with statues of warriors toting weapons. Kids play on cannons and machine guns. Its as if conflict is the only path to glory.

But where are the peacemakers? Why are there no statues of Dr. Martin Luther King? Or Mother Teresa? Or the countless home-grown heroes in every town of our great state, quietly doing their part to make a difference in someone’s life? The teacher, police officer, coach, or parent: the one person who gave a kid a glimpse of his or her potential.

Then I remember the statue of Mahatma Gandhi, forever strolling outside of Marbles Kids Museum, and it gives me hope that someday we’ll get it right.

A Raleigh ambassador

I was out taking my downtown lunchtime walk when I passed the Marriott hotel. Looking inside, I was amazed to see every table occupied at my neighbor Gianni’s restaurant. The AASHE conference (aashe2008) is in town and business is obviously good!

With the Posta restaurant full, some hungry conference attendees spilled out onto the sidewalk. They were discussing lunch options as I walked by. What the heck, I thought, why not give them some advice?

I walked back to the group and introduced myself to a Canadian man and a woman from Maine. Then I walked with them to a few other downtown restaurants, chatting as we went.

Call me a boy scout, but I sure do love showing off this city.

Mobile phones

I got a mailer the other day from Sprint, begging me to back as a mobile customer. I expected to see some sort of deal being offered. Instead, I was shocked at what they considered a bargain for mobile phone service: a hundred bucks a month?

Have I been so spoiled with my Net10 pay-per-use phone that what everyone else considers reasonable strikes me as highway robbery? What are y’all paying for mobile service?

History of the Dixie Cup

Google’s Veterans Day logo got me interested in Dixie Cups, as that’s the nickname for an enlisted sailor’s hat. Here’s an interesting article about the history of the Individual Drinking Cup Company, makers of the Dixie Cup.

Incidentally, Dixie Cups were not made in Dixie until 1982, when the American Can Company (which merged with Dixie in 1957) was sold to the James River Corporation of Richmond, Virginia. Dixie Cups actually got their name from a line of children’s dolls from the Alfred Schindler’s Dixie Doll Company.

A sudden stop

Looking back on yesterday’s car wreck there are so many places where I should’ve questioned things but did not. Oh how I wish things would’ve turned out differently. The one thing I wouldn’t change is the fact that Travis and I were not injured.

We had finished spreading mulch this weekend and were about to return the trailer we borrowed back to our friends. There were still areas of the yard we wanted to mulch but had not yet done. I debated just buying bagged mulch for this but talked myself into making another trip to the yard waste center. The plan was to go first thing this morning so that Kelly had it available to spread as she found time during this week. Travis loves to help with projects and volunteered to join me, in spite of the early hour. So, a little after seven this morning, I strapped Travis into his seat and we headed off to the Yard Waste Center, towing the empty trailer.
Continue reading →