Memorial Day

Well, I just finished watching the first running of A&E's movie "Faith of our Fathers" and once again I'm wondering why I haven't bought stock in Kleenex.

Reality check. I'm caught between admiration for the fact that anyone survives POW status, and John McCain is no exception, and my typical DC cynicism which notes that 2008 is open season and McCain's a player - probably the best one the GOP has to offer up right now.

Mid-movie we noticed a smell wafting up from the pool patio, which is now open because as we all know - swimming pools are directly related to people killed in the line of duty. It was the unmistakeable smell of charcoal and lighter fluid that caught my attention. It's a smell I didn't expect to bump into now that we've moved into the city and live in a cement and balcony paradise. I had to go look.

Apparently, one of our residents bought himself a grill and tried to break in memorial day right. From the looks of things it was his first time. For a while he was much more entertaining than the movie.

Which got me thinking: why is memorial day the time we think more of opening our pools and grilling (outside - not George Foreman style) and not so much about our service men and women who have died for our country. We get a day off, and now we worry more about bridge traffic, interstate traffic, accidents and gas prices. Not so much about cemetary traffic. More of us rushing to get to the beach. Betcha there was plenty of room for visitors at Arlington Cemetary. Not that I know. I was at the pool.