Just Say Thank You

It's Veterans Day here in the U.S., so I found a little something over on Wikipedia about the holiday. Be sure to check out the Department of Veterans Affairs page too, for even more info.

"Veterans Day is an American holiday for honoring living war vetarans. It is celebrated on the same day as Armistice Day or Remembrance Day in other parts of the world, falling on November 11, the anniversary of the signing of the armistice that ended World War I. It is both a federal holiday and a state holiday in all states. All major hostilities of World War I were formally ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918 with the German signing of the Armistice. Armistice Day was first commemorated in the United States by President Woodrow Wilson in 1919, and many states made it a legal holiday. Congress passed a resolution in 1926 inviting all Americans to observe the day and made it a legal holiday nationwide in 1938."

But, wait! There's more! (The emphasis is mine.)

"The day has since evolved as a time for honoring living veterans who have served in the military during wartime or peacetime, partially to complement Memorial Day, which primarily honors the dead. There has been some discussion of whether a person's veteran status depends upon his/her retirement or discharge from any of the armed forces. However, the term applies to any that have honorably served their country or that have served in a war zone as directed by their superior officers or as directed by lawful orders given by their country."

No matter what your politics may be in this time of conflict, take some time today, or any day, to say thank you to someone who has served in the military. When the U.S. military became an all-volunteer force in the 1970s, every veteran since then has willingly and voluntarily sacrificed his or her time in the service of our nation. Many still walk that line every day. They did this for their country, and they did it for you. Please show them the appreciation they deserve, and thank them for their service. They will be so glad you did.

We Were Robbed!

Any good college football fan knows the rule about onside kicks needing to travel at least 10 yards before being recovered by the kicking team. Apparently, the PAC-10 officials are not good college football fans, and they ignored this rule on Saturday during OU's game against Oregon. Their error in allowing Oregon to have the ball instead of rightfully turning it over to OU directly led to OU's supposed loss on Saturday. The PAC-10 has allegedly apologized to the Sooners. Last year's Holiday Bowl is way behind us--get over it already, Oregon!

I personally believe the game should be expunged from both team's records since Oregon apparently can't win without help from their refs, and OU was a victim of some kind of blatant bias. If necessary, both teams should replay the game with some non-partisan refs. Unfortunately, the NCAA and the Big 12 don't agree with me. The Big 12 officials are being gentlemen and are accepting the loss by reminding the fans there is no precedence for expunging a game in cases like this. Well, maybe we should be the first to set one!

Anyway, during this act of highway robbery, I made fantastic progress on the first Trekking sock. I finished it off Sunday evening and cast on for the second sock. No second sock syndrome for me! Actually, I want nothing more than to be done with this pair so I can start those Hoya Socksa socks I have on the brain. I've also been making some good progress on the mohair travel shawl--I'm well into the short rows now in the first half. I can't wait to get started on the second half so I can see how the Russian grafting works in putting the two pieces together. The truth is, I'm just itching to use Scout's yarn, especially since the Indie Swag Club will be sending even more sock yarn my way!

I'll post pics of the finished socks when the second ones come off the needles. In the meantime, I'll be preparing myself to become a fan of whatever universities are playing Oregon for the rest of this season...Go Sun Devils!