Not really, we just like the name…
Today is Thanksgiving here in the US. This morning I received an email from an Australian fellow that I worked for a few years back on a customer site in North Carolina’s Research Triangle. He’s now in Malaysia.
Here’s how the message began:
Wishing you a very Happy, Safe and Enjoyable Thanksgiving holiday with your Families & Friends…
I wish I were as diligent about keeping in touch with old friends, wherever they may be, as he is.
Yesterday I got a phone call and a couple of email messages from a guy who turned out to be a distant relative. He had found me via via another distant relative of mine while doing some research on his family tree. I too dabble in genealogy. You can see the results of both of our efforts at my genealogy site.
As it turned out, his grandfather on his mother’s side was my grandfather’s brother! And he had some information about my great-grandfather I had been trying to track down for quite a while with no success.
I had learned that my great-grandfather served in the military from his entry in the 1930 US Census, which asked whether one was a veteran. My great-grandfather’s entry had the notation “In ” as the hostility during which he served. Based on this I had assumed he served in the US Army during the Indian Wars on the US frontier in the mid-1800s. But I never had any conclusive proof of this.
Well, my new found relative had something about this that he shared with me. What he had were copies of pension applications filed by my great-grandmother shortly after my great-grandfather’s death in 1931. And these documents stated that he had indeed served in the US Army from 1867 to 1870. Furthermore, the documents stated the units he served in were Company A, 27th Infantry and Company B, 9th Infantry, both of which were deployed on the US western frontier at that time.
Talk about “Out of the Blue!” Made my day and also made his as he had been looking for a “living relative” from my branch of the family for a long time.
I went to the polling venue about 7:00 AM expecting to have to hunt for a parking space and stand in a long line waiting to vote. To my surprise, the parking lot was less than half-full, there was no line of people waiting to vote and I was out of there in less than 15 minutes.
So much for the predictions of a record turnout (at least at 7:00 AM where I vote!). And I live in one of the alleged “battleground” states where there have been massive efforts by both parties to “Get out the Vote.”
The Washington Redskins host the Pittsburgh Steelers tonight on Monday Night Football. There is a legend that says if the Redskins win their last home game before the US Presidential Election, the incumbent party’s candidate (i.e., McCain) will win the election; otherwise, the challenging party’s candidate (i.e., Obama) will win the election.
Who are you rooting for?
The following is is an excerpt of an email I found sitting in my inbox this morning. And yesterday I received “personal” letters from both John McCain and Sarah Palin telling me how important it was for me to open up my wallet and donate to their cause. If I do in fact choose to make a donation, I wonder if this would indeed be a case of “Redistribution of Wealth?”
JOHN McCAIN
http://tracking.pollingprecinct.com/www/delivery/ck.php?zoneid=416&iszonetrack=1&EMAI=myname@…
Dear HARRY,
Only two weeks remain in the campaign to decide America’s future. We need you to act now to help elect Republicans to offices all across the country – from the White House to the courthouse.
http://tracking.pollingprecinct.com/www/delivery/ck.php?zoneid=416&iszonetrack=1&EMAI=myname@…
With the clock running out and funding so critical to getting our message to the voters, Governor Palin, GOP candidates and I are counting on you to help us meet our $50 million fundraising goal for October by making a secure online contribution of $2,000, $1,000, $500, $250, $100, $50 or $35 to RNC Victory 2008 today….
This picture was taken at a rally in Leesburg, VA for Barack Obama, the Democratic candidate for President. I wonder if either of these kids could explain to me just what the “Marxist Ideology” is and its relationship to the “Obama Doctrine?