Pick-A-Day

March 2024
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11:11 11/11 +1 & more

I haven’t really been in a writing mood the past couple of days—which is a shame.

Yesterday I missed the fact that it was Veteran’s/ Armistice/ Remembrance/ Fasching Day. Veteran’s Day in the United States to memorialize its war heros; Armistice Day in many countries (including France) to memorialize the end of World War I; Remembrance Day in the UK and related countries to memorialize the end of World War I and II; Fasching Day in Germany marking the beginning of Carnival season.

I pointed out the origins of Veteran’s Day in the United States to one of my colleagues who observed that it was another opportunity to blame the Germans for starting of World War I. Of course sourcing World War I solely to the Germans is somewhat unfair. I was always under the distinct impression it was the fault of multiple parties.

Today I wandered down to the bookstore to pick up a copy of Stasiland, a book about living in East Germany and with the Stasi. I spotted to book last week, shortly after I discovered that I would be flying from Leipzig to Lisbon. There is a connection: Leipzig is home to the Museum in der “Runden Ecke.” The museum’s permanent exhibit is about the Stasi, and it was once the local headquarters for the Stasi. Because my flight leaves at an ungodly early hour, I am going to spend the night in Leipzig, arriving early enough to visit the museum—although the previously mentioned colleague thinks it is an odd choice of a museum to visit.

After getting back from the bookstore and talking to one of my sisters, I headed over to the REWE supermarket near my house. There was a pleasant discovery: the barcode boy has a tongue ring. It made my day.

My life is pathetic.

3 comments to 11:11 11/11 +1 & more

  • ChrisC

    Hmm… Tongue barbells get your attention, positively it seems, but the kind I wear turns you off.

    I find that fascinating. 😉

  • Jerry Faust

    Rememberance Day is a major holiday in British Columbia. Nearly all offices are closed (retail establishments open on an abreviated schedule) and approximately 50% of the public attends a Rememberance Day ceremony of some kind. Also, nearly everyone wears poppy “pins” on their jackets during the week leading up to the holiday.

  • Remembrance Day in Canada is usually a focal point in For Better or For Worse–it certainly was in Sunday’s comic. Canada seems to be one of the upstanding members of the British Commonwealth.