Wednesday Hodgepodge - Volume 519

 

I'm joining Joyce over at From This Side of the Pond for the Wednesday Hodgepodge.  Click on the photo above for the link.

1. Did you watch any coverage of the 9/11 services on Monday? How do you feel on this day some 22 years after the events occurred? Share more if you want to share more.

I didn't watch any of them but I remember September 11, 2001 vividly.  I was at work at the VA Medical Center north of Chicago and one of the nurses from the home health care office across the hall came running over to say a plane had crashed into one of the World Trade Center towers.  It seemed like a tragic airplane accident.  Less than twenty minutes later, she ran over again with the news that the second tower had been hit.  We were under attack.  I ran to the conference room and pulled the television out of the closet and hooked it up.  People began to gather to watch the news.  We went into an immediate lockdown and had to call in hourly bed counts.  Who knew what was next, a chemical attack, a biological attack, more planes?  My best friend who watched Sophia after school called to say she was picking up her kids, did she want me to pick up Sophia as well?  I said yes please.  The day went by in a blur as we watched the towers fall and waited for more guidance.  Enormous concrete barriers went up at the entrance to the base, the medical center, and the housing areas close by.  I don't remember anything about that evening.  Obviously I picked up Sophia and Vic came home, but other than that, nothing.  I do remember that the following day, I drove Vic and several of his co-workers to the base and dropped them off some distance from the main gate as no cars were allowed on base.  It's one of those times when I wish I had kept a diary of what happened over the next few days.  I know churches were full, flags were sold out everywhere, and everyone hugged their loved ones tighter.

How do I feel 22 years later?  Wistful.  I wish the patriotism shown in the days following September 11 was still as present today.  I won't say it seems like we've forgotten the events of that tragic day but they seem to many to be just something that happened and now they've moved on.

2. September 13th is National Peanut Day...do you like peanuts? Your favorite dish that contains peanuts? 

Yes, I like peanuts.  My favorite savory dish with them is Kung Pao Chicken - I love the crunch of the peanuts and my favorite sweet dish is Choco-Peanut Butter Bars, a recipe from my seventh grade home economics class (1972) that I searched and searched for and finally found on www.clickamericana.com, one of those "Do You Remember" sites.

3. Something you're currently 'nuts' about?

Pumpkins!  Pumpkin Spice Lattes, pumpkin décor, the scent of pumpkin spice candles...love it!  

4. Your favorite Peanuts character? There are several quizzes online if you're curious... (Click here for the link)

I would have said Charlie Brown or Snoopy but turns out I'm a nerd.

You're Marcie, an introvert.

You're unassuming, sweet, and intelligent. A bookworm, you're super insightful, and you're usually the voice of reason within your friend group. Sure, you love your solitude, but you're not afraid to step up to the plate when it comes to helping your friends and family.

5. Tell us about a job you worked 'for peanuts'? 

I worked as a supermarket cashier when I was in college in England.  Thursday evenings, Friday evenings, and all day Saturday.  I don't remember how much the job paid but I'm sure we were cheap labor.  I do remember that we were paid in cash, in a little wax pay packet envelope.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Vic is strongly considering retiring from the Navy.  He is up for new orders soon and it looks like his choices are Washington, DC or Washington, DC or Washington, DC.  Three possibilities, all in DC.  That's the last place he'd ever go.  There is only one option to stay here but it's going to take some negotiating and honestly, I don't think the others involved in the decision will be very accommodating.  So, with the strong possibility that he'll be calling it a day next year, we're in the midst of retirement planning.  Right now we're in the second day of a mandatory three-day transition class.  My head is swimming - veterans' benefits, financial planning, retirement pay, disability pay, health insurance, dental, vision, TSP and other investments, translating Navy skills into civilian equivalents, resume writing, interviewing, navigating the job market, and a whole new wardrobe (after wearing a uniform for 30 years)!