When the presidential debates started, I attempted to watch.  I lasted for 30 minutes of the first.  I departed each subsequent debate even earlier.  It was the second one that dredged up old memories of my parents fighting.  It's amazing what memories come to the surface when the mind is stimulated.  My parents were always fighting about money.

It was silly of me to try to watch any of these because, of course, I'm voting for President Obama.

Today, I watched the Endeavour fly by atop a jumbo jet.  Very thrilling.

My parents and I lived in England from September 1954 to July 1957.  Most of that time we lived in a trailer at the RCAF base in Langar, Nottinghamshire.  Nuff said.  Under our trailer home lived a hedgehog.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hedgehog

We never disturbed it but we admired it.

Upon the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953, every school child in Canada received a live, evergreen tree.  My dad planted mine at the back of our back yard.  In 1954, we moved to England.  While we were away, the city installed alleyways in our neighborhood.  My tree, which had grown from about six inches to several feet, was dug up and thrown away.

When I was 10 years old, my father taught me to drive a VW Beetle.  Of course, given that the year was 1956, it was a stick shift.  I would have a pillow behind me so that I could reach the pedals.  This training would be on the (closed on Sundays) runway at Langar RCAF base in England.  After we moved back to Canada, I continued to drive on country roads.  We emigrated to the US (Santa Monica CA) when I was 14-1/2 years old.  Driving was not possible for two years until I got my learner's permit.

A few weeks ago, I signed up for Twitter.  I love it as much as I hate Facebook.  I'm following around 70 people/organizations.  So far, I only have five followers, two of whom are friends. 

However, one follower is Al Franken!  I have no idea why but I love having him.

Later...

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Santa Monica, CA, USA

Two decades ago, on Saturdays, I would go to the movies with my mother and occasionaly with my older dauthter, Stephanie.  In 2001, we walked down to the 3rd street promenade and, against my objection, saw Thelma and Louse.  When it ended, I felt like someone had punched me very hard.  I began to cry, uncontrolably.  Some time later, I realized that my life had been displayed in the movie.  Life just reacted to, not planned.

Circa 1957, age 11 or 12

My parents and I were living on Rockcliff RCAF base near Ottawa, ON. It was rare for a family with only one child to obtain base housing. Anyhow, I was in charge of mowing the lawn around the house and an empty area next to the house. In this empty area, I mowed a huge dollar sign. I have no idea why I did this. For some reason, both my parents were angry and to this day, I have no idea why. In my opinion, it was funny. Needless to say, I was sent back out to mow ALL the grass. Push mower, by the way.