Happy Memorial Day, and a few other things

I hope everyone takes a moment during his or her day off to think about or thank those who gave their lives for our country. The United States has had many wars (perhaps too many), some of them have been just causes and others have been folly. Let's all give our heartfelt gratitude for all who have, in the words of Lincoln, given "the last full measure of devotion." Everyone who has served and died for the United States deserves our respect, regardless of what conflict they were engaged in, and regardless of our own personal feelings towards the justifiability of the conflict.

It's also appropriate on Memorial Day to remember all of our friends and family who are no longer with us, whether or not these people were veterans.

Once again, I apologize for being so negligent with this blog. I do intend on eventually publishing some "real" posts. For example, with the recent death of Ray Manzarek, I'm currently working on a Doors-related post--sort of  "Mark's up-and-down Doors fandom over the years, and his thoughts on the 'crazy old story-telling uncle' known as Raymond Douglas Manzarek." I also have taken up a running program, and intend on writing about that in some detail. I want to relate my experiences as a middle-aged running novice and give encouragement to people who want to get into shape, but are hesitant to give it a shot. (HINT: As long as you take it slow and don't overdo it, it is possible. Just have realistic expectations and goals).

As usual, it's just a matter of finding the time to spend writing, which tends to be a rather time consuming activity. With my son's Pony League baseball schedule, my nascent running hobby, work, kids' school, and all the other everyday life stuff, I tend to neglect this blog. Please bear with me, folks--and keep your eyes peeled for blog posts in the near future.