Veterans Day.

First I called into work. I figured it was only a four hour shift and I wanted my day off. My mom, my two friends, a four year old and I headed down to the parade. The crowd, if you even want to call it that, was odd and diverse. The streets were lined with homeless vets a few in wheelchairs, typical middle and lower class families...their children waved American flags, people were hanging out their windows and peaking from their store fronts, vets my aged stood around in their uniforms that didn't fit right anymore or go with their gotees, and there was a group of people who held signs that read, "Bring Our Troops Home" and "Veterans For Peace"...somehow they melted into the parade right behind a high school marching band. We followed the parade for a while, took some pictures, checked out all the sale...nothing exciting. Everyone was complaining that it was freezing and how they didn't want to walk to where the parade ended, so we went back the car. We dropped off my mom, grabbed burritos, and went to where the real action is on Veterans Days...where thousands of Americans really thank all of those who have served...no not the local VA Hosp, not the war memorial down town...the MALL! bullshit. I refuse to buy anything on Veterans Days (unless its food). The mall was completely packed, it was hot and everyone was just looking for some kind of deal. my friend wanted to get a winter coat, so we headed to H&M. I told her I didn't spend a year in Iraq, so she could buy some ugly jacket...i helped her pick one out. We still had the four year old with us. He was running around, screaming and knocking things over. Everyone was staring at us like we were Britney Spears. It was finally time to leave...my friend found a cute coat and I wanted to take a nap.

My mom, my friend and I headed to the nursing home to see my dad. He hadn't seen, "Band Of Bloggers" yet, so we went to check it out again. He doesn't get the History Channel in his room, so we watched it in the dinning room. It was so awkward...the four of us were crowded around a TV and the staff watched it with us. My dad really loved it. Whenever I would come on, he would clap. However, the clapping pissed off one guy in the dinning room...he would just start yelling. He didn't really say anything...but he wouldn't stop yelling until my dad stopped clapping. My dad took a real liking to SPC Gluck. Every time he came on he would repeat his last name and make fun it. Some lady sitting next to us, pissed herself...thank god, the show was almost over with...it was hard to breath. Two other guys came into the room and watched the rest of the show with us. He asked me, "so you guys really kicked butt over there? were you guys in the combat part of Iraq?" what the fuck...the combat part of iraq? i should have stayed home.