My homework for the day was to sit in the car and to try getting used to the mirrors. I almost let the assignment go by ... after all, who was really going to care all that much if I didn't do it ... but I knew that I had to live up to myself, to be truthful with my heart, and to honor the commitment I made.

No more backing out. No more "there's no consequence" excuses.

There are consequences. My sanity for starters.

In any event, I'm not sure if I succeeded more in making the driver's seat feel like a comfortable place or in trying to forget I was in a car.

I managed to actually put the key in the ignition this time. But only to turn on the radio, not the engine. Turning over the engine whilst alone is not something I'm ready for.

I found some cheerful, peppy music and tried to feel comfortable. I listen to music all day at my desk, so my theory was music in the car should make me feel more normal.

Singing definitely helped. It always helps.

My hands didn't feel as scary on the steering wheel as my mind said they would. Although, the proper driving posture still felt silly.

I mostly felt like a child, playing pretend, mimicking mom and dad driving. The other drivers in the parking lot gave me a few looks ... and I was embarassed ...

But I promised myself 20 minutes today, and I did not let my heart down.

Posted by: Princess Cat at 11:10 PM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
Post contains 277 words, total size 1 kb.

1 Honk the horn and wave when people look at you! It's fun!

Posted by: Ogre at September 07, 2006 06:49 AM (oifEm)

2 Good Job Cat! Its a process, and yes it may take a while but you definately seem like the person that once you undertake a task, you accomplish it. And remember, who cares what they think? We don't, why should you?

Posted by: David M at September 07, 2006 09:31 AM (6+obf)

3 Congratulations, Cat! Aweesome! It sounds like you are angry enough at your fear to do something about it, and that's the fire you need to succeed. Frankly, I don't think it's the size of the steps that matters, it's the direction. Forward is forward. WTG!!!!!

Posted by: FbL at September 07, 2006 05:09 PM (TXlt9)

4 I agree with FbL. It is indeed progress. I'm proud of you for sticking to your commitment to yourself.

Posted by: Laurie at September 07, 2006 08:27 PM (gqNCk)

5 Excellent! Baby steps will still get you there in due time.

Posted by: Jim - PRS at September 07, 2006 09:39 PM (ANg2D)

6 Great progress! Now, your next step is to take one of those offensive driving courses taught by ex SAS/NASCAR drivers. That'll get you ready for step three, which is to drive through downtown Manhattan with a bumpersticker that says Fcuk Taxis in English, Farsi and Arabic. Like Jim said, baby steps.

Posted by: Buckethead at September 08, 2006 06:53 AM (H0Zov)

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I'm not too much of a Hollywood gossip hound but I can't help this weird creepy feeling I get looking at the new pictures of the Cruise-Holmes kid. There is just something ... unnatural looking ... something is not right in this Vanity Fair picture.

Moms, can you put your finger on what it is?

Maybe its just the fact that he's got her in his jacket like a puppy or the fact that she looks sort of like the quizno's baby that "talks" in such freaky ways. I just don't know.

Decide for yourself. The pics are online here.

I think she looks odd.

Posted by: Princess Cat at 02:45 PM | Comments (5) | Add Comment
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At first, I was half in, half out ... with my feet on the ground and my head leaning on the doorpost. It was a start.

Then, one foot after the other, I was inside. My butt felt weird in the seat. My back felt stiff. It was uncomfortable and weird ... like a new pair of shoes that you just aren't sure will ever break in right so maybe you won't buy them.

After about 10 minutes, I finally closed the door. I just sat ... with my hands in my lap ... feeling stupid.

My mind stepped out of my body and I saw myself from my bedroom window. What on earth is this chick doing? She's just sitting there. Haha. Check out the crazy girl going for a pretend drive, without her hands on the wheel even. Dude, I told you this girl is a freak.

I looked into the mirrors and tried to adjust myself to the idea that they are good tools. Reliance, even in the slightest, on anything other than my own direct line of sight made me squeemish. I am scared to trust.

It made my neck hurt. I need to stretch.

I sat in the driver's seat tonight.

Posted by: Princess Cat at 12:45 AM | Comments (7) | Add Comment
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Sunday, September 10

Join the D.C. Freedom Walk to remember 9/11

Click Here to Register

Thousands of people will walk from the Washington Monument to the Pentagon crash site in order to honor the victims, the families, and the heros of 9/11.

By participating in a Freedom Walk you will be part of a new national tradition to reflect on the lives lost on September 11, renew our commitment to freedom and the values of our country, and honor our veterans, past and present.

Opportunities to show your support in D.C. through volunteering can be found by clicking here

More details about the D.C. Walk can be found at America Supports You

Locate a Freedom Walk in your community using the ASY Map here

Posted by: Princess Cat at 01:48 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Pack-rat-icism:

1. The condition which allows one to believe the inner voice that says things such as (a) "I totally have a use for this," (b) "I forgot I had this, I should use it," (c) "Oh, I remember when I got this ... it is good to remember with these things"

2. The act of hoarding items that may be of use or memory later in life

Sample Sentence:
I am drowning in stuff due to my terrible packraticism.

So, is there medication for this disease yet? Cuz I could seriously use some right now.

Posted by: Princess Cat at 12:17 AM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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That unconventional interview I had? Worthless...

I checked in yesterday and this morning received the gentle response:

If it is alright with you, I am going to keep your resume in my list for future projects and I shall contact you if we are taking on a project that fits your skill set and experience.

At least I don't have to face the 4 hrs commuting everyday ...

Posted by: Princess Cat at 01:18 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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I know I said part of me was relieved yesterday, but I only said part of me. There is another part of me that is wound tighter than lonely Marines headed to the strip club on pay day.

I have had trouble sleeping the past couple of nights, but not for a lack of wear. The emotional drain of being the strong, rational one and watching my mom go through what she would never admit she is feeling is enough to make me want to sleep. On top of that, I have myself another frustrating head cold sucking the life out of me.

I find myself lying in bed just unable to relax. Once I get the body to begin to release a little tension, the mind starts churning. Once the mind calms down, the body aches and stiffness start bothering me again.

I woke up yesterday morning from a fearful dream, running from an unknown person. I was never physically running from anyone in particular but I was living in fear, locking doors, questioning everything ... I knew that someone wanted me dead. I didn't know who it was or who they had put up to doing the deed, but I knew someone definitely wanted me dead. I woke up so afraid that I wasn't even sure I could trust those close to me in real life. I remember saying, "even if you are in on it, you wouldn't tell me..."

I have been watching too much TV

I am on edge about family and death. I am scared of the phone calls I know are coming. My aunt with Parkinsons and Alzheimers is under 100 pounds now. We believe my uncle had a heart attack but went unseen due to caring for his precious wife. He will not last without her. She is his entire world and has been ever since I can remember. He has neglected himself to worry over her.

The curse of threes is threatening to begin its cycle again...

Posted by: Princess Cat at 10:52 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Part of me is relieved today. The curse of threes is complete.

My kitty was put to sleep last night as my mom held him. He lived to be almost a full 18 years old ... and from an alley cat beginning too, literally.

My mom found him in the alley behind her office one day. The staff had gone to treat a medical emergency in the alley and she noticed him afterward. The doctor that lived across the alley said he had been hanging around lately. She took him and put him on the doctor's porch out of harms way. The little kitten was still sitting right where she left him when she went to go home.

I still remember naming him when I was only a girl. My mom brought home the tiny tabby in a cardboard box. I had just seen The Land Before Time and wanted to name him after the lost little dinosaur with no family, Little Foot. The name did always feel right for him. He was an adventurer, a survivor, curious, and full of love. He was never a stereotypical snob cat. He didn't like to be held, but he would rub on you and nuzzle with you for hours.

Always the cat that wanted to try to run outside, to find something new and interesting, he got himself and the others in a bit of trouble from time to time. They never had his spirit though - too scared to really venture out and too timid to know what to do in their new surroundings when they did.

Before the divorce, he had our German Shepard to count on when he managed to get out without us noticing. They'd be curled up sleeping together in the morning, her keeping him warm in the cold desert night. Later, he had to fend for himself when he got out. Gone missing for an entire week, he managed to do just that. No claws, in coyote country, vulnerable to birds of prey, and still he managed to come back in one piece without a scratch.

The doctors told us he should have been dead two years ago, that he would never make it once he left the hospital, but he went on living his laid back, sweet ways and proved them wrong. He had his ups and downs since then, but he had a good run of it.

I will never forget the way he would squeek to meow or the way he would reach his paw out as far as he could and tap your leg to remind you that he was there. Now I will have a plaster mold of his paw print to always remind me instead.

Posted by: Princess Cat at 03:55 PM | Comments (17) | Add Comment
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A strong woman turned into a quivering voice on the other end of the phone, “He is too weak to move.”

Focused sirens intent on their task disrupted my quiet neighborhood.

She didn’t know what to do, “I always said when he lost his dignity …”

Three stretch limos rolled by.

Mom called this morning with the strength to talk about my cat, at first. Somewhere about half way through the conversation the woman in pain, the woman losing her only companion since being walked out on 8 years ago, came through. Her heart was breaking and she could not hide it any longer.

My cat will die this week. I have no choice. He will die. She will never be sure she did the right thing, no matter how he dies. The ache of self-doubt will haunt her with every piece of his life she puts away to stop the reminders of what will not be. The silence of her empty house will be enough to make her ears bleed.

I have been prepared for two years to say goodbye to him, but I am not ready for this to be his week. My mom is not ready for this to be his week. She is not ready to lose the last piece of the family she built, the family she still dreams about and will never have.

The passengers in motorcade that drove by must be feeling something of the same things. Three stretch limos and no less than five other vehicles with their hazards on followed the ominous black hearse as it drove by. Did they get to say goodbye? Did their loved one have a good life? Do they doubt themselves and what they could have done? How will they fill the hole that is left? Will they be able to mend their broken hearts?

Desperate tears seeking guidance are falling across the world today.

In moments like these, I can’t help but be convinced that empaths are real. I am covered in a heavy cloud of thoughts and emotions that are not my own. I am crying the tears my mother has put away so that she can go to work. I am aching to hug the people that drove by and tell them that I understand. I am praying for rain. I am praying for a long, heavy, downpour of rain – the kind of rain that you cannot feel until you have been soaked to the bone and a still peace has been brought to your core.

Dear God, please let the rain find those hearts that so badly need a rest. Please, let them find their peace. Please Â… just rain Â…

Posted by: Princess Cat at 01:37 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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I cannot explain what happened ... all I know is, I have no interest in any part of the island of Jamaica right now. A single night at a local restaurant and I may never eat Caribbean food again.

...It had to have been the shrimp...

Not 10 minutes outside the restaurant and I knew ... the rest of the night would be a struggle to keep from seeing dinner again.

So far, I am winning the battle ... by a hair ...

ugh

Posted by: Princess Cat at 12:50 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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Today has accidentally become bathroom cleaning day ... and I don't mean scrubbing the toilet, bleaching the grout kind of cleaning. I've gotten the wild hair to try to empty some of the junk out of there.

I have come across make up I haven't worn in a good five years. There are tiny lotions from resorts of long ago where I told myself I'd go home and order a bottle of the fantastic stuff, but never did. There are just things I held onto when I came out to DC thinking, "I might need this." (I really must remove that sentence from my vocabulary.) I think it is safe to toss these lovelies. Are they worth donating after all these years?

When I look at some of the makeup, I can't believe I ever wore it. I have lipsticks that are nothing short of goth. I was a young, little plaything for an older man back then. He liked to have me paint my face up like some kind of alabaster, gothic china doll. I think back on that phase of my life and have more questions than answers for so many things ... but that is a discussion for another day.

If anyone has any idea on what to do with an ancient, dust covered girl-fest, let me know. Otherwise, I will enjoy the satisfaction of a quickly filling trash can.

Posted by: Princess Cat at 01:53 PM | Comments (7) | Add Comment
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If you thought I hated my landlord before ...

One - My oven has been out of commission for a good several weeks and there is no promise of it being fixed anytime soon. How is a domestic diva to do any baking or food making under these conditions????

Two - When I asked about the light fixure dangling by its wiring above my bed (take note that my landlord caused this damage himself) something he said was, "I was under the impression that you were ok with that." Seriously? Who thinks that?

Three - My A/C is out for the second summer in a row. The temp on the thermostat does not move, the airflow from the vents is practically nil. I went out to the storage closet where our unit is to figure out the problem today and found it was not the icebox it usually is (gotta love inefficiency, right?). I felt the duct work, most of it was chilled but a portion was freezing. I checked the filter - it had wet spots on it. Great. The A/C had frozen up and I spent the day thawing it out. See what happens when you fix things on the cheap? They break again ... soonly ...

The kicker? He's been on a business trip for the last month (with his car parked at my house ... the jackass) ... in CHINA! And he won't be back until after Labor Day. It took him two weeks to get the A/C fixed last summer when he wasn't just getting back from a business trip. Shouldn't people like this have a management company running their property?

I can honestly say I've never had such a lazy, cheap landlord. Anyone know the point at which I can start deducting money from my rent for his lack of upkeep?

Posted by: Princess Cat at 05:18 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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I have not quite managed to wrestle myself out of the college mentality of letting the laundry pile up until you're out of clean underwear (and trust me ... I have a lot of underwear). My stains sit unattended for days sometimes. Much the way Tammi was noting hers do. I, however, have a much cheaper laundry solution ...

1) ALWAYS treat a stain from the "wrong" side. NEVER treat the stain on the side of the clothing where you got it (generally the outside on the "right" side of the fabric). Scrubbing from the stain side just pushes the stain farther into the fibers ... this is how you end up with the stain almost gone, but not quite.

2) Use ice. No joke - plain, simple, right out of the freezer ice cubes. I have used this technique to remove blue frosting and blood from light colored clothing. I am confident that it will work on most any stain that is water soluble. You may be a little screwed on grease or oil with this technique - I haven't tried it - but there are other simple solutions for those as well. In order to treat stains with ice, use the following steps:

-- run two ice cubes from your freezer under water, just to get them wet & better prepped to melt

-- place one ice cube flat on top of the stain (on the "right" side) using the largest flat surface the piece of ice has

-- gather up the fabric surrounding the stain and trap the previously placed ice cube in a little pocket so that the "wrong" side of the stain is now exposed

-- using circular motions, "scrub" out the stain with a corner or edge of the second ice cube. The first ice cube will provide a hard flat surface for you to scrub against. The ice will melt as you scrub so use a new corner/edge when one goes dull. Just keep going until the stain is gone.

A word of caution though - good lighting is important for this stain removal technique because stains often get harder to see as they lighten and the fabric darkens from being wet.

Over the years, using a variety of techniques, I've managed to get out almost every stain I've come across - including auto grease and gum. But once you put them in the dryer, you're almost assuredly screwed.

This concludes today's lesson in stain removal. Happy laundering!

Posted by: Princess Cat at 11:33 AM | Comments (7) | Add Comment
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1 I too swear by the ice. It's great for right away!!!

Posted by: Tammi at August 28, 2006 11:06 AM (Bitcf)

2 Any mom can attest, blue frosting is usually a death sentence for clothes. I let my frosting stain sit for a good three days and it came right out with the ice.

Posted by: Princess Cat at August 28, 2006 11:12 AM (58Hrx)

3 I'll have to try that. My boss swears by some commercial product, I think it's Shout in stick form. She said it's great because you don't have to wash it right away like the Shout spray. You just rub the stick stuff on, then you can throw it in the hamper for a week, but whenever you do get it in the wash it comes right out. She's got two kids and she says it has worked on everything.

Posted by: Laurie at August 28, 2006 11:20 AM (YmcHY)

4 it's shout gel. It comes in a bottle with a brush top and it's awesome. You can brush the goo on right away or a week later, and then either way you can just let it sit. Works great, too. I haven't yet met a stain it didn't get out.

Posted by: caltechgirl at August 28, 2006 12:58 PM (/vgMZ)

5 CalTechGirl - I tried the shout gel on the blue frosting before I tried anything else. I even let it sit to give it more time to work ... to no avail. The ice got the stain right out. I swear by it!

Posted by: Princess Cat at August 28, 2006 01:01 PM (58Hrx)

6 hmmm... I don't suppose I've ever done blue frosting. But it does get out blue gatorade... Usually I throw it in the wash before assessing how well it worked, and then check before drying.

Posted by: caltechgirl at August 28, 2006 04:57 PM (/vgMZ)

7 Hmm.... so you're saying you like ice in your underwear?

Posted by: Ogre at September 01, 2006 11:17 AM (oifEm)

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I'm looking to take the blog mobile ... any techies out there have recommendations on wireless networking? I need a card and a router ...

What are your thoughts on important technology/features/brand???

Posted by: Princess Cat at 11:50 AM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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I got a voicemail from my credit card company today asking me to call them in response to a security concern. They left a number and told me which prompts to follow, and that any agent at that point could help me.

I checked my account and didn't see anything wrong. But still I was nervous.

As well I should have been. When I called, they told me that there were two charges made today that seemed out of place. One was to a grocery store, the other for some kind of needlework ...

... In BRAZIL ...

Yeah, I call those charges fully out of place. I've never been to South America, let alone Brazil.

So I'll spend the next 7 to 10 days without my Mastercard. Thank God I have a back up.

The oddest part, I can't quite bring myself to shred the gold little thing ... I've memorized the poor numbers with the black worn off ... it would be like killing one of my oldest stuffed animals. It has been such a good card to me ...

Posted by: Princess Cat at 06:55 PM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
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Some days, other female bloggers just irk me so badly I want to quit blogging completely. The rampant immaturity and mean girl behavior is abhorrant!

You know the ones I'm talking about ... they form their little clubs and alliances and then they go after whoever they don't like that week. And for what reason? The other woman is prettier? skinnier? smarter? younger? she has more hits? It's like high school on the internet!! Do they somehow think this is geeks revenge? Or fat girl payback? The nerds have finally found a social group large enough to be their very own gang ... how cute!

Let me tell you, I was not only a geek in high school but I was also a fat girl. I got made fun of left and right. One year I was the pet joke of the entire Varsity Basketball team. It was awful being a victim, I refuse to be a participant. And I refuse to be friends with people that find it acceptable.

If you don't think its real, just go to a blogmeet. Watch how the women act. The majority of them will strut like they are the Queen Bee. The ones that don't get treated that way will be precisely the ones that blame the other women for it. The gossip will start, the readerships will shift, and some women won't get invited back again ... you guessed it, the nice ones, the fun ones, and the pretty ones. I guess these are the same women that only hang out with friends uglier than they are so they can be the best looking one of the bunch.

These women - and you know who you are - should be ashamed of themselves. Grown women acting with as much sense as their children, if that much. If you're going to hate on someone, do it for a legitimate reason. Call her out for lying on her blog or for being a bitch to one of your friends instead of this "I just don't like her" crap. Its a blog. If you don't like it, click the X and get some therapy if you can't move on.

Next time, try being comfortable with accepting yourself (and being honest on your blog ... we've seen the avatars ... not even close!) instead of trying to drag someone else down. And if you just can't make it through the day without calling someone a bitch, go stand in the mirror for a while. I'm sure you'll find someone fully deserving of your label.

Posted by: Princess Cat at 04:57 PM | Comments (13) | Add Comment
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1 I am so glad you said this.....I too have become frustrated with the Queen Bee Wanna Bee behavior... Not a good example at all especially from grown women....

Posted by: armywifetoddlermom at August 24, 2006 05:00 PM (/9Dxs)

2 Oh, come on now, Cat. You're amongst friends here....tell us how you *really* feel. ;-)

Posted by: zonker at August 24, 2006 07:32 PM (PrUNH)

3 I uh... I had no idea. I like being a man.

Posted by: RSM at August 24, 2006 08:25 PM (hz+BK)

4 AW read this to me as I was driving. That cheering you heard last evening? Yep - that was me, thanking you for posting this all the way from Chicago!! You go girl!!!

Posted by: Tammi at August 25, 2006 05:13 AM (3UQTn)

5 Amen Sistah! I think you posted it just like quite a few of us feel! Thank you!

Posted by: Moogie at August 25, 2006 06:51 AM (n7sp8)

6 wow, and i always thought it was the blogging men that had the ego problems, dang. i just let the worker bees service the queen and then stay drunk enough not to give a damn. blodge meets are after all the gathering of strangers from hither and yon, you never know what you're going to get.

Posted by: shoe at August 25, 2006 12:08 PM (vyOpm)

7 I am so always out of the loop. I'm starting to like my rock under which I reside more and more as of late.

Posted by: Bou at August 25, 2006 03:02 PM (iHxT3)

8 ... WTF?... ok... what's going on....

Posted by: Eric at August 25, 2006 03:53 PM (r5XsL)

9 I always miss the good stuff! It is amazing how threatened people can feel even on the internet. It's ridiculous, people suck!

Posted by: Tilesey at August 25, 2006 03:56 PM (hnbsw)

10 I would certainly hope you are not referring to anyone you met on April 21-22.

Posted by: Laurie at August 26, 2006 01:31 PM (gqNCk)

11 I'm glad to see from the comments that I'm not the only one who had no idea this was going on--and not the only female who missed it, either. And I have to second the hope that this wasn't the case at the MilBlog Conference. I'm usually pretty good at "taking the emotional temperature" of a group of people and I certainly didn't get even a whiff of clique-ishness. Then again, I had a list of friends to meet a mile long and didn't really have any time to sit and just people watch...

Posted by: FbL at August 27, 2006 12:36 AM (TXlt9)

12 Though I've never had this experience at a blogmeet, cause all the people I've met, rock!, I'm sorry that this is the case. I know of what you speak as well. Women can be catty, mean, petty, ignorant, self-absorbed and down right ugly to each other, for no other reason than the color of one's lipstick or the curve of a hip. I'm a big girl, but I wasn't always. I've my share of moments where someone has tried to make me into the victim of taunts, but I've had none of it. I'm stronger in mind and character than to care what they think. And the comments, the negative comments about other women who have done nothing - and I mean nothing!!!! to deserve this kind of treatment, simply makes the commenter look bad. I've never been this way with other women - those out there who have been, who are right now? Shame on you. PC - when you fisk, you do it well. I bow to you and hope to have the pleasure of meeting you one day. We'll get along famously.

Posted by: oddybobo at August 28, 2006 10:03 AM (mZfwW)

13 Oy vey! Whatever happened? I haven't been to a meet, though I have met a couple of bloggers. Look, people can be weird no matter where. Some people dont have a real sense of themselves and so need to either brag or degrade depending on the situation so they feel good about themselves. Why worry about such? They are unhappy or they wouldn't feel the need to drop on someone else.

Posted by: Rachel Ann at August 30, 2006 02:49 AM (eswNk)

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My interview today was ... unconventional, shall we say ...

It was a good chat, but very little interview. We told stories, but I found it hard to fit my sales pitch into the mix. I have no idea if a position will come out of it or not.

So I am again left feeling like grad school prepared me very little for the job market. I am able to perform like a trained monkey for 2 years - this time that skill yielded a piece of paper (that I have yet to see btw) ... fantastic.

I am a highly skilled dynamo ... on paper.

I am even more highly skilled in real life. Give me a job, I'll almost assuredly figure out how to do it and do it damn well. I'm nothing if I'm not impressive when I put my mind to something.

So what happened to make the job market feel so narrow?

Posted by: Princess Cat at 11:40 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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I hate being aware
I hate being able to "read"
I hate being able to see the psychology behind actions

There is nothing I can do to change the situations. No matter how much I scream inside, no matter how much I calmly explain what is going on, the outcome is the same. Vicious cycles of self-destruct and pain go on, unhindered ... waiting to spiral out of control.

People don't want to know they are being read. People want to believe that they are above basic behavioral psychology and complicated enough to be unexplainable.

They usually aren't.

Sometimes there are extenuating circumstances to explain behavior that are not outwardly visible, but for the most part ... people are people. They are motivated by generally similar and basic things, they make decisions in fairly simple and repeatable ways. Unfortunately, the drive for certain needs yields a retardation of the normal processes and people develop "issues" they again don't want to admit exist.

I want so desperately to put people behind my eyes, to save them from themselves, to hold their hand in a new direction ... but I can't.

Despite my own shortcomings and flaws, there are some things you just know you are right about. This is mine.

I want a new thing to be right about. This superpower sucks!

Posted by: Princess Cat at 08:23 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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I got a jury questionnaire last week. UGH.

I filled it out today, signed it, folded it back up, filled in my return address on the envelope, put the questionnaire inside ... and it doesn't fit.

The morons down at the county pre-folded my questionnaire so that it is too tall to fit in the envelope.

Get with the program here people!!

Posted by: Princess Cat at 04:57 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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The man who captured fantastic iconic patriotism, determination, and pride that will live on for ages is gone.

Joe Rosenthal, the photographer who shot the Iwo Jima Flag-raising, dies at 94.

The Iwo Jima statue in Arlington, Virginia has always been one of my favorite. It has touched and inspired me in ways not much else ever could.

No matter how many times I visit the statue or look at a picture taken from Mr. Rosenthal's photo, in my mind's eye, that chance photograph represents everything America stands for. My heart feels the struggle, the teamwork, the survival, the courage, and the duty that those men, symbols for many more, carried with them. And I am proud.

Posted by: Princess Cat at 11:35 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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