Tag: Memorial Day

Happy Memorial Day 2025!

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In time-honored TPP tradition, I take Memorial Day off from writing movie reviews (indeed, today’s post is almost verbatim last year’s post).  Memorial Day marks the last day off from work until summer break, which literally starts in about three days for yours portly.  It makes the day off somewhat superfluous, but, really, the next two or three days of work will be largely superfluous, too.  We’ll finalize grades for our classes by department, and by the time you’re reading this brief post, I should be done with report card comments).

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Happy Memorial Day 2024!

The Portly Politico8 Comments

In time-honored TPP tradition, I take Memorial Day off from writing movie reviews.  Memorial Day marks the last day off from work until summer break, which literally starts in about three days for yours portly.  It makes the day off somewhat superfluous, but, really, the next two or three days of work will be largely superfluous, too.  We’ll finalize grades for our classes by department, and by the time you’re reading this brief post, I should be done with report card comments).

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Happy Memorial Day 2023!

The Portly Politico10 Comments

In time-honored TPP tradition, I take Memorial Day off from writing movie reviews.  Memorial Day marks the last day off from work until summer break, which literally starts in about three days for yours portly.  It makes the day off somewhat superfluous, but, really, the next two or three days of work will be largely superfluous, too.  We’ll finalize grades for our classes by department, and by the time you’re reading this brief post, I should be done with report card comments (all 100 of them, exactly!).

But for today, I’m (hopefully) kicking back after a busy weekend of Spring Jamming and graduation-attending.

What of Memorial Day itself?  Back in 2021, I wrote the following:

Memorial Day typically marks the beginning of summer.  Given that it’s a day to remember those who have died for our liberties, some might see it as somewhat ironic, or even disrespectful, that we spend the day at the beach eating hot dogs.

I prefer to think of it another way:  it’s a celebration of everything for which those men died.  Hot dogs, pool parties, family, good music, good times; in essence, freedom, the kind of freedom that Americans savor.

That freedom was bought with a heavy price—and it’s been bought over and over again.  Indeed, the fight continues here at home.

Don’t take these freedoms for granted.  Take a moment—between bites of hot dog—and give thanks to those men for our liberty, and to God that we live in the United States of America.

That pretty much sums it up.  Here’s to hot dogs—and liberty!

God Bless,

TPP

Happy Memorial Day 2022!

The Portly Politico12 Comments

Like last year, I’m taking this Memorial Day off from Monday Morning Movie Reviews and blogging.  Depending on how productive I was Sunday, I may or may not be writing comments for final report cards today; otherwise, I’m kicking back and taking it easy.

Memorial Day is a bit of a curious holiday to me.  As I wrote last year:

Memorial Day typically marks the beginning of summer.  Given that it’s a day to remember those who have died for our liberties, some might see it as somewhat ironic, or even disrespectful, that we spend the day at the beach eating hot dogs.

I prefer to think of it another way:  it’s a celebration of everything for which those men died.  Hot dogs, pool parties, family, good music, good times; in essence, freedom, the kind of freedom that Americans savor.

That freedom was bought with a heavy price—and it’s been bought over and over again.  Indeed, the fight continues here at home.

Don’t take these freedoms for granted.  Take a moment—between bites of hot dog—and give thanks to those men for our liberty, and to God that we live in the United States of America.

I’ll definitely be enjoying hot dogs and freedom today—I have an abundant supply of the former from The TJC Spring Jam and Recital, and an abundance of the latter thanks to our forebears.

Here’s wishing you a restful day, too!

Happy Memorial Day!

—TPP

Happy Memorial Day 2021!

The Portly PoliticoLeave a comment

In lieu of the usual Monday Morning Movie Review, I thought I’d take it easy today.  Memorial Day typically marks the beginning of summer.  Given that it’s a day to remember those who have died for our liberties, some might see it as somewhat ironic, or even disrespectful, that we spend the day at the beach eating hot dogs.

I prefer to think of it another way:  it’s a celebration of everything for which those men died.  Hot dogs, pool parties, family, good music, good times; in essence, freedom, the kind of freedom that Americans savor.

That freedom was bought with a heavy price—and it’s been bought over and over again.  Indeed, the fight continues here at home.

Don’t take these freedoms for granted.  Take a moment—between bites of hot dog—and give thanks to those men for our liberty, and to God that we live in the United States of America.

Lazy Sunday CXV: Memorable Mondays

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Tomorrow is Memorial Day, which got me thinking about an unofficial series of posts I do on Mondays when I’m too busy to write real content:  Memorable Monday.  It’s pretty much like TBT, but on Mondays instead of Thursdays.

At some point, I started numbering Memorable Monday, but apparently not consistently—only three of them are marked with my signature Roman numeral style.  As such, it’s unclear which is the first Memorable Monday.  Sure, I could just find the edition with the earliest date, but this is Lazy Sunday, and that wouldn’t be terribly lazy of me, would it?

So, here are two installments of Memorable Monday—the second and third.  Can you figure out The One True First Installment?  Leave a comment if you figure it out!

  • “Memorable Monday II: Monday Steakhouse Blues” (and “Monday Steakhouse Blues“) – Steak and stress seem to be staples of my life.  What’s interesting is how the two seem to move in tandem.  This post reflected on the extremely busy nature of the end of third quarter, which seems to be the time of the academic year when everything happens at once.  At least this year I have learned my lesson:  I’m finally grading stuff in a very timely manner.
  • “Memorable Monday III: Memorial Day 2019” (and “Memorial Day 2019“) – Memorial Day is a day for low blog traffic and low expectations.  That’s not meant to diminish the memories of those who gave their lives for our country, just an accurate assessment:  people are outside having a good time, not sitting in a dark room reading The Portly Politico.  Ergo, why not take the day off, too, and do a little recycling?

That’s it for this very lazy Lazy Sunday.  If you figure out which Memorable Monday is the first installment, post a comment below!

Happy Sunday!

—TPP

Other Lazy Sunday Installments:

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Memorable Monday III: Memorial Day 2019

The Portly PoliticoLeave a comment

It’s Memorial Day 2020!  We’re still in The Age of The Virus, but even Blue Staters in Maryland are hitting the beaches.  People have had enough of sitting around in fear.  It’s summertime, baby!

It’s fitting that the day when Americans remember those who gave their lives for our freedom, we’re going out in droves to enjoy it.  I don’t wish The Virus on anyone, and prudence is warranted, but it’s time to get on with our lives.

I’m spending time with family, then am going to take in some of our great State on a leisurely drive home.  There’s not much time for fresh material, so today I’m looking back to last year’s Memorial Day tribute.

Here is 2019’s “Memorial Day 2019“:

It’s Memorial Day here in the United States, which marks the unofficial start of summer.  More importantly, Memorial Day is a federal holiday set aside to remember veterans who have fallen in combat.  The United States observes two other days dedicated to veterans:  Armed Services Day, which honors those men and women currently serving in the armed services; and Veterans’ Day, which honors all American servicemen and women, living, dead, retired, active, etc.

We often hear encomiums this time of year about the numbers of men and women who have died to preserve our freedoms.  These tributes are, of course, true (and, one hopes, heartfelt), and are worth reiterating.

I end every year of my American history courses urging my students to remember how precious their patrimony is, and that liberty is a fragile thing that must be preserved.  I, too, mention the “men and women who gave their lives so that we might be free.”  I then follow that up with noting that, while they hear that sentiment expressed often, they now know (having completed a year of American history) how true it is.

Nevertheless, it’s easy to forget the magnitude of that sacrifice.  In an age where wars are so distant and remote they barely register for us anymore (remember:  we’re still fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan), it’s easy to take our soldiers for granted.  It’s easier, still, to forget the sheer number of combat deaths—750,000 in the American Civil War alone.

To that end, I’ve elected to spare you any further pontificating, and present instead this Wikipedia entry on “United States military casualties of war,” which breaks down the numbers succinctly.  Yet even dry statistics and bar charts speak volumes.

God Bless America!

–TPP

Memorial Day 2019

The Portly Politico4 Comments

It’s Memorial Day here in the United States, which marks the unofficial start of summer.  More importantly, Memorial Day is a federal holiday set aside to remember veterans who have fallen in combat.  The United States observes two other days dedicated to veterans:  Armed Services Day, which honors those men and women currently serving in the armed services; and Veterans’ Day, which honors all American servicemen and women, living, dead, retired, active, etc.

We often hear encomiums this time of year about the numbers of men and women who have died to preserve our freedoms.  These tributes are, of course, true (and, one hopes, heartfelt), and are worth reiterating.

I end every year of my American history courses urging my students to remember how precious their patrimony is, and that liberty is a fragile thing that must be preserved.  I, too, mention the “men and women who gave their lives so that we might be free.”  I then follow that up with noting that, while they hear that sentiment expressed often, they now know (having completed a year of American history) how true it is.

Nevertheless, it’s easy to forget the magnitude of that sacrifice.  In an age where wars are so distant and remote they barely register for us anymore (remember:  we’re still fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan), it’s easy to take our soldiers for granted.  It’s easier, still, to forget the sheer number of combat deaths—750,000 in the American Civil War alone.

To that end, I’ve elected to spare you any further pontificating, and present instead this Wikipedia entry on “United States military casualties of war,” which breaks down the numbers succinctly.  Yet even dry statistics and bar charts speak volumes.

God Bless America!

–TPP