In Case You Forgot...

…that today is September 11^th, there are several things that will remind you, if you live in the DC area (I would imagine that there are similar signs around New York today). The first major sign was the police officers armed with assault rifles, clad in bulletproof vests, at the Metro station this morning. Not something I see every day, as I make my way in from the 'burbs. They even had a dog with them, presumably to sniff out bombs or anything else that might indicate someone was up to no good. The dog didn’t, however, strike me as being tremendously vicious, as his handler was rubbing his belly, so he was rolling around on his back, wagging his tail, with his tongue lolling out to the side. He did, however, flip over and stand at attention when someone walked by, so I suppose all that training hasn’t been wasted.

Kind of reminds me of a time when my mom was in an airport, having just gotten off a long flight. She was waiting to get her bags, and noticed a dog sniffing around next to her. Being somewhat tired, and a generally friendly sort, she knelt down and was scritching the dog behind its ears when she heard a very stern voice say “Ma’am, please step away from the dog.”

Apparently, Customs folks don’t really like it when you try to make nice with their dogs…I can’t imagine why.

It’s slowly but surely getting cooler outside these days. I love the fall and the holiday season, and I’m excited to break out the snuggly sweaters and scarves and such. I’m not, however, looking forward to that day that will come in the middle of January where I’ll think “wow, this weather sucks”. For the time being, it’s the promise of something new!

And I am *way* behind on my Christmas shopping – especially as compared with last year! Granted, the exotic gift buying opportunities in Fayetteville aren’t what they are in Vietnam (although, I suppose that depends on which definition of “exotic” you’re using.), but I do like to have some things underway by this time. Yes, I am insane. If I’m fine with it, I don’t see why everyone else shouldn’t be…