Right here. This is why I love going to the ballpark.

My mother's birthday is Friday. The older she gets the harder she is to buy for. My sister and I struggle each year trying to figure out what to get her. Gift certificates are out because she doesn't use them. Clothing is a definitel no no because my mom's idea of good clothing and my idea of good clothing are two different things. Perfume, nope, she doesn't usually wear it. Read? My mom doesn't really have time to sit down and whip through a book. We did finally decide on getting her one of these. Hopefully it will be here before the party on Sunday.

Monday night Bob and I went to the York Fair. When I was younger the flashing lights, games and rides were enough to keep me preoccupied. Now the only reason we go is for the food. And to mock people. Oh yeah, there's plenty to make fun of too. Let's just say that with in the first five minutes I had about 3 mullet sightings. They don't call it Pennsyltucky for nothing! We also found out our friend Deb is moving back East! Woo-Hoo! She's taking a job on the Chesapeake, only four hours away. So cool. I miss her. We've been friends for a loooong time. It will be nice to see her more than over holidays and not have to worry about what time it is (she was in California) when I call her. If only Brent would just get his butt back to the U.S.

On the eve of a very important anniversary new reports of a very bad man living have come up again. The other night I started watching a special on PBS about New York and 9/11. One part sticks in my head, it was so moving I started crying like a fool (the PMS isn't helping matters). In the segment, former mayor Ed Koch talks about his conversation with a gentleman that lost his daughter in the North Tower. How he knew the second he saw the plane hit his daughter was gone. It sent shivers up my spine. It still gets to me to see all of the pictures that were hung up of people looking for relatives. I was lucky. No one I knew was hurt or killed that day. There was some panicing until I heard from all of my friends living in NYC at the time. I remember calling Leslie's cell phone about a hundred times before she finally answered. Then I cried because I was happy she was o.k. Then I found out Dave and Yaz were o.k. finally at 10 p.m. we heard that our friend Jennie's brother Andrew (he lived and worked in the Financial District) was fine. It just took him that long to get to a phone and call someone.

I have been in New York in the past two years. The skyline is very different. Lower. There is a huge gaping hole in Lower Manhattan that will never be filled, I don't care what is built at the site. Some friends and I are going to NYC for a visit in a few weeks. I'd like to do some touristy stuff. Go to the top of the Empire State Building, maybe take the ferry out to Ellis Island or the Statue of Liberty. Heck, I'd be happy to just meander around Manhattan all day. I don't want to go to the site. It is almost sacrilegious. Several thousand people died there and as far as I'm concerened it's as sacred a place as a cemetary.

Jeez, look at me ramble. I better get cracking on my page for job #2. I am going to leave you with this though, at 8:46 a.m. tomorrow please take a moment to stop what you're doing (not if you're driving though!) and say a little prayer or remember what happened two years ago. It's the least we can do.