National Anthem

On 9/12 I decided 2 things.
(1) If I see a plane hit a building I am going toward not away. I think in an emergency you have to make a choice - and I made mine that day. If the same thing happens again I am going full speed to the building to help people if I can. Someone I care about very much works in a tall building and she's not dying on my watch.

(2) I am going to sing the National Anthem (audibly) at every event possible. I have always sung the National Anthem, but by sung I mean sort of mumbled the words. On 9/12 I realized "those" people want to kill people in my country. Well fuck them. And people in my country were going to war to allow me to be at a baseball game. So now I sing it out loud everytime - embarassment won't overcome patriotism again.

The weekend after 9/11 the Browns had a home game and security was intense. If you had a purse you had 2 choices - take it back to your car and stand in the huge line again - or throw it out. So we are in the, very long, search line. We headed over at the normal time - but all of the additional scrutiny was taking a long time. I was fine with it - I mean I wanted to be safe (I have literally the highest and shitiest seats in the stadium. read: least likely to escape.) Well the lady behind me is going crazy. "OH, this is fantastic!! We buy seats and we are going to miss half of the game!! This is great - this is totally pointless!! God look at this line!! They better not touch my bag!" My blood was literally boiling - I knew someone who was dead and this lady is pissed about her slight inconvenience. I was thinking of a million replies. My buddy Justin could see I was near the breaking point. I was hoping her husband would say something - because so help me I would have beat his ass to the ground that second. However, since she was a women - I contained the shear rage in me while she kept going on and on.

Well at this point the National Anthem is starting. Note to you dear reader - if you do not take off your hat during the National Antehem - I want to kill you. I am staring at you and thinking things like, "You unpatriotic fuck" and "Our grandfathers died for YOU?" Anyway, this lady keeps going, "This is fantastic - we are going to miss the whole first half!!!" I wanted to beat her savagely - 3,000 people are dead and she is pissed about missing part of a football game. I wheel around - to about 6 inches from her and I am singing the National Anthem full-go. I am just belting it out - I am half hoping her husband will intervene, so he can pay for her sins. Well, apparently this lady knows crazy when she sees - because she finally shuts the fuck up.