There are so many videos of flash mobs.  Some are ok, some should never have been made.  But, every once in a while there is one that moves you.  This is just that video.

You're welcome.

Some people like apple, some like cherry.  I like: 3.141592653589793238462643383279502884197169399375105820974944592307816406286208998628034825342117067982148086513282306647093844609550582231725359408128481117450284102701938521105559644622948954930381964428810975665933446128475648233786783165271201909145648566923460348610454326648213393607260249141273724587006606315588174881520920962829254091715364367892590360011330530548820466521384146951941511609433057270365759591953092186117381932611793105118548074462379962749567351885752724891227938183011949129833673362440656643086021394946395224737190702179860943702770539217176293176752384674818467669405132000568127145263560827785771342757789609173637178721468440901224953430146549585371050792279

 Yeah, nerd humor.  Would you really expect anything else from me?

Have you ever looked at something you use everyday and start thinking about it?  Maybe I need a life, but I do.  

Last night, I was flipping through the eight billion TV channels that never seem to have anything worthwhile on them, and I began to wonder.  So, was the inventor of the remote control extraordinarily clever, or just very lazy?

I got sent this article by a friend this afternoon.  Less than an hour later, another friend sent it to me.  What are the odds?   It seems a few of my friends saw romance and Walmart together and immediately thought of me.  Nice. 

Romance isn't dead. It's just hiding at your local Walmart.

A study of "missed connection" posts on Craigslist, where love-struck hopefuls try to track down and win over a stranger who caught their eye, found that Walmart is the most popular place for people to find love at first sight, according to Psychology Today magazine. 

It could be the halo of fluorescent lights, the everyday low prices, or maybe a shared glance in the check-out line. Whatever it is, more people thought they saw their future spouse at a Walmart than anywhere else.

I swear I deserve a crown for being the most awkward girl this side of the Mason Dixon line.  I went out to dinner with my kiddos and one of DQ's friends.  I made a comment that I would marry the man that cooked the uber garlic steak that I was happily enjoying.  The server smiled, leaned towards me and said "Well, then. That's me." and winked.  My response?  Shove another piece of meat in my mouth and chew ferociously.

It's a wonder that I'm single.  Full of delicious garlicky steak, but so very single.

"What's your earliest memory?"

That's the innocuous question I was asked almost in passing.  I didn't give it much thought at the time.  Matter of fact, I forgot all about it. Later, as I was getting ready for bed, I was surprised it came back to me. So I wondered, what was my earliest memory?  How far back can I really remember?   I drifted off to sleep with this question mulling about in my mind.  All of a sudden I sat straight up in bed.  It had come to me. 

May 25, 1977. 

I was a little kid sitting in a Texas movie theater waiting for Star Wars to begin.  I had spent the entire morning collecting bottles and returning them to the store so I would have enough money to afford the movie AND popcorn.  I remember the feeling of excitement and the salty popcorn.  I swear I can smell the popcorn just thinking about it.  I remember the moment the lights went out, and for a second I felt my heart beating so hard in my chest I was afraid I was going to be sick. I remember sucking in my breath and staring straight at the screen.  

Then, it began.

I held onto the feelings Star Wars gave me.  I held them close and would dream the same dream millions of other kids had after experiencing A New Hope.  That's what it gave me.  Hope.  I had a terrible childhood filled with pain and abuse.  I would disappear into my Star Wars memories and wouldn't feel so afraid and alone.  This movie provided this scared and hurting child an escape from it all.  I wanted to be a part of  that world so badly.  

It also gave me friends.  We would play Star Wars most of the day and into the night, until the porch lights would come on signaling it was time to go home.  All the other kids would pretend they were a Jedi and I would happily be a stormtrooper.  I would pew-pew my way around trees and run and chase the rebel scum.  These are my happiest memories, and somehow it had slipped my mind until last night.  

So, to answer the question, what is my earliest memory:  My earliest memory was the moment I became a stormtrooper.

Have you seen the commercial where the lady is petrified of the cockroach on her kitchen counter?  She runs screaming from her kitchen and hires a Rambo wannabe to come in and exterminate the demon bugs.  It got me thinking.  (Yeah, I know, that's dangerous.)  Anyway, after seriously thinking about it, I realized I'm actually not afraid of cockroaches.  Nope.  Not at all.  It's the fear of his friends and family avenging his death that haunts me.