Another Tragic Loss

Another Fallen St. Petersburg Police Officer

Tragically, another St. Pete police officer has fallen in the line of duty. A huge block of the city has been shut down in terms of school bus pickup. Several schools have been closed. The person who shot 46-year old David Crawford, a 25-year veteran police officer, is still on the loose. One hundred officers are in the area of Tropicana Field, near which the shooting occurred, searching for this monster. Pray they find him and for his family.

I’m so thankful my brother Ray has retired from his job with the police department in Milan, TN .

A Night at Carrabbas

Tonight, my cousin Richard, my friend Karen and I went to Carrabbas for dinner. Richard had the Spaghetti and Meatballs, Karen had a special called Rigatoni al Forno and I had the Beef Filet Tips with Creamy Polenta. Everybody really enjoyed their food. Karen took 2/3 of hers home in a foam container. Richard and I took ours home in our tummies. Following are some pictures of the fun and food and funny people:

 

 

As you can see, I really enjoyed mine much faster than everyone else. Actually – if you can believe it - it was because they  talked more than I did. Heh! Heh!

Writing Prompt: Write about a tattoo

According to Wikipedia, “A tattoo is a marking made by inserting indelible ink into the dermis layer of the skin to change the pigment for decorative or other reasons.”

When you look at a tattoo, do you consider what the person who picked that particular tattoo was trying to say about themselves?

As I see it, there are a variety of reasons people get tattoos:

• To identify themselves with a particular group, e.g., with a gang or a branch of the service
• To decorate themselves and “improve” their appearance
• To memorialize someone who has passed on
• To honor someone
• To identify someone -- the most horrific example of this is the number tattooed on Jews and others interned in concentration camps
• To defy someone, like a parent or spouse, who would not want you to get a tattoo

Are there reasons not to get a tattoo? I can think of a few:

• You may not always want to be associated with a particular group
• You may decided the tattoo does little to “improve” your appearance
• You may find out the person you are memorializing “did you wrong”
• The person you are honoring is not as honorable as you thought
• You may not want to be identified – e.g., if you are a criminal, it’s a great way for someone to point to you as the perp
• You may regret your defiance and rue the day you got the tattoo

The main reason I wouldn’t get a tattoo is that I might not like it afterwards and it is an expensive and, I’ve heard, painful process to have it removed. Plus – sorry, all my friends who have them – I think they look tacky.

Until next time…