Monday, October 31, 2005
Off to the battlefield
Randy's friend was in town, so we decided to go pay him a visit. But when I say "in town," I mean like 150 miles 'in town'. But it was well worth it because it was none other than that great battlefield of the American civil war: Gettysburg.
For some unknown reason, I tend to compare the civil war more lightly than other wars. Not that it is out of disrespect, but it's just that it never occurred to me that the war for United States unification and abolishment of slavery was a significant watershed event of the 19th century.
I stand corrected.
There is a little auto tour that you can take by following the tourist map and driving to the most visited, tourist saturated spots. As we passed by canons, statues, and memorials for the North Virginia Infantry for the n-billionth time, we felt as if we were a part of history. We would point out all the "Civil War" relics, such as the Civil War steel observation-tower-where-tourists-roam, Civil War Burger King Crown hanging from a tree, and the Civil War horseback riders (actually, they were just people enjoying a trot).
We drove under autumn-colored canopies and walked around the Devil's Den, where the Confederate sharp-shooters aimed for the Union soldiers at Little Round Top. The air was crisp and the balmy sun kept us warm. It was a perfect day, really. Calm and peaceful...
... except for the darn ladybugs. There was a sudden outburst of the ladybug population, and at one point, all we needed to do was stand in one spot: and 15 lady bugs would land on you. Innocuous, yet annoying. Darn lady bugs...
Once we got to the High Water Mark and Picket's Charge, it was pretty chilling. More than a 140 years ago, right there on the spot that we were standing at, the North and the South collided for the deciding battle that eventually resulted in the surrender of the South. Never again, did General Lee dare invade into a major North territory. Pretty amazing stuff.
My day concluded with another battle - completely unrelated. I was at a restroom of a gas station when I was suddenly attacked by the most vile cloud of Lysol aerosol spray. A 14-year-old girl used the bathroom before me, but apparently she found it necessary to spray the entire 2 square feet area with the Lysol spray, leaving all surfaces wet with the substance and the air unbearably misty with chemical particles. My eyes and throat started to burn, as I experienced the quickest bathroom break of my life. So, little 14-year-old in that Sunoco gas station in Gettysburg... you've got problems. I hope you see a psychologist for that, and I hope the environmentalists don't kill you for causing global warming.
For some unknown reason, I tend to compare the civil war more lightly than other wars. Not that it is out of disrespect, but it's just that it never occurred to me that the war for United States unification and abolishment of slavery was a significant watershed event of the 19th century.
I stand corrected.
There is a little auto tour that you can take by following the tourist map and driving to the most visited, tourist saturated spots. As we passed by canons, statues, and memorials for the North Virginia Infantry for the n-billionth time, we felt as if we were a part of history. We would point out all the "Civil War" relics, such as the Civil War steel observation-tower-where-tourists-roam, Civil War Burger King Crown hanging from a tree, and the Civil War horseback riders (actually, they were just people enjoying a trot).
We drove under autumn-colored canopies and walked around the Devil's Den, where the Confederate sharp-shooters aimed for the Union soldiers at Little Round Top. The air was crisp and the balmy sun kept us warm. It was a perfect day, really. Calm and peaceful...
... except for the darn ladybugs. There was a sudden outburst of the ladybug population, and at one point, all we needed to do was stand in one spot: and 15 lady bugs would land on you. Innocuous, yet annoying. Darn lady bugs...
Once we got to the High Water Mark and Picket's Charge, it was pretty chilling. More than a 140 years ago, right there on the spot that we were standing at, the North and the South collided for the deciding battle that eventually resulted in the surrender of the South. Never again, did General Lee dare invade into a major North territory. Pretty amazing stuff.
My day concluded with another battle - completely unrelated. I was at a restroom of a gas station when I was suddenly attacked by the most vile cloud of Lysol aerosol spray. A 14-year-old girl used the bathroom before me, but apparently she found it necessary to spray the entire 2 square feet area with the Lysol spray, leaving all surfaces wet with the substance and the air unbearably misty with chemical particles. My eyes and throat started to burn, as I experienced the quickest bathroom break of my life. So, little 14-year-old in that Sunoco gas station in Gettysburg... you've got problems. I hope you see a psychologist for that, and I hope the environmentalists don't kill you for causing global warming.
// posted by sakit @ 7:12 PM 
