Aen-Riv

I'm returning

Unbeknownst to some or even most, this day is celebrated in ex-Soviet countries as "defenders of the motherland" day.  An equivalent of the Veterans' Day in the US.  I remember back in my childhood years we would all pitch in for some gifts and flowers for the surviving WW2 veterans, do some plays for them, sing some patriotic songs filled with gratitude and sorrow.  We had something like and amphitheater in our school's front yard where we'd place chairs for the veterans.  It was so odd and sad to see tears rolling down their cheeks when we sang and some selected students passed through the rows handing out flowers...  But at the same time we all knew why: they are the forgotten generation of people who were forced to sacrifice everything so that others could have something.  Their pensions were laughable.  Their benefits were nonexistent.  Viewed as senile and useless at times.
"Thank you for your service" sounds so cliche and maybe even heartless.  But spoken with true appreciation and understanding of what they did - that makes all the difference.  The world could have been better.  But it also could have been worse, and it's these people who didn't let it pass.

Thank you for your service.

Ветераны...  Спасибо за ваши жертвы, вашу доблесть, и вашу службу не просто абстрактным идеалам, но всем нам.  С Днем Защитника Отечества вас.  Я искренне надеюсь, что у каждого из вас есть родные, близкие и знакомые, а то и просто случайные прохожие, которые чтут и любят вас.  А тем, кто более не с нами - вечная память.

Like a contagious disease
What?  I'm playing a Death Knight in WOW.  That's what they do.

Have you noticed how pretty much all art out there with angels and other winged feathered creatures has feathers flying all over the scene?  I keep wondering how come they molt so much every single time they fly, land, or take off.  Real birds only go through occasional molting.  Excessive feather loss outside of that is a sign of sickness or parasites.  Like mites...  Yeah, that thought is going to haunt me.