February 19 - Happy President's Day

As in the past, I skip my PET PEEVE MONDAY when it falls on a Holiday Monday. This Monday is no exception, as it is President’s Day.

Now I could be upset about how the grouping of Washington and Lincoln TOGETHER trivializes their INDIVIDUAL contributions to this country.

I could state how it isn’t fair to combine these 2 great men, when Martin Luther King, Jr. and Cesar Chavez (CA state holiday) get an entire day for themselves.

I could argue the putridity of the circumstances that President’s Day now seems to belong to ALL OF THE PRESIDENTS. I actually saw a car commercial announcing a President’s Day sale. They chose to honor William Henry Harrison. He was only the President for one month. The cars had to be lemons.

I could really get PEEVED about the de-emphasis of what President’s Day is all about. BUT I WON’T.

Presidents have always played a part in my life. The only toys I have kept from my childhood are a collection of miniature figurines of each President. They have lasted almost 40 years. There have been a few casualties:

• Thomas Jefferson lost his legs
• Harry Truman lost his arm
• Lyndon Johnson lost a leg
• Bill Clinton lost my respect

I’m just kidding. My collection stopped at Richard Nixon.

Below is a photo of MY Mount Rushmore:

James Monroe, Abraham Lincoln, Richard Nixon, Teddy Roosevelt

My son has also become interested in the Presidents. It started when pint sized Presidents Taft and McKinley would take on 2 Ninja Turtles, Darth Vader, and Buzz Lightyear in battle.

It transformed into a true knowledge transfer. Jack learned all of the Presidents, in order, at the age of five. I blogged about this accomplishment and posted a video illustrating it on October 17, 2006.