Dia de los Muertos

Today is The Day of the Dead down in Mexico and in a few other Latin American countries. It is a day to celebrate and honor one's dead ancestors.

So today, I honor my father, who studied his ass off at Erie Technical College so he could get a good job working outside of Boston. My grandfather, who worked his ass off so my father could get a good education. My mother's father, even though he was a philandering alcoholic. My great grandparents. My Irish ancestors that came over here on a boat 100 years ago. My German ancestors that came over to Western New York on a blimp in 1830. Actually, they took a boat, but a blimp would have been cooler. My Norman ancestors who helped conquer Ireland in the 11th century. My Saxon ancestors who ruled the small area of Saxe-Zeitzler in the 13th century. My Viking ancestors who settled Normandy in the 10th century. My Germanic ancestors who were driven from the steppes by the Huns and helped plunder the Roman Empire. My Celtic ancestors who settled France and the British Isles many centuries ago. And so on, and so forth.