It Was A Bad Wednesday

Yesterday I missed my hair coloring appointment. I had it in my head that the appointment was at 1800 and in reality it was at 1600. Sue is very graciously rescheduling me for Friday, so I will look perfect at Frank's graduation Saturday. I was terribly peeved with myself because I had deliberately pushed back the hair coloring schedule so it would be perfect this weekend and that meant the whole "roots" thing was worse than usual.
So, I thought I might run a few errands, grab something for dinner. I had something particular in mind...........wasn't in the store. OK, second choice. No, all out of that too. Then I pop over to the pharmacy. My PCP called in a prescription for high dose niacin. My "good" cholesterol is too low. Don't hear that one too often, do ya? Despite all the meat the late Dr. Atkins has me eating, my overall cholesterol is very low, my bad is negligible. So, I sign for he script (apparently I'd have to take a bazillion regular vitamins to get this dose) and it $25! What? Plus $5 worth of enteric coated aspirin to go with it. WTF? $30 bucks for vitamin B and aspirin?

Now I'm just aggravated.

Then I saw the Red Sox.

OK, it's something going around.

Passion and emotion make for awful policy

The Armorer has a post up today you should read. It's not easy to read, but you should. You should read it carefully, perhaps more than once.

I'm not posting this to show what a sensitive guy I am. Quite the contrary.
I have a naked political reason for doing so. And a rather specific audience in mind

I Could Watch This Over and Over

I absolutely screamed laughing the first time I saw this. The other night it came on and Jen was in the other room and I fumbled about for the remote. I love DVR. I paused and played it for her.
God it's funny!

What An Assclown!

TB Patient Is Isolated After Taking Two Flights
Dr. Martin S. Cetron , an agency official, said he reached the man on his cellphone while he was in Italy to inform him that tests performed before he left for Europe showed that he had a form of tuberculosis that was extremely resistant to standard antibiotics. Dr. Cetron said that he advised the man not to take commercial flights home from Europe and that a United States Embassy would provide assistance, including examination by a tuberculosis expert.
While the agency began to explore ways to bring the man home, he flew to Montreal and drove into the United States. Then, after agency officials made contact with him, he followed their instructions to drive safely into New York without risk to the public.

How much of a self important jackass do you have to be to think your flight to Italy ourweighs the danger you pose to others? And then, when officials tell you to go to the American Embassy and they will make sure you get home safely.......when they tell you they will make sure to minimize the danger *you* pose to others...........you still jump *another* commercial flight. I hope everyone on both flights files suit against for him mental anguish! I hope the CDC keeps him locked up for a long time! I hope the orderlies don't empty his bed pan! I hope he hears the snap of the latex glove!

U.S. 'will not avert our eyes'

President Bush, protesting the government of Sudan's continued support of militias and thwarting of peacekeeping efforts in the violence-plagued Darfur region, today announced increased U.S. economic sanctions against several Sudanese companies and individuals and called on the United Nations to step up sanctions against the government of President Omar Hassan al-Bashir.

"For too long, the people of Darfur have suffered at the hands of a government that is complicit in the bombing, murder and rape of innocent civilians,'' said Bush, again describing as "genocide'' a military campaign that has left more than 200,000 dead and displaced more than 2.5 million people as refugees from the Darfur region. "The world has a responsibility to help put an end to it.

Read the rest here.

Some will say it's too little. Some will question what took so long.

Whatever.

Some people are never happy and could never be happy with anything Bush did.

It's a step in the right direction and I'll take it.

Memorial Day 2007

Today is a day for remembering as The Armorer and Mike Nachshen point out. So, I will remember.I will remember my Uncle Danny who gave his life on Iwo Jima on March 3, 1945.
I will also remember my Uncle Jim who died on November 28, 1942. Jim was home on leave from the Marines when he lost his life at the Coconut Grove fire. Jim got his date and the couple they were with out safely before going back inside.

Happy Brithday

John Wayne was born 100 years ago today. I am so in the mood for Rio Bravo. AMC is having a John Wayne film fest. Love it!!

5:45 AM
Blood Alley
8:15 AM
Sands of Iwo Jima
10:15 AM
Santa Fe Stampede
11:15 AM
Wake of the Red Witch
1:30 PM
The Shepherd of the Hills
3:30 PM
Rio Grande
5:30 PM
North to Alaska
8:00 PM
The Quiet Man
10:30 PM
Hellfighters

Turner Classic Movies is also running a few.
4:15pm
Big Jim McLain (1952) A U.S. agent takes on communists in Hawaii.Cast: John Wayne, Nancy Olson, James Arness. Dir: Edward Ludwig. BW-90 mins, TV-PG
6:00pm
Trouble Along the Way (1953) A famous football coach uses underhanded means to turn a bankrupt college's team into winners.Cast: John Wayne, Donna Reed, Charles Coburn. Dir: Michael Curtiz. BW-110 mins, TV-PG

SB's fav "In Harm's Way" (when you click on this link Wayne is wearing dress whites and I am stupified) will play June 27th, @ 12:45 pm.

That's the one where John Wayne has a "Maggie"....................just like SB has a "Maggie"..............but yours is better, huh baby?

Navy Girls Like........

......Navy history! (What were you thinkin'?)

Mike/Matt (inside joke) over at EagleSpeak has a history lesson up about the Navy Hymn.

Sunday Ship History:The Navy Hymn and a little more.

Thank You For Your Service, Commander Lippold

Former Cole commander to retire today
The Virginian-Pilot
© May 24, 2007

WASHINGTON - Cmdr. Kirk Lippold, who saved his ship after a devastating attack in a faraway harbor but lost his career in a bureaucratic and political struggle at home, leaves the Navy today.

Lippold, 47, will retire in a ceremony at the Navy Memorial, a few blocks from the U.S. Capitol

He would prefer to stay in the service, he said in an interview this week, but insisted he's leaving with no bitterness toward the Navy leaders and politicians - including Sen. John Warner of Virginia - who precipitated his departure.

"That's not for me to judge," he said.

Lippold was skipper of the Norfolk-based destroyer Cole when suicide bombers in Aden, Yemen, blew a 40-foot hole in the side of his ship and killed 17 sailors in October 2000

In the days that followed, he displayed a coolness in the emergency that was widely credited with keeping the Cole afloat and preventing more deaths

But after an investigator concluded that Lippold failed to take security precautions that might have prevented the attack - a finding ultimately rejected by the Navy's top admiral and then-Defense Secretary William Cohen - Lippold's star dimmed.

In 2001, Warner, then chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, convened a hearing on lessons learned from the Cole attack and used the forum to complain that "despite many shortfalls in the performance of those aboard... not a single disciplinary action of any kind was taken."

A year later, with Warner serving as the committee's ranking Republican member, senators failed to act on Lippold's nomination for promotion to captain.

And in 2004, amid reports the nomination was about to be revived, Warner penned a letter asserting that Lippold had "exhibited questionable qualities of judgment, forehandedness and attention to detail."

Warner also sought an opinion on Lippold's performance from the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the nation's top military officers. They wrote back in April 2004 that Lippold was "fully suited and qualified for promotion."

Despite his questions about the nomination, Warner has insisted he never formed an opinion about Lippold's fitness.

Lippold met privately with Warner last summer to discuss the attack and his future and publicly challenged Navy leaders and the Bush administration to resubmit his nomination.

But in August, the service announced that Navy Secretary Donald Winter had concluded that Lippold's performance in the days leading to the attack "did not meet the high standards he expects of commanding officers."

Adm. Mike Mullen, the chief of naval operations, agreed.

Lippold has held a series of desk jobs in the Pentagon since the Cole attack and devoted much of his time to giving speeches on the bombing and leadership in crisis to military audiences.

He has distilled the speech down to about an hour, he said, and intends to try a second career in public speaking, delivering it wherever he can find an audience.

With the war on terrorism far from over, "what happened is still topical," Lippold said. And more than six years after his ship was hit, he believes there are still major gaps in U.S. preparedness to deal with terrorist threats, he said.

Sir, you deserved so much better. You may not be bitter, but I am. Sen. Warner is an asshat. In this matter, I am deeply disappointed in Sec. Winter and Adm. Mullen.

I hope the future holds better things for you. Again, thank you for your service, sir.

A Memorial Day Guest Post

Commentary by Maj. Mike Nachshen
Public Affairs Education with Industry Partner

Soon it will be Memorial Day, and I'll remember.

I'll remember Eric. I'll remember how even though I only met him two or three times, his wife was my deputy and I knew him through her eyes. I'll remember that every time she talked about the love of her life, her face would come alive and her sparkling eyes would light up the whole room. I'll remember that even though my wife and I couldn't make it to their wedding, we got the newlyweds a silver-serving spoon they had listed on their registry. I'll remember when I last saw him, Eric and his wife were holding hands, and they looked the way people do when they're madly in love with each other.

And because it will be Memorial Day, I'll remember. I'll remember hearing we lost a plane in Iraq. I'll remember how I figured the odds were pretty slim that it was someone I knew. I'll remember the sepia-toned West Texas landscape as we drove for what seemed like an eternity to the memorial service, 90 long miles away. And I'll remember the way the eyes of Eric's wife glistened with tears as she contemplated being a widow at 26 while walking down that long aisle dressed in black and all alone.

And because it will be Memorial Day, I'll remember my friend Sarah. I'll remember how Sarah would stop by my desk every time she had business in my building and how her smile and laughter would burst into every nook and cranny and drop kick your rotten mood into the trash can. I'll remember how she would put funny pictures in my staff meeting slides when I stepped away from my desk for more than 30 seconds without locking my computer. And I'll remember Friday evenings at the officer's club, as we tried to solve world hunger and cure cancer while we washed down fried food with endless pitchers of frosty beverages.

And because it will be Memorial Day, I'll remember. I'll remember how excited Sarah was when she told me about her upcoming deployment ... and how as I looked at her, I recalled what it felt like to be a high-speed, low-drag young lieutenant headed overseas for the first time on what promised to be a giant adventure. I'll remember being deployed for Hurricane Katrina relief efforts, opening that e-mail from my boss back home, and reading the message which began "Mike, there is no easy way to tell you this ..." And I'll remember what the dirt felt like on my hands as I threw it on her coffin while her parents and brothers cried and tried to understand what strange law of physics could allow a small wooden box to contain Sarah's irrepressible energy.

And because it will be Memorial Day, I'll remember to make my way down to the local Veteran's cemetery and remember the lives that were and the lives that should have been. I'll remember Eric and Sarah had dreams and goals and aspirations. And while Eric and Sarah are surely heroes who died for their country, I'll remember them not as towering figures to be worshipped, but as people who laughed, loved and brought others happiness while trying to make the world a better place. And perhaps most importantly, I'll remember that they had people who loved them, and still miss them and think about them every day.

And I'll remember I'm on sacred ground and that each marker represents the crushed dream of a wife, a parent, a brother. I'll run my hand over the marble stone that marks some stranger's final resting place and remember that below my feet lies someone's Sarah, someone's Eric.

And because it will be Memorial Day, I'll remember my other brothers and sisters. I'll remember the Irish soccer fanatic we nicknamed Pikey, and his beautiful baby girl who will grow up never knowing her father. I'll remember Meagan, whose warmth and can-do attitude infected you from 6,000 miles away. I'll remember Ben, who lived three houses down from me and was always working in his yard. They are all heroes now. But they are all real people to me. Now they're gone. I'll never forget them.

And, because it will be Memorial Day, I will forget some things. I'll forget the killer deals on new cars, plasma-screen TVs and deluxe dining room sets. I'll forget the crass commercialism. I'll forget the things that don't matter in life.

Because it will be Memorial Day, I'll remember the important things instead. I'll remember to kiss my wife and tell her I love her. I'll remember the friends I lost and the friends I'll never get a chance to meet. I'll remember they had names and faces. I'll remember ... I'll remember.

Princess Crabby Concurs

"We are not interested in the possibilities of defeat.” —Queen Victoria

Usless Historical Fact

U.S. Army Gen. Ambrose Burnside, who later was a U.S. senator and for whom sideburns were named, was born on this day in 1824

God, I Hope I Don't Get Caught At This!

There is a place I read stuff......I lurk.

I am not supposed to be there.

But this was just too funny. ......SB and I were laughed ourselves silly as we read this.

He is "west of Worcester" tonight. That is to say, he is not in Boston. There is Boston..........and then there is everything "west of Worcester". Anyway, we spent part of our conversation with me doing color for the Red Sox win tonight over the Yankmees........I am wicked good at that. Then we were surfing on our respective computers and discussing things on the phone. We read this article over at FoxNews.
"Viagra for Jet Lag?"
Researcher Patricia Agostino and her colleagues injected hamsters with sildenafil, the active ingredient in Viagra, at night before turning on bright lights six hours earlier than normal – giving them a man-made dose of jet lag.

Then we read the comments at "Secret Squirrel" and we howled at this one.

"Wait Wait Wait
How the hell do you give hamsters jetlag???
More to the point how do you determine if the furry little fuckers are at normal or below normal performance?
How do you know if the little guys have "perked up" and gotten over their jetlag!!!
Monitoring their performance on the hamster wheel won't work because they are on Viagra and can't use the thing or they will get their crank stuck in the grooves.
What kind of world do we live in when we keep hamsters awake for 72 hours to make them jetlagged and then give them sex drugs and observe the results.
I think I read about this in the "New England Journal of Evil"

I can't give a hotel tango to the author, because I was never supposed to see it. But.........

Dear Anonymous,
Thanks for the laugh.
Maggie and SB

P.S. Last month I was published in the "New England Journal of Evil"

Karma

"'CROSS' THIEF KILLED BY BX. BUS"

A brazen thief who stole a golden crucifix and chain from a Bronx jeweler yesterday was hit and killed by a bus as he tried to escape on a bicycle.

HEHEHEHE!

The Bottom Line

The Armorer has a very interesting post up at The Castle.

On the Democrats, Republicans, and the waging of the war.

He starts off:
I've made no secret of the fact that I was very uncomfortable with invading Iraq.

I, on the other hand, was fully in favor and continue to believe that it was the right thing to do (poorly executed, yada, yada,yada). Could this be why Sgt. B refers to me as despotic?
If you are new here and want to say that it's easy for me to say that when it isn't impacting me.......I have two sons (and my two extras) who are of draftable age and the military is a frequently discussed option among them. One or more of them will end up in the military.
SB is prepping for his 3rd tour since 9/11. The favorite Naval consort will pack my heart (my teeny, tiny, atrophied, black, shriveled heart) into his seabag and head for the Sandbox. So.......it impacts me.

That said, the Armorer and I are in complete agreement here.

It doesn't matter how we got there. It doesn't matter how you think you were lied to. It doesn't matter if you think there was a connection between Sadam and Al—Qaeda. The only thing that matters now is that both Al—Qaeda and Iran and the terrorist groups they back and inspire believe that Iraq is their decisive battle. They have chosen it as the place where they will defeat America, and unlike the Viet Cong, they will not stay put. They will follow us home.

Go read it. It's very good.

West Loch

Jen and I watched a special on the History Channel about this episode in WWII history.

On a calm Sunday morning over fifty years ago, the naval base at Pearl Harbor was rocked by a massive explosion. But this tragedy--which claimed 163 lives and wounded almost 400--occurred on May 21, 1944, two and a half years after the "Day of Infamy."

The second disaster at Pearl Harbor is unfamiliar to most Americans, but the story is fascinating, if still somewhat obscured. THE OTHER TRAGEDY AT PEARL HARBOR follows four veterans of that fateful day--Marine Jim Reed of Dallas, Coast Guardsman William Montague of Montgomery, IL, Marine Calvin Frawley of Springboro, PA and Navy Sailor Alex Bernal of Tuscon, AZ--as they return to West Loch, Pearl Harbor, for the first time. They recall how hundreds of ships were being prepared for the top-secret invasion of Saipan, and how an explosion in one quickly set others on fire. Their recollections provide a gripping, minute-by-minute account of the disaster, while footage shot on that day by Marine cameraman Harold Weinberger brings the horror to life.

Along with the personal stories of the event, we'll hear from historian Howard Shuman, who has investigated the inconclusive findings of the official investigation into THE OTHER TRAGEDY AT PEARL HARBOR.

Blood Chits

This was an interesting subject. The pic above is a Flying Tigers Blood Chit.

This history of blood chits goes back 1793, when a Frenchman named Jean-Pierre Blanchard visited America in his hot air balloon. Blancharf didn't speak English and with the uncertain nature of ballooning, didn't know where he'd end up. So, George Washington gave him a letter that said "all US citizens were obliged to assist him to return to Philadelphia".

In WWI, the British Royal Flying Corps in India carried "goolie chits". Goolie was the Hindustani word for ball and British slang for testicle. A "goolie chit" promised a reward for the safe return of a British aviator. Why "goolie"? Because some tribesmen would have their women castrate downed pilots and keep them as slaves. Yikes!

The Flying Tigers of the American Volunteer Group wore Blood Chits on the back of their flight jackets. They later found it best to sew them inside the jacket in case they were downed in a Communist area.

Later, when the United States entered the war in 1941, it issued blood chits in almost 50 different languages. And, a reward was offered to those who assisted downed fliers.

The U.S. government kept its word. The greatest reward ever given went to the family that aided a B-29 crew shot down on 12 July 1950, two weeks after the start of the Korean War. The crewmen, badly injured, were found by North Korean civilians. Yu Ho Chun found the blood chit in the pocket of one flier. He gave the Americans medical aid. Then, at great personal risk, he put them on a junk and sailed them 100 miles down the coast to safety. Two weeks later the North Korean Army found Chun, tortured him, and then killed him. But, 43 years later in 1993 the United States paid $100,000.00 to his son, Yu Song Dan.

During the war in Vietnam the fighter, attack, and helicopter crews carried new blood chits. These chits displayed the American flag, plus an appeal in 14 languages: English, Burmese, Thai, Old Chinese, New Chinese, Laotian, Cambodian, Tagalog, Vietnamese, Visayan, Malayan, French, Indonesian, and Dutch. The wording in each language was the same:.

I am a citizen of the United States of America. I do not speak your language. Misfortune forces me to seek your assistance in obtaining food, shelter, and protection. Please take me to someone who will provide for my safety and see that I am returned to my people. My government will reward you.

In Vietnam, as in World War II, some unique missions required unique measures. On certain Black Ops flights, in addition to their blood chits, the aircrews carried paper money and gold coins.

Today the United States has pre-printed blood chits most for locations throughout the world. Blood chits, in the appropriate languages, were issued to airmen for operations in Panama, Grenada, Somalia, Bosnia, and the Gulf War. Since the Gulf War, use of blood chits has continued among airmen flying the hostile skies of Southwest Asia.

Today the blood chit package includes money, and sometimes a pointee-talkee pictorial display.

I Don't Drink Beer....But

I like this.

A 2006 study found that the average American walks about 900 miles a year.

Another study found that Americans drink an average of 22 gallons of beer a year.

That means, on average, Americans get about 41 miles per gallon.

Keep Walking!

h/t Libertarian Leanings

10 Attributes of Really Lazy People

Sadly........oh so sadly...........this me.

HolyJuan: 10 Attributes of Really Lazy People

You know I am doing absolutely nothing today. A little laundry.........a little blogging..........cleaning out the DVR............
I am exhausted, last night was local blogger meeting and I had a great time!

Jen Is Screaming At Me On IM

We are listening to Michael Graham talk about McCain.

I have to admit it.

It's finally over.

I'm sorry Senator McCain. It's over between us.

I told Jen that this is hard for me. I was a McCain Girl. It's like watching someone I really loved and trusted....drunk and making a fool of himself.

Jen said "No it's more like the guy you loved and trusted sleeping with your spouse. Complete betrayal."

She's right. She's harsh. But she's right.

To rub salt in the wound SB will cheerfully point out that of course she's right, he agrees totally with her. SB left McCain a while ago.

Jen just asked who I was voting for now. For God's sake! We just broke up! Give me a minute!

USS Spruance and USS William P. Lawrence

Destroyer names honor heroes of Vietnam, WWII - Navy Times

A well-respected admiral known as much for his integrity and dignity as for his accomplishments, and one of the greatest naval tactical commanders of World War II will be commemorated by two new Arleigh Burke-class destroyers to be built for the Navy.

Names for the USS William P. Lawrence (DDG 110) and USS Spruance (DDG 111) were to be announced May 11 by Navy Secretary Donald Winter. The choices continue the recent practice of applying well-deserved new names and perpetuating classic ship monikers for the Navy’s destroyers.

H/T to Steeljaw Scribe who has a great post up on this

The Post Below...........

.....made a funny little story pop into my head. As I mentioned below, my Dad didn't wear Old Spice. He wore English Leather. He wore that until his financial situation improved enough to move onto bigger and better things. LOL Four kids, Catholic schools, houses to maintain, cars to buy, Patriots season tickets.........aftershave was way down the list, I'm sure. Plus I think it took until Jen was buying gifts to make some improvements in things like that. I am the kind of person who finds out what you like and gets it. Jen and Grace are the people who think beyond that and find you something new you will like.

Anyway, by the time he moved out of drugstore brands and into department store brands, he had a ton of English Leather stockpiled. Being a practical man, he didn't want it to go to waste. So he had the bright idea of giving it to my ex. At the time we were still married. No one asked me. No one told me.

The day after these hatched this great idea, John got up before me, showered, used his nifty new stuff and went to work. When he came home, I was out at work. By the time I got home he was in bed. I shower (this was back in the waitress phase and I always showered before bed even though I knew full well, I would shower again in the morning), and slip into bed.

The horror! My mind was on overload. I could barely speak for a moment. There was a man in bed, trying to kiss me.....................who smelled just like my father! All I can remember is yelling for him to shower! Shower right now!

He showered. I stripped the bed and changed the sheets. He thought it was hilarious. So did my sisters and mother when I told them later. No one had any sympathy for my trauma.

Some Nonsense

When I was a little girl I liked the Old Spice commercials. My father didn't wear it and I had no idea what it smelt like. I just liked the sailors, lol. There's a wicked shocka, huh?
So anyway......this new series of commercials made me laugh. I love the whole spoof aspect, plus at the end, they play the little jingle.
The funniest part is..........guess what SB wears? LOL

Some History

In 1944, Allied troops captured Monte Cassino in Italy after one of the longest and bloodiest battles of World War II.

From the BBC
1944: Monte Cassino falls to the Allies

The Polish flag is flying over the ruins of the ancient Italian monastery which has been a symbol of German resistance since the beginning of the year.
Polish troops entered the hill-top abbey this morning, six days after the latest attacks began on this strategic stronghold at the western end of the German defensive position known as the Gustav Line.
British troops have taken control of the fortified town of Cassino at the foot of the "Monastery Hill".

It has a little vid and some other stuff too, if you follow the link.

It's About Freakin' Time!

Wolfowitz Resigns From World Bank

What the hell took so long? I am so tired of people not taking responsibility. There was no gray area here. Don't tell me that there were extenuating circumstances. Does he expects us to believe that he didn't know that it was wrong? Please!

The Washington Post has a lengthy article which outlines his whole career and has all these people saying he was never management material. Where were all these nitwits before?

But others, including some friends and admirers, saw the seeds of Wolfowitz's demise in the arc of his 34-year Washington career -- a steady rise through the State Department and the Pentagon, interrupted only to become dean of Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies during the Clinton years. Throughout, Wolfowitz built a reputation as a foreign policy iconoclast, a mild-mannered intellectual with a steely ideological core, and an inept manager.
Wolfowitz, they concluded, should never have been in charge of a multinational institution owned by more than 180 governments and with 10,000 employees.
"At the World Bank, you're not as well protected" as in government, said Fred Ikle, a veteran national security official who brought Wolfowitz to the U.S. Arms Control and Disarmament Agency in 1973. "You don't have somebody above you who will endorse what you want to do."
Another former colleague who served with Wolfowitz in four administrations said that "the kinds of problems he got into were predictable for anybody who really knew Paul." Speaking on the condition of anonymity, the source voiced admiration for his intellect but said Wolfowitz "couldn't run a two-car funeral."

"couldn't run a two car funeral." Great! Where were you when they were vetting him, buddy? STFU. You were no help.

Ascension Thursday

So, after work I drove up to St. Francis for Mass. There were two different wakes happening in close proximity to the church. Parking is rarely easy there, but tonight was particularly difficult.

The spot was small.............the Saturn dislikes reverse..........I am left-handed.........

Do I get extra points for making it to Mass on time under such difficult circumstances?

Hey! This is important! You know I need all the points I can get.

Godspeed Major Doug Zembiec

I've read a lot of stuff about Major Zembiec over at Op-For and BlackFive. However, the most moving thing I have read was in an article over at WaPo.

While Zembiec was stationed at Camp Pendleton after the Fallujah campaign, his parents visited. Zembiec and his father, Don, drove onto the base to shoot skeet and were stopped at the gate by a young Marine. Are you Captain Zembiec's father? the Marine asked. Yes, his father said.
"I was with your son in Fallujah," the Marine said. "He was my company commander. If we had to go back in there, I would follow him with a spoon."

My condolences to Major Zembiec's wife, daughter, parents and his Marine family.

A Ticket I Could Get Behind

I am stealing this whole from Blogs4Bauer, but you have to go there to read the comments.

A Presidential Ticket With Some Firepower

They've gotta be better than Hillary/Obama, right?

Good Job, Wyatt Earp!

Are We Not Trying Hard Enough?

Miami holds top spot on rude driver list

For the second straight year, rude Miami drivers have earned the city the title of worst road rage in a survey released Tuesday.

The list, ranked from those reporting the most incidents of road rage to the fewest:
1. Miami
2. New York
3. Boston
4. Los Angeles
5. Washington, D.C.

3? Is that the best we can do?

May 15...

...in 1602, the English explorer Bartholomew Gosnold dropped anchor off the Massachusetts coast. While he and four others went ashore, the rest of the crew pulled in so many cod that they "threw numbers of them overboard again." When Gosnold returned to the ship and saw the abundance of fish, he decided to name the place "Cape Cod." Although half of the 40 men who accompanied Gosnold had planned to stay and establish a trading post, in the end, they all returned to England. The cargo they brought home — sassafras, cedar logs, and furs — and their descriptions of a rich land populated by friendly natives inspired the next English effort at a permanent settlement in the New World — Jamestown.

A Man After My Own Heart

Here is Ron's review of Hershey's new Cacao Reserve line. His blog is The Cluttered Electric Mind. This is important well thought out stuff.

Why I Can't Win

I have blogged before about my hair. It's gray. It's a family thing. When SouthieBoy met me it was dyed brown with blond highlights, I had it done every 4 weeks or so. Then SB turned that upside down with his redhead request. Maintaining the red is not easy and it is not cheap. I buy the special hair conditioner on EBay, usually one tube at a time. It can cost anywhere between $15 and $20. About a month ago, I got one for $11.50. I was psyched! The seller mentioned having eight more tubes....was I interested? Hell, yes! So I spend a hundred and I think, I am set for a year!

Right?

No.

I am in bed, on the phone, tormenting SB.

"You know, it's too bad you are so far away. I just had my hair done tonight. I look fabulous."

"I'm sure you do."

He is not easy to torment, he does not like to rise to the bait.....he doesn't like to give into my nonsense...........he will not put up with my bullshit and proudly says so..........but I am not nice and continue.

"My hair is all spread out on my pillow.......this perfect red color..............."

"I wonder how it would look blonde."

WTF? At first I can't even process this. Blonde? Blonde? I have nine tubes of Biolage "True Red" in a box in the bathroom! My hairdresser is finally happy with her concoctions and has hit the perfect mix. My brother has given up teasing me. My mother has resigned herself to it (she doesn't like it).

Blonde?
I am soooooo happy with how the red looks. It's this mahogany color that looks fiery in the sun. Here is a pic I stole from Pinch's place of my perfect hair, as I watch the Armorer give out Milbloggies. ( I am standing next to my friend, Mr. Andi....he is almost from Boston.)
So, you know it's going to be blonde now, don't you? Bastid!

Me Too!

This pic appeared in the Framingham State paper, The Gatepost. The girls in the pic didn't care for how they looked, so they stole 1,000 copies. Which in turn caused the story....with the pic.....to be picked up nationwide.
Good job, lol!
Here is a link to the story in the Herald.Of course, when I saw the pic, I thought....................ME TOO!
But I was thinking of my favorite Noonan...........John at Op-For.

John Wayne's Centennial

May 28, 2007 is the hundreth anniversary of John Wayne's birth. For people like me, this is a big deal.

Today's Globe.

Wayne's World

In ‘‘John Wayne: A Love Song,’’ from her landmark collection, ‘‘Slouching Towards Bethlehem,’’ Joan Didion wrote that ‘‘when John Wayne rode through my childhood, and perhaps through yours, he determined forever the shape of certain of our dreams.’’

It says something about the spell Wayne cast that even Didion, that most clear-eyed of observers, fell under it. In 1996, in her hit song ‘‘Where Have All the Cowboys Gone?’’ Paula Cole asked: ‘‘Where is my John Wayne?’’ (A plaint hilariously reprised by Apu in a karaoke sequence on ‘‘The Simpsons’’.) Where is John Wayne? Everywhere. With the 100th anniversary of his birth arriving May 26, signs abound that he continues to exert a curious hold on the American imagination.

Just this past Sunday night, on HBO’s ‘‘The Sopranos,’’ as Tony Soprano was trying to talk to his troubled son, A.J., an image flickered on the TV screen and Tony cried: ‘‘John Wayne!’’ Turner Classic Movies has scheduled a 35-film tribute from May 21 to May 25 that will include ‘‘Red River,’’ ‘‘She Wore a Yellow Ribbon,’’ ‘‘They Were Expendable,’’ and ‘‘Back to Bataan.’’ Paramount Home Entertainment and Warner Home Video are launching a 48-film DVD release that will include ‘‘Rio Bravo,’’ ‘‘True Grit,’’ and ‘‘The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance.’’ The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is hosting a ‘‘Centennial Salute to John Wayne’’ on May 24 that will premiere a newly restored version of ‘‘The High and the Mighty.’’

The best indicator of the continuing power of the Wayne mystique, though, is this: According to a Harris poll released in January, Wayne ranked third when moviegoers were asked to name their 10 favorite movie stars — even though he’s been dead since 1979 and appeared in his final movie in 1976! (The other nine on the list are very much alive: No. 1 Denzel Washington, No. 2 Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts, and Will Smith among them.)

As Time magazine film critic Richard Corliss pointed out in a recent essay, Wayne has made the Harris list in each of the 13 years it has been taken, and has been in the top three eight times. ‘‘It’s as if the People’s Choice Awards kept picking Elvis as favorite singer,’’ Corliss marveled.

But then paradox is nothing new when it comes to John Wayne. The seeming picture of hulking authenticity, he wore a toupee and four-inch lifts in his shoes, and underwent plastic surgery around his eyes in the 1960s. His real name was Marion Michael Morrison, but he took the name John Wayne at the beginning of his movie career.

He played the hero in countless war films but never served in the military himself. (He got a deferment during World War II.) He epitomized old-fashioned cowboy masculinity in films from ‘‘Stagecoach’’ to ‘‘The Shootist,’’ but he also was willing to mock his own image, dressing up as the Easter Bunny in a 1972 episode of ‘‘Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In.’’

The bottom line is that he remains as popular (and influential) as ever. You don’t have to watch Wayne’s own movies to see his onscreen legacy: His monosyllabic persona made the screen safe for tough-and-terse successors ranging from Clint Eastwood to Harrison Ford to Russell Crowe.

As important as all that may be, Pop! cherishes Wayne largely because in 1953 he played the title character in ‘‘Hondo,’’ a film that would provide a memorable nickname for another guy named John, one of the greatest Boston Celtics players ever to pull on the green jersey: John Havlicek.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I will, of course, be watching and/or recording some of these movies. Even now, when I flip through the channels and catch a glimpse of him, it's still a thrill.

One of the most sincere compliments I have ever given to someone was the day I told SB that they could never film his life story because John Wayne wasn't around to play the role. I meant it with all my heart.

Maggie is a high school nickname, but the reason SB likes it is because of Wayne's love interest in the movie "In Harm's Way".

I told him that I wasn't really of the stoic Patricia Neal/Maggie Haynes mold...............I was more the hysterical Vera Miles/Madelyn Buckman type in "Hell Fighters".

Of course, we should sit down and watch "Circus World", it wasn't all that great but it did costar Rita Hayworth.

Army Cpl. Anthony M. Bradshaw

Slain GI linked to Alamo City hailed on Web

On his MySpace.com page, then-20-year-old Army Cpl. Anthony M. Bradshaw wrote that he had no fears or weaknesses.

"Unlike Chuck Norris," he said of the actor, "I'll never die."

This past Sunday, Bradshaw, 21, of San Antonio clambered into a Stryker armored personnel carrier in Diyala province northeast of Baghdad along with five fellow soldiers and a freelance Russian photojournalist.

They left their dusty forward operating base for Baqubah, one of the most violent cities in the country, and died when a powerful roadside bomb exploded.

The attack brought an abrupt end to the life of a young man full of bravado. He called himself "Tony" on his MySpace page and had a motto posted just above and to the right of a photo of him in full Army gear.

"Given Life to Take Life!"

Go read the rest here.

H/T to Mike Nachshen

Tattoo Tribute

*******April 8, 2008. This post is getting a lot of hits. I assume because today is the day W is awarding Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael A. Monsoor his Medal of Honor. You are here because the main stream media is not giving this the coverage it deserves. There are other posts here and here. As soon as I have access to it, I will post the video of the ceremony. I watched it live at 1500 today. It will be available again at 1700 on the Pentagon Channel******
*****April 8, 2008 2330 - Chuck at America's North Shore Journal has a very in depth write up of today's ceremony and PO2 Monsoor here.

Lex also had a link to The Ministry of Minor Perfidy which in turn linked to Michael Fumento .

Awesome tattoo tribute to deceased SEAL Mike Monsoor
by Michael Fumento
As a rule I find tattoos and body-piercing (ears on women aside) to be ugly. But this is pretty darned impressive.
Incidentally "This was the guy that Michael saved - the one he received a medal for, I think it was about a year ago," Mike's aunt and godmother Patty wrote me. "Anyway, he said when Michael picked him up after he was shot and lying in the middle of gun fire this is the vision he saw and looked to find a tattoo artist to copy his vision and get the wings perfect. He had this tattoo on his body as a tribute to Michael saving his life and the guarding angel he felt was there with them."
This had nothing to do with the incident that took Monsoor's life and made him a candidate for the Medal of Honor, when he threw himself on a grenade to save three more lives.
and this photo.


I wholeheartedly agree with Mr. Fumento. Normally I don't understand body piecings or tattoos. The Princess does not even have pierced ears. No pain....of any kind......thank you very much. But he is right, this is very impressive.

Lifted From Lex's Place

I sent it to SB, but sometimes those Navy 'puters conspire against me.

Lex is a brown shoe.....but he is Navy. I met him at the Conference and gave him a hard time every chance I got. LOL, he was a good sport. He realized I was just trying to balance out all those fans. We wouldn't want his head to get too big.

More DC Adventures

Just before I flew down to DC last week, I realized that my nails were a little ragged. No problem, I knew I'd have time to get a manicure Friday morning. I looked up some salons on Yahoo and made some phone calls. There were two places who said they had time available for a walk-in. I thought about trying to find the place I went last year, but I hadn't quite gotten my bearings. I walked out to the doorman and asked about the first address. Could he point me in the right direction? He had a funny look on his face and I asked if he thought it was too far to walk. He just suggested a cab. Ok. No problem, I'm lazy, you don't need to twist my arm. So off we go................from H St. NW..........through some blighted neighborhoods, and finally into a business area............U and 13th. Once inside it was your standard walk-in mani/pedi place. The person I was seated in front of was male and clad in spandex, talking on his blue tooth. My heart sank. I thought he wouldn't pay attention and rush and it would be crummy. I was wrong. He took his time, was very gentle and thorough. His phone call kept him from trying to engage me in converstion and that's the way I like it. The hand massage was perfect.

While my mind drifted I glanced around the shop. I am not normally a "people watcher", but I couldn't help but notice that the only patron getting a pedicure was a man. Hmmmm. Then I noticed the man sitting at another station, his manicure was just wrapping up. Just then, another man came in, sat down and the manicurist went to work on his hands. Oh well, I was pretty much the only woman (other than employees) except for a woman in the next row with long, flowing, brown hair with blonde highlights.........then she turned around and I saw her adams apple.

LOL Life is fun. Anyway, except for the fact that the nail polish was slathered on too thickly and didn't dry properly, it was a fabulous, relaxing manicure. I think he wasn't good at the poish part because most patrons were just getting their nails buffed or coated with a little clear polish.

When I stepped outside, I saw that I had missed a call from ConcreteBob & called him back.

"Hey lady, where are you? I'm having coffee in the lobby of your hotel."
"I just got a manicure."
"Good for you. Where are you? I'll come get you."
"No, I'll catch a cab. I'm at "U" and "13th"
"What? What? Hold on! I have to step outside, so I can hear you. Say that again. Where are you?"
"U" and "13"
"How did you......Stay right there. I'm coming to get you."
I wait five minutes and up rolls Princess Crabby's chauffeur. Guess I wasn't supposed to be there................lol.

Was this a "lalalala", Gracie?

Anyway, after lunch we gave up waiting for Tommy to join us and headed over to the Capitol for our 2 pm tour. The tour was interesting, but I would have liked more time to wander around some of the exhibits. We were a group of 9 including our tour guide. She was small and quiet and Bob & I missed a lot. If you ever want to sneak something into the gallery, might I suggest taking along the elderly woman from our group? She never shut up and complained about the walking. Henpecked everyone she came into contact with. At one point, we had to check our cell phones and cameras and she was complaining about something. Finally a police officer asked where her party was. She pointed to us and he told her to go and join her party. LOL She could have had liquids. She could have had chinese stars. She could have had chlorine gas. LOL He just wanted her gone.

After the tour, Bob got his lines crossed and took me, in my fashionable sandals, the looooooonnnnnnnnngggggggg way around.

Back at the hotel, Tom turned up. He had missed us by 15 minutes and if only we had been able to talk to him we could have told to grab a cab and join us. The older couple didn't show up until 2:20 and Tom could easily have beat them. Oh well. All I really cared about was being on that bed with my bare feet propped up. Tom & Bob got acquainted while Bob got directions to the Car Pool (the milblog_precock destination). The Car Pool was fun, thanks Matt! Tom came with us and also enjoyed himself. When it was time to head over to the Westin, we brought Tom and then stuffed him in a cab back to the Hyatt. The Cocktail Reception was great, thanks Andi! The after or postcock was blurry, thanks Noonan, Shippert, and Bob.

I met pretty much everyone who went and loved every minute of it. Bob dropped me off at 0230. I made an incredible amount of noise while trying to quietly get into bed while not waking Tommy.

I have already posted about the horrors I suffered several short hours later.

Tonight's Lecture

The Old South Meetinghouse presented Chris Finan as part of the Lowell Lecture Series. He discussed his book "From the Palmer Raids to the Patriot Act: The History of the Fight for Free Speech in America" I was disappointed. He was not a very passionate or moving speaker. It began with an interesting discussion of attempts to crush free speech during and after World War I. Then he moved on to "banned in Boston". But halfway through his time, he jumped to the Patriot Act. Mr. Finan spoke in vague terms...."we" need to fight "them". If "we" stop fighting for our right to free speech "they" will take it away, "they" are just waiting for that opportunity. I've never been big on conspiracies. The Patriot Act was waived around like a big boogie man. Mr. Finan glowingly spoke of Borders Books and Walden Books being on "his" side in their worries about readers privacy.

I could be wrong, but I only heard about one incident where the Patriot Act was used to try to get information from a library and they were slapped down by the library and the courts backed the library. If you didn't know anything about the Patriot Act, you would think it's sole purpose was to track what you read, buy to read and check out of a library. Arguements like this rely heavily on the ignorance of the general public. If you are going to have people say "Hey, that's a small part of the Patriot Act." "Please cite who is in jail because of a book?", "Hey, I've read the Patriot Act and you are exaggerating the threat posed to free speech.".......it doesn't work. But I was tired and hungry. It wasn't a well planned trip. Oh well.

I popped down to P.F. Chang's and had the lemon chicken. I felt much better.

Happy V-E Day!

In 1945, U.S. President Harry Truman officially declared V-E Day, the end of World War II in Europe. At the White House fence, a sailor and his daughter read an account of the war's end. Behind them the president's flag remains at half-staff in honor of those fallen. 5/8/1945

J.P. Was Here

J.P. of Milblogging.com and BadVoodooPlatoon.com couldn't be at the conference. Some people wanted him to know he'd be missed. I don't know who this floozy was, but she couldn't even put down her drink for the pic. Geez!
I think when this photo was taken I was sitting down across the room sipping some Earl Grey tea.

J.P. wrote about missing the MilBlogger's Conference.

Reports are now coming in about the 2007 Milblog Conference. And no, I couldn’t attend this year’s Conference, but I heard it was awesome. My brother, sister-in-law, and my Mother attended. I sometimes wonder what it would be like to attend the conference, since I still haven’t been able to attend the first two. My fantasies of the Conference are probably a little odd, because my plan for arriving at the conference, would be pulling up in a stretch limousine with ninjas and pirates as my body guards. It’s tough enough looking like Brad Pitt/Tom Cruise, but combine that with stunning intellect and style, and I suspect it might be too dangerous for me to attend the Third Annual Conference...that, or I'll still be in Iraq.

So.....J.P. wants the 3rd Annual Conference to be a costume party? Well I better get back on Atkins, because I am going as Queen Gorgo.

We haven't had any Rick for a while.....

I've been a little caught up in my usual nonsense. Hillary was just on FoxNews Sunday (I am watching DVR from yesterday) saying that the facts on the ground (in Iraq) call for change. So, here's a response.

DoD News Briefing with Maj. Gen. Lynch from Baghdad

You know, people tell me, "Hey, Lynch, you just left 10 months ago. What have you seen that's different?" And I got to tell you, in my battle space, in Multinational Division-Center's battle space, what I'm seeing is a marked improvement in the capability of the Iraqi security forces. And let's just use Karbala as an example. When the detonation took place on the 28th of April, there weren't any coalition forces anywhere in the vicinity. We called down the Karbala Iraqi security forces and we said, "Hey, what do you need help with?" And they said, "Nothing. We got it." They handled that situation. It could have been extremely explosive. The second- and third-order consequences of that attack in the vicinity of the mosque could have been horrific, but the Iraqi security forces stabilized the situation.

My only question...........who is speaking to Rick in that disrespectful way? That's "MG Rick Lynch, sir!" to you, buddy!

Describing the MilBlog Conference

Sarah at "Trying to Grok" had the best way of describing (to a non-blogger) why we all looked forward to the MilBlog Conference so much.

"She (CaliValleyGirl) said she told them (non-bloggers) to imagine a Beanie Babies collectors convention, a gathering of folks with an esoteric hobby. I say it feels like a high school reunion of people you didn't go to high school with. Either way, I expect it to be awesome."

Exactly! I loved high school and I love my high school reunions and this weekend was just as much fun.

I'm Sensing a Trend

Going to DC is fun....coming home from DC is a hassle.

Yesterday afternoon I was relaxing, surfing, imbibing in the hotel lounge....waiting to head to Reagan. I checked my 2010 flight on American one last time and it was listed as "on time". I get to curb side check in........"Oh, your flight is cancelled. Go inside and see what they are going to do with you." What they are going to do with me??!! Inside it's the usual. No line at the windows I can't use. Line for the Boston window. Person running the Boston window is as old as my Mum and slow as molasses. No explanation, no apology, just "I can get you on a 2145 with US Airways and you can ask for standy by for the 2 earlier flights." OK. I have to ask "Where am I going?" Not helpful. Down to US Airway.........longer lines, very disgruntled people. US Air has lots of problems and the stranded American people aren't helping. I ask about standby and she explains that if she gets my on an earlier flight, my bag goes on the later flight anyway. What's the point? I go to baggage security and dump the giant bag with 27 pairs of shoes (and no sneakers) and then onto regular security. I am selected for more screening. I pass.....Yea! The airport has no WiFi. I find and report an unattended bag. I realize that I am in this crowded, dirty terminal for at least two hours. Screw this! Even though I know this means more "extra screening", I leave and find a bar. I have a drink and some food, text some people and take a call from ConcreteBob. I make him feel as bad as possible that he missed the conference. I think that things will be better back at the terminal because there weren't many flights scheduled after 2100 at my end of the terminal (that would be the farthest possible point....the longest possible distance in my nifty sandals.....ow). I am wrong, flights are delayed. Three different groups are told that they are leaving from the same gate, my gate. Everyone lines up, screw this, I sit. Finally they call the 2145 for Boston. Does it leave at 2145? Of course not. My one hour, seven minute flight finally lands well after midnight. I am told to go to carousel A........then I am told to go to carousel C.....I wait at carousel C.......I watch lots of other people's luggage come out.......then notice my bag in a pile off to the side on the floor. The US Airways guy is just standing there. Nice job announcing that it's not actually ON THE BELT, asshat. My very kind, patient friend is waiting at the curb.

I got home at 0245. Had to be up at 0715.

OK, it was worth it.

Sunday Snippets

I am sitting here in a bar in the hotel, blogging and surfing. While there are many things I would like to see in DC on this perfect Sunday afternoon......I neglected to pack sneakers. I can NOT go one more step in any of the fashionable sandals I did pack. So instead I am here. It's not all bad. I am enjoying this afternoon of total relaxation. Having a cocktail, surfing......no work, no laundry, no committments.

So I caught up with some stuff and I'll throw it out to you.

NYT: "Many Detainees at Guantánamo Rebuff Lawyers" You just can't help some people! LOL! How bad *don't* I feel?

Again the NYT: "Not All Troops Would Report Abuse, Study Says" Yeah, but it doesn't say they would tolerate it either. It doesn't say that they wouldn't stop it. Also, they give statistics for depression rates among the military, but no related statistics about depression rates in society as a whole. What did Mark Twain say about lies, damn lies and statistics?

This Day in History

In 1981, imprisoned Irish-Catholic militant Bobby Sands died after refusing food for 66 days in protest of his treatment as a criminal rather than a political prisoner by British authorities

In 1904, Cy Young pitched major league baseball's first perfect game to lead the Boston Americans to a 3-0 win over Philadelphia.

I'm pleased about this -
Sarkozy wins French presidency.

Live Blogging the MilBlog Conference

I hurt. Damn Noonan. Damn Steve Schippert. Damn ConcreteBob. I hit the pillow at 0245 this morning and seconds later some lying wench from the Grand Hyatt called my room to say it was 0600. I closed my eyes for a moment and Tom said "Hey, I thought you were leaving. It's after 7." Ahhhh. My head! I have never, ever been hung over in my life. There is a first for everything.

I was 45 minutes late and there has been much derision. You feel bad for me, don't you?

I missed the address by the President. No shit....... "W" sent a taped statement. It was more than an hour before I was able to unzip the laptop case. So finally I got it open and the Mistress of Castle Argghhh!, SWWBO got me up and running.

I need food and water.

Battle of The Coral Sea

May 4 through the 8th, 1942.

In D.C

I made it. It was in question for a bit. My mother strained her back and caught a little bug and had us a little worried. Right up until my Dad called at 1650, I was in a holding pattern.

Logan was a horror. It was faster to fly to DC than to get through security at Logan. I wasn't the most cranky person in line.....what does that tell you? I was yelled at for not removing my laptop (thanks Nicole for the loaner) from it's case. Other people were hollered at for liquids. I saved 3 women from the mob, by pointing out that there was a line and they should move to the end of it...people were starting to yell at the TSA when these women mistakenly tried to merge into it.

But I'm here now......Tom arrives sometime tomorrow and we will go round the town.

This One Has Made The Rounds..........

........but I like it.

ONLY AN AMERICAN ENGINEER

Three guys -- a Canadian farmer, Osama bin Laden, and an American engineer are walking together one day. They come across the proverbial lamp and a Genie pops out of it.

"I will give each of you one wish, which is three wishes total," says the Genie.

The Canadian says, "I am a farmer, my dad was a farmer, and my son will also farm. I want the land to be forever fertile in Canada ."

Pooooof! With a blink of the Genie's eye, the land in Canada was forever made fertile for farming.

Osama bin Laden was amazed, so he said, "I want an impenetrable wall around Afghanistan, Iraq and Iran with all believers of Mohammad inside and all Jews, Americans, and other infidels forever outside our precious state.

"Pooooof! Again, with the blink of the Genie's eye, there was a huge wall around those countries.

The American engineer asks, "I am very curious. Please tell me more about this wall."

The Genie explains, "Well, its 5000 feet high, 500 feet thick and completely surrounds those countries........ It's virtually impenetrable.

Now, what is your wish?"

The American engineer smiles and says, "Fill it with water."

Pooooof!

WORLD PEACE!!

***************************************
Also, tonight on "The Colbert Report" (yeah, he's a mocking Lib, but he makes me laugh).
He ran a clip of Sen. Clinton stating "... if this President does not get us out of Iraq, when I am President, I will!". Colbert says "Well, when you're President, Senator Clinton, we'll be able to bring the troops home on flying pigs, provided it's not too cold for them to fly what with hell having frozen over! (applause) Maybe, we can hold the welcome back parade on highly improbably day!" Of course Colbert is being derisive....but I laughed out loud. Then he had that crazy former Senator Gravel on.....what a loon!

Getting Ready To Hit The Road

There is laundry and packing getting ready for the MilBlog Conference in DC this weekend. I am flying down late tomorrow night and staying at the Grand Hyatt. Friday, my son Tom is driving in from the boonies (Blue Ridge Mountains) and we are going to bum around the city. Grace and two of her kids are in DC for a school trip. We may try to ambush them at the Smithsonian. They haven't seen Tom in a while.

The funniest post so far was over at Blackfive. He is planning the pre-pre conference get together. The permalink reads
"http://www.blackfive.net/main/2007/04/milblog_precock.html#comment-68246562.
LOL, AFSis points out that she would not miss a "Milblog_precock". I will probably miss it though because I want to head over to Walter Reed with ConcreteBob for the Friday night support rally. Besides as I have pointed out to the Castle regulars who are going, if I start with the "Milblog_precock" at 1630.............I will end the night married to an Elvis impersonator........ I hate Elvis.

Anyway, the actual Conference starts Saturday morning at 0800. I may still be lit! We may heckle The Armorer! Kidding! You know how quiet and demure I am.

When the Conference ends...........the pub crawl begins! You remember last year, don't you? LOL

Sunday, if Tom is still around we will go see some more stuff. Then I fly home Sunday evening.

I am relatively certain that I will have a borrowed laptop. So there will be connectivity. I don't travel enough to justify the expense of owning one.