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Random Stuff

At dinner tonight, Jen was telling stories of her adventures at the Plymouth Public Library. I had asked Jen to check me out a copy of "Last Stand of the TinCan Sailors". It seemed easier than trying to find which box my copy is in....yes...the bedroom still isn't finished. Jen knew it was non-fiction and she took a stab at finding it herself. When she couldn't find it, she went up to the reference desk and ask for help. The woman took the slip that Jen had the name of the book written on and wrote down the number. Looking at the number Jen realized that she had been very close, just one aisle over. Then the librarian put a hand on Jen's arm "Do you need me to go with you?" Jen replied that she would be fine and the librarian said "Catholic school?" Jen replied in the affirmative and asked if people went into the stacks never to return. The librarian said that they come back.....but often without the book.

Thank you Sister Ernestine Marie, Sr. Bernadette, Miss Ranaghan, Sr. Mary Esther! (It took a lot of nuns and even some lay teachers to keep on top of me!)

After dinner, Jen & Ed decided to have just one more glass of wine and wanted to try something different. Jen picked something from the wine list. Ed and the waiter had a discussion. When the wine arrived, Ed clearly didn't like it. She doesn't have a poker face. The waiter asked if she wanted to send it back. She demurs. He leaves. Jen tries it and says it's awful and use my water's lemon wedge to get the taste out of her mouth. One of the other waiters comes by and I flag him and say "Take this away." They bring her something else. The waiter removes her wine and Jen's wine from the bill. The last thing you'll ever catch me doing is putting something nasty in my mouth for the sake of being polite......it's ok for me to be risque...it's after midnight.

When I got home I realized that it was still very warm.....by the standards of a New Englander in late October. I have several windows open. I love the little bits of Indian Summer. I feel like I am getting away with something!

I am supposed to be blogging about this morning's DOD Blogger's RoundTable with RADM Landolt. It was at 0800 this morning. I rolled out of bed, brushed my hair, brushed my teeth, turned on the computer and called in wearing my favorite green silk wrapper....I don't think the admiral knew. I enjoyed the call. I always like it when I feel the person truly enjoys the subject matter. And I loved his attitude on social media.

Instead I am fooling around on Twitter, reading about net neutrality (thanks Tom) and listening to LifehouseIsn't she beautiful? There was a time when she represented the whole of my Navy experience in Boston. But now that the Navy has been kind enough to have me aboard several different types of ships....I can say that instead of being my only ship.....Old Ironsides is simply one-of-a-kind. Everyone should be as lucky as I was.

Can You See Me?

I am on the aft, starboard side....Isn't she just beautiful?

Doesn't it make you want to fan USS Constitution on FaceBook?

Isn

There Was No Cake.....

...but there were presents!!!

I never made it below decks for the grog, but Senior Chief Twiford found me and gave me this!

Can you even imagine how swelled my head was over this!!!

Jen & SouthieBoy may have to call in re-enforcements.

I had a marvelous time. I have been aboard Old Ironsides countless times, but never when she was underway.

I was sweating the time on my drive to the Navy Yard. Can you believe....I got up at 0500 for this! As you can imagine, there is a very short list of people that I would do that for. But traffic conspired against me and I was white knuckled that last few minutes between the North End and City Square.

I dashed up to the gate and as I approached the gate, fishing out my ID, the Sailor with the clip board addressed me by name and told "You're all set".....you'd think I go there a lot or something!

I boarded and casually made my way to the starboard side aft (or is it aft, starboard side?). I had already decided where I wanted to be standing and I wasn't disappointed. The weather was perfect and before we started out, I got to enjoy a beautiful sunrise over USS Cassin Young.

Ok, I promise more tomorrow, but I have to go to bed now. The plan was to blog this evening...here....the Castle and over at the Navy Memorial. However, at the last minute I had to go do something with Frankie. I may write about it. I may not. But I am exhausted, so this and the next post with some pics is all you get tonight baby.

Dear Alex

Dear Alex,

Let me write in response to your comment in another post -

Hi,
I'm 14, I live in Seattle, and I found your blog by searching good and plenty the candy on google images and it brought me here. I'm eating some right as I type and I love them. I read some of your blog and I think your pretty cool and was wondering if you would marry me.

While I greatly appreciate the compliment.....even Princess Crabby has limits....and you, my dear, are exactly half as old as my son......

USS Constitution Celebrates 212 Years

***UPDATE***21 OCT 1220 - I'm back in the office and I only have a minute. I just had to post something to say how beautiful this morning was. A picture perfect New England day on Boston Harbor aboard the most magnificent ship in the world's greatest Navy*****
USS Constitution was christened October 21, 1797 and today we celebrate the storied 212 years of the oldest commissioned ship in the United States Navy.

Old Ironsides is undergoing an extensive renovation that you can see pics here.

But today, for her birthday we will be taking her out for a spin. That's right - we!!! I get to go. This will be my first turn around cruise and I can't tell you how excited I am!

This is my favorite sort of thing...........it's history....it's Navy...it's Boston. Beat that!

You can become a fan of USS Constitution by clicking here.

You can visit the newly revamped (courtesy of the Navy History and Heritage commend) website here.

You can follow @USSConstitution on Twitter.

You can.....and you should!

Seriously! Look What I Have To Put Up With!

While I was trying to make my point about Twitter at #BWE09 Milblog panel, I look over at Chuck Z's laptop and I see - Thanks to DeltaWhiskey1 for the pic. DW1, BarmyMama & @TammyMunson were the rockin' MilSpouse panel from Thursday morning at #BWE09

Home Safe and Sound

Vegas has once again survived Hurricane Maggie. I am unpacked. Laundry is nearly done. I am headed to bed. I know, I am a bad blogger. I have so much to tell you, but I am exhausted. I promise, I promise.....I will write stuff.

But for now, go here and listen to one of the Milblog track panels about the future for Milblogs.
"Getting The Picture: What’s Next for Milblogs?" It's moderated by the very subtle Matt Burden of BlackFive. The panelists are Scott Henderson of MediaSauce, CJ Grisham, Bouhammer. Scott Kesterson was supposed to call in, but unfortunately that didn't happen.

We discussed Twitter quite a bit and how it can be used to help Milblogs and the causes dear to our hearts. Then we were discussing how we needed to be more proactive and pulling in people and getting our message out. In other words, not to be so insular.

Sooooooo, I got up to explain that I felt Twitter was invaluable in keeping us from being trapped in our own bubble. This is something I feel deeply about. Only 1% of American have a real connection with the military. We really need to reach out.

However...some people are really immature. As you can imagine when someone with perfect Bostonian diction discusses "Twitter" and "insular"....people fell on the floor.

I pouted to my Marine and he said "Them fuckahs. Laughing at ya like that. Bastids."

Thanks baby.

The rest of you should go listen and see if you don't agree that I'm right and my fellow attendees were bastids.

You Served Podcast - Episode #60 "Blog World Expo Special - October 15, 2009"

Blog World The Milblog Track

I'm here. It's fun. I am Tweeting stuff. @bostonmaggie

But mostly I am having fun.

Vegas

On the ground. In the room. Wiped out. Milblog Track tomorrow at Blog World Expo 09

Happy 234th!!!

If you are thinking "234th what?" ..... What are you doing here!

Remember -

From
To - For 234 years the United States Navy has been a Global Force for Good

Take a Minute

I don't know about where you are, but here in New England it is a picture-perfect fall day. It's a holiday. I've seen many people out enjoying the day - walking, biking, playing ball across the street. I myself, slept in after staying up late to read. I'll do a few things around the house and wander into work eventually. I have to square away things for my trip to Vegas for BlogWorld Expo.

But today is more than all that.

Take a moment to remember.

Nine years ago today, half a world away from my safe, secure life, 17 Sailors perished.

~~~
Previous posts
Non Sibi Sed Patriae
Thank you for Your Service, Command Lippold
Determined Warrior
~~~~
So take that minute, say a prayer.....do whatever it is you do in your secret heart or when no one is looking....

And then read this post and smile. Smile because you see that flying that ensign from the USS Cole caused those Sailor's hearts to swell with pride. Smile because we are never going to forget.

Lastly, I never pass up the chance to say - Thank you for your service CDR Lippold.

Jen Threatens To Throw The Bullshit Flag

****There is an update at the bottom of the post****
Last night Jen & I cooked up a half-assed plan to bring a cake up to surprise my father. Today, the 9th, is the actual birthday. We had dinner on Wednesday at the Chart House. This was because my parents don't like to eat out more than once in a day and Friday is a standing date. On Friday's they go out to lunch with my mother's brother (who was my Dad's BFF, that's how my parents met) and his wife. They usually go to the Warren Tavern. Now sometimes they go somewhere else, or one or the other couple is on vacation. But 9 times out of 10...it's the four of them at the Warren Tavern. Which by coincidence was mentioned in an article in the Herald recently.

So we decide to leave work, bring a cake, say "Hi" and go back to work. I text my boss "Is this ok?" and she says yes. Jen is clear for take-off as well. It was late, so we waited until this morning to ask Grace. But she couldn't because her car was in the shop.

I go grab a cake at the Plympton Bake Shop, which was out of the way, but Nic is always raving about it....and she was right. Great cake.

Jen & I head in but we already know it isn't going to work because traffic headed south out of the city was backed up and it was just 1 pm. So I called the office and apologized and we called Grace and said that we would be over to her house later and she was responsible for us.

It was great, we didn't just drop off the cake. We stayed and had lunch with them and it was very enjoyable. If you go to the Warren Tavern for lunch I reccomend the "Tavern Burger".

So, the bullshit flag......

On the way up I was....of course.....ranting about the stupid Nobel Prize and Jennifer is yelling at me that it's my own fault that I care. I said that I didn't necessarily need to agree with the person's politics to approve and cited Shiran Ebadi. I heard her speak a few years ago at Tufts. She was blaming America for all kinds of nonsense. I didn't participate in the standing ovation for best in class Bush-bashing. But she won the NPP for her accomplishments as an advocate of civil rights for women and children. It was an accomplishment.

Jennifer countered with the true statement that I am often yelling about this, why do I still expect good results if I only applaud one winner. I said there was more than one. She challenged me to name the ones I agreed with in the last 25 years. I named Lech Walesa, Desmond Tutu, Elie Wiesel and Muhammed Yunis. I said that I had just about given up on the prize when they awarded it to Yunis. She asked who he was and I gave her the very sketchy outline about micro-loans that I knew. I was suprised that she didn't know about him because Jen is so smart about all things accounting and banking. But I explained that Yunis's award sucked me back in like Lucy telling Charlie Brown that she wouldn't pull the football away. She said "Five? Five in twenty-five years? That's pathetic. That's a failing grade. If you still believe it's a sign of a mental defect."

So on our way home I was repeating an ironic line about how the Nobel Peace Prize winner declined to meet with the Dalai Lama. This led to a discussion about the Dalai Lama about whom we know very little and his situation vis-a-vis the Chinese government. I said every country over there has some dissident/house arrest/government oppression situation. Like Aung San Suu Kyi. then I said "Six! She makes six I approve of in the last twenty-five years!" Then I told her about the reporter than got her in trouble by swimming over to her when that violated her house arrest conditions. We agreed that we would have held his head under water. I said he was an American and someone had to go negotiate his release...Gore...Clinton....(turns out it was Sen Webb - I knew it was someone I didn't like).

That's when Jennifer yelled (and yes, she yelled, we yell at each other all the time) "Wait, this is getting ridiculous! How do I know you aren't making these people up? Muhammed-something..." "Yunu" I interject. "Whatever and now Sue-see and people swimming to her island. I might have to throw the bullshit flag."

"How is this any different than you knowing all the ins and outs and players to do with Sarbanes-Oxley?" I ask.

"They're Americans!"

So here's the question - Which are you more likely to know -

Muhammed Yunus

or

Sarbanes-Oxley
~~~~~
10/10/09 1006
OK, this doesn't move me ahead really. However this morning while I was making my bed I remembered about the lady who worked against land mines. I went to the Nobel site to get her name. Jody Williams of Vermont. She won in '97 for her work on the International Campaign to Ban Landmines. But then I noticed that Lech Walesa was 26 years ago....so one in/one out.

WHAT!!!

Obama won the Peace Prize for his goals???? Jen is texting me - "I have goals!" Schippert says "Yep. Because good intentions pave the way, dear..."

I know that more years than not I am screaming about this, but this is a new low.

I Wasn't Just On Time....

...I was early!!!

Despite getting ourselves turned around on Lincoln Street when we tried to cut through the city, we arrived at the Chart House FIRST at 6:25 for a 6:30 dinner reservation.

Grace and Dave were six minutes later....6:31.....LATE! My brother Frank, his wife and my parents at 6:42!

Damn Big Dig! It's so funny because we all spent lots of time in this area. Especially when my mother worked for the Phone Company (back when there was just one) in the building across the street. But now everything is different as far as driving goes.

No matter - we had a fabulous dinner and lots of laughs. We liked our waitress. We ate off of each others plates. I told my Dad about my latest US Navy graft and then some other interesting tidbits I have picked up here and there. Jen laughed and said to my parents "This is what I get all day! It's like the news feed that runs across the bottom of the screen on Fox News...only with her, it's all Navy" What's her point?

When the waitress came over to Jen to asks whose birthday it was (they knew it wasn't Jen or I because we had brought the cake) Jen pointed discreetly at my Dad. The waitress said she'd be back in a minute with cake and candles. At that point Jen asked for the check and the waitress looked distressed. She said my father had already told her it was to come to him.

LOL! What a troublemaker! Trying to buy his own birthday dinner.

I said "You know what - let's just take what we would have paid for the dinner and get him a BlueRay player. He doesn't have one yet. We'll probably be able to get some movies too."

So, he got the check and he was happy. We have a work-around so we are happy.

Now I can rest up from that fabulous Konditer Meister cake - chocolate with raspberry chambord creme filling, chocolate frosting and fresh raspberries as garnish. Next cake is Sunday when we party again - this time with grandchildren.

The actual birthday is Friday, but they have standing Friday plans....lunch with my mother's brother and his wife. Probably the Warren Tavern. I wonder how I will sneak a cake down there?

Ok, Listen Up!

I need you all to read this because I am going to read it and I will have questions!

A Primer on Population-Centric Counterinsurgency

I got it in an email from the Warrior Legacy Foundation but Uncle Jimbo has it up at BlackFive

There is an important debate underway about what strategy we should pursue in Afghanistan. This decision is important for all Americans, but many don't have a very good understanding of the Population-Centric Counterinsurgency strategy advocated by Gen. McChrystal, the new commander there. The Warrior Legacy Institute had three of it's fellows write an explanation that doesn't require a military background. It is designed for you and anyone you want to share it with. We have not taken a position advocating one strategy over another and we will be releasing a primer on the Counter-Terror option soon as well. We believe that educating the public about the choices will allow them to make informed decisions about what they think is best.

So read it. It's only five pages. Then get ready to answer my questions.

One of the problems with the nonsense I spew is that once in a while, people take me seriously. I was pushing the Frontline Afghanistan episode, "Obama's War" on FaceBook and posted a link to the Bouhammer post that contains a preview. I had watched the preview and intend to watch the actual show. One of my Facebook friends popped up and asked me for my opinion. Not my "rah-rah" go "Sailor, Soldier, Marine, Airman and Guardian" cheerleading stuff. But my "You've-watched-it-now-discuss-it-in-a-coherent-way" with COIN in Iraq. He gave me another link about COIN as it was executed in Iraq. It was a different episode of Frontline - "Insurgency"

Remember, especially my Navy Coterie, your purpose is to make sure I look good.

Last Night Was Like....

...my own film noir.

From the new spot I've moved the bed to in the still unpainted bedroom I been enjoying the full moon these past two nights. The bed is right next to the back window. Because the new bed is higher, the pillow sits parallel with the window sill. It also faces the side yard instead of the front yard. On the whole, a much nicer view. The grass, the willows, the bushes which in the dark seem impenatrable. I can see my chaise in the side yard waiting for me to come out with a book. It was warm last night and I had the window open. It's like being out in the yard.

In the moonlight everything is black and white. At first I didn't realize it. I lay there and looked at the green grass and brown tree trunks....my dark blue bottle of pillow mist on the windowsill....my red nails........ And that's when I realized that the bottle was black in the moonlight and so were my nails. I only knew that the grass was green, but in the moonlight it was gray.

I looked at my hand on the yellow cotton sheets dotted with blue flowers that were only varying shades of gray. Jane Greer in "Out of the Past" sprang to mind.

It was delicious and secret. I hope tonight's clouds and rain hold off.

Project Valour-IT Team Navy

The ever helpful Mary Ripley has posted a list of everyone who is currently on board for Team Navy (#TeamNavy09 on Twitter).

Valour-IT: Team Navy So Far

Are you listed? If not....why not!!!!

Seriously, please join us. Project Valour-IT is a very worthy cause and 100% of all money donated goes directly into purchasing technology for wounded Sailors, Soldiers, Airmen, Marines and Guardians.

We are looking for bloggers, FaceBook pages, and Tweets to spread the word and pull in as many donations as possible for Team Navy (oh, all right, for every team) to benefit Project Valour-IT.

Just In Case You Weren't Sure

That the United States Navy is indeed "A Global Force For Good"

Pacific Fleet Helping American Samoa, Indonesia, Philippines
10/3/2009 11:29:00 AM
From Pacific Fleet Public Affairs

PEARL HARBOR (NNS) -- The U.S. Pacific Fleet is deploying personnel and units to provide humanitarian aid in the wake of natural disasters that have stricken the Philippines, American Samoa and Indonesia.
The United States extends its sincere condolences to the people of these areas in the wake of the recent natural disasters.
The United States has military capabilities positioned in the affected regions that are ready to support emergency relief efforts and minimize human suffering. Because of the forward deployed presence of the U.S. military, it is poised to help as much as possible

Read the rest here.

I rest my case.