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Today’s Earworm

I woke up this morning from a dream where my company had sent me to London for a vendor conference.  My excitement was tempered when I checked into the Happiness Hotel.

Movie Quotes – Day 344

You see? You just can’t trust anyone. The first girl I let into my life and she tries to eat me. — Zombieland

You have to be careful when you’re deciding to drop your defenses for someone.  Once you make yourself vulnerable to someone, not only will you be unprepared for betrayal and attack, but they will also know exactly what weaknesses you have and which buttons to push.  The vetting process should be long and rigorous, but it can’t be insurmountable.

News Roundup

  • From the “Jurisprudence” Department – A court in New York has ruled that chimpanzees do not have the same legal rights as a human being.  However, the court found that they are welcome to continue to run for elected office.
  • From the “Get A Rope” Department – The Navy is investigating a petty officer after he was accused of taping female naval officers undressing and taking showers aboard a ballistic missile submarine. Female officers have been a part of the crews on missile subs for several years, and apparently this guy decided to take advantage of the close quarters to add to his personal creeper collection.  Here’s hoping there’s a yardarm somewhere on a boomer.
  • From the “About Damned Time” Department – The people who were wounded in the 2009 Fort Hood shootings will be awarded Purple Hearts along with related benefits after Congress passed a bill funding the Defense Department.  An amendment to the bill overrides Department of Defense and Obama administration assertions that the shooting was an act of workplace violence, not terrorism, and therefore the people who got shot do not deserve combat awards and benefits.   It’s good to see that occasionally the Congress can do something right.  Now if we can just convince the other two branches of the government to follow their example.
  • From the “Operations” Department – NASA is responding to reports that one of its WB-57 high-altitude planes was spotted in Africa this summer.  No details are forthcoming on what the mission of the aircraft was, but my sources suggest it was related to flying.  Of course,the correct response from NASA is not “No comment”.  Rather, it should be “Plane?  What plane?  I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
  • From the “First You Say It” Department – A family in Austria got a bit of a surprise the other day when something exploded in their wood-burning stove.  It appears that the wood in the stove came from a tree that had grown over and around a World War II era hand grenade, and it exploded in the fire.  This reminds me of the old trick to clean out the stovepipe on a pot-bellied stove by throwing a couple 7.62 blanks into the fire.  No one was harmed in the incident, and the home was undamaged since the cast iron stove contained the explosion.  I want the name of that stove company.  If their product can contain a grenade, they’ll stand up to pretty much anything I can throw at it.
  • From the “Technology” Department – A university in Scotland has developed a tweed fabric that has the scent of whisky embedded in it.  As someone who has lived and worked around Southern women and quit wearing cologne because he got tired of being sniffed and told he smelled good, this needs to stop.  A man who smells of peat and booze will have to learn to run for his life while wearing a stylish jacket.
  • From the “TBone Terror” Department – A Scottish policeman recently ran into difficulty arresting a man when he discovered that the man was in a cow shed.  It appears that Officer Courage has a phobia for cows, and needed backup.   The situation was resolved peacefully, which is surprising considering everyone in this situation, including the cows, was Scottish.

Musings

  • Nothing says “She really loves me” like coming home from working a night shift to a house that smells like homemade cherry cobbler.
  • Girlie Bear has her first date ever on Saturday night.  I’m fine.  No, really, I’m OK.
  • Derby has made herself at home.  Her favorite sleeping place is the couch, and she has figured out that the soulful eyes routine gets her a treat.
  • It is very hard to eat right when you spend 8 hours a day in a room with a snack table that includes most of your favorite junk foods.
  • Boo read his bedtime story to me the other night.  It’s a good feeling to know he’s gotten to that point, but it’s the last time that will happen to me.
    • Part of having a child later in life is that you get to do all the neat things again. Of course, that means you’re a decade or two older when you have to do the hard things.
  • Work on the second Minivandians book is going well, and an audiobook of the first book is in the works.  Details on that to follow.
  • I think our time with Bluegrass is coming to an end.  She’s started having issues with one of her eyes, and the doctor says that it’s a symptom of some underlying condition.  If she were younger or in better health, we’d be starting aggressive diagnostics and care, but she’s so old and tired that we’d probably only be buying a few months.  We’ll keep her happy and comfortable for as long as we can.

A Question

For those of you who have read Minivandians, I have a question.  Which part of the book did you like more?

I’m outlining book 2, and where the first was 60/40 in favor of the short vignette’s of daily life, it looks like book 2 is tipping more toward the fictional, longer story.

So, of the two kinds of stories, either fictionalized real life or just plain fiction, which did you all prefer?

Movie Quotes – Day 343

The time for honoring yourself will soon be at an end. — Gladiator

Real talent is self-evident.  It doesn’t require attention, nor does it seek the spotlight.  The more you beat your chest and proclaim your abilities, the more I suspect that you are no more than shadows and dust.

Today’s Earworm

Movie Quotes – Day 342

You say you hate Washington’s Birthday or Thanksgiving and nobody cares, but you say you hate Christmas and people treat you like you’re a leper. — Gremlins

You know, admitting to friends and family that I dislike the Christmas season is usually more jarring than telling anti-gun in-laws that I have a pistol on my belt.  Even complete strangers seem aghast that I don’t walk around wrapped in tinsel and singing old Burl Ives ditties.

Please, enjoy your holiday, but leave me out of it.  We’ll all be happier that way.

Today’s Earworm

It’s going to be one of those nights.

Movie Quotes – Day 341

Private George E. Elliott: [Telephone conversation from the radar station to the Information Center]

Private George E. Elliott: Sir, this is Private Elliott at Opana Point. There’s a large formation of planes coming in from the north – 140 miles, 3 degrees east.

Lieutenant Kermit A. Tyler: Yeah? Well… Don’t worry about it.

Lieutenant Kermit A. Tyler: [Click!]

Tora, Tora, Tora

There is a fine line between believing everything that comes down the pipe and disregarding something important.  A professional knows what is normal, and what is not.  Having your eyes open and your head on a swivel means nothing if you disregard the warning signs.