No time for an extensive post. my oldest daughter, The Nuke, stopped by on her way to Groton on Thursday eve. A quick dinner and then she was off, hopefully she'll have time to stop by on her way back to DC today.
We went out to my favorite Mexican place, which is maybe a hundred yards from Chez Sarge which also makes it convenient. In the summer we've been known to walk there and, to be quite honest, I have staggered back a time or two after a few cerveza, for medicinal purposes of course.
Anyhoo, some great comments over the past cuppla, really appreciate you readers.
Anyhoo, I highly recommend this post from Aesop, good man there, Olympic class rants and lots of good insight into what ails our society today. In forthright language, of course. This particular post deals with the abject stupidity which often masquerades as weapon procurement programs out of the Five Sided Puzzle Palace, aka, the Home for Wayward Skywarriors.
For those of you with an interest in history (What's that? Most of you?) there's a story of a fellow I'd never heard of, a Mr. Wentworth Cheswell. You've no doubt heard of Paul Revere and William Dawes, riding around the countryside warning the colonists that the Regulars were on the road and weren't on a nature hike. Mr. Cheswell rode forth as well on that night. While Revere and Dawes went west, Cheswell went north. What makes his story all the more interesting is that he was a black man. From my point of view he was a patriot and a hero. Do read this. Quite often the contributions of non-white Americans get ignored in the history books. Nice to see that being rectified.
After finding that website a couple of weeks ago I spent rather more than a few hours exploring. Stuff they don't teach in school anymore, lots of historical tidbits about my native region.
Seeing as how I had little time Friday night, I gave The Muse the night off.
That may have been a mistake, we shall see.
Couple of more sites to remember, thanks for that Sarge, that first one will be worked into the daily rotation. Hope you get to see The Nuke again. Well time to check the temperature, house is cracking to beat the band.
ReplyDeleteSounds cold out your way!
DeleteAgate with Aesop's premise that more training and fewer, less restrictive ROE would be a bigger benefit to the troops than a new rifle, etc. and a lighter and smaller combat load would certainly increase practical capability. The incremenal improvements in lethality of many next gen weapons may not be worth it. That said, often those incremental improvements lead to a significant improvement that makes a real difference. That evolution kind of thing. One that comes to mind is night vision. The current ANPVS scopes are a LONG way from the initial IR based monsters that rode atop M1 carbines in Korea. But those intermediate steps can sometimes be as useful as mamma rides on males of the porcine species.
ReplyDeleteInteresting post about Mr. Cheswell - although the ride he made concurrently with the famous silversmith was not the midnight ride the latter is so famous for but an earlier 'midday' ride that had a similar purpose.
Hope the Nuke can stop by your place before heading out of your Immediate environs - always good to have time with the progeny after they grow up and have their own lives. Was able to have dinner last night with my youngest - and was able to see the granddog as well, which was enjoyed by all.
Hope everyone enjoys the weekend!
I stumbled across Aesop's place a while ago, only remembered to put a link on the sidebar last month I think.
DeleteGood stuff.
You got to see your granddog too? Haven't seen mine in quite a while, need to rectify that.
I'm startled at times to see someone admit to what I do..... Nylon12 said "daily rotation"... I have a blog rota as well.
ReplyDeleteFirst time I've posted on real pain meds. I think I'll lurk till I'm sure they are out of the system...
One handed typing is a pain!
Yeah, you can get some really squirrely thoughts on some pain meds. Take it easy, get better, we'll leave the light on for you. 😉
DeleteI start here, then I go to Knuckledraggin and peruse his wares and his sideboard. After feasting there, I trip over to Daily Timewaster and play on his sideboard after checking out the various dishes he's laid out, then I go to McThag to find out what bees are under his bonnet, skip over to read about some desert rat, then to Diplomad for his learned discourse and his sideboard, then to The Feral Irishman (aren't they all?) and see what he's poking about, and hit his sideboard.
DeleteChasing links from there and looking up the various news articles that pertain to what someone's yapping about keeps me mostly informed. Then I come back here to read comments on the comments and to comment on those comments and peruse even more sideboard.
By that time, my mind is more bloated than a starving man after two hours at Golden Corral.
Beans, My travels are along the same route. TFI, DTW, then Kenny's place. Phil's bustednuckles and ninety miles from tyrany. Side quests as warranted.
DeleteYou're my brother... no doubt!
Beans - Sounds like my morning routine.
DeleteSTxAR - I think we're of like minds here.
DeleteI am especially fond of Wirecutter's 'Sh..tuff I post on Facebook.'
DeleteAs we say in the South, that boy ain't quite right in the head.
But then again, neither am I.
Nor am I!
DeleteI'm looking forward to the day, hopefully soon when my daughter the arteest, who will be graduating college in the spring, can stop by and we can have a drink or meet her for dinner somewhere. Those are very grown up things and I'm not positive she's there yet but, she will probably surprise me. Her 21st birthday is Tuesday and she doesn't really want to go out. She's not a drinker in fact having only tasted alcohol once and that was at her first communion. Not very worldly college experience in my opinion but again, that's just me. Kids are different these days.
ReplyDeleteShe's graduating in the spring? Already?
DeleteThey grow up so quickly, hope you get that dinner date with The Arteest, soon.
A good rant gets the blood flowing, thanks, and a little history is good for the soul.
ReplyDeleteVisits with offspring make the World go ‘round.
Agree!
DeleteBack in the '70's, when I was in high school, Wisconsin Public Television had a show on Saturdays, called HOORAY!, For Harold Lloyd, and they would show Harold Lloyd films, and films of that era
ReplyDeleteSad to say, even the Three Stooges is better than a lot of today's tv shows.
DeleteHarold Lloyd, Buster Keaton, and those era films are what I retreat to when I can't stand today's world. Or... Hallmark movies, for the same reason. Simple plots, good acting, no steamy sex scenes or passion plays over illegals or whatever. Like Fred Astaire movies, but without Fred, the music and the dancing. (Yes, I watch old Astaire movies for the plot just as much as for the flashy stuff.)
I miss PBS when it actually was trying to be an alternate network and provide neat tv. They still do, to an extent, but every show seems to spend the last 10-15 minutes on 'Climate Change.' Rebuilding a house, yep, CC. Nature programs, yep, CC. Hiding from Nazis, oh, no, CC. Etc. Sad, so very sad.
And I'm still waiting for HGTV to post 'White House Christmas 2019', where they tour the Christmas decorations and how they put them up.
Scott - I seldom watch any commercial television, a vast wasteland.
DeleteBeans - I think we should start slapping those who mention climate change, when the implication that it's the Space Orcs doing that.
DeleteIt's the sun, stupid.
White House 2019? Would love it, but I ain't holding my breath. (I've seen pictures of the First Lady showing us the decorations, she's a classy lady.)
White House Christmas 2019, on the HGTV Channel at 5pm on December 15th. Just found it. Whooohooo!!!
DeleteHGTV is the only channel I watch the Rose Bowl Parade on, because, for some strange reason, it's the only one that talks about the flowers and doesn't spend too much time fawning over the latest Hollyweird idiot or the song-and-dance performances (in a parade, WTF?) and just show the darned floats.
Parades should have floats, beautiful women, people on horseback, people in old vehicles (still waiting for the Sherman covered in WWII pinup-type girls, or a halftrack, or even a deuce and a half or a DUKW, seriously doubt to see an LVTP-4 as the metal cups on the treads would dig up the road...) and bands, marching bands and especially a unit of the USMC in their dress uniforms playing Sousa. That's requirement for a proper parade.
And a flyover, gotta have a flyover. Want to see a flyover by some WWII bombers and fighters and transports. That would be cool. Several V formations of WWII planes.
Or a couple formations of Air Force planes, some fighters, some A-10s, maybe a hotdogging C-17 or a C-5 lumbering down, or a formation of B-52s or B-1s. Lots and lots of noise. Or a squadron or two of Navy or Marine fighters (dang, it's too late for various versions of the A-6 or S-3, darned it.)
Of course, totally cool if, when the new AF1 is finally out of the shop, have it do a lowlevel flyover.
Hey, a guy can dream and have requirements, can't he?
I'll set my calendar for that one.
DeleteIf you don't dream, what good are you? And yeah, gotta have standards (i.e. requirements).
That was firetrucking refreshing. I would add this. Remember who's really in charge. Am I doing a good enough job in running DOD? No. I'm not. When my boys get smoked it's not on the CINC or on kongrass or the Supremes, not on the alphabet agencies, not on the generals and admirals. It's on me.
ReplyDeleteRoger that!
DeleteYea!! Unexpected visits from the next generation are the best. I have been blessed, since I moved back to NY to have the #1 son show up every weekend for a couple of hours. He helps me do some stuff, and no, I have not been bugging him to come help, AND, better yet!! He has also been bringing over the #1 grandkiddo!!! I have even gotten a picture about once a month!! He must have missed me when I was in MI as prior to my going I was lucky to hear/see him 2-3x a year. So I have been paying it forward and making sure I am getting over to spend time with MY parents, even if it is just a quick lunch date in the café in their building.
ReplyDeleteFamily is the BEST!!!
I try very hard to hit here, over at Old NFO's place, Rev Paul's place and Aesop's place daily. Lots of good stuff to read and think about. And, usually I am sitting here nodding my head in agreement with the rants. ;)
It is awesome have the kids and grandkids around. Glad you're getting that opportunity!
Delete