I Am Such A Guy...

So. The weekend was, shall we say, interesting. Now that I've had a chance to get over the Monday "blahs" I can tell you about it.

It involved speakers. Seems that the Missus Herself has a bit of a project she's been conspiring with her friends on. It involves (shudder) a karaoke machine. And Chez Sarge. As a matter of fact, the family domicile plays a large part in this conspiracy project.

A while back, I arrived at the Manse to find a large, rather weighty cardboard box in the kitchen. Innocently, I asked the Love Of My Life, "What's this?" She answered me, "It's a karaoke machine. My sister sent it to me."

Okay...

Now my youngest sister-in-law is a bit of an entrepreneur. She once owned a karaoke bar on Okinawa. I don't think the machine came from there though. I'm not really sure of the provenance of this particular karaoke machine other than to say it was manufactured in Korea. Well, all the controls are in Korean. Could have been (and probably was) manufactured in China. But that's beside the point. All I know is that it's an older model karaoke machine and it was at my sister-in-law's before it was where it is now.

At any rate, this karaoke machine has been collecting dust on our TV stand for a month or so now. Though when we first got it we had hooked it up and checked that it actually worked, it hasn't been touched since. I had rather forgotten we had a karaoke machine until my wife started talking about speakers on Friday evening.

"I was at the Navy Exchange today and saw some nice speakers." was how the Missus Herself started the conversation. Now, given my cat-like nature, all I'm thinking about is "What's for supper? When is supper? Is supper right now?" So I had to do some mental re-alignment there when the subject of speakers at the Navy Exchange came up.

"Uh, why do we need speakers?" was my innocent and impossibly stupid question. After all, we had been talking about the karaoke machine the last time speakers were mentioned at Chez Sarge. Hadn't I been paying attention?

No, apparently not. At any rate, the Boss had planted the speaker bug in my brain and I'm guessing I was supposed to "deal with it". Unfortunately, being a male of the species, subtle nuance and gentle hinting are lost upon me. First hit me with a 2 by 4, then talk to me. Ya know, get my attention first.

Saturday morning dawns. The Missus Herself is up and about "getting ready". I presume her best friend (also Korean) has decided that they are going to "do something" this day. In olden times I used to ask what the "something" was and be told that it was a "Korean-thing" and I should just stay out of it. So I know better now. Also, the wife's best friend is older than her. So in Korean terms, she "out-ranks" my wife. Definitely a Korean thing. What the elders want to do is just agreed to. Everyone smiles. Everyone's happy. Move along, nothing to see here.

So there I am, all of a Saturday afternoon, sans wife, sans souci. A condition which is nice, unless there's grass to be cut. That's not too far down the road mind you. Then, when left to my own devices, "that grass had better be cut before I get home or I'll know the reason why!" Not the case, the grass is still dormant.

So I decide to go to Best Buy, a purveyor of things electronic, movies, music, software and speakers. It's the speakers which took me to Best Buy. Speakers for the wife.

What did I buy?

Speakers for my computer. They're very nice. But, naturally, I "had some 'splainin' to do".

"You bought speakers for your computer? What about the karaoke machine?" I was asked.

In a display of mental agility (for which I am not noted) I answered with, "Well, I saw so many, I thought you should come with me. Just to make sure you get what you want."

And she bought it.

I'm still amazed.

Sunday, after church, we went together to Best Buy. Wound up buying some very nice Bose speakers for the television karaoke machine. To the tune of $540+ Yankee dollars. I did manage to slip in Seasons One and Two of Game of Thrones on Blue Ray as part of the deal. (Hhhmm, perhaps I should run for Congress. That sounds like attaching pork to a spending bill. No wait, that's exactly what it was! Perhaps I should NOT run for Congress.)

Now we have a major crisis on hand at Chez Sarge. Where do we put the sub-woofer? It's a big box which looks "ugly" sitting next to the TV stand. OMG we have totally screwed up the decor. Erg. I will simply do as I'm told, like a good husband. I foresee furniture re-arranging in the immediate future.

Oh and I've been told to clean my room. Management is not happy with the scenery in the background of my inaugural video post. Sincerely not happy.

I know, I know. What was I thinking?

Dead End

The Road to the Future?

Not to start the week off on a down note, but Monday's are like that. The current ship of fools down there in Washington D.C. are leading us all to ruin. I had a post in mind but the Chief said it better over at Plan of the Day you should check this out.

Not a "feel good" post by any stretch of the imagination. But if you're paying attention to what's going on in the world, t'ain't much to feel good about right now.

Palm Sunday

Luke 19

28 After Jesus had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. 29 As he approached Bethphage and Bethany at the hill called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, saying to them, 30 “Go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 31 If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it.’”

32 Those who were sent ahead went and found it just as he had told them. 33 As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, “Why are you untying the colt?”

34 They replied, “The Lord needs it.”

35 They brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it. 36 As he went along, people spread their cloaks on the road.

37 When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen:

38 “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!”
       “Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”

Le Vieux Sergent Parle!

I have some new toys, this could get ugly...

My inaugural video post. Please buckle your seat belts and ensure your seats are in the upright position and your tray table is stowed. All carry on luggage must be returned to the overhead bins or placed under the seat in front of you. Hold on...

Oh look! A jet!

Family Ties

Grandpa
(Your Humble Scribe)

Dad
(My Son-in-law, Big Time)

Mom
(My Daughter, The WSO)

Daughter
(My Granddaughter, Little Bit)

Now I'm not saying that my oldest granddaughter will someday take to the skies and: slip the surly bonds of earth, and dance the skies on laughter-silvered wings, but it is in her blood.

Just sayin'...

Day One, The Second Year

Wondering What the Future Holds...

It's Saturday, a day off after a rather long work week. No longer in terms of time then any other work week, just longer in the number of "management panics" undergone. Seems a day didn't go by without someone running around with their hair on fire. Oh yeah, a fun week.

I remember reading a novel once, I dare say it was an Alexander Kent novel. This one perhaps? 

 Though it's been so long I can scarcely remember. And if you've not read any of these, I ask why not? The man is brilliant, simply brilliant. Alexander Kent and his tales of Richard Bolitho, Royal Navy are rousing sea stories of courage, patriotism (though not the kind you might think), betrayal, battle and the love men feel for a superb leader. Bolitho's career stretches from before the American Revolution to the Napoleonic Wars.

But, once again, I digress. Point of this little side track is that as a leader, never, ever, let the troops see you panic or being unsure of yourself. A sure guarantee for trouble. As a senior British naval officer told the young officer, "Walk Lieutenant, walk! No need for the men to see you in an unseemly rush. Panic is contagious. So walk Lieutenant, walk to your post as if you had not a care in the world."

As you might well imagine, didn't see much of that at work this work. But things got done and done much to the customer's satisfaction. Jim and I are far too experienced to let management's panic attacks influence the competent accomplishment of our mission. (Jim is a former sailor, six years as an enlisted nuke aboard USS Abraham Lincoln. A very smart guy and a joy and pleasure to work with!)

But now it's Saturday, the cares of the work week have fallen away. But today, as the title suggests, it's also Day One, of the Second Year of the blog. Of course, it's also Day One of the rest of my life. I view every new day as something special and shiny. No matter what happens I have my family and my friends. With the Good Lord watching o'er all.

Snapped an interesting photo this past week, during our latest bout of frozen precipitation, i.e. snow. Just before going to bed, I looked out the window and just had to take the shot. It came out well. Then today, which is gorgeous, I took more or less the same shot. A before and after, if you will. I like it, YMMV.

(Hey, looks like the bottom of my down spout has wandered! Guess I'll have to mend that!)

But it's time to get out and enjoy this bright new day! I wish you all the joys of the day and may some wonderful small thing come along to give you pleasure and take away whatever troubles may beset you at the moment. Until next time...

The Friday Flyby - 22 March

Oui, Mesdames et Messieurs, it's time for another "Friday Flyby". Just a couple of notes before we get started. The new logo you see above the awesome Phantom picture is something which I have designed specially for the "Friday Flyby". When you see that logo, you'll know it's an authentic Old AF Sarge Friday Flyby and not some cheap knock-off from a sweat-shop in some dirt poor 3rd World nation.

Now in that logo there are two things I want to point out. Though it is very small, the aircraft depicted is the Lockheed P-2 Neptune, in other words, one of these - 

The reason that particular aircraft is in the logo is simple and goes with the other thing I wanted to point out. Just underneath the Neptune, you may be able to just make out the text "H/T to joeh!". (I don't think you'll be able to make this out on a cell phone, unless you can zoom WAY in.) Anyway "joeh" is our own Cranky old man, who gave me the idea for the "Friday Flyby" theme. The next day I mentioned to (not necessarily your) Uncle Skip that I should include some kind of credit to Joe for the idea. This is it.

And the Neptune? Joe mentioned that his brother had been a Captain in the Navy (back in the day) and "was a navigator in a P something-something following Russian subs for probably 12 hour or more shifts". I kind of assumed (given the time frame) that it was probably the P-2 which Joe was referring to. So it's a tribute to Joe's brother as well, who is no longer with us. So that's the introduction to the new "Friday Flyby" logo along with the back story. Now onto the meat of today's post.

Now the really big news today is this:

It has been one year since I started this blog. At the time, I started out with these thoughts rolling around inside my head:

What the Hell am I thinking? A blog? Isn't that like an every-damn-day kind of thing? I must be out of my mind.

Then there was the reason I was starting. To attempt (in my very small way) to honor the memory of a friend who was no longer with us, a friend who was an amazing writer, Naval Aviator, officer, husband and Dad. (Most of you should know of whom I speak, those who don't should be able to figure it out.) So it's something I wanted to try but because of the reason for wanting to try, I didn't want it to, ya know, suck.

Well, it doesn't, as far as I know, suck. I have some very loyal readers who actually take time out of their busy days to read my sometimes unfocused and chaotic musings, ramblings and "war stories". (That's "sea stories" to my aquatic friends. And you know who you are.)

It's also, dare I say it, fun! Well, it can be. Sometimes these posts seem to write themselves. I get a certain spark or idea and then it just starts to flow. But there are those posts which started well, yet linger still in that half-world of the draft post. Still around but sitting there, waiting. Waiting to perhaps one day be completed and published. Or, perhaps given up on and deleted. (I don't do that much, maybe twice in the entire 12 months I've been doing this. I don't like throwing things away. Ask my wife or take a look at my computer room.)

The writing seems to come fairly easily when that creative spark is there. And it doesn't take much to get the creative "juices" flowing. Sometimes it's provided by my accomplices fellow bloggers. They'll write about something, something which lends itself to copying and expanding upon and I'll do so. Posts like this and this are examples of that.

And totally off topic and completely out of the blue - a little something, hand selected by me, for Virgil Xenophon (old Phantom jock and Friend of the Blog)...

497th Tactical Fighter Squadron 8 December 1965 – 16 September 1974 (F-4C/D Tail Code: FP)
8th Tactical Fighter Wing
Ubon Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand
(Well it is the Friday Flyby, innit?)

So it's been one year. How about that? For those who wish to reminisce, here's the link to that very first post, one year ago today. One more thing, I just checked, this is post number 301! (Update: No it isn't. Never mind. I went a little dyslexic when I wrote this. It's actually #287, still seems kind of cool to me, but what do I know?)

My hope is that I get to keep doing this and that y'all keep reading. I'll end this post as I ended that very first post, one year ago this very day...

...to honor The Man Himself...

Here's to You Lex!