Wednesday, January 7, 2026

Idling in the Gray

OAFS Photo
On the bright side, the temperature is above freezing. As you can see from the picture above, nothing else is very bright at all. It's a gray day here in the Northeast but that's okay. It's winter, I'm not freezing my butt off and I have all the time in the world to do whatever.

So I've got that going for me.

While dallying in Maryland over the holidays I received a text message from my buddy Tom, he of the monthly breakfast gathering. He was wondering if I'd like to go to a concert not far from Chez Sarge. The musician was Ally the Piper and would I be interested?



Why yes, yes I would. I don't think he knew I was already a fan of hers. Bagpipes with a modern twist, she can do the classics as well.

That's happening in February and I'm looking forward to it.

Now, back to sleep ...

Just kidding, I've got some things that need doing, so I'm going to go do them.

See you on the morrow!



Tuesday, January 6, 2026

Odds & Sods¹

OAFS Photo
Bloody cold here in Little Rhody as of late, the above readings were upon arrival at Chez Sarge after a night of fine dining which followed a dermatologist appointment. (Our dermatologist works late, which is okay as she is very good.)

I should note here that the average temperature in Little Rhody at this time of year is 35°, which is a tad more comfortable than that 28° reading. Dinnae fash yersel² over that indoor temperature, the thermometer is right next to a north-facing window. As can be seen below.

OAFS Photo
The weather guessers assure us that the next week will be more like the average, in the 40s, which I can tolerate quite well, thank you very much.

Saw a movie Sunday night which I'd been looking forward to, even though I had a few quibbles with it.

Source
From the stills I'd seen, I was impressed with the film's Tiger tank, it was the best looking replica I've ever seen. It's based on the old Soviet T-55 and has been nicely modified to look like the real thing. (The real thing can be seen in the film Fury.) It also looked pretty good on film as well, I was able to believe that it was an actual Panzerkampfwagen VI. As long as I didn't look too close ...

The uniforms weren't bad, the commander's crushed hat was nonsense, looked more like a Russian officer's cap than a German cap, don't know why they went in that direction. Odd but it was a minor thing. As was the loader's uniform which was a standard infantryman's uniform. All the other guys had spot on uniforms. Correct cut, correct piping on the lapels, etc., etc., etc. and more WWII uniform nerdiness, which I can be awfully guilty of ...

No spoilers here but ...

The plot seemed nonsensical at first: send a single tank out to rescue some colonel - a single, very big and slow, very much of a fuel hog tank - with no infantry support. But as the film progressed it started to make some sense but ...

Watch the whole thing, it's not really a tank movie but it is entertaining, sort of an "M. Night Shyamalan makes a tank movie" sort of thing. Watch it, you'll see what I mean.

I give it three stars (for reference Fury got 4.5 stars, Saving Private Ryan got 5).

Oh, I should note that if you're looking for it on Amazon, search for The Tank. Why they had to do that rename is beyond me.

Anyway, that's all I've got, weather and film. Now to watch an episode of Landman. Which is VERY entertaining.

Ciao!



¹ Odds and ends but with a British twist. Also an album by The Who.
² A Scottish phrase meaning "don't worry yourself. It's educational we are, here at The Chant.

Monday, January 5, 2026

Busy, Busy, Busy!

 OK, Campers, lot's of stuff going on, not much of it will rivet you to your seats, very important, but not riveting.  

First Topic.  It's a pain in the neck!  Both figuratively as well as literally.  Still wearing my neck brace, but with a little help from the Big Guy in the Sky and a well payed guy that goes by the title of Doctor, I hope to be out of the Brace in a week from this Thursday.   

 

Please Lord, l really am getting tired of this.

Enough Self-Pity.  Mrs J and I went to our Long Term Storage in search of a few things. This trip involved getting a Step Ladder, so, DUH!, we could reach things above our head.   We'd also wanted to bring back one of the 3 Lawn Mowers (2 push and 1 riding) stored there.

Nope, not in that Storage area

Unfortunately, due to the demise of my truck (and my restriction from driving) the lawn mower wouldn't fit into Mrs J's vehicle.  We needed to fold down the handle to get it into the back of her car.  As the Fates determine,  there wasn't a hand twist knob on the handle and there was no wrench in the car. 

   

Failure to plan! Ahhh, well!  So, we made another trip, this time with a tool bag in the back seat.

 Speaking of screw ups.  We've been a member of the Wall Street Journal Wine Club for a few years or so.  We'd ordered a case of wine a couple of weeks prior to the move.  Unfortunately, it had been delayed in shipping.  And I had forgotten about it, until about 10 days ago when they said it had shipped. Their message said it was going to our old address.  

Aww, Fecal Matter!  I got on the phone and called the Club and told them about the problem.  The Lady on the other end did some clicky-clacking and said the Case had been rerouted and would be delivered sometime on the 28th through the 30th.  An adult signature was required.  So, I sat at home, (can't drive, and Mrs J had babysitting duty for our grandkids).  Day 3 arrived, no delivery, get back on the phone.  

"Sir, your wine was delivered!"  I mentioned that I hadn't signed for it as it hadn't been delivered.  There's a bit of clicky clacking and she quoted that it had been delivered...to our old address.  I might have used some obscenity at that point.  I told her that we had changed the address and informed them of that.  More clicky clacking. 

"Yes, you did, our mistake. We'll ship a new case ASAP."  I'm thinking that the buyer of our house is thinking I'm a great guy, sending her a case of pretty nice French Wine.

Ah well! 

We're making progress on the unpacking. The living room and Kitchen are fully functional.  Mrs. J's office is operational so she can do Travel Agent stuff.  Gonna take a bit of rearranging when she gets that done and has time to plan the layout.  Unfortunately, I am still on the prohibition for lifting more than 20 lbs.  (Again, I hope the Doc calls that off soon). But, we also have some family in the area that can help with some of the more heavy stuff.

My office is doing ok.  I mean, I'm typing this from my "Desk"  how hard can it be?"

 

End Sarc!

We've gotten rid of a lot of stuff.  Our bed and frame didn't survive the trip, so had to be junked.  Fortunately, College Station has a junk pick up day every second Wednesday.

The orange thing is the scoop, the driver sits at the top of the red thing and picks up the junk and dumps it into the back of the truck

 The process was very cool and I had to step outside to watch.  I went and talked to the driver when he'd finished picking up our junk and climbed down.  He had a big smile on his face.  I asked him if he enjoyed his job.  He said "Why yes, Very, Very Much".  

Good on ya' Mate! 

One of the major improvements in overseas assignments is the ability to video chat with your offspring, even if they are on a different continent.  Back in the day (when dinosaurs roamed) a 5 minute, poor connection phone call to your mother on her birthday cost around $100, which was a small fortune for a First Lt in 1980.  Fortunately, Mom's Birthday only came around once in my one year overseas assignment. 

My how times have changed,  Granted $100 barely buys a fast food meal, but the quality of the conversation as well as the cost of the transmission makes up for a great deal.  We had about an hour long video chat with Little Juvat, LJW and Miss B, just prior to my writing this post.  Very nice, funny, useful, reassuring and free.  

It's Sunday as I'm writing this.  Sundays have a fairly standard and regulated schedule.  Upon awakening and dressing, we're off to Mass (Sunday happened to be a Holy Day of Obligation so a High Mass is celebrated, complete with incense).  At the completion of the mass, the altar group came down the middle aisle with the incense burning again.  Unfortunately, they stopped with the lead altar boy (and incense carrier) not 5 feet from me.  Holy Cow, my nose clogged up in about 5 seconds, my eyes started crying like a 2 year old, I'm coughing my lungs out and the choir sang all 5 verses of "We Three Kings".  Suffice it to say we'll be avoiding any Mass labled "Solemn Mass" in the future.  Up on the altar, incense is OK, but in the midst of an awful lot of "Old Farts" with a myriad of breathing difficulties (of which I'm one) is torture.  

Since they only do one "Solemn Mass" on a Holy Day, we'll pay more attention to the Church calendar and choose a differnt mass time when that occurs. 

Ahh, Well enough Bitching, Moaning and Complaining for one post,

After Mass, Mrs J and I, and MBD and family met up at  Stella's. A pretty busy restaurant,  Mrs J and I got their earlier than the others, so I ordered something very important.

 

Mahvellous coffee and a lotta truth to the statement on the side!  We'll be back!



Finally, Eldest Granddaughter found a new friend after breakfast yesterday.  She might have been upset if she knew what I had for breakfast to go with the eggs! 

Peace Out Y'all 

 

 

 

Sunday, January 4, 2026

Home Again, Home Again

OAFS Photo
Got on the road at roughly 0800 local. Grandsons were groggy as they've been sleeping late over their school vacation. They were still bummed out to see the grandparental units board their shuttle to return to Little Rhody. I'm going to miss seeing them every day, but we'll be back soon enough.

The ride was not bad, spotty traffic problems, usually caused by an incompetent driver playing "pace car" in the passing lane. There was an epidemic of that crap in Connecticut. Oh well, kept me from maximum warp which was probably a good thing.

Got home at 1600-ish and that included a long stop for supper and a few stops to stretch the legs, refuel, etc. So we really made good time. I'm thankful for that.

Down in Maryland it was cold, Little Rhody was colder. (See the opening photo.)

I'm not going to say I'm looking forward to summer's return, I do like the cold, but these old bones don't like it as much as they used to. (And I really can't abide really hot weather.)

But we're back at home, in one piece and ready to hibernate for a bit.

Winter is good for that.

Be seeing you.



Saturday, January 3, 2026

In Orbit (Not Really)

Source
"OAFS' log, star date who cares, we're retired."

"I've ordered Earthship Blue to leave orbit around the planet Anna-polis 12 and set a course for the Little Rhody system. The Earth-standard Christmas/New Year holidays have come to an end and it's time for the crew to return to its normal activities."

"I've tasked science officer Spock to define what normal actually is. I get no response. He simply stares off into the distance ..."

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"I am reminded, once again, that he is not real, he's an action figure. What's more, not even one in my collection."

"Sigh, it's hard to get real crewmen these days."

"Chekhov, engage."

Source
"Hmm, apparently he isn't real either."

So yes, I'll have to drive myself home.

See you Sunday, maybe.

It's a travel day, time to return to what passes for "normal" these days ...

Sigh.




Expect a lot of whimsy in the near future. Maybe, I am indecisive and without a clue. Or a care for that matter. 🤔

Friday, January 2, 2026

Where Do We Go From Here?

Winter Sunrise
Source
Not sure where the path will lead in this new year. More blogging? Less blogging? Somewhere in between? I really don't know.

I've been enjoying my time away from the keyboard, playing with the grands and being a grandpa, but eventually we need to head north and return to the "normal" life.

I do intend to spend less time on the web this year. As AI continues to proliferate, the content out there gets less and less reliable.

The powers that be have found yet another way to lie to us.

Surprise, surprise!

Not.

Anyhoo, as the holidays wind down, I don't intend to wind back up again.

But who knows, that can always change.

Enjoy.



Thursday, January 1, 2026

Happy New Year!

OAFS Photo
We closed out the old year at Inju Korean BBQ at the Annapolis Mall, one of my favorite eateries in the area. As it was the celebration of The Nuke's natal day, I sprang for the check, at the direction of The Missus Herself. (Hey, I would've paid anyway but she likes to direct me to do such things. It's her nature.)

Whilst dining we discovered that Finnegan (the only face you can see above) is a very big fan of bulgogi¹, something his brother Roberto disdains. The oldest is rather finicky when it comes to his tucker, the youngest's palate is still developing so he's not as picky.

But I digress ...

Lunch was good, the lads retired to Chez Tuttle et Nuke while the ladies went shopping. I was relieved to have been spared that. I mean I know how to shop, I want something, I go to where they sell it, then I buy it. The only place where I can spend time browsing is a book store. Hobby shops back in the day were another, I'd go there just to see what was new and walk out having dropped a hundred bucks or so.

No doubt The Missus Herself is happy that the old school hobby shops are now few and far between. I'm not but ...

Yes, I digress.

2025 is over, 2026 is here and we must, needs be, make the best of it.

Hope your New Year finds you healthy and happy.

Enjoy!



¹ (불고기) A Korean dish of thinly sliced, marinated meat (usually beef) grilled or stir-fried, known for its savory, sweet, garlicky, and slightly smoky flavor from soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, and pear, often served with rice and lettuce wraps for a fresh, balanced bite.