Weekend Open Thread
Here’s your chance to talk about whatever is on your mind. You can drop off links to news you want to discuss, or links to your own blog, exchange recipes, cuss me out for being absent – but Mom is visiting this weekend, so my attention is diverted for a while – knock yourselves out.
Category: Administrative
As I was scooping up dogshit this morning, I thought of Phildo.
I wonder if he plays Cash 3 in the Florida state lotto?
Dave Grossman = Malcolm Gladwell?
How many readers faithfully pay dues to the American Legion or Veterans of Foreign Wars? Reason I ask is statements from the leadership of both organizations decrying the “devestating effect” on veterans disability payments the shutdown was going to have. Statements designed to bring pressure on those elected representatives trying to stem to bleeding of our country. I believe some of what the VA Secretary told Congress about cutting off disability payments is BS because any retired service member drawing a VA disability, and is not covered by concurrent receipt, has a corresponding VA payment from retired pay. However, I did not see a single public word from the Am Lgn or VFW leadership about cutting off the death benefit payments, closing of the WWII Memorial or other related-issues. Where was the outrage? Given the fact the leadership of both of these organizations is mostly two-year wonders or one term “professional veterans,” no wonder. Regardless of your politics that sucks and anyone paying good money to belong to those two organizations should let them know.
Well, I see that in the last 24 hours, the GOP caved and gave the Democrats almost everything they wanted.
But of course, that’s not good enough. Obumbles has decided he doesn’t even want to consider the House plan, rather relying on the Senate proposal.
And so it continues.
Club Manager:
Some of the responses to the shutdown by the VFW:
Redoubles efforts for info to Student Veterans: http://www.vfw.org/News-and-Events/Articles/2013-Articles/VFW,-SVA-Fill-GI-Bill-Void-During-Government-Shutdown/
VFW Commander condemns non-payment of Veterans’ benefits: http://www.vfw.org/News-and-Events/Articles/2013-Articles/A-Statement-from-VFW-National-Commander-Thien/
VFW announces financial resources to be provided to families of fallen: http://www.vfw.org/News-and-Events/Articles/2013-Articles/VFW-VOWS-TO-HELP-THE-FAMILIES-OF-FALLEN-HEROES/
VFW condemns closure of VA centers and the non-payment of death benefits: http://www.vfw.org/News-and-Events/Articles/2013-Articles/VFW-Disgusted-with-Elected-Leadership/
Keep in mind, the VFW must remain NON-partisan, hence in the condemnations, it does not blame one side or the other, but rather uses generic terms to describe the problematic decision makers.
JohnC: you’ll have to explain your question better. I know the work of LTC Dave Grossman (ret), but not much about Malcolm Gladwell, though what I see online bears no relationship at all.
Two things:
1. How can I get rid of all the leaves without blowing or picking them up with tractor? We are mid peak right now and I have about 3 inches deep of leaves everywhere!
2. Does my ass look fat in these pants?
Thanks!
@7.
1. Move
2. Yes, very.
@6TN
It’s hard to explain unless you’ve read/heard both. Assume it’s not flattering.
So, I’m rummaging through some containers in the garage today and I come upon a scrap book of the JFK assassination. Whoever amassed it lived in NY b/c all of the papers are the NY Daily News. Talk about a trip down memory lane–and I’m not referring to the JFK stuff. The papers are whole so the stories (and Sports!) are tres kulem. Some 21-year-old kid named Roger Storebuck or Stumbech or something was all the rage. His team was fixin’ to pl;at Texas for the national championship after the middies squeaked by underdog Army in the final game.
Does my ass look fat in these pants?
Pants? Cripes, man, I was looking for the house number on them!
Does my ass look fat in these pants?
Please don’t tell me ONLY your ass is back there!
MCPO: You can pay someone else to rake them/blow them for you. When we were kids, we’d have done it for $5-10 depending on the size of the yard. Today’s kids? I don’t know if they’d work for $500, so you may have to go with professionals, and the illegals they hire.
JohnC: I have nothing negative to say about LTC Grossman, nor have I seen any viable argument to say negative things about LTC Grossman.
It is against OSHA, HHS, EPA, ACLU, NAADA and many other agencies and organization policies and procedures to ask and or offer anything to kids these days.
But I am lucky, my son who is 7 and looks more like a 12 year old told me last week, “I will do it for 1500 dollars and a pack of PockeeMon cards.”
That’s MY boy!
What the fuck happened to the quality control on Doc Marten boots? My first pair was english made and lasted a decade of hard, brutal, disgustingly abusive use. These new pairs, the leather tears within 8 months.
Oh, and Grossman’s books are the worst kind of pseudo-scientific bullshit. I’m sure the man was great as a soldier and an officer, but as a scientist he doesn’t seem to understand how to perform actual research. And when you’re a no name cat like me doing research and presenting it on issues like bullying and the school shooting phenomenon, you have to fight idiotic and half-assed crap like Grossman’s and the words of a particular jackass disbarred lawyer in Florida (Jack Thompson) every step of the way.
Cav. That is a keeper or donate it Kennedy Library up thar in the Peoples Republic of MA.
I’m going out to do the honey do list. The wife already has the paintbrush ready.
Recipe – “Italian Chicken and Dumplings” No, I’m not joking. Although this sounds like a bad joke, this dish actually works damn well. Frankly, I was shocked at how well it works. And it’s great for creating a true change-of-pace meal out of leftover chicken. Ingredients: – leftover roast chicken – you’ll need a med/large chicken breast to serve 2 and 1/2 chicken to serve 4 – 1 package of gnocchi per two servings. Gnocchi are Italian dumplings; most I’ve seen are a combination of pasta and potato (there are many types). In the US, they typically come in a 1-pound or 500g (17.6 oz) package. You’ll need about 8 oz of uncooked gnocchi per serving, hence 1 package of gnocchi per two servings. – 1 pkg pesto sauce mix (enough to serve 4-6 – Knorr pesto mix makes enough pesto to serve 6, while McCormick pesto sauce mix serves 4) – 1 to 2 oz olive oil (needed to make the pesto sauce mix) – grated Parmesan or Romano cheese (optional) Preparation Instructions: 1. Skin and bone the leftover roast chicken. Cut/tear/shred into bite-size pieces. Amount will depend on how many servings you’re making – a large chicken breast (or breast and wing) is generally sufficient for 2 servings; a half-chicken is sufficient for four. If serving more than four, adjust accordingly. 2. Start heating the water needed to cook the gnocchi. If using 1-2 packages of gnocchi, you’ll need about the same amount of water as you would a box of spaghetti. 3. Prepare the packaged pesto sauce according to package instructions. Most require 1-2 ounces of olive oil and some water. If serving more than 4, you may or may not need more than 1 package of pesto sauce mix, depending on just how much sauce each package you’re using makes. (Alternatively, you can make your own pesto from scratch or use pre-made pesto sauce.) You won’t need all that much much – about 1/3 cup pesto per 2 servings. Keep the pesto hot after it’s cooked (typically about 5 min start to finish), but don’t scorch… Read more »
@7
1. Flamethrower (M132 was my favorite).
2. Real men don’t care what they wear off-duty?
New post on my blog, and please note, I did reference sea stories.
http://wolfmoonpressblog.wordpress.com/2013/10/12/why-you-dont-need-a-class-in-writing/
While taking a break from the arduous task of writing, I came up with short jokes. I’m 5’2″ and expect to get shorter as time goes by. As I told Jonn, I blame it on my parents. My mother squelched everythig I did, including growing taller, so I ran away to sea. That made her mad because she couldn’t keep me under her thumb.
Short Jokes:
Genetics: I hear your parents were 6 feet tall, and your brother was even taller. What the hell happened to you?
Pets: Aren’t you worried about that Chihuahua dragging you down the street when he’s chasing a car?
Weather: Is it true that, when it rains, you can stay dry by ducking under a leaf?
Historical: I’ll bet you’re a fan of Napoleon, aren’t you?
Dining out: So, do you still use the booster seat at McDonald’s?
Sex: You gotta be careful, make sure you’re always on top so you don’t get lost.
Hobbies: When you parents bought your brother that HO train set, I’ll bet you had fun getting rides in the cars.
Sports: Did you know that those football players are shown at their actual size you see on TV?
Books: Oh, no – the 6×9 format is just the soft-cover print size. It just looks full-sized to you.
Groceries: Why is it, when they put stuff on the top shelf, they never think about people like you?
Ex-PH2: you missed one: “I bet your favorite singer ISN’T Randy Newman.” (smile)
Hey, I’m “vertically challenged” myself, so I have room to talk.
Hondo, I do have more on that list, and the Randy Newman reference is one of them. 🙂
A few more:
Space: It’s just a shame they ended the Apollo program. You would have fit right into those space capsules with room to spare.
Summer camp: Well, at least you didn’t have to sleep on the top bunk.
Housekeeping: Sure does make it easier to scrub the floors, when you don’t have to get down on your hands and knees to do it.
Camping out: Maybe you should let someone else hold your marshmallow to roast it. That stick’s awfully short for you.
Winter: You know, if they run out blankets, there’s a full box of Kleenex right over there.
Fishing: Just make sure you don’t let the fingerlings drag you under.
Holidays: I hear someone mistook you for the Christmas tree topper in that angel costume.
Entertainment: Do they make you take an adult along with you to R-rated movies?
Summer: Man, a mosquito could drain you dry in five seconds!
Gardening: Have you ever gotten lost in a flowerbed?
Social: When you meet new people, do they pick you up to say ‘Hello’?
Now, if anyone wants to add some short subjects to my list, I will endeavor to come up with more short stuff.
Here is one:
Confusion: What the hell are you talikng about?
I must go and get a bottle of Lost Cellar white wine for dinner. The chicken and pesto made me hungry, and I have fresh basil waiting to be used on my front steps. I just don’t have nuts.
And now, it’s raining. I will be up all night finishing the succubus’s story.
@24 Master Chief, these are all short jokes.
Have you never been a short-timer?
I was so short prior to my retirement, I needed a step ladder to clear the curb.
Hi John’s mom!
Hondo, how old are you?
I just wondered if you were in Viet Nam?
In Viet Nam, SHORT guys were wanted for two jobs; tunnel rats, and Cobra pilots.
JRM: as a youngster I knew folks who’d served in Vietnam, and I served with a number of NCOs and Officers who’d been there. But to answer your question, no; I’m young enough to have missed serving in Vietnam myself by a few years.
BIG guys were wanted to carry the M-60 machine gun.
Battlefield 4 PC beta is amazing!
The farmer’s market had two things this morning I have been dying to get my hands on all summer
Buffalo tongue and whole duck
I’m going to use the tongue in this recipe
http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/beef_tacos_de_lengua/
And the duck in this recipe
Had the dolphin fish out for a ride this morning. The sunrise was beautiful.
Playing cribbage later on with Jimmy..I mean President Carter..I forget myself sometimes…and Sean Connery
First, The Chief(tain) asks whether his ass looks fat in those pants and I’m the only one who responds? Then, if that’s not enough, TN says AND I QUOTE (if somewhat selectively) “You can pay someone else to…blow…you.
[W]e’d have done it for $5-10 depending on the size….” And nobody reacts. Must be a flat day all over.
Talk about changing times. In one of the 1963 NY Dail News papers appeared a story about a NYC teacher who transferred to another school and thus became the school’s coach…ready?… of the rifle team! Jeez. You would suspended there today for drawing a rifle on the blackboard.
Hondo, in reference to short people, I remember reading a story (or was it a novel?) many years ago about a guy who bragged about flying Spitfires in the Royal Air Force during the Battle of Britain.
But, a REAL veteran exposed him.
How?
The wannabee was a BIG guy, and only LITTLE guys could fit inside the cockpit of a British Spitfire fighter plane.
By the way, I remember building a plastic model of a British Spitfire when I was a kid.
I kind of made a mess of it, but I enjoyed playing with it.
@12.
I do not know anything about LTC Grossman but Rex Grossman sucks ass.
Go Redskins!
@35 2/17 Air Cav
Justice Antonine Scalia talks about taking his rifle with him on the subway to practice (in the mid 50’s).
Nowadays, he, or more likely those in him immediate vicinity, would be shot.
I’m glad to see that nothing has changed since I left to go foraging.
On another note: Cavemen recycled everything. They reused flint left over from making arrowheads. In other words, recycling is nothing new. It was invented by Neandertals and is now recycled by environmentalists.
I look forward to the day that I can hang out with Billy Dee Williams and CPT Kirk!
Drinking Colt 45 and chasing space tang throughout the galaxy!
PH: A short woman who had been benefitting from a spate of construction I was doing angrily asked: “Why does everything have to be over my head?” (referring to the fact that the grape trellises were 6 ft.)
“Because there are standards.” (in construction was unsaid but the reference)
About 5 mins later, she walked into a floor joist for the deck being constructed, hitting her forehead.
“That’s why.”
MCPO: a counter offer for the kid: “The location of your bed (indoors or out) and type and quantity of your meals is dependent on how much of the grass I can see in our yard.”
CAV: you had to work hard to extrapolate that!
MCPO: In these parts, it is still expected that kids contribute to the household, through chores. And paying the kid down the street to mow the lawn may be considered extravagant and lazy, but not criminal.
TN, I certainly would fit into that grape trellis, with or without tables to stand on.
And, frankly, my house has peaked ceilings under its peaked roof. They start at 7 ft and peak at 9 ft.
I can change light bulbs in the living room without using a ladder.
When I bought my little house, the first thing I thought was “Finally, a house just my size.”
Master Chief, I have not heard the ladder-and-curb joke in many, many years. I bow in your general direction. And as the Chevy ads used to say, it’s what’s up front that counts.
Did you all hear about the UFO at Keesler Air Force Base?
http://writesong.blogspot.com/2013/09/ufo-at-keesler-air-force-base.html
I just dropped a Phildo in the toilet.
I can only say, “Awwwwww… looks like Cheech & Chong will have to go some place else to get their weed allotment.”
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_MEDICAL_MARIJUANA_LOS_ANGELES?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
Just in case any of you all are interested, here’s the menu for our mess hall at the Armed Forces Retirement Home in Gulfport, Mississippi for the coming week, beginning Monday 14 October 2013:
https://www.afrh.gov/afrh/current/menu/AFRH-Gulfport-Regular-Menu-101413-102013.pdf
Visitors can eat here, but they must be with the person they’re visiting.
Meal tickets for visitors are $7.00, and typical of military mess halls, you get all you want to eat, and there’s lots of choices.
Sometimes, there are surprise treats that aren’t listed on the menu.
John. I looked at the menu. Where the hell is the french toast? You must have that thick-sliced, never-ever dry french toast with the serious crust, slathered in butter (margarine if you must) and half-drwoned in maple syrup.