That does look a lot like The High Plains o' New Mexico and I've mentioned that it's hot. I'm not alone... as high-temperature records are falling all over these United States, according to the WX Channel. And it ain't even July yet.
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Hey... it's Saturday. That means we have to post a viral vid and this work leads the Guardian's list this week:
OK, I'll freely admit I don't get any of the references, given I saw the first Star Wars all those many years ago and that's the ONLY one of the films I've seen, but I have it on good authority this spoof is on-target.
I much prefer this, if we're gonna go on about Stars in any way, shape, or form:
We can't do anything
Any trick in the book
We can't go anywhere
As long as we care
We ought to be locked away
We ought to be locked away
Locked away...
Yeah. What he said. It occurred to me while sittin' out on the verandah that I've said good-bye... pretty much a FINAL good-bye... to at least two wimmen in the past two weeks or so, neither of which was under the happiest o' circumstances (to say the VERY least). That got me to thinkin'... is it me or them? I mebbe shouldn't go there, for that way madness lies.
On another note... we did our semi-monthly run out to Cannon Airplane Patch earlier this afternoon for to go to the commissary and the Class VI store. Mission accomplished and all that, sans flight suit. On the way out and back The Tart was telling me the ambient temp was either 102 or 103, which is pretty damned hot. The strange thing? It doesn't FEEL like that, at all. As a s'matter o' fact, we're just in from a two-beer, one cigar Happy Hour on the verandah and I swear... it's comfortable outside. Warm, yes. Unbearable? No... emphatically so. This is what we look like at the time o' this posting:
Hot. But not unbearably so... note the humidity.
On yet another note... The Tart also tells me my average speed since she's been mine is 44.9 mph. Really? I've done one road trip to ABQ and the rest o' the time we've spent together has been in the local area. That seems rather fast, no?
And on a FINAL note... there was a time when 100+ degree temps didn't bother me at all. I'm speaking about that year I spent in the Mojave, during which time we'd take the mo'sickle out and tear us up some desert on just about any given day when I had the time to do that sorta thang, which was often. Like this:
In the Mojave at a hare 'n' hounds race, c.1971.
OK... that was just an excuse to indulge in a lil nostalgia and self-promotion. Coz we're like that.
The Usual Source for 'toons is ALL about the Supreme Court's ACA decision today. It was hard to choose which one to steal, but this one is arguably the best:
Portales makes an international splash, so to speak:
A mother was arrested in front of her young children and spent the night in jail – all for not returning a Twilight book and DVD.
Lori Teel was arrested and handcuffed at her Portales, New Mexico home in front of her five small children on June 12.
She had borrowed $36 worth of library materials not returned since 2010.
That's from an article in yesterday's (UK) Daily Mail. Oh, the ignominy of it all. My sleepy lil burg on The High Plains o' New Mexico is now the laughingstock of the entire UK. So to speak.
The h/t goes to Occasional Reader Rob, who sent this to me via e-mail.
The sun's gone down, the temps have moderated, and it's a fine night for sippin' JW Green, drawin' on a Partagas Spanish Rosado, and contemplating life... such as it is... out on the verandah. And we shall continue as we've begun.
The Good... I had my first Skype call with SN1 today, so I'm slowly but surely moving into the 21st century. It wasn't my first VIDEO call with him, though, as I spoke with him Wednesday morning via DIL Erma's iPad. FaceTime's video quality is much better than Skype's, or mebbe it's the camera on my cheap-ass laptop. But Skype is passable and it's GOOD to have real-time connectivity to the AOR.
The Bad (sorta)... The Tart is only getting 22 mpg and that's the average overall fuel economy to date, with 750 miles on the clock. I think there are at least two things in play here: (1) she's still new and the economy should improve as all her parts wear in and (2) most of her miles have been at speeds around 80 mph. So I suppose I should expect less than stellar mileage... which means I should either lower my expectations or raise my right foot, one or the other. The bad is mitigated by the fact she is a most-excellent road car: swift, silent, comfortable, and has a kick-ass Bose stereo. The trip to ABQ and back was most enjoyable this time around.
The (downright) Ugly:
Aiiieee! Baby it's HOT outside! I don't care if it's dry heat, it's just freakin' hot.
It looks like Romney's the one who got smitten, until you consider the rest of us Americans. "Tax," my ass.Memeorandum is ALL about this subject this morning.
Combat Talon from Son Tay Raid Retired: Members of Air Force Special Operations Command gathered at Cannon AFB, N.M., for the retirement of the MC-130E Combat Talon I aircraft that led the Son Tay Raid to free US prisoners of war from North Vietnam in August 1970. On June 22, tail number 64-0523 flew in to Cannon from Duke Field, Fla., where it had served in recent years with Air Force Reserve Command's 919th Special Operations Wing. The retirement ceremony at Cannon was that same day. The MC-130E will now undergo several months of demilitarization before it rests on permanent display at Cannon's airpark, according to a June 25 base release. This Combat Talon first flew in 1966 and amassed more than 23,500 flight hours, according to 919th SOW officials in a June 25 release. "We are extremely proud of our special operations forces heritage and what this aircraft means to AFSOC," said Col. Buck Elton, commander of Cannon's 27th SOW. (Cannon report by A1C Alexxis Pons Abascal) (Duke Field report by TSgt. Samuel King Jr.) (See also The Son Tay Raid from Air Force Magazine's archives.) (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Alexxis Pons Abascal)
Wow. That's a LOT o' hours on that historic airframe. You'll be seein' pictures of that aircraft once it takes its pride o' place in the Cannon airpark.
The problem now of course is
To simply hold your horses
To rush would be a crime
'Cause nice and easy does it every time
There's a double, if not triple, meaning in the lyrics to this song. On the one hand, it was as Frank sang: we hit all the bases on our way to romance. That applies to every woman I've ever known, but we have a more immediate concern. We're getting ready to make another trip up to ABQ tomorrow but this one is gonna be different, considering The Second Mrs. Pennington will be there... with SN3 in tow. Can you say apprehensive? Sure ya can, and that would be me at this very moment and for not a few moments over the course of the last six days or so. I have no expectations, like Mick sang, above and beyond the necessity to be an adult during this three-day (or so) encounter. That might could be difficult... given the history between TSMP and myself... which is to say we find it hard, both of us, to be civil to one another when we're in the same physical space. But we shall endeavor to persevere, Gentle Reader. Hell... it might could be fun, and I'm hoping for that.
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We called Happy Hour early again, because o' the weather... which is hot, hot, hot.
But it is... once again... a dry heat. And it WILL be most pleasant when the sun goes down and we dip into the 70s. That's one of the thangs I LOVE about The High Plains o' New Mexico.
Cannon's New Aircraft Fleet Grows: Cannon AFB, N.M., last week received its seventh new-built MC-130J Commando II aircraft, announced manufacturer Lockheed Martin. The special-mission airplane arrived on June 20 direct from the company's production facility at Marietta, Ga., states the company's June 21 release. Assigned to Cannon's 522nd Special Operations Squadron, aircraft no. 5695 will support covert infiltration and recovery, aerial refueling, and clandestine resupply, like Cannon's other new MC-130Js. This airframe is the seventh of 11 aircraft slated for delivery to Cannon, according to Lockheed Martin. Air Force Special Operations Command is procuring the MC-130Js to replace legacy MC-130s in the fleet.
I've been paying attention whenever I go out to Cannon Airplane Patch and I've noticed the ramp is a busy place these days. Quite the change from three or four years ago when one could only see a couple or mebbe three C-130s on the ramp... and that was IT. AFSOC has been running Cannon for almost five years now... time DO fly.
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And then there's this...
Some right-wing pundits have been comparing Fast and Furious to Watergate and I think they're right in at least one respect: it wasn't the burglary that killed Tricky Dick... it was the cover up. Fast and Furious REEKS of cover-up.
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Time for an EIP product endorsement... I called SN2 last evening to thank him for that California Duster recommendation he gave me. I got the cars washed this past Saturday and both of 'em are still shiny and dust-free after a morning pass with the C.Duster. This thing works as advertised, and you can't ask for anything more than that. About 16 Yankee Dollars at O'Reilly's Auto Parts, more at Amazon (where they have a kit available for considerably more).
... is a tune I heard on XM radio's "Deep Tracks" station while I was on my way out to Cannon Airplane Patch earlier today. Which, unfortunately, isn't available anywhere on the 'net. But, herewith some lyrics:
Right now I don't have a dime
Most folks say the way I live is a crime
My telephone it don't get no call
I guess I don't amount to too much at all
But I know that one day everything I'll be okay
Just ya wait and see
You might say I don't live high on the hog
Im unemployable - no one will front me a job
I live from day to day on a handout or two
And I can't say a word when someone asks me what's new
But I know that pretty soon that I might hang the moon
Just ya wait and see
Hey I'll be comin' back in a Cadillac
Livin' in some mansion
Not some shotgun shack
I'll be comin` back
Sho nuff in a Cadillac
Heh. The ultimate White Trash song which kinda-sorta fits, seein' as how I'm back... in a Cadillac. Heh.
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The saddest thing I've seen lately... I came upon the aftermath of a head-on crash on my way out to Cannon earlier today. The cops and other folks were loading up an SUV and a late-model coupe of indeterminate manufacture on a flatbed truck when I passed by. The SUV was nearly intact, the coupe had its entire front end torn off and its windshield was smashed. I'll surmise this was yet another "texting" accident, as the collision took place on a fast two-lane road with unlimited visibility and no intersection within miles. I'm pretty sure the SUV's occupants were unhurt, I can't say the same for the occupants of the coupe, as it was totaled.
Sad.
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The funniest thing I've seen lately... So, there I was... sitting on the verandah yesterday, feet up, enjoying a cigar and a beer or three... when a big-ass Portales Animal Control pick-up, followed by a big-ass Roosevelt County Sheriff''s pick-up, and an ENMU police car, all zoom by in pursuit of a small red dog. Said small red dog was loping across the empty field in front of El Casa Inmóvil de Pennington, aware of the pursuit but decidedly unconcerned. I suppose this is a classic "ya hadda be there" scenario, but the sheer fact of at least SIX law enforcement ossifers pursuing ONE small dog tickled my funny-bone.
I don't know if the dog got away or not, but I'm sure hoping he did. We always root for the underdog, doncha know.
―:☺:―
We had an abbreviated Happy Hour today, mainly coz it's hotter than Hades outdoors. Like this:
We'll go back outdoors once the sun goes down, but we're indoors for the rest of the afternoon. It wasn't bad outdoors (we did two beers and a whole cigar), Gentle Reader, mainly coz it's a DRY heat. Heh.
From the ADAB newsletter I got in the mail this morning...
So. Buck's been in the desert a week tomorrow, which means he has 358 days and a wake-up left. Not that we're counting...
I could have SWORN I created a series of posts called "Tales From the AOR" when Buck was in Iraq and The Af, but apparently not. I could only find one post with that title but I KNOW I used that terminology. I'm not a very good blogger.
Hey now baby, get into my big black car
Hey now baby, get into my big black car
I wanna just show you what my politics are.
I wonder why this tune's stuck in my head?
Speakin' o' earworms... there's a study about that (of course. isn't there a study about every-frickin'-thing?):
“Earworms is a colloquial name for a phenomena in music psychology—an experience when you get a song or a piece of song such as chorus [stuck in your head] without a willing attempt to experience a musical memory,” says Lassi A. Liikkanen, who published two papers about earworms recently in the journals Psychology of Music and Musicae Scientiae. ... Songs such as “Call Me Maybe” or fun's “We Are Young” seem to pop into our brains against our will. Seeing an album cover or recalling a memory associated with a song can induce an earworm. Liikkanen, who surveyed more than 12,000 Finish Internet users about earworms, found that nearly 90 percent of people experience involuntary imagery of music.
"Finish" internet users? Are they done with the 'net? Or what? Frickin' clue-free MSM...
And speakin' o' big black cars... there's this about the last big black car I owned:
Note the sticker price on that Impala, which was the asking price for the car back in 1995 when I bought it. That would be $36,391.24 translated into 2010 dollars, which is roughly the sticker price on The Dowager Tart, give or take a grand or two. TDT has everything that Impala had and more... plus the fact it gets better fuel economy (TDT: 27 mpg highway) and makes 20 more horsepower from a motor just slightly larger than half the size of the Impala's (3.0 liter & 270 hp for TDT, 5.7 liters & 250 hp for the Impala). Plus TDT has OnStar, satellite radio, traction control, StabiliTrak, and a six-speed auto vs none of the foregoing and the Impala's four-speed automatic.
Still and even, I LOVED that Impala and I'd prolly still have it if I hadn't opted for a mobile lifestyle. The car was that good, and I hope I feel the same way about TDT three or four years on.
Ladies and gentlemen, the Rolling Stones could be coming to your town! And just when you were trying to think of something to do with your grandparents besides going to Golden Corral again.
I've never set foot in a Golden Corral and will never, ever, ever do so. But I WOULD go to a Stones 50th anniversary concert. Fifty years? REALLY? Yeah, really. And the band played on.
Ya think The Green Hornet is jealous? She's lookin' a lil green. Wait...
So anyhoo... I was sound asleep this morning when the dealer called at 0930 hrs and told me the car was ready. I showered while the coffee was brewing, poured me a cup to take on the road, lit a cigar, and lit out for The Big(ger) City™. We're home now after driving Robert, my sales guy, back to Clovis and making a short trip to the Cannon Class VI store. And do we like The Tart? No. We LOVE her. I'll not go on at any great length except to say there are WORLDS of difference between TGH and TDT. It's really amazing what a difference 12 years makes when it comes to automotive technology.
So we got to thinkin'... what to name the baby? And then I realized I named her not quite two years ago when I first started thinkin' about growin' the fam'bly. To wit:
Should I Keep Her?
Or should I run off with some young tart who'll stroke my ego and make me feel comfortable in my dotage? I'm terribly conflicted at the moment.
...
Just to refresh your memory, Gentle Reader: The Tart...
That's the way I'd buy her... black on black. Which is totally impractical for The High Plains of New Mexico, given (a) the heat and (b) the ever-present dust. The Tart would be dirty an hour after I washed her... ALL the time. But there are only two colors for Cadillacs... black or white. I don't do white.
Well, OK. The Tart it is... but her FULL name is The Dowager Tart.
I've been talking about this for two years now and I finally pulled the trigger this morning. I'm keeping The Green Hornet for those days when I wanna blast around with the top down and will take the Caddy on the trips to ABQ I'll be making this year, among other things. Those four and a half hour rides to ABQ were the straws that broke this camel's back, given that NASA wind tunnels are prolly quieter than TGH at speed with her top up.
And the CTS? Black on black, which is prolly not the smartest color choice for The High Plains o' New Mexico. I believe Caddys should only come in two colors... black or white... and there wasn't a white one available in this part o' the world. So black will have to do.
Panetta Honors LGBT Service Members: Defense Secretary Leon Panetta released a video message thanking lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered troops for their service. The message, which also honored LGBT family members for their "dedicated service to our country," coincided with LGBT pride month. It was the first such message since the Obama Administration successfully pushed through a repeal of the Clinton-era Don't Ask-Don't Tell law banning homosexuals from openly serving in the military. "The pursuit of equality is fundamental to the American story. The successful repeal of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' proved to the nation that just like the country we defend, we share different backgrounds, different values, and different beliefs, but together we are the greatest military force in the world," stated Panetta in his June 15 message. Panetta said he was "very proud" of the way the services implemented the repeal and said he would remain "committed to removing as many barriers as possible to make America's military a model of equal opportunity." (Panetta transcript) (AFPS report by Cheryl Pellerin)
Different values? Really? Aside from that, didja know this month is LGBT Pride Month? And the president issued a proclamation to that effect? S'true... and it's here, which is near where I got this:
President Barack Obama delivers remarks at the LGBT Pride Month Reception in the East Room of the White House, June 15, 2012. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy
Say whut? All is revealed in Japanese beer-pouring conventions (about 2:40) featured in this more-than-slightly anal retentive video on sushi "how-to's," which is amusing in places. It's also pretty danged accurate.
I have to admit those Nihonjins have the right ideer about who should pour whose beer ("it's the samurai way"). Speakin' of... get me another beer while you're up, Darlin'!
Do you consider this all art? Or is there another word you'd use?
Other people have used the phrase "GPS art," but I've started calling it "Virtual Geoglyphic Adventure." It's “virtual” since there's nothing left behind. “Geoglyphic” because—you know what geoglyphs are, like the Nazca Lines. So, it's like a virtual geoglyph. And then it’s “adventure” because when I'm doing these things I really don't know what I'm gonna see out there. Baltimore is happening no matter what.
Batter Up 10.39 Miles => 1 Hour 24 Minutes 54 Seconds
Fascinating. There's much more at the link, including how Wally actually does the drawings, how he got into it, and a few more geoglyphs.
You can accurately judge a person just by looking at their shoes, psychologists say.
Researchers at the University of Kansas found that people were able to correctly judge a stranger's age, gender, income, political affiliation, emotional and other important personality traits just by looking at the person's shoes.
Lead researcher Omri Gillath found that by examining the style, cost, color of condition of the shoe, participants were able to guess about 90 percent of the of the owner's personal characteristics.
Expensive shoes belonged to high earners, flashy and colorful footwear belonged to extroverts and shoes that were not new but appeared to be spotless belonged to conscientious types.
While some of the clues like the ones already described were obvious, other clues were more surprising.
Practical and functional shoes generally belong to agreeable people, ankle boots fit with more aggressive personalities and uncomfortable looking shoes were worn by calm personalities.
There's more... much more... at the link above. My take-away... other than the usual "WTF?"... is I'm in trouble. I wear my six-year-old Topsiders ALL the time, unless I'm dressed up for some sorta function that requires a suit or my Class A blues. Or riding a mo'sickle, even though I don't do a helluva lot o' riding these days (read as: none). I'm afraid to think what a beat up pair o' deck shoes... worn without socks, always... sez about me. OTOH, I don't really give a big rat's ass, either.
The lovely Ms. Osborne, from the album "Relish." (PLEASE ignore the visuals... except for Kelly McGillis, possibly... it's the music we're on about here.)
I'm naked in a hotel room
My station comin' in comin' in loud and clear
I'm makin' out with my one true love
I'm makin' this hotel room disappear
Stop feelin' sorry for me
I hate that look on your face
You say just let go
You say come back home
I say I'm just fallin' from grace
...
See love comes down any way it wants to
Doesn't ask for your permission
It's that last line I quoted that's profound. The classic version is "we don't choose love, love chooses us" but I think I like Joan's take better.
First and foremost... the Kings completed their improbable playoff run by winning the Stanley Cup in six games. Herewith the most spectacular moment in sports:
SN1 was busy packing last evening but took time out to watch a bit of the game and ALL of the post-game ceremonies. Yeah, it's THAT important.
The other thang I shoulda blogged? The Second Mrs. Pennington celebrated her 56th birthday yesterday. I told her last year... when she turned 55... that she'd always be 19 in my mind's eye. That's still true. The pic on the left is the earliest picture I have of her and she was almost 20 when this photo was taken. Yeah, the pic is shabby, mainly coz it's been in my wallet for 36 years or so (her handwriting on the back: "me, reading one of your letters"). But the subject matter is anything BUT shabby, no?
And yeah... I did send her a "happy birthday" message yesterday.
D-Day meaning "departure day," as in SN1 gets on his way to the desert today, with a one week stop at Langley AFB for in- and out-processing. It's a long story, but the Reader's Digest version is SN1 is technically assigned to Air Combat Command HQ at Langley, with a year's TDY to the desert. Thus... in- and out-processing.
I did a lil photography duty yesterday, as Buck needed a picture for his official bio and another for his line badge once he gets to the desert. Here's the bio pic:
This, to be blunt, is the tragic flaw of the modern liberal. We choose to see ourselves as innocent victims of an escalating right-wing fanaticism. But too often we serve as willing accomplices to this escalation and to the resulting degradation of our civic discourse. We do this, without even meaning to, by consuming conservative folly as mass entertainment.
If this sounds like a harsh assessment, trust me, I’m among the worst offenders. Yes, I’m one of those enlightened masochists who tune in to conservative talk radio when driving alone. I recognize this as pathological behavior, and I always make sure to switch the station back to NPR before returning the car to my wife. But I can’t help myself. I take a perverse and complicated pleasure in listening to all the mean, manipulative things those people say.
[...]
So why do I do this?
The first and most damning reason is that some part of me truly enjoys resenting conservatives. I know I shouldn’t, that I should strive for equanimity. But secretly I feel the same helplessness and rage that animates the extreme right wing of this country. I see a world dangerously out of balance — morally, economically, ecologically — and my natural impulse is to blame those figures who, in my view, embody the decadent ignorance of the age. They become convenient scapegoats.
Rather than taking up the banner and the burden of the causes I believe in, or questioning my own consumptive habits, I’ve come to rely on private moments of indignation for moral vindication. I fume at the iniquity of Pundit A and laugh at the hypocrisy of Candidate B and feel absolved — without ever having left my couch. It’s a closed system of scorn and self-congratulation.
This is just another thinly-disguised call for "civility" in our political discourse, something that reoccurs regularly when the Left either suffers a major defeat (Wisconsin, this time) or is down in the polls. I agree with Mr. Almond on his titular point: Liberals ARE ruining America, but not for the reasons he states. No, it has more to do with profligate spending, nanny-state regulation, bloated bureaucracies, public-sector unions, teachers who don't/can't teach, and tree-hugging do-gooders of various and sundry stripes, all tilting left. THAT'S why Liberals are ruining America.
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In other news... Panic in El-Eh! Them Debbils brought the Stanley Cup Final to 3-2 by winning again last evening. Game Six is tomorrow night in El-Eh, and the hand-wringing has already begun. Things are getting very interesting.
The launch of IPv6 on 06/06/2012 was completely transparent, and that's a Good Thing. What's that, ya say? This:
I don't think we'll run out of IP addresses any time soon.
ALL of the viral vids at the Usual Source for such things were pretty damned lame this week (or have been seen before... lots... in other places), for the second week in a row. But there is more than one way to skin a cat and this comes from an alternate source:
Some of those reactions were pretty ghey. The whole vid was pretty lame, come to think on it. Is creativity as we know it dying?
Back to the Training Requirements Drawing Board: The Air Force has decided not to move forward at this time with plans to conduct low-altitude flying training in parts of southern Colorado and northern New Mexico for its special operations forces, announced 27th Special Operations Wing officials at Cannon AFB, N.M. While "the need for the low-altitude training still exists," emerging training requirements, including those based on lessons learned in Afghanistan, "now overlap with the need for the proposed low-altitude training," states the wing's June 5 release. As a result of this and "the many public comments received" during the draft environmental assessment of the low-altitude training proposal, service officials are now evaluating whether a more detailed environmental analysis is appropriate, according to the release. They are refining special operations flying training requirements and expect to make that determination in early 2013, states the release. Sen. Mark Udall (D-Colo.), in whose state low-altitude training would occur, welcomed the decision. "I want to ensure that pilots and crews receive the training they need to perform their combat missions, but this training plan needed to be better coordinated with local communities and other airspace users," said Udall in a release June 6.
The 27th SOW release sez comments were received "from approximately 1,600 people, agencies and organizations" during the public comment period in 2011. One wonders if those comments will be made public.
