Bitch, Bitch, Bitch

Stop, already!

A High Wind Warning remains in effect until 8 PM MDT this evening.

* Location... the east Central Plains... including the Interstate 40 corridor.

* Winds... west winds will gradually shift out of the northwest at 35 to 45 mph with gusts around 60 mph.

* Timing... wind speeds will continue to strengthen through mid day then remain strong through the afternoon. Speeds will then weaken below hazardous levels a few hours after sunset.

* Visibility... blowing dust will drop visibility below 1 mile at times in dust prone locations.

* Local impacts... winds of this magnitude can cause property damage and could down a few trees and power lines. Secure loose objects like lawn furniture. Dangerous Crosswinds will develop on north to south and northeast to southwest oriented roads.

Lately it seems like it's one day out and the next day in, all because of this gotdamned wind!

I suppose I should go outside and secure the chairs before they end up over in Amarillo.  I hate this shit.

Not Your Father's Air Force XII

I found out today that the Air Force Personnel Center has a spiffy web site devoted to what used to be known as AFR 35-10... the bane of my military existence and a perpetual thorn in my non-conformist side... but is now AFI 36-2903.  (Minor digression: Today's Modern Air Force doesn't have regulations; it has "instructions."  This irritates me slightly, an unusual position for a non-conformist to take.  Whatevah.)  I found out about the web site through the (other) usual source, of course.

Eye on Style: The Air Force's dress and appearance standards website is now fully operational and ready to help airmen with their uniform questions. The site is accessible via Air Force Personnel Center's public website (left column under "featured programs"). It's designed for ease of use. "It has both pictures and word descriptions of everything," said Capt. Meghan Liemburg-Archer, Air Combat Command force management officer at Langley AFB, Va. She continued, "So you can click if you have a question specifically on [physical training] wear, or you can type in 'PT uniform,' and it will show you a picture for both genders." The website also has a frequently asked questions page. Personnel officials will keep the site up to date. "The website is going to be your most accurate resource," said Liemburg-Archer. The website debuted last July. (Langley report by SrA. Jason Shamberger)

"Well, cool!" sez I while promptly trotting off to check out all the different unis.  I was suitably (heh) impressed with the site's ease of use, the clarity and brevity of the writing, and the sheer diversity of all things 35-10 36-2903.  A couple o' screen shots:

There sure are a LOT of unis these days!  One wonders how many of these uniforms are part of an airman's original issue, how many are "optional" (by that I mean authorized for wear but bought at one's own expense), and how many are organizational issue.  As an example, the parka used to be "organizational issue" back in my day: you drew one from supply at your cold weather base upon arrival and turned it in when you left.  Those things were expensive, Gentle Reader... and warm, too.  The Air Force gave me the absolute best cold weather gear I've ever worn... period, end of report.

Long time readers know my "Not Your Father's Air Force" series tends to run heavily on snark and/or "Get Off My Lawn!" sorts of comments.  I was thinkin' "Good on the AF" as I scrolled down and clicked on the various uniform combos, read the verbiage, and all that happy stuff.  No snark potential here!  Well, check THAT, coz there's THIS:

O my aching ass... It's the Mr. Rogers uniform!

I've always wanted to have a neighbor just like you.
I've always wanted to live in a neighborhood with you.

Way t'go, Air Force.

(Inadvertently) Broadening Our Horizons XX

I bought a sixer of Sammy Adams' Winter Lager on my last beer run and imagine my surprise when I went to the fridge and pulled this out of the carrier:

That's an SA Blackberry Witbier, which I wouldn't have bought by choice, given my recent less-than-satisfying run-ins with American fruity beers.  This one is no different, bein' way too sweet for my tastes... but we shall drink the damned thing anyway.  And then follow it up with a Winter Lager, which we both wanted and expected.  The best laid plans, yadda, yadda...

Today's cigar is an Acid Kuba Kuba... a fine lil stick that often graces our humidor.  It looks like today might be a two-cigar kinda day.  I just kinda-sorta feel it in my bones and elsewhere.

Update, 1535 hrs:  Round Two.

MUCH better!

Update, Part Deux:  Under the awning, in two views:

You need to view the second picture in its original size, i.e., click for larger.  In which we thank The Deity At Hand we don't suffer from allergies as the cottonwood detritus resembles a snow storm in its most intense moments.  But other than that?  It's the finest of fine days here on The High Plains of New Mexico.  I hope your day is half as good, Gentle Reader.

Sorry, Air Force. No Shuttle for YOU!

From the (other) usual source...

No Space Shuttle for Air Force Museum: NASA Administrator Charles Bolden on Tuesday announced the museums where the four space shuttles will go on permanent display once the shuttle fleet retires later this year. The National Museum of the US Air Force in Dayton, Ohio, was not one of them. Instead, the Shuttle Atlantis will go to the Kennedy Space Center Visitor's Complex in Florida; Shuttle Discovery will reside at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum's Udvar-Hazy Center in Virginia; Shuttle Endeavour will rest at the California Science Center in Los Angeles; and Shuttle Enterprise will relocate from the Udvar-Hazy Center to the Intrepid Sea, Air, and Space Museum in New York. NASA said the Air Force museum will receive some shuttle artifacts: the nose cap assembly and crew compartment trainer as well as orbital maneuvering system engines. Bolden's announcement coincided with the 30th anniversary of the first shuttle launch and 50th anniversary of manned space flight. (See also Air Force Museum release)

Well, that sucks.  Just for grins and giggles, here's a couple o' items from the Air Force Museum's web site on the subject:

01) Why does the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force want a shuttle orbiter?

Throughout the shuttle's flying career, the USAF has been an important NASA partner. In addition to contributing massive infrastructure and multifaceted operational support, the Air Force has provided NASA with many highly skilled shuttle astronauts. NASA and the Department of Defense began cooperating on space shuttle design in early 1969, and the USAF-NASA formal space shuttle relationship began on Feb. 17, 1970. Air Force satellite launch requirements largely determined shuttle design, and the Air Force saved the shuttle program in lean budget years during its development.

Recognizing this vital and historically significant partnership, the Secretary of the Air Force, in accordance with 40 U.S.C. §524(b)(2), has requested the interagency transfer of a shuttle orbiter to the Air Force's national historical collection. This acquisition is required in order to represent the USAF/NASA partnership and the contributions of the shuttle orbiter program to national defense.

Therefore, the National Museum of the United States Air Force and its governing body, the USAF Heritage Board of Directors, has identified the Air Force's space mission as its most important exhibit priority.

04) Which shuttle orbiter is the museum requesting?

The museum is open to receiving any available orbiter; however we are most interested in Atlantis due to it being the primary Air Force/Department of Defense shuttle. Atlantis is the orbiter that has flown five Department of Defense (DoD) dedicated missions, more than any other shuttle, and has also supported other DoD activities. The basic space shuttle design was heavily influenced by Air Force and DoD requirements, and Atlantis has included more than 30 Air Force astronauts among its crews. The Air Force and DoD also play critical roles in shuttle launch and recovery operations in a continuous, decades-long partnership with NASA.

Well, Atlantis will stay at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.  I suppose the Air Force museum shouldn't be all that disappointed... Houston didn't get one, either.

NASA administrator Charles Bolden announced today the four museums -- the Smithsonian Institution (Discovery), the California Science Center (Endeavour), Kennedy Space Center (Atlantis) and the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum (Enterprise) -- that will receive space shuttles for public display after the fleet retires this summer. 

As expected Houston, the home of human spaceflight, was snubbed. 

It's a shame. Houston's campaign, Bring the Shuttle Home, probably deserves some blame for being late to the game in terms of politicking for an orbiter. 

But I'm not sure any campaign could have saved Houston. The politics of this decision were pretty clear. President Obama appoints the NASA administrator, and Texas is a decidedly Republican state.

Me?  I blame George Bush. 

Fifty Years Ago Today

I was a sophomore in high school.. and I, along with everyone else in the world, was absolutely stunned to hear Yuri Gagarin had become the first man to orbit the earth.  You can ride along with Mr. Gagarin and see exactly what he saw in this brilliant film made to commemorate the 50th anniversary of this historic flight:

From FNC's web site, which is where I found this film:

As he edited together the film, Riley made an unusual discovery: Gagarin's short bursts of communication from the cockpit were very much akin to modern Twitter chatter. In addition to being the first man in space, Riley called him the first man on Twitter.

“It’s clear Yuri spoke in 'tweets’ -- as communications to the mission controllers were always brief and to the point," he said. " Today a text-based tweet is composed of up to no more than 140 characters, so in essence Yuri was the first perfect tweeter."

First man to orbit the earth and the first Tweets (sorta)... ain't that sumthin'?  Yeah, the film IS long, but it's also worthwhile.

A Mish-Mash of Miscellanea

First... from today's AFA Daily Report...

Return of the Fireballs: Officials with the 27th Special Operations Wing at Cannon AFB, N.M., have activated the 522nd Special Operations Squadron. "We will commit ourselves to excellence, be dedicated and courageous, and we will always, lead the way," said Lt. Col. Paul Pendleton, who took command of the reformed unit, whose history dates back to World War II. The 522nd SOS will be USAF's first unit assigned the MC-130J Combat Shadow II, which is due to begin operations in 2012. The unit's role will be covert infiltration, exfiltration, and resupply of special forces in hostile and denied regions. Pendleton received the unit's laurelled guidon from 27th Special Operations Group acting commander Col. Charles Myers during the April 7 stand-up ceremony. The 522nd, known as the Fireballs, was one of the most decorated air units during World War II. (Cannon report by A1C Jette Carr)

We always run news items from Cannon Airplane Patch... that's one of our responsibilities as a Local Retread Air Force blogger, yanno?  SN1 spent some time with the Fireballs, if memory serves.  That was when they were flying Lawn Darts, tho.

―:☺:―

Today's Toon Of Note: 

The way The One is acting about these miniscule budget cuts just cracks me up.  Speaking of Teh Funny...  The people who run the Fever Swamp blogs are having serious splodey head attacks... which is sorta fun to watch, especially in the comments... for a short while, anyhoo.  The One sure ain't their favorite guy at the moment.  Who'd a thunk it?

―:☺:―

The nice lady from American Home Patient Services dropped by this morning to perform annual service on my oxygen machine, which involves changing out a couple of filters and checking the output to make sure the machine is doin' what it's supposed to do... which it is.  I also found out the machine has an odometer of sorts, in the form of an hour meter.  Liz (the nice lady) read the meter and said... "It looks like you're using the machine every night!"  "Well, yeah... isn't that what the doctor ordered?" sez I.  "You'd be surprised," sez she...  "I find some machines with three hours or less on 'em when I do the annual service call." 

I suppose stupidity knows no bounds... yet I admit I WAS surprised.  Go figger.

Finally!

As in: someone finally found the switch and turned that infernal wind machine OFF.  We're just in from the day's errands and today is as pretty a day as we've seen in these parts in a month or at least it feels that way.  Note:

It goes without sayin' that we WILL be taking today's Happy Hour outdoors on the verandah.  And we've decided to kick off gin & tonic season in honor of this perfect day.  Ain't this purty!

Our soundtrack today?  Why... the Gin Blossoms, of course.

Full disclosure:  we are entirely free of gin blossoms, in the medical sense.  As of this moment, anyhoo... there bein' no guarantees on the future.

Now, if you'll excuse me, Gentle Reader, the Great Outdoors (heh) is calling.

Yes, Really

Yes.  Yes he did, you Bitter Clinger, you. 

―:☺:―

The playoffs begin Wednesday and the NHL has announced the schedule for the games themselves but not the teevee schedule (yet).  Some fans will miss some games during the first round, given the fact that there will be at least two games being played simultaneously every night during the quarter-finals and only one network (Versus) broadcasting the playoffs during weeknights.  As an example, both Washington - New York and Detroit - Phoenix play at 1900 hrs this Wednesday night and I'm betting Versus chooses the Ovechkin game for national teevee.  Why?  Because of the ultra-hyped Ovechkin-Crosby rivalry and the fact Ovechkin has more name recognition with the hoi polloi than any three Dee-troit or Phoenix players outside of their home markets.  Speaking of markets, there's also the fact Noo Yawk City will have more eyeballs on the playoffs than Phoenix and Dee-troit combined and it's all about the money, innit?  

The teevee situation would REALLY suck for YrHmblScrb if our first round opponent were anyone other than Phoenix.  But Comcast rides to my rescue, given the odd fact my local cable franchise gives us Fox Sports Arizona as the "local" sports network of choice.  THEIR choice, I should add.  The corporate mentality apparently doesn't recognize the fact we're about nine miles west of the Tejas border and sports fans in P-Ville wear Dallas Cowboys jerseys, Stars sweaters, and such.  But Hey!  I'M grateful for their cluelessness, at any rate.  There's also another answer, and one I've been considering for about three years now: NHL Center Ice.  But inertia is strong and I am lazy... in that I would have to switch teevee providers (cable to satellite) coz Comcast, once again, doesn't offer the Center Ice package in my area... mostly because there ain't no hockey fans on The High Plains of New Mexico.  Or sumthin' like that.

So, here we are... the Most Wonderful Time O' the Year begins Wednesday and we are ready for at least five hours of hockey every single night for about 12 days, then a game every night for another ten or 20 days, then a game every other night for a week or so, and then the parade down Woodward Avenue in June, if the hockey gods smile upon us and the Wings are sufficiently motivated and healthy.

One final note... this is also the time o' year when blog traffic falls off the cliff.  But that's OK; I can live with that.  I have my priorities aligned correctly... screw the rest of ya.    <=== that's a cigar.

Update:  Well, I was wrong.  Imagine that!

VERSUS: Playoff coverage begins on VERSUS with a tripleheader this Wednesday night, the first night of the postseason. The Red Wings host the Coyotes in Game 1 of their series at 7 p.m. ET followed by the conclusion of the Capitals hosting the Rangers (joined in progress). VERSUS’ Wednesday night coverage concludes with the West’s No. 1 Vancouver Canucks hosting the defending Stanley Cup champion No. 8 Chicago Blackhawks at 10 p.m. ET. 

I'm thinkin' mebbe there's a conflict between Versus, who does NOT have exclusive broadcast rights during the first round, and some other provider.  But Hey!  I get what **I** want and that's what matters within the walls of El Casa Móvil De Pennington.  More teevee details here.

Schadenfreude Я Us

Here's something you'll prolly never hear again, at least from these parts... GO Dallas!  Detroit delivers payback of the sweetest kind for that embarrassment the other night at The Joe:  Detroit 4, Chicago 3.  It looks like the 'Hawks are off to the golf course IF Dallas wins their game against the Wild.  Not to be redundant or anything:

GO STARS!

Update, later that same day:  Ah, well.  Chicago sneaks in the back door, thanks to a 5-3 Minnesota win over the hapless Stars.  Note to the Blackhawks:  1-800-Flowers.  That's the least you should do for the Wild.

It's UMD

Big Blue did what they could but it wasn't enough.  And Shawn Hunwick turned out to be human after all.

You couldn't have asked for a better or more exciting final.  The game was close all the way, there was excellent goal tending on both ends of the ice, the action was fast and furious, and the game went into OT.  There was an early "no goal" call that, had the goal not been waved off, would have given Michigan the win in regulation.  But it is what it is... and what it is is this:  the University of Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs... your 2011 NCAA hockey champs!

Well played, Dogs!

―:☺:―

Today is the last day of the 2011 regular NHL season and the Beloved Wings play the Blackhawks at 1030 hrs (MDT) this morning.  The Wings have third place in the West nailed down and Chicago is still on the bubble.  As of Saturday night:

A Chicago loss and a Dallas win means the 'Hawks won't make the playoffs, which would be an incredible turn of events if that should come to pass.  Today's game is the second in a home-and-home series with the Wings and if this game is anything like Friday night's debacle the 'Hawks should have nothing to worry about, given the 'Hawks won going away at The Joe.  That game Friday night was one of the worst performances by the Wings I've ever seen.  They really mailed it in Friday -- no jump, no emotion, sloppy passing, give-aways too numerous to mention, and an invisible power play.  Dee-troit fans are tough on their teams when they're not playing well; witness this comment from the live-blog of Friday night's game at The Malik Report:

I’m with you man.  They look like first round fodder.

No, they’re wearing the Winged Wheel…so they look like Champions.  They’re playing like first round fodder.  Who the hell is this team?

Posted by Gabriel from San Diego, CA on 04/08/11 at 08:58 PM ET 

There really IS reason to worry.  The Wings are playing .300 hockey... 3-5-2 over the last ten games... and that ain't near good enough.  First-round fodder, indeed.  The playoffs could be VERY short for Detroit this year.

Further...

... to my recent post about Representative Paul Ryan:

Yup!  Great minds and all that.

―:☺:―

Yet another reason to hate on grandstanding politicians: Fox News canceled Red Eye last night in order to re-run their "live" coverage of the budget "crisis," said coverage being at least two hours old.  At 0300 hrs (ET)!  Which begs the question: who the fuck CARES about old news, especially compared to Red Eye, especially at 0300 hrs?  If you're some sort of serious policy wonk or political junkie you already knew what went down two or three hours previous and if you're a run o' the mill pot head you don't give a big rat's ass (full disclosure:  I lean more to the pot head side of that continuum).  In either case you're certainly pissed that Red Eye wasn't on...

And don't get me started on the statements issued by ALL concerned once they reached agreement on yet another continuing resolution in order to discuss DRAFT reductions on a budget that should have been enacted no later than LAST SEPTEMBER.  "Historic," my ass.  Obama really has a low opinion of America if he expects us to believe that shit... or any of his shit, when ya get right down to it.

―:☺:―

Now that we're in the proper mood... there's this:

Temperature: 80 °F
Wind Speed / Dir: 24 mph from SW
Wind Gust: 33 mph

This is something like our fourth or fifth consecutive day of (relatively) high winds... high enough that I can neither put my awning down nor sit outside comfortably during the day's MOST important hour.  It's gonna stay like this all weekend, too,  From the NWS in ABQ:

.. High wind watch remains in effect from 9 PM MDT this evening through Sunday afternoon...

A High Wind Warning remains in effect until 9 PM MDT this evening. A high wind watch remains in effect from 9 PM MDT this evening through Sunday afternoon.

* Location... along and east of the Central Mountain chain.

* Winds... southwest 35 to 45 mph with gusts up to 60 or 65 mph.  Direction will shift to a westerly component between midnight and 9 am MDT on Sunday.

* Timing... winds will continue strong across the region... with the strongest gusts late this afternoon. Winds may diminish at times tonight... but will redevelop during the daytime hours on Sunday.

Oh, well.  It's Spring... what the Hell was I expecting?

A Quick Hit...

... but mostly a miss.  Part of this eye-surgery thing is a three-week post-op regimen of eye drops... in three different varieties that must be administered once a day, three times a day, and four times a day.  I'm down with the scheduling bits and haven't missed a single dose as yet.  Well, sorta.  I really, rilly suck at this, in that I manage to get more of the drops on my face than I do in my eyes.  I still haven't figgered out a fool-proof way to get the liquid into my eye on the first try; my reflex action is too quick.  

Got any tips, Gentle Reader?

Paging PeTA

She shot her dog!  The bitch SHOT HER DOG!

(h/t to blog-bud Andy, who has the whole story)

Stunned

That would be the University of North Dakota's Fighting Sioux.  And me, too.  From SB Nation:

Michigan 2, North Dakota 0

Sometimes, all you need is a great goaltending performance to win a big hockey game, especially in a single-elimination tournament like that of the NCAA. When one game is all that's guaranteed to be left in your season, one player can have that kind of impact. 

That's exactly the impact that Shawn Hunwick, goaltender of the Michigan hockey team, had on Thursday night in the National Semifinal against the favored North Dakota Fighting Sioux. His team jumped out to an early 1-0 lead on a goal from Ben Winnett about midway through the first period.
From that point on, the game was all about the Sioux, who outshot Michigan 26-7 over the last 40 minutes of the game. They were clearly the more talented team, controlling play for long stretches in the offensive zone, not allowing Michigan to get into any sort of rhythm at all. 

But defensemen blocked shots -- 16 in total -- and Hunwick ultimately made 40 saves on the evening, enough to shock the best team remaining in the tournament. After an empty netter in the final minute, North Dakota's fate was sealed.

That game last night was one of the best hockey games I've EVER seen... and the suspense was incredible.  As noted above, it was clear to everyone but the totally clue-free that NoDak had the better team.  One just KNEW it was only a matter of time before the Sioux put one in the back of the net, yet it never came to pass.  Hockey is like that and there's nothing a hockey team fears more than a hot goalie.  I'm glad the NHL playoffs aren't a single-elimination affair.

Congrats to Big Blue... now it's on to their tenth NCAA championship, if the gods will it!  ESPN has much more... including the box score, here.

It was more of the same as far as yesterday's other game went.  Minnesota-Duluth should have lost the game based on the statistics, but statistics don't count for a damned thing... the only stat that mattered when the final horn sounded was on the scoreboard: UMD 4, ND 3.  Notre Dame had the better team in most respects, but it was the performance of their special teams... specifically the penalty-killing unit... that was their undoing.  You can't win anything if you let the other guys score three out of six times on the power play and your power play unit can't convert in five tries.  No cigar, Irish. 

Saturday's championship game is on Big ESPN at 1900 hrs (ET).  I'll be there.

Oh BOY!

An afternoon and evening full o' hockey GOODNESS!  From ESPN:

Two of college hockey’s most storied programs, Michigan and North Dakota, will face off against each other in the prime-time matchup Thursday (ESPN2HD and ESPN3.com, 8:30 p.m. ET).

The other two teams skating here, Minnesota-Duluth and Notre Dame (ESPN2HD and ESPN3.com, 5 p.m. ET), are looking to become the 18th different school to skate around with the plaque.

The greatest thing is I get ESPNHD... so I'll be able to Cheer, Cheer for Old Notre Dame (you know the words, Gentle Reader... so sing along!) in high definition and then root for Big Blue in the same manner. Which might could lead to a dilemma if both ND and Michigan make it to the final, as in "who to cheer for?"  I don't think that's gonna be a problem, though, as the Fighting Sioux will prolly beat Michigan by something like 11 - 0... coz they are THAT good.  Still and even... this will be a nice way to spend the afternoon, no matter WHO wins.

A Classic Case o' "Better Late Than..."

An Occasional Correspondent sends this along...

Heh.  Too bad I didn't get this on 04/01, eh?

Let's Hear It for RYAN!

Representative Ryan gets it.  The easiest way to understand whether Ryan is right or wrong is to look at who opposes what he's tryin' to do, and how hard.  We're talkin' about the usual suspects here... Pelosi and Van Hollen (the Dems' simpering mouthpiece, of late), just to name two.  Both Pelosi and Van Hollen have come out with their same tired ol' moans and groans about budget reform and deficit reduction in the last week... words to the effect the mean ol' GOP is after the children and our Seniors.   And fucking Democrats have the unmitigated GALL to rant about "special interests."

The current sideshow about shutting down the gub'mint over whether we should legislate either a paltry 30 billion dollars or a slightly less paltry 60 billion dollars worth of current expenditure reductions is just a warm up for the REAL fight that's gonna go down during the run-up to 2012.  We all need to fasten our seat belts and get ready for some serious political histrionics from the donkeys, coz it's gonna get real rough out there.  One hopes the serious adults... like Rep. Ryan... will be able to make their case to the American public and prevail in the budget war, but one should also NEVER underestimate the power of demagoguery.  The Dems excel at the latter and it works all too often.

Interesting times.

Toon from the usual source.

Get With It, Daddy-O

From today's AFA Daily Report:

Ghost in the Smart Phone: Noted cybersecurity analyst and author Winn Schwartau warned the audience at AFA's CyberFutures Conference last week that the proliferation of personal hand-held computing devices and use of 4G networks is making it that much easier for the bad guys to access networks and information systems. From iPads to Android smart phones, there will be four billion networked computing devices in the world by 2014, and 20 billion by 2020, he said. There are more than half a million applications for these personal computing devices, yet there is no code review process for them and estimates show that more than 20 percent of the "apps" are infected with malware, said Schwartau. He called iPhone applications the "greatest hostile software-delivery system created by man" and said, "Your infrastructure has already been 'pwned,' to use a hacker term." (The term means "getting owned" in the sense of suffering a humiliating defeat.) Schwartau asserted during his March 31 speech that a "perfect storm" of vulnerability is emerging with the advance of computing technology.

I'm glad the editors told us what "pawn3d" means... except they misspelled it.  But the larger point is well-taken.  The Daily Report has been shot through with cyber-related articles ever since the referenced conference ended last week and the threat to the nation in this area is significant.   It's as if that tired old cliché about generals always being prepared to fight the last war doesn't apply here, given the military is paying serious attention to cyber threats.  Still, one gets the feeling the country as a whole (by that I mean industry and gub'mint at ALL levels) is woefully unprepared to face threats to our infrastructure, both physical (such as the utility grids) and virtual (like the banking system).  Just google "cyber threats" if ya need something else to worry about.

Just Thinkin'

We're stayin' in today, mainly coz we were cautioned to avoid splashing water in our recently repaired eye for a day or two.  Given that I'm a klutz of the highest order I've decided to skip today's shower just to make SURE I don't get water in my eye.  That's the safest way to be absolutely certain, yanno?  Goin' without my daily shower pains me but I'm sure it would pain those around me even more...

The first order of bid'niz tomorrow will be to go shopping for a pair... or pairs, plural... of sunglasses, something I've had no need of doin' for the past 54 years or so.  I've opted at various times to buy separate prescription sunglasses or those pricey and mostly ineffective "transition" lenses.  Goin' that route necessarily limited my options, but now?  The whole wide wonderful world of sunglasses is open to me...

I spent some time today on Ray-Ban's web site and was shocked to see just how very proud they are of their product line.  I mean, waaay-proud!  Example:

OK, they're iconic, and all that... ("I can see you/ Your brown skin shinin' in the sun/ Ya got that hair slicked back and those/ Wayfarers on") but I'm kinda-sorta cheap.  And I'm not about to put a Deadhead sticker on my non-existent Cadillac, seein' as how those things seem to go hand in hand.

There may be an answer or a cheaper alternative, at the very least.  SN1 tells me the clothing sales store out at the base sells USAF gub'mint issue aviator sunglasses for cheap... like 50 Yankee Dollars, or so.  That may be the way to go coz those things are ALWAYS in style... an essential element of the classic male look since WW II.

In the meantime... let's sing along with Mr. Henley:

And put those Wayfarers on, Bay-bee.

Ridiculous

Watching the debate about a gub'mint shut-down...

Yup.  Stand firm, Mr. Boehner... stand firm!

From the usual source.

Good News

I had my first follow-up late yesterday afternoon and the news is uniformly good... exceptional, even.  My eye is clear and free from swelling, redness, and blood.  Better yet, my vision in the right eye has improved to 20/20, which my surgeon described as "exceptional this close after surgery."  I don't have any pain or discomfort beyond minor itching (expected) so I'll guardedly suggest that all's well.

My next surgery appointment is scheduled... two weeks from yesterday (Tuesday)... and I have my fingers crossed in hopes things continue as they've begun.

I'm thinkin' I'm going to be sleeping a lot more than usual for the next couple of days.  That said, I did watch a little of the Devils - Flightless Birds game on Versus this evening and was amazed at how much clearer and brighter things are now, even with only one good eye.  That fact leads me to believe I might have waited too long to have this stuff corrected, but that's the insidious nature of a slow decline: ya don't really notice it until things have gone all to Hell.  We'll soon be ALL better! 

Too Bad It Ain't "Talk Like a Pirate Day"

I'd need a much better costume to be a proper pirate but I DO have the eye patch:

We're just up from a two and a half hour nap (which we took on doctor's orders) and we're writing this as we wait for the coffee to finish brewing.  Getting up at oh-dark-thirty and going without coffee this morning just MIGHT have been the most difficult aspect of the whole experience, which was... interesting.  I'll not bore you with details, Gentle Reader (Me: "Let me tell you about my operation!"  You: "No...no... AIIIEEE!"), but will only say it's just pretty weird to be laying on an operating table, fully conscious, while someone slices and dices your eyeball... and you KNOW they're slicing and dicing.

Things went well, as far as I know.  It was three hours at the hospital... which involved over two hours of waiting and prep, 15 minutes on the table, 20 minutes in the recovery room... and back home.  I'll know more after my first follow-up late this afternoon.   Suffice to say I can see semi-well but I won't be doing much computer work or reading at least until tomorrow.

Lastly... a BIG thanks to granddaughter Monique, who did yeoman's work as my escort today!

Coffee's done!

Well, I'm Glad THAT'S Over and Done

Note that I'm gettin' a small refund this year... which is just about enough to keep me in cigars for a month.  I think the refund happened coz I can claim the "over 65" exemption now, which might be one of the few bennies of gettin' old.  Well that and bein' able to play the "get off my lawn!" card with a straight face.  And all the young girls callin' ya "sir."  Wait.  That's not as much a bennie as it is code for "not in YOUR lifetime, however short that might be."  (sigh)

Irony

My Buddy Ed In Florida is one of my primary sources of entertainment and his offerings appear in these pages frequently.   I received a collection of pics from him this weekend that were pretty funny; here are two from about a dozen such:

Yep.  There's ALWAYS hope; you could learn to fly!

―:☺:―

Speaking of irony and stuff...  I got a call from a very nice lady at Roosevelt General Hospital this morning who wanted to ask me a few questions that will make the admission process for tomorrow's eye-cutting go a bit faster, and do I have a minute?  Well, yes... I do.  Fire away, sez I.  

It turns out the questions were all about my medical history and current health issues, if any.  She inquired about my height and weight, alcohol consumption ("Do you drink alcohol?"  "No, I have an IV that's more efficient."), smoking ("Not cigarettes, one cigar per day."), do I use street drugs (I had to think about that one for a moment), and wound up by asking if I'd ever had heart disease, a heart attack, a stroke, high blood pressure, arthritis, diabetes, any surgeries (one, 13 years ago for a herniated disk) and all the other ailments associated with Our Golden Years.  I answered in the negative to all her questions, save one.  The end result is I'm in pretty good shape for a geezer, with that one exception: the emphysema that's going to kill me.

How ironic.  It looks like I'm gonna die healthy.  Cue up Alanis.

One of Those Days

Just a few minutes ago...

We've been under a high wind warning all day.  From the NWS in ABQ:

A High Wind Warning remains in effect until 8 PM MDT this evening.

* Location... Central Mountain ranges from the sandias and manzanos southward to the south central mountains eastward to the Texas state line. This includes the I-40 corridor from Tijeras Canyon eastward... the east Central Plains and Chaves County.

* Winds... sustained from the southwest at 35 to 45 mph with gusts of 60 to 70 mph. The higher peaks will likely experience even stronger gusts. 

I don't think we got any gusts over 50 mph but we HAVE experienced enough wind to put a significant amount of dust in the air.  It was warm today as well...with a high of about 86 degrees... so we broke the seal on the AC.  Dang!  It feels almost like summer.

Taxes

We're doin' 'em and we are NOT a Happy Camper.  TurboTax is the source of my angst because I can NOT find my 2009 TurboTax files and believe me, Gentle Reader, I've spent waaaay too damned much time looking for what appears to be non-existent files.  I happen to be one of the most anal-retentive people in the world when it comes to file retention and I KNOW I saved last year's tax files.  I can find all my archived tax returns going back to the year 2000, but all I can find for last year is a PDF of my 2009 return... which means I've had to bypass TurboTax's auto-import feature and re-key most of my data.  I say most because the "import from Quicken" function still works as advertised.  Thanks for the small favor, Intuit.

Re-entering data isn't really any Big Deal, it's just time consuming and SHOULD be unnecessary if the goddamned application worked like it was supposed to, right?

I know: bitch, bitch, bitch.  We're knocking off in favor of more rewarding, not to mention much more pleasing, activities and will resume this thankless task sometime this evening.

Beer me.  Right now!

Yes!

Just finished listening to the Wings game on My Very Expensive Radio and am gratified to report...

NASHVILLE, TN - APRIL 02: Danny Cleary #11 of the Detroit Red Wings celebrates after scoring the overtime game winning goal against Pekka Rinne #35 of the Nashville Predators on April 2, 2011 at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Frederick Breedon/Getty Images)

We won!  I've not posted a lot on the Beloved Wings of late, as their record has been.... ummm... less than sterling as we get down to the end of this season.  But today's game showed the Wings still have a lot of heart left, coming back from a 3-0 deficit as they did in today's game.  We'll not make excuses for their performance over the last ten games even though we COULD, seein' as how the injury bug bit down hard on our Wings.  It's tough to win games when you have to call up a goalie from your farm club to be the back-up for your third-string goalie.... and your leading scorer misses four games out of the last ten due to injury.  But here we are... four games left to go and the Wings with their 11th consecutive 100-point season.  I like the way things look at the moment.

Just sayin'.

Update, 1635 hrs:  Courtesy of KK reader paustn31634, Cleary's winning goal:



Sweet.