The Usual Saturday Post... But Better Than Usual

From The Guardian...

We've got everything from takeaway burgers to farmers, from boys' toys to classical music this week, kicking off with a flashmob for culture vultures – a performance of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony to celebrate the 130th anniversary of a Spanish bank (it's great that a Spanish bank has found something to celebrate!). Check out the faces of the crowd – this performance will twang a few heart strings …

Twang the heartstrings?  I guess!  A brilliant piece like this restores my faith in humanity.  Somewhat.   But then there's this...

THAT restores my faith.  You're culturally deprived if you don't recognize at least 75% of these immediately.  Me?  I'm about 93%... I didn't get some the later alt-rock riffs.  But I continue to work on that.

And finally...  Need to cool off a bit?  There's this:



The list was a whole lot better than usual this week.  I suppose sometimes it bees like that.

Today's Happy Hour Soundtrack

Mick & the Boys...

She's so cold, she's so cold  
She was born in an arctic zone 
She's so cold, she's so cold, cold, cold 
And when I touch her my hand just froze
She's so cold, she's so goddamn cold 
She's so cold, cold, cold, she's so cold

Kinda-sorta reminds me of someone I useta know.  But we shan't go THERE... we'll just enjoy the tune, and the day... coz it's just beautiful outdoors.  It should go without sayin' but we'll say it, none the less: the very FIRST app I restored on my phone was Pandora, and we're relaxing with the Stones on this fine day.

Heh

Ain't THAT the truth?

―:☺:―

In other news... I have to run off to The Big(ger) City™ this morning, coz my phone has looked like this since 2130 hrs last evening:

Terrible glare from the flash, I know, but the phone hung during a "routine" software update and is dead for all intents and purposes.  I hope the Sprint store can fix it, but I'll give ya a dollar to a donut that I'll lose ALL my contacts, saved messages, photos, yadda, yadda in the process... IF they can fix it on-prem and not mail it off to Taiwan or someplace like it.  Sometimes I HATE technology.

Update, noonish:  Back... with a working phone, minus ALL my contacts, apps, yadda, yadda.  So now I'll have to send e-mail to everyone I normally speak to and ask 'em to call me so I can kinda-sorta rebuild my contact list.  (sigh)  It's ALWAYS sumthin'. 

An Update on the MAFFS Crash

From the Usual USAF Source...

Four Air Guardsmen Died in C-130 Firefighting Crash: Four members of the North Carolina Air National Guard's 145th Airlift Wing in Charlotte died when their Modular Airborne Firefighting System-equipped C-130 crashed on July 1 while fighting a woodland fire in southwestern South Dakota. Two other crewmembers, whom officials are not naming, were injured in the crash and hospitalized, according to the North Carolina National Guard's July 3 release. The deceased are: Lt. Col. Paul K. Mikeal, 42, of Mooresville, N.C.; Maj. Joseph M. McCormick, 36, of Belmont, N.C.; Maj. Ryan S. David, 35, of Boone, N.C.; and SMSgt. Robert S. Cannon, 50, of Charlotte. "Words can't express how much we feel the loss of these airmen," said Brig. Gen. Tony McMillan, 145th AW commander. "Our prayers are with their families, as well as our injured brothers as they recover." Mikeal was an evaluator pilot with the 156th Airlift Squadron. McCormick was an instructor pilot with the squadron. David was a navigator with the squadron. Cannon was a flight engineer serving with the 145th Operations Support Flight. The cause of the crash is unknown and is under investigation. (See our initial coverage.)

RIP Lt. Col. Mikeal; Maj. McCormick; Maj. David; and SMSgt. Cannon.  Our heart goes out to your families.

Further...

MAFFS Back in the Firefighting Fray: After a one-day standdown on July 2, the Air Force's small fleet of Modular Airborne Firefighting System-equipped C-130s resumed flight operations to help battle wildfires in Colorado and several northwestern states. As of early morning on July 4 local time, these airplanes, which began operating on June 25, had conducted a total of 105 airdrops and discharged more than 270,000 gallons of fire retardant on the flames in parts of Colorado, Montana, South Dakota, and Wyoming, said US Northern Command officials in a release. These MAFFS C-130s are assigned to Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve Command units. They've been operating out of Peterson AFB, Colo., and Cheyenne, Wyo. The one-day suspension of flight operations came after the crash of one of these C-130s on July 1 during a firefighting mission in South Dakota that claimed the lives of four of the six crewmembers. (See our initial coverage.)

One-day standdowns are common after any aircraft accident that involves fatalities.  It just goes to show that the flyin' bid'niz is a dangerous bid'niz, especially one that involves a great deal of low-altitude flyin' under less than optimum conditions.

Today's Happy Hour Soundtrack

In honor of the day... coz we're feeling quite martial and patriotic:

The Washington Post March is my all-time favorite when it comes to patriotic and/or martial music.  I've had the great good fortune (or MIS-fortune, according to how ya feel about such things) to march in more than a few parades to this tune, and the air made me walk (march) jes a lil bit taller and a lil bit prouder.

Did you know you can define a John Philip Sousa station on Pandora?  Well, you can and I did, especially for today.  The station is a mixed bag, which is to say it features all sorts of marches, not just compositions from Mr. Sousa.  And I'm OK with that, even if I'd prefer strictly Sousa on this day.  That said... those Strauss kids composed some fine marches, including The Radetzky March and Auf Der Jagd (about which: not technically a march, but good none the less).  The upside?  Most of the tunes being played on the Sousa station are performed by the US Army and Marine Corps bands.  It's still early into Happy Hour and I'm hoping to hear some performances by the US Air Force and US Navy bands... both of which are quite good.

Happy Independence Day!

John Trumbull's Declaration of Independence is a 12-by-18-foot oil-on-canvas painting in the United States Capitol Rotunda that depicts the presentation of the draft of the Declaration of Independence to Congress.  (From The Wiki)

It's been my habit in recent years to publish the Declaration of Independence every Fourth of July, but I'm gonna do sumthin' different this year.  I found this old post from 2007 and it's on topic and on-point for today...

We’re not all of us language-people. But…for those who just might be such a person, I offer “The Stylistic Artistry of the Declaration of Independence.”

The Declaration of Independence is perhaps the most masterfully written state paper of Western civilization. As Moses Coit Tyler noted almost a century ago, no assessment of it can be complete without taking into account its extraordinary merits as a work of political prose style. Although many scholars have recognized those merits, there are surprisingly few sustained studies of the stylistic artistry of the Declaration.(1) This essay seeks to illuminate that artistry by probing the discourse microscopically--at the level of the sentence, phrase, word, and syllable. By approaching the Declaration in this way, we can shed light both on its literary qualities and on its rhetorical power as a work designed to convince a "candid world" that the American colonies were justified in seeking to establish themselves as an independent nation.(2)

[…]

Like the introduction, the next section of the Declaration--usually referred to as the preamble--is universal in tone and scope. It contains no explicit reference to the British- American conflict, but outlines a general philosophy of government that makes revolution justifiable, even meritorious:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shown that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.

Like the rest of the Declaration, the preamble is "brief, free of verbiage, a model of clear, concise, simple statement."(11) It capsulizes in five sentences--202--words what it took John Locke thousands of words to explain in his Second Treatise of Government. Each word is chosen and placed to achieve maximum impact. Each clause is indispensable to the progression of thought. Each sentence is carefully constructed internally and in relation to what precedes and follows. In its ability to compress complex ideas into a brief, clear statement, the preamble is a paradigm of eighteenth-century Enlightenment prose style, in which purity, simplicity, directness, precision, and, above all, perspicuity were the highest rhetorical and literary virtues. One word follows another with complete inevitability of sound and meaning. Not one word can be moved or replaced without disrupting the balance and harmony of the entire preamble.

I don’t know just how many times I’ve read the Declaration of Independence, but it’s been more than a few. One cannot read the document without a sense of wonder at the magnificence of the words and the way they’re put together. That said, I’ve never read an analysis of the style, thought, and historical/political precedents that went into the composition of the document. This “Stylistic Artistry” essay is one of those rare things one finds on the ‘net: A Keeper. Duly saved in my “Important Stuff” directory.

What I said back then: the essay is a keeper.  Much more at the link.

Have a safe and happy Fourth!

So There's This...

... from an Occasional Correspondent:

From: Occasional Correspondent
Date: Sun, Jul 1, 2012 20:02
Subject: I miss Detroit
To: Me

Last week I was in Charlotte and I saw a bumper sticker on a parked car that read

"I miss Detroit". 

So I broke the window, stole the radio and left a note that read "I hope this helps."

To which I replied:

Heh.  Along those same lines... I got a Romney bumper sticker in the mail this week.  I thought about putting it on the Caddy before I went to ABQ this week... but, no.  I don't want my new car keyed. 

And she came back with:

A wise move, my dear.   I think you would have way more fun driving to Santa Fe and leaving it on the bumper of  a Prius.

That's a GREAT ideer, but Santa Fe is a lil far for a prank.  So we changed our mind, sorta: 

Tempting fate, is what I'm doin'.

The Best of All Possible Worlds... In Two Flavors

First... the best possible outcome of the ACA decision:

Yup.  Congrats, Donkeys.  It's a TAX, and we won't forget it.

―:☺:―

And the best of all possible worlds, period:

Air Frame: The United States celebrates its 236th year of independence on July 4, 2012. "Thanks to the vision of our Founding Fathers and the commitment of the courageous men and women who fought to win American independence, we inherit a legacy of freedom based on the idea that all people possess certain unalienable rights—to life, to liberty, and to the pursuit of happiness," wrote Air Force Secretary Michael Donley, Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz, and CMSAF James Roy in their Independence Day message to airmen. They added, "This Fourth of July, let us recommit ourselves to doing all that we can to ensure that our children, our grandchildren, and the generations that follow will enjoy the freedoms that are our birthright as Americans." Here, fireworks light up the Air Force Memorial in Arlington, Va., on Oct. 13, 2006, the eve of its dedication. (Air Force photo by SrA. Desiree L. Andrejcik) (Click on image above to reach wallpaper bigger version.)

From the Usual USAF Source.  

Pissy

That would be me today.  Pardon me while I unburden...  The pissyness actually began this weekend when I noticed the onset of another one of those malevolent mystery maladies I'm subjected to, to wit: periodic gum infections.  The last time I had one such was back in April but they seem to strike me every three or four months or so.  The pain isn't debilitating, it's just annoying.  So we phoned in a request for antibiotics to our favorite dentist, and said request was fulfilled promptly and cheerfully (one of two bright spots in my otherwise dismal day).  We then trotted our ol' ass off to Wally-world for to fill the scrip... mainly coz the Cannon Airplane Patch pharmacy is CLOSED today, for the monthly training day.  But of course!

So we get to Wally-World just as the pharmacy is closing for lunch.  Perfect timing, in other words.  We then returned home to have a beer and adjust our attitude, not wanting to spend an hour and a half waiting on those hard-ass benches in the pharmacy waiting area.  We return to Wally-World after about an hour and proceed to wait 45 fucking minutes while our scrip is filled.  Let me reiterate: 45 FUCKING MINUTES.  I have no idea WHY it takes that long to put 21 pills in a small brown bottle, but it does.  And then we returned home, drugs in hand.

I was going to entertain you with a "People of Wal-Mart" pic, but discretion got the better o' me.  I noticed this 60-sumthin' woman at the pharmacy window while I was patiently (heh) waiting for my prescription to be filled... with a gawd-awful tattoo on her calf.  I just sat there and thought "Jeezus" while marveling at the sight.  It's come to pass... we have old wimmen walking around in public with tasteless tats on full display.  I've lived too damned long.

But, hey.  We're home, the WX is moderate, and we've knocked back a couple o' beers and might do one more before Happy Hour is over.  We're fully adjusted, which is to say we're no longer pissy.  But we WERE, Gentle Reader... oh, yes... we WERE.  Oh.  The other bright spot?  We received a new shipment o' cigars today (Drew Estate Kuba Kubas), so the humidor is fat again and we are pleased.  And we're smokin' one, as we speak.

Bombing the Hell Outta Colorado

The Hell, quite literally.  That would be eight specially-equipped C-130s that are water-bombing wildfires in Colorado.  From the Usual USAF Source:

MAFFS in Force: For the first time since 2008, a total of eight specially modified C-130s from the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve are helping the US Forest Service fight wildfires raging in Colorado and several northwestern states. Since June 25, four Modular Airborne Firefighting System-equipped C-130s staging from Peterson AFB, Colo., have battled the flames; on June 30, four more aircraft arrived there. As of early on July 1 local time, these eight airplanes had dropped more than 190,000 gallons of fire retardant in 73 airdrops, states a Peterson release. Starting on July 2, four of the MAFFS C-130s will begin staging out of the Wyoming Air Guard's base in Cheyenne, announced Cheyenne officials. This will give the Forest Service "tremendous flexibility to assist with several regional fires at once," said Col. Jerry Champlin, 153rd Air Expeditionary Group commander. Two C-130s from Cheyenne's 153rd Airlift Wing and two from the North Carolina Air Guard's 145th AW will operate from Cheyenne. Two Aircraft from the California Air Guard's 146th AW and two from Air Force Reserve Command's 302nd AW at Peterson will continue to stage from the Colorado base. (Includes Cheyenne report by Deidre Forster) (See also June 30 Cheyenne release.)

That Peterson release linked above gives mission details.  For example... "Waldo Canyon, CO: (no change) -- 50 air drops -- App. 133,500 gallons of retardant."  The Waldo Canyon fire was burning quite close to the AF Academy last week, so USAF has a vested interest in that particular fire.  Also in today's Daily Report:

Academy Gets Back to Normal: With the worst of the Waldo Canyon fire seemingly behind it, the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo., resumed normal operations. "Although academy personnel have been recalled and normal operations have resumed, the Waldo Canyon fire is still active and extremely dependent on weather conditions," stated academy officials on June 29 in announcing the return to normalcy. They added, "There is no immediate threat to academy property, and academy officials continue to monitor the situation closely." Should the fire continue to spread north, they said there was "a high degree of confidence" that firefighters would be able to minimize impact to the academy. On June 29, academy officials allowed more than 2,100 airmen and family members to return to the Douglass Valley and Pine Valley housing areas and to the enlisted dormitories that were evacuated last week. They also lifted the stop-movement order on personnel coming to the academy. The academy reopened to visitors on June 30. (Colorado Springs report by TSgt. Chris Powell) (JBSA-Randolph report by Debbie Gildea) (For updates, see the academy's Waldo Canyon fire webpage.)

An Occasional Correspondent sent me pics of the Academy wreathed in smoke... it looked pretty bad at the time.

Today's Happy Hour Soundtrack... And... Cars

... Danny Gatton and Delbert McClinton, channeling Elvis:

And doin' a right and proper job of it, too.  It would be heresy to say Danny and Delbert are BETTER than Elvis, but we're leanin' in that direction.  So sue me.

―:☺:―

So.  We're just in from the verandah, where we spent most of Happy Hour contemplating the lines of both The Green Hornet and The Tart.  I gotta say The Tart comes off much better in the comparison.  Whereas TGH is all about sensuous curves with nary an angle to be seen in her form, The Tart combines those same sensuous curves with a certain muscular angularity in her visage.  I like that about The Tart... a lot.  It might just be the difference between late-90's styling (TGH) versus a 21st century design gestalt (The Tart).  Whatever it might (or might not) be, The Tart comes up the winner.  I also got to thinkin'... where does this Tart place on my all-time list of cars?  It's much too soon to tell, given all the variables involved, but my initial impressions are very favorable.  She might rank right up there, mebbe even crack the Top Three.  And her competition?  Funny you should ask (from 2006)...

On Cars

That “Which Sports Car Are You?” quiz got me to thinking right after I took it. Bad thoughts. Thoughts about replacing the Green Hornet with a new Miata, even though the current one, with only 38K on the clock, is in immaculate condition and is eminently serviceable in each and every respect. I did all the usual things: went to the Kelly Blue Book site and found out what the Green Hornet is worth (always a shock), what folks are paying for new Miatas (also a shock), and fired off a request for a quote to the nearest Mazda dealer. Yesterday I came to my senses and put those thoughts out of my head. Why replace a perfectly good thing with something that’s gonna cost you a lot of money, relatively speaking, and provides only limited advantages over what you currently own? Crazy, is what that is.

What I really need is a new motorcycle!

But back to cars. How well traveled is your car? I’ve owned some cars that have been exceptionally well-traveled. The Green Hornet is probably typical. I took delivery in SFO and have driven it as far north as the central Oregon Coast, south to the Mexican border, east to Houston (ed: and South Carolina and PA, a couple o' years ago), and lotsa points in between, especially in New Mexico. My Corvette, on the other hand, didn’t get out a lot. I took delivery in Detroit, and drove it all over Michigan’s Lower Peninsula, west to South Bend, IN and east to New York. The ‘Vette was a toy, pure and simple. The most well-traveled car I’ve ever owned was a 1983 BMW 320. I bought it while living in London, took delivery in Munich, drove it through Germany, Holland, and all over the UK before bringing it back home. Once in the US, that car took The Second Mrs. Pennington and me from coast to coast, New Jersey to Los Angeles, all over Michigan, south to Oklahoma City, and more than a few points in between. I owned that car for nearly ten years, getting rid of only after it had well over 100K on the clock and maintenance costs began to exceed operating costs. I replaced it with a SAAB 9000, which was one of the worst cars I’ve ever owned, and my first and last front-driver.

So, apropos of nothing, here’s the inventory of cars I’ve known and loved or hated, from first to current, with a few comments on each.

1950 Buick coupe, yellow with a black top, straight-eight with a slush-o-matic Dynaflow transmission. The engine never changed pitch and there were no perceptible shift points in that car. Very weird, very geeky. Like its 18-year old owner.

1957 Triumph TR-3. God, I loved that car! It was a chick-magnet! It had a short life, and very nearly ended my own. I managed to toss it off a 50-foot embankment just outside of Lompoc, CA. Rolled it three times, once laterally and twice end over end before it came to rest.

1964 Chevy Impala. Technically not my car, it belonged to The First Mrs. Pennington. But it was the family car for a few months after we were married. I walked between totaling the TR and marrying TFMP.

1965 VW Beetle. A thoroughly utilitarian, forgettable automobile, no matter what Bug-lovers say. Cramped and underpowered.

1967 Chevy Malibu SS396. 350 hp, three-speed Hydramatic, great looking, wonderful car. One of the few automobiles I wish I still owned.

1970 Dodge Dart Swinger 340. 275 hp, four-speed. The best way to get more than 275 hp out of that car was to turn the ignition key to the right. VERY quick. Sold it during the First Great Oil Crisis, coz it got all of ten mpg, highway.

1972 (maybe 1973, I don’t really remember) Mazda RX-3 station wagon. Very powerful and very smooth, for its size. About as reliable as a hand grenade; Mazda put two replacement engines in that car under warranty, TFMP put one in it on her dime.

(Following my first divorce I went about three years without owning a car at all. I had a succession of motorcycles for basic transportation. An interesting period in life, to be sure.)

1972 Chevy Nova, bought used in 1977. Straight-six, three-speed stick. Best value for money in a car I’ve EVER had. Bought it for $750.00, sold it in 1979 for $500.00. It took me from South Bend, IN to North Dakota, to Florida, back to ND, and out to Oregon. I sold it once I could see my feet while looking down into the trunk. Serious rust-bucket, but it sure worked.

1978 Ford Courier pick-up. Another utilitarian vehicle. Four-banger, four-speed. Took The Second Mrs. Pennington and me from Oregon to the East Coast and all over the UK for a year or two.

1983 BMW 320. See above. Another car I wish I still owned.

1984 Nissan pickup. TSMP’s daily driver. Utilitarian. Forgettable.

1991 SAAB 9000. Four-banger, five-speed, hatchback. Front-wheel drive. I seriously disliked this car, even though I kept it for four years.

199X Mercury Cougar. TSMP’s daily driver; I drove this car rarely. Don’t even remember what year it was.

1992 Corvette. I owned this car for seven years and I LOVED it. Technically TSMP’s car, I inherited it in the divorce.

1996 Chevy Impala SS. The last big-assed, RWD, ‘Vette motored Impala. Great road car! Another one I wish I had back.

1999 Dodge Durango. TSMP’s vehicle, I rarely drove it.

1953 Cadillac Four-door sedan. Hobby car, money-sink. TSMP christened it “The Smokin’, Drinkin’, Partyin’ Car.” And so it was. It was fun, but I won’t go there again.

The Green Hornet. 2000 – current. Reliable, fun, good looking. This car STILL gets approving comments and glances from all sorts of people, from nine-year old boys to Sweet Young Things, to Grandmas.

The bold-faced cars were my favorites. And there you have it.

Update 1/29/06: I forgot the "other 'Vette." The Corvette was TSMP's daily driver and she didn't want to drive it during the Detroit winters. So I bought a "winter car," as lots of Michiganders do, and the 'Vette was garaged "for the duration." The winter car was a 198X Chevette, maybe an '85, maybe an '86, I don't know. It's hard for me to express just how BAD that car actually was. A Chevette would give the Yugo a run for its money for the title of "Worst Automotive Abomination, Ever." If ever there was a reason to be glad to see Spring, it was the fact I didn't have to drive the Yu...er...Chevette again until November.

More needs to be said about that '53 Cadillac, too. That thing was HUGE inside. TSMP and I used to joke that if we fell on hard times and lost the house we could always live in the Caddy. I also imagine a lot of kids were conceived in full-size American cars of the early and mid-'50s. TSMP and I split the back-seat upholstery of that car one afternoon (the upholstery was old, we were "exuberant"), and that became an inside joke between us concerning "the best thing about the Caddy."

So there's The Tart's competition.  She's got a pretty tough act to follow, methinks.

Still More Thievery, Yet Again

OK, so our muse has decamped to parts unknown and I'm NOT gonna go chase her down.  Which means we're gonna rely on thievery to check the Sunday blogging box... courtesy of Mongo, who posted a link to this vid over at The Lexicans.

Wimmen in uniform and plane pr0n... together!  How could ya go wrong?  (You could go wrong by using a Shania Twain tune as the soundtrack, but let's ignore THAT, mmm-kay?)

Apropos o' nuthin'... I've been known to post at The Lexicans occasionally, as "msgtbuck."

Are You Talking to ME?

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.

―:☺:―

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:

How cool is THAT?  Answer: very.

Today's Happy Hour Soundtrack

Keef...

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.

More On Yesterday

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:

It ain't funny... at ALL.

Portales In the News... and NOT In a Good Way

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.

Tonight's After Dinner Whiskey Hour Soundtrack...

David Bromberg...

She's got eyes like crystal waters

Lips like sherry wine

A body like fine brandy

And a soul like turpentine

Hey Mama, you treat your daddy so damned mean

When I asked her for water

She bring me gasoline

She bring me gasoline

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, the Bad, and the Ugly

With apologies to the former mayor of Carmel, of course.

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.

Sigh.

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.

The Latest From My Favorite Girl...

... and it's been a while since I posted sumthin' from Sunny, so here she is:

And in her own voice, too.  How cool.

Cannon In the News, Again

From the Usual USAF Source...

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.

Today's Happy Hour Soundtrack...

... comes from Ol' Blue Eyes:

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.

―:☺:―

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 In the News (and Other Stuff)

From the Usual Air Force Source...

Lockheed Martin photo

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.

―:☺:―

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.

―:☺:―

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).

Today's Happy Hour Soundtrack...

... 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.

―:☺:―

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.

―:☺:―

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.

Tales From the AOR, Part III

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.

The Usual Saturday Post

From the Usual Saturday Source...

I LMAO.

Heh

Free speech, bay-bee... free speech!