The Story Behind Yer Cigar

This five-minute video is the third of three parts about how premium cigars are made...



I found the whole series fascinating... Alex takes the viewer from the tobacco fields to curing, fermentation, aging, manufacturing, and packaging.  The "whole story" is complex and supremely interesting, as it is with most everything in life.  Parts One and Two are here, along with many other interesting videos for the cigar aficionado.

The Saturday Sacraments

Ommmm... Ommmm... (to the left of my slippers, for the reference-impaired... that would be Satya "Midnight"... and a Sammy Adams Octoberfest to the right of those same slippers)

Air Force loses to the Boat School in OT, in Colo Springs, no less.  Too bad we don't have a frickin' KICKER.  That said, we still have the ND game comin' up this evening, so all is not lost.

Saturday

Good stuff at the Usual Source this week... including this horrible, terrible, amazing, well... this:



From the Tube O' You notes:

Kareteci Kiz (English: "Karate Girl") is a 1973 Turkish film.Directed by Orhan Aksoy, the cast includes popular Turkish actress Filiz Akın, and actor Ediz Hun.

In September 2012, the film gained some attention for arguably having one of the worst death scenes of all time, though the cited clip has been edited from the original to add an unending scream. Bülent Kayabaş is the dying actor in the referenced scene.

It's pretty funny, though.

Speakin' o' BAD...



Ah... nevermind.  Go back to sleep, please.  PLEASE.

Today's Happy Hour Soundtrack

Pete Townshend and Ronnie Lane with my theme song...

Just wanna be misunderstood
Wanna be feared in my neighborhood
Just wanna be a moody man
Say things that nobody can understand
I wanna be obscure and oblique
Inscrutable and vague
So hard to pin down
I wanna leave open mouths when I speak
Want people to cry when I put them down

Well, I'm nearly there, in that I'm pretty obscure and oblique... or mebbe that's just my imagination.  "Hey, Baby..."

While we're on about "Rough Mix"... I think this is arguably Townshend's greatest album, and yeah, that includes his work with The Who and his various solo efforts (I have nearly all of the of the foregoing, btw).  Here's another cut off the album:

She said there's dust and cobwebs on your north star
There no more fussing the campfires in your hair
I see the wheels they're rusted in your backyard
I know we're not going anywhere
We used to roam so freely... it's been so long
I take my dreams to bed now, where they belong

The lyrics are poignant... and are far more pertinent these days than I wanna admit... but the it's the guitar playin' on this cut that really lights me up... some of the finest dobro work you'll hear anywhere.  "Rough Mix" is one of the gems in my music collection and part o' today's Happy Hour soundtrack.

Equestrian Nightmare

It's nothing, Darling... Mommy's OK.  Go back to bed.

Debatable

The Usual Source for political 'toons is nearly all debate, all the time today.

Mr. Kelley is always on the money; he's my favorite cartoonist after Ramirez.

If you like slapstick you'll love this...



Those Germans sure are good natured about the whole thang.  I think I'd have been PISSED. 

Missed Opportunity

The Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta kicks off this weekend and DIL Erma and I were discussing it earlier this week, wherein she strongly hinted that I should mayhap get in The Tart and motor on up that way tomorrow.  At which point I sighed... deeply... and informed her I wasn't gonna be going anywhere until such time as the latest Adventures In Modern Dentistry reached a favorable conclusion.  This is because the simple act of eating remains problematic and speech, such as it is, is more than slightly humorous to those who engage me in conversation, mainly coz I sound like a retard, especially where words beginning with the letter "S" are concerned.  Lisp, Gentle Reader, and I has it... in spades.

That said, I sure do hate to miss the Balloon Fiesta.  I've lived here in New Mexico for nearly ten years now and have yet to witness the spectacle, close up and in person.  This year's Fiesta would be doubly good, in that I'd be in the company of those I love for the event.  But it is what it is, nu?

Further to AIMD... we went in for our second post-surgery follow-up today and had the protective membranes over the two major incisions removed.  Our progress is satisfactory at this point, given the fact we're healing a lot slower than the last time around.  We're still about three months removed from completion and that is what it is, and we knew this goin' in.  I also was given a "flipper," which I can wear as a strictly cosmetic device given that the prosthesis isn't strong enough to eat with.  It looks like this:

This also gives you some appreciation of the extent of the effort in this latest Adventure... which is to say I only have three of my original teeth left in my lower jaw.  I won't use that prosthesis for its intended purpose, but it makes a rather nice and somewhat unique paper weight, dontcha think?

Schooled

Mr. Varvel gets it right... Governor Romney was the clear winner in last night's debate.  I watched the proceedings on PBS, including the post-debate "analysis," followed by Charlie Rose and his gaggle of mostly Lefty Talking Heads.  The consensus opinion?  Romney, by a knockout.  I'm only half awake and about half-way through my first cup so I haven't even begun to read what anyone has to say on this morning after... but I'm thinkin' the moonbat blogs will be MOST entertaining today.

Potpourri

We're just in from Happy Hour, which we called early today for a number o' reasons, not the least o' which was relieving some small amount o' frustration we experienced earlier today.  But we're getting ahead o' ourselves...

The last two days have been largely taken up by jumping through various and sundry medical hoops.  We find ourself suffering from an Old Man's Ailment... which, without going deep into the TMI space, is often remedied by a prescription for Flomax.  This has been goin' on for more than a few months and we decided to do sumthin' about it yesterday, which involved a somewhat amusing interlude in that our primary care physician is a Sweet Young Thang of about 30 years, if that.  Being the thorough doctor that she IS we went through the... ah... sorta unique experience of a prostate exam, which would be the first time a woman ever examined my prostate in a professional manner.  But we survived, albeit somewhat red-faced.  In the presence of a male orderly, IAW with hospital regs, which added to the experience in a not-so-amusing way, lemmee tell ya.

There were also several follow-up tests to be administered, chief among which was feeding the vampires at Roosevelt General Hospital.  My appointment yesterday was somewhat late, and the admin staff who would've pre-registered me for the required blood work at the hospital's lab had all gone home by the time I was out of the doctor's exam room.  And therein lies the source of my angst today.  I reported for the required blood-work and cooled my heels in RGH's waiting room for 45-fucking-minutes, until such time as the administrative staff could find time to collect two forms for me to sign, one of which was WRONG, and "admit" me for testing.

Me: Why do I have to sign a Medicaid form when I'm not on Medicaid?
Fat-assed Admin Lady:  Oh, thank you for reading the form... I pulled the wrong one.

Darlin', I always read stuff I'm required to sign... but is this it?  "Yes," she sez... and I'm on my way to the lab.  Ten minutes... at the most... and we're done and outta there, after profuse apologies from the lab staff over the wait.  But not a word from the Fat-assed admin lady, of course.

So.  We went out to the Cannon Airplane Patch pharmacy, got our prescription filled, and are waiting on the lab test results which should come back normal, The Deity At Hand willing.

I suppose this falls into the category of "It's Always SUMTHIN'," eh?

―:☺:―

I got The Tart over 100 mph today for the first time.  I was on the way back from Cannon Airplane Patch when I came upon a Toyota following a Harley... both doin' about 60 mph in a 65 mph zone, which zone is normally traveled somewhere north o' 70 mph.  We calculated the passing solution and when the road was clear we zapped both vehicles in one fell swoop.  We glanced down at the speedometer as we swung back into the right lane and were simultaneously amused and horrified at what we saw: 105 mph.  We immediately stood on the brakes a bit, given as how there were three vehicles approaching from the opposite direction at about a half-mile's distance... none of which had light bars on the roof... and we thank The Deity At Hand for small favors.  But Boy Howdy!  The Tart can MOVE when called upon to do so.

―:☺:―

We're toying with the ideer of changing our tag-line, which currently reads "If a lifetime can be likened to a day, then this is Happy Hour."  Our tag-line has been that since Day One and we're coming up on our seventh blogoversary.  I've been remarkably consistent with my blog format and template... what you see is what ALWAYS was... as opposed to my contemporaries who seem to move the furniture around every couple o' years or so, sometimes more.  I like my tag-line, mainly coz it's true.  But we're thinkin' about changin' it to this:

"Beer, booze, cigars, and fast cars... but no wimmen.  There ain't enough money left over for that."

Whaddaya think, Gentle Reader?

Another Two-fer

Hey!  It's D(eb)ate Night USA!  In keeping...

Well, the answer MIGHT be...

Heh.

Disney Princess Hipsters...

What?  No PBR?

WTF, Fanboi Edition

In my in-box...

Yup... a real wood cover for yer iPhone, none o' that fake stuff.  Huzzah!  

You should go look here for more REALLY cool shit.  I mean REALLY.

Broadening XLIX

Yet another variation on that Oktoberfest theme...

The Bros haven't sampled the beer, but their commentariat weighs in with 378 reviews, the average of which is 71/100... making the beer average, I suppose.  Me?  It's pleasant, sweet to the point o' almost-too-sweet, and sufficiently malty.  I still prefer Shiner's and Sammy Adams' takes on the genre, though.

Wow... the next edition of "Broadening" will be our 50th.  I'd like to say that's a lotta beer, but we've also used the title for new booze and cigars.  What-EVAH... it's all part o' the Good Life, innit?

Plane Pr0n & Ramirez

From the Usual USAF Source...

Air Frame: A-10 Thunderbolt II ground-attack aircraft assigned to Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz., sit on the ramp at Westover ARB, Mass. The A-10s stopped off at Westover, home of Air Force Reserve Command's 439th Airlift Wing, en route to Southwest Asia, according to Westover officials. (Air Force photo by SrA. Kelly Galloway posted on Sept. 28, 2012) (Click on image above to reach larger version.)

That's a big gaggle o' nastiness right there... the stuff o' Taliban nightmares.

Ramirez:

"Clear Red Lines," indeed.

Heh

Someone... it might have been Dave Barry... said "NEVER ask a woman if she's pregnant unless you see an actual live baby emerging from her body."  That's pretty good advice.

Saturday

The Guardian sez this is a meme, with kids from Canoe U providing the latest in a flurry of take-offs on this tune, which is new to this Ol' Fart (as might be expected, seein' as how I don't listen to this shit).  So...



Nice campus, and it looks like the Squids are havin' fun.  One can't help but wonder what Lex would have thought about this, what with him bein' a Boat School alumnus.  I have an ideer about that. 

Beer Politics

Blog-Bud Moogie sends along a link to an interesting article about the politics o' beer, which includes this snappy graphic:

No wonder the nation is in such sad shape... we all seem to be drinking swill, with the exception o' Guinness, Sammy Adams, Labatt Blue, and (perhaps) Blue Moon.  Thus sayeth the beer snob.

Speakin' o' beer... we did Round Two o' that Blue Moon Pumpkin Ale yesterday but we only went half the distance before we poured the remainder down the sink and got us sumthin' a lil more to our liking.  So the verdict is in: yeccch.  No mas, por favor.

A Two-fer (and Plane Pr0n)

The political 'toons are good today at the Usual Source for such things, so good that I had to choose two to steal:

I watched Jerry Springer.  Once.

The plane pr0n...

Air Frame: The Space Shuttle Endeavour, resting atop NASA's 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, departs Edwards AFB, Calif., for the last time on Sept. 21, 2012. The SCA delivered the now-retired Endeavour to Los Angeles International Airport that same day for its remaining journey to the California Science Center in Los Angeles where it will go on permanent display at the end of October 2012. (Air Force photo by Jet Fabara) (Click on image above to reach larger version.)

A sad, sad occasion... but a beautiful photo.  Didja catch the photographer's name?  That's a case of "aptly yclept" if I EVER saw one.

It Feels Like Fall

Yup, it's decidedly cool outdoors, as we speak.

Damp, too... given our humidity stands at 70% right now.  I was awakened at 0430 hrs this morning by a nearby (read as: about a mile) lightning strike and resulting ka-BLAM.  The thunderclap was LOUD and it got my undivided attention, which made going back to sleep pretty much impossible.  So we got up, lit off the coffee pot, and did something I can't ever recall doing at any point in time during the last ten years: we turned on the teevee.  I did that to check the weather (to begin with) but then I just kept right on watching... who knew Charlie Rose has an early morning daytime gig at CBS?... until the coffee pot was empty, at 0830 hrs.  And then I went back to bed and slept until 1130 hrs.

We DID get some rain, btw... pretty much solid precip from 0430 to 0730 hrs, an event that's pretty remarkable in this part o' the world.  It's been a fairly wet late summer and early Fall, and The Deity At Hand knows we need it.

We Are TEMPTED

I got this in today's mail...

OK, it's true that I'm tempted, but I won't do it.  Mainly coz I'd prolly hurt myself if I was turned loose on a race track in a 556 hp car.  We're not as young as we useta be and we're just not that quick any longer.

Le sigh.

Tonight's ADWH Soundtrack

Divin' deep into the archives for some serious drinkin' music...



This wasn't the tune I was lookin' for*, but it'll do.  I remain impressed with the Tube O' You, given that the Siegal-Schwall Band wasn't exactly mainstream... outside o' Chicago.  I don't remember how I came upon them, but I know it had to be courtesy o' one o' my buds back in those lost days o' the '70s.  Be that as it may, I bought every one o' their albums I could get my hands on back in the day and committed several of those albums to tape before I shipped the vinyl off to SN2 during the Great Divorce Debacle o' 1999.  It was one o' those cassettes we dragged out for tonight's soundtrack, and we're REALLY glad we did.

*Well, DAMN!  Here it is!



Oh, HELL Yes!  It's a real pity that none of Siegal-Schwall's lyrics are available on the 'net... coz the lyrics are just amazin'.

Broadening Our Horizons XLVIII

We made a run out to Cannon Airplane Patch earlier this afternoon for to pick up our meds... both from the pharmacy AND the Class VI store.  A couple o' few days ago I bemoaned the fact that my local beer emporium didn't have any pumpkin ales in their cooler, so I was mildly surprised when I saw Blue Moon's pumpkin offering out at Cannon.  I got me the last six pack, so good on me.  Sorta.

Here's what our go-to guys have to say about the brew:

Pours a stiff head, two finger high. Brilliant copper color. Gourd aroma with some faint spicing and caramel-like malt. Snap in the crispness, pretty smooth with a moderate sized body. Even spicing with some pumpkin going on. Dry maltiness aside from a quick push of caramel. Very little hopping here which is fine. Finishes dry with some spice.

Nothing epic but not to (sic) shabby either. A decent pick for a low key holiday party that perhaps has a lot of non-beer drinkers.

Heh.  The classic "damning with faint praise" gambit.  Me?  I think it tastes weird/strange.  The "spicing" (as described by The Bros) is SO faint as to be non-existent to my palette and it has a sweetness that simply doesn't belong in beer, ever.  I'll have a second round before I write off Blue Moon's take on this genre, and I'd have to try another brewery's offering before I wrote off the genre as a whole.  Let's just say I'm not at all impressed.

A Few Different Views

First, two political cartoonists take a look at The View... "Featuring BARACK OBAMA!"

Gee... I missed that, somehow.  It's crushed, I am.

A better view:

Air Frame: Spirit of Texas, one of the Air Force's B-2A Spirit stealth bombers, departs Northrop Grumman's facility in Palmdale, Calif., after completion of programmed depot maintenance, June 28, 2012. (Northrop Grumman photo posted on Sept. 24, 2012.) (Click on image above to reach larger version.)

From the Usual USAF Source, of course.  And from the same place...

Flying WiFi Hotspot: The Air Force awarded Northrop Grumman a $20 million contract to add beyond-line-of-sight command and control functions on one of its E-11A communications-relay aircraft, announced the company. BLOS C2 allows the Battlefield Airborne Communications Node-equipped jet to spread "wireless Internet over the battlefield," giving ground forces access to video, imagery, and Internet chat, according to the company's Sept. 24 release. The Air Force's small, combined fleet of BACN-equipped E-11As and RQ-4B Global Hawk remotely piloted aircraft currently provide near-constant communications relay over Afghanistan, said Northrop Grumman. The E-11A slated for the upgrade is one of three Bombardier BD-700 Global Express airplanes already modified with BACN payloads. Technicians at Hanscom AFB, Mass., are scheduled to complete BLOS C2 installation and integration work on this aircraft by next June. The Air Force has a fourth Bombardier aircraft undergoing conversion to the E-11A BACN role.

Who gives ya inter-tubes when ya ain't got none, Bay-Bee?  "You've got mail!"

Update, 1125 hrs:  I posted before I got to the bottom of the AFA Daily Report, which means I hadn't read this:

(U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. John Barton)

World War II Memorial Dedicated in Britain: The British Princess Royal, Princess Anne, dedicated a memorial in Greenham Common, Britain, to the US airmen and troops who were based in the area during World War II and died during the conflict. The princess dedicated three memorial stones at the Greenham Business Park during the Sept. 21 ceremony. One stone honors the 16 airmen who died when two B-17 bombers collided above the area on Dec. 15, 1944, according to a US Air Forces in Europe release. The second stone pays tribute to the 33 airmen who died three days earlier when their Horsa glider crashed on takeoff from Greenham Common, states the release. The third stone remembers the American servicemen who were based there and lost their lives in the war. Greenham Common was one of the main staging points for US troops in the run-up to D-Day, according to the release. (Greenham Common report by SSgt. Brian Stives)

Thank GOD the Special Relationship endures, despite the best efforts of the White House's current occupant to sink it.

Tonight's ADWH Soundtrack

Some down 'n' dirty guitar work from Lucinda Williams and her band...

I don't want you anymore
cause you took my joy
I don't want you anymore
you took my joy

you took my joy
I want it back
you took my joy
I want it back

Complete lyrics here.  Hell, Lucinda... one place is the same as the next... you might could find some joy in P-Ville.  I've been to West Memphis and Slidell and I know from whence I speak. 

Not Exactly Broadening...

... but a seasonal tasting and comparison.  Which is to say this:

That would be a Shiner Oktoberfest, back-to-back with a Sammy Adams Octoberfest brew.  My go-to guys, when it comes to beer, have this to say...

About the Shiner:

Extremely clean and very drinkable. Just as smooth as it is crisp. Well balanced from malt sweetness to toasted flavors to bittering hops. A happy brew to knock back.

And about Sammy Adams' brew:

A tasty choice this year, its good to have a fresh O-fest rather than getting burned by a stale imported O-fest that has been sitting around since last year. A great contrast to some crab cakes with some homemade spicy remoulade sauce.

Well, we're decidedly lacking in the crab cakes department but we have us a good supply of both these brews. The Bros rate both of these beers as "Good," and there's precious little difference between either beer when it comes to the scores.  As fer me?  I prefer the Shiner.  That said, I'm glad I'm able to partake of both these brews, which are VERY worthy.

Our soundtrack today is Pandora's Don Henley station.  I find it very strange that I didn't record one single Eagles album before I shipped the vinyl off to SN2 for safe keeping back in 1999.  We've been listening to Henley a lot during the past 48 hours and enjoying the Hell out of it, too.  Mebbe we'll put a vid up later, but in the meantime it's back outdoors to continue as we've begun.

Can You Say "Industrial Espionage?"

Sure ya can... from the Usual USAF Source:

China's Raptor Lookalike: Clearer photos of China's second stealthy-looking fighter design emerged on the Internet as Defense Secretary Leon Panetta kicked off his diplomatic visit to Beijing last week. The Shenyang F-60—also called the J-21 or J-31—resembles the F-22, but with the intakes of an F-35 strike fighter. The F-60 appears to lack the Raptor's stealthy thrust-vectoring engines, and there appear to be no attempts at a reduced radar cross section with the engines currently installed in the airplane. The F-60's canopy, nose, and planform seem to be nearly identical to that of the F-22, and the airplane appears to be not too much different in size from the F-22. The photos seem to show internal weapon bays arranged similarly to the F-22's, as well as a ruggedized undercarriage potentially suited to carrier-deck operations. Photos earlier this year of a heavily shrouded F-60, partially disassembled en route to testing, revealed that the aircraft is smaller than the Chengdu J-20, which the Chinese unveiled at the end of 2010, but little else. While the larger J-20 is likely designed for longer range strike, the F-60 may be optimized for an air superiority role similar to the F-22's.

—Arie Church And John A. Tirpak

Photo from an inner-tubes search.

Simply Beautiful

Occasional Correspondent Lin sends this along... and be sure to stay for the end:



I've never been a fan of opera vocals but I really like the music here... a most excellent accompaniment to a graceful display.

Whatcha Been Smokin' Lately, Buck?

Well, funny you should ask.  Here are a few brands that have made their way into El Casa Inmóvil de Pennington of late.  (click for larger, as usual)

This, of course, would be yet another installment o' "cigar art."  You'll note these bands are somewhat less than artistic and I believe that's because the established mainstream brands (like Punch, Partagas, Romeo y Julieta, Macanudo, and Montecristo) rely more on their name than trying to impress with art work on their bands.  All of these were pretty damned good, with the exception of the Romeo y Julieta Reserva Real... which was wrapped so tight as to be impossible to smoke.  The rest gave us hours and hours o' pure pleasure.

―:☺:―

In other news... we went and got our stitches removed today and my suspicions were confirmed: we're healing much more slowly this time around than last.  I still have a few "sensitive" areas in my mouth... but not so sensitive as to require more than OTC Aleve and Tylenol to relieve the "sensitivity."  I'm thanking The Deity At Hand for small favors.

Plane Pr0n

From the Usual USAF Source...

Air Frame: An F-35A Lightning II (top) from the 33rd Fighter Wing at Eglin AFB, Fla., and an F-22A Raptor from the 325th FW at Tyndall AFB, Fla., soar over the coast of northwest Florida, Sept. 19, 2012. This was the first time the Air Force's two fifth generation fighters have flown together, according to Eglin officials. (Air Force photo by MSgt. Jeremy T. Lock) (Click on image above to reach larger version.)

Hey, Ed... isn't that yer house at lower left?

―:☺:―

In other news... it was déjà vu all over again. Windows Update successfully downloaded and installed the latest update from Microsnot overnight... the one that FAILED Saturday night, causing me all that angst.  I have NO ideer why the initial updates fail... and it's NOT a good sign when yer 'puter starts acting weird.

Tonight's ADWH Soundtrack

It's pretty nice outside, so we opened up the windows and door and loaded a few CDs into the CD player for tonight's soundtrack... one o' which is Don Henley's "Building the Perfect Beast."  We usually set our CD player on "random" and did so this evening... So guess which track came up first?  This:

She passed on your passion and stepped on your pride
Turns out you ain't quite so tough
Cause you still wanna hold her
You must not be drinkin' enough 

Shut UP, Don... I think I'm drinkin' enough.

Don't panic... that's well over a month's worth o' consumption.

Today's Happy Hour Soundtrack

I always thought this tune would make the perfect soundtrack for that mo'sickle racing video I never made...



And I SHOULDA made that video... except for one small thang:  there was no such thang as cheap, hand-held video cams back when I was doing that racing thang, which is to say c. '68 - '72.  Which is just a weak excuse to post photos I've previously posted.  To wit:

YrHmblScrb is second from the right

YrHmblScrb is second from the left

That's The First Mrs. Pennington directly behind #48, which would be me

These three photos are all that remain of the racing archives, the great majority o' which were lost in the Great Divorce Debacle o' 1999.  But... back to the tune... I always visualized the opening 30 seconds of "Jingo" as panning up and down the starting line, and the rest of the tune devoted to action shots of a race, culminating in the finish.  YrHmblScrb would be the star of this extravaganza, of course, ignoring the fact that my racing career was less than... ummm... stellar.  But, Hey!  We had us a great good time.

Ah, missed opportunities and the wistful remembrances of an old man...

We Are Concerned

For the second time in ten days, and a second consecutive failure of Windows Update, I got a Blue Screen O' Death when my computer went to reboot following the download of an "Important" MS patch.  Like this:

I suppose all's well that ends well, in that I was able to restore the computer to its previous state using System Restore.  But twice in a row?  This doesn't foster warm and fuzzy feelings in YrHmblScrb... especially since I've never experienced these sorts of failures before.  Not once.

WTF!?!

So there I was, getting ready to watch Notre Dame kick the Hell outta Michigan... in South Bend... and I pulled the teevee guide up to make sure I had the right channel.  And got THIS:

WTF, KAMR?  WHAT THE FUCK are you THINKING!?!  West Texas A&M?  Incarnate WORD?  What the Hell is that, some sorta religious experience?  The only religious experience I want right now is to see Touchdown Jesus smilin' down on the Irish.

Save me.

I THOUGHT I Was Gonna Be Broadenin' My Horizons This Afternoon...

... but, no.  Coz it was just about this time last year when we did this:

Broadening Our Horizons XXXII

I'm pretty sure I've never had a Shiner Oktoberfest and I'm semi-amazed at the oversight, mainly coz we loves us some beer from that lil ol' brewery in Spoetzl, Tejas.  Ain't it loverly?

My go-to guys for beer give Oktoberfest a B- and I think that's pretty harsh.  I'd give the brew a B+ if not an A-.  This beer is eminently drinkable.  Oktoberfest tastes superb... which is to say clean, slightly hoppy, with a very interesting and complex combination of flavors... and it goes down easy, almost too easy.  I'll have to be careful this afternoon.

Sigh.  There's hardly anythang really NEW happenin' in my world these days.  We were lookin' for a pumpkin ale when we went beer shoppin' this afternoon... mainly because of the comments on this post by the Beer and Whiskey Bros.  Pumpkin ales apparently don't go down well here on The High Plains o' New Mexico, coz there was nary an example of such to be found at my local beer emporium.  But that's OK... coz I'd hate to spend good money on sumthin' I may or may NOT enjoy.

Saturday. Suck It Up, Fanbois.

It's the dialog... the dialog, Gentle Reader:



Spot-freakin'-on, in all respects.  Well, except for the lawsuit(s), mebbe.

Eastwooded

A play on a story from last week about The One skipping his security briefings.  Empty chair, indeed... sometimes stuff comes back to bite ya.  Right where it hurts.

New and Different

From the Usual USAF Source...

MC-27J concept

Spooky Even in Daylight: AC-130 gunships recently began daylight missions for the first time, providing fire support to coalition ground forces in Afghanistan thanks to a new high-definition sensor suite, said Air Force Special Operations Command boss Lt. Gen. Eric Fiel. "We have not flown gunships during the day before, but they are currently flying during the day" there, said Fiel during the four-star forum at AFA's Air & Space Conference outside of Washington, D.C., on Sept. 19. The sensors "allow us a longer standoff range, which caused a little problem since the weapons can't engage targets at that range," he said, noting that AFSOC is working to fix that. AFSOC has also integrated small diameter bombs onto AC-130W gunships, providing standoff precision attack capability. Stinger gunships in Afghanistan currently carry eight SDBs—four under each wing—as well as "internal precision-guided munitions," detailed Fiel. Next month, AFSOC plans to test Hellfire air-to-ground missiles on the AC-130, he said.

That's pretty interesting.  We're used to seeing Cannon's C-130s (of one stripe or another) orbiting the night skies over P-Ville but see them only rarely during daylight hours... so perhaps that'll change in the near future.  It's the highlighted bits in the blurb above that got my attention, though.  I was under the impression that the Stinger gunship proposal was dead, yet here's the head of AFSOC talking about Stingers carrying the SDB in Afghanistan.  What's up with that, I wonder?