Grounds For Impeachment?

Andrew Christie, Patrick Christie, Joba Chamberlain and NJ Governor Chris Christie attend the Ottawa Senators-Rangers Playoff Game at Madison Square Garden. (Article here)

From the Usual Hockey Source:

from Joe DeLessio of New York Magazine,

Here’s Christie, speaking in June of 2010 to the Star-Ledger, in response to a follow-up question about his Dallas Cowboys fandom. The emphasis in the answer is ours:

And you never thought about faking or hiding this?

I don’t nuance much very well (laughs). You know what? I always hated Hillary Clinton wearing a Cubs hat or a Yankees hat. I’m a Cowboys fan, I’m a Mets fan, I’m a Rangers fan, I’m a Knicks fan. I’ve got the Devils and the Nets in New Jersey, but I grew up when the Nets were on Long Island and the Devils didn’t exist. It’s not that I don’t want the Devils to do well. I want them to do well when they’re playing anybody but the Rangers. That’s who I grew up rooting for.

more 

Heh.  If Christie was the gub'ner o' Michigan and said something similar about the Wings he'd be GONE.  Apropos o' everythang... Game One of the ECF, Devils-Rangers, is tonight.

Plane Pr0n...

... of a different sort:

Air Frame: An A-10C from the Arkansas Air National Guard's 188th Fighter Wing undergoes a phase inspection at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, May 8, 2012. The phase is one of the most elaborate of maintenance actions, requiring the removal, inspection, and service of hundreds of parts, panels, and mechanisms. At home station, this process would take 45 days to 60 days, but it typically takes just one week at Bagram thanks to round-the-clock work by maintenance crews. There are currently 18 A-10Cs at Bagram—all Air Guard machines flown by Guard pilots. They collectively fly a punishing schedule of 22 sorties a day in three shifts. Two aircraft per flight maintain on-call close air support in the southeast part of Afghanistan, according to officials at Bagram. (AFA photo by John A. Tirpak) (Click on image above to reach wallpaper version.)

From 45~60 days to a week is a significant time reduction, innit?  Not to mention the sortie rate...

From the Usual USAF Source.

Traditions

We have 'em.  And this, the fifth iteration of this post (in part, some stuff has been omitted), is one of 'em.

Happy Mother's Day!

Ah…dog poop. Probably one of the (very) minor reasons my second marriage failed…coz The Second Mrs. Pennington was largely in charge of the particularly odious chore— following behind three dogs, including two pretty good-sized ones— let’s say about 90% of it. And she never hesitated to point out that fact to me.

[...]

But, seriously. Happy Mother’s Day to all my favorite Moms, and even to those who aren’t my favorites. I’ll remain cryptic on that last.

Call yer Mom!  Or better yet, give her a big hug and a kiss if you still can.  There comes a time in life when she won't be around, ya know.

If This Is Saturday...

... then it's Viral Vids time!

You've seen the movie, now read the book.  I did... read it... and it was good.  So good, in fact, that I read it in a single sitting.  And yeah, the book IS better than the movie.

Today's Happy Hour Soundtrack

From that new Norah Jones CD I bought... a song about the wages o' sin:

Miriam
That's such a pretty name
I'm gonna say it when I make you cry
Miriam
You know you done me wrong
I'm gonna smile when you say goodbye

Now I'm not the jealous type
Never been the killing kind 
But you know I know what you did
So don't put up a fight

[...]

Miriam

You know I know you done me wrong

I'm gonna smile when you say goodbye

You know you done me wrong

I'm gonna smile when I take your life 

Mmmm...

I fuckin' LOVE that.

Update, much later that same day:  Here's a professional review of the album.  An excerpt:

Norah Jones is rich, beautiful and has one of the most gorgeous voices in popular music. None of that makes her immune to a broken heart.

Sad for her, good for us. Jones channeled her hurt into a collaboration with Brian “Danger Mouse” Burton with 12 reflections on love gone wrong.

It’s no pick-me-up, obviously. But Jones does more than wallow. She’s angry, defiant, wounded, all-too-willing to slip back into a bad thing and even entertains a murder fantasy — in short, the full range of emotions that anyone feels when a serious relationship ends.

This album might could be the sleeper in the six new additions to my collection.  I find myself listening to it a lot and indulging... once again... in murder fantasies along with Ms. Jones.  Fantasies.  Key word, that... there's no need to alert the authorities.

More Posted Without Comment

That's two in a row from Chuck.  He's on sumthin' of a roll in my book.

Inadvertant Humor

From a Taranto tweet...

OK, it's juvenile... granted.  But it IS funny.

In the Mail

Today's Happy Hour will be a good one, assuming we warm up a bit between now and whenever the mood strikes me (I'm still drinkin' my "morning" coffee).  Mainly because I received these in the mail today, in addition to the more-than-my share ration of frickin' junk mail (see left):

That's a box of Drew Estate Toro Negras, which is a damned fine cigar.  We were also pleased to see our buddy Tim tossed in a bag o' three Drew Estate Natural Torpedoes, just out o' the kindness of his heart.  I've said this before:  I LOVE doin' bid'niz with Tim.

―:☺:―

Speakin' o' junk mail... does your Trash folder look like this? 

By "look like this" I mean do you delete about a quarter of your mail unread?  I know there's a cure for this, as in "opt out."  But sometimes I read this stuff.  Not often, just sometimes.

―:☺:―

Tiny Lil Music Review (with apologies to The Shoebox Blog):  Yesterday we received five of the six new CDs we ordered a couple o' few days ago; we've completed the first listen and are well into the second go-round.  The best thang is there ain't a clunker in the bunch; all are VERY pleasing to my ears.  The only bad thang I might possibly say is there doesn't seem to be any one outstanding cut on any of the CDs.  I define "outstanding" as music that raises the hair on my forearms, causes goosebumps to appear unbidden, and makes me want to put that cut on repeat for about an hour.  None such jumped out at me on the first run through, but there MIGHT be one such on the Susan Tedeschi album.... there's potential there.  I knew what I was getting here: a woman who's both an excellent guitarist and a rightful heir to Janis Joplin when it comes to singin' the blues.  Of the five albums I received this one is definitely my favorite... but we still have one album yet to come.

That isn't to say the Alison Krauss, Joan Osborne, or Norah Jones albums are bad... they most definitely aren't.  Ms. Krauss has a voice that can best be described as "sweetness and purity, personified," Norah is Norah... which is to say consistently GOOD, and Joan... well, JOAN.  Ms. Osborne does most excellent covers of several Motown tunes (and others, as well) on this album, and I just might post one or two later today... assuming I can find 'em on the Tube O' You.

Posted Without Comment

"It's Only a Game... But It's a GREAT Game"

Out of all the ads the NHL is running this playoff season, this one's my favorite...

Yup.  It's JUST like that if you live in a hockey town.  (sigh)

Update, somewhat later:  Yeah, I've been watching a lot of NHL vids this morning (morning?  Don't ask...).  This one is new to me (I think it may have only played in the Dee-troit market, for obvious reasons):



Wow, that one brings back some VERY poignant memories.  I relocated to Rochester, NY in 1996, the year before the Wings ended their drought.  Two of my Dee-troit expat buddies and I watched the last game of the '97 Cup Final in a local sports bar and Boy Howdy did it get DRUNK out that night.  We were the ONLY Wings fans in the bar that night, IIRC, and we whooped it up so loud and so well that other patrons in the bar were buying us drinks... as if we needed 'em.  

We got the news a few days later about Konstantinov, which damped down the euphoria considerably.  That limo accident was a bona fide tragedy and was SUCH a sad thing.  But, as the video shows... fast forward to '98 for the on-ice tribute to Vladdy.  There wasn't a dry eye anywhere in MY vicinity when that happened.  Memories...

Plane Pr0n...

... with a local flavor:

Air Frame: A CV-22 Osprey with the 20th Special Operations Wing at Cannon AFB, N.M., descends on the cadet area at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo., during the academy's Polaris Warrior training event, April 28, 2012. Polaris Warrior is designed to reinforce skills that cadets may need as airmen in the field. (Air Force photo by Raymond McCoy) (Click on image above to reach wallpaper version.)

From the Usual USAF Source.  I rarely see those Ospreys, either overhead or on the ramp when I go out to the base.  The C-130s are a different story, though... they always seem to be orbiting over P-Ville, especially at night.  "The sound of freedom!"

Where Did Our Warm WX Go?

I'm gonna have to wear a sweatshirt for Happy Hour today...

... mainly coz my personal R-factor is VERY low, given that fat is a well-known insulator and I have a serious lack o' same.  (Is there TMI at the link?  I found it fascinating!)

In other WX-related news... we got a very small amount o' rain last evening, just about enough to wet the streets.  A friend o' mine was telling me yesterday that our TOTAL rainfall over the last 21 months is a mere two and a quarter inches (I'm quoting from memory).  She further explained the Mojave desert's average annual rainfall is around three inches, by comparison.  I haven't bothered to validate either metric, but they sound reasonable to me.  I DO know our lack o' rain has been the leading topic o' conversation in these parts for quite some time now.  "Pray for rain" ain't just an idle sayin' on The High Plains O' New Mexico.

One In THREE?

That's about the saddest thang I've read or heard lately.  I don't have any trouble believing that statistic (just go to ANY Wally-World for living proof) and I'm most certainly glad I don't fly these days

―:☺:―

In other (hockey) news... the Preds are out.  It's gonna be an All-Pacific Division Final in the West, something I don't think ANY of us hockey fans and damned few, if any, hockey writers saw coming.  I thought the West was gonna end up with a Central Division Final, with the Wings playing the Blues, but we all know how THAT turned out.  Still and even, the Western Conference Final should be a lotta fun to watch.  Both the Kings and the Feral Dogs have provided exciting, entertaining, and amazing hockey up to this point in time and the upcoming series should be no less fun to watch.  My prediction?  Kings in six, mebbe seven.  And LOTS of overtime.

Wherein We Go a Lil Bit Crazy

At Amazon, just now:

Ah... much new music, in two days time. This is what happens when you listen to Pandora's Joan Osborne station for about five days in a row.

Super Moon

From a slide-show at the WSJ...

A full moon as seen from West Orange, N.J., rose over the skyline of Lower Manhattan in New York. (Reuters)

There are ten more images... all of them spectacular... at the link.  The skies were cloudy here in P-Ville at moonrise but cleared up sufficiently around midnite to create a bizarre scene, and by that I mean moonlight SO bright it cast shadows.  It's pretty bright out again tonight.

Linkage

I've mentioned this a few times in the past (ed: a few?)... but Hockey Night In Canada is one of the thangs I REALLY miss about living in Dee-troit, especially when the playoffs roll around.  While NBC's and Versus NBCSN's hockey coverage has improved a lot in the past couple o' years it still has a way to go before it equals HNIC, the gold-standard of hockey broadcasting.  I came across this interesting piece in the Montreal Gazette on the making of HNIC's video montage intros to the program, thanks to the Usual Hockey Source.  Here's one such intro:

They're all pretty much like that and I've posted a few of HNIC's montages over the years... most especially their end-of-season tributes, which are always spectacular.  And now I know a lil bit about the guys responsible for those montages, and why those montages are as vivid and striking as they are.

And speakin' o' hockey... it's time to watch the Kings and the Blues.  This might could be an elimination game, so there will be HIGH drama.

Update, 1545 hrs:  Simply amazing... those Kings SWEEP the Number Two seed St. Louis Blues, after taking out Number One seed Vancouver in five.  These guys could go all the way.  I'm a believer.

The Sunday Re-Run

From about three years ago...

Heroes... Just For One Day

I, I will be king
And you, you will be queen
Though nothing will drive them away
We can be Heroes, just for one day
We can be us, just for one day

We did an extended Happy Hour this past evening, given as how the wind died down late in the evning and the temps were oh-so-moderate, bordering on chilly. Now…who'd a thunk that… the "chilly" bit, I mean. But it's true… and I digress, as ever and always. You'll note I've embedded Bowie and quoted one small bit of the lyrics to "Heroes." There's a reason for that, of course.

First and foremost… we had our windows open and our Very Expensive Radio (aka our peesee) cranked up so as to furnish an appropriate soundtrack for the after-dinner whiskey and cigar extravaganza. And then there was this moment in time... which would be the middle tune in this series of three:

Which got us to thinking… a dangerous pursuit in the best of times, but more so when we're (nearly) in our cups than at any other time. Or close. We were thinking, specifically, about the lyrics to "Heroes"… which we've committed to memory in that strange way reserved only for rock 'n' roll tunes but somehow escapes us for shit that truly matters, like our grandchildren's birthdays. I was wondering if we (all of us) understand what it means to be "heroes, just for one day."

I've had more than a few occasions where I... or we... were heroes just for one day, but never considered them as such until this evening. This moment comes to mind:

That fuzzy and almost indistinct image would be YrHmblScrb holding SN3, only an hour or so after SN3 entered this world. We were heroes at that moment, The Second Mrs. Pennington and I. And SN3, too.

Or this:

That would be SN2, The First Mrs. Pennington, SN1, and grandson Sean… on the occasion of SN1's commissioning back in 2000. TFMP and I were heroes just for that day… celebrating our first-born's accomplishment and the fact that our second-born had sworn SN1 into the officer corps… and bursting with pride we were, despite our difficult past and considerable angst with each other.

There are others, of course, most of which we have no photographic record. And most of those events are minor… mundane, even... such as the time my buds and I walked off the hill at Doi Inthanon, Thailand after a hard day of raising the search radar antenna at a long range radar site we (a USAF Engineering & Installations [E&I] team out of Yokota AB, Japan) were building for the Royal Thai Air Force. Raising that antenna was a milestone in a long and difficult installation… and we celebrated by unfurling a home-made banner on the radar antenna… a huge thing cobbled up out of bedsheets, emblazoned with our makeshift "Baker and Sons Radar Installations" logo, and visible throughout the radar station. That banner was a thing we spent the entire evening admiring, all while hoisting many Singhas in celebration… accompanied by team members from the various E&I disciplines deployed with us… radio, telephone, construction… among others. A victory of sorts, and one to be celebrated. Once again… we were heroes, just for one day.

There have been many, many more... most of 'em minor… like when The Second Mrs. Pennington and I had a couple of drinks in this way-cool little bar in Rochester, NY to celebrate the closing on the next-to-last house we ever bought together… but all of 'em significant in their own way.

I suppose my point is we should celebrate these victories whenever they happen… and recognize that ALL of us can indeed be "heroes, just for one day." I spent the better part of last evening reminiscing and celebrating those victories, small as they may be. Yep… we were heroes, just for one day.

Bowie had it right.

Yup, he did.

After Further Inspection...

... I found this:

BIG-ass sigh.  I miss MY travel buddy, too.  We were particularly good at that... there bein' too many points and places to mention.

Updated, after a couple o' beers and not a small amount o' contemplation:  "Travel buddies" is an expression that covers a lot o' ground.  On the one hand, there's not much difficulty in dealing with the road when one travels "first class," meanin' adequate accommodations, business class plane tickets, and a well-planned itinerary.  OTOH, travel can be a whole different sorta animal when you're in "two-man-tent, sleeping bags, Coleman stove" mode, or when you're thumb-tripping in Japan.  The fact is my travel buddy and I did all those things and more, over the course of 23 years.  It's a certain mind-set, and by that I mean the capability of overcoming adversity, and all that... absorbing the slings and arrows of the road and managing to keep your good humor while keepin' on keepin' on.  We had that. 


And then there's the matter of this video itself, which falls into the "nice try" category.  The recipient of this e-mail missive is more than likely to dismiss it out of hand, with nothing more than a "thanks, but no thanks" response when it comes to the invitation to meet for coffee.  There's a simple fact of life at play here: when love goes missing it's gone for good.  The only thang 99% of us in this situation can hope for is to retrieve the body and give it a decent burial.  Real Life differs from the movies, after all.  But, Hey!  I liked the sentiment in the vid, which is why I posted it. 

Slim Pickin's at the Usual Saturday Source

I thought this was the best o' the bunch:

It made me laugh, anyhoo.  And now I know Robert Plant and I have at least one thing in common.

This was the runner-up, but I chose not to post it because I'm just NOT that geeky.  Well, geeky in that particular way.  "May the 4th be with you."  Face-palm.

It's NOT Funny

Izzit?

―:☺:―

How 'bout them Kings?  So much for MY hockey prognostication skills... and those of about a third of the rest of the country, too.