tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38536842005085458092024-03-13T03:16:54.382-04:00JeopardyinMDJeopardyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09089165406996812328noreply@blogger.comBlogger165125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3853684200508545809.post-36028299226817179732022-10-21T19:12:00.000-04:002022-10-21T19:12:09.116-04:00Final Flight<p>My father was a pilot. </p><p>Excuse me, a Naval Aviator. </p><p>Flew the P-3 Orion, whose primary mission was hunting submarines. I wrote about it <a href="https://jeopardyinmd.blogspot.com/2009/05/same-as-it-ever-was.html" target="_blank">here</a>. His last flight was October 29th, 1981, just before he relinquished command of VP-23 in Brunswick Maine. He retired years later as a Captain, and as far as I can recall, he never flew again. You could tell he missed it, though. When he did talk about it, he'd grin and get twinkle in his eye. Me? I've never flown anything except a computer through umpteen generations of Microsoft Flight Simulator.</p><p>Dad passed away last October. </p><p>As we wait for his slot at Arlington, I was afforded the opportunity to do one more thing for him last weekend.</p><div dir="ltr">My neighbor and friend Eric is a retired Naval Aviator (F-18s) and Test Pilot. Callsign "Magic". He's now a corporate test pilot, and maintains his private pilot's license. When dad passed last year, I asked Magic if he'd be willing to schedule a flight to get dad back up in the air one more time. He enthusiastically agreed. The stars and weather finally aligned last weekend to make this a reality.</div><div dir="ltr"><br clear="none" /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2bbdK7WX4SiEQ7M_2DZP9Nw82ZbPZNZfLQqQtQrQibV_b3nPWoMNy1V-EDpSncg-RT1N_xAMeoWL9C4eu_81gWJeRaq1lRkUGuZpgDdwaArxZBVVQUEcTIqkw-5_xj3njG20YxzTU6QtDcDryXBgrfZw1YOvzW7OaRTpVn2MtDImTWTYxmDlkIZhF/s2016/IMG_7602.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2016" data-original-width="1512" height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2bbdK7WX4SiEQ7M_2DZP9Nw82ZbPZNZfLQqQtQrQibV_b3nPWoMNy1V-EDpSncg-RT1N_xAMeoWL9C4eu_81gWJeRaq1lRkUGuZpgDdwaArxZBVVQUEcTIqkw-5_xj3njG20YxzTU6QtDcDryXBgrfZw1YOvzW7OaRTpVn2MtDImTWTYxmDlkIZhF/w137-h182/IMG_7602.jpg" width="137" /></a></div></div><div dir="ltr">I gathered Dad, his log book, his Naval Aviator Card, and an old P-3 mission checklist Just in case we encountered any <strike>Soviet</strike> Russian Submarines in the Chesapeake. Put them, along with Dad, into his flight bag and hit the road. </div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgogRICw1jTSNZ5ipUnAtbi0luq1ZaZ8Ag2hWHaQ_5cbELCSYwvgug9m6KMA6R9I0gH1Wh5-B1sgSoNEPGeqh902TXDmM-qShczrVamiOYtPuxbzpQC2f89zTJzSldSDappAqGRgmZkhab9CLk1hb3zJjxAck5lN13KO_sd4rW71cD1gUW35fTdVx7p/s2016/IMG_7592.jpg" style="clear: right; display: inline; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="2016" height="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgogRICw1jTSNZ5ipUnAtbi0luq1ZaZ8Ag2hWHaQ_5cbELCSYwvgug9m6KMA6R9I0gH1Wh5-B1sgSoNEPGeqh902TXDmM-qShczrVamiOYtPuxbzpQC2f89zTJzSldSDappAqGRgmZkhab9CLk1hb3zJjxAck5lN13KO_sd4rW71cD1gUW35fTdVx7p/w217-h162/IMG_7592.jpg" width="217" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">N1114</td></tr></tbody></table><div dir="ltr"><br /></div><div dir="ltr">Went up to Martin State Airport (KMTN) and pulled the Van RV-6 (N1114) out of the hanger. Steam-gauges. Very old school. Nice. Pre-flighted the airplane. Checked the fuel, oil, control surfaces, etc. To call it a beautiful day for flying would be an understatement. Calm winds, CAVU conditions. The sky was looking down at us as if to say "what are you doing down there?" </div><div dir="ltr"><br clear="none" /></div><div dir="ltr"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5nJ5HbK5PykdZYvikVz8bAIqaTHMJMTDjKmGGT133UeqwP5CUzpsyBovtgty09Rvlu30g6OohqGMna3T4CU_QjCpFa5KOA1UmnA9rUAI0Gh0Aybdj3s8CzuPzTBzEaLvPVV1liOwmpZPrzuihfLDery1tdSEicYmBMiR1ySntRbtZ76GfM2rbFYhS/s4032/IMG_7598.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="154" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5nJ5HbK5PykdZYvikVz8bAIqaTHMJMTDjKmGGT133UeqwP5CUzpsyBovtgty09Rvlu30g6OohqGMna3T4CU_QjCpFa5KOA1UmnA9rUAI0Gh0Aybdj3s8CzuPzTBzEaLvPVV1liOwmpZPrzuihfLDery1tdSEicYmBMiR1ySntRbtZ76GfM2rbFYhS/w205-h154/IMG_7598.jpg" width="205" /></a></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQxWaaVD17TfaVD07uZzYcemzHWSsTgwn7p5Xx7I8m66x39bH20hwWQOuJp7en5nEkMT9yZvIXF1lBCm-xakFVH8nDv1anFxZWB_eSxtQYyp0zxOWOY4LW6tQyFe2d86teJBu2Uz3BIzIHwf8rNT2pB1FSEttDmusiBxiD9CfakNWAuk-khYeSh9Z4/s2016/IMG_7594.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2016" data-original-width="1512" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQxWaaVD17TfaVD07uZzYcemzHWSsTgwn7p5Xx7I8m66x39bH20hwWQOuJp7en5nEkMT9yZvIXF1lBCm-xakFVH8nDv1anFxZWB_eSxtQYyp0zxOWOY4LW6tQyFe2d86teJBu2Uz3BIzIHwf8rNT2pB1FSEttDmusiBxiD9CfakNWAuk-khYeSh9Z4/w163-h218/IMG_7594.jpg" width="163" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dad in the jump seat</td></tr></tbody></table>Hopped into the RV-6 and completed the checklists and got the ATIS. <br /> Contacted ground. We're VFR to the southeast.</div><div dir="ltr"><br clear="none" /></div><div dir="ltr">Completed our run-up checks and taxied to the hold short. Runway 33, Cleared for takeoff. Lined up on the centerline and applied power. Next thing I know, we're off. </div><div dir="ltr"><br clear="none" /></div><div dir="ltr">Picked up flight following and pointed the nose to Delaware Coastal (KGED). Out from under the Bravo, we're free to do what we'd like. Ay this point, I have the controls. Trundling along at 150 KIAS. Maintain 3500, following the heading bug on the Garmin to GED. The RV-6 is VERY responsive to control inputs. Took a minute, but I got the hang of it. Got to GED and Magic did a few touch and gos at to get more practice in a tail-dragger. <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhomttmr5sz2w_lkhvaKggdTxpjMmBjxT76qdx844Gu8TpnU0uaw8PBsFHUCtwzrvvGHIWfOTyeCmm6yfMnKmisQ5nlnoLjDm0cL0kOeGZnDHYbt6sD7AjAL8fD0isZwO_F1SVgELFMJPSeWKWkP9HanXh_Nvfmem7jaoE01GfmaKbNeyxAHwal8_Ew/s1544/IMG_7601.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1158" data-original-width="1544" height="139" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhomttmr5sz2w_lkhvaKggdTxpjMmBjxT76qdx844Gu8TpnU0uaw8PBsFHUCtwzrvvGHIWfOTyeCmm6yfMnKmisQ5nlnoLjDm0cL0kOeGZnDHYbt6sD7AjAL8fD0isZwO_F1SVgELFMJPSeWKWkP9HanXh_Nvfmem7jaoE01GfmaKbNeyxAHwal8_Ew/w185-h139/IMG_7601.jpg" width="185" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /></div><div dir="ltr">Back in the air. Time for some fun. Aileron roll up first. I did OK, but was too nose down at the end. Felt great. I could almost hear dad, "Whoo doggie!" from behind me. The loop went well, too. Next we did a few high G (3.5-4) turns. ATC actually called us and asked if we were OK. We're fine. Just doing some "airwork". </div><div dir="ltr"><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE72YD8lTVKnmDSchgUK9xg2p08GEPnIVG66hz3iY450udowz8M68zqnOqkOljlYa6-AqsMJXjVmAccf_uvG9WdS0_yslDMeh5k5z7dhvZ0FZopwb_tYzMdvSoG8vjbYmigDBt4Ki_uQUZiJwMxpIoem88ZqCIG5YD275jQh93-sPH8GOu8bRRhRI-/s1544/IMG_7600.jpg" style="clear: left; display: inline; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1158" data-original-width="1544" height="147" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE72YD8lTVKnmDSchgUK9xg2p08GEPnIVG66hz3iY450udowz8M68zqnOqkOljlYa6-AqsMJXjVmAccf_uvG9WdS0_yslDMeh5k5z7dhvZ0FZopwb_tYzMdvSoG8vjbYmigDBt4Ki_uQUZiJwMxpIoem88ZqCIG5YD275jQh93-sPH8GOu8bRRhRI-/w196-h147/IMG_7600.jpg" width="196" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jeopardy and Magic</td></tr></tbody></table><div dir="ltr">Pointed the nose toward the Bay Bridge. Heading 270, because no flight like this should go by without some symbolism. By now, I'm getting the hang of this and can actually take my eyes out of the cockpit. The world is so different. We can see for miles, and have what feels like all the freedom in the world. Right turn over the Bay towards MTN. "How high you want us?" I ask Magic. "Let's stay at 3500. I like to keep plenty of altitude over the water. Just in case." Sensible enough. </div><div dir="ltr"><br /></div><div dir="ltr"><br /></div><div dir="ltr">Enter right traffic, and Magic takes the controls as we enter the downwind. Cleared to land runway 15. You're number two behind a Cessna 172 on short final. Cleared to land, runway 15. We have the traffic, 1114. Back on the ground, but yearning to be back up there. Taxi to the hanger and clean all the bugs off the airframe. Put everything back the way we found it, paid for the gas, and headed back home. </div><div dir="ltr"><br /></div><div dir="ltr">My head's still in the clouds with dad.</div><div dir="ltr"><br clear="none" /></div><div dir="ltr">Got back home and told the girls about the flight.</div><div dir="ltr"><br clear="none" /></div><div dir="ltr"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGeyBBIGWhm8K7joHI4KexEDlS45oKfIeNmTtMznpGBg9XEY57WIB5hKXyPg1aXMTmhUoU3xflfxKdhC3IMonMwH7L4Sca69KIWGJt_64sEoasPRXtrx93s_k2tNbrwbWf-7-U9MImwnet8n1krAcEL0b0JtAEpqxIbAsaiGylq3Ho5tI7pL1hFj3n/s2016/IMG_7604.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="2016" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGeyBBIGWhm8K7joHI4KexEDlS45oKfIeNmTtMznpGBg9XEY57WIB5hKXyPg1aXMTmhUoU3xflfxKdhC3IMonMwH7L4Sca69KIWGJt_64sEoasPRXtrx93s_k2tNbrwbWf-7-U9MImwnet8n1krAcEL0b0JtAEpqxIbAsaiGylq3Ho5tI7pL1hFj3n/w198-h149/IMG_7604.jpg" width="198" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Final entry</td></tr></tbody></table>One last thing to do. I grabbed Dad's log book and made one more entry: 1 hour, VFR, as a special mission crew member. His mission? Letting his son do one more thing for him. </div><div dir="ltr"><br /></div><div dir="ltr">I hope he enjoyed it. I did.</div><div dir="ltr"><br /></div><div dir="ltr">Some fathers and sons bond over music. Some bond over sports. Some bond over the love of flight. "Hey, dad. Wanna have a fly?"</div><div dir="ltr"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1fSpCd0ZeD5BQxGK-AF3nXmovBkXWXtOrId4AHckrf7kT8Zu-wztwjWRK2vfl_trCETMZNixpCis2l9s0foXcNKe_9ZodeGNXjs8RmYODCvILTTnUKucZVcyoOJX543Q3oTg_DrFZQ8SS8KWdbvmLwNvVeZGhTuQgP2R4Eel6pMYg9aYLFjL8GRn2/s1200/IMG_7610.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="629" data-original-width="1200" height="139" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1fSpCd0ZeD5BQxGK-AF3nXmovBkXWXtOrId4AHckrf7kT8Zu-wztwjWRK2vfl_trCETMZNixpCis2l9s0foXcNKe_9ZodeGNXjs8RmYODCvILTTnUKucZVcyoOJX543Q3oTg_DrFZQ8SS8KWdbvmLwNvVeZGhTuQgP2R4Eel6pMYg9aYLFjL8GRn2/w265-h139/IMG_7610.JPG" width="265" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jeopardy and his Dad</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div dir="ltr">And no, we didn't see any Russian submarines.</div><div dir="ltr"><br clear="none" /></div><div dir="ltr">Here's our flight track:</div><div dir="ltr"><br clear="none" /></div><div dir="ltr"><a href="https://flightaware.com/live/flight/N1114/history/20221015/1333Z/KMTN/KMTN" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" shape="rect" style="color: #196ad4;" target="_blank">https://flightaware.com/live/flight/N1114/history/20221015/1333Z/KMTN/KMTN</a><br clear="none" /></div><div dir="ltr"><br clear="none" /></div><div dir="ltr">And yes. That's me with the beard. </div><div><br clear="none" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: arial; font-size: 16px;" /></div>Jeopardyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09089165406996812328noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3853684200508545809.post-40937852963313232062012-06-12T07:44:00.003-04:002012-06-12T07:44:30.767-04:00Scary Weekend<br />
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The Wife came home on Friday,
feeling unwell. Fever, chills, achy, a
bit of a temp. Luckily, both of the
girls were still at daycare, so we had time to implement Infection Containment
Protocol (ICP, pronounced ‘ick-pea’) ALPHA.
ICP ALPHA is activated whenever a single adult member of the family is
exhibiting symptoms indicating exposure to an infectious, possible airborne
pathogen. Under ICP ALPHA, the exposed individual
is physically isolated from the remaining family members in hopes that the
infection can be contained. If the
containment area is breached, we can transition to other ICPs, like BRAVO (one
adult and one child infected). ICP
CHARLIE is when both children are infected.
Each one has a specific set of rules that are designed to contain the
infections while still maintaining a semblance of normalcy/sanity.</div>
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When we hit BRAVO or CHARLIE,
all efforts are focused on avoiding ICP OMEGA, where all four of us are
sick. The only thing to do during an ICP
OMEGA event is smear some lamb’s blood on the door and hope for alms from
friends and neighbors until the infection runs its course.</div>
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As far as the ICPs go, things looked pretty good on Saturday. I was fine, and neither
Aggie nor The Pirate was exhibiting any symptoms, but The Wife was still pretty
bad. At about 1:00 that afternoon, she finally
called an urgent care doc to get an appointment. The girls and I stayed home and waited. The Pirate took a nap, and Aggie sat on the
sofa with me to watch some TV. About 5
minutes after The Wife left, I felt something really warm on my arm, almost
hot. I looked down to see Aggies’ head
resting on my forearm. Uh-oh.</div>
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I grabbed the
thermometer. She’s 100.7. </div>
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Me: “Do you feel OK?”</div>
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Aggie: “No.”</div>
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Me: “Come with me and don’t
touch anything. We’re activating ICP
BRAVO.”</div>
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I texted The Wife, and
informed her of the situation. Aggie was
isolated, placed in our bed, and given ibuprofen. The Wife informed me that the doctor
confirmed a diagnosis of Strep, complete with a fever of 104. The Pirate and I were keeping our distance as
best we could, with baby gates serving to keep babies in and 5 year olds
out. </div>
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No sooner had The Wife arrived
home than she was back in the car with Aggie to go back to the exact same
doctor for the exact same diagnosis. I
would have taken Aggie, but that would have broken protocol, allowing an uninfected individual come into close contact with an infected one. That would have guaranteed an ICP OMEGA lockdown. The next 24-36 hours were going to be fun. I thought every tickle in my throat was a symptom. Every ache, no matter how small, was the onset.</div>
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As with most things, prior
planning is everything. With ICP BRAVO
strictly enforced, we made it through the contagion period without The Pirate
or me getting sick. Aggie was a bit
disappointed (we were supposed to visit Grandma and Grandpa on Sunday), but
understood. All is
(more or less) back to the way it should be.
Which is nice.</div>Jeopardyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09089165406996812328noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3853684200508545809.post-337675092669400772012-05-30T13:18:00.001-04:002012-05-30T13:18:26.528-04:00A Bittersweet Day<br />
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A little over 4
years ago, The Wife and I signed up to be sponsor parents at the U.S. Naval
Academy. Sponsors act as a sort of home
away from home for a midshipman, a refuge from life on The Yard. Yesterday, we watched as 4 of the most
extraordinary young women we’ve ever met walked across the stage to receive
their diplomas and took the Oath of Office as commissioned officers the Navy
and Marine Corps (hoo-rah).</div>
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A midshipman’s first, or Plebe, year is a
tough, demanding ordeal, both mentally and physically. There is also almost no escape from it. The Plebes are only allowed liberty on a
handful of weekends that first year, but whenever she was able, we brought her
home for the weekend to relax. And wear
something other than her uniform.</div>
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One of the things
we were told during sponsor orientation was “if you feed them, they will
come”. How true that was. We love to cook, and are always looking for
new things to try. By the end of Plebe
year, we had 3 additional Mids making semi-regular visits to our home. The more the merrier. </div>
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So much has
happened over the past 4 years.
Countless loads of laundry, dozens of trips to Brewster’s for ice cream,
way too many episodes of Grey’s Anatomy (are you sure there’s nothing on the
Military Channel you’d rather watch?), rugby games followed by washing the
team’s uniforms. Aggie had just learned
how to walk when we med our mids on sponsor introduction day, and today marks
her last day of pre-school. She has
grown up with the mids, and thinks of them as big sisters. By the way, there’s nothing cooler than a
sofa cushion fort made by a bunch of engineering students. The Pirate arrived
towards the end of their junior year, and all the mids were so helpful in those
chaotic first months. The Pirate is as
comfortable with them as she is with us.</div>
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I’d be remiss if I
didn’t mention the mid’s "real" families, who obviously did all of the heavy lifting
in raising these women. We got more out
of this experience than you did, and we’d be more than happy to do it all over
again. </div>
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are out of our nest, at least until they feel the need to drop by. Two have already left and are en-route to their ships, one heads out the The Basic School in July, and the last departs in mid-August for Pensacola to begin flight school. That being said, there will always be room in our home and our hearts for them.</div>
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<span class="messageBody" data-ft="{"type":3}">Congratulations to our "girls" and the rest of the USNA class of 2012. Welcome to the fleet!<span class="fcg"> </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>Jeopardyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09089165406996812328noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3853684200508545809.post-64681682958692787802012-05-22T15:17:00.001-04:002012-05-22T15:17:41.582-04:00Planes, Fries, and FlowersSince the weather was so nice last weekend, I decided to take Aggie* to the Andrews AFB Air Show. Actually, it is now the "Joint Service Open House at Joint Base Andrews", but that seems like a bit of a mouth-full if you ask me. The military sure does love to make the names of things longer than they really need to be.<br />
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Despite the absolutely perfect weather, the show wasn't all that crowded. We walked around for a little bit, until we found a nice spot of shade under a C-20's horizontal stabilizer, courtesy of the good folks at VR-48. Note to air show guests: the brown stuff leaking out of the bottom of the engine nacelle is probably oil. The blue liquid leaking out of the bottom of the fuselage is most certainly not oil. You probably shouldn't be touching it. Or smelling it.<br />
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Since we were both hungry, we bought the world's most expensive hotdog and fries, and lunched to the wonderful sounds of P&W Radials and R&R Merlins. I don't care who you are, but there is nothing in the world like a P-51, wide open, at low altitude. I need a moment just thinking about it...<br />
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In any case, we enjoyed the fries and the shade for about an hour or so, when Aggie announced (just prior to the Raptor demo) that she was ready to go home. <br />
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"Don't you want to see some more airplanes?"<br />
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"No. I'm good" <br />
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"Are you sure? I can tell you why the EA-6B refueling probe is installed at an angle. Or how thrust vectoring works." <br />
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"Nah. I just want to ride on the shuttle bus again."<br />
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Oh well, she did put up with it for over 2 hours. And we did see the Raptor demo while walking back to the bus. It may have some O2 problems, but that plane did some pretty impressive things. Also, while it may be stealthy, it sure as heck isn't silent.<br />
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At this point, you're probably wondering where all the pictures are. Honestly, I didn't really take any. You can find far better pictures of just about anything they had using the good old Google machine. <br />
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After an uneventful ride home, we found The Wife hard at work in the garden. <br />
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Aggie seemed pretty interested, so we got some gardening gloves and joined in the fun.<br />
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To be honest, there was more posing than actual digging/planting. But that's OK. Working hard is only worthwhile if you look FABULOUS while doing it. Right?<br />
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By now it was time for The Pirate to wake up from her nap, so we grabbed a blanket and some toys to spend some time in the yard. I don't know about you, but she seemed to enjoy it. A lot.<br />
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I figure this might be a good place for some gratuitous pics of the girls being cute. <br />
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A good time was had by all, and once we're well and truly done planting all the flowers, I'll put up some pictures.<br />
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* On Names:<br />
My daughters are Aggie and The Pirate. Aggie just turned 5, and The Pirate just turned one. Their Noms du Blog are based on their initials. Aggie's are AG, and The Pirate's are, well, something pirates say. I wish they were cooler stories, like one was born in Texas, and the other was born whilst sailing the Spanish Main, but the truth is (as usual) rather mundane.Jeopardyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09089165406996812328noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3853684200508545809.post-538192535444283482012-05-11T10:02:00.000-04:002012-05-11T10:02:18.802-04:00Two Birthdays in One!One of the advantages (maybe) of having two kids with birthdays three days apart is that you can have joint birthday parties. At least while they're young. We'll see how well this works out when they turn 8 and 12.<br />
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About 2 months ago, Aggie, (the elder) announced that she wanted a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Scarry" target="_blank">Richard Scarry</a> Busytown theme for her fifth birthday party. Seeing as how I grew up reading his books too, I was thrilled. The Wife ordered all the accoutrements, and even made a Busytown cake.<br />
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It's a little hard to see from this angle, but the cake is a road shaped like the number 5. We had to sort through a lot of M&Ms for the decorating. Ate a lot of orange ones that day, my friend.<br />
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We played "Pin the Tail on Huckle" and a good time was had by all.<br />
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Aggie wasn't the only one having a birthday. The Pirate turned one, which was a big milestone, even if the birthday girl was not completely aware of what the hubub was all about.<br />
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She got some cake, but didn't quite know what to make of it.<br />
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At least she tried it, which is all we can ask.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglA5Znfl3dYn6DUnZ_1NqnShrB9SDFi1ImvSYcnnTTQVzOoDLMlRjpgbLSaB3fmPD2wn_keXdKfGCLbRqvmqCuxvUXJxTjqPBYo6YvuJQEN22ynHEyJuseIcKBkWuYBaelm9rr01N8dxo/s1600/Abby+Close+up.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglA5Znfl3dYn6DUnZ_1NqnShrB9SDFi1ImvSYcnnTTQVzOoDLMlRjpgbLSaB3fmPD2wn_keXdKfGCLbRqvmqCuxvUXJxTjqPBYo6YvuJQEN22ynHEyJuseIcKBkWuYBaelm9rr01N8dxo/s320/Abby+Close+up.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Jeopardyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09089165406996812328noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3853684200508545809.post-31836557093407162702012-04-17T13:34:00.010-04:002012-04-20T13:25:43.332-04:00Planespotting With the GirlsAbout a week ago, daycare was closed for the day, so I had the girls for the afternoon. Earlier that week, I stumbled across a story in the base newspaper about a planespotting park near BWI.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.aacounty.org/RecParks/parks/trails/bwitrailpark.cfm">The Thomas A. Dixon Observation Area</a> is part of the BWI Trail, a county-administered park and playground just to the south of Runway 33L.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpNgsS1fhPxzQF-E2dYeFMRXrIty1NTWbLEpYei3NSoEY4JMmMQq6zhv8GGXjGl3NqLiIxd1wsqyFqTUqfwkwZIzgQvur_2yLrpbvF8ONJxBJKPtITGZvX8pNWI0JDd5VXWOqiHVLoOZk/s1600/Dixon+Map.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 310px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpNgsS1fhPxzQF-E2dYeFMRXrIty1NTWbLEpYei3NSoEY4JMmMQq6zhv8GGXjGl3NqLiIxd1wsqyFqTUqfwkwZIzgQvur_2yLrpbvF8ONJxBJKPtITGZvX8pNWI0JDd5VXWOqiHVLoOZk/s320/Dixon+Map.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5732426991708834050" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJIh2r10rSaPbU_SeboE29de2Ba2yXq7F7z7R1EdhDmds5XlvvpXM30ZzQBygLJ06Ffs6ASgXPoJvz3wGVn34ILDZfbyJne1_-r4KLOdwnatQtH5VpL8yYOQRy1tSGb1roMkyyMhldv8A/s1600/Planespotting+2.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJIh2r10rSaPbU_SeboE29de2Ba2yXq7F7z7R1EdhDmds5XlvvpXM30ZzQBygLJ06Ffs6ASgXPoJvz3wGVn34ILDZfbyJne1_-r4KLOdwnatQtH5VpL8yYOQRy1tSGb1roMkyyMhldv8A/s320/Planespotting+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5732424749619572210" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiorDpVG4cG8v96CQqRjLnkvDRATT_hVeP2ierDNZyFX9eaYZ128r_ndZzezvu5QAAQMUpjcTDS0FtLrGJ7oBaGKrQBFuTEnafVYlhmdFgJIyUW-fYuiMkmODtWCmqr-cP-hqgOiqnFqn4/s1600/planespotting+1.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiorDpVG4cG8v96CQqRjLnkvDRATT_hVeP2ierDNZyFX9eaYZ128r_ndZzezvu5QAAQMUpjcTDS0FtLrGJ7oBaGKrQBFuTEnafVYlhmdFgJIyUW-fYuiMkmODtWCmqr-cP-hqgOiqnFqn4/s320/planespotting+1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5732424603713616178" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />I have to say, it was pretty cool. They even had a playground with slides and swings. For some reason, Aggie* (the 4 year-old) lost interest after the 7th or 8th Southwest Airlines 737 come in for a landing. In fact, this is the only picture she would allow me to take of her.<br /><br />* New nicknames for the kids. Aggie is the older one, and The Pirate is the little one.Jeopardyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09089165406996812328noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3853684200508545809.post-8386523788660035052012-04-17T13:28:00.002-04:002012-04-17T13:31:06.483-04:00OopsGot a little sidetracked by life. <br /><br />I did manage to post a few things over at The Lexicans, <a href="http://thelexicans.wordpress.com/2012/04/17/everyone-loves-a-good-prank-2/">here</a> and <a href="http://thelexicans.wordpress.com/2012/04/17/faith-and-sacrifice/">here</a>.<br /><br />I'm working on some original content for here as well. I'll get there...Jeopardyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09089165406996812328noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3853684200508545809.post-45006975641818994882012-04-05T13:40:00.002-04:002012-04-05T13:42:55.111-04:00On Traditions and Economic Realities<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:officedocumentsettings> <o:relyonvml/> <o:allowpng/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif][if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves/> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:donotpromoteqf/> <w:lidthemeother>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:lidthemeasian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:lidthemecomplexscript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> 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mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--> <p style="font-family: times new roman;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">One of the things that you learn by being in the military is that traditions mean something.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>They’re important.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We wear swords and sabers.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We get medals and ribbons.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We salute.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Some of these things, like the salute, are functional.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>They remind us of where we stand in the pecking order.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>That’s good in a more-or-less fully functioning meritocracy.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Some are purely window dressing.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Sure, my ribbon rack is a short-form resume, but the sword is only good for cutting cake and impressing the ladies.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></span></span></p> <p style="font-family: times new roman;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">“Oh my.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It’s so… long.”</span></span></p> <p style="font-family: times new roman;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Where was I?<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Oh, right.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Tradition.</span></span></p> <p style="font-family: times new roman;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Sometimes, traditions fall victim to economic reality.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We have to do away with things because it just doesn’t make sense to spend the money.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We used to have (in the Navy at least) up to four different clubs on the larger bases and stations.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>There was the E-Club, the Acey-Ducey Club, the Chief’s Club, and the hallowed grounds of the Officer’s Club.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It’s pretty rare to find even 2 clubs these days.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Oceana still has an E Club and an O Club, but that’s pretty rare.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Cutbacks.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>As a club become less frequented, it becomes harder to justify the expense.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Ergo; the “Combined Club.”<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>All ranks welcome.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We don’t discriminate.</span></span></p> <p style="font-family: times new roman;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Which has its plusses and minuses.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Neither of which are the subject of this post.</span></span></p> <p style="font-family: times new roman;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">As I said, I realize that there are economic realities that force us to change well-loved, nay, beloved traditions.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Things we have known about for as long as we remember.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Cherished parts of our collective past we are loathe to surrender.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I get it.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We must, on occasion, yield.</span></span></p> <p style="font-family: times new roman;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">But not <a href="http://movies.yahoo.com/blogs/movie-talk/fans-react-james-bond-beer-221921696.html">this</a>.</span></span></p> <p style="font-family: times new roman;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">This is not forgivable.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>And it’s a shame.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family: times new roman;">Cross-posted at </span><a style="font-family: times new roman;" href="http://thelexicans.wordpress.com/">The Lexicans</a><span style="font-family: times new roman;">.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"></span></p>Jeopardyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09089165406996812328noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3853684200508545809.post-21116437155875583032012-03-30T12:33:00.000-04:002012-03-30T12:34:40.648-04:00A Teachable Moment<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:officedocumentsettings> <o:relyonvml/> <o:allowpng/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif][if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves/> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:donotpromoteqf/> <w:lidthemeother>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:lidthemeasian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:lidthemecomplexscript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> 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mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; line-height:normal;mso-outline-level:3"><span style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight:bold">I joined the Navy Reserve in the spring of 1999 through the Advanced Pay Grade (APG) Program.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>APG was for non-prior service folks to leverage life and work experience to forgo the normal 8 weeks of boot camp.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The typical enlistee would see a recruiter, take the usual battery of tests, and choose a rate.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The initial pay grade was dependent on education level and applicable work experience.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Sometime during the first year of drilling, the enlistee would attend a 12-16 day abbreviated boot camp.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>If I’m not mistaken, the Navy has done away with the program, and all non-prior enlistees now attend the full 8 week boot camp at Great Lakes.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; line-height:normal;mso-outline-level:3"><span style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight:bold">I enlisted as a Seaman (E-3) in May of 1999.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I was issued my uniforms, got all my shots, and was told to report for duty the first weekend in June.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; line-height:normal;mso-outline-level:3"><span style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight:bold">Some of you may have already seen the flaw in this cunning plan.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Granted, Navy uniforms aren’t all that complicated, but can you imagine being handed a stack of clothes and being told when to show up and be expected to know what went with what?<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Don’t even get me started on protocol.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I somehow muddled through without getting too much of an a$$ chewing before I got to APG School and was taught what jacket went with what uniform.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; line-height:normal;mso-outline-level:3"><span style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight:bold">In any case, there was one drill weekend in that first year I remember quite well.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We were wearing the old winter blues, which consisted of a black shirt, black tie, and black pants.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It was known in the fleet as the “Johnny Cash”.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; line-height:normal;mso-outline-level:3"><span style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight:bold">Did I mention that I had a cat at the time?<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Yeah.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>That’s important to the story.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; line-height:normal;mso-outline-level:3"><span style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight:bold">So there I was, standing in line for something, and I hear a voice behind me.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; line-height:normal;mso-outline-level:3"><span style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight:bold">LCDR: Seaman Jeopardy, do you have a cat?</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; line-height:normal;mso-outline-level:3"><span style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight:bold">Me: Yes ma’am.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Her name is Hester Prynne.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; line-height:normal;mso-outline-level:3"><span style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight:bold">LCDR:<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Thant’s nice. Seaman Jeopardy, do you own a lint roller?</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; line-height:normal;mso-outline-level:3"><span style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight:bold">Me: [gulp] Yes ma’am.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; line-height:normal;mso-outline-level:3"><span style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight:bold">LCDR: Seaman Jeopardy, is your lint roller in your car?</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; line-height:normal;mso-outline-level:3"><span style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight:bold">Me: [trying to look casual while frantically picking cat hair off my uniform] No, ma’am.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; line-height:normal;mso-outline-level:3"><span style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight:bold">LCDR:<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Perhaps it should be…</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; line-height:normal;mso-outline-level:3"><span style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight:bold">Me: Aye, aye, ma’am.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; line-height:normal;mso-outline-level:3"><span style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight:bold">After that, I never left the house without a lint roller.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It was the month after my cat died when I stopped carrying it with me every drill weekend.</span></p>Jeopardyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09089165406996812328noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3853684200508545809.post-80879187045798116602012-03-22T07:42:00.005-04:002012-03-22T07:53:24.659-04:00Katy Perry - Bada$$Will ya lookie here. Songstress Katy Perry has a new video out, and its pretty cool. See for yourself. I'll be here when you get back.<br /><br /><div style="background-color:#000000;width:368px;"><div style="padding:4px;"><iframe src="http://media.mtvnservices.com/mgid:uma:video:mtv.com:750667/cp%7Evid%3D750667%26uri%3Dmgid%3Auma%3Avideo%3Amtv.com%3A750667" frameborder="0" height="293" width="360"></iframe><p style="text-align:left;background-color:#FFFFFF;padding:4px;margin-top:4px;margin-bottom:0px;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:12px;">Get More: <a href="http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/perry_katy/artist.jhtml" style="color:#439CD8;" target="_blank">Katy Perry</a>, <a href="http://www.mtv.com/videos/katy-perry/750667/part-of-me.jhtml#vid=750667" style="color:#439CD8;" target="_blank">Part Of Me</a>, <a href="http://www.mtv.com/music/" style="color:#439CD8;" target="_blank">Music</a>, <a href="http://www.mtv.com/music/video/" style="color:#439CD8;" target="_blank">More Music Videos</a></p></div></div><br /><br />Seeing as there's military content in the video, I feel required to mention the mistakes I saw.<br /><br />1) Katy, why did you cut your hair in the bathroom? I'm pretty sure they'll cut it for you when you get to recruit training.<br />2) I thought we did away with bayonets. Maybe I'm wrong on that.<br />3) I'm pretty sure you're not allowed to talk, much less sing in formation.<br /><br />There were probably others, but I was distracted by her, um, talent.<br /><br />In all seriousness, my hat's off you you Ms. Perry. Nicely done.<br /><br />I'd also like to add that should you ever decide on a career in the military, I'd be proud to serve under you in any position.<br /><br />P.S. Feel free to look me up when you're visiting Canoe U. next month.Jeopardyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09089165406996812328noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3853684200508545809.post-53782697895864759152012-03-16T14:30:00.004-04:002012-03-16T14:35:50.400-04:00Bigger Than I Thought*I <a href="http://jeopardyinmd.blogspot.com/2012/03/huge-loss.html">wrote</a> last week about the death of Carroll "Lex" LeFon and what he meant to me. In that post I mentioned that the regulars were all sharing stories and remembering a remarkable man. I knew he had followers and fans, but I didn't think there were so many. I'm not sure any of us did.<br /><br />As of now, there have been over 1,500 comments on the "Open Thread." There have been over 150 blogs who felt it worthy to mention his passing and to memorialize him. A rundown of some of these blogs can be found <a href="http://www.atacusa.com/">here</a>. Some of the regular commenters have set up a... well... let me just say this; "the first rule of super-secret Neptunus Lex Facebook club is that you don't talk about super-secret Neptunus Lex Facebook club." The Secretary of the Navy saw fit to personally <a href="http://blog.usni.org/2012/03/08/a-note-from-secnav-ray-mabus-on-the-passing-of-neptunus-lex/">comment</a> on his death. The U.S. Naval Institute has pledged to preserve Lex's writings and publish the <a href="http://www.neptunuslex.com/rhythms-the-compendium/">manuscript</a> he wrote a few years ago.<br /><br />The local paper in Fallon has 2 <a href="http://www.lahontanvalleynews.com/article/20120315/NEWS/120319964/1055&ParentProfile=1045">wonderful</a> <a href="http://www.lahontanvalleynews.com/article/20120315/NEWS/120319962/1055&ParentProfile=1045">articles</a> about Lex, that I think give a terrific insight into the community he built.<br /><br />Of Friday and Saturday of last week, there were no fewer than 25 remembrance events (most a the same time) all across the country, from Bath Maine to San Diego California. The Wife and I went to the one in Lex's hometown of Alexandria. It was like meeting old friends you've never met before, if that makes any sense. There was laughter, tears, and Guinness. For strength.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhakdoSR8bEuBUmsny7xnYhulmB2depEh4v58VItdMOVjKP69fHFWRzFCTJGx-at3N2AwWMPsIub50OGRo2cL_I852PrjCuBp5DpHnuPvKCMMpc2ciFVFObm2ZU7EPpsjn_TVbjYZdP5LQ/s1600/Guinness.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhakdoSR8bEuBUmsny7xnYhulmB2depEh4v58VItdMOVjKP69fHFWRzFCTJGx-at3N2AwWMPsIub50OGRo2cL_I852PrjCuBp5DpHnuPvKCMMpc2ciFVFObm2ZU7EPpsjn_TVbjYZdP5LQ/s320/Guinness.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5720512092355463426" border="0" /></a><br />*I wanted to open with a "that's what she said" line, but thought better of it. Lex probably would have liked it, though.Jeopardyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09089165406996812328noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3853684200508545809.post-38984985832121485812012-03-16T07:24:00.005-04:002012-03-16T10:56:31.214-04:00In space, no one can hear you say "Holy crap that's cool!"For all of its faults, the Space Shuttle was still a marvel of engineering. <br /><br />"The Stack" weighed in at a hair under 4.5 million pounds, and it took a lot of power to get that much mass into orbit. The fully loaded orbiter weighed 240,000 pounds, about the same as a 16"/50 Mk 7 gun barrel from an IOWA-class battleship.<br /><br />That means roughly 95% of the total launch weight* was fuel to get the shuttle into orbit. <br /><br />After the loss of the Columbia in 2003, NASA mounted external cameras on the External Tank and Solid Rocket Boosters to monitor debris strikes during ascent. Not only did this improve the safety of the shuttle, it gives us stunning views like the one below.<br /><br /><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/2aCOyOvOw5c" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" width="560"></iframe><br /><br />The sound was re-mastered by Skywalker Sound, so I suppose George Lucas can be forgiven for some of the sins committed in the prequels. But not Jar-Jar.<br /><br />* I'm well aware of the difference between weight and mass, nerd. This isn't a physics class.Jeopardyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09089165406996812328noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3853684200508545809.post-87987251135730218362012-03-13T08:54:00.006-04:002012-03-13T11:11:56.116-04:00Prowlers and the Big EThe<a href="http://www.enterprise.navy.mil/"> U.S.S. Enterprise</a> put to sea a few days ago on her last deployment, some 50 years after her first. <br /><br />As is the custom, the Air Wing (all the planes) arrived a day or so later in what is called a "fly-on." At the end of this deployment, the air wing will depart the ship a few days prior to her arrival in Norfolk in what is not-so-surprisingly called a "fly-off."<br /><br /><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/3yDBWvZwIaI" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" width="560"></iframe><br /><br />Pretty cool plane pr0n, even if the only Hornet in the video <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bolter_%28aviation%29">bolters</a> at the 2:15 mark. Yeah. I almost missed it too. Based solely on this video, it would appear that Carrier Air Wing One has one Hornet (still circling the ship), one <a href="http://www.navair.navy.mil/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.display&key=CD29CCA1-47E6-45A0-AFF0-AE1A5018BB61">Hawkeye</a>, a few <a href="http://www.navair.navy.mil/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.display&key=CD29CCA1-47E6-45A0-AFF0-AE1A5018BB61">Greyhounds</a>, and about 50 <a href="http://www.navair.navy.mil/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.display&key=C8B54023-C006-4699-BD20-9A45FBA02B9A">Prowlers</a>. Maybe this is some sort of <a href="https://www.chinfo.navy.mil/chinfo/">CHINFO</a> disinformation campaign to lull our enemies into thinking that the "flying drumstick" is all we've got. <br /><br />Or maybe scare our enemies. <br /><br />Prowlers are pretty bad-ass machines, if I do say so my damn self, and the <a href="http://www.navair.navy.mil/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.display&key=33BFA969-0482-42CF-9E1F-F80A1B32BEE9">Growler</a> is nothing to sneeze at.<br /><br />In any case, ships come and go. A very good friend of mine served as a CAT Officer on the Big E back in the late 60's. Long hair, beards, Phantoms, A-3Ds, A4-s, and Spads. Shore leave in the Philippines. <br /><br />When she is decommissioned, the U.S. Navy will be without a U.S.S. Enterprise either in service or in the pipeline for the first time in a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Enterprise_%281775%29">VERY</a> long while. As we dither about naming ships after people for the sake of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USNS_Cesar_Chavez_%28T-AKE-14%29">political</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Gabrielle_Giffords_%28LCS-10%29">expediency</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_George_H.W._Bush_%28CVN-77%29">clout</a>, we're losing sight of our heritage. <br /><br />And that's a shame.<span style="display: block;" id="formatbar_Buttons"><span class=" down" style="display: block;" id="formatbar_CreateLink" title="Link" onmouseover="ButtonHoverOn(this);" onmouseout="ButtonHoverOff(this);" onmouseup="" onmousedown="CheckFormatting(event);FormatbarButton('richeditorframe', this, 8);ButtonMouseDown(this);"><img src="img/blank.gif" alt="Link" class="gl_link" border="0" /></span></span>Jeopardyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09089165406996812328noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3853684200508545809.post-69391195289197484242012-03-09T08:15:00.002-05:002012-03-09T09:47:25.672-05:00Joseph Kony and the LRASo, there's a YouTube video making the rounds these days. "Went viral" as the youngsters say. It's about the Lord's Resistance Army and their leader, Joseph Kony.<br /><br /><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Y4MnpzG5Sqc" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" width="560"></iframe><br /><br />The video is about 30 minutes long, and if you really want to get technical about it, I haven't actually, you know, watched it. That being said, I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that Kony is probably not portrayed as someone you'd want to have over for dinner.<br /><br />I've worked Africa issues from a number of different perspectives since late 2005, and not to sound too much like a hipster douchebag, but I was aware of this particular issue before it was hip to be.<br /><br />So my question is this... Why now?Jeopardyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09089165406996812328noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3853684200508545809.post-43990615482634317822012-03-08T08:49:00.007-05:002012-03-08T09:09:42.234-05:009 Years9 years ago today, I married the woman of my dreams.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz58Lhyphenhyphen2BSFYzq9qNAO6-3CitGlJbaJ1oKcv4MaE_iSAdtipY2L5iQwh26LMEgtVDMFul05SBsktFjSccU0osc2fkuGpK9Rwp8tZu-AKOhcZlX1ka65gapCCMPU6hsr6Bbhatx4KVdsYo/s1600/wedding.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz58Lhyphenhyphen2BSFYzq9qNAO6-3CitGlJbaJ1oKcv4MaE_iSAdtipY2L5iQwh26LMEgtVDMFul05SBsktFjSccU0osc2fkuGpK9Rwp8tZu-AKOhcZlX1ka65gapCCMPU6hsr6Bbhatx4KVdsYo/s320/wedding.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5717526497127631234" border="0" /></a>I don't think we've changed all that much. Sure, I have a little less hair and more ribbons, but all in all, we're looking pretty good.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLxSKy_EENOtWfQryhsCoylb0A_AN5o1rH93PI1IObDrc0Y2CcLklSc4ZvEGiaUtzWJCzgD0KWl66JT9A3ufl74q3whxKhwwGjyE0DepZgROklhH4baDerRe-h9jmObnnAzpXGI5I-B54/s1600/Dining+Out+2011.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 301px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLxSKy_EENOtWfQryhsCoylb0A_AN5o1rH93PI1IObDrc0Y2CcLklSc4ZvEGiaUtzWJCzgD0KWl66JT9A3ufl74q3whxKhwwGjyE0DepZgROklhH4baDerRe-h9jmObnnAzpXGI5I-B54/s320/Dining+Out+2011.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5717526858836861122" border="0" /></a>And we have these...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5RCBBzY5MsptwdFaYEwsP4aoftXhoJc-Jt2jd69liwPy0UsdBshoOm30o0T6prN7YQLQUtXmTYruQ65s2b8Nnwpo08UZuhgxN3lxyPoE7V_0lv_lMrfm77B3VW5IthpvCR9IkGI0vDB0/s1600/17.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5RCBBzY5MsptwdFaYEwsP4aoftXhoJc-Jt2jd69liwPy0UsdBshoOm30o0T6prN7YQLQUtXmTYruQ65s2b8Nnwpo08UZuhgxN3lxyPoE7V_0lv_lMrfm77B3VW5IthpvCR9IkGI0vDB0/s320/17.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5717527303237910962" border="0" /></a>Yeah, the little one is new since you were here last. I have lost more to share. Don't worry. I'll be back. In the meantime, I have to start looking for the perfect gift for the big 1-0 next year. Wikipedia says I should get her this...<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLdyd__uN1qUte33u6p9YE4toaxk8bSyiK8KiNZa2Yx5oWmGXzDcRjLF550H0wIIAkiaSd7rPivIAUNXhSoY6uNg_L9D6eFb7rbioovyX3Sw105ltHA2tvvhmbEK3f-kYShkIzryo_y-I/s1600/aluminum-foil.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 250px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLdyd__uN1qUte33u6p9YE4toaxk8bSyiK8KiNZa2Yx5oWmGXzDcRjLF550H0wIIAkiaSd7rPivIAUNXhSoY6uNg_L9D6eFb7rbioovyX3Sw105ltHA2tvvhmbEK3f-kYShkIzryo_y-I/s320/aluminum-foil.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5717527918512374194" border="0" /></a>What say you?Jeopardyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09089165406996812328noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3853684200508545809.post-28809743026195582402012-03-07T11:19:00.004-05:002012-03-07T11:42:52.219-05:00Huge LossBeen a while, hasn't it? I wish I could come back to blogging for a better reason. Lost a friend yesterday. A whole community lost a friend today.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9M54JnlRXF7p2AEDnxudu4FGm3wJ8C9JaAqksKl_d6OipOtyfeXu79RiX_8c9RBbl0r3wUs_bV8MQriNb1HVqPHokAp3MVGLHjh1OW-QqWKvD7fnYgtoA7H67JSv1gp6G6Ko94ikkgdo/s1600/Lex.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9M54JnlRXF7p2AEDnxudu4FGm3wJ8C9JaAqksKl_d6OipOtyfeXu79RiX_8c9RBbl0r3wUs_bV8MQriNb1HVqPHokAp3MVGLHjh1OW-QqWKvD7fnYgtoA7H67JSv1gp6G6Ko94ikkgdo/s320/Lex.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5717191106492718914" border="0" /></a>Carroll LeFon (aka Neptunus Lex) was <a href="http://www.kolotv.com/home/headlines/NAS_Fallon_Reports_Plane_Crash_141617403.html">killed yesterday</a> in a mishap aboard NAS Fallon. He was flying an F-21 Kfir as a contract pilot working with the U.S. Navy.<br /><br />At first, I couldn't put words to my thoughts about this. The only thing I could come up with was a string of shouted expletives that did not befit a man of such eloquence and dignity. No, that wouldn't do. Not for Lex.<br /><br />The regulars at his site were a family, albeit one where most of the member had never actually met. Some of them were even regular readers here, back when I was posting more often.<br /><br />His talent for the written word was boundless, and his intellect razor sharp. He made all of us readers laugh, cry, get mad, and most importantly, think. I had the honor of chatting with him a few times via email, and always promised myself that we'd meet up in person next time he was in town. Next time. Sometimes, there isn't a next time. <br /><br />His loss may be devastating to the milblogging community, but it is nothing compared to that being felt by his family. If you've ever read what he wrote about them, you'd know that he loved his family more than anything. <br /><br />Over at <a href="http://www.neptunuslex.com/2012/03/07/whisper-open-thread/">his place</a>, the "regulars" are searching for answers and dealing with the loss. Praise and sorrow abound in the comments. Join them, won't you? Read some of his archived posts. Say a prayer for his family. Leave a comment.<br /><br />When your life has been enriched by someone like Lex, its almost a compulsion to do something meaningful when they're gone. Since he got me into this blogging thing, maybe that's how I can honor his memory. Start blogging again.<br /><br />Tomorrow. <br /><br />Today, I mourn the passing of an officer, gentleman, husband, father, and friend.Jeopardyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09089165406996812328noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3853684200508545809.post-58327844015119225622010-11-21T09:11:00.005-05:002010-11-21T09:18:14.087-05:00Autumnal Rite of Passage<div>We took advantage of the beautiful weather last weekend for to clean up some of the leaves in the back yard. The Kid was never into the whole "jumping into leaf piles" thing, but she sure changed her tune this year.</div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic-Zg6iH2Nfn9nMMuKKAVzGPGsNEx8NGNsUL-XtBkdEy8QcV2nOTVEChE-hQISp857irSkE4qv_coSXCj1fyaR9hMB3d2ik9iTKSQa6omgDp9dtiyh_MTjZ0hEafP9YhBvW9arQhFbLtw/s1600/IMG_9175.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5542006518665394450" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic-Zg6iH2Nfn9nMMuKKAVzGPGsNEx8NGNsUL-XtBkdEy8QcV2nOTVEChE-hQISp857irSkE4qv_coSXCj1fyaR9hMB3d2ik9iTKSQa6omgDp9dtiyh_MTjZ0hEafP9YhBvW9arQhFbLtw/s320/IMG_9175.JPG" /></a></div><br /><div></div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ1G792c-e4kh6Y21rAQd9a_jDtMkYsHhmByxchMC7UtonAqFdGEL4WT9ZbTVm_Zj2oEASfUo3IfXME2nukZMyQ_THqwg3h8SoLfxpUIH1zcd7SW1dWZsi1ezxs2U8O-7bzRxysbL2iuA/s1600/IMG_9191.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5542006791156891298" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ1G792c-e4kh6Y21rAQd9a_jDtMkYsHhmByxchMC7UtonAqFdGEL4WT9ZbTVm_Zj2oEASfUo3IfXME2nukZMyQ_THqwg3h8SoLfxpUIH1zcd7SW1dWZsi1ezxs2U8O-7bzRxysbL2iuA/s320/IMG_9191.JPG" /></a><br /></div><br /><div></div><br /><div><br /></div><br /><div></div>Jeopardyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09089165406996812328noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3853684200508545809.post-42007727758962524582010-11-12T11:47:00.002-05:002010-11-12T11:51:05.308-05:00Been a while, hasn't it?So, yeah, I've been letting this lie fallow for a bit. getting back the creative spirit that left me for some reason. Been busy, too, but I'll catch folks up on things in short order.<br /><br />I figure this is like a farmer's field. I can't have something in it all the time without some depletion of the underlying nutrients.<br /><br />I'll have more in the next day or so. I promise...Jeopardyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09089165406996812328noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3853684200508545809.post-28779401599406218742010-05-21T21:28:00.002-04:002010-05-21T22:27:19.711-04:00One Day...I am the father of a 3 year old, as well as a bit of a history buff. These two seemingly disparate worlds came together yesterday in a rather amusing way.<br /><br />The Kid is beginning to express her independence, so she likes to "read" her books to herself. She looks at the pictures and then makes up stories about what she sees. The stories usually go something like this: "One day, there was a bunny rabbit. Then he took a nap." It's pretty cute, really.<br /><br />She's also fond of using the potty all by herself, only needing us at the very end.<br /><br />So yesterday, she goes into the potty and tells me to wait outside the door until she's done.<br /><br />Don't worry, I'm getting to the history part in a minute.<br /><br />Through the door, I hear, "One day, there was a man with a moustache..."<br /><br />I peek inside, and there is my daughter, sitting on her little potty, reading this month's Quarterly Journal of Military History.<br /><br />I'll give you three guesses who is on the cover this month.<br /><br />Answer <a href="http://www.historynet.com/mhq-summer-2010-table-of-contents.htm">here</a>.Jeopardyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09089165406996812328noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3853684200508545809.post-81183862789881839912010-05-14T08:18:00.002-04:002010-05-14T08:19:45.600-04:00A Sad DayAt <a href="http://www.neptunuslex.com/2010/05/13/lady-dying/">Chez Lex</a>. For the two or three of you who read this, but not that, please drop by and leave him a note.Jeopardyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09089165406996812328noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3853684200508545809.post-27377031339959391972010-04-23T18:36:00.000-04:002010-04-23T18:36:00.635-04:00To My Daughter on Her Third Birthday<div>I cannot begin to tell you</div><div>what a difference you've made in our lives</div><div>Your smiling face in the morning</div><div>your sleepy face at night</div><div>There is nothing in the world</div><div>that can compare to when you say</div><div>"I love you, Daddy."</div><div>When a hug and a kiss</div><div>can make you feel better</div><div>lets me know I'm doing at least something right</div><div>You're becoming your own wonderful person</div><div>a little more every day</div><div>a true testament to your amazing mother</div><div>I cannot look at you and not be filled</div><div>with love, hope, and joy</div><div>You make everything I do worthwhile</div><div>Just remember that I love you more</div><div>than you can ever know.</div><div></div><br /><div>- Your Loving Father</div><br /><div></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcDrWR9h3k1dfLBS6mHGQXUWN6mpyZhXe-S-drRJzJhSPX828bDRcuTpgLTbToNcnC-k3_9Q81SpeyXEIayuXbnYGBpdRHv8uDcXBLWlqpp4Wp0BBv4Fd-QfHl04ebtsdwdvNKkpU2ne8/s1600/IMG_1513.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5463374273247957186" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcDrWR9h3k1dfLBS6mHGQXUWN6mpyZhXe-S-drRJzJhSPX828bDRcuTpgLTbToNcnC-k3_9Q81SpeyXEIayuXbnYGBpdRHv8uDcXBLWlqpp4Wp0BBv4Fd-QfHl04ebtsdwdvNKkpU2ne8/s320/IMG_1513.JPG" /></a><br /><div></div>Jeopardyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09089165406996812328noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3853684200508545809.post-88193373350101313102010-02-08T17:11:00.005-05:002010-02-08T17:49:36.179-05:00Snow-pocalypse III: Welcome to the ThunderdomeThe National Weather Service is calling for an additional 10 - 20 inches beginning tomorrow afternoon. Heaven help us all. 4 feet of snow on the ground is a bit much, don't you think? I can shovel it just fine but where will am I going to put it? The snow bank next to the driveway is already 8 feet high. Pulling into the driveway is like flying an X-Wing through the trench to destroy the Death Star. Reminds me of bulls-eyeing <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">womp</span> rats in my T-16. Good times.<br /><br /><br />By this time tomorrow, this town is going to be like a really cold version of Max Max, complete with roving gangs of marauders and to-the-death cage matches for toilet paper.<br /><br />At least one area school system has already said that school is closed until Tuesday. Next Tuesday.<br /><br />Will we ever get out of here?Jeopardyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09089165406996812328noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3853684200508545809.post-78199240535716142312010-02-08T10:00:00.002-05:002010-02-08T10:11:32.611-05:00Snow-pocalypse II: Electric BoogalooAgain? Hey, I love snow just as much as the next guy, but this is ridiculous. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">Redonkulous</span>, some would say. It started at about 1 in the afternoon, and 24 hours later there's well over 2 feet on the ground. An inch per hour for an <strong><em>entire day, and it didn't stop until later that night.</em></strong><br /><br />A friend calculated that, assuming 20" average snowfall across the state of Maryland, it amounts to about 4 cubic miles of snow. It would make a snowman (using the standard 4:3:2 ball ratio) about 21,000 feet tall. That's quite a snowman.<br /><br />We're trying to keep The Kid occupied, since getting out is a non-starter for at least 24 hours. She can play reasonably well in a foot of snow, but this stuff is up to her chin. Where's the fun in that?<br /><br />On the upside, we didn't loose electricity, which is more than I can say for some of my friends in the area. Now that I've said that, I fully expect to be in the dark any second now.<br /><br />Nope. Still here.<br /><br />Our living room looks like a Chinese landfill with all the toys scattered about. We're all terminally bored, except the cat. He's pretty much business as usual. What I wouldn't give to be him.<br /><br />On the upside, we're had The Wife's famous chicken and dumplings for dinner, which is just about the very best thing to have when you're snowed in.<br /><br />I'll post some pictures as soon as I have something to take a picture of that isn't just a wall of white.<br /><br />Did I mention that we're getting another 5+ inches on Tuesday? Gulp.Jeopardyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09089165406996812328noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3853684200508545809.post-87523458862379176382010-02-08T09:57:00.010-05:002010-02-08T10:47:50.071-05:00Snow pictures 2010None of us went to work today. The Wife tried, but only got about 4 miles down the road before she turned around. Discretion being the better part of valor and all that.<br /><br />We dug out yesterday, and I came to the conclusion that I am an old man. 2 1/2 feet of snow weighs a lot.<br /><br />Here is what our driveway looked like before we began the shoveling.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk12w8PmzwO1Y30mLepxHad9mxjCA0HPPFbj5P-HVaIKOAJoA6igP36Uin4ucs_M9ud1qNK8d9e5N6x23fiQY1PLKhemAzwohKudAqto0Iuss56EiCkqujhbiAfAlTzim07cWLscJ8PYM/s1600-h/IMG_2352.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435889588903184242" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk12w8PmzwO1Y30mLepxHad9mxjCA0HPPFbj5P-HVaIKOAJoA6igP36Uin4ucs_M9ud1qNK8d9e5N6x23fiQY1PLKhemAzwohKudAqto0Iuss56EiCkqujhbiAfAlTzim07cWLscJ8PYM/s320/IMG_2352.JPG" /></a><br /><br />About 3 hours later, we had most of the driveway done. For a sense of scale, here's my car, snow still on the roof.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-zOFF_Zc3ATdVGyC6T31ZNegK7zIm20TeRCp3dH7v87xO1IfILbk3UMMuLudcstxzyEKOuJ8fpTnsEtfq-3CI7Lx0-Q2vV8q_k1xCYvDDUi-kX2kn9opvonkyXALooHS8b7lXHshXOfw/s1600-h/IMG_2364.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 240px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435890020501095794" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-zOFF_Zc3ATdVGyC6T31ZNegK7zIm20TeRCp3dH7v87xO1IfILbk3UMMuLudcstxzyEKOuJ8fpTnsEtfq-3CI7Lx0-Q2vV8q_k1xCYvDDUi-kX2kn9opvonkyXALooHS8b7lXHshXOfw/s320/IMG_2364.JPG" /></a><br /><br />Yes, that's a MINI Cooper. One of the smallest cars on the market.<br /><br />BTW, we didn't put it in the garage because we were operating under the theory that the leaving it out would mean less snow to shovel off the driveway. I didn't get any statistically valid measurements, but I think it worked. Especially with the amount of snow that we got.<br /><br />The back yard? Yeah. Won't be visiting that for a while.<br /><br /><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikwcUXCHoBUL1p0JBRIh7aBTvewYi20EmWluH93ey0jRkJYKO6xHD1DWgKNeRuSdXzXveH6UGR5dhmZGCJyttUVHqGDEnSAQdSvZe9wvuXwhexBke3iKJaRUQ6gbrDdlzXwdrqI7IX3Wo/s1600-h/IMG_2351.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435891447979467522" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikwcUXCHoBUL1p0JBRIh7aBTvewYi20EmWluH93ey0jRkJYKO6xHD1DWgKNeRuSdXzXveH6UGR5dhmZGCJyttUVHqGDEnSAQdSvZe9wvuXwhexBke3iKJaRUQ6gbrDdlzXwdrqI7IX3Wo/s320/IMG_2351.JPG" /></a></p><p>We did get The Kid out in it yesterday, but there's not much to do in snow that deep.</p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4N3X1o-gXaUILtuXHrh_y-cWK2cj4NXVLa6zY-BptPRGGNOmrEV_IZpeJZG7fwpK3FUZ-5jz5p4dLjFzTQxWhRILhiJx9c7QhA48HbOr-A67hOkHrD6o1QtsctEzxfsLI7KVaCyVq4L8/s1600-h/IMG_2358.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 240px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435892779318569554" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4N3X1o-gXaUILtuXHrh_y-cWK2cj4NXVLa6zY-BptPRGGNOmrEV_IZpeJZG7fwpK3FUZ-5jz5p4dLjFzTQxWhRILhiJx9c7QhA48HbOr-A67hOkHrD6o1QtsctEzxfsLI7KVaCyVq4L8/s320/IMG_2358.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><p>Still calling for more snow tomorrow night into Wednesday. At least 5 inches, probably more. daytime highs in the high 20's. Down into the low teens at night.</p><p>Lastly, our good friends the <a href="http://thestuttsfamily.blogspot.com/2010/02/kitchen-sink.html"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">Stuttses</span></a> (who are stationed in Hawaii) posted some photos of the view from their kitchen window. Here is what ours looks like. I'd rather have theirs.</p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYAZEfEnpUFec8_FXbg1R6cUy-oO05uDOHIItNSbgYB_mnPLLVlUE7ix_HVNfNMYxGjwedEXlBNCb-uusq5byFPhFcUvPJlPdCV-f_-Rk_pSbP5pwhFrbsRsPsv93cOfSjXWaJYnm9TDg/s1600-h/IMG_2365.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435893693023818290" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYAZEfEnpUFec8_FXbg1R6cUy-oO05uDOHIItNSbgYB_mnPLLVlUE7ix_HVNfNMYxGjwedEXlBNCb-uusq5byFPhFcUvPJlPdCV-f_-Rk_pSbP5pwhFrbsRsPsv93cOfSjXWaJYnm9TDg/s320/IMG_2365.JPG" /></a>Jeopardyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09089165406996812328noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3853684200508545809.post-81189060048911190422010-01-28T09:20:00.011-05:002010-01-28T10:01:08.034-05:00Happy 2010Now that it is almost February, and the snow is (almost) all melted, I'll go ahead an put up a new post. I was going to make a New Years resolution to blog more often, but then I remembered that I don't <em><strong>do</strong></em> resolutions. Too much work.<br /><br />Anyway, we had a wonderful Christmas, surrounded by all manner of friends and relatives. New Year's Eve was a night to remember as well, if only we could remember <strong><em>all</em></strong> of it.<br /><br />The Kid, being 2, really cleaned up this year. Loved everything she got, especially her new rocking horse, which she promptly dubbed "Midnight". Oh, how she loves to gallop along.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzY3wNtHFxJDJ6nVgqLm2EL-2QrcAmvdCJHUXDUxn76-fjbJTFT9S2i1mv8M2HzGjy3wVdN2nDnXfAmK3qHWl0S2XoXji7rsezFzm110eT8xHhiuzJGT4LDulUVe6bLSZkwzDl62a6tkg/s1600-h/2159.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431796914927219554" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzY3wNtHFxJDJ6nVgqLm2EL-2QrcAmvdCJHUXDUxn76-fjbJTFT9S2i1mv8M2HzGjy3wVdN2nDnXfAmK3qHWl0S2XoXji7rsezFzm110eT8xHhiuzJGT4LDulUVe6bLSZkwzDl62a6tkg/s320/2159.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg00lKk-d-MDoou4eJLLE9gAH8Qd5iDvFIPAmqtqjNE1UBUzGMW2IRmvrcmTQsb4OaooJTWz9MVyXI3o6ZcEDYAyaVCx2y6mZWDSVuCSvKFLy5hDvkaBDaDUsTXvQRb6arWcgX9WziscLQ/s1600-h/2163.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431796985852953554" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg00lKk-d-MDoou4eJLLE9gAH8Qd5iDvFIPAmqtqjNE1UBUzGMW2IRmvrcmTQsb4OaooJTWz9MVyXI3o6ZcEDYAyaVCx2y6mZWDSVuCSvKFLy5hDvkaBDaDUsTXvQRb6arWcgX9WziscLQ/s320/2163.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />We spent time with our Midshipman, to whom The Kid is becoming more and more attached.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheUjBtw-tPR4Q-DNqoyTBH5siPF_v6Gwa0oMDDZgUd12IOd8EVZ3_tusQIbhbeZi9X7DBunB0U7_9QpzP5gJr8Gv39X2I5z-780UlbM2vqFqmUHpgdKEvnXXNDo-iJK36OxQ_E8foI7yE/s1600-h/2250.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431797465284588994" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheUjBtw-tPR4Q-DNqoyTBH5siPF_v6Gwa0oMDDZgUd12IOd8EVZ3_tusQIbhbeZi9X7DBunB0U7_9QpzP5gJr8Gv39X2I5z-780UlbM2vqFqmUHpgdKEvnXXNDo-iJK36OxQ_E8foI7yE/s320/2250.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Graduation day in 2012 is going to be tough. On all of us, methinks.<br /><br />Now, for no particular reason, The Kid, with donut. And a donut shirt. <em><strong>Very</strong></em> po-mo.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkDSsBMFFgWnx6RM-9sfmnNV_N1oXKqZlBDPZCupRuFq8Yzq10iD0HXRDRnXzEMnxUFD_hrOVGAvd7rF_HUcW3XtynzdZBdMN28yWY76TVhSkzv-n4XSU7LjtJgUtbv51et2Qr1k7Z8zw/s1600-h/2201.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431798020769168418" style="WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkDSsBMFFgWnx6RM-9sfmnNV_N1oXKqZlBDPZCupRuFq8Yzq10iD0HXRDRnXzEMnxUFD_hrOVGAvd7rF_HUcW3XtynzdZBdMN28yWY76TVhSkzv-n4XSU7LjtJgUtbv51et2Qr1k7Z8zw/s320/2201.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Lastly, The Wife was out of town last weekend, leaving me to watch The Kid for 3 entire days. Haven't done that in over a year. Saturday was crummy weather-wise, so that meant a lot of playing in the house. On Sunday, I decided to take The Kid where all little girls love to go and probably dream about. That's right, the Greater Washington Model Railroad Expo. We rounded up Grandma and Grandpa and then made our way to the Dulles Expo Center.<br /><br />Before I get to the pictures and (gasp) video, a quick warning to reader Toolbox:<br /><br />Please, please try and contain yourself, especially when you realize that your granddaughter absolutely LOVED all of this. Loved it, loved it, loved it.<br /><br />Back to the expo. The place was packed, and was quite impressive.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgcwD8nBYigw8Y08g03lS5p2SoB4rFRMLftom2ctZI5jKCSr4cWrz3amkqMkHMx_a95TOm4O6kTIoiu0y4TpJTZdwBdztj9rUZFAkA1TBVaFXfZfj8sW4-SpSluRJLcopaqqdps2e2xQg/s1600-h/2262.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431799587628257394" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgcwD8nBYigw8Y08g03lS5p2SoB4rFRMLftom2ctZI5jKCSr4cWrz3amkqMkHMx_a95TOm4O6kTIoiu0y4TpJTZdwBdztj9rUZFAkA1TBVaFXfZfj8sW4-SpSluRJLcopaqqdps2e2xQg/s320/2262.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />All the different scales (HO, N, Z, etc.) were represented by some truly astonishing layouts. Here's a switchyard in (I think) N-scale.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisEO4FnJr2YmZhPYwGV8PEajhNBli29UBOBe-G30EF8lG0_B8Hl9IoGbp6TPQQyRfkUWOjkvM36gHJ0p_rMObzHfpFn_M9j2J9WQA6X6ShA3xlVfQloi0II6zJoCJefdC0gzTlridR_Mg/s1600-h/2268.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431800580830354610" style="WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisEO4FnJr2YmZhPYwGV8PEajhNBli29UBOBe-G30EF8lG0_B8Hl9IoGbp6TPQQyRfkUWOjkvM36gHJ0p_rMObzHfpFn_M9j2J9WQA6X6ShA3xlVfQloi0II6zJoCJefdC0gzTlridR_Mg/s320/2268.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_the_Tank_Engine">Thomas</a> was there, of course, in may different forms. There was even a Thomas that the kids could ride, but the line for that went pretty much all the way around the building, and could have ended somewhere in West Virginia for all I know. We kept The Kid away from that particular part of the exhibit hall.<br /><br />One of the modelers had built a special Thomas track that the little ones could see. Nice touch. Note the Lexan sneeze/drool/booger shield.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCmIqrEamMGhCYSr53gduOpN5qD8J9nqHVDSw9T3VcjqmNk_RlhvRgzLb3F1bbfSMLpTpLdkEigge7Z7ED7ou6rq9gVa6YSi9GJGQG78tleEhJM7PH887k8Zu4GxtwaE3wGlWfgEZXC-Q/s1600-h/2263.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431803654527356914" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCmIqrEamMGhCYSr53gduOpN5qD8J9nqHVDSw9T3VcjqmNk_RlhvRgzLb3F1bbfSMLpTpLdkEigge7Z7ED7ou6rq9gVa6YSi9GJGQG78tleEhJM7PH887k8Zu4GxtwaE3wGlWfgEZXC-Q/s320/2263.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/RxHnKfgJW4I&hl=" width="425" height="344" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" fs="1&"></embed><br /><br />So yeah, she liked it well enough. She liked the big ones too. Here's a representative example.<br /><br /><p></p><br /><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/gf5sdiCR7Do&hl=" width="425" height="344" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" fs="1&"></embed><br /><br />After we got home, The Kid apparently decided that she wanted to hypnotize me into getting her a train set.<br /><br /><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/FB_uUaa77w4&hl=" fs="1&" width="425" height="344" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always"></embed><br /><br />Like I would ever refuse...Jeopardyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09089165406996812328noreply@blogger.com3