A little humor…

Posted on by September 30, 2024

To start the week!

APHORISM:  A SHORT, POINTED SENTENCE THAT EXPRESSES A WISE OR CLEVER OBSERVATION OR A GENERAL TRUTH.

1. The nicest thing about the future is . . . That it always starts tomorrow.

2. Money will buy a fine dog, but only kindness will make him wag his tail.

3. If you don’t have a sense of humor, you probably don’t have any sense at all.

4. Seat belts are not as confining as wheelchairs.

5. A good time to keep your mouth shut is when you’re in deep water.

6. How come it takes so little time for a child who is afraid of the dark to become a teenager who wants to stay out all night?

7. Business conventions are important . . . because they demonstrate how many people a company can operate without.

8. Why is it that at class reunions you feel younger than everyone else looks?

9. Scratch a cat . . . And you will have a permanent job.

10. No one has more driving ambition than the teenage boy who wants to buy a car.

11. There are no new sins; the old ones just get more publicity.

12. There are worse things than getting a call for a wrong number at 4 a.m. – like, it could be the right number.

13. No one ever says “It’s only a game” when their team is winning.

14. I’ve reached the age where ‘happy hour’ is a nap.

15. Be careful about reading the fine print . . . there’s no way you’re going to like it.

16. The trouble with bucket seats is that not everybody has the same size bucket.

17. Do you realize that, in about 40 years, we’ll have thousands of old ladies running around with tattoos? (And rap music will be the Golden Oldies!)

18. Money can’t buy happiness — but somehow it’s more comfortable to cry in a Cadillac than in a Yugo.

19. After 60, if you don’t wake up aching in every joint, you’re probably dead.

20. Always be yourself because the people that matter don’t mind . . . And the ones that mind don’t matter.

21. Life isn’t tied with a bow . . .  But it’s still a gift.

“REMEMBER….POLITICIANS AND DIAPERS SHOULD BE CHANGED OFTEN AND FOR THE SAME REASON”.

Grrr…

Posted on by September 28, 2024

This…is criminal at best…

Shipuilder Newport News Shipbuilding, Va., informed the Department of Justice of faulty welds that may have been made intentionally on non-critical components on in-service Navy submarines and aircraft carriers, USNI News has learned.

HII reported to the Navy that welds on new construction and in-service submarines and Ford-class aircraft carriers were made not following welding procedure, according to a Tuesday memo from Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development and Acquisition Nickolas Guertin to Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro and Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti.

Guertin told SECNAV and CNO the workers did not follow proper techniques to weld the suspect joints with an early indication that some of the welding errors were intentional. Based on the Newport News assessment of the welds, the shipyard notified the Department of Justice over the issue.

Full article, HERE from USNI.

And from a second article… Yeah, right…

In a separate statement to USNI News, HII said that while the shipyard workers had violated the welding rules, they did not have “malicious intent” to damage the submarines or aircraft carriers they were working on.

Full article, HERE, also from USNI.

Excuse me, but if you’re screwing up welds ON PURPOSE, that is malicious intent as far as I am concerned, because your s**t work can kill a sailor or entire crew, depending on what happens on that ship in combat, or a sub on patrol.

This is the LAST thing the Navy needs right now, especially in light of what is going on in 5th Fleet with Israel, the Houthis, Hezbollah, and Iran.

Grrrr…

If you would…

Posted on by September 27, 2024

Say a prayer for those dealing with the aftermath of Helene. It’s ugly all the way up into Virginia.

The remnants of Helene continued its onslaught across the Southeast Friday, with nearly 4 dozen dead across multiple states and hundreds rescued from floodwaters.

The Category 4 hurricane made landfall along Florida’s Big Bend region late Thursday with estimated sustained winds of 140 mph.

Post-landfall, the hurricane quickly weakened, but its torrential rains and gusty winds continued hundreds of miles inland, with feet of rain being reported over the Appalachians.

Full article, HERE from Fox News.

Thankfully, as far as I know, all my family and friends down that way are okay, but there are a lot of folks that aren’t…

Another one bites the dust…

Posted on by September 26, 2024

NYC again…

New York City Mayor Eric Adams was indicted on five federal charges relating to illegal contributions to his 2021 campaign, according to the indictment unsealed Thursday.

The 57-page indictment alleges Adams “sought and accepted improper valuable benefits, such as luxury international travel, including from wealthy foreign businesspeople and at least one Turkish government official seeking to gain influence over him” for nearly a decade.

Full article, HERE from Daily Caller.

Sigh… Another dem run city, another scandal. Even worse, Adams was NYPD before he retired, so he damned well knew better. But I find this statement rather ‘telling’…

Adams “engaged in a long running conspiracy in which he solicited and knowingly accepted illegal campaign contributions from foreign donors and corporations.”

Granted, this has been building for a while, but how many times do we have to go through this? If it’s not the money they are spending on illegals, it’s corruption, or it’s ignoring ‘problems’/blaming them on anything but the root cause (the city administration itself), etc.

Crap like this is just one of the reasons I ‘like’ living in a small rural town. I know my neighbors, the local cops, and city workers. I can walk into city hall and get help and/or answers the same day.

I’m really starting to worry about what November is going to bring…

Oof…

Posted on by September 25, 2024

This is double plus ungood…

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — A U.S. Navy replenishment ship operating in the Middle East sustained damage in an incident which is under investigation, officials said Tuesday.

The damage to the oiler Big Horn comes after the oiler has supplied the Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group and remains in the region amid heightened tensions over the Israel-Hamas war and Israel’s ongoing strikes targeting Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Full article, HERE from Navy Times, and HERE from Stars and Stripes.

This poses major problems, as it appears this is the ONLY oiler supporting 5th Fleet right now. And the ship is apparently under tow to Dubai.

Without an oiler, the carrier can’t get fuel for the jets to fly, nor can the ‘small boys’ in the battle group get bunker fuel, limiting what they can do, how far/fast they can go, and limits the entire 5th Fleet’s response to ongoing ‘issues’ in the region.

Pulling an oiler from another location is neither fast nor without a domino effect from wherever they get one. Probably the ‘minimum’ transit time is 9-10 days from Singapore, or 5-6 days from the Med.

This is on top of the issues MSC is already having crewing ships and their ‘plan’ to lay up 17 ships due to lack of crews.

If it wasn’t for bad luck, 5th Fleet wouldn’t have any! And this is really NOT the time that an oiler/fuel needs to be an issue…

 

A little humor…

Posted on by September 24, 2024

Old folks text shortcuts…

ATD – At the Doctor’s
BFF – Best Friends Funeral
BTW – Bring the Wheelchair
BYOT – Bring Your Own Teeth
CBM – Covered by Medicare
CUATSC – See You at the Senior Center
DWI – Driving While Incontinent
FWBB – Friend with Beta Blockers
FWIW – Forgot Where I Was
FYI – Found Your Insulin
GGPBL – Gotta Go, Pacemaker Battery Low
GHA – Got Heartburn Again
HGBM – Had Good Bowel Movement
IMHO – Is My Hearing-Aid On?
LMDO – Laughing My Dentures Out
LOL – Living on Lipitor
LWO – Lawrence Welk’s On
LMTOT – Lost my train of thought
OMMR – On My Massage Recliner
OMSG – Oh My! Sorry, Gas
ROFL…CGU – Rolling on the Floor Laughing…Can’t get Up!
TTYL – Talk to You Louder
WAITT – Who Am I Talking To?
WTFA – Wet the Furniture Again
WTP – Where’s the Prunes
WWNO – Walker Wheels Need Oil

Hope these help!

GGLKI – Gotta Go, Laxative Kicking in!

Book promo…

Posted on by September 23, 2024

First up is John Van Stry with the second book in his new Ghost Warrior series- Necessity

As always, click the cover for the Amazon link!

The blurb-

Nash and Nate have finished the task set before them by their hataali, and have set their foot on the path to healing. Neither one knows what to expect however, and Nash does have a few concerns about their future. But those will have to wait, as the tribal council has more important things for them to do when they get back to Vegas: dealing with a bunch of organ-jackers who have been preying on the young women of several of the local tribes.

Then of course there’s still the problem Nate’s been having with the good folks of Raycon Corporation, who really want a look inside his head. After having removed it from his body of course. Having been gone for almost a month, he’s hoping they’ve moved on, but only time will tell. Nate’s also a little worried that Jin may have moved on, so he’s very much looking forward to see her as soon as they get back to town.

Then of course there’s Coyote, the trickster god who has very much taken an interest in Nate and Nash, as well as this little problem with the organ-jackers, which promises to make all of the outcomes very interesting.

Next up is Peter Nealan with the second book in his new Edge of the Imperium series- Cascade Effect

The blurb-

The Flames of War Spread

Even as the clash on distant, desolate Zhogalgan winds down, the spark it has ignited now threatens to set entire star systems aflame.

Now Corvanite Lieutenant Ulric Bannon leads his special tasks phalanx on a deep reconnaissance on an alien world to discover Zolarian plans… while elsewhere, on an airless moon, Zolarian First Sergeant Cul Draven faces savage war against a Corvanite client-state that has launched an offensive in the wake of the Zhogalgan confrontation.

Corvan and Zolah. Two great powers hurtling toward war…

… but the real enemy may be the mysterious alien operatives manipulating the conflict from the shadows.

Last but certainly not least, this is a bit of a different book recommendation. Jack Carr and James Scott’s military history of the bombing of the Marine Barracks in Beirut- Targeted Beirut

The blurb-

The first in a new in-depth nonfiction series examining the devastating terrorist attacks that changed the course of history from #1 New York Times bestselling author Jack Carr and Pulitzer Prize finalist James M. Scott, beginning with the 1983 Marine barracks bombing in Beirut.

1983: the United States Marine Corps experiences its greatest single-day loss of life since the Battle of Iwo Jima when a truck packed with explosives crashes into their headquarters and barracks in Beirut, Lebanon. This horrifying terrorist attack, which killed 241 servicemen, continues to influence US foreign policy and haunts the Marine Corps to this day.

Now, the full story is revealed as never before by Jack Carr and historian and Pulitzer Prize finalist James M. Scott. Based on comprehensive interviews with survivors, extensive military records, as well as personal letters, diaries, and photographs, this is the authoritative account of the deadly attack. 

This book actually drops today, but it is highly recommended. I’ve read a couple of the snippets and they dug deeply on this one.

P-Con AAR…

Posted on by September 22, 2024

Tired, sore, and grumpy, but home…

Cons always take a lot out of a person, and even more so for me with a crappy back and the lousy chairs in conference rooms. But the bright spot is a chance to get to see friends, make new friends, and hopefully pass along some information that helps others to write better!

So, we down a day early, Thursday to beat the rush into DFW area… Along with a few other folks… LOL Started out as a table for four…

Note- Pics from various sources, thank you!

The hotel had decent food (thankfully), and the rooms were pretty good, so that was a plus.

This was the first time I got drafted to be the Master of Ceremonies, and that got a LOT more involved than I planned… sigh…

I found out Saturday afternoon, I had to help ‘sell’ stuff at the auction that night! I’m thinking, Damn, they’re counting on ME to sell stuff? They are in TROUBLE! Thankfully, Lawdog and Ambulance Driver tag teamed with me and somehow (well, some quality items helped), we raised about $2000!!!

Sigh… And some people DO NOT get the reason for a $42 bid…

But panels… LOL

Definitely interesting, and wide ranging would be putting it mildly! And those chairs in the main room were the most comfortable of the weekend! Kudos to whomever ‘procured’ them!

The first panel was on swearing in science fiction. Yes, that is a ‘thing’ you have to sort out as an author… Some of the digressions/rabbit holes were foreign readers, ‘trusting’ Google or other translate functions (DON’T), and making up swear words (be careful, they might be an insult in another country)…

This panel was on firearms in writing. Probably close to 200 years of experience setting up there, including a serving LEO with a sense of humor! 🙂  What is realistic, what isn’t, and the impact(s) of doing it right or wrong in your writing. Our push was for writers to do their research and get with someone who actually shoots to ‘review’ your writing! Hint- Glocks don’t have a safety! Revolver barrels don’t ‘spin’, and the Third Law applies (e.g. no, the shotgun is not going to blow the bad guy back a dozen feet)!

Lots of conversations about a myriad of subjects, with various folks and a fun time, other than the chairs/back issue, and having to be ‘on’ for four days. I am peopled out!

But I never even looked at the computer, or tried to do a post! And didn’t take picture one… dammit… I always forget to do that!

Oh, and I sold ONE book the entire weekend… sigh…

Posted in AAR

Out of pocket…

Posted on by September 18, 2024

Gonna be gone for a few days. I’ll be at P-Con down in Dallas through Sunday. If you’re in the neighborhood, drop by!

Doing a few panels and a reading, among other things. https://www.p-con.us/

Go read the folks on the sidebar, they rite gud!!! 🙂

Boom???

Posted on by September 17, 2024

Apparently there were some ‘issues’ with Hezbollah’s secure pagers yesterday…

At least nine people were killed and thousands of others were injured when handheld pagers exploded across Lebanon on Tuesday in an apparent targeting of Hezbollah members, according to Hezbollah officials.

Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency initially reported that “the handheld pagers system was detonated using advanced technology, and dozens of injuries were reported” in Beirut’s southern suburbs and other areas. Lebanon’s health minister later said at least nine people were killed and 2,750 wounded — 200 of them critically.

Among those injured when the pagers exploded included Iran’s ambassador in Lebanon, Iranian state media reported.

Full article, HERE from Fox News.

And there is this reporting from X…

Regardless, that is more than just a little bit of ‘attention getter’. Of course it also pretty well identifies who was Hezbollah and who wasn’t…

However it was done, there are going to be a bunch of nervous people going forward, wondering what is going to blow up next. Their phone? Their computer? Their house?

Terrorists, by their nature what to spread fear among the innocent, but now, that shoe is on the other foot! And good for whomever did it, (yes, I know people are pointing at Israel, but who actually knows)?

It will be interesting to see the response, or lack of one, from not just Hezbollah, but also the other players over there.

Now back to your regularly scheduled BS… 😉