Saturday, March 26, 2016

Two Gays and a Goat

"The one gay guy fell out, he's back at the hotel room sick as a dog. Other gay guy's here with the goat."

(Karen, watching QVC sell "goat milk" products including a "wooden massager," a baby goat is on the set, along with a salesman, presumably gay)

Jack Russell Got Nougats

"That damned Jack Russell they have still has nougats. When I went over there, first thing it did was go over to my car and hike its leg on my car tire."

"Well, if you neuter them the still hike their leg up when they pee."

"Jack Russell don't need nougats!"

Friday, March 18, 2016

Stuff That Works, Stuff That Holds Up

I happened to join the US Navy during a period when enlisted men wore dungaree working uniforms - - blue denim bellbottom trousers and pale blue chambray shirts - - and I found them to be the most comfortable clothing I've ever worn. I also like the look of the pairing, so I have tended to buy similar clothes for casual wear as a civilian. Having said that, I'd like to draw your attention to the work clothing made by Key Apparel, an American clothing company that's been around for more than a century. I can't claim that the clothing is made in the US - - like most manufacturers, they've shipped the factories overseas - - but they are well made and well-priced. I just picked up a couple of their short-sleeved chambray shirts for summer wear, and they're handsome indeed, with Western-style yokes and pearlized snaps instead of buttons, stitched with the same sort of gold thread seen in Levis jeans. They come in sizes all the way up to 5XL.



Folk singer Guy Clark is also a fan of chambray work shirts, and even wrote a song about them:



Lyrics:

STUFF THAT WORKS


I got an ol’ blue shirt
And it suits me just fine
I like the way it feels
So I wear it all the time
I got an old guitar
It won’t ever stay in tune
I like the way it sounds
In a dark and empty room

I got an ol’ pair of boots
And they fit just right
I can work all day
And I can dance all night
I got an ol’ used car
And it runs just like a top
I get the feelin’ it ain’t
Ever gonna stop

Chorus

Stuff that works, stuff that holds up
The kind of stuff you don’t hang on the wall
Stuff that’s real, stuff you feel
The kind of stuff you reach for when you fall

I got a pretty good friend
Who’s seen me at my worst
He can’t tell if I’m a blessing
Or a curse
But he always shows up
When the chips are down
That’s the kind of stuff
I like to be around

Chorus

I got a woman I love
She’s crazy and paints like God
She’s got a playground sense of justice
She won’t take odds
I got a tattoo with her name
Right through my soul
I think everything she touches
Turns to gold

Chorus

Thursday, March 17, 2016

The Prayer of the Order of St. Gabriel Possenti

This prayer is found in Rolf Nelson's mil-SF/space opera book The Stars Came Back. It's written as a screenplay, which is a bit disconcerting at first, but the reader quickly adapts to the format.

In the novel is an order of monks named after St. Gabriel Possenti, presented here as the patron of marksmanship, his unique version of the Cross being the crosshairs of a telescopic rifle sight. The all-male order of monks find their mission in ministering to soldiers with PTSD, Widowers and men who have been traumatized by divorce.

During a visit to the monastery, the book's protagonist, Helton Strom, hears this prayer being chanted, which I find quite touching:

Oh Lord, Give me the wisdom to understand what I have seen
The strength to carry on when hope fades
The honesty to be at peace and face what is
The forbearance to forgive those who have wronged me
The focus to forget the horrors I have been through
To be accepting of what I cannot change
The humility to follow the lead of those who have trod this path before
Grant me respect for those who try, but are imperfect as I am
The fortitude to lead others out of darkness
The clarity to understand the path I must follow
Please forgive me the things I have done
Give me the bravery to go where I am needed
The discipline to not be a burden on others


The novel was Nelson's first, he's writing the prequel, in which the founding of the Order of St. Possenti plays a major role. Available at Amazon.

Wednesday, March 16, 2016

Trump, and the Fate of the Nation

(posted first in Facebook)

Fundamental American fairness and decency would dictate that if Trump goes into the convention with sufficient delegates to win the nomination outright, the Republican establishment should shake his hand, look him in the eye, and say, "Congratulations and good luck, you have our support as the candidate of the Republican Party." Then let him succeed or fail without further attempts at internecine sabotage. If he loses, he loses. If he wins, let's see how he performs, bearing in mind that the Founders set up a good system of checks and balances to prevent him abusing his authority, and with the possibility of removing him from office via impeachment if he won't act like a grown man. Selecting a quality VP nominee will be critical.

Attempting to sabotage Trump at the convention if he goes in with enough delegates to win the nomination outright betrays the Americans who voted for him, and indicates that our votes count only so long as the elites agree with them. I don't think that's what the Founders had in mind.

Tuesday, March 15, 2016

Summer Jobs In NC, 1950's-Style

Working to preserve mothballed Liberty Ships that were moored in the Cape Fear River. For those not aware of it, US Navy ships that are not "mothballed" in shipyards are often moored in "mothball fleets" in various rivers and bays throughout the US. The Cape Fear River provided one such refuge for Liberty Ships (civilian-staffed cargo ships carrying military goods) after WWII.

Sunday, March 13, 2016

Today's Usage Tip

"Witnesses say the hatchet-wielding man didn’t say a word during his grizzly attack, and although the clerk suffered minor injuries to his stomach, it could have ended much, much worse."

Really? A grizzly describes a large bear that is native to the western United States and Canada. It gets its name from its fur, which is a mix of brown and gray. A person who has a grizzly beard has a beard with a lot of gray in it. Not correct usage.

What about gristly? That means "full of gristle," as in a cheap cut of meat; lots of connective tissue, tendons and ligaments. Well, if the hatchet-wielding man had been able to execute a couple of murders and butchered both the clerk and the bystander, it might have been gristly, sure enough, but that is not what the writer intended, either.

What's left is grisly. This means "causing horror or disgust." This is the word that the writer was looking for. Synonyms for grisly include gruesome, ghastly, frightful, horrid, horrifying, fearful, hideous, macabre, spine-chilling, horrible, horrendous, grim, awful, dire, dreadful, terrible, horrific, shocking, appalling, abominable, loathsome, abhorrent, odious, monstrous, unspeakable, disgusting, repulsive, repugnant, revolting, repellent, sickening; informal "gross" "the grisly details of the crime."

grizzly, gristly, grisly. Learn the difference.

Thursday, March 03, 2016

Big Ol' Dinosaur Teeth!

"Look at that kid shoot a hole-in-one in front of Tiger Woods! Look at them big ol' snaggle teeth! He's got big ol' dinosaur teeth!"