Peek-A-Boo

So sez Mimi towards the end...

And she wants to be my soul-mate, too.  Sigh.  I guess she'll have to fight it out with Abigail, Lucia, Alice, Wendy, Elsa, and Rhonda... but only if I get to watch.  This also assumes she'll eat a few cheeseburgers in the VERY near future.

We posted this only to call attention to the WX (heh), because we were tempted to do an outdoor Happy Hour today.  It's not all that bad outside, what with it being about 59 degrees as we type.  But I'm thinkin' we'll hold off until tomorrow:

Yeah.  That looks like The Deal.  Don't it?

30 Years Ago

Has it been THAT long?  Really?  Yes.  Yes, it has.  The anniversary of this particular tragedy always plucks at my heartstrings.  Lennon's death wasn't the type of event that one could possibly call earth-shaking, unless you're "of a certain age," or were living in the UK at the time, or both.  And I was both.  I remember hearing the news, oh boy, like it was yesterday.  I was in the 2119th Comm Squadron's technical control facility at RAF Uxbridge in full chemical gear going through one of our semi-annual war game exercises when the news came across the wire.  We continued on with what we were doing, but the FIRST thing most of us did after getting the exercise "all clear" notification was to gather around a teevee to get what few details were coming in from New York.  The rest of the duty day was quiet and solemn for most of us, even the younger troops.  It was hardest for us (relatively) old guys and gals, though.  The key question that ran through our conversation was "Why?"  Why John Lennon?  What did he ever do to anyone?

The Second Mrs. Pennington and I drove home that evening in silence.  We took a light dinner on the floor in front of the TV and watched the Beeb all evening, mostly news capped off with an impromptu Lennon tribute that was very well done, especially considering the lack of time to prepare.  It was a sad and teary evening, to be sure.  Looking back on the event I'm amazed at the emotional impact Lennon's murder had on us... all of us.  It's hard to explain, but I think George is on the right track here. 

More Hockey

Sarah Palin FINALLY does something worthwhile...

Heh.  "I can KILL Rooshians from my house!"  (h/t:  Wyshynski and Tina Fey, of course.)

Your Hockey Update

Here's the lede graf from Paul at Kukla's Korner, quoting the Usual Hockey Suspects at ESPN:

With the first quarter of the season in the books, Scott Burnside (East) and Pierre LeBrun (West) evaluate each team’s performance:

Eastern Conference
Pittsburgh Penguins
Grade: A
Trending: Up
Summary: The Penguins roared into the second quarter of the NHL season riding a nine-game winning streak and with captain Sidney Crosby playing as well as he ever has (he has put up points in 16 straight games as of Tuesday). Marc-Andre Fleury appears to have found his mojo and the Penguins look like a team to be reckoned with come April.

Western Conference
Detroit Red Wings
Grade: A-plus
Trending: Up
Summary: A second-round exit last season had some people wondering if the NHL’s model franchise was nearing a downturn after being one of the elite squads for 15 or so seasons. Um, scratch that thought. The Wings are back and apparently as great as ever, screaming out of the gates in the opening two months of the season with the best record in the Western Conference. Nicklas Lidstrom appears ageless at 40, Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg both deserve Hart Trophy consideration, and Jimmy Howard just can’t lose a game. Life is grand in Hockeytown, USA.

 Well, Jimmy CAN... and did... lose a game.  Last night, to be more specific, against the Hated Tiburones of someplace out on the Left Coast.  But, Hey! ... 17-5-3 is still good enough to lead the Western Conference by three points.  

SN1 and I watched the game together but separate last evening, as is our custom.  In so doing we got off into the weeds and began discussing the NHL in general and prospective match-ups for the Wings in the Stanley Cup Final, should it come to that.  Buck asked if it was really, rilly true that the Flightless Birds were on a ten game winning streak and I replied in the affirmative, assuming they won their game last night, which they did.  I believe it was at that particular point in time when SN1 mentioned that SN2 was liable to bring this lil fact up in our next conversation, what with SN2 being a Flightless Birds bandwagoneer since he took up residence in the Steel City.  I laughed and acknowledged that that was indeed a possibility... and since we're on the subject, I was thinking about buying SN2 one of those ghey third jerseys the Flightless Birds wear every so often as a Christmas present.  Which got a laugh out of SN1, of course.  "Do it!," sez he... "I dare ya!"

I won't do that.  I'm not gonna drop well over a hundred Yankee Dollars on something I KNOW SN2 wouldn't wear.  I don't know how any self-respecting hockey player can wear that sweater, let alone a sometimes-fan.  Hell, it might as well be pink.  Just sayin'.

Pearl Harbor Day

A re-run from last year, which includes a re-run from 2006 as well.

Pearl Harbor Day

Sixty-eight years ago today... "a date which will live in infamy"... the nation was shocked out of its complacency and determination to stay out of the conflict engulfing the rest of the civilized world by the horrific Japanese sneak attack on Pearl Harbor.  Here's an excerpt from President Roosevelt's speech to congress on the following day:

The men who fought back at Pearl Harbor formed the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association about ten years after the war and they used to hold a reunion in Hawaii every five years... until 2006, when they held their last reunion there.  I published this post to mark that occasion (note that the link to the news article is dead now):

Pearl Harbor Day

The USS Arizona - Then and Now (U.S. Navy photographs)

It’s said — quite often and by many, many people — that 9/11/2001 “changed everything.” And it is indeed true for the current generations of Americans. But I’ll submit that 12/07/1941 “changed everything” to a degree it is impossible for us who were not alive and going about our business on that Sunday in December, 1941 to realize. Those of us whose parents were members of The Greatest Generation understand my point. A smaller subset, those of us whose parents fought in World War II, understand the point a little bit better, perhaps. We have the benefit of hearing the first-person narratives of that day in December 1941, and stories from the long, long days that followed…from the dark and despair of the war’s first year to the signing of the Japanese surrender on the decks of the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay not quite four years later. And a lot in between.

They are leaving us. The Pearl Harbor Survivors Association is holding their last meeting today.

PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii - With their number quickly dwindling, survivors of Pearl Harbor will gather Thursday one last time to honor those killed by the Japanese 65 years ago, and to mark a day that lives in infamy.

This will be their last visit to this watery grave to share stories, exchange smiles, find peace and salute their fallen friends. This, they say, will be their final farewell.

"This will be one to remember," said Mal Middlesworth, president of the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association. "It's going to be something that we'll cherish forever."

The survivors have met here every five years for four decades, but they're now in their 80s or 90s and are not counting on a 70th reunion. They have made every effort to report for one final roll call.

Their last meeting. I know All Things Must Pass, but it saddens me so. We owe them so much, and our thank-yous seem inadequate compared to the sacrifices they made.

But: We shall continue, we shall honor their sacrifices, we will remember, and we shall rededicate ourselves to the task that faces this generation…the one that began on 9/11/2001. The Greatest Generation expects it from us.

The 2006 news article may not be available any longer, but the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association is still alive and kicking.  They are few now, but thank God some of those heroes are still around.  It won't be too much longer until they're all gone and as I said above: "It saddens me so."

Who Are All These Tarts...

... and why are they following me?

You'd think Abigail, Lucia, Alice, Wendy, Elsa, and Rhonda would realize that I haven't issued a single tweet since June 2nd of this year.  You'll also note the e-mails were unread when deleted.  Talk about a waste o' time...  Spammers SUCK.

More Good Stuff In Today's Mail

To wit:

Yays!  More mood altering substances for Ol' Farts (which are sorely needed at this point in time) plus additional inventory storage space!  The humidor is pretty spiffy looking, but it would be much better if it were glass and not plastic.  But, Hey!  We're not complainin'.   Too much.  

So, it's decision time... which of these beauties should I fire up?

2 x Graycliff Crystal Edicion Limitada Presidente (7.2"x50)
2 x Rocky Patel Decade Toro (6.5"x52)
2 x Oliva Master Blends III Torpedo (6"x52)
2 x Gurkha Centurian Double X (6"x60)
2 x Man O' War Virtue Toro (6"x50)

I'm thinkin' it's gonna be a Gurkha.  Those puppies are good lookin' cee-gars.