The End.....

On TSW, there is a thread on how you met and got together with your SO or spouse. Charlie and I met at a party.......boring.....! But when we separated, now that was kinda fun. I had been working for Bank of America in Coronado. Charlie was a SEAL. We had traveled back and forth across country to and from Georgia five or six times by then and every time, we drove straight through. Besides being totally exhausted after 44 hours of driving (4 hours on - 4 hours off), we usually weren't speaking by the end of the trip. I kept asking why we couldn't stop at least twice and Cheap Charlie said, "We're saving for a rainy day." Another note, we were paid mileage for each trip for each of us. The day after I flew back to Georgia (thus leaving Charlie for good), Charlie called. His first words, "Where's our money?" Lesson: don't piss off the person working for the bank. I took all of it, savings, CDs, checking. That may seem greedy but you don't know cheap Charlie. I knew I would return the money after the settlement was worked out....and, I knew he wouldn't have. His first move the day after I left, was to check the money and cancel my Visa card......My words to Cheap Charlie: Do you hear the thunder, honey? This is your rainy day..." Teh Yay....

Six Imams...Redux....

The more I read about these characters, the more I am convinced that they were just pushing the envelope and provoking an incident. I don't care how racist it makes me, if someone acts like that on a plane I'm boarding, either they go or I do. What a position all of this is putting the flying public in. If you complain, you're racist and if you don't, maybe you're dead......thanks all of you "moderate" Muslims...

Ironing......

Until I was 13, I had never ironed nor particularly watched the chore being performed. Most of that time, we lived in WestPac on Navy bases and had maids. Three days before we were to board our MSTS (read Military Sea Transport Service) ship for 21 days from Manila to San Fransisco...my Mom tried to ride my bike to the O'Club for a party. She fell and broke her ankle and was put in a walking cast. There was good news and bad news with that. The good news was that we got one of the staterooms with a bathtub and we got to take tea with the Captain one day. The bad news was that Mom couldn't stand up for long so I was assigned washing and ironing duties. The laundry for dependents was four decks down, the ironing board was too high and the iron was wicked heavy, and the room was oh so hot. After my first session down there, I went to the fantail and threw my crinolines overboard. I think another lady helped me figure out the washing machine and dryer. It was awful, awful....

The Silly Six....

As usual, the ROP is in an uproar over an alleged mistreatment/embarassment, by USA Airline this time. Racial profiling as usual, is the sin. Picture yourself in an airport lobby waiting to board your plane, when six Arab men pray toward Mecca, yell Allu Akbar or whatever and then get on your plane with you. They then begin to act suspiciously on board. Who should be asked to vacate the plane? The passengers who are nervous and have good reason to be or the persons who are making people nervous? What did the silly six expect? I think they hatched up this little scenario at their conference...the airline behaved as expected (prudently) and now there is a new cause celebre for CAIR and Jesse Jackson and others to build up into a giant deal. One news person has already likened the Six Imams to Rosa Parks (H/T to LGF). Ridiculous. If you want to be treated like other Americans than quit causing anxiety....

Thanksgiving 2006......

So what am I thankful for? First would be my immediate family. They're all gone now but I am so lucky to have had them at all. Then, I am very grateful for the extended family....lots and lots of cousins and eight Aunts and Uncles...they have been very good to me. I am grateful that I finally settled on a Major, stuck to it and became an RN....my ideal career. I am also thankful for being able to take it easy now and only work if I'm bored. I am Thankful for living in the greatest country in the world...no matter how un-PC that makes me. I am thankful for the men and women in all the services who protect me and my country. I am thankful for all my friends...they are so special in so many different ways. It is wonderful to have two cantankerous cats to sit in my lap and whine for food.

Actually, being a "glass half full" type person, I can't think of many things I am not thankful for. How lucky am I?

Books...

The only fun part of this move has been going through all of my books...and my parents'. I gave 200 cookbooks to the CYM for their booksale and still have the same number again to keep. My Mom and I must have bought a cookbook from everywhere we visited. It has been fun looking through recipes and remembering the occasions and fun...

I found a Medical Encyclopedia from 1847 that is hilarious......descriptions of flux, what to do if a lady swoons, how to treat biliousness, etc. My Grandmother gave my Mom a first edition Tennyson with an ornate leather cover and gilded pages.....it smells so good. We all liked a good mystery and collected Agatha Christie, Rex Stout, Arthur Conan Doyle, etc. It's possible to follow our hobbies and interests through our books, too. Gardening, bridge, flying, WWII, care of cats and dachshunds, button collections, coin collecting, the Saints......What a history a book collection is......

Veterans Day....

God Bless all of our past and present military men and women.........and a hearty and heartfelt Thank you.

My Dad

My Dad was one of the most special people God ever made. He was from Vermont, strong, silent type. He graduated fromMiddlebury College and joined the Navy Air...he fought in the Coral Sea and the Battle of Midway and, of course, the Battle of Leyte Gulf. He was the pilot who discovered Ensign Gay after Midway. When we were in the Philippines, I remember a Marine coming to our house off base to get Dad to go look for President Magsaysay when his plane was missing. Dad wore a black ribbon on his uniform for 30 days after the death of the President Magsaysay. I once shook Luz Magsaysay's hand at an International Girl Scout's Jamboree in the Philippines. I can still sing the Philippine national anthem...every morning we sang it as soon as we finished The Star Spangled Banner....so, everytime we sing our anthem, I start in on, "Land of the Morning, Child of the Sun Returning.....

Blogs..

I want to link to some other blogs but darned if I can figure out how to do that. So many of the commenters on TSW have blogs would be good to link to them.

I was just reading Carol Platt Liebau's blog about the elections: carolliebau.com. She is calming and makes so much sense.

It certainly is hard trying to improve in so many ways at one time...perhaps I should drop some of the self-improvements. Let's see, dieting, quitting the smokes, no swearing, no gossiping, keep on boxing and unboxing belongings. It's too much for one human to be that good. Maybe I'll swear a little......

Age is what?????

As I logged in, I noticed that my profile says I'm 250 years old. I was going to indignantly change that but decided that I probably don't want my age on my profile.....so I'm 250. A recruiter called from HR asking if I've had enough retirement. I have to say I'm loving retirement...may work a little in the Spring or if I need a little extra cash but nothing steady, ever again......teh yeh....

I can't believe that in this time of war, any idiot would want to investigate/impeach the President. It is pure politics instead of Country. The BDS has gone on for so long that it is apparently unstoppable. One of the things I loved about Tom Clancy's book (I've forgotten the name) about Jack becoming President, was the way he got people to run for office again...asking for people who were not politicians but real working people. We should turn the whole lot out and get some real people to represent us. Our President needs to stand firm...fight terrorism, honor our Country and our Military.

Poor us.......

Stupid, stupid Democrats. There I got that out of my system. At least, we still have the President....kinda scary thinking of the Pelosi being third in line. God protect our President. The glass is half full, remember. So, this will make it easier to win the Presidency in 2008 and perhaps grab back one of the houses. I sort of think that it's better for one party not to control all parts of government...if only to have someone to blame if a plan doesn't work. For awhile last night, I thought I would die without a ciggie. Having survived without succumbing, I now have to try not to eat every one of those WW lemon cakes!

Election Day

This is when I really miss my Dad. No matter how hysterically pessimistic my Mom and I would get, Dad would stay calm and tell us to wait and see. The only time I've seen him get excited was when I wore my MCG sweatshirt home and Dad thought I was plugging McGovern....I am not going to follow all those poll watchers and get all hot and bothered. Have book, will read.