A Bridge Too Far

• Over the past couple of nights (today is 01/29/2016) I have been watching A Bridge Too Far which along with The Longest Day are among the first war movies I ever watched. I watched them with my dad who was a veteran of WWII- the Big One as Archie Bunker would say.
• John Ratzenberger played Lt. James Megallas who lives in Collyeville TX. I oddly didn't remember Ratzenberger being in the movie at all until a buddy in my National Guard unit mentioned it; probably around 1995. He said something about it and hardly anybody else recalled it either until he acted out the part and described the scene- then we all could recall his role plain as day. Odd. As the conversation progressed he mentioned his favorite scene being the old demented lady hailing the imaginary taxi. Roger took his hat off to act as a hankie and waving it he called out in a falsetto old lady voice, Taxi!... Taxi! Then he made machinegun sound effects and spun around dramatically and fell to the ground dead.
• Hilarious.
• He had huge testicles. No, I don't mean he was brave- he was known in our unit for having a huge, dangly sac.
• As a boy I bought a copy of Cornelius Ryan's ABTF from an old salvage store on the West Side of Bridgeport that specialised in books. My dad would buy smut there and I would buy comics, joke books and war books.
• Ryan O'Neal was ridiculously good looking back then.
• There were lots of explosions- did Michael Bay go back in time to direct that movie?
• Gene Hackman was a retarded choice for Major General Sosabowski.

Wednesday's Digressions

• A bad person recently made a joke about Trump's youngest son being, "The world first home school shooter." For a joke to be effective it has to make some sense and ideally should not be too cruel and definitely not directed toward a 10 year old boy. The deal is this- that person had been sitting on that joke a while and it just had to burst out. They could not help themselves. He or she also presumed everybody in the world hated Trump so bad- that their hate would also extend to a 10 year old kid.
• Bonus related thought: I could not tell you the jokesters name nor position in this world if my life depended on it but not only would they be a household name if the joke was directed towards President Obama's child; they would be unemployed and their home burned down by now. For that matter they probably would have already been driven to kill themselves. Be honest- you know it is true.
• It is time for me to start looking for a new job.
• We stopped at Goodwill near TCU yesterday (today is 02/13/2017) in the hopes of finding some sweet books as it so close to the university. I struck out hard. There was literally nothing there worth taking home. That was very surprising and disappointing.
• I bet Leonardo DiCaprio is a heck of a good guy.
• Over the weekend I had a very realistic (and lame) dream about being in the war in Iraq. After jumping up and down to check my gear for rattles I heard something rattling on my oddly old school load bearing equipment and looking down saw a bottle of allergy medicine rubber banded to one of the suspenders. As I fiddled with it to take it off, the dry rotted rubber band broke causing me to feel real upset. Then somebody called to load up in the trucks so I trundled off toward them so upset at the broken rubber band I wanted to cry.
• That was it- I warned you it was lame.
• In my life women have always helped and hurt me out of bounds to what they should have been able to do either.
• Does anybody eat French dressing anymore?
• Lets Go!

Monday's Missives

• Seeking a Friend For The End Of The World is a sweet and very good movie.
• When I see a book book by Stacy Schiff or see her name in print somewhere for some reason I think of Nora Ephron. I say,"some reason" because I presume there is one- although I have no idea why I make that seemingly odd connection.
• You can look it up if you want but sex offender registries do not work as intended and are counterproductive in multiple ways. Those are 2 facts related to that issue I presumed intuitively when I first of heard of the idea years ago and I would still be shocked to learn those registries help in any demonstrable way.
• My coffee cup is positioned on my chest as I write this lying in bed. It was nice at first as I could smell it but due to adaptation that effect is gone- but at least it is very handy.
• Ads for Dick's Sporting Goods have started randomly appearing in my mailbox.
• Saturday night (today is 12/19/2016) we camped at Mineral Wells State Park. My truck thermometer- which is usually pretty close (+/-3 degrees) to actual temps said it was 11 degrees Sunday morning. During the day Sunday when we got home it was hard to get my perceived body temp. regulated. Stepping outside for a minute would have me feeling like I was freezing to death. I would come back in and feel like my skin was on fire, then I would start shivering so I would jump in the tub, then I would start sweating bullets...
• Sunday I saw an ex girlfriend's profile pic on a dating website. Interestingly, she used a pic she took while we were together- I remember exactly where we were and what we were doing when she took it. So a note to whoever ends up with her- that content, confident, satisfied and happy look she has on her face that made you think you wanted to be a part of her life when you saw her picture? Yeah- that was all because of me.

I awoke at 2 this morning (today is 05/26/2016) and got up to take a stretch and get a drink of water. After getting the drink I stepped outside to take a look and check on the weather- and take my stretch. In mid stretch somebody said Hey Kev. what are you doing?  It was the lady who lives across and down from me. We chatted  a few minutes before she said, Come down and talk to me.

It was nice. I stayed there for nearly 2 hours while we chatted and had coffee. Toward the end of my time there after stepping back into her house she stopped in front of me as she headed back to her chair and said, How about a hug? Uh, OK I said and I hugged her. She then said while holding a canister out toward me (which I couldn't see before as it was dark), Well, that was nice but I meant one of these. They're  Hershey's Hugs. They are milk chocolate and white chocolate...

Having since  told the story at work I can't go anywhere in the building without someone saying, Does somebody need a hug?

Also hilarious- Now, I randomly throw open an office door, stick my head in and say, Does anybody in here need a hug?

During the telling a person known for being for lack of a better term, obnoxious has interrupted me telling the story on 3 separate occasions. There is not a chance those interruptions are coincidental. She couldn't stand to see people laughing and having a good time while she is so miserable.

This Portable Toilet's Logo

made me think of the Warner Brothers logo.

Monday's Missives

• Somebody at work recently tried to hurt me- as she was walking out the door to a new job. I did not have it coming to me as what she said to try and hurt me was a lie but she did not have to do it at all as again, she was walking out the door- to another job.
• She has issues.
• Edit: Today (01/23/2017) I bumped into the aforementioned back stabber. Did she have the respect for herself or me to act like she did not see me or at least- flip me off to my face? Nope, she lit her smoking  hot mug up and rubbed on my back when we spoke like I was her one, true long lost love.
• What is wrong with people?!
• To try and save money I quit buying coffee for the house and told myself if I really wanted a cup I could stop by McDonald's or Jack In The Crack every once in a while. Consequently, I have spent a small fortune on drive through coffee in the past month or two.
• The new truck/boat/motorcycle fever has been burning hotly in my brain for months now.
• I like the name Nestor and always have.
• 3- the number of friends/friendly acquaintances I have had in my life named Larry Smith.
• My neighbor always has to start his loud diesel truck and let it warm up for 30 minutes to an hour before leaving for work at a job which is maybe 1/2 a mile away. It has to use more fuel in a week warming up than actually driving.
• No wonder the terrorists hate us.
• Man I miss my kids like crazy today.
• I guess I thought we would all always be together- now I do not know the last time we were all in a room together
• My children's great grandmother died while speaking to my eldest son as he held her hand.

Thursday's Thoughts

• At work a bit between myself and our old doctor was when he was asked a question by a nurse he would reply to the effect, Well, allow me to confer with my colleague... and turning to me he would say, Doctor Kevin- what would you do in a case this? I would make my reply resulting in him rapping his knuckles on his desk and telling whoever asked the question, I concur with my colleague. Make it so...
• A weird loosely connected thought- another physician and I were bustin' each others bawlz one day between patients. A female nurse whom he does not get along with and who also doesn't really get how the world works approached me later and said something like, I saw the way he was talking to you. I get it. I have trouble dealing with him too. It is hard sometimes... It took me a minute to process what she even meant. She just did not get it.
• A Perfect Circle's cover of Imagine is terrible.
• My ex GF sent me an email this morning (02/28/2017) asking if it was me she saw as I drove by her place on the way to work. It was  nice to hear from her. That is until a program at Pro Flowers and Kendra Scott took note of our interaction and started sending me spam.
• This morning I listened to Deftones and Marilyn Manson back to back and for hours on end.
• My nursing buddy whom I know to have long ago had a falling out with another mutual nursing buddy could not even remember why she hated the other nurse when the subject came up this morning- but she still hates her just the same.
• Oreo McFlurrys are great.
• Although I cannot remember what it was for (baseball, soccer or karate?) I once gave my ex wife a blank check for her to use during the registration process. It was seen as the craziest thing my co workers had ever heard. It was just practical as far as I was concerned and you know- if we cannot trust each other with something like that at this point in our lives- it would not matter what we did or did not do- we would be doomed to failure raising our children.
• Life pro tip: if at all possible when providing for your children always use a check or electronic transfer tagged CS (for child support). It may never matter but if/when it does it will be a big deal and you will thank your past you for watching out for future you.
• A ground war in Syria would be a huge, massive mistake.

One Of My Personal Phobias:

I have a fear that as I lean back in a chair that I'll not be hurt by accidentally falling over backwards as mom always warned- I'll be killed by the chair breaking and the resulting disintegration will result in a huge splinter shivving me in a kidney- the right kidney to be exact.

Wisdom Of A Chupacabra

If you don't carry something worthwhile to read while using the bathroom, you'll flush away a college degree away over a lifetime.

President Trumps Is Working Tirelessly And Without Ceasing- Literally Night And Day To Insure That Without A Doubt...

President Obama is remembered as the greatest living former President.

Monday's Missives

• War Is Boring has a pretty interesting story here about the efforts to arm American helicopters during the Vietnam war. An old platoon sergeant told me about some ad hoc weaponizations his unit made while he was there. I know at one point he was with 173rd Airborne but he did 2-3 tours with different units so I don't know who he was with at the time of the weapons experiments. He told us (among other efforts) about hanging a .50 cal. off of a UHI. He said it would knock the radios out and the vibration would break radio mounts loose- as in physically crack the bulkhead behind the mounts. The rate of fire was too slow and recoil too violent to get rounds on target. There was also an issue I do not recall with the pilots- did the vibration blur their vision or give them headaches...? The funniest thing was that in spite of how worthless the exercise was- you could tell he totally thought it was cool.
• On Tarawa during WWII US Marines only captured 7 Japanese troops.
• The number of vehicles parked at the sex shop that is on my way home over the past few weeks has blown up from just a few to often as many as 20. Do whatever you want dudes-  I mean literally- it is your business but random dudes having random sex with random dudes will always be incredibly dangerous.
• Funny though are are the vehicles parked at the corner of the strip club lot adjacent to the sex shop or the ones who park on the side of the access road down from the shop and pop their hoods like the car is broke down. Yeah- you got everybody fooled buddy!
• Pop came out poop up there first.
• Today (12/27/2016) I really really did not want to go back to work.
• Interesting war pron featuring Pesh and Iraqi forces taking on multiple suicide vehicle borne IEDs- or SVBIEDs

Wednesday's Digressions

• Until sort of recently I had a female friend who is literally beautiful. Man, she is movie star gorgeous and I am not even kidding. As a bonus, I know she  would be interested in me but I would take a pass based on one minor for lack of a better term- physical imperfection. Honestly, if you were my real friend instead of internet friend and I told you why and what bothered me about her and why she and I were not planning a wedding by now and for that matter- why I was not already carrying her baby in my womb- you would smack me upside the head to try and slap some sense into me and for days afterward you would just give me weird looks and shake your head.
• Sorry- I don't make the rules and I did not make me- I just report the facts.
• I won't show you but I have a picture of us together. She is beautiful and we even look good together but gag- what a freak show she was.
• Dol Gen brand coffee is pretty OK for the price.
• On 04/26/2015 I wrote in my notebook," Today I had chicken and waffles for the first time ever. The are good together in the way sweet and salty things are good together but they are not chocolate and peanut butter good together."
• Chocolate and peanut butter together is one of things things if you took it and all memory of it away this very instant- within 24 hours somebody would stumble across the combination and change the world forever.
• Do you like cordial cherries? I do and always have. When I was a kid I could eat them until sick.
• When I was a young lad serving in the US Army's fabled  First Cavalry Division there was a guy named Seaboldt and one name Rainboldt in my company's mortar platoon. I did not know any of the other mortarmen in my company but them. Rainboldt was a very good friend and I disliked Seaboldt. 
• To me as I write this (on 02/17/2017) the most interesting thing about Russia's likely tampering with our last election is how it caught us with our pants down. I promise you politicians and our official thinkers laid awake at night thinking about ways to keep Russia from hacking intel., how to keep the war in Ukraine contained, how to prevent a hostile interaction between our navy's in contested waters etc. but there was never a time time the smartest guy in the room said, Hey, how do we keep them from interfering with our elections...? or if he ever did stand up and say something like that he was not taken seriously.
• Amen