Monday's Missives

I missed this picture- Sammy was soooo mad at me he was gouch eyed- as you can plainly see.

• Specialist E-4 is the best rank in the US Army- you've got the time in service and E grades to make more money, you've been in long enough to be good at what you do meaning less stress and more recognition, some responsibility, but really not a crushing amount and there are plenty of people above you to soak up any heat and you've been in long enough to figure out how to get out of the bad duties. Even the specialist rank which looks like a shield is called the sham shield.
• Recently watched Manhattan AZ. I had forgotten how good that show was and good really is the best descriptor I can think of- it was never great, but every episode was pretty good and had its moments. It's a shame it only lasted one season it really had two or three in it. You may remember every episode ended with one of the actors giving a brief monologue related to the episode then ended with them saying, "Because I'm in television and we know better than you."
• Remember now don't you?
• People who have quit smoking fairly often report constipation as a side effect. Some people think it's psychological- my bet is it actually is physiological. Anyway, small price to pay in my book.
• I love my new Beemer. Oddly, it smells just like my Benz did as strange as that sounds. It's probably the leather which would make sense I suppose if it was treated the same way and especially if it came from the same source. It is a very fast car and is just as comfortable at 100 mph as at 50.