No blogging for me today at all

Fortunately my wife *is* letting me read my blogroll this morning with my coffee.

Apparently there is a strange event called an "Anniversary" she keeps griping at me about that takes place today and tommorow which requires me undivided attention.........

Cool pics - but the panorama is the most fun ;-) Hehe ... I love where the creator placed the copyright!

The info on the Von Trapp family is great - fills in the gaps left by the movie.

Well you know: If she's happy, everyone under your roof is happy.

Heh. I didn't realize most people didn't know that about Capt. Von Trapp. Of course, my mother bought me "The Trapp Family Singers", which is the book Maria Von Trapp wrote that inspired the musical and the movie. I always thought that was such an interesting part of the story.... That's actually what killed him. Lung cancer from the sub years...

John was right on both counts- bayonet and catch. Well done... note the very artistic 'soft focus' in the pic; takes years of practice to achieve that effect [clears throat and looks away] heh

...those Soviets were purt dang subtle with their markings...

Oh yeah Neff - a low ASA, with a wide f/stop would do the Artsy Snappy Trick.

Good Job Mr. Shutterbug

I've been getting those interesting "Christian Debt Relief", Christian dating, Christian credit cards, etc, etc, etc

Kind of laughed and wondered if that meant they wouldn't charge me interest for the loans and if I would have a chaperone

I've been getting those interesting "Christian Debt Relief", Christian dating, Christian credit cards, etc, etc, etc

Kind of laughed and wondered if that meant they wouldn't charge me interest for the loans and if I would have a chaperone

I hold in my hands at this very moment, my copy of "Enjoy Your Recorder" by the Trapp Family Singers, aka (mostly) Maria Trapp. As my lower front teeth rot away at high speed and I give up any ambition ever to play the clarinet again, or (my first love, the euphonium) I think of what a wonderful woman she was, and how that movie, well, *distorted* that family. I think I recall that Maria's hubby was a rather badass submarine commander, who couldn't abide Nazis. So they left, and came over here, and Maria wrote a method for learning to play a musical instrument which is the beau ideal, the perfect example, of a book about how to teach yerself to play a musical instrument.

Argghhh!

A bolt from the blue just struck the family.

My middle son, Matt, age 20, has announced that he has volunteered for the Marines.

Scottish Kate, my wife, is devestated.

I'm so proud I could bust a button. Also scared as shit.

Any Marines out there?

Email me.

-N. O'Brain

I'm not a Marine, but I'll share your pride.

Scottish Kate, well, she's a Mom, yes?

Pass on to Matt - my welcome to the Brotherhood.

If you don't blog... feel free to share Matt's adventures with us!

O'Brian: please do pass on how the son does. We'll all pray for him(or send positive energy what have you) either way.
Bloodspite: Congrats. How long you been imprisoned(oops), I mean married?
Books:
Stuff that looked interesting from watching c-span2 today. 'Not a Good Day to Die'--a crit about Operation Anaconda. 'How to prevent surpise attacks'-a legalistic/polemic book by Judge Richard Posner.
Random: Damn, SWWBO's eighties music quiz is kinda hard. I can recognize artist and song, but about a third of the time I can't remember what word completes the lyric. Worth a try for the polymaths.

Ry: Been together 3 years, married 1 of them , and she hasn't slit my throat and left me for dead in a ditch yet ;D

And not one of you wusses even tried on the bayonet. Sheesh. Pansies.

Oh - and congrats, Bloodspite! Take 'em as they come!

O'Brain - We would very much like to hear from you on your son's experiences ... We would love to help you cheer him on, and send positive vibes his way wherever his service leads him.

Fellow denizen Sgt B of The Gun Line served as a Marine.
Also, check out the blogroll at Chaotic Synaptic Activity, retired Navy. He sorts his bloglist by service - there are many Marine (see "Grunt") blog sites.

Bloodspite: Yeah, it's always a miracle when they don't go zonkers over our stupidity(read as: doing stuff like our hobbies--looks at photo of John's bayonetted hand). Congrats again. Many happy returns!

Geez, I bayonetted my knuckle!

The palm was a garden variety kitchen-knife stabbing which the Brit Medical Community is determined to stamp out by allowing only medical bandage scissors!

Heh. At least your father got to shoot the guy that bayonetted him.

Well, I'm still young. I might yet, the way I'm going, shoot the guy who bayonetted me!

And for you non-participating wimps... even though I'd never seen one before, I managed to figure out it was a Danish M1854 bayonet, with Kyhl's locking latch.

Shoot, I at least expected Sanger to give it a go!

Good job, John. Made in Germany and issued to the rebellious forces in Schleswig-Holstein... Germany was fomenting trouble and attempting to relieve Denmark of the responsibility for these province-states.