We're the Military and Airpower Guys of Jonah Goldberg of National Review Online + a stray we found wandering around looking lost. All original material JHD, BHD, JR, WT, and KA 2003-2007 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/06/meanwhile_the_s.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 13:00:50 Z Movable Type 4.12 en Copyright 2008 http://www.rssboard.org/rss-specification ...although you were probably unaware of it, since my ISP kept spitting me offline the last time I was here [click/save] before I was quick enough to [click/save] preserve the news. Well, Kate the LudditeWife finally dozed off and stopped hollering "Get off that %$#@! computer and get a job! I don't care *where* you go -- just find a job!" for reasons which I will reveal after keeping both of you reading this on tenterhooks for the nonce. Daytime (starting around 3:45am, when Gaby, the Scruple-In-Training, awakens and starts squawking for company) has been the usual round of roofing... http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/06/meanwhile_the_s.html http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/06/meanwhile_the_s.html Mon, 11 Jun 2007 02:26:29 -0600 I was a wondering what had happened to SugarButtons' Cuddly Wuddlyness. Congratulations on the job and I echo JTG's admonitions. Keep in touch. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/06/meanwhile_the_s.html#comment-61059 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/06/meanwhile_the_s.html#comment-61059 Tue, 12 Jun 2007 09:48:28 -0600 You've seen the size of my hands and you're asking if I need those winter-weight dainties? Heh! Heh squared! Forget the Loc-tite -- send an arc welding kit. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/06/meanwhile_the_s.html#comment-61054 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/06/meanwhile_the_s.html#comment-61054 Tue, 12 Jun 2007 01:37:08 -0600 So, you, ah, need those gloves back, Chief? ;-) I'll send you a tube of Loc-tite for the Jesus nut ... http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/06/meanwhile_the_s.html#comment-61050 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/06/meanwhile_the_s.html#comment-61050 Mon, 11 Jun 2007 20:35:02 -0600 Good things do happen to good people, something I needed to hear. Congrats, Chief. This should be interesting to say the least. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/06/meanwhile_the_s.html#comment-61049 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/06/meanwhile_the_s.html#comment-61049 Mon, 11 Jun 2007 18:48:49 -0600 Congrats Bill, give em hell and don't forget to duck! http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/06/meanwhile_the_s.html#comment-61048 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/06/meanwhile_the_s.html#comment-61048 Mon, 11 Jun 2007 18:27:53 -0600 Depends on *how* personal the observation was and which of your personae was doing the observing... http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/06/meanwhile_the_s.html#comment-61047 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/06/meanwhile_the_s.html#comment-61047 Mon, 11 Jun 2007 17:41:30 -0600 Not sure how to rephrase that, Chief. How 'bout "personal observation" instead of experience? http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/06/meanwhile_the_s.html#comment-61040 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/06/meanwhile_the_s.html#comment-61040 Mon, 11 Jun 2007 13:06:18 -0600 Heh. We'll keep yer tab open - for the same reason you should borrow from the Chief Wrench-Turner. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/06/meanwhile_the_s.html#comment-61037 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/06/meanwhile_the_s.html#comment-61037 Mon, 11 Jun 2007 11:52:30 -0600 I just know from personal experience that once you get to be 50... Ummmmm -- methinks that needs rephrasing, Twin... Where did I go wrong? Carb, ol' bubba, you should've convinced Father Chiara that I was a perfect candidate for the Trappists instead of nattering on about the Jesuits and logic. Could this be any more perfect for you? Well, it could be someplace that didn't qualify as a hostile fire pay region, Mags -- but I figure that'll be offset by some new TINS episodes (along with the backlog of stuff I haven't posted yet)... 'Bout time you earned your keep here! Want me to settle my bar tab before I split, or should I hit the in-country ironmongery for some handmade stuff instead? Don't know whether to be relieved or worried, though. Still dealing with that Blogger Anguish, kidlet? *gah-rinnnn* ...everybody who works on any ancient machine you fly is an obsessive autistic perfectionist. I'll be happy with somebody neurotic over tool-accountability. Kinda ruins your whole day if you miss that #2 Phillips stuck under the collective bellcrank during preflight...]]> http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/06/meanwhile_the_s.html#comment-61033 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/06/meanwhile_the_s.html#comment-61033 Mon, 11 Jun 2007 11:15:37 -0600 No. No. NOOOOOOOOOOOO! They PROMISED me! All that careful sabotage ... I mean pre-filtering of email, the letters that got chewed up in the Post Office machinery, the mis-routed voice mail--all for nothing? And let me guess--you AREN'T going to be teaching the young whippersnappers how to do airdrops of stuffed toys at local county fairs in peaceful, bucolic countries. Ha. Now there's a whole squad of GAs that have no [profanity redacted] idea what's going to hit them. The Tuttle virus will spread! Oh well, at least I'll have company in the therapy sessions now. Where did I go wrong? [Sound of muffled angelic weeping] http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/06/meanwhile_the_s.html#comment-61031 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/06/meanwhile_the_s.html#comment-61031 Mon, 11 Jun 2007 09:43:23 -0600 HEY NOW! I also pointed out many of your finer qualities. Like "how to treat a woman", and "how to keep your GA's out of the unemployment line", and "you should write a book", and many others. I just know from personal experience that once you get to be 50, it's hard as HELL to get anyone to give you half a chance at a job you're more than qualified for. I just don't get it. It's a plague that's affected some very important people in my life- my Dad, you, and 1SG Keith. It sucks ass. You think it's hard to get a job as a 30 y/o without a college degree? Try getting one as a 50 y/o- with or WITHOUT a degree. It's truly mind-boggling. That being said... YAYAAYAYAYAYYAYAYAYAYAY FOR YOU, SUGARBUTTONS! You've got a REAL "brigade" now!!! Have fun, hon. You'll do GREAT. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/06/meanwhile_the_s.html#comment-61029 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/06/meanwhile_the_s.html#comment-61029 Mon, 11 Jun 2007 09:28:23 -0600 Who needs new tricks, eh you Old Dog?! Congrats, Bill, and I hope you enjoy the briar patch! http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/06/meanwhile_the_s.html#comment-61024 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/06/meanwhile_the_s.html#comment-61024 Mon, 11 Jun 2007 09:14:01 -0600 Congratulations! Is your contractor going to cough up for an HGU-56/P, or are you attacehd to the SPH-4? http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/06/meanwhile_the_s.html#comment-61023 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/06/meanwhile_the_s.html#comment-61023 Mon, 11 Jun 2007 09:09:22 -0600 Congratulations! Could this be any more perfect for you? I laughed at the briar patch reference becuase it so totally fits the situation. I am so very pleased and excited for you. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/06/meanwhile_the_s.html#comment-61022 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/06/meanwhile_the_s.html#comment-61022 Mon, 11 Jun 2007 09:04:39 -0600 Yay! We missed you, Bill ... good to see you around these parts :-) Glad to hear you're going to fly and teach young whippersnappers how to do stuff. They'd better appreciate you right and proper, ya hear? Or the SB Brigade will give 'em what for! http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/06/meanwhile_the_s.html#comment-61020 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/06/meanwhile_the_s.html#comment-61020 Mon, 11 Jun 2007 08:45:31 -0600 BillT - Borrow money from the head mechanic (great survival tool in the contractor world) Seriously - You will have some young maintainers who liked working on aircraft, but not military life, so they left for the big contractor world. However, most, if not all, of the maintenance supervisors will be retirees, like us, so that should boost your confidence. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/06/meanwhile_the_s.html#comment-61019 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/06/meanwhile_the_s.html#comment-61019 Mon, 11 Jun 2007 08:44:50 -0600 Congratulations, Bill! Don't know whether to be relieved or worried, though. :) Nah, mostly relieved and happy for you... *hugs* http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/06/meanwhile_the_s.html#comment-61015 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/06/meanwhile_the_s.html#comment-61015 Mon, 11 Jun 2007 06:47:14 -0600 'Bout time you earned your keep here! 8^ ) I'll tell BCR to work her magic with the GA's. They prolly need to recruit some... http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/06/meanwhile_the_s.html#comment-61014 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/06/meanwhile_the_s.html#comment-61014 Mon, 11 Jun 2007 06:11:04 -0600 Good man. I hope the gig works out. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/06/meanwhile_the_s.html#comment-61012 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/06/meanwhile_the_s.html#comment-61012 Mon, 11 Jun 2007 02:53:14 -0600 No, really, glad to see that you're still willing, as the song has it, but please promise us that you do the walkaround preflight inspection with a very cynical grumpy jaundiced suspicious eye before you get into any ancient flying machines. Yeah, and I'm talking intrusive SAC-level psycho evaluations on the last guy who turned a wrench on the thing. If you insist on doing this, my earnest prayer is that everybody who works on any ancient machine you fly is an obsessive autistic perfectionist. Who likes you, and thinks that you are kewel. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/06/meanwhile_the_s.html#comment-61011 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/06/meanwhile_the_s.html#comment-61011 Mon, 11 Jun 2007 02:22:35 -0600 Long as the power train and armament are *reasonably* intact, everything else is cosmetic. Ummmm -- with the possible exception of the #2 hydraulic system... http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/06/meanwhile_the_s.html#comment-61010 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/06/meanwhile_the_s.html#comment-61010 Mon, 11 Jun 2007 02:02:06 -0600 I quote The Lord: "Carborundum! Look alive, there! Wake up you sleepyhead! that fool Bill is up to no good, agin! You git yer ass in gear, and get yer gear on yer ass and go look out for him while I have a little talk with Bill! http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/06/meanwhile_the_s.html#comment-61009 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/06/meanwhile_the_s.html#comment-61009 Mon, 11 Jun 2007 01:59:02 -0600 Gee, should we start sending you boxes of 100 Mile an hour tape now or later? Bondo maybe? ;) I've seen what some of those Cobra's are patched together with.....at least the Navy AH-1W back in the 80's *shudder* http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/06/meanwhile_the_s.html#comment-61008 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/06/meanwhile_the_s.html#comment-61008 Mon, 11 Jun 2007 01:46:03 -0600