Memorial Day reading

Over the weekend, the Wall Street Journal's opinionjournal.com featured James Webb's five favorite books on the military. I was shocked to find a long-time favorite of mine, Anton Myrer's Once An Eagle at the top of his list, with Bernard Fall's Hell In A Very Small Place second, because these are two of my favorite books on the broad topic of the military as well. I personally would have picked Tuchman's Stilwell and the American Experience in China in place of her Guns of August at #5, but then Mr. Webb is an Annapolis graduate and a combat veteran; I defer to his superior education and experience. Check out the list (I'm awfully fond of #4, which my decidedly unmilitary aunt Pat loaned to me when I was young and impressionable) and read them all.

Memorial Day reading

Over the weekend, the Wall Street Journal's opinionjournal.com featured James Webb's five favorite books on the military. I was shocked to find a long-time favorite of mine, Anton Myrer's Once An Eagle at the top of his list, with Bernard Fall's Hell In A Very Small Place second, because these are two of my favorite books on the broad topic of the military as well. I personally would have picked Tuchman's Stilwell and the American Experience in China in place of her Guns of August at #5, but then Mr. Webb is an Annapolis graduate and a combat veteran; I defer to his superior education and experience. Check out the list (I'm awfully fond of #4, which my decidedly unmilitary aunt Pat loaned to me when I was young and impressionable) and read them all.

Our friends the pig and steer

Yesterday was largely spent socializing with tatsmaru, stuckintraffik, phoenixalpha, and about a dozen other folks -mostly from Detour; I think Jaffer & Amanda were the only two non-staff peeps there - hanging out, watching AMVs, eating, drinking and generally enjoying each others' company. I missed out on the Apples to Apples game, but that was okay, there'll be others.

I and mine got there a little later than we originally meant to since one of the things I had to do was order a new set of sunglasses at Lenscrafters. I was pleasantly surprised to find that they had the lenses on hand, so P and I decided to hang out and wait the hour it would take for them to slap the new pair together. This we did mostly by hiking down to the Bose store and drooling over the hi-tech audio gear.
( Modern audio technology rocks )

So. Today's going to be appallingly dead at the Evil Banking Neighbor. I expect I'll get some work done on the novel, or at least its background, before heading home.

Our friends the pig and steer

Yesterday was largely spent socializing with tatsmaru, stuckintraffik, phoenixalpha, and about a dozen other folks -mostly from Detour; I think Jaffer & Amanda were the only two non-staff peeps there - hanging out, watching AMVs, eating, drinking and generally enjoying each others' company. I missed out on the Apples to Apples game, but that was okay, there'll be others.

I and mine got there a little later than we originally meant to since one of the things I had to do was order a new set of sunglasses at Lenscrafters. I was pleasantly surprised to find that they had the lenses on hand, so P and I decided to hang out and wait the hour it would take for them to slap the new pair together. This we did mostly by hiking down to the Bose store and drooling over the hi-tech audio gear.
( Modern audio technology rocks )

So. Today's going to be appallingly dead at the Evil Banking Neighbor. I expect I'll get some work done on the novel, or at least its background, before heading home.

All gave some - some gave all.

It's a couple of months before the Battle of Gettyburg's anniversary, but on Memorial Day it's right and just that we remember what price some Minnesotans paid for freedom and the Union back in the day. Power Line has an excellent post on the legendary deeds of the First Minnesota at Gettysburg. Also, check this Pioneer Press article on remembrance ceremonies at Lakewood Cemetery in Minneapolis.

Mitch Berg asks us to recall the men of the USS Swordfish, which went out on patrol to the waters about Okinawa one day in 1945 and never came home to harbor. There's a memorial to the lost submarine in St. Paul's Como Park.

All gave some - some gave all.

It's a couple of months before the Battle of Gettyburg's anniversary, but on Memorial Day it's right and just that we remember what price some Minnesotans paid for freedom and the Union back in the day. Power Line has an excellent post on the legendary deeds of the First Minnesota at Gettysburg. Also, check this Pioneer Press article on remembrance ceremonies at Lakewood Cemetery in Minneapolis.

Mitch Berg asks us to recall the men of the USS Swordfish, which went out on patrol to the waters about Okinawa one day in 1945 and never came home to harbor. There's a memorial to the lost submarine in St. Paul's Como Park.

Somewhere Kurt Cobain is groaning.

Filling the gap left by the semi-retirement of Richard Cheese, here's a cover of "Smells Like Teen Spirit" performed by the Ukelele Orchestra of Great Britain.

Via Good Morning Silicon Valley.

Somewhere Kurt Cobain is groaning.

Filling the gap left by the semi-retirement of Richard Cheese, here's a cover of "Smells Like Teen Spirit" performed by the Ukelele Orchestra of Great Britain.

Via Good Morning Silicon Valley.