Estimated reading time: 2 minutes
For the first post of 2024 on this humble blog; I want to wish all my many friends, family, readers, and other supporters a very happy new year of 2024!
Follow me below the fold for some uplifting and entirely appropriate music for this brave new year. Along with the obligatory commentary and musings on the year that was.
Estimated reading time: 19 minutes
Between my former Navy career and present consulting career I’ve met, worked with, even lived with, a lot of different people. New people constantly cycle into my world, then cycle back out due to forces and decisions not under my control.
On the positive, I’ve had the great pleasure of meeting people whom I never would have known through social activities. On the negative, I’ve been forced to deal with some truly horrible people.
More than horrible, I’ve been thrown into dealing with actual monsters living among us. People who from the outside seemed like normally decent human beings, but scratching their skin revealed a creature totally devoid of soul. One of these monsters was a seemingly decent family-man with a wife and three lovely daughters. Dealing with him threw me into one of the ugliest situations I’ve ever been involved in.
Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
So, it’s coming up on that time of year again. The time of year when people are supposed to be just a little bit nicer to each other. A time when magic is in the air and miracles happen. Yes, it’s coming up on Christmas time, again.
And I’m struggling to feel the magic. Again.
Estimated reading time: 8 minutes
I’ve been catching back up on my daily grind this past week after returning from a vacation. For our latest adventure, Winnie and I did something entirely new – for us. After months of planning and anticipation, Winnie and I took our first vacation cruise a couple of weeks ago.
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
My last Navy sea tour, on the Aegis Cruiser USS Port Royal (CG 73), from February 1994 to April 1996, homeported in Hawaii, was a bittersweet time. On one hand, I was winding down my Navy career so things like evaluations and career development didn’t mean anything. On the other hand, I ran a division of eighteen people, each of whom were smart and creative. Each in their own way.
So, one of my challenges as the division was to encourage my people’s creativity while simultaneously preventing them from doing anything seriously stupid. At times, this proved to be very challenging.
Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
Over the past months I’ve started to hang out on the social media network “Nextdoor.” I like this media as it keeps me hooked into local events, news, and neighborhood issues. But yesterday I discovered that this media, too, is not immune from the gun-toting crazies I colloquially term “ammosexuals.”
This discovery resulted from a post-turned “discussion thread” on the pros and cons of people packing loaded guns in our county parks. My piece of the discussion did not go well. Since working through that discussion, I’ve thought of a modest proposal on guns. A proposal that might actually satisfy gun-crazy ammosexuals and still keep us non-gun-crazy people safe from them.
Estimated reading time: 13 minutes
If you own one or more kayaks, eventually you’ll need to do some amount of cleaning and maintenance. I’ve found it’s a lot easier to work on my kayaks if they’re at chest height. So, a work stand becomes a useful kayak accessory.
I needed a work stand specifically suited for inflatable kayaks. Most commercial stands are two-piece units which are ideal for hard shells. Inflatables, not so much, as the kayak sags in the middle without proper support. I decided to design and build my own work stand.
Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
While perusing my favorite social media – Quora – I stumbled upon a question that triggered an immediate flashback. The question was “Have you ever had a neighbor who believed they had free reign of your property?” The question brought back painful memories of a nasty feud with my first neighbors while living in Southern Mississippi.
That feud lasted five years. By the time it was over I had charged the neighbors with misdemeanor trespassing and made several calls to our local police. It was the ugliest neighbor conflict I’d ever had, up until then. But it turned out to be only a prequel to an even worse feud.
Estimated reading time: 19 minutes
Sea Eagle brand inflatable kayaks are among the most popular recreational kayaks in America. I’ve owned a Sea Eagle model 370 sports kayak for ten years and decided it’s time I post a review.
The model 370 is essentially the same as the model 330. I have also owned a 330, and although this review is on the 370, most of what I write also applies to the 330.
Thoughts on Veterans Day 2023
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
Today is the one day each year America nominally gives thanks to military veterans, past and present. On this day lots of important people make a point of taking a few minutes out of their self-professed busy schedules to say something nice about veterans. Some important people will even go to a nearby military cemetery and lay a wreath on someone’s gravesite.
Meanwhile, restaurants across this great nation offer “special” free meals as their special thank you. For this one important day of remembrance. I guess it’s something.
I have some more thoughts on Veterans Day 2023.
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