source.Been there, done that, got the t-shirt, bumper sticker, and new set of cammies, afterward. Didn't find it humerous at the time, if I recall, but it sure puts a smile on my face, nowadays...
Showing posts with label Pics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pics. Show all posts
Monday, March 22, 2010
It's Been That Kind Of Day
source.Been there, done that, got the t-shirt, bumper sticker, and new set of cammies, afterward. Didn't find it humerous at the time, if I recall, but it sure puts a smile on my face, nowadays...
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Feliz cumpleaños, Salma!
1) Nod to Bobby G for the pic, and it's a nice one!
2) You better believe I knew what day it was!
3) *sigh*
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
I Shouldda Stayed In...
Hmmm,
Looking at the picture above, what is your first thought?
1) Oh, cool. You can see the mortar round just leaving the tube!
2) (sucking at teeth in a decidedly Senior Staff NCO fashion) where in the &#*@ is their $@&-$^%%!@ kevlar helmets!?
Yeah, me too.
For that and many more cool military pics, go over heah.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Saturday, February 21, 2009
So, got a call the other day, whilest I was fast asleep.
It was from Baby Sis, and My Love picked up the phone.
Know how you can be kinda-sorta asleep, aware enough to register familiar noises but not really be disturbed by them? Yeah, well this nap was not to be. I could tell almost immediately that My Love was going into comfort-mode, and that Baby Sis was crying. A few seconds more was enough to tell me that it wasn't due to a recent break-up or anything, but due to a 'death in the family'.
Shit.
When I was told that it was that Lazy Bum had died, my thoughts were roughly;
1) Thank God.
2) Er, that didn't sound right...
3)... thank God that it was just one of the cats.
4) Guess I can't really claim to be all that much of a cat person now, huh.
As nap time was pretty much kaput, I threw on some shoes and moseyed on over to Mom's house. Mom was kind of upset, completely understandable due to the fact that she's a stereotypical cat-lady and that this was one of 'Dad's cats'. Lazy Bum was everybodys cat, really, largely due to the fact that he was so dang lazy anyone could pick him up and pet him. Heck, he wouldn't even get outta the way of the over-amorous toy-poodle that Mom dotes on. But he and Dad used to cuddle on the couch, so...
So Mom and I hung out a bit, enough to establish that she'd be ok, more or less. We talked a bit about Dad, all of her 'beasties- those that have died and those that are still roaming around- and that she wanted to bury the cat in the back yard, mebbe plant a tree in a bit. I volunteered to dig the hole with Mom's 2ft shovel and reminisced about good times with an e-tool. Eventually got a little bit of a chuckle out of Mom, telling her about the days in the Corps when a young PFC Murphy had to complete his e-tool qualification, so that was good.
Meh, the whole time that Mom and I were talking, her mother was just sitting on the couch, with an odd expression on her face. See, to her, cats were for killing mice in the barn, and not really much else after that. She was trying to understand, you could see it on her face, but it just wasn't quite working. Guess Gramma definitely fits into the dog-person type.
So, here's to you, Lazy Bum, may the mousies run slow, the milk pour just right, and all the poodles find someone else to bother. Say 'Lo to Dad for me...
It was from Baby Sis, and My Love picked up the phone.
Know how you can be kinda-sorta asleep, aware enough to register familiar noises but not really be disturbed by them? Yeah, well this nap was not to be. I could tell almost immediately that My Love was going into comfort-mode, and that Baby Sis was crying. A few seconds more was enough to tell me that it wasn't due to a recent break-up or anything, but due to a 'death in the family'.
Shit.
When I was told that it was that Lazy Bum had died, my thoughts were roughly;
1) Thank God.
2) Er, that didn't sound right...
3)... thank God that it was just one of the cats.
4) Guess I can't really claim to be all that much of a cat person now, huh.
As nap time was pretty much kaput, I threw on some shoes and moseyed on over to Mom's house. Mom was kind of upset, completely understandable due to the fact that she's a stereotypical cat-lady and that this was one of 'Dad's cats'. Lazy Bum was everybodys cat, really, largely due to the fact that he was so dang lazy anyone could pick him up and pet him. Heck, he wouldn't even get outta the way of the over-amorous toy-poodle that Mom dotes on. But he and Dad used to cuddle on the couch, so...
So Mom and I hung out a bit, enough to establish that she'd be ok, more or less. We talked a bit about Dad, all of her 'beasties- those that have died and those that are still roaming around- and that she wanted to bury the cat in the back yard, mebbe plant a tree in a bit. I volunteered to dig the hole with Mom's 2ft shovel and reminisced about good times with an e-tool. Eventually got a little bit of a chuckle out of Mom, telling her about the days in the Corps when a young PFC Murphy had to complete his e-tool qualification, so that was good.
Meh, the whole time that Mom and I were talking, her mother was just sitting on the couch, with an odd expression on her face. See, to her, cats were for killing mice in the barn, and not really much else after that. She was trying to understand, you could see it on her face, but it just wasn't quite working. Guess Gramma definitely fits into the dog-person type.
So, here's to you, Lazy Bum, may the mousies run slow, the milk pour just right, and all the poodles find someone else to bother. Say 'Lo to Dad for me...
Friday, February 13, 2009
Fire In The... Hole?
Way back in the day, probably similar nowadays, there were a number of ways to identify, off-base, if a guy was a devil-pup. An involuntary, momentary brain-lock upon being addressed in Marine-jargon was most likely a hold-over to recruit days, or those from the School of Infantry, when every Marine was in trouble at one point or another, would be a good sign. Likewise, a subtle shifting to the position of parade rest when addressed by a senior Marine was another. These signals were abandoned as soon as possible by the new Marine, so you couldn't always rely on those to ID who was in SOI or a recent grad.
Another, really easy way to spot an SOI libo Marine, besides the presence of the war-bag ((BOOOT!!!)), would of course be the moto-Ts. Motivational T-shirts were usually decorated with at least 17.5 symbols of the Marine Corps and/or nekkid ladies, death, big ta-tas, weapons, frisky females, other service disparagement, and finally & for a bit of variety, nekkid ladies.
Truly, high fashion it was.
Inevitably, moto-Ts were destined to fall out of favor with most Marines on libo, either due to the 'appropriate civilian attire' requirements that couldn't be wriggled out of, or just plain better fashion sense, as the Marine grew up a bit. This wasn't to imply that the Marine stopped getting moto Ts; oh no, we did, we just stopped wearing them so often on libo. Heh, one somewhat memorable pre-liberty soliloquy that I remember from one of my First Sergeants was the speech, shortly after threatening the well-being of any Marine that found himself in the local pokey at the end of liberty, was the part where he spoke of proper liberty attire. He always said something along the lines of, '... closed toed footwear, no exceptions. Trousers, and if it has loops, a belt, no exceptions. A collared shirt, no exceptions. NO motivational T-shirts, no exceptions. Now, I can't control what you wear out and about in town, but when you leave my area and exit my gate, you will most definitely not be wearing any t-shirt that says something along the lines of,
I never actually saw any moto T that had this (or would that be a DE-motivational T?) on it, but then again every time the First Sergeant said it, I know there were a few Marines fantasizing about making one up, just for him...
One important exception to the moto-T rule was, of course, the company T. Every so often, usually during or after a float (deployment on ship), school, combat deployment, or as desired, a unit would come out with a T-shirt. Said shirt would have as its primary color camo green and would usually have a small unit logo on the front and a somewhat larger decoration regarding the units activities on the back. The T would often find its way into the rotation of wear under the cammies, where few would see it. The absence of nekkidness on the T would even make it ok for the odd boots and utes PT, depending on the command, of course.
I have found, now nearly 4 years (!?!) after getting out, that most of my old moto-Ts are getting back into my wear-rotation. Might be a shocker to hear, but I don't get out to the bars nearly as often (or at all, really) as I did before, so the Ts are nearly always worn during my puttering about the house, landscaping, during my 'runs', and whatnot. Some are so frayed and 'holy' that puttering about is about all they're fit for.
Moto-Ts have also become something of the 'easy gift' for My Love. One day she ran into this website, and it quickly became a go-to place for gifts, for me. It's a website devoted to not only the moto-T (and they have come a long way), but bumper-stickers, coins, flags, patches, rank items, and just about everything you could slap an Eagle, Globe, and Anchor on. As I am in danger of entering into 'crusty old bastard' Marine status, even the stuff that was in fashion, then not, and now again is good to go, for me. They send us a nice catalogue every month or so, and apparently the models they use are actual Marines, their wives, girlfriends, and kiddos.
Methinks the inclusion of the ladies cuts down quite a bit on the 'nekkidness' of some of the old stuff that I remember. Sure it's still out there, just not so much from this company.
Anyways, I got the most recent catalogue the other day, and pretty much as soon as I opened it, I saw something... interesting.
Now, I really hope that this is something for the ladies...
I really hope that this example is not in fact 'man-panties' that are now standard issue...
And mebbe it's just me, but 'fire in the hole' is not something that should be used on a pair of panties, man or otherwise. Seeing the phrase, 'fire in the hole' just makes me think that if a Marine were to take 'the li'l General' out for a little 'close order drill' with a 'training buddy' that had 'fire in the hole' on their panties, well, said Marine might have to later 'get his bore punched'.
Any Marine can tell you that 'getting ones bore punched' is never, ever, ever a good thing, probably because that big beefy Doc remembers every crack you ever made about his beloved Navy...
One slightly chuckle-worthy item aside, they are otherwise good-to-go and officially Murphy-approved, as dubious as a distinction as that is...
Another, really easy way to spot an SOI libo Marine, besides the presence of the war-bag ((BOOOT!!!)), would of course be the moto-Ts. Motivational T-shirts were usually decorated with at least 17.5 symbols of the Marine Corps and/or nekkid ladies, death, big ta-tas, weapons, frisky females, other service disparagement, and finally & for a bit of variety, nekkid ladies.
Truly, high fashion it was.
Inevitably, moto-Ts were destined to fall out of favor with most Marines on libo, either due to the 'appropriate civilian attire' requirements that couldn't be wriggled out of, or just plain better fashion sense, as the Marine grew up a bit. This wasn't to imply that the Marine stopped getting moto Ts; oh no, we did, we just stopped wearing them so often on libo. Heh, one somewhat memorable pre-liberty soliloquy that I remember from one of my First Sergeants was the speech, shortly after threatening the well-being of any Marine that found himself in the local pokey at the end of liberty, was the part where he spoke of proper liberty attire. He always said something along the lines of, '... closed toed footwear, no exceptions. Trousers, and if it has loops, a belt, no exceptions. A collared shirt, no exceptions. NO motivational T-shirts, no exceptions. Now, I can't control what you wear out and about in town, but when you leave my area and exit my gate, you will most definitely not be wearing any t-shirt that says something along the lines of,
Eat the
and fuck the
I never actually saw any moto T that had this (or would that be a DE-motivational T?) on it, but then again every time the First Sergeant said it, I know there were a few Marines fantasizing about making one up, just for him...
One important exception to the moto-T rule was, of course, the company T. Every so often, usually during or after a float (deployment on ship), school, combat deployment, or as desired, a unit would come out with a T-shirt. Said shirt would have as its primary color camo green and would usually have a small unit logo on the front and a somewhat larger decoration regarding the units activities on the back. The T would often find its way into the rotation of wear under the cammies, where few would see it. The absence of nekkidness on the T would even make it ok for the odd boots and utes PT, depending on the command, of course.
I have found, now nearly 4 years (!?!) after getting out, that most of my old moto-Ts are getting back into my wear-rotation. Might be a shocker to hear, but I don't get out to the bars nearly as often (or at all, really) as I did before, so the Ts are nearly always worn during my puttering about the house, landscaping, during my 'runs', and whatnot. Some are so frayed and 'holy' that puttering about is about all they're fit for.
Moto-Ts have also become something of the 'easy gift' for My Love. One day she ran into this website, and it quickly became a go-to place for gifts, for me. It's a website devoted to not only the moto-T (and they have come a long way), but bumper-stickers, coins, flags, patches, rank items, and just about everything you could slap an Eagle, Globe, and Anchor on. As I am in danger of entering into 'crusty old bastard' Marine status, even the stuff that was in fashion, then not, and now again is good to go, for me. They send us a nice catalogue every month or so, and apparently the models they use are actual Marines, their wives, girlfriends, and kiddos.
Methinks the inclusion of the ladies cuts down quite a bit on the 'nekkidness' of some of the old stuff that I remember. Sure it's still out there, just not so much from this company.
Anyways, I got the most recent catalogue the other day, and pretty much as soon as I opened it, I saw something... interesting.
Now, I really hope that this is something for the ladies...
I really hope that this example is not in fact 'man-panties' that are now standard issue...
And mebbe it's just me, but 'fire in the hole' is not something that should be used on a pair of panties, man or otherwise. Seeing the phrase, 'fire in the hole' just makes me think that if a Marine were to take 'the li'l General' out for a little 'close order drill' with a 'training buddy' that had 'fire in the hole' on their panties, well, said Marine might have to later 'get his bore punched'.
Any Marine can tell you that 'getting ones bore punched' is never, ever, ever a good thing, probably because that big beefy Doc remembers every crack you ever made about his beloved Navy...
One slightly chuckle-worthy item aside, they are otherwise good-to-go and officially Murphy-approved, as dubious as a distinction as that is...
Friday, December 19, 2008
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
'Mam-ries'
Best thing about this pic.... is wondering about the poor bastard is who got issued this guy's 'secondary' mask next...I was reminded about the gas chamber, of all things, while I was at the reception this weekend.
Work with me here, this is just the way my noggin' works...
The very first thing you do when you get your mask is test it. Sure, it's been inspected... right-o, that's nice n' all, but I like to make sure. You do this by pulling it out from the mask carrier and place the mask up to your face. That's test no 1. No use going further if you have a size XXL mug and a XXS mask. Helps if you can actually see through the eye lenses, as well. Uh... if it's new (to you), might want to check for lingering CS fumes and/or puke (bonus).
Then you go about the process of pulling the restraining straps over to the back of your head (test no. b). Imagine the suckage if you were to get to the chamber with the requisite NBC instructor crazy-as-hell (from years of fumes), only to find that the straps rip as soon as you start messing around with 'em. Not Cool.
Next thing you do is what we call don and clear (test 'ee'). This is the part where you you check to make sure that you can empty the mask's interior should any fumes get on the inside. This is also very important because there's not even a question about it, in the chamber you will get gas on the inside of the mask.
One of the last things you do is, while the mask is on and apparently working properly, to bend over at the waist and shake yer head around like the big green weenie of doom was fast approaching and all you could do was to shake your head in anticipation. This is to simulate vigorous activity. Kind of depends on the instructor, but you usually get some sort of level of vigorous activity (PT, mosh pit, beat down, etc) in the chamber, so making sure that your mask is adjusted well is also one of life's Important Things.
Now, what does this have to do with wedding receptions, you ask?
It's a pretty good example of advanced preparation for a known future event.
*Ahem*
Ladies, when it comes time to plan for a wedding and more importantly (duh) your outfit, it might be a wise course of action to, you know, throw on that dress once before wearing it (out in public). Mebbe even move around a bit, in the comfort of your own place, or something. Ill fitting dresses just might result in frequent adjustments that look alot like you're feeling yourself up on the dance floor / buffet table / dinner table / outer hall / bar / etc. It's always a nice 'touch' if your girlfriend is aware enough to cover your assets when they unexpectedly try to come out to say 'hi' just as ole Murphy's walking through the door.
Howdy!
I didn't know whether to look for a beer or a lap dance...
Not that I mind, of course, and I'm pretty sure that it didn't bother Gramps one bit, but we deserve some sort of warning for that kinda of thing, you know? Heck, we have significant others that are just waiting to kick everybodys ass when the inevitable happens. Take a wild guess on whos ass is gonna be first in line for the ass-kickin'... Sheesh!
Oh, and to the classy lady that decided to do the limbo... in what looked like a wide belt of all things.... facing the tables...
Thanks.
Work with me here, this is just the way my noggin' works...
The very first thing you do when you get your mask is test it. Sure, it's been inspected... right-o, that's nice n' all, but I like to make sure. You do this by pulling it out from the mask carrier and place the mask up to your face. That's test no 1. No use going further if you have a size XXL mug and a XXS mask. Helps if you can actually see through the eye lenses, as well. Uh... if it's new (to you), might want to check for lingering CS fumes and/or puke (bonus).
Then you go about the process of pulling the restraining straps over to the back of your head (test no. b). Imagine the suckage if you were to get to the chamber with the requisite NBC instructor crazy-as-hell (from years of fumes), only to find that the straps rip as soon as you start messing around with 'em. Not Cool.
Next thing you do is what we call don and clear (test 'ee'). This is the part where you you check to make sure that you can empty the mask's interior should any fumes get on the inside. This is also very important because there's not even a question about it, in the chamber you will get gas on the inside of the mask.
One of the last things you do is, while the mask is on and apparently working properly, to bend over at the waist and shake yer head around like the big green weenie of doom was fast approaching and all you could do was to shake your head in anticipation. This is to simulate vigorous activity. Kind of depends on the instructor, but you usually get some sort of level of vigorous activity (PT, mosh pit, beat down, etc) in the chamber, so making sure that your mask is adjusted well is also one of life's Important Things.
Now, what does this have to do with wedding receptions, you ask?
It's a pretty good example of advanced preparation for a known future event.
*Ahem*
Ladies, when it comes time to plan for a wedding and more importantly (duh) your outfit, it might be a wise course of action to, you know, throw on that dress once before wearing it (out in public). Mebbe even move around a bit, in the comfort of your own place, or something. Ill fitting dresses just might result in frequent adjustments that look alot like you're feeling yourself up on the dance floor / buffet table / dinner table / outer hall / bar / etc. It's always a nice 'touch' if your girlfriend is aware enough to cover your assets when they unexpectedly try to come out to say 'hi' just as ole Murphy's walking through the door.
Howdy!
I didn't know whether to look for a beer or a lap dance...
Not that I mind, of course, and I'm pretty sure that it didn't bother Gramps one bit, but we deserve some sort of warning for that kinda of thing, you know? Heck, we have significant others that are just waiting to kick everybodys ass when the inevitable happens. Take a wild guess on whos ass is gonna be first in line for the ass-kickin'... Sheesh!
Oh, and to the classy lady that decided to do the limbo... in what looked like a wide belt of all things.... facing the tables...
Thanks.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Doing The Mostest With The Leastest
By the time grunts actually get set free to go out looking for that which needs blowin' up and those that need blowin' away, they are the friggin' Yodas of Adapt & Improvise. This is due to a traumatically ingrained memory of having next to nuthin', throughout most (if not all) training.
'Butta-Butta Jam, anyone?'
The inevitable result of this are a near constant tendency to use items for other than their originally intended use. Some of the more well known items might be things like;
crazy string as a trip-wire detector.
entrenching tools used as ass-props whilst 'dropping bombs'.
zip-ties for damn near everything.
skivvy-shirt sleeves as emergency t.p.
remote-control trucks as a c4 delivery devices.
flash-bangs for wayward local national drivers.
shelter-halves used for Hummer tires' traction in mud (good times).
vacant mortar base-plate holes as recliners and as personal *ahem* 'drop zones'.
MRE shells as barf bags, wound covers, and storage bags.
Of course, nearly all of the above can, has been, and will be used for practical jokes of one sort or the other, but that's like noting that the sun is bright or the sky is blue. With the short above list in mind, a pic.
Neat lookin' (actual technical phrase) aircraft abandoned outside Camp Cupcake.
Anyone venture to guess what the above was used for, during my time?
1) Source for spare parts and as a training aid for the '04 Iraqi Air Force.
2) Reference point when travelling through the Area of Operations.
3) Prime real estate for a morning constitutional.
You get three guesses, and the first two don't count.
'Butta-Butta Jam, anyone?'
The inevitable result of this are a near constant tendency to use items for other than their originally intended use. Some of the more well known items might be things like;
crazy string as a trip-wire detector.
entrenching tools used as ass-props whilst 'dropping bombs'.
zip-ties for damn near everything.
skivvy-shirt sleeves as emergency t.p.
remote-control trucks as a c4 delivery devices.
flash-bangs for wayward local national drivers.
shelter-halves used for Hummer tires' traction in mud (good times).
vacant mortar base-plate holes as recliners and as personal *ahem* 'drop zones'.
MRE shells as barf bags, wound covers, and storage bags.
Of course, nearly all of the above can, has been, and will be used for practical jokes of one sort or the other, but that's like noting that the sun is bright or the sky is blue. With the short above list in mind, a pic.
Neat lookin' (actual technical phrase) aircraft abandoned outside Camp Cupcake.Anyone venture to guess what the above was used for, during my time?
1) Source for spare parts and as a training aid for the '04 Iraqi Air Force.
2) Reference point when travelling through the Area of Operations.
3) Prime real estate for a morning constitutional.
You get three guesses, and the first two don't count.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
I didn't ask...
This is probably old news to most of y'all, being as I recently noticed it on the boob tube, but I saw an interesting commercial recently.
Yup, the Snickers ad.
Seems some folks got their panties in a twist over the ad.
I have to admit, when I first heard about the hub-bub over the ad, I pegged it as just another fringe group(s?) with a professional interest in being offended. Seems that there's so many of these groups, all running around in a lather complete with high-pitched shrieks that I normally just tune 'em out.
For whatever reason, I decided to think this one through.
Let's see here... the argument against this one was something along the lines of it being homophobic, offensive to gays, or painting them in a bad light, etc.
Ok, let's go to the tape, then...
Got a guy here, out for his morning exercise. Granted, speed walking isn't something that I'd normally do, but I wouldn't exactly call it 'gay', just for that. I've seen some of those guys, and I'm pretty sure they can do their walk-thing faster than I run, especially now-a-days. Heck, there's a bunch of stuff out there that might appear to some to be fruity, but on further examination, it's anything but. For example,
1) Male ballet dancers.
Ole Mickey. Fantastically in shape, helluva dancer, not gay... I think.
2) Bodybuilders.
Heck, the 'Governator' could probably still kick my ass. If you want to see something interesting, ask one of those gym rats to demonstrate a 'donkey calf raise' with (on) you. *heheh...*
3) Basketball players.
Ok, that's disturbing... I was cool (and oddly excited) with all the ass-slapping, sweaty dudes, and the occasional wet-man show after the games but I dunno about this...
So anyways, back to the commercial in question. Guy's running along when all of a sudden, old Mr. T. comes outta nowhere to give him a 'hard' time.
Huh...
A guy from an old tv show and professional wrestling (more sweaty dudes, rubbin' all over each other), a man known for wearing more jewelry than any half-dozen girlies, or at least three drag queens, a guy whos very personae is that of super (painfully so?) masculinity, derides the other guy of being a 'disgrace to the man race'. Kinda overly accusatory and hypocritical, no?
Old B.A. Baraccus (what's that stand for anyways, Bad 'Ass'?) then commences with shooting sweet and tasty chocolate confections out of - is that rainbow colored? - 'long barreled' machine gun?
The end of the commercial, y'all heard it?
"GET SOME NUTS!" --- Mr. T. (growling, no less)
You know, I think those folks got something here... granted, I don't pick my friends based upon what they like to do with who, so mebbe I haven't seen the whole gamut of different gay personalities in the few "man's men" that I've known, but none of my buddies would ever go around acting like that... at least I hope not.
Besides, I'm kinda partial to M&Ms, myself.
Yup, the Snickers ad.
Seems some folks got their panties in a twist over the ad.
I have to admit, when I first heard about the hub-bub over the ad, I pegged it as just another fringe group(s?) with a professional interest in being offended. Seems that there's so many of these groups, all running around in a lather complete with high-pitched shrieks that I normally just tune 'em out.
For whatever reason, I decided to think this one through.
Let's see here... the argument against this one was something along the lines of it being homophobic, offensive to gays, or painting them in a bad light, etc.
Ok, let's go to the tape, then...
Got a guy here, out for his morning exercise. Granted, speed walking isn't something that I'd normally do, but I wouldn't exactly call it 'gay', just for that. I've seen some of those guys, and I'm pretty sure they can do their walk-thing faster than I run, especially now-a-days. Heck, there's a bunch of stuff out there that might appear to some to be fruity, but on further examination, it's anything but. For example,
1) Male ballet dancers.
Ole Mickey. Fantastically in shape, helluva dancer, not gay... I think.2) Bodybuilders.
Heck, the 'Governator' could probably still kick my ass. If you want to see something interesting, ask one of those gym rats to demonstrate a 'donkey calf raise' with (on) you. *heheh...*3) Basketball players.
Ok, that's disturbing... I was cool (and oddly excited) with all the ass-slapping, sweaty dudes, and the occasional wet-man show after the games but I dunno about this...So anyways, back to the commercial in question. Guy's running along when all of a sudden, old Mr. T. comes outta nowhere to give him a 'hard' time.
Huh...
A guy from an old tv show and professional wrestling (more sweaty dudes, rubbin' all over each other), a man known for wearing more jewelry than any half-dozen girlies, or at least three drag queens, a guy whos very personae is that of super (painfully so?) masculinity, derides the other guy of being a 'disgrace to the man race'. Kinda overly accusatory and hypocritical, no?
Old B.A. Baraccus (what's that stand for anyways, Bad 'Ass'?) then commences with shooting sweet and tasty chocolate confections out of - is that rainbow colored? - 'long barreled' machine gun?
The end of the commercial, y'all heard it?
"GET SOME NUTS!" --- Mr. T. (growling, no less)
You know, I think those folks got something here... granted, I don't pick my friends based upon what they like to do with who, so mebbe I haven't seen the whole gamut of different gay personalities in the few "man's men" that I've known, but none of my buddies would ever go around acting like that... at least I hope not.
Besides, I'm kinda partial to M&Ms, myself.
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Murphy Was A... Lion?
Dad used to send me a bunch of emails, interesting clips, funny jokes, and updates on family news. I was going through my old emails the other day and saw a few that made me chuckle.
I wish I had saved more of them.
He sent me an email with the following pics sometime after I came home from Iraq and we had a conversation about Marines that I knew before getting married and while married (and for some, after marriage). Doesn't necessarily apply to me (riiiight), but it's funny as hell.
After marriage.
I wish I had saved more of them.
He sent me an email with the following pics sometime after I came home from Iraq and we had a conversation about Marines that I knew before getting married and while married (and for some, after marriage). Doesn't necessarily apply to me (riiiight), but it's funny as hell.
Men
Before marriage...
Look at him. Virile. Powerful. King of the Jungle.
During marriage...
"Yes, Dear. No, Dear. I'm sorry, Muffin."
After marriage.Ouch.
Saturday, March 1, 2008
Monday, November 19, 2007
Dog Lovers
For the number of doggie-related posts out there recently, for the good ones and the sad...
My pooches have always put a smile on my face, long after they've gone. Here's to hoping that this one cracks a smile as well.
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Good Initiative, Bad Judgement
Blog title post is one of those statements that reflects the military acknowledgement of a higher power working in mischievous ways.
Initiative is one of those characteristics that is hinted at, suggested, urged, commanded, threatened, and violently enforced in training to the point where (hopefully), it becomes second nature. What the desired result is something along the lines of 'prepare for the worst, hope for the best'-type mentality. If you always train as if preparing for when things will get FUBAR rather than if, you should be (somewhat) prepared for worst.
Judgement is one of those things that is harder to teach. Weekend liberty drunken alternative pt partner selection aside, in training if you have to explain to someone that the 60mm mortar is not designed to be hip fired, well, that's one issue that will take care of itself, one way or the other. Just as long as he doesn't cause you too much paperwork...
Combining the two makes for some interesting situations.
Situations like the team leader that decided to take a gun team on some land navigation training (Good initiative). He gets the team lost, and they wander possibly onto a nearby impact area (Baaaaad Judgement), causing the entire area to call a cease fire until the wayward wanderers are located and the OIC speaks to the higher ups (Just Plain Bad).
Now, not everything occurs on a grand scale, of course.
Most of the time, it's the little things that one is concerned with. Screw that 'Don't Sweat the Small Stuff' crap, I would always take the initiative to tape down sling swivels, clean and CLP my weapon, triple check my gear etc. No question of judgement there. During MOUT training, I would likewise surprise my guys with random declarations of 'Bang! Guess what, guys, I'm dead! What do you do now?' If they looked at me with a blank stare I would tell them to go catch a clue from the nearby hills and move on to the next guy.
When it came to the rifle range, there was less wiggle room to conduct independent training (not necessarily a bad thing), but there was still plenty of initiative. Expert shots would sometimes be utilized as shooting coaches. Armorers would be kidnapp-er-invited to attend some of the shoots to help with problem rifles. Individual Marines would use nails, lighters & matches, socks, compressed air cans, folding stools etc to make life easier on the range.
When it came to shooting most of the qualifications that I did were not too picky on the actual positions. If you were hitting what you aimed at and were safe for the rest of the line, then you go ahead and shoot with nothing but a bow tie and a smile on, shooting off-hand behind the head and between your legs. Ok, maybe not that extreme but the point is that almost nobody was going to get their man-panties in a wad over whether or not your feet were crossed or open, if your were sitting on your heel vs the flat of your foot, or the exact angle of your elbow in relation to the rifle. I did pretty good on the range.
Must have been the bow tie...
For all the personal experimentation that went on while on the rifle range, I never thought it would be possible to get near the bad judgement category, but I suppose I should have known...
To be fair, I can almost understand the why, uh, 'behind' this position and I'll not be the one to criticise initiative, but I'm just kind of curious as to how the idea was first put across to that motivator, the one with the super-enthusiastic look on his face...
Initiative is one of those characteristics that is hinted at, suggested, urged, commanded, threatened, and violently enforced in training to the point where (hopefully), it becomes second nature. What the desired result is something along the lines of 'prepare for the worst, hope for the best'-type mentality. If you always train as if preparing for when things will get FUBAR rather than if, you should be (somewhat) prepared for worst.
Judgement is one of those things that is harder to teach. Weekend liberty drunken alternative pt partner selection aside, in training if you have to explain to someone that the 60mm mortar is not designed to be hip fired, well, that's one issue that will take care of itself, one way or the other. Just as long as he doesn't cause you too much paperwork...
Combining the two makes for some interesting situations.
Situations like the team leader that decided to take a gun team on some land navigation training (Good initiative). He gets the team lost, and they wander possibly onto a nearby impact area (Baaaaad Judgement), causing the entire area to call a cease fire until the wayward wanderers are located and the OIC speaks to the higher ups (Just Plain Bad).
Now, not everything occurs on a grand scale, of course.
Most of the time, it's the little things that one is concerned with. Screw that 'Don't Sweat the Small Stuff' crap, I would always take the initiative to tape down sling swivels, clean and CLP my weapon, triple check my gear etc. No question of judgement there. During MOUT training, I would likewise surprise my guys with random declarations of 'Bang! Guess what, guys, I'm dead! What do you do now?' If they looked at me with a blank stare I would tell them to go catch a clue from the nearby hills and move on to the next guy.
When it came to the rifle range, there was less wiggle room to conduct independent training (not necessarily a bad thing), but there was still plenty of initiative. Expert shots would sometimes be utilized as shooting coaches. Armorers would be kidnapp-er-invited to attend some of the shoots to help with problem rifles. Individual Marines would use nails, lighters & matches, socks, compressed air cans, folding stools etc to make life easier on the range.
When it came to shooting most of the qualifications that I did were not too picky on the actual positions. If you were hitting what you aimed at and were safe for the rest of the line, then you go ahead and shoot with nothing but a bow tie and a smile on, shooting off-hand behind the head and between your legs. Ok, maybe not that extreme but the point is that almost nobody was going to get their man-panties in a wad over whether or not your feet were crossed or open, if your were sitting on your heel vs the flat of your foot, or the exact angle of your elbow in relation to the rifle. I did pretty good on the range.
Must have been the bow tie...
For all the personal experimentation that went on while on the rifle range, I never thought it would be possible to get near the bad judgement category, but I suppose I should have known...
To be fair, I can almost understand the why, uh, 'behind' this position and I'll not be the one to criticise initiative, but I'm just kind of curious as to how the idea was first put across to that motivator, the one with the super-enthusiastic look on his face...
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Monday, September 17, 2007
Yet More Housekeeping
I am actually quite content with my current profile picture, but if I do sometime decide to change it up, I think that that pic might be a strong candidate.
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Monday, May 28, 2007
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)