A cup of joe

I love coffee. Been drinking it way more than I can remember. I've run so much of the stuff through me I'm immune to the "can't sleep after drinking it," problem. I've been reading in bed, drinking coffee and after closing my book I've finished my coffee, turned out the light and gone immediately into a deep sleep. More than a few times, on a long drive, I've needed the "stay awake" effect of caffeine. Just won't happen.

On active duty I put a 32 cup West Bend in my work area. I only drank about 10 cups, but I found the thing empty at the end of every work day. Word got around about my coffee "pot."

Some legs of my Guard unit's overseas flights would be about 10 hours. At each stop it was part of my job to get 2 gallon stainless jugs of coffee. The flights would have a crew of 6 to 8. I always got an extra jug. Haggling was usually involved, but I made sure we got 3 of those babies.

What I'm finally getting around to is...  G.I.'s like coffee! Lots and lots of coffee.

There's a website where you can help make sure some guy or gal in uniform gets a cup. Or two. The program is called, "Cup of Joe for a Joe."

Happy G.I.s - the best kind of G.I.

You can buy a card good for coffee at military facilities around the world. I've bought cards. I've gotten e-mails from troops that received them. It's a nice feeling. I like the program. I recommend it.

When you have a question, look around for the horse's mouth. Not the other end.

We've all been hearing a lot of talking, arguing, discussing, debating, speculating, guessing, and other things, lately about the Behghazi, Libya, attack on our US Consulate. Good folks died. Blame is being placed. Politics are being played.

Something was said tonight that triggered a memory...

I frequently read a blog written by a US Marine. He's been around and knows things. When I first heard about the attack and murders, I went to his site looking for any information he might be sharing. No, the man does not mouth off about stuff he knows shouldn't be mouthed off about. He's a Marine, for cryin' out loud!

If you'd like some insight as to the duties, manpower, etc., of the USMC at our diplomatic facilities in foreign countries, I recommend you read this.

A blatant, upfront, transparent plug (as in sales pitch)

One of the blogs I frequent is written by a lady who uses the nom de plume,* Bookworm. Her blog is titled Bookworm Room. She's entertaining, insightful, thoughtful and, warning, Conservative.

She's written a book I found interesting. It's a Kindle book ($1.99) and being sold by the folks at Amazon. This is a from their site...

"This short book explains what I’ve figured out over the years as I’ve worked to

cultivate my children’s personalities, their values, and their practical approach

to life. It won’t tell you how many minutes a time-out should last or what type of

punishment you should give a child who hits. Instead, it will share a life philosophy

that I’ve applied to my parenting, one that has resulted in my having children who

respect me and who frequently tell me that their friends think I’m the

coolest parent around."

 She's also a pretty cool blogger. You may not agree with her, but she knows of what she speaks.


 * Your French lesson for the day (in case you didn't already know)...
nom de plume:  pen name

Monday morning wisdom

Albert Einstein. My kinda guy.

It's good to be the Prez!

Looking to improve on his last effort, BO is hunkered down in a not-undisclosed bunker practicing/rehearsing and missing his favorite toy. (His teleprompter.) Naturally, in keeping with his image as "one of the folks," his choice of bunkers in which to hunker, is a doozey.

And the bunker's got bunkers! Very well-kept bunkers I hasten to add. Maybe those bunkers allow him time to get his very bright mind off trivial matters like terrorist/not terrorist attacks, security briefings, budget deficits, whiney heads of foreign countries, etc., etc., etc., and concentrate of his new plan of debate attacking.

Bunker One

It always seems to get back to the $$$

In my never-humble-opinion, a lot of folks need a life. A life that isn't dependent on, or wrapped up in the comings and goings of a family in Georgia. (until I read this bit of news I did not know they were Georgians) A family that thinks they require a raise. As in, more money for exploiting their child.

The Boo

And it's all the fault of you Boo-Booers out there! You watch the damned show. Incessantly. The ratings go up. There's more bucks coming in to The Learning Channel's coffers. And HBB's family wants more for their contribution. (Has anyone heard if Rosie bought them a new house?)

A statement by a resident of HBB's home town, McIntyre... 
 

“I don’t mind it, it’s just that it doesn’t give a good image for the county since it is

a small county, and it’s a really family-oriented county, and we are basically,

you know, church-goers down here, and a lot of the things they do … 

we don’t agree with it,” Carolyn Snead explained.

 

Barbra (as she likes to be known) sings quite well. (eveybody knows that)

She's also been known to speak. Out. (everybody knows that) What I, for one did not know, is that she blogs! It seems the main purpose is pitching her songs, appearances, etc., but, if you look at the tabs across the top you'll notice tabs for "Statements, Articles of Interest" and "Truth Alerts." I learned all this when I went looking for comments she made at a recent performance. They were mentioned in a post I'd read, but no details about them were given. Once again, curiosity overtooketh me.

I thought the post that started all this was a well put compilation of a lot of folks' opinions about LaLaLand (Hollyweird in particular), it's inhabitants and their view of our country and the world. Views most of us consider to be a tad skewed. (not a typo)

On Numbers, Social Security, local econmy and, of course, Politicians

Nemaha County, KS, has a large population of us old folks. Ten per cent of our local economy comes from Social Security checks. Not an inconsequential number.

Braddley C. Bower/AP

Every year, the Social Security Administration decides whether or not an adjustment should be made in the amount seniors receive. It's called a Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA). The process is anything but straightforward or understandable (by the recipients).

What does this have to do with our county? The exact figure won't be available until Tuesday, but...

"Preliminary figures show the annual benefit boost will be between 1 percent and 2 percent,

which would be among the lowest since automatic adjustments were adopted in 1975."

Does anyone really believe prices have only increased by 1 or 2 percent since last year? Bought any groceries lately? How about gas? (read this) I or 2 percent my skinny, wrinkled, old backside!

I don't know how to find the extent of the effect on our economy (local or national), but I'd guess it certainly will have an effect. Consumers consume. This is a nation of consumers. We got it, we spend it. Essentials come first. What's left is discretionary. That usually gets spent, too. (I sometimes wonder if the folks in Wash. DC understand that. Maybe it's so simple they think it just can't be true. Maybe a PowerPoint presentation would help.)

I'd like to see a Numbers Guy figure out what it would cost to increase Social Security checks by, oh, say about 5%. Every $ of which I'm certain would be spent. As in actually pumped into our economy. Shovels not required. Then compare that number with the bazillions that have been proven to be wasted on various "stimulus projects." Any Numbers Guys out there? Will you get back to me? Thanks.

Separated at Birth

Laura Ingraham's web site has a page by that title. I laughed. A lot. Below is a sample.