Get off my LAWN! "Grumpy Old Farts"

[Al Kraft]

An army cannot exist without speculation, to hear tell.

While speculation (or rumor) isn't sufficient alone to define a group of people all dressed the same and carrying guns as an army, it's most certainly an element or artifact in every army I've ever known of or read about.

 

[Charlie Tango]

While speculation (or rumor) isn't sufficient alone to define a group of people all dressed the same and carrying guns as an army, it's most certainly an element or artifact in every army I've ever known of or read about.

For rumor and speculation, a junior high school has got nothing on any of the military services. On any given day, somebody in your unit who knows a guy in the unit over there, heard that (and this is no B.S.) fillintheblank was coming down from somehighercommand and would affect thismanyguys in our unit. And the endless variations thereon made J.S. Bach look lazy in his efforts. One quickly learned to believe half of what one saw and nothing of what one heard.

 

[GwenOnBass]

Financial speculation is what I had in mind, and yeah sure rumor too! ... the two may be linked?

 

[Al Kraft]

For rumor and speculation, a junior high school has got nothing on any of the military services. On any given day, somebody in your unit who knows a guy in the unit over there, heard that (and this is no B.S.) fillintheblank was coming down from somehighercommand and would affect thismanyguys in our unit. And the endless variations thereon made J.S. Bach look lazy in his efforts. One quickly learned to believe half of what one saw and nothing of what one heard.

I recall being in conversation where someone quoted that famous saying that an Army runs on its stomach. Someone else immediately responded to the effect that such as assertion is no more than a rumor...in fact one of many rumors that every army actually runs on.

I've always wondered if speculation and rumor were nature's way of balancing the lopsided sense of humanity created within an army that is built on clarity of chain of command, regimentation, and every action being tied to an explicit order. Of course for many years I thought an ascot was something a donkey slept on, so one would be well-advised to be skeptical about my musings regarding life in general. I tend to do better in the hard sciences where most answers are numerically right or wrong.

 

[Al Kraft]

Financial speculation is what I had in mind, and yeah sure rumor too! ... the two may be linked?

If the stock market was going to be your proof point...agreed!

 

[GwenOnBass]

My first encounter with speculation of the army type is fictional. It was from reading Catch-22. Strike that. First actual exposure was watching The Phil Silvers Show, and F-Troop.

 

[GonePlaid]

For rumor and speculation, a junior high school has got nothing on any of the military services. On any given day, somebody in your unit who knows a guy in the unit over there, heard that (and this is no B.S.) fillintheblank was coming down from somehighercommand and would affect thismanyguys in our unit. And the endless variations thereon made J.S. Bach look lazy in his efforts. One quickly learned to believe half of what one saw and nothing of what one heard.

In the Navy it was called scuttlebutt, an "official" version of a "sea story"("now, this is no b.s.").
Example: within one hour after leaving San Diego-"we're going to Australia!" Nope.

 

[beans-on-toast]

I woke up to snow on the ground. Dogs were having the time of their lives, running tactical maneuvers in the snow. I don’t know what it is about squirrels. A dog’s mission is to seek out and chase them.

 

[GwenOnBass]

Dogs don't mind being on snow watch!

 

[Deleted member 268085]

Dogs don't mind being on snow watch!

A friend from way-way-back (in Wisconsin) owned an Alaskan Malamute. That dog LOVED the outdoors and absolutely adored snow. My friend tried one doggie door after another, but none could withstand the onslaught of his Malamute on the way out.

And then he found his dream doggie door. Huge. Dual thick extruded aluminum doors, with heavy duty neoprene gaskets. And a frame designed to be framed up by 2x4s.

He cut a big hole in the wall next to his back door out to a deck and his fenced backyard, and installed his new pride and joy.

When he got up the next morning, the house temp was close to 40°F, and dropping.

He went downstairs and found his heavy duty doggie door and its frame blown out of the wall, lying half way out on the deck. And his dog was sound asleep, on its back, in a big ol' snow drift along the back fence.

He never tried again.

 

[GwenOnBass]

A friend from way-way-back (in Wisconsin) owned an Alaskan Malamute. That dog LOVED the outdoors and absolutely adored snow. My friend tried one doggie door after another, but none could withstand the onslaught of his Malamute on the way out.

And then he found his dream doggie door. Huge. Dual thick extruded aluminum doors, with heavy duty neoprene gaskets. And a frame designed to be framed up by 2x4s.

He cut a big hole in the wall next to his back door out to a deck and his fenced backyard, and installed his new pride and joy.

When he got up the next morning, the house temp was close to 40°F, and dropping.

He went downstairs and found his heavy duty doggie door and its frame blown out of the wall, lying half way out on the deck. And his dog was sound asleep, on its back, in a big ol' snow drift along the back fence.

He never tried again.

 

[Charlie Tango]

I woke up to snow on the ground. Dogs were having the time of their lives, running tactical maneuvers in the snow. I don’t know what it is about squirrels. A dog’s mission is to seek out and chase them.

View attachment 4066202

My beloved old Springer Spaniel loved the snow, couldn't get enough of it. She blew out a ligament in a hind leg chasing a squirrel. Got it fixed to the tune of $500+ (in the mid-90s) and she was back to her usual self. The next fall she blew out the same ligament on the other hind leg doing the same thing. Hope it wasn't the same squirrel. The vet said he was going to look up the previous bill and not charge me any more than that. He did the same excellent surgery and Miss Becky was running faster, jumping higher, etc. She still chased squirrels, but after the second go-round she eschewed making fast cuts when the squirrel changed direction. Smart dog, still miss her.

 

[GwenOnBass]

Slipped my mind to mention (this happens to older people sometimes) the phlebotomist told me Monday I have really nice veins

 

[beans-on-toast]

Slipped my mind to mention (this happens to older people sometimes) the phlebotomist told me Monday I have really nice veins

They only told you half the story, what about the arteries....

Artery vs. Vein: What’s the Difference?

 

[beans-on-toast]

My beloved old Springer Spaniel loved the snow, couldn't get enough of it. She blew out a ligament in a hind leg chasing a squirrel. Got it fixed to the tune of $500+ (in the mid-90s) and she was back to her usual self. The next fall she blew out the same ligament on the other hind leg doing the same thing. Hope it wasn't the same squirrel. The vet said he was going to look up the previous bill and not charge me any more than that. He did the same excellent surgery and Miss Becky was running faster, jumping higher, etc. She still chased squirrels, but after the second go-round she eschewed making fast cuts when the squirrel changed direction. Smart dog, still miss her.

You wouldn’t think so but those dogs can run.

 

[Charlie Tango]

You wouldn’t think so but those dogs can run.

Oh man, was she fast. Even after the second surgery healed completely she could still really motor.

 

[G-Dog]

Slipped my mind to mention (this happens to older people sometimes) the phlebotomist told me Monday I have really nice veins

I get that same "compliment", too, right after the quick simple stick & draw.

Mrs. Dog, on the other hand, tells 'em straight off, "you'll need to use a butterfly on my hand", whereupon they do the condescending smile and say, "well, let's try this first". 5 needles later, and Mrs. D's arms looks like a junky's, and they say, "let's try a butterfly on your hand" like they just thought of it!
.

 

[beans-on-toast]

 

[Jeff Scott]

Did I hear someone say short-scale Stingray?

Got to try one today, in a supposedly short-run deep blue with maple fingerboard (the sales guy said 100?). I was really surprised by how lightweight it was, especially, compared to the '13 full-on SR4H I had (really heavy). I liked the passive electronics on it, but was less enamelled enamored with the Jazz Bass size 1 1/2" nut width, and what appears to be plastic (?) worm gears for the tuning keys. If it had a wider nut, say 1.666", and a different color, say 3TSB (assuming a body wood suitable for such) along with more substantial tuning keys and a rosewood fingerboard (I'm not being too picky, am I?) it would be home with me, now.

The sales guy said this bass is on Close-Out, but the price seemed pretty out of line, if so, going by what I paid for my old Stingray.

 

[Charlie Tango]

No, that was a Labrador Retriever, not a stingray.