The Wood Shed — You never know what you're going to find in the pile.

One Last Time

March 12, 2012

Big E sets out on her last deployment. Hard to believe we’re set to retire a nuke boat but then again I served on floating fuel tanks (yes, carriers used to actually burn fuel oil for power) and came home smelling of “boat” – that lovely mix of oil soot, jet fuel, hydraulic fluid, and [...]

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Non Sibi Sed Patriae

March 11, 2012

Not self but country. The unofficial moto of the United States Navy, it is inscribed over the doors of the chapel at the Naval Academy. Our departed friend lived it. Over the last few days his silence has been deafening but out of that silence has risen a celebration unlike any I’ve known. Tributes and stories, [...]

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Crazy Buggers

March 9, 2012

(Feb. 20, 2012) SEALs and divers from SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team (SDVT) 1 swim back to the guided-missile submarine USS Michigan (SSGN 727) during an exercise for certification on SEAL delivery vehicle operations in the southern Pacific Ocean. The exercises educate operators and divers on the techniques and procedures related to the delivery vehicle and [...]

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Don’t Blink

March 7, 2012

I chatted with him just the other day. He was whining about early briefings and weather cancellations but he knew he still had the best job ever. Lex is gone. His wit, wisdom, and humanity. The blog is silent. His books, for there would have been many, unwritten. He truly had a gift that he shared [...]

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Lost in the Noise

February 25, 2012

What you probably haven’t heard regarding the recent Koran-burning scandal is that the holy books had been defiled by Muslim detainees using them as extremist message drops. The Korans were in the prison library of a US base for all to use. This is not a case of US soldiers arbitrarily deciding to burn Korans [...]

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Modern Art

February 21, 2012

As I was getting my hair cut this afternoon I couldn’t help but notice a disturbing majority of the girls working in the shop, including the owner, were sporting tattoos. Just in case my girl happens to read this I’ll admit hers are small, discrete, and conservative if it’s even possible to classify body art [...]

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Flag Etiquette

February 16, 2012

I like and respect Governor Christie, which is something I can’t say about most politicians these days, and I enjoyed some of Whitney Houston’s music back in the day but the Governor’s decision to order the US flag to half staff in her honor is wrong. I’ll probably get flamed for this but Whitney doesn’t [...]

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More Digital Irony

February 7, 2012

I’ll agree that we’re a bit too wired these days, the younger generation especially. There’s no telling how many injuries, deaths even, are accounted for each year by people so engaged in their smart devices that they do something stupid like step into traffic. The other morning I got an email from a guy who [...]

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Craigs List

January 15, 2012

It appears that Craigs List has been overrun by people with loose morals. Ever since I posted some items for sale a few weeks ago I’ve been receiving a couple of emails per day that all read basically the same: Hey I saw your post and it looks fabulous. I don’t have any interest in [...]

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