Last Friday of the year! Don't waste it like the other 51 Today is also something of a personal holiday. I think I spoke of this a couple of years ago but today is what I call Navy day. This was the day (48 years ago!) that I entered the Navy. This was when my life shifted from directionless youth to responsible adulthood. I often wonder how things may have been different if I had never joined or if I had made a career out of it? But they are what they are because thats the way I wanted it. Gonna watch a double feature tonight of two of my favorite Navy movies. Mister Roberts and The Bedford Incident, both tremendous in their own way.

Here is a glimpse from the past. Starboard catwalk on the USS America probably somewhere "East of Crete".

Congratulations on that anniversary. Sometimes we make the right decisions, and sometimes things just get decided for us. I like that you talk about going from youth to adulthood basically overnight.

We all should take notice of these life-changing events, some of which we can celebrate. My own life changed for the better on New Year's Eve, and I will remember in my own way.

One of my favorite movies is Arrival because it forced me to ask this question: What would I change in my life if I knew what the future held? If we can answer very little, then we can count ourselves lucky.

BTW, I love Mr. Roberts and The Bedford Incident. So, MrBaseball, have a few drinks and celebrate to your heart's content.

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is this your photograph?

it's amazing

no place for the eye to rest

pupils flit like hummingbird tongue seeking nectar

horizontal projection from fuselage to hues of reel wheels opposite the flight deck

vertical counterpoint is conning tower high center visually completed with the guardrail at your left hip

now feel the metal and mental injure-knew-it-ing it took to design an airplane wing that flips at the tip

I think (hope) we all have special days that are uniquely personal but something we will always cherish and remember. It's what makes life worth living. I have others as well. The older we get the important are memories.

Yeah I took that. I have a bunch of them. Transfered to digital from 35mm slides. I still have a bunch to tranfer but have been too lazy. Maybe 2024 Here might be my favorite Navy photo strictly for the memory. After the aircraft carrier I was on a Frigate. Here is that Frigate taken from a seaplane when we were in Juneau Alaska.

Agreed with Red, that's a great photo. I know it can sound trite nowdays, but sincere thanks for your service, mrb.

photographic image
purposely taken to document
specific experience of time and place

method of projection
requiring light sensitive film
and an innocuous occulus hidden in a camera body

Innocuous occulus

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Yeah but I didn't do nuthin! My time of service (1975-1982) was about the only time we weren't in some sort of war (post Vietnam pre Iran). I was involved in both the evacuation of Lebanon (civil war) and the Iranian hostage crisis (sort of?). I was on a Westpac (western pacific cruise) when the Iranian hostage crisis went down. Every ship on Westpac was ordered to the Indian Ocean. Every ship but two. Mine and our sister ship. You see we were TASS (towed array surveilance system) ships. They wanted us to stay in the western pacific to hunt Russian submarines (we didn't find any). TASS was a very long cable you dragged behind the ship. It could pick up the sounds and signatures of submarines but it only gave a relative bearing (no distance). So you needed 2 TASS ships to cross bearings to find a location. They figured they didn't need us in the Indian Ocean and we would be better of doing what we supposed to do.

mostly cheating
hey i tend to automatically string text together from similar vowel chains
letters not forget the power of tongue upon typewritten words

my father was almost 30 when i was born
stationed in the navy somewhere on a boat during a 'conflict' in korea

lol I had no idea mrbaseball was a Navy man.

John , I was wondering what your opinion of infinite jest is?

When I was born my dad was attending the university of texas , working a complex full time job, and raising a me, a whiny baby. I’m glad he finished school, otherwise I might not have been spoiled. My Sister is the more productive one, she finished her mba . My sister is also the same height as me. I was more into a lazy spiritual type of thinking and guys. I inherited my personality from my mom. I am my mom. . But yeah, really manly to finish college, work 50 hours a week and raise me.

Never read it, but I loved his book of essays, Consider the Lobster. His essay on cruise ships is classic. (I have never been on a cruise or ever have any intention of doing so. Maybe he merely confirmed my prejudice.)

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+1 great photo. A superpower packing.

And then Cher came back.

do glare at this post type but now see the extra typo captured by your filmsy quote

First thing I ever read by DFW: A Supposedly fun thing that I will never do again. The chess scene is classic.

Also see the State Fair essay where he allows the housewives to believe he is from Harper's Bazaar.

well,
as the last vid thought i foster this day

Ah, the cruise ship essay was from this book not the other. You can download it online.

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Just read that John Tyler's grandson is still alive.

Tyler was President from 1841-1845.

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Patriots and Bills. Dom will be anxious.

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Dom can relax.

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Pretty amazing. Until a year or two ago he had 2 living grandsons.

a la wiki
for context Tyler was born in 1790
Lyon bolded above sired a son at 75, still alive at 95