military: past, present, future, kinda sorta

I hadn't woken up with the thought to have "military" as a theme for the day, but that's certainly how it's been.

The past was represented by the movie, "Warfare", which I've abstained from seeing until now.

I happened to catch a panel discussion with the writer-directors Ray Mendoza and Alex Garland as well as a couple of others.

It's not technically a documentary, as it wasn't filmed during the actual events on November 19, 2006, but it is real and it is intense.

I've spent enough time around folks who have been in combat to know.

That's why I had not gone before, and what I saw reminded me of how terrifying that situation is.

Civilians don't have a clue.

The first twenty minutes are the 'waiting' part, with everyone in position and on guard for any signs of a jihad in the making.

Waiting, waiting, waiting... a big part of being in the military, whether it's Navy, Army, Air Force, Marines, or Coast Guard, whether it's US forces or those of any other country.

Then, everything changes, and the madness of engagement with the enemy takes over and goes on and on and on, relentlessly, with the screams of the wounded and the smells of blood and explosions and spent ammunition all around as it goes on and on and on.

Every single one of our lawmakers need to see this.

Every single one of them.

 

The present was represented by those of us from the American Legion Posts 36 and 500 who attended the special meeting at Two Firsts this afternoon.

Located right outside the Montgomery Street gate of Hunter Army Air Base, this club is still under construction.

We had all hoped to have it open for Memorial Day, but, nope.

The other four of us there today are hoping for completion by Flag Day or possible in time for the Fourth of July.

Honestly, my estimate is Veterans Day of this year.

 

The hood for the canteen is in place, but not completely installed, as that would entail cutting a hole in the roof.

As that action would void the 30-year roof warranty, it's imperative to get the company that issued that warranty to do the work.

Lawyers, right, Doug Andrews?

(A little joke, as we all are aware he is a lawyer and knows this stuff.)

The construction crew is also still waiting for the roof in the women's bathroom to be repaired, as that is something the original roofers must do.

That's not the only snafu gumming up the works.

 

The construction crew is still waiting for the approval of the anti-fire water sprinkler system so they can install that throughout the building.

The construction company is still waiting to install the flooring throughout after the walls are spray-painted, but need the sprinkler installed first.

The construction company is still waiting to install ceiling tiles throughout after the walls are painted, but need the sprinkler installed first.

The construction crew has had all of the wiring and plumbing and HVAC lines approved by the City of Savannah, but the final inspection is awaiting the actual completion of the cosmetic stuff... but none of that can be done until the sprinkler installed first.

Sigh.

Meanwhile, the soldiers at Hunter have to party in the city's establishments, as they have no place to do so on post.

 

The future was represented by the Philo Cafe discussion at Foxy Loxy downtown this evening.

The title of our philosophical topic was "Right and Wrong and War".

I was the only veteran there.

Our little group was rounded out by Dan Baisden, Don Jarvis, and Roberta Hopkins, whose topic this was.

As usual, we strayed off that theme repeatedly, having started with an AI-generated 4-page summation that was garnered from all over the internet.

That's how those things usually are, though many are inclined to accept them at face value instead of seeking original works.

That led to a discussion of several themes: AI-art; search engines and their increasing reliance on AI to gather info; whether WWII could be called a 'just' war; the situation in the Ukraine and Russia; the situation in the Middle East; what defines the right reason for war and who defines the wrong party of such.

Of course none of those questions could be answered in the space of an hour, but that's not the reason for these gatherings.

Discussion is the point.

I just wish the topics were a bit lighter.

 

Still, it was good to see Dan, Don, and Roberta again.

It was also good to see Doug, Byron, and Billy again.

It's been quite a while since I've seen any of them.

Hopefully that will change.

Paul and Cathy are Sweetie Pies!

Paul and Cathy had specified only two things when they arrived. 1) Go to Paula Deen's restaurant (not to necessarily eat there, just go there. 2) Eat some real Southern food.
The first objective had been met.
Now, to satisfy the second objective.
That would require visits to two of my favorite restaurants.
Brunch (was actually lunch) was served at Sisters of The New South, home of the best fried chicken in town! White meat, dark meat, it just doesn't matter - both are incredibly moist and delicious! I really like the lima beans, the yellow rice, the sweet potatoes, and the green beans, too. And moist cornbread that doubles as a dessert! Paul and Cathy concurred with my assessment, after we had verified that no pork was used in the cooking of the foods. Most excellent!
What to do next on this drizzly day?
Why not venture back toward Tybee and stop off at the Fish Art Gallerie? It had caught Cathy's attention, so we had to see what lure it held.
Okay, okay, enough with the puns!
(smile)
Actually, it had some very nice fish magnets, so I got those. They spent quite a while perusing the wares, exploring each area of the store cum gallery. Paul had a very nice conversation with the artist-owner, Ralph Douglas Jones, and recommended he venture to the west coast for an art festival that was sure to find a bustling market for his works.
We then bounced over to next store, for more exploration, but Cathy did not find anything that warranted a place in her luggage. Oh, well!
Then I snapped the above photo of two sweetie pies!
No, make that three!
Back toward town, where we were greeted by drizzly rain.
We then spent a very unsuccessful couple of hours going around two pharmacies here, to try to obtain an extension of Cathy's blend of insulin. Sadly, we went home empty-handed, to await a phone call, should her insurance company ever follow through.
Enough of these gray skies!
We needed some blue sky in our lives!!!
With that, we went to Sweet Potatoes for an early dinner. Fabulous bright colors on the walls! Beautiful paintings with blue sky and golden flowers! Excellent variety of vegetables and tasty meats!
We all definitely needed that. Especially those baked sweet potatoes for dessert - oh, yeah! This is definitely my favorite place to chase away the gray skies!
After a very leisurely dinner, it was time to go talk to some folks. So, off to Foxy Loxy for the Philo Cafe discussions! The topic, elected by last week's attendees, was from my former college chemistry professor, Cedric Stratton. "Is Time Money?" was the query. Quite a lively discourse followed, with almost everyone contributing their thoughts, including Paul and Cathy. Good to share that time with them!
Afterward, we were asked if we would be retiring to Chili's for chips and chatting. No, thank you. Paul said they were jealous of my time with them and preferred to go back to my house.
Wasn't that such a nice thing for him to say?
So, that's exactly what we did!
We settled in to watch a little television before bedtime. But what to watch in the 10 PM time slot? Let's try some "Castle", shall we? But that was not to be. The episode was Part 2 of a missed Part 1 and was extraordinarily violent (for that show).
What's on GPB? Good question... oh, my, 'tis "The Great British Baking Show"! With chefs vying for title of "Best Amateur Baker", while making different items each week for ten weeks! And we had managed to catch the very first episode!
What perfect timing!
It was such an entertaining show, too. So many different cakes that they were tasked to make! Some were lovely creations. Some were absolute train wrecks. All sounded quite tasty.
I just may have to tune in again next week.
Seriously.
Okay, time for bed, y'all!
We have one more day tomorrow... sleep well!

honesty and courage

Yesterday, my first niece requested my help with a school project. Her school is local - and not the same as mine - and one of the classes she is taking is an online sociology course with a professor in Michigan.
Pretty cool, right there - literally broadening her horizons by learning from someone who is not even in the classroom, but is a thousand miles away. No one can say the class is going to be based on "southern" concepts or "Georgia" ideas. I know, no one should say such inane things anyway, but you would be shocked at the number of folks who think "southern" is synonymous with "backwards" or "provincial".
Savannah is a seaport, people. The townspeople throughout the past two hundred years - and more - have been privy to new ideas from faraway places since the area was first settled.
Ahem... what was I saying?
Oh, yes, at lunch yesterday, my first niece had invited me to submit my input so she could analysis the results for her sociology paper. A 1500-word paper. And all I needed to do was answer three little questions and provide examples of what they meant to me.
That's all.
Just three little questions, about the roles of class, race, and gender in my life.
Say what?? Those are not little questions.
But they are important questions. They are questions which affect how we, the people, live our lives, the questions which concern the three moral compasses at the heart of every decision and every reaction in our worlds. These three simple queries speak to the heart of our philosophy of interaction with others.
I commented something to that effect, told her I would even pass along her plea to others on that social media on which she had requested help. Then we finished lunch, she and I and her lovely husband, and went off to run our errands.
I never did turn my computer on yesterday.
Oops!
After I finally came home from running off copies of my Final Exam at the school, mailing off an eBay "win" to my customer, trying to give blood (but I was 17 minutes late to the American Red Cross center, so they wouldn't take me), and buying groceries (after three weeks without doing so and feeling like Old Mother Hubbard of late), all I wanted to do was chill out. Fortunately, "Psych" was on.
(Maybe that should have been a reminder of my promise to her?)
(Maybe the penny in the parking lot at Publix should also have been?)
So I put away groceries and indulged in frozen cherries and a glass of cold milk and watched two episodes of one of my favorite shows. During the commercials, I did stuff around the house and started cooking my dinner and tried to decide what to do for entertainment that evening. (More on that tomorrow, I think.)
At any rate, time marched on and the computer remained off.
Until after 11 o'clock this morning.
Amazing, right?
That time coincides with my receipt of a text from my dear first niece, asking if I had yet completed the survey?
She knew darned well I had not, as she is more fb-connected than I am, but she was being gentle with me.
After all, it was a big-deal survey, even if it did only contain three questions.
So, I answered, as did her longtime best friend.
Here are my responses.

What role has class played in your life?

I was basically raised by a single mother of four. Child support was nonexistent. So, we were poor. As a senior in high school, I opted to join the Navy, as that would secure funds for college. Even though we had no money, I knew Mama regarded college as important for me.

What role has race played in your life?

When I was in the 8th grade, the schools here were desegregated. I am white and every day rumors circulated from the nearby black high school of what folks would be jumped. One day, I was one of three white girls caught between buildings at the middle school and beat up by a group of black girls and boys. I was not raised by Mama to be racist, but she kept me out of school for a week for safety. When I returned, I tried to keep in mind that it isn't the individuals that are the problem, it is GROUPS of people, of any color, that can cause harm.

What role has gender played in your life?

I am female. I have always been attracted to science and math and subjects which have traditionally been regarded as "male". (Try to remember that I was in high school in the 1970's.) In my senior year, I did volunteer work at the local Science Museum, and part of that work was in the electronics shop. I loved that work! So, when I joined the Navy, I entered the Advanced Electronics Field. For all of my classes, I was usually the only female or one of two or three. I even had a guy once ask me why I was taking a job away from a man! I responded that I had bills to pay, too, and deserved to have any job I was qualified for. I still encourage EVERYONE to have the job that best speaks to them, regardless of gender.

Done! And now you know a little more about ME, my dearest Christina!

And, gentle reader, now YOU know a little more about me, too.

cat tales

So, there i was, listening to folks tell tales of their cats...

Really??? On purpose???

Well, yes, on purpose. Well, kind of on purpose.

No kidding. How does one "kind of" DO on purpose?

Well, i had thought my friend would be there, but there was a mix-up of the times and he wasn't able to attend after all. "Major fail," as he called it.

Okaaay. So that rather begs the question: why were YOU there if he wasn't? I mean, seriously, it sounds like you hadn't been that invested in being present at this meeting of feline lovers...

You're right, you're absolutely right, i had not intended to attend. There was a different group i was planning to join yester evening, but then my friend expressed an interest in going to THIS event, an event i had suggested to him, and i ... well, if he was going to be there, then i wanted to be there, too. Mostly for his company, of course, as i am just that kind of crazy, but i could, and would, have also introduced him to the other folks there in the philosophy group -

Philosophy group???

Yes, you know very well the group of which i speak, so no need to act surprised.

No, it's just you haven't been attending their meetings very regularly of late, that's all. So, the discussion was to be the love of cats, or something of that slant?

Well, that was the topic which had been selected by the majority at the end of the previous week's discussion, so, yes. Every once in a while, the group allows for a bit of levity. Heck, one time, i had suggested that we each bring some of our favorite chocolate to endorse and share, and THAT topic was the winner for the next week! And a mighty fine topic it was, too, and much fun!

But you digress...?

Indeed, I do. Where was i? Hmmm??? Oh, yes, i had forwarded the email to him so he could choose whether the topic warranted his attendance at the meeting, and it had, so i had decided to also attend, then perhaps to leave early for my other event with the improv group. But, my friend had gotten the time wrong and arrived to the site much earlier. By the time i returned from a visit across the river, i found he had already left... and i had told him i would share some of the stories with him, Meaning i had to stay, at least for a while. And stay, i would. So, there.

(Quiet pause.)

So, i entertained myself whilst waiting for the others to arrive, browsing the entertainment paper, admiring the art, that sort of thing.

(Still quiet, just listening and watching.)

I had only intended to stay for thirty minutes or so, then leave for the other event, but i decided that would be rude, so i didn't. And i DID enjoy the tales of fey felines, though some were stories i had heard before. One of the guys had actually brought his photo album of his cats, all six of them! It was quite a nicely done album, more a book than an album,. He had originally had two cats, one of each gender, and he and his wife had meant to get them spayed, but hadn't done so and hadn't done so, and then they had kittens! Four kittens, in the corner nook behind the large television! The papa cat was so proud of the little ones that he would jump back there, grb up a kitten by its scruff, and bring it out to be admired, then return it and fetch another, bringing out each kitten for the owner. The teller of the tale had such a sweet grin on his face as he related the story to us! You could tell it was a very special memory to him.

How nice! So, that's why you couldn't leave - these were special stories from the heart, dear to these fine folk.

Yeah, that's pretty much the reason. I've been part of this group for the past five years and several of them are rather dear to me, being former professors of mine, so... i stayed. And i did enjoy the stories!

Cool! Do you recall any of the other ones you heard?

Even better. I have them on my phone!

You recorded them? As the folks were talking?

No, no, no. After returning home yesterday night, i texted them to my friend so he could enjoy them.
So, you ready for this?

Sure. Hit me with 'em! (smile)

Okay, here's the first one i sent.
So, there she was, in her pajamas, butt walking along a fence to rescue a kitten that kept scooting our of reach, Then a guy comes out and starts watering his yard, not even noticing the girl in pajamas seven feet up on the fence,
She manages to catch the tiny kitten by his scruff and get him back to the house, where she is dogsitting a friend's cat-eating pet.
She throws the kitten into the silverware drawer for safekeeping while she feeds the dog, then retrieves the cat and takes him home.
She DID manage to find it a home the very next day, too.
True story!

HAHAHA! I can just see her now, perched up on the fence, trying to blend in when the guy comes out with his hose! Nice!

I have two more. You interested?

Sure!

Okay, here we go.
He was taking a found cat to a vet and had placed the cat in a cardboard box, after poking holes in the box. He set the box on the passenger seat and drove off.
Next thing you know, the cat finds he can stick his paws out the holes!
Shortly after, he manages to shred his way out of the box and careens around in the car before coming to a rest in the man's lap.
Oh, how nice, the man thinks - then feels a hot rush of liquid!
He got the cat to the vet okay after that,.
He also got a new car.
True story! Oh, and the vet found a home for the cat.

(Smile!) That was a cute story, too!

Cool! I'm glad you like them! Here's the final one from my phone.
One night, she was walking back to her car and she saw a kitten run into some azalea bushes,Time for a cat rescue!
But the cat didn't cooperate, delving deeper into the shrubbery!
Persistently, she got down onto the wet ground and went after the kitten, getting leaves and dead blossoms all over herself and into her hair. And no closer to the cat.
Suddenly, out darts the kitten!
She grabs a handful of neck fur and holds on while she backs out of the azaleas, gets to her car and empties a cloth bag from her trunk. She successfully gets the kitty into the bag and zips it up! Off she goes, arriving with dirt, leaves, and wilted blooms all over her - and a new kitten safely in hand!
True story!
And she kept that one.
So ends my tales. You get three and that's it.
And i finished up with a smiley face.

Well, okay! Pretty cool! You seem to be doing pretty well at tapping out messages on the phone these days, eh?

(Grin!) I am certainly getting lots of practice! By the way, he said it was sad that he had missed so many good cat stories.

Very nice. Very nice. it's always good to feel one's efforts are appreciated. And i do believe it's getting to be a bit late, is it not?

True that! Good night!

confusion

I am so confused. I have thought it was Thursday ALL DAY LONG.
It all started last night. Philo Cafe, the philosophy group I have attended most Wednesday nights for the past three years, has changed things up on me. After meeting at the same locale, same night, same time, last week they met on a different day, different time, different location. OMG! Still, even though I knew of the change, it only glancingly affected me. They met on a Monday, when I was at work, therefore I did not attend. It wasn't until last week Wednesday that the change had its effect. My habit of joining them at a local restaurant after the meeting (which generally coincided with my departure from the school) was rendered pointless, as the group had met two evenings earlier.
So here we are at this week. The meeting was on Monday, at the usual time and usual site. Okay! Different day, but same people, so all was good... or so I thought. The evening ran long and I stayed up to my usual late time.
However, I had to get up early for a doctor appointment. And this morning was when the sense of disorientation wrapped its foggy arms all around me. Between the lack of sleep and the change to my Monday schedule, I truly didn't KNOW it was Tuesday. My head kept telling me "Thursday! Yeah, it's Thursday! This week is almost over!" Wrong, but my body believed the lie, because... habits take time to change. For the past three years, meeting with the Philo folks has been synonymous with mid-week event. Now i have to try to find SOMETHING to get me back on track. After all, tomorrow IS Wednesday, when I am scheduled to administer a final exam to some of my students. I'm pretty danged sure they would like me to show up! But I'll only be there if I can convince myself that it's actually Wednesday, not Friday. Oh, bother! (as Winnie the Pooh would say)

point of view

The sound of a steady rain, gently washing my part of the world clean as I fall asleep. The taste of peach cobbler made the way my Mama made it. These are things that money cannot buy. Such was the theme of last week's philosophy discussion: "Things Money Cannot Buy." And I interpreted that to mean things that bring pleasure to us in the here and now. Tangible things, you understand.
I seem to have been almost alone in that interpretation. For most everybody else, the topic was centered on intangibles. Memories. Peace of mind. Contentment. A sense of self.
I guess it all depends on your perspective.