This ain't Hell, but you can see it from here

Author: TSO

  • Whats wrong with the gays?

    OK, so the second greatest moment of my life just happened:  a gay midget just came in at the bar I was having lunch at and danced to Copa Cabana.

    But my real problem is I was fighting with my waiter, wearing tight jeans, who argued that Shannon Daugherty was better in Charmed than Rose McGowan.

    Dude, he’s nuts right?  No one in their right mind thinks Daugherty>McGowan, right?  It must be some gay thing I am not privy too, right?  I mean, there I am watching the greatest thing ever, and I have to correct someone on something so obvious?

    I’m half tempted to contact me Senators to protest removing DADT on this ground only, and I would be right to do so, right?

    Jesus I am angry.  I get wanting another man, I mean, I watched the Tom Brady crush video Sunday night, but this is nuts.

     BTW: I played this on the Juke Box, so I win.

  • “it stays where it lays……..”

    Sort of weird thing happened in Cabo that I wanted to share. Some of you saw part of it on my Facebook page, but the follow up was kind of special to me.

    A while back someone started that thing where they leave a beer on Memorial and Veterans Days for their fallen comrades. So I started doing it was well on both days. I suppose some would argue it should only be on Memorial Day, but they were veterans as well, and despite the fact that Veterans Day is meant for we the living, in my mind the men I served with live on, if only in my memories.

    So anyway, I picked a bar in Cabo San Lucas, “Happy Endings” and left a beer. Here’s the beer and the message:
    Beer

    (As a side note, I forgot SGT Compton, who had died of cancer a few weeks earlier.)

    Anyway, this is a busy bar, and it was 5 pm. So I asked the bartender if he could guard it. He was pleased to do so, but said he was leaving at 7pm, but would ask the bartender who followed to guard as well. This seemed less than perfect. So I talked to the owner, who was also sympathetic, but told me that this was one of the busiest bars in Cabo, and he just couldn’t in good conscience guarantee no one would steal it.

    Now, I’m not much for meeting new people. In fact, cold talking to people gives me the shakes. But there were two dudes nearby, one wearing a Sox cap. So, I walked up and explained the situation. Turns out both guys were from Western Mass, in fact from the same town as The Sniper. They were not veterans, but promised that while they remained no one would touch it. I thanked them, shook their hands and left.

    The next day (yesterday) we were leaving Mexico, and my wife and I had seats not together. As I followed her to her seat, I was somewhat amazed to find she was literally sitting next to the same two guys. Cabo is pretty damn big, and it has a lot of bars. And I managed to meet the two dudes sitting next to my wife, and they had offered to watch the beer. They both greeted me warmly, shook my hand, and let me know that they had stayed until 11pm and that no one had touched it. And when they left, they handed off guard duty to three other guys, who just happened to be Marines from San Diego.

    I don’t know why that hit me, but it really did. Even if those Marines just chuckled and drank the beer, I know my friends would be pleased. But I would bet they didn’t. I bet that beer never got touched until closing. Maybe I am wrong, but I sleep better thinking it made it to the end of the night.

  • How an Army Helmet became emblematic of the World Champion Red Sox

    Gomes

    Look, my blog, my rules. 

    OK, maybe not entirely, but once or twice (if Tom Brady can find a receiver) a year I get to brag about the greatest city in the history of mankind: Boston.  I hate to be the bearer of bad tidings, but whatever city you are from (if not Boston) will always vie for a second place finish.  So allow me my day.  (Even you Yankees fans.)

    Even today I heard Mike and Mike on ESPN wondering why one of our bearded champions, Johnny Gomes wears an Army helmet for the celebrations.  It’s actually a nice military-related story.

    From the US Army:

    NATICK, Mass. (Oct. 24, 2013) — On a late June day at Fenway Park in Boston, Master Sgt. Miguel Chacon was looking on with great pleasure as Red Sox players signed autographs for his three children and dozens of others when he felt something hit him on the side.

    Chacon, in uniform, looked down to see a pair of batting gloves, which he assumed that some fan had tossed down to be signed. A moment later, an usher tapped Chacon on the shoulder and told him that it was Red Sox outfielder Jonny Gomes, known for his unwavering support of the U.S. military, who had thrown them over.

    Later, he was able to thank Gomes personally for the unsolicited gesture, but Chacon wanted to do more.
    So when Lee Cummings, who works at the U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine at Natick Soldier Systems Center, offered him tickets to the Sept. 15 Red Sox-Yankees game at Fenway, Chacon, the USARIEM senior enlisted advisor, brought along the Advanced Combat Helmet that he had worn in Iraq and a bag of “recruiting goodies.”

    On a pre-game tour of Fenway, Chacon showed the helmet to a club official and told her that he had brought it for Gomes. She escorted Chacon and fellow USARIEM Soldier Spc. Travis Crook below the stands and to a door outside the Red Sox clubhouse.

    “About three minutes later, here comes Jonny Gomes through the door!” Chacon said. “I reached into the bag and I said, ‘This is the helmet that I had in combat.’”  Chacon told Gomes that he wanted him to have it.

    “Are you serious? This is cool. This rocks,” Chacon recalled Gomes saying. “He was just taken by that helmet,” Chacon said. “He loved it. He lit up.”

    As they talked, Gomes pulled down his right sock to reveal a tattoo that stretches from his knee to his ankle. The tattoo includes an American flag, the Statue of Liberty, and a target with the date Osama bin Laden was killed.
    “I’ve met some players,” said Chacon, “but I’ve never met a player as patriotic as Jonny. Never.”

    The helmet — with Chacon’s rank, roster number, blood type, an American flag and a Special Forces sticker on the outside — has become as much a celebratory icon as the beards worn by the Red Sox, now facing the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series. Chacon didn’t part with it lightly.

    “Things that I’ve taken to combat and back, they have a lot of value to me,” said Chacon, who has set aside the gear for his children to one day give to theirs. “This is the stuff that dad went to war with. I wanted to give a piece of the battlefield back to Jonny.”

    Chacon’s helmet couldn’t have found a better home than Gomes’ locker.

    “It’s an honor to see him wear that,” said Chacon, adding that Gomes, in turn, “honors the military. That’s bigger than anything. I’m glad it’s getting them through the battle that they’re battling through right now to win the World Series.”

    I’m headed to Tulsa on Saturday, but I’d rather be lining up to watch the Sox on the Duck Boats and hear a little Dropkick Murphys!

     

  • Bring it!

    red sox

  • Buy a book and send a Battle Company paratrooper to Arlington for Veterans Day.

    Update. 25 24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 ONE copies COPY NONE left.

    UPDATE x2: Books are gone. There will be another opportunity I suspect in the near future.

    living-with-honor

    I’ll give the bottom line up front: we need to raise about $900 like yesterday to send two paratroopers from the 173rd to DC for remembrances at Arlington National Cemetery. (See longer version below from Tankerbabe). Sal Giunta (who needs no introduction) is donating 25 copies of his book, hardcover, autographed. That means the books come out to $36 in order to get out desired endstate, plus $4 shipping roughly, for a total of $40. Anything over that (if you want to donate $50 for instance) will go to either a third ticket (he’s not sure if he can attend yet) or offsetting the hotel costs for the guys attending.

    We’re running it all through The American Legion once I get it set up, as my awesome National Adjutant just told me to “Make it happen.” But Sal is signing the books and shipping them to me today. As soon as I get them, I will try to get them out. There are only 25 copies, and I am guessing it will take a VERY short period of time to run through those. So here’s how it works, if you want a copy, email me at mseavey@legion.org. Tell me you want a reserve on one of the books. First 25 to email me, you get the books. I’ll update when we hit 25, but you might want to move quick.

    My editor already bought one, and one of my lawyers bought one. We’re down to 23 copies. I’ll let you know when we run out. If you just want to pledge a smaller or larger amount towards these guys without getting a book, just email me and let me know that as well, so I can get rough estimates.

    One of our beneficent readers already pledges the $900 for the tickets and such, but I don’t want to raise 20k for 2 dudes to go to Washington. As fun as the idea of two 173rd guys roaming the streets with 10k each is, I’d have to hire a videographer and sell the video to “Troops Gone Wild.” So, email now, be sure to put “Sal’s Book” in the subject line.

    I don’t have the back stuff set up to actually pay yet, but your pledge is good with me, but I need to know who the 25 are allotted to.

    THIS IS FROM Tankerbabe who is spearheading the effort:

    Mark,

    For years and years and years the Vietnam Veterans of 173rd, 2-503rd, Bravo Company, have met at Arlington Cemetery on both Memorial Day and Veteran’s Day weekends to pay homage to their brothers in arms and their legacy. When the 173rd was reflagged in Italy, Bravo Company became known as Battle Company. I’ve been privileged to be invited to participate in these events over the past years.

    In the few short years that I have attended these events the numbers of the Vietnam Bravo “Bulls” has decreased in pretty dramatic form. Last year five of them passed away. This year several are unable to attend due to significant health reasons.

    The Bravo Bulls are concerned about being sure that the tradition is passed on to the modern day Battle Company men. The events are open to ANY member of The Herd, any family members and friends. Each Memorial Day and Veterans Day they gather at Arlington National Cemetery at MG Ellis Williamson’s grave first. MG Williamson was in Command of the 173rd when it was activated on Okinawa in July 1963. AMAZING MAN – read more here http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/ewwilliamson.htm
    (more…)

  • “Smell the fart” acting

    Everyone remember that episode of Friends where Joey is talking about his acting method and how when he gets lost he just looks off and acts like he’s smelling a fart? I can’t find the actual video of him discussing it, but here is the method in action (specifically at 16-19 seconds in):

    I’ve noticed someone else who adopts the smell the fart pose all the time. Like, constantly.
    (more…)

  • 60 Minutes: Benghazi

    If you didn’t watch this last night, you absolutely need to watch it. Prepare to have your blood boil.

  • Musical Interlude

    And an encore….

    The second is my favorite song by a band that no one has ever heard of.