Bunker Mulligan "Let us endeavor so to live that when we come to die even the undertaker will be sorry." ~Mark Twain

I wanted to add a little Christmas spirit to the site, and played around with my basic green css, but found some help here:

There are some other very nice seasonal graphics there. You might want to browse on over and take a look.

I’m a bit of a coffee fiend. I prefer coffee or milk as my beverage over anything else.

Today I stopped in at the local book store to pick up a final gift or two, and wanted a cup of coffee. You remember those, don’t you? A cup of coffee.

I’ve had coffee around the world, from the tepid “almost” kind in England to the syrupy Central American version–without milk or cream. But all I want is the flavor of coffee. I don’t ruin my coffee with cream or sugar. So I certainly don’t want any other contaminants in it.

“Give me a Grande (I hate saying “Grande”) of coffee.”

“Do you want a Venti for only ten cents more?”

“No. Just a Grande. Of coffee.”

Okay, venti is French for twenty–a twenty-ounce cup. Why not just call them small, medium, and large? Why do we need to interject “Continental Flavor” to the naming conventions? It reminds me of how everything in England had “continental” undertones when the vendor wanted to sound exotic.

“Which kind do you want? We have this, and this, and this, and this.” I didn’t catch all the names. Too exotic for a simple coffee drinker.

“I just want coffee, no flavors but coffee. You have too many choices, and I simply want a cup of coffee.”

The girl behind the counter was obviously flustered, and fixed me a cup without my making a choice. It was apparent that I had upset the entire equilibrium of her universe because I wanted something with a mere two syllables, and no exotic modifiers. “Would you like room for some cream?”

“No. Just coffee.”

I had similar issues in one office I worked in. I took a coffee pot in and told everyone they were welcome to partake. I had one rule–When I went to pour myself some coffee, there had better be enough in the pot to fill my cup. Some offered to help pay for the coffee, but I declined–and reiterated my rule. Someone asked about cream and sugar, and I told them they would have to bring their own. One guy brought in fancy flavored creamers. Girly coffee.

I really have no issue with people who want a walnut derivative, cinnamon sprinkled, whipped cream covered, saccharine-laced substitution for coffee.

I just hate that we’ve turned into a nation where plain old everyday coffee is the exception to the rule.

**** UPDATE ****

Okay, now I find we have a new Homespun Blogger: Coffee Spills. Coincidence or conspiracy?

Sweetie Pie Girl spent a long weekend here at the Mulligan house, but had to go back to the land of fruits and nuts.

I miss her very much.

New Color-Coded Warning System.

One of the regulars on Jim’s show is Rocco Montesano, the Executive Director of the USS Lexington Museum on the Bay. I’ve spoken with him several times, and today I took the family to visit him and tour the ship.

The Lex is a great visit. I was amazed at how much of the ship is open to visit. And anyone who hasn’t spent time on a Naval vessel should see it, or a sister ship on display near you.

For me, it was a return to a former life. I spent a week on the Lex when I was active duty. We began at NAS Key West, flew out to the ship for some operational training, then cruised the Gulf before launching an operation into the ranges at Eglin. During my stay on board, I had free run of the ship during my free time, and it was interesting to go back now and see what I remembered. We found the Junior Officer Berthing (directly under the catapult system) and it was neat to show my kids one of the places I went off to during one of my many trips when they were young. “Here’s my bunk!”

Wandering around I kept trying to locate myself. “I thought the machine shop was right about here.” Then took three more steps, and there’s the machine shop. The MH-60G tail wheel has a lock pin that sometimes shears. When we landed on the Lexington, one did. So I spent a bit of time in the machine shop duplicating one with the able help of a female machinist mate–at the time, the Lex was the only ship with female crewmembers.

Mess facility, dental offices, sick bay, engine room, geedunk. Some of the original wooden flight deck is still visible. Rocco and his crew have done a great job keeping displays up to date, and have added a Pearl Harbor Tribute in the foc’s’le area. The Lex starred in the recent movie, and played “USS Hornet” for the Doolittle Raid sequence. The foc’s’le is just forward of where I bunked, and has portholes in the bow area where I sometimes stood just to look out over unobstructed sea.

Another program is the Live Aboard Program. Groups can spend the night in the crew berthing, eat meals in the mess, and get the full tour of the ship. I did this once on a submarine (Batfish) with a group of Cub Scouts, and it was a tremendous experience.

Okay, I’m not a squid, nor did I ever have any desire to be one. But I have always been fascinated by life aboard ship, and how this city on the sea operates. “The Blue Ghost” is always a great visit.

First of all, the latest of Best of… is up over at Homespun HQ. Find someone new to read over there. I start out that way because we have some distinguished folk in our group. Those who received nominations in the Weblogs Awards (and how they finished) are:

• Ogre

(eleventh)

• In Search of Utopia

(fourth)

• Patterico’s Pontifications

(first–just ahead of Michael J. Totten)

• Louisiana Conservative

(ninth)

• Chrenkoff

(second)

• It’s A Matter of Opinion

(third)

• American Warmonger

(ninth–below such incompetents as VDH, Lileks, and SDB)

As a group, we finished tenth. Looking at our lineup, I wonder why so low. Cruise over and take a look at this week’s offerings (I was busy with visitors and didn’t get one in) and see if there isn’t something to interest you there.

And check out Doug’s Homespun Blogger Radio link. I will attempt to get a segment in to him for the next show, and am working on it now.

After reading one of those well-crafted comments, where the writer displays a complete mastery of the English language while making cogent points about the illegitimacy of the war in Iraq, I had to make a not-so-astute observation.

For the last three years we have been involved in conflict with Islamofascists. During that time, a clear divide has exposed itself between those who support the war and the young men and women fighting it, and those who opposed the conflict and claim to support the troops. A big clue for that group: It is impossible to support the troops without supporting what they are doing.

Isn’t it odd that those who oppose the fighting, in general, are unaffected by it. Those who support it, again in general, are ones with a personal stake in the outcome.

The loudest opposition comes from those who are not only not involved, but don’t even know anyone who is. Not just that, but they don’t want to know anyone involved.

Sarah has done a little research on the subject, and the results didn’t surprise me a bit.