interesting

gtmo trials





45 days

120 down 60 to go*

*approximately 60, who knows when I am actually getting out of here. Although the first company of reliefs manned up out of Gulfport last week, so they are on the way. Our reliefs (Bravo company's that is, the company that I am in) should be leaving for Washington sometime soon. Turns out there is light at the end of the tunnel. There isn't much else to report on that I can talk about, just a few frustrating days at work. Oh well, stories galore when I get back, can't wait. See ya.

still here

Well, the hurricane missed us. Those pictures of the cliff are good though. That's a pretty high cliff and the sea spray came up over the top when the waves hit the cliff. That was pretty cool. As my senior chief says "it's all fun and games until one of those [waves] comes over the cliff." Anyway we all fared well and nothing was seriously damaged where I am. Hopefully I can say the same for my car in a couple of days.

So --

How's the weather?
Strong winds and surf buffeted the U.S. detention camp for terror suspects at Guantanamo Bay, on the island's eastern end, where a guard tower was washed into the sea. There were no reports of casualties."
.........
The U.S. detention camp at Guantanamo escaped the brunt of the storm. Heaving surf tore away a lifeguard tower at Windmill Beach and winds destroyed a bus shelter. A few power lines and tree branches were knocked down and there was minor flooding.

American troops fixed metal shutters over the steel mesh windows of some prison cells overlooking the sea at Camp Delta, which is just 150 yards from the ocean.


and from the Navy these excerpts:
Waves crash against the southern coastline of Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, just east of the base lighthouse. Hurricane Dennis passed the station, between 1 and 2 p.m. Thursday, July 7, sustained winds were recorded at 35 knots, gusting to 47. At that point, the eye of the storm was 87 nautical miles southwest of the station. Seas at the mouth of the bay were cresting at 10 feet, and were 12-14 feet offshore. The base suffered minimal damage and there were no injuries.

Oh Danny Boy

I know that you have been fretting about what to get me as a souvenir from Cuba (or from the Navy in general). Luckily, I have been fretting about this also and I now have the answer to your problem.
A chair. Not just any chair, a Navy chair. While at the less than local Burger King (a year ago, and besides, I didn't inhale), I noted a very striking aluminum chair. I have been looking around for something similar and believe I found not a duplicate but even better, the inspiration for the BK chair. It is an Emeco aluminum chair, Navy version (really, not making this stuff up). They utilize a 77 step process, a WWII design and they're made in Hanover PA.
I looked on ebay where they are scarce and costly, and new where they are way costly so I'm afraid you'll have to check around the base/ships/subs/officer homes/thrift shops/whatever. Feel free to pick up the matching child's chair and stool if it is convenient.

failed attempt number three

bad news, my leave got denied, so I guess I'll see you in September...Anyway, I am going to have to ask someone about the logic behind whose leave was approved and whose was not because other people who took leave didn't leave the island, so apparently they had nothing important to take leave for =/

grr.

Not ugly!

Hubetti (okay, I just came up with a name, this might not be the real name) is totally cute. Not ugly. Ignore Emily.
Yes, Hubie literally sits on the chick. The chick prefers this usually - warmth and protection? If you are raising them without a hen they are supposed to be at about 95° during the early days. Hubie must be doing a good job because the chick poops. Yes, that's how you know if you have a healthy chick.
The other place the chick likes to be is on Hubie's back. This amuses me.

Headline News: Spoiled Rotten Thinks-She-Is-A-Human Chicken Adopts Egg

Is there hope for an only chick with a doting mother? Time will tell.
This last one is the chick hiding under Hubie. In case it looks like some sort of puzzle.

This is a phoenix father (the little squirt) and an auracauna mother ("easter egg" chicken). I imported a gorgeous (and quite full of himself) rooster a week and a half ago, thinking I'd never get a chick from the phoenix. I think this egg gestated about 6 weeks (twice as long as it is supposed to take).

Time magazine article

Dan, how accurate is this article on Gitmo?

The Dumpster, A Reprise

2 gift bags, frisbee, canned air, mini "toasting" cups, paper reinforcers, happy birthday hats and candles, potpourri, marble (?) bracelet

fan, alarm clock, pet sawdust, binder, clip, wide tape, batteries

plastic ware, revere teapot (new), pyrex, foil baking sheets (new-a bunch), coffee filters, farberware steamer, insulated cup

5 new in box tubes of toothpaste, brand new vitamins, etc.

towels, sheets, mattress pad, wash cloths, dishcloths, bath mat sets

size 12 adidas (not great), size 15 new balance (great), new socks, fancy purse

And that's not counting clothes that the kids are wearing, fancy shampoo they can't keep their hands off of, and all the stuff Emily brought home.
(yes I wash it and no it's not all going to stay here. The size 15 sneaks are spoken for, thanks to Little Brenda. Wonder if Pat knows which of his past co-workers I'm referring to)

Reprise

Reprise: a recurrence, renewal, or resumption of an action

Hold that thought.

(BTW, anyone else think the "i" was supposed to be a "long" "i"?)

I am getting good at this letter business...

MOM- what do you think?

(our address here)

Customer Service Supervisor: Steve
LocalNet
287 Commerce Dr.
Amherst, NY 14228

Dear Supervisor:

I am writing to formally cancel my LocalNet subscription that was requested and subsequently canceled on 30 May 2005. This is also my formal request for complete reimbursement for monies paid.

My mother, Brenda XXXXXXXX, has been a loyal subscriber to LocalNet for the past three years. She has recommended your company to many families in our area. When my grandmother, Carol XXXXXXXX, became interested in using the internet, your company was the best candidate. My mother called your company to set up the connection, and I made arrangements to pay with my Visa debit card. Before the transaction was complete, we both attempted to confirm with the customer service representative (Jenna) that the dial-up number would be a local number, and she informed us that this was the case. We were informed that the installation disk would be sent in the mail, and we could begin using our internet connection after we had registered. We were also told that we could cancel our subscription at any time.

When my mother went home, she connected to LocalNet to verify all of the information we had received, and discovered that it would NOT be a local call for my grandmother to connect to the internet. Within an hour of the initial transaction, she and I both tried to call and cancel the subscription, and were informed that we could send our request to the billing department, and they would do a “credit review” to determine whether or not we should be reimbursed, and that part of that fee was non-refundable. This surprised me, because we had not made use of the internet service yet, and would be unable to do so until the cd was received in the mail later in the week. I had assumed that if one of the terms of the agreement that is in all of your advertisements (a local number) could not be met that the agreement would be void. Also, I was informed that the money had already been taken out of my account, and therefore was nonrefundable. My bank was closed on Memorial Day, and they informed me that at the time this letter was written, the money still had not been taken out of my account, so that previous statement made by two of your representatives, Nathan and Monica, was incorrect. I was informed by your representatives that I would not receive any communication regarding this matter unless I sought it out, and because your phone conversations are not recorded, your representative could not confirm that I had been given misinformation.

I am confident that your billing department will work to give me and my family complete satisfaction in resolving this issue, including a full reimbursement of monies paid. We have been fully satisfied with your company thus far, and it would be a disappointment if we now had to retract both our recommendation of your company and my mother’s subscription. I look forward to your quick attention in this matter.

Sincerely,

Emily XXXXXXXX Brenda XXXXXXXX

A book series I am enjoying

(critical to have books when you're ignoring important stuff)
The first one in the series is A Penny for Your Thoughts by Mindy Starns Clark. It is Christian ("inspirational") fiction with some love and mystery. It can be borrowed from the Houghton Church Library, if you can't get it from your own local inter-loan library.

Chit Chat

Anyone else finding themselves randomly throwing the word "chit" into polite conversations?

actual sample chit


actual google image hit for chit, purely for entertainment

Merriam-Webster:

Main Entry: #1 chit
Pronunciation: chit(go to the site and listen to the pronounciation. Listen multiple times. Zach: don't do this at school. Tim: you either. Denise: go for it. It will do you good. Mom: don't worry, I would never do this.)
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English chitte kitten, cub
1 : CHILD
2 : a pert young woman (hmm, see Lil'Brenda's entry on the M family blog, if you dare)

Main Entry: #2 chit
Function: noun
Etymology: Hindi citthI
1 : a short letter or note; especially : a signed voucher of a small debt (as for food)
2 : a small slip of paper with writing on it (I begin to see the problem)

PS: Dan, this one's for you.

And the verdict is....

Apparently, the Navy, in all their infinite wisdom, lost my leave chit. Since I arrived in Cuba I have worked for three different chains-of-command. I think I turned in the leave chit with the first chain and through all the moves and policy changes chit was left behind. So.... I was instructed by my chief to write another request for a later date and it would be "their business" (the upper chain of command i.e. master chiefs and my company commander) and "their prerogative to deny it," but he would afford me the opportunity to take leave. All that to say I am going to try for the 26th of June through the 9th of July. Gotta love the Navy.


edited to add:

This would symbolize the navy, not Dan. Just to be clear.

So?

We got lift-off, or shall we send the dingy?

Thank you, Danny.

I watched the flag pass by one day,
It fluttered in the breeze.
A young Marine saluted it,
And then he stood at ease.

I looked at him in uniform
So young, so tall, so proud,
With hair cut square and eyes alert
He'd stand out in any crowd.

I thought how many men like him
Had fallen through the years.
How many died on foreign soil,
How many mothers' tears?

How many pilots' planes shot down?
How many died at sea
How many foxholes were soldiers' graves?
No, freedom isn't free.

I heard the sound of Taps one night,
When everything was still,
I listened to the bugler play
And felt a sudden chill.

I wondered just how many times
That Taps had meant "Amen,"
When a flag had draped a coffin
Of a brother or a friend.

I thought of all the children,
Of the mothers and the wives,
Of fathers, sons and husbands
With interrupted lives.

I thought about a graveyard
At the bottom of the sea
Of unmarked graves in Arlington.
No, freedom isn't free.

ooh, and speaking of babies...

I got to hold a three week old yesterday :-D :-D The Nafziger's (they run Wilderness Adventures at the college, I worked with them a few summers ago) brought home little Eli (I think?) a couple of weeks ago and were back at work 5 days later. Talk about committment. I thought maybe this would help my baby cravings, but, as they say, snacking does not prevent the binge, it only prolongs it for a bit. I will definitely be volunteering to babysit on a regular basis. What a cutie...sigh... :)

dinner with the president, or, how I found Carolyn's backpack

There are several benefits to growing up near a small college town (along with several downfalls, but we won't get into that just now). Said benefits increase greatly when your grandmother's best friend happens to be the college president's wife. Yesterday, I was invited to a "small, informal" dinner to be held tonight and hosted by Mrs. Chamberlain in her wonderful home. Knowing her reputation for being a wonderful cook (she'd better be, she borrows Grandma's recipes often enough!), I accepted, of course.
Dinner was served in the main dining room on fine china (we're talking red tablecloth, candles, and two forks). The menue consisted of swiss steak, noodles, mixed vegetables, mashed potatoes, gravy, nut muffins with two jellies, and angel food cake with mango dressing (Grandma's contribution). Dinner topics included aids, genetics, Solzhenitsyn, international hostels, UK recipes vs. American recipes, and my cat. I heard words like locus, "son of a gun," wellingtons, and ecclesiology. I think I managed to not only keep my elbows off of the table, but to use my napkin properly and not say anything to embarrass my grandmother. All this in one "small, informal" meal? Applause and admiration are perfectly acceptable at this point.

I bowed out of the games portion of the evening, choosing instead to walk home in a vain attempt to burn a few excess calories. On the way, I saw a "Free" table in someone's front yard, so I stopped and browsed through the Reader's Digests, played with the doodle board, and sniffed the candy canes before picked a few pieces of clothing out to try on later. I decided to leave the table behind. By the time I got to the campus center, I knew it was time to bid adieu to the coffee I'd consumed mere minutes earlier, so I took a quick detour.

Something caught my eye as I exited the ladies room, and I noticed a bright pink back pack lying under the drinking fountain. Vaguely recalling that my sister had lost her backpack at some point in the recent past, I ventured a peek into the front pocket, and found a folded piece of paper with the inscription (written in pencil): "To: Carolyn, from: Devin." Now, being the protective and nosy big sister that I am, I couldn't let this opportunity to snoop pass me by. Don't worry, Carolyn, I won't tell anyone the password. And you can have your back pack back if you come and visit me.

**
This story was brought to you by the number 4 and the word "chocolate."

Dear Mom:

Please reconsider my existence. I promise to be an interesting kid, with good taste.

Love,
Brenda Latte