Dr. Strangelove . . .

. . . or, How Ian Learned to Fly a B-52.

Yep, that's Ian, the proper Englishman who recently married my all-American daughter, at the controls of a B-52D Stratofortress. His flight instructor (me) is sitting in the first officer's seat patiently offering hints to prevent us from flying at negative altitude.

Actually, we're sitting in a B-52D training simulator at the Strategic Air and Space Museum near Omaha Nebraska. There are dozens of aircraft in this museum, and ALL of them are inside. If you look at the size of some of them, you can imagine the sheer size of the building.

Amazing. Simply amazing.

Tiger Woods . . .

. . . is now nine over par.

That is all.

Finally . . .

. . . a real offer.

The offer from Italy came through today, complete with a relocation allowance, an acceptable salary, a concession to reevaluate it (upwards) after year-end when I receive my annual raise.

In 30 days, I should receive orders to transfer, then the real work begins - selling the house, medical screening, arranging for housing, obtaining an official passport . . . ad nauseum.

My first purchase is going to be Rosetta Stone (Italian). Although I'm not required to speak Italian, I think it will be very helpful. This may fall into the "old dog/new tricks" category.

I've been told it may take 3-4 months to get relocated. That's OK with me. I would rather move in the spring than the midst of winter.

Civil War reenactors only . . .

Unless you're looking to acquire some leaving-the-hobby bargains, move along, nothing to see here.

I will be embarking on a three-year tour with NAVFAC Europe, and will be based in Naples, Italy. I have already quit campaigning and have sold most of my traps. I had been keeping some items just in case I might weaken - but that won't happen, so the rest goes at pretty low prices.

If you want multiple items, let me know. I may be able to cut shipping costs.

Do not comment here. If you wish to purchase something, email me: bullseyejack@cox.net. First come - first served.

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Homespun check from JoAnn Fabrics, French pattern, shoulder straps, wooden buttons, fits 44-46, 18"neck, 35" sleeves, never worn.

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Dress shirt, French pattern, heavy tabby-weave cotton body/sleeves, fine cotton insert w/18 pleats, glass buttons, extensive topstitching, size 44-46, 35" sleeves, 18" banded collar, never worn.

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Miscellaneous belts.

British snake buckle belt, hand-cut, hand-sewn, fits 34-40, $20+$5 shipping. I've worn this one a couple of times, but it is in excellent shape.

ALL BUT THE SNAKE ARE SOLD

Congratulations . . .

. . . tentative job offer.

That's what the email said, but there was no information about salary. Only a request for the appropriate paperwork to continue with the process.

You have been tentatively selected and are being actively considered for employment for the position of <deleted>. If you are interested and would like further consideration for this position, please provide the following information and documents: <deleted>

I guess there's some deep, underlying reason the government must communicate in this manner, but it escapes me. I would assume that a job offer (even tentative) would include at least an afterthought about salary.

Perhaps not.

More later . . .

Good news . . .

. . . I hope.

Monday, I am to receive a formal offer and proposed salary for the job in Naples, Italy. It supposedly was emailed to me on Thursday, but there was a glitch somewhere.

The process of applying, selecting, etc., has been going on since 27 JUL. I have found that the wheels of government truly grind slowly.

Film at 11 . . .

School ties . . .

. . . dissolved.

The mascot/team name of the small-town high school I attended in Illinois was the Bulldogs. The Virden (IL) Community High School Bulldogs, that is. Our colors were purple and white.

No longer.

Virden schools have now consolidated with nearby Girard (IL), and now the Bulldogs and our #2 sports rival, the Redbirds are now one.

Of course, neither mascot could survive, as that would cause an inter-village war among the athletic supporters (so to speak). So some sort of referendum was held, and the schools have a new name, new colors and a new mascot.

The school name is North Mac, the colors are black and blue, and the mascot is a panther - showing a complete lack of imagination, I might add.

North Mac comes from North Macoupin County, IL, where the schools are located. However, I suspect a forthcoming lawsuit from McDonalds, as they believe they have full rights to anything starting with Mc or Mac.

Black and blue colors for a football team? Come on. Besides, the new logo is an exact copy of an existing logo for a semi-pro team.

Finally, there are NO panthers in Illinois, panthers have no historical connection to Illinois, and there are already dozens of teams in in the state with the same name.

At least it's an improvement of the name the Pekin, IL teams formerly used. Can you believe the Pekin "Chinks?" Yep, because Pekin sounds kind of like the old pronuncation for China's capital, they were called the "Chinks."

Makes the Washington Redskins and Cleveland Indians nicknames a bit tame.

Why should I care?

I guess I really don't, but high school years are some of the most formative of our lives, and changing those anchors of who we are just doesn't seem right.