Let The Countdown Begin!

[Breandan]

Do i detect Naval PPC's?

naval APPCs (use antimatter charged particles), AP lancers (antimatter charged particle beam), and a buttload of missiles of various sorts. 

[Laird Fraser of Lovatt]

   Hee hee hee... FIREPOWER... 

[Rani Zemirah]

OMG, Fraser... I can just HEAR you doing that in THAT voice!  ROFL  [facepalm] 

[Laird Fraser of Lovatt]

Lol!  Firepower gives me a warm fuzzy feeling and allows me to sleep at night. 

First batch of Loki this weekend... trying my hand at the "traditional" flavor but with a Fraser twist... 

[Rani Zemirah]

YOU would definitely be the one to make something "traditional" non-traditionally...    LOL 

[Laird Fraser of Lovatt]

Brisket for the smoker... Stuff for Loki good to go.  NOW it'll be a good weekend

[Rani Zemirah]

Hmmm... brisket sounds good, also!  I think we're going to grill some chicken tomorrow, as long as it doesn't rain all day like today!  Might be a good day to crack the bottle of bubbly I've got in the fridge, also, and make some Bellinis.  We're going to go hang with my mom and grandpa either tomorrow or Monday, also.  No real solid plans for the weekend, since half the fam isn't speaking to the other half at the moment... so just a quiet holiday for us. 


Speaking of the holiday, however... I know it's Memorial Day, a day to remember those who have given their lives in the service of their country, and all it stands for... but I would like to say thank you to all of you former and current military personnel, as well as to those who have given their lives, or their health, or pieces of themselves... or, in some cases, pieces of their spirit and sanity.  Whether you were involved in any active war/military action or not, it is the willingness to stand between those who cannot defend themselves and danger that merits gratitude, and not how many battle scars you acquired along the way.  That gratitude is felt by most people all of the time, even if they don't always say so... but it is still nice to have a special day set aside to acknowledge it, and to express it out loud.  So... thank you all, again. 

[Laird Fraser of Lovatt]

First batch in the bottle!  Brisket has been on the smoker since 6am.   

Thank you, Rani... I don't thank fellow Vets for their service... I thank them for volunteering to be Vets so someone else didn't have to be.

[Merlin the Elder]

Just for clarification, this commemoration is not for the ones who are still around to thank, but for those who didn't make it back. I was named for one such man--my dad's best friend--who, like my dad, survived the Bataan Death March, but unlike my dad, did not survive the subsequent captivity.

Keep in mind also those who gave their lives to protect  their countrymen in other ways, like the first responders on 9-11, and even West, Texas, and the teachers at Sandy Hook Elementary, to name but a couple of instances.

Our country has seen many heroes. Remember them all this year. Apologies for the somber message.

[Laird Fraser of Lovatt]

Oh so true, brother Merlin.  I think part of it is that in honoring our fallen, people feel the need to thank those that survived.  I lost my father in Vietnam and have traveled to DC to touch his name on The Wall.  Volunteered in early '67...joined the Marines...KIA August 21, 1968. *sigh*  One year & one day after my birthday.  The only thing I have of his is my first name.

[Merlin the Elder]

Most sincere condolences, my young friend.  May we lose the need for wars...

[Rani Zemirah]

May we lose the need for wars...

A loss that I can unequivocally support...

Merlin... I know this day is for remembering those who have lost their lives in the service of others... however, there are things just as precious as life that can, and have been, lost by those who choose to stand in harm's way to protect others, no matter what form of service that takes... and it is important to me to acknowledge those losses, as well.   There are experiences that can change a person forever... sometimes so much so that they don't even recognize themselves any longer... and that can be as devastating as the loss of physical being, for everyone who knew them as they were before.  I've lost a couple of friends to this kind of trauma, and I mourn those relationships still... as I mourn the loss of the people they were before so much pain and horror clouded their mind's eye, and replaced their joy with nightmares.  This is a sad and somber remembrance occasion... and the hope of no more need for war. or any of the types of trauma that cause these losses, is a very welcome ray of light on an otherwise dark and difficult day.   

[Laird Fraser of Lovatt]

After 22 years, some memories have faded...others are vivid, etched into my mind...some i only remember when i'm sleeping.  I fell asleep watching something on the Chosin reservoir, last night, and woke up in a cold sweat.  I could feel the sticky, humid air of Panama City... smell burnt powder...taste the iron tang...

*shudder* Somethings are best left forgotten...

[Laird Fraser of Lovatt]

On a brighter note... the brisket turned out fanfreakingtastic and the Loki... it needs to calm down a bit but it has potenial... 

[Laird Fraser of Lovatt]

*chirp*


Damn crickets