We're Back!

Yes, The Gang Is Here
Conrad, Oscar, Art and the million voices in my head that make up BOOJUM*!
     If you clocked on yesterday, or this morning, expecting to hear more novel nonsense and instead had to be satisfied with guff that was from last year or the year before, then I apologise, but only a bit.  I got home late, then had to do the shopping, then had some left-over Chinese for tea and by then had to - there was no choice had to - finish watching "Bones".  By then it was 21:20; it normally takes 60 minutes to put a blog together, 45 if I'm really hoofing it with lots of notes to work from.  So, no posting before 22:00, which is leaving it rather late.

World's most uncomfortable chair?
Why here?  Why not!

     Excuses Reasons why over, it was interesting for Conrad to look back at these older posts, as I normally never revisit old product.  No special reason for that, apart from believing that you have to go forward and evolve OR DIE.  Something like that.  It may not be the done thing, but I did find myself amused at the scrivel in review.
     "Where on earth does this stuff come from!?" I wondered, and then realised.
     "Hmmm.  From inside my head."
     Again, either illuminating or worrying.  Perhaps both?
     Now, let the motley commence!
     Oh, by the way I am on a schedule here, as Darling Daughter is due to arrive soon and I don't want to be in the Upstairs Lair tapping away whilst she's here, as a visit is a rare event.

"Mission Log - The Big Goodbye"
Back to Ken and John again, reviewing the Next Generation episode named above.  They normally begin with a load of trivia, then recap the episode, then go over it millimetre-by-millimetre** to examine for morals, meaning and messages.
     First they ran over South Canadian phone trivia, about the dialling conventions and code used, plus the well-known film phone prefix "555-", leaving your humble scribe a bit lost as he hates phones at the best of times.  Then they reviewed the cast, which included film veteran Dick Miller, fellow vet. Laurence Tierney and an also-ran called Harvey Jason.  Sorry, Harvey.
     Rather than have me bang on second-hand, here's a link to the chaps holding forth:

http://www.missionlogpodcast.com/the-big-goodbye/

     And of course I shall end with a photograph of theirs.
     One thing that stuck in my mind was a remark of theirs about spelling, always a subject close to your humble scribe's heart.  Captain Picard's spelling is apparently very spotty indeed, and they postulate that with 24th century word recognition technology spelling is a lost art.  Just as today, they boldly state, nobody practices beautiful cursive handwriting.
     HELLO!

Beautiful AND cursive

     Now, I did promise to leave you with a Mission Log photo, so here you are:

"Carefull, Dayta, I thinkk weev anoid him"

"Forgotten Voices Of The Falklands" By Hugh McManners
Forgotten?  Already?  Well, I suppose it is over a generation ago.  This is a riveting assembly of first-person accounts of the Falklands War, all the more so as it includes Argentinian and Falkland Islander narratives.  Certain people do not come out of it well; Admiral Woodward for one; government spokesman John Nott for another  ("Putting foot in mouth" would have in fact been a good thing for him, as it would have prevented him from talking).  I remember reading "Time" at the moment the British were storming the island of South Georgia, and seeing a cartoon set in redneck country with a couple of bewildered good ole boys being given the once-over by a couple of British soldiers.  You'll just have to take my word for it being amusing as obviously - obviously! - I cannot find it today.

Some copy editor uses the title he's been dreaming of ...

    Being clinical, it was a very strange war for the 20th Century.  Fought between two formal armies, one professional the other mostly conscript, involving hi-tec air and naval forces with practically nil civilian involvement, sticking strictly to the rules of war, and with a definite winner.
     Plus Harrier jump jets! (more of this later)

More Veterans At 50
I know Mandy reads BOOJUM! so I am taking a calculated risk here.  We've already had the B52 Stratofortress bomber, the M2 Browning Machine Gun, and Pink Floyd.  Let me also introduce - Mandy!
     No, no surname.  We don't do that here.  Principled, don't you know.  Also I work with these people and naming their names would definitely get me into trouble.
     Mandy, rashly, believed that taking her actual birthday as leave would mean nobody realised it was indeed her 50th.
     WRONG!

O so wrong

     We didn't have a plane towing a banner overhead, but that's all that was missing.
     Happy 50th Mandy!




*  "A million voices" is either a joke or an exaggeration.  You choose.
** I realise this is Metric not Imperial but we are talking about the 24th Century here.