I knew the exact moment I was about to lose an argument with the military: it was when my branch officer tried to redefine the word “volunteer” when the exact opposite was true. We had a disagreement in 1985 about my next assignment. I lost in the short term, but my life’s direction changed for the better.
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Right now, the bar for basic male behavior is sitting on the floor. I’m not sure it could be any lower. I didn’t think we needed a list telling men not to violate or demean women. I’m embarrassed to say I was wrong. Here we are. Again. Let’s lay it out plain.
Continue reading “I’m Embarrassed”
With the Midterms approaching, politics are everywhere. Recently I was at a Nats game and talking with an 80+ year-old stranger. He confessed to me that he had voted Republican his entire life, but this year for the first time ever, he was voting Democratic.
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Early voting started here in Virginia a couple of weeks ago. While standing in line to vote, I was thinking about the David Bowie song “Heroes” and its famous line: “We can be heroes, just for one day.” America needs all of us to be heroes for these midterm elections.
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Los Chicharrones. Much cooler sounding than the American name – Pork Rinds. No matter what you call them, they are delicious. I buy homemade ones at La Palmita, a local gas station/market in Marshall. Made from deep fried pork belly or skin, with zero carbs and half the calories of potato chips they are better for you than chips, and other processed snacks.
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The great sheet of cloth covering the name of The Kennedy Center now appears to me more a funeral shroud. It is one of the many physical and political changes that make DC a less desirable place to visit right now. Let’s take a tour of those changes, including endless new fences, construction zones, and chopped-down trees.
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My war with the cattails continues. I have attacked them regularly at the pond for two years now. I trudge in the mud on the shoreline or arrive by boat, pulling them out one by one. They are densely packed and their root systems interconnect. I think they secretly laugh at my efforts.
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Our dog Carmen and I were sitting on the front porch at Tilghman watching the world go by. Truth be told, not much world goes by at 8:30AM on a Sunday morning at the end of a road at the end of an Island. As I sipped my coffee, it occurred to me neither of us minded.
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I’m concerned. You should be as well. This week, Secretary of the Army Daniel Driscoll resigned. With his resignation, only one of the four most senior Army positions is confirmed by the Senate, and among the ten senior Army positions requiring confirmation, only half are confirmed. The others are either vacant, or people are serving in acting roles.
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It wasn’t date night. We weren’t celebrating anything. It was just your average Wednesday evening, and we were tired of cooking. We decided to go out and wanted a nice restaurant. I said to Cathy, “Field and Main?”and she immediately answered “YES!” Off to Marshall we drove.
Continue reading “Wednesday Night at Field and Main”
