Have you ever noticed that politicians don't want to say anything controversial during election season? It always torqued me off, but now I'm starting to understand where they're coming from. That's why, during the heart of the vote-whining campaign that is the 2006 Weblog Awards (please vote for me! click here to go to the voting page! vote every 24 hours!), I hesitate to post anything that might upset the voters. Because of that, and because December is normally a good time to post "end of year" reviews, here's links to some of the "Best of Bubblehead" non-submarine posts from the past 12 months:
Dec. '05: This is why I don't cook much.
Jan. '06: One of the things that sets me apart from the other "2501-3500" finalists is my willingness to "go to bat" for the smaller bloggers, as seen in the saga of my wildly successful "SPUD-LIB" initiative:
The SPUD-LIB Manifesto
SPUD-LIB: An Open Letter to Frank J. and Instapundit
Victory For SPUD-LIB!
Feb. '06: Hercules, The Blanket-Molesting Cat. The title says it all.
Mar '06: For March Madness -- A Call For Restraint
Apr '06: A compilation of my "serious essays" on the GWOT -- What I Believe
May '06: An analysis of the surprising result of the Nebraska Republican Governor primary result: Satan Flexes His Political Muscles
(In May, I also wrote one of my most-linked non-submarine posts of the year: Why The Republicans Are Losing My Vote.)
June '06: On the definition of "unilateral": Idaho Democrats -- Against The Mexican War!
July '06: Part of my continuing series of posts mocking and belittling bad science from the moonbat crowd: Depleted Uranium -- Worthy Of Exclamation Points!
Aug '06: More GWOT strategy thinking: Iraq = Gallipoli?
Sep '06: Because this guy got elected, I'm almost sure to get my taxes audited: Bill Sali And The Underpants Gnomes
Oct '06: Mostly election-related this month, but I did call out one celebrity: You Owe Me, Ken Jennings!
Nov '06: I have a "picture": Zamboni In The Boise Burger King Drive-Thru -- A Guy's Perspective
Before the end of the year, I'll try to come up with a list of my favorite submarine posts.
Discovery Mission Has A Navy Feel
The space shuttle Discovery lifted off tonight for a trip to the ISS -- I watched it live while waiting for the Heisman results to be announced. I hadn't heard before I saw the coverage that there are three Navy officers aboard this flight: CAPT Robert L. Curbeam Jr., CDR William A. Oefelein, and CDR Sunita L. Williams. CDR Williams will be transferring to the ISS for a six month tour of duty there.
I've always thought submariners would do good in space -- we're used to living in a high-tech vessel that operates essentially independently of outside support for long periods, and which can kill you if you operate them incorrectly. So far, we haven't had a chance to prove it, but we might be able to soon. Waiting for his ride is submariner CDR Stephen Bowen, a Mission Specialist. I knew him slightly -- he was XO of PCU Virginia when I was Eng on PCU Jimmy Carter, and we shared the same crew support building in the shipyard. I'm sure he'll do us proud when he gets into space.
One thing's for sure -- those dolphins make even a NASA uniform look good:
I've always thought submariners would do good in space -- we're used to living in a high-tech vessel that operates essentially independently of outside support for long periods, and which can kill you if you operate them incorrectly. So far, we haven't had a chance to prove it, but we might be able to soon. Waiting for his ride is submariner CDR Stephen Bowen, a Mission Specialist. I knew him slightly -- he was XO of PCU Virginia when I was Eng on PCU Jimmy Carter, and we shared the same crew support building in the shipyard. I'm sure he'll do us proud when he gets into space.
One thing's for sure -- those dolphins make even a NASA uniform look good:
A Ditty From Long Ago
Completely unbidden, this old song came into my head when I drove past the Golden Arches on my way home from work today:
"McDonalds is your kind of place,
They feed you rattlesnakes,
They throw them in your face,
They have no potty place."
I remember my friends singing that back in the early 70s. I would have figured that it was a nationwide song, but a quick Google search showed that if it was, it hasn't been recorded. The closest one I found was here, in that while one version mentions throwing food in your face, it says they "steal your parking place", which in my mind isn't nearly as absurd as having no potty place.
"McDonalds is your kind of place,
They feed you rattlesnakes,
They throw them in your face,
They have no potty place."
I remember my friends singing that back in the early 70s. I would have figured that it was a nationwide song, but a quick Google search showed that if it was, it hasn't been recorded. The closest one I found was here, in that while one version mentions throwing food in your face, it says they "steal your parking place", which in my mind isn't nearly as absurd as having no potty place.
Submarine Posts On Other Blogs
The Sub Report Blog is hosting a "Submarine Christmas Photoshop Contest" that looks like it'll be a lot of fun. Entries are due by the 14th.
Ninme has a report on the current kerfuffle in Great Britain about whether or not to keep an independent nuclear deterrent. While I think it's important for our British allies to maintain an adequate defense, part of me wonders if the Founding Fathers aren't sitting back and saying, "Yes, soon Great Britain will be completely defenseless, and will be ours for the taking. The final act of the American Revolution will soon play out."
Also, both USS La Jolla (SSN 701) and USS Albuquerque (SSN 706) (picture here) returned home from deployment recently -- just in time for Christmas!
Ninme has a report on the current kerfuffle in Great Britain about whether or not to keep an independent nuclear deterrent. While I think it's important for our British allies to maintain an adequate defense, part of me wonders if the Founding Fathers aren't sitting back and saying, "Yes, soon Great Britain will be completely defenseless, and will be ours for the taking. The final act of the American Revolution will soon play out."
Also, both USS La Jolla (SSN 701) and USS Albuquerque (SSN 706) (picture here) returned home from deployment recently -- just in time for Christmas!
The Completely Impartial Voters Guide To The "Best Of The Top 2501-3500 Blogs"
Just because I'm a finalist for the prestigious "Best of the Top 2501-3500 Blogs" category for the 2006 Weblog Awards doesn't mean I've lost my sense of fair play. To that end, I've put together this completely impartial "Voters Guide" so you'll be able to cast your vote for the blog in this category that's truly the "best".
What is meant by "the best"? Some might say that the best blog is one that has lots of interesting content, well-considered opinions, and engaging discourse. Sure, that's one definition, and if one accepts that, then the other finalists probably have "better" blogs than mine. But remember, this is America. In American elections, "best" equals "loudest", and I can assure you that no other finalist in the "BotT2501-3500B" category will be as loud, obnoxious, or snarky as I.
With that being said, on to the Voters Guide (updated 09 Dec):
The finalists are (in completely random order):
1) Bubblehead -- The Stupid Shall Be Punished: This self-styled "Idaho's first and foremost submarine blogger" has been mocking and belittling those who deserve it for over two years. Before that, he was in the Navy; here's a picture of him:
7) The Colossus of Rhodey: One of the two group blogs in the competition, the CoR consists of Rhodey, Felix, Rube, Gooch, JakeM, and HippieMomie. Apparently bloggers are big celebrities in Delaware (State Motto: "We get all our money from charging people outrageous tolls to drive 10 miles on I-95"), as shown by this blurry photo of the Rhodians with a fan:
My guess it that this appearance caused some contention, since HippieMomie's picture wasn't included with the rest of the group up on the wall.
8) Libby at The Impolitic: A self-styled progressive, Libby nonetheless seems to find time to hang out with famous conservative offspring; she's reportedly seen here with one of the Bush twins:
What is meant by "the best"? Some might say that the best blog is one that has lots of interesting content, well-considered opinions, and engaging discourse. Sure, that's one definition, and if one accepts that, then the other finalists probably have "better" blogs than mine. But remember, this is America. In American elections, "best" equals "loudest", and I can assure you that no other finalist in the "BotT2501-3500B" category will be as loud, obnoxious, or snarky as I.
With that being said, on to the Voters Guide (updated 09 Dec):
The finalists are (in completely random order):
1) Bubblehead -- The Stupid Shall Be Punished: This self-styled "Idaho's first and foremost submarine blogger" has been mocking and belittling those who deserve it for over two years. Before that, he was in the Navy; here's a picture of him:
I can't say what he was getting the medal for; let's just say that the underwater Alien Command Ships won't be bothering Earth for quite a while, if you get my drift.
2) The Random Yak: A finalist two years running, Random Yak is an appropriate nom de blog, given his general hairiness -- as this picture supposedly of Random Yak working off a "bender" attests:
It's said that yaks live in the mountains of Pakistan -- just like Osama Bin Laden.
3) Bruce at mAss Backwards: He's from Massachusetts, but there's no reason to just assume that he likes high taxes and goes to gay weddings every weekend. He apparently has some sort of high-tech job, as this blurry photo said to be of Bruce shows:
4) Viking Spirit: Not much is known of this young blogger, although it's rumored that he was also may have been in the military, as this grainy photo shows:
5) Jack's Shack at Random Thoughts: Jack's Shack is best known for wanting Santa Claus to die; also known as "The Cousin of The Grinch". The reason is unknown; however, this photo purported to show an earlier episode from Jack's life that may explain this disturbing obsession:
I'm sure it will be easy to explain to your children how you voted for this guy.
6) Amanda from Imago Dei: No picture of Amanda could be found; however, we did find a picture of her favorite singing group wearing some of her gear:
Coming soon -- information on the other four finalists:
The Colossus of Rhodey: A Delaware group blog.
Cobb: Clearly a ringer. He's way too good of a blogger to be this far down the ecosystem chain.
Jeff the Baptist: Another Delawarian. (Delawarite?) What's up with that?
Libby at The Impolitic: Apparently the only liberal in the group.
7) The Colossus of Rhodey: One of the two group blogs in the competition, the CoR consists of Rhodey, Felix, Rube, Gooch, JakeM, and HippieMomie. Apparently bloggers are big celebrities in Delaware (State Motto: "We get all our money from charging people outrageous tolls to drive 10 miles on I-95"), as shown by this blurry photo of the Rhodians with a fan:
My guess it that this appearance caused some contention, since HippieMomie's picture wasn't included with the rest of the group up on the wall.8) Libby at The Impolitic: A self-styled progressive, Libby nonetheless seems to find time to hang out with famous conservative offspring; she's reportedly seen here with one of the Bush twins:
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