Lenticular_J

They're actually pretty common in design industries, as I understand. Architecture and the like. They're certainly useful.

Sounds like a fine outfit. I like white jeans.

They are pretty badass :thumbup: I might need some new jeans, my cheap ones aren't holding up so good. Need to save a bit of money up first though. I noticed that Gilt sells selvedge Levi's 501s for $98 like once a week.

I find I look bad in wayfarers. Aviators are my go-to.

Only got allergies when I moved to Lubbock - place is lousy with cotton and dust and dirt. What did I do? Beat my body into submission. Got over it.

I bought some New Balance running shoes today. They are not stylish and I will only wear them for running.

I'd vote plain Sperry Topsiders. Those Sebago ones look dumb. Like boat shoes and sneakers did it.

That's very good. What does light duty entail, exactly?

What were your scores? You should holler at me if you're going to Annapolis, I'm aiming for it myself. Was worried about my CFA earlier, but my BGO told me to wait until my seventeenth birthday to do it (Aug 21). I get two months, and from what I've seen, I already have a pretty average score (except my pushups make me wtf): BBall throw - no clue, I can hit a rabbit with a rock at forty yards. Can you describe it better than the website...? push ups - 20??!?!?!! sit ups - 40 shuttle run - Dunno. Should check on that. Could also use a better description here. pullups - 7 mile - 7:25? Anyway, good luck to you. I take it you prefer West Point over Annapolis, but... Maybe we'll be in the same class. Wait. Maybe not. Maybe. Um. Yes.

One of my good friends are going there next year! Congrats, it's a huge achievement. (Just to be clear, the one in Annapolis right?) Aye, Annapolis (and thank you). Has he been given one of the, I forgot the name, but basically an assurance of admission due to grades? I'm figuring on one of those, judging by a fellow I know. I just wish the sailor outfits weren't so... Yeah. Eh, just a couple years, then I'll be in MARPATs or a flight suit. Sorry, being irrelevant.

Got named an Official Candidate for the US Naval Academy today. Is it bad that one of my first thoughts was "God now I'm going to have to wear sailor outfits"?

My school believes my penis is two inches long and five in diameter. And that my best friend's weiner is black (frostbite, boy scout incident). Pretty sure I've made more stuff up too, not just about dongs. God, high school kids are gullible.

Kinda fun, innit?

You'll probably like it. Can get acceptable soap, razor, blades and brush that'll last you at least 6 months for 50 bucks or so on Amazon (or any shaving-specialty webstore). Holler at me if you want to be directed to folks that really know their stuff. I might even be able to help with a couple things. Yeah, if you have any recommendations I'd be glad to hear them. I'm not very knowledgeable about wet shaving beyond the basics. Website called West Coast Shaving for blades (about 10 bucks for a starter pack with quite a few), on Amazon any razors by Parker or Merkur, mostly your choice, they're all pretty good. For your first, you might want one with a big handle - I wish mine was bigger. Woulda saved me from some nasty cuts. Brush, just make sure it's badger, Amazon has plenty of them. Omega might be one of the brands that produces them cheaply, not sure. Soap... Depends. Amazon sells Col. Conk's, real cheap, but they're tiny pucks and don't last too long (a month or so). Or, go to Classic Shaving and look around for cheaper/sale items.

You'll probably like it. Can get acceptable soap, razor, blades and brush that'll last you at least 6 months for 50 bucks or so on Amazon (or any shaving-specialty webstore). Holler at me if you want to be directed to folks that really know their stuff. I might even be able to help with a couple things.

That sounds right. I'll be 7570-something during training. I wonder if the flight officers are able to learn anything about their own planes, how to fix them and everything...? I like working with people who know their stuff.

Do you fix up all fixed-wings, or will you learn one in particular?

Very nice. What's your MOS going to be? I'm doing either NROTC or PLC when I get to college, intend to go NFO. Were you at Parris Island or San Diego?

LATFH Cool acronym, bro. Could use a knife. You'd have to sharpen it beyond belief. There's a reason it's called "razor-sharp." A dull blade will cut you, sharp one will be more difficult. I've thought it would be fun when I am a Marine to just use my Ka-Bar for everything - cooking, shaving, soaping, shampooing - but I'm not very good at sharpening knives. Yet.

Face, ye. Circa-1930 gold Gillette Tech safety razor, various shaving soaps (actually using a maca root cream right now, heavenly lather), either Old Spice, Skin Bracer, or Nivea aftershave. Fine badger brush. Hot water. Finish cold, it fixes the cuts. I don't like modern stuff any more. Facial hair is one of those cases where, in my opinion, going old-fashioned is better. Body hair, I'd probably use modern conveniences. Sometimes do, if things get a little whacky.

One thing that I thought I might toss in here: skilled labor. It's a rare and valuable commodity in our professional America, and becoming rarer as kids are encouraged to go to college and enter into overfull professional fields. I don't understand the stigma. Welders make as much as engineers in many cases, and plumbers may some day be the new computer engineers. Some day soon. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3h_pp8CHEQ0

We only barely touched on supply-side economics, I wish I'd remembered because it certainly makes sense to me. That's why the whole "tax the rich" argument can be invalidated. They're the ones that provide the money for the rest of us. Businesses, corporations, blah, blah, blah... Income taxes aren't quite the main source of revenue for our government (well, if that includes business incomes it definitely is - personal, not so much). Raising taxes on businesses is a bad idea, no matter how romantic it sounds to take from the rich - it trickles down, meaning you're taking from the poor as well. I guess capitalism is a pretty black-and-white thing. Works most practically with laissez-faire policies, even though many more or less moral aspects can only be enforced with regulation. I like economics. It's a crazy field of study.

I was taught that we should expand, expand, expand. Money supply, spending, everything. The thing is, theoretical economics doesn't take into account people that may very well be buttholes. I mean, with our massive debt (which is exaggerated - a massive amount is owed to ourselves, not good but not terrible), nobody is going to like more government spending. But lowering taxes is irresponsible of government. Now, I'm just barely an economics student. A good one, I suppose, but still very much learning. I can see how Glass-Steagall's repeal would help out with the crisis of late. But, honestly, that was kind of coming to us, if you believe in the boom-bust cycles of capitalism. We were in a massive, uncontrolled boom since the internet really, with practically no regulation. We needed to be checked, I reckon, and it was more the natural cycles that tossed us into the dirt for a bit.

I never really noticed many tornadoes touching down in west texas lately, not sure why but it seems like the cells have started to form a bit further to the east within the last few years. And as I type this, there's a Tornado warning for Dallas and Tarrant counties. Our season starts later, but I think it will either be much quieter here or big as well (although it won't be as big of a deal as the tornado in Joplin - no matter how fast the wind speeds are, a tornado in a corn field isn't a big deal). But, yes, the eastern part of Texas has been experiencing more severe weather than when I was younger. I was told that we're shifting into an El Nino, and that is considered a major reason for so much activity to the east. One of my friends' younger sisters lives in Keller, and she took a picture of the tornado that touched down in the northern DFW area. Real small, don't believe it did any damage. Hopefully the DFW area is fine, although I know the hail will be very damaging. Golf ball-sized hail ruined the main hospital in Amarillo in 2004 if I recall correctly. And this is twice the size. I sure hope Joplin doesn't get hit again.

And tornado season is just beginning in West Texas. Weird to hope that we get some, but it's much less populated out here than east, in the deeper south. We need the accompanying rain, badly. Texas' agriculture this year is crashed from all this drought, not to mention all the communities hurt by wildfires. But that is neither here nor there; these sorts of tornadoes are rare in that part of the country, but they do happen. And when they do, it's bad - a typically weak tornado can do a whole lot of damage in a highly populated area. They're beautiful forces of nature in open spaces, but ... Bad stuff.