(Even though they still can't get that whole "capitalism" and "competition" concept, it seems)

I went to send off a few packages today.  Apparently, the cheapest and slowest way to send mail is called "First Class".  Because, in the realm of superlatives, "First Class" falls behind "Priority" and "Express" mail. 

I guess this is similar to how I initially couldn't tell the difference between "Tall", "Grande" and "Venti" cups of coffee at Starbucks.  But then I remembered my Latin and recalled that "Venti" looked similar to "Viginti" ("Twenty", for 20 oz cup). 

Although I usually take the quick and easy route and order "The $1.70* cup of your coffee of the day".  That usually gets the point across...

*=This should make you all envious of my discount card...

On Friday, I was in the locker room changing after PT.  The gym always plays 106.7 KMX (the only radio station in town) over the loudspeaker.  That morning, I overheard the DJs saying that "Dothan, Alabama" is now on the map.

A little geography.

Fort Rucker, Alabama is literally in the middle of nowhere.  I often feel embarassed when we bring in students from NATO and other countries.  I sometimes have to explain to them that "Yeah, Fort Rucker isn't really indicative of the whole US".  The "gateway city" to Fort Rucker is Daleville, Alabama, and the local "big city" is Enterprise, Alabama.  The major metropolitan area is a town called Dothan, Alabama some 20 miles away.  Literally, when people say "downtown", they mean Dothan, Alabama.  Never heard of it?  Well, you're not alone. 

So what could put Dothan, Alabama on the map?

Barnes and Noble.  And with Barnes and Noble comes its own Starbucks.  (Well, not a true, bona-fide SBUX, but it's good enough for me).

There is always a push to put Starbucks in the Fort Rucker area, but Starbucks always balks, due to the fact that the permanent party population of the area is quite small.  Too small for a Starbucks, if that were possible.  What I don't think corporate HQ is realizing (and I ought to write them, as I am a stockholder), is that there's a large flight school population.  They could easily make tons of money by opening up the Starbucks at 4 AM (right before students have to arrive for morning flight line), and serving coffee. 

Come on, Starbucks, I want my stock to shoot up.  

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I think I might finish two books this weekend, or at least by Monday or Tuesday.  Marcus Aurelius "Meditations" and "The War of Art" (not "Art of War").  They're short (maybe 100 pages each with big font).  I wanted to knock these out before I moved on to the TE Lawrence book, "The Seven Pillars of Wisdom".  I kind of empathize with Lawrence because, well, he was just some bored lieutenant, underchallenged, working on a staff.  With so much free time that he went ahead and translated Homer's Odyssey.  I can identify with that. 

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We're doing the Military Decision Making Process in class.  We're using a pitched tank battle as the vehicle for teaching the process.  I know, we try to keep up with the latest in doctrinal theory.  Anyway, we plan this battle and we fight it in a simulator.  The simulator is basically thirty computers running a strategy game.  Except it looks like it's based on a video game straight out of a 1982 Atari 2600.  With the interface to boot.  It's so simplistic, that there's no real strategy to winning...just mass your forces, dig them in, and see (and thus) shoot the enemy before he does the same to you.  There's no element of surprise, no psychology, no civilians, nothing. 

I felt bad, because I'm playing the role of the Engineer, and of course, the game doesn't simulate kids picking up land mines, or the fact that the host nation might not be a signatory to land mine treaties. 

But it it's 1982-era strategy games they want to play, I can do well at that. 

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I finally got my household goods today.  I need a new bookshelf.  I also found all my old Eagle scouting stuff and my old baseball cards.  Thanks to mom and dad for not throwing that away. 

(Dad is a perpetual "de-junker".  He nearly threw out my baseball cards.  One would think he would have learned his lesson from having the same thing happen to him when he was in college).