61 HOURS (REALLY SAYING SOMETHING)

"A bizarre career.

The Silver Star and the Purple Heart came from Beirut.  Reacher had been an army liaison officer serving with the Marine Corps at the time of the barracks bombing.  He had been badly wounded in the attack, and then heroic in the immediate aftermath.  All the other medal citations were redacted, which meant they involved secrets.

He had many formal qualifications.  He was rated expert on all small arms.  He had won an inter-service thousand yard rifle competition with a record score.  Anecdotally his fitness reports rated him well above average in the classroom, excellent in the field, fluently bilingual in English and French, passable in Spanish, outstanding on all man-portable weaponry, and beyond outstanding at hand-to-hand combat.  Susan knew what that last rating meant.  Like having a running chain saw thrown at you."

NOTE:  61 Hours, Lee Child’s 14^th Jack Reacher novel, like the rest of the series, is very, very good.  It features a dwarf Mexican drug lord with a Napoleon complex villain and a U.S. Polar Vortex winter like the one we're having as the backdrop for its meth lab on steroids, Nazi art horde mega-destruction climax.

That being said, my own career was also pretty bizarre and, like my Flappy Bird high score, is still evolving. I might eventually give Reacher a run for his money.

I visited the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall in Philadelphia today with my old friend Virginia and her friend Sue. The park ranger who lectured us about the American history events from 1760 through the ratification of the U.S. Constitution did an outstanding, inspiring job.  When I think about our president’s recent, entirely discretionary, decision to close down the major Philadelphia history monuments during the  government shutdown (while retaining the services of his cook, his food taster, Dover Sole filleter, and martini steward) I am filled with disgust and horror.  These monuments should be kept open and available all day every day in perpetuity.

Virginia and Sue are leaving tomorrow.  Olympic downhills are being televised tonight after yesterday evening’s exhausting cross-country sessions and the sensational Amazonian biathletes, beautiful women who can shoot a rifle straight and then ski away like woodland goddesses.  

They’re Really Saying Something, although I’m not sure what they’re saying. (Apologies to the French/Filipino actor Herve Villechaize, a victim here of Central Casting.) 

Bananarama: Really Saying Something (Link)