Rose's Rambles

I'm especially remembering my Grampa, who was shot by a sniper in France, and my Granddad, who was a gunner's mate in the Coast Guard. God bless all those who put their lives on the line for our freedom and those whose love went (and still goes) with them.


In other news: I have another kitchen chemistry success to share! Took a bit of trial and not too much error, but here it is: (behind the cut to spare f-lists, though it's not terribly long)( Boil 'em, mash 'em, stick 'em in a stew... )
And in other other news, I've just gotten a major project for work and am likely to be around even less than usual. Sorry. Big Bangs are still on, though, and I may have a Memorial Day ficlet to post shortly.

SG-1 fans: Run, don't walk, over to ansostuff's FF.n page to check out Woe to Thee, in which the mystery contained on an innocent-looking scroll sends the team on an interplanetary search for clues and almost nothing is as it seems. I'm a bit biased as her beta, but *I* think it's a pretty amazing story. :)

A belated happy birthday to the USMC and a belated Happy Veterans Day! It's never a bad time to thank veterans past and present for everything they do for us.
Also, the Valour-IT fundraiser raised $92,542 this year! Wahoo!

You're a grand old flag, you're a high-flying flag,
And forever in peace may you wave!
You're the emblem of the land I love,
The home of the free and the brave!
Every heart beats true 'neath the red, white, and blue,
Where there's never a boast or brag;
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
Keep your eye on that grand old flag!

Have a safe and sane Fourth, y'all!

ETA: If you're in the mood to learn a bit about American history today, check out the official website of the Navajo Code Talkers, Marines who developed the only unbreakable code in modern military history. It's an amazing story.

ETA #2: Had almost forgotten about this vid:

Reposting from Soldiers' Angels:

Soldiers’ Angels is assessing the needs and--with our founder currently residing in Texas--standing by to offer physical and emotional support to our heroes and their families at Fort Hood.

RIGHT NOW: Collecting encouraging notes and NEW stuffed animals for the families and children of the injured or killed. Please send cards/letters and stuffed animals (and anything NEW that may brighten the life of a child) to:

Soldiers' Angels
4408 PanAm Expressway
San Antonio, TX 78218


Also, if you want a specific soldier to pray for, please pray for my HS friend M, who transferred to Fort Hood to be closer to family after his wife was murdered a few months ago. I'm sure this incident is especially hard on him even if he doesn't know anyone involved. (I haven't spoken to him, so I don't know for sure.)

There's an all-star cast gearing up for a big webathon on the 26th: From the Frontlines, the goal of which is to raise $500,000 to fund the biggest single shipment of care packages to our overseas troops in US history (intended to arrive just in time for the 4th). You can start contributing now, if you don't want to wait for (or don't like the guests for) the webathon.
And if you're curious how things are going Over There, Argghhh! has several stories up over the past several days from correspondents in Iraq that you're not likely to see in the mainstream media, and The Mudville Gazette's Dawn Patrol features a daily roundup of news and blog stories.
As regular readers know, I don't care where you stand politically as long as you give our men and women in uniform the respect and support they deserve. So if you can afford to give, please do, and if not, please at least keep our troops in your prayers... because we're the land of the free because of the brave.

Sorry about dropping off the face of the earth--am visiting Mum and Chappy and haven't been logged in on my account. I have been keeping up with things, though, when I've been online.
Caspian fic will be forthcoming when I figure out how exactly to work the ending and feel up to getting it typed out (been pretty achy the last few days).
Happy Memorial Day--hug a veteran!

EDIT: Almost forgot the quote from my prelims reading that I had to share:

There is still another error, hardly less serious than that just mentioned [neglecting studies], and it must be avoided with the greatest care: certain persons, while they omit nothing which ought to be read, nonetheless do not know how to give each art what belongs to it, but, while treating one, lecture on them all. In grammar they discourse about the theory of syllogisms; in dialectic they inquire into inflectional cases; and what is still more ridiculous, in discussing the title of a book they practically cover the whole work, and, by their third lecture, they have hardly finished with the incipit. It is not the teaching of others that they accomplish in this way, but the showing off of their own knowledge. Would that they seemed to everone as they seem to me! Only consider how perverse this practice is. Surely the more you collect superfluous details the less you are able to grasp or to retain useful matters.
--Hugh of St. Victor, Didascalion 3.5

I nearly laughed out loud when I read that paragraph--I've had profs who taught like that!