poliphilo: (corinium)
poliphilo ([personal profile] poliphilo) wrote2013-01-22 09:30 am

Another Milestone

Well that was my birthday- my 62nd. We were snowed in for it. Ailz is afraid of slipping on the ice and I'm afraid of her slipping so we don't go anywhere in these conditions if we can help it. The binmen left the rubbish uncollected so I suppose they must be afraid of slipping too.

Barack Obama got himself re-inaugurated. I saw an estimate of what it cost and you could have made several Hollywood blockbusters for the price. Prince Harry is back from Afghanistan and footage has been released in which he talks all macho and says he's killed people. Finally Michael Winner died. I remember him as a pushy boy wonder. He made over 30 movies and I don't believe I've seen a single one of them. 

[identity profile] mummm.livejournal.com 2013-01-22 10:37 am (UTC)(link)
Happy Belated birthday Tony! I'm sorry I let it slip by.

[identity profile] poliphilo.livejournal.com 2013-01-22 10:42 am (UTC)(link)
Thank you.

I do my best to ignore it myself :)

[identity profile] steepholm.livejournal.com 2013-01-22 11:06 am (UTC)(link)
Happy Birthday for yesterday! Cuspy Aquarians must stick together.

[identity profile] poliphilo.livejournal.com 2013-01-22 11:54 am (UTC)(link)
Yes indeed. The world is not worthy of us.

[identity profile] davesmusictank.livejournal.com 2013-01-22 12:25 pm (UTC)(link)
Happy birthday wishes as well

[identity profile] poliphilo.livejournal.com 2013-01-22 01:46 pm (UTC)(link)
Thanks.

[identity profile] cmcmck.livejournal.com 2013-01-22 12:53 pm (UTC)(link)
He's military and I'm a military historian.

It's what military types do- have done for as long as there've been military types.

Why do they think everyone will be surprised at this small factoid?

[identity profile] poliphilo.livejournal.com 2013-01-22 01:52 pm (UTC)(link)
We're used to Royal personages parading around in fancy uniforms, covered in medals that mean nothing so it comes as a bit of a surprise to learn that one of them has been doing some real soldiering.

[identity profile] cmcmck.livejournal.com 2013-01-22 02:05 pm (UTC)(link)
True- the last of the royals to command forces in the field was George II.

[identity profile] ooxc.livejournal.com 2013-01-22 08:19 pm (UTC)(link)
Prince Andrew? In the Falklands? Well, I suppose it was a helicopter rather than forces - but I thought something similar - what do people want? Damned if they do and damned if they don't?
Didn't the previous Duke of Kent do some soldiering in WW2?

[identity profile] cmcmck.livejournal.com 2013-01-23 08:58 am (UTC)(link)
Yes they did, but not as field commanders. Phil the Greek also saw active service.

Given the attitudes of our print media they'll be wrong whatever they do and I speak as one of a republican tendency.

I'm also a military historian and the daughter of a bootneck and I'd rather see royals at the sharp end doing some real soldiering than standing around in uniforms they're not entitled to, covered with phoney orders and medals as our friend states above.

[identity profile] ooxc.livejournal.com 2013-01-23 02:22 pm (UTC)(link)
Isn't it a good thing (from the republican P o V) that they didn't do it as field commanders?
I also lose patience with former National Servicemen, who parade around wearing medals, when they never came under fire, and spent most of their time drilling, or in offices and kitchens and servicing vehicles

[identity profile] paulie123.livejournal.com 2013-01-22 01:55 pm (UTC)(link)
many happy returns for yesterday

[identity profile] poliphilo.livejournal.com 2013-01-22 01:56 pm (UTC)(link)
Thank you.

[identity profile] kishenehn.livejournal.com 2013-01-22 02:38 pm (UTC)(link)
Happy birthday, kid! :)

[identity profile] poliphilo.livejournal.com 2013-01-22 04:13 pm (UTC)(link)
Thanks.

[identity profile] thistle-chaser.livejournal.com 2013-01-22 04:20 pm (UTC)(link)
Happy happy birthday!

The estimated costs usually include security (can you imagine how many people would gleefully have shot Obama yesterday?), crowd control, cleanup, all that, so the number looks bad but has to cover a lot of things.

[identity profile] poliphilo.livejournal.com 2013-01-22 05:13 pm (UTC)(link)
Thank you.

Yes, I can see why the ceremony costs so much. Even so...

[identity profile] thistle-chaser.livejournal.com 2013-01-22 05:48 pm (UTC)(link)
Agreed. I wish it could be less...

[identity profile] w. lotus (from livejournal.com) 2013-01-22 05:14 pm (UTC)(link)
A very happy birthday to you!!!!!

[identity profile] poliphilo.livejournal.com 2013-01-22 09:06 pm (UTC)(link)
Thank you.

[identity profile] ooxc.livejournal.com 2013-01-22 08:20 pm (UTC)(link)
You're a mere infant - 17 years younger than moi

[identity profile] ooxc.livejournal.com 2013-01-23 02:24 pm (UTC)(link)
Happy birthday, infant!

[identity profile] spike7451.livejournal.com 2013-01-23 11:57 am (UTC)(link)
He made over 30 movies and I don't believe I've seen a single one of them.

... can't say I have either.

We are nearly the same age, I'll be 62 this year too.

[identity profile] zephyrcrow.livejournal.com 2013-01-27 01:41 pm (UTC)(link)
Happy late birthday. (I stopped posting here, but came by your journal because I've been wondering what my old LJ friends were up to.)