The Daily Poop - Sat, 21JUN08

I found sea duty difficult.

As the band's chief, I was the referee of a Texas cage match among sixteen professional wrestlers.

I was the marriage counselor for the sax player who got the bad letter from his wife.

I was trip planner who had to beg for an admiral's barge so the combo would be ashore in time.

I was the guy who sucked up to the laundry petty officer so the trio would have clean whites for the captain's reception.

I was the whipping boy for the MCPOC who hated the band and would have reamed out my boys if I didn't let him unleash it all on me.

I was nursemaid, babysitter, tour director and music theory teacher.

Sometimes I was even the chaplain, the shepherd who brought comfort to the desolate.

And when I got the call in the Indian Ocean that my father was dying, my boys did the same for me.

At times, I wanted to crawl into the nearest empty locker and hold my breath until the cruise was over.

And there were times I felt sorry for everyone in the world who was not, at that very moment, on a ship of the United States Navy in the Indian Ocean conducting this ragtag collection 16-piece bagband through "Anchors Aweigh" during unreps.

Most people, despite their love of country and their respect for our service, cannot understand this.

You, my shipmates, understand.

See you soon in Memphis.

The Daily Poop - Fri, 20JUN08

I've been hearing from the OMC community.

Old Men with Computers are trying to email this blog. This cannot be done. This is like wedging a popsicle stick into an alto sax mouthpiece, blowing on it and expecting "Prelude to a Kiss" to come out the bell.

Here's how to get in touch:

To contact me: use the email link on the sidebar on the right.

To leave a message--a "comment"-- here at Navy Lyres for the Entire World to see: use the Scuttlebutt Message Center link on the sidebar on the right.

Don't be an OMC. Say hi to an old shipmate. Chew him out. Give a shout to your old band. Whatever.

The Daily Poop - Thurs 19JUN08

TRAVEL ADVISORY

From: Frank Mullen in Illinois
To: NMA shipmates across the country

A reminder for those who are driving to the reunion in Memphis: the Midwest is takng on water. The Mississippi River has crested--reached its highest point-- in northern Illinois. This cresting, and its associated travel problems, will move south over the next few days. Other rivers have yet to crest.

An underwater highway or closed bridge can really put a damper on travel plans, so check ahead. Here's a list of sources of travel information for states that may be affected. Click on each state for up-to-date info:

Iowa . . . Arkansas . . .Missouri . . . Tennessee . . . Illinois

And don't forget weather.gov/, your one-stop shop for info on all weather-related warnings.

This list is provided by my wife, St. Jo the Compassionate. She has scoured the internet for the lastest flood-related travel information. Here is her summary as of Wednesday evening, 18JUN08:

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--- Interstate travel might be fine, but be prepared for closures of the smaller highways/roads.

--- Especially travelling across Iowa...I-80 is open now,but exits may be closed, so don't count on getting your Big Mac.

--- Mississippi River at St. Louis cresting above flood stage this weekend. Anticipate road closures.

--- Ohio River at Cairo (Illinois) cresting this weekend above flood stage.

--- Flooding along Arkansas River.

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Remember that conditions can and will change. Save yourself headaches by checking ahead.

See you in Memphis, safe, sound and dry.

The Daily Poop - Wed, 18JUN08

I heard from Dale Vanderpool this morning. Dale was a salty MU2 when I showed up at my first duty station, Navy Band San Francisco.

Packing up after a trio gig at the Treasure Island officers club, I was trying to upend an elephantine Fender Rhodes piano onto a dolly. Keeping my summer whites from contact with this gritty monster required awkward bending, arm's-length reaching, the gnashing of teeth and the swearing of oaths.

Dale looked up from the trap case in which he was stowing his gear.

"What the hell are you doing?" he asked.

"What does it look like?" I said. I was very smart when I was a seaman.

"It looks like you're going to break your back and ruin your uniform."

Dale put down a cymbal stand. "You're doing it wrong," he said as he crouched on the opposite side of the Rhodes. "Don't use your back."

We lifted the piano upright. "Use your shipmates," he said. "That's what they're for."

The Daily Poop - Tues, 17JUN08

S.S.S.S. Chapter Formed for Reunion

(Special to Navy Lyres) -- Jo Knox, wife of NMA member Frank Mullen, has announced the formation of Spouses Sick of Sea Stories, a support group whose mission is "to provide spouses of former Navy Musicians a place in the Marriott where they they will not be subjected to repetitive recollections of the good old days."

Jo is inviting NMA spouses to her room at the Marriott for a sea story-free evening of chocolate and television. "Whatever's playing on The Movie Channel," she said, "has got to be more entertaining than those endless sailor fairy tales."






"That's it--no more Show Band stories," Jo Knox warns Terry Chesson at the 2006 NMA reunion as her husband watches in horror.





Ms. Knox is not against the telling of sea stories in principle. "These guys want to get together in the lounge at night and rehash old glories. Believe me, I understand." But her eyes narrow as she considers the plight of the NMA spouses. "We hear this crap all year long. How many times do we have to listen to tales about the time the ship was doing unreps in WESTPAC and the OOD told the MUC over the 1MC that the CO wanted ABC to XYZ the FBI? "

Information on the S.S.S.S gathering will be circulated at the reunion.

The Daily Poop - Mon, 16JUN08

If you're a new visitor here, you've noticed that I'm focusing on the 2008 Navy Musicians Association reunion. June 25-28. (I'll be Live-blogging the reunion from Memphis; read the details here.)

But there's lots of other stuff here; band rosters, reflections on past reunions, complaints, the ever-popular Navy Musicians Lexicon. You can poke through the contents in the sidebar on the right.

The Daily Poop - Sun., 15JUN08

I'm still planning to arrive in Memphis on Monday, 23JUN08 to start Live-Blogging the reunion. All I have to do is refine my travel plans.

Normally it would be a simple day's drive from point A, Mercer County, Illinois, to Point B, Memphis, Tennessee. If you look on the map, however, you'll see that much of line A-B is, essentially, the Mississippi River. With the current flooding, taking this direct route would be a Med cruise.

Fortunately, my wife is a superb navigator. She'll find a viable, dry route to Memphis

If she'd been on the bridge of the USS Blue Ridge, we would have spent a lot less time drifting in circles.