Early  Last Year having received my copy of FRA Naval Affairs Magazine in the mail, and with great anticipation I dashed to my reading room to peruse my treasured copy. Up until I found the section on “Convention Highlights 2007.” There are things in life that I read or hear and wonder if any logic was included in the thought process prior to writing it down or opening their mouth?

An item was submitted by the FRA Budget and Finance Committee to eliminate dues for shipmates in good standing who reach the age of 90. The shipmate must have been an FRA member for at least five years. Now let’s look for the logic they used! “The Committee members stressed that this measure does not make these shipmates Life Members of the FRA.”  Now I ask, “What are they concerned about?” That the member might live 30 to 40 years more and abuse the Life Membership Plan? I’m thinking that if you beat all the odds and made it to 90, and your dues are waived, that pretty much is a life membership! 

My father’s theory on birthdays was, life expectancy is 72 years, start life with 72 candles on the cake, omit one every year. And the goal: empty the cake and then you have beaten the odds. All Birthdays after that will have no candles. He called that, “The Slick Cake Theory!”

A wiser man than me once stated, “A Camel is nothing but a Horse that was designed by a committee!” While in the Navy, and again with the Military Sealift Command I was required to attend many meetings. The only ones that made sense to me were the meeting held at the Chief’s Club. Then if I heard a totally asinine suggestion, I could smile and think to myself, “It’s the booze!”

While stationed in Puerto Rico as the Commissary Store Officer, I was tasked with 4 to 5 meetings a week with the base command. I was a tenant Command out of Jacksonville Florida, but I played the game. One day my phone rang and the Command Master Chief’s secretary informed me that henceforth at 10:00 am on Mondays there would be a meeting, “to plan the weekly meetings!”.

Well that’s when I hit my B.S. Level, I worked Tue. To Sat. my weekend was Sun. & Mon. I explained, “If I must give up a day off, Sunday’s would be a far better day for me as I enjoyed my Monday’s too much to give it up.” That meeting was tabled, pending further discussion!

As a member of The Legion, FRA, and such, I know I am welcome (or not) to attend the monthly meetings. I would, but the last good idea I had was when I resigned from Military Sealift Command. (By the way, resigning was the good idea I had!) Also I just don’t understand Robert’s Rules. So let’s meet at a bar, or a house and/or beach for a Bar-B-Que, I’m there in a flash.

So there are no meetings here in the Philippines that I really need attend, and that’s why I’ve chosen to live here!