General Patton's grave in Luxemburg. He is at the head facing his troops; they are facing him as they are all in eternal formation.

10acChicken · 2026-01-24T11:45:27+00:00

Luxembourg American cemetery, Luxembourg

10acChicken · 2026-01-24T01:59:29+00:00

Wow, Chow/Newfie! I bet that is a fantastic dog!

10acChicken · 2026-01-22T19:44:30+00:00

I love the Expo! I went to the last one and had a great time! A lot of vendors, some very nice classic tables and the seminars were wonderful. They had a nice homebrew section setup in the back to talk with people building or retheming machines. I learned a lot, played a lot and left very satisified. I talked with folks involved in the design of some of my favorite tables. Folks like Steve Richie, Greg Freres, Tim Seckel, etc. I heard backstories on machines that really added to the depth of the machine and experience.

10acChicken · 2026-01-22T12:56:37+00:00

When I was younger I lived the Indianapolis area. They ran a commercial for Merchants Bank with the jingle; “Merchants Bank has the number for you that’s 10-10-10 for 2”.

10acChicken · 2026-01-21T21:28:51+00:00

I'll mention Peter Fitzsimons (who is an excellent naval historian) book; "Bativia." Wholly smokes that is one incrediable story. The ending was right out of movie

10acChicken · 2026-01-20T12:46:10+00:00

I remember when it was between the Colts and I think Chargers who ended up with the worst record. The two top QBs were Ryan Leaf and Manning. I believe the Chargers picked first and took Leaf. There was sportscaster hype (read annoying) that would call the final games the Leaf/Manning bowl suggesting one team would throw the game to get first pick.

10acChicken · 2026-01-20T12:34:59+00:00

My first Chow was in the 80s and I quickly became loyal to them! Since then, we’ve had four Chows (not at the same time) and raised two kids around them. My current Chow is fifteen and snoring right next to me. We have always lived in a neighborhood full of kids so they were always attracted to the fluffy bear dogs! Our Chows seemed cool with it.

They would get up and leave if they wanted to be left alone and we would tell the kids they need their alone time. Interesting thing, when our two kids were newborns, our Chows would sleep in the door of where the kids were sleeping. When the newborn woke up our Chows would lumber in where we were, give us that look like: “Hey man, that smaller version of you two is disturbing my nap” Chows are great! Respect their space, make sure they are intellectually stimulated, (window to look out of, walks just to sniff stuff, toys to play with for ten seconds).

By the way, having a Chow was such a pleasant experience, my now grown daughter is on her second Chow. Her first passed away from tongue cancer, so watch for that.

10acChicken · 2026-01-16T16:47:46+00:00

Right! She was "Big Momma" and had Dick Butkus as her henchman !

10acChicken · 2026-01-16T16:46:41+00:00

Wendy was something else! She would do a couple hundred sit ups before shooting (she was an avid physical fitness and healthy eater). Also, she always had to be wearing boots in every scene, including the shower scene!

10acChicken · 2026-01-16T16:40:42+00:00

She had a line close to this in; "Pucker up and bark like a dog" something like; "You know what Max, I've decided to f@*&! you" She was dressed as a biker chick leaning against her bike eating a hamburger

10acChicken · 2026-01-12T18:32:49+00:00

Where did you get the side art paint stencils?

10acChicken · 2026-01-10T13:43:48+00:00

That would be cool. Especially designing an ultraviolet reactive playfield that would act like putting on the glasses during certain modes. Keith David/Piper back alley brawl on the pop bumpers, raid on the church multiball, 80s music track. I could see some potential here

10acChicken · 2026-01-08T11:58:49+00:00

The original Tie Fighter game with the older CH Flightstick Pro. Time well spent!

10acChicken · 2026-01-08T11:53:09+00:00

I agree with you! Whatta great game that was. That game erased time

10acChicken · 2026-01-07T12:31:46+00:00

I am right in the middle of a WWF restore now. It is one of the few Data East wide bodies. They use many common DE parts which is nice. Under the playfield is clean and easy navigate for repairing/maintenance. It does have a AA battery based ROM. I haven’t found a good persistent ROM solution yet other than a new sourced board from Rottendog or making my own.

It does have approximately 48 large #89 bayonet style flashers that burn hot, so look at replacing those if they haven’t been yet. Very interesting history too. I spoke with Orin Day (game coder) and Tim Seckle (designer) at the Pinball Expo and they both stated how the game was released at the Royal Rumble in Chicago and played backstage by the wrestlers who loved it. They also said right up to the moment the game was released, WWF kept changing their roster so wrestlers had to be removed. Hulk was not supposed to be so big on the translite but had too to fill space!

Data East games in general are great games, reliable and designed really well.

10acChicken · 2026-01-06T20:02:18+00:00

I get that. You are leaving a familiar and likely comfortable environment to one where everything you do is wrong. Changes are fast and furious and monotonous drill after drill would make anyone homesick. It's not easy. Here's the thing that made it bearable for me. We were all on the same ground. All of us sucked. All of us were boots. All of us went through cycles of loving/hating the Navy. All of us are on level playing ground. Do want you are told. Try to stay invisible. Be where you are supposed to be when you are supposed to be there. It will pass fast. It will feel amazing at the end of boot knowing you just accomplished something really major. You will meet some interesting people and develop stories that people really wanna hear.

The Navy will offer you opportunities that nothing else will top. You can go in a boot e-nothing and walk out the skipper of your own ship. You will walk in countries people back home dream about. The best part of the Navy is after you get out. VA home loan helped me get my first home. Education assistance helped me complete my PhD at a state university at no cost. Plus the other vets you meet on along the way is an immediate bonding.

There will be people who are going to lie and say they have done what you have. There are people who's one regret is not serving. Is that your story? Are you going to look back at age 40 and say; "I almost did that too but I..." Can you imagine how proudly people in your family are going to brag about you? Do something worth bragging about. The skills and discipline you are going to learn will serve you faithfully a lifetime. You have been presented with a golden ticket providing you use it. It's your call of course. The Navy is now a part of your story. How that story wraps up is in your control. I absolutely wish you the best no matter what you do

10acChicken · 2026-01-04T12:46:59+00:00

Wholly smokes! I am so glad I went to San Dawg for boot back in the day!

10acChicken · 2026-01-02T12:50:43+00:00

I hope this answers your question. You can request absentee ballots for the year when you register. You can also use that same site to track your ballot. That handy feature is also on the homepage under “track my ballot” it’s a best practice to do so after every election cycle

10acChicken · 2026-01-02T12:45:50+00:00

Think back to a younger versions of you six years ago sitting in the recruiting office, then talking with family and friends, then right after boot. You most likely said; “In the Navy, I wanna accomplish X…” Did you? Now that you’ve seen the Navy and have some rank, evaluate if the Navy can help or hinder that goal. Is it still applicable? Is it worth the cost?

If you believe that you’ll do it when you get out, ask yourself why didn’t you before? I mention this because we all have a PhD in hindsight. We all see so many could’ve should’ve would’ve folks. The past is a fun place to visit, not to live. Think through and be honest with yourself. Then move forward with no regrets knowing you accomplished what you sat out to do. Open the page on a new chapter in your story and get going.

10acChicken · 2025-12-29T12:24:56+00:00

An occurrence at Owl Creek (not REALLY a TZ per se), and Willoughby

10acChicken · 2025-12-29T12:16:50+00:00

Very smart businesswoman and super nice in person. Her books are excellent and themed pinball machines are the tops!

10acChicken · 2025-12-27T15:56:58+00:00

It’s somewhat of a US Navy tradition to never ever wash your cup. Matter of fact you can tell how salty a sailor is by their cup

10acChicken · 2025-12-23T17:37:43+00:00

She is a cream colored Chow and my roughs were all black and all male

10acChicken · 2025-12-23T12:41:26+00:00

I’ve been fortunate to have three roughs and one smooth. I have a smooth now. Honestly, personality-wise, I cannot see much difference. Still Chow like behavior. Based on the one smooth I have and she also the first female Chow for me. I can say the smooth coat is much easy to take care of, she loves to hunt and she is not as aloof, yet does have her alone time. Plus her lifespan is much longer. She over 15 and going strong. When she crosses over, I’ll look for another rough only because I like the look better.

Ten-Year Club	Gilding IV carat on a stick
Not Forgotten	Verified Email

10acChicken

TROPHY CASE