Carded!

Roll call of Insiderati: those going fast without leaving a trace; wingnuts and moonbats, casual bloggers plus the newbies; the anonymous horde aka "the anonymi"; lest we forget....buffy, shadow, red bird, mick, silver and the gang. Then there's our frequent bloggers (see card below y'all): lt, rt, rob, dave, jj, april, am, s, pat, big bob, dot, harry, d, pk, sg, kate, j, dj, rose, lpm, and then there's the "magnificent seven" hard core group of jmhl, kathy, gerri, pn, dz, a, r....and then there's the Big 3....peaches, jp and m. Call Me, by Jazzy Eliane Elias, playing smoothly cool today.



Scene from Flag Day at CSA. Illinois National Guard shown. Have a Happy Fourth of July everyone!



Michele Salkauskas, Miss National CSA, leading the Pledge at Flag Day. Inspiring!



Imagery of the classic XK–E. (Because some of you like this car sooo mucho. Whoo-hoo for the 60s Jag.) BTW—thanks to S and also to P for the emails about the Deadman's Curve mashed-up lyrics pushed through google translator. Funny, u guys.



Here's the Insider Frequent Blogger card I promised you. Just click and drag the image to your desktop, print it out on some card stock and cut it out. Make sure to write your name on the line. What you do with it from there is your own ball of wax!

let's race all the way

Want to have some fun on a Monday? Go here: translate.google.com and put in lyrics to a song you like. Then translate English to German, German to French, French to English; then English to Italian and Italian back to English. There’s some copying and pasting in each step but you’ll figure it out. (It took me less than one minute and believe me I am no whiz. Far from it.) Here is my result:

I have crossed behind schedule one night in mine Stingray,
when a XKE has designed towards the high on my right.
It has rolled to the inferior part the window to relative the new point of shiney,
and it has caused it then and here with an antagonistic force.
I have said that you are on the friend runnin fine my mile that one the line.
with the sleep sun and with the screw you can be obtained.
I got that you go, we unleashes you, if you have the nerve,
with the curve deadmans for to improve operation completely.
Deadmans this encircles with the curves, of the game cannot of Deadmans,
not gone far away, the curve of Deadmans,
latta me to mean in order to say, that turns the curve of Deadmans.

Can you guess the tune? Use Comments and let Insider know what you got with your tune. (Thanks to Jodi for the tipoff about this. I've been Laughing Out Loud.)

JOT THIS DOWN—Monday and Tuesday next week, the CSA Home Office will be closed to observe the Independence Day Holiday. Hope everybody has a great Fourth of July planned. Fireworks are so fun. Just don’t blow any appendages off. You never know when you might need them! ‡⁄

Warm Winds Of Wisdom

Have a website to share with Insiderati? Use the 'Comments' below and share away! FRIDAY SWING—Take a look at our friends in the Links at right. Highlights: American Sokol's Slet is in Prague June 29-July 7. Bon voyage! On July 9 Lodge LA is having their meeting and a tour of the Paul Getty Museum. Starting last night and going until July 2, the LA Film Festival features the Czech film "Something Like Happiness". GAMERS—have you checked out comedycentral.com yet? The games are themed to the various shows on that mtv-owned channel. I enjoy Reno 911's Petty Bike Theft. CZECH FUN PHRASE—Nemluvím cesky. Hint: don't worry if you don't speak Czech; just say "I don't speak Czech" outloud and you win.

Insider asked a few of you to respond to this whimsical summer pondering: "what is the meaning of it all?" Here's what I got when I didn't even expect an answer:
Blogger #1: "the answer lies in the morning breezes."
Blogger #2: "it ain't gonna happen. (laughing)."
Blogger #3: "don't know yet, but when I get to 'all', Insider'll be the first one I will tell."

On those visionary notes Insider says adieu. Have fun this weekend. Be safe. Stay silly. Keep on bloggin!

In summertime the livin' is easy, the fish are jumpin' and the cotton is high

Well, well, well....SUMMER IS HERE. I know that because of three things; one) I'm sweating at six o'clock in the morning; two) I've started hitting the beach and swimming; and 3) my clothes smell like Bar-B-Que. What's your summer tell-tale?

THE Czech Fun Phrase was a tongue twister that went something like this: Three hundred and thirty three silver quails flew over three hundred and thirty three silver roofs. Whatever! Nobody got it. GET-TOGETHER HYPE—Insider hears that 13 women have signed up for the Miss National CSA contest this year. That a big field, more than the previous two years combined. The July/Aug issue is at press. Pssst, there's a few surprises coming. One is the "Find the Fake lodge article." Find it, if you can, and blog Insider all about it. The first guy and gal to do so each wins a pair of CSA sunglasses. "For better summer vision." So make sure to read the issue. (Hits mailboxes around July 10th or so.)

Have a favorite summer song or movie rolling around in your head? Use the 'Comments' button below and let Insider know. Share your summer daydreamin' with everyone. If you've never used Comments before, c'mon and try it.

Flag Day

Flag Day memories
Warm blue sky. Where's the wind? Not a cloud in the sky. CSA's circle driveway. Empty chairs in the shade filling up. Members, guests and CSA staff mingle, chat. Smiles. Laughter. 10 a.m. sharp the National Guard marches in. All stand. Raising of the flag. It's quiet. The sounds of traffic on Cermak. Michele leads the Pledge. Hand over heart. Patriotic speeches from Dave, Deb. Harmonica band follows. One harmonica is giant. Applause. National Guard egress. Handshakes and hugs. Cake and Iced Tea in the atrium. More smiles, stories, laughter. Chatting with Miss CSA. Then it's all over too soon.

Friendly faces everywhere

Tomorrow, June 14, is flag day at CSA. It starts at 10 a.m. You ARE coming aren't you? Here are some of the friendly CSA faces you will most likely see, along with many others. Have a great Tuesday. And special props to our Frequent Insider Bloggers for always being there for us, especially SPM, AL, JHL, KH, PN, DZ, RT, LT, KBB, PV, LM...and J....and A.
PS—Apologies if things were s—l—o—w on the blog recently. Our blogspot server was tinkering again and it made for some frustrating commenting. All should be better now so if you had trouble before please blog us a warm-hearted message by clicking on Comments below. Are you new here? No sweat. Just relax and surf around. See ya!

Gotta Take That One Last Ride

RIDE THE WILD SURF—I'm working on the Program Book for CSA's Get-Together and Convention in August. Even the extension deadline for ads is closed. In case you were thinking of advertising, it is now too late. I've been scanning and in some cases creating the ads; on top of July/Aug Journal duties....plus a Report of Officers book, an equally-sized project due same time.........ALL in a day's work, natch, but did ya ever feel, in your work, like you've paddled your surfboard out to ride the biggest surf, and somehow you stay on your board AND you even shoot the curl! ........ yeah, I thought you had!

Nobody guessed the Czech Fun Phrase last week so I'll give it one more week. Hint: it's a tongue-twister. GAMERS—ebaumsworld.com and youtube.com are both sources of all sorts of video, funny and weird, for the one who asked me last weekend. FRIDAY SWING— Lidice memorial day, June 11; U.S. vs. Czech Republic in soccer, June 12. Check out the world cup link at right. Can you say: goooooaaaaalllllllll !!! Yeah, I knew you could—

Anybody going to Cars this weekend? I am. What are your favorite car songs? Click on Comments below to leave your favorites. Personally I like Shut Down and Deadman's Curve. Oh, and Route 66. Have an extraordinary weekend. You deserve it. Do something completely different....wave at complete strangers as you go by....speak in Yoda-talk the entire time you're out running errands ("Grass seed I'm buying, change back I get, happy I am, yeeesss.".)

...and if it's your last dance, dance backward.*

*Stole that from Cooper Edens' Remember the Night Rainbow. Gimme a break, Insider can't be creative ALL the time!

And I Dig That About You

Email flurry from you three Insiderati (U know who U R) regarding Green Day's "She A Rebel" post from last week. And to my trb4320@yahoo email as well. NICE!!! Yes, yes and....yes! You're all that and a bag of Frank's Red Hot-topped popcorn too! It's all about Lady Liberty (and the USA) isn't it and I'm glad you are stoked and piped and all that other retro surf-talk that Insider loves way too much. (I'm so totally Geeked on your energy!) Now I've got "Rebel" cranked up and playing again....thought it was out of my system!...HAH!

Let's get on with the pictures of when our boys fought for our country and for the free world and kicked arse all over this watery blue marble's latitude and longitude--so we can enjoy our free blogging of today. Oh yes! And how we do enjoy. ‡)



"See the South Pacific, or what's left of it." Thanks, Sailer



"Merry Christmas 1943 from Great Lakes Naval Training Center, Waukegan, Illinois."



"Allies at Versailles at war's end." Thanks, Marv (His dad is the big guy, back row, third from left.)

A fast ship, going....

....iN harm's wAY! (Click on photos for bigger view.)


"The tiger goes out to sea!" USS Abercrombie, Destroyer Escort, Thanks Harry Sello

From now through Flag Day, June 14, Insider will be honoring those who went in harm's way. It is fitting we start this on the anniversary of D-Day. Many of these images appeared in our Nov-Dec series from a few years ago in The Journal when I did layouts with the photos that many of our CSA veterans provided. It's lucky that photos were taken so that we have memories preserved to share. We honor our Vets and the USA, land of the free and home of the brave!



"Look fellas! I've got New York City at my feet!" Navy Gob on leave in NYC, Thanks Cichra


"To dames and dynamite!" Navy man having a cool beer, Thanks Cinibulk


"The hero is back, reloading for the next fight!" USS Terror, Destroyer, Thanks Cinibulk


"Slick Chick bomber and crew readies itself!" Paul Hatten and his flight crew


"Gunners stand easy and smile!" Thanks Dennis Sailer


"Missing you, from the front lines." Thanks, George Sevcik


"Brothers in arms!" The four brothers Nekolny

South of France....Bah! I'm Goin To Lisle, Baby!

It's June! Are your bags packed yet for that summer vacation? Many people travel in the summer for the sake of weather, convenience, school schedules. So—where are you headed? San Tropez? Ft. Lauderdale? Grand Canyon? Just outside Chicago? Let Insider know. Reply and tell us where you'll be sunning -and-funning. Me??? Insider'll be right here manning the blog mothership all summer long. Since the CSA Get-Together is in Lisle, Illinois (about 15 minutes from the home office in Oak Brook) we'll all be staying put this summer. No "road warrioring" to places such as Denver, upstate New York or Orlando. Makes me wonder where the get-Together will be next year....hmmmmm, Las Vegas....Los Angeles....San Francisco...they all roll right off the tongue so nicely don't they?


Michele Salkauskas, Miss National CSA, is standing in front of the Lisle Hilton, the locale for CSA's 70th Get-Together Aug. 4-6 and 38th Quadrennial Convention Aug. 6-8. She'll be on hand to watch a new Miss CSA get coronated.


The June issue of The Journal is being mailed out as you read this. (It should hit mailboxes in the coming days.) Vaclav Klaus, President of the Czech Republic visited CSA on the evening of April 26 to a gala reception.


Tomorrow is D-Day plus 62 years. Remember them! And where will you be at six minutes and six seconds after six (both am and pm) when the clock will show 06:06:06 06-06-06. I'll probably be watching a war movie "The Devil's Brigade". Is that fitting or what?

the pin's been pulled

PENCIL ME IN—June 14 CSA Flag Day; June 12 Czech Republic vs. USA in soccer; June 9 Miss CSA registration deadline.
Only 13 more days until flag day. That's about 300 hours (give or take). Get out and join us on the front lawn two Wednesdays from now at 10 a.m.

I shot this photo of a red-white-and-blue doughnut munchkin on July fourth last year; never found a good place to use it. It's been fortified with funk ala Foto"chop" to give it "edge". Is it rebellious enuff? GuuD! (Giving the 'Billy Idol lip" right now as I type!)



Regarding all that, I'm jamming Green Day's "She's A Rebel" LOUDLY to welcome in June, the season of the sun, and the flag. The tune is going off on my little stereo speakers like a hand grenade. Hold on, HOLD ON, they're gonna....blOW....UP!!!!
"She's a Rebel,
She's a saint,
She's the salt of the earth,
And she's dangerous,
She's a rebel,
Vigilante,
Missing link on the brink,
Of destruction ...."

Czech Fun Phrase: Tristatriatricet stribrnych krepelek preletelo pres tristatriatricet stribrnych strech.