"Never wear anything that panics the cat." - P.J. O'Rourke

Paul Walker's body was cremated last Wednesday. Am I the only one who finds that...interesting?

It's getting harder and harder to listen to the radio without hearing cheesy Christmas "music."
Even sung by a classical chorale, "Little Drummer Boy" is still gag-inducing kitsch.
OK, so maybe I have a bit of Scrooge in me, but just a bit.

It's sad that I can get the Falcon's front bench seat in and out of the car in 10 minutes.
I didn't like the support that the seat back provided. I think it was typical for the era but I like more lumbar support than it offered. So I took it out, added a bit of upholstery foam in just the right place, and put it all back together. Muuuch better.

My new shirt arrived today. If you don't get it, that's OK. It's a car thing.

The son of a college classmate posted on Facebook this morning that his wife of eight years has filed for divorce. They have three young children. He served multiple tours in the Afghanistan and was recently discharged after being diagnosed with PTSD, Traumatic Brain Injury, and Major Depressive Disorder.

I don't know details, but by his own admission these diagnoses have made him difficult to live with and he has nothing but good things to say about his wife's patience and endurance through his struggles.

Post-battlefield problems are nothing new. We diagnose them now but there's no reason to think that similarly injured and traumatized soldiers from Alexander the Great's march across Persia didn't return home with issues that ruined marriages and left children in their wake.

I don't have any answers. I accept that war is necessary, that there is that which we call a "just war." They tell us that in a world inhabited by terrorists national security sometimes require that we get involved in unstable countries half way around the world. I also understand those who say atrocities like those committed against the citizens of Syria by their own leader require action from civilized countries.

But I hate the physical and emotional pain war inflicts on young men and women who serve bravely as soldiers. And I hate the victims of war to whom those soldiers return. This young man's wife and children are just as much casualties of the war in Afghanistan as the husband/father who served there. They have also paid the price.

There may be just wars but there are no good wars.