Global warming, and a mustache.

What’s with the weather? And don’t tell me it’s global warming, because that’s hokey science. (If you don’t believe me, just ask President Bush.)

But I’m really not complaining about the weather. It’s very nice here in Victoria right now, although we could use some rain. We’ve been “suffering” through nights with temps down in the 40s, and days with the high in the 70s.

You couldn’t ask for much better golf weather! Carol and I were out on the course both yesterday and today, working on our tans and our swings at the same time. Well, actually I was working on those things. Carol’s tan and swing are both pretty close to perfect. Just like pretty much everything else about her.

Which brings up the obvious question: Why would anyone so close to perfection want to marry somebody like me?

Well, I may have discovered a partial answer today.

Carol’s mother found some very old slides that I had forgotten about completely. One of them shows me at age 25. I was in the Navy, serving as a pilot on the USS Forrestal. I had decided, since we were at sea on a 7-month cruise, to try growing a mustache. I wasn’t brave enough to try it ashore where people other than my squadron-mates could see me.

That mustache lasted about three weeks. To me it looked scraggly, and almost red in color. But just before I shaved it off forever, I had my roommate and RIO (Radar Intercept Officer – we were flying F-4 Phantoms, and they had two crewmen) take a couple of slides of my face.

At the risk of offending you Tom Cruise fans, just look at this mug and tell me this guy didn’t look just about as sexy as ol’ Tom Cruise in “Top Gun.”



No, on second thought, don’t tell me. Just let me revel in my dreams that once upon a time I had a sexy face.

Carol thinks so, at least. And for me, that’s the only opinion that matters.

And when she says it, things definitely warm up in our household.

So, maybe there’s some truth to the global warming thing after all.