Two other planes . . .

. . . that I always thought were cool, pursuant to my Wright-inspired posts a coupla days ago. The Saab JA37 Viggen and the Saab J35 Draken. I’m not really sure why I though they were cool, though. Maybe it’s because Scandinavians flying fighter jets around their fjords is evocative. Or maybe it’s because it’s cool to think that the same people who make the Saab Turbos you see tootling around town made these planes. Although, more likely, it’s because the first time I encountered them in military aviation book when I was a kid, I thought their names sounded cool. Say ’em with me . . . Draken . . . Viggen . . . Draken . . . Viggen. Don’t you feel cooler now? I do.

On holiday shopping . . .

I think I’m done. All of my traveling packages are mailed, all of the gifts for the immediate family purchased, now I just have to wrap ’em up and put ’em under the tree. Which will be harder than it should be, I should note: three separate stores in Colonie Center today did not have gift boxes for me after I had made my acquisitions. My guess is that when one store in a mall like that runs out, there’s a domino effect as people go to other stores and ask for extras, which are duly granted in a spirit of holiday camaraderie, until stores no longer have boxes for their own stuff. Dagnabbit. I’m good at a lot of things, but wrapping presents is not one of them, so I need those boxes.