frithjofr

I know as a long distance runner/cyclist the hardest thing to do at times isn't the actual physical activity but rather trying to occupy my mind. I often have hypothetical conversations with the people I pass (they're all very flattering!) just to stave off the boredom after an hour or so. Wondering how you cope with that?

The founding fathers were also from a time where people lined up to shoot at each other, military commissions were purchased, and many soldiers brought equipment from home.

Roving bands of "mercenaries" were a thing. The Hessian soldiers employed by the British during the American revolutionary war were entire companies of German soldiers who contracted their service to the British. Mercenaries, in a word.

I had to look it up, but here's an excerpt from "Armies of the Napoleonic Wars", editor Chris McNab. In it, he discusses the 18th & 19th century British officer.

The officer corps was the preserve of the aristocracy (mostly confined to the Guards and cavalry) and, above all, the gentry. This situation was perpetuated by the purchase system: gentlemen aspiring to an officer's rank had to possess sufficient funds to buy their regimental commissions. The monopoly on weath and social connection all but guaranteed that the upper ranks remained in the hands of the ruling class.

Granted, that's referring to the British. But they were our main opponent early on, and certainly who the founding fathers had in mind as wanting to avoid. A professional army in their time meant something very different entirely.

How many of the PMs of Texas you receive are of blue bonnets?

On a related note, how long is your detail, and do you have multiple details in a day?

The female body.