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Posted Aug 5, 2004
Harpy Bird Dog to me!
Humpy Berm Dig to me!
Hippy Bong Drag!
Hoopy Bard Dray!
Heaping Borscht Plate to me-e-e-e-e!
Lordy-lordy, the times that I’ve seen in these last four-and-a-half decades! I could write a book about the good times and the bad times and some of the seemingly inconsequential mediocre times. Or, I could just have lived them. Which I did. One of the things I like to do is share little tid-bits of that history with y’all. Heck, we all like to do that, don’t we!? Elsewise, we wouldn’t be here on-line writing down all our thoughts and experiences to share with one another.
Here are some things that happened in my life:
I was born in Germany and spent the first few years of my life as a citizen of that country.
I lived in a multi-family housing project, just to one side of Lindsay AS.
I lived with my Mutti (single parent), my Opa (mechanic), and my Oma (housewife by then).
I was adopted by my American Dad, and he, my Mom, and I came to live in the US.
I lived in Florida (without snow), where I learned English, what pine cones are, and about tides at the beach.
I moved to Mississippi with my parents and learned to ride a bicycle, and that playing in the woods is fun.
I learned to swim while in Boy Scouts during one of our camps, so I could enjoy pools and the beach much more.
I learned the value of friendships and how they change over the course of years.
I learned to throw punches and wrestle, and to pick those fights judiciously, avoiding them if possible.
I found that I was not well suited to play many of the rougher sports due to my small stature.
I also learned that I could still participate, even if it meant I had to expend greater effort or use better tactics.
I came to realize that I actually enjoyed learning, and the thrill of helping people by sharing that knowledge.
I had my fair share of infatuations with girls who were my peers, and with certain teachers.
I dated only a few girls during high school, and found a variety of ways to lose them.
I only ever kissed and hugged, never daring to go any further because of naïveté and the wrath of my parents.
I felt the strain of having only one parent at home when my Dad was assigned to two separate overseas tours of duty.
I lived through the confusing times when my parents argued about each other’s fidelity and the possibility of divorce.
I came face-to-face with personal accountability and responsibility after I failed my senior year in high school.
I joined the Air Force and learned I could adapt to any situation life threw at me.
I learned to maintain seven distinct electronic equipment systems, about one new one every three years.
I gloried in teamwork with my co-workers and developed a flair for going beyond what was required.
I had my first sexual experience with a girl from the technical school we both attended.
I found out that buying a house and choosing its design is a hectic process.
I felt the world yanked out from under me when, a month-and-a-half after getting married, my wife asked for a divorce.
I learned that crying and feeling sorry for myself didn’t accomplish anything, and moved on with my life.
I let myself love again and took a new wife and, shortly after, was graced with a beautiful baby girl.
I found I could still speak enough German to function in polite society, and became an ersatz translator.
I found out that infidelity is no respecter of time or place, and had to let an unfaithful wife go, and lost a portion of my daughter’s life.
I came to realize, once again, that there is still life to be lived and much to be learned.
I found out just how big a state Texas can be, and the variety of landscapes it boasts.
I learned to play water volleyball, to water ski, and to run and to bicycle as regular forms of exercise.
I learned cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and applied the process to save a young lady’s life.
I became an on-air disc jockey for a contemporary Christian radio station for three years.
I found out being forgiving can backfire when, after re-marrying my second wife, had to divorce her again because she got caught in a drug bust.
I learned a lot about single parenting and the turmoil a child can face in such a lifestyle.
I figured out I knew absolutely nothing about how sneaky love can be, especially when you’re just ordering a treat in a Dairy Queen.
I was relieved to find there are other people (or one special one) who believe in monogamy and commitment.
I was flabbergasted to suddenly cobble together a family of six, and strove at ways to make that work.
I was humbled to learn how much love our God had written (and protected) in his Word.
I was privy to many family dynamics I’d never have experienced without such a large group.
I remembered my own teenage years, and the challenges inherent in them, when my kids had their turn to live through it.
I found out that Iceland has a rugged kind of beauty, and that isolation is what you make of it.
I learned that the long nights near the Arctic Circle can have awesome results; a simply wonderful baby girl!
I felt a pang of loss when I retired from the military, though I relished the challenge of being in the civilian workforce.
I felt a pang of loss as our first children left home to start lives of their own.
I felt betrayed when the technology company I worked for laid off twenty percent of its staff all in one day, without advance notice.
I struggled with odd jobs at minimum pay, until I found something that could be a career.
I found I could work in a Tire & Lube Express.
I was proud that I sold seven cars in five weeks, though my commission sucked.
I had high hopes at becoming a restaurant assistant manager, but the smoking environment got to me.
I put my congenial attitude to use working at a wine and cheese retail store / restaurant.
I was relieved to be hired at a nuclear plant, though my ‘foot in the door’ consisted of being a groundskeeper / laborer / janitor.
I find that a steady work environment is the catalyst for so much of the rest of the living I do.
I have been patient to coax my wife through some of the challenges in her life, and found our relationship the sweeter for it.
I know that my life is still in the writing, and whatever I can share with friends and family is the legacy I pass on to them.
Because of my relationship with God, because of good friends and acquaintances, because of a determined deliberate mind-set to think the best of people, I've had a wonderful life full of some amazing highlights. What a thing to realize for my forty-fifth birthday!
Thank you, all of you, for being a part of my life here-and-now, and making this interaction on-line something special. May we always be good friends to one another.
B4ireminisce2long
Discuss this Journal entry [1]
Latest reply: Aug 5, 2004
42 —> 43 —> 44 —> 45!
Posted Aug 5, 2004
Harpy Bird Dog to me!
Humpy Berm Dig to me!
Hippy Bong Drag!
Hoopy Bard Dray!
Heaping Borscht Plate to me-e-e-e-e!
Lordy-lordy, the times that I’ve seen in these last four-and-a-half decades! I could write a book about the good times and the bad times and some of the seemingly inconsequential mediocre times. Or, I could just have lived them. Which I did. One of the things I like to do is share little tid-bits of that history with y’all. Heck, we all like to do that, don’t we!? Elsewise, we wouldn’t be here on-line writing down all our thoughts and experiences to share with one another.
Here are some things that happened in my life:
I was born in Germany and spent the first few years of my life as a citizen of that country.
I lived in a multi-family housing project, just to one side of Lindsay AS.
I lived with my Mutti (single parent), my Opa (mechanic), and my Oma (housewife by then).
I was adopted by my American Dad, and he, my Mom, and I came to live in the US.
I lived in Florida (without snow), where I learned English, what pine cones are, and about tides at the beach.
I moved to Mississippi with my parents and learned to ride a bicycle, and that playing in the woods is fun.
I learned to swim while in Boy Scouts during one of our camps, so I could enjoy pools and the beach much more.
I learned the value of friendships and how they change over the course of years.
I learned to throw punches and wrestle, and to pick those fights judiciously, avoiding them if possible.
I found that I was not well suited to play many of the rougher sports due to my small stature.
I also learned that I could still participate, even if it meant I had to expend greater effort or use better tactics.
I came to realize that I actually enjoyed learning and the thrill of helping people by sharing that knowledge.
I had my fair share of infatuations with girls who were my peers, and with certain teachers.
I dated only a few girls during high school, and found a variety of ways to lose them.
I only ever kissed and hugged, never daring to go any further because of naïveté and the wrath of my parents.
I felt the strain of having only one parent at home when my Dad was assigned to two separate overseas tours of duty.
I lived through the confusing times when my parents argued about each other’s fidelity and the possibility of divorce.
I came face-to-face with personal accountability and responsibility after I failed my senior year in high school.
I joined the Air Force and learned I could adapt to any situation life threw at me.
I learned to maintain seven distinct electronic equipment systems, about one new one every three years.
I gloried in teamwork with my co-workers and developed a flair for going beyond what was required.
I had my first sexual experience with a girl from the technical school we both attended.
I found out that buying a house and choosing its design is a hectic process.
I felt the world yanked out from under me when, a month-and-a-half after getting married, my wife asked for a divorce.
I learned that crying and feeling sorry for myself didn’t accomplish anything, and moved on with my life.
I let myself love again with a new wife and, in short order, was graced with a beautiful baby girl.
I found I could still speak enough German to function in polite society, and became an ersatz translator.
I found out that infidelity is no respecter of time or place, and had to let an unfaithful wife go, and lost a portion of my daughter’s life.
I came to realize, once again, that there is still life to be lived and much to be learned.
I found out just how big a state Texas can be, and the variety of landscapes it boasts.
I learned to play water volleyball, to water ski, and to run and to bicycle as regular forms of exercise.
I learned cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and applied the process to save a young lady’s life.
I became an on-air disc jockey for a contemporary Christian radio station for three years.
I found out being forgiving can backfire when, after re-marrying my second wife, had to divorce her again because she got caught in a drug bust.
I learned a lot about single parenting and the turmoil a child can face in such a lifestyle.
I figured out I knew absolutely nothing about how sneaky love can be, especially when you’re just ordering a treat in a Dairy Queen.
I was relieved to find there are other people (or one special one) who believe in monogamy and commitment.
I was flabbergasted to suddenly cobble together a family of six, and strove at ways to make that work.
I was humbled to learn how much love our God had written (and protected) in his Word.
I was privy to many family dynamics I’d never have experienced without such a large group.
I remembered my own teenage years, and the challenges inherent in them, when my kids had their turn to live through it.
I found out that Iceland has a rugged kind of beauty, and that isolation is what you make of it.
I learned that the long nights near the Arctic Circle can have awesome results; a simply wonderful baby girl!
I felt a pang of loss when I retired from the military, though I relished the challenge of being in the civilian workforce.
I felt a pang of loss as our first children left home to start lives of their own.
I felt betrayed when the technology company I worked for laid off twenty percent of its staff all in one day, without advance notice.
I struggled with odd jobs at minimum pay, until I found something that could be a career.
I found I could work in a Tire & Lube Express.
I was proud that I sold seven cars in five weeks, though my commission sucked.
I had high hopes at becoming a restaurant assistant manager, but the smoking environment got to me.
I put my congenial attitude to use working at a wine and cheese retail store / restaurant.
I was relieved to be hired at a nuclear plant, though my ‘foot in the door’ consisted of being a groundskeeper / laborer / janitor.
I have been patient to coax my wife through some of the challenges in her life, and found our relationship the sweeter for it.
I know that my life is still in the writing, and whatever I can share with friends and family is the legacy I pass on to them.
Because of my relationship with God, because of good friends and acquaintances, because of a determined deliberate mind-set to think the best of people, I've had a wonderful life full of some amazing highlights. What a thing to realize for my forty-fifth birthday!
Thank you, all of you, for being a part of my life here-and-now, and making this interaction on-line something special. May we always be good friends to one another.
B4ireminisce2long
Discuss this Journal entry [3]
Latest reply: Aug 5, 2004
“Our house is a very, very, very fine house…”
Posted Jul 31, 2004
[Continuity]
In the sleepy little town of Fulton, MO, on the north side toward the highway leading to I-70, one can turn onto a road named after the tales of a famous 14th-century London-born poet. Half-way down, on the south side of the road, stands what appears to be a fairly new two-story house bedecked in cream colored white siding. The front of the house is dominated by the short cement driveway leading into the two-car garage. Just to the left of the drive is a curving cement walk edged in a variety of flowers and seasonal plants. The walkway leads to a wooden landing supporting a white ironwork bench comfortable enough for taking one’s shoes off or just lounging to watch the neighbors go by. In the center of the single front door with the brass handle and thumb latch, there hangs a small decorative wreath. A wind chime featuring frogs hangs from the lantern light to the left of the door. Even further left are the two tall white-framed windows that reach the corner of the house, complemented by another single tall white-framed window set into the side right around the corner.
By stepping over the small verge of plants and flowers, you can traverse the strip of lawn along the side of the house, as it slopes down into the back yard. The first thing you notice on your way down is the large wooden structure of a child’s play set. It’s made of pine beams primed in a burgundy color. It boasts ladders on either end leading to hand-over-hand rungs, swings and riding and hanging devices on each arm of the structure, and a squarish central tower with a sandbox beneath a center platform topped by a curved green cloth awning. There’s a rock climbing wall replete with a rope angling up to the center platform at the back side, and a green plastic slide angling down from the front.
About ten feet before the play set is a group of pipes in a tripod shape. It appears that they are the newest arrival here in the yard [aside from your presence] and have the look of unfinished business. The central upright pole has a long thin nylon rope attached to the top, which hangs down to about three feet above the grass and is tied to a yellow ball. Hunched over below two of the supporting struts is a middle-aged man of a slight build, dressed in blue jean shorts, a shiny blue tank-top jersey, and a pair of wide strapped sandals. It seems that he’s engrossed in scribbling something in the dirt.
[\Continuity]
{B4 looks up in surprise, then recognizes you.}
Oh, hello! I didn’t see you at first. How are you doing today?
{He sets down his stylus, backs out from under the poles, wipes his hands on his jeans and steps forward to shake your hand and give you a friendly little hug.}
I was just finishing with the first of this weekend’s projects. My wife, A----, is great about generating a ‘honey-do list’ for me. This little addition took Y----, our 6-year-old daughter, and me about an hour to put together from start to finish. She was a real help, bringing the hose over to our big tin wash bucket, squirting just the right amount of water into the concrete mix, helping me stir it up, and holding the tetherball pole in place while I poured the cement into the post hole I’d dug. She even helped me clean up the tools a bit when we got done. She’s inside now, watching cartoons, and I thought I’d put the finishing touches on this thing.
{B4 squats down by the tripod poles leaning against the tetherball pole and motions for you to come have a look.}
Mind you don’t bump the support poles loose. See what I’ve done here? It’s kind of a tradition most folks do when they finish a project like this. I took a straw and poked it into the setting cement and wrote today’s date, 31 Jul 04, and our initials. Since she helped me so much, I put YEW on this side, perpendicular to the date, and TJW on this side, at a right angle as well. Now we’ll always remember when we did this task.
{He now stands up, mindful of the poles, and looks you in the eye.}
I’ve already told my little one she won’t be able to use this for about three days, until the cement sets up properly. Bet she’ll ask me every day ‘til then, “Daddy, is it ready yet?”
Oh, Lord, she keeps me feeling young! A---- and I have one of these ‘melded marriages’, you know, a combination of ‘yours, mine, and ours’ sort of thing. Y---- is the ‘ours’, our last one of five. A---- came into our marriage with three kids, two teenage boys from her first marriage, and a 5-year-old girl from her second. I entered into it with a 9-year-old daughter. I suppose that six people in one home just wasn’t enough for us, and we wanted to get to that ‘lucky seven’ number, so we worked at having another one. A---- had to have her tubal ligation reversed and, once that was done and she’d healed, it was only a month before she conceived. Guess she was really ready!
{B4 now ushers you toward the wooden steps leading up from the basement access in back of the house [a third story!] to the mid-level deck with the waist-high railing. There’s a long table with a glass top and four cushioned swivel chairs on the patio, just outside the large white-framed sliding-glass door that leads into the kitchen and dining area. A big pitcher of fresh-brewed iced tea sits on a serving tray in the middle of the patio table, drops of condensation cling or run down its sides, with a handful of tall tumblers arrayed around it. He flicks a switch on a radio set on a small table by the door and a tune from Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young floats gently on the warm Summer breeze.}
I'll light the fire
You put the flowers in the vase
That you bought today
Staring at the fire
For hours and hours
While I listen to you
Play your love songs
All night long for me
Only for me
Can I offer you something cool to drink? There’s the tea, or I could step inside for a Foster’s, or some juice, or some purified water…
Anyway, all those kids have been a treasure and a challenge, depending on the age bracket they’ve gone through. The little one still has so much ahead of her and, being the last in the line, has picked up ~so much~ from the older kids. They’ve taught her so many little things along the way and helped her love to learn that she’s very far advanced beyond most all her classmates. I hope to see her all the way through her school years and off into adulthood. I wasn’t able to do that for A----’s kids from the beginning, and I lament the loss of those formative years with them. I lost a big chunk of our oldest daughter’s lifetime between my divorce from her mother and when I got full custody of her, from nine to fifteen. With our youngest, though, I plan to stay the full course and my wonderful wife is of the same mind. I think we’ll make it…
Come to me now
And rest your head for just five minutes
Everything is good
Such a cozy room
The windows are illuminated
By the sunshine and
Fiery gems for you
Only for you
So, something to drink, then?
Our house is a very, very fine house
With two cats in the yard
Life used to be so hard
Now everything is easy
'Cause of you
And our la, la, la-la-la-la, la, la, etc
I'll light the fire
And you place the flowers in the jar
That you bought today
B4irustleupsomegrub2
Discuss this Journal entry [5]
Latest reply: Jul 31, 2004
Reminder to Host a HooToo Meet in the US
Posted Jul 14, 2004
That's self-explanatory.
I just don't want to forget that it may be possible to make it available for HooTooers who happen to be in the US to have the equivalent of a convention right here on our turf rather than having to travel overseas to 'get their fix'.
All HooTooers invited.
Socializing. Activities. Dining. Speakers. Games. [Where do I get enough 'deckels' to make this worthwhile?] Enough designated drivers for every other HooTooer that shows up. Movies? [Nah! Too much like a Sci-Fi Con, rather than a "ConVivial" social event.] Tours of some local points of interest? [Can't bring folks onto Nuke Plant property, and seeing it from the parking lot isn't all that exciting.] 
Host it in St Louis, 'Gateway to the West'? Trip up into The Arch! Union Station! Regal Riverfront Hotel, that rotates... [Stay away from the gambling boats!] Suggest some local B&B's for those who choose to 'spoon' while here. Get a group trip on Katy Trail with recumbent bikes? Visit wineries! [Hermannhof, Les Bourgeois, Stone Hill, etc.]
Hold it in conjunction with the Medeival Festival?
What HooTooers are close enough to help lend a hand or a sympathetic ear when I start tearing my hair out over the project?
B4igetinuptomyarmpits
Discuss this Journal entry [8]
Latest reply: Jul 14, 2004
Sci-Fi Song Lyrics
Posted Jul 1, 2004
I'm taking a poll. (No vault of yours...) What I'm looking for is a compiled listing of songs that have direct or indirect references to science fiction themes. I'd have thought there'd be more of them about, but I'm drawing a lot of blank space. Granted, some of the coolest Sci-Fi movies have had tunes that just ~ROCK~, but a lot of times the songs themselves don't make mention of S/F stuff. They're "window dressing" and set the mood of the film. Most of what I remember is classical, or even modern rock, as background to a particularly "future technology" visual.
The list thus far:
Billy Thorpe--Children of the Sun
Queen--[In the Year of] '39
Rush--Cygnus X-1
David Bowie--Space Oddity [Major Tom]
Elton John--Rocket Man
Surely there must be more! I know the bulk of the "Heavy Metal" soundtrack is suited to this theme, and I'm sure Styx and E.L.O. did some songs along these lines. 
So, can you help me out with a little brainstorming? All I've managed so far is a little drizzle...
B4igetmeticket4anaeroplane
Discuss this Journal entry [46]
Latest reply: Jul 1, 2004
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