Posts

The 80's Part 3

The 80’s Part 3 Continued One thing that I find interesting when I write is that quite often I go in a different direction than what I initially intended.  I originally intended on just saying why I liked the ’80s culture.  Instead, I have gone down an introspective path, talking more about how the 80’s made me the person I am today.  There is no reason to change at this point.  I ended the last entry in Santa Barbara California and then realized that I was no longer the scared teenager that had so many issues in college. At the end of the 1984 Presidential Campaign, Ronald Reagan went to his ranch, Rancho Del Cielo, to spend an extended vacation.  I volunteered to stay for the entire period. That allowed those who had spent a big part of the year away from their family to return home after a couple of weeks.  For me, it was like a vacation.  I worked about an hour each day and had the rest of the time to myself. Something had changed in me.  First, I was older.  My looks had changed. 
Post a Comment
Read more

The 80's Part 2

Image
The 80’s Part 2 A Lifetime In 7 Years It is back to writing again.  I left off at Robins Air Force Base in Warner Robins Georgia.  As I stated it was my new family. Despite not caring for the area itself I seemed to have found a place where I made friends and a place to slowly grow and mature.  Little did I know that early in 1983 my life was going to make a sudden turn. I believe it was around the first week of February 1983 that I started mobility training, more commonly called Mob School.  I had just finished a day of first-aid training when I got notice that I was to report for a mandatory briefing from The White House Communications Agency (from here on out referred to as WHCA for brevity).  Well, to bypass the complexities of the process, I was on my way to the Washington DC area as the newest Audio Visual Tech in WHCA, by the end of May. The training was fast and furious. Within a week I was pinning a microphone on President Ronal Reagan for a taping session. Within a mont
1 comment
Read more

The 80's Part 1

The 80’s A decade to remember. I started ready to tell you that the 80’s was the best decade of my life.  With further internalizing, I decided that it wasn’t necessarily fair to friends and family to make that statement. The fact remains that the 80’s were the years of my greatest growth. They also contained some of the most interesting and fun times of my life.  For those of you that were part of my life then I hope this reminds you of good times or, at the very least, will bring you a wry smile.  The decade was not all roses.  1980 started wonderfully. My senior prom, a wonderful girlfriend who worked much harder on our relationship than I, my senior trip, and preparation for graduation highlighted the first few months. Unfortunately, graduation put an end to the good times.  I stated in a previous blog that I was lost. I graduated and had no clue what to do with my life. I was angry and confused and started treating friends and family poorly. It culminated in me drinking heavily (t
Post a Comment
Read more

Music. My Life Long Friend!

Image
It was time to write again and I guess this will continue my current trend of introspective posts. This time I will dive into music and how it has had an impact on my life. It has been entertainment, a friend, an escape, and more.  The only way for someone to fully understand is for me to start from the beginning. So sit back and learn a little about what has made me tick through the years.  I should start with a bit of history. At a very young age music was always on.  My grandmother would babysit for me and she always had music on.  At that time it was a variety of old music.  Ernest Tubb, Hank Snow, Hank Locklin, Hank Williams, and polkas by Frankie Yankovic and Myron Floren. Sometimes she would allow me to pick out albums.  I tended to gravitate toward Elvis Presley, Ricky Nelson, and the collections of 50's and 60's rock and roll beginning collections she brought for us to listen to.  When at my aunt's house I always grabbed her Beatles albums.   At approximately six y
1 comment
Read more

I remember when....

 I remember when..... How many times have we heard those words in our life?  As I have gotten older I have found that I have an extremely good memory for past events. I can often recall events from a very young age.  It isn't total recall. I do not remember the dates or days.  Sometimes names elude me, but the events from the past come to me with amazing clarity. My short-term memory is not very good but things from the past are just another story. The problem is that this can be a double-edged sword. Having a good memory can be amazing. I can remember the best moments of my childhood like it was yesterday. A lot of the amazing moments from sports, school, and the Air Force are remembered in detail. I remember almost all of the wonderful moments of past relationships with warmth and fondness.  Something triggers the memory and I will just smile. It's like for that brief moment I am transported back in time.  Even if I am asked a question and do not remember, it will normally co
Post a Comment
Read more

Turning 60

 I have been meaning to write this for ten months. It is time to get it done.  Over the years I have heard many people talk about turning a certain age that greatly affected them.   For some, it was thirty. For others, it was 40 or 50. For me, it was without a doubt 60.  There are various reasons I suppose, but sixty, more than any other age, really hit me. For the first time, I saw myself as old in looks and in my mind. The closest to 60 for me was 18.  It was for completely different reasons though.  An old girlfriend threw me a surprise 18th birthday party. Back then 18 was big in New York State because it was the legal drinking age.  The party was great but it turned out to be the end of an era for myself and my high school friends. I only saw a few of them again. the issue for me though was immaturity. I had already been in college a month and quite frankly I was confused and lost. It came out in anger, jealousy, and pettiness brought on by my age.  Some of it was just being a you
Post a Comment
Read more

Wipe Away the Tears

Wipe Away the Tears If you’re feeling lonely When the lights are low Just look to the past To a time when we were  Dancing toe to toe The gaze in our eyes A oneness only we could know So go ahead  Go ahead and cry I will wipe away the tears  From your eye I will kiss your tears  til your cheeks are dry I remember your sweet smile Though separated by miles I feel the warmth of your breath on my neck Though we parted and were through All the tears I fought through Brought me peace and our friendship grew  So go ahead  Go ahead and cry I will wipe away the tears  From your eye I will kiss your tears  til your cheeks are dry Helping Healing  Haunting  Daunting So go ahead  Go ahead and cry I will wipe away the tears  From your eye I will kiss kiss your tears til your cheeks are dry
Post a Comment
Read more