Archive for the ‘Flashback’ Category
2010 -
02.15
Posted in Flashback, Friends/Family | 4 Comments »
Usually when an unfamiliar caller pops up on the caller ID, I let the machine pick it up. Unless of course, the caller redials then curiosity rears its evil head.. Tonight, a friend I have not seen in four years phoned me. Mandie (I swore it was with no -e) and I worked together at Wal-Mart and along with Karen, were inseparable. I even confided in Mandie about my attraction to our other compadre… but, alas. And she even shared the same last name of the most attractive employee at Dunder-Mifflin (now Sabre) Scranton Branch.
Apparently since I left WM about 3 years ago (she left before that… even before the transition to Supercenter), Mandie has been asking about me from time to time (don’t get any ideas… she is attached and we were never more than really good friends). Former co-workers have told me she has been in and said… “Where is Jamiah?” She does have my home phone number. Tonight, she phoned and we talked for like 2 hours catching up. Her four boys are no longer the little ones I remember. Her oldest is now 14!? The youngest, Ashton, whom I remember seeing a day after he was born is now 4! She also works with Squirmy! Small world!
Even smaller world… she lives in an apartment above a pizza shop very close to the Quarterline Cafe where He Crossed That Line just wrapped. So… we made plans to get together and have a movie night soon along with her four boys.
2009 -
12.03
Tags: spelling bee, toboggan
Posted in Flashback, Friends/Family, School Days | 2 Comments »
Just found out that my nephew, Joshua came in second place in his school’s spelling bee putting him on the next step to the National Bee. As you might have guessed, he misspelled toboggan. As his father so eloquently pointed out, Joshua did not inherit his spelling and grammar skills from him. Definitely his math and computer knowledge.
I just am curious as to when they started taking the top two finalists on to the next level. I would have progressed not only my 8th grade year but at least my 5th grade year when the champion and I went back and forth until I finally incorrectly spelled illegible. My sixth grade year, I had an unfortunate slip of the tongue when I put a g in pajamas (still remember that). I do not remember how far I got my 7th grade year nor do I remember the word I won on my 8th grade year… go figure.
Anyway… good luck Joshua in January.
2009 -
12.01
Posted in Deep Thoughts, Flashback, Loved Ones | 2 Comments »
The next few weeks will not be easy ones. This morning, we learned that my “Aunt” Lu’s (my Uncle Bob’s current wife) mother passed away last night. A very long-lived lady… sweet as anything who lived a very prosperous life (91 years young with 12 kids, I think). She was a huge fan of the WCCT and she would come to shows quite often either with Lu or Father Fred. I remember that following Grease, she and Lu came to the basement to say Hi. She was also the Grandmother of one of my best friends.
Yesterday, we learned that Aunt Carol (Bob’s first wife) is nearing the end of her long fought battle with cancer. Definitely will be very hard this one. Care givers were at her house with my cousins and the rest of her family to prepare them (as much as can be expected anyway.. can anyone really be prepared?) I’m not really sure how long she has been fighting, but it has been a great while in and out of remission until finally there is no more that can be done except to pray for Carol. So many great memories growing up, spending the night with my cousin until it was deemed inappropriate for Alicia and I to stay over at each others house (I think I was 8). At get togethers, we would always devise a plot whereby we would con the parents into allowing this. Very few people refer to me as “James” but I got so used to it that I expected Carol to address me as such. I remember a Christmas gift she gave me a few years back in a large envelope with “For Your Eyes Only” printed on the front. You will have to use your imagination to determine what was inside and it had nothing to do with the 12th 007 movie 
So… could be a rough few days ahead. Not the most opportune time of the year but I don’t think there really is an appropriate time. But at least their suffering soon will be ended and will soon be in a much better place.
2009 -
11.03
Tags: 70s tv series, Bionic Woman, bionics, Col. Steve Austin, Fembots, Jaime Sommers, Lee Majors, Lindsay Wagner, Six Million Dollar Man
Posted in Flashback, TV Shows/Movies | 7 Comments »
For a few years now, there has been a site dedicated to the ORIGINAL Bionic Woman (not the so called reboot that was a victim of the writer’s strike two years ago… that was definitely HORRIBLE). I have been a frequent fan of the site. Last week, a new site dedicated to the father (or should I be bold and say… husband) series, The Six Million Dollar Man, was started. You know… (or maybe you don’t know depending on your age and maybe afternoon rerun viewing of the 80s) the one about “Col. Steve Austin, astronaut… a man barely alive.” They rebuilt him following a tragic piloting accident making him “better than he was before. Better… Stronger… Faster.” The reluctant hero was endowed with a bionic arm, two bionic legs, and a bionic eye (although Lee Major’s now pitches an add for a “Bionic ear.”) I fondly remember playing in the yard with my brother and friends. Orders were given by “Oscar Goldman” for the mission of the week. Bionic action complete with the awesomely cheesy sound effects battling evil terrorists, fembots, and other evil doers. Although guess who ended up playing Jaime Sommers several times… only because my first name happened to be the same but spelled differently… somehow I think there was a little more to it than that, but I guess if I wanted to play with big brother…
But the site has brought back memories of rushing home from school to atch the reruns (I was only a year old in ‘74 after all).
2009 -
08.25
Tags: French Class, Julia Child, rabbit in mustard sauce, Star Trek, Star Wars, Swedish Chef, teachers, The Three Stooges, video contest
Posted in Flashback, School Days | 8 Comments »
I have posted numerous times about my favorite teacher, role model, etc (it is very nearly the first anniversary of her passing). Tonight at work, I had a surprise when my high school French came into my line. “Bonjour, Professeur Peters! Comment allez-vous?” She looked really well. A few years following my graduation, she had some health problems. She asked me if I was still a Star Trek/Star Wars fan. AH, she knows me so well. I made flash cards of French vocabulary in the shape of the NCC-1701 (“No bloody -A, -B, -C, Or -D”). We would get bonbons or other rewards for creativity. I told her that I have been doing plays around the area over the last several years. She has seen pictures in the paper but has yet to come to any.
One of my favorite parts of French class was the video contest. I believe it was a countywide (or maybe even longer reaching than that) contest in which classes could submit short skits to be judged for prizes. How I wish YouTube was around back then. I did not think to ask Madame if she kept any of the videos. Anyway, the senior year video Nicolas, Thomas, Jean, and I made was by far our most hilarious. It was a cooking spoof in which we made lapin a la moutarde (or… rabbit in mustard sauce). Think the Swedish Chef (or Julia Child it was French after all) meets the Three Stooges and you pretty well get the idea. Whoever decided to give me the role I undertook, I’ll never know but… it was memorable to say the least.
What a fun trip down memory lane!
2009 -
07.24
Tags: animal abadonment, border collies, guide dog, Meadow Green Dog Rescue Centre, Norfolk England
Posted in Flashback, In the News | 5 Comments »
This story is so sweet, I just had to share it.
Blind border collie gets his own guide dog
By Aidan McGurran 24/07/2009
Collies usually round up sheep not each other… but as the eyes of her blind canine companion, little Bonnie steers Clyde away from trouble.
The five-year-old long-haired border collie, who has lost his sight because of a degenerative disease, relies entirely on Bonnie as his guide dog. He follows her everywhere.
And like the American gangster lovers they have been named after, the friendly dogs are on the lookout for a safe, new hideaway.
They were recently dumped in the street during a storm and are currently being cared for at Meadow Green Dog Rescue Centre in Hales Green, near Loddon in Norfolk.
The centre’s Cherie Cootes said: “If Clyde’s unsure where he is, he will suddenly go behind Bonnie and put his face on the back of her so she can guide him. He totally relies on her.
“And when she walks she tends to stop and make sure he’s there – she does look out for him. When she’s about you wouldn’t notice he is blind, but when she’s not about he refuses to move. There’s no option of homing them separately. They’ve got to go as a pair.”
A driver found the dogs running through Blundeston, near Lowestoft, Suffolk, during a storm three weeks ago. Neither Clyde nor Bonnie – a short-haired border collie aged two or three – had identifying collars or chips.
Cherie, 40, added: “They’ve got very nice manners and they walk well on the lead.
“They really are a very sweet pair of dogs.”
If you can give Bonnie and Clyde a home, call the centre on 01508 548 216.
2009 -
07.13
Tags: Cedar Downs, Cedar Point, Gemini, Kid Arthur's Court, Kings Island, Magnum XL 200, The Beastie
Posted in Flashback, Fun and Games, Vacation, You Tube Videos | 5 Comments »
A comment on Taylhis’ blog gave me inspiration for post fodder. My first time riding a coaster took place when I was 10. My family spent a day at Cedar Point with my uncle, aunt, and two cousins. I liked riding rides and had been on several smaller coasters. I remember the Beastie at Kings Island (still there, Lis?). I took my cousin Stacy to ride the Jr. Gemini. However this year, I was too TALL to ride the smaller version. Seeing this, my Uncle Bob challenged me to ride the REAL thing with him. Why not? The line for the double train, much like The Racer, was not long so I did not have to wait a great deal. I still remember having my eyes shut tight after we made the turn and approached the first hill. From what I understand, I also held onto my co-riders hand and squeezed it a little bit too hard. But what a rush! Red and blue racers going up and down hills and then the split at the end when the cars tilt to the side and finally return home. There may be bigger, faster, longer coasters (you can see the Magnum XL 200 which is 20 years old this summer… NO WAY! dwarfing the classic) but the good old Gemini is still one of my favorites. That day in 1983, I discovered that I was growing up because I was no longer small enough to go on any of the kiddie rides. No more Kid Arthur’s Court for me. But I can ALWAYS ride the Cedar Downs racing horses.
2009 -
06.06
Tags: baeball cards, Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds, major league baseball parks, The Great American Ball Park, Wrigley Field
Posted in Flashback, Friends/Family, Sports | 2 Comments »
My middle brother and his son are going to be at the Great American Ball Park for the Chicago Cubs-Cincinnati Reds game tonight. When I found out that Chad and Alex were going to the big city by themselves, I said “I hope they don’t get lost.” Chad got lost driving home from a town 8 miles away. Myself, I just can’t find the destination I am going to but have never been lost. However, I believe they went on a charter bus. I remember back in the day when my elder sibling would go to his friend’s house and open up his COMPLETE sets of baseball cards and trade them away… not some of his brighter moments. Our parents or his godfather would spend good money on these sets. He would even “autograph” cards himself which pretty well made them worthless collectible wise. During several summers, Chad, his friend, along with “E-town’s Number One Fan” rode the bus to Wrigley to watch their beloved team play. Last year, Chad and our Aunt LuAnn rode the rails to Chi-town and watched the Cubbies lose. Lu wanted to keep her tally of MLB ballpark visits up but Uncle Bob had no desire to go with them. Some year (especially if the Bronx Bombers are in town), I must make an effort to go.
2009 -
05.10
Tags: McDonalds, mothers
Posted in Flashback, Friends/Family | 2 Comments »
Happy Mother’s Day to all those who serve as mothers whether it be in the traditional sense or less than traditional. I am lucky to have had two extraordinary women to look up to and admire who have always been there for me no matter where I was or what trouble I have been in. One, my fabulous mother whom I would not trade for all the tea in China. The other one that I was blessed to “adopt” as the second mother I so wish everyone had (God rest her soul)… someone I could talk to and share private things with.
My mom is one of the most giving women on the planet. She has three jobs: beautician, bus driver (morning, pre-school, and afternoon routes), and bookkeeper for volleyball, basketball, and softball. The sports statistician position I think she does more for the escape from the everyday but she still gets paid for it. She also is the best person to have raised her four children, husband (he is still being raised), and niece who had been tossed around from 3 foster families before ending up with us when she was in the second grade. So many memories, I cannot pick a single one.
On the other hand, one instance sticks out clearly in my mind concerning Emily. Following one of the performances of Joseph nine years ago, the two ladies and I went to McDonald’s. We ordered and went to our table. However, the orders were far from correct. Emily went right back up to the counter and in her special way explained the situation. By the time she was done, we had not only gotten our orders refilled correctly but a refund on top of it. I sometimes wonder if the poor guy behind the counter had been employed there long. No one wanted to be on Ma2’s bad side.
So… thank you to all mothers everywhere. I’m sure that there is not a harder yet more rewarding job anywhere.
