The last few weeks have been a bit trying for me and that of my moral beliefs. At every turn in the media I am being bombarded with news of how much our country sucks because of foreign policy and yet, all the foreigners was automatic citizenship.
I firmly believe we all have the right to be equal and free being able to pursue a better life but now I have to ask at what cost?
Monday will mark a cornerstone point in our nation where all illegal immigrants are encouraged to ditch work and rally to grind the nation to a halt. I have to ask the simple question.. If you want to be American so badly then why try and do something to destroy its economy for a day. Wouldn't it simply be better to peacefully assemble over a weekend or a holiday and show some pride in the USA?
I've seen people rally with the Mexican flag flying over an upsidedown AMERICAN flag. I've heard our Star Spangled Banner has been rewritten and recorded in Spanish with dnewer lyrics. All of these things point to a group of people trying to divide a current nation and start a new one and that is not the american way..
My heart bleeds for all immigrants who came for a better life and worked their asses off to become American the right way. They worked, learned English and learned the HISTORY of how we became such a great nation..
Freedom is not a sense of entiltement as we see before us today but something to be earned, worked to preserve and most of all cherished. I have grown up a citizen of this country from birthright as my ancestors have since the early 1600's so I feel I've earned my right as an American to be pissed off about this.
I challenge any person to walk into a neighbors home sit down and start making demands of your host. Illegals are no different here..You have broken into our home and decided to make demands you have no right to and have not done anything to earn .. least of all our respect.
There is a reason they are called Illegal Aliens. Because they came here Illegal and broke the current laws of immigration. They took jobs and didn't pay one once of tax they everyone of our LEGAL citizens pay. They want free healthcare, education and social benefits which are all things my family and I have worked for generations to support...and they demand it .. now they say theword Illegal immigrant is racist. ... Since when ....
I have a great idea ..instant citizenship to any immigrant who joins our military and proves to us that they want to be here and are willing to sacrifice for the american dream. The way it currently stands I can assure you that if we went to conflict with any one of these peoples countries they would not stand up for the usa ..they would fight for their own soil ...
My mother in law is of British national origin and to this day remains that way. She came to our country on a work visa and ended up getting married. The one difference I see in her as an alien of our nation is that she cherishes what we have and she respects it. To this day when our national anthem plays she stands and faces the flag with pride... She doesn't demand we play god save the queen .. That is what respect and love of our country is all about....
Sorry for the rant..but I'm tired of being taken advantage of ...
Saturday, April 29, 2006
Friday, April 21, 2006
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
Blogging
In all my travels across the net one of my favorite past times has certainly become reading peoples blogs. It has opened up a new medium into learning things about people who we would not normally have access too. It has allowed me to meet people with similar interests,passions and stories as mine. It has helped open up my eyes to more diverse views than my own and created some great friendships.
Blogging is in no way a good means to hide out from the rest of the world but it certainly makes it easier to vent your frustrations at the world in a non-violent way. In some instances it has become a warning sign for those who DO have violent tendencies and unfortunately for society, not always caught in time .. For instance recently a young man killed and mutilated a young girl with the intent of cannibalizing her.
Think about how many times we see neighbors, friends or co-workers on the evening news in shock stating that they would have never imagined he could do something like this. In the case of Bruce Schwartz all the signs were there.. Right in his blog!! Yet he still fell between the cracks and a young girl paid dearly for it with her life. In Boston recently a man committed suicide on a bus as the police approached to arrest him on suspicion of murder. Seems he combed the internet looking for sex offenders to kill and did so before taking his own life all by using the sex offender registry to target his victims. While I have no remorse for the sex offender I do have to admit it is a shame when something designed to keep us informed is used in such a poor manner .. Why? It affects all the people who really need to know that information ...
In the case of my blog I usually use it to be creative or vent but in a lot of cases I keep the real personal stuff to myself. Not because it is bad or could get me in trouble but like all human beings I have my fair share of scars to bear and I guess I have my own fears of how others could perceive me. In fact my own daughter reads this blog so where do you draw the line on personal thoughts and saying things that could possibly hurt others. So you walk a fine line and blog about the things that matter a little less or maybe just annoy us all while keeping the harder stuff to ourselves... In essence I am only emotionally naked to a very very short list of people...
When I visit my peers sites I most certainly see everything from creativity to venting about everyday issues. I'd love to let them all know that I admire them tremendously for allowing their personalities to shine through with little obstruction. In doing so I've learned more and more that in the end we all bleed red, we all want to be loved, give love and just be the best we can ...................
Kev
Blogging is in no way a good means to hide out from the rest of the world but it certainly makes it easier to vent your frustrations at the world in a non-violent way. In some instances it has become a warning sign for those who DO have violent tendencies and unfortunately for society, not always caught in time .. For instance recently a young man killed and mutilated a young girl with the intent of cannibalizing her.
Think about how many times we see neighbors, friends or co-workers on the evening news in shock stating that they would have never imagined he could do something like this. In the case of Bruce Schwartz all the signs were there.. Right in his blog!! Yet he still fell between the cracks and a young girl paid dearly for it with her life. In Boston recently a man committed suicide on a bus as the police approached to arrest him on suspicion of murder. Seems he combed the internet looking for sex offenders to kill and did so before taking his own life all by using the sex offender registry to target his victims. While I have no remorse for the sex offender I do have to admit it is a shame when something designed to keep us informed is used in such a poor manner .. Why? It affects all the people who really need to know that information ...
In the case of my blog I usually use it to be creative or vent but in a lot of cases I keep the real personal stuff to myself. Not because it is bad or could get me in trouble but like all human beings I have my fair share of scars to bear and I guess I have my own fears of how others could perceive me. In fact my own daughter reads this blog so where do you draw the line on personal thoughts and saying things that could possibly hurt others. So you walk a fine line and blog about the things that matter a little less or maybe just annoy us all while keeping the harder stuff to ourselves... In essence I am only emotionally naked to a very very short list of people...
When I visit my peers sites I most certainly see everything from creativity to venting about everyday issues. I'd love to let them all know that I admire them tremendously for allowing their personalities to shine through with little obstruction. In doing so I've learned more and more that in the end we all bleed red, we all want to be loved, give love and just be the best we can ...................
Kev
Tuesday, April 11, 2006
Guitars, Music and Me
People who know me are aware I play guitar and run an online BB fan site for them. What they probably do not know is the history of what got me to where I am (Not that there is much to tell)
My earliest memories of getting interested in pop music was around 1972 or so and mostly by A.M. radio. I remember hits like"Billy don't be a hero" Cats in the Cradle" when they were new music. It was around this time I actually bought my first cassette tape and probably what I consider to be my earliest influence into being musically driven. That artist was Jim Croce and I got it because of the song "Bad bad Leroy Brown". I must have been around 7 years of age at the time but his music even to this day really sticks with me.
In 1975 around the age of 9 my mother decided that "WE" were going to take organ lessons. I took to the keyboards with relative ease and I guess to some extent enjoyed it but it would become the foundation for my love of music and the desire to play. By 1976 I was getting pretty good at the keys and would get chosen to do public recitals for the store that we got our lessons from.. I loved the idea of playing in front of people even at that age...
At the age of 10 it is tough to get a child to do anything and I supposed to some extent I was no different. My mom would regularly have to push me to get my practice time in and I've since come to learn that if it needs to be pushed then it isn't enjoyed. Mom had started taking to secretly taping my practice time and playing it back to show me what needed to be improved upon ..it was this act that would push me clear of music for the next yr and a half....
Late in Oct 1976 a friend and I were hanging at my house watching a show on TV called the Paul Lynde Special and it wouldn't become apparent how much of an affect that show would have on me for quite some time. The show was based around a holiday Halloween special and had various skits and characters from other shows but the one thing that kicked my ass that night was my introduction to Rock and Roll.
Kiss debuted live on that show that evening in support of the Destroyer album, I was immediately blown away by the intensity of the music and the visual aspects of the band. While it wasn't right away this influenced me in a musical sense it certainly started me off as a fan. By 1977/78 Kiss had released Alive 2 and it was that album that finally pulled me into the guitar world. For Christmas that year I received my "Memphis" Strat and an Amp, I was well on my way!!
Dealing with keyboard lessons for close to 2 years gave me an idea of what I was in for or at least so I thought in taking guitar lessons. The thing I had not counted on was having to build up callouses and the pain endured learning to play. For whatever reason I was not introduced into "light" gage strings and I have to admit there were many times where it wasn't a pleasant experience.
I took all of 6 lessons that year and learned that I was terribly bored after all when are we gonna get to the good stuff...Rock and Roll .. not the fundamentals of site reading dammit... I messed with the guitar on and off with my own familiarity for a few years and finally Rhoads came into the picture.. Again I was blown away by the intensity of the music and the playing.. His playing would have a huge impact on me in years to come.
By the time I was 17 with 6 lessons under my belt and a whole lot of learning on my own I was playing locally with friends I had made in high school I'd have to say that jamming with other people, learning songs and specifically "Guitar for the practicing musician" were the things that had the biggest impact on my playing level. I had always been lucky enough even to this day to have a natural ability to play the guitar but the biggest lesson I can hand to anyone who wants to get better is to go play with people. Play with people who are better than you.. you will most certainly feel intimidated and out gunned..but the one thing that gave me was drive and knowledge.
By jamming with people above my level it gave me the chance to see more established people play and learn from it. It helped me evolve and challenge my limits.. All on 6 lessons .. LOL.
More later...
My earliest memories of getting interested in pop music was around 1972 or so and mostly by A.M. radio. I remember hits like"Billy don't be a hero" Cats in the Cradle" when they were new music. It was around this time I actually bought my first cassette tape and probably what I consider to be my earliest influence into being musically driven. That artist was Jim Croce and I got it because of the song "Bad bad Leroy Brown". I must have been around 7 years of age at the time but his music even to this day really sticks with me.
In 1975 around the age of 9 my mother decided that "WE" were going to take organ lessons. I took to the keyboards with relative ease and I guess to some extent enjoyed it but it would become the foundation for my love of music and the desire to play. By 1976 I was getting pretty good at the keys and would get chosen to do public recitals for the store that we got our lessons from.. I loved the idea of playing in front of people even at that age...
At the age of 10 it is tough to get a child to do anything and I supposed to some extent I was no different. My mom would regularly have to push me to get my practice time in and I've since come to learn that if it needs to be pushed then it isn't enjoyed. Mom had started taking to secretly taping my practice time and playing it back to show me what needed to be improved upon ..it was this act that would push me clear of music for the next yr and a half....
Late in Oct 1976 a friend and I were hanging at my house watching a show on TV called the Paul Lynde Special and it wouldn't become apparent how much of an affect that show would have on me for quite some time. The show was based around a holiday Halloween special and had various skits and characters from other shows but the one thing that kicked my ass that night was my introduction to Rock and Roll.
Kiss debuted live on that show that evening in support of the Destroyer album, I was immediately blown away by the intensity of the music and the visual aspects of the band. While it wasn't right away this influenced me in a musical sense it certainly started me off as a fan. By 1977/78 Kiss had released Alive 2 and it was that album that finally pulled me into the guitar world. For Christmas that year I received my "Memphis" Strat and an Amp, I was well on my way!!
Dealing with keyboard lessons for close to 2 years gave me an idea of what I was in for or at least so I thought in taking guitar lessons. The thing I had not counted on was having to build up callouses and the pain endured learning to play. For whatever reason I was not introduced into "light" gage strings and I have to admit there were many times where it wasn't a pleasant experience.
I took all of 6 lessons that year and learned that I was terribly bored after all when are we gonna get to the good stuff...Rock and Roll .. not the fundamentals of site reading dammit... I messed with the guitar on and off with my own familiarity for a few years and finally Rhoads came into the picture.. Again I was blown away by the intensity of the music and the playing.. His playing would have a huge impact on me in years to come.
By the time I was 17 with 6 lessons under my belt and a whole lot of learning on my own I was playing locally with friends I had made in high school I'd have to say that jamming with other people, learning songs and specifically "Guitar for the practicing musician" were the things that had the biggest impact on my playing level. I had always been lucky enough even to this day to have a natural ability to play the guitar but the biggest lesson I can hand to anyone who wants to get better is to go play with people. Play with people who are better than you.. you will most certainly feel intimidated and out gunned..but the one thing that gave me was drive and knowledge.
By jamming with people above my level it gave me the chance to see more established people play and learn from it. It helped me evolve and challenge my limits.. All on 6 lessons .. LOL.
More later...
Monday, April 10, 2006
Wow, cobwebs
Seems to be a lot of dust and cobwebs in here huh .. Been a while since I've logged in and actually written something. Life has been busy and hectic for the last several weeks. So for those nice enough to stop and read or even post a comment for that matter I apologize. I have not ignored reading your blogs, I've been following them and haven't made much time for comments or opinions.. I do thoroughly enjoy reading all your blogs..
So I mentioned things being hectic, as most here would know I run an on-line forum with my buddy Sully (link to the right). A few weeks ago we undertook the effort of moving all our UBB over to a new software called VBulletin. I'm really liking the new layout of the forum and the tools that are available to us. The learning curve has been a pain in the ass and the swap has created a boatload of work as far as registrations and old membership issues. Slowly those things are getting worked out but it always amazes me how much time it consumes ..
2nd on the list of hectic is work. Apparently the bigwigs up top have admitted to dropping the ball on what our customer orders were going to be. Basically this translates into ..Hey guys we fucked up so you need to work more hours while we are golfing...So lately I have been coming into work by 6am and getting an extra hour a day. I'm not used to getting up at 5am so I must say this is wearing thin on my old body...
Guitar playing..
Man I'd been getting lazy for a while as the closest I'd get to picking up a guitar was moving it room to room in its case. The one thing that always seems to inspire me to play guitar is new equipment or toys. This weekend Line6 released the latest update to their flagship Vetta amp and I've been waiting this one with little patience. Sat the new update was released and I downloaded it and installed it right away. For those of you who either don't know what a vetta is or you are just a complete tone snob (I'll touch on that some other time) I'll explain.
A Vetta is a software driven amplifier that has "modeling" technology. Basically line6 acquired all different big time amps and recorded and analyzed their frequency and resonance curves. They designed the software to react like the original amplifier. Is it dead on tube tone? Certainly not but it definitely sounds good and eats the crap out of any solid state amplifier. The positive to this amp is that instead of being locked to one tone or several different amps you end up with a much wider range of amps to play through as well as stomp boxes and such.
The new release fixed several things that either users wanted fixed or added and the new update so far seems to be worth the wait. Anything that gets me to pull a guitar out of a case and play is a good thing isn't it? What I haven't done is spent time with one specific guitar in ages. (Sounds like part of the family huh)
Anyone who knows me can tell you that I am very dedicated to charvel superstrats as my guitar of choice, but like many guitar players I have at least one Les Paul in my arsenal. She is a 1993 Sunburst Custom that my wife had bought me for our anniversary in 94. I haven't paid much attention to that guitar in a very time other than to try a new setup in it but funny enough it ended up stock again..
Yesterday I pulled the old Paul out and fired up the new Vetta firmware and as I played I remembered what I actually loved about that Les Paul. There are specific guitar we all own or love that until we pick them up we tend to forget what it is we moss about them .. I guess it's like throwing on a well worn in pair of jeans that just seem to fit well ...
Anyway that's enough for now.. gotta get back to work .. Be cool everyone, I'm watching ..
Kev
So I mentioned things being hectic, as most here would know I run an on-line forum with my buddy Sully (link to the right). A few weeks ago we undertook the effort of moving all our UBB over to a new software called VBulletin. I'm really liking the new layout of the forum and the tools that are available to us. The learning curve has been a pain in the ass and the swap has created a boatload of work as far as registrations and old membership issues. Slowly those things are getting worked out but it always amazes me how much time it consumes ..
2nd on the list of hectic is work. Apparently the bigwigs up top have admitted to dropping the ball on what our customer orders were going to be. Basically this translates into ..Hey guys we fucked up so you need to work more hours while we are golfing...So lately I have been coming into work by 6am and getting an extra hour a day. I'm not used to getting up at 5am so I must say this is wearing thin on my old body...
Guitar playing..
Man I'd been getting lazy for a while as the closest I'd get to picking up a guitar was moving it room to room in its case. The one thing that always seems to inspire me to play guitar is new equipment or toys. This weekend Line6 released the latest update to their flagship Vetta amp and I've been waiting this one with little patience. Sat the new update was released and I downloaded it and installed it right away. For those of you who either don't know what a vetta is or you are just a complete tone snob (I'll touch on that some other time) I'll explain.
A Vetta is a software driven amplifier that has "modeling" technology. Basically line6 acquired all different big time amps and recorded and analyzed their frequency and resonance curves. They designed the software to react like the original amplifier. Is it dead on tube tone? Certainly not but it definitely sounds good and eats the crap out of any solid state amplifier. The positive to this amp is that instead of being locked to one tone or several different amps you end up with a much wider range of amps to play through as well as stomp boxes and such.
The new release fixed several things that either users wanted fixed or added and the new update so far seems to be worth the wait. Anything that gets me to pull a guitar out of a case and play is a good thing isn't it? What I haven't done is spent time with one specific guitar in ages. (Sounds like part of the family huh)
Anyone who knows me can tell you that I am very dedicated to charvel superstrats as my guitar of choice, but like many guitar players I have at least one Les Paul in my arsenal. She is a 1993 Sunburst Custom that my wife had bought me for our anniversary in 94. I haven't paid much attention to that guitar in a very time other than to try a new setup in it but funny enough it ended up stock again..
Yesterday I pulled the old Paul out and fired up the new Vetta firmware and as I played I remembered what I actually loved about that Les Paul. There are specific guitar we all own or love that until we pick them up we tend to forget what it is we moss about them .. I guess it's like throwing on a well worn in pair of jeans that just seem to fit well ...
Anyway that's enough for now.. gotta get back to work .. Be cool everyone, I'm watching ..
Kev
Tuesday, March 28, 2006
Venting time
I need to blow a friggin gasket for a sec...
What is with people and their attitudes towards kids school sales drives. When my daughter was young I used to give to everyone who asked for their school events. Candy bar sales, candle sales, calender sales what ever was asked of me by my friends.
When Jessica became of the age to have these drives everyones wallet seemed to dry up. Now I've commited to not doing it anymore because I got jaded when it was my daughters time.
A co-worker just came in selling calenders for his kids and I politely tried to decline citing no money on me. To which he was willing to extend me the credit till I could pay and again I politely declined..
This co-worker just stormed out of my room in a fit of anger because he didn't get his way. Now I'm as giving as possible to all that know me and maybe I'm a bit off base here but these things should be banned from work..all they do is create resentment.. Now he is angry at me over a lousy $5 and I'm angry at him for his tantrum......
people- Get the fuck over it, if you don't get what your after then act like an adult ..or don't bring the damn things to work...........
What is with people and their attitudes towards kids school sales drives. When my daughter was young I used to give to everyone who asked for their school events. Candy bar sales, candle sales, calender sales what ever was asked of me by my friends.
When Jessica became of the age to have these drives everyones wallet seemed to dry up. Now I've commited to not doing it anymore because I got jaded when it was my daughters time.
A co-worker just came in selling calenders for his kids and I politely tried to decline citing no money on me. To which he was willing to extend me the credit till I could pay and again I politely declined..
This co-worker just stormed out of my room in a fit of anger because he didn't get his way. Now I'm as giving as possible to all that know me and maybe I'm a bit off base here but these things should be banned from work..all they do is create resentment.. Now he is angry at me over a lousy $5 and I'm angry at him for his tantrum......
people- Get the fuck over it, if you don't get what your after then act like an adult ..or don't bring the damn things to work...........
Wednesday, March 22, 2006
Dee and Me
I'm a bit bored and I haven't blogged very much lately so I figured I would talk a bit about my boring life...
My Wife ...
What is there to say about your spouse? I mean a lot of people joke about the things their spouses are good for, or they would like to do to them.It always makes me wonder how much of that is a joke and how much is how they really feel...
So here's my disclaimer...
Diane is my best friend in the whole world and there isn't any way I could imagine her not being a part of my life. We have always been the type of couple that enjoyed each others company on varying levels. Some may think that's a bit too mushy ...so whatevah ..The fact is there is no one I enjoy being around more ...
When we get out of bed we aren't looking what we are going to do on our own, we are always looking to the other asking what do you want to do today... This isn't to say we never have a lone time but we certianly love doing most things together ...
I met Diane in the spring of 1983 shortly after I had graduated from high school. I had taken a temporary job working at Burger King (bleh) in between Machinist jobs. Diane was one of the first people I met the day I started there and neither of us were looking for a relationship as we were both involved seriously already. I was 17 and she was 18 ...
I only held that job for a short 2-3 weeks and went on my own way but every once in while I would bump into her be it going into B.K myself or at the local mall. She would always ask if I was still dating my girl and the answer was usually yes.
On one friday evening after breaking up with my girlfriend I happened to go out with another gorl from B.K and some friends when we happened into the restaurant for a quick bite and to hang out. Diane happened to be working that night and my friend Pete saw her and was very interested in her. The girl I happened to be out with knew Diane and approached her to see if she could get old Petee a date ..
She told Diane that guy over there is interested in you and want's you to call him and proceeded to hand Diane Pete's phone number.Diane made a natural assuption that this girl was pointing at me and was happy to hear this news... until she found out whose number she actually had... Old Petee never got that date..
Later that year around November Diane and I bumped itno each other at the local mall and the usual conversation started..are you still dating so and so .. But the difference this time was that we were both unattached!! Diane promptly handed me her phone number and told me to call. While this was going on her mom happened to come up behind her and Diane wanted to make a point of introducing me...
Um mom .. I'd like you to meet Steve .... STEVE!! ..... WTF ...She didn't even remember my name!! Without missing a beat I said please to meet you Mrs Hoh (I swear that's her maiden name) and my name isn't Steve ..it is Kevin. .. Diane has never been allowed to live that down to this day ... Maybe not the most romantic way to start out ..but certainly memorable .. Below is a few pictures of Diane and I when we first met and now ...
yep still together after all this time
My Wife ...
What is there to say about your spouse? I mean a lot of people joke about the things their spouses are good for, or they would like to do to them.It always makes me wonder how much of that is a joke and how much is how they really feel...
So here's my disclaimer...
Diane is my best friend in the whole world and there isn't any way I could imagine her not being a part of my life. We have always been the type of couple that enjoyed each others company on varying levels. Some may think that's a bit too mushy ...so whatevah ..The fact is there is no one I enjoy being around more ...
When we get out of bed we aren't looking what we are going to do on our own, we are always looking to the other asking what do you want to do today... This isn't to say we never have a lone time but we certianly love doing most things together ...
I met Diane in the spring of 1983 shortly after I had graduated from high school. I had taken a temporary job working at Burger King (bleh) in between Machinist jobs. Diane was one of the first people I met the day I started there and neither of us were looking for a relationship as we were both involved seriously already. I was 17 and she was 18 ...
I only held that job for a short 2-3 weeks and went on my own way but every once in while I would bump into her be it going into B.K myself or at the local mall. She would always ask if I was still dating my girl and the answer was usually yes.
On one friday evening after breaking up with my girlfriend I happened to go out with another gorl from B.K and some friends when we happened into the restaurant for a quick bite and to hang out. Diane happened to be working that night and my friend Pete saw her and was very interested in her. The girl I happened to be out with knew Diane and approached her to see if she could get old Petee a date ..
She told Diane that guy over there is interested in you and want's you to call him and proceeded to hand Diane Pete's phone number.Diane made a natural assuption that this girl was pointing at me and was happy to hear this news... until she found out whose number she actually had... Old Petee never got that date..
Later that year around November Diane and I bumped itno each other at the local mall and the usual conversation started..are you still dating so and so .. But the difference this time was that we were both unattached!! Diane promptly handed me her phone number and told me to call. While this was going on her mom happened to come up behind her and Diane wanted to make a point of introducing me...
Um mom .. I'd like you to meet Steve .... STEVE!! ..... WTF ...She didn't even remember my name!! Without missing a beat I said please to meet you Mrs Hoh (I swear that's her maiden name) and my name isn't Steve ..it is Kevin. .. Diane has never been allowed to live that down to this day ... Maybe not the most romantic way to start out ..but certainly memorable .. Below is a few pictures of Diane and I when we first met and now ...
yep still together after all this time
Tuesday, March 21, 2006
Whoa ,,,been a long time!
Seems like forever since I had anything to write or I guess the time to write it..that and I'm just really lazy at times with creativity.
A week and a half ago Diane and I had the pleasure of seeing Paul Rodgers and Queen in concert. I had to admit when I first heard they were touring together I couldn't imagine Paul stepping into Freddies shoes, boy was I off base.
While he would never be able to replace Freddie he certainly fit the bill and did all the songs justice. They did a wide arrangement of hits from Queen, Paul, Bad Co and Free and it was a rocking 2+ hour show.
The highlight was for the song Bohemian Rhapsody in which they used concert footage of Freddie live and played along with the video. It was a heartfelt ftting tribute to the memory of Freddie and Queen.
At the end of the show for the Encore the most astounding thing happened that caused Queen to play the Encore out of sync. After leaving the stage the crowd erupted in the foot/clap beat that rings proud for We Will Rock you and they had the timing down perfectly. When Queen re-emerged Roger Taylor picked up on the drums right where the crowd was keeping a beat. It was awesome to hear and be a part of. Normally they would transition into We are the champions but because it weas done in this manner they actually went back to do All Right now before finishing the night with Champions...
All in all it was an awesome experience and if you like either band go see the show ..
On a side note ..
Happenings..
I broke down a bought a 25th anniversary Charvel and I'm so pleased with this guitar. It is a one off from the released series and is the only Red one ever built. The guitar is everything I had hoped it would be. After getting it I had a friend who is an old Ibanez player check it out and he was in such awe of it he ended up buying his own which I helped him aquire through a friend "hippie Tim" from the JCF... (Thanks Tim!)
Sully~ He's finally a homeowner!! Congrats dude, it's been a long road for ya but it's great to see lifes puzzle falling into place for ya. Good things are in your future..
Annah~ I happened to notice on Annah's site about the HRC event she attended and wanted to make it a point to have people support this. We all need to get along and care about each other on this crazy planet and this is just another step in harmony. I am of the beleif that ignorance only keeps us uncivilized and uncaring.... Keep on learning and rocking...support it ..
http://www.hrc.org/
On another note Annah is almost done with her book and I for one am looking forward to reading it, she seems to be moving right along ...keep up the good work!!!
As far as me? More to come I guess but for now my lunch break is over dammit!
A week and a half ago Diane and I had the pleasure of seeing Paul Rodgers and Queen in concert. I had to admit when I first heard they were touring together I couldn't imagine Paul stepping into Freddies shoes, boy was I off base.
While he would never be able to replace Freddie he certainly fit the bill and did all the songs justice. They did a wide arrangement of hits from Queen, Paul, Bad Co and Free and it was a rocking 2+ hour show.
The highlight was for the song Bohemian Rhapsody in which they used concert footage of Freddie live and played along with the video. It was a heartfelt ftting tribute to the memory of Freddie and Queen.
At the end of the show for the Encore the most astounding thing happened that caused Queen to play the Encore out of sync. After leaving the stage the crowd erupted in the foot/clap beat that rings proud for We Will Rock you and they had the timing down perfectly. When Queen re-emerged Roger Taylor picked up on the drums right where the crowd was keeping a beat. It was awesome to hear and be a part of. Normally they would transition into We are the champions but because it weas done in this manner they actually went back to do All Right now before finishing the night with Champions...
All in all it was an awesome experience and if you like either band go see the show ..
On a side note ..
Happenings..
I broke down a bought a 25th anniversary Charvel and I'm so pleased with this guitar. It is a one off from the released series and is the only Red one ever built. The guitar is everything I had hoped it would be. After getting it I had a friend who is an old Ibanez player check it out and he was in such awe of it he ended up buying his own which I helped him aquire through a friend "hippie Tim" from the JCF... (Thanks Tim!)
Sully~ He's finally a homeowner!! Congrats dude, it's been a long road for ya but it's great to see lifes puzzle falling into place for ya. Good things are in your future..
Annah~ I happened to notice on Annah's site about the HRC event she attended and wanted to make it a point to have people support this. We all need to get along and care about each other on this crazy planet and this is just another step in harmony. I am of the beleif that ignorance only keeps us uncivilized and uncaring.... Keep on learning and rocking...support it ..
http://www.hrc.org/
On another note Annah is almost done with her book and I for one am looking forward to reading it, she seems to be moving right along ...keep up the good work!!!
As far as me? More to come I guess but for now my lunch break is over dammit!
Wednesday, March 08, 2006
Keeping up with the joneses .. or at least 1
Ok ..Em loves these little quizzes and loves to post the results on her blog ..and she gets me everytime I go there to see what I get ..
So here ya go Em guess we could hang together....
So here ya go Em guess we could hang together....
|
Friday, March 03, 2006
He who has the last laugh...
Alma D Sunderland... I'm not sure what it was about the Canadians and their odd names. Alma's Dad's name Was Luger Caron and her Mom Lumina (Dancause) Caron. Guess it makes me happy I was born in the USA ...
Alma seemed like such a bad name that in order to get to her we branded her the name of Bertha after all how could you get any worse than Alma correct?
Late Sept of 1984 my grandmother had been having chest pain but never said a word to my mom. I had been estranged from the family that summer and had been living back in Lawrence with my 1/2 sisters. By the time I had gotten new of my grandmothers problem she was already bedridden at the Lawrence General Hospital.
I moved back home around that time to help out with the stuff that was happening. We would take daily trips up to the hospital to see Bertha and spend time with her. She seemed to be doing much better than anyone had expected but she kept saying that her only way home would be in a pine box.
It's funny when death ensues at old age because 2 of the oddest things can take place. They say the elderly know when their time has come and it certainly seemed to fit what was happening with my grandmother.
The 2nd thing is that when something major happens it seems they always get a lot better right before they leave us. I've seen this time and time again with family members and friends elderly relatives. We call it the calm before the storm.
Nov 4th 1984
I had been going to band practice not far from my home and we were standing in front of where we rehearsed very late at night maybe around 1:30 am or so. At the drop of a hat I saw my mothers car speed past us at a high rate of speed heading for the general and I knew this wasn't good news.
Diane and I got in my car and headed behind her not being able to catch up, my friend Pete right behind us. When I got to the hospital it was what I had suspected "Bertha" had taken a bad turn and this was it. I went down to let Diane and Pete know what was happening and my friend offered to take Diane to her house for me.
By the time I got back upstairs it was just a matter of minutes before she was gone but it was one of those rare instances where she was lucky enough to be surrounded by her family when she left...
I know at this point this story certainly doesn't seem to have a last laugh at such a sombering moment, but it was the next day that would end up having the oddest turn of circumstance.
We had gone down to our local funeral director that our family had used for years to make the arrangements for Bertha's funeral. In the midst's of setting up the obituary for Alma D Sunderland we learned that it wasn't really her name and that the D in the middle was in fact her real name...
Derilda A Caron was her birthright ............. DERILDA!! Somehow all of those years of calling her Bertha and thinking there couldn't be anything worse had just been trumped with an Ace card!!
RIP Bertha we miss you
Alma seemed like such a bad name that in order to get to her we branded her the name of Bertha after all how could you get any worse than Alma correct?
Late Sept of 1984 my grandmother had been having chest pain but never said a word to my mom. I had been estranged from the family that summer and had been living back in Lawrence with my 1/2 sisters. By the time I had gotten new of my grandmothers problem she was already bedridden at the Lawrence General Hospital.
I moved back home around that time to help out with the stuff that was happening. We would take daily trips up to the hospital to see Bertha and spend time with her. She seemed to be doing much better than anyone had expected but she kept saying that her only way home would be in a pine box.
It's funny when death ensues at old age because 2 of the oddest things can take place. They say the elderly know when their time has come and it certainly seemed to fit what was happening with my grandmother.
The 2nd thing is that when something major happens it seems they always get a lot better right before they leave us. I've seen this time and time again with family members and friends elderly relatives. We call it the calm before the storm.
Nov 4th 1984
I had been going to band practice not far from my home and we were standing in front of where we rehearsed very late at night maybe around 1:30 am or so. At the drop of a hat I saw my mothers car speed past us at a high rate of speed heading for the general and I knew this wasn't good news.
Diane and I got in my car and headed behind her not being able to catch up, my friend Pete right behind us. When I got to the hospital it was what I had suspected "Bertha" had taken a bad turn and this was it. I went down to let Diane and Pete know what was happening and my friend offered to take Diane to her house for me.
By the time I got back upstairs it was just a matter of minutes before she was gone but it was one of those rare instances where she was lucky enough to be surrounded by her family when she left...
I know at this point this story certainly doesn't seem to have a last laugh at such a sombering moment, but it was the next day that would end up having the oddest turn of circumstance.
We had gone down to our local funeral director that our family had used for years to make the arrangements for Bertha's funeral. In the midst's of setting up the obituary for Alma D Sunderland we learned that it wasn't really her name and that the D in the middle was in fact her real name...
Derilda A Caron was her birthright ............. DERILDA!! Somehow all of those years of calling her Bertha and thinking there couldn't be anything worse had just been trumped with an Ace card!!
RIP Bertha we miss you
Thursday, March 02, 2006
One step at a time
Living in the condo was a pain in the ass as you always have close neighbors that are either nosey or want to tell you what to do. The flip side to it was it was nicer than the old house.
I'm not sure it was easy on Bertha because the bedrooms were on the second floor and she was getting up there in years. By this time I was in my early high school years and trying to enjoy what would probably be one of my last summers before I started working.
Early one summer morning at around 5 am I was laying in bed when the craziest thing interrupted my slumber. Mom had gotten up to get ready for work and was in the shower when Bertha decided she had to go to the bathroom. Bertha was one of those like most elderly people that when it was time to go, it was time to go.
My mom never made a habit of locking the bathroom door but for whatever reason on this particular morning she had. Which apparently was very distressing to Bertha. Her only course of action was to head for the 1/2 bath on the first floor.
In the condo going from the second to first floors the setup was as follows. Come out of the front bedroom turn left and go down 3-4 stairs to a landing. At the landing you turn left to go down the main staircase to another landing about 3 foot by 3 foot. Directly in front of the last stair was the hall closet and turning left and one more stair brought you into the livingroom. The was no easy journey for an old woman who "Has to go"
Bertha got to the first stair and decided that she was probably in a bit of trouble because she really had to go badly. The way to make sure she didn't have an accident was to bend down and grab the bottom back of her night gown, pull it between her legs and hold it in her words "To prevent herself from spilling anything"
As she proceeded down the first set of stairs and navigated her turn she did better than anyone could have hoped under the circumstance. What happened next was something that to this day I can remember being awaken from a dead sound sleep.
As Bertha hit the approx 5th step form the bottom she got hung up in the night gown she was carefully negotiating to prevent any mess from happening. Urban legend has stated it was at this point she moved from an elderly woman to "Evil Knievel" status. Bertha launched from about the 5th stair head first into the closet door on the bottom landing and plopped right down on her ass!!
The story from my perspective as ...
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Boom Boom Boom ..... Dead Silence ....
Then a faint voice- Joan! Joan! Joan! I fell down the stairs.
I remember going form dead sleep to running about 1.2 of a second and mom the same form the shower. As I came around the corner of the top landing there was poor Bertha sitting on her ass looking up at us ...
Mom and I quickly made sure she was ok but being old and heavy getting her up was lifting dead weight. As we got her off the landing the sudden stench hit us that Bertha attempting to spare us spillage had in fact dirtied the entire landing...
As though not to miss a beat my mother looked at me and said... I gotta go to work you clean it..and back to her shower she went..
Bertha was no worse for wear in her attempt to break the record of oldest living human to fly but to this day I'll never forget those words "I gotta go to work"
It would be several years before I'd get to delegate things to my own child that I didn't want to do ....
I'm not sure it was easy on Bertha because the bedrooms were on the second floor and she was getting up there in years. By this time I was in my early high school years and trying to enjoy what would probably be one of my last summers before I started working.
Early one summer morning at around 5 am I was laying in bed when the craziest thing interrupted my slumber. Mom had gotten up to get ready for work and was in the shower when Bertha decided she had to go to the bathroom. Bertha was one of those like most elderly people that when it was time to go, it was time to go.
My mom never made a habit of locking the bathroom door but for whatever reason on this particular morning she had. Which apparently was very distressing to Bertha. Her only course of action was to head for the 1/2 bath on the first floor.
In the condo going from the second to first floors the setup was as follows. Come out of the front bedroom turn left and go down 3-4 stairs to a landing. At the landing you turn left to go down the main staircase to another landing about 3 foot by 3 foot. Directly in front of the last stair was the hall closet and turning left and one more stair brought you into the livingroom. The was no easy journey for an old woman who "Has to go"
Bertha got to the first stair and decided that she was probably in a bit of trouble because she really had to go badly. The way to make sure she didn't have an accident was to bend down and grab the bottom back of her night gown, pull it between her legs and hold it in her words "To prevent herself from spilling anything"
As she proceeded down the first set of stairs and navigated her turn she did better than anyone could have hoped under the circumstance. What happened next was something that to this day I can remember being awaken from a dead sound sleep.
As Bertha hit the approx 5th step form the bottom she got hung up in the night gown she was carefully negotiating to prevent any mess from happening. Urban legend has stated it was at this point she moved from an elderly woman to "Evil Knievel" status. Bertha launched from about the 5th stair head first into the closet door on the bottom landing and plopped right down on her ass!!
The story from my perspective as ...
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Boom Boom Boom ..... Dead Silence ....
Then a faint voice- Joan! Joan! Joan! I fell down the stairs.
I remember going form dead sleep to running about 1.2 of a second and mom the same form the shower. As I came around the corner of the top landing there was poor Bertha sitting on her ass looking up at us ...
Mom and I quickly made sure she was ok but being old and heavy getting her up was lifting dead weight. As we got her off the landing the sudden stench hit us that Bertha attempting to spare us spillage had in fact dirtied the entire landing...
As though not to miss a beat my mother looked at me and said... I gotta go to work you clean it..and back to her shower she went..
Bertha was no worse for wear in her attempt to break the record of oldest living human to fly but to this day I'll never forget those words "I gotta go to work"
It would be several years before I'd get to delegate things to my own child that I didn't want to do ....
proper dosage always helps
We moved from Lawrence to Methuen in 1978 to get a bit out of the city. Lawrence was always known to be an immigrant city and that was how it came to be a city in the 1800’s. Largely made up of immigrants from Ireland, England and Canada and later Italian and Spanish the city was built largely by mill workers.
By the late 70’s there was an influx of people moving to the suburbs Into single family homes and more and more property owners becoming absentee landlords. This created a decline in the quality of life within the city as you had people renting solely for profit and renters who didn’t care to take care of what they didn’t own.
My grandparents had bought the house we lived in at 78 Marble Ave in the depression. If you were to pay attention to the census records from the 1600’s to the early 1900’s you will tend to find families that stayed within a given area for long periods of time. My best guess of this is because it just wasn’t easy to consistently move entire households like it is today.
When my grandparents made to move from renters to owners they had already had their children and were renting on the first floor of the 3 family at the corner of Marble Ave and Ohio. It was by stroke of luck that the house right next door went up for sale and they bought it.
In 1978 it was time to close that chapter of our lives and move onto better things and my mother had bought a tri level townhouse in the next town over. At that time it was a 2 bedroom unit and 3 of us so I got my own room and “bertha” and mom shared a room.
We had gotten to know several of our neighbors and had befriended a family in another unit in the complex where we would spend a lot of time hanging out. The Jacklins has 2 kids that were close to my age and my mom got a along with the parents so it was to be a good mix for friendship.
One day while visiting the neighbors something about bertha grew more and more odd. Her answers to questions were becoming more and more strange as the night was progressing.
Mom- It’s starting to get dark outside
Bertha- No thanks I’ve already had my tea
Mom would look a the neighbor oddly
Neighbor ..is there anything we can get you?
Bertha- Yes it’s a very nice day outside
Again looking perplexed my mother finally decided to ask ..
Mom are you taking any new medications I don’t know about? No, just a bit of cough syrup bertha replied.. My mom thinking this was a bit odd disappeared to the house and brought back a simple bottle of Robitussin cough syrup.
When asked if this was the correct medicine my grandmother agreed that it was and my mom proceeded to make sense of the label. Ma, how much of this are you taking? 4 spoons every 2 hours why? My mother started to laugh at that point because the label read 2 spoons every 4 hours! My grandmother was high on cough syrup!! I would have never thought that possible …
Bertha was not a very tall lady but had some definite weight to her and was a very large breasted woman. This was a symptom of the family that would not only plague herbut every other woman (And some men) to get the Sunderland gene. We had decided to take Bertha hime to allow her to sleep off her high and I ust admit that even though it was a short walk from one door to another trying to to walk with a drunken old heavy canadian woman was not the easiest of tasks…
As kids we used to mess around by standing in line with 3 or 4 people arm in arm and walking leg over leg like the monkees did in the opening credits of there show.. Taking Bertha home was almost reminiscent of that very move ….
By the late 70’s there was an influx of people moving to the suburbs Into single family homes and more and more property owners becoming absentee landlords. This created a decline in the quality of life within the city as you had people renting solely for profit and renters who didn’t care to take care of what they didn’t own.
My grandparents had bought the house we lived in at 78 Marble Ave in the depression. If you were to pay attention to the census records from the 1600’s to the early 1900’s you will tend to find families that stayed within a given area for long periods of time. My best guess of this is because it just wasn’t easy to consistently move entire households like it is today.
When my grandparents made to move from renters to owners they had already had their children and were renting on the first floor of the 3 family at the corner of Marble Ave and Ohio. It was by stroke of luck that the house right next door went up for sale and they bought it.
In 1978 it was time to close that chapter of our lives and move onto better things and my mother had bought a tri level townhouse in the next town over. At that time it was a 2 bedroom unit and 3 of us so I got my own room and “bertha” and mom shared a room.
We had gotten to know several of our neighbors and had befriended a family in another unit in the complex where we would spend a lot of time hanging out. The Jacklins has 2 kids that were close to my age and my mom got a along with the parents so it was to be a good mix for friendship.
One day while visiting the neighbors something about bertha grew more and more odd. Her answers to questions were becoming more and more strange as the night was progressing.
Mom- It’s starting to get dark outside
Bertha- No thanks I’ve already had my tea
Mom would look a the neighbor oddly
Neighbor ..is there anything we can get you?
Bertha- Yes it’s a very nice day outside
Again looking perplexed my mother finally decided to ask ..
Mom are you taking any new medications I don’t know about? No, just a bit of cough syrup bertha replied.. My mom thinking this was a bit odd disappeared to the house and brought back a simple bottle of Robitussin cough syrup.
When asked if this was the correct medicine my grandmother agreed that it was and my mom proceeded to make sense of the label. Ma, how much of this are you taking? 4 spoons every 2 hours why? My mother started to laugh at that point because the label read 2 spoons every 4 hours! My grandmother was high on cough syrup!! I would have never thought that possible …
Bertha was not a very tall lady but had some definite weight to her and was a very large breasted woman. This was a symptom of the family that would not only plague herbut every other woman (And some men) to get the Sunderland gene. We had decided to take Bertha hime to allow her to sleep off her high and I ust admit that even though it was a short walk from one door to another trying to to walk with a drunken old heavy canadian woman was not the easiest of tasks…
As kids we used to mess around by standing in line with 3 or 4 people arm in arm and walking leg over leg like the monkees did in the opening credits of there show.. Taking Bertha home was almost reminiscent of that very move ….
Wednesday, March 01, 2006
Caught between a rock
Being a youngin and being watched by your grandmother had certain benefits. It was easier to get away with things as they never seemed to be as attentive as our parents might be, Bertha was no different.
I remember easily being able to coax money for the ice cream man, the corner store or what ever needed at any given time.
On one particularly hot summer afternoon I was out hanging around with my buddy Bob. Back then at the age of 8-10 one of the big rules was to leave the hose alone. My grandparents had lived through the depression and such and were always concerned about wasting money (The hose was attached to the water bill)
On this day I had gone against better judgment because I could get away with most things and decided to pull the hose out and basically have a water fight. Ever paid attention to a child with a hose and a pressurized nozzle? Anything and everything becomes a target.
I used to get a kick out of shooting the water straight up in the air and having it come down on me to cool off from the humid summer air. The thing that made this easy to get away with was the fact that we had the huge air conditioners in the window running and that pretty much drowned out anything from the water to kids screaming... Oh and the fact that the TV had to be turned way up to overtake the AC!!
After a period of time I needed to run in the house and go to the bathroom and upon my return ran into a minor issue ..
"Bertha"- Where are you going now?
"Me"- Outside
"Bertha" No your not
"Me" thinkin I'm busted now asks why not?
"Because it's raining outside and your mother doesn't want you out in the rain ..
Now have you ever been caught between a rock and a hard place? I guess that was it for a 9/10 yr old. In my haste of spraying the house directly up in the air I neglected to realize that the droplets hitting the air conditioner reverberate through the house like the sound of heavy rain ..
Geez what's a kid to do? Point out that it's not raining out or that you were using the hose and risk getting in trouble or just stay in .............
I remember easily being able to coax money for the ice cream man, the corner store or what ever needed at any given time.
On one particularly hot summer afternoon I was out hanging around with my buddy Bob. Back then at the age of 8-10 one of the big rules was to leave the hose alone. My grandparents had lived through the depression and such and were always concerned about wasting money (The hose was attached to the water bill)
On this day I had gone against better judgment because I could get away with most things and decided to pull the hose out and basically have a water fight. Ever paid attention to a child with a hose and a pressurized nozzle? Anything and everything becomes a target.
I used to get a kick out of shooting the water straight up in the air and having it come down on me to cool off from the humid summer air. The thing that made this easy to get away with was the fact that we had the huge air conditioners in the window running and that pretty much drowned out anything from the water to kids screaming... Oh and the fact that the TV had to be turned way up to overtake the AC!!
After a period of time I needed to run in the house and go to the bathroom and upon my return ran into a minor issue ..
"Bertha"- Where are you going now?
"Me"- Outside
"Bertha" No your not
"Me" thinkin I'm busted now asks why not?
"Because it's raining outside and your mother doesn't want you out in the rain ..
Now have you ever been caught between a rock and a hard place? I guess that was it for a 9/10 yr old. In my haste of spraying the house directly up in the air I neglected to realize that the droplets hitting the air conditioner reverberate through the house like the sound of heavy rain ..
Geez what's a kid to do? Point out that it's not raining out or that you were using the hose and risk getting in trouble or just stay in .............
Tuesday, February 28, 2006
Nearsighted people and prescriptions
Bertha being a diabetic was reliant upon diet and injections to maintain her insulin levels. As anyone who know anything about the disease this is something that is crucial to survival for a diabetic..
I remember around the age of 10/12 my grandmother being ill. Not diseased sick but having a bout of the flu or a bug of some sorts. I was home on my summer vacation at the time and all through my life I was delegated as being close by for whatever my grandmother might need.
Not feeling well and especially not being able to hold down food became a concern to my mom. Back then my mother worked the day shift and my grandmother watched me during the day so it worked out for the both of them. On this given day my mother had decided that it was best to call the doctor and let him know "Bertha" wasn't able to hold food down
Mom got a call back from the doctor and he decided the best route was to call in a prescription at the pharmacy down the road. She then called my Uncle George asked him to swing by and pick it up for my grandmother and drop it off.
When my Uncle showed up at the house he wanted to make sure to get "Bertha" started on the medication right away. I vividly remember looking over at him as he held the package up to the light in an effort to read the directions without his reading glasses. He then disappeared from the room only to reappear with a big glass of water...
The conversation went something like...
George~ Ma it says you take one of these twice a day (hands her the water and the meds)
"Bertha"~ Wow, That looks like a god dammed elephant pill.. She tossed in in her mouth and proceeded to drink down the glass of water..
My Uncle then left for work satisfied his mother had been taken care of ... Or had she?
When my mom got home that night my grandmother had remarked at how large the pills were and that she was surprised anyone could take them. Mom grabbed the package and began to read but as it had become clear what had been done she didn't know whether to panic or laugh ..
Mom~ Mom, you took one of these?
"Bertha"` Yes at noon
Mom~ These are suppositories
"Bertha" Well no wonder they went down so damn easily, they are like vasoline!
For anyone who isn't aware, a suspository is medication that is taken rectally. In my grandmothers case of not being able to hold food down it was thought best if they try going the other way with the medication for fear she would toss it back up..
I'll never forgot that day, My mother couldn't imagine what the pharmacist was thinking on the other end of the phone when she called to explain what she had done and if she would be ok.. I'm sure he came close to dropping the phone ...
My Uncle NEVER got to live that story down and to this day when things get dull and new people are around it's one of my favorite stories to tell .....
Kev
I remember around the age of 10/12 my grandmother being ill. Not diseased sick but having a bout of the flu or a bug of some sorts. I was home on my summer vacation at the time and all through my life I was delegated as being close by for whatever my grandmother might need.
Not feeling well and especially not being able to hold down food became a concern to my mom. Back then my mother worked the day shift and my grandmother watched me during the day so it worked out for the both of them. On this given day my mother had decided that it was best to call the doctor and let him know "Bertha" wasn't able to hold food down
Mom got a call back from the doctor and he decided the best route was to call in a prescription at the pharmacy down the road. She then called my Uncle George asked him to swing by and pick it up for my grandmother and drop it off.
When my Uncle showed up at the house he wanted to make sure to get "Bertha" started on the medication right away. I vividly remember looking over at him as he held the package up to the light in an effort to read the directions without his reading glasses. He then disappeared from the room only to reappear with a big glass of water...
The conversation went something like...
George~ Ma it says you take one of these twice a day (hands her the water and the meds)
"Bertha"~ Wow, That looks like a god dammed elephant pill.. She tossed in in her mouth and proceeded to drink down the glass of water..
My Uncle then left for work satisfied his mother had been taken care of ... Or had she?
When my mom got home that night my grandmother had remarked at how large the pills were and that she was surprised anyone could take them. Mom grabbed the package and began to read but as it had become clear what had been done she didn't know whether to panic or laugh ..
Mom~ Mom, you took one of these?
"Bertha"` Yes at noon
Mom~ These are suppositories
"Bertha" Well no wonder they went down so damn easily, they are like vasoline!
For anyone who isn't aware, a suspository is medication that is taken rectally. In my grandmothers case of not being able to hold food down it was thought best if they try going the other way with the medication for fear she would toss it back up..
I'll never forgot that day, My mother couldn't imagine what the pharmacist was thinking on the other end of the phone when she called to explain what she had done and if she would be ok.. I'm sure he came close to dropping the phone ...
My Uncle NEVER got to live that story down and to this day when things get dull and new people are around it's one of my favorite stories to tell .....
Kev
Alma Sunderland~ Feb 26 1906- Nov 4, 1984
Alma better known to my immediate family as Bertha....
Alma Sunderland (Caron) was my mom's mother and I fondly always referred to her as Nana which bascially what the french canadians refer to their grandmother's. This is a writing that I should save for a big finish as some of my funniest stories refer to my grandmother. The reason I choose to open with it is simply because she is some of my favorite and fondest memories.
My grandmother and grandfather owned the house we lived in when I was a child in Lawrence. This was a 2 family home where they lived on the first floor and we lived on the second floor. My grandparents had 3 children Herbert, George and Joan.
A lot of the reason I look back a Bertha so fondly is because she had a lot to do with my childhood and really helped raise me as a young child. In 1974 my Grandfather died of a massive heart attack and my mother and I moved into the first floor to be with my grandmother. This filled 2 needs within the family 1) My grandmother would not be alone and 2) My mother had a 2nd adult to raise a child as she was a single parent.
My grandmother while a small woman at about 4"11 (She would always say 4"11 1/2 as if that 1/2 put her into the Avg person club) was a powerful lilttle woman in presence. She suffered from Arthritus, Nerves and Diabetes.
I had heard stories from my mom and uncles at family gatherings how "bertha" had quite the temper and how you needed to watch out for her 8 rings you would get smacked with. The humerous part of this was simply because Nana was getting her chain tugged just enough to irritate her and get her going. (there were no 8 rings)
This is not to say that she didn't have her french temper by any means.
The School my Uncle George attended as a youth wasn't far from my home. Anyone who has heard stories of old days gone by might remember being told of bein smacked by rulers for using the wrong hand to write etc. My Uncle George had a bit of a speech impedement that affected him till the day that he died. To give an example of this he could never say potatoe chips it was potata chos .....
Apparently a nun had made it a point of trying to correct my Uncles poor speach by smacking him with a ruler. While I could never (Or wanted to) believe it I had been told that my Grandmother promptly went down to the school and proceeded to physically threaten the nun about touching her child...
Maybe today she could have taken on the priests!!
More to come ...
Alma Sunderland (Caron) was my mom's mother and I fondly always referred to her as Nana which bascially what the french canadians refer to their grandmother's. This is a writing that I should save for a big finish as some of my funniest stories refer to my grandmother. The reason I choose to open with it is simply because she is some of my favorite and fondest memories.
My grandmother and grandfather owned the house we lived in when I was a child in Lawrence. This was a 2 family home where they lived on the first floor and we lived on the second floor. My grandparents had 3 children Herbert, George and Joan.
A lot of the reason I look back a Bertha so fondly is because she had a lot to do with my childhood and really helped raise me as a young child. In 1974 my Grandfather died of a massive heart attack and my mother and I moved into the first floor to be with my grandmother. This filled 2 needs within the family 1) My grandmother would not be alone and 2) My mother had a 2nd adult to raise a child as she was a single parent.
My grandmother while a small woman at about 4"11 (She would always say 4"11 1/2 as if that 1/2 put her into the Avg person club) was a powerful lilttle woman in presence. She suffered from Arthritus, Nerves and Diabetes.
I had heard stories from my mom and uncles at family gatherings how "bertha" had quite the temper and how you needed to watch out for her 8 rings you would get smacked with. The humerous part of this was simply because Nana was getting her chain tugged just enough to irritate her and get her going. (there were no 8 rings)
This is not to say that she didn't have her french temper by any means.
The School my Uncle George attended as a youth wasn't far from my home. Anyone who has heard stories of old days gone by might remember being told of bein smacked by rulers for using the wrong hand to write etc. My Uncle George had a bit of a speech impedement that affected him till the day that he died. To give an example of this he could never say potatoe chips it was potata chos .....
Apparently a nun had made it a point of trying to correct my Uncles poor speach by smacking him with a ruler. While I could never (Or wanted to) believe it I had been told that my Grandmother promptly went down to the school and proceeded to physically threaten the nun about touching her child...
Maybe today she could have taken on the priests!!
More to come ...
Life
So I was sitting around thinking about all these blogs we read everyday and mine in particular. I realized that the majority of the time we use it as a tool to talk about current events or vent a bit. So my idea is to maybe talk a little bit about me and maybe some comical parts of my family..
To start it off I'll just give a bit of background ..
I was born December 24th 1965.. That's code for you get screwed at christmas for those of you who are born from Feb to November. I was born and raised about 30 or so miles outside of Boston in a City known as Lawrence. I'm not always proud to admit that as Lawrence has been known as the car theft capitol of the world among other things. When I lived there is was a city of approx 70,000 people .. it has grown even from that by leaps and bounds.
I grew up in a middle class neighborhood of 2 and 3 decker homes so there was always an abundance of kids to hang with and maybe even get in trouble. Growing up through the late sixties into the early seventies wasn't a bad time to grow but gawd the things we lived through. I watch things like that 70's show now and find it funny that there is so much I can relate too.
My mom was born from parents of diverse origin. My grandfathers (The Sunderlands)family was british and my grandmothers (The Carons) were canadian. I guess that mixture in itelf could certianly make for a sitcom of some sort but it's all the collections of family stories that truly make me laugh and those are some things I'll get into as we go along ... This family ( The Sunderlands) has been in this country for approx 150 years..
My Dad was born into an odd situtation from a father(The Maynards) on the run and a mother (The Carters) who grew up in a local orphanage. We never totally found out why My grand father (Maynard)was on the run but there was differing speculation that he was a bigamist among other things.. funny enough if you do a geaneology search of the maynards you find these things tend to be normal with the Surname (Go figure!!)
His father origin is that of British/Irish and his mom was somewhere between Irish and Canadian. There are other things that infiltrate the lineage but these are the main lines. My Maynards line to my best current estimate have been in the USA since a minimum of 1630.
My mom and dad split up when I was about 2 years old and my dad left for California to hide. We lived at that time on the 2nd floor of my grandparents (The Sunderlands) house. While you can never know the whole story without being there,years later it would come out exactly how they split up.
My dads parents were visiting and we spent a day at a local beach (Salisbury beach) where a fight ensued between mom and dad. Apparently in a moment of being a dick (it would come out later he had many of these momnets) He told my mother what does it really matter anyway we were never really married. This in the mid 60s was a big no no ...
The story was told that in a fit of rage my mom packed up the car, inlaws,child and left my dad at the beach... Approx 20 miles from to fend for himself. When mom got home dad walked through the door not long after my mom claiming he had walked home (My dad lied quite a bit) He packed his bags and left... I wouldn't see him or hear from him again for another 15 years..
In my dads fit of running he walked out on mom and I and never really looked back. My mom had been his 2nd marriage and he sired 4 children from his first. Roy,Laurie,Wendy and Tammy Maynard. To this day our relatonships with each other remains rocky at best as we are all very different people.
At this point I'll let this sit as I've started to lay out the list of characters in my comical journey through life. Looking back on things it amazes me how my family was ever able to procreate ...you'll soon see what I mean ....
Kev
To start it off I'll just give a bit of background ..
I was born December 24th 1965.. That's code for you get screwed at christmas for those of you who are born from Feb to November. I was born and raised about 30 or so miles outside of Boston in a City known as Lawrence. I'm not always proud to admit that as Lawrence has been known as the car theft capitol of the world among other things. When I lived there is was a city of approx 70,000 people .. it has grown even from that by leaps and bounds.
I grew up in a middle class neighborhood of 2 and 3 decker homes so there was always an abundance of kids to hang with and maybe even get in trouble. Growing up through the late sixties into the early seventies wasn't a bad time to grow but gawd the things we lived through. I watch things like that 70's show now and find it funny that there is so much I can relate too.
My mom was born from parents of diverse origin. My grandfathers (The Sunderlands)family was british and my grandmothers (The Carons) were canadian. I guess that mixture in itelf could certianly make for a sitcom of some sort but it's all the collections of family stories that truly make me laugh and those are some things I'll get into as we go along ... This family ( The Sunderlands) has been in this country for approx 150 years..
My Dad was born into an odd situtation from a father(The Maynards) on the run and a mother (The Carters) who grew up in a local orphanage. We never totally found out why My grand father (Maynard)was on the run but there was differing speculation that he was a bigamist among other things.. funny enough if you do a geaneology search of the maynards you find these things tend to be normal with the Surname (Go figure!!)
His father origin is that of British/Irish and his mom was somewhere between Irish and Canadian. There are other things that infiltrate the lineage but these are the main lines. My Maynards line to my best current estimate have been in the USA since a minimum of 1630.
My mom and dad split up when I was about 2 years old and my dad left for California to hide. We lived at that time on the 2nd floor of my grandparents (The Sunderlands) house. While you can never know the whole story without being there,years later it would come out exactly how they split up.
My dads parents were visiting and we spent a day at a local beach (Salisbury beach) where a fight ensued between mom and dad. Apparently in a moment of being a dick (it would come out later he had many of these momnets) He told my mother what does it really matter anyway we were never really married. This in the mid 60s was a big no no ...
The story was told that in a fit of rage my mom packed up the car, inlaws,child and left my dad at the beach... Approx 20 miles from to fend for himself. When mom got home dad walked through the door not long after my mom claiming he had walked home (My dad lied quite a bit) He packed his bags and left... I wouldn't see him or hear from him again for another 15 years..
In my dads fit of running he walked out on mom and I and never really looked back. My mom had been his 2nd marriage and he sired 4 children from his first. Roy,Laurie,Wendy and Tammy Maynard. To this day our relatonships with each other remains rocky at best as we are all very different people.
At this point I'll let this sit as I've started to lay out the list of characters in my comical journey through life. Looking back on things it amazes me how my family was ever able to procreate ...you'll soon see what I mean ....
Kev
Monday, February 27, 2006
Mustang saga
So we all know from a few weeks ago the fate of the new car ..well I'll detail whats gone down ..
The girl that hit it asked of we could keep it off of the insurance and I've busted to get it fixed right as cheap as humanly possible to help her out. Well I got it fixed for $140 total with Ford parts which is awesome.
The problem came over the fact that she wasn't returning any of our phonecalls and I was begining to feel like I'd been taken again. The car got fixed on Thursday to which a phonecall wa splaced withthe final bill and request for a return phonecall...... It never came.. Again on Friday and again nothing.. Sunday a phonecall yielded a cell number that was no longer in service..
I was begining to get that WTF attitude again!! Why me, this always happens to me as I try and put trust in people and it goes wayside. Trust is a funny issue for me because I have a hard time trusting people for various reasons (Maybe I'll talk about it one of these days)
Today Diane drove to her home and had a conversation with her mom which left the promise of payment tomorrow... so we shall see what happens .. I certainly have my fingers crossed and am hoping to put this to rest once and for all ...
The girl that hit it asked of we could keep it off of the insurance and I've busted to get it fixed right as cheap as humanly possible to help her out. Well I got it fixed for $140 total with Ford parts which is awesome.
The problem came over the fact that she wasn't returning any of our phonecalls and I was begining to feel like I'd been taken again. The car got fixed on Thursday to which a phonecall wa splaced withthe final bill and request for a return phonecall...... It never came.. Again on Friday and again nothing.. Sunday a phonecall yielded a cell number that was no longer in service..
I was begining to get that WTF attitude again!! Why me, this always happens to me as I try and put trust in people and it goes wayside. Trust is a funny issue for me because I have a hard time trusting people for various reasons (Maybe I'll talk about it one of these days)
Today Diane drove to her home and had a conversation with her mom which left the promise of payment tomorrow... so we shall see what happens .. I certainly have my fingers crossed and am hoping to put this to rest once and for all ...
Sunday, February 26, 2006
Saturday, February 25, 2006
Week in review..
It's a beatiful day in the neighborhood a beautiful day for a neighbor would you be mine, could you be .....oh shit someone stole my sneakers!
Part of my morning ritual is always stopping off at other blogs and seeing how other people are doing.. and Em is right in my usual sites ..
Poor Em has the neighbors from hell and I can certainly sympathize with her plight. Em recently found out her neighbors were spying on her (Bad Times!) I think someone deserves an ass kicking... invasion of privacy sucks !!
Ever have that friend who always has a story you can relate too or they relate to yours. Yep Em I too have a neighbor I would love to pound at times. When they moved in they were sold the house by a dear elderly lady who we had as a neighbor for 10 years. She had 2 people interested in buying and told me she close the one she felt would be a better neighbor.
The very first year this guy lived here he didn't mow his lawn all summer. I have no problem with that (Hell I've been lazy at times) So you may ask what my beef could be? When he finally decided to mow it it was after 9 pm at night!!! Ever try watching TV at 9:30 on a late summer eve with the windows open and a mower snapping at all the branches and rocks its operator couldn't find?
While this was a major annoyance it was the next thing that caught me by surprise.. I was amazed when he actually started raking up his clipping, I wasn't prepared for them to be swept out into the road!! Sometimes ya just gotta say wtf!
The next stop is Miss Annah's blog and she has had a busy week. Her show re-aired on the Discovery Health channel, She lost out on a job and even got a bit political!! Ever have that person in life that seems so centered in what they have done with their lives? That seems to be Annah, She took the tough road lived her life true and seems to be fulfilled because of it ...
Let's take a walk around the block to ole Sullyville... WTF????? His blog isn't there!! Wonder wat be up wit dat!
Well in review I can say we had spoken on the phone a few times this week and he like I was having his own week in hell. Times are getting close on his new home and things are getting stressful.
Jon,
As stressed out these issue hit you ... remember this. Where you started several years ago when you made the jump from Chicago to Texas is far behind you now and your life has fallen into place. As stressful as it might be be proud of where you came from dude and embrace where you are going because that in itself is part of the American Dream ....
Anyone wanna go fishin?
Catfish got himself out of debt and reduced his stress levels. Money is funny isn't it..something we are so bound too that it can affect our health and well being. God knows I've had my times of wondering if I could pay all the bills and I'm sure we all either deal with it at one time or are dealing with it currently. I'm glad to hear that he was able to do it successfully.
The Hippie ..
Tim started a home studio and it looks like it will be an awseome project, If I lived local I'd have to book studio time!!. I'm still waiting for Tim to get his carvin and give us a review as I was considering buying a California archtop ....
Chewbacca's Smoking Monkey ..
What can I say .. no updates!!
Me??? You wanna know bout me ...aww shucks
It's been the F'in week from hell but here in Sat the one thing I can stand on is the fact that I'm still alive. The car got fixed this weel and only cost $140 (GOODTIMES!!) but ow I'm chasing the girl who asked to avoid the Ins co. (Badtimes!!) My brother in Cali finally bought a pc and got online! Work sucked and life was dull this week.. the one thing that I always enjoy in the bad times is having my internet friends to read about and talk too ... (Em needs instant messenger!!)
We have snow on the way ..4-7" starting this afternoon.. I have a coupon for a mexican place 2 for 1 special on snowy days ..maybe we'll go tonight! ..HEH Mexican food in NH is kinda like New England Chowdah in Texas isn't it... just doesn't seem to fit ....
LATAH!
Part of my morning ritual is always stopping off at other blogs and seeing how other people are doing.. and Em is right in my usual sites ..
Poor Em has the neighbors from hell and I can certainly sympathize with her plight. Em recently found out her neighbors were spying on her (Bad Times!) I think someone deserves an ass kicking... invasion of privacy sucks !!
Ever have that friend who always has a story you can relate too or they relate to yours. Yep Em I too have a neighbor I would love to pound at times. When they moved in they were sold the house by a dear elderly lady who we had as a neighbor for 10 years. She had 2 people interested in buying and told me she close the one she felt would be a better neighbor.
The very first year this guy lived here he didn't mow his lawn all summer. I have no problem with that (Hell I've been lazy at times) So you may ask what my beef could be? When he finally decided to mow it it was after 9 pm at night!!! Ever try watching TV at 9:30 on a late summer eve with the windows open and a mower snapping at all the branches and rocks its operator couldn't find?
While this was a major annoyance it was the next thing that caught me by surprise.. I was amazed when he actually started raking up his clipping, I wasn't prepared for them to be swept out into the road!! Sometimes ya just gotta say wtf!
The next stop is Miss Annah's blog and she has had a busy week. Her show re-aired on the Discovery Health channel, She lost out on a job and even got a bit political!! Ever have that person in life that seems so centered in what they have done with their lives? That seems to be Annah, She took the tough road lived her life true and seems to be fulfilled because of it ...
Let's take a walk around the block to ole Sullyville... WTF????? His blog isn't there!! Wonder wat be up wit dat!
Well in review I can say we had spoken on the phone a few times this week and he like I was having his own week in hell. Times are getting close on his new home and things are getting stressful.
Jon,
As stressed out these issue hit you ... remember this. Where you started several years ago when you made the jump from Chicago to Texas is far behind you now and your life has fallen into place. As stressful as it might be be proud of where you came from dude and embrace where you are going because that in itself is part of the American Dream ....
Anyone wanna go fishin?
Catfish got himself out of debt and reduced his stress levels. Money is funny isn't it..something we are so bound too that it can affect our health and well being. God knows I've had my times of wondering if I could pay all the bills and I'm sure we all either deal with it at one time or are dealing with it currently. I'm glad to hear that he was able to do it successfully.
The Hippie ..
Tim started a home studio and it looks like it will be an awseome project, If I lived local I'd have to book studio time!!. I'm still waiting for Tim to get his carvin and give us a review as I was considering buying a California archtop ....
Chewbacca's Smoking Monkey ..
What can I say .. no updates!!
Me??? You wanna know bout me ...aww shucks
It's been the F'in week from hell but here in Sat the one thing I can stand on is the fact that I'm still alive. The car got fixed this weel and only cost $140 (GOODTIMES!!) but ow I'm chasing the girl who asked to avoid the Ins co. (Badtimes!!) My brother in Cali finally bought a pc and got online! Work sucked and life was dull this week.. the one thing that I always enjoy in the bad times is having my internet friends to read about and talk too ... (Em needs instant messenger!!)
We have snow on the way ..4-7" starting this afternoon.. I have a coupon for a mexican place 2 for 1 special on snowy days ..maybe we'll go tonight! ..HEH Mexican food in NH is kinda like New England Chowdah in Texas isn't it... just doesn't seem to fit ....
LATAH!
Saturday, February 18, 2006
Bad Times
I swear things like this only happen in the movies. Ever see the movie (Which we watched just last night indecentally) Planes, Trains and Automoblies? There is a part where John Candy and Steve Martins characters are traveling the wrong way down the highway and they go between 2 trucks and tear the mirrors off the car and scrape the sides ..
Poor Diane ..
Dianes morning ritual on a Sat is to roll out of bed and head to the gym (Curves). Usually after curves she tries to e good to me and bring me home a large coffee from Dunkin Donuts . http://www.dunkindonuts.com
Well this am in the course of her usual routine she had done just that and started home. On the road she was travelling down there was a bend and a car approaching the opposite way. On the bend were some people on the edge of the road in front of their home. The poor girl travelling the opposite way swerved to avoid them and turned her attention from the road to the people.
Her description was that of a loud bang and her turning to see a yellow blur as the cars struck mirrors. As you can see the mustang took a nice hit and her car got nothing because she had collasping mirrors.
No one got hurt thank god, but both women were pretty well shaking. The young lady has asked not to turn it into the insurance co as she already has a speeding ticket and doesn't want her insurance to go up. Needless to say I've spent some time on the phone to get a repair estimate.
Lucky enough it is just the mirror and no exterior damage so it sounds like the damage will be about $112 for the mirror and $120 to install it .. It doesn't lessen the pain any that the car is only 3 weeks old....
So ...how's yout weekend going?
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