High School Years

What is it about time, that makes things less harsh? Many of us looked back on our "High School Years" as vicious nasty years filled with cruelty from others and pain inflicted by thoughtless, arrogant, little people. Others of us look back on those years as a magical time, filled with friendships, wonder and discovery. I think most of us see it as a middle ground... somewhere between the two extremes. Rarely thinking of our own roles in causing discomfort to others, but remembering the things that effected each of us individually.
I remember my High School Years as an experience to be endured. I had a couple of friends, some closer than others, but I certainly never considered myself to be one of the popular kids. I was never comfortable hanging out in "Senior Corner" with the more socially adept kids. I went to a party or two, but could never let my guard down enough to really bond with anyone. I was certainly not "socially adept", or popular by any stretch of my imagination. In spite of that, as I approach the 25th year out of that world, I look back with nostalgia. A simpler time of life (not if you ask my two 9th graders!). When the most important thing was trying to get a girl to like you, wondering if there was going to be a pop-quiz in math, hoping to get an invitation to a party you had heard about indirectly.
It wasn't until I got to college, away from the expectations and pressures of the kids I had gone to school with for 12 years straight, to realize I was a pretty cool guy. I was popular, I dated cheerleaders, I went out for sports, I was a disc jockey on the radio, I went to parties, I HAD parties, and I made friends...LOTS of friends! So, why is it that I look back on high school and remember the pain, but I remember the simple things more fondly? Why do I see those days of yester-year and wonder what those people are doing? Granted, a few of them, I couldn't care less about...the bullies who belittled everyone who wasn't as strong, or outgoing. But it's the other ones; I guess it's the followers I wonder about. The ones who didn't realize they were followers; who acted bad toward you because they were afraid to NOT be one of the popular kids. The ones who were subconciously pigeon-holed by the same expectations and pressures I was, just different pigeon-holes...What kind of human beings did they turn into?
I'm hoping that they're the ones who come to the 25 year reunion, so I can see how they've matured. And I guess, to be honest with myself, so they can see me too. Hoping they've seen what @sses they were, and overcome it. Maybe realize what I did a long time ago, I'm a good person to know. And if they don't, well, I guess there's always my college friends! Eh?! ROFL
What the hell, I'm nostalgic and looking forward to it all!

Whew! A full weekend!

What a frenetic weekend! Friday, I put the finishing touches on a computer project for work, ran home for the kids who had a volleyball game and a football game to play in (both games running simultaneously, at the same school!) I got to the games late because there was a big fire that had closed both lanes of I-84!
So, I had to drive home on a cram-packed Hwy-14; then, after the games, out to dinner for a celebratory pizza. Saturday, a run into Portland to deposit my paycheck (a drawback to living in "the beautiful country", is that there are very few banks out here!) A grocery shopping trip, dinner out with my beautiful wife, then back home to rest up for Sunday. Sunday, another trip into Portland, to the mighty pilgrammage destination for all things homey.....IKEA! Bought loft beds for the Son and the Daughter. Then to Walmart for computer desks and bookshelves. Back home, to ride the kids to get their rooms picked up, so I could put the beds together. Finally finished the assembly at about 9:30 last night. I still have the desks and bookshelves to do, but I see those as after work projects this week. Tonight is SCA fighter practice across the river, tomorrow is a Baronial Council meeting to try and get our new Shire off the ground officially, and I think that somewhere in this week, I have another volleyball or football game to attend! WHEW! I'm tired just typing it out!

Somewhere in the next week or two, I need to come up with $300 to have the carbs on the CB900 rebuilt! But, the Van is sold and gone, my project was approved by the boss, the kids played awesome in their games, the pizza was good, the fire was put out, the check deposited, IKEA was conquered, my wife is still beautiful, and the beds are built! Yay me!!

Love you all!
'til next time...

(This was too cool to NOT share!)

Movies From my Childhood....

The one movie I can remember seeing in the theater as a teenager was Heavy Metal. 1981 (for some reason I had remembered it as coming out earlier). Animated or not, it was one of the coolest things I had ever seen! AND, it had "NEKKID WIMMIN" in it!
"A sweeping story of the battle of good against evil is told through an anthology of short animated films about a glowing green orb (the Loc-Nar) that is the personification of ultimate evil in the universe. Based loosely on the French magazine "Heavy Metal." -Christopher E. Meadows" - per IMDB. It was shown as a double feature (how many of us remember when you could see two movies for the price of one) with another animated movie called American Pop.
"American Pop" is the animated story of a very talented and troubled family starting with 19th century Russia and moving through several generations of musicians. The film covers American music from the pre-jazz age through soul, '50s rock, drug-laden psychadelia, and punk, finally ending with the onset of new wave in the early 1980s.--IMDB says.
I certainly don't remember that much about it, in fact it took me the better part of 25 years for the name of the movie to resurface in my head! (I don't think it had any "Nekkid Wimmin" in it).
Right after that, they closed the movie theater in our town. A town of 3500 people. This was frustrating, because the next closest movie theater was over 12 miles away, in another town. My parents certainly wouldn't allow us to travel to the next town over to see a movie. Now, the TRULY frustrating thing was that they re-opened the theater the next year for a movie that, to this day, I have refused to see based on the greed of that theater owner. He opened the showhouse for 1 week to show the "phenom" movie, E.T. The crowds went 4 blocks down the street! Then, right after, they closed again. I think they eventually sold the place and it was re-opened for a couple of years. Now the building is gone.
Heavy Metal became one of my favorite movies of all time. I was fortunate enough when I went to college to date the gal who was the projectionist for the "student movie night" every week, so when they movie showed up at the college in the winter of 1985, I got to see the show, like 6 times. It was many years before I got to see it again, because of licensing issues and music rights. You can bet that as soon as it became available on VHS, I bought it (that week!). Anyway, all this came about becasue I bought a new movie last week...another one from my youth, Wizards. It came out in 1977, was originally supposed to be called War Wizards, but George Lucas pleaded with Ralph Bakshi to change the name because Star Wars was coming out that same year, and he didn't want to share such similar names. I didn't see Wizards until I got to college in the mid 80's, the same time I discovered the SCA, Elfquest, Monty Python, and Bagels with Cream Cheese on them! It brought back many memories of a day past and a time not forgotten. Yay for yesterday!
Love you all.
Until next time!

Capt.Reynolds!

Your results:
You are Malcolm Reynolds (Captain)


Never pictured myself as the "Mal" type...always thought I was more like Jayne, except for the sell out on your friends thing! ('course, come to think of it, I don't think he ever ACTUALLY sold them out...he just talked it up).

Malcolm Reynolds (Captain) 85% Zoe Washburne (Second-in-command) 80% Jayne Cobb (Mercenary) 65% Wash (Ship Pilot) 60% Dr. Simon Tam (Ship Medic) 60% River (Stowaway) 50% Kaylee Frye (Ship Mechanic) 40% Derrial Book (Shepherd) 40% Alliance 35% Inara Serra (Companion) 25% A Reaver (Cannibal) 25%

Honest and a defender of the innocent. You sometimes make mistakes in judgment but you are generally good and would protect your crew from harm.

Click here to take the Serenity Personality Quiz

Missing the Game

Hello Everyone. My name is Rick, and I am a D&D geek. I've been clean and game free for 8 months. AND I HATE EVERY MINUTE OF IT!!!!!!!
LOL
A big part of our D&D group (2 of 6 players)has gone and gotten themselves pregnant! I know, I know, only the woman can get pregnant, not the man....or so you believe if you DON'T have a wife that is pregnant! So, that being said, this is baby number 2 for them, and the impact on the game has been critical. When you add to it $4.00 a gallon gas, and the fact that it is 65 miles to my house, travel with 2 babies ain't an attractive proposition!
We've had another player who showed up for a couple games, but now seems to always have something come up that prevents him from coming. Almost to the point of giving up on him.
My dw has been in particularly bad shape for the last few months, so she hasn't been up to sitting around the game table either. That leaves me, and 2 players, my kids. And I think they wouldn't particularly want to sit down 1-on-1 with the old man and play D&D without the others there to round out the party.

This is a hobby I picked up in about 1977, in junior high school. The first D&D book I ever owned was the blue covered one. And, I bought that on the way to Reno for a family vacation. I remember playing D&D with my brothers in the back of the camper as we traveled down the freeway headed for Nevada. The hot weather, the thrill of the dice, making up the adventure as we went along (I was too poor at the age of 11 to afford pre-printed adventures!) being so desperate to play at one point, that we actually wrote numbers on slips of paper and put them in a bowl, because we had misplaced the dice! ROFL
I remember my "Masterpiece Dungeon", when I was 13...scantily clad female elf prisoner, chained to the wall, as she pleads with the adventurers to release her! "Please, my name is Tarerew Neeuq, and I have been imprisoned here by the evil minions of the Rat Queen. Save me!" (For those of you following along at home, read that name backwards) my first TPK ever! They never knew what hit them!I've come a long way since those days, but I still occasionally resort to the party meeting up with each other in an inn! (Hey, why mess with a classic!) 31 years of D&D....who would have ever believed that it would be an interest that would last that long? Certainly not I and my friends. The game has come a very long ways since that first set of books published by Tactical Studies Rules (TSR) way the hell back in like 1973.
So, here I sit at work, jonesing for my game to get back on track....soon I hope, or maybe I will have to start a side game... (shhhh! don't tell anyone I'm thinking about cheating on my players! hehehe)

Bye for now!

A Man of the cloth....

Well, another thing I do, is perform weddings. I mean, actually do the ceremonies and sign the papers so people are "legally wed". Consign souls to the "'til death do us part". LOL

Few people know that I do this, not because it's a secret, but I just haven't publicized it very often. I've done a few for family members, and friends of family members over the years. I've been ordained since 1999.

I've done normal ministorial clothing, and themed weddings. My favorite was for my ex-brother-in-law, I was Friar Tuck. But it was a legal wedding!

So, if you need a wedding done, think of your friendly neighborhood, non-denominational wedding officiant....Reverend Rick!

I work with the couple to do custom ceremonies, and will do themes. I also am willing to do funerals, memorial services, coming of age ceremonies, vow renewals, handfastings or what have you! I'm open for just about anything! (haven't had the chance to do any exorcisms yet though!)

And, so far, (knock on wood) I have a 100% rating! No divorces to date! w00t!!

Talk to you all later!

Selling a piece of my history...

Well, I've finally done it. I took the van I've had for over 15 years now, and put it up for sale on Craigslist .

S and I have had this van so long that sometimes it seems like always. We've gone to SCA events in it, gone camping in it, went to our first motorcycle rally in it...shoot, I think we've done just about everything but have sex in the damn thing! (how the hell did I miss out on that!?) LOL



But, it isn't necessarily a bad thing. The van leaving is going to fund the repairs on Ol' LeRoy.


Which the mechanic says is gonna cast $300-$400 to fix. I think he is being optimistic, myself! LOL But I would LOVE to see him be right, and me be WRONG! (for a change!)
Although, I would really prefer to get a Harley-Davidson Road King...



The truth of it is...This is the Harley I am most likely to get!



So, all my little friends (and minions) out there in blogger land...start putting some positive energy out for me to sell quickly, painlessly, and for an exhorbitant amount of money...so I can have the bike of my dreams!!

bye for now.......