~ SEPTEMBER 2012 ~ |
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Saturday, September 29, 2012 |
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Sunday, September 16, 2012 it all started when my mom bought tickets to go see Elvis perform and left me and my dad at home to feed and take care of ourselves. Not an impossible task, but one that would prove more interesting as the evening wore on. I was 11 years old at the time. I was outside playing with my good friend Chris Burton—nicknamed Squeaky by my dad, due to his high-pitched voice. Our family had just bought a new television—the large console variety that was popular back in the 70's and 80's. The big box it came in was sitting empty under our carport. And just the previous year we had gone to New York and visited Niagara Falls, and I was enthralled by the men and women who had risked their lives to go over the Falls in wooden barrels, enclosed steel tubes, etc. So I came up with the 'brilliant' idea of doing just that with the cardboard box the TV came in. We would put it on the edge of our picnic table, then one of us would get in, close the flaps and hang on for dear life while the other one pushed the box over the edge. And somehow I won the honor of being the first to go over—lucky me! So as my mom was getting 'All Shook Up' by the King, I was about to have the same thing happen to me, but with a little more painful ending. I climbed in, pulled the cardboard flaps closed and prepared for the wild ride ahead. Chris gave me a countdown, then away I went! Although it wasn't nearly as long a free fall or as dramatic a landing as Niagara would have been, I still got banged up pretty good upon impact. And I distinctly heard and felt something pop in my neck. Realize that I was sitting upright prior to launch, and when Chris shoved the box off the table it did a complete 180 and I landed on my head—yes, on my head. I slowly climbed out of the upside-down box, dusted myself off, then realized that there was some pain on the left side of my neck, along the shoulder area. Not tremendous pain, mind you—more of a dull ache. I told Chris I was done for the evening, and after seeing how I ended up he decided the Falls would have to wait another day for him to plummet down them. So he went home and I went inside. I told my dad that my neck was sore and he suggested I go take a hot bath to loosen up the muscles. I did as I was told. I sat in that hot bath until it was freezing cold, but the sore muscles never got unsore. I reported back to my dad, who asked me what sort of crazy stunt I had performed THAT night. I proceeded to tell him of my adventure over the Falls, to which he sighed, rolled his eyes and said I may have cracked or broken something and that we'd better go to the Emergency Room, which was 30 miles away. We jumped in the car and headed to the hospital. My mom's parents lived on the way so we stopped there to get my granddaddy's professional opinion [he was a farmer and house painter]. As soon as he heard what I had done and where the pain was, he immediately made the correct diagnosis with, "He's gone and broke his collarbone." Granddaddy missed his calling as a country doctor, that's all I can say. Long story short we got to the hospital, the doctor verified granddaddy's diagnosis, gave me a butterfly brace and sent me home. The brace would hold things in place long enough for the bone to knit back together. The fun started when we finally arrived home after 11pm to find my mom in a panic, wondering where we had been. Remember, this was WAY before cellphones, so there was no way for us to let her know what had happened. Sure, we could have left a note but didn't think about it at the time. We calmed her down and let her know it was no big deal. The bone was broken cleanly and would heal back just fine. I got to stay home from school for a week, my dad bought me some Mexican Jumping Beans which I had been wanting for some time, and all was right with the world. Except that Chris never did go over the Falls like he promised he would. Dang you, Chris! And Elvis? He was in fine form that night, according to my mom. Of course this was near the end of his life, so this was the older, chubby Elvis, not the young, slim, vibrant version. And just a few months later, the King of Rock 'n' Roll would be gone. We miss you Elvis. You left us way too soon. If only he would have lived long enough to become Michael Jackson's daddy-in-law... |
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Saturday, September 15, 2012 Okay, I said I would tell you all about the night Elvis came to town when I went over Niagara Falls. If you can wait one more day, I promise it will be quite the eventful tale! Stay tuned for tomorrow's adventure! |
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Now that that's out of the way, let's talk about the man who would be King. And instead of giving you all the boring details that most everyone knows, how about some things most people DON'T know? You can really impress your friends with these juicy tidbits. Such as... FACT #1: While Elvis was The King of Rock-n-Roll, he also had several country music hits as well. Not only is he in the Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame and the Country Music Hall of Fame, he's even in the Gospel Music Hall of Fame. FACT #2: This is one of the most shocking facts. Elvis won three Grammy Awards, but all of them were for his gospel music. The fact that The King of Rock-n-Roll never won a Grammy Award for his rock music is unbelievable. FACT #3: "Jailhouse Rock" was the first EVER music video. FACT #4: With over 600 recorded songs, you would think he would have written at least one of them, but he never did. WOW! FACT #5: In the film Flaming Star, Elvis plays the part of a man who is part Native American. This part wasn't very far from the truth, because he was in fact part Cherokee. There you go—five things you probably DID NOT know about Elvis. Now you do! COMING NEXT TIME: My story about Elvis coming to town the night I went over Niagara Falls, and why he's one of my biggest idols of all time—stay tuned! |
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Tuesday, September 11, 2012 The other thought I have to share today has to do with the America I grew up in—the America of the 1980's—Ronald Reagan's America. I was 13 years old when President Reagan took office in January of 1980. I knew very little about the man, only what I had heard from my parents and the media. I knew he was a former Hollywood actor, and had been governor of California for a time. Now he was going to lead our country out of the problems we were in and make things better for us all. At least that was the promise he had made. So many things changed in our country during the 8 years this man was in office. And as I grew into adulthood during his administration, I came to understand what a real president was all about. And Ronald Reagan WAS a real president. Here is my list of Top 10 Ronald Reagan quotes, showing just how insightful he was about this country and where it was headed. #10: The most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the government and I'm here to help. Below are a few videos that show some of the things that Ronald Reagan did for this country before and during his time as president. "It's Morning Again In America..." The most powerful words ever spoken to change the world: Ronald Reagan Speaks Out On Socialized Medicine |
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Saturday, September 8, 2012 My first topic today can be summed up in two words—Patrick and Nagel. That's him on the right. For those of you who know who he is, great. Take a nap while I explain it to the rest of the group.
Anyone who was alive in the 80's and was older than 10 should remember these images, or some like them. Nagel Girl pictures were everywhere back then. As a matter of fact, the one on the far right is Rio, from the Duran Duran album of the same name. Mine are framed and hanging in my recording studio as a tribute to the man and artist. He passed away from a heart attack at the oh too young age of 38. We miss you, Pat. The next topic is a tribute to the great actor Michael Clarke Duncan. Most people knew him as John Coffey from The Green Mile. But in actual fact he was in well over 50 movies and TV shows during his acting career, which spanned from 1995 until his untimely death on September 3, 2012 at the age of 54. Even though he was 6'5" tall, his mother would not let him play football in high school, fearing he would get hurt. So he turned to acting instead. Good choice, Mike!
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Sunday, September 2, 2012 "Labor Day is an American federal holiday observed on the first Monday in September (September 3 in 2012) that celebrates the economic and social contributions of workers. Labor Day pays tribute to the contributions and achievements of American workers. It also symbolizes the end of summer for many Americans, and is celebrated with parties, parades and athletic events." It was first proposed in 1882. Oregon was the first state to make it a holiday in 1887. It finally became a federal holiday in 1894. Some retailers claim it's the second biggest shopping day of the year, behind Black Friday right after Thanksgiving. Now you know. |
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Saturday, September 1, 2012 If you're not familiar with The Piano Guys, it's about time you become so. They have several videos on YouTube, with my personal favorite being one with Alex Boye. Watch it below, then click on the image above to visit their web site and find out even more about them. And for you closet nerds out there, they have a really cool Star Wars video that is pretty full of the Force—watch it here.
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