Month: September 2009

Categories
Career Driving History Life Movies Music Television Travel

Saturday Night Retro

On the last ‘Saturday Night Retro’ I looked back at the great decade that was the 1990s, and I featured one of the hard rockin’ songs of my extended Panama City Beach ‘Summer Of 1990’ – Faith No More‘s “Epic”.

This week I advance forward to 1991. Following a two-month stint over in Al Kharj Saudi Arabia during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm I began what would eventually (and unknowingly) become the final 17 months of my Active Duty Air Force career at the original Homestead Air Force Base (before Hurricane Andrew). After a tumultuous couple of years at work on the base things drastically improved for the better, and I enjoyed a long climb to the pinnacle of my career at that time.

During the Summer of 1991 I turned 24-years-old, and I began my 7TH year in the USAF. I also went on a 2½-week vacation at the end of August including my very first sea cruise ever on NCL (M/S Seaward) with my family as well as a fun tour of various Tampa and Orlando area amusement parks with my brother for a week after that.

Here’s a big-time TV and movie star dude who actually shares my birthday of June 05TH. I was born in 1967. He was born in 1971. He’s Mark Wahlberg, but back during the Summer of 1991 he was better known as Marky Mark. Here he is with his Funky Bunch. Here’s “Good Vibrations’ – the smash hit that made him a star.

Categories
History Life Music

The Major’s Friday Night Disco Party

During the Spring of 1979 I was in the 6TH grade at Magnolia Elementary School right in the middle of my Lanham Maryland neighbourhood.

Magnolia Elementary School, Lanham Maryland
Magnolia Elementary School, Lanham Maryland

The school day began at precisely 9:08 AM, and it ended at precisely 3:08 PM. Magnolia was my school for Kindergarten (1972-1973) and 3RD through 6TH grades (1975-1979). Those last 4 years at Magnolia were perhaps the happiest four years of all of my school years. It would just get miserable for me after that in Junior High and Senior High School (although I do remember occasional pockets of fun and good times during those advanced school years).

In 1979 I was a trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent Boy Scout:

On my honor I will do my best
To do my duty to God and my country, and to obey the Scout Law;
To help other people at all times;
To keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight.

It’s hard to believe that I’m 30 years removed from that part of my life. Some songs remind me of the bad times, but whenever I hear this song play it reminds me of some of those good times that I lived back then during my active preteen years.

Here’s Amii Stewart with her ‘pay all of the bills’ # 1 Platinum Disco SMASH !

Categories
Blogging Books Driving Food God Health Holidays Music Travel Weather

Thursday Night Mini Thoughts

– It’s time to continue a Thursday night tradition since January 2009.
– It’s time for some spontaneous ‘Mini Thoughts’.
– 3 out of 5 therapists recommend the ‘Mini Thoughts’ over any other thoughts.
– I came home from work today and I immediately weighed myself.
– I thought for sure that I’d hit 180 pounds for the first time since 1988.
– I actually lost a pound-and-a-half and fell below 175 pounds.
– That’s despite the fact of what I did for Lunch today.
– Me and my coworker buddies raised a ruckus at The Big Cheese Of Homestead.
– That joint was jumpin’ !
– Homestead and Florida City is big pimpin’ eatin’ cheese in the ‘hood !
– I selected the whole (foot long) meatball sub.
– That included a trio of ENORMOUS Italian meatballs smothered in mozzarella.
– It was perhaps the tastiest meatball sub that I have eaten in modern history !
– I can’t wait to try those meatballs out on a bed of tender spaghetti.
– I also enjoyed 3 garlic rolls, and the garlic was so heavy and yummy !
– I probably could have eaten a dozen of them – right then and there.
– Lipitor – CHECK !
– I can’t compare The Big Cheese with Mamma Mia Pizza.
– I hope that they both survive and prosper here in the city.
– Want some signs of Autumn here in Florida ?
– How does the upper-50s in the morning sound to you ?
– Well if you want that then travel to Tallahassee next week !
– The upper-60s could reach as far south as the Tampa area.
– I can forecast no better than the lower-70s for inland pockets of our area.
– Just wait a month and then we’ll get in on some of that cool relief as well.
– I’m trying hard to squeeze in a short holiday weekend excursion.
– I’d like to visit the Naples / Fort Myers area for Columbus Day Weekend.
– It would be my first visit over there since Presidents’ Day Weekend of 2008.
– I’d like to check out a rock concert that my friend Casey is putting on.
– It’s Jubilee, Horizons Fall, and Manic Drive.
– Manic Drive headlined that concert of January 20TH 2007 that started it all.
– The next morning I went to church for the first time in over 30 years.
– I hope that I can make it over there.
– Don’t forget that tomorrow night is Disco night here at Studio C.M.D.
– Grab your lava lamps and bring the fondue so that we can kick it like it’s 1979 !
– You won’t regret it pal !
– Until then – check this out !

Categories
God Music Radio

My Fantastic Journey: It’s In The Lyrics

Prior to 37 months ago when I was rescued and saved from the world by God I really thought that I wasn’t good enough to be saved by Him. I thought that only longtime Christians (since birth or childhood) were worthy of being guided and directed by Him. The occasional inspirational messages that I heard on The Call (radio station) at the time advised me otherwise, and they suggested that I check with the ultimate Truth – The Bible – for confirmation. I did so, and I learned more and more about Him than I ever imagined. Everything that I was reading within the Truth was contrary to what the world had told me over the previous 39 years of life.

The journey intentionally started slow and careful with baby steps, as it took me about 5 months to even acknowledge my newfound faith in God in public by attending a church-sponsored event (rock concert) at night and then attending a formal church service for the first time in over 30 years the very next morning. My church turned out to be totally unlike any semblance of what I always thought a church was supposed to be.

So I’m not the lifelong follower of Jesus Christ that a lot of my close friends on this fantastic journey are. I’ve only been following God for about 37 months, and I’ve only been doing so in public for about 32 months. I lived over 39 years on His Great Earth before I even knew who He was.

It’s been a constant learning process over the past 37 months – a growing process – as I strengthen and intensify my personal relationship with God by learning more and more about Him so that I can be more and more like Him. This is certainly not an easy journey, and it’s very easy to be sideswiped and blindsided by the random surprises of the world. I’ve been pushed, pulled, and shoved over to the sides and the edges of the retaining wall of this journey. I’ve learned that bad things actually do happen to followers of God, and some of those bad things are actually done by followers of God. None of us is perfect in any way.

Luckily God keeps extending His arms out, rescuing me, and pulling me back in before I fall back into the culverts of evil and darkness. You know something. I only have one “Hero” on this journey and in this new Life of mine.

It’s in the lyrics: