Category: Music

Categories
History Life Music People Radio Travel Weather

Tuesday Night Grab Bag O’ Thoughts

This week on the ‘Grab Bag’ I’ve got something old – something new – nothing borrowed – and something blue. It’s all for you – on this Tuesday night !

Old School – I’m currently experiencing a major 1970s hit music revival. I’m not really talking about the classic rock of the decade or even the disco revolution of the last few years of the decade. I’m talking about those cheesy pop nuggets – those moldie goldie oldies on 45 RPM vinyl. The songs that even sounded good amongst the AM radio static. I’m talking about great tracks from such forgotten artists as Hamilton, Joe Frank, & Reynolds, Albert Hammond, Gilbert O’Sullivan, Climax, Reunion, Andy Kim, Neil Sedaka, Electric Light Orchestra, Dr. Hook, Andrew Gold, Jay Ferguson, and countless others. One of my iPod Shuffles is currently being stocked with a bunch of these timeless classics from yesteryear when my life as a 2-year-old to a 12-year-old kid was so much more simpler. Long live the cheese from my youth !

New England – Next week at this time I’ll be in New England for the first time ever. In my 43 years of life I’ve never been further east than Pennsylvania and New York along the eastern seaboard although I’ve lived on the east coast for 39 out of my 43 years. Next Monday I can claim two new states that I’ll be setting foot in for the first time – Connecticut and Massachusetts. I was actually wondering if my destination next week would be the furthest north that I’ve ever been in North America. The answer is NO. I’ve been to Syracuse (43.1° north latitude), Milwaukee (43.1°), and Detroit (42.3°). All three of these cities are a little further north than Chicopee Massachusetts (42.2°). I’ve also been to Chicago (41.8°) and Cleveland (41.5°) – a little further south. Incidentally Syracuse was where I spent a few freezing cold and snowy days and nights before heading off to war in the Saudi Arabian desert at the start of 1991.

Blue Seas – I’m now just 89 days away from embarking on my next Carnival cruise – and my first as a Platinum V.I.P. cruiser. It’ll be my 10TH cruise with Carnival (since 1999), so I’ll get all of the perks that go along with such a status. It’s expected to be an extremely active hurricane season, and my cruise is scheduled for the absolute peak of the season – the week of Labor Day. Cruises rarely get cancelled because of hurricanes, but could my cruise be out on the high seas at the same exact time as a Hurricane Igor or a Hurricane Julia or a Hurricane Karl ?  Those are the ‘I’, ‘J’, and ‘K’ named storms that could be out there during that second week of September this year. Igor and Karl simply sound vicious. Julia – not so much. I’m hoping for a lull in the hurricane season while I’m out there during that week. I’m hoping for peaceful and quiet blue seas.

Categories
God History Life Music News

My Fantastic Journey: It’s In The Lyrics

On this 66TH anniversary of ‘D-Day’ we look back at the allied forces family that landed on the beaches of Normandy France to attack the enemy. Today we are a free nation because of them.

66 years later we still have enemies lurking in the darkness. They are always trying to attack. They are always looking for weaknesses and vulnerabilities. But there’s strength in numbers – on both sides.

That’s why we as church families meet under steeples, in schools, in theatres, at parks, on beaches, in restaurants, and in each other’s homes on Sundays. That’s why we hang out with each other during the week. That’s why we actively participate in small groups in each other’s homes. That’s why we disciple to the world around us about how great God is. That’s why we bring the church inside, outside, and everywhere we go. That’s why we must always stay strong together with our faith in our Lord Almighty. That’s why we must never stop learning about Him. That’s why we must never stop growing on this fantastic journey.

If you wanna live Life loud – throw your hands up
If you wanna scream and shout – let me hear you
Taking all the fakers out – if you’re with me
Everybody work it – just keep living

It’s in the lyrics:

Categories
Career History Life Music Travel

Saturday Night Retro

TODAY – the fifth of June of 2010 – is my 43RD birthday. You know you try to keep these events a secret from everyone, and yet word still manages to leak out about it. Go figure. LOL !

Perhaps the most memorable birthday of my entire lifetime was exactly 25 years ago on this date in 1985. It’s when I turned 18-years-old. Back then I knew what I was going to do on the following day. I was going to graduate from high school and receive my diploma. And so I did – on June 06TH 1985 at historic DAR Constitution Hall in Washington D.C.

On my 18TH birthday I also knew what I was going to do exactly a week later. I was going to leave home, make my way from suburban Northern Virginia to San Antonio Texas via planes, trains, shuttles, and automobiles, and enter a whole new world. And so I did – on June 12TH 1985 when I arrived at Lackland Air Force Base for Air Force Basic Military Training. It was the most hectic week of my lifetime – turning 18, graduating from high school, and joining the Air Force.

I never imagined 25 years ago that I’d be celebrating my 25TH anniversary with the Air Force this week in 2010, but here I am. I served 8 years on active duty (1985-1993), 2 years on active reserves (1993-1995), 4 years on inactive reserves (1995-1999), and 17 years as a Department Of Defense civilian working for the USAF (1993-now). It’s been a great and rewarding career, and retirement is about 15 years away. I can almost see it from here !

Back during that hectic second week of June of 1985 this memorable song from Tears For Fears was the # 1 pop and rock smash all across the free nation. It’s “Everybody Wants To Rule The World”, and I present it as my 25TH anniversary ‘Retro’ classic flashback:

Categories
Blogging Career History Holidays Life Music Travel

Saturday Night Retro

The long Memorial Day holiday weekend is here all across our 50 states, and it’s the unofficial start of the 101 days of Summer from now through the Labor Day holiday weekend at the start of September. It’s when schools let out, vacations begin, and schedules change for Americans everywhere. It’s where we go out and enjoy the world around us while the weather is warm and the days are long visiting new and different places nearby and far away.

I’ve enjoyed many memorable Summers over the past 43 years of my lifetime. Some were memorable for bad events (such as Hurricane Andrew in 1992), and some for good (such as Panama City Beach in 1990). Many I can’t remember at all, so they were clearly forgettable. Looking back I regret not making some type of a memorable impact during those past unremarkable Summers. Of course some of those Summers were forgettable because I’ve chosen to forget about them over time because they were too traumatic for me.

Two Summers in a row were quite memorable for me in a favourable way because I was living them in a foreign land. I was living on an American Air Force Base near Fairford Gloucestershire England in 1986 and 1987. It was an enjoyable, exciting, and ecstatic experience abroad with friends, co-workers, and natives of the land. I was very honoured to be able to live such a rewarding life back then as an 18, 19, and 20-year-old USAF Airman serving my country in another country. I was thankful to be able to return back home again with all of those awesome memories.

This Memorial Day Monday here on my blog I’ll be posting a very special entry to honour those who served before, alongside, and after me – but never made it back home again. They died fighting for freedom while serving their country. Just like this soldier that everyone knew as “Camoulflage”: