I made it through Bonus Jack Wednesday and our last Sunday of the month family feast that has become a new tradition of ours. I weighed in at 250.6 pounds this morning for a 2.0 pound loss for the week. I should be in the 240's next week!
My story on the Irving Theater is scheduled to run this Friday in the Irving neighborsgo section of the Dallas Morning News.
This will be my final post for the week. I will be back on Monday.
I'm off and pedaling for now.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Trick or Treat
There are many different elements that make up Halloween. The elements change through the years too. As a preschooler and into early elementary school years it was all about the costume and candy. The first costume that I can recall was an out of the box Superman costume that I wore when I was in the first grade. I was honored to wear Superman of course. The costumes always looked so cool in the box. They weren't that comfortable to wear though. I remember the plastic masks being miserably hot and they made it difficult to breathe too. I still loved them anyway. I remember one year getting a boxed Dracula costume and thinking it was really cool. Then I see Vance Gallimore, a neighborhood kid a few years older than I, wearing a home made Dracula costume. He had a real cape and blood painted on his face. He definitely out costumed me that year. Regardless of costume the real goal each year was to get all the candy possible, bring it home, and eat it. I don't think I was ever out performed in that area.
As an adolescent Halloween became more about the friends. I remember in the 5th and 6th grade feeling this calling that I had to find Ronnie Sikorski. Ronnie was my best friend in elementary school. His neighborhood was adjacent to mine but was actually a pretty good walk/run from my house. With all the kids on the street finding him was like the proverbial needle in a haystack but somehow I always did find him. We would sprint from house to house to get the candy. We were the fastest running trick or treaters ever.
I do have to say though that my favorite Halloweens were those where Karen and I took our girls out to do their trick or treating. This was in the 80's/90's and these were different times. By then security had become the focal point on Halloween. Our Halloweens were spent at Plymouth Park Baptist Church. They would do some type of festival theme each year and they had carnival games and candy galore. The kids would always get their fill. What made it special is each year Karen would make us our costumes. We would always go as a family or unit of something. One year we were pound puppies. I remember a year where we were bunnies. One year we were a 50's family. I was just the lucky man who got to be next to those adorably cute girls all night long. Those are the best memories.
Everyone enjoy this Halloween. I'm off and pedaling for now.
As an adolescent Halloween became more about the friends. I remember in the 5th and 6th grade feeling this calling that I had to find Ronnie Sikorski. Ronnie was my best friend in elementary school. His neighborhood was adjacent to mine but was actually a pretty good walk/run from my house. With all the kids on the street finding him was like the proverbial needle in a haystack but somehow I always did find him. We would sprint from house to house to get the candy. We were the fastest running trick or treaters ever.
I do have to say though that my favorite Halloweens were those where Karen and I took our girls out to do their trick or treating. This was in the 80's/90's and these were different times. By then security had become the focal point on Halloween. Our Halloweens were spent at Plymouth Park Baptist Church. They would do some type of festival theme each year and they had carnival games and candy galore. The kids would always get their fill. What made it special is each year Karen would make us our costumes. We would always go as a family or unit of something. One year we were pound puppies. I remember a year where we were bunnies. One year we were a 50's family. I was just the lucky man who got to be next to those adorably cute girls all night long. Those are the best memories.
Everyone enjoy this Halloween. I'm off and pedaling for now.
Friday, October 23, 2009
The world's fiction was our reality
As young boys growing up my brother Dave and I were heavily influenced by the world of fiction. I have written earlier about the impact that The Hardy Boys series had on us. There were other fictional characters as well that influenced our daily lives. There is no way I could list every influence we had but here a few that top the list. The following events are true and really happened. No names have been changed because there were no innocents involved.
I personally was fascinated by The Wolfman. He was my favorite monster. You know how grownups will always ask a little kid what he wants to be when he grows up? There was a time when I would look them dead in the eye and give them the honest answer of " A Werewolf". It was what I aspired to be. I could do great wolf call too. Mothers would call their kids in at night when I busted loose with "bahhwwwhhhoooooooooooooooo"
Most kids pinned on a towel and ran around playing super heroes. We went beyond that. Having a mother who was a former seamstress helped too as we had a ton of old material left over from her seamstress days to use for costumes. Dave had a cool Superman costume. If you recall Clark Kent wore his Superman suit under his clothes and when duty called he ran into a phone booth and did the quick change bit. Well this inspired little Dave. My mom recently told me a story about picking him up from school one day and noticing he seemed a little thicker. Appears Dave had worn his Superman costume under his school clothes that day. It is a good thing Lex Luthor didn't show up at LB Barton because he would have had Super Dave to answer too. This is assuming he could have found a suitable phone booth to allow him the quick change.
We had Batman and Robin costumes that, given that they were put together by elementary school age boys, were very realistic. One night I was woken by Dave telling me that he had heard something go bump in the night. He really believed and had convinced me that something or someone was in the house. We did what we were called to do. On went our Batman and Robin costumes. We were inching our way down the hall, completely scared to death. Whispering back and forth we made enough noise to wake up our Mom. She came out and saw what she probably knew she would see. Her two goofy little boys were at it again. I remember her sternly telling us to get back to bed and that all was okay. We did just that. What I wonder today is after having time to think about what she had just witnessed just how long it took my Mom to quit laughing so she could get back to sleep.
Of all the fictional characters though I would say Tarzan held the most influence. Tarzan was the ultimate good man. All he ever wanted to do was to provide for and protect his family. Playing Tarzan was easy. No costume was required and every kid in the neighborhood had a tree with a rope to swing on. We all had treehouses to play in. Dave read many of the Edgar Rice Burroughs Tarzan novels. Tarzan had his own language and we learned to speak the Tarzan language. If we wanted someones attention we just said "UMGAWA". If we wanted someone to stop what they were doing we just said "UMGAWA". If we wanted someone to follow us we said "UMGAWA". Dinner time? "UMGAWA". We always understood what the other meant.
The good news is that for the most part our influences were all guys who stood for the right thing. Dave and I still stand for the right thing, we just don't run around with costumes under our clothes any more.
Or do we?
I'm off and pedaling for now.
I personally was fascinated by The Wolfman. He was my favorite monster. You know how grownups will always ask a little kid what he wants to be when he grows up? There was a time when I would look them dead in the eye and give them the honest answer of " A Werewolf". It was what I aspired to be. I could do great wolf call too. Mothers would call their kids in at night when I busted loose with "bahhwwwhhhoooooooooooooooo"
Most kids pinned on a towel and ran around playing super heroes. We went beyond that. Having a mother who was a former seamstress helped too as we had a ton of old material left over from her seamstress days to use for costumes. Dave had a cool Superman costume. If you recall Clark Kent wore his Superman suit under his clothes and when duty called he ran into a phone booth and did the quick change bit. Well this inspired little Dave. My mom recently told me a story about picking him up from school one day and noticing he seemed a little thicker. Appears Dave had worn his Superman costume under his school clothes that day. It is a good thing Lex Luthor didn't show up at LB Barton because he would have had Super Dave to answer too. This is assuming he could have found a suitable phone booth to allow him the quick change.
We had Batman and Robin costumes that, given that they were put together by elementary school age boys, were very realistic. One night I was woken by Dave telling me that he had heard something go bump in the night. He really believed and had convinced me that something or someone was in the house. We did what we were called to do. On went our Batman and Robin costumes. We were inching our way down the hall, completely scared to death. Whispering back and forth we made enough noise to wake up our Mom. She came out and saw what she probably knew she would see. Her two goofy little boys were at it again. I remember her sternly telling us to get back to bed and that all was okay. We did just that. What I wonder today is after having time to think about what she had just witnessed just how long it took my Mom to quit laughing so she could get back to sleep.
Of all the fictional characters though I would say Tarzan held the most influence. Tarzan was the ultimate good man. All he ever wanted to do was to provide for and protect his family. Playing Tarzan was easy. No costume was required and every kid in the neighborhood had a tree with a rope to swing on. We all had treehouses to play in. Dave read many of the Edgar Rice Burroughs Tarzan novels. Tarzan had his own language and we learned to speak the Tarzan language. If we wanted someones attention we just said "UMGAWA". If we wanted someone to stop what they were doing we just said "UMGAWA". If we wanted someone to follow us we said "UMGAWA". Dinner time? "UMGAWA". We always understood what the other meant.
The good news is that for the most part our influences were all guys who stood for the right thing. Dave and I still stand for the right thing, we just don't run around with costumes under our clothes any more.
Or do we?
I'm off and pedaling for now.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
What makes it special...
Karen and I had our Bonus Jack hamburgers last night. It is not the world's greatest hamburger but it is one of my favorite burgers. It was the same burger we ate 37 years ago. Same two patties, two pieces of cheese, double decker bun, lettuce, onions, and secret sauce. It is a unique hamburger for sure. There is nothing else like it. But the burger itself is not what makes it special. As we had ours last night I realized that what makes it special is the memory of the two of us sitting in Mom and Dad's car, after church at Lively Park, sharing the Bonus Jack meal. Sometimes it is the memory that make something special.
Speaking of special...My post on the Irving Theater was also about a place that was special to me. Dave told the old New Hope group to check it out and that produced several great comments from that bunch. I knew we weren't the only ones who had fond memories about that place. I submitted the story to the Dallas Morning News and they have emailed me and informed me that they are going to put it in the paper. Tentative date is Friday October 30th.
I'm off and pedaling for now.
Speaking of special...My post on the Irving Theater was also about a place that was special to me. Dave told the old New Hope group to check it out and that produced several great comments from that bunch. I knew we weren't the only ones who had fond memories about that place. I submitted the story to the Dallas Morning News and they have emailed me and informed me that they are going to put it in the paper. Tentative date is Friday October 30th.
I'm off and pedaling for now.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Wednesday weigh in for 10/21/09
The roller coaster is back.
Last week I weighed in at 254.0 pounds. As of Saturday morning I weighed 252.0 and was at my weekly goal of a 2 pound loss. Karen and I had decided earlier in the week that Sunday we were going to El Fenix. It may be our only restaurant trip this month so we wanted to go to our favorite. I skipped breakfast and ate what I thought was a good lunch meal. I ordered the Jalisco plate. It comes with a cheese enchilada, a soft cheese taco, a regular taco and rice. I had a few chips but was very careful with the serving size. I ate five soft corn tortillas and corn tortillas are very healthy compared to flour tortillas. I left full but not the usual miserable level of full that I normally experience at a Mexican food restaurant. That night I ate spaghetti and a salad. It was not a bad day in terms of daily allowed calories.
Well Monday morning I weighed 253.6 pounds. I don't understand the science of it but there is something about restaurant food that takes me longer to burn I guess. It also sits "heavy" in my stomach.
I weighed in today at 252.6 pounds for a 1.4 pound loss for the week. I'll take it. Tonight is BONUS JACK night so I am eating lightly the rest of the day. Wish me luck!
I'm off and pedaling for now.
Last week I weighed in at 254.0 pounds. As of Saturday morning I weighed 252.0 and was at my weekly goal of a 2 pound loss. Karen and I had decided earlier in the week that Sunday we were going to El Fenix. It may be our only restaurant trip this month so we wanted to go to our favorite. I skipped breakfast and ate what I thought was a good lunch meal. I ordered the Jalisco plate. It comes with a cheese enchilada, a soft cheese taco, a regular taco and rice. I had a few chips but was very careful with the serving size. I ate five soft corn tortillas and corn tortillas are very healthy compared to flour tortillas. I left full but not the usual miserable level of full that I normally experience at a Mexican food restaurant. That night I ate spaghetti and a salad. It was not a bad day in terms of daily allowed calories.
Well Monday morning I weighed 253.6 pounds. I don't understand the science of it but there is something about restaurant food that takes me longer to burn I guess. It also sits "heavy" in my stomach.
I weighed in today at 252.6 pounds for a 1.4 pound loss for the week. I'll take it. Tonight is BONUS JACK night so I am eating lightly the rest of the day. Wish me luck!
I'm off and pedaling for now.
Monday, October 19, 2009
This is huge...My letter worked!
I don't talk about what I eat much any more because it became repetitive and frankly boring. But I do strive, on a daily basis, to eat healthy. The biggest change is that I have all but eliminated fast food and restraunt food from my eating. I try to keep those meals to a once a week maximum. Inspired by Hell's Kitchen and Top Chef and all the cooking shows that Karen and I love to watch I have taken on a new interest for cooking. I always have loved to cook but my cooking has always been in the most basic and elementary level. I am trying to take my cooking style and incorporate some of Karen's style into what I do now. I am a work in progress. Having said that there is nothing wrong with an occasional picked up meal and boys and girls it is time to run, not walk to JACK IN THE BOX because they have brought back the BONUS JACK !
HIP HIP HOORAY! MY LETTER WORKED !
The younger of you reading this have no idea what I am talking about. From the time I discovered Jack in the Box, which was in the late 60's, until around 1978 they had a burger on their menu called the Bonus Jack. It is a small double decker with cheese and it is similar to a Big Mac but so much better. Just like the JITB tacos, it is simply unique. There is nothing else like it anywhere. When Karen and I dated in high school it was our staple meal. Sometime in the late 70's JITB tried to become a little more upscale and they added some chicken sandwiches and different things to their menu. They discontinued the Bonus Jack at that time. I did something I had never done before and have not done since. I wrote a letter of complaint to the JITB corporate office in San Diego and begged them to bring it back.
I am sure that Jack, had he seen it at that time, would have acted on my behalf. But if you recall Jack was ousted in a corporate takeover at that time and was not able to run his own company until he took control back in the early 2000's. I know this to be fact because that is what Jack said happened when he started being used in their TV commercials again. There had to be so many letters to go through during the time that he was out of power that he just now got around to mine. I am sure that Jack tried to contact me personally but I have had several new addresses and phone numbers since I wrote my letter. I'm okay with that and all that matters is that the Bonus Jack is back!
Karen and I have made our plans. We are eating a Bonus Jack this Wednesday on my early day off from work.To those of us that remember, let's all run out and get one and before you take the first bite, raise it in a toast to 1) My close personal friend Jack and 2) the power of the complaint letter. To those who will be tasting this treat for the very first time, let me tell you that you are welcome. I feel your thanks already.
A side note to Jack...I love you man.
Back Wednesday with the weigh in...I'm off and pedaling for now.
HIP HIP HOORAY! MY LETTER WORKED !
The younger of you reading this have no idea what I am talking about. From the time I discovered Jack in the Box, which was in the late 60's, until around 1978 they had a burger on their menu called the Bonus Jack. It is a small double decker with cheese and it is similar to a Big Mac but so much better. Just like the JITB tacos, it is simply unique. There is nothing else like it anywhere. When Karen and I dated in high school it was our staple meal. Sometime in the late 70's JITB tried to become a little more upscale and they added some chicken sandwiches and different things to their menu. They discontinued the Bonus Jack at that time. I did something I had never done before and have not done since. I wrote a letter of complaint to the JITB corporate office in San Diego and begged them to bring it back.
I am sure that Jack, had he seen it at that time, would have acted on my behalf. But if you recall Jack was ousted in a corporate takeover at that time and was not able to run his own company until he took control back in the early 2000's. I know this to be fact because that is what Jack said happened when he started being used in their TV commercials again. There had to be so many letters to go through during the time that he was out of power that he just now got around to mine. I am sure that Jack tried to contact me personally but I have had several new addresses and phone numbers since I wrote my letter. I'm okay with that and all that matters is that the Bonus Jack is back!
Karen and I have made our plans. We are eating a Bonus Jack this Wednesday on my early day off from work.To those of us that remember, let's all run out and get one and before you take the first bite, raise it in a toast to 1) My close personal friend Jack and 2) the power of the complaint letter. To those who will be tasting this treat for the very first time, let me tell you that you are welcome. I feel your thanks already.
A side note to Jack...I love you man.
Back Wednesday with the weigh in...I'm off and pedaling for now.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
A landmark of Irving...The magical Irving Theater
Of all my pre-adolescent memories I have to say with out a doubt that the Saturdays my brother Dave and I spent at the Irving Theater are the fondest memories of all.The time frame would be around 1960 through 1968 or so. It was a single screen theatre on Irving Boulevard about a half mile west of Nursery. We always begged Mom or Dad to drop us off early because we had "our" seats and couldn't let anyone else get them. We sat in the center section, second row, first two seats on the left. Of the hundreds of trips we took there we may have missed those seats maybe once or twice. We each got one dollar. Admission was .35 cents and the .65 cents left bought a Dr. Pepper, popcorn, and Baby Ruth candy bar. I didn't buy them all at once but staggered them through the day. It got me through the afternoon.
The movies of course were the main attraction. We saw all the Elvis movies in their first run release at the Irving Theater and loved every second of every single one. We saw all the Beach Blanket movies there. Annette Funicello was probably the most beautiful female in the world to me at that time and I loved those movies. There were Disney Movies, the Edgar Allen Poe horror movies, Three Stooges movies, and various other kid movies. The most memorable Saturday ever was when "It's a Hard Day's Night" played. It was at the height of Beatlemania and the theatre was totally packed. It was one of the few times we did not get "our" seats and we could not sit together due to being so crowded. I sat next to some teen age girls who were very nice and looked out for me. I remember them screaming and crying. I asked one why was she crying and she said " Because I want them!". I had no idea what she meant.
There was more to it than the movies. It was at the Irving Theater that we were introduced to the cliffhanger serial. These were produced in the 40s and 50s and they ran weekly chapters of each one. Each week the hero would finish the episode in a death trap and we spent all week wondering how he would survive. Somehow he always did live to fight again. At the end of the serial the hero would finally defeat the bad guy once and for all and the world was safe until the next week when the new serial started. To this day Dave and I love the cliffhanger serial. We have purchased copies of some classics over the Internet on DVD. My grand daughter Madi and I have watched one together recently and she enjoyed it.
There were also the dance contests. Each week they would let kids up on the stage to dance and they would eliminate kids until they were down to maybe three and the audience would chose the winner by applause. I went up on the stage to compete one time and had my shoulder tapped rather quickly. I guess there is a reason they haven't asked me to be on "Dancing with the Stars". There were also weekly door prize drawings off your admission ticket stubs. I never won but always believed I would.
Even afterwards waiting for Mom and Dad to come get us was special. There were other little boys to race and other little girls to chase. They had these rails on the steps that we treated like our own personal jungle jim. It was fun flipping somersaults on those bars. There was Mal's Model Shop next door to the theatre and we would look at the models. We were huge fans of the classic movie monster models. Our favorites included The Wolf Man, Frankenstein, Dracula, Mummy, and the like. We bought them all and would paint them. Mine were always the worst painted but Mom would come along behind me and paint mine up to look so lifelike. They ended looking just as good as the displays in Mal's window.
The building is still there. I went there maybe 15 years ago and it was at that time some kind of studio. I met the new owner and to the best of my recollection his last name was Peck. He said some TV commercials had actually been filmed in there. It was a pretty neat visit for me.
Today what we knew as the Irving Theater is just another older building in an older part of town. It's nothing special any more. But I do know that there are at least two little boys who by laws of nature were required to grow into middle aged men who still consider that place to be magic. What I don't know and wonder is how many others like us are out there when it comes to that building. How many other baby boomers consider that building to be magical? My guess is that the number would fill the Irving Theater many times over.
I'm off and pedaling for now.
The movies of course were the main attraction. We saw all the Elvis movies in their first run release at the Irving Theater and loved every second of every single one. We saw all the Beach Blanket movies there. Annette Funicello was probably the most beautiful female in the world to me at that time and I loved those movies. There were Disney Movies, the Edgar Allen Poe horror movies, Three Stooges movies, and various other kid movies. The most memorable Saturday ever was when "It's a Hard Day's Night" played. It was at the height of Beatlemania and the theatre was totally packed. It was one of the few times we did not get "our" seats and we could not sit together due to being so crowded. I sat next to some teen age girls who were very nice and looked out for me. I remember them screaming and crying. I asked one why was she crying and she said " Because I want them!". I had no idea what she meant.
There was more to it than the movies. It was at the Irving Theater that we were introduced to the cliffhanger serial. These were produced in the 40s and 50s and they ran weekly chapters of each one. Each week the hero would finish the episode in a death trap and we spent all week wondering how he would survive. Somehow he always did live to fight again. At the end of the serial the hero would finally defeat the bad guy once and for all and the world was safe until the next week when the new serial started. To this day Dave and I love the cliffhanger serial. We have purchased copies of some classics over the Internet on DVD. My grand daughter Madi and I have watched one together recently and she enjoyed it.
There were also the dance contests. Each week they would let kids up on the stage to dance and they would eliminate kids until they were down to maybe three and the audience would chose the winner by applause. I went up on the stage to compete one time and had my shoulder tapped rather quickly. I guess there is a reason they haven't asked me to be on "Dancing with the Stars". There were also weekly door prize drawings off your admission ticket stubs. I never won but always believed I would.
Even afterwards waiting for Mom and Dad to come get us was special. There were other little boys to race and other little girls to chase. They had these rails on the steps that we treated like our own personal jungle jim. It was fun flipping somersaults on those bars. There was Mal's Model Shop next door to the theatre and we would look at the models. We were huge fans of the classic movie monster models. Our favorites included The Wolf Man, Frankenstein, Dracula, Mummy, and the like. We bought them all and would paint them. Mine were always the worst painted but Mom would come along behind me and paint mine up to look so lifelike. They ended looking just as good as the displays in Mal's window.
The building is still there. I went there maybe 15 years ago and it was at that time some kind of studio. I met the new owner and to the best of my recollection his last name was Peck. He said some TV commercials had actually been filmed in there. It was a pretty neat visit for me.
Today what we knew as the Irving Theater is just another older building in an older part of town. It's nothing special any more. But I do know that there are at least two little boys who by laws of nature were required to grow into middle aged men who still consider that place to be magic. What I don't know and wonder is how many others like us are out there when it comes to that building. How many other baby boomers consider that building to be magical? My guess is that the number would fill the Irving Theater many times over.
I'm off and pedaling for now.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Wednesday weigh in for 10/14/09
First thing I want to share is that Karen has found us a wonderful new meal. Chicken Helper Chicken Lo Mein is a good healthy dish. It was a little on the bland side but a little salt and soy sauce added made it perfect for me. Karen added some Green Giant steamer vegetables to hers. All I know is that she can cook that meal for me any time.
This week it went the way I wish it would every week. I had no days of gaining weight. Each day I either weighed the same or lost .2 or .4 of a pound. I weighed in this morning at 254.0 for a two pound loss for the week.
I will always use the same sign off of "off and pedaling" because I like it but for what it's worth I am pretty much exclusive jogging trampoline now for my exercise. The weather has a lot to do with that but also it is our TV season now. Every night when I get home we have one or two hours of programs to watch and it just works well for me to do the exercise while watching our shows together.
I'm off and pedaling for now.
This week it went the way I wish it would every week. I had no days of gaining weight. Each day I either weighed the same or lost .2 or .4 of a pound. I weighed in this morning at 254.0 for a two pound loss for the week.
I will always use the same sign off of "off and pedaling" because I like it but for what it's worth I am pretty much exclusive jogging trampoline now for my exercise. The weather has a lot to do with that but also it is our TV season now. Every night when I get home we have one or two hours of programs to watch and it just works well for me to do the exercise while watching our shows together.
I'm off and pedaling for now.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Ten things from my childhood that you don't see any more
1. The Ice Cream Man... What happened to the daily melody that signaled yummy was on it's way?
2. Chicken Delight delivery cars... Something about that chicken on the roof of the car that endeared itself to me.
3. Kids out on Halloween without parents... Remember when you went EVERYWHERE with just a big group of kids and no one worried? Sad to say my kids don't know those times.
4. The Double Feature Saturday matinee... The kids loved it and the parents had to love it too as it was really a cheap babysitter for the afternoon. Alas the fear of kids safety rears its' ugly head again.
5. Drive In movies...Okay if you drive to Ennis there still is one but what kind of idiot will drive to Ennis ??...er...never mind that one.
6. Variety Shows...man I miss The Carol Burnett Show!!!
7. Horned Frogs....maybe they were the smart ones and got out of town while they still could.
8. Drug Store Soda Fountains..There is still one in downtown Irving but remember when there were 3-4 in Plymouth Park alone? Almost extinct. Best lemonade ever.
9. The Milk Man..remember home delivered milk, eggs, ice cream, etc.? Note to my Mom...remember it's "DON"T let the dog out" and not "let the dog out". The mental picture of the Milk Man trying to get devil dog LittleBit out from under the couch is scary.
10. Shave and a haircut, 6 bits...It's $15.00 now.
I'm back Wednesday with the weigh in.
2. Chicken Delight delivery cars... Something about that chicken on the roof of the car that endeared itself to me.
3. Kids out on Halloween without parents... Remember when you went EVERYWHERE with just a big group of kids and no one worried? Sad to say my kids don't know those times.
4. The Double Feature Saturday matinee... The kids loved it and the parents had to love it too as it was really a cheap babysitter for the afternoon. Alas the fear of kids safety rears its' ugly head again.
5. Drive In movies...Okay if you drive to Ennis there still is one but what kind of idiot will drive to Ennis ??...er...never mind that one.
6. Variety Shows...man I miss The Carol Burnett Show!!!
7. Horned Frogs....maybe they were the smart ones and got out of town while they still could.
8. Drug Store Soda Fountains..There is still one in downtown Irving but remember when there were 3-4 in Plymouth Park alone? Almost extinct. Best lemonade ever.
9. The Milk Man..remember home delivered milk, eggs, ice cream, etc.? Note to my Mom...remember it's "DON"T let the dog out" and not "let the dog out". The mental picture of the Milk Man trying to get devil dog LittleBit out from under the couch is scary.
10. Shave and a haircut, 6 bits...It's $15.00 now.
I'm back Wednesday with the weigh in.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
An embarrassing story and special moment
In July 1969 I suffered the most embarrassing incident of my adolescent life. I was 12 years old and just two months from turning 13 years of age. I was leaving elementary school and about to enter Jr. High School. It was a time of change for me. I grew 8 inches during my sixth grade year and went from a kind of squatty kid to a full blown teenager. I was at that point in my life that you never ever want to look bad in front of the girls. Oh was this was going to be bad night.
There may have been other people there that night but I really only recall the principal players. My best friend Jimmy Cox and I were up at the McCullough girls house playing records. That's what we did in those days. We sat around, played records, and sang our hearts out. The girls would get up and dance but we just watched them dance. Wanda and Mary Nell McCullough were there and so was Kathy Roche. Kathy's presence was of particular importance. For years the older guys were going steady with the older girls but Kathy and I, being the youngest of the bunch, were kind of on the sidelines watching the game. There was a effort, I believe engineered by Mary Nell, to make Kathy and I boyfriend/girlfriend. It almost happened but never really did. This very night may have had a lot to do with that. But I certainly did not want to do anything stupid in front of Kathy. Again, this was going to be a bad night.
In one of the few moments of silence that night, a sound slipped out from my body. I wish I could say it was a good part of my body that it came from but that is not the case. It was very faint and would have been ignored if not for good ole Jimmy Cox. Jimmy let loose with the loudest and most over exaggerated "What was that?" I have ever heard. I stammered for a second and all I could muster was a sickly, feeble "Excuse me". Jimmy howled with laughter. Forever. He doubled over. He cried he was laughing so hard. Seconds became minutes, the minutes seemed to become hours. The girls were polite and tried not to laugh but Jimmy's uncontrollable shrieks were just too much. They were all about to split with laughter and I understand this now but at that moment I just needed to get out of that room. So I did something I had never done in that house and walked to the back den where the McCollough's parents were. They asked me what everyone was laughing about and I just mumbled "nothing". I'm sure that by my beet red face and general attitude they knew that whatever the joke was I was the brunt of it and that I needed shelter.They told me I should stay in there for a few minutes because something special was about to happen. They pointed to their TV and I turned to hear "One small step for man..." .
I wasn't the coolest kid in the house that night. I was, once again, the goofball of the bunch. But I was the only one of the kids that were in the house that night that saw Neil Armstrong, live and as it happened, step on the moon.
I'm off and peddling for now.
There may have been other people there that night but I really only recall the principal players. My best friend Jimmy Cox and I were up at the McCullough girls house playing records. That's what we did in those days. We sat around, played records, and sang our hearts out. The girls would get up and dance but we just watched them dance. Wanda and Mary Nell McCullough were there and so was Kathy Roche. Kathy's presence was of particular importance. For years the older guys were going steady with the older girls but Kathy and I, being the youngest of the bunch, were kind of on the sidelines watching the game. There was a effort, I believe engineered by Mary Nell, to make Kathy and I boyfriend/girlfriend. It almost happened but never really did. This very night may have had a lot to do with that. But I certainly did not want to do anything stupid in front of Kathy. Again, this was going to be a bad night.
In one of the few moments of silence that night, a sound slipped out from my body. I wish I could say it was a good part of my body that it came from but that is not the case. It was very faint and would have been ignored if not for good ole Jimmy Cox. Jimmy let loose with the loudest and most over exaggerated "What was that?" I have ever heard. I stammered for a second and all I could muster was a sickly, feeble "Excuse me". Jimmy howled with laughter. Forever. He doubled over. He cried he was laughing so hard. Seconds became minutes, the minutes seemed to become hours. The girls were polite and tried not to laugh but Jimmy's uncontrollable shrieks were just too much. They were all about to split with laughter and I understand this now but at that moment I just needed to get out of that room. So I did something I had never done in that house and walked to the back den where the McCollough's parents were. They asked me what everyone was laughing about and I just mumbled "nothing". I'm sure that by my beet red face and general attitude they knew that whatever the joke was I was the brunt of it and that I needed shelter.They told me I should stay in there for a few minutes because something special was about to happen. They pointed to their TV and I turned to hear "One small step for man..." .
I wasn't the coolest kid in the house that night. I was, once again, the goofball of the bunch. But I was the only one of the kids that were in the house that night that saw Neil Armstrong, live and as it happened, step on the moon.
I'm off and peddling for now.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Wednesday weigh in for 10/07
It was a strange roller coaster week.
Last Wednesday I weighed in at 258.0 pounds. I spent Wednesday afternoon mowing the back yard and ate well Wednesday and was at 256.6 Thursday morning. I weighed 256.4 Friday morning. I was off to such a great start. I got off at 6pm Friday and Karen and I decided to use a Chili's gift certificate she got from work. We split an order of Mushroom Jack chicken fajitas. I also got a bag of chips and salsa to go. I ate half of the fajitas and Karen ate half. I ate what I considered to be a half bowl of chips. I checked the charts at livestrong.com before I decided to order this. It would put me at the high end of my daily allowed calories but it would not put me over. I really thought it was a fine meal. I also decided that as tired as I felt and at the end of a long week missing one night of exercise would be okay so I did not do anything that night.
WRONG
Saturday morning I weighed 260 lbs! There was something in that meal that didn't agree with my metabolism. Also choosing to not exercise on my highest caloric and fat gram day of the week in hindsight was just plain stupid on my part. It was a struggle to get those pounds back off. Monday morning I was at 258.2 which was still .2 higher than I was last Wednesday. I was faced with the prospect of my first week of no weight loss. I am mentally prepared for a week like that by the way and I will not let it discourage me but I am not ready for it. I ate my regular healthy routine Monday and Tuesday and did 15 minutes each night on the jogging trampoline. This morning I weighed in at an even 256.0 pounds. Somehow I did obtain my weekly goal of a 2 pound weight loss.
Friday I have the story of how the single most embarrassing incident of my adolescent life turned into a pretty special moment.
I'm off and pedaling for now.
Last Wednesday I weighed in at 258.0 pounds. I spent Wednesday afternoon mowing the back yard and ate well Wednesday and was at 256.6 Thursday morning. I weighed 256.4 Friday morning. I was off to such a great start. I got off at 6pm Friday and Karen and I decided to use a Chili's gift certificate she got from work. We split an order of Mushroom Jack chicken fajitas. I also got a bag of chips and salsa to go. I ate half of the fajitas and Karen ate half. I ate what I considered to be a half bowl of chips. I checked the charts at livestrong.com before I decided to order this. It would put me at the high end of my daily allowed calories but it would not put me over. I really thought it was a fine meal. I also decided that as tired as I felt and at the end of a long week missing one night of exercise would be okay so I did not do anything that night.
WRONG
Saturday morning I weighed 260 lbs! There was something in that meal that didn't agree with my metabolism. Also choosing to not exercise on my highest caloric and fat gram day of the week in hindsight was just plain stupid on my part. It was a struggle to get those pounds back off. Monday morning I was at 258.2 which was still .2 higher than I was last Wednesday. I was faced with the prospect of my first week of no weight loss. I am mentally prepared for a week like that by the way and I will not let it discourage me but I am not ready for it. I ate my regular healthy routine Monday and Tuesday and did 15 minutes each night on the jogging trampoline. This morning I weighed in at an even 256.0 pounds. Somehow I did obtain my weekly goal of a 2 pound weight loss.
Friday I have the story of how the single most embarrassing incident of my adolescent life turned into a pretty special moment.
I'm off and pedaling for now.
Monday, October 5, 2009
The Haunted House
I believe all kids are fascinated by "The Haunted House." I really feel that every kid wants to go to a haunted house. If you don't have a haunted house in your neighborhood you pretend that you do. That's what the kids in my neighborhood did growing up. We had a vacant house that we considered haunted and made several field trips to until one evening something happened that scared us all so bad we never went back there.
The house was on the far northwestern border of our neighborhood. We would go to Pat and Kathy Roche's house and walk through the back yard. We then crossed the field and headed west. It set back about 100 yards off Belt Line. It was a large, old, vacant, and dilapidated house. The doors were open so we could go in any time we wanted to. I went inside that house a few times during daylight hours but I would never go there at night. It was spooky and it was frightening. Part of the fear was deep down inside we all knew that our being in that house was wrong and that if we got caught we were in big trouble. The thing that really fascinated me about this house is that it had a storm cellar. It remains to this day the only storm cellar I have ever seen. It was much like the one in the Wizard of Oz. It was next to the house and it had a trap door that covered it. The door was hinged at the top and required lifting up from the bottom to open it. It was full of trash and was very scary to go down into. That storm cellar gave me the creeps.
One day we were thrown a weird curve ball. Someone had cleaned out the storm cellar. It had a little ledge inside and there was even a mattress on it. This freaked us all out. We decided we had to find out who did that and what was going on in there. We decided to make a field trip out to the place and check it out. We went around dusk and there was still a small amount of daylight left. About half of the kids in our group were there but I really can't say exactly who was there and who wasn't there that night. I do know my brother Dave was not there. Our leader David Skaggs was there and he led the way. There was comfort in knowing David was in charge. We tried to make our way silently towards the house and as is the case with a group of kids silence was next to impossible. I have a clear recollection though of the closer we got David Skaggs telling us over and over to be quiet. David made it to about five feet from the storm cellar door. Mike Skaggs was a few feet behind his brother and Jimmy Cox and I were a few feet behind them. We had actually arrived at our planned destination. We just had no idea what to do next. That decision was made easy for us. There was a sudden creak coming from the cellar door and we could all see that the door was starting to raise. It took about 6 inches of raising for us all to reach the same conclusion and that was we needed to TURN AROUND AND RUN FOR OUR LIVES. Seeing who was down there was no longer our mission as survival was our new goal. Our leader David left nothing but a cloud of dust for us to follow and follow it we did. I had never in my life felt as much sheer terror. I could picture Dracula turning into a bat and flying after me just before the Wolf Man jumped on my back. But somehow we all survived. We ran as a group to the Skagg's house and just trembled with fear for about 30 minutes until we could catch our breath and calm down. We came to a realization that night. We decided that playing records with the girls was a much better way to spend our time. None of us ever went to that house again.
I'm back Wednesday with the weigh in...off and pedaling for now.
The house was on the far northwestern border of our neighborhood. We would go to Pat and Kathy Roche's house and walk through the back yard. We then crossed the field and headed west. It set back about 100 yards off Belt Line. It was a large, old, vacant, and dilapidated house. The doors were open so we could go in any time we wanted to. I went inside that house a few times during daylight hours but I would never go there at night. It was spooky and it was frightening. Part of the fear was deep down inside we all knew that our being in that house was wrong and that if we got caught we were in big trouble. The thing that really fascinated me about this house is that it had a storm cellar. It remains to this day the only storm cellar I have ever seen. It was much like the one in the Wizard of Oz. It was next to the house and it had a trap door that covered it. The door was hinged at the top and required lifting up from the bottom to open it. It was full of trash and was very scary to go down into. That storm cellar gave me the creeps.
One day we were thrown a weird curve ball. Someone had cleaned out the storm cellar. It had a little ledge inside and there was even a mattress on it. This freaked us all out. We decided we had to find out who did that and what was going on in there. We decided to make a field trip out to the place and check it out. We went around dusk and there was still a small amount of daylight left. About half of the kids in our group were there but I really can't say exactly who was there and who wasn't there that night. I do know my brother Dave was not there. Our leader David Skaggs was there and he led the way. There was comfort in knowing David was in charge. We tried to make our way silently towards the house and as is the case with a group of kids silence was next to impossible. I have a clear recollection though of the closer we got David Skaggs telling us over and over to be quiet. David made it to about five feet from the storm cellar door. Mike Skaggs was a few feet behind his brother and Jimmy Cox and I were a few feet behind them. We had actually arrived at our planned destination. We just had no idea what to do next. That decision was made easy for us. There was a sudden creak coming from the cellar door and we could all see that the door was starting to raise. It took about 6 inches of raising for us all to reach the same conclusion and that was we needed to TURN AROUND AND RUN FOR OUR LIVES. Seeing who was down there was no longer our mission as survival was our new goal. Our leader David left nothing but a cloud of dust for us to follow and follow it we did. I had never in my life felt as much sheer terror. I could picture Dracula turning into a bat and flying after me just before the Wolf Man jumped on my back. But somehow we all survived. We ran as a group to the Skagg's house and just trembled with fear for about 30 minutes until we could catch our breath and calm down. We came to a realization that night. We decided that playing records with the girls was a much better way to spend our time. None of us ever went to that house again.
I'm back Wednesday with the weigh in...off and pedaling for now.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
We were also Goonies
I love watching movies with my Granddaughter Madi. What is really special is when I introduce her to a favorite from my past that becomes a favorite of hers. A prime example of that is "Abbott & Costellos's Jack and the Beanstalk". We have watched it a hundred times and can still watch it today and find new things to laugh at in this movie. Two weeks ago I bought her "The Goonies". I remember watching it with my girls and that they absolutely loved that movie. It has now become a favorite of Madi's. The movie is about a neighborhood of kids on an adventure together. There is the older cool teen brother and his love interest. There is the younger brother with asthma. He is an optimist and a tireless worker who never gives up on anything. There are the rest of the neighborhood kids. One is a brainiac inventor, one is a wisenhiemer smart mouth, one is an eating machine. There is a younger girl that was more mature than the younger guys her age. None of the younger guys see as attractive yet but by the end of the movie you see her and her main nemesis, the smart mouth kid, share a "moment". First spark of puppy love perhaps. They were all different but they all were pieces of the puzzle that made up the neighborhood and together they were something special. They called themselves "The Goonies".
Reflecting on that movie led me to compare them to my childhood neighborhood and I came to the conclusion that we had this core group of kids that were also Goonies.
I grew up in a neighborhood with houses full of kids. We all knew each other. We all played together. Some years the kid next door was your best friend, some years it was the kid on the next street, and the next year those two were best friends and you found someone else to be your best friend. It was all good in the end because we were all pieces of the same pie. We lived in the middle of Williamsburg street. My Goonie story starts with my brother Dave. He is two years older than me. Dave was my first playmate and my first best friend. Others come and others go but Dave and I will always have each other. Dave was very smart and he was the one who had a way with the ladies.Two houses to the left lived David and Mike Skaggs. David was about 5 years older than me , the oldest kid on the block, and was every one's hero. For little boys the biggest, strongest, and fastest kid on the block is revered. He was funny and he was so cool. He never bullied us and in fact he was just one of the guys. But he was the leader, no doubt about that. His little brother Mike was my first playmate outside of my brother. He was a year older than me. Smallish kid and very funny. Mike was a mechanical whiz. Next door on the other side was Kenneth Johnson. He was Dave's age. His parents were older and a little more strict than everyone else's parents. Kenneth was kind of nerdish but in a good way. He taught me the joy of roller skating. Kenneth had an older brother David and he always scared me. He was the same age as David Skaggs but I considered him more bully than buddy. That is probably not fair to David because he was not a bad guy. Around the corner one way was Jimmy Cox. Jimmy was Dave's age. I was terrified of Jimmy until the third grade and then we found out that we shared two things. We both loved to sing and we both loved to laugh. Jimmy and I became inseparable for many years and stayed close until he graduated high school and moved away. Around the corner the other way was Pat Roche. He was Dave's age and just a great guy. Pat was always calm and laid back and he loved to laugh. He also could run like a deer. Mark Stephens became a part of the group when I was in maybe the 4th or 5th grade. He was an outsider who showed up on his bike one day and through overall general coolness and a passionate love for The Beatles was an instant fit in the core group. The last Goonie was Roger Buchanan. Roger was Dave's age. He lived around the block from us and in fact our back yards butted up to each other. I really didn't get to know Roger until I was in the 4th or 5th grade but his easy going nature made him fun to be around.
And then there were the girls. There was Pat's sister Kathy. She was a year older than me. She was also calm natured and was definitely the sweetest girl on the block. The girls on the hill were the McCollough sisters. There were two that were much older. Shirley was the oldest and she was 6-7 years older than me. Barbara was a year or two younger than Shirley. Barbara was gorgeous and she was David Skaggs first girl friend. Way to go David!. Wanda McCollough was Dave and Pat's age. She was a fiesty red head and was Pat Roche's first love interest. The youngest McCullough girl Mary Nell was a year older than me. She was definitely the fem fetale of the bunch. She was a pretty blonde and was Dave's first offical steady girl friend that I recall. She may have been everyone's first girl friend except mine although I'm not sure of that. She kind of went through the whole group. Although they were younger and not really a part of the core group I have to include my two younger sisters. Betty Ann was 4 years younger and Dinah was 8 years younger than me. They had their own group of Goonie friends ( The Glover kids, Dotson kids, etc) but they were all much younger than I was so I have not included them in my list.
There were a few other kids on the outer boundaries of the neighborhood that we interacted with as well. There was Neil, Betsy, and Patsy Farris on Luke Street. On Jamestown there was Vance, Denise and Stephen Galimore and Charlie Rucker. On Roanoke street were Charles Cox and Karen BeKnight. I am sure that there a couple of kids that I am forgetting and I apologize to the world if I left a name off that obviously belongs here.
Note one recurring item here and that is in our core group EVERYONE WAS OLDER THAN ME. Being the youngest presented challenges. I was kind of a goof ball. I was not as active romantically with the girls as the other guys. I wanted to be the funny one and sometimes I was, sometimes I wasn't. I consider this neither good nor bad. It is just the way it was.
I have some neighborhood adventures I intend to share from time to time but today I just want to introduce the cast. To summarize the main characters :
Rick Holland... youngest and part time village idiot
Dave Holland... Rick's brother. Part boy genius, part boy Casanova
Betty Ann and Dinah...Rick and Daves younger sisters
David Skaggs... Oldest and coolest
Mike Skaggs.... Funny little guy, great mechanically.
Jimmy Cox.... Rick's best friend
Kenneth Johnson... Artistic one of the bunch
David Johnson... Kenneth's older brother
Pat Roche... Mr Laid back
Mark Stephens... Joined group as we were pre teens but was instant fit.
Roger Buchanan ... He had the most easy going nature of the whole group.
Kathy Roche, Mary Nell McCollough, Wanda McCollough, Shirley McCollough, Barbara McCollough... the girls on the hill and love interests to the above listed males.
Monday...The Story of the Haunted House...I'm off and pedaling for now.
Reflecting on that movie led me to compare them to my childhood neighborhood and I came to the conclusion that we had this core group of kids that were also Goonies.
I grew up in a neighborhood with houses full of kids. We all knew each other. We all played together. Some years the kid next door was your best friend, some years it was the kid on the next street, and the next year those two were best friends and you found someone else to be your best friend. It was all good in the end because we were all pieces of the same pie. We lived in the middle of Williamsburg street. My Goonie story starts with my brother Dave. He is two years older than me. Dave was my first playmate and my first best friend. Others come and others go but Dave and I will always have each other. Dave was very smart and he was the one who had a way with the ladies.Two houses to the left lived David and Mike Skaggs. David was about 5 years older than me , the oldest kid on the block, and was every one's hero. For little boys the biggest, strongest, and fastest kid on the block is revered. He was funny and he was so cool. He never bullied us and in fact he was just one of the guys. But he was the leader, no doubt about that. His little brother Mike was my first playmate outside of my brother. He was a year older than me. Smallish kid and very funny. Mike was a mechanical whiz. Next door on the other side was Kenneth Johnson. He was Dave's age. His parents were older and a little more strict than everyone else's parents. Kenneth was kind of nerdish but in a good way. He taught me the joy of roller skating. Kenneth had an older brother David and he always scared me. He was the same age as David Skaggs but I considered him more bully than buddy. That is probably not fair to David because he was not a bad guy. Around the corner one way was Jimmy Cox. Jimmy was Dave's age. I was terrified of Jimmy until the third grade and then we found out that we shared two things. We both loved to sing and we both loved to laugh. Jimmy and I became inseparable for many years and stayed close until he graduated high school and moved away. Around the corner the other way was Pat Roche. He was Dave's age and just a great guy. Pat was always calm and laid back and he loved to laugh. He also could run like a deer. Mark Stephens became a part of the group when I was in maybe the 4th or 5th grade. He was an outsider who showed up on his bike one day and through overall general coolness and a passionate love for The Beatles was an instant fit in the core group. The last Goonie was Roger Buchanan. Roger was Dave's age. He lived around the block from us and in fact our back yards butted up to each other. I really didn't get to know Roger until I was in the 4th or 5th grade but his easy going nature made him fun to be around.
And then there were the girls. There was Pat's sister Kathy. She was a year older than me. She was also calm natured and was definitely the sweetest girl on the block. The girls on the hill were the McCollough sisters. There were two that were much older. Shirley was the oldest and she was 6-7 years older than me. Barbara was a year or two younger than Shirley. Barbara was gorgeous and she was David Skaggs first girl friend. Way to go David!. Wanda McCollough was Dave and Pat's age. She was a fiesty red head and was Pat Roche's first love interest. The youngest McCullough girl Mary Nell was a year older than me. She was definitely the fem fetale of the bunch. She was a pretty blonde and was Dave's first offical steady girl friend that I recall. She may have been everyone's first girl friend except mine although I'm not sure of that. She kind of went through the whole group. Although they were younger and not really a part of the core group I have to include my two younger sisters. Betty Ann was 4 years younger and Dinah was 8 years younger than me. They had their own group of Goonie friends ( The Glover kids, Dotson kids, etc) but they were all much younger than I was so I have not included them in my list.
There were a few other kids on the outer boundaries of the neighborhood that we interacted with as well. There was Neil, Betsy, and Patsy Farris on Luke Street. On Jamestown there was Vance, Denise and Stephen Galimore and Charlie Rucker. On Roanoke street were Charles Cox and Karen BeKnight. I am sure that there a couple of kids that I am forgetting and I apologize to the world if I left a name off that obviously belongs here.
Note one recurring item here and that is in our core group EVERYONE WAS OLDER THAN ME. Being the youngest presented challenges. I was kind of a goof ball. I was not as active romantically with the girls as the other guys. I wanted to be the funny one and sometimes I was, sometimes I wasn't. I consider this neither good nor bad. It is just the way it was.
I have some neighborhood adventures I intend to share from time to time but today I just want to introduce the cast. To summarize the main characters :
Rick Holland... youngest and part time village idiot
Dave Holland... Rick's brother. Part boy genius, part boy Casanova
Betty Ann and Dinah...Rick and Daves younger sisters
David Skaggs... Oldest and coolest
Mike Skaggs.... Funny little guy, great mechanically.
Jimmy Cox.... Rick's best friend
Kenneth Johnson... Artistic one of the bunch
David Johnson... Kenneth's older brother
Pat Roche... Mr Laid back
Mark Stephens... Joined group as we were pre teens but was instant fit.
Roger Buchanan ... He had the most easy going nature of the whole group.
Kathy Roche, Mary Nell McCollough, Wanda McCollough, Shirley McCollough, Barbara McCollough... the girls on the hill and love interests to the above listed males.
Monday...The Story of the Haunted House...I'm off and pedaling for now.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)