Monday's Missives

• When I was growing up our phone number was one digit off from the drive in and we constantly got calls about what was showing. One night someone called and asked my dad what was showing. Without missing a beat he said,"Well, we're watching Gunsmoke at our house. It just started, so if you hurry you won't miss much"


• A man I knew who lived through the siege of Khe Sanh after stopping off there while en route to another point died recently from complications of diabetes- seems sad and weird to live through something so epically horrendous and die from what some think of as such an innocuous disease. After a patrol his platoon leader told his guys,"We can either lay up here for tonight since dark is going to catch us and set up an ambush over the trail or we can didi mao across to Khe Sanh get a hot shower and chow and some good sleep and roll out in the morning at first light and head to our rally point." He put it to a vote so of course the ambush idea didn't stand a chance. Tony said they got their shower, chow and a bunk to sleep in and then the rockets started raining down and they didn't stop for a month. Wonder if his children and grandchildren know this story? Anyway, didn't want to let it die. Man, I enjoyed getting to know you buddy- Yolanda misses you terribly and I know your granchildren will as well.





• While not anxious to do so I'm not afraid of dying- not even alone which seems to terrify a lot of people.




• I get very worried when I don't hear from a particular friend for a while although I have plenty of other people who I may also lose contact with for longer periods of time that I just won't be as concerned over.




• An old friend went and auditioned at Lebears strip club (guys do the stripping women do the watching) as a goof with another friend after hearing about it on a radio promo. He was told by the manager,"I like your legs - nice and long, just get a better tan and come back we'd would love to have you dance here." Years later his father identified his body by his tattoos after his corpse was drug up out of Eagle Mountain Lake. It's funny though, after all the really memorable/crazy experiences we had through the years that ridiculous try out which I was not even there for is what I remember most about him.


• Kinda cool video for a really cool song- Metric with their smash hit Gold Guns Girls