My First Ticket Goes to Todd!

I developed my own skill at generating traffic tickets after I got my driver's license. However, the first ticket I got for driving went to my friend, Todd Grimm.

Todd had a sweet, old 1964 Ford Fairlane that he restored to better than original condition. It had a really cool 8-track player that looked like it would eventually be something stock in Star Trek days! 

Todd went with me to a family barbecue at Bonney Lake when I was fourteen or fifteen years old. He took the car to a remote road and let me drive her! 

Remembering Dad: The Day May Got Him

Dad loved his family and his friends. He would go out of his way to help them on a moment’s notice. He also loved practical jokes and Sears, and May took advantage of all that this day.

May showed up at the office unexpectedly one day. She was always welcome, but this day she seemed to have a reason. She appeared agitated, so Dad invited her into his office to vent a bit.

"I’m so upset with Sears," she told him.

He assured her that Sears always makes good on any customer complaint, and always honors its warranties.

You Don't Know Me Better than I Know Myself

Whether you are a friend who has smoked pot and bullshitted with me for a couple of decades, or a cousin who has known me for sixty-five years but hung out with me about ten times over that span, you don't know me better than I know myself. Neither do my siblings and other relatives, my longtime friends, or even you know me better than I know myself.

I am nowhere near perfect, and I am aware of more flaws in myself than you are. However, I am always willing to listen to another person's opinion about a behavior of mine that bothers them. That does not mean that I will change that behavior for them. Sometimes, it is better for me to explain why I do that or did that, and, if they cannot accept my reasoning, move on from the relationship. Such is the case in the relationships with my friend and my cousin.

You Hold Him Down; I'll Tie It To Him

Dave and I go back many years. There were thousands of times of getting stoned, playing darts, and having a drink or two. However, there were two nights that were memorable because instead of being stoned on pot, we were taking hallucinogens.

Dean and Bob joined us on the mushroom adventure. We went to the new Stadium Bowl that got washed away. We got what we needed and got out of there so we wouldn't get caught with our haul. It was off to J Street where we added 'shrooms to some cheap frozen pizza and made some terrible tasting tea. We weren't after the taste, and soon we were tripping.

Beating Coley in Whiffle Ball

My first friend in Tacoma was Chris Coley. He and his family lived next door to the house my family moved into when I was four years old. He and I were never best friends. It was more like he was the big guy next door who let me hang out, and I was probably a bit like the little brother who he permitted to hang out when older kids were not around.

I was really small as a child. Chris was not only a year older than me, he was also a three-sport varsity athlete. My second friend in town, Todd Grimm, was two years older than me. The three of us created imaginary baseball and basketball leagues that we played with cards and table games. I could compete with them when the game was won by pulling the lever in Basket, or flipping a home run card that came in a pack of baseball cards. 

We also really played sports. Though I could never beat Chris or Todd in those games, they still let me play. Todd was a year older than Chris, but Chris was the best athlete of the three of us. He was also the most ferocious of the three of us. We all wanted to win, but Chris hated to lose. 

Ms. Woodstock: An Apathon Legend

Her name was Tauni Stone, but we all knew her as Ms. Woodstock on the Seattle Apathons bulletin board. She took the name because she lived in upper-New York, not too far from Max Yasgur's farm where the famous concert took place. It was an appropriate name for her. She related well to the hippie movement, even if she really was a bit too young to have participated. That was the case for most of us Apathons.

She was open about her battle with multiple sclerosis. She and fellow Apathon, Alizarinred, taught many of us about the struggles posed by the disease through their regular chats about the topic. They talked about the side effects of some of the medications and the pain they suffered on the bad days. They talked of trying to lead normal lives, but we all saw them as extraordinary people.

The Fishing Trip (A Final Version): Dedicated to Chas Henderson

My friend asks me if I’m ready to go, but I’m mixed about making the trip. 

Most people don’t even know I exist to care if I go, but those who know me are giving me mixed signals. I tell him that I am ready, but that I need a moment to make sure it’s really okay with everybody. “People tell me they are okay with me going fishing, but I suspect they really are not.”

Movie Review: The Unkindness of Ravens

After a chance encounter on the internet, I have been following Lawrie Brewster and Sarah Daly since about the time they released their first film, "White Out." Some might say it's a story about climate change. I would say it is an exploration into the degradation of the human spirit and soul in an apocalyptic setting. It's available to stream if you want to see for yourself.

Hutch’s Super Bowl 50 Party

There are those people in our lives who we meet during our childhood, and who remain in our lives despite separation as our lives take different courses. Among those people, there is one who will rise above the others, not because we are so alike, but because the love for one another is powerful enough to overcome distances and differences.

Hutch is that person to me.

In Memory of Dick Jordan

My daughters think I’m a terrific dad. I know this because they tell me so.

This wasn’t an accident. It was learned.

One of my teachers was a man I met when I coached his daughter’s little league softball team. His name was Dick Jordan. Dick died Tuesday.

Is It Measure Once?

There are three types of calls I do not like receiving. One is from a telephone solicitor, another is from someone wanting a ride to the airport at 5 in the morning, and the third is from someone who does not own a pick up or van wanting help moving something that will not fit into his or her car.

Of the three, I usually prefer the telephone solicitor.

My buddy Donnie called me with a unique approach. He asked, "Can you help me get a storm door for my mom's house, or do you want to loan me your van?"

Dana Was Never Late

Dana was never late. If he was not on time, he was early, but let me digress a bit.

Though we had known each other for some time in junior high school, it wasn’t until high school that we became friends. I would pick up Blaine and Hazel each morning before school. When Dana wrecked his old Cougar in spectacular fashion, he accepted my offer to pick him up, also. This went on for some time until he got a Volkswagen rebuilt and began driving himself again.

Dana was grateful for the rides, and we were friends from then until the day he died in September 2006.