Ladies and Gentlemen, Blood Sugar Sex Magik...

 The year is 1991. I'm a Sophomore at Freemont High School in Sunnyvale California, living with my Father and my Aunt in a little, but comfortable house in the… well, shadier side of town. Surrounded by Graffiti, Gangs, Drugs and Violence. I again choose to find my escapes in Music. I'm into lot's of bands now, Nine Inch Nails, Jane's Addiction, Ministry, Body Count, Cypress Hill, DJ Quick, NWA, Suicidal Tendencies, Primus, Metallica and a laundry list of others. I had recently gone to the first Lollapalooza Tour that summer at Shoreline Amphitheater and it expanded my mind! I was beginning to attend allot of shows. The Grateful Dead, Metallica, Warrant, Trixter and Firehouse… hahaha, yeah that was a time! I went to a few indi Punk shows at The Cactus Club, One Step Beyond and the Gilman Street Project, where Tim Armstrong saved my life one night… but that's a totally different story for another day. Yea, I was enjoying allot of freedoms around the bay from the age of 14 on… But one thing had been escaping me! Seeing the Red Hot Chili Peppers LIVE!

 Lemme take a step back real quick. In the summer of 1990, I spent some time working in my Grandfathers Automotive Wrecking Yard, cleaning, picking up bolts, aluminum cans, radiators and condensers, coil motors and other things I was shown to find. It was pretty fun, it was also how I earned the money to pay for my school clothes and other things that I wanted or needed. Like Skateboard decks, trucks, wheels, magazines, candy… drugs, yea… I know, I was just a kid, but if you remember back to my last entry. I was a kid who was now into Pot and well, it ain't free. Cheap… but not free. So anyhow, I decided to set aside some money for a new Sony DiskMan. My walkman had seen better days and finally gave out, so I was relying on my boom box to get me through. CD's were a new and fascinating technology that I had only just gotten a chance to slightly check out. During my Freshman year at Clovis West High School, some of the more "Well to Do" kids had gotten CD Players and CD's for Christmas, so as any other Teen would be, I was jealous and wanted one too. But, I wasn't going to steal one, I was going to earn it. And I did! I purchased a Sony Diskman, with a Cary bag and two CD's… The epic, "Ritual De Lo Habitual" by Jane's Addiction and "Pretty Hate Machine" by Nine Inch Nails. To this day, I can recite every lyric, verbatim from both of those albums because I listened to them so much. I still have them, to this day! Hahahaha! Just last night my Wife made mention that I still have the clothes I owned back then too… hahahaha! Well, I do! Nearly every concert T-Shirt I ever purchased hangs in my closet. With the exception of the ones stollen by ex-girlfriends and borrowed by friends. Hell, one of my friends OD'd in one of my Marilyn Manson T-Shirts some few years later, but that too is another story for another day.

 So back to the story at hand, it's September 1991, I'm a Sophomore, my Favorite Band is the Red Hot Chili Peppers, who I have yet to see live and their "Hugely Anticipated" NEW Album is about to be released! But I don't have a dollar to my name except for the $5.00 my Dad gives me every morning to buy Lunch and a pack of smokes… Yea, I know 15 year old kids shouldn't be smoking either, but I've been a pack a day smoker for the last two years, most things in my life suck and wasn't a damn thing gonna change, so yea… My Dad covered my habit. I mean, what could he do? Everyone else in the house smoked and their were packs laying around everywhere. Well anyhow. So I'm broke, but my buddy Richard that smokes me out all the time and sells me dime bags is needing help selling off his most recent ounce of Bud. I'm like Bro, I can move some quick! What would be my cut if I did? He says, "I'll give you a quarter right now, you bring me back $60.00 bucks on Friday at lunch, over at Jakes." well, it's monday morning and we are on the city bus to school. So I'm like, "F' Yeah, let's do it!" Now, something I hadn't talked about earlier was that I finished out the Second Semester of my Freshman year at Homestead High School. I wanted to go to school with all of my beloved friends from Cherry Chase Elementary and Sunnyvale Jr. High. But I arrive mid-year to find that everyone had split up and were with new clicks and new friends, I tried like hell to fit in. But ultimately found myself hanging with the Stoners, Punks and Skaters at the 7'11 just down from the school, everyday at lunch. Now, the biggest difference about Homestead and Freemont kids… The Homestead Kids had Money and were fairly naive. I was about to use this to my advantage.

 So now it's Tuesday morning and I'm on the bus, on my way to Freemont… Well, at-least that's what I told my Dad. See I was up most of the night, picking seeds out of the bud I had gotten, fluffing it up and individually bagging it up into little $10.00 sacks. I had made 10 little baggies that looked about a gram each, but if you know weed and math, then you know they were not… But boy did they look good and I was about to go into "Sales Mode" talking about the little red hairs and how good the high was. The bus I was on, the 55 was on it's way to Freemont, but had to stop at the bus depot at the mall, where I would get off and jump on the 22 that would take me over to Homestead, but I had some time to kill before lunch began at Homestead. So I got off around the corner from my Homie Linus' house, where he was already waiting to meet up with me, cause our plan was to go to Mango and smoke some weed.

 Laying on your back on looking up at the sky, talkin' with your Best Friend about life, girls and music can take up quite a bit of time. We just barely made the bus to Homestead in time to hear the Lunch Bell ring and walk over to the 7'11. Where Jim, Rod, Scott, Jason and a few others were already lining up for their daily rations of Chili Cheese Dogs, Big Gulps, Slurpies and Cool Ranch Doritoes. Jim was the first one I talked to, I showed him a couple of sacks that I had and said I needed to move them quick for a friend, I played up the "Red Hairs" and fresh smell, showed him how green it was compared to that "Brown Crap" we had smoked a couple weeks earlier at Rod's house… He agreed and asked how much. I told him I'm supposed to sell them for $15.00 each, but could let him have 3 for $40.00. He was like, "Done deal Bro, gimmy 3 and hit Rod up too… But tell him $20.00 each so you can make back that $5.00." I agreed and went to talk to Rod. Now Rod was notorious for having dirt swag weed, he got it cheap all the time, we used to smoke it… But regretted it cause you ended up with a headache after. When I showed him what I had he flipped out! He picked up one on the spot for $20.00 and said he would get another tomorrow too, or if I wanted to drop by his house after school he had another $20.00 at his house. I agreed to drop by around 4:00. Now, I've already made the $60.00 I owed Richard, with a guaranteed $20.00 coming later that day, got my $5.00 lunch money and I'm about to talk to my boy Jason. I start to walk over to where he is sitting and he stops me in my tracks. "I want the same deal you gave Jim dude…" So, I said cool! Now, if you are doing your math, I've just made $100.00 cash, moved 7 lil' sacks and had another to drop off to Rod later that day. I look over to Linus, "Hey Man, you think Jim will give us a ride to Jake's?" "I dunno, I know he's done with school for the day…" "Hey, Jim! Can you do us a solid Bro, we need a ride back to Freemont before lunch ends, can you hook us up?" "Yea, no sweat… Let's bail."

 We made it back to Jake's Pizza across from Freemont High School with 5min to spare. Linus and Jim chill out front and have a smoke as I head inside. Richard is sitting all the way in the back, eating some stinky ass Parmesan Cheese Fries and talking to Jodi. "Richard, man can I talk to you?" "Sure, what's up?" "Hey man, I got that $60.00 I owe you for those Tickets you got me… Here you go Man!" "No Shit!?!? Dude! Right F'n On!" "Yeah, Man. But hey I gotta bail, I got a couple friends outside and were gonna go to the Mall." "Alright Man, well have a good one and let me know if you would like to work tougher some more, I think it could be a good thing." "Alright Man, I'll see you in class tomorrow, Late." With that I bomb outside to see our Posse has gotten bigger. My Girlfriend Christy was sitting out front wondering why I wasn't in class this morning and if everything was cool. I pulled her off to the side filled her in on the details and she promised to clear my absence the next day. Man I was solid! Jim and Linus come up with the idea to head over to Roundtable at the Mall to hang out till everyone else get's outta school, then we can go over to Rod's… Not to mention, Jim and Linus wanna smoke a bowl on the way to the mall. The plan was set, we put it in motion and we were off!

 By the time we got to the Mall we were all completely blazed. We attacked that salad bar like savages! I knew I had a limited window to go to the music store in the mall, so I left Jim and Linus there to enjoy the all you can eat goodness. I booked ass to the Musicland only to find that "Blood Sugar Sex Magik" came out that very Morning! Call it Fate, call it luck, call it whatever you will… To date, this is the only Album I purchased both on Tape and CD at the same time! Yea, I forked over almost $30.00 right there but I didn't care. I had to have it! I walked back over to the Roundtable looking at the cover art and liner art on the way. If you are familiar with this album and let's face it who isn't? You know that it is littered with Photo's and hand written lyrics. But it was the Photo's that captivated me… All these cool TATTOO'S!!! I had always liked Tattoo's and had even hand poked a couple onto myself by this point, but my love for the art grew even more that day! Linus had already gone and gotten his first tattoo a year earlier, I was envious. So that is what caused me to hand poke a couple easy to hide little ones on myself. So anyhow, I regroup with Jim and Linus and we all jump in the car to head over to Rod's house. I popped the tape into the deck, Jim cranked it up and we were off.

 Side one had not even ended by the time we reached Rod's house, but none of us wanted to leave the car! We had never heard anything like it, never it's equal and we all loved our music! From the Door's to Anthrax, and The Rolling Stones to Ministry, we loved it all. But were completely hooked on what we were listening to. I think "Suck My Kiss" was blasting as we pulled into the driveway at Rod's place. He had been home for a few minutes when we pulled up, and came outside to see why we were still in the car. "Dude, what is this? Sounds Bad Ass!" He get's in the car and we decide to drive around a bit till the first side ended. We popped the tape out when side one ended and agreed to smoke and listen to the second half inside Rod's place. So we pulled back up into the drive way and went inside.

 Now, for me and Linus this album damn near became the soundtrack for everything we did and every where we went for the next two years. It was amazing! "Hey Batter batter, hey batter, hey batter batter… Swing!!!" was like a chant we would echo walking to the store, driving to get smokes with Jackie, whatever we did. Memories so clear I can draw upon them in a moments notice when the music begins. Clearly this is the Chili's biggest commercial success and literally drop kicked them into every living room in the Nation and more likely the World. They grew from being a Semi known, but well loved Funky Ass Party Band to an over night Success! It's no wonder John couldn't handle it. But that was something that I would find out just before my 16th Birthday… Never the less, I made it a point to see them at Lollapalooza that Summer with "Arik Marshall" on Guitar. I finally got my LIVE fix and it blew my mind! It would be quite some years later till I saw them again. But this time with John on guitar and supporting an Album that would become nearly as Epic to me as "Blood Sugar" …"Californication" But that ladies and gentlemen, I will save for another long winded and entertaining entry to my ongoing Saga that is… "My Love for the Red Hot Chili Peppers".

Please Feel Free to enjoy the Entire Album "Blood Sugar Sex Magik" right now...

Peace!

Keep on till you reach the Higher Ground

 Mtv V.J.'s kept me informed on the News, Music, History, Events and pretty much every style and fad that was taking over in the 80's. Swatch Watch, yea... I had nine. Wide laces in my High Top Shoes, yep got that too. What can I say, I loved the 80's! The Fashions, The Music, The Technology... Everything! A proud member of the "Mtv Generation"(I will never embrace Generation X, sounds like a cop-out, sounds like the Generation that fucked it all up! No thanks, not us... no way.) I was hip, hooked on Pepsi and just like in every "Cory and Cory" Movie, I ran through the halls of my school, or wherever I was getting to... just seemed like that's what you did as a kid. Everything was always so important.

 So any how, in continuance of my last BLOG entry, By the Way... I hate "BLOG" makes me want to BLARF. So I like to think of this little thing that I type and post here online as a "E-Log" or perhaps an "iLog", wait can I use that? Does Apple own it? Whatever... Back to my story. So there was this Brand New Red Hot Chili Peppers Video getting ready to show on Mtv!!! I was going absolute Ape Shit! New Song, Meant there was a New Album... Meant there was a New Guitar Player! Damn, that reminded me that Hillel Slovak was dead... Can't think about that now. The New Video is about to begin!!!

http://redhotchilipeppers.com/videos/14-higher-ground

HOLY SHIT!!!

 Not only did they have a new, friggin' AWESOME Guitar Player, but a New BEAST of a Drummer Too!!?!?!?!?!?!?! Oh My God!!! This was like a whole new Band! Alive and Loud kicking ass! I was so stoked that it was coming on I prepared for it by recording it on a VCR, yea not only did I make mix tapes to listen to, I made them of my favorite videos too.

 Now, I'd like you to know that at this time in my life, my only escape from real life was my music. I could go to my room, crank my stereo up and drift away. 1989 was one of the worst years of my young life. Without going into much detail, it went down like this... I broke up with(AKA dumped by) my First Girlfriend, Saw my Priest get sent away from our Church, My Parents Separated only to go through one of the messiest divorces in history, I lost my Faith in God and was informed that we were moving away from Sunnyvale, my School, all of my Friends, everything I knew... To a town called Fresno, that I really had no clue about, except that my Grandparents lived near there in a place called Clovis.

 I first got to watch the "Higher Ground" video on my Grandparents Television in August of 1989, this was a high point for me since here I was living somewhere that I barely knew, had no friends and had to travel miles to find any form of Civilization... if you could call it that. I looked forward to my trips to Long's with my Grandmother to pick up her prescriptions and other things. She could tell I was having separation issues and asked me if I would like t go to the Mall? "With my Grandma?!?!? No offense Grandma, I love you... but I don't know if that's a good idea, I had been going to the Mall in Sunnyvale without my Parents for a couple years already." So she said, "Ok, how bout I drop you off, you can do a little school shopping and have some Lunch." And that is just what she did. She gave me $40.00, dropped me off out front of "Fashion Fair" at 11:00am and came back to pick me up at 3:00pm. It was in the middle of the week and pretty much flooded with Teen's looking to do the same as me... Well, not quite the same as me. I was on a mission, the New Album had come out the week before and I didn't have it yet! But I found it at Sam Goody Musicland, cause "Goody Got It!" I, like most kids my age was well prepared with my Walkman on my hip, I popped the tape in and hit the play button!

 For the next 45min I walked around that Mall, never taking my head phones off... I saw Cute Girls, Stoner Kids, played video games in the arcade and even ducked into a changing room when I needed a little time to cry cause I missed my friends and everything back home. This Album touched every part of my soul and still caries strong emotions for me. To this day I can put it on and drift back to when I was 13 years old, pissed at my Parents, Pissed off at God and struggling with my emotions and the fact that I was growing and changing... Teenage hormones are a bitch! Especially when compounded by the fact that I really had no one to talk to or even just hang out with.

 So after listening the the entire cassette twice through, I took a little break at the food court. I remember tripping out that this Mall had a Burger King inside it! So I ordered a Whopper with Cheese and a Dr. Pepper, my new favorite soda since switching over from Pepsi. So as I sat and ate alone, this kid Seth came over and asked me my name. Rob, I said with a mouth full of burger... "You skate Man?" Of-course, I replied... To this he tells me that he and a few of his friends were gonna go hit the back lot for a session and maybe have a couple smokes. Two of his friends walk over and sit down... Now, these are the first kids I have met since living here and I'm kinda having a hell of a day emotionally, but I decide to go with them and see whats up. You can not believe my relief when we all head out there and we actually skate! What a release!!! I ollied some parking blocks and stalled on some car bumpers(one of my favorite things to do). We had a great time... and then, I got introduced to what was going to become one of my best friends for the rest of my teenage years. Mary-Jane! Man, I had been smoking cigarettes for about a year by this point so when Seth passed me the Joint that his brother had rolled I hit it like a cigarette. Now, I have friends who have told me that the first time they smoked they didn't get High... Well, that's just cause they didn't do it right, cause I got straight up loaded that day! I looked at my watch it was already after 2:30 and my Grandma was coming soon... "Hey guys, I gotta get back to the front of the Mall, my ride is gonna pick me up... you think I could get some weed to take with me?" Seth's like, "You got five bucks?" "Sure", I reply and he hands me a little brown and green nugget of herb(it was hard as a rock I remember, hahaha Brick Weed). I wrap it up in a dollar bill and stuff it in my back pack. Side note, I never went anywhere without my Back Pack, so if you saw me back in the day it was always with me or near by. Kept all my essentials in it. O.P. Wallet, Oakley Frogskin Shades, Sk8 Key, Walk Man, Tapes, Thrasher Magazine and sometimes a Hoodie, but mostly, and I don't know why... every receipt for anything I ever purchased. Like the Sam Goody receipt for the Tape I purchased that day. I had Seth right his name and number on it so I could get ahold of him again, since I didn't even know my Grandparents number yet.

 So there I am, loaded... eyes red as the Devils Dick, sitting out in front of the Fashion Fair Mall with a Gigantic grin on my face. Seth leans over and tells me I should put some sun glasses on cause I look stoned as hell... I laugh, "Dude I am!" We both laugh and I put them on. Just as my Grandmother pulls up. Wow! Life Saver! Hahahahaha! I didn't notice at first that my little Brother and Sister were in the back seat of my Grandma's car. I get in, say Hi to everyone and we drive off. "Did you have a good time?" "Yes, I did! Thank you for dropping me off Grandma. I met some new friends, got some new music and had lunch." "Did you buy some new shorts for school?" she asked... "No, I didn't see any I liked, I don't know the stores here all that well." "Well, we will just have to go to Millers Outpost then. Maybe we will go after your Grandpa get's home." "Cool" I reply as I put my headphones on and listen to "Knock me down" on the car ride home...

 I am now realizing this posting has become more about a day in the life of a Teenager and less about the music. However, This memory is so deeply ingrained in my brain and tied to this Album that to me it's all one and the same. Well anyhow, if I wasn't before, after this day I truly was a Chili Pepper Fan for LIfe!

Skinny Sweaty Man in a Green Suit...

 The year is 1988. It was late May, maybe early June. After saving much birthday and christmas money I ride my bike to The Warehouse on El Camino in Sunnyvale, CA with the sole intention to purchase one thing... The Iron Maiden album, "Seventh Son of a Seventh Son". I had all but worn out my cassette's of "Somewhere in Time" and "Piece of Mind". I needed some New Maiden! I park my bike out front and walk inside. I see it, there it , a Huge Display on the back wall, it had just recently been released and it was epic… I step inside, making my way to the back… But this sound, captivating, mesmerizing, almost subliminal, a song so familiar, I knew every word...


"Fight Like a Brave, Don't be a Slave, No one can tell you, You've got to be a Slave!"


 Wait... where do I know this from? Oh yeah, "The Red Hot Chili Peppers", I had seen this video one night on Mtv. It was so Funky and Alive! I had to know more, had to have it! I asked the clerk what album this song(playing in the store) was from. "You like the Chili's huh? Right on little dude!" He directs me over to the area where their cassettes are, and there it is... "The Uplift Mofo Party Plan" the Album that changed my life forever! I got it and "Freaky Styley" on the spot. I became a Red Hot Chili Pepper fan for Life! It was just weeks later that I read about Hillel Slovak's Death, I was crushed. This band that I had just gotten into and Loved... Could it be over?


 Fast forward... Almost a year later. Mtv special news Flash, "New Red Hot Chili Peppers video to Premier... Stay Tuned." I flipped out! Couldn't wait to see it, hear the new song, learn who joined the band!


TO BE CONTINUED...

Rest in Peace Raymond Daniel Manczarek, Jr.

 I've loved The Doors for quite some time. To be honest, I always enjoyed Jim's words... But, I think it was Ray Manzarek's keyboard/Organ playing that always set them apart for me. The following is from a Facebook post earlier...

 "My first memory of really listening to "The Doors" was in a Van... Being driven by Rick Thompson, my friends Gary and Mike Thompson's Father. "Light my Fire" came on the radio and I asked who it was. Rick asked if I liked it, I was like "very much!" So he turned it up a little. I think the year was 1986 and we were on our way yo San Francisco to spend the day... We used to make many trips like this, but this time really stuck out, cause the song played over and over in my head all day. It was the first time I appreciated his music, sure we always listened to the radio and his music always seemed so old and unlike what I was into at the time... But this time, this time it stuck and it was cool. After that, I started thumbing through my Mom's old records, and grew to appreciate the 60's and 70's... an era I know so little about. Sure I was born in the 70's, but only remember bits and pieces till about 79 and 80. I don't know if it was on that very day that I fell in love with Music... But I do know that ever since then, it has been an integral part of my life's soundtrack."
"Cheers!"


Tell Jim and all the rest, "Hi" and... "See ya when we get there! Peace."

That'll do Mitsui... that'll do.

Until We next return... I bid you a fond, "adieu... a poopie doo, a poopie doo-do-doo..."


Yeah...


.

Married People ...Worship Together!

 It is Awesome!!! You should do it at least 3 to 4 times a week! I mean come on, let's show God we love him people!!! Am I right!?!?! Ok then... Cheers!



That is all, you may now return to your regularly scheduled programs...

-Me.

Been too long...

It has been entirely too long since I last posted on here... So I suppose I will share what is on my heart today.

 I had this "Public Notice" typed out to post on Facebook this morning. Regarding why I removed a former friend of mine from interaction with my Facebook page. I have to say I feel a deep level of relief in doing this. He was a very rude, slanderous and angry man who contributed nothing positive on a daily basis for well over the last few years... Amazingly and to my surprise, he noticed when I removed him from my group of friends. I just figured I would un-friend him and you know, fall away un-noticed. Nope, about 10 minutes after I dropped him, I received a private message asking me rather angrily why I did this... To this I replied, "Because you have nothing positive to say and I have no time for your negativity." This must have really twisted his short curly's because he fired off at me with a barrage of Obscenity and Slander that could only be equaled by a "Tarantino Character" on a Tirade in a film like "Reservoir Dogs". My response was simple, "Well, have fun with that..." And promptly blocked him from messaging me further.

 I decided not to post my "Public Notice" due to the fact that I didn't want it to be the "little stick", with me at the other end stirring the shit. There are a few... ok, many others who would love to chime in and put their sticks in... and beat this subject to a frothy mess. However I felt like I needed to get this off my chest and slapping it here felt like the best alternative. I actually feel better now! Should you like to read the afore mentioned "Notice" it is as follows...


"Public Notice: If you have spent the last year(or more) of your life posting nothing but negativity, anger and slander hidden in cute little cartoons or photoshopped messages. Have shared Nothing Positive or even spoken nicely to your "friends" do not be surprised, send private messages and become angry when you are dropped, then blocked from having contact with me... I have no time for your bullshit. This concludes my involvement with your Facebook drama and this notice. God Bless and I truly pray that you find peace and enlightenment someday."

Have a Great Day Folks and be Good to Each-other!
"Cheers!"

p.s. I would like to keep this person anonymous, so please don't ask who he is. I'm fairly sure some will know right off the bat, but let's not create a thing here. Peace.

American History Part 3

  So, this week I chose an inspirational Hero of mine with a No Fear, Can Do attitude!


Amelia Earhart

 Born on: July 24, 1897 – disappeared July 2, 1937) was an American aviation pioneer and author. Earhart was the first female pilot to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. She received the U.S. Distinguished Flying Cross for this record. She set many other records, wrote best-selling books about her flying experiences and was instrumental in the formation of The Ninety-Nines, an organization for female pilots. Earhart joined the faculty of the Purdue University aviation department in 1935 as a visiting faculty member to counsel women on careers and help inspire others with her love for aviation. She was also a member of the National Woman's Party, and an early supporter of the Equal Rights Amendment.

 During an attempt to make a circumnavigational flight of the globe in 1937 in a Purdue-funded Lockheed Model 10 Electra, Earhart disappeared over the central Pacific Ocean near Howland Island. Fascination with her life, career and disappearance continues to this day.

 An absolute hero and inspiration of mine since a very early age. I first learned of Amelia Earhart in 1984, from a display at my favorite restaurant of the time. My parents used to take me to a restaurant in Morgan Hill called "The Flying Lady". Sunday's with my folks were the best! Dixieland Jazz playing, Great Food and so much to look at and learn, I never wanted to leave! I absolutely loved going here! It was like a time capsule for Aviation, Vintage Cars and pretty much popular culture of the time as-well… It was Huge!!! I remember these hand carved and painted logs, that were turned into W.C. Fields, Judy Garland, Albert Einstein, Groucho Marx and many other Hollywood Celebrities or Prominent Members of American History. It was here that I became fascinated with Aerospace Technology, Flight and defying gravity. I had a few toy planes at home that I immediately disassembled to attempt to figure out how they work… I think without this early fascination, I would have never looked into joining the United States Air Force. I was deeply saddened to hear that the restaurant was closed in 1994. My Dad and I played our last round of Golf their in 1993, shortly before they closed. I remember being a bit bummed that I didn't eat as much as usual that day… I just always thought it would be around.

Lockheed Vega 5B "Old Bessie"

 Amelia grew up a bit of a "Tomboy" with her younger sister who she lovingly called "Pidge". They climbed trees, kept animals, got dirty and just like the Wright Brothers even built planes and gliders to launch off the roof of their barn… to pilot and crash. Unlike the other girls who lived nearby, the girls favored wearing "Bloomers" since they offered more freedom and protection at play. Amelia's fascinations with all things aviation would continue for life and she would approach such interests with unbridled zeal! However, upon her first introduction to an opportunity to take a ride on a plane at the Iowa State Fair, she passed… Stating that the aircraft looked, "a thing of rusty wire and wood and not at all interesting".

 In 1915, after a long search, Earhart's father found work as a clerk at the Great Northern Railway in St. Paul, Minnesota, where Earhart entered Central High School as a junior. Edwin applied for a transfer to Springfield, Missouri, in 1915 but the current claims officer reconsidered his retirement and demanded his job back, leaving the elder Earhart with nowhere to go. Facing another calamitous move, Amy Earhart took her children to Chicago where they lived with friends. Earhart made an unusual condition in the choice of her next schooling; she canvassed nearby high schools in Chicago to find the best science program. She rejected the high school nearest her home when she complained that the chemistry lab was "just like a kitchen sink." She eventually was enrolled in Hyde Park High School but spent a miserable semester where a yearbook caption captured the essence of her unhappiness, "A.E. – the girl in brown who walks alone."

 Fast Forward a bit… In Long Beach, on December 28, 1920, Earhart and her father visited an airfield where Frank Hawks (who later gained fame as an air racer) gave her a ride that would forever change Earhart's life. "By the time I had got two or three hundred feet off the ground," she said, "I knew I had to fly." After that 10-minute flight (that cost her father $10), she immediately became determined to learn to fly. Working at a variety of jobs, including photographer, truck driver, and stenographer at the local telephone company, she managed to save $1,000 for flying lessons.

  Earhart had her first lessons, beginning on January 3, 1921, at Kinner Field near Long Beach, but to reach the airfield Earhart took a bus to the end of the line, then walked four miles (6 km). Earhart's mother also provided part of the $1,000 "stake" against her "better judgement." Her teacher was Anita "Neta" Snook, a pioneer female aviator who used a surplus Curtiss JN-4 "Canuck" for training. Earhart arrived with her father and a singular request, "I want to fly. Will you teach me?"

 Earhart's commitment to flying required her to accept the frequently hard work and rudimentary conditions that accompanied early aviation training. She chose a leather jacket, but aware that other aviators would be judging her, she slept in it for three nights to give the jacket a "worn" look. To complete her image transformation, she also cropped her hair short in the style of other female flyers. Six months later, Earhart purchased a secondhand bright yellow Kinner Airster biplane which she nicknamed "The Canary." On October 22, 1922, Earhart flew the Airster to an altitude of 14,000 feet (4,300m), setting a world record for female pilots. On May 15, 1923, Earhart became the 16th woman to be issued a pilot's license (#6017) by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI).

 It's this level of "Can Do" and "Never Give Up" attitude that first attracted me to Amelia's History. Up till the point when I first began to read about her, everyone of my Hero's had been Men. She changed everything! But it was her 1932 Transatlantic Solo Flight, that sealed the deal!

Earhart and "Old Bessie"1935

 At the age of 34, on the morning of May 20, 1932, Earhart set off from Harbour Grace, Newfoundland with the latest copy of a local newspaper (the dated copy was intended to confirm the date of the flight). She intended to fly to Paris in her single engine Lockheed Vega 5B to emulate Charles Lindbergh's solo flight. Her technical advisor for the flight was famed Norwegian American aviator Bernt Balchen who helped prepare her aircraft. He also played the role of "decoy" for the press as he was ostensibly preparing Earhart's Vega for his own Arctic flight. After a flight lasting 14 hours, 56 minutes during which she contended with strong northerly winds, icy conditions and mechanical problems, Earhart landed in a pasture at Culmore, north of Derry, Northern Ireland. The landing was witnessed by Cecil King and T. Sawyer. When a farm hand asked, "Have you flown far?" Earhart replied, "From America." The site now is the home of a small museum, the Amelia Earhart Centre.

 As the first woman to fly solo nonstop across the Atlantic, Earhart received the Distinguished Flying Cross from Congress, the Cross of Knight of the Legion of Honor from the French Government and the Gold Medal of the National Geographic Society from President Herbert Hoover.

 Amelia made 2 attempts of flight to circumnavigate the globe. The first on St. Patrick's Day, March 17, 1937. This flight was short lived as they only made it to Honolulu, Hawaii a planned stop along the way, but due to technical difficulty, became the destination for this attempt.

Earhart and Noonan May 1937

 While the Electra was being repaired Earhart and Putnam secured additional funds and prepared for a second attempt. This time flying west to east, the second attempt began with an unpublicized flight from Oakland to Miami, Florida, and after arriving there Earhart publicly announced her plans to circumnavigate the globe. The flight's opposite direction was partly the result of changes in global wind and weather patterns along the planned route since the earlier attempt. On this second flight, Fred Noonan was Earhart's only crew member. The pair departed Miami on June 1 and after numerous stops in South America, Africa, the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, arrived at Lae, New Guinea, on June 29, 1937. At this stage about 22,000 miles (35,000 km) of the journey had been completed. The remaining 7,000 miles (11,000 km) would all be over the Pacific.

 On July 2, 1937, midnight GMT, Earhart and Noonan took off from Lae in the heavily loaded Electra. Their intended destination was Howland Island, a flat sliver of land 6,500 ft (2,000 m) long and 1,600 ft (500 m) wide, 10 ft (3 m) high and 2,556 miles (4,113 km) away. Their last known position report was near the Nukumanu Islands, about 800 miles (1,300 km) into the flight. The United States Coast Guard cutter Itasca was on station at Howland, assigned to communicate with Earhart's Lockheed Electra 10E and guide them to the island once they arrived in the vicinity.

Now there is much speculation regarding the crash and location of Earhart and Noonan, since communications became strained and her last transmission was 8:43am on July 2nd. Now this is where things get silly… Various Morse code signals were received over the next 3-5 days from the general vicinity, but nothing could be validated.

 Search efforts began exactly one hour after her last transmission and lasted until July 19, 1937… Four Million dollars were spent in this effort to find the downed aviators, but ultimately proved unsuccessful. The world lost not one but two pioneers in the field of Aviation in July 1937. But it was this Woman who gained the popularity and recognition. She and her adventures captivated the hearts and minds of future thrill seekers, pilots, historians, men, women and children the world over. I can to this day see her "Can Do" attitude in many great Men and Women! Danica Patrick is a great example of this. Her love and passion for Male dominated "Automotive Racing" gained her 2005 Rookie of the year for not only the Indianapolis 500, but the IndyCar Series Season! She recently became the 2012 NASCAR Most Popular Driver, however many attribute that to her stunning beauty and not her driving skills. Only time will tell.

Want to know more about this Amazing Woman?

Find a Library Near You!

Thank you for your time and interest.

"Cheers!"

American History Part 2

 So in continuing with American History Month AKA Black History Month, I have chosen an outstanding American to recognize, on his birthday!

  That's right, our 16th President, Abraham Lincoln.

  Abraham Lincoln was born February 12, 1809, the second child of Thomas Lincoln and Nancy Lincoln, in a one-room log cabin on the Sinking Spring Farm in Hardin County, Kentucky. To understand Lincoln, first you must know his family. Thomas Lincoln, moved to Kentucky at an early age with his family. Shortly after their move to Kentucky from Virginia the family was ambushed by a Native American War Party in 1786. Thomas with his brothers and sisters, watched as their Father(Abraham Lincoln, namesake to the afore mentioned 16th President Abraham Lincoln) was brutally killed defending his family and home. Thomas was left to make his own way on the frontier, and that he did. Thomas bought and sold several farms, including "Knob Creek Farm". Married Nancy Hanks and started a family. The family attended a Separate Baptists church, which had restrictive moral standards and opposed alcohol, dancing, and slavery. Thomas enjoyed considerable status in Kentucky—where he sat on juries, appraised estates, served on country slave patrols, and guarded prisoners. By the time his son Abraham was born, Thomas owned two 600-acre (240 ha) farms, several town lots, livestock, and horses. He was among the richest men in the county. However, in 1816, Thomas lost all of his land in court cases because of faulty property titles.

  The family moved north across the Ohio River to free (i.e., non-slave) territory and made a new start in what was then Perry County but is now Spencer County, Indiana. Lincoln later noted that this move was "partly on account of slavery" but mainly due to land title difficulties. In Indiana, when Lincoln was nine, his mother Nancy died of milk sickness in 1818. After the death of Lincoln's mother, his older sister, Sarah, took charge of caring for him until their father remarried in 1819; Sarah later died in her 20s while giving birth to a stillborn son.

  Sounds like a pretty crappy go of things right? Like the cards were stacked against him and that he may as well just give up... But he never did, never settling for just circumstance or "the way it is" he rose against obstacle after obstacle.

  As a "Pre-Teen" he was considered scrawny and lazy due to the fact he didn't exactly enjoy the hardships of frontier living. However as a Teen and Young Man, he grew into his own, taking on all chores of the home and even giving all earning's he made outside the home to his father until he was 21 years of age(as was customary of the time). Thomas Lincoln's new wife was the widow Sarah Bush Johnston, the mother of three children. Lincoln became very close to his stepmother, and referred to her as "Mother". He attained a reputation for brawn and audacity after a very competitive wrestling match to which he was challenged by the renowned leader of a group of ruffians, "the Clary's Grove boys". As an ambitious 22-year-old, Lincoln decided to seek a better life and struck out on his own. Canoeing down the Sangamon River, Lincoln ended up in the village of New Salem in Sangamon County. In the spring of 1831, hired by New Salem businessman Denton Offutt and accompanied by friends, he took goods by flatboat from New Salem to New Orleans via the Sangamon, Illinois, and Mississippi rivers. After arriving in New Orleans—and witnessing slavery firsthand—he walked back home.

 Now Lincoln was never regarded as a "School Learned" young man, self educated he loved to read. Reading and often re-reading books like The Bible, Aesop's Fables, Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress and Robinson Crusoe. In spite of only having been Self-Educated, Lincoln became a Country Lawyer, a Whig Party leader, Illinois state legislator during the 1830s, and a one-term member of the United States House of Representatives during the 1840s. Not to mention, the 16th President of the United States. Serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. Lincoln successfully led the United States through its greatest constitutional, military, and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union. The Emancipation Proclamation, issued on September 22, 1862, and put into effect on January 1, 1863, declared free the slaves in 10 states not then under Union control. This changed history forever!

  On April 14th at approximately 10:13pm, while attending the play "Our American Cousin" at the Henry Ford Theatre, Lincoln was Assassinated by well-known actor and a Confederate spy from Maryland, John Wilkes Booth. Booth snuck up behind the President as he sat in his state box in the balcony and with a single shot, point blank to the back of Lincoln's head killed our 16th President. Major Henry Rathbone momentarily grappled with Booth, but Booth stabbed him and escaped. After being on the run for 10 days, Booth was tracked down and found on a farm in Virginia, some 70 miles (110 km) south of Washington, D.C. After a brief fight with Union troops, Booth was killed by Sergeant Boston Corbett on April 26.

 Lincoln's story is a fantastic one, and I have barely scratched the surface! Only touching on particular high points. To learn more about this Great American Leader, Father, Husband and Hero, please visit your local library.

FIND A LIBRARY NEAR YOU

"SUPER HERO!!!"

Thank you for your time, please remember to leave a comment if you are so inspired.

"Cheers!"

Black History Month / American History

 I don't think American History should be segregated simply because of the color of someones Skin... Haven't we learned anything from our past? Perhaps it's the "Separation and Segregation" of such histories that continue to divide this Nation.

 That being said, each Monday of this month I will choose to Spotlight an American History maker, regardless of their Skin Color, Sex or Choice of Religion.

This Monday, er Today.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 I have chosen, George Washington Carver.

 George Washington Carver was an American Scientist, Botanist, Educator, and Inventor. 

 Carver's reputation is based on his research into and promotion of alternative crops to cotton, such as peanuts, soybeans and sweet potatoes, which also aided nutrition for farm families. He wanted poor farmers to grow alternative crops both as a source of their own food and as a source of other products to improve their quality of life. The most popular of his 44 practical bulletins for farmers contained 105 food recipes using peanuts. He also developed and promoted about 100 products made from peanuts that were useful for the house and farm, including cosmetics, dyes, paints, plastics, gasoline, and nitroglycerin. He received numerous honors for his work, including the Spingarn Medal of the NAACP.

Hard at Work.

 I have a personal soft spot for this mans work... I LOVE Peanut Butter! It's Peanut Butter that caused me to have an interest in this American and his work. I think it was in 3rd Grade when I first started reading books about his life's work. I have always had a particular interest in Science and during this time in my life I would read book after book of Scientists and their contributions to the World. Marie Curie, Albert Einstein, Sir Isaac Newton, Eva Ekeblad, Antoine Lavoisier and many others. I grew up like a sponge soaking it up! Chemistry and Biology were the primary subjects of my study. I loved to create! It's quite possible I would have never shown interest in these fields of Science had I never enjoyed my first "Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich".

 So thank you George Washington Carver and all of your course work, developments, study and innovations at the Tuskegee Institute. One of the smartest men ever! Having first been born into slavery, but bearing no grudge. Instead showing interest in helping his fellow Man and his Country. After the Boll Weevil had done much damage to Cotton all over the South, an alternative crop and mindset was needed. That's where this man, the "Black Leonardo" came in and helped change the world. Thank you Sir!

At The Tuskegee Institute 1902

 "George Washington Carver believed he could have faith both in God and science and integrated them into his life. He testified on many occasions that his faith in Jesus was the only mechanism by which he could effectively pursue and perform the art of science."-Man of science and of God by: Gilmore, Jodie

 Carver viewed faith in Jesus as a means of destroying both barriers of racial disharmony and social stratification. He was as concerned with his students' character development as he was with their intellectual development. He compiled a list of eight cardinal virtues for his students to strive toward:

• Be clean both inside and out.
• Neither look up to the rich nor down on the poor.
• Lose, if need be, without squealing.
• Win without bragging.
• Always be considerate of women, children, and older people.
• Be too brave to lie.
• Be too generous to cheat.
• Take your share of the world and let others take theirs.

 This Man of Great Faith and Science, led the world in a new way of thinking. I'm proud to have him as a Hero and Cultural Icon to look up to. Prior to his death on January 5, 1943, He is quoted as having said:

 "When you do the common things in life in an uncommon way, you will command the attention of the world." -George Washington Carver

Want to know more about this Great American? Start at your Local Library.

"There is no shortcut to Achievement" -George Washington Carver

Thank you for your time.

God is Good!

  So you ever have one of those nights when everything falls into place and you can just tell as it's happening... that God's hand is on it all!?!? Like when one of your very best friends from back in the day calls you out of the blue to see how you are doing, swings by the shop and shares what has been strong on "His" heart for the last year with you... And you know right after that, a Lesbian couple who won a Gift Certificate from a benefit you donated to for an old friend of yours who died recently... show up, and you get to minister to the both of them how good God is, that they are loved and deserve to Love however they feel and that because they all are believers, we are all in one Accord at Solomon's Porch!?!?! Yes, that just happened!

 Ever have a night like that???

 Well I just did! And not to brag or anything, but it was Amazing!!! I can hardly bring myself to even head off to bed right now! Yea... some Faith was re-assured tonight... my own included! You just can't bottle that up! I don't care how many rubber bracelets or cute T-Shirts with nice sayings you rock, that shit can not be denied! When it happen's, it is genuine, good and true! You will either walk it out and live it or stand there like a poser... PRAISE GOD!!!  I AM THE GENUINE ARTICLE, AIN'T NUTHIN' FAKE ABOUT ME AND I AM NOT ABOUT TO CHANGE! Thank you Lord for giving me the words for tonight and the gift of knowledge and ability to share your Scripture with my brothers and sisters! I know you are with me and I know you are with them too!

 If you see me and would like to know more about tonight, or if you see my old friend with me at Church tomorrow night... step up and ask! I'm good with it. But be ready for some truth, not sugar coated or watered down and made easy to digest on Sunday... This is the real deal Son, open books and open hearts right here. Expect nothing less.

Peace.