Postings of whatever crosses my mind that I perceive to be relevant to the World as I view it... Rational...Irrational... Sane... Insane... Who gets to make that call?? I DO!!!
Although I am not necessarily what I would call a religious individual, I am greatly respectful of the religious views of others... I really am... even though after this post, one is going to think otherwise...
Maybe it's an overload of simply too much 'Walking Dead'...
Maybe not...
I'm just not sure...
Zombie Easter Eggs???
The way my synapses seem to be firing today,
Zombie Jesus would be greatly disappointed...
AUGH!!!!
Oddly enough, this is probably the most disturbing image in this post...
TheBlue Grumpster, who I had known for some time as RCB, is someone whose blog I ran across some time ago... I can't remember if he found my blog, or I his... and it really doesn't matter... but it shows what kind of connections can be made through blogging and the internet. The primary things that he and I have in common is that we are both professors, we greatly enjoy music, and I think we have a great affinity for Life. Grumpster is from the Netherlands... and I've been fortunate enough to have opportunities to travel to that part of the world... I wish the opportunity would have existed to have had the chance to visit with him. I've been doing some work on my family tree/heritage... and on my Dad's side of the family, we have family that originated in and around Amsterdam and Rotterdam. One family member left Amsterdam in the early 1600s bound for New Amsterdam... which would eventually become New York City... I think when one travels, and/or starts to learn about his family heritage... and that we come from places across the world, the world seems to get smaller. As a recipient of the Lovely Blue Blogger Award, I am asked to write about what moves me...
What moves me...???
I enjoy music... I have been hooked on music and guitars ever since I was a pair of red kid's shoes and I first saw the BeaTles on the Ed Sullivan Show WAY back in the dark ages...
I've always been driven to do the best that I could... at anything and everything I try to do. Now, have I always been successful at that? Obviously not... and I try to not get too bogged down by those things that haven't/didn't succeed. I worry that maybe I have failed as a Father... my children have both taken paths that I would rather they not have... should I have been more forceful, and exerted direction for them? Or is it better that I have let them find their ways on their own... for themselves?? On yet another tangent, I worry that I didn't show my parents the respect that they deserved... they are gone now, but I find myself trying to do things, excel at things, that, if they were still alive, might make them proud of me. Workwise, this past year was one of the most satisfying years I've ever experienced. I received the teaching award at the university... I had opportunities to travel to Germany, The Netherlands, and to Belgium.. I gave the commencement address at the December graduation... and I would wonder/worry...
"Would Mom and Dad be proud of me?"
"Would they think that I was successful?"
And yet, I also wonder... does this even matter?
Grumpster wrote that at times, I seem to"have the weight of the entire world on my shoulders..." Is there something that I feel I have to prove to myself? To others??
I've been told that I worry too much...
that is probably true...
Oh well...
I want to travel more... I would love to have the opportunity to go back to Germany and The Netherlands... and try to find out information about my family members that still must be there... and to learn about the histories of those that I have discovered in my efforts.
The Florida Keys are calling me... I had planned to try to travel some over Spring Break, but I got sick a while back... a cold.. that turned to flu... that went to pneumonia... and then I lost my voice. I've been without a viable voice now for about three stupid weeks... I see my ENT again tomorrow. I'm ready to resolve this mess.
I also want/need to get back out to the American South West...
I would also like to dedicate one trip out West to catch up with Route 66 somewhere around Oklahoma City... follow it westward... and photograph some of the great old sites that still remain...
All in all, though, Life is great... I'm thinking that had I not felt so bad for as long as I have, this post might be more up beat, but it is what it is... Thank you, Grumpster... you are a good man despite what all everyone says about you...
(Dink: The sound my phone makes when I receive a text message)
Dink: Do you ever wonder what you will be remembered for? ~shoes~: Hmmmmmmm.... ~shoes~: I will have students that, hopefully, I will run through their minds as having been an influence... ~shoes~: Other than that... and my kids... probably not much. ~shoes~: I've noticed that two years after colleagues have died or retired at work, there isn't a footprint that they've left behind. ~shoes~: A friend of mine... an artist... that did all of that great work during his life time... his kids are having to give his work away... ~shoes~: *Shrugs* ~shoes~: Why do you ask? Dink: Yeah... that's what you said... Dink: I'm going to leave a footprint... Dink: I was just wondering... ~shoes~: What's it going to be? Dink: I don't know...
Turner Classic Movies ran 'The Big Chill' last night... it was on shortly after the above text exchange... If you are familiar with the movie, a group of friends are coming together to attend the funeral of Alex, one of their group from college days. Over the days... from the funeral until they all return to their 'normal' lives, you learn of the heart aches, pains, failures, and missed opportunities that they had suffered. The cast of the movie is unbelievably GREAT! William Hurt is astounding in playing his character. Superbly understated...
The focal point of the movie is Alex... and he never appears. He is the deceased... he committed suicide. I think that it is interesting that Alex's girlfriend is present... and during the course of the movie, it is evident that the Alex she knew is different from the Alex they remember... Alex was orginally played by Kevin Costner, but in a moment of sheer genius, the director decided to cut ALL of Costner's scenes... leaving Alex to be as much of an enigma as possible...
Sooo...
What will your footprint be?
Neil Armstrong left his imprint,
yet some idiot in the news announced that
astronaut, Neil Young had died
Will you be remembered?
Will your time alive have made any difference??
Does it matter???
Why is it that I have become infatuated with a Grand Mother that I never knew??
Is it possible for someone who is no longer alive
to impact the life of someone born long after she died?
I've got too many questions for a Sunday afternoon...
(Dink - sound my phone makes when it receives a text message)
Dink: I'm behind a guy at Walgreen's that has four boxes of condoms... Dink: Big boxes.... and he's not young.
~shoes~: Har!!! ~shoes~: I dare you to ask him if he's planning a party... ~shoes~: Are they magnums??? Dink: No way I'm asking him that! LMBO!
Dink: Ultra-ribbed... ~shoes~: Ask him if the ribs are for his pleasure... ~shoes~: Ask him why he isn't bare-backing that beeyatch... Dink: Oh my gosh, NO!! ~shoes~: Ask him if he's buying that quantity and is just hoping to get lucky... ~shoes~: Maybe he's gonna use them for party favors... Dink: Or balloons...
~shoes~: Yup... ~shoes~: Did you ask?? Dink: No sir... ~shoes~: Chicken... ~shoes~: Har!!! ~shoes~: Ask him if he needs some lube...
Dink: Augh! ~shoes~: Is that a 'No?' Dink: That was a 'No'... ~shoes~: Chicken... Dink: Maybe... I'm eating raspberry jello... and it's really good. ~shoes~: That's amazing... ~shoes~: I just read through the text log... ~shoes~: The conversation goes from condoms to raspberry jello...
