Melons Exposed

This is a story of contrasts. Teresa is helping... for scale. One of these watermelons cost $6 while the other cost $3.


I could say, or have Teresa say... "Hey check out my melons." But anyway, which one is $3 and which one is $6?

My Name is Bobby

Yep... well not really. You see it was an alias I took on when I was in Korea. Why? Well at the time I was petrified of having a Korean woman show up at my 1st Sergeant's office talking about how she was pregnant. I was 19, and ummmm somewhat married. So I figured I needed an alter-ego. My first foray in sock puppetry maybe?

So I assumed Bobby. Why Bobby? I think it happened one night after carousing, we were in a taxi, headed to a Korean karaoke joint, and this woman asked me what my name was. I told her Bobby. She laughed, I think because Bob or Bobby in Korean translates into rice... but I can't confirm that.

So we were on our way, and for me it was an incredible experience. I was Bobby, not me, so Bobby could do whatever he liked. Yes I know I was bad, adultery is never a good practice, but I was 19, and pretty much everybody was doing it, I know that doesn't make it right, but it is what it is. I am far enough removed from ever doing anything like that now that I can safely talk about it.

This was way before the stroke or the diabetes, this was living life like there was no tomorrow. It was fast women, drinking, and hard work. We worked so hard, and partied even harder, in fact we were known in the medical outfits as "those crazy drunks" or some other variant. I'm glad it only lasted for one year, I don't know if we would have lived if it lasted longer.


So back to Bobby, he had his own theme song. "Run Around" by Blues Traveler. Why? Because there is a part of the song that says "But you" (1:09) and friends turned that into "Bobby-ahn" which is how the Koreans said my "name".



So that is how I assumed an identity that really wasn't me. Through paranoia, teen-aged stupidity, and peer pressure, I was led astray. Ok I led myself, I'm really not one to to blame others when I can blame myself. "Bobby" had one hell of a time. Going out every night, even when I didn't want to, because if Bobby didn't go out, the women would come to his barracks and make him go out.

Long live Bobby. Though I don't think anyone misses him, or really cares, it was hearing the song "Run Around" that made me write about the whole Bobby thing. I could just smell the kimchee, OB beer, and bulgogi/yakimandu cooking. I think I always will.

Magazine Subscription

So I got the "warning" that my subscription to my magazine is about to expire. I think I started this subscription 5 years or so ago. It is to Esquire. I liked it because they actually printed the word "fuck". Yeah, it was a pretty lame excuse, but at the same time, I figured if they had the balls to do that, than I would likely find other things that I would like in the publication.

And I do, but don't. I subscribed through one of my daughter's fund raising whatevers for school. Or maybe it was a niece or nephew's school. Anyway, I want to like the magazine, but it has nothing for me. Other than using curse words now and again. It has a "style" component that I can not even fathom. Guys really spend thousands of dollars on clothes? Really? I just don't get that. I mean if I didn't have this mortgage, car payment, and a litany of other things (like groceries) to pay for then maybe...

And the magazine seems to have taken a bit of New York bent to it. Not that there is anything wrong with that, but I'm in South Carolina... it just won't work here. I'm not trying to sound like a some kind of "south will rise again" type buffoon, but I wonder if there is a magazine for me, one that will have something about Nascar, something about politics but not overly so, music, some eye candy, and yes the occasional curse word when warranted. But I don't see it, at least from where I looked which really wasn't that much.

So is there a magazine that fits me? Or should I just keep my subscription to Esquire?

The Push Up

Let me break it down...

Here we have the beginning, see how she is balancing on her feet?

Flopped over, she extends with those chunky thighs in to the "push-up" position

Finally we have the look of exasperation, as she realizes, that all of that activity doesn't really do anything. She will crawl, someday, but not today.

Psssst... Hey, Guess What?

Me and my wife took a day for ourselves. We, or rather I took a day off, she pretty much has the summer off. We took the two younger kids to daycare, the teenager we left alone, and we took off for the beach. Yep, no pack & play, no umbrella, no wagon, just two beach chairs, and some towels. Oh to be young again.

That is not to say we don't like to go to the beach with the kids. I'm just saying, it is by far easier to go just us two, than to drag everything with us, like when you have kids.

Ok I was writing this mid-week so I could fill in the blanks later... then the songbird became ill. It never ceases to amaze me. At just about each and every planned event, a kid gets sick. I swear it is a conspiracy. It has to be, what else could explain it? I know the kids aren't making themselves sick, just to spite us, but dang.

Well it turned out we did wind up going to the beach, just the two of us, for just a few hours, and man it was good. Just sitting on the beach, enjoying the sand, surf, and sun. Ah yes, it was good but the kids were waiting fir us when we got back. So it was only for a 2-3 hours jaunt instead of an all day thing, but I'll take it.

Classic Film Friday: Them!

This classic comes out of the 50's. Basically we have run a bunch of atomic tests and surely something must have happened in all those tests right? We have released nature's fury. At least that is what we are lead to believe. This is not officially a "B-movie" but it comes pretty close.

Sgt. Ben Peterson (James Whitmore) is patrolling the desert in New Mexico. He comes across a little girl, walking alone. She won't talk and obviously something has happened. But what? We don't know right away. We do have a sinking suspicion. With thefts of sugar, the tear down of walls, and footprints.

We have a bad ant problem here. What the hell are we going to do? This is cold war/nuclear bomb scare-fest stuff at its greatest... now turned into a campy sort of film that is dated but it still has a message. What that message is... well I'll leave that up to individual viewers.

T-Model Ford: The Ladies Man

T-Model a man that needs no introduction. Ok maybe he does. I have been doing new music, or what music I liked be it rock-n-roll, or folk or rap, or whatever, and I really never journeyed out much. I won't say this is much of a walk but Mr. T-Model sure seems like a trip.

I had to order this CD on Amazon... and this CD is more like a recording of a jam session than anything else. It is raw, real, and has some points with T-Model making some mistakes, and that is ok too. In some cases, maybe we all should take a lesson from that. Maybe things don't need to be so rehearsed. You can hear T-Model going on with others in the band talking about different things, I think this is a jewel, I hope you do too.