Senior Superlatives Revisited

Let me say it up front, I have no objection to the Senior Superlatives as they appear in the yearbook. In fact, some of my favorite people are in the bunch --- Brenda, Kaye, Donna Kyker, Doris, Sylvia, and Bo. It's just that this is where I show my ignorance on some of this stuff.

How were they chosen? I'm assuming we voted for them but I don't remember. How were they nominated? Did we nominate different people for each selection or were they nominated for us (as in the office telling us "Here's the only people you can vote for")? I am assuming grades were considered, which explains why I didn't make any of the ballots. :)

What if we were to vote on some of them now, like:

Best Looking, or the ones to look least their age.
Most Successful. Actually I think we have all achieved this one in some ways, each in our own little way.
Most Dependable, and no, I'm not going to crack a Depends joke, but the temptation sure is there. :)
Most Athletic, or the ones who can run the farthest without gasping for breath.

And some new ones:

Most Grandkids.
Earliest to Retire.
Most Wrinkles.
Most Natural Teeth.
Least Amount of Grey.

Surely I qualify for that wrinkles thing, and yes, I deliberately left off "Biggest Difference in Weight Now Versus Weight Then". I got that one in the bag!

Merry Christmas to My Home Town

I love Christmas, always have and always will. I don't care for the commercialization of it, or the Political Correctness side of it, but I usually ignore those. I like the warmth of the festivities and the Church services and people actually seeming like they're going out of their way to be nice to one another. Okay, so I'm a dreamer. I'm George Bailey running down the middle of my own Bedford Falls, but that is me.

At one time I thought I had every reason not to like it. One year my grandfather died on the 22nd and was buried on the 26th and there was more than a handful of years when I was a kid that Christmas was something someone else got to enjoy, and in the AF at times I was half a world away from my family --- but even with all that, things weren't always bad.

My oldest son was born at 1am on the 26th after his mom spent all day Christmas day in the labor room... and even after all that pain even she admitted it was a terrific Christmas. I have a grandson who was born on the 28th, so he didn't miss it by much either. Then there are the times I wouldn't trade for love nor money... like when Sarah was 2 and gave me a Coke for Christmas... just a simple can of soda she wrapped and labeled herself and the look on her face was priceless when I opened it, or the look on any of their faces when we have nailed it and got exactly what they wanted.

Ah heck, I know you guys all have the same type memories, the ones that make you smile as soon as you think of them. Those wonderful and special times with your parents or your kids or your grand kids. Moments that nobody can take away from you. That's what I wish for you all this Christmas, the closeness of your families and special friends. I hope you laugh a little more often, sing a little louder and love a little deeper.

Merry Christmas folks and think of me when you sing Silent Night.

A Little Fix-up

I've taken a few minutes and made some long overdue changes.

First and foremost I've moved the Tagboard and Guestbook back up near the top of the side bar. The Tagboard goes a long way with keeping the chatter going back and forth and by constantly adding the newer stuff on top of it, it was out of sight. This way we won't have to dig so far to find it.

Second, I've changed the way it looks when you add comments. The page is no longer a popup, it opens up the post on the active window and you can comment below it. This way you can see the post you are commenting on. I'm still looking for a way to identify who commented without opening the comments section. I had that feature before they changed the code on here and I keep searching for a way to do it with this set up.

Third, and this is for the other site. I realized the other day that the Add Your Information submission form wasn't working over on loudonhighalumni.com and I've fixed it. I'm not sure how long it's been broken, but it's probably been that way for several months. (I should test more often). Anyway, if you or anyone you know tried to add their information to that site and had issues, you can do that now. And another shameless plug... but I'm still hoping all of you do add your info sooner or later. :)

Beatle Boots

The other day I was in a store and saw a pair of Beatle boots. They don't call them that anymore, but that's what they were. Black, shiney, squared toes and sipped up the side. I know because I went through a couple of pair of them. Always the same size, color and style. Did I have imagination or what?

Okay, so my imagination was limited --- limited by what everyone else was wearing. Which brings to mind a scary thought or two. First, we weren't any different than our kids/grandkids are and if the military hadn't come knocking I might still be wearing Beatle boots!!!

Don't laugh, that's not that far fetched of a notion. I still have the same hair style I had freshman year and always have had, except for 6 months or so after I retired from the Air Force when I went through what I called my Stephen Segal phase.

Spooky, huh?

Have You Adjusted

Have you kept up with the world? Back in "the day", our generation really didn't usher in all that much. The transistor radio of course, and Beatle haircuts and the escalation of FM radio stations, and maybe a few others I forgot about. I think our changes were more societal types --- the man on the moon, three assassinations, the civil rights movement and the Vietnam war, along with flower power, free love and social drugs.

Since then, or at least the last decade or so, the changes have been more wide spread. So, have you kept up?

Obviously if you are reading this you most likely have a computer, or at least access to one. But do you use it more than 3 times a week?

Do you own a microwave?

Do you have an iPod, or something like it?

Do you have a cell phone? (I think most of us would say yes to that)

Do you have any piercings? For the guys the ears would be enough for a yes, but for the ladies it would have to be somewhere else or more than one in your ears.

Do you have a tattoo? And no, I'm not going to ask what it is or where it is.

Do you jog?

Do you ride a bicycle? Do you wear a helmet when you ride it?

Do you have a motorcycle?

Do you recycle or go green in some other way?

Are you or have you ever tried to be a vegetarian?.

Do you have a HDTV?

Do you have a GPS system in your vehicle?

So, have you adjusted?

Two New Pics of My Home Town

This is one of the most intriguing looks at Loudon I have ever seen.....



............ and this one is one of the saddest looking.