The Nude House of Wacky People

Sometimes I do odd jobs for people now and then to make a little extra money or to help out a friend or neighbor and the question I get aked the most is, How do you know how to do all of this stuff? The whole story is much to lenghty and most of the time I just say it comes from years of doing it and I leave out the details. Beyond the fact that I watched my father do most of the stuff that I know how to do, as he watched his father. I didn't really DO any of it until the summer of 1989. That is when the "house" began. It started as a slight oversight by two able and unqualified builders ("people"), who were building a new garage for their parents. After many hours of pains-taking labor finally lifted the final wall up to square and plum only to discover that an eight foot wall means that you must trim an eight foot stud to allow for the bottom plate and two top plates which is a total of 4 and a half inches. Insead of tearing the whole thing down it was much easier to take off the top plate and saw each stud down to the right length and then put the top plate back on. The list of "wacky" things that have happen since then are not only more numberous to count but would be more lengthy to explain. The tradition has continued to this day. As I have been remodeling my current house I continue to build and the wackyness is ever-present. I have also been informed of the other builder and his trouble with his remodel of his house. So when you are building or remodeling your house and something ends up not plum, or not square, if you cut a board twice and it is still too short, remember the "Nude House of Wacky People" and you will be able to live with the wackyness. Why such an odd title? you may ask well, the word nude always attracks attention, and the rest you know. (Originally this name was used for a very very funny SNL sketch and I must give credit to them for such a wonderful name)

Elixir of the Gods

Do you ever talk to yourself? Well I do and I am not ashamed to say or do it. (Pardon me, it that is the word you must not hear!) I think that constant other voice in my head is the way I cope with being an introvert. I am OK with being by myself because I am always there. If this is disturbing the please exit now, otherwise stay on the line for further instructions. And now for my story, I was talking to myself the other day repeating one of my catch phrases that I always say, which is "Elixir of the Gods". I say that whenever I drink a fluid that is particularly intoxicating at the time. For example, on a hot summers day when a tall cold glass of lemonade really hits the spot, or on a cold blustery day and I have brewed the Pero in a particularly fine manner, or the sweet delectable taste of the milk in the morning after the cereal is gone... well you get the point. I had just said it and I was curious if this was the correct phrase for this particular moment. I had and still don't have a problem with the of the Gods part especially since something that good must come from Deity. It was the Elixir part the caught my attention. So what do your parents always tell you when you need to know "Go look it up!" I did the dictionary it said “A sweetened aromatic solution of alcohol and water, serving as a vehicle for medicine”. Well everything about the definition except the alcohol part seemed to fit with the way I felt and the way the drink tasted. So next time I take a big swig and my eyes start to roll back and I give a little shake, if you listen very carefully, you will hear me whisper “Elixir of the Gods”, but just note I mean virgin Elixir.

My Earliest Memory

My earliest memory is when I was 2 years, 2 months, and 3 days old. It was 36 years ago today, July 16th 1969. I know it is cliché but, I remember it like it was yesterday. What made this date stick in my memory, who knows? You may think the thing I remember most was the pictures on the television of the launch of the 1st Apollo mission to actually land on the Moon. No, the thing I remember most was standing on a balcony of a Tacoma General Hospital room and looking southeast and telling my dad that I think I can see the rocket from here. I had never been so high up and it seemed liked I could see forever. In actuality I was probably only on the 3rd or 4th floor, but TG Hospital is on a hill and in that direction you can see quite far. Why was I in the hospital? We were there to pick up my mom who had just given birth to my brother Chad. So in remembrance of my earliest memory, I say with all sincerity, Happy Birthday Chad!