Lebanon.....

Things are changing rapidly in the Middle East, due in no small part to an aggessive policy on the part of our present government that has gotten things off of center at long last. The 3000+ deaths in our country on 9/11 and the 1000's more casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan will have a positive legacy if democracy spreads in the region. And today it is, this time in Lebanon where the Syrian backed government has resigned under pressure and citizens are taking to the streets to show support for democratic reforms.

I have had a soft spot for the Lebanese for decades now...since 1976 actually. In that year, having just returned from the army, I had taken a job as a stock broker with Bache&Co. in Dallas. After months of "in office" training I was on my way to the headquarters in New York City for three months to acquire further skills and to take the test to gain my NYSE license.

By chance we had a commodities broker visiting from the Beirut office who would be in Dallas for a few months, the same months that I would be absent, so we worked an arrangement whereby he and his wife would sublet my apartment while I was gone. Rafic Hassam and his wife were lovely, gentle, kind and well educated people and I learned much about life in Beirut from them. The city at the time was known as the "Paris of the Middle East" a beautiful seaside cosmopolitan place as charming and economically well off as any city in the world.

When I returned from New York early in 1977 the Hassam's had already gone back to Beirut so I never saw nor heard from them again. But what they had left in my apartment stunned me. They had completely stocked my usually vacant refrigerator with all manner of delicacies. My cupboards were stocked with canned goods which were arranged like a supermarket...by category, type and size of cans. All my clothes had been washed and pressed and neatly arranged in the closets, socks folded and arranged by color in the chest of drawers. Likewise in my bathroom the guylike stock of 2 towels had been added to greatly and folded neatly away on the newly added shelf paper.

Of course what happened to Beirut in subsequent years is one of the great travesties of the century, ground into dust by warring factions, sects and governments. I often wonder what happened to Rafic Hassam and his wife. I may never know, but if they are still alive and in Lebanon, now perhaps they'll have a chance at a better life.

A distinguished visitor....

Though very much a spiritual person I'm not as strong a church goer as some in my life would like. Namely my spouse and my mother. I actually enjoy the experience and like the people who attend church very much. I suppose I've just never felt the strong compunction for the organized aspects of religion as much as some regular attendees. I'm not judging them, or me, as right or wrong that is just where I feel I fit in. Actually over the years I've had just as strong a spirtitual experience while attending AA meetings where, in fact, the concept of God or more particularly a higher power is quite prominent. I suppose that in AA I can see God's works first hand and directly in action versus the concept of God in action while seated in a church service.

But today, Julie, Jack and I did suit up and show up at The First United Methodist Church in Midland, where coincidently the President and Laura Bush got married and where the First Mother-in-Law,, Mrs. Welch, still attends. And I'm glad that I attended for today, once again, we had a special guest in attendance.

The FUMC, not by design I know but none-the-less, has a mainly white upper middle class congregation and so I did happen to notice a very distinguished black couple and younger woman walk past me and be seated several aisles ahead. Not knowing them my first thought was that it was good to see a more diverse group attending the FUMC. Little did we know that the distinguished gentleman was in fact far more distinguished than we could have realized.

As mentioned a year or more ago, a non-denominational church group in Midland has found itself in the unique position of trying to assist in brokering peace in the Sudan bringing with it some degree of national attention. As the service progressed our friend Rev. Jan Reed made the daily announcements including a wish that we all pay our humble respects to visitor General Lazaro Sumbeiywo and his family of Kenya. General Sumbeiywo was the chief mediator of the Sudanese peace accords and was in town to show his gratitude to all the local people of faith who had helped make this possible. He is leaving tomorrow to make a personal report to the U.N.

Julie, Jack and I took time after the service to shake the General's hand and tell him thank you for all his efforts. A handshake with a unique piece of important world history.

I owe our sour grapes...!

Last evening the answer to another of life's important mysteries was revealed to me. I found out what the last stanza of "Those Were the Days", the theme song to All in the Family, actually says. While relaxing with some nostalgia TeeVee shows I made a vow to myself to consult Google and finally learn the lyrical truth about "Those Were The Days". Although you personally may have had the ear to discern the words as Edith and Archie sang the last lines of the show's opening tune, for 30+ years I did not. As hard as I would listen the last two lines of verse always sounded like "Gee I owe our sour grapes....those were the days". Now being somewhat astute I could not image that I was hearing correctly, "I owe our sour grapes" just didn't make sense. But once an idea finds it's way into my limited brain space there it stays, so I could not overwrite this data with something more sensible. Every time I've seen All in the Family for the last three decades I've heard "....I owe our sour grapes" knowing full well it was a bogus interpretation. I had no problems with the first 3 verses.....

Boy the way Glen Miller played
Songs that made the hit parade.
Guys like us we had it made,
Those were the days.

OK this verse is easy to understand and has meaning in the context of the show, the good ol' days when music was oh so tuneful and easy to listen to, not like the raucous rock n' roll of the early '70's when the show aired.

And you knew who you were then,
Girls were girls and men were men,
Mister we could use a man like Herbert Hoover again.

Again social commentary ala Archie Bunker...."We don't need no faggots here Meathead", things were simpler in the days of the Bunkers youth. People, places and things were straightforward and better. I can dig it.

Didn’t need no welfare state.
Everybody pulled his weight.

Here, the start of the final verse, is something that makes great sense and is in some ways the crux of Archie Bunkerism, the Commie Pinko Fag Hippies taking advantage of the American dream. But at this point, for decades, my brain lapsed into "stuck". Stuck on "Gee I owe our sour grapes". When in fact the actual lyrics are...... are you ready!

Gee our old LaSalle ran great.
Those were the days.

"Gee our old LaSalle ran great". That's it? Well no wonder I never connected up ear to brain and understood. That's lame, it has no contectual meaning to the show. Unfortunately now that I know the real words my brain will be stuck with them, but I think I'd rather still be hearing "Gee I owe our sour grapes". It's just as relevant. The songwriters, Lee Adams and Charles Strouse must have had a major work planned for this song and the producers cut them off just as they was getting going. "Sorry Lee, Charlie you're running long with this thing, it's a stinkin' sitcom theme song not a symphony". So Lee and Charlie just threw in some wordy rhyming drivel to complete the song and that was that. Leaving me stuck for 30+ years trying to figure out just what the hell they were singing. Thanks Lee, thanks Chuck.

Long time passing...

Late Friday evening I received a call from my old fraternity brother John Stephens. John lives in Houston, works in Pasadena California, but was calling from Bangs, Texas where he was visiting his folks. His Dad was the country doctor there for well over half a century. John was calling to see if I knew of the Iwo Jima 60th anniversary memorial and re-enactment being held at The National Musuem of the Pacific War a.k.a The Nimitz Museum in Fredericksburg, Texas and to see if we might consider meeting him there.

In fact it had not dawned on me that this weekend was the anniversary of the landings on Iwo Jima, and I think that if we had had just a little more notice we might have gone to Fredericksburg and met John for the event. Julie and I have been fairly regular visitors to the town and specifically the Nimitz Museum. Our friend, author Joe Galloway of We Were Soldiers fame has been a speaker there several times in the last years.

John's call Friday night did,however, get me thinking about the sacrifice those who fought not only at Iwo Jima, but all over the Pacific made all those years ago. And more particularly I started to think of all those men I have known over my lifetime who did participate in that fierce fighting but are now sadly gone from our midst. Men like my old scoutmaster and former Marine Bill Bosworth who just passed away 2 or 3 years ago. I'm not sure Bill was at Iwo Jima, but I know that he landed at Tarawa...I remember him telling us.

Bill was a big man, had a deep booming voice, and looked quite like Robert Mitchum at least to an 11 year old boy scout. He was the epitome of a Marine and like any good Marine he told things like they were. When boys sitting around a campfire tended to make South Pacific island combat a glamorous thing....Bill told us by his facial expressions that it was not. The only time I remember him telling us directly about his experiences it seemed that this big burly guy was about to cry....

We got to hear many stories sitting around a campfire and when I look back on those days growing up with Bill and other veterans of my father's age as my role models I still can see them all as were then, young men in their late 30's. When I was in scouts and these men talked about their combat experiences this was only 17 or 18 years after they had occured. It is now 60 years, or more, hence and so many of the combat veterans of World War II are gone. That's what I remember most about this Iwo Jima anniversary weekend.....I miss the old guys who made that history.

Update: Courtesy of reader, Ms. Durst, in Fredericksburg catch the story from onsite here.. Iwo Jimo Salute

Media Star.....

A very nice article in our newspaper, The Midland Reporter-Telegram, today about crosstown blogger and friend Eric Siegmund and his FireAnt Gazette......with color photo!

I'm just wondering if Eric has really sold out to the MMSM [minor mainstream media] and if he realizes just how many acres of trees in the rain forest had to be felled to print this article. And to think of the toxic inks used.......

Coober Coverage.....

A couple of days ago I made mention of the latest news from Coober Pedy. Among the recent items outlined by Coober Pedy News editor Gary Adkins was the formation of a new "football" team in CP. Sensing that this was big news in the outback I emailed Tim Blair and alerted him. My hunch was correct. I quickly got a note back from Tim....

Wallace,

This is fantastic! I assigned a reporter to this story about 30 seconds after reading your email -- photograph and article will appear in next week's Bulletin. Give me an address, and I'll forward a copy.

Cheers,

Tim

You have to hand it to Tim, he's been on the job as an editor at The Bulletin for less than one month and he's already gotten himself a major scoop! Hopefully we can look forward to a major story in Australia's leading newspaper......!

Listen to the music....

A sad note today, longtime Doobie Brothers drummer Keith Knudsen has died of pneumonia at the age of 56. Keith had had a long bout with cancer over the years which had depleted his strength. Though not an "original" Doobie, Keith joined the band in 1974 when it was decided that a second drummer would add to the groups need for a driving rhythm section. He played on six albums with hits such as "Taking It to the Streets" and "Black Water." Knowing some of the Doobies, I'm sure that this is a very sad day for them. Having been together for so long it is like a death in the family. My sad best wishes to them all.....

A PS: In the accompanying Rolling Stone web report....the picture shown is actually my friend Mike Hossack, the Doobies other primary drummer and orginal group member.

Update PS: don't know if it was my doing or perhaps others....but I emailed Rolling Stone Magazine online about the incorrect picture accompanying Keith Knudsons obituary.....and now it's changed to a generic Doobies group photo.

Travel getaway...!

Always on the alert for an interesting out of the ordinary vacation destination I've recently come across a real getaway spot courtesy of my friend Gary Adkins in Coober Pedy, Australia. Deep in the Australian outback and a mere 140 km. from Coober Pedy is Woomera Station, the world's largest rocket test range.

Once a restricted area Woomera is now open to the public and has all any traveler would want...a golf course, swimming pool, fitness centre, theatre, ten pin bowling alley, lawn bowling greens, tennis courts, squash courts, a 270 room 3-star hotel and a variety of fine dining establishments. A veritable oasis perched at the edge of the outback. Check out the ammenities on their website. This could be the perfect vacation experience for you!

Extravaganza bonanza......!

Last night was one of our big social events of the year, the St. Ann's School Mardi Gras Gala. The Gala is the big fund raising event of the year for our little Jack's school and quite the social venue! Julie looked beautiful in red and I was, I offer humbly, quite stunning in my new Tuxedo. A tuxedo purchased yesterday for $129 [including a suberb Italian closed tab Tux shirt]. We found this bargain at our formerly worn [i.e. used] consignment clothing store, Gentleman's Agreement. I had gone into G.A. to try and find an outlandish sports jacket to wear...and did so, until it was vetoed by Julie. She, however, made an amazing find. The only Tux available in the store and surprisingly it was just my size. It fit perfectly and was virtually brand new. As we were considering this purchase, the owner said, "by the way, if you wear a 16½ shirt, I have a custon made Italian shirt that just came in from Dallas to go with it". I do wear a 16½ shirt...and it was gorgeous. I'll be attending more formal events in the future.

The fund raising at the Mardi Gras Gala is through a live auction and a concurrent silent auction where items are bid upon from tables scattered all about the Petroleum Club. I have to say that I'm proud of Julie who, for our donation, put together a great trip to Santa Fe. Airfare for two, two nights at the LaPosada hotel, dinner at the Pink Adobe, train trip on the historic Santa Fe domeliner and a special treatment at an exclusive day spa. It went for $2550....a generous donatation to the school.

And what we came home with will certainly be beyond our little Texas Tech fan, Jack's, wildest dreams. As pictured above Julie bid on and won a huge basket of Texas Tech sports fan memorablia. It's stuffed full of TT booster banners, hat's T-shirts and even a street sign. But the real story is the autographed balls, one from each sport that the school participates in. Autographed by all the coaches of each sport. The highlight is, of course, the signed Bobby Knight basketball and the Mike Leach football. I won't divulge what this package went for but it was just slightly less than the similar University of Texas sports basket that contained a football autographed by the entire Longhorn team...the recent Rose Bowl victors. Jack won't see his new collection until Monday evening, but we're looking forward to seeing an 11 year old boy faint dead away!

Senior '68.....

Growing up in Midland I had two very best friends, Bill and Ronnie, with whom I did everything. Bill lived directly behind us, across the alley, and Ronnie [now Ron] lived a block or so away. I've known them now for almost 45 years. Both Bill and Ron have lived in Houston for most of their adult lives and we don't see nearly enough of each other.

For a decade or so in the 90's and somewhat beyond, we didn't do nearly enough to stay in touch even by phone or email. Recently, and I suppose because of my recent flirtation with mortality, we have been communicating more. In fact I'm even emailing Bill's mom, Betty, who was like a second mother to me.

I don't dwell in the past but I do like to keep in touch with those great times we had all those years ago. Great times in a simpler life. In fact, as a side note, I'm gratified that my adorable step-son Jack even likes to watch "Leave it to Beaver" each night with me. I was the same age as The Beav when it originally aired, had a big brother like Wally and my Mom was the stay at home kind who was there like June when we came home from school. So, Jack gets to see the kind of life I used to lead when I was his age.

One of the things I'm doing for Bill, Ronnie and Betty is taking pictures of the old neighborhood and of their houses so that they can see what the old homestead looks like. Bill's house has not changed a lick in 40 years. It's rather scary sometimes when I drive by...I expect to see the '64 red 4-door Valiant and the big finned Chrysler Imperial to still be sitting out front. Bill and I did some major league "cruising" in that Valiant, embarrased as we were to be seen in the family car.

As I was in the alley today taking some photos of the Stalling's house from the rear, I ran across the image depicted above. This graffiti is on my parents alley wall [they still live there] and was put there by me 40 years ago in 1965! I apparently was quite proud to be graduating from Midland High School in 1968.

The only problem was that I actually graduated in 1967! Mathematics never was my strong suit.

Proud of Casey.....

Perhaps you have run across this picture which has been prominently displayed in print media and around the Internet. A proud Marine saluting the Commander-in-Chief on his inauguration day. Well we're very proud of this particular Marine for it is our friend Mary Kelley's nephew Cpl. Casey Owens whom I wrote about months ago when he was wounded in Iraq. Casey lost both of his legs and suffered extensive injuries when his vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb...one of Casey's buddies was killed. Casey has been in the news several times as a demonstration of great courage and the will to move on with his life and continue his service to his country. Casey has met President Bush and was acknowledged

by him during the inauguration. We're so very proud of Casey and his comrades in arms. America has none better. Oh and....Mary tells us that Casey is accomplishing one of his recovery goals this weekend. He's going skiing! This time on "bucket skis"....but hopefully soon it will be on the real things with his new legs.

Photo History....

With a population of about 100 thousand friendly souls, I don't know if Midland is a small city or more of a very large town. But I do know that for our size our arts and culture venues and events are amazing. This Saturday Julie, Jack and I will be attending a talk by and later having dinner with, Adrian Cronauer, of "Good Morning Vietnam" fame and then early next month we'll be attending a talk by world history maker, former Defense

Secretary Robert McNamara. But last night I attended a lecture and exhibit featuring two of my favorite subjects, history and photography.

One of our facilities, the Haley Ranching Heritage Library and Museum is currently featuring an exhibit of daguerreotype photos by Santa Fe artist Robert Shlaer which recreate the 1853 final trip west of historic explorer John C. Fremont. Mr. Shlaer was in town last night to give an indepth discussion of this work.

As the Amon Carter Museum describes the exhibit...."In 1853, explorer John C. Frémont led an expedition from Missouri to California in an attempt to locate a route for the proposed transcontinental railway. Tragically, the work of the expedition's original photographer, Solomon Nunes Carvalho, was lost to fire not long after the trek's culmination.

In this exhibition, Robert Shlaer, who from 1994 to 1998 retraced Frémont's route, recaptures the journey using one of the most beautiful and demanding of all photographic processes. By referring to engraved illustrations, period maps, and an account of Frémont's expedition written by Carvalho, Shlaer magnificently reconstructed Carvalho's lost work."

The time and attention to detail that Robert put into these works is stunning. Based on his studies, each shot was taken from as near to the exact original location as possible and the use of the daguerreotype process made the accomplishment of this feat all the more difficult. Though Robert had a leg up on the chemical systems necessary for this antique photo process.....he is a former Bio Chemical engineer. I enjoyed meeting Robert, bought a beautiful limited edition book of his journey [which he signed] and he invited us by his studio in Santa Fe the next time we were in town.

One Amazing Month.....

I've just returned from my now daily 1.5 mile walk around the small lake a block or so from our house. Today's walk was filled with gratitude for I was thinking that precisely one month ago at that exact time I was waking up at Midland Memorial Hospital with 4 "locks" in my arms discharging intravenous fluids into my body. I had a trach tube stuck down my throat to aid my recently collapsed lungs in pumping oxygen and I had 3 large tubes protruding out of my thorax draining large amounts of fluids from my lungs and surrounding environs. Not to mention that my rib cage had been cracked and my chest had been cut completely open exposing my heart which had been stopped to perform the by-passes. And this was just my upper body.

Down below, on my left leg, I had five sutured wounds where a foot or more of veins had been removed to be used on my heart I remember waking up in no small amount of pain and discomfort primarily due to the way my back and shoulders had been stretched for hours while I was on the operating table. Then I was told to try and not move for the next two days. The discomfort of all that was something I can't describe but the reason for the operation as outlined by my cardiac team was that the blockages I had and especially the blood clot in my cardiac artery could be fatal.

So as I walked around the lake today in the bright warm sunshine and admired the rafts of wild ducks as they winter over in West Texas, I could not have had more gratitude for the outcome of my ordeal and especially for all those who made it bearable. And as I walked at a goodly pace just 30 days after this operation I still am amazed, truly astounded, by the miracles of modern medicine.

The Convention...

As I've mentioned previously, I'm a dedicated member of Alcoholics Anonymous. Dedicated not only because it literally saved my life, but also because I like the precepts outlined in our program of recovery and probably most importantly, I just like the people. They're my kinda' people. We're all mostly alike even though some don't have high school eductions and some of us have advanced college degrees. We're still alike.

Like my Army friends, we people in AA have a common set of experiences that are unique to only people like us. Tragic experiences, touching experiences and quite often side splittingly funny experiences. If you have ever known a full fledge drunk then you'll appreciate the situations that only they [we] can get into. You can't make this stuff up.

And so for the last two nights Julie and I have been in attendance at our annual Midland "Mid-Winter AA Conference". We had 800 chairs set up at the Holiday Inn, and the two nights we attended the 8 o'clock speaker meeting......most all of the seats were taken. We invite speakers from all over the country to share their "experience, strenght and hope". That is, their story. The story of what it was like for them to be addicted to alcohol and/or other substances and the story of how they found their way out of this living hell. These are some amazing stories, and like me, many of these speakers count themselves lucky to be alive, much less have bountiful lives today. I don't make it through any one speaker without a tear coming to my eye. A tear of remembrance of how it was for me, how similar parts of my own story are with the speakers, and mainly because of the gratitude I have for AA and the people seated around me...the two things that saved my life and gave me a second chance at things.

I love to go to the conference every year to see people I haven't seen in years, people who are instrumental in my recovery and people who I just like alot. And I/We like to laugh and there is much of that. In fact I recommend that even if you don't have a problem with alcohol that you go to an AA conference some time. You'll learn a little something and you will hear some of the funniest stuff imaginable.

In the AA "Big Book" our real problem is defined as this...."Selfishness and self-centeredness, that we think is the root of our problem". Tonight I got to enjoy a little AA approved self-centeredness, I got to stand up with the "old timers". An old timer being one with more than 10 years of sobriety. We count down by decades. "All those with over 50 years, please stand up"....and believe it or not there are some. Then comes, "all those with between 30 and 40 years.....all those with between 20 and 30 years". And then came my group....."all those with between 10 and 20 years, please stand".

I'll have to confess, it does make me awfully proud to stand up with the old timers. But what it really does is shock the hell out of me to be doing so. Years ago I remember thinking that if I ever got one year completely sober it would be a miracle. If you could have seen what I was like 12 or 13 years ago, you would not have bet a plug nickel that I would even be alive much less clean, sober and happily productive for almost 11 years now. Such is the power of the program of AA and why I love to be among my kind at the convention.

A Kinky Governor.....

In an interesting move, one guaranteed to make Slatts in Geelong Australia happy, it looks as if Kinky Friedman will throw his Texas Jewboy hat into the ring as a candidate for Governor of the State of Texas. Following in the footsteps of luminary governors Arnold in California and Jessie Ventura in Minnesota, Kinky just may have a chance, though in Texas an independent is a long shot to be sure. I think he might be worth a try and it would certainly be an interesting experience! I would have to consider giving Kinky my vote...after all any man that has his own large scale dog rescue program is far more qualified than the typical professional politician in my books.

Kinky is seeking the governorship for several reasons including, as he says "I want to be governor because I need the closet space." And he wants "to fight the wussification of Texas." I consider these to be two very valid reasons. Good luck Kinky.....and I'm hoping that high on his platform will be state funding of rescue ranches for dogs like his very own Utopia Animal Rescue Ranch.

Update: Address Book....

Thanks for all the helpful hints and comments about restoring a wayward address book. I ended up making a .csv [text, comma delimited] copy of the address book residing on my office computer then installing it on my home computer and "importiing" this text file as a new Outlook address book. It worked fine, except that I had so much personal information on my home address book that won't be replicated by using the office version. Oh well....at least I'm back emailing.

As a thought...there has been some good TeeVee programming on at the start of this new year. Last night I watched the History Channel's presentation of "The French Revolution", a good summary of that long and tortured event. Don't ever listen to the French say that we in the U.S. are bloodthirsty maniacs. The founding of their republic was run by some really murderous whackos....and I don't think that they've ever gotten over it.

Simply vanished.....

Well it seems to happen about every 3 years on this computer. Outlook 98, my email program, just simply malfunctions and I lose everything to include my address book.

This happens while I'm not even actively on the computer. I come back into the room, turn the monitor on and there is an "fault" message big as day staring at me. One always seems to have a plethora of choices in these cases to try and save some data, and I usually make the wrong ones. Apparently, because everything has just simply vanished. I had close to 300 names, addresses and phone numbers, not to mention email addresses. Frankly I have most of these duplicated on my machine at the office, but some I do not and will have to wait for the vanished parties to contact me in order to get their information again.

The last time this happened I was able to recover much of the missing information but quite honestly I cannot remember how I did that. After 3 hours of searching the Internet trying to refresh my memory I'm about to give up and just say "screw it". I'll manually recreate most of the email addresses from my office computer and not worry about the rest. However if anyone has a down and dirty secret about restoring an old address book I'd love to hear your comments. I have both .pab and .wab files, the problem is reconnecting them to functionality. I hate it when crap like this happens.

Shiver me timbers....!

I think that my circulation has not come back up to snuff since the operation three weeks ago. Except for a couple of days when the temps were in the 70's, I've been terminally cold since I've been home. It has been chilly outside, in the mid to low 50's and today falling into the 40's, but I used to love cold weather. Age has mitigated that feeling and so now I'm longing for the pleasure of strong sunshine and the high 70's to warm up these old hands and feet. Posts to the Blog have been lacking.....it's hard to type when your hands are "froze up"!

Not much interesting going on anyhow. Except, that I heard from one of my old 25th Infantry Division soldiers.... circa 1972. Mike, "Andy" Anderson found me through one of my old websites and left a message in my Guestbook almost exactly one year ago. While visiting the old website I noticed his post with his enclosed email address. Luckily he had not changed e-addresses in the last year, so that when I emailed him I heard back from him several hours later. Andy sent a recent photo of himself which is really strange. A very familiar face, but one that has 33 years added on since the last time I saw it. I remember Andy as a 19 or 20 year old, he's now probably 52 or 53. Andy had some very kind things to say about his time in my [our] platoon which made me feel good. Good to know that as a young 22 year old Lieutenant, perhaps I was not as much a goofball as I remember. Andy has done well with his life since the army and has been a law enforcement officer, teacher, newspaper editor and mentor in Bisbee Arizona. Really nice to hear from someone I spent so much time with so long ago.

Excuse me now while I go warm my hands.......

Good Company....!

The other day I was over at Hugh Hewitt's place on the web where Hugh was talking about the interesting possibilities that Blogs offer for all sorts of real time communications assignments. If you have read Hugh's book, "Blog",

you know that he spends some time espousing the corporate use of the medium. One of the examples that Hugh gave was the ingenious use of "buzz" that Blogs can create in marketing such things as upcoming films. And as a current example he named the forward thinking firm of Grace Hill Media that was in fact using this technique to promote the film "In Good Company".

Grace Hill Media is offering free tickets to screenings of the film to those Bloggers who emailed and asked for them. Like me. Unfortunately, Universal Pictures decided that far West Texas is not a hot enough market to test the movie and so I won't be attending. However, and just as interesting to me, today I recieved a surprise package from Jonathon Bock, the President of Grace Hill Media.....a really nice "In Good Company" movie hat and "T" Shirt. A high quality hat and "T" shirt I might add. I won't be attending the screening, but I have to say that the movie trailers on TeeVee look interesting, and now that I have a personal connection to the film, I'll be much more likely to see it. Grace Hill Media is on the Blog ball....

A brighter day....

The funk of mild depression seems to be waning the last several days as I start to feel better and stronger and as I am able to reassimilate into the more active world. I've been at the office for several hours each of the last days and this afternoon Julie, Jack and I took a trip to our public library. The more I'm out in public, the more normal I feel and thusly my spirits are lifted.

Today I visited Dr. Patel, the genius surgeon, who took me apart and five hours later put me back together again two and a half weeks ago. He inspected my numerous incisions and pronounced all healing properly. The leg wounds especially are amazing. Some of these deep cuts are now just little more than red scars whereas just weeks ago they were ragged gashes. The human body and it's healing properties is amazing. We had a long chat with Dr. Patel who appologized for having to delay my surgery on Christmas Eve, but as it turned out God needed the good Doc in another place that night more than I and today we were elated because the final result of that drama was realized. My surgery was delayed for hours because Dr. Patel had been called to an emergency case in Odessa, a heart attack victim younger than I who had come into the hospital clinically dead. Dr. Patel brought him back to life and today the man awoke from an induced coma and will survive to thank Dr. Patel himself. We thanked Dr. Patel also, and I continue my prayers of thanks for all the people who took such good care of me and for all those friends and family who continue to offer their best wishes.

It's hard to be depressed when you're grateful.......!