Putt Putt

Posted on January 23, 2010 by Jon Long Sr

Good Morning,

In the 1950s, I was in my pre-pubescent years.  Like most kids of that age my interests hinged around my heroes like Hopalong Cassidy, Roy Rogers & Dale Evans and the colorful sidekick character Gabby Hayes.  Yea I know, they were cowboys and you can bet I had the hat, holster, gun and metal lunchbox to match.

It was during that time in the early fifties (1951) that cereal companies put real toys in the boxes.  One that I especially liked and managed to get was the Gabby Hayes Cannon Ring.  Designed especially for shooting Quaker Puffed Rice or Puffed Wheat and a great way of shooting your breakfast cereal across the room.  As I recall, our parakeet didn’t like it much though.  It had a brass ring with an aluminum spring-loaded cannon mounted on top.  Now that was a real toy to get out of a cereal box!  As you know, I’m not one to throw things away, but I have no idea where mine is today, only 57 years later.  I did notice that one sold recently for $117 at auction.  Guess I should have kept it.

A few years later in 1954, the world’s first atomic submarine was launched (USS Nautilus). I suspect it was named after the submarine in the Jules Verne story, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.  Timed perfectly with the launch of the new atomic submarine was Baking Powder Submarines offered in cereal boxes.  I got my first one in Kellog’s Raisin Brand and was fascinated to watch it surface and submerge.  It was then essential that I order the larger version by sending in the cereal box top and a quarter.  The bigger one was even more impressive.  Well, at least for a kid my age anyway.  From what I have read, this one little toy of which millions were made, took Hirch Labs from a cosmetics company to a toy company and made Kellogs and Clabber Girl nice profits.  The little subs are still available today for about $3.95.  Hey, no batteries, it doesn’t get much better.     

By 1957, I’m 12 and can play with fire.  I was actually doing that before 12, but this sounds better. A friend of mine got a Putt Putt Boat.  An amazing little boat that only required a candle to make it run.  Just lite it up, put it in the water and voilà, the little tin boat takes off happily putt putting around the pond it is in.  Of course I had to have one.  I did and still have one today.  It is a toy that has been around for over a century and still fascinates.  I’ll have to get it out again one of these days, just to hear to the “Putt Putt” one more time. 

Toys were simpler then.  Erector Sets, Lincoln Logs, Lionel Electric Trains and plastic models, they all required much more imagination on the part of the owner, but somehow I cannot help thinking that they were also a great exercise for developing the creative mind.

Remember to let the kid out now and then and have some simple fun.

Love, Dad

One more thing, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea was the first movie my dad and I went to see together.  I still remember it, as it was a special occasion. 

Hopalong Cassidy Photo: Hollywoodcultmovies

Gabby Hayes Cannon Ring: Smithhousetoys

Baking Powder Submarines: Everything you wanted to know and more   &  I remember JFK

Putt Putt Boat Photo: Puttputtboats

History of Putt Putt Boats: The Pop Pop Pages

Video of a Putt Putt Boat: youtube video

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Allah & the 40 Virgins

Posted on January 18, 2010 by Jon Long Sr

Good Morning,

We will call this one Allah and the 40 Virgins.

I suppose ever since 9-11, Islam and Muslims in general have been on many minds in America and the rest of the world as well.  I think much of this could be from a huge “lack of trust” in the motives concerning all Muslims in general.  Yes, it is a generalization of a group and something I try to avoid.  You know, when we say something like “all men are creeps”, “all women are bad drivers” and “all men want is sex”.  Well maybe that last one isn’t too far off the mark, but you get the idea.

Anyway, I think my feelings about this were perpetuated by the painfully obvious lack of condemnation by the “State of Islam” for the acts of terrorism we saw on 9-11, even though there were Muslims killed as collateral in the attacks.  I guess you could say the silence was deafening. The “Martyrs” go without saying, as it always was their intention to die for “Jihad” and reap the benefits of being with Allah in the Garden of Paradise.

So with an awareness of this particular religion brought to an unavoidable conscious level on a daily basis by the World Media and of course, with a lot of help from the fundamentalist Islamic Sunni movement called Al Qaeda and their proclaimed Jihad, I needed to understand a bit more of what could possibly motivate someone to turn their bowels into a bloody mist, blow their head the distance of a football field and in the process kill as many of the humans around him/her as possible.  There has to be some kind of “crazy wicked” reward for doing that!  I know that here in the United States, I cannot think of a single family that would love to see their son or daughter BLOW THEMSELVES UP and kill everyone around Them.  But that’s just me, I was raised Christian.

I started to look into this “40 Virgins” thing I kept hearing about (frankly one was enough for me, but that’s another story ) and discovered very quickly that it isn’t “40 Virgins” after all, but rather “72 Virgins”. But wait, there is more… add to that 80,000 servants and a huge palace!  (80,000 servants… I guess you would need a big place) Now we are getting somewhere… maybe it would be worth it after all, especially if you have literally nothing in your present mortal life.  In all fairness, I have also heard that there have been intelligent/educated people that have done this as well.  Go figure.

Oh, by the way, the 40 Virgins thing is a confusion with another incident that occurred where 40 Holy Virgins and St. Ammoun the Deacon were from Adrianopolis in Macedonia.  Deacon Ammoun was their guide in Christian faith. They were captured by Baudos, the pagan governor, and were tortured because they would not offer sacrifices to idols.   So now that is cleared up and they had nothing to do with Islam.  Well maybe a little because since they were Christian, they also believed in the same God as Abraham, Jews, Christians and yes… Muslims.  They just didn’t refer to God as Allah.

Looking a little deeper I also discovered that nowhere in the (Qua’ran) Koran does it mention the number of “virgins” in the Garden of Paradise.  That comes from another writing called a Hadith (Islamic Tradition) that quotes Mohammed in describing Paradise.  I would think it has validity as much as the New Testament Gospels have for quoting Jesus.  Also the Koran doesn’t mention “virgins” either.  By one translation it refers to translucent pure beings with dark eyes (houris).  Well, that’s pretty cool and it would be fun to meet them, even if I couldn’t have human physical sex with them.  If you noticed, I mentioned one translation…yep just like the Bible, the Koran can be interpreted differently by who is doing the translation.  We know that has gone on for millennium with the Bible, so why not for the Koran?

(4-24-2011 Easter Sunday) I need to mention here that I have received comments since writing this post, stating that I do not understand Islam.  I have also been told that to understand the Koran, you should have someone who is well studied in the teaching, interpret it for you.  You see that is where I have a problem, how do I know what they are telling me it the right stuff?  They may tell me to only way to paradise is to fly a jet airliner into a building for all that matter.   Yes, I do not understand Islam.  I was not raised as a Muslim, but I am working to understand more.

A Christoph Luxenberg in Germany has discovered that if you translate the Koran in Syriac and not Arabic, it shows that many obscurities of the Koran disappear.  So Christoph translated the words that were supposed to mean doe-eyed, and ever willing virgins – the houris, to none other than “white raisins” of “crystal clarity”.  Luxenberg claims that the context makes it clear that it is food and drink that is being offered, and not unsullied maidens or (houris).  Imagine the surprised look of that suicide bomber when as a martyr he meets Allah and is presented with “very clear white raisins”.  I never once thought that our God would sanction unbridled sex with virgins anyway, so I guess I’m not disappointed.  Is it possible that all of these years the translation has been wrong?  Humm… or not.

Obviously, I have much more research to do on Islam, but so far it has been interesting.

Love, Dad

BTW: If Al Qaeda is trying to convert the world to Islam, they have a strange way of going about it.

Christoph Luxenberg’s book, Die Syro-Aramaische Lesart des Koran, available only in German, came out just over a year ago.

Citations: Virgins what Virgins, by Ibn Warraq Note: There are more, but I didn’t keep track like I should have.

Please Note: If you have read this post, please also read my followup:  Allah and the 40 Virgins (Revisited).

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Marbles & Thank Yous

Posted on January 1, 2010 by Jon Long Sr

Good Morning,

 My son Michael published a note on his blog yesterday that is worth the read. www.redrecruiting.com  In his blog, Michael talks about being happy and grateful for 2009 even though the year was filled with many challenges, new personal discoveries and relationships gained and lost, he is able to look at the silver lining.  Therein lies the difference in how he will go into 2010.  Thank you Michael for reminding me that our attitude makes the difference.

 We have all heard it before…the three most important things when dealing with the realities of life are “Attitude”, Attitude” and “Attitude”.  With the right attitude, the cup will be “half-full” rather than “half-empty”.  With the right attitude, “challenges” become “opportunities”.  With the right attitude, there are no limits that can be imposed by myopic dissenters.  With the right attitude, we all can make 2010 unique and one to look back on with gratitude. 

My daughter Marci gave me a small bag of “hand picked” marbles at Christmas.  She knows I like marbles and I have written aboutthem before in my letters.  Especially the ones that are trapped inside spray paint cans that I am somehow compelled to free up from their odious and dark existence so they can feel once again the light of day.  Ok, ok, so I’m guilty of anthropomorphism when it comes to marbles.  I tend to think this is pretty much a normal thing, well maybe not with marbles, but I do know people who name their cars and talk to them.  Anyway, I was trying to think, “why a bag of marbles” and then I thought, could it possibly be…she thinks I’m loosing mine and may need some replacements?  Or maybe she felt my current marbles were to mediocre and needed some jazzing up and that is why she gave me swirlies and red ones.  It could just be that it was a gesture of affection and one personalized by her hand.  Thank you Marci for your continued love, caring and thoughtfulness.

My son Jon Jr. and Grand Daughter Ellie helped me take down the Christmas lights today along with bringing in the 2010 New Year last night.  One of the first times in a “blue moon” that I have actually been awake for the annual event.  Come to think of it, it actually was a “blue moon” last night.  In Ellie’s youth I see the future and it looks promising.  Jon’s caring as a father and affection for Ellie show me that he has a “good heart”.  Thank you Jon for being a good father and a great business partner.

My wife Jeanie, with dedicated love takes care of me through a constant vigilance to make sure I am well fed, clean clothed, properly medicated and most of all being supported by my best friend.  Thank you Jeanie for all you do.

Last, but not least, the “other woman” in my life, Freckles who is always excited to see me come home at night and loves to have me rub her belly.  It doesn’t get much better than that with a pet.  I know you can’t read, but thank you Freckles for your unwavering affection.  I know… just a little more anthropomorphism there.

Of course there are more, lots more actually and this could turn into multiple pages of recognition for those in my life who share their friendship, support and love.  For all of you, I’m grateful.

Love, Dad

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Migraine Incident

Posted on December 26, 2009 by Jon Long Sr

Good Morning,

Just as I start to write this letter I am starting to have a “migraine incident” which is what I now call them.  I get these things every now and then, maybe 2-3 times a year.  I find them annoying more than anything else, but fortunately they only last about 20-30 minutes and then they are gone. 

They are difficult to describe, but I will give it a shot while I am experiencing this strange phenomenon.  If you can picture something like a ribbon undulating in the breeze similar to a snake across the left side of your vision field while the right side is normal.  On the back of the ribbon/snake is a brightly colored zigzag or saw tooth patterns of turquoise, yellow, burgundy, white and black lines in thin ribbons displayed in layers constantly moving and changing widths.  Where the image, is there is no vision of what I am looking at so it is kind of like a blind spot.  Well actually, it is a blind spot.  It does not seem to matter if I close either eye or both as the “ribbon vision” is still there, although when I move my eyes right and left the pattern follows, so I tend to think it may have something to do with the Retina .  This all is accompanied by a very slight headache. 

As the pattern creeps across my field of vision there is a shadow left where it has been.  As quickly as it came on it is gone only leaving the faintest shadow that it was even there.  And now even that is gone as well and I am left with the slight headache as when it started. 

There doesn’t seem to be any pattern I can home in on that causes these.  I get them at the computer, in a store and even while driving.  Since they start to creep into my vision, while driving, there have been times when I have pulled over and stopped or let someone else drive for a while.  While I am somewhat used to it by now, I still want to take some precaution. 

I do remember the first time I experienced this and I must admit I was a bit concerned.  At that same time I experience tunnel vision.  As I think anyone should, I did seek a professional medical opinion, the product of which, besides a sizable bill, was that it was “probably” migraine related.  So what does that mean?  I guess that it is why it is called “practicing medicine”.  

Well if my experience is not unique, I would appreciate hearing from you.  I have figured out by now that the human body is far more complex than I will ever comprehend.

And to think of it, here I was trying to figure out what I was going to write about this week.  I guess the problem solved itself.  It just goes to show that we shouldn’t take too much for granted, as it may not be there tomorrow.  I do tend to enjoy normal vision a little more following one of these things.  Maybe that is the “silver lining”.

Love, Dad

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Christmas Letter 2009

Posted on December 20, 2009 by Jon Long Sr

holly leafGood Morning,

 Well it is that time of the year when we get annual letters from friends and family.  It is a tradition of sorts to bring those who we otherwise do not see much of during the year, up-to-date with our world.  It really hasn’t been something I have done very often and maybe it is because I’m just not that organized.  So, I thought that instead of my quasi-weekly letter, I would give it a shot. Now before I start, I want to make it clear that every cloud has a silver lining and every downside has an upside.  While 2009 is not a year that I would choose to live over, “it is what it is” and I hope I am better for it.  Oh and by the way, if you are expecting a letter full of fluffy stuff, you may be disappointed. 

 January:  The year started out optimistic and hopeful that our business would pick up soon.  Optimistic, because I felt it couldn’t get much worse.  I’ve been wrong before and this time was no different.  A reduction in staff and liquidation of a vehicle was in order.  Never fun at any time, but when you work to build something for so long, going backwards is like sliding down a cactus.  For a few months Grandson Tyler was a guest of Sheriff Joe to fulfill his obligation to the State of Arizona.  There are few things that you can compare with visiting a family member in jail.  The upside is he is still alive and that in itself was a blessing.

 February:  Building for many years and as such things are a progression that do not fix themselves, Jeanie and I had an “intervention” of sorts and as a result she and Freckles ended up in San Antonio, Texas staying with Son Michael while she went into a prescription drug and alcohol rehab program for 5 weeks.  Jeanie is and has been in chronic pain with the joint conditions and that coupled with our social drinking habits, things just went too far and needed to be changed.  We have been married 33 years and sometimes adjustments need to be made to keep things on track.  This was one of those times.  I also quit consuming alcohol as well to support her efforts.

 March:  Jeanie was out of the house and I had to adjust to single life.  I discovered a number of things about myself and my habits that I had not considered before.  Some good, some bad, all necessary.  I also started counseling in an effort to understand where I was in the relationship and understanding more of what Jeanie was going through.  This was critical if we were to keep things together.  Getting the financials straightened out took the rest of our savings as by that time I had missed 6 paychecks this year with little end in sight.

 April:  I scoured the house for alcohol and removed every bottle, can and container I could find.  Jeanie comes back from San Antonio and it is like starting over time for us.  Awkward at first, because we both changed during that time and had an opportunity to evaluate what was important in our lives and what wasn’t.  We started counseling together.  A good move for both.  We also had to adjust to a social life without alcohol and living in a community such as ours, well let me say it takes fortitude.  I finally finished the fence in the back yard so that Freckles could have an area without a leash.

 May:  It is a quick trip up to Oregon for Jeanie and I to visit Sister Karen.  It had been a while and she still had not recovered from her knee surgery.  I am beginning to doubt if she will ever regain the ability to walk again.  It is a helpless feeling, but I am not in a position to do much for her other than show her love.  Michael & Zaida’s puppy Morgan had been diagnosed with bone cancer and had to be put down.  Sad time for all since he was a good doggie, he just drew a bad hand in life. 

 June:  It is Jeanie’s birthday and a celebration of 4 months of sobriety.  She gets her name painted on a wall at the Recovery Rocks Store.  Pretty cool!  We’re still going to counseling and we are doing well.  Jeanie enjoys her AA meetings and looks forward to them.

 July:  Jeanie’s favorite Uncle died in June and we are off to Santa Barbara for the memorial service and a chance to meet up with her two sisters and cousins for the occasion.  Funny how weddings and funerals bring family together.  Uncle Bill was one of my favorites as well and I will miss the times we shared.  We had to replace all four tires and a cracked rim on the BMW before we could go on the trip.  $1,400 I didn’t want to spend, but BMW in all it’s wisdom specified run-flat tires on their Series 3, which also now appears to cause cracked rims due to excessive stress from the sidewalls.  The noise from the tires was so loud you couldn’t listen to the stereo and that was only after 11k miles.  No way we could make the trip without earplugs.  To finish the month off, I ended up in the emergency room and then ICU for four days from internal bleeding.  I guess it took that long to get things working again.  The $60,000 in medical bills that followed proved to be a tipping point for us financially since I did not have medical insurance and saving were gone.  We had to cancel my insurance some years ago when it got close to $1,000 a month for me alone.  We certainly could not afford to pay that with not getting a paycheck in any consistent fashion.

 August:  This is the month I started my blog page.  Michael set it up for me so that my letters could be “out there”.   It will take some adjustment as the content may end up being more circumspect, or maybe not.  Jeanie and I are still sorting through the finances because of the medical bills and the lack of income this year that has made it difficult just to keep up with the day to day, but it is what it is.

 September:  My birthday month and I’m still here at 64.  The kids give me a .17cal. rifle for my birthday.  Pretty cool and fun to shoot.  Sometimes you just have to do it.  So with the help of a few things I sold on eBay I was able to rent a bike for the weekend and take an overnight road trip to Prescott with Jon Jr and friend Jason.  It was one of those JFDI moments and as it turned out memorable.  On the 14th I had a tumor removed from my left index finger.  The pathology came back that it wasn’t malignant, so that was good.  The next weekend Jon Jr and I went to Oregon to see Sister Karen and sort out her belongings, which had become scattered around with her moves.  All of it ended up at a cousin’s house with huge quantities of dolls, beads and balls to be sorted.  4 days were not enough time to go through it all.  I’m pretty sure that Karen will be in the rehab facility for a long time.  That may be best.

 October:  The dentist tells me I will have to have a crown and if I’m really lucky not a root canal after a filling falls out.  I’m lucky because I have “old teeth”, but it still comes in at $1,800 for all of the work.  Great… and I’m out of rich aunts dying.  Then a client decides not to pay us after we try to collect for months, so our vendor is now suing Jeanie and I for $14,400 for the unpaid balance plus attorney’s fees, since we guarantee the companies debt.  To finish the month off, on the 14th, Son Michael filed for divorce from Zaida. They had been together since they were 16.  There goes the family photo!  It just gets better and better. 

 November:  The response to the lawsuit costs us $980 in attorney’s fees just to answer it.  I’m thinking I’m in the wrong business.  That won’t be the end of it either, I’m sure.  I feel like I would like to go and rip out the system we put in along with the client’s heart.  I do not like being taken advantage of, but that seems to be the norm right now.  To finish off the month Son Jon Jr. separated from wife Dedra after 8 years of marriage and will now enter the world of a single fatherhood.  Finally we sold another one of our company vehicles to help cut cost.

 December:  It is important that the business survives, as it is the “Golden Goose” and we better not kill it.  Jeanie and I have a better relationship now than we have had in years and even if we lost everything material, we will still have each other.  This Christmas will be one of the leanest in a very, very long time, but we will have all three of our children here for Christmas Day and for that I’m thankful and grateful.  Ever so slightly this month the business has picked up and I am optimistic that we can make it through.Sr-Beard Cropped

 The positives: 

  • Grandson is alive
  • My Jeanie is back
  • I’m still alive
  • We will be together for the holidays

 So here’s looking at 2010 with new eyes.  “Bring it on!”

Love, Dad

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War of the Roses

Posted on December 13, 2009 by Jon Long Sr

Good Morning,200px-Lancashire_rose_svg

I consider myself pretty lucky, in a lot of ways actually and in recognition of such events when they occur, I have a little phrase I like to say.  “I’d rather be lucky than good lookin’’.  This is not to be confused with “I’d rather be lucky than good”…although I suppose in some ways they could mean the same thing.  But, I prefer mine because it has an air of self-deprecation, which when you are large, and I do consider myself large, (6’-3” & 300#) it helps to engender a sense of easiness in those around you at the time. 

I had a “mini-epiphany”, if there is such a thing, some years ago when I stood next to large person who was taller and bigger than myself.  When I say bigger, I mean larger in statue and not necessarily heavier.  As I remember this person wasn’t very nice and used their size to intimidate along with their demeanor.  This feeling was for me, and I’m sure others, uncomfortable and oppressive.  It was at that very moment-in-time when I200px-Yorkshire_rose_svg realized that I could unknowingly have the same affect on others, smaller than myself, if I was not cognizant of my countenance.  While I do not remember the date, I do remember the place and how I felt at the time, giving credence to the saying, “People may not always remember what you say or did, but they will always remember how you made them feel”.  (Author Unknown)

Anyway, back to the “lucky” part.  It is well known within our family that I consider myself lucky to have preserved the relationship of my first spouse and the good memories of those years.  However, I cannot and will not take full credit for this, as it required a “mature” effort on both sides of the relationship to accomplish and a constant vigilance of emotion that could have derailed the effort.  The desire to preserve the good parts of the relationship and to forget the bad, allowed us to retain the special halcyon memories of our youth together and the discovery of our own personalities as they developed.  I’m certain that we were married before we had really developed and that eventually caught up with us.  I think because we chose to focus on raising our children as independent, yet co-supportive parents, helped preserve the relationship as well. 

So, the lucky part…we didn’t try to “kill” each other or burden one another with fighting over personal possessions, making only the attorneys fat in the wallet, or all of the other trappings that can arise out of “splitting the sheets” in an effort to inflict as much acrimony on the other person as possible.  No “War of the Roses” here and I’m grateful for that.  Because of that and a mature approach, I didn’t have to suffer the vapid hollowness left inside once the malevolence and vengeance had been inflicted. 

 Holding a grudge and keeping it alive only works to eat away at the holder much like an acid on metal consuming valuable and irreplaceable moments in time and wasted emotion.  Sometimes even causing us miss the opportunities for a better life, while we are distracted and focusing on the past maintaining the role as a victim.  It was important to realize that it takes two to maintain a relationship and the failure is rarely the cause of just one.  We may need only to objectively look in the mirror to see some of the reasons.  People change likes, dislikes and beliefs everyday in a relationship and along with that, their needs as well. A failure to recognize this and maintain that lucid understanding, will eventually lead to a point when it not longer works.  I believe that not every marriage can or will be successful and maybe the very best we can hope for sometimes is to end up with a friend with whom we have known intimacy and shared part of our life journey.

 So, because of that outcome in my life…I’m lucky.  “Hey, I’d rather be lucky than good lookin’!”

 Love, Dad

I suppose you wonder what the red and white rose icons have to do with all of this…well there was another “War of the Roses” in the 1400s.  I thought the icons were pretty cool.

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Ch, Ch, Chia

Posted on December 6, 2009 by Jon Long Sr

Good Morning,

 Well besides the overstuffed addspaper (not a lot of news), seasonal music everywhere you turn, and holiday decorations abound, the real harbingers of Christmas have started to appear.  Just like the first robin of spring, swallows returning to Capistrano, right on time are the have to have gifts for Christmas.  You know what they are as well as I do unless you have spent the last 20 years in an Afghan cave.  It is the annual return of the cult gifts… Chia Pet® and Clapper®.  This has to be the biggest sales time of the year for Joseph Enterprises, since these products and many others come from them.Chia Pig

Nothing appears to be sacred when it comes to growing of the Chia.  I have never had a Chia Pet® although it will probably be just a matter of time till someone gives me one. 

 I did have a Pet Rock, which didn’t last as long as the Chia Pet® has.  Not the rock, I’m sure that is still around somewherespongebob-chia-pet
and in the original cage, but the fad that was created around it.  I guess there are just so many different kinds of pet rocks one can come up with.  I must admit that the “Rock” was certainly one of the easiest pets I have ever had to take care of.  No vet bills, no cleanup and I didn’t have to worry about the day when the little guy would die on me.  That doesn’t seem to be the case with Chia Pet® which must have contributed to the longevity of the product.Chia Barak

 Now these little guys wouldn’t be around for so long if no one bought them.  And you know…there has to be someone out there who has COLLECTED THEM ALL.  Disconcerting thought that.  A couple thousand years from now when someone digs one of these up, I wonder what they will think.  Since Chia dates back to the Incas and Aztecs, I am surprised that they did not think of this. Humm. 

 Now the Clapper® (now Clapper® Plus) is another story all together.  While it is difficult for me to get the thought of a guy with STD out of my head when I hear the name, (we will save that one for another day) it is a rather clever “low tech” solution to a common problem.  Fortunately, it tends to only work with one zone of light at a time or we may be put out of the lighting control business by a bunch of people sounding like they are at a revival.  I think I had a keychain fob years ago that would respond when you clapped.  ClapperNever could take it to a concert though, it just wouldn’t behave. 

 The commercials are retro-unmistakable, as you have heard them before.  Was it last year, the year before, or maybe the year before that?  I’m pretty sure that the granny, (Thelma Goodwin) in the original 1990 Clapper® commercial, has gone to greener pastures by now and is probably conversing the Clara Peller of “Where’s the Beef” fame.  If so, she can now enjoy immortality through the media.  It was clever also to have a Chia Pet commercial on TV during the ‘Clap” scene.  Two birds with one stone as they say.

 So if you run out of ideas and want a traditional gift…

 Love, Dad

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HG – Mercury and Me

Posted on November 29, 2009 by Jon Long Sr

Mercury DropsGood Morning,

 Recently there was an “incident” at Aqua Fria High School in Avondale, AZ where a couple of students got a hold of some Mercury in a class room. (Not sure why it wasn’t locked up) and apparently not knowing what it was, (huh?) played with it, showed it to friends in several different places throughout the school including the Bus #72, and then eventually at home.

CLink: http://www.kpho.com/health/18709351/detail.html

 What ensued when someone called 911, was an incredible effort by a plethora of agencies to clean up the mess.  

 The results:

  • Sending students to the hospital that had touched the Mercury
  • Shutting down the entire school
  • Stripping the walls down to the studs in the offending classroom
  • Cleanup of lockers where Mercury might have been
  • Vacuuming sidewalks with special equipment
  • Requiring all students that came in contact with the two students to turn in the clothing and backpacks for inspection before being allowed to return to school
  • Hazardous Chemical crews to cleanup the houses where the students lived

 This is the short list as I am certain there is much, much more.  

 Now, I’m not advocating that it is ok to let Mercury run from your hands into your friends hands or even to play with it on the kitchenT-1000 table like my sister and I did as a kids.  Also called Quicksilver, it moves very fast and comes apart and back together much like the T-1000 (played by Robert Patrick) in the sci-fi movie Terminator 2.  It was always a bummer when it went too fast across the table, off of the edge and hit the floor.  Because, it is a liquid, (the only metal that is, at room temperature) it would splatter all over the darn place and then it seemed that it would take us forever to find and gather the most of it back up.  Never could find it all as those little balls rolled under things.

 As a teenager and playing with model trains and the occasional bomb as well, I found mercury switches to be handy for all kinds of things.  It is also referred to as a tip switch for when something is moved or tipped the switch could close or openMercury Switch depending on how it is positioned.  I needed to sense positions in some of my model railroad accessories to create automation and for them to serve that purpose.  Getting them was another problem because they were expensive.  I decided to make my own.  So I went to the local drug store and purchased a box of pill capsules, the gel kind, empty and a pound bottle of Mercury.  Just try and buy a box of empty pill capsules today and you can pretty much forget about the Mercury without some type of permit.  Besides the last time I checked, some places it was going for about $493.00 for 4 ounces.  Lets see… 4 X 4 = 16oz or just about $1,882.00 a pound.  Maybe, I should sell that bottle.  Anyway, I made the switches and a few other things and I’m sure I played with it as well.  Fun stuff that.

 Times have changed and Mercury as a toy has gone the way of lead paint on toys, high chairs and baby cribs, all of which were part of my youth.  I suppose I should consider myself lucky to have survived those times and to have lived this long.  I am certainly glad that the HAZMAT crew didn’t have to tear our house apart down to the studs like the Aqua Fria High School or haul away the dirt under the kitchen floor to remove the mercury that surely found its way there.Amalgam

 I wonder if I should have the amalgams used in my dental work removed from my mouth that have been there since I was in my teens.  Na, there probably isn’t that much Mercury left in them anyway after all these years and most of the damage has been done by now.

 So what was the point of this letter?  It is just an observation, for I think there are times when we as a society, tend to go a little “over-the-top” with self-imposed hysteria and our perceived evaluation of real risk.  Life is risky, no doubt about it.  It is risky just getting up in the morning.  But how much risk is allowed and from where, is my point.  Walk outside and you have a better chance, 18-1 of being struck by lighting and killed, than winning the lottery.  Still risky, sure, but how much, yet some will buy a lottery ticket every week. CFL Bulb

 So should I call 911 when I drop that compact fluorescent bulb on the floor while trying to save a half percent on my electric bill or say, “I don’t need no stinking HAZMAT Crew”, I’ve been exposed to a lot more than that in my life.  Yes there is Mercury in CFLs and it will be a CDH, if I ever put one in my house.

 It’s tough out there, so be careful, for you never know what we will find out about, that we should not have been doing, years ago.  For me that was probably a lot of things.

 Love, Dad

 Disclaimer: Let it be understood that in no way am I advocating that Mercury should be used as a toy or that handling such material is not hazardous.  Just because I did it, doesn’t mean you have to.  Mercury should only be handled by professionals trained in hazardous materials.  Professional driver closed course, do not attempt.  Professional stuntman, do not attempt. Doctor portrayed by actor.  That should about do it, so I don’t get sued by someone who was dumb like me and has no common sense.

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Coo Coo Ca Choo!

Posted on November 22, 2009 by Jon Long Sr

crossroads(3)Good Morning, 

Most of my 64 years of this life I have been married.  That is 45 out of the 64, which looks to be about 70% of my life.  Married at just 18 to Diana, amicably divorced at 30 and re-married again, just less than a year later, now at 64, I have been married to Jeanie for 33 years.  Have those 45 married years been all easy, no way.  Have they all been “blissful”?  Nope, not that either.  Have I handled every challenge in the relationships as well as I could have?  I don’t think so.  Did I handle them to the best of my understanding at the moment and of course influenced by the times and circumstances at hand?  Probably.  Because of this and having experienced the trappings that go along with it, I feel that I can at least comment on the subject.  

Having been divorced 1-1/2 times (didn’t finish the second) and having gone through the emotional trauma that accompanies that decision, I have found that even in the best of congenial separations, it becomes very difficult to come to terms with the circumstances, imposed self doubts and underlying motivations, especially when the inevitable emotions and accompanying guilt for causing “heartfelt pain” to your spouse and children if you have them, surreptitiously invade those quiet times when you are alone. 

You have separated and alone now in your space… in that almost surrealistic quiet… when you used to be with someone… now something seems to be missing.  Well, of course it is!  Even if it wasn’t perfect, at least you weren’t this alone… this quiet.  It is what you wanted after all, this “fresh start”, this cleansing of your routine and the forging of a new set of norms.  It was that finally overwhelming desire to not have to deal with the drama that the “other life” continued to perpetuate.  Not having to “keep the face” while continually altering your persona in an effort to “keep the peace” and the decorous “perfect couple” presentation to friends.  But most of all, to hide it from the kids.   Coo Coo Ca Choo.   

Maybe if you fought all the time, or if your spouse were abusive, this would be easier, but not this complacency, which is harder to define.  Maybe if they found someone else it would be easier, for at least you would have a reason to be angry.  At least there would be “sanctuary” in being alone.  And of course sympathy from friends, let’s not forget that.  Maybe even in the tacit battle that will inevitably ensue for mutual friends, you will win a few and others will fade away quietly.  They always do for friends will do what is best for them on the long run.  “It is what it is.” 

Truckin CroppedThen… while things are still quiet, in march the “Maybe IfI Brothers” ready to really mess things up… Maybe if I had tried a little harder to make it work we would have made it through this time.  Maybe if I really tried to change to be more like what “they wanted” in a partner; we wouldn’t be where we are today.  Maybe if I took better care of myself… Maybe… Maybe… 

The Maybe IfIs are just part of the process of separation and one more hurdle to clear on the road to once again “Single Hood”.  It is times like that, which can cloud the very reasons for separating in the first place.  The odds are stacked against you if you get back together for it will always be in the back of your mind, “the next time”.  It makes it that much more difficult to make the commitment so necessary for a life-long relationship. 

If there is one thing I have learned over these years is that YOU cannot change YOUR spouse.  Going into a relationship expecting your mate to change is unrealistic.  They have to do that themselves, if there is any hope of the change sticking.  You had better like them for who they are now.  Will your spouse change during your relationship?  Expect it, just like they should expect you to change as well.  It just may not be the way you may expect or even want, that happens.  If you can understand and communicate the reasons for change and in that process, accept them and adjust accordingly, then you have dodged one more bullet that could prove fatal to the relationship.  Just remember that some changes are for the better for the individual and necessary for their happiness.  If it is not conducive to the relationship, well you either deal with it or it deals with you. 

Grass is greenerBottom line… there will be change in every relationship so expect it.  There will be differences, so expect it.  There will be other opportunities that come along, anticipate them.  Common core values are the best you can expect to remain over the years.  Then, how you respond to them when they come along… and they will,   well that will make all the difference in which road you take. 

You will never know which one was better, as there is no way to travel both roads at the same time. 

Therefore, you must follow your heart.

Love, Dad

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Fleur-de-lis

Posted on November 15, 2009 by Jon Long Sr

Good Morning,Fluer-De-Lis 11-09 cropped

 Jeeeez, where has the year gone?  The fleur-de-lis is now quickly approaching the apogee of its winter travel across our living area and is now on the pantry door.  It will reach its further most point on December 21st and then start its trip back across, eventually ending up on the door to the guest bedroom. 

 It is just 11 days until Thanksgiving…which I now look at as the proverbial “top of the slide” and with a slight kick in my reluctant butt, taking me on a obligatory ride all the way through these holidays to the New Year. 

 As I was last year at this time and probably many years previous as well, I start to ponder what the coming year could bring.  I think that I can tell you with the utmost certainty, now looking back, that I had no “frigging” idea what 2009 would have been like.  I am also pretty sure that I may have been a bit overly optimistic.  I like to understate things as well.

 Isn’t life supposed to get simpler when you get older, or is that just a myth?  It sure aint simpler and I see no signs of that on the hazy horizon.  I must admit that there are days when “running home, leaping into bed, assuming the prenatal position and turning the electric blanket up to nine*” sounds pretty good.  Since booze and drugs are no longer an option, it seems that is about all I’m left with.

 Of course I can always dig out the ol’ Tigger attitude and say “well we will just have to go find us some of that happy stuff” and then without a clue as where to look, go searching in the 100 Acre Woods.  It might be more fun to do it on a Harley… yea that’s it… I think I’m on the right track.  There isn’t much a good long Harley ride can’t fix.  It is almost impossible for me to carry extra mental baggage on the bike.  There just isn’t enough room as anything that is brought along is soon blown off like so much debris from a garbage truck and ends up scattered along the road behind.  Sure, I know the realist will say “that is just running away from the reality of4-Bottles of Life the situation.”  Well that may be true, but a complete change of environment, at least for a little while, can do wonders for your perception of a situation.  An opportunity to approach it from a different angle and maybe without the emotion of the moment can make all the difference.

 When I saw this photo “Life summed up in four bottles”… I realized that I have drunk from all four.  So what does that mean?  Should I start over from the beginning or work my way back down?  Is it borrowed time I’m on?  I suppose we are all on borrowed time when you think about it. 

 Guess we just better make the best of what we have.  That works for me… how about you?

 No sniveling!

 Love, Dad

 

*Quote from: The Kingston Trio at the “Hunger Eye” (1959)

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