(not)Walkabout Thoughts #97d - A Teen's College Tales from 1973

Still on the strength training. 91 degrees here today.

Yesterday, I kind of went down a rabbit hole that took up most of my day. I found a blog I wrote in 2010 about my experience at the UW in 1973, in trying to get in there, taking my SATs, and time I spent the night before at the Zeta Psi frat over Christmas holiday vacation, with the frat's president and treasurer. I'll never forget it.

One night in 1973 at a UW Frat house

Zeta Psi Fraternity, University of Washington, Seattle

I jist thought I'd read it to see if I had forgotten things. I'd forgotten a few things. This is why after all, we write, film, or document our lives so we can remember what really happened. 

So I thought I'd edit that 2010 blog, add some things, and repost it.

I knew I had taken photos back then and thought I'd update the blog and add those photos. So I went through my old photos today and found them. I scanned them in, they have always been pretty foggy or not great due to bad lighting. I enhanced the photos as we now have the capability to enhance them in ways we did not have in the 70s.

I put them in the blog. When I looked at them, I was quite pleased.

I had been wondering when I had gone to the UW to take my SATs. Something I had never planned on, never studied for. In looking at the photos, however, I solved the case. Christmas decorations were up at the frat house. I was leaning toward thinking it was the Thanksgiving holiday, but apparently not. Case solved. 

I find little things like this very rewarding. 

I've never been a "tech bro" or a "frat boy" type. I'd never have considered joining a frat. It wasn't my idea as the blog attests to. But once I got involved, and checked it out, it seemed to my 18 year old self a pretty interesting idea. An adventure. 

I've always been into adventures. It's how I got into Civil Air Patrol Search and Rescue in junior high. I think all the sci fi books I read when I was young. Those my grandmother used to read to me before I could read. I was just into the adventure. Into an alternative to my boring life in 1960s Tacoma, Washington. I could do more in life, I wanted to do more.

Actual friends from the screenplay  ©1973 me

In my true crime/drama screenplay, "The Teenage Bodyguard" people (the producer & interviewed directors) who kept misunderstanding the main character's orientation that: "He just wants the girl," or "it's about sex", or "it's a teen romp", were the typical orientations. However, it was actually just about, boredom. Seeking adventure. Escape from a boring life that kills a person's life. The photo above has the protagonist on the right (the "teenage bodyguard"), and his friend on the left. 

The problems as I've experienced it in life weren't the adventures or even the dangers, but the misadventures. 

But that's part of the charm. Escaping the boredom into adventures, even "adventures" many perhaps wouldn't label as such, escaping from the dangers, or misadventures the adventure can turn into. Often because of ignorance, Selective Ignorance (there is good SI and very bad SI: MAGA), ill will, or simply the stupidity of others. Much as we see in politics today. 

And that's the issue. 

Anyway...it's an interesting blog on an late teen's adventures into the university and fraternity system.

Cheers1 Sláinte!

One night in 1973 at a UW Frat house

Walkabout Thoughts #97c

Got on Facebook the other day and saw a meme posted by someone about taxation that I thought was typical of a far-right misinterpretation of things as they are today. 

OK so a couple of posts on the creative stuff, today on politics. Sorry for being so graphics-heavy this time.

First, give America our motto back. In God We Trust has diluted (and deluded) who and what we are as America. "Out of Many, One" is important, actually far more important to all of us as a collective whole than "In God We Trust", which has played into a sick Christian Nationalism, White Authoritarianism.

So tired of these alt- and sub-culture delusions I've heard about since I was a kid, that has now evolved into insanity from Tea Party to MAGA and Donald Trump, and the whole mess we're now in because the GOP won't stand up to their nonsense and now it's evolved into, authoritarianism and criminals. 

The GOP did this to us, to themselves. This goes back to the early 1990s, the early 1980s and they, the two disruptions converged to make their "grounds" fertiel for a criminal and autocrat to overtake us.

It's now up to use to correct this. Thanks GOP. all because you were tired of being a minority, you supported a minority with bad ideas. We have to stop this delusion, these bad feelings, this division, this hatred, especially from the right.

We are America, the greatest nation in history and we've got to stop trying to tear ourselves apart, for our enemies, surely not for ourselves. Why would we? Unless we've been indoctrinated to do our enemies work for them. Which is brilliant, but, let's not do that.

This Pod Save America podcast episode is different. 

Why No One’s Winning Young Voters (Ep. 5)

I found this episode enlightening about our situation with Gen X, Gen Z & Millenials on voting, orientation, politics, etc. They have some good direct info and insight. Definitely worth a listen, especially if you're confused about some of the political orientations today. I know a bit about all this but I still found this episode enlightening. Description:

"Jon is joined by youth polling experts John Della Volpe and Kristen Soltis Anderson to talk about apathy among young voters this election cycle. Why are they so disengaged? Are some truly defecting to Trump? And what message, if any, can get them out for the polls? Jon, John, and Kristen dive into the focus group tape to unpack Gen Z’s opinions of our octogenarian presidential candidates, their top economic issues, and the war in Gaza. And Anderson Clayton, the 26-year-old Chair of the North Carolina Democratic Party, joins to talk about Gen Z’s faith in their own ability to improve democracy."

OK then. Democrats have good ideas they're poor at selling, Republicans have bad ideas they're good at selling...like con artists. And here we are. A criminal exPOTUS running again, the GOP, the MAGA GOP incapable of seeing what they are doing to us anymore. 

Marco Rubio on STOU Sunday delusionally claimed things about Trump that were utter nonsense. Actually saying, "I know NOTHING." 

Yeah, anyway, I had to say...something to that post on Facebook. I did my best to put it here and it was a problem. Finally went with cleaned-up screenshots.

Anyway here's what was said. 

In fact, these aren't the brightest bulbs in the pack. But then, neither am I. I have no illusions about that. So I'm taking the entire thread and posting it here so you can make up your own mind. At least to be familiarized with this kind of thinking.

It's not like I whipped them, or I "won" them, or triggered them. Or them me. I thought they were pretty rational and decent. Just a bit lost. It's hard to maintain and not just let the annoyance shine through, I did my best. I think they did too.

When you take decades of that kind of indoctrination, generations of it, and do little or nothing to stop, or correct it, you end up with the mess we have today in politics and America fantasizing about tearing either into "the Other" or simply, apart. I see some of this starting with the additions we once thought good, maybe were for a while. But have led us into weirdness.

We can start with the "Pledge of Allegiance". Subverting...yes, subverting our national motto from "E Pluribus Unum" ("Out of Many, One") to "In God We Trust". Which, while it may seem harmless and I wish it was, it's been weaponized against non-Christian-nationalist-Christians, our other religions and our non-theists.

It's ended us up with an authoritarian who follows the playbook of autocrats. Want to know more? Look up, Timothy Snyder.

Timothy Snyder's Key Tactics of Autocrats should seem familiar in what Trump and his people have been doing to US:

1. Control the Press: Undermine independent media to limit critical reporting.
2. Rewrite History: Manipulate or fabricate historical narratives to legitimize the regime and discredit opponents.
3. Undermine Institutions: Attack and weaken democratic institutions to reduce checks and balances.
4. Establish a Cult of Personality: Promote the leader as an indispensable and almost divine figure.
5. Target Minorities: Use scapegoating and discrimination to unify the majority and distract from real issues.
6. Undermine Truth: Spread misinformation and discredit factual reporting to create confusion and distrust.
7. Manipulate Elections: Rig electoral processes to ensure the regime remains in power.
8. Rule by Emergency: Declare states of emergency to bypass legal constraints and consolidate power.
9. Foster Corruption: Use patronage and corruption to ensure loyalty from key figures and institutions.
10. Suppress Dissent: Use intimidation, imprisonment, and violence to silence opposition.

These tactics create an environment where democratic norms erode, and the autocrat's power becomes increasingly unchallengeable.

So here's how that Facebook thread went. The following is for educational purposes. 

First the meme:

Late addition:

B: Jean Z Murdock your whole premise ignores the fact that people will and do pay for things they want and need that government isn't providing. Any necessary services that can be provided by government can be provided by market means without extortion as the business model. Taxes are what allow the people running the system to spend other people's money the way they want since their revenue chattel have no means to divorce themselves from unsatisfactory services that are monopolized by government rackets that just use them as a front for recurring extortion payments.
They don't want people to be able to "vote" with their money tho because that would expose the true lack of support these "representatives" and their ideas truly have.
That's it. Did I make any headway? Did anyone on that thread, or reading it, reconsider things? Or just dig in deeper.

JZ Murdock:

This argument is a typical libertarian perspective on taxation and government services, emphasizing the belief that market-based solutions can replace government-provided services without the coercion implied by taxation. Better known as pipe dreams.

As a political philosophy advocating for minimal government intervention and maximum individual freedom, can sometimes be seen as an immature orientation for several reasons. These reasons are not universally accepted, but they are often cited by critics of libertarianism:

1. Idealistic Simplification: Libertarianism can be perceived as overly idealistic and simplistic in its assumptions about human nature and society. Critics argue that it assumes people will always act rationally and ethically in a free market, which may not account for complexities such as greed, inequality, and the potential for exploitation.

2. Overreliance on Market Solutions: Libertarians often advocate for market solutions to social problems, assuming that markets will efficiently allocate resources and services. Critics contend that this ignores market failures, such as monopolies, externalities, and the underprovision of public goods, which require government intervention to correct.

3. Neglect of Social Responsibilities: Libertarianism emphasizes individual rights and freedoms, sometimes at the expense of collective responsibilities and social welfare. Critics argue that this perspective can lead to a lack of support for social safety nets and public services, which are essential for addressing inequality and protecting vulnerable populations.

4. Historical Oversights: Critics argue that libertarianism can ignore historical and systemic inequalities that require proactive measures to address. For example, simply removing government intervention without addressing past injustices may not lead to a fair and equitable society.

5. Practical Challenges: Implementing libertarian principles can be challenging in practice, as it requires dismantling established institutions and regulatory frameworks. Critics claim that this can lead to chaos and instability, as well as unintended consequences that may worsen social problems.

6. Conflict with Collective Action Needs: Libertarianism often underestimates the importance of collective action for addressing large-scale problems such as climate change, pandemics, and national defense. Critics argue that these issues require coordinated efforts that individual actions and market mechanisms alone cannot effectively manage.

7. Perceived Selfishness: Libertarianism's strong emphasis on individualism can be seen as promoting selfishness and a lack of concern for community and societal well-being. Critics argue that this focus on personal freedom can undermine social cohesion and collective efforts to improve public welfare.

It's important to note that these criticisms are not definitive judgments but rather perspectives that highlight potential weaknesses in libertarian thought. Proponents of libertarianism offer counterarguments emphasizing personal responsibility, the dangers of government overreach, and the moral imperative of individual freedom. 

What this perspective might be overlooking:

Public Goods and Externalities: Certain goods and services, known as public goods (like national defense, clean air, and public parks), are not easily provided by the market because they are non-excludable and non-rivalrous. This means that once provided, it's difficult to exclude anyone from using them, and one person's use does not reduce availability to others. Markets tend to underprovide these goods because they can't easily charge users directly.

Free Rider Problem: Related to public goods, the free rider problem occurs when individuals have an incentive to avoid paying for a good because they can still benefit without paying. This leads to underfunding and underprovision of essential services like public infrastructure, education, and emergency services.

Inequality and Access: Market solutions often fail to address the needs of the poor and vulnerable, as they might not be able to afford essential services like healthcare, education, or housing. Government intervention through taxation and public spending aims to ensure a minimum standard of living and equal access to necessary services.

Regulation and Standards: Government regulation is often necessary to ensure safety, fairness, and environmental protection. Without government oversight, market-driven solutions might prioritize profit over public welfare, leading to issues like exploitation, pollution, and unsafe products.

Collective Action: Some challenges, such as pandemics, climate change, and natural disasters, require coordinated efforts that are difficult to achieve through decentralized market mechanisms. Government plays a crucial role in organizing and funding these collective actions.

Monopoly and Market Failures: The argument assumes that markets always function efficiently and fairly. However, markets can fail, and monopolies or oligopolies can emerge, leading to higher prices and reduced choices for consumers. Government intervention is often necessary to correct these market failures and promote competition.

Democratic Accountability: While the argument claims that taxes are a form of extortion, it overlooks the democratic processes through which tax policies and public spending are decided. Citizens can vote for representatives who align with their views on taxation and government services, ensuring a degree of accountability and representation.

The argument raises valid concerns about efficiency, accountability, and the role of government, but it might underestimate the complexity of providing public goods, addressing market failures, and ensuring equitable access to essential services.

The debate between libertarianism and other political philosophies often hinges on differing views about the role of government, the nature of freedom, and the best ways to achieve a just and prosperous society.

That's it and this is a problem. 

This is a tip of an "iceberg" where the bulk of it is Donald Trump at titular head of a moronic movement of authoritarianism steeped in a generations long simmering of delusion and misinterpretations of our US Constitution and how government works, how it's relationship to citizens is, a monitor that is victim morning themselves into a fever.

We can do better. We must do better. ASAP.

And we have to protect ourselves from unforeseen groups, at times vastly disinformed...

Rachel Maddow's Podcast Ultra Spectacle.
Been saying this before Rachel's Ultra podcast. 

If you're supporting Repugnant MAGA Trump might as well've supported McCarthy. Sen. Joe McCarthy's "red scare" of the 1950s started in the 40s trying to get Nazis off for their crimes. GOP? Gone unAmerican.

Much of the lies and propaganda of Joe McCarthy we're seeing again, today with Trump's MAGA disinformation, which has infected (easily as usual) Lindsey Graham, Marco Rubio even who I thought years ago, many now, might be an okay guy but now, he's decided how you do politics. Like Trump. Ends justify the means, damn the country, full speed ahead with your career, no matter how later on history, or justice will view you.

Wising us all the very best. Certainly better than this nonsense. 

Cheers! Sláinte! 

Walkabout Thoughts #97b - Screenplays

 Nope, didn't walk again today. Feeling better after the air cleared yesterday. 

The third day of adding to my walks with strength training, some weights, and sit-ups, and I'm a bit sore but less than yesterday, and feeling pretty great from it. Looking forward to more.

First off I'd just like to mention something. I've been watching Orlando Bloom: To The Edge show. 

"Synopsis: Actor and adventure enthusiast Orlando Bloom embarks on a physical, mental and spiritual journey of self-discovery as he undertakes three extreme sports -- wingsuiting, free diving and rock climbing -- to push himself to the edge of what is possible. With family, friends and his spiritual Buddhist practice guiding the way, Orlando is trained by experts who help him overcome obstacles, face his fears, and discover valuable lessons about himself."

I lean Buddhist. I've been a skydiver, & parachute rigger in the USAF, I've done rope work and climbed cliffs, more tactical than technical but some technical was involved in search & rescue. He takes a week to learn and achieve more than is reasonable in skydiving, free diving, and technical climbing. It's an interesting show and experience and reminds me of how it was doing those things for the first time and the difficulties mental and physical. And to see him really struggling but never giving up. You don't quit. 

You do more than you know you can, and then you do it. You may know you can't do it, but you keep pushing and then..you've done it. Life is good. Unless you die, or worse, don't and are just broken. I've been lucky, with good reflexes, and learned from the best. So does Orlando. He's been lucky, with good reflexes and a normal for him, intense workout. But here he's pushing himself beyond his limits (and mine from my past) and in his final episode with climbing, it makes for a good final episode. It's pretty impressive and somehow cathartic. 

And nostalgic...

Moving on. I received a win today for my screenplay, "The Teenage Bodyguard", a True Crime/Drama. My 13th international award for this screenplay.

That led me to update this award on my IMDb page (they suggested that, so nice of the thought I would look into it if it's an award IMDb allows). Looking at three of my hosts on my screenplays and updating all the loglines and synopses on all of them. Took me all day. Kind of (boring and long) fun and cathartic. Why cathartic?

This all turned into an interesting situation.

See, IMDb is basically, the "Internet Movie Database". Movie. Not screenplays.

When I won my first few awards for a screenplay, which I think was THIS one, I didn't realize I could put it on IMDb. When I realized that I tried to add it to my profile there.

They refused. I was confused.

The festival said, "We're IMDb Award certified (or whatever) and you can add your award there."

But they would never let me add a screenplay. I tried until frustrated some years ago, I gave up.

But today was different. It said on IMDb when I was adding the award (and tried to add a screenplay that didn't exist), that I should add it using the add reform. I've used that many times for my films. Frustrating, and miserable the first few times but a breeze once you're used to it. Just not for screenplays. Apparently.

Anyway, I pushed through today and went around and around and kept trying until finally, it clicked...and went through. Which only means I got it into the queue until they could examine it and, deny it, or accept it. This has taken weeks before. In recent years it's been faster though.

Within about an hour it was approved!

Cool. 

But that got me to thinking. I updated my logline and synopsis for it. But then I had to do it elsewhere too for compatibility Then I should probably update my other scripts and screenplays.

That took all day. I had to update the new IMDb page to add all the awards that IDMb would accept. I had to update the synopsis on IMDb. I needed to update that on Script Revolution and Film Freeway (and a counterpart of theirs, WFCN), and I just got a notification from MovieBytes' WinningScripts to update or lose the screenplay's accessibility. Probably should do the BlackList, too.

WinningScript may not seem like much, or much now, but that little free site has led me to some very interesting connections and networking. From that site, I got a job to do an adaptation of an author's novel to screenplay format. Then a second author. Also to the publisher of my first two books. 

You never know where your efforts will pay off and it certainly hasn't been to the efforts that charged the most or cost me the most money. Not that all of those are a waste of time. But you have to be smart and manage your money, time, resources, and efforts.

On that note, I’ll bid you adieu...and leave you with that.
It’s nowhere near noon time or lunch. It's 8:20PM Saturday night.

Cheers! Sláinte!

Walkabout Thoughts #97a

Nope, didn't walk yesterday. As I'd said, I tried strength training for a day. Today, fireworks haze in the region, woke to air quality of unhealthy, just over 100. Sinus headache, kind of unpleasant, going to avoid working out/walking today.

In the meantime... 

I hadn't thought about sharing this until just now but I have a Flickr account for some time now. I have some very cool photos along with a bunch of photos from my writings and films. Shots of odds and ends, planes, and birds like the eagles in my backyard. Shots taken with my Canon EOS Canon 80D DSLR which I've also used for filmmaking.

I live on a peninsula here in Bremerton and although I'm minutes from downtown, it's in many ways like living in the countryside, in a neighborhood. Or photos of the Warren Avenue Bridge at night out my picture window at my former abode a mile from here. Or a very cool shot of a seagull or seagulls, frozen in the sky. 

Anyway, some are pretty awesome, even if I say so myself.

I will add this in from something someone posted on FB today and sparked a memory.

Synchronicity? I just saw this meme (above)...and remembered a tale from tech school:

When I was in at Chanute AFB, USAF Tech school for parachute rigger, I walked into class one day. Everyone was seated at one of our many long packing tables. 

I set down my paperback of Alice in Wonderland. My class of about 9 guys and 2 women looked at the book, then at me and some of the guys started razzing me about reading a "children's book". 

I started to react against their contentions when suddenly our instructor, a Sgt standing on the other side of the table from the seated class, pretty much tore them apart and gave a brief rundown of the book that stunned everyone, including myself. I just hadn't expected that from him. He didn't seem the type to be that knowledgeable on subjects like that book, but then, HE was training US. 

I sat down and from then on received a bit more gravitas from my class.

I know, ironic that they expected less of me, and I was expecting less of our Sgt./trainer. And yes, I definitely gave him more respect after that. Below the table we were seated at with different Sgt/Trainer in light blue shirt.

On that note, I’ll bid you adieu...and leave you with that.
It’s nowhere near noon time and lunch.

Cheers! Sláinte!

Walkabout Thoughts #97 Happy Independence Day!

Thoughts in Streams of Consciousness, Rough & Ready, Lightly Edited from an Award-Winning Filmmaker/Author you’ve never heard of while walking off Reality, the last distant vestiges of Long Covid, listening to podcasts...

Walking Day is Wednesday, July 3, 2024.

Weather for the day… nice day, starting out 59°, little wind, overcast, blue sky; 67° back at home.

Podcast is WTF? With Marc Maron Episode 1552 - Paul Scheer

Perfect walking weather. Supposed to get to 75° today 90° by Saturday with a National weather heat alert 5th to the 9th around here.

Happy 4th of July Independence Day!

We've been through a lot these past few years or ten. Hang in there. Hopefully, we'll get back on track and end this roll of criminals and authoritarians and not have to hear their lies about how everyone trying to make everything better, based in reality and America, are the criminals. They're not. So much abuse. Calling career bureaucrats the "Deep State". Just pathetic. 

From yesterday...

Maybe we all should boycott this 4th of July until they give us our country back?

Or maybe we just need a break for a weekend. 

Have fun, be safe! All the best to EVERYONE! 

First a little business and reality...

Well, THAT happened (meme). Kind of like...

"If you'd just lie still while I finish raping you, you wouldn't get hurt! YOU'RE doing this!"

Isn't it?

Nope, not doing this to ourselves.

Know what Project 2025 is yet. 

It's pretty simple.
Reject Donald Trump 

Reject ANYTHING Trump & The STUPIDITY of "Trumpism" 

Reject MAGA 

Reject toxic conservatism 

Reject authoritarianism 

Reject theocracy 

Reject toxic capitalism 

Just be an actual patriot, pro-America, and Americans.

Back to my air conditioner. I do love my air conditioner. And my furnace. And indoor plumbing.

Someone posted online that her most stable relationship has been with her air conditioner. A few years ago, I got rid of mine that saw my kids through much of their childhood. It was old. It was noisy. It ate energy like a hog. This new one is a U-shaped one that fits in one of my old style hung/sash type, up and down windows. I don’t even hear this thing when going off or on and it works great. Low energy, certified, whatever. And works with my Alexa. Which is awesome because I sometimes make it go up and down as the heat and the house changes. It’s weird how in the afternoon, how it can get almost too cool in the house, and then within an hour or two I need the air conditioner on. 

I just remembered this. When we were kids back in the 60s, we had an agreement. See, there were times when we didn't have oil for the furnace to heat the house. We'd huddle in the kitchen around the electric stove for warmth, close the kitchen doors to the living room and front hallway. A few times when we had like, bread, for dinner. But hey, there was butter on it!

Our agreement was that whoever one day made a lot of money, they'd help out the rest of the family. At least close family, nuclear family. Help. Not loans. People always say loans but often that just delays the difficulties. To really change a life, you gift them.

As I understood it, if I made millions of dollars, I'd give each family member a bunch of money. Nothing to harm my continued success, that would potentially harm us all, but enough to change their lives. And so far? No one made it that big and well, time's running out... 

Anyway...

Oh, this was fun. I went to put the rack back in my air fryer because I used it for lunch yesterday and the trays were down drying. I noticed air fryer window needed cleaning. As I was doing that, I ran the underside of my thumbnail into the sharp little widget that connects the door to locks it to the air fryer when you close it. Jammed it right in under my fingernail and hurt like a son of a bitch. Threw some antibiotics on it and was about to head out for my walk. I started to think about how dirty that little thing that stabbed me might be. 

So I actually put a Band-Aid over it. Throughout much of my life I didn’t bother that much with minor wounds. Maybe threw some antibiotic ointment on them, sprayed some Bactine on it when I was a kid, then typically used Neosporin when that came available. And I was good to go. I do that now and it seems to get infected. I do heal fast, but my immune system doesn’t seem to be what it was. Where is that damn pill that makes you 20 again? No, I wouldn’t want to ever be in my 20s again. I wouldn’t mind being 30 for a few hundred years, or for good. Especially the shape I was in when I got out of the service. Able to leap over a 6 foot fence without even trying, or touching it. Ah, the good old days.

Remember in 1980 living at my brother's in his back shed/shop/loft. I was stripped down to nothing in my life. This was before he talked me into going to college. He said about that, "What’s not to love? (Vietnam-era) benefits pay for your school. You get to get an education, you’ll end up making better money, have a better job (he worked construction), there’s parties and college girls all over the place, because… It’s college!"

I decided he was right. Maybe.

I took two weeks to really think it over. Didn't want to make a snap decision and end my unemployed loser lifestyle. Because, while I wanted more education, with great knowledge comes an enhancement to the quality of your human experience. But with that is also an enhancement to one's recognition of all the pain in the world. I took those two weeks very seriously. DID I want to better feel and see so more more of the pain it could bring me?

In the end I decided the good outweighed the bad and I signed up for college for the 3rd time (Once after high school, not sure why I stopped (stupid), once just to get out of the Service 3 months sooner (seemed fun), and this time.

One day I just got tired of just hanging out. Although it was nice after four years of the military to do whatever I wanted. I was on food stamps for a year all together, something I would never have thought of doing before that. But I know now, especially after my psychology degree, I needed a year to decompress. 

I got out of the Service thinking, while this is only the Cold War, a lot of the guys I had been working with had been over in the Vietnam war. They kept telling me that wartime is great, as long as you could avoid being out in the bush. So don’t be in like the canon fodder frontline infantry. But we were USAF. They said parachute rigger was about as safe as you could get. But they had stories about how that could go wrong. Like in someone grabbing you, giving you an M16, sticking you in a foxhole outside the perimeter of the base to stare all night at the tree line off in the distance. Or all the shrapnel holes in the building and ceiling that sucked when it rained. And so on...

In peace time you followed the regs to the point of absurdity. You did your job and only your job and followed the tech manuals. Not really, but mostly. The only power we had over those above us, especially when they were pushing us to hurry up, was to threaten to actually follow the tech manuals word by word. I can’t remember, but I think it was supposed to take 2.5 hours to pack a T-34 emergency high speed deploy parachute, 28' parabolic commando canapy. Can't remember the designation of the harness. The one  we had on the BUFFs (B-52s, Big Ugly Fat Fuckers) and tankers (KC– 135 Strataotankers). Most of us got to where we could pack a chute with all due and required inspection in about 15 to 20 minutes (minus any need to swap out expired parts after 7 years, or damage). I could pack on in I think about 12 minutes and do a decent job.

So if they started giving us crap and we started following the TO (Tech Orders/Technical Orders/manuals), it would take us eight hours to pack 4 chutes instead of 4 hours to pack 8 chutes. I was have jumped any chutes I ever packed. Offered to. But they aid they stopped doing that years before I got there. Why, I asked? My boss said, "Lost too many riggers." And he walked away.

Someone told me and I can’t remember if it was before, during basic training, or after that. if you wanted to make it in the Service, learn the rules. No one did that. None of my friends or coworkers did that. I don't mean out direct regs. But beyond those.

Having had experience as a flight commander when I was in junior high, in Civil Air Patrol, I had to learn all the rules to train others. When you know what all the rules are, it’s amazing what you can do, or get away with. You can walk right up to that rule's end without breaking it because you knew how far you could take it and no one could say anything. Other guys guessed and got in trouble for it. It gives you a lot of freedom.

My fellow Airmen and friends would complain to me that I seemed to get away with murder and, how did I do that? They said, "You’re not one of the “ate up” “ lifers.“ But you seem to go anywhere you want, do whatever you want." Not really, just seemed that tway to them sometimes. "Lifers" were "ate up". They sucked. Mostly because they were aholes and liked to micromanage or play Little King. "Career" types were different and we got along with them. They were in for a career and retirement and in between were pretty normal.

One complaint, the biggest one my friends through at me was that I may have had the longest hair on the base. Aa lot of them had hair shorter than mine and would get $50 tickets for not being within regs. I was downtown with my wife once making a purchase at a department store and showed my military ID. The older gentleman and clerk could not believe I was in the USAF. I was in civvies. When I got home I immediately showed and changed my clothes and washed my hair. I reeked of JP4 jet fuel exhaust from packing BUFF drag chutes, hated that smell. So my hair was lying natural and it's normal length.

My plan on my hair was simple. I had what they called “white walls “. Some of us got them, the ate up types did but were considered lowlife style by many of the guys. I saw service in them, a useful aid. When I got my haircut, I had them shave around my ears, so there was a blank area with no hair, kind of like on a white wall tire. Then I let my hair grow out, but never below the bottom of my hair on my neck which would be within regulation. Then every morning I put Dippity Do in my hair so it would all stay up on top of my head and it would dry the time it took to drive the 15 miles from down downtown Spokane on South Hill and 18th Street. When I got to work I'd park outside the hangers I wear my fatigue cap all day.

So I looked like I had short hair. Some of my friends had hair sticking out of their cap or they would take their caps off and get caught. They would get their $50 ticket from the LE which ironically, was what I went into the Service "guaranteed job" as law enforcement. but got kicked out in Basic because I had flat feet and shouldn’t have even been in the Air Force. Thanks to the AAFES (Army and Air Force Exchange Service)  station doc for that ("keep your socks on if you want to get in") on the day I was inducted.

It didn’t piss them off as much as having to pay for their own haircut after having to pay for a hair-out-of-regs ticket. 

Since I did have flat feet, they had given me a waiver which I’ve gone into elsewhere. That helped me get through basic training but they threw it out in tech school and wouldn’t accept it at my main base at Fairchild Air Force Base outside of Spokane, Washington. a SAC base, Strategic Air Command for the nuclear bombs, bombers, refueling tanker jets, and support services. I was in 92 FMS (Field Maintenance Squadron). The Strategic Air Command (SAC) was deactivated on June 1, 1992 after 46 years of service.

But I did get a kind of sort of waiver. They kicked me out of law enforcement so I couldn’t have a job sitting in a squad car all day whereas it was the SPs, the security police guarded the planes who DID stand around all day. I think they just thought law enforcement, security police, same thing, lower body has to have this certain rating. Which I didn’t have having had it lowered in basic.

So I chose as a replacement flight simulator technician to train pilots, which would’ve been awesome. But somebody got it just before me and I just missed getting it. My back up job was parachute rigger because I’d been skydiving a couple of years before as detailed in my screenplay “The Teenage Bodyguard “.

Starting my 2nd mile…

So anyway, they gave me a kind of minor waiver at my main base because I had the flattest feet my foot surgeon ever saw when he performed surgery on my left arch when I was in 10th grade.

But a Parachute rigger has to walk up and down a concrete floor next to a 40 foot parachute packing table all day long, every day, for years. Sucked. We had a rubber pad to stand on at the end for most of our work, which was something.

That wasn’t the worst because then they told me I had to pack B-52 drag chutes which were 48-foot split ribbon, yellow nylon, and when fluffy and dried had one hell of an electric shock. To the point that it hurt and it happened many times every time you packed one like that. I remember getting zapped and shaking my hand in pain and swearing. Trying to avoid it but you could hear the static electricity as you were moving the split ribbon around to stage it to go into its containment bag, then ZAPP! DAMNIT that HURT! lol Not that it hurt THAT bad, but when it happens again and again and then you need to pack another, and another, it gets old pretty damn quickly.

They were mostly pretty good and not shocking if they were delivered off the flight line after deployment, dry. When they were wet however they were heaven in a lump dropped outside the shop. You had to drag them in the door, down the packing room, around the packing table, into the parachute shop, to the drying tower, hook the top of the canopy to the big hook on a cable, and use the scary giant hand-held drill to turn the winch to pull them up to the top at their full length to dry them.

IF you weren't careful with that drill, it would throw you across the room. I was told a guy before I got to the base, who left before I got there, actually got his arm broken by the drill. Wasn't paying close enough attention. You PAID attention. I just tried to find a photo of a drill that big, couldn't. You had trouble picking it up it was so big. Once you got it on the winch the weight wasn't the issue, the power was.

When on the next day, you pulled them out of the drying tower, they were just a fluffy bundle of electricity waiting to spark which weirded me out at first. I know you can rub your feet no a nylon carpet and zap somebody or get zapped touching a doorknob, happened to me all the time as a kid with our rug at home. This was another universe of zapping.

When they first showed me a drag chute packing can, where you would put the containment bag in the can to maintain form, fold the chute down into it off the packing table, where you had ordered it up and tied string to keep the ribbons from tangling from the 28lb buckle that attached to the B-52, to the canopy rim...it would stick up a foot or two of just pure nylon on top of nylon ribbon, sticking out of the top of the bag.

Then you would get on top of that bucket and hold a bar above your head, and literally jump up and down on it until it was low enough that you could seal the bag. That photo above is from a series of photos showing the process which cracks me up because there are two of them packing that drag chute. I never had anyone helping.

My worst day was packing FOURTEEN in a single day, can't remember if any were wet which was just an added nightmare. I was so exhausted by end of day. It was during an "exercise". An "alert", when we played war to practice or be tested and rated and it was miserable. Usually, I'd pack 3 or 4 drag chutes a day in the morning first thing to knock them out, then go pack emergency cutes the rest of the day. 

A day full of drag chutes, knowing it was all week long? Suuucked.

The first time they showed me that bucket I laughed. Kinda like when they told me as the new guy, I was to always sweep the entire shop before I could go home at night. My question? You guys don’t have people who come in and sweep up and clean the place? Their answer: Yeah. You.

Me: So, THIS is how you get a drag chute into the bag? You don’t have a machine to push it down in there? Wait. That’s me, right? Never mind.

And the Sergeant would just laugh and walk out back to his office with his coffee and cigarette. Miss ya, Pete.

Jumping up and down on that drag chute was so much worse than just walking up and down a concrete floor all day. Especially every once in a while, when you'd be jumping and kicking that drag chute down into that bag and you'd get to do it fast in a rhythm until one time you get a little off-kilter and jam the middle of your foot down on that thin steel side of the container which did NOT BEND. I thought I broke my foot a couple time and it took 20 minutes or so before I could continue.

And nowadays I have a lot of trouble with my knees and that left ankle where I had the surgery. Which is typically the foot that would get jammed packing drag chutes for some reason I remember the second time it happened during the same packing session, why did it have to be the LEFT foot AGAIN? Anyway, cause and effect? Are my joint problems now from that? Maybe. VA doesn't think so. As with breathing in JP4 jet fuel exhaust off the drag chutes, in a closed room, flapping the panels on the chute to order them up for clean and very rapid deployment, hour after hour, for years. 

How could that cause any later issues? Right?

But good times, right? It was better than during war getting shot,  killed or maimed. Cannon fodder. Pete loved to remind us of that. Every single day. 

Getting back to the older guys I worked with who had been in Vietnam when I got there, it was early '76 and Vietnam just ended. During peacetime, you had to follow all the regs. During wartime, they told stories of being a parachute rigger at some base in Vietnam. You’re walking down the flight line and some crew chief maybe up on a wing of a jet is working on something and he says, Hey come over here. 

Maybe he has you help change some oil our or whatever he’s working on that you are not trained to do. You would end up doing a lot of different jobs. You helped where you were needed. Stuff you were not trained or allowed to do but it was war and regs were looser and so war was great. At least, a better time for those not on the front line.

Our sergeant and second in command of our shops told a story once where a general was visiting all the bases. They had this asshole commander they hated who wanted everything by the book and one day the commander was complaining to the general about how the troops wouldn’t fall in line. Short story shorter, the general relieved him of command. Because everyone was under a lot of stress and had to get work done and they worked just fine when they weren’t being micromanaged. Everyone loved the general.

So that was my life as the shop “jeep“ until about 18 months later when we got some new people and eventually I became the parachute shop supervisor, as a senior airman,h three stripes and an invisible blue star. They had recently changed that back then. You previously would get sergeant stripes before initial enlistment was up, if you’re only doing 4 to 6 years. 

So I separated service  as senior airman. While I was in college after that, during my two years of post-active service during my final 2 years of inactive service, which I was sweating out because they could call me back into service at any time, I got notified by mail that I had somehow made Staff Sergeant. Must’ve missed when I became an actual "buck" sergeant (with a visible white start with the three stripes).

So for the rest of my life for all intents and purposes, I made staff sergeant in the US Air Force. Even though I never ever saw Sergeant rank before I got out off active duty.

I also had Vietnam benefits. And until around the time I was either in college or sometime in the 80s, one day they just said you’re now post-Vietnam era. I don’t get how they do that. If you sign up and your Vietnam era, how do they just later a decade or two on, decide to change that? To be fair when I signed up and they said you just got in before the end as Vietnam Era, that's good for you. I complained But they said that's how it works. You made it. But I never made it to Vietnam. 

Well whatever. I still did get my Vietnam era benefits, at least so far as college. I mean my university fees were $350 a quarter with $100+ for books which always hurt and I had to scrape up somewhere. But I had enough because school only ate up one of my benefit checks, which were around $350 a month. But then for the other 2/4 of that session of school, I would have full benefit checks to live on and pay rent with. 

I lived with my girlfriend so she kicked in half, usually as she could. Money was tight. She got a job as a vet tech at a veterinary clinic, which she had been doing when I first met her and since she was in high school. I could have gotten a job but honestly I was worried about school as I was studying all the time. She went through Catholic prep school and was very smart. Though she was studying all the time right there with me. I'm really not sure either of us could have made it through school without the other though to be honest. We made an amazing team in school and were pretty well known on campus. But not for going to a lot of parties, to be sure.

I had met her when I got out of the Service. I took a quarter Tacoma Community College which got me out of the Service three months early. Along with having so much paid leave saved up, I took 60 of my 90 days of saved leave and got out an extra two months early meaning that my shop chief knew I was getting out in six or seven months but suddenly I was getting out in two. 

I was on top of the world about that because once you become a two-digit midget, that is only have 99 days left in Service, not three digits as in over 100, everybody tended to get excited. It was a pretty big deal in general. You'd say "Well as of today I'm a two digit midget." And people would grown for their own time left in.

Either that or you re-upped and hopefully got a bonus and that was all there was to be excited about, unless maybe getting a reassignment or a new job or whatever.

I considered staying in, but in my job they were offering $10,000 and even the Squadron 1st Sergeant was bummed that's all it was. I did go through the process to join the OSI the Office of Special Investigations, the USAF's FBI. I would actually sit in their office waiting room reading FBI Magazine while waiting to see the CO. Which up tol that point in 1979, I hadn't even known that mag existed.

Yes, there at least once was an FBI Magazine.

But that’s all another story that I’ve told several times elsewhere. Assigned to Berlin probably ending up running into Vladimir Putin when he was there as a KGB agent, I would be replacing an OSI agent who was blown up by the KGB getting into his car one day, according to the CO. So I would take that job which was sitting fallow for a year because no one wanted to get blown up. I jumped on it.

But after getting accepted, I got out and went to college. Decided I couldn't do that to my wife (then ended up getting divorced anyway). After I got out I tried to get a job. But that failed miserably. After a while of doing nothing, my older brother talked me into college and that changed everything.

On education nowadays, I grew up thinking everybody needed to go to college. We’ve grown into a high-tech world and we need a lot of college educated. People around the world try to come here for college, but we don’t give them incentive to stay. So they take that knowledge back to enhance their own country.

That’s nothing bad about them. Good for them. Bad for us because we should be thinking and acting better. If we’re gonna train the world, it’s the same thing in the 1800s when we decided to give K-12 free to everyone. One of the best things America ever did.

“A rising tide lifts all boats.“ JFK

Exactly. So we either need to give students a reason to keep their degrees, and advanced degrees, in America and for our benefit, maybe for a certain time before they can go home or everyone who's an American citizen should go to college. Hang on...

We need blue collar too. We have long now given away K-12 free, paid for through our taxes, which there may be a wiser way or an adjunct to that. If Republicans would stop trying to cripple our education system… look how well that worked out for them with charter schools and home-schooling their kids indoctrinating them into MAGA bullshit and Christian nationalism… and no, a lot of people homeschool and they’re just normal Americans, not right-wing extremists.

I know (ex)wife homeschooled our youngest for their first year and decided to put them into school that next year where they were tested and could’ve gone into fourth grade instead of second. I had emotional concerns for them in that so I said let’s skip just one year and my wife agreed. But that was still difficult on them once they hit high school. Especially when all their friends were getting driver's licenses and they still had a year ago. That almost killed them. I felt bad but reminded them that we could have let them skip more years and things would be even worse. 

I used to think about that because I skipped a year my first year and never could figure out why things seemed out of whack for the next 12 years. But in the end, it was fine. I think. Maybe. Maybe not?

Anyway, I’ve spoken about this education thing a bunch of times. Were we gave everyone K-12 and now let’s face it, things have changed. We should be giving everyone K-14 but now the cost of colleges and universities is ridiculous. That needs to be gotten under control.

But offering 14 not just 12 years means everybody can get a community college degree at the very least. If you are wealthy, then pay for it yourself, have some patriotism. Have some empathy and compassion for those who have so much less than you do. And that would also cover two years of Voc tech school. So you don't want to go to college you can learn a skill or trade and get certified.

That would vastly change a lot of the problems we have today. But no, God forbid conservatives and Republicans do anything to either help anyone else, or help America, or understand that whole adage, that…

A rising tide lifts all boats...

When will conservatives/Republicans understand all they do doesn't have to just profit them. Do your job, which isn't just to retain your job. Wait, narcissism. Now I see their attraction to Trump.

Starting my 3rd mile…

Why do I do that? Mention what mile I’m on because maybe, especially if I’m walking a long distance day, gives you an idea that maybe the last things he said after that last mile...is  he dying or maybe not thinking clearly or... thinking more clearly now?

Also at the bottom of this track I walk in my 1st mile when starting off it says one in this transcription. When I roundabout at the end of the two lengths and start the 2nd mile, I put down two. So I indicated in two places in this document. 

Here is the reason why really. Just now I went to put down mile two. But I saw a two already there. So I put down mile three. Realizing that this is my last mile. Sometimes I get into this Jawin’, talking, speeching, recording thing and I forget where I’m at. Some of that is maybe getting older. Some of that is ADHD since I’ve been going through that all my life and always keep notes.

In 10th grade, I told my sister, three years older than me who had just graduated, so after third grade we were never in the same school again, I said I can’t keep track of things. I keep forgetting things. She said just use your watch on your wrist. I said I do, but it doesn’t help... a little bit maybe.

So she said OK do what I have done. When you think of something throughout the day that you don’t want to forget. Like, after school I have to remember to do this or that. Write it on a piece of paper and put that in your pocket where you keep your house key. When you start driving, it’ll be even more obvious because you need to get your car key out to drive home from school. Just try to remember at the end of every day before you leave school check your pocket. I started doing that and at end of day one day I pulled out my keys and there were all these pieces of paper with notes on them. 

What I learned about this, years later, was I have to trick my mind into doing what I want it to do. I told my kids about this. My oldest son as usual back then as a teen, rebelled against the concept.

Recently, he was telling me how he had a thing that he would do that worked for him, and he always remembered whatever it was. I reminded him about what I had told him when he was younger. I said, so you get it at age 35. That’s what I was trying to tell you as a kid. You just have to figure out your own method, but it’s basically the same thing. 

He objected apparently as we figured out then in talking about it, to "tricking" his own mind. I didn't care for me, as long as it worked. Just how I saw it when I was younger.

It’s also like when you set yourself up for a reward and you get it after you do what you want to do. That works really really well.

I told him when he was younger, and he rediscovered it on YouTube, about the delayed gratification test. He mentions that a lot now. In the test you take several children separately and offer them one (in this original case) marshmallow. Tell them if they wait they get another marshmallow. Leave them in a room alone for a short time. 

Certain personality types have to eat that marshmallow right then. Others wait and get rewarded with a second. And those I think the contention is, do better in life, espcecially in business. It also makes for a good metaphor in life.

I was thinking yesterday that recording this blog as I walk is fine and cathartic. It helps me work out issues in projects I work on and even future projects and consider things from my history and life experiences.

And hopefully, I offer something to anyone who reads this. That’s two things I wanted to address. If it seems I’m bragging or trying to show myself in a good light or something. I’m not. I’m trying to share things that might benefit others.

Oh, he did that? I could do that!
Oh, he has trouble with that? I have trouble with that. That’s an interesting way to think about it or deal with it. Or I'll do the oppsite.
Oh, what an idiot this guy is. I can do way better.

Cool. Whatever. I don’t care. Think I’m a lowlife? OK. Just remember if anything good comes of anything you read here, even if it’s the opposite of what I’m saying, then reading this was helpful.

OK, the other thing was I’m doing this walk every day now and basically doing a blog every day. Recording is fun and easy. Doing the read through and edit to get it online... admittedly it’s interesting and sometimes I’ll take notes and save them somewhere else, but it’s also laborious. On the other hand, it’s helping me get back into editing an entire book. Which as some of you may know I need to finish my film companion book on my documentary. Worked on that I think till the end of December or so.

I was thinking maybe I should walk every other day because it gives all of us a break and then I can lift some weights because I really need to do some strength training. All my life I did that at home or at the gym. One day aerobics, the next day, strength training, lifting weights.

In the Service, the boss told us one day as we were headed to lunch, you know you can go to the gym and get an extra half hour off at lunch giving you 90 minutes. My friend Craig and I looked at him and said, What!

So we got the equipment and started playing racquetball every day. At some point, we thought we should be lifting weights so we started playing racquetball one day and strength training the next. In our job, you needed strength training. You were a lot less tired at night.

So there it is…

Man, I’m not giving Marc’s blog any leeway on his blog today… Bad me.

About 37 minutes into the podcast, Marc’s guest tells in incredible story about being in LA and a company you could pay to give you call out sheets of where all the productions were outside. So he got to go at 11 with his dad and met Michael Landon on set of I some show. And David Carradine, who gave him an autograph with a yin yang symbol. 

Then he and his dad go to where a movie "Communion" was being filmed. He has an incredible story about Christopher Walken talking to him, just the two of them. Kind of an amazing damn story, especially for an 11-year-old. Definitely worth listening to, just open the podcast and go to maybe minute 35 when he starts talking about this… Wow.

Then Marc starts talking about when he was living in Albuquerque, Sam Peckinpah was shooting his last movie, Convoy. Which for Sam wasn't his best film. But he got to meet a bunch of stars in the film that day.

I remember when Convoy came out. That was a really big movie for what seemed like a kind of “B” flick.

They’re talking about how cool it used to be to do that kind of thing and just walk on a set and how opening and friendly everybody was. But you know, somebody’s always gonna ruin it so we had stockers and paparazzi and whatever so they've locked things down. He said the security guards on sets were really nice.

Which of course, reminds me of my own story about being on the set of the pilot of Starman TV show at the Seattle Center at the monorail after having been on their set up near my apartment on Queen Anne Hill. They were at that  famous location that everybody wants to shoot from for commercials and movies and TV that overlooks the city and the space needle. I was just driving home from work at Tower Video on Mercer Street by the Seattle Center and there's suddenly an entire film production on the street before me. I stopped and got out. What the hell? Cool.

That night by the base of the Space Needle the location manager noticed me sitting there watching the action and all the extras wandering around around midnight. He set me right next to the camera and the Director, right in the action. I had told him I was an aspiring screenwriter and had never been on a film set. Which isn’t quite true, but not that kind of set.

 

I’ve been on our local kids show in the late 1960s,  The Brakeman Bill Show (I liked the JP Patches Show better but I did watch his show too). I was doing karate demonstrations with our Sensei and a couple other students. Did that a few times on the show. 

But does that really count? Tiny TV studio set, not an actual on location (TV) film set. It ruined my childhood on Brakeman Bill's because they had a hand puppet called "Crazy Donkey" who everybody liked because he was irascible and funny. And suddenly I’m on this tiny set having thought it was somehow bigger and some guy's got his arm shoved up the backside of Crazy Donkey and I’m trying to give a karate demonstration and not look over at him.

On that note, I’ll bid you adieu...and leave you with that. 

It’s nowhere near noon time and lunch.

Cheers! Sláinte!