Riding on a bus

Before I was old enough to drive, I took the bus everywhere. We lived in a little country town called Sissonville in southern West Virginia. The big town was Charleston, about 15 or so minutes away. My parents had a print shop and were usually in town. So in the summer, I was either going to be stranded or I could take the bus into Charleston.

Because I had a kind of base of operations in the guise of my parents' print shop, I felt pretty comfortable going downtown by myself. I had a summer bus pass so I could ride up and back as much as I wanted.

When I rode the bus into town, I spent a lot of time in the library. The main branch of the Kanawha County Public Library in downtown Charleston is a huge stone building. From the outside, it looks like a courthouse or museum. It’s just a magnificent old structure. I would spend hours reading books of all different types. I think there were three or four floors worth of books there. In the summer it was always cool and quiet.

Next to the library was a little nook with a tobacco shop, a tailor and a place called the Arcade News and Book store. It was a neat little place that had an entire wall full of magazines as well as a great selection of books.

Of course in those days, downtown Charleston was a thriving place with four department stores (Montgomery Ward, Sears, JC Penney and Stone & Thomas) and a lot of other shops so there were plenty of options if I got tired of books. There were a couple of record stores, one of which was called Budget Tapes & Records. They had a great music selection and a lot of drug paraphernalia, which was lost on me as a younger person. There also were at least two “real” movie theaters rather than the multiplexes they have now. These were the kind with big marquees and balconies.

It felt like a lot of freedom to walk around town unaccompanied, going wherever I wanted back then. I loved it, despite being periodically accosted by strange men trying to sell me pot.

The bus, though not as convenient as driving, was the next best thing to having a car for someone as young as I was. I continued to use it regularly up until I got my license. One of my favorite high school memories took place on a bus ride between Sissonville and Charleston.

I was in 10^th grade and was part of our school’s production of Fiddler on the Roof. One of the girls playing one of the main female roles was a senior named Tonja. I didn’t know her very well. Most of the lead parts were filled by people in the choir, of which I was a member, so I knew those kids. She wasn't in the choir, despite having an absolutely beautiful voice. The play was a joint effort between the choir director and the drama teacher, so there was bound to be some political maneuvering involved. I seem to recall the drama teacher being annoyed with so many choir people getting the big parts, despite the fact that in our small school there was a significant cross over between the two groups. Tonja was in the drama club and was a fantastic singer, so she made the cut.

During all the rehearsals and after school time, we kind of got to know each another. I had a minor role. My character had a name, Avrum the Bookseller, but only one or two lines. Mostly I served to fill out the crowd and chorus scenes. So I had a lot of time to socialize and hang around with my fellow cast members which was how I got to know her.

Before I knew what was going on, I developed a huge crush on her. Because she was a senior and I was a sophomore with absolutely no game, I never made a move. After all, what would she want with a lowly sophomore anyway? Nevertheless, I pined from afar and enjoyed our times talking and laughing at rehearsal and occasionally before school and at lunchtime.

One day, I was on the bus headed for town and was thinking about her. I knew approximately where she lived and knew that it was on the bus route, but not the exact location. I was kind of daydreaming about her thinking how cool it would be if she rode the bus, but realizing that a girl of 18 was bound to have a driver’s license.

The brakes hissed as the bus pulled to a stop to admit another passenger. I looked up just in time to see Tonja board. She wore the expression everyone has when they get on the bus with a bunch of strangers: Kind of a desperate searching for a place that isn’t (a) next to a weirdo and (b) not too far in the back, where most weirdos like to gather.

Funnily enough, I was sitting in the back alone, sans weirdos unless you count me. When she spotted me, I caught the flash of recognition as I waved tentatively to her. Then the biggest smile I had ever seen spread across her face. She came to the back and sat with me for the rest of the ride into town.

I wish I could remember what we talked about, but it’s lost to me now. What I do recall is that for me, the bus was the best place in the world that afternoon.

All I Really Need to Know I Learned from Peanuts

Years ago, I had a great idea to write a book about the wisdom contained in the comic strip, Peanuts. At the time, there was a popular book called, All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten by Robert Fulghum. I had read the book and thought it would be funny to do a semi-parody of his idea using the Charlie Brown universe. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that there really is a lot of wisdom in Charles M. Schulz's comics. I contacted a lot of cartoonists to get their perspectives and most answered. I even heard from Charles Schulz's publishers, but he was not interested in authorizing or even contributing to a book like I was imagining.

If I had been a real writer instead of a lazy bastard, I would have kept writing and sent it to him. I think, despite his initial reservations about it, he would have understood the intended spirit of the project. Sadly, I am lazy and of course, Charles Schulz passed away in February 2000.

After that, I kind of lost interest in the project, but always kept it in the back of my mind. A few years ago, Fantagraphics Books began releasing hard-bound editions of the daily and Sunday strips. This helped me to rekindle my love for those old comics. That, coupled with the relative ease of blogging led me to resurrect the project online. I will be posting what I've written and adding to it as I'm inspired to do so.

Below is the first bit I wrote for the book.
--------------------------------
There have been plenty of "All I Really Need To Know" books, posters and assorted paraphernalia on the market since the publication Robert Fulghum's All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten. It seems that every subject has been covered, from Star Trek to Hilary Clinton. This is my humble contribution.

Though some may scoff, the ideas in this book actually predate the publication of Fulghum's book. But I do want to ensure that proper credit is given. His book did inspire me and helped provide a focus for my tribute to the brilliance of Charles M. Schulz, or "Sparky" to his friends.

So, I read Fulghum's book. I even liked most of it. But unlike him, I realized that all I really need to know about how to live, what to do, and how to be was not learned in kindergarten (Heads down, now!), but in the pages of Peanuts. While Fulghum found profundity on the playground, I see sagacity in Schulz.

Pick up any Peanuts book, here's some of what you'll learn:

• Happiness is a Warm Puppy
• Psychiatric help should only cost five cents
• Never waste a good worry
• You can't talk to someone who keeps saying "Au contraire"
• There's no sense being sought after if you can't be found
• Winning isn't everything, but losing isn't anything
• Studying the wrong chapter is like cutting your fingernails too short
• Never trade a hit for a clobber
• A good way to forget a love affair is to eat a lot of goop
• Anyone who gives their dad a Father's Day card is a rare gem
• Eyes deceive and legs fail, but it's the stomach that gets you in trouble
• You not only can't explain love, you can't even talk about it
• It's easy to get carried away on true or false tests
• It really doesn't take much to make a dad happy
• Until it is demonstrated, one forgets the really great difference that exists between the merely competent amateur and the very expert professional
• A little rain never hurt anybody
• Keep the ball low. Don't leave crayons in the sun. Use dental floss every day. Give four weeks notice when ordering a change of address. Don't spill the shoe polish. Always knock before entering. Don't let the ants get in the sugar. Never volunteer to be the program chairman. Always get your first serve in. Feed your dog whenever it's hungry
• The secret of life is to have three things to look forward to and nothing to dread
• There's a difference between a philosophy and a bumper sticker
• You can accomplish a lot once you get the sympathy of the press
• Bitter sarcasm always spoils an appetite
• If you expect nothing, you get nothing
• Life is full of rude awakenings
• A thumb tastes best at room temperature
• Hoping and praying should never be confused with studying
• Receiving a chain letter is like discovering you have gum on the bottom of your shoe
• One of the great joys in life is scarfing junk food
• Everyone in the stands is an expert
• Never try to discuss marriage with a musician
• If you're smart, you can pass a true or false test without being smart
• It doesn't matter where you go, you've never left
• After a walk on a brisk fall day it's fun to come home and have a cup of hot chocolate and sit in front of a warm TV
• A lot of great letters never get mailed
• It's amazing how stupid you can be when you're in love
• You never get a wrong number when you need one
• Love is not knowing what you're talking about
• In all of mankind's history there has never been more damage done than by people who "thought they were doing the right thing"
• In the book of life the answers are not in the back
• The trouble with tennis is you can't play it alone
• A good businessman can't afford to be sarcastic
• Never set your stomach for a jelly-bread sandwich until you're sure there's some jelly
• Taking a true or false test is like having the wind at your back
• If they ever took "cute" out of the English language, we'd all perish
• Cats are the crab grass in the lawn of life
• It's hard to imagine a holiday without a little greed attached to it
• Daytime is so you can see where you're going, nighttime is so you can lie in bed and worry
• It doesn't take much these days to attract a crowd
• You don't miss an aerobics class, you escape it
• Anything that falls on the floor legally belongs to the dog
• Those who can't do, teach
• When something bad is going to happen to you there shouldn't have to be a night before
• The sidewalk always wins, the knees always lose
• To dance is to live
• In all this world there is nothing more inspiring than the sight of someone who has just been taken off the hook
• Security, like liberty, has to be won and rewon many times
• Whenever you try to hit somebody, there is a tendency for them to try and hit you back
• The world belongs to whoever has the biggest teeth
• If you're not sure, just don't say anything
• So much in this world depends on who gets born first
• Happiness should be shared
• Security doesn't just come to a person, sometimes it has to be pursued
• The sports page is the cruelest page in the paper
• It's not wise to lie in bed at night asking questions that you can't answer
• It's time to quit school when they even criticize your lunch
• Losing a ball game is like dropping an ice cream cone on the sidewalk. It lays there and you know you've dropped it and there's nothing you can do, it's too late
• How sharper than a serpent's tooth is a sister's “nyaah!”
• A smile makes a lousy umbrella
• On a beautiful day it's best to stay in bed so you don't get up and spoil it
• A hot dog just doesn't taste right without a ball game in front of it
• Dogs are born to sleep in the sun
• Never jump into a pile of leaves holding a wet sucker
• Heroes ride, goats walk
• Life is full of rude awakenings
• If you watch every word you say, you'll never get much said
• There's nothing like a little physical pain to take your mind off of your emotional problems
• Happiness is a side dish of french fries
• It's impossible to eat dog food when your stomach is set for Shrimp Louie
• In teacher-pupil struggles it's always the principal who loses
• If you're going to hope to get elected, don't mention the Great Pumpkin
• To lie awake at night and think about life's problems is terrible, but to lie awake and think about pizza is intolerable
• Nothing takes the taste out of peanut butter like unrequited love
• School time doesn't roll around, it leaps right out at you
• Sound theology has a way of easing the mind
• It takes all kinds to make a world, but some kinds we could do without
• A kiss on the nose does much toward turning aside anger
• A person is never quite so stupid as when being smart
• Good hot chocolate tastes even better with a ski lodge around it
• Everyone should have a dog to greet them when they come home
• When you play your heart out you get a stomach ache
• When you walk from the bench to the plate it's about 30 feet, but when you walk from the plate to the bench it's four miles
• Never take advice you can understand, it can't possibly be any good
• Just wait til next year!

Believe it or not it's just the tip of the iceberg.

What follows are my observations on Peanuts, the familiar characters we've all grown up with, and how I think they relate to life in general. I'm not a psychologist or sociologist. I've never studied human behavior. In fact, my “averageness” borders on the appalling. Yet, my mediocity is exactly what makes me qualified to write this book. I'm simply a ordinary, unexceptional guy.

Just like good ol’ Charlie Brown.

A Visit to the LOST Beach

Because so many of my friends are LOST fans, I decided to write up a longer description of what happened when we visited the beach where LOST is filmed.

First of all, we ended up visiting a lot of places where LOST is filmed without realizing it. There is a Web site called LOST Virtual Tour which can guide you if you set out to find the specific sites. However, looking at it after the fact showed me that we had been to a couple of the spots already. For example, there is a lookout point next to Hanauma Bay where Desmond confronted Kelvin. We went there, but didn't realize that's where we were. We just liked the view.

Since we had planned to visit the northern part of the island that day, we decided it would be fun to see the beach where many of the scenes from LOST are filmed. It's called Papa'iloa Beach and it's actually just a short drive from La'ie where BYU Hawaii is located.

We walked out on the beach and right away recognized some of the places where key scenes were filmed. We saw a group of people further down the beach, but still didn't realize it was the film crew. We assumed it was another group of tourists. Just then this kind of lanky older guy came walking over to us. He asked us if we minded walking up higher on the shore so we wouldn't end up accidentally on camera. It turned out he was one of the production guys for the shoot and they were actually filming a scene that day.

The cool thing is that since all Hawaiian beaches are public, he couldn't order us away, he could only ask. We readily agreed to move (because we're nice like that) and he asked us if we were coming out there to watch the filming. We explained that we didn't even know they were filming, but we wanted to see the location. He said, "Well, come with me. I'll take you around to the other side and you'll be able to see better what's going on."

The next thing we knew, we were walking through the makeshift campsite set up by the Oceanic Flight 815 survivors. We could see shelters with airplane wreckage and suitcases. We were in the middle of the set! I took a couple of pictures. We were passed over to a security guard who nicely asked me to not take anymore pictures. He said they were pretty paranoid about spoilers and that if I was seen taking photos, they might throw us out. We went around through the jungle past all these different props and sets, past trailers and miscellaneous crew members. I don't know if it was because it was Hawaii or what, but everyone was super mellow and nice. They seemed to go out of their way to say hello to us. I have visited a set or two in the past and can say that is not usually how it is. Everyone is usually all uptight.

So after pausing a few times to allow for something that was being filmed, we were escorted out past Eko's church structure to the beach. We stood there watching as the character Ilana was filming a scene where she kicked a guy and pointed a rifle at him after he fell. They did it again and again as the rain fell.

Just then Shauna grabbed my arm and said, "Oh, my gosh. That's Ben!" I looked through my rain spotted glasses and sure enough Michael Emerson, the actor who plays Benjamin Linus was sitting with another security guard under a tarp. He was chatting with the guard and at one point stood up to empty the rain-filled tarp.

We were there a few more minutes and then I looked up and saw a familiar face walking out to the tarp. It was Locke! John Locke (Terry O'Quinn) was standing maybe 40 feet away from us. He walked out and shook hands with Ben which I found sort of funny. At one point, he turned around and looked at us, but did not make eye contact. I don't blame him. I'm sure he didn't want to deal with a bunch of fans. Besides Shauna, Matt Hyatt and me, there were four other people there watching. At one point another person came out and was greeted enthusiastically by the two actors. It was a blonde woman, but it wasn't Juliet or Penny.

We realized we needed to leave because it was raining and we had tickets to the Polynesian Cultural Center that night. The snag was, the guard who brought us out there told us we couldn't just walk out. He said we needed to go over to the guard who was sitting with the actors and tell him to radio for someone to come get us. I wondered how reasonable it was to approach a guard who was with the actors. In the end, Shauna did it. However, the guard seemed to misunderstand her. Instead of radioing for an escort, he took us himself. He was pissed off because he wasn't supposed to leave the set. I told him like three times that he was supposed to radio someone, but he didn't listen to me. He was the only guy on the set that was jerky about us being there.

Again, we were held up in the production area. I head a familiar voice saying, "I gotta do an interview in a minute." I looked to my right and in the trailer right next to us, maybe 10 feet away this time was Terry O' Quinn again. We didn't push our luck to ask for an autograph or anything, but it was cool to be there. The same hippified old production dude took over for the guard and took us back out to the beach. I apologized for our causing a hassle with guard and he said, "Ah, he'll do what we tell him to."

We went out to the beach and left. Shauna took a couple of pictures of Ben under the tarp as we left, but it was zoomed in and shaky. It's not the best picture, but it's what we have.

Honestly, we thought we would be lucky to see the beach, but to be taken through the set and to see a couple of the actors was so far beyond what we expected. Plus, everyone was so gracious (the one guard excepted) and were even saying goodbye to us as we were leaving.

One picture is included in this note, but this link will take you to the rest of them, if you're interested: http://tinyurl.com/LOSTBeach09

Disturbing Trend

Several months ago, I posted a video clip of my old band performing a song I wrote when I was 19 called, "Kill Your Girlfriend." The entry also told the story of how the song was written.

Since then, I installed a traffic monitor on my blog and have found that way too many people come to this blog after searching for terms like "How to kill your girlfriend" or "Kill your girlfriend and get away with it." That's a bit creepy. No, it's really creepy.

Therefore, I would like to issue the disclaimer that the author of the blog entitled Random Thoughts does not and has not ever seriously endorsed the killing of one's girlfriend, boyfriend or any combination of the above.

Thank you.

My Life According to Squeeze

RULES: Using only song names from ONE ARTIST, cleverly answer these questions. Pass it on to a bunch of people including me. You can't use the band I used. Try not to repeat a song title. It's a lot harder than you think! Re-post as "My Life According to (BAND NAME)"

1. Are you a male or female?
A Man for All Seasons

2. Describe yourself:
I Think I'm Go Go

3. How do you feel:
Slaughtered, Gutted and Heartbroken

4. Describe where you currently live:
King George Street

5. If you could go anywhere, where would you go:
Piccadilly

6. Your favorite form of transportation:
The Elephant Ride

7. Your best friend:
Vicky Verky

8. Your favorite color is:
True Colors

9. What's the weather like:
Wild Sewerage Tickles Brazil

10. Favorite time of day:
In the Morning

11. If your life was a TV show, what would it be called:
Gone to the Dogs

12. What is life to you:
The Truth

13. Your current relationship:
House of Love

14. Looking for:
All the King's Horses

15. Wouldn’t mind:
Everything in the World

16. Your fear:
Going Crazy

17. What is the best advice you have to give:
Walk a Straight Line

18. If you could change your name, you would change it to:
Dr. Jazz

19. Thought for the Day:
All's Well that Ends Well

20. How I would like to die:
Third Rail

21. My motto:
Take Me, I'm Yours

69 Concerts

OK, here are the rules. Test your memory and your love of live music by listing 50 or so artists or bands (or as many as you can remember) you've seen in concert. List the first 50 acts that come into your head. 

1. KISS

2. Judas Priest

3. Cheap Trick

4. Queen

5. The Rolling Stones

6. The Who

7. Rush

8. Crosby, Stills and Nash

9. Joe Walsh

10. Jon Butcher Axis

11. Stevie Nicks

12. Sparks

13. Squeeze

14. Stray Cats

15. Jetboy

16. Crash Test Dummies

17. Crowded House

18. Squirrel Nut Zippers

19. Rod Stewart

20. Robby Krieger

21. Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros

22. Billy Idol

23. The Cult

24. They Might Be Giants

25. NRBQ

26. Flight of the Conchords

27. Jill Sobule

28. Los Bukis

29. Burton Cummings

30. Little Feat

31. Giant

32. Kenny Loggins

33. Meatloaf

34. Right Said Fred (I know!)

35. Great Big Sea

36. Glenn Tilbrook and the Fluffers

37. Paul McCartney

38. The Waifs

39. Jimmy Eat World

40. Weezer

41. Dashboard Confessional'

42. The Old Ceremony

43. The B-52s

44. Beatlemania

45. T-Bone Burnett

46. Rick Springfield (don't you judge me!)

47. American Music Club

48. Nick Harper

49. The Spring Standards

50. Chris Difford

51. Aimee Mann

52. Alice Cooper

53. Stevie Wonder

54. Little Richard

55. Brian Wilson

56. Elvis Costello

57. Nick Lowe

58. Carbon Leaf

59. Southern Culture on the Skids

60. Dwight Yoakam

61. 1964

62. Blur

63. The Specials

64. New Order

65. Imelda May

66. Vintage Trouble

67. Ace Frehley

68. Iron Maiden

69. Ghost

This was my second concert, Cheap Trick. They played at the Charleston Civic Center in W.Va. My friend Ikechi and I waited outside all afternoon and managed to be in the very front. Again, this shot is without any kind of special lens. This was how close I was to the stage. This is Rick Nielson (in case you didn't know already).

About Me - More than anyone cares to know

1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? My middle name is Edward, my grandfather's name. He had five kids, all used his name as one of their son's middle names. My youngest son is also named after him (Jordan Edward)

2.WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? Last July.

3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? No.

4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? Black forest ham.

5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS? Three sons.

6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON, WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? I hope that I would, I fear that I wouldn't.

7. DO YOU USE SARCASM? All the time.

8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Nope.

9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? Probably not. I hate heights.

10. NAKED? No, I'm a never nude.

11. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? Honey Nut Shredded Wheat or Raisin Bran Crunch.

12. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? Yes, what am I? A farmer?

13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? Chocolate Raspberry Truffle

14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? Eyes and face.

15. RED OR PINK? Red

16. WHAT IS YOUR LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? I have a giant, freakish head.

17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? I wish my dad was alive to enjoy the follies of my children.

18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO COMPLETE THIS LIST? I don't really care.

19. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? Khaki pants, no shoes.

20. DESCRIBE WHAT IT IS THAT YOU CANNOT RESPECT? I don't like dishonesty.

21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? The air conditioner.

22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Red or Green.

23. FAVORITE SMELLS? Peppermint.

24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? Shauna.

25. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? I like them both. :-)

26. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH? I love watching football. It's partially the football, partially that it's fall.

27. HAIR COLOR? Black with lots of grey mixed in.

28. EYES? Green.

29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? Yes.

30. FAVORITE FOOD? Pizza.

31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? I like both.

32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? Fanboys. Pretty funny if you are a Star Wars nerd.

33. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? Blue

34. SUMMER OR WINTER? Summer, though I prefer fall and spring.

35. HUGS OR KISSES? Depends on who it is.

36. YOU ARE MOST COMFORTABLE-WHEN? I have no worries and no one is bugging me.

37. MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? No idea.

38. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND? No idea.

39. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW? Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy

40. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? It's just black.

41. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON TV LAST NIGHT? The Empire Strikes Back

42. FAVORITE SOUND(S)? The ocean.

43. MYSPACE OR TWITTER? If I had to choose, I'd say Twitter.

44. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME? Mexico

45. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? Special? Not really. I can sing pretty well, but so can a lot of people. I have a pretty good people sense. I can usually suss people out pretty quickly. I claim 98 percent accuracy, though my wife thinks it's lower (it's not)

46 FAVORITE PLACE VISITED? I love Puerto Rico and the Outer Banks.

47. WHOSE ANSWERS ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING BACK? Anyone

48. TRAITS YOU LOOK FOR IN A PERSON? I like funny, smart people who know who they are.

49. WHAT DO YOU DRIVE? I alternate between a Subaru Legacy Outback and a beat up old minivan.

50. And a message from you: Not me, but Terry Pratchett: The presence of those seeking the truth is infinitely to be preferred to the presence of those who think they’ve found it. -- Terry Pratchett