New Custom Made Shirt!

Yesterday when I returned home from work I found a very nice surprise.  There was a package that contained a custom made Dr. Spo shirt.  So nice!

This is my "giraffe" shirt.  Very appropriate for me, being taller than average most of my life.  I love it!  

A happy Ron with his new "Giraffe" shirt

I am already the lucky recipient of three "Spo shirts."  I wore my "parrot" shirt to the "Price is Right" TV show last year when Pat and were in Hollywood for our annual winter holiday.  I wasn't chosen to "Come on down!" last year, even though I wore my Parrot shirt (see side bar photo).  But this year I am confident I will be chosen because I will be wearing this fabulous shirt.

I am so thankful to have a friend like Dr. Spo.  

Dr. Spo, fabulous friend well over four feet tall

Let me tell you something about this wonderful man.  He's kind, generous, witty, good-looking, and smart.  He lives in Phoenix, Arizona.  He is a head shrink therapist. 

I "met" him through a link to his blog that was on my late friend "The Cajun's" blog.  I was immediately attracted to his handsome features.  Then I read his blog.  Wow, this guy is good!  In my opinion he's a better writer than many professional humor writers. I think he missed his calling.  He's as good as Dave Barry, my preeminent favorite humorist.  

Four years ago I had the good fortune to meet him in person during our first Bloggerpalooza.  I was very surprised to find that he is well over four feet tall.  In fact, he is quite tall.  

Dr. Spo with me, the late David Jefferies and the late "The Cajun", and Anne Marie of Philly's husband. I, Wayne and Dr. Spo are wearing his custom made shirts.

As you can tell I like this man.  But you know what I really like about Dr. Spo?  He is so kind.  And he tolerates me, even with all my foibles.  He isn't one of those faint hearted "friends" who dumps me as a friend just because I did or said something immature or inappropriate.  At the Bloggerpalooza I took note that he treats all people the same.  He doesn't have favorites.  

Dr. Spo gives a bear hug to the late David Jefferies

Dr. Spo is a good person and I am proud to have him as a friend.

Thank you Dr. Spo for this wonderful shirt. 

Me, Dr. Spo and his partner, Someone arriving at the Bloggerpalooza 2013 (note, I am 6'3" and Dr. Spo is almost as tall as I am and he's not wearing heels)

Second Presidential Debate Aftermath

Did you watch the debate last night?  I did.

It was embarrassing wasn't it?  Did you ever in your life think you would see anything like that?  I didn't.

Put aside who "won" the debate.  The Trump supporters will say Trump won.  The Hillary supporters will say Hillary won.  However, here are some of the indelible images I will take away from the debate:

1. Donald Trump threatened to jail Hillary Clinton if he is elected president.
2. Donald Trump placed four women accusers of Bill Clinton in the audience.  Note:  Bill Clinton isn't running for president.
3. Donald Trump lurked behind Hillary Clinton most of the night during the debate thus creating an image of the Lurking Stalker.
4. Donald Trump claimed that his bragging about grabbing any woman's genitals because he's a "star" was just "locker room talk."

Here is my takeaway from the debate last night:

1. Donald Trump reinvigorated his base
2. Donald Trump didn't gain any additional women voters
3. Donald Trump cemented his reputation as a braggart and a bully
4. Donald Trump is totally unfit to be president of the United States

Now this is the part where I'm supposed to say "Hillary isn't perfect but she is the only alternative."  Well, I'm not going to say that.  What I am going to say is:

"Hillary Clinton is the MOST qualified individual EVER to run for president of the United States."

So fasten your seat belts folks. Donald Trump knows that he has lost the presidential race, and to a woman.  

Donald Trump is a tired, old and overweight old man. And he is ANGRY.  He's losing.  And to a WOMAN.  

As depressing as it was to watch last night's debate at least there was one good thing to come out of it.  Now we know that his repulsive monster will never be president of the United States.  

Trump Goes Nuclear

An hour before the second presidential debate tonight, Donald Trump called the press in a meeting room at the hotel where he is staying.  

The photo above is what the press saw.  Four women who have accused former president Bill Clinton of sexual assault.  

Folks, a chill just went down my spine.  Not because Trump is parading these women, whose charges have never been proved, but because a major presidential candidate would sink so low to do such a thing.  

I am ashamed for this country.  Not because of Bill  Clinton and his sexual past but because the Republican nominee has sunk to such depths.  

Here's a message for Donald Trump and his supporters:

BILL CLINTON IS NOT RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT

The Big Debate Tonight

The second presidential debate is tonight. 

Incredibly, this debate is expected to have even more viewers than the first presidential debate.  


And why is that?  Because of the recent revelations by the Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump being caught on an open mic bragging about sexual assault on women.  

Trump is threatening to bring up Bill Clinton's  sexual behavior of thirty years ago at tonight's debate.  Of course Bill Clinton isn't running for president but in Trump's world, he thinks this will help him win the presidency.  

Every day more Republicans are withdrawing their support of Trump.  Some have said they're not voting for him.  Others are calling for Trump to withdraw from the race.  

I for one will be glued to the TV tonight.  One thing is for sure, Donald Trump does entertain.  I have a theory that Trump is actually enjoying all this attention, even though it is negative.  Remember what Donald Trump has said about publicity . . . . "all publicity is good publicity."  






  

The Presidential Campaign Ended Today

Trump and Billy Bush - 2005 - Alpha Males and misogynists

Mark this date.  The U. S. presidential campaign ended today.  


The Washington Post published this story today.  See here

Trump is caught on a hot mic bragging "When you're a star . . . . you can do anything" to women, including grabbing their private parts. 

Folks, a revelation like this about a person's character is bad enough but when it reinforces an already known narrative, it is lethal. 

Trump's immediate response was "Bill Clinton was worse" won't make a difference.  All during this campaign every time Trump is revealed for who he is, the Trump campaign immediately pivots to "Hillary . . . . etc."  This time he pivots to Bill Clinton but there is one small fact he overlooks, Bill Clinton isn't running for president.

Many months ago I predicted that Trump would be the Republican nominee for president of the United States.  I never said he would win but I have to admit there were times during the past few months when I had my doubts.  But now I have no doubt.  Trump is finished.  There is no way out of this, even for his most reverent supporters.  The simple fact is that Trump needs more women voters.  He won't get those votes now.  Oh sure, he'll still have the white males without college degrees or as he says "I love the poorly educated!"  But he isn't getting that much sought after women's vote.

Braggart Trump with his Trophy Wife, Melanie

So now here is my prediction.  Trump with withdraw from the presidential race. This isn't the first tie I thought he would withdraw but now I am fairly confident he will withdraw.  Reince Prebius, the Republican National Committee chairman will ask Indiana governor Mike Pence to take Donald Trump's place as the Republican presidential candidate.  

Mike Pence, Indiana governor who signed a anti LGBT law
New Republican presidential candidate

Mark this date.  Donald Trump is finished.  Thank God. 

High School Classmates - 1957 - Lifelong Memories

How good is your memory?  I have this uncanny ability to remember names of folks that I know.  

I was reminded of this recently when I posted this photo of my sophomore class taken in 957.  After all these year I think I can identify everyone person in this photo.  

Now let's see.  I will start with the first row left from right:

Pat Weber, Anne Yerkes, Jackie Schmidt, Elsie Strock, Mary Jane Sabellico, Judy Wagner, Frances Wilkenson, Patty Zittle, Betty Lou Woodward, Virginia Walters, Bonnie Walton, Linda Smith, Jean Timmerman

There!  I got the whole first row.  I also remember all there personalities.  Who liked me, who I liked and who I didn't know that well.  My late friend Wayne "The Cajun" Juneau used to mock me for "living in the past."  I liked Wayne but he was wrong in his observation of me and my propensity to remember my past.  We are who we are today because of our past. Both the good and bad experiences and people.  We learn from the past.  

Now for the second row.  Notice that the first row was all girls.  This WAS back in the Fifties when the guys were always told to stand in the back, especially the case with me being so tall.  I think these days schools are more egalitarian in the way they treat and respect their students. One thing I have never forgotten from school days was that I was always in the back of the room and any group setting.  From first grade on we were seated alphabetically and since my last name begins is a "T" I was in the back.  I truly believe that this "you can't sit at the lunch counter" syndrome affected my self confidence.  My good friend Bill B., who was short and always sat up front was and is a very confident person, even to this day.  While I put up a good front, I never completely got rid of my lack of self confidence. 

Now let's get to that second row:

Polly Weber (who is the twin of Pat Weber in the first row), Anne Williamson, Cookie Seibert, Su Su Serafino, Judy Scarborough (who is a neighbor of mine now here in southern Delaware), Gracie Styer (who was good friend of mine in grade school, I never knew what happened to her), Jean Szell, Duer Smedley, Lou Wilkerson (who I got into a fist fight with - 9th grade), Don Smith (who I had the hots for), Kenny Van Lew (who I also got into a fight with - 7th grade and who died in combat in Viet Nam), Francis Trego, Olin Siever.

Hey!  I got the whole second row!!!  I'm impressed with myself.  Damn I'm good.
Yes, I'm complimenting myself.

Here we go with the third row:

Bob Zynn, Jack Swarner, Donald Yanascoli (who I also had a crush on), Bob Watts, Blaine Stong, me (believe it or not I had too much hair), Don "Buddy" White who was our championship quarterback, Henry "Champ" Stehman, Denny Williams (another crush of mine), Terry Stimson, Alan Wilson, Harry Styer, Bill White

There!  I did it!  Looking at this picture I'm reminded at how all the girls wore dresses.  Many of them with crinolines, I remember the rustle of those crinolines when the girls would seat themselves on the wooden chairs in our classrooms.

The guys who wore short sleeve shirts would roll the short sleeves up.  Why?  Where the short sleeves too long?  No, it was just the "thing" to do.

By the way, my very first real date (at the Soph Hop) was the girl third from the right in the first row.  Her name was Bonnie Walton. She of the sweater and plaid skirt.  The next time I saw here was at our 35th Class Reunion.  Guess what?  She was a lesbian.  Looking at this photo now I guess I could have figured that out when we went to the Soph Hop.  Not that I was trying to make out with her, or any girl.  I guess sub consciously I wanted a "safe" date, which is what I got.

Bonnie Walton - 1959

 

Bonnie and me at our 50th class reunion 2009

Ah memories.  

Class Reunion Video

This morning I performed a labor of love.  As you know, I love to take photos and videos to record memorable moments in my life. And at this time of my life, as I enter my ninth inning with two outs, I am worried that all my photo and video history will be lost.  But take heart folks, I have found a way to remedy this dire situation!

I can upload my photos and videos to You Tube and create a permanent record for those who are still alive and those who follow me.  What a relief!  

So now all I have to do is upload my photos and videos to YouTube and produce the wonderful video like I'm posting to this blog post today.

This is a video, slide show actually with musical accompaniment, of my high school's 40th class reunion.  I haven't attended all the reunions but I have attended enough to make several more videos.  By the way, click on the "X" to make that annoying YouTube ad to go away.  I guess I shouldn't complain because YouTube lets me make these videos for free but who wants to see an ad overlaid on such a wonderful video?

Now I understand that to most of you the individuals in this video/slide show you won't know or recognize (hopefully you will recognize a young me) but I think most of you will enjoy the video anyway.  I know I had a grand time putting it together.

The only downside is that so many of my former classmates in this video have now passed on.  I only wish I could have shared all the smiles with them.

In memory of those classmates who are no longer with us:

Judy Baldwin (Nixdorf)
Bill Jones
Gary Kinzey
Denny Myers
Bruce Nixdorf
Bonnie Walton
Patty Zittle
Bob Zynn


P.S.
The banner photo is our Class of 1959 taken when we were sophomores in 1957.  Yours truly is behind the "D" in "Delaware" with the big pompadour. Cool!

And one more By The Way, I can identify every one of my classmates in that 1957 class photo including the ones I had a crush on (little did they know) (smile).

Yes, that is Yours Truly, standing at the front door of our high school. This was the photo used as the centerfold of our high school yearbook. The first and only time Yours Truly was in a centerfold.

Centerfold - 1959 DHS Yearbook