"KP..."

A handful of years ago, I came to work on morning... and saw that a colleague's car was hemorrhaging...  I was glad that it wasn't my car...  the vehicle belonged to my good friend, KP... those former students who remember KP probably still recoil in fear of his Finance classes, and even scarier... Finance exams...

KP is from India... and was the bane of anyone who had to take and pass Business Finance...

Anyway... KP's car was bleeding out... transmission fluid... and when I got up to my office, my good friend, Craig, came by to tell me about KP's car... we all look out for each other... (somewhat...)

... so we were discussing the fate of KP and his vehicle... whether or not his car would be reincarnated... and if so, in what form it might return.

At that point, Craig offers up. "I bet KP has to get a new car..."

Me:   "I bet he does as well!!"

Craig:  "I bet he gets an SUV..."

... to which I reply...  "I bet KP's version of an SUV is a camel..."

Now.... I know I know I know I know I know I know I know I know I know I know I know

I KNOW!!!!!

... that was wrong of me, but if you know me well, you know I do and say things like that.

So, the last time I see Craig, he's walking out my office door... and I am trying to get to work... and I look up... and KP is standing in my door... looking at me...

KP:  "Jim... where did you study geography?"

Me:  "Hell, KP... I don't know... it's been so many years ago... why??"

KP:  "We don't have camels in India... we have elephants... therefore, my version of an SUV would be an elephant... not a camel..."

... and he turns around and walks away...  damn... I was SURE that there were camels in India...

I am not sure I have ever laughed as hard at anything as I did of his delivery of that line without his ever breaking a grin...

A few years later, KP went back home to India for the summer to visit family... and when he would return from these trips, he would bring us each some small trinket back...

KP brought this back for me...

... and he told me...

"... this is to remind you that we don't have camels in India..."

A few years ago, KP retired and returned home to India...

I think he had suffered enough...

One of the last things he told me before he left was...

"Jim... I was kidding about there not being camels in India...

We DO have some..."

Same deadpan expression...

So... I found this image of an Indian Camel... 

and I am back to Square One... would KP's SUV be a camel or an elephant?

Hell, I don't know any more...

But that one  above is really decked out...

I am not sure if that qualifies as a 'G Ride' or as a 'Hooptie'

... but it sure is tricked out!!!

So...

What prompted this memory of KP?

That rascal strolled into my office earlier this afternoon...

Talk about totally unexpected...

Totally Surprised!!!!!

It was SO good to see him!!!

"Sensitivity Training..."

Or...

KISS MY ASS!!!!

A friend of mine at work has told me that she thinks I need sensitivity training... that I can be a bit gruff and crude from time to time. 

Of course, I immediately called 'bullshit' on that!!!

I researched the issue and found a manual on sensitivity-speak... somewhat of a code book for saying something else that has yet another meaning.

There is one chapter titled, "Try Saying"... and it has suggested comments that might allow for properr exchange of ideas and information can continue in an effective manner.

Some of these sayings include:

TRY SAYING: Perhaps I can work late.

INSTEAD OF: And when the fuck do you expect me to do this?

TRY SAYING: I'm certain that isn't feasible.

INSTEAD OF: No fucking way.

TRY SAYING: Really?

INSTEAD OF: You've got to be shitting me!

TRY SAYING: Perhaps you should check with...

INSTEAD OF: Tell someone who gives a shit.

TRY SAYING: I wasn't involved in the project.

INSTEAD OF: It's not my fucking problem.

TRY SAYING: That's interesting.

INSTEAD OF: What the fuck?

TRY SAYING: I'm not sure this can be implemented.

INSTEAD OF: This shit won't work.

TRY SAYING: I'll try to schedule that.

INSTEAD OF: Why the hell didn't you tell me sooner?

TRY SAYING: He's not familiar with the issues.

INSTEAD OF: He's got his head up his ass.

TRY SAYING: Excuse me, sir?

INSTEAD OF: Eat shit and die.

TRY SAYING: So you weren't happy with it?

INSTEAD OF: Kiss my ass.

TRY SAYING: I'm a bit overloaded at the moment.

INSTEAD OF: fuck it, I'm going to Guadalajara for a margarita.

TRY SAYING: I don't think you understand.

INSTEAD OF: Shove it up your ass.

TRY SAYING: I love a challenge.

INSTEAD OF: This job sucks.

TRY SAYING: You want me to take care of that?

INSTEAD OF: Who the hell died and made you boss?

TRY SAYING: I see.

INSTEAD OF: Blow me.

TRY SAYING: He's somewhat insensitive.

INSTEAD OF: He's a fucking prick.

TRY SAYING: I think you could use more training.

INSTEAD OF: You don't know what the fuck you're doing.

I think this approach would work... don't you??

I dont think I am THAT bad...

But maybe I am...

"Red Shoes..."

Shoes

I teach at a small regional university in the Mississippi Delta. Over the years that I have taught here, I have noticed some ‘professors’ that, in my opinion,  took themselves WAY too seriously… as a means of reminding myself to not do the same, I started wearing Red Converse Chuck Taylor tennis shoes on my teaching days… I refer to them as my “teaching shoes.”

Profs should be allowed some leeway in their teaching methods… do what they need to do (within reason) to reach the students. Since we didn’t have a dress code, I thought this would be a great way for me to accomplish my objective…

Somewhere down through the years, I managed to get a letter of reprimand for wearing them...   but then I received a reprieve... and it became OK to wear them again...

Back one Spring, I was driving home from a trip to Madison, MS when I came upon a highway patrol roadblock. After a quick mental inventory, I knew that I had my Drivers License, that my inspection sticker and tag were current, and that I had my insurance card. I handed the patrolman the DL… he looked at it, handed it back to me… told me to be careful… and then he said… “wait a minute… let me see that again…”

Ferque!!!!! My DL was expired… he told me to pull off to the side of the road.. GRRRRRRRRRRrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr…..

That patrolman walked over to a group of others patrolmen who were standing around talking… and he handed my DL to one of the officers… he took my DL, looked at it, and started writing the ticket… he walked behind my vehicle to get the tag number, and then went to sit in his cruiser while he finished the ticket… I was ready to go… I was unhappy with myself for not checking my expiration on my license… I look to see what he’s doing… he’s on his cell phone… dammit man, come on!!! I’m ready to get home!!!

He finally gets out of his car… does the highway patrolman strut over to my car… and says to me… “I have one more question for you… Are you wearing your red shoes today?”

“WTF?!?!?!?!” I looked at him and asked…”WHAT?!?!?!”

He said… “I need to know if you are wearing your red shoes???”

I tell him no, and then ask… how do you know about my red shoes???

He started laughing… said he recognized my name, and saw the university decal on the back of my vehicle… and told me that his wife had taken several of my classes… that all he ever heard about was some teacher with red shoes and how much fun they had in class…

He said he had called his wife to see what I looked like... to make sure, I guess...

Anyway...

Its amazing how stories follow us around…

"70 Years Ago This Morning...

On the 70th Anniversary...

_______________________________

Soldiers, Sailors, and Airmen of 

The Allied Expeditionary Force!

You are about to embark upon the Great Crusade, toward which we have striven these many months.  The eyes of the World are upon you.  The hopes and prayers of liberty-loving people everywhere march with you.  In company with our brave Allies and brothers-in-arms on other Fronts, you will bring about the destruction of the German war machine, the elimination of Nazi tyranny over the oppressed peoples of Europe, and security for ourselves in a free world.

Your task will not be an easy one.  Your enemy is well trained, well equipped and battle hardened. He will fight savagely.

But this is the year, 1944!  Much has happened since the Nazi triumphs of 1940-41.  The United Nations have inflicted upon the Germans great defeats in open battle, man-to-man.  Our air offensive has seriously reduced their strength in the air and their capacity to wage war on the ground.  Our Home Fronts have given us an overwhelming superiority in weapons and munitions of war, and placed at our disposal great reserves of trained fighting men.  The tide has turned!  The free men of the world are marching together to Victory!

I have full confidence in your courage and devotion to duty and skill in battle.  We will accept nothing less than full victory!

Good luck!  And let us beseech  the blessing of Almighty God upon this great and noble undertaking.

Dwight D. Eisenhower

Supreme Allied Commander

____________

Seventy years ago this morning, June 6th, 1944, the Allied Forces landed in Normandy, France... to begin the liberation of France from  Nazi Germany, and to try to facilitate the end of WWII in Europe.

Most models that the Allied planners ran on the invasion indicated mortality rates as high as 90%...  Eisenhower had already written his letter of resignation from his role as Supreme Allied Commander, because there was no assurance  that the invasion would succeed.

May God Bless...

"The Valley Of The Gods..."

Monument 

Valley

Scattering Scooter... Day 5

There is an area in Southeast Utah/Northeast Arizona that the Navajo refer to as the "Valley of the Gods"... this encompasses the area of Monument Valley as well as up around Mexican Hat...

My favorite part is Monument Valley... but I also desire to get back out and look at the other areas... there is so much to be seen.

Mexican Hat

in Utah

(not my photo...)

I have been enthralled with this place ever since the first time I saw it fom the air... while flying back home from San Francisco, CA... although I had seen it many times in any number of John Ford / John Wayne westerns... my favorite is 'The Searchers'... I will watch it every time it is on TV just to see those fantastic mesas and buttes...

John Wayne... 

Merrick's Butte in the immediate back ground... 

One of the Mittens to the left..

One my first visit ever out there, I took some photos, and have them framed on my office wall... Scooter was visiting day and looking deep into the images...

His comment was something along the lines of... 

"Take me there..."

I told him that if he would get well, and able to travel, I would do that... I told him that I didn't need to be throwing his body out along the side of the interstate outside of Amarillo... 

So he and I had a deal... a commitment...

----------------------------

So... we set out from Farmington on Friday morning... and saw some spectacular scenery between there and Kayenta, AZ... and then you turn north on Hwy 163...

... and you start to see some amazing vistas... 

The most recognized buttes of that area are The Mittens...

Left and Center, The Mittens... 

to the right , Merrick's Butte...

(my photo)

... although one of my favorite buttes is 

Castle Butte

This is the most spiritual place I think I have ever been...

No matter how many times I've been, 

I always want to go another time.

Scooter knew this...

Maybe this was one of the reasons for his request...

knowing that it would get me back there one more time.

So, Scooter... we made it out there...

All 1,439 miles...

(at least 2,878 miles round trip...)

It was an honor and a privilege to do this for you...

~Jim~

"Scattering Scooter Day 4..."

Scattering Scooter...

Day 4

We spent the night in Taos... woke up the next morning... decided to have breakfast there, drive to Santa Fe and play some... and then head towards Monument Valley...

We found this fun little coffee house called 'The Coffee Spot' on the north end of Taos... had breakfast on its patio...

The Coffee Spot

... and this was our view...

After breakfast, we were on our way to Santa Fe...

One of my favorite places to visit there is the O'Farrell Hat Company...

This fellow makes western hats... 100% beaver hide... 

They are expensive...

and his work is unbelievable...

I don't own one of his...

yet...

... but I do have one of these!

Anyway... I digress...

We hit the road, heading for points West... as far as we felt we could go this day...

We made it as far as Farmington, New Mexico...

There is a nice rock formation near here called...

not my photo...

Ship Rock is a "volcanic plug"... it is formed when magma hardens in the vent on an active volcano... and over eons, the softer material around the plug erodes.

We found a neat restaurant in downtown Farmington where we could have dinner... and noticed an interesting building across the street...

If you will notice along the top of the building, there are swastika designs...

Prior to the use by the Nazi in World War II, this design had been prevalent for over 3,000 years... where the meaning of the design was about 'Life' and 'Good Luck'...

Who knows how old this structure is, but it may well pre-dateWWII.

~shoes~

"Scattering Scooter... Day 3..."

Scattering Scooter...

Day 3

Travel was rather uneventful... my plans had been to drive on through to Monument Valley, but we decided the night before to have a rather easier drive to Santa Fe and Taos... both in New Mexico.

Right outside of Amarillo... on the west side of I-40, one can see 'Cadillac Ranch'...

You can read about it HERE.  

Essentially, it's an art installation  consisting of Cadillacs buried nose first... and at angles equivalent to the slope of the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt.

Did you ever watch the TV series called "Route 66?"

I thought it had the coolest theme song... 

This music was performed by Nelson Riddle and his Orchestra...

Do TV shows today even have theme songs any longer?

Route 66 was established in November, 1926...

... and ran from Chicago to Los Angeles...

Prior to the development of the Interstate systems, highways ran through cities and towns... and brought a great deal to that locality's economy, especially as Route 66 became more and more popular.

As the Interstate system expanded, Route 66, especially from Oklahoma City to Los Angeles was replaced by Interstate 40 (I-40)...

One of the neatest places where Route 66 is still celebrated is in...

It's a damn good thing that my son was born and named before I ever came to know the name, 'Tucamcari'... I would have named him that...

It would have a nice ring to it, I think...

... anyway,  we exit I-40 onto the Scenic Route 66 highway at Tucamcari... and stopped for coffee...

here...

... so we can say we did drive and have coffee on Route 66...

"Get Your Kicks On Route 66"

The Late Great Nat King Cole

... and after the coffee, we headed on West bound...

We made our way to and through Santa Fe and headed towards Taos... there was a place that I recall from previous trips there... as possibly being a wonderful place for some of Larry's ashes...

This is the scenery to the West...
this is the upper Rio Grande...

Yes, that one...

This is the scenery to the North...

towards Taos...

the Sangre de Cristo Mountains...

... and it's here where I  first Scattered Scooter.

It's beautiful...

... and I had to remember the number of times that I had threatened to pull to the side of the road and throw his ass out of the car....  it honestly didn't happen this way, but, hey... I get to tell the story... no?

It was difficult... leaving behind the physical remains of a friend... and I realized then, that is really IS ashes to ashes... dust to dust.  I had read that the cremains will break down less than a week and will seep into the soil...

I had some words and thoughts that I shared with him... 

and I left.

Later, while looking around in a really cool antique shop in Taos...

I spotted these...

A pair of old silver cuff links that spoke to me...

There is a passage that I have read in some book  I have on my book shelf... it mentions that the pain we feel when someone dies and leaves us exists... because when they left, they took a little piece of us with them... that IS our hurt... that IS our pain...

... and eventually we get to the point where we can smile and laugh about them, and that is when we realize that they have left a little bit of themselves with us.

So there is a give-and-take... I've always felt that Life had a great deal of give-and-take to it... so my thoughts were... if I am going to leave Scooter's ashes there, the cuff links would come back home with me. I've always liked Native American motifs any way...


Taos, New Mexico... this was home for Dennis Hopper... I would like to imagine that the spirits of these two guys might hang out together from time to time... discuss movies and booze and such...

I hope Dennis takes it easy on Scooter...

I wouldn't...

Rest Well, my friend...

~shoes~