Tragedies come in threes.....not this time. David Carradine, Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson. That's four. The biggest name in the recent string of deaths of entertainers, of course, is Michael. Carradine did tv and movies. Ed was the sidekick on the Tonight Show and did lots of commercials and Star Search. Farrah Fawcett was extremely popular for her tv shows and toys and dolls and her courageous battle with cancer. Any death is tragic, and these four leave families, friends and fans distraught. When you see or hear someone as often as we did these people, they can become a part of our extended family. Their passing can be emotional. And it points out our own mortality.
Of these four, though, Michael Jackson was the star. A Super Star. I played The Jackson 5 music when I was still a radio disc jockey. And, of course, followed his career from the news desk when he ended up in court.
It took 40 years to build his impression in our minds. Hard to believe that's all we have left (plus a record or cd and a poster).
Friday, June 26, 2009
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Heat Hits Hard
Is it a bad sign when there is a loud squeal from under the hood of your car as you accelerate? Yes, it is. But I'm afraid to have it checked out. Will probably be very expensive to fix. Most things on a car are. But, not fixing whatever it is now, will probably cause more damage, making it more costly to repair later. "rock and a hard place"
My daughter's car needs some fixing up too. Changing the oil, the technician pointed out one or two things which might "last awhile" or might "break anytime." So to a repair shop that can do the work. The parking lot at the shop is full. Owner says, "hot weather makes things break", so with temperatures around 100, auto repair stores are seeing more business. Meaning a slower turn around.
But in this economy, many folks are having little things fixed, instead of buying a new car or truck. Although, there are pretty good deals on cars and trucks right now. Dealers are wanting to sell.
By the way, the noise in my car only happens when the air conditioner is on. And the a/c can be really expensive to fix. Just have to drive with the windows down.
My daughter's car needs some fixing up too. Changing the oil, the technician pointed out one or two things which might "last awhile" or might "break anytime." So to a repair shop that can do the work. The parking lot at the shop is full. Owner says, "hot weather makes things break", so with temperatures around 100, auto repair stores are seeing more business. Meaning a slower turn around.
But in this economy, many folks are having little things fixed, instead of buying a new car or truck. Although, there are pretty good deals on cars and trucks right now. Dealers are wanting to sell.
By the way, the noise in my car only happens when the air conditioner is on. And the a/c can be really expensive to fix. Just have to drive with the windows down.
Friday, June 12, 2009
Salute
I know I'm not getting older, but my children are. Kathryn graduated from University of North Texas in mid-May. Tommy from Abilene High School in early June. Rebecca and Sarah graduated from Texas Tech 2 to 3 years ago. Christopher is moving up, so my wife and I have one more high school and maybe two more college commencements in the future. This does not count daughters and sons-in-law post graduate degrees which are not planned for now, but you never know, plus grandchildren, in-laws' children, other relatives and friends.
College and high school graduations are different. At the college level, you know your child who is getting the old sheep skin, and a friend or two. And that's about it. That's almost not worth sitting thru an hour and a half of name reading. But you can't leave. It is not polite. And they all have worked hard to get there, so they deserve your time.
High school commencement is different. Not just that it took 13 years to get there. It includes a lot of youngsters our children grew up with. Some back to kindergarten, which doesn't seem all that long ago. So even in a class of 500 or so, there are quite a few names even I recognize. Memories of the years gone by.
But a bright future for all the grads, even tho things are a little rocky right now. I'm very proud of what my children have accomplished so far and will do in the future. But that's just a dad talking.
College and high school graduations are different. At the college level, you know your child who is getting the old sheep skin, and a friend or two. And that's about it. That's almost not worth sitting thru an hour and a half of name reading. But you can't leave. It is not polite. And they all have worked hard to get there, so they deserve your time.
High school commencement is different. Not just that it took 13 years to get there. It includes a lot of youngsters our children grew up with. Some back to kindergarten, which doesn't seem all that long ago. So even in a class of 500 or so, there are quite a few names even I recognize. Memories of the years gone by.
But a bright future for all the grads, even tho things are a little rocky right now. I'm very proud of what my children have accomplished so far and will do in the future. But that's just a dad talking.
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