Cancun – Like Dogs in a Cage

7 Jan

We were awake at 3:30 in the morning on New Year’s Day. Admittedly, I have been up at that time on that day before, but I have never done it this way. I went to bed at 11:00 and woke up at 3:30 to get to the airport. This was the beginning of our Cancun adventure.

I don’t remember much from that morning, but a few things have stuck in my mind. One was my wife telling me to watch out for drunk drivers. The other was not seeing any kind of driver for a long time. If you want to feel like Charlton Heston in The Omega Man, then you should drive around at that time of the morning on New Year’s Day. Oh, there’s one other thing I remember. The whole family – me, my wife and my stepdaughter – ate black-eyed peas and hog jowl for good luck. Around here, that’s a tradition.

We made it to the airport without running into any drunk drivers or mutants and had a good flight to Cancun. I tried to sleep on the flight, but that was an impossible task. I can never do that. My family, however, does not seem to have that problem.Cancun - Plane

Once we landed, the situation became more hectic. We had to make our way through immigration before looking for our transportation. We had directions to where our ride was going to be and made it there easily. However, there was no ride and no record of us needing a ride. After some quick negotiating by my wife, we were provided a driver to get us to the Moon Palace Resort. Before we could leave, he rounded up some other passengers.

One couple was from New Jersey. At least, that’s what their accents sounded like. I hate to stereotype, but they were stereotypical. He was kind of a round guy who stepped off the set of The Sopranos, and she was a little mouthy. While we waited for the driver, she started complaining about having to wait in the backseat and said something about us being treated like caged dogs. We had been on the van for about 2 minutes.

Luckily, we were the first ones to reach our destination, but it was not without incident. Our driver made a wrong turn and headed to the lobby on the sidewalk. I have only seen one other person do that, and you have read about him before.

The bellhop took our bags and led us into the lobby. It was a nice lobby that I hung out in quite a bit, so I am not being mean when I say this. When I first walked in, I felt like I had been dropped into the middle of an Elvis movie. You know – one of those where he works at a beach resort.Cancun - Lobby

They directed us to the VIP Check In. Yes, we were VIP’s for a few days. However, they told us that the room would not be ready for a couple of hours. I guess we were second level VIP’s. We ate at the buffet and tried to book some excursions. That didn’t work because we didn’t have a room number. We hung around until a room came open. It was a good room. It was close to everything and had a jacuzzi tub next to one of the beds. It also had a hammock on the deck. I would use it in the future.

After getting everything packed, my wife and stepdaughter made a beeline for the pool and the beach. I made a beeline for the bed because I didn’t get all cozy on the airplane. After a few hours of relaxation, my wife and I went to the steakhouse by the beach where we had some good food and some good conversation. That’s also where the waiter called me Ricardo.

For the rest of the story, tune in again. Same Cancun Time. Same Cancun Channel.

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The Perils of Catching a Plane on New Year’s Day

31 Dec

A new year is approaching, and I can’t believe it is going to be 2014. When I was a kid, I calculated how old I would be when the year 2000 would arrive. I wondered where I would be and what I would be doing. The year 2014 never entered my mind.New Year

For the first time in forever, I do not plan on being awake when the big ball drops. We are catching a plane at 6:30 in the morning and will need to be asleep at a decent hour. However, that’s never how it works. When I have to be somewhere that early, I can never get to sleep. It could be the anticipation, or it could be the fear that I will not wake up in time. I check the alarm a couple of times and, throughout the night, I open my eyes to look at the clock.

At some point, the idea that I will catch up on sleep while in the air will enter my mind. That never happens. Many people can sleep on airplanes, but I am not one of them.

I say all of that to say this. The blog will be out of operation for a few days while we are in Cancun. I look forward to writing more posts in 2014, but the first week is going to be a big blank. Hopefully, there will be a bunch of good Cancun stories to write about.

Until then, Happy New Year!

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Total Chaos

30 Dec

Over at Cole Mining, you can read an interesting piece about time. It is a well written post about time and its many facets. It is thought-provoking and worth your time. Yes, I went ahead and said that. When I read it, many things went through my mind. The concept of time. How time seems to go faster as we get older. Time is a fascinating concept. However, I kept coming back to another thought. This may not be what Cole wanted to inspire when he wrote his post, but I thank him for placing this into my mind.

There used to be a theme park in Nashville called Opryland, USA that provided many days of fun for me and everyone I know. I won’t go into a lot of detail about Opryland because it has been written about many times. Instead, I am going to write about a ride called Chaos, an indoor roller coaster that was Tennessee’s answer to Space Mountain.Chaos

It was a cool ride, and, when it first opened, people were lined up for hours to get on it. Once the line entered the building, warning signs could be seen everywhere, and an announcement played over and over.

“You’re time is running out!”

Apparently, we were in a place that was about to be destroyed, and we were waiting to board the vehicle that would take us to safety. As we stood in line, the announcement continued.

“You’re time is running out!”

Finally, we got on the ride and put on our 3-D glasses. Yep, it was a 3-D roller coaster. As the ride zoomed through the darkness, laser beams shot through the air, and the glasses made it look like they were all over the place. Of course, the ride didn’t last near as long as the waiting process. Despite that, Chaos was a good ride.

At least, it was a good ride for as long as it worked. Not long after the introduction of Chaos, the laser beams broke and were never repaired. Rumor was that the company that built the roller coaster went out of business, and repairing it was impossible. Without the laser beams, Chaos was just a ride through the dark. They tried several ways to make it a good experience, but it was never the same.

Soon after, Opryland USA closed. There were plenty of great rides and entertainment, but I have always thought that the failure of Chaos led to the failure of the park. It had to hurt to spend millions of dollars on a ride that couldn’t be fixed.

As I think back, the announcement is what sticks in my mind about Chaos.

“Your time is running out!”

As it turns out, that announcement was prophetic. Our time of enjoying Opryland was truly running out.

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In Memory of Meacham’s

27 Dec

Tonight, we struggled to make dinner plans. My wife wanted to eat at home. My stepdaughter wanted to go out. I didn’t care what we did. We decided to dine out and made our way to one of the chains. That’s when my stepdaughter spoke up and said that she wanted to go to Los Compadres, one of the local Mexican restaurants.

Apparently, everyone else wanted to do the same thing. This place was packed. There were tons of people, and we knew a lot of them. A couple of people dropped by the table. Other people were sitting in the bar. On the way out, we stopped at a few tables. Everybody was there, and, with the kitchen being backed up, we had plenty of time to talk to them.

I started thinking about two things. First, people must have been tired of staying home and eating traditional Christmas fare. They had to get out and eat some chips and dip. Second, I started thinking about a place that used to be in town where you would see everybody. It was our local version of Cheers, where everybody knows your name.

Meacham’s Italian Cafe was owned and operated by Meacham Evins, whose father started Cracker Barrel. It sat at one end of a strip mall and served basic Americanized Italian food. The food was good, and it gained popularity because it was the nicest restaurant in town. We had the usual interstate chains, but this was something different. It was convenient and was a place where you could feel at home. Meacham was always there to ask about your meal and ask about your family.

Lunch was one of the peak times at Meacham’s. All of the movers and shakers could be found there around that time. My friend Robert and I were not movers and shakers by any means, but we had lunch there countless times. We saw all kinds of people, but we always looked forward to seeing one particular waitress.

Meacham’s became more than a lunch place when it was expanded into the neighboring space. That’s when the bar became the most popular hangout in town. There’s no way to know how many times I saddled up to the bar to get a drink from James, the bartender who knew everyone and knew what they drank. The place was always packed.

Lots of action took place in Meacham’s. Most of that action involved fun and frivolity. People went there on dates, and people went there with their friends. People dropped in for a quick meal or drink, and people sat on a bar stool all night. Meacham’s had something for everyone. And, that leads me to a story.

I was at the bar when a local preacher walked in. He wasn’t there for a drink. He was on his way to a dinner in the private room and had to walk through the bar to get there. However, this wasn’t just a preacher. He preached at the church where my dad was raised and had known me since I was a kid.

I escaped to a dark corner when I realized that someone else in the bar needed to know. A local man who frequented the bar quite a bit also grew up in this man’s church. I eased up to him and told him that the preacher was walking through the door. He looked at me like I was crazy but realized that I wasn’t joking. To make sure that he wasn’t seen, he got off of the bar stool and laid down flat on the floor. The preacher walked by and never saw him.

Meacham’s has been closed for a long time, and a few restaurants tried to take its place. None of them worked, and the location now looks something like this.

Despite its demise, a bunch of people in my town spent a lot of time in Meacham’s. Some of it is fun to remember, but, frankly, some of the memories are fading with time.

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Movie Wisdom – Steve McQueen Edition

26 Dec

The other day, my dad and I watched The Cincinnati Kid with Steve McQueen playing the starring role. It was a cool movie that I had never seen before, and it made me start to think about how many Steve McQueen movies I have seen. He is a legend and is known as the epitome of cool, but he has never been on my list of favorite actors. That may have to change.Steve McQueen 2

In honor of this new movie watching experience, I decided to look into the wisdom that can come from watching Steve McQueen movies. As you may know, I have explored the catalogue of other performers in a similar way.  There have been Burt Reynolds, Don Knotts, Kevin Costner, Paul Newman, George Peppard, Don Johnson, Jodie Foster, Tommy Lee Jones, and Ellen Barkin.

The rules are simple. I must have seen the movie, and the wisdom can come from any character in the movie.

From The Magnificent Seven

If God didn’t want them sheared, he would not have made them sheep.

Farmers talk of nothing but fertilizer and women. I’ve never shared their enthusiasm for fertilizer.

Well, the graveyards are full of boys who were very young, and very proud.

From The Great Escape

Tea without milk is so uncivilized.

From The Cincinnati Kid

Gets down to what it’s all about, doesn’t it? Making the wrong move at the right time.

From Bullitt

Integrity is something you sell the public.

Time starts now.

From The Towering Inferno

All fires are bad.

You know there’s nothing that any of us can do to bring back the dead.

From Tom Horn

If you really knew how dirty and raggedy-assed the Old West was, you wouldn’t want any part of it.

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From Sports Illustrated to The Old Farmer’s Almanac

24 Dec

This is another one of those nights when I don’t have anything to write about. I thought about an expose on Duck Dynasty and the dangers of turning a real person into a television character, but I have heard enough about that topic. All I know is that I don’t agree with the opinions of most of the people around me.

Last night, my mind was running crazy with ideas to blog about. There was this movie character that I was going to compare to a person in my town. Then, I remembered how many people in my town read the blog. I also thought about writing about our dinner at a local establishment. In fact, that could be a future one.

Heck, I even thought about listing a bunch of stuff that I like. One day, I was driving down the road when I came upon a bridge. Out of the blue, I said, “I like bridges.” The lady who was with me said that I sounded like Forrest Gump. It’s true. I like bridges. That’s just the way it is.

As I sat down at the computer, I considered writing about the emails that we get from students when the semester is over, but I have already written about that. It’s usually over by down, but I am still getting emails about grades on Christmas Eve.

Of course, I could write about my current treadmill book. It is Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy. No Country for Old Men and The Road have already been scratched off my McCarthy list. They were both made into great movies, and I think this one would make a great movie, too. It would be one of the bloodiest and most realistic Westerns ever made. I am proud to say that McCarthy is a Tennessee guy.

Those are all things that could be written about, but I’m not going to do any of those. Instead, I am going to list some of the things that are on my desk.

There is the latest copy of Sports Illustrated.Sports Illustrated

Next to it is a box of dry erase markers.

A gift card to Bed Bath and Beyond is underneath there somewhere.

My grade book is out for those emails that I have been getting.

There is even a couple of VHS tapes.

There is a tape measure sitting on top of a book called John Henry: The Doc Holliday Story. It was written by Ben Traywick, native of Watertown, Tennessee and official historian of Tombstone, Arizona.

Sunglasses and a stapler are butted up against each other.

Beside them are a couple of lottery tickets that didn’t pay off.

My trusty iPhone is next to my trusty calculator. I know. The phone has a calculator, too. I don’t care because I like the old-fashioned kind.

There is a stack of bills and a newspaper clipping from the Civil War.

A little further away sits the 2014 issue of The Old Farmer’s Almanac.Almanac

If you want to get smarter, then you need to pick up a copy. It’s full of all kinds of great information. For example, November 25, my birthday, is one of the best days to set posts or pour concrete.

That’s the stuff that’s on my desk, and that’s also the reason my wife keeps telling me that I need to clean it.

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The Conspiracy of Michael Pare’s Acting Career

21 Dec

A while back, I got caught up in a movie-themed stream of consciousness that brought to mind several movies that would not be considered classics. Like a good blogger, I wrote a post about it. A few days ago that same movie-themed stream of consciousness hit me again as I was flipping through the guide.

It was late. Necole was asleep, but I wasn’t at that point yet. That’s when I came upon The Philadelphia Experiment, a 1984 movie starring Michael Pare. There is supposed to be one of those lines over the E in his last name, but I can’t figure out how to do that. Anyway, Pare is a sailor during World War II, and his ship is being put through an experiment. That navy is trying to make it invisible to radar. Instead, they make it completely invisible. When the ship returns, all sorts of strangeness has taken place. Some people have become part of the ship. Pare and this other guy are luckier. They get thrown into the 1980s.Philadelphia Experiment

It’s typical of a 1980s time travel movie except for one thing. A lot of people think this really happened. There are a lot of famous conspiracy theories out there, but this is one that flies under the radar. I suppose that’s a pun. Anyway, there is this idea that a World War II experiment made a ship vanish into thin air and return with all kinds of messed up stuff, and the government has been keeping it a secret all of these years.

I watched the beginning of the movie, but my mind drifting to best of all Michael Pare movies, Eddie and the Cruisers.Eddie and the Cruisers

Made in 1983, this movie follows a reporter who is doing a story about a long dead singer from the 1950s. She interviews the members of his band and learns some interesting things. There is a recording that has never been released, and someone claiming to be Eddie is trying to get that recording. Is Eddie alive? Is Eddie dead? It’s a mystery. Wait, it’s a conspiracy.

That’s went it hit me. Did the navy make a ship disappear? Did a singer survive a wreck and live the rest of his life in obscurity? Michael Pare was the king of conspiracy movies, and that answers a question for which I have always wanted to know the answer. Why did Houston Knights, Pare’s television series, not make it?

This show had it all. There was a Chicago cop working in a city that is strange to him. His partner is a local boy who knows his way around Houston.Houston Knights

They fight crime while one tries to figure out where he is and the other one laughs at him about it. How could a show like that misfire? It has to be a conspiracy. Hell, Michael Pare’s career is filled with conspiracies.

There’s more. An actor named John Hancock also appeared in the series, and there has to be a lot of conspiracy theories involving the original John Hancock. After all, he was a Founding Father, and everyone knows they were up to their eyeballs in the Freemasons.

There’s also this. Michael Beck, who was the second part of the cop buddy system, starred in Megaforce, a 1982 movie about a secret group of elite soldiers who fight evil around the world. These guys have it all. Flying motorcycles. Cool spandex uniforms. A giant cave hideout in the middle of the desert. They have names like Ace, Dallas and Sixkiller. What else can you ask for in a movie?Megaforce 2

I’ll tell you what else you could ask for – Michael Pare. He should have been in it. That would have been three years in a row of conspiracy movies and made him the super king of the genre. Think about it.

Megaforce in 1982.

Eddie and the Cruisers in 1983.

The Philadelphia Experiment in 1984.

With that under his belt, Houston Knights would have made it past two seasons and become a classic. Instead, it fell victim to its own conspiracy. If a Michael Pare vehicle doesn’t involve a conspiracy, then no one will accept it.

Anyway, that’s the kind of stuff that runs through my mind while flipping through the television guide late at night.

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My iPod Has Issues – Duck Dude Edition

20 Dec

There are a myriad of topics I could write about. Christmas is on its way. There’s a big trip in our future. Of course, there’s also the big controversy about the guy who makes duck calls and became a television star. As I tweeted, he has the right to his own opinion, but he doesn’t have the right to his own television show. As American citizens, we have freedom of speech. As employees of private corporations, that freedom has consequences.

In honor of the trouble that the duck guy has gotten himself into, I give you a classic movie poster.Duck You Sucker

I could write more about that, but I am tired of that show and that controversy. I would rather take the easy way out and write about my iPod, my bipolar friend who entertains me on my journeys through the world. As always, shuffle up and play. Hold on. This time, let’s turn it up to 25.

“Ain’t That a Shame” by Fats Domino

“1999” by Prince

“Buck’s Boogie” by Matt “Guitar” Murphy

“She’s Not There” by The Zombies

“How Can You Mend a Broken Heart” by The Bee Gees

“Carrie-Anne” by The Hollies

“Underdog” by Butthole Surfers

“Queen Jane Approximately” by Bob Dylan

“Out in the Country” by Three Dog Night

“Umbrella” by Rihanna

“Woman” by Wolfmother

“Freddie’s Dead” by Curtis Mayfield

“Gracefully” by Vintage Trouble

“Red Shoe Tango” by George S. Clinton

“Your Warm and Tender Love” by Chris Rea

“Alabama Song” by The Doors

“Bad Businessman” by Squirrel Nut Zippers

“Columbus Stockade Blues” by The Wear Family

“The Ballad of Ira Hayes” by Johnny Cash

“Six Days on the Road” by Dave Dudley

“Chauffer Blues” by Big Mama Thornton

“Tales of Brave Ulysses” by Cream

“I Only Have Eyes for You” by The Flamingos

“Oke-She-Moke-She-Pop” by Big Joe Turner

“Body and Soul” by Diana Krall

In honor of the duck dude, there is one more classic movie poster that fits the bill. Get it – the bill. You know, like duck-bill.Duck Soup

Anyway, thank you for once again exploring the shattered mind of my iPod.

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It Was Unidentified to Me

17 Dec

I thought about changing the names in this story to protect the innocent. Instead, I changed my mind.

Last night, I watched a show about aliens on the History Channel. You know that channel. The one that is supposed to be about history but is about everything else. (Side note: If you want to watch shows about history, then I would suggest the National Geographic Channel or the Smithsonian Channel.) Anyway, I watched this show about aliens, and it made me think about the time that I saw a UFO.

It was during my high school years, and I was cruising around town with Chris, my best friend. We were doing the usual stuff. Riding up and down Main Street. Hanging out a Sonic. Doing a little drag racing. It was a typical Friday night. We were heading to his house, which sat in that weird place between town and country. We were not in the boondocks, but we were not in town, either.

We were almost to his house when Chris asked about a light that was in the sky. I said something about it being a radio tower or airplane. He said something about it not moving like an airplane and about how a tower couldn’t have been built while we had been out. I looked up and saw this red light in the sky. Then, it was blue. Then, it was yellow. I had to admit that it was weird.UFO

When we got to his house, we stood outside and watched it hover and change colors in a set pattern. We kept talking about it, and I broke down and said it. It could be a UFO. Chris went on and on about how there were no aliens and no flying saucers. I didn’t say it was some alien in a flying saucer. I said it was an Unidentified Flying Object, and it was definitely unidentified to us. He didn’t find humor or logic in what I had said and went in to wake up his parents.

Chris’ dad was one of the highest ranking political figures in our state, and we were waking him up to see a UFO. Chris came out with his mom and dad in their pajamas. His mom was trying to be cheerful, but his dad was not hiding his annoyance.

That’s when it got really weird. We were watching this thing hover when a beam of light shot out of it and hit the ground. Chris’ dad said he was going to bed and went back into the house. Chris’ mom followed. At some point, Chris said he was going to bed. I couldn’t believe it. We watched a laser beam shoot out of this thing, and they were going to sleep.

I got in the car and watched it all the way home. It never moved, but it kept changing colors. When I got home, I went to my room and watched it from the window. There were no more beams, but everything else remained the same. Eventually, I went to sleep, too.

The next morning, I told my parents, but they didn’t seem interested. Chris acted like it never happened. I never said anything to his parents about it, but they probably wouldn’t have talked about it, either. Through the years, I have told a few people, but they all think I am being ridiculous. I tell them the same thing that I told Chris. Whatever it was, it was unidentified to me. That is the definition of a UFO.

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Those Who Have Come and Gone

15 Dec

Last week marked the end of another semester and also marked the retirement of two outstanding individuals.

Through the years, Pace Pope fulfilled many capacities at Cumberland University. However, her greatest role was being herself. She cared for the students – especially the internationals – and was their collegiate mother. Everyone loves Pace, and Cumberland will not be the same without her.

She has held up the world and has held up the university.

She has held up the world and has held up the university.

Pete Peterson taught Biology for a long time and also served as the Vice President of Academic Affairs. He was a tough but fair teacher who sent many students on to graduate school. You haven’t lived until you have hiked a New Mexico trail with Pete.SONY DSC

Their retirement made me think of the other people who have come and gone during my time at Cumberland. Some of them have faded from memory, but others left a distinct impression. It’s strange to see people who you have seen on a daily basis suddenly not be there. As I type this, their faces are popping into my mind. How many have their been? I have no idea. However, there are two that I would like to write about. They were my teachers before they were my colleagues, and they have both passed away.

Dick Henderson was a geologist who worked in the oil industry before making his way to Cumberland. He was a great man who cared about the success of his students in the classroom and in life. I first knew him as a teacher, and two instances stand out.

He took our class on what was my first college field trip. We hopped in a van and headed to the southeast corner of Tennessee. Along the way, he explained the landscape and the rock formations. We went through the town of Cleveland and made our way past the Ocoee River. We also went to Copper Basin. Each time I travel to that area I think about the things that Dr. Henderson told us on the trip.

The other instance involved a test. We had my grandfather’s funeral one day, and Dr. Henderson had a test scheduled for the next day. I showed up to take the test because it was my responsibility. I didn’t do well on the test because my mind had not been on studying. After grading and returning the tests, Dr. Henderson called me to his office and asked what happened. He couldn’t understand why I did that badly. When I explained, he said that he wished he had known. I could have taken the test later. He even offered to make out another test for me.

I didn’t take his offer, but I never forgot the gesture. That day, I had no idea that I would one day be hi s colleague. I also had no idea that I would serve as a pallbearer at Dr. Henderson’s own funeral.

Jim Dressler taught history at Cumberland for three decades. He was an institution. In fact, my first college class was taught by him. He sat on the desk with his feet dangling and rattled on about world history. He never had notes. All he had was a cigarette. Like all of the other students, Dr. Dressler intimidated me. He was tall, strict and didn’t take any crap.

When I started teaching, he still intimidated me. It was probably a combination of things. His knowledge. His stature. A combination of it all. However, I learned that he also cared about the success of the students. He was strict for a reason. He wanted them to stay focused on the goal of graduating. After a while, Dr. Dressler and I became better acquainted a realized that we had a lot in common. We liked the same era of history. We agreed on politics. We both loved Cumberland University and wanted it to thrive. His death was sudden and left a hole in the history department.

There is one thing more about these two men. Of all the people I have worked with, they are the only ones who I never called by their first names. I think that was out of respect for who they were and what they represented. To others, they may have been Dick and Jim. To me, they were and always will be Dr. Henderson and Dr. Dressler.

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