Elba is a small town about 6 miles from my home town of Batavia, NY. Not much going on and that is exactly the point.
My family and I are preparing for a trip to Normandy at the end of May. A trip that will in part trace my father’s journey through England, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and Germany during WW II. I came across this article in World War ll History Magazine. I reprinted the text to make it easier to read below.
Five days after the Marine Corps began recruiting women, Bernice Frankel, 20, went to enlist. It was February 18, 1943, she’d been set to begin work at Sperry Corporation when she heard the news and “decided the only thing to do was to join,” she explained in a letter in her military personnel file. She spent the remainder of the war stateside, mainly as a dispatcher and truck driver. Frankel would later be known by her screen name, Bea Arthur, and her role as the tough and sarcastic Dorothy Abornak on the TV series the Golden Girls (1985-1982)- a character foreshadowed in a personality appraisal conducted as part of the enlistment process: “Officious-but probably a good worker if she has her own way!” A second comment in the report claimed that she was “over-aggressive” and “argumentative.” I remember her best from her earlier days as Maude (1972-1978).
Back in 2013 while jogging up in the hills behind my home in Ojai, CA. I thought I felt a little “tightness” in my chest. I wrote it off to “costochondritis,” or inflammation of the cartilage connecting the ribs to the breastbone. A condition I had been living with since my 30’s. It happened again a few days later, so I decided to visit the emergency room at the Ojai Hospital. It was Saturday and things were slow. Actually, I was the only patient and there were 4 or 5 attendants just hanging out.
I mentioned to the intake nurse that I had a little chest pain and wham-suddenly I was a celebrity. All 5 sauntered over in circuitous fashion so as not to appear obvious.
Tests including an EKG were inconclusive. A treadmill stress test the following Monday showed a “little something” but nothing definitive. The doctor suggested I see a cardiologist in Ventura. I went the next day and he said it was up to me as to whether I wanted an angiogram. Given my family history I jumped at the opportunity. It is the only way to see what is going on in the arteries surrounding the heart.
Feeling quite relaxed and a little high from the meds I watched the procedure on a tv screen off to my left. Very cool. It turned out my left anterior descending artery (LAD), aka the “widow maker” was 70% blocked. He put in a stent and I was good to go.
Not really being much of a private person I made a t-shirt regarding this event. Not to broadcast my medical condition but to encourage others not to ignore any symptoms they may be experiencing. I made a few shirts for friends as well when it was their turn, adjusting the placement of course. Want one?
Did you know you can sunburn your tongue? You can. I did so when climbing Mt. Rainier perhaps 20 years ago. It’s full of glaciers and on a clear day the sun reflects off the snow and ice right into your face. Of course when exerting yourself at higher altitudes one tends to open their mouth to increase the flow of oxygen. The result is a sun burned tongue. It hurt for nearly a week. I advise against sunscreen in advance or hydrocortisone afterwards should this happen to you. Yucky taste.
I don’t remember how I came across this video but I am glad I did. Siobhan Thompson is a British-American comedian and writer. She is also a master of the many dialects that make up the British language. Ms. Thompson recreates 17 accents in this interesting and funny Youtube video. CLICK HERE or on the image above for a 5-minute tour.
I left my home in the small Western New York city of Batavia in March 1977 vowing never to shovel snow again. Never say never. Settling for 38 years in what was for me the "promised land" of Santa Barbara, California. I married, helped raise a family, started a business, traveled and live a wonderful life. We spent the last 10 years of our west coast journey in the small, quiet, picturesque town of Ojai. My oldest friends call me TJ.
My wife Deborah and I moved to Colorado in 2015 to be near our daughter, her husband and 2 growing grand-boys. Add 2 bulldogs (French & English) to the mix and our hands and hearts are full. We all reside in Niwot, a small quaint town 15 minutes north of Boulder. The mighty Rocky Mountains are at our doorstep.
I am a man, son, brother, cousin, friend, husband, father, uncle, grand father, in-law and mostly retired Coloradan. You can read more about me on the About Page. If you are curious about my professional life you can visit my Career at Venture Horizon.
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Enjoyable Paul
Gracias Bob.