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Mark Schweickart

Mike -- I would argue that you've still got a nice writing style (and I don't mean your penmanship). We can even see it in this last post of yours in which you suggest you are losing your touch. I especially like this phrase: "I had mean editors and mean deadlines and a mean house mortgage."  The way you use the adjective "mean" a third time cleverly raises the stakes that further drives home your point, while at the same time also brings a smile to the reader. One might expect a "mean editor" and a "mean deadline," but not your little extra garnish of a "mean mortgage." You obviously still have the touch.

Joseph Gentilini

Mike, I like your writing.  Joe

David Mitchell

Mike,

You left out "mean readers". 

I say stop whining and keep writing, you old english major.

p.s. I got new for ya. We are gettting older.

Michael McLeod

thanks Mark, And thanks again to all who weighed in on the WW2 vets story. 

I want to add one more note and then I promise to stop hogging this forum. As a rank and file journalist who spent his time writing about other people, rather than myself, It was so rewarding for me to share an inside look with you.

One really cool thing about my job as I worked my way over the years through four different newspapers, two in Ohio and two in Florida, was the charge I got and the gratitude I always felt when, as I interviewed people, I got a great quote. Getting a good quote for a journalist is like being a kid again and finding an easter egg. I got a great one when I shadowed the ww2 reenactors who got to meet their real life counterparts in the veterans hospital. I ended the story with that quote, which I heard as I accompanied the make-believe soldiers and listened in as they mingled, wide-eyed in that extended-stay vet care facility, with the aged, real-life warriors -- one of whom politely but bluntly put the whole well intentioned masquerade in perspective for my benefit and the benefit of my readers.

Yes indeed it's all fun and games - war games, that is - until the real thing rears its scary-ass head and reminds you that it's no frigging game. No sir. 

War sucks. War is stupid. War can warp and destroy those who wage it. Thanks for your service, soldier who gave me that quote that says it a lot more politely than I just did. Of the thousands I collected and used in stories during the course of my career, which lasted, quite literally, for half a century, that one qualifies as one of my favorites. It was a privilege and an honor to give you the last word, soldier. You damn well earned it.

Joseph Gentilini

Beautiful, Michael!

David Mitchell

I got a really neat text from Fred yesterday. He sent the picture below - a shot of 4 "Eagles" in football gear. I think they are about to play for another state championship this weekend. No. 85 - the tall kid - is Dominic Theado, grandson of my best childhood buddy, Tom Litzinger. He would be the son of Mia Litzinger, Tom's daughter. I am reminded of a cute story about Mia and young Thomas - (now a rather famous physicain in Columbus.).

I'll continue the story below this photo.

Some of you will recall that I had an antique furniture import shop down in the short north for a couple of years. I shared space with a couple who specialized in leather furniture.

When I was receiving the goods in a "container" from my shopping trips in England, I had to have help unloading the container. The trucks would come from the port of Baltimore and once they arrived, I had two hours to unload or they would begin to add charges. 

So I callled my best friend, Tom Litzinger to come down and help me unload the container. He saved my life on several occasions. One shipment included some small accesories - including three charming antique walking canes.  Tom was completely enamored with them, especailly one of them. 

So fast forward a few days (or maybe weeks?) and it was nearing Christmas time. I'm siting at my desk in the back of the shop (on High Street) and in walks little Mia and Thomas. Their mom had driven them down to see if they could buy one of my canes for their dad's Christmas present. How cute, I chuckled, and showed them his favorite of the three canes. They liked it and asked how much it cost?  I said "two dollars" (I lied- they were about fifty dollars). Their faces lit up with huge smiles! They each handed me a dollar and trottted out of the shop to show Mary - who was waiting in the car.

Here is my "hired help" and another friend you may recognize.

(You would think I could spell my best friend's last name - jeesh!)

David Mitchell

Shocker!

For those of you who follow basketball, you no doubt have heard of young Victor Wembanyama, the new 7' 3"  NBA sensation from Paris.

But brace yourself. There is a Canadian kid who is now a freshman at Florida, Olivier Rioux.                He is  7' 9" !

Mary Margaret Clark (Schultheis)

Eagles pulled out a big win for their 3rd State Football Championship. Dom Theado was one of the heroes by catching a pass for a TD and another great catch in the 4th quarter to set up the winning TD on a 4th down surprise pass play!!  Fortunately, I was able to live stream the game. The team ended up with an undefeated season 16-0..... out scoring their opponents 400+ - 97 Congratulations Eagles!! 

James Hamilton, M. D.

Dave,

Oliver probably has Marfan Syndrome, although he does not appear as skinny as many others with that genetic disorder. 

This condition, in addition to excessive height, can affect joints and connective tissue which could put him at risk for some medical problems. 

Although I am unsure of this, there may be rules that ban Marfan individuals from playing in the NBA. If so, his future may not be as a pro. Apparently, that is not the case with college sports participation. 

From the videos I viewed of him, he looks pretty much normal proportionately. I hope he does well in his academic studies as that will be a better determanat of his future. 

One last comment on the art of basketball:

I wonder if he has difficulties in actually shooting the ball, aside from a dunk or a tip or a lay up. I know that as a teen, when we used to shoot hoops on those outside courts at Whetstone Park, we would occasionally dunk on those 7 or 8 foot baskets that were for young children. I always found it very difficult to shoot on those.

MM,

WOW! Great about the Eagles! Dick Walker is smiling down on them.

Jim

David Mitchell

Gimme an E !

Michael McLeod

David Mitchell

Gosh - $28 Million !

Can't help comparing those slippers to all the people we have living in cardboard boxes or under bridges. 

Michael McLeod

Soooo:

This is quite the milestone I'm about to be rocked by.

Fifty years of writing and teaching writing about to come to an end.

Taught writing either full or part time at ohio state, university of central florida, Indiana University, a community college down here in orlando called valencia communty college, and freelanced for several magazines along the way and wrote full time for the middletown journal, the cincinnati enquirer, the pensacola journal and the orlando sentinel.

I was never a bigshot. Always rank and file.Forgot to say i was Involved in a few book projects too. And taught part time at three universities and as many junior colleges. It sure looks like a lot of work when I list all the pubs and schools  but half a century makes room for a lotta deadlines and journalism classes. 

I got better at writing along the way. But it never, ever got easy, which, when I was younger, thought that it would.Cannot tell you how many conversations I had with myself as I stared at blank computer screens while telling myself: No. You are NOT a dumbass! Even if you are you have to finish this!

I'm being a little dramatic. Or at least it looks like that when I set it all down at once. It was managable more often than not. Many of those teaching positions were short lived and most consisted of teaching just one class. And overall between the writing and the teaching I experienced more pride, curiousity, engagement and satisfaction than angst.I suppose I could have put a selection of my stories in a book but something about that creeps me out. 

Friends led by my sweetie are arranging a retirement celebration for me down here in Orlando. should be a hoot. I will report back with details.

David Mitchell

Mike,

Just a wild guess - I wonder if teaching writing classes brought more satifaction than just writing? 

James Hamilton, M. D.

Mike McL.,

You have mentioned on previous posts that you collect "quotes" from other - often famous - writers that you find interesting, timely or insightful. 

Have you authored any "quotes" that you think we non-writers could ever use? Maybe things like Yogi Berra used to say?

Jim

Timothy Lavelle

So, I was sitting, smoking and laughing with my old friend Steve Royer the other night. He reaffirmed to me that when it is my time he will come and we will board a rocketship with which to tour the universe for eternity. He made me laugh so hard that it reminded me of an age old (like us) story from way back when. Some guys will remember Steve like I do, just the very best sort of guy. Bull, Kevin, Don H, some others. We all slept at his house in Delaware and got to know Doc and Cassie over massive breakfasts. Steve was rough around each and every effing edge, but with a heart the size of his old beater car. 

We were likely juniors heading into senior year. It was summer I'm sure. There were four of us guys in someone's car cruising around when we happened upon a carload of Arlington toughs. Pleasantries regarding various relatives and ancestors were passed back and forth and a site was chosen where we could all meet to discuss the weather and our newfound friendships. Testosterone may have been on sale that day. 

I think it was somewhere around Fishinger and Rte 33 where we found a meeting spot. Not sure. I had tough older brothers but I was not tough so I might have been peeing my pants just a little bit. We bailed out of the car while the UArs were pulling in to the get-together. I was standing right beside Steve. Like a movie clip...In a move I'll always remember, Steve crossed his arms in front of him, grabbed the bottom of his sweatshirt and lifted it up in the air over his head. Steve had a chest to be proud of...front end of a damn cadillac. At the same moment, the last Arlington guy climbed out of the bck seat of their car. He was carring a damned butcher's cleaver. Steve turned to me, grinned and in one perfect movement, brought his hands back down to his waist putting the sweatshirt back in place. We called 'em names for bringing a knife to a fistfight while we climbed back in our car and drove away. 

You could tell those Arlington guys were really badasses cause their silver spoons were tarnished! 

I know this is a stupid story about us acting like hoodlums but, damn, we were all so young once. 

Does MCL cafeteria serve George Dickel? Steve might show.

Michael McLeod

The world’s oldest known wild bird, a 74-year-old Laysan albatross named Wisdom, is expected to welcome another baby chick in the coming months, astonishing scientists who have been tracking her since the Eisenhower administration.

Michael McLeod

Dave: writing is harder than teaching.So doing that well - writing well - meant more to me. 

James Hamilton, M. D.

While we are on Famous Quotes...

This past morning one of our nieces, on my wife's side of the family, delivered her baby. 

For some reason my wandering mind went back to thinking of the gestational development of a fetus. That was not limited to humans. And now we have entered the topic of authors with famous quotes.

Ernst Haekel introduced the evolutionary theory that "Ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny". That theory, since debunked, was that a developing fetus - of whatever species - went through stages of development similar to what evolution had done over the millennia. Haekel's theory was too linear and Darwin decided otherwise.

Anyway, God's nature is a marvelous thing to study and I do believe in evolution and God's hand in how it occurred.

Life science is a fascinating and, at times, an amazing thing to comprehend. At this time we still have a long way to go in understanding most of how our bodies and minds function and, more importantly, malfunction. 

Maybe this new baby boy, when he is our age, will know some answers.

Jim

Michael McLeod

Jim: sorry, just getting back to this.

You asked for a list of inspirational quotes that aren't necessarily directed to writing hacks like myself but just for all-around living life as well as we can. And frankly, duh, that's more important. And I feel a little silly for getting carried away by that ontogeny/philology quote -- it was so tarted up with fancy words I didn't even care what it meant!

Back to earth with living life day to day to the fullest: I'll keep looking but here's a few for starters. My personal favorite is Eleanor Roosevelt's. It says it all quite beautifully. 

Still.I just always loved that ontogeny/philology quote. Fell in love with the words. Didn't even care what they meant.  

• The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall. -Nelson Mandela
• The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing. -Walt Disney
• Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people's thinking. -Steve Jobs
• If you look at what you have in life, you'll always have more. If you look at what you don't have in life, you'll never have enough. -Oprah Winfrey
• The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams. -Eleanor Roosevelt

John Maxwell

David Mitchell

Oh, thanks Jack, 

I've be looking all over for it. 

Mark Schweickart

Wow, Tim -- You get my vote for best Watterson '66 Forum post ever.

Mike was talking a few posts back about favorite paragraphs, but I don't think anyone has written a better paragraph than this one of yours:

We were likely juniors heading into senior year. It was summer I'm sure. There were four of us guys in someone's car cruising around when we happened upon a carload of Arlington toughs. Pleasantries regarding various relatives and ancestors were passed back and forth and a site was chosen where we could all meet to discuss the weather and our newfound friendships. Testosterone may have been on sale that day.

And how about the alliteration that led into this paragraph, which described Steve as rough around each and every effing edge,  and then you capped this off with another beautiful phrase, but with a heart the size of his old beater car.  Damn Tim, kudos to you for your gift of gab.

Speaking of Steve Royer, I was never close to him, but I do have a recollection of him that I am not sure is accurate. I have this vision of one day leaving a classroom just after the bell rang, and as I was about to pass the next classroom on my right, there was Steve with his shoulder to the door, giggling to himself, as he was blocking shut door. The students  on the other side were pushing mightily, but unsusccessfully, as they attempted to make their esape from the religion class that had just ended. I didn't think much about it at the time, but I then recall learning a little later that poor Steve had been sent to the Office, where apparently Monsignor Spires kicked his ass to the Cooke Rd. curb, and was told never to return. So my question is: is this door blocking incident why Steve got expelled?  It seems like a rather petty infraction to warrant a complete expulsion from school. Am I remembering this correctly?

Michael McLeod

ooh. paragraph wars. we've got some grapplin' graphs out there folks. this is what passes for drama at our age.

I'd have to go along with mark on the winner. Nelson Mandella's got nothin on us.

Joseph Gentilini

Thanks Mark, Mike, David, John, and Jim for all your recent writings here. I have enjoyed your thoughts, quotes, stories, etc.  Merry Christmas to you all.  Joe