Photobomb!

There's a cow pasture right on the edge of town; actually within the city limits. Twice a year, usually, sandhill cranes stop by there for a couple of days during their annual migrations. This year has been a little different. Very few showed up in the spring and sporadically rather than in a large group. I've seen as many as maybe 100 at a time other years. The fall migration seemed to be going the same way. I'd seen them overhead but not on the ground. Then yesterday on a whim I put the camera in the truck and went to look. Sure enough, maybe a dozen working their ways around the pasture and for a time close to the road. There was good cover

Do you think it's safe?

between me and them so I could get right next to the fence without spooking them. All set up and ready to shoot and what happens? Photobomb. Thanks, cow.

They did allow me a few nice ones too. I call this one "The Lookout."

More stories about Alaska birds

Disaster house revisited

It took some yellow machinery, here demolishing a storage shed, to attack the yard.

     

The tops of those cabinets
were covered with liquor
bottles.

The lighting makes the floor look pretty good, but actually it
is filthy and will take a lot of work, but we think saveable.

The professionals have come and gone. They cleared out 18 truckloads of trash from the house and yard in two and a half days. Plus the 1-800-Got-Junk people came in under their estimate, saving my friend something like $1,600.

     A lot remains to do, mostly cleaning and getting rid of the odor that permeates the   house. The walls have to be scrubbed, a bunch of small holes spackled and a couple of big ones in the drywall patched. Then we start painting. All of the carpeting has to be torn out and replaced.

     Most of the doors have some damage and several will have to be replaced. We think the electrical problem has been taken care of but there might be a plumbing problem and we haven't tested the furnace yet.

The yard after all the trash had been removed.

     The point is while the trash is gone, it's still a big job and it's going to either take a long time or cost a lot of money.

     Stay tuned, we might just have a big cleaning and painting party one of these weekends.

 Overwhelming mess is a tragedy in layers

A view into a human layer in the saga of the trashed house

2 Marines took first Korean conflict to a whole new level

Epic latrine

      While a real and a wannabe dictator hurl childish, but nuclear, taunts at each other these days, a friend who was there recalled an event that took the first Korean conflict down to a human level.  After all who better to describe war instead of the people at the podiums than a grunt who was there getting shot at and digging holes? My friend Joe May posted this on facebook Aug. 11. You see, he was a kid Marine on the 38th Parallel when the cease-fire was signed ending the last "war" with North Korea, July 27, 1953. His recollection of that episode puts a human face on that situation along with putting a human butt on it as well.

By Joe May
Used by permission
Copyright © Joe May

     This outhouse sits/sat atop a hill almost exactly on the 38th parallel, the dividing line between North and South Korea. It's/was located on the DMZ south of Panmunjom, the place where the armistice that ended hostilities was signed. Part of my regiment, the 1st Marines, was camped there awaiting a home bound troop ship

     Bored, antsy, and untethered, a buddy and I got into some alcohol fueled trouble, were hauled before the Colonel, and rather than chance a court martial accepted an alternative “hard” duty assignment ... to dig a much needed outhouse. Five feet by five feet by thirty five feet deep ... took thirty days ... exactly the length of the punishment detail and the arrival of our ship. It turned out to reputedly be the deepest outhouse in all Korea.
     We took turns up and down, Ski and me, one of us at the bottom of the hole with a short-handled pick and shovel, the other on top with a rope and bucket to haul up the rocks and dirt ... from sun-up until sundown ... every day ... all day. We actually hit water at 35 feet. The result was the finest outhouse in the 1st Marine Division sector, if not the entire United Nations Forces group (Aussies, Kiwis, Turks, French Foreign Legion, UK (Limey), Canadians, et al).

     Our original altercation was over a drunken dispute with the company commander over "democracy & freedom." We were supposedly in a quarantined position with a prohibition against alcohol. Buddy and I got our hands on a couple cases of beer from a motor pool outfit in the rear, and on a nice sunny day got roaring drunk and had the misfortune to be sitting in the middle of a rice paddy road when the Captain came along in his jeep. He asked us to move  and we refused (we were really smashed).  Needless to say, he and his driver took our rifles away from us and "locked" us up in a tent (can you believe that) overnight and hauled us to regiment in the morning. Colonel gave us a choice of a pro-forma summary court martial for "gross" insubordination or 30 days off the record hard labor with nothing going into our record. Ski already had 2 Summaries on his record and stood to end up in Leavenworth or somewhere like it with one more. We took the 30 and thanked the Colonel. I think he was smiling when we left his tent.

   The upside was that the division commander got wind of it, and because hostilities had ended, decided to lift the alcohol ban. A few days later the entire division was given a 2-can per day beer ration. For a few days Skoloski and May were heroes to the entire 1st Marine Division. After the ration went into effect the company supply grunt would bring a can for each of us up the hill to the dig every afternoon. The hauler guy on top would let a can down in the bucket to the digger guy at the bottom. We were literal heroes within the company. 

     Ski was nearly at his discharge date and to complete the 30 day work detail .... last night when we finished work I poured buckets of water over him for a clean-up. A jeep was waiting and took him to the airstrip where he caught a lift  to Seoul and the main air base where he caught a cargo flight to Hawaii and a commercial flight to San Francisco where his discharge was waiting for him when he landed. I had a month to wait for a regular troop movement with a ship. 

     Ski enlisted as a private and was discharged a private after four years of service ... with Bronze Star and Purple Heart. His proudest moment was receipt of a handwritten letter from the Regimental Commander stating that he, the Colonel, would personally like to see Pvt. Skolosky promoted to Private First Class upon discharge “in recognition of valor in combat," however, Pvt. Skolosky's “disciplinary record," regrettably,  prevented any possibility of that ... he said. We opened some beers.

     I had one letter from Ski when he got back to the States....said he had his feet up on a  beer case with a  pretty girl opening cans for him. These things sometimes have happy endings.
     Whether our outhouse is still standing is unknowable, but if it is, I fear it may become a casualty of President Trump's ongoing dither with Kim Jong Un. It lays heavy on my mind tonight.
     Unheard from in years, my digging partner, Pvt. Skoloski, above or below ground in Upper Darby, PA, probably shares that same apprehension. We can only hope.
     Ski was my hero .... in the fullest tradition of Chesty Puller ... loyal as they come and profane to a fault.
     Semper Fi old friend, wherever you are, and don't worry about our outhouse. It's history either way.

Hang on chillins for a wild ride on a playlist

August 4, 2017
Music can mean many things to many people, some of it and them not so pretty. Take, for instance singing in the shower, alone in a moving car or in this case a lonely old Alaskan sitting at his computer with a glass of wine and a pizza in the oven on a Friday night. A lot of it occurs right where it belongs and heard only by the hopeful musician. If it should go public what we need to keep in mind is it's the thought that counts, and the effort. If the performance isn't perfect, at least some credit should be given for the attempt. This first offering is a case in point. Consider 65,000 people singing "Bohemian Rhapsody."
Bohemian Rhapsody at a Green Day concert in England.

A couple of months ago, Greg Allman of the Allman Brothers died. A friend told me she expected a southern rock playlist. At the time I could only think of the brothers and Lynyrd Skynyrd. Since then I have found a few more and I am going to mix them in tonight. First up a a traditional southern song with a rock twist. One I couldn't help singing as a teenager. The Fendermen. "Mule Skinner Blues." There are some other versions and I will put at least one up later. 

Let's get this one out of the way early. Star Wars medley played on stringed instruments with light sabres.

All right, that's done. I know drum solos can get tedious, unless you like the new Energizer Bunny commercial, so I will be judicious. In the last playlist I featured an 11-year-old singer who was awesome. A 14-year-old in the background was largely ignored despite her amazing drumming. Here she is now and maybe a couple more later, Sina covering "Smoke on theWater," Deep Purple.

Sorry, I couldn't resist trying this: 

Another southern rocker with an absolutely genuine deep southern song. Have I ever gotten very far without mentioning Leon Russell? Barely recognizable as a young man, doing Jambalaya. Get this, I once won a 45 of Jambalaya for spelling the word correctly in a contest on The Hound's radio show on WKBW in Buffalo, New York. From the Zanzibar, man.

George Lorenz | Biography | Hound Dog

George Lorenz Biography

HOUNDDOGLORENZ.COM

 It's too bad the bio didn't put his opening in. With background music that paused so he could give his spiel it went something like this: First a howl, then he would say "The Hound's around" then more music, then "I'm rockin' on record, dad," more music, then "from the Zanzibar, man." That's all I remember. The Zanzibar was a dance club in the center of Buffalo's African-American neighborhood. One thing it is important to note is that very early on during the birth years of rock music, The Hound promoted black musicians before they were being played regularly on other stations. Those included Frankie Lyman, "Little" Stevie Wonder and Little Richard.

Going softer now. I've written on these playlists before about Steven Stills and Judy Collins. Here they are in a duet after all the fireworks. "Someday Soon," with Graham Nash.

How about another southern song? A more country version of "Mule Skinner Blues" with Pete Seeger and Ramblin' Jack Elliot.Sometimes you have to listen to these songs the way they were meant originally.

Here's sort of an introduction to the drummer Sina. The timing is cool. It's also fun to scroll down the YouTube window and read her own comments about what she is doing. This is an aside. A few years ago I came across a 16-year-old drummer who, like Sina, employed two base drums. Her sets were so energetic she needed help walking off the stage afterward because her legs were cramping. Whitesnakes' "Here I Go Again."

Let's go back in time a ways. Do you think Elvis was the first person to record this? Big Mama Thornton "Hound Dog."

--> 

Heading south again with the Allman Brothers from their album Hot L'Anta. Light one up if you have one.

How about a comedy break. Jimmy Fallon, Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick "Blowin' In The Wind."

Here's another hard rock band from the southland. Hold onto your seats. Black Oak Arkansas "Jim Dandy."

Here's a last one from Sina, for tonight anyway. I just figured out that's her father playing the guitar in this video. "Wipe Out"from the Surfaris.

Leaves you breathless just watching. The photo is from her website: 

Girl's got groove

We aren't going to leave southern rock tonight without hearing from these guys. Lynyrd Skynyrd, with their classic "Freebird." Then watch out for a hard right turn. Incidentally their name comes from a basketball coach named Leonard Skinner who told band members their hair was too long.

Making that right turn now. A dear friend of mine and I have joked about the inappropriate crushes we have on people, celebrities mostly. Many of mine are female singers who have shown up on these playlists.  But despite the number of female singers I have featured, I have left out an important one, not because I don't like her but because I am not familiar with her music despite the fact she is the biggest-selling woman singer over the past 20-some years and often has a song at the top of the charts. She has had 18 number one hits and wrote 17 of those herself. A friend on Twitter is a big fan and considers herself one of the lambs, a name for Mariah Carey's most devoted followers. Sometimes I have gotten a little tired of all her tweets about the singer but I tolerate them for the friendship. Frankly I have never listened much and I probably know more about her personal life from the tabloid press than I do about her music. Then, the other night I came across her cover of one of my favorite songs and I liked it. So, let's try it here. Mariah Carey with Foreigner's "I Want to Know What Love Is."

As usual I like the original version better, but that's just me and doesn't take anything away from the way she performs it. She did a beautiful job with the song. Here's the original Foreigner version. Make your own choice.

Then I explored a little more and I came across another cover Mariah did and I like that one too. 
Mariah Carey,"Without You."

Many people have covered that song and she does it beautifully, but my favorite and a cover, also, is Harry Nilssen's version.

Now for a little history. Usually but not always we like the original version of a song. I mean who with one exception from Joe Cocker can cover the Beatles? This one is the exception. Badfinger was a band that George Harrison promoted originally. Two members of the band wrote "Without You," but then differences led to the band's breakup and later both of the authors, Pete Ham and Tom Evans, eventually committed suicide. Their song lives on in the voices of others. This is the Badfinger version. The backup music and the guitar don't quite make up for their clipped performance of the song.  Badfinger, "Without You."

At this point I realized we need some more music from Mariah Carey. But what? So, at a loss, I asked my Twitter friend what her favorite song was that wasn't a cover. Boy, did I get an earful over that one. I mean, all I had heard so far were those two covers, but I knew she had written so much of her own music and that was explained to me very clearly. I told my friend what I was doing and she asked me if I was becoming one of Mariah's lambs. I asked if I would have to give up my Lil' Monster badge. She said I could be both. I asked her to tell me her favorite original Mariah song. This is it:"Make It Happen."

And, this is her song "One Sweet Day," the longest-running No. 1 hit in US chart history.

One more thing about Mariah Carey. She has a five-octave range and beyond. She can hit what is called the whistler register. You have to hear it to believe it. She not only hits that off-the-chart note but can maneuver within that range. And, no, I do not have an inappropriate crush on her. Yet!  Here are some examples of her whistle register.

Almost midnight and I guess maybe it's time to bring this one to an end. A song lingers in my mind.Foreigner takes some grief for some sappy songs but the hell with that. This last song got me through a whole winter of a tough breakup so many years ago. (Search Key Largo on the main blog). It got kind of embarrassing because I was working on a newspaper copy desk at the time and out of the blue one night I blurted out a line from this song before I realized it was out loud. Foreigner, "Waiting for a Girl Like You."

More playlists and music articles

One path to life on the street

This is going to take some explaining. First all this is fiction, keep that in mind. Secondly it is written in instant-messaging format keeping all the inherent typos, misspellings and syntax intact. That is to preserve the story in a way it occurred. I know that makes it difficult to read, but in the long run it helps understand the two people involved. This is a small part of a much longer project. 
At the time of this conversation she is living in a group home for vulnerable women so at least we don’t have to decipher the language she uses when she’s high. She ran away from an abusive home when she was 16 and ended up on the street working occasionally as a prostitute to support a meth addiction. I am posting this because in the past week I have been posting about another friend who’s dealing with this kind of world as she had to have renters evicted from a property she owned, people much like the young woman on one side of this conversation. 
In the eviction process we saw some insight into a young man’s relationship or non relationship with his father, an insight that raised more questions than it answered. But, the question most frequently asked was "How can people live like this?" This conversation describes how the runaway woman I know described her original home life and what eventually pushed her out and led her into a situation similar to the one we are dealing with in the eviction.

Bet Cee: i think my parents were just young

Bet Cee: and poor

Bet Cee: and hot tempereed

Bet Cee: and didn't necesarily like each other

Bet Cee: or me

whaleman11: a recipe for disaster.

Bet Cee: lol right

whaleman11: how old were they when you were born?

Bet Cee: 21 and 22 i think...

Bet Cee: babies

whaleman11: for sure

whaleman11: i think it takes people longer to grow up than it did 100 years ago

Bet Cee: i think youre very right

whaleman11: but are still expected to be mature at that age

Bet Cee: ive spent a lot of time thinking about it

Bet Cee: and i thnk youre right

Bet Cee: not everyone does well forced into a situation they dont wnt to be in

whaleman11: yes that too

whaleman11: was it sort of an accidental pregnancy or do you know?

Bet Cee: totallly accidental

whaleman11: probably didn't help the situation any

whaleman11: but people have to accept the responsibility of their actions

Bet Cee: ya..

Bet Cee: how do you feel about abortion?

whaleman11: like a lot of  things, i can see both sides of the argument.  I can also see that it is a woman's choice and none of government's business

Bet Cee: i think its a womans choice too

whaleman11: while i can see the life argument, i can also see times when abortion is the best choice

Bet Cee: and i thikn i would have been an excellent abortion candidate

whaleman11: that's a sad thing tohave to say

Bet Cee: no...not really sad

Bet Cee: true I could literally look my Dad in the face and tell him Ishould have been an abortion … he would tell me I'm right

whaleman11: still the feeling of not being wanted

Bet Cee: haha i wasnt

Bet Cee: i dont mean like...i dont deserve life

Bet Cee: i mean more...

whaleman11: and that might have affected your whole life

Bet Cee: if you think about it objetively

whaleman11: yes i see what you are saying

Bet Cee: right

Bet Cee: im all for womans choice

whaleman11: as it should be

Bet Cee: anyway..i was just wondering

whaleman11: how i felt about it?

Bet Cee: ya

whaleman11: how i feel about it, is if it ever came up in my life i would  think about it long and hard as I did in the past and hope we both came to the same conclusion, knowing if we didn't it would be her vhoice

whaleman11: choice

whaleman11: and certainly anyone else's is their issue not mine

Bet Cee: cool

whaleman11: got that settled?

Bet Cee: ya

whaleman11: i am glad hyou parents didn't get one

whaleman11: did your father ever molest you?

whaleman11: i think you told me once he didn't but i forget

Bet Cee: woah

Bet Cee: no

whaleman11: glad to hear that

Bet Cee: me 2

whaleman11: yes you for sure more than me

whaleman11: i think i told you once on here about afriend whose father began raping her at the age of 9

Bet Cee: ya..

Bet Cee: how is she doing?

whaleman11: i don't know

whaleman11: haven't heard from her since early fall

whaleman11: she had just come out of rehab  and was living with her son and girlfriend

Bet Cee: sounds like shes doing well then

whaleman11: well considering the silence, i hope so

whaleman11: i hope she hasn't relapsed

Bet Cee: ill hope the best for her too

whaleman11: good

whaleman11: it's funnyu

whaleman11: i won't hear from her for months

whaleman11: and one day i will have these strong feelings and thoughts abouther

whaleman11: and she contacts me within a week

Bet Cee: haha thats pretty cool

whaleman11: some kind of connection

Bet Cee: i love people like that

whaleman11: me too

Bet Cee: do you think that because my father didnt molest me that it wasnt that bad and i should have stuck it out?

whaleman11: i don't know enough to make that judgment

whaleman11: nor would i

whaleman11: what matters is how you perceived what was going on

whaleman11: and iff he was cruel and beating you,  you had good enough reason without adding molestation onto it

Bet Cee: k..

whaleman11: does that sound right ot you?

Bet Cee: wut

whaleman11: what i just said

Bet Cee: ya its fine

whaleman11: anyway

whaleman11: i am sure your reasons were good

whaleman11: or at least justified

Bet Cee: kk

Bet Cee: im not sure NOW that leaving was good

Bet Cee: but i was very sure then that leaving was good

whaleman11: on that list of basic truths on my blog there is one that says

whaleman11: all decisions are based on unsufficient data

whaleman11: sometimes you jsut have to do what feels right at the time

whaleman11: i think if you hadn'r run, you might be better off today

whaleman11: but can't we be sure

whaleman11: do you think it was possible he could really have hurt you?

Bet Cee: no doubt yes

whaleman11: did you ever have to get treatment, go to the hospital?

Bet Cee: i told you

Bet Cee: he broke his knuckles punchning the door

Bet Cee: next to my face

whaleman11: yeah

whaleman11: did he ever hit yhou like that?

Bet Cee: yes

Bet Cee: i dont care how drunk you get

Bet Cee: your stillresponsbile for your own actions

whaleman11: yes you are

whaleman11: and a lot of this hapened when he was drunk?

whaleman11: did yo ever go to the hospital?

Bet Cee: i think he was an alcholoic

Bet Cee: but he never went to meetings or anything...

Bet Cee: thats just like my ownopinin

Bet Cee: no

whaleman11: yeah  i get it,   no to hospital?

Bet Cee: well

Bet Cee: i should rephrase

whaleman11: how about your mother, did she drink with him?

Bet Cee: not for injuries that 'happened in the home'

whaleman11: for what then?

Bet Cee: it was like 'oh you hurt yourself in basketball and we didnt go until later that night'

whaleman11: ok now confused

whaleman11: he hurt you but they blamed it on basketball?

Bet Cee: no..

Bet Cee: so if you go to the hospital

Bet Cee: they ALWAYS ask what happened

whaleman11: yes

Bet Cee: so i was never there for an inury that happnee din the home

Bet Cee: it was always something that happened earlier

Bet Cee: like basketball game

whaleman11: oh

whaleman11: still not sure what you are saying

Bet Cee: ugh nvm

Bet Cee: no my  mom didnt drink

whaleman11: but she didn't defend you?

Bet Cee: my parents

Bet Cee: were

Bet Cee: are

Bet Cee: ?

Bet Cee: can i say are?

Bet Cee: im gonna say are

Bet Cee: my parents are under some delusion

Bet Cee: that they have to protect and back each other up on everything

Bet Cee: or they are being like...

Bet Cee: unfaithful

whaleman11: oh   so that make you the common enemy

Bet Cee: so..

Bet Cee: EXACTLY!

Bet Cee: fucking exactly

Bet Cee: and what else it does

whaleman11: ugh

Bet Cee: is if mom tried to liike...say..'well honey..it will be ok, let it go this time'

Bet Cee: then hed say that i was turning my mom against him

Bet Cee: and then things just got worse

Bet Cee: it was fucked up

whaleman11: i can see it

whaleman11: and how often would something like that happen

Bet Cee: it was ALWAYS tense

Bet Cee: but like my dad losing it?

Bet Cee: all weekend

Bet Cee: and maybe once or twice on the weekday

whaleman11: what would be a happy time at home for you?

Bet Cee: hanging out with grandparents OUTSIDE of my house

Bet Cee: that was fucking fantastic

Bet Cee: they were awesome

Bet Cee: probobly because grandkids can do no wrong

Bet Cee: they were cool

Bet Cee: they had hobbies

Bet Cee: and we went and did like activities

whaleman11: are these your mothers or father's parents?

Bet Cee: both...but my dads set was cooliest

whaleman11: were they aware of what was going on?

Bet Cee: but like...

Bet Cee: howd it go..

Bet Cee: hmm..

Bet Cee: can you know without actually knowing?

Bet Cee: that kinda thing

Bet Cee: i thikn they knew my dad drank

whaleman11: yes   or knowing and not wanting to know

Bet Cee: i think they knew he had a short temper

Bet Cee: they just didnt put it all togehter

Bet Cee: right but then..

Bet Cee: im trying to remember like the order

Bet Cee: things at home got worse...

Bet Cee: uncle my dads best friend...committed suicide

Bet Cee: grandpa died...

Bet Cee: things at home got worse

Bet Cee: boyfriend and i broke up

Bet Cee: i left

whaleman11: i am jsut shakingmy head here

whaleman11: it seems like somebody could have stopped it

Bet Cee: my dad needed help

Bet Cee: but no one saw it i guess

whaleman11: well you needed help too

Bet Cee: you know what i mean...

Bet Cee: he was hurting

Bet Cee: and i dont think he knew how to handle it

Bet Cee: and things just keep getting harder

whaleman11: for him and for you

Bet Cee: and my mom too i gues

Bet Cee: although..

Bet Cee: out of everyone

Bet Cee: i hat her

Bet Cee: not him

Bet Cee: i hate her

Bet Cee: she should have seen what was going on

Bet Cee: and she should have gotten involved

Bet Cee: and she should have gotten him help

Bet Cee: and she should have protected me

whaleman11: i can see that

Bet Cee: instead

Bet Cee: she turned the other way

Bet Cee: and helped him beat the shit out of me

Bet Cee: fuck her

Bet Cee: selfish woman

whaleman11: or afraid

Bet Cee: they fought bad too

Bet Cee: thats the fucked up part

Bet Cee: ugh...

Bet Cee: its complicated

Bet Cee: she wasnt afraid of him

Bet Cee: she was afraid to lose him

whaleman11: yea itis never simple

whaleman11: is she pretty?  thin? heavy? tall ? short?

Bet Cee: i think she used to be pretty

Bet Cee: but shes heavy

Bet Cee: and tall

whaleman11: just curious

whaleman11: what about your dad,   big man?

Bet Cee: like strong

Bet Cee: not like fat

whaleman11: but a big guy?

Bet Cee: ya

whaleman11: reason i ask is it seems a lot of men who beat up women are little guys

Bet Cee: interesting....

Bet Cee: i got it

whaleman11: it just sounds like an intolerable situation

whaleman11: with no way out

Bet Cee: so i made a way out

whaleman11: without much planning

whaleman11: but you did get away from it

Bet Cee: errr

whaleman11: and i bet to them it was all your fault

Bet Cee: right

Bet Cee: i duno...

Bet Cee: like yes

Bet Cee: but i duno how much of it was my fault and how much of it wasnt

whaleman11: some days I just want to put my arms around you and protect you

whaleman11: ok now here is something to think about and mybe why the psychologist is digging

whaleman11: at the age this was happneeing maybe you did agitate some of it

whaleman11: but from birth your parents created the atmospher in which it all grew

whaleman11: their failures as parents earlier led to greater failures later but later, you could see it and at times reblel

whaleman11: and when you gorw up in a home like that, you have no way of knowing itis not nromal

whaleman11: the way it is everywhere

Bet Cee: ya...

Bet Cee: i could tolerate it until my uncle deied

whaleman11: and that's when it  really got worse?

Bet Cee: ya

whaleman11: how long was that before you took off

Bet Cee: maybe like little more than 6 months

whaleman11: ohhh taht soon

whaleman11: i pictured a year or two

Bet Cee: omg no

whaleman11: and you were a junior in high school

whaleman11: ?

Bet Cee: ya

Bet Cee: i just think too many things happened to fast

whaleman11: sounds like it

whaleman11: iwould like to talk sometime about that first night or two

Bet Cee: when i left?

whaleman11: yes

Bet Cee: lol ok

Bet Cee: parents...cant live with them and cant live withoutt hem

whaleman11: lol for sure

Bet Cee: and there isnt much to say about the first few nights

whaleman11: well like where did you stay? what did you eat, how didyou get out of town, did youleave right a way

Bet Cee: did i say too much?

Bet Cee: you got quiet

Bet Cee: that makes me nervous...

whaleman11: did you have a destination

whaleman11: lol don't let it   you stop and think sometimes too

Bet Cee: k...

Bet Cee: what r u thinking about

whaleman11: but we can talk about this some other time

whaleman11: don't let my silence make you nervous

whaleman11: sometimes you go quiet while you think too

whaleman11: making more sense?

Bet Cee: ya

whaleman11: ok good

whaleman11: and sorry  hunger isovertaking me

whaleman11: not to mention yawns

Bet Cee: oh no!

Bet Cee: its too early

Bet Cee: i am putting you to sleep!

Bet Cee: lol thats terrible

Bet Cee: its like i put you through family videos

Bet Cee: lol

Bet Cee: and now you have to politely smile

whaleman11: haha if i see ONE more brthday cake i am going too scream

Bet Cee: birthdday cake?

whaleman11: in the videos

Bet Cee: k...

whaleman11: supposed to be funny

whaleman11: guess it wasn't

whaleman11: i tried

Bet Cee: you are so good

Bet Cee: lol

Bet Cee: dinner time?

whaleman11: what the heck makes you say tht?

whaleman11: good not dinner

Bet Cee: lol

Bet Cee: youre just a good guy

Bet Cee: thats all

whaleman11: thank you

whaleman11: haven't been called that much in my life

Bet Cee: really?

whaleman11: really

Bet Cee: well...you are

whaleman11: thank you

whaleman11: again

Bet Cee: i like talking to you

whaleman11: i enjoy it too Betsy

Bet Cee: you make me feel safe

whaleman11: i want to do that and i want to maky you feel loved too

Bet Cee: that makes me uncomfy

whaleman11: more than that, I want you to BE safe

Bet Cee: but we can talk about that anothertime

Bet Cee: im safe here...

whaleman11: yes you are

whaleman11: iand i have felt so good about that all year

whaleman11: i don't have to leave you at night and wonder if you will be there in the morning

Bet Cee: hahah ur probobly the first person who has ever wondered about that

Bet Cee: and ya its pretty cool to not have to spend all dayworrying where im gonna be that night

-->

One layer in the saga of a trashed house

Busted

Another descent into that methamphetamine mind

Out of the haze of drugs, a day of optimism

Conversation with a young prostitute

Desperately seeking Kitty

I've GtG