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Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024

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Memories. Ahhh Yes, Memories of My Life

by Sum1's In Schaumburg

Rated: 13+ · Book · Community · #2224976

Writings about things that have occurred in my life. Not in Chronological Order

Things that have happened in my life, good or bad. The entries will not be in Chronological order

Show Recent Comments

10 Most Recent Blog Comments:

tracker

Jul 7, 2024 at 1:52am
In response to "Learning To Play The French Horn"

Remarkable. I played piano but always had a secret desire to play the piccolo in the high school band. Similar reason. I was all a flutter for the trombone player. My dad played and I thought I was destined to wind up with a trombone player just like my revered father. Except for the getting rid of the liquid build up inside the brass Ew! I tried to get a peep out of a flute around that time. Not even a hint of anything resembling a musical sound. Thanks for the memory.

Sum1's In Schaumburg

Jul 2, 2023 at 3:41pm
In response to "Learning To Play The French Horn"

@LeJenD'

I wrote this for a contest and was limited on my word count. I want to say though, that from the 7th grade on I could also play the Trumpet (I was terrible, I didn't have the necessary range), and the Baritone, Tuba/Sousaphone. The valve fingerings for the notes on those instruments are about the same if I remember correctly. The reason I didn't switch though is that every where I went there were plenty of children playing those instruments, and very few playing the Horn. In the 11th grade, I taught myself how to play the Trombone for stage band. I had been playing French Horn in it since the 10th grade, but face it, French Horn isn't really a jazzy type of instrument. Plus, there was no sheet music for the Horn, so I had to read the Trombone part on the Bass Clef, and in my head move each note up one note, then add an octave. I found it easy after the first couple of days, but still, Horn is not a jazzy instrument. So I taught myself to play Trombone, which I also loved. I really enjoyed being asked to do an ad-lib solo too, and surprised the heck out of our band director when I did my first one.

2 Like

LeJenD'

Jul 2, 2023 at 1:49pm
In response to "Learning To Play The French Horn"

I enjoyed reading this. My youngest daughter was also a French Horn player throughout her school career. She began playing in grade 6, as all students were encouraged to participate in something. She had absolutely no interest in sports, so options for extracurricular activities were limited. It pretty much left her a choice between choir and band. Shy and quiet, she chose band and after being tested on all instruments, she was assigned French Horn. She quickly excelled and by grade 7 was First Chair for the remainder of her time at school. She absolutely loved it and even participated in non-school related band appearances.

I guess I said all that to say this, thank you so much for bringing such proud and pleasant memories of my kiddo to the forefront of my thoughts. I hope you do once again pick up the Horn. The world needs more music.

1 Like

Kåre เลียม Enga

Jun 19, 2023 at 11:24pm
In response to "Halloween, Circa 1988"

So... you have adult kids by now... 35 plus... 4? 6?

So if this were 1988 I have no memories of that year (car accident).

Petra reminded me of her contest and I should enter 'just because'. So many ways I could approach this. You chose 'memories'. I have too many. Even my entry on "Juneteenth" "Juneteenth"

was hard to write (because I wasn't focused and I was avoiding certain images that kept coming to mind). It rambles and I'm not happy with it.

Your response was easy to read and to-the-point. I should emulate your style.

One note for paragraph #2. It's "As" not "A". Spelling check won't catch that typo but a grammar check should.

AmyJo-Thankful in heart

Dec 31, 2022 at 11:28am
In response to "How I Met Two Hollywood Celebrities"

I love reading your stories. They are fun, and I appreciate that you take the time to share them. Maybe you should "write a book" about your adventures?

Happy New Year! Blessings and best wishes for you and yours!

1 Like

Robert Waltz

Oct 19, 2022 at 10:20pm
In response to "I Was A 'Bad' Father"

Still better than what I would have done.

"Daddy, I can't sleep, there are monsters."

"Aw, c'mon, kid. Ain't no monsters in here. Look."

I open the closet and peer inside. "See, no monsters in the closet. Lemme check the dresser."

Open all the drawers in the dresser. "Ain't no monsters in here either. Now let's check under the bed- AAAAAAH A MONSTER!"

1 Like

ForeverDreamer

Oct 5, 2022 at 10:59pm
In response to "More 'Sea Stories"

It is good to hear your memories. My father was in the Navy during World War II. I may have mentioned this before. He was on a destroyer.

Kåre เลียม Enga

Oct 5, 2022 at 10:00pm
In response to "More 'Sea Stories"

Time wounds all heels... I need a foot massage. Oh. the. pain. seriously it's gonna hurt. My friend Bryan can make me want to scream, but he's safely in Costa Rica. Thailand... I don't do massages but I should.

At sea. I was always a serious bloke so I bore the slings of juvenility growing up. I never really learned how to deal with it. Would've been nice if sum1 would have helped.

Young, dumb and afraid/unafraid comes to mind. I weep for the cannon-fodder in Ukraine.

1 Like

Kåre เลียม Enga

Aug 27, 2022 at 6:25pm
In response to "Starting A Nuclear Reactor"

Informative... but not TOO informative.

I suspect that most working under these conditions are 1. mature (serious versus panksters) and 2. young. I'm too old and need naps.

Oops... there she blows!

ForeverDreamer

Aug 27, 2022 at 6:25pm
In response to "Starting A Nuclear Reactor"

Thank you for writing more about your submarine experience. this is a good overview of how a nuclear reactor aboard a submarine works without giving away any classified information.

October 5, 2022 at 8:50pm

#1038699

More 'Sea Stories

Sea Stories

@Kåre เลียม Enga

and ForeverDreamer

, thank you for your comments about starting a reactor. Life in the Navy was 180 degrees out from the life I live now. Kåre เลียม Enga

we were young, yes. Were we more mature? I don't think so. I would say we were better trained than the average sailor, and being so, we understood the risks associated with operating the reactor plant. Plus, it had been drilled into us from day 1 in the Nuclear Power Program that risky behavior wasn't tolerated. Add to it that Nuclear Trained Personnal also received extra pay, pay that a lot of us either couldn't afford to lose, or didn't want to lose, and you have yourself the 'well trained nuke'.

That doesn't mean we didn't have a sense of humor about things. Far from it. But it was always at someone else's expense, we never fooled around with the plant. Like the time we had to get underway on a moment's notice (okay, a couple of days notice) so we could be at sea when Typhoon Pamela pummeled Guam. (We operated in and out of Apra Harbor, Guam). The Engineer came aft and saw the mess that was the Engineroom during refit and said, "Stow the Engineroom for sea!"

We had a young Ensign on board who was just as Dorky as could be. Sorry, I don't mean to belittle him, but he was quite the character. Well, here was the Engineroom with that Ensign just kinda hanging around as was his custom. There were 2-3 Machinist Mates nearby when the Engineer said to stow the Engineroom for sea, so after the Engineer left, they grabbed the Ensign and held him against the Evaporator while one of their shipmates taped him to it, with Duct Tape! He was spread-eagle against the side of the evaporator, and couldn't move at all. They also taped his mouth shut. Later on, the Engineer came aft again and saw the Ensign taped to the Evaporator, sighed and said, "Get him free so we can get this thing started up!" It was acts like this that really allowed us to keep our sanity for the most part.

Another 'game' we played was seeing how fast we could make someone mad. We called it 'Spinning them up', a reference to spinning up missiles before launch, or simulated launch. Some were 'easy' to spin up, others not so much. I was 'easy' on my first patrol, I know that. Once I learned what the game was all about though, it didn't happen, and someone else became the target. If you want to see our humorous side, look no farther than "Playing With Hot Dogs"

. This small incident occurred on my second boat, the USS Sargo, SSN 583. True story though, no names mentioned because I don't remember them.

Jim Dorrell

5 Like • Comment • View 2 comments

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