Just Heard The News Today

The journey through life is uncertain.  It is the unexpected news that can change our outlook on life instantly.  Sometimes it is a shared event that everyone remembers.  It could be anything from a celebrity death to a terrorist attack.

It’s the personal events that really shock.  Recently, I have had such a jolt.  It is the classic reaction to initially resist the possibility.  Then, it becomes more like denial.  Hopefully acceptance comes later.

There really isn’t much personally that I can do.  I can give my support and do whatever I can but I cannot reverse the possibility of what might happen.   It is terrible to feel so unable to help with the battle.

I can’t get into the details right now and perhaps I never will.  Its fairly safe to talk about the emotions of this moment but I do not want to upset the emotions of the other people involved.

At this moment in time, I want so much.  It is hard to let go of the belief that things will not change for the worse.  I know everything will be okay eventually but the skeptic in me finds it difficult to accept.

These are the kind of times that make me feel numb.  The raw emotion just tears away strips and it is hard to allow this to happen without reacting with some kind of armor.  Its never been easy this way.

So, on we go.  The ride continues and we don’t know where it is going but we do know that we can’t expect that we will always get what we want.  Somehow deep inside we find what we need to do and we do it anyways.

It is these difficult times that truly define who we are.

As was once explained to me, it is on the field of battle that people are sorted.

The person who does exactly what they are meant to do can walk across this battlefield unscathed.

However, it is incredibly difficult to follow this path without being dragged into the vortexes of  defeat.

The point is that you have to believe that you are strong enough and wise enough to make the right choices.   It’s time to put this advice into use.

Advice That Helps

Some time ago, I mentioned an article by Marshall Goldsmith that I really enjoyed. It’s called “The Best Advice I Ever Received” and it is about advice that he received as a Ph.D. student from his mentor Dr. Fred Case.

It is only two pages long and takes just a few minutes to read. I highly recommend reading this since it will most likely relate to your situation as well.

In a time when it is so easy to find fault, it is good to know that there is another way of looking at things that can completely change not only your work but also your life as well.

I agree with Marshall that this advice is the best.

Marshall, being a very busy man, has written many books. His latest book is called “What Got You Here Won’t Get You There“. Check it out if you get a chance.

Marshall also has a blog that you will find in the blogroll on this blog. He also has many other articles and other material available at his main location.

Yet another restored post from citrite.org.  The advice is classic and applies to anyone that thinks that complaining is enough to solve problems.  It is clear that decent solutions require help from all levels and the commitment to follow through.

Shrimp On The Barbie – The Land of Oz

It’s probably one of the most famous quotes from international tourism advertising. Paul Hogan was the star of the 1984 (can you believe it?) tourism campaign for bringing tourists to Australia. There is a good summary of “Shrimp on the barbie” phrase at Wikipedia. It’s important to note that Australians use the word prawn instead of shrimp and that Australians rarely put prawns on the barbie (which is indeed slang for BBQ). Never mind that, we are dealing with marketing genius.

There was news in April 2007 that one of the creative duo that came up with this ad campaign died. Alan Morris passed away at the age of 64 from cancer. He and his creative working partner Allan Johnston had formed the company Mojo to work with many of Australia’s leading companies to create some of the most memorable ads in Australia.

It took some searching but I found a copy of the commercial with Paul Hogan on YouTube. The quality isn’t the highest but you can still make out important features.

Almost every American I’ve met in America wants to go to Australia. It usually goes something like this:

Them: Where are you coming from?

Me: Australia

Them: Really? I’ve always wanted to go there.

Me: Yes. It’s even better than the ads.

Even though I believe that these people really want to go, very few will actually travel to Australia. I guess it is a mixture of travel time, cost, and not having vacation time to enjoy the trip. That could explain why there are so many older people that end up taking the journey “Down Under”.

There is a heck of a lot of slang here. Take the amount of slang in America and the UK and double it and maybe you might be getting close to how much is here. Most Australians understand American and UK slang because of the TV. Unfortunately this is not true for the UK and US visitors as well. It might be the same core language but the additional slang can make it very interesting sometimes. This becomes even more true the further you get from the capital cities.

I have been here 10 years now and I still get hit with this. Occasionally I will hear a phrase or word I’ve never heard before and either I politely pretend like I know what it is or I actually say to them “What is (insert slang here)?”. It is good that most Australians will explain and even have a bit of a chuckle at the Yank.

I do not think there really is any decent way to prepare for it since most books do not reveal how common the slang really is. You could end up training yourself on words that have not been used since the fifties. It is probably best to swallow your pride and ask when you hear something that does not make sense.

If you like, I have found an online slang dictionary that you can scan.

I will even give you examples:

Be sure to get bullbars on your ute to stop the damage from roos

Chrissie is always the best time for pressies

Get Aeroguard for the mozzies

Hoons drive like yobbos

I have also included here a web page about Australia food slang.

Oh, one more thing. Australians are some times referred to as Aussies. This is pronounced OZZIES, not AUSSIES. It it a dead give away that you are an American tourist that does not know the slang. Forget about picking up the accent correctly unless you are under 18. And finally, find out how to say some of the cities differently than America. Melbourne in Australia is pronounced more like Melbin. In Australia, the R tends to vanish. To prove this, try ordering water at any food place. I still get blank stares from time to time.
Frankly there probably is not much hope for me. It has been 10 years after all. I am sure there is more hope for you. Thank you class. You may go home now.

This was saved from the archives over at citrite.org. It really isn’t Citrix related and belongs here in its new home.

Family Union Between Generations

This picture is of my grandparents and me in November 1965.  It was taken in the living room of Harvey and Helen Diamond’s house in Humboldt Minnesota.  I would imagine that it was my first visit to Humboldt after being born in Topeka in July.  I was the first grandchild from the first child (my Mom).  My sister would next, three years later.  Within five months of my sister, the first cousin would be born.  Over the coming years, my grandparents would become grandparents anew very often.  They have 13 grandchildren.  They now also have 13 great grandchildren.

It isn’t widely known today that Grandpa had red hair.  The old pictures really don’t capture this due to them mostly being in black and white when he had more hair.  His eyebrows were red for years after his other hair turning gray.  My grandparents were amused to have a red haired grandchild and I think Grandpa was actually proud to see the tradition continue.

When I was growing up and saw pictures like this one I had thought that my grandparents were fairly old when I was born.  In truth, Grandpa was 44 and Grandma was 42.  Being that I am about that age now, I understand that forty something really isn’t as old as I once thought.  By today’s standards, being a grandparent in your early forties is not as common as it once was.

I actually lived in Humboldt during my first year.  My Dad was in the Air Force and Mom decided to move back to Humboldt for a bit while he was overseas.  From the stories and pictures of that era, it’s pretty obvious that I was a novelty and that I was highly spoiled with attention.  I guess I was lucky to be first.

In this picture, it is obvious that my grandparents are quite proud.  Now it is time for me to declare that I am quite proud of them.  You’ve done some amazing things and made it seem so easy.  Now that I see things from the other side, I can only appreciate your wisdom and kindness that much more.

Humboldt Minnesota Tour 1990

Think of a town that is small enough to have sidewalks which are being reclaimed by nature.  Grass becomes the predominate player in the struggle.  Slabs of concrete break apart and heave up and down amongst the sea of green.  Slowly, time erases what was placed by man.  Houses cave in from within from the years fighting against the long cold winters.

People build and nature tears down.  Life comes with the cycles of summer and winter.  It is an endurance test without bound.  Nature always reclaims that which belongs to it.

Like giant ant hills, humans store food to anticipate the lean years.  Grand silos in the sky hold the future at bay.  No one nearby will go hungry as long as these monsters are fed.  The line of feeding spreads long and wide with the help of a nearby bloodline to the north and south.  With very few people, a nation and world are fed.  The quiet heroes that make sure that we don’t have to worry about growing our own food anymore.

A quiet house tucked away in the heart of Humboldt.  This house has had many families since it was built, but to me it is always the house of my great-grandparents.  It housed my grandfather’s family when he was growing up.  It is a big house with a big stove furnace on the bottom floor.  I’m old enough to remember this house as my Great-Grandmother’s house.  She was alive until I was 10 and she was a great friend.  We always got along great and I’m sure there will be more stories in the future about her.

This is the house my grandparent’s have lived in since the early 50’s.  Their six kids grew up here and it has been the hub of Diamond activity for years and years.  To me, this house was TRUE home.  It is the one constant in my life of change.   It’s a kind of house that just welcomes you.  The people that make up my family in Humboldt are some of the best people to be around.  The farm life is the heart of what they do and they expect a certain honesty and respect that makes up the community.  This is the house that I spent many summers at until I was in university.

As I get older, I appreciate the times there more and more.  It is just something you don’t understand as well at the time.

Humboldt Post Office 1990

I have these pictures from 1990 in Humboldt. This post is just about the two post offices that existed at that time. Since then they have torn down the old post office.  There’s probably nothing that exciting about talking about post offices.  In Humboldt, it is a bit of an exception.

In a small town like Humboldt, everyone has a PO Box instead of having it delivered to their house.  Because everyone one needs to pick it up, everyone has the possibility of bumping into other residents.  From this point of view, the post office becomes the social hub of the town.

I have quite a few memories of the old post office in Humboldt.  The strongest memory is of a postal worker named “Rusty” that worked at the post office for many years.  He was a friendly guy, but could turn grumpy pretty fast if things weren’t going too well that day.  He must have had red hair at some point but by the time I knew him in the early 70’s he was already really gray.

Grandma and Grandpa used to send their grandchildren to get the mail and believe it or not it was always a highlight to walk up to the post office to see what came today.

One time I went with Grandma.  Rusty and Grandma talked for a bit.  Towards the end of the conversation, Rusty gave me an Native American arrowhead that had been found in the area.  The old post office had lots of stuff that would not normally be there.  For example, he had lots of things that would be considered “junk”.  Truthfully, some of it was really interesting.  I remember there being quite a few glass insulators used for the old telephone and power lines.  They were strangely beautiful to look at with the different clear colors.

The only time getting the mail became a hassle was in the winter time.  It was just too cold to walk so people would use their cars instead.  Cars would be parked outside the post office and left running while the person would run in and out of the post office.  The image of running cars with steam shooting out the exhaust is still clear in my mind.  When it gets really cold, the steam lasts a long time and it starts to look like clouds are forming around the post office.

I’ve only been in the new post office a few times.  It seems to have a bit less character than the last one but it certainly is well equipped and professional.

The post office played a very import role for my Grandpa.  He loved getting mail.  It didn’t matter what kind he got.  He signed up for all kinds of contests and sweepstakes.  His theory was that you have to play in order to win.  Fair enough.  I was always amazed with the volume of mail that Grandpa would get.  I would guess that it could easily reach at least 20 letters a day.  He would sometimes give me some of the prizes that he won.  For years I kept a digital watch that had a built in calculator that he gave me.  Surprisingly, it ran far longer than any other watch I had with one battery.  It also had an alarm that would go off every morning at 5am.  It was packed away in a drawer so I rarely heard it but when I did I would think of the watch and then think of Grandpa as well.

Another way of thinking about it is that the post office in Humboldt is the portal to the outside world.  Things have changed with the introduction of satellite TV and the Internet, but the true value still lives with access to real mail from the real world.

Lake Bronson Picnic 1990

There is a tradition in my family that means that every summer you must migrate back to Lake Bronson to share a picnic.  I was looking through some old pictures and found these.  These were taken in 1990 at the Lake Bronson Park.  Both the Pearsons and the Diamonds were there.  My grandparents are here as are many of my aunts and uncles.  Even my very young cousin Molly made an appearance with her mom Linda.

One thing about family picnics is that you never go hungry.  Usually there are lots of leftovers that are taken home and not necessarily the house that it started from.

To me, these pictures capture the peaceful nature of the area.  Not lots of activity and plenty of time just to relax with family.

In northwestern Minnesota, there is a tendency to call everything salad when actually it has very little vegetation.  The last time I went back, I found it difficult to get any vegetables at all except for maybe some potato.  Which is indeed a salad that they celebrate (potato salad).

This post ties in part with a previous post I wrote about Lake Bronson.  Now you can actually see some of what it looks like.

I’m not going to say much in this particular post.  I’m hoping that family comes and finds these old pictures.  They’ve been closed up in old photo albums for awhile and it is time to get them back in circulation.

Pumpkin Patch

This picture was taken in 1971 at 1024 Abbington Road, Crystal Lake, Illinois, USA.  We had already been living there for about two years.  Debra and I are standing behind the three “monster” pumpkins we grew that year.

The back of the picture describes the story of what this means:

“Jeff 6, Debra 3 1/2.  Jeff grew these pumpkins himself from a seed he found.  In the corner is the sandbox and some of my flowers.”

It’s in Mom’s handwriting so obviously she wrote it and intended the message for her mother.

I remember growing pumpkins as being an incredibly fun thing to do.  To most kids, growing something from a seed is almost a miracle.  Debra and I used to go out and check how much the pumpkin vine had grown and if there was any flowers yet.  Once flowers arrived, it wasn’t long before the pumpkin began.  It is difficult to convey how exciting it was to grown them.

Once harvested, the pumpkins were used for Halloween.  The seeds and guts were extracted and the face patterns cut.  Mom would roast some of the seeds in the oven with salt.  Fresh pumpkin seeds were always a treat until you had too many of them.

These were very innocent times.  Everything seemed so new and interesting.

I remember there were some Peanuts episodes about the pumpkin patch.  I used to think of our patch when watching them.  I sometimes worried something would happen to the pumpkins like any other “farmer”.

Halloween and pumpkin patches are very American in nature.  Having lived in Australia for 10 years, Halloween is celebrated here in a very limited fashion.  In fact, pumpkins in Australia includes many variants of what Americans would call squash.  Because most Australia kids didn’t grow up with pumpkins of Halloween, it is largely ignored or misunderstood.  There is nothing wrong with that.

Because our family is both American and Australian, we try to celebrate both cultures.  As part of this, when we were in America in 2005 during Halloween we made a point of joining in.  Costumes, a pumpkin, and trick-or-treating!  Once exposed to the full nature of Halloween, my family was impressed.  Somehow the concept of asking for candies (lollies) in costume was very popular with the kids.  They quickly raided the neighborhood and couldn’t wait to get back to the house to check what they had gained.

The memories certainly came back strong that night.  It was great to share a part of my childhood with my own family.

Harvey Diamond’s Memories

Harvey E. Diamond
Humboldt, MN 56731

Notes written Jan/Feb 2002 by Harvey Diamond in response to questions from Jeff Muir, Harvey’s grandson:

I was born a farmer. As soon as you get dirt under your fingernails you qualify.

My Dad had his ideas and plans. One was that as soon as we got out of high school we could not work for him. He said he worked at home until he was 23.

Hurdis (brother) graduated in 1934. Rented a quarter of land and was farming.

I graduated in 1939. Dad rented me a quarter and I was farming.

My Dad was a farmer, worked on the farm his Dad put together, starting in Humboldt, 1878, with good planning and a good family put together a sizable farm, a family of twelve, 6 girls, 6 sons. A great story my Dad told me all the stories.

My Dad took over the main farm in 1913. Grandpa, Grandma, and younger family moved to Humboldt.

My folks farmed there until 1919. Land prices were good. Many other developments, bought a home in Humboldt and moved off the farm, sold to new comer.

Dad was going to be partly retired. In 1923 he took over the garage in Humboldt. A good business he had hired mechanics and he done the business, selling and trading.

I never worked in the garage. My sister Amey took care of the office for Dad for a few years.

The family that bought the farm didn’t finish the payments, farming got poor, depression was coming.

Dad got the land back from the loan company. He didn’t take the original farm. He took different land and in 1927-28 he was farming. Farm help was available, and his sons were bigger. Hurdis was 12-13 and I was 7-8. We all helped from there on and the farm kept growing, many changes from 1927 to 2002.

Dad sold the garage in 1936 and enjoyed the farm.

Helen and Harvey got together in 1941. I came a calling when she worked for Bouvette. Their son Joe was just a baby.Then she worked for Harold Glidden, helping with the cooking and everything. Lots of work. I came often, Saturday and other nites. Helen got a chance to go to California, and her sister Jeanne went with.

I missed her so much I planned a trip to California. My sister and her husband Byron Hanson were out there; I had other relatives out there. Helen had a job in Long Beach so I spent most of my time in Long Beach. Helen said she would put up with me. “Great” next stop Las Vegas we got married. Great time ever since, 60 years.

Our house in Humboldt, the house we were in was too small for our needs. I talked to lumber managers and the plan to remodel and enlarge was not feasible. I asked my Mom to sell me their house. They didn’t want to move. Mom said build your own. I bought a plan in a farm magazine, a good plan to start with, we changed as we built.

Dad – Herbert Lomas Diamond

Business H.L. Diamond

Born – June 11, 1890, home farm James Diamond SW ¼ sec 14 St. Vincent Twp.

Mom – Annie came to Humboldt in 1912 with her Dad and brother Fred to visit sister Lilla married to Leonard Diamond my dad’s brother, grandparents James and Emelia with Leonard mad a trip to Prince Edward Island a few years before and they came back with Lilla & Leonard married, Leonard farm was the NW ¼ sec 14. Fred helped on the threshing rig and went back to P.E.I. with his dad. Annie stayed to help her sister.

Annie got to know Herb and on Jan 6, 1913 they were married. Grandpa James had moved to his home in Humboldt and Herbert was batching on the farm. Greatly in need of a partner.

My sister Amey Rebecca Diamond born October 24, 1913. The home farm of James Diamond SW ¼ sec 14. My mother’s sister Amey came from Winnipeg, Manitoba to be with mom. I never heard if they had the doctor come. The doctor in there area was Doctor Harris who lived in St. Vincent, Mn.

My brother Hurdis Ambrose Diamond born September 15, 1915. The farm place on SE ¼ section 14. Mom said they didn’t make any money renting the home farm so they moved to next farm, the house is our storage house in Humboldt now.

Dad operated the steam engine on the threshing rig. He was up at 3 in the morning to move the outfit. They didn’t move very fast, when he got home that night he had a son. 10pm.

I – Harvey Ellsworth Diamond born December 15, 1920. Hospital at Warren, Mn. 6pm. The closest hospital, some hemoraging, but we made it OK.

Our baby sister Marva Alto Diamond was born at Hallock, Mn, the hospital in Hallock had been built by then. Never heard who the doctor was. My dad called us a gentleman’s family: 2 boys, 2 girls.

My Dad and Mom had moved back to home farm of James D. on SW ¼ – 14.

Amey and Hurdis knew the grandparents James came to the farm often as grandpas do. James Diamond died in 1919. I don’t have the exact date from memory (ask Delores).

Herb and Annie sold the farm and bought the home in Humboldt.

I have been there all my years and don’t plan to leave.

The railroad was completed in 1878. My grandparents – James and Emelia got off 1½ mile south of where Humboldt was planned to be. The railroad was finished that fall and start of winter, connecting with the Canadian line coming from Winnipeg, Manitoba. James J. Hill the railroad builder got a big land grant for building the RR. Hill gave the land to Humboldt, named it after a famous German businessman and explorer.

Hill had a few requirements on the land for Humboldt. The buildings on the corner of Main Street to had to be built of brick or concrete. The Humboldt State Bank was of brick. The garage was of concrete. Another request was no intoxicating liquor can be made, sold or give away in Humboldt. A cousin, attorney Clarence Maxwell said that could be removed, but never a need in Humboldt.

The bank stayed in business until it was transferred to Hallock in 1934. The banks in our county had gone broke and closed during the depression.

I will ask Nancy about the essays the Humboldt students wrote. The writings are on computer with Dennis Matthews. He said he put 73 books on the computer. The research and dates would be better than my memory.

Humboldt was an active community with a population of about 100 and a lot of farm families used Humboldt for business.

At one time, Humboldt had 5 elevators, 2 stores, 3 gas and service stations, 2 cafes, blacksmith shop, a lumberyard, and a RR depot.

Reports from my Dad and other older farmers: the year 1917 an open winter meaning very little snow and mild temperatures.

Jim McIlrath told me, He came home from the woods. (Northbrome, Nm. Eastern timber) On St. Patrick’s Day, 17 of March and the Northcote Hill Farm was plowing prairie soil.

Dad had seeded the wheat on his farm, the wind started blowing and blowed for 17 days. The wheat was uncovered and no soil on top of the seed. The wind put so much dirt in the air, couldn’t see after midmorning. The farmer and horses couldn’t put up with the dirt blowing.

Dad got new discs for the drill to change from a show drill to a single disc, could seed deeper. He went to the Humboldt Hill farm to buy more seed wheat to replant his wheat crop.

George Finney told me the rain came on May 24 it rained about 5 inches the crop grew and farmers were back in business.

 

Questions and Answers

 

Q. When was the first car you bought?
A. 1947

Q. Who bought the tractors?
A. Dad Herb, Hurdis, and Harvey

Q. Who built the buildings behind your house?
A. Helen and Harvey moved them there.

Q. Why did you use the Northcote elevator instead of the Humboldt one?
A. We thought it paid more.

Q. Why did the Northcote elevator close?
A. Management problems.

Q. Did you go to your sister’s weddings?
A. We drove to Amey and Bill’s wedding in Warren, Mn. The minister had been in Humboldt. Marva and Byron married at our home.

Q. Were your parents surprised when you got married?
A. I had been single for a long time.

Q. Did you date anyone besides Grandma?
A. I kissed a few, but not really dating.

Q. I do not remember much about your father. Can you tell me some stories about him?
A. I remember from 1925 – dad died in 1967.

Q. How many acres did you start with?
A. In 1939 – 160A

Q. Do any winters stick in your memory as being really bad?
A. 1936 a lot of snow. No rain that summer, 1958 big snow.

Q. When did you first start farming?
A 1939.

Q. How did you get started in farming?
A. Help from Dad & Hurdis.

Q. Did Hurdis farm first?
A. Yes.

Q. Did your father farm?
A. Yes.

Q. Did you work at the service station?
A. No

Q. Did you design your house in Humboldt?
A. Bought a farm plan and changed it to our desires.

Q. Where did you go to school?
A. Humboldt & Crookston Ag school.

Q. Did you play any sports in school?
A. No.

Q. Did you have classes that you liked more?
A. Math and Agriculture.

Q. Have you kept in touch with any people from high school?
A. A few.

Q. Did you consider yourself a good student? Ever get in trouble?
A. Yes and no.

Q. What was your first car?
A. 1946 Dodge – $1950 more than new price.

Q. What was it like when you first became a father?
A. I loved it, had never carried or held a baby until I carried Nancy home.

Q. How did you feel like when you first became a grandfather?
A. A great experiment, longest Helen and I have been apart since 1942.

Q. When did you join the Shriners?
A. Lois was a baby 1953.

Q. Did you used to sell insurance?
A. Hallock Farmers Mutual

Q. When was the first time that you travelled overseas?
A. Sweden and Norway

Q. When and where did you first meet Grandma?
A. Lancaster 1940.

Q. Do you remember going to Lake Bronson before it was a lake?
A. No, park was built WPA.

Q. When did you build your house in Humboldt?
A. 1951-52

Q. For how long and when did you used to live in the house across the street?
A. 1942 until May 18, 1952.

Q. How many kids did you think you would have before you stared having them?
A. Lots.

Q. Did you ever think that you might move away from Humboldt?
A. No.

Q. When did your sisters get married and where?
A. Amey 1934 and Marva 1941.

Q. Do you still have contact with people in Prince Edward Island?
A. Yes, first cousins.

Q. Did your family always live the same place in Humboldt?
A. Yes, 1920.

Q. When did your father pass away and what from?
A. 1967 – heart condition.

Q. Do you remember going to my Mom’s wedding? What was it like?
A. Great, Humboldt Mn church.

Not Paid To Be Your Friend

This picture captures an element of what it meant to live on campus in 1984 at the University of Arizona. I don’t remember why they even had the picture taken. I guess it was a typical “take your picture for some money” kind of approach. Anyways, we all got dressed up as you can see and wore our best. I remember trying to find party type things (which most were free from some previous sponsored party). I’m sitting next to Brad Grunberg (before he got famous).

Here we are at Kaibab-Huachuca dorm in the basement. They had rounded us up and for some reason I thought it was a good idea to look “good”. Obviously Brad felt the same way. As the rest of them, they were a bit cold fish.

Actually it was quite out of character for me to do this so it isn’t a very good representative picture of me. I still know some of the names in the picture besides Brad. The man front and center is Mark Plante. At the time he was a very devout body builder. I roomed with him that year and I remember the smell of that terrible powder that body builders drink. The smell really lingers. Perhaps it would be best to declare it worse than smelly socks but not as bad as rotting food.

The banner in the back says “We’re not paid to be your friend”. This was made as a joke in reference to our Resident Assistant Dan saying that he wasn’t paid to be our friend. I think it is one of the first things he said to us. I remember he being a fairly tough talker but had an actual soft side.

I was a well seasoned Sophomore by this point so the initial rebellious stage had passed. I was sorry to see people from the wing leave but obviously they had more sense to either move into their own apartments or share places with their girlfriends.

The previous year I had spent time with two different roommates. The first roommate was from hell. Basically he was a spoiled brat from California that decided that school meant joining a fraternity and partying non-stop. I was a bit too conservative for that in the beginning. His side of the room was always trashed and stank. He dressed well but had no respect any thing or person besides himself. Obviously we didn’t get along. Within the first six months, he managed to self-destruct and was quickly returned to LA. It was not a good introduction to dorm life.

However, in the next term I roomed with Mike Dickinson. He really was a fun guy and had lots of practical advice for someone as naive as me. We got along great and I learned to relax and just enjoy living on campus. Mike is one of those people I wish I had someone managed to keep in touch with. He was just one of those all around good guys. I sometimes imagine that he is running some company on the east coast given that he was originally from Connecticut. Very smart guy with the right kind of attitude.

Most of the really interesting things had happened during my first year but there were still plenty of surprises for the second year as well. I started dating Kim Hamm in the fall of 1984. We were very compatible and dated for several years before breaking it off in 1987. At the time our dorm was not co-ed and it was difficult to meet women. I had volunteered to help Freshman learn about what it takes to live on campus. The university was trying to make it easier to get students to adjust since the failure rate of leaving was still fairly high. The program had a name and I did some training for it. The pay wasn’t great but it was an expansive experience given the nature of what happened.

I was assigned Freshman from the dorm across the street, Arizona-Sonora. Through a series of events, I met people that eventually led me to Kim over at Coronado. It was an active time for everyone. All this energy and not sure quite what to do with it.

Our wing over at Kaibab was now full of new freshman as well. It was like watching history repeat itself. Strange to be the one with the experience to see the patterns.

Basically it goes something like this.

1. Gain independence from parents
2. Don’t do anything you are supposed to
3. Do everything you were told never to do
4. Learn from the painful mistakes the following days and weeks
5. Eventually realize that you are meant to learn something at school
6. Study and figure out how you are going to graduate
7. Leave with a piece of paper that says you did the right things

I could never go back to this time due to not having the energy to do it again. I wouldn’t mind reliving a few scenes/events from a distance however.

Looking back, it was a good time to be a poor student. I made a lot of friends, had some fun, and then moved on to the next act of my life.

It does make you wonder how other people’s lives have turned out. Usually you never hear from them again but every once and awhile you’ll be surprised. Perhaps they’ll Google themselves