With My Able Assistance, Aaron Drank His Way Around the World
Thursday, November 15th, 2007
After Denise, Aaron, Ashleigh, and I finished up with the rides in Future World at Epcot, we headed into the World Showcase area. It was clear from the start that Aaron had only one thing on his mind: having a beer indiginous to every country represented at Epcot. Although I wasn’t willing to spend the money to do it (beers generally run six or seven dollars there), nor did I particularly feel like getting swizzled, I must admit that the idea did appeal to me. It was just one of those challenges or goals that you could say “I did that” after completion. So it all worked out well when Aaron realized that he really couldn’t easily drink 11 beers by himself in the time that it would take to travel this ‘world’. Read the rest of this entry »
I’m not proud of them, I don’t often show them off, but nevertheless I have kept them perfectly preserved in an old folder from Junior High. They are, of course, FUNSHIETS, the ‘publication’ Jeff Flinn and I created during our seventh grade year at Ankeney Junior High. I would have never recalled the exact history of the formation of the FUNSHIET, but as fate would have it, one of my editorials in issue #4, actually detailed it for me. 
Although Patsy Barry, who was one incarnation of “Baby Patsy” in the Our Gang films, had few appearances – and generally no fanfare – in the Little Rascals, it was still a tremendous pleasure to meet her. I first got the chance during the Hollywood Collectors Show in October of 2005. She had a very nice child portrait of herself, displayed at left, along with a couple of Our Gang stills in which she can be seen. To be honest, I have never picked her out in an actual film. 
The intense heat began to abate by Friday, August 10, as our trip began to wind down. We had had to face reality the day before and spend two days in Charlottesville rather than the planned single day. As a result, we were forced to eliminate our journey into the northwest area of the state where we might have found a Stonewall Jackson Museum, Stonewall Jackson’s Headquarters (egads!), the Museum of the American Presidents, George Washington’s Office Museum, and the grave of Patsy Cline – before heading back into the D.C. area where we had started our adventure. 
I just had to share these ultra-cute photos of Ashleigh as she first manages to pull herself up in standing position. Although I have nothing to date these pictures exactly, Ashleigh looks to be about six months old give or take, so the gathering may very well have been my 19th birthday, or possibly just an early fall visit from Dad for dinner. I look pretty slick with my Depeche Mode shirt, orange knickers, and fresh new mullet. Ashleigh on the other hand looks as cute and cuddly as can be.