Cool Guys

There have been many people, that I have come across in my life, that I would classify as "cool". For one reason or another, they have exemplified a total coolness. People who were just fun to be around. People who had a way about them. Always a smile. Truly creative. I know that there are some folks who would say that I am cool, but my coolness has been drawn from the coolness of others. What is cool? It is hard to define, but you know it when you see it. It is an aura. They buried a cool guy yesterday in Gratten Tomlinson. He was a cool guy. The funeral was nice and just as he would have wanted it. Funerals should be celebrations. Not sad times. I just heard that Myron Broadwell's mother passed away yesterday. Myron is a cool guy. Richard Owen is a cool guy. He has been a friend since high school. Sonny Smith is a cool guy. He has also been a friend since high school. Marshall Edwards is a cool guy. He was my pastor in the 1980's at First Baptist. Eddie Lee is a cool guy. He has been a friend since college. There have been other cool guys that I have known. Each one I draw from. But, you wanna know a secret? Just being cool does not pay bills. I am in a deep funk right now. I may have one more week of funds with no job and no place to live. I have a good emotional support group, and I know there are people who love me, but I am not sleeping worrying about my future. Please help me. I am not ready to have people come to my funeral and talk about what a cool guy I was. My PayPal acct. is durst11@gmail.com. It is difficult for me to ask for funds to continue to carry on. Please help me. Stay cool.

Another Day

When I started out writing this blog last year, I wrote a lot about my life. I shared some stories that may have seemed unbelievable, but they were all true. I have a friend in Atlanta who wants me to put the stories in a book and sell it. The problem with that is that I continue to think of things. I guess I could have several volumes, but I also am not the most motivated person in the world. So, we will see. I have been having a problem lately about not getting enough sleep. I have been waking up very early in the mornings, like around 4am. I used to sleep until 7:30. Yesterday, I slept until 7, and didn't know what to do. It threw off my whole day. I don't like taking sleeping pills. I am not big on those, as they make me groggy for the rest of the day. But, I may have to go with that. I also don't take naps in the afternoon. It goes back to my childhood, when we were made to take naps. It wasn't for my health. My Mother just wanted some quiet time. So, I don't take naps. I never liked my father going to sleep while watching the news in the evenings. He would wake up and ask what the news was. I used to poke him with a yardstick to keep him awake. Now that I am alone, I have no one to poke me, but I find that I go to sleep while watching TV, and then wake up all mad that I missed something. Maybe it is because I am currently in a motel. If I had my own place, somewhere a bit more secure or comforting, then I could sleep better. There is something for having your own bed, with your own covers, and your own sheets. There is something about motel sheets that are just not so comfortable. I guess if this was the Ritz Carlton, the sheets would be nicer. I am running out of money to stay here. Still no job. Maybe the lack of sleep is caused by worrying and stress of my situation. That is more plausible. At any rate, whatever that actually means, I need a job. I need funds. I need a bed. I need many things. I need to stay positive. I need you. durst11@gmail.com is my PayPal acct., in case you can spare a dollar or two. If not, that's okay. Another day is all I ask to have. Please help.

Gratten Tomlinson

I learned this morning that Gratten Tomlinson passed away last Sunday. His funeral is tomorrow, and I plan to attend. My father taught Gratten at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, where I was born. He graduated from there in Religious Education and went on to work in several churches. When Daddy was called to be the head of the Sunday School Department for the South Carolina Baptist Convention, he called Gratten to have him come and be on his staff. Gratten had also worked with my Aunt Clyde and Uncle John in Florida. They were my Mother's family. So, we knew Gratten very well, and he came to Columbia. Daddy had three men who worked with him on his staff. Gratten, Gary and Roger. Those three men helped Daddy, and they became a team. Gratten always had a joke to tell, and he was truly a cool guy. He loved sports and his family. When my father died 10 years ago this September, all I had to do was call Gratten, and he took care of the rest. He, Gary and Roger did my father's funeral. The last time I saw Gratten was last year at the visitation for Frances Snipes, Roger's wife. Gratten was so proud of his grandson, who had just won an "American Idol" style contest in the upstate. He got that talent from his grandfather. Gratten loved music. It was not a total shock to hear of Gratten's passing. After all, he had cancer. But, cancer didn't have him. He loved life and people. I know Daddy and Mother have welcomed him into Heaven. God bless you, Gratten. Thanks for helping Daddy. Thanks for being a friend.

Stormy Monday

I am a big fan of Blues music. I guess The Allman Brothers started that love for me, although it might have been Johnny Winter. At any rate, the Blues are good. Whether it is old style music or the newer stuff. Guys like B.B. King, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Muddy Waters, Buddy Guy, Eric Clapton, and many more really touch me. And, the Blues don't have to be depressing. It is sort of like Jazz. Some Jazz can be soulful, while others can be upbeat. It is the same with the Blues. I really got into it, when WUSC had a Blues radio program on Monday nights. After playing volleyball at First Baptist, I would go get something to eat and listen to the Blues on the radio. So, why am I bringing this up? There is a great line in a song--"If it weren't for bad luck, I'd have no luck at all." That's kind of how I feel today. Yes, I am still trying to stay positive, but I am also searching for someone who can identify with my plight. "No one loves you when you're down and out." No, this is not a self-pity blog today. Or maybe it is. But, when I come off a weekend now, when most folks have good memories about something they've done, I am mostly coming off a couple of days of reflection. You see? I don't do much on weekends. I used to go places and do things. I used to go with friends to parks and have fun. I don't do that much anymore. Most of my friends have other lives. They have other friends. They do other stuff. I sit here at the motel and watch TV and reflect. I try and do things by myself, but I am a people person. I like being around people. I like to laugh. I watched some of "Mamma Mia" on TV yesterday. I don't usually like musicals, but that was a fun movie. I love the music of Abba. And, the film gave me a good feeling. Right now, I need good feelings. I need a job. I need a place to live. I need money to live. Things are not so good right now. "I wear my heart on my sleeve." If anyone can spare a couple of dollars, my PayPal acct. is durst11@gmail.com. "They call it stormy Monday..." God bless you and say a prayer for me.

An Update

Well, I took 3 weeks off from my blog to remember my trip to Europe. Hopefully, some of you found it entertaining. Others might have been bored. Sorry about that. I hope that everyone gets to go to Europe and the Holy Land at least once in their lives. My father used to say that travel broadens one. He was right. So, what has happened to me in the past three weeks. Well, first, we passed a milestone. My Mother passed away 5 years ago this past July 8th. It doesn't seem like 5 years, and I miss her every day. She was a light in my otherwise dark world. Her smile and bright eyes kept me going. We will meet up again one day. Another thing that happened was a job interview. Hopefully, something will come of that. I am running out of money. I still am staying at the motel, although I would love to get my own place. Unfortunately, most folks want you to have a job to get a place. Or, you need to be a certain age. I have been telling people that I am self-employed, as "unemployed" sounds so depressing. I have been selling some autographs on the internet through eBay. That has helped. I have also been volunteering for Andre Bauer and have been to an event or two. Maybe I can get a paid gig with him. I also do a lot of walking. Joni put the fire under me to do that. Exercise is great to get the mind and body together. Speaking of Joni, her father was put in the hospital with heart issues. He got a pacemaker and should be better. He just needs to learn to slow down. I have personal experience in these matters from my father. Type A personalities have a tough time slowing down. Good luck with that. My car continues to act up. I got the oil changed, but it is still not good. Maybe I need a bicycle. I had lunch last week with Joni and her sister Tracy. Tracy has gone through some tough times with breast cancer, but they got the word from the doctor last week that she can say she is "cancer-free". That is wonderful news. While Joni was away from the table, I told Tracy about how her sister has helped me stay positive during these dark days. I knew she could relate to this. Tracy said she could see in my eyes that I want to live. I have thought about that a lot since that lunch. I do want to live. I want to make an impact in society. I want to do things I love to do. I want to be around people who love me. So, that's pretty much what has happened over the last 3 weeks. If anyone would like a copy of my resume, I would be glad to send it to you. Just email me. It is durst11@gmail.com. And, if you could spare a couple of dollars, my PayPal account is the same as my email address. Thanks a lot and may God continue to bless us all.

Going Home

July 25th was the last day of the Europe trip. It started off rather rushed. We had to get to the airport, and of course we were running late. Sandra and Talula hated me for taking pictures of them without makeup, as we ran for the bus. We got to the airport and were again subject to searches by men with guns. Our plane landed in Lisbon Portugal for gas before heading on to New York. I went out on the tarmac, so I could say I had been to Portugal. We weren't there long enough to go to the terminal. The plane took off to continue our eight-hour flight to New York. Along the way, Sandra told me that she had decided to marry her boyfriend, based on what he said to her the day before on the phone. I worked on a song that I had written in Israel called "Save the World for the Children". We had seen some Israeli children picking on one boy, as we waited to enter the museum. It made me think about my childhood. Years later, Pope John Paul II blessed my song. I also watched Sid Caesar in the inflight movie "Ten From Your Show of Shows". That was very funny, and I needed a good laugh after Sandra's news. I could also see the film "1776", which was being played in the cabin ahead of us. Anything to keep from being bored. We got to New York eventually. Customs examined the rose I had from the store in Lucerne. I guess they were afraid of bugs, so they took the bud away and left me with the leaves and stem. Thanks, guys. We got on the plane to take us to Greenville. I was so exhausted that I finally was able to sleep on a plane. First time. I had my head on Sandra's shoulder, and Sandra had her head on Talula's shoulder. The last trip for the Three Musketeers. We awoke about the time of the plane landing in Greenville. All of our loved ones were there to greet us. My parents took me to a motel to sleep before going back to Columbia. I don't know what happened to Judy or Sha. I still keep in contact with Talula. She is married and lives in NC. She has been a blessing to me through the years. Sandra got married to her boyfriend, and they live in SC. We have communicated, mostly through 3rd parties, until more recently on Facebook. Mr. Vivian passed away some years back. I visited his grave, when I lived in Greenville. Mrs. Sitton's son Jimmy has been a good friend over the years, and he let me stay with him in Greenville for a little over a year. Mrs. Sitton and I talked a lot about our trip. I don't know what happened to the school teachers on our trip. I guess they retired or died. It was a pivotal moment in my life, and in the lives of the others that went. We saw a lot of poverty and opulence. And, we saw a lot about ourselves. Now, if I could go back, I would pay more attention to the sites. It was a History tour that we got college credit for. I wrote a paper on our trip that I called "Beauty is Only Skin Deep Sometimes", but the professor rejected it, saying it wasn't about History. So, I had to go to the library and read about what we had seen, and I wrote a paper on that instead. Sorry, Dr. von Hasselin. I figure he is looking down on me from Heaven. With his bald head.

Boring Barcelona

I don't mean to imply that Barcelona is not a city that you should visit. But, when we were there in 1973, it was kind of boring. No night life to speak of. About all one could do was shop. There was a dictator running the country. The hotel said that we couldn't use their phones to call long distance, because there had been a fire somewhere in the country, and the phone lines had burned up. But, we could go to the nearby post office and use their phones. That made no sense. Barcelona was the last stop on our three-week tour, and we were all getting kind of tired. I guess we really didn't appreciate the Picasso paintings and the architecture. We went into one church with a beautiful chandelier. Sandra pulled out some glasses to look at it. I had known her for almost two years but didn't know she wore glasses. I asked her about it, and she said she only wore them if there was something worthwhile seeing. Thanks a lot, Sandra. We went to a section of town with a lot of artisans. One of our tour ladies bought a sword letter opener that would be confiscated by the airport security the next day. She never got it back. The real highlight of the tour was seeing a large statue of Christopher Columbus pointing toward the New World. We would be heading that way tomorrow. It was time to go home. That afternoon, Sandra wanted me to go with her to the post office to call home. She called her boyfriend. I couldn't hear the conversation, but it went on for quite a while. It was good she called collect. After it was over, I could tell she had been crying, and she was very quiet. She was upset. We went back to the nine-story department store. If anyone was having a bad day, shopping made up for it. During the tour, since I was assigned to protect the girls, I had been shopping for dresses, lingerie, swimsuits, shirts, pants, watches, crystal, souvenirs, linens, towels, jewelry, perfumes, and whatever else there was out there. Sometimes, I had to look interested. Other times, I was interested. Still other times, it was a good excuse to just sit. I didn't really have much time for myself, but that was okay. After all, we were friends. And, we had fun. I do wish that I was collecting music then, because the department store had a great record department, and I could have racked up on original Beatles albums, but I didn't know about the values of things like that back then. That night, we packed and got ready to fly back to the States tomorrow. It was time to go home. We were ready.