Cell Phones

I have a cell phone. I fought it for years. Then, my friends Thom and Mary Ann gave me one for Christmas one year. I had it, but lost it. Then, I got another one. I use it for emergencies. After all, my car is not the best in the world, and I have it in case I break down. I got a flat tire once outside Joanna SC, and I didn't have a cell phone. Fortunately, I had the problem in front of a house, and someone was home that let me use his phone to call AAA. So, with a cell phone, I don't feel I need to impose on someone to use their phone. My father hit a deer one time. He went to a farm house to use their phone. The farmer left my father in the house and went running outside with his gun to search for the deer. Some people can be very trusting. But, our country has become very dependent on cell phones. It is a billion dollar business. I still have a land based phone, but will probably do away with it, when I do away with my dial-up internet service (Webtv). I also use it, when the wireless internet isn't working, which isn't often. Because I haven't used a cell phone much, it is hard for me to remember to carry my phone. I am also trying to learn how to use it. I know it has features that I don't know what they are, much less how to use them. Kind of like a computer. There is an impression by some that I am a computer whiz. Maybe because I wear glasses. Maybe because I use it to sell stuff. But, here's a secret for you. I don't know everything about computers. I wish I did, but I don't. Now, my roommate has lost his cell phone. It is somewhere in the condo. Somehow, the phone has been switched to voicemail, so you can't call it. It won't ring. He is lost without it. He has become dependent on it. It will turn up one day. I suggested he put all of his pocket stuff together like wallet, keys and phone on a table. But for now, the phone is missing. I guess I am old fashioned. We need to go back to bulky CB radios. Whatever happened to them? Probably next to the 8-track tape player.

Teacher Influence

I was thinking yesterday about the teachers that I have had in school, and the influence that they had on my life. I suppose everyone has had good teachers. They may have known their subjects, but they were also good people. I have had several teachers from elementary school through graduate school who were really very good. To teach is a very noble profession, and there is also a lot of responsibility. After all, they are molding the lives of their students. I have heard that school today is much different. The teachers can't discipline their students like they could, when I was a student. So, some students take advantage of that and run around like crazy. I had once wanted to be a teacher. I don't think I would do it now. I am not good at disciplining children, and I care too much about the subject I would teach. So, I wanted to write a little about some of my teachers. In my elementary years, all of my teachers stood out for one reason or another, but one especially was Mrs. Kirk. She was a short, older woman. And tough. Her big thing was memorizing poetry. Each one of us had to memorize a classic poem once every 6 weeks. If we messed up, there would be trouble. The stress was incredible, but you got through it. In junior high, there was Mrs. Brown. She taught music. I remember that she was short with brown curly hair. She was tough, too. She also encouraged us to be better. In high school, there was Mrs. Lupold who was my debate coach. She really cared about the success of her students in speech tournaments. There was also Mrs. Green who exposed me to writing and drama. Later at Anderson College, there was Mr. Vivian. He taught speech and drama and believed that I had talent. I appreciate him for that. At Presbyterian College, there was Skelly Warren. He was only there a year, but he taught me a lot about concentration in acting. The character was the most important issue as an actor. At Southwestern, there was Paula Brooks who taught Communications. She helped develop my talents and cared for me as a person. I have a lot of respect for my teachers. Some have passed on. I went to Mr. Vivian's grave yesterday and got a little teary. I realized that I would not have done much in drama without his influence. I was supposed to major in English, but he encouraged me to follow my real talent. He changed my life. He was a little quirky, but so was I. Thanks, Mr. Vivian. You were quite unique. And, a shout out to Mrs. Lanier, Miss Barrett, Mrs. Southern, Mrs. McCuen, and Mrs. Ellsworth for being my other elementary school teachers. That was a good time. Thanks to all.

Bond Actors

I bet you are wondering what I think of the actors who have played James Bond. No? Well, I am going to tell you anyway. It may tell you something about me. You see? I am not real big on change. Okay. First was Barry Nelson. Who? Well, he played in a early TV play of "Casino Royale". Imagine an American actor playing a British spy without an English accent. Now, let's move on. The first film actor, and for my money the best to play the role, was Sean Connery. He was suave. He had a dry sense of humor. And, he was good. Sean Connery was James Bond. Case closed. For one film was George Lazenby. He did a good job, although he had an Australian accent. I still cry at the end of "OHMSS". Then came Roger Moore. At the beginning, he did a good job. But, the Bond films became more of a comic strip. The plots were more fantastic. "Moonraker" is a really good example. It was a good film, but how many people believe that Bond could fly a space shuttle? Roger was getting long in the tooth toward the end of his run. And, it was obvious he used way to many stunt doubles. Then came Timothy Dalton. He is my other favorite next to Connery. He went back to a more gritty Bond than we were used to with Roger, Unfortunately, he was only in two films. I liked him a lot. Then came Mr. Brosnan. The Bond that most younger people know. He started off slow, but grew into the part. There was good and bad in his portrayal. He had the suave part, as well as being able to deliver to funny lines. He couldn't run very well. I also didn't like the Irish accent, but that's because I am a purist. Now, there is Daniel Craig. Talk about gritty. I had a hard time understanding him the first time I saw "Casino Royale", but I liked the action. The jury is still out, but he may do a good job. And, if we are really going to examine all of the actors who have played Bond, there is another group from the "Casino Royale" spoof--David Niven, Peter Sellers, Woody Allen, and a couple more. But, that's another story. No one can deliver the famous line, "My name is Bond, James Bond" better than Sean Connery.

James Bond

I love James Bond movies. My Mother introduced me to them. We used to go to the movies together. The first one we saw was "Goldfinger". It was 1964, and there were a bunch of soldiers in the theatre, so they all laughed when Honor Blackman said "My name is Pussy Galore". I didn't understand why they were laughing, and Mother didn't explain. We went to every Bond movie through "Live and Let Die". Then, I went onto college and moved away, but we did see others on video together. I saw the films multiple times. Even before video came out, I would go to the movie theatre to watch Bond. When "The Man With the Golden Gun" came out, I was at PC and went to the theatre every night for a week. I was home one summer, when there was a triple feature at a drive-in of James Bond movies. Of course, I went. When the movies came out on video, the first format was CED Videodiscs. I bought a player and all of the movies. I think they may be collectible now, since that format isn't made anymore. Then, I got all of the videotapes. I bought all of the movie posters. I still have a few of those. In fact, I almost got kicked out of seminary for having a "The Spy Who Loved Me" poster in my dorm room. They couldn't deal with Barbara Bach wearing a low-cut black dress. I got the James Bond games and toys. I collected autographs of actors and actresses who appeared in the movies. I still have most of those. Having seen all of the movies multiple times, my brain is full of trivia from the films. Ask me anything, except for the Daniel Craig movies. I am not totally sure about that one, but just give me time. I am now looking forward to "Quantum of Solace". It starts in November. And now, I am going to tell you something that I never have told anyone before. When I am driving, I watch my odometer. When the last three numbers are "007", I hum the theme from "The Man With the Golden Gun", until it turns to "008". If I am at a red light, I may have to hum the theme twice. If I am on the freeway, the humming won't last too long. Why do I do this? Because, I got my first car, when the movie was popular. I have been doing it ever since. I know it is weird, but that is part of my world. Now you know.

Road Rage

I have a confession to make. I know some of you will think badly of me, and if you do, I will just have to live with it. The deal is that I have road rage. It is not totally out of control, but God help you, if I am behind you in traffic, and you do something incredibly awful. Yes, I know. The world does not revolve around me. I am not a better driver than everyone else. But, it makes me angry when someone does something that is beyond explanation. I have discussed previously about my pet peeve of not using directional signals. After all, I am not psychic. If you don't use your blinker, I don't know you are turning. I have to know this to know if I need to apply the brake or go around you. If you want to change lanes, I need to know that in case I want to do the same. The last time I checked, cars still had signals made for them, and they were included on all cars. Another thing that irks me is when someone stops at a light, but then doesn't go, when the light changes to green. Hello? Green means go. "What, are you waiting for Christmas?" And then, when they finally go, the light changes to red by the time I get to the intersection. If they had gone when it changed to green, I could have made the light. Or, the person in front of me stops at the light with a big space between them and the car in front of them. Do they have a depth perception problem? Or the driver who talks to his passenger rather than looking at the road. My response to this is "That's all very interesting, but can you dance?" Oh, the list is endless. When I started driving, I must admit I had a lead foot. I drove fast. After all, I think I have the speed record for driving between Charlotte and Columbia. I did it in just over an hour. But, I have gotten older and have slowed down. I know I make others mad for driving the speed limit, so I probably spawn road rage for others. I am sorry to all of those who have been behind me, but I was probably yelling at someone else ahead of me. Several years ago, I had been at work at Belk downtown Columbia. It had been an awful day. I had to let off some steam. I was driving down Forest Drive heading toward home, and there was a woman in front of me going very slow. I wanted her to speed up and was yelling at her. She finally turned off, and I kept on going, glad that she was no longer in front of me. The next day, my co-worker asked me what did she do in traffic the night before that made me mad. She explained that she was driving in front of me. I was very embarrassed. Another time, I was driving down Forest Drive, and there was a man in a Jaguar who had to drive very slow. I yelled at him, gave him a dirty look while going around him. I went to the grocery store and parked. And, then he pulled into the parking lot and parked near me. I thought he was going to do me harm. I saw him in the store. He gave me a dirty look, and I just smiled, pretending it wasn't me. I didn't go back to that store for a long time. So, I know it is a character flaw. I am sorry for yelling at everyone I am around. Just know that I am out there. Straighten up.

Peggy Update

I was pleasantly surprised yesterday, when I went back to the hospital to visit Peggy. She was smiling and laughing, so I guess the shock of hearing she had a stroke had worn off. I asked her if she was on drugs, and she said no. She was just having a good day. She needs to have better days than bad days. She needs to do her rehab and not give up. She is feisty, so she should do okay. The therapist came by as I was leaving. I think I knew him, but didn't get to see for sure. I got to talk to Konnie and Joni, but didn't get to see either one this time. I plan to go back next week to see how Peggy is doing, among other things. My friends mean the world to me. You already know that. I have talked about it enough, but in a way, not enough. Without much in the way of family, my friends ARE my family. Maybe they get tired of me, but I would be nothing without my friends. Okay, I am getting mushy. Guys aren't supposed to be mushy. We are supposed to be strong. I don't know who decided that, but okay. I won't get mushy. Just give me my dreams. One of my favorite movies, believe it or not, is "Swamp Thing". When Adrienne Barbeau sees Swamp Thing for the first time, she says: "Am I dreaming?" Swamp Thing says: "Dreams are what you have when you're alone." I love that line. I am alone a lot. I have dreams. I am dreaming now...

Visiting Columbia

Last Friday, I got an email from a girl named Megan who was worried about her grandmother Peggy, who is a friend of mine. She said that Peggy fell and was put in the hospital for tests. That was all I knew. Peggy is 72, and she and I are friends from Macy's. She and I have done some stuff together. She went with me to visit my Mother in Laurens in the nursing home. She thought Mother was nice. I went with Peggy to the mountains to get apples. I have visited Peggy many times at her house, and we have gone out to eat a lot. She is a very feisty woman. She has a pacemaker and a replaced knee. Her husband passed away a few years ago, and she has gone through a lot of family problems. A few hours later after the email from Megan, I got another email from a guy named Ron from Macy's that Peggy was at Baptist Hospital room 312. I thought that was a little strange, because Peggy lives close to Lexington Hospital. It turned out later that Baptist takes her insurance better than Lexington. Saturday night, I got a phone call from my friend Ne'cole, who also works at Macy's. She and a friend named Kelly went to visit Peggy after work Saturday, and she said that they were very worried about Peggy and thought she had a stroke. I asked her if she thought I needed to come down from Greenville, and she said yes, so I did. I drove down yesterday and went to the hospital, not knowing what I would find. Peggy seemed okay, but she was really mad at her doctor and the food. Not really unusual, but then I found that she had indeed had a stroke. Her ability to comprehend words and being able to write was affected. She also leaned to the right. But, she can talk and see, which are two things my Mother couldn't do. She is going to need some therapy, and she will need to learn how to read and write again. I told her that she will need to channel her anger into getting better. Pray for Peggy. I spent some time with friends here. And visited the hospital again last night with our friend Mary, who later took me out to eat. I'll go there again this morning to see if Peggy has calmed down some, but I doubt it. She has a lot of responsibilities at home with Megan and Megan's baby, but some others in her family are going to have to step up and take responsibility, because Peggy is going to have to work to get better herself. I hope to have a little time with Joni this afternoon. My priorities have changed since leaving Macy's. Friends are very important. God bless us all.