RobZerrvations
Musings from a Meandering, Mischievous Mind
The Unhappiest Place On Earth.
I have had my fill of Disney. And this is a real shame, since I have been a Disney Kid since Walt Disney first introduced me to his Wonderful World of Color back in the 1960s. It was the only way for me to be able to visit Disneyland, and later on, Disney World, for my family was much too poor to ever mount an adventure down to Mouse Town. Of course, I also got to see Mary Poppins, Swiss Family Robinson, The Parent Trap, The Absent Minded Professor and Babes in Toyland on the big screen. My...
I Feel So Validated.
For most of my life, I have danced to the beat of a different drummer. I've long known that something inside me is a little different from others, but I've just never been able to put my finger on it. You see, I don't really like kudos, you know, the atta boys, the you done goods, you're amazing, you're so talented, and so forth. You get the idea. I have never relished any of those moments. Often, quite to the contrary. I shy away from them and if I can't escape rthem entirely, I have learned...
A Life Well Lived.
I've always had the hope that when it comes time to finally leave this big blue ball, I will stand at the gates and be asked one simple question: "Did you enjoy your life?" I have made that my life's goal, in large part because of my brother Jon. I've talked about him a time or two here. He was taken from us all way too early, and I think the world is a lesser place because of it. He would have definitely redefined the very concept of adventure had he lived longer. I wouldn't ordinarily take a...
Four Little Pirates.
Given recent events in the pirate world, I thought I would share this little parable. It's about four little pirates - one, a complete bully, the second, a former friend of the bully, the third, a cousin, and a fourth, a pirate who desperately wanted to be like the bully, but didn't have it in him. When they were all younger, the pirates got along fine. As with all little pirates, there came times when they would battle one another in a long game of King of the Hill. The bully was sure he was...
A Strolling Menstrual.
It's been more than 30 years since I first picked up a guitar to play in a band. Mind you, it was never a goal in life. In fact, I didn't even play the guitar at first. I actually learned banjo in college, part of the University of Washington's Experimental College program, and before that, played French horn and trumpet. When I finally joined a band, I didn't play guitar or even banjo. I actually started out with a lot fewer strings, well actually, just one. For reasons that still escape me,...
Leveling Up.
I used to be a bit of a gamer. Mind you, this was back in the day when Pong was all the rage and the very first next generation games, games like Pac Man and Donkey Kong, were jaw droppers. I admit that I was a bit addicted to these gee-whizzers. I would regularly find my way to the arcade in the Renton Highlands, the one tucked behind A&H Drugs. There, my high school buddies and I would shove quarters into all the newest arcade games, then engage in a little serious-ass air hockey. This...
It’s A Bird! It’s A Plane! It’s Super Stupid!
I don't go to the movies anymore. And there's a reason for that. Somewhere, somehow, DC and Marvel have taken over movie theaters and I have no interest in any of their movies. Don't believe me? Here's a list: 2015: Avengers: Age of Ultron, Ant-Man, Fantastic Four 2016: Deadpool, Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice, Captain America: Civil War, X-Men: Apocalypse, Suicide Squad, Gambit, Doctor Strange 2017: Untitled Wolverine sequel, Guardians of the Galaxy 2, Fantastic Four 2, Wonder...
Professor Marvel Never Guesses.
Kat and I get into the funniest conversations. The conversation last night was typical. We started out talking about spirits, ghosts, possession and such, then morphed into a dialogue about each other. I guess it's typical for someone not to see themselves as others see them. Kat is a very meek and mild person to some, but I have seen the other side of her. I shared these observations at first, largely because she's a pretty humble girl who doesn't really want to feel any particular...
That Was A Big Mis-Steak!
A friend of a friend went to the hospital the other day. I really can't recall what it was about, something to do with a herniated ulcer and a bleeding something or other. Though I wasn't tuned into the why and wherefores of his plight, it did bring back memories of my own brief encounters with the hospital. I have been blessed with very few visits over the years. I've never had surgery (outside of oral), except for that one surgery my parents had performed on me, when I had no say in the...
It’s In The Mail.
My career path has been amazingly compressed. The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that the average worker will have seven different careers in their lives. I've had three. You see, I never held a job when I was in high school. My mom wouldn't let me, saying that school was my job and that I shouldn't be distracted by such silly things as earning or saving money. As a result, outside of two work-study jobs (one paid $275/month in 1980), I never held a real job until after college. Being a...
The Box That Home Came In.
Home is such a strange and yet wonderful place to be these days. Over the years I have lived in houses, whether it was a real house, an apartment or a condo - houses seem to come and go in my life and I think I've even lost count of how many times I have changed domiciles. Wait, I know. Twenty-two different houses. The longest I lived in one was the house I grew up in - 21 years. The shortest - about a year. Very rarely has any house been a home. I can certainly say that the home I grew up in...
Glad To Meet Me.
I have met a lot of famous people in my time. So many that I really can't remember them all. I met many as a pirate, of course. That seems to go with the territory. I vaguely remember meeting Max Gail who played Detective Stan "Wojo" Wojciehowicz on Barney Miller. He was thinking about becoming Davy Jones for the Seafair Pirates one year. I guess I don't remember him because his sidekick at the meeting was Will Sampson. At 6'5", Chief Bromden from One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest was hard to...