RobZerrvations
Musings from a Meandering, Mischievous Mind
What A Story!
I am fortunate to be a gifted storyteller. For as long as I can remember, I have enjoyed spinning tales of fictional fact and factual fiction for the enjoyment of others. I learned some time ago that my gift of storytelling extended beyond the thousand words I write here every week or even the stories I write for my job or my clients. I seem to be so good at it that these days I'm speaking regularly to audiences about the power of story. We all have a gift for stories, of course. It's how we...
The Start Of Something Big.
Though the news never covered it, there was an amazing, perhaps once in a lifetime, alignment of the stars in January. January 11th to be exact. It was the day I finally found a window. Yes, that window, you know the one: When God closes a door, somewhere he opens a window. I will leave some of this for future tellings. Let's just start at the beginning, shall we? For it is a hilarious start to an amazing series of events that have led to my recent engagement. Kat and I have known each other...
The Price We Pay. A Letter From Vietnam.
In the spirit of Memorial Day, I thought I'd share the letter my brother Jon wrote about his experience in Vietnam. This is written to his good friend Dennis two days after the attack, which occurred on March 4, 1968 in the Binh Dinh Province of South Vietnam. "My mom probably told you already what happened March 4. I always wondered how tough I was and I guess I even surprised myself. "The whole thing is still hard to believe and I'll never get over it. I was sleeping in my bunker with...
Road Trip!
Kat and I took our first road trip a couple weekend ago. Yes, we did a little overnighter for prom a month or so ago, but the run to Wenatchee would have to classified properly as a real road trip, largely because it required lots of logistics, from hotel rooms to luggage. For those of you in the civilian, mundane world, a road trip might require a couple bags of clothes and maybe a cooler. When you're a pirate, it's not that simple. This particular road trip required lots of support...
Knock! Knock!
I was on the phone with a dear friend the other day. It was a wide ranging conversation that eventually drifted into memories that have colored our pasts, including some that have continued to keep me in the heat of the moment years later. You see, I have this thing about keeping the first floor windows shut, even when it is absolutely boiling in my home. You just never know who might stop by, and in this respect, lightning has not only struck once, but twice. Let's start at the beginning....
That One Guy.
There always seems to be that one guy. You know the one. We call them odd man out or like the old Life cereal commercial, it's a Mikey who eats anything. He's the go to guy when any misadventure calls, or the first one to volunteer to do something crazy, assuming that others will just follow his lead. They don't, of course. He's that one guy. There's always one, but sometimes there's two. I only know of the "two rule" because one time I was one of the two. The other was my good pirate buddy...
Really, We’re Not That Interesting!
Being out in the real world affords me new opportunities to observe the world around me. I confess, it's really not that interesting. Even though I ride the new and improved "E" Line of Metro to work every morning, it's still filled with all the wackos that earned it the nickname the Crazy Bus over the years. No, this is not a judgment. We're all crazy in some respect. I mean, hey, I dress up in a pirate costume and act like a big kid sometimes. I have some odd insecurities and fears and on...
It’s Puzzling.
I used to really love the Jerry Maguire movie. Sure, Tom Cruise was in it, and he could ruin just about any movie except Top Gun. The saving grace for me was really Renee Zellweger and Cuba Gooding Jr., largely because I thought Renee was a real hotty with her pouty portrayal of Dorothy and Cuba was hilarious as Rod Tidwell, spoiled sports star. "Show me the money" even became the mantra of my company that year. We always had a slogan and while not as fun to say as "YAHTZEE!" when a new job...
The Pillage Idiot.
For years now, I have sought true love. If you've been reading these regularly then you already know about many of my famous fails in that regard. It's not that I'm not lovable or don't know how to love. I just made some really odd choices in my life. I didn't really know they were odd at the time. I even thought a few were good choices - at the moment. Oh sure, there was doctor girlfriend, who every time we were together I thought would suddenly say, "Oh-oh, I would get that checked if I were...
Gypsies In The Palace.
For years I've wondered what it would be like to have more than one home. Hardly a day goes by that you don't hear of some famous person or wealthy impresario who has purchased their umpteenth home in Hawaii, Borneo, New York City or Aspen. Bill Gates has been reinventing the idea with the recent purchase of a 404-room hotel in Houston and a 173-room hotel just north of Puerta Vallarta. I guess his 40,000 square foot home here in Seattle was starting to feel cramped. True, I have often been...
The Project Car.
I have a couple friends who like projects. You know the kind. The car that awaits loving restoration, one that has perhaps seen its better days, but with a little love and tender care, can be like new. It's a labor of love I suppose. I have never had a project like that, my love affair with those of the vehicular ilk being virtually non-existent. It's not that I haven't been involved in projects. Unfortunately though, I've usually been on the receiving end, being the project, not spearheading...
Dr. Jekyll And Mrs. Hyde.
I had a real eyeopener in recent weeks. It seems that what I once thought was a failed marriage on my part was nothing more than an "unfortunate series of interactions." I had been set up for failure, largely because the person I was involved with (notice that I no longer honor the role with the title of an ex-anything), was something of a narcissist. Wait, let's take off the gloves here for a moment. Erase the "something of a..." I didn't know this, of course. I had no idea she was one when I...