Guest posted by tim, The Godless Heathen
Post title & lyrics via Cake - "Comfort Eagle"
And the fluffy white lines That the airplane leaves behind Are drifting right in front Of the waning of the moonTomorrow I’ll be celebrating my 50th birthday with a few of my close friends and family. My life has been an adventure so far and I’m looking forward to whatever and whoever comes along next.
Here’s a brief snapshot of some of what I’ve seen, done and experienced, good and bad, during my yesterdays. Hope you enjoy. Questions/comments welcome and encouraged.
- Seen both full solar and lunar eclipses, the space station streak across the night sky, the aurora borealis and the Perseid Meteor Shower in the crystal clear, mountain skies of Stowe, VT.
- Lived through a devastating ice storm and crippling blizzards.
- All separately, I’ve broken my kneecap, dislocated my shoulder, got a bottled thrown in my face gashing my lip and got attacked by a gang of punks.
- Seen some of greatest bands and musicians in concert such as - The Who, Eric Clapton, Van Halen, Aerosmith, Neil Young, Stevie Ray Vaughn…Robert Plant and Jimmy Page (together and separately). B.B. King, Buddy Miles and Miles Davis. Bonnie Raitt, and Alison Krauss. And many, many others.
- Have partook of marijuana, hash, opium, cocaine, LSD and magic mushrooms.
- Rode the Staten Island fairy, hiked up the Statue of Liberty and peered out her crown, viewed NYC from atop the Empire State Building, took a carriage ride through Central Park, rode the roller coaster at Cooney Island, watched the Yankees play at the old, pre ’74 Yankee Stadium and saw Derek Jeter wish Yogi Berra a happy birthday at the brand new stadium.
- I’ve been in the Anchorage, AK airport, seen the Arch of St. Louis, the southern most point of the U.S., The White House, all the monuments, Ford’s Theatre and the rest of D.C. I marched down Pennsylvania Ave. and protested right in front of the Capital Building. I ran by Arlington Cemetery and stopped at the Iwo Jima Memorial.
- I’ve driven and worked throughout the Rocky Mountains of Colorado (snowboarded Keystone). I drove past mile after mile of the farmlands of Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska and Kansas.
- I stood below the CN Tower in Toronto and took in the wonder that is Niagara Falls.
Now do you believe
In the one big sign
The doublewide shine
On the boot heels of your prime
- Wore the uniform of the United Sates Marine Corps.
- Visited the Suicide Cliffs and caves of Okinawa.
- Walked amongst scurrying coyotes in the predawn hours in Camp Pendleton and stole C Rations with an MP from a supply tent lined w/barbed wire in the still of the night in South Korea. Ha!
- I’ve shot/felt the concussion of a M2 .50 cal. machine gun. Rode in the belly of a C130 alone guarding a connex box full of weapons. Heard the roar of howitzers, the thumping of a Warthog’s 30mm Gatling gun. Seen fly overhead the majestic SR72 Blackbird, Harrier/fighter jets, Apache/Huey helicopters. Saw a formation of Ospreys while standing in front of the Pentagon.
- Got a tattoo in downtown Baltimore.
- Visited brothels in Japan, Korea and Tijuana.
- Been to every town and beach in CA between Oceanside and LA. Seen the freaks of Hollywood , the swallows return to San Juan Capistrano, felt the warmth of the Santa Anna winds, the twisted, outstretched limps of the Joshua Trees, and endured the overwhelming heat of the Mojave Desert for weeks at a time.
- I’ve watched football at the LA Coliseum, a Monday Football game at Mile High Stadium and Notre Dame in Boulder, CO.
- Saw Reggie Jackson hit a grand slam against the Yankees in Anaheim.
- Went to a Padres game and a Beach Boys concert broke out (We had no clue.)
- Been on the sidelines, press box, locker room and press conferences of NFL games. Saw play, amongst many other greats, - O.J. Simpson, Bert Jones, Jim Kelly, Jim Harbaugh, Marshall Faulk, Marvin Harrison and Peyton Manning.
He says - Do you believe In the one true edge
By fastening your safety belts
And stepping towards the ledge
- I’ve been to parties with bikers who barbequed poached venison and the next week another where two of us were the only white people present. (Try and guess which one I had more fun at.)
- Went sailing on a 80’ catamaran off the coast of St. Maarten for a wedding reception, ate the finest French cuisine, danced on the deck at sundown and snorkeled off the coast of a deserted island. Returned five years later…oh the stories…
- I’ve driven U.S. Highway 1 from Fort Lauderdale to Key West.
- Slammed through the gears of a refurbished ‘69 Road Runner, did 70 mph on my jet ski and rode in a cigar boat.
- Walked the pier at Santa Cruz, rode the trolley in San Fran and gazed upon the magnificent Golden Gate bridge and the stunning Presidio.
- Have parasailed, flew in a two seat Sea Plane and got knocked out of kayak by a wave caused by a storm w/70 mph winds, hail and lightening.
- Fished king mackerel, barracuda and groper off the coasts of Florida’s Key West & Largo. Additionally I’ve caught trout, bass, pike, perch and five other species in NY’s Finger & Ontario Lakes.
- I successfully ran a 10k after having not run for 20+ years and only trained for 4 months.
- I met, hung out backstage and joined him and his family for dinner with a leading conservative celebrity who you would recognize if I mentioned his name.
- Experienced both sides of the ‘love but not loved” scenario with women. (Both suck.) Been married, divorced and also cohabitated with a girl who turned out to be psychotic. Had younger women, older women and a friend’s sister.
- Last night I benched pressed more weight than most men half my age can.
Want, need and have to do before I die - kill a Red Stag in New Zealand, rebuild my Ford 302 engine, catch a marlin, meet the love of my life, attend the 24 Hours of Le Mans, learn guitar, get arrested…all starting today tomorrow or tomorrow today, or even yesterday.
There's no need to ask directions
If you ever lose your mind
We're behind you We're behind you
And let us please remind you
We can send a car to find you
If you ever lose your way
