From the Vault: Fortune Telling

I haven't posted for awhile. I've been a bit busy lately. To get the ball rolling again, here's a gem from the old scrapbook.


From the header of the paper, this was a "make-believe diary" of what I thoughts I would be doing ten years from the time I filled it out. So, here's what nine-year-old Brett thought nineteen-year-old Brett's day would be like. I'm reprinting them here for clarity and for spelling correctness:

7:00	I will be going to college.
8:00	I will be going to classes.
9:00	In computer room.
10:00	Going to vet (veterinary) school.
11:00	In artist class.
12:00	I will be eating at Arby's.
1:00	In library.
2:00	In scientist school.
3:00	Watching television.
4:00	Eating dinner.
5:00	Getting ready to go to arcade.
6:00	Going to the video arcade.
7:00	In the video arcade.

First off, I love the spellings/misspellings. Sintest school? Arabys?

But my favorites have to be my plans for the last three timeslots. That's three documented hours dedicated to the arcade. There's a full hour just to prepare (probably doing some kind of hand stretching). Another hour to get there. And at least one hour playing games. I have to assume there would be a fourth hour to get home. There's also probably an undocumented fifth hour to cool down from the intense gaming. And I have to think nineteen-year-old Brett wouldn't invest four hours in arcade warm-up/cool-down/travel for a single hour at the arcade. Surely there's another hour or two of gaming. That's six or seven hours or arcade! Where on earth would I find to time to keep up with my art school studies?

From the Vault: Guess the Year

Here's another gem from my school scrapbook. Before you do any math based on this blog's tag line and the age printed on this scanned sheet, try to guess the year.

1. In what year could someone have listed Ghostbusters as their favorite movie, their favorite record or tape, and their favorite song? And, yes, I know there are several of my friends that would list these even today...please don't say 2008.

2. In what year could Michael Jackson have been listed as a kid's favorite person without prompting several sessions with a counselor.

3. In what year should Diff'rent Strokes have been listed as anyone's favorite anything? Again, no 2008.



My favorite number was 999,999,999,999,999,999,999? Pretty clever, Brett.

And my favorite thing to wear? Clothes. Nowadays, I thinking pants might be funnier. But I still like that actor, James Bond.

From the Vault: Favorite Subject

Another one from my school scrapbook. It really speaks for itself. I'll note that it does go a long way to explaining my grammar (or lack thereof).


Maybe a math blog...

From the Vault: From Bad to Worse

This one is short by sweet. Basically, it looks like there's a motorcyclist in a pretty tight spot.

1. He's fallen off his motorcycle. If that weren't bad enough...
2. He's also caught on his motorcycle by something that looks like fabric. Maybe a cape. Or a scarf. If that weren't bad enough...
3. There are several sticks of lit DYNAMITE also attached to the bike. If that weren't bad enough...
4. HE'S STUCK THIRTY (estimated) FEET IN THE AIR! ITWBE...
   
5. THERE'S NOTHING BUT A RATTY LOOKING MATTRESS (possibly a large chunk of stinky cheese) TO CATCH HIM!
   

I've had two motorcycles. I have my MC license endorsement and I've completed the ABATE of Indiana Inc. Basic Riders Course. I love motorcycles. I would really like to have another one at some point.

Seriously, it's motorcycle season, be careful out there. Leave the cape at home. Keep the dynamite unlit. Wear a helmet.

From the Vault: The Great Train Robbery

In addition to westerns, I've always been a fan of superheroes. I don't really know where that came from. My parents aren't really fans. And I don't remember my older brother reading comic books. Still, he has mentioned that I used to go around the house saying things like "Brett Smash!" I don't remember that but, apparently, my love of comics and heroes goes back quite a way.

So, here's another good drawing from my archive. There's a lot going on here with two heroes and a lot of action.

- Dude with a power beam. I'd think it was Green Lantern except the modern Green Lantern doesn't wear a cape. Maybe it's the Golden Age Green Lantern.


- Another dude. This one has x-ray vision as evidenced by his ability to see through the truly gigantic flying safe to the bomb and/or money inside. Seems like it might be Superman except he also has some kind of rapid fire beams emanating from his hands. Doesn't appear to be a gun. I don't know.



- An old timey train. Not sure what it's carrying but it's obviously something worth stealing.

- A villian. Not just a villain, a big villain. One willing go at a train head-on. I don't want to mess with him. It kind of looks like he may have a horn. If so, I'd think he was the Rhino but everyone knows he's a Marvel character whereas Green Lantern and Superman are DC. I wouldn't have made that kind of mistake. Maybe that horn is just brain splatter.

From the Vault: Fool's Glod!

I've always liked westerns movies. I'm particularly fond of the Eastwood flicks like The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, Pale Rider, and the strange but fascinating High Plains Drifter.

A side note here: my wife and I have been watching a lot of the old Batman series off VHS tapes recently. The pair of episodes we watched last night actually featured Eli Wallach as Mr. Freeze. Eli, of course, played Tuco (i.e. the Ugly) in The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly.

Back to westerns. There was a time when I wanted to be a cowboy when I grew up (I'm not convinced I've outgrown that phase) and the attached drawing is evidence of that. At first, it looks like a pretty straightforward depiction of an epic battle between two cowboys and two Native Americans. However, this battle comes with a couple twists.

• One cowboy has not only a jetpack but a DOUBLE jetpack. In this little scene, the cowboy has emptied his entire six-shooter in what I would call the unkindest shot.
  
• One Native American appears to have a rocket arrow which he's using to actually transport himself.

• The second cowboy controls some sort of auto-firing, multi-projectile launcher. It's firing knives and cannonballs with incredible efficiency.

• It appears that the entire battle revolves around a dispute about the local Glod Mine. All that fighting...more like Fool's Glod, if you ask me.

From the Vault: Tiny Battles

I'm fortunate that my parents saved so many things from my childhood. It's fun to go back and look through some of the photos, drawings, and writings that made up my childhood. More importantly, what do these thing tell me about the kind of kid I was? I still don't know that answer.

Anyway, here's a pretty exciting drawing. Check it out...it has everything you'd expect from a big-budget Hollywood movie. Fiery parachutes. Planes hitting helicopters. Motorcycles fitted with right-angle guns for mid-jump tank attacks. Finally, there's what appears to be the bombing of a Cord convertible. That's a lot of action to pack onto one sheet of typing paper.

I especially like the segment where it states the drawing represents WWII that Brett made. Don't count on it being historically accurate.

Retrospective: October 1988

I have a small box of old papers that I've been sorting through. It's mostly report cards, drawings, and occasional projects from school. I'll post more about some of this later but, for now, I want to look on an interesting newspaper clipping I found stashed in amongst the teacher reviews and little league photos. The clipping is from the 10/12/1988 issue of USA Today and focuses on academic advice for students looking forward to college. It's interesting but nothing that I'm overly excited about right now. Really, I'm surprised that in the midst of mowing yards to earn money, running cross country, and just being awkward around girls, I had time to look forward to college back then (I would've been thirteen and in seventh grade at the time).

Anyway, I was about to toss out the article when I struck gold! On the back of the education article was printing the TV Ratings for the week of 10/3/1988 through 10/9/1988! I don't have the bottom section of the ratings but it's still a pretty sweet score.

So, let's look back at the top 10 shows for week:

1. The Cosby Show
2. A Different World
3. Golden Girls
4. Empty Nest
5. Dear John
6. Jesse
7. ALF
8. NFL Football/60 Minutes/Hogan Family/Tonight Show Anniversary (tie)
   

Now, the bottom 5:

1. The Cavanaughs/Bugs Bunny Special (tie)
   
2. Perfect Strangers/Wiseguy (tie)
3. Simon & Simon
4. Live! Dick Clark Presents
   

I'm shocked that Simon & Simon rated so poorly. Then again, they were on Saturday night, opposite that ratings juggernaut, Golden Girls with their Amen lead-in and Empty Nest trailer. Perfect Strangers rated surprisingly low, too. Poor Balki. I do like the fact the Perfect Strangers and Wiseguy tied. Not only did the have similar ratings but they'd make a terrific bit of crossover fan fiction.

It really is a time capsule in print. There's ALF. Mr. Belvedere. 227. Vice Presidential Debates. It's all there. But not a single reality show. And, apparently, the FOX network isn't even on the radar. How times have changed.