1960 OLYMPIAN - Teachers

Walmart Customers, Dogs, and Giant Rats

Early this week I carried Willow to her groomer. Her nails needed cutting and even worse, she was beginning to smell like a dog.

She routinely goes with me to the post office to get our mail every day. Sometimes we go a different route to drop a movie at Blockbuster. When we go to Blockbuster we ride by her groomer. And she doesn’t seem to even notice.

However, the day I took her to the groomer, which is the same route as to Blockbuster, she started shivering and quivering as soon as I started the engine.

She knew she was going to the groomer. I noticed before when turning into the shopping strip the groomer is in she is shivering. It is not that she dreads going there, but she loves it. She gets to see other dogs, which she seldom does. It is a rare pleasure. When we get out of the truck I don’t drag her, she drags me inside.

I wonder what I do differently to tip her off that I am taking her to the groomer. I’m sure it is something and I think dogs are experts at reading body language and facial expressions.

Which brings to mind what Paul Roper and I talked about yesterday: Wild dogs in a pack. I watched on National Geographic- nature -type video features of wild dogs attacking a deer or something equally big or bigger. There is a plan; every dog has a certain position in the attack. There are ones who know which way to come in being aggressive and they know which way the prey will turn and run and that is where most the dogs are waiting, but there are others in positon all around ready in case the animal chooses another direction. Every intricate detail has been worked out.

It is like a coach explaining a football play to his players. But he can talk. He can make a diagram of little x’s and o’s on the blackboard how he wants the play to be carried out

How does the leader of a dog pack get across his play-plan? As far as we know they don’t have a spoken language. They communicate, probably better then we do by body language and facial expression and maybe a few growls and pissing off boundary lines. How does he inspire his team?

The reason Paul and I got into such an intellectual discussion was that I forwarded him a bunch of pictures under the title of “What Kind of People Shop at Walwart.” He called wanting to know what that plastic sack was hanging on a person’s leg. I more or less said, “The liquid is yellow an't it?"



Then he wanted to know what kind of creature that was someone had on a leash. While on the phone he apparently on line found out the name of the creature was Caplin Rous and it is the largest in the rodent family, getting as big as 65 pounds. He also read off that they are from South America. Then he read off how their teeth are shaped and how the teeth chew up its food. And then how it is then broken down and digested in the giant rodent’s stomach.

We both agreed that we now know more because we looked at the pictures of people that shop at Walmart.

Are we like a couple of research professors or what?

1960 OLYMPIAN, Administration

Wednesday Gallivanting

Yesterday we had lunch again at J. Gumbo’s.

I think I would like to try every spicy entree on their menu. That sounds like a big undertaking but their menu is not all that big. Not like the time I decided I wanted to try all 28 flavors at Baskin Robbins…. They kept adding flavors and taking away flavors. It got too complicated.

Only two or three more items and I will get my certificate of trying almost everything there. The certificate exists only in my mind.

Above is a picture of our lunch bowls yesterday. I had the red beans and rice on the left and Anna had the bourbon chicken on the right. The main reason for the picture is that I was trying out the FOOD selection on our new camera. It looked nice in the electronic view, but blown up I see it is a bit out of focus.

We went grocery shopping. I ran into an old preteen friend that I haven't talked to since about 1954, Mickey Griffin. He looked the same as when we were kids when he walked around with me on my paper route, except he now has gray hair, which includes a gray mustache. Mickey seemed glad that I spoke to him. I confessed to him about 20 years ago I stood right beside him before Dr. Syd Williams shot the gun that started a 5K race from downtown Marietta to the Life Chiropractor College, and I didn’t say anything. What could I say? I’m invisible!

After grocery buying we stopped by to pick up our mail at our PO Box at the post office. I ran into a family friend that had a lot to tell me about her sister-in-law, who lives in our same neighborhood.

She got into the line for postal counter service. She motioned for me to get in line also as she told me all she wanted to get off her chest. One of the things she told was funny and I let out a small laugh, so did the lady in line behind me. Then, I begin to glance at the lady from time to time and each time she was leaning forward to hear it all.

People love real dramas.

1960 OLYMPIAN - Dedicated to Mrs. Howell

I have always thought of Mrs. Howell as a distant buddy, maybe even a peer. She didn't look down on us students, even the hell raisers. She treated us with respect.

Another Winter Blast Predicted for Tonight

The above picture is by my friend Joe Jenkins. After the last snow Joe went downtown Marietta to the top of Cobb County Government parking deck and photographed this picture. I like the picture because of its panoramic view (when you click on it); the snow on Kennesaw Mountain; and the steeples. Also, the picture gives the impression that we are almost at the foot of the mountain and actually we are over a mile away, maybe two.

Yep, the weather prediction is another winter blast tonight. It is predicted to be not as bad as our last blast, only an inch or so of snow.

I bet Groundhog General Beauregard at this very moment is pacing back and forth in his burrow wondering should he make an amendment to his earlier prediction or deny making it at all, politicans do that all the time.

1960 OLYMPIAN, Table of Contents

Y? Because We Like you!

Today in History: Feb 8, 1926: Walt Disney Studios is formed

1960 OLYMPIAN - next

Harpo and Shirley

Not long ago on this blog I said UNCLE JOHN’S BATHROOM READER 2011 PAGE-A-DAY Calendar said that Tuesday is the most productive day or the work week.

I, with nothing to base this on but a wobbly mind, would like to ad that I bet the Monday after Super Bowl Sunday is the most unproductive day of all the year work days. Because: hangover, wanting to talk about the game, sick from pigging out on finger foods, or called in.

Speaking of UNCLE JOHN’S tear a page a day calendar, there is always a little interesting fact at the bottom of the page. Today it says, “HARPO MARX ONCE TRIED TO ADOPT SHIRLEY TEMPLE”. That is all it says, as usual, it gives you a statement of fact and leave you hanging.

If people who read that are familiar with the Marx Brother movies and Harpo’s character was horny and relentlessly chasing women the first thought in one's mind might be, “Pervert! Pedophile! ”

1960 OLYMPIAN - Intro

Welcome to the opening of the 1960 Marietta High School yearbook, the OLYMPIAN. It is the last volume I will have on this blog. So far that reason, I plan to just dribble the pages so it will prolong the end. After the End, I think my vistors will drop quiet a bit. In case I forget, bye.

But, this first one is starting with a surge, a jump start, so to speak.

Streakers at the Superbowl

Not long ago on NP Radio Saturday morning program “WAIT WAIT, DON’T TELL ME.” Mark Roberts was mentioned and his big disappointment.

The other day on The Today Show it was said that TV time for commercials during the Super Bowl cast about $100,000 a second. Ten second is a million bucks. Not bad.


After a little Google searching: Mark Roberts is a devoted streaker. He has streaked at just about every notable national sports event for a while. As of 2009 he has streaked 380 times. Mark is British and father of three.

What would drive a person to streak in front of thousands of people? I think his back has the answer. I read there is a big tattoo on his back which has a name of big gambling casino operation.

Do you think that he might just be a running billboard?

I haven’t read that he has a tattoo on his front side or not. I doubt it, I doubt if the eyes are on his chest

I suppose at the XXXVIII Super Bowl, in Houston, February 1, 2004, Mark had plans on running out across the playing field and earning some big bucks.

Unfortunately for Mark, he chose to run after the half time shows, which Janet Jackson had a “wardrobe malfunction” at.




Janet overshadowed Mark. Mark’s streaking was hardly noticed.

Mark is no longer allowed in the United States. But Janet is.

SUNDAY FUNNIES!! Horse Racing

This past week we rented the movie Walt Disney’s SECRETARIAT starring Diane Lane and John Malkovich.

I don’t know the horse’s name but it starred him too.

It was about horse racing. And if you ever watch the horses and their owners and trainers who made it to the Kentucky Derby and hear how they got there, you know there is a heart warming story behind every horse. The story behind the horse is the man with the shovel.

Seriously, it was a good movie.

It reminded me of a story in MAD, just a couple issues after it promoted itself to a magazine format.

I think I had this story on Chicken-Fat before, but it sure is a lot of trouble, considering my pay, to take to find out.

I’m sure the story was written by Harvey Kurtzman and the illustrator was Jack Davis. And the reader was me. Seriously now, here is the rest of the story:

Dead Airplanes & People

Click on pictures to make them larger.

While cruising on Google Earth above Marietta this morning I saw that the Aviation Wing of the Marietta Museum of History has increased their decommissioned airplane inventory.

I already knew they had, but I didn’t know the Google satellite view over Marietta was that recent. Now they are probably have even more.

We were at the History Museum not long ago to attend a lecture and before the lecture the CO of the museum announced they had a commitment of getting plenty more planes from all over.


The Aviation Wing of the Marietta Museum of History is just on the edge of the Dobbins AFB/Lockheed Aviation complex. While hovering in the area, I scooted down to see from above something else I knew was there, the Haunted House on the property. Many people have claimed to have ghostly encounters there.





Over the years the house served many functions for Dobbins, such as office space, and I think its last job was to serve as the Dobbins Officer’s Club. Now, looks to closed up. I have been inside at least once at a retirement party and I had no face to face meeting with a spirit.

But again, that was before I knew the place was haunted. I didn’t know what to look for.

But maybe there were many ghosts all around me and I thought they were drunken officers? I see dead Officers!





Here is a picture of the Dobbins Haunted House that I took from my car. I would have went around to the front for a better picture but do you see that fence?

Trickle Down or Pissing On Theory?

Dilbert by Scott Adams

Teacher Retirement System gives bonusesBy James Salzer

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

While teachers went without cost-of-living raises last year and had to take unpaid days off, some top state staffers managing their retirement accounts got pay boosts of more than 35 percent.

The two investment chiefs at the retirement system took home $609,000 each, almost double what they were paid before the recession hit in 2007. – ajc.com Jan 30, 2010

I heard it before. The rich get richer and the poor get poor during a recession. Is this part of the trickle-down theory to save the economy?

Not the Angels of Death

Yesterday I was at the Well-Star Kennestone Hospital complex. The section we were in there is a door in the lobby that leads into a corridor. Down the corridor near the end are two restrooms, Women and men. I went down the hall to take a leak, as I usually do when I am in that part of the complex. Down the hall, near the two restrooms were three women in black gowns and black head covers. I thought for a brief second they were a committee of Angels of Deaths waiting for me.

As I got closer I saw that one lady was elderly, one middle age, and one a teenager. All were dressed in black garb with plain black head covers…. I don’t know if you would call it a cape with a hood or what.

I stepped into the men’s restroom and did my business and left. The women in black were gone.

I walked back into the lobby and went to a waiting area with chairs. Sitting were two of the three women in black. They were jabbering away in a foreign language. The teenage girl was not there.

I suppose the teenager was in a doctor’s office in the immediate area.

As I said, the two women were jabbering away. When I sat down they suddenly stopped talking.

The older lady bent her head and looked down the rest of the time. The middle age one acted more naturally. She flipped through a couple of magazines and used the house phone and made a call.

The older lady continue to look down solemnly like the was in a deep prayer. Maybe in their religions women are not suppose to look in the face of a man that is not their husband.

But if she was alone how would she know I was gone unless she looked up to see me?

All religions dictate some strange behavior and customs.


Not that it matters, but as dull dressers as they were, I noticed the older lady had on shiny golden color ballerina-looking shoes. And in contrast, the middle age lady looked as if she were wearing blunt- steel-toe work boots.

There is nothing wrong with either shoe fashion, I just thought the contrast was interesting.

Happy Chinese New Year!!!

This is the Year of the Rabbit.

1959 OLYMPIAN, Last Page

This concludes the 1959 series of the OLYMPPIAN MHS yearbooks.

There is one more to do from this blog, and that is the 1960 OLYMPIAN.

I think I'm going to give my editor Ed, a few days off, before starting on the next one. Ed deserves a good r & r break.*

*Truth is I am suspending Ed a few days for being so damn disgruntled all the time. I'll show him!

Important Announcement

1959 OLYMPIAN, Ads, pp 246 & 247

This Day In History, Selma March

This date in history, February 1, 1965, Martin Luther King and 700 demonstrators were arrested in Selma, Alabama.

I remember either that day or the day after. It was all over the news as I woke up from my spine operation in the Philadelphia Naval Hospital. “We shall overcome!” president Lyndon B. Johnson said on the news when he announced he was sending in Federal Troops to protect the marchers.

Selma’s police brutality upped the Civil Rights speed. When the nation and the world saw the police pound down on unarmed blacks it reminded them of the fascist style of the Nazi German government not that long ago. It had been going on in the United States for about a hundred years.

Tch tch.

I spent about 40 days in the hospital When the doctor released me, I had less than 90 days left of my active duty. A wave, in the hospital personnel office, pointed out to me that when one has less than 90 days left, and is to be transferred he has the option to get an early out if so desired. I think that regulation was designed to keep down moving costs.

Believe it or not, I desired not. I had several friends in our squadron that I just couldn’t part company with them without any kind of notice.

As a matter of fact, one of them was using my car,a PV544 Volvo, while I was in the hospital. When I arrived back on the base at Lakehurst, NJ, imagine how happy I was to see them until I saw my car. The passenger door was held on by a heavy rope.

tch tch

1959 OLYMPIAN, pp 244 & 245

WARNING!!!

My friend Paul called this morning and said when he clicked onto Chicken-Fat this morning and clicked on a picture to enlarge it the screen turned red and a warning came up saying the blog contained something to spy on his finances.

I apprecaite that he told me.

I looked at Chicken-Fat on my computer and on Anna's computer and got no such warning. So, I can not say if Paul's virus detector is off its rocker or it really sensed something.

Actually, it is Phase One of my plan for World Domination.

Read this blog at your own risk.