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More from vixyyfox
So I was rather challenged by my friend Marm, who jumped in on my behalf with a Thursday Prompt, and darned if I was not forced to tell a true story from my past. The remembrance was a fond one to be sure.
enjoy...
Vixyy
enjoy...
Vixyy
Category Story / All
Species Unspecified / Any
Size 111 x 120px
File Size 250.2 kB
sure, you've touched peoples lives, heck all of us writers wouldn't have Thursdays Prompt without you!
but, as I think about it. the only woman I ever loved besides my mother, the woman I married and had kids with. the woman I spent 7 years of my life with and who divorced me so she could suck a bigger dick... doesn't remember anything about me anymore (other than that I'm an asshole)
the guy she left me for only remembers that he was trying to talk her into a three-way and that's the only reason he tried
only one or two people I knew even bothered to contact me on facebork
the only friend I ever had while in school hasn't bothered to talk to me in over 10 years
have I touched any ones life? well, Max DeGroot says that ever time I like or comment on one of his songs it brings a smile to his face
and I think that's just about it.
Here's the tale of me and the Mercedes carburetor...
Back when I was at Drexel, I had a Mercedes carb on my desk. A visitor came in. "Hi, Mitch! What's that?"
"Hi, Alan! Mercedes carburetor I just overhauled!"
"Wow! I'm impressed! Never could do that myself!"
And with that, Professor Alan MacDiarmid, Nobel Prize winner in chemistry, went in to see my boss...
Back when I was at Drexel, I had a Mercedes carb on my desk. A visitor came in. "Hi, Mitch! What's that?"
"Hi, Alan! Mercedes carburetor I just overhauled!"
"Wow! I'm impressed! Never could do that myself!"
And with that, Professor Alan MacDiarmid, Nobel Prize winner in chemistry, went in to see my boss...
we're not that different in years.
three of my dad's friends were all named richard.
stienhimer, kang, and alvarez.
alvarez gave us a tour of the linear accelerator at stanford.
having been down for a week, it was cool enough radiation wish, to get right down inside of the actual accellerator, the targets area, the klistron bays, and the control room, that felt rather like the bridge of the enterprise.
this was in 68, not long before i went into the air force. (i was born in 48)
my first adult love relationship wasn't until after i got back out and was going to university.
three of my dad's friends were all named richard.
stienhimer, kang, and alvarez.
alvarez gave us a tour of the linear accelerator at stanford.
having been down for a week, it was cool enough radiation wish, to get right down inside of the actual accellerator, the targets area, the klistron bays, and the control room, that felt rather like the bridge of the enterprise.
this was in 68, not long before i went into the air force. (i was born in 48)
my first adult love relationship wasn't until after i got back out and was going to university.
Now that is way cool!
my uncle was in charge of the computers for NASA's unmanned space program outside of Washington, DC. he took me and a buddy on a tour and that was way cool... the place looked just like the manned space program place. I can chuckle now because the computers looked like something from Man From Uncle... big old reel to reel things...
V.
my uncle was in charge of the computers for NASA's unmanned space program outside of Washington, DC. he took me and a buddy on a tour and that was way cool... the place looked just like the manned space program place. I can chuckle now because the computers looked like something from Man From Uncle... big old reel to reel things...
V.
and those old inch or so square lighted pushbotton switches on the consoles. and those old crt's that were mostly text only.
but that was just so wow, really the future, almost just like in sf in the movies and on tv.
my first computer class, that was years even after that, but before we had our own 8-bit toys to play with,
was batch fortran on "ibm(holorith)cards",
and then we had time shared spaghetti basic, again on text only dumb terminals, after that.
and even then, the world we have now, was still the stuff of science fiction and fantasy.
but that was just so wow, really the future, almost just like in sf in the movies and on tv.
my first computer class, that was years even after that, but before we had our own 8-bit toys to play with,
was batch fortran on "ibm(holorith)cards",
and then we had time shared spaghetti basic, again on text only dumb terminals, after that.
and even then, the world we have now, was still the stuff of science fiction and fantasy.
In the 1970's I played harts and improve at the Collage of Marin a kid who played Fagon in the collage play and went the next year to Julliard. I thought he was a bit of a nut and forgot about him until I read robin Wiliams' obituary
In Jr high in 1966, I met Chuck Yager. Many years later I met his wingman as a patient.
About 10 years ago I met Ozzi at a convention where people thought I was impersonating him and had no idea who he was even when Ozzi and I were standing next to each other.
Twice I have met Adm Grace Hopper.
I wonder how many people we meet without ever knowing the significance
ZZ
In Jr high in 1966, I met Chuck Yager. Many years later I met his wingman as a patient.
About 10 years ago I met Ozzi at a convention where people thought I was impersonating him and had no idea who he was even when Ozzi and I were standing next to each other.
Twice I have met Adm Grace Hopper.
I wonder how many people we meet without ever knowing the significance
ZZ
Speaking of which, 1973 I was hired by TRW Systems in Redondo Beach California. I was 20 at the time. This was my first Aerospace job.
I was on a hunt for something and wandering down a hallway I normally did not go down.
If you were of some importance, you had your name on a plaque next to the door.
I see a plaque, Dr.William Shockley.
The door's open and he's sitting at a desk fussing with some paperwork.
I stick my head in the door way. "Dr. Shockley?"
"Yes?"
"The Dr. Shockley?"
"Yes."
He was 62 years old at the time (coincidentally the same age as my father.)
He invited me into his office and told me to have a seat.
We talked for over an hour.
Of shoes--and ships--and sealing-wax--
Of cabbages--and kings--
And why the sea is boiling hot--
And whether pigs have wings.
Finally he says, "I'm sure you have better things to do than talk to an old man, but thank you for making my day."
I wandered out of his office in a daze.
When I finally made it back to the area I was working in, my boss asked me, "What took you so long?"
"I got kidnapped by Dr. Shockley."
"Bull shit."
"Call him."
Of course, being "the new kid", he called my bluff.
He looks him up in the company directory, calls him and after a short conversation, turns around and looks at me, "Well, I'll be a son of a bitch."
I smiled, "It's a possibility."
25 years in the Aerospace industry and I never did learn to put a filter on my mouth.
Bunners
I was on a hunt for something and wandering down a hallway I normally did not go down.
If you were of some importance, you had your name on a plaque next to the door.
I see a plaque, Dr.William Shockley.
The door's open and he's sitting at a desk fussing with some paperwork.
I stick my head in the door way. "Dr. Shockley?"
"Yes?"
"The Dr. Shockley?"
"Yes."
He was 62 years old at the time (coincidentally the same age as my father.)
He invited me into his office and told me to have a seat.
We talked for over an hour.
Of shoes--and ships--and sealing-wax--
Of cabbages--and kings--
And why the sea is boiling hot--
And whether pigs have wings.
Finally he says, "I'm sure you have better things to do than talk to an old man, but thank you for making my day."
I wandered out of his office in a daze.
When I finally made it back to the area I was working in, my boss asked me, "What took you so long?"
"I got kidnapped by Dr. Shockley."
"Bull shit."
"Call him."
Of course, being "the new kid", he called my bluff.
He looks him up in the company directory, calls him and after a short conversation, turns around and looks at me, "Well, I'll be a son of a bitch."
I smiled, "It's a possibility."
25 years in the Aerospace industry and I never did learn to put a filter on my mouth.
Bunners
But wait, there's more.
1985, I'm working at Hughes Aircraft in El Segundo California.
I was in a huge clean room working in a corner near the entrance on some ground support equipment for the LeasSat program and pretty much done with my tasks for the day.
There's a bit of a commotion and I see group of bald heads, neckties and blue (visitor) smocks.
I'm the first one they stop at. "What'cha working on?"
(Remember what I said about a filter?) "Who are you?"
The one guy with hair steps forward and introduces himself, "I'm Commander Richard N. Richards, but you can call me Rick." And explains that he's the commander for The next shuttle flight. STS-50.
And further explains, he wanted to see how what they were taking into orbit was built.
So I says, "Tell ya what, so you don't interrupt everyone else, I'll act as your tour guide"
And proceeded to spend the next hour walking them through the clean room facility.
As we get back to my area by the entrance, he says, "I've been asking questions for the past hour, do you have any questions for me?"
"Well yes, I do actually. When you're laying on your back, and some bald headed guy with a red pencil is counting backwards from the safety of a bunker, does it bother you that everything from your seatbelt down to the ground is built by the lowest bidder?"
The response from the bald heads with the neck ties was predictable. A giant sucking noise as they all pulled air in through their assholes.
Rick was pretty cool about it though, "Well to tell you the truth, we try really hard NOT to think about that until we're back on the ground." Then adds, "As my Daddy used to say, 'Son, any flight you can walk away from is a good one'."
Hughes Aircraft, in their infinite wisdom sent me to the Cape, and while I was there, I got to watch Rick take off. Oh fuck me, that's impressive to watch. Even if we were 5 miles away.
A year later, I come back to work after lunch and my room mate calls me. "The Challenger just exploded."
A co-worker I had worked with and called a friend was on board. Greg Jarvis.
I'm still pissed about how that happened.
Bunners
1985, I'm working at Hughes Aircraft in El Segundo California.
I was in a huge clean room working in a corner near the entrance on some ground support equipment for the LeasSat program and pretty much done with my tasks for the day.
There's a bit of a commotion and I see group of bald heads, neckties and blue (visitor) smocks.
I'm the first one they stop at. "What'cha working on?"
(Remember what I said about a filter?) "Who are you?"
The one guy with hair steps forward and introduces himself, "I'm Commander Richard N. Richards, but you can call me Rick." And explains that he's the commander for The next shuttle flight. STS-50.
And further explains, he wanted to see how what they were taking into orbit was built.
So I says, "Tell ya what, so you don't interrupt everyone else, I'll act as your tour guide"
And proceeded to spend the next hour walking them through the clean room facility.
As we get back to my area by the entrance, he says, "I've been asking questions for the past hour, do you have any questions for me?"
"Well yes, I do actually. When you're laying on your back, and some bald headed guy with a red pencil is counting backwards from the safety of a bunker, does it bother you that everything from your seatbelt down to the ground is built by the lowest bidder?"
The response from the bald heads with the neck ties was predictable. A giant sucking noise as they all pulled air in through their assholes.
Rick was pretty cool about it though, "Well to tell you the truth, we try really hard NOT to think about that until we're back on the ground." Then adds, "As my Daddy used to say, 'Son, any flight you can walk away from is a good one'."
Hughes Aircraft, in their infinite wisdom sent me to the Cape, and while I was there, I got to watch Rick take off. Oh fuck me, that's impressive to watch. Even if we were 5 miles away.
A year later, I come back to work after lunch and my room mate calls me. "The Challenger just exploded."
A co-worker I had worked with and called a friend was on board. Greg Jarvis.
I'm still pissed about how that happened.
Bunners
You couldn't say she wasn't a woman of her word I imagine, even if it was much more literal. I've not had many moments like that myself, at least not involving woman (just haven't had much luck with them, even if many caught my eye over the years - I'll leave that for another conversation *chuckles*)
I do agree that there was something special in those times before technology was rampant, even into the days when the internet was just starting to become a thing. The act of living felt all the sweeter, and time didn't seem to fly by fast enough to give one whiplash...
P.S. Quite the car that Thunderbird, probably the nicest a Ford has ever looked in my opinion.
I do agree that there was something special in those times before technology was rampant, even into the days when the internet was just starting to become a thing. The act of living felt all the sweeter, and time didn't seem to fly by fast enough to give one whiplash...
P.S. Quite the car that Thunderbird, probably the nicest a Ford has ever looked in my opinion.
At times life feels like a collage of painted balls all thrown together. As we ricochet off of each other we leave an impression upon one another, regardless of whether or not we stay in each others lives.
Other times it feels like a saturday morning cartoon show. Can we get to the cheesy moral so I can change the channel? :P
Seriously, this was a good story. I enjoyed it.
Other times it feels like a saturday morning cartoon show. Can we get to the cheesy moral so I can change the channel? :P
Seriously, this was a good story. I enjoyed it.
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