My 100th Post!!! Let's celefreakingbrate!!

Hi there...second posting of the day because it just dawned on me (by way of a counter) that I am on my 100th post of this infernal blog that so many of you have come to like for some reason. WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU?!?!? I kid--I'm still tickled that people read this and approach me at the weirdest times to say they either agreed or disagreed or think I'm a raving lunatic. Whatever. In commeration of the 100th ranting, I thought maybe it would be nice to see a few pics. Let's start off with some doom and gloom...that's always fun...

This is a snap shot of Oceanside, California, the city just south of Camp Pendleton. About 20-30 minutes from Orange County (on a good day). This sort of proves part of the overall horror story that I'm trying to convey in terms of the world economy. Yeah...Oceanside is part of the world economy. More specifically--all of those red dots represents a family or person that is "under water" because of a pending or active foreclosure. This is NORTH SAN DIEGO FREAKIN' COUNTY. It's PARADISE. And they're feeling the effects of what will surely start to hit the last bastion of good economy...The O.C.

Well, here's something sort of cool. A few weeks ago, I gave the "Opening Speech" or whatever you want to call it to the Kingsmen Alumni Corps Banquet held in Fullerton. Had about 400 people there and I gave a 10 minute talk about my experience as the Official Voice of the Kingsmen during their nearly 2 year existence. It's a little hard to see, but I think if you click on the pic it'll get bigger (only if it was so easy at age 41...WAIT...did I just say that???). ANYWAY--in the pic is my fat mug on the left, to the right of me in the dark suit and mustache/beard is my long-time friend and brother in the business of show design, David G. Weinberg (http://www.omegadrilldesigns.com/). We go WAY WAY back. He's one of the principal people in my life that motivated me, mostly by example, to become a drill designer myself. Nowhere near as good, but hey, I keep striving. The black gentlemen in the center of the pic is the former drum major of the Freelancers Drum and Bugle Corps from Sacramento. He was drum major from 1981-1984, and definitely a MAJOR MAJOR MAJOR influence in my life, MOSTLY BY EXAMPLE (because he had no idea I existed back then), and helped me develop my style as drum major for Freelancers' arch rivals, The Velvet Knights. Rest of the people at the table I don't really know. But they were nice.

I have a friend at work, a former Velvet Knight by the way (from the post 1992 era) that is, among other things, an expert at Photoshop. This would be a picture of me he created after I had returned from a brief vacation to San Simeon where I developed an abcess and had to have oral surgery due to the intense pain. Yeah...that's his tribute to me. Yeah it's sort of gross.

Get over it.

This is what I'm attempting to KEEP from becoming. Another Photoshop creation by a certain former VK computer geek.

From this at DCI Finals in 1987....(ignore the movie poster thing--it's a joke that was sent to me)....

....to this, announcing the Kingsmen Alumni Corps on to the field at the Rose Bowl for DCI Finals 20 years later.

THIS TOTALLY FREAKS ME THE HELL OUT!!!

Happy 100th post. If you've read 'em all...you really need to seek some counseling. I feel sorry for you. But thanks--whatever good THAT does for ya!!

Now......................GET...................OUT........................OF..............HERE!! :-)