10

Oh, goody! We have another celebrity birthday celebration - and it's one of my faves!

The NNHS Class of 1963
is planning its 45-Year Reunion on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, October 17 - 19, 2008.

CALLING ALL FORMER NNHS STUDENTS
We’re Going Back!!!!

The NNHS Class of 1963 invites all former NNHS students and their guests to join them
at an upcoming class reunion event:

A 60’s Sock Hop in the NNHS High School Gym!!!

Names of all members in your party must be provided with payment.

What: A 60’s Sock Hop in the NNHS High School!!!

Where: Huntington Hall (former Newport News High School)
3100 Huntington Avenue, Newport News, VA
(Entry through right front door only)

When: Friday night, October 17, 2008 Time: 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM
Cost: $15 per person

TICKETS. Capacity is Limited. Tickets will be sold on a first come, first served basis. Send check or money order payable to: Barbara Barnes, 4891 Parthenon Drive, Virginia Beach, VA 23462
Contact: barbaralbarnes@verizon.net or 495-2022. Include signed/dated release of liability form.

PARKING
Event parking in lot at 29th & 30th Street (Between Huntington Avenue/Warwick Boulevard)

SOCKS REQUIRED
Socks only, (no shoes of any kind or bare feet) will be permitted in the gymnasium.

Soft drinks & snacks will be sold at the event.
No alcoholic beverages allowed on the premises, (some things never change).

Happy Birthday tomorrow to

My Former Brother-in-Law, Rennie Dick ('54) of VA AND Brenda Eakes Insley ('66) of VA!

Happy Birthday this week to:

05 -

Butch Ragland ('63) of CO;

06 - Renee Helterbran Benton ('59) of VA;

I went to see my orthopedic surgeon and found out my shoulder is damaged. It seems I have torn tendons and will probably have to live with it. He could go in with a camera and try to find and repair the tears BUT it isn't something he thinks will work and will only do it if I insist. It seems those type of repairs after a replacement hardly ever work, and my down time would be a lot longer than 7 months... I started driving myself and went back to work way too soon plus overdid the therapy so I am stuck with being able to raise my arm 30 degrees straight up and to the side. The pain beyond that is worse than it was before. I feel a bit down right now and tend to cry some. Oh well! I guess things could be worse. It could have fallen off, and how would I shift the car?

YOWZERONI-RINI-ROONI!!! I'm so sorry to hear this, Jude! We'll keep you in our Typhoon Family prayers:

From My #5 Son, Nathaniel Harty (Hillsboro HS, IL - '97) of IL (in response to my urgent squawks for help with the Reunion Brochure for the Class of 1963) - 09/29/08:

Actually, I just quickly edited up a one page dealio with the content from the .pub file. Here is the document file and the pictures. Even if you don't like this particular setup, you should be able to edit it for your needs with this .doc and these .png files.

Thank you so much, Nathaniel!

I was extraordinarily late in asking for your assistance, but I've posted this information both here and on the Reunion Page for the Class of 1963:

From Brownie Shaffer Haracivet ('62) of VA - 09/27/08 and 10/02/08 - "Good to see you":

Thanks so much, Brownie!

There will be more images of your fabulous one-of-a-kind Neck Tiaras coming soon for everyone to enjoy!

Thanks Carol. I just forwarded this to (my future daughter-in-law) Paige (Spencer). I am sure she will be very surprised and excited!

Kathy

From Norris Perry (Warwick HS - '59) of VA - 10/02/08 - "About That Math...":

Carol,

No problem, I just was impressed with this info and later checked it out and thought I'd sent the correction to you myself. If not, sorry. I know you must have to check out what a lot of us PASSERS send on. Most of the time I just pass along what fits my mental outlook with out checking. Thanks to whom ever it was that corrected the mis-information. I am not affronted or offended. ALL THE BEST

Norris

Thank you, Norris!

We all receive fun information on a regular basis, and very often it isn't quite accurate. I usually try to check everything, and sometimes if I'm a bit doubtful, I'll mention that, but being extraordinarily gullible, I frequently tend to miss even the most obvious. And sometimes they've been circulating so long, I have already bought and cherished the legend as truth. The example that jumps most readily to my mind is the story behind the Christmas Classic, "The Twelve Days of Christmas":

I LOVED that story (not to mention the candy cane)! It was just so cool! But as you can see from the account I posted then, it just wasn't true.

When I find out that is the case, I still have two options - to bring it to light privately or publicly, as I did then. When I choose the latter option, it's meant to educate us all, for it seems many of us are willing to believe what we will. I try never to embarrass anyone in the process, but I'm afraid I'm far less endowed with tact than with gullibility (I prefer to think of it as childlike trust)!

From My #2 Daughter-in-Law, Bethany Winona Harty (Siuslaw HS, OR - '94) of OR - 10/01/08 - "Out the Door I Go!!!":
Well, guys, the time is finally HERE!!! I leave in a few short hours to go to Ft. Knox to see

Brent (Harty - Hillsboro HS, IL - '90 - of KY) graduate from BCT!!! Can you believe it?!! It's been 65 days today :) It's been super slow and super fast, all at the same time (if that's possible).

It's amazing how much one can grow when "stretched". I know that both Brent and I will come out of this whole experience with a greater love and appreciation for the other one, and we won't readily take the other for granted!

I fly out of Portland, into Chicago, then on to Louisville. I'll be renting a car, and heading to the hotel near Fort Knox. Family day starts at 9am tomorrow, and the guys are released at 10am. I get him until 10pm, so 12 hours!!! Woohoo!!! Can you tell I'm just a LITTLE bit excited! ha!

So, wish me luck!!!!

From My #2 Daughter-in-Law, Bethany Winona Harty (Siuslaw HS, OR - '94) of OR - 10/02/08 - "Hooah!":

WOWZERONI!!! I had a little bit of difficulty posting these images, Bethany!

My eyes kept tearing up for some reason - not that I ever cry or anything! But I do seem to be so proud of him - and you - AND your five little baby chicks - that I'm in danger of popping!

Thanks so much for these fabulous images!

It was ALMOST as nice as being there, and I'm especially glad y'all had that precious time alone together! You've certainly earned it!

As you know, I'm weird, and simply adore off-beat stories, so I could hardly resist sharing this one:

Friendship & Loneliness: Making Friends In Unlikely Places
By Judith Matloff - Sep 27, 2008

The first person I met when we bought our "fixer upper" brownstone in Harlem eight years ago was a manic crack addict named Salami. This menacing apparition bolted out of the abandoned house next door to inform me that he planned to take over our new abode.

"It ain't your house, Mama," he hollered about the property in which I had just sunk all our savings. "I used to squat there and I'm gonna get it back."

Thus began my adventure in what is euphemistically called an "emerging neighborhood." My husband and I bought our decayed Victorian townhouse because it was cheap. We didn't have a lot of money and having lived in dodgy places abroad, we thought it was worth taking a risk on this sketchy neighborhood. What we learned along the way is that a house doesn't stop at four walls and it's worth negotiating with unfriendly neighbors. Even folks like Salami can be won over.

Not that he was our only problem. The street, we only learned right after taking possession of the house, lay in the epicenter of the narcotics trade of the northeastern seaboard. Funny -- the real estate agent neglected to tell us this. On a given day 20 vigorous Dominican youths leaned on our front gate and hawked cocaine to armed men in big cars. This drug Wall Street made it hard to find parking -- clients took all the spaces -- and the dealers used our front steps as a garbage can and toilet.

My cousin Greg, who had purchased a similarly abandoned house elsewhere in New York City, advised me to reason with the fellows. "Tell them that you won't call the cops if they promise not to piss on your property," he advised. Following his lead, I went up to the head of the gang, a suave fellow draped in gold chains, and used my fluent Spanish to strike a deal. Just as Greg said, these narcotics peddlers weren’t that bad -- just young men trying to make a buck to send back home. The last thing they wanted was for us to interrupt business. The guys not only agreed to stay off our front steps, but after a while even held a parking spot for my elderly mother when she came to visit. They also chased away a stoned trespasser who threatened to stab my pregnant belly.

Despite his initial hostility, Salami was surprisingly easy to win over, too. It took me some time to gather up the nerve to approach him. Salami had muscles like a bodybuilder, which he pumped up by swinging on the traffic lights. He also had an unnerving tendency to shriek uncontrollably when high. I broke the ice with some questions about his gunshot wounds -- he wore them proudly like tattoos -- and further sealed cordiality by offering him odd jobs like sweeping up construction debris. There were a couple setbacks, like the time he sabotaged our attempt to rent out the basement. (Salami parked himself at the front gate in a swivel chair and introduced himself to would-be lodgers as the local "crackologist." Naturally, no one wanted to sign a lease.) Eventually, Salami accepted our claims on the house and we found tenants who weren't intimidated by his act. I wouldn't say that we became close friends, but Salami drops by periodically to sweep up broken glass outside the house and helps me carry groceries up the front steps. When my book about the neighborhood, "Home Girl," came out he demanded a signed copy.

We had similar luck with another crack addict who loved books. He couldn't get a library card because he was homeless, so we lent him reading matter -- he particularly liked detective novels -- in return for protection. In exchange, this ex-con looked after our car to make sure no one stole the hubcaps. Once I left the keys in the front door of the house and he sat on the on the steps for several hours until I got home to make sure no one broke in. Now that's a good neighbor!

Naturally, we simultaneously built alliances with law-abiding residents. These included the elderly black folks who had lived on the block for a quarter of a century. We made sure to have them over for barbecues, and my husband offered to shovel their sidewalks when it snowed. In the process, we grew to appreciate the village flavor. People who don't have a lot of money often stick closely together and the pavement here resembles an extension of their tiny apartments. Kids play on the street because they can't afford after-school piano lessons. That means people actually know each other, a delicious rarity in New York City. When I was on pregnancy bed rest the neighbors would drop by to ensure I had enough to eat. The street matriarch maintained such a close eye through her back window that she'd phone and order me to get back to bed if she saw me slinking into the kitchen.

Aside from the chumminess, there's a lot to be said for a working class neighborhood where tacos and babysitters cost less than in nicer parts of town. We save a lot of money by going to parks instead of enrolling in gyms. The local coffee costs less than a dollar and tastes better than Starbucks. Oh, and did I mention the baseball Little League? The local Dominican teams cost a fraction of the downtown white ones, and my kid is perfecting his Spanish in the bargain.

The foreclosure crisis has sent a lot of affordable property on the market and people are always asking for advice on navigating what used to be called "slums." Without a doubt, we got lucky with our particular set-up. Our rougher characters are a tame bunch compared to, say, the drug crew that terrorized a nearby building. Those thugs were so mean that residents were scared to leave their apartments. The brutes harassed women and openly brandished weapons in the halls. In contrast, Salami is a bunny rabbit. During a recent frank discussion about first impressions, he was astounded that I once feared he might stab me. "Whaddya crazy, Mama?" he blinked. He then confided that he first thought I was a stuck-up racist. "I've decided you're okay, after all," Salami conceded.

The moral of this tale, I guess, is to keep an open mind and not be scared off by first appearances. Negotiation goes a long way. Most people, when you get down to it, simply want a bit of respect.

©2008 Judith Matloff

Author's Bio

Judith Matloff is the author of Home Girl -- Building a Dream House on a Lawless Block (Random House.)

© Copyright by SelfGrowth.com, Self Improvement Online, Inc.

Carol, Hope this will help brighten your day...Did mine!
Jerry Blanchard (class of 62) of Va.

TELL ME THIS WON'T HAPPEN TO US !!!!

LOST IN THE DARNDEST PLACES:

An elderly Floridian called 911 on her cell phone to report that her car has been broken into. She is hysterical as she explains her situation to the dispatcher: 'They've stolen the stereo, the steering wheel, the brake pedal and even the accelerator!' she cried.

The dispatcher said, 'Stay calm. An officer is on the way.'

A few minutes later, the officer radios in. 'Disregard.' He says. 'She got in the back-seat by mistake.'
________________________________________________________________________

FAMILY

Three sisters, ages 92, 94 and 96, live in a house together. One night the 96-year-old draws a bath. She puts her foot in and pauses. She yells to the other sisters, 'Was I getting in or out of the bath?'

The 94-year-old yells back, 'I don't know. I'll come up and see.' She starts up the stairs and pauses 'Was I going up the stairs or down?'

The 92-year-old is sitting at the kitchen table having tea listening to her sisters. She shakes her head and says, 'I sure hope I never get that forgetful, knock on wood'. She then yells, 'I'll come up and help both of you as soon as I see who's at the door.'
________________________________________________________________________

'I CAN HEAR JUST FINE!'

Three retirees, each with a hearing loss, were playing golf one fine March day. One remarked to the other, 'Windy, isn't it?'

'No,' the second man replied, 'it's Thursday.'

And the third man chimed in, 'So am I. Let's have a beer.'
_______________________________________________________________________

LITTLE LADY:

A little old lady was running up and down the halls in a nursing home. As she walked, she would flip up the hem of her nightgown and say 'Supersex.' She walked up to an elderly man in a wheelchair. Flipping her gown at him, she said, 'Supersex.'

He sat silently for a moment or two and finally answered, 'I'll take the soup.'
_______________________________________________________________________

OLD FRIENDS:

Now this one is just too Precious...LOL!

Two elderly ladies had been friends for many decades. Over the years, they had shared all kinds of activities and adventures. Lately, their activities had been limited to meeting a few times a week to play cards. One day, they were playing cards when one looked at the other and said, 'Now don't get mad at me .. I know we've been friends for a long time, but I just can't think of your name! I've thought and thought, but I can't remember it. Please tell me what your name is.'

Her friend glared at her. For at least three minutes she just stared and glared at her. Finally she said, 'How soon do you need to know?'
_______________________________________________________________________

SENIOR DRIVING

As a senior citizen was driving down the freeway, his car phone rang. Answering, he heard his wife's voice urgently warning him, 'Herman, I just heard on the news that there's a car going the wrong way on Interstate 77. Please be careful!'

'Heck,' said Herman, 'It's not just one car. It's hundreds of them!'
_______________________________________________________________________

DRIVING

Two elderly women were out driving in a large car - both could barely see over the dashboard. As they were cruising along, they came to an intersection. The stoplight was red, but they just went on through. The woman in the passenger seat thought to herself 'I must be losing it. I could have sworn we just went through a red light.' After a few more minutes, they came to another intersection and the light was red again. Again, they went right through. The woman in the passenger seat was almost sure that the light had been red but was really concerned that she was losing it. She was getting nervous. At the next intersection, sure enough, the light was red and they went on through. So, she turned to the other woman and said, 'Mildred, did you know that we just ran through three red lights in a row? You could have killed us both!'

Mildred turned to her and said, 'Oh, crap, am I driving ?'

_______________________________________________________________________

TELL ME THIS WON'T HAPPEN TO US !!!!

Thanks, Jerry!

I certainly hope not, but in all truth, some of it already has a painfully familiar ring to it!

From Tom Norris (Hampton HS - '73) of VA - 09/25/08 - "He's Back.. ENJOY! (#5 in a Series of 26):

Need Help Attending? If you or a fellow classmate want to attend the Reunion but need financial assistance, please contact Barb Barnes at barbaralbarnes@verizon.net or Frank Gibson at judygibson2@cox.com. Confidentiality Respected Classmate Reunion Support Please consider adding a donation to your payment to help other classmates needing assistance. We Want YOU There!		Who Said We're Getting Older!!!

		Saturday, October 18, 2003
		40-Year Reunion of the Class of 1963


9:32 AM	9:43 AM - Brent and the MAD DOGS mural he created for his group	9:58 AM - Bethany and Brent	10:22 AM - Brent	10:22 AM - Bethany and Brent
Thursday, October 2, 2008 - Fort Knox, Kentucky

		Dear Carol, It was so wonderful getting to spend time with you and your sister ( Eleanor Buckley Nowitzky - '59 - of NC) and to show you my artwork. I am thrilled that you both liked what I create. I'm having a ball "doing my thing" in my retirement years.

		Carol ... more pics for the newsletter. Amazing artwork! Tom Thanks, Babe! These are amazing!