OT: Personal note

wish you a speedy recovery. my query can wait until you are well.

Welcome back - hope you're well soon.

A trip to Japan sounds like something I would like myself - Congrats!

The Japanese family is going to be awe-struck by seeing that much land not packed to the gills with people. Make sure you mention the attack of Ragadoom, the giant fire-breathing buffalo on Butte a few years back, and how the great thunderbird Mokinki drove it off. In the middle of the reception after the wedding, have people in burnt clothes run in, yelling : "RAGADOOM! RAGADOOM!" ...and the band break into "The Mokinki Song" led by a pair of identical twin girl singers. The roar of jets flying overhead will add greatly to the effect, as will a terrible roaring in the distance and the smell of burning. This sounds like a perfect job for one of those "Tailgate Party" sound systems in a vehicle parked out of sight, and a burning tractor tire or two. :-)

Pat

Oh, they had "The Talk" a long time ago. We used to host Japanese exchange students and occasionally had a hard time with showing them the other side of the coin. I must admit, though, they all accepted the reality over what that had been taught (and not taught) at home.

Not really a honeymoon, but right after the Montana wedding they asked us to have them as guests in the Bear's Lair at the Reno Air Races. Momoko's already used to sudden trips to watch air tankers in action and training and "little" (read just under a hundred miles) side trips to get some photos of a particular aircraft for Dad.

They topped it already with a package that arrived on Wednesday. Knowing that my favorite aircraft is the Super Constellation they sent me a 1/72 scale polished mahogany model. When Noel showed it to her and explained Dad's particular obsession she insisted on buying it for me for Christmas/Channukah.

Now, when do I bring up grandchildren?

Tom

I did pnumonia back in 1981; it knocked my on my ass for three weeks that December. In a way, it was the best damned thing that ever happened to me; going in I had a two-pack a day habit but when it was over, my lungs were so weak, I couldn't look at a smoke without gagging. After a couple of months the cravings were gone completely. The only downside (if it IS one) is that I can't be in a closed space with a smoker because my throat STILL tightens up.

similar expirience. i got walking pnumonia every year in nev until i quit smoking. certianly don't miss either.

Goes to show you that nothing negative happens that doesn't sometimes give you a positive with it. Get better soon Tom!

It's ironic, I guess, that this year is the first time in ages that I got a flu shot :-)

Thanks for the good wishes, guys. I'm taking it pretty easy, but when you get tired just taking down the Christmas tree ornaments you get the message.

Lynne and Justin now have head/chest colds, too. Lynne's seems to have gotten better pretty quickly. Justin's looks to be just a little coughing and listlessnes along with a reduced appetite. Hey! I also lost ten pounds and counting! :-) Now to keep them off.

Back to the modeling desk today for some catchup. Feels good.

Thanks again,

Tom

Jim Atk> Lived thru pneumonia a few years ago- from now on, be SURE to get a flu shot

I've actually been able to talk people from down south into the concept that grain silos are escape trunks from farms to allow the farm family to escape suffocation when the farmhouse is completely buried by a blizzard, and that although seldom reported on the national news, Indian raids still occur...and all the Winnebagos should be parked in a circle in case that happens.

I love the looks of that plane also. We had a privately-owned one come through town when I was a kid, and I got to tour the inside.

First, I think you are supposed to get them a ex-Samurai mentor. This can't hurt, and may help a great deal if many movies I've seen are correct. Now, considering their dual national background a slight modification may have to be made. How about a ex-Marine drill Sergeant skilled in Asian martial arts as their nanny? Not that you would ever call him that of course if you valued your life. He will make sure their beds are properly made every morning, and that any of their classmates who poked fun at them in school would be spending the next couple of months in a wheelchair. Then there is of course the vital matter of the children's Secret Ninja Names. "Striking Rattlesnake! Leaping Mountain Lion! Deadly Avalanche! Time for dinner!" The children stealthily lower themselves to the floor from the underside of the dinner table.... :-)

Pat

Hi Tom, glad you're on the road to recovery!

Hey hey! Nice one :-) I've jsut gotten back from 3.5 hours of more discussions at the Togo shrine in Harajuku, which is where Kayo and I will have our Shinto ceremony on April 9th this year. Way to go!

With all that grain dust whirling around at the top during filling, I imagine that explosions are a real possibility. How _not_ to demolish a old concrete block grain silo:

Pat

Driving out-of-staters by a grain silo, I reassured them; "They don't blow up as often as you'd think." My passengers looked surprised and said they didn't think one would blow up. So then I had to admit, "Well, they do blow up more often than you'd think."

That's no fun, you should have had it on board the battleship Mikasa, then all spit towards Russia at the end of the ceremony. BTW, I read a book about Tsushima and Admiral Togo a while back; as a kid he used to walk around in the rice paddies, killing fish with a sword...not the right guy to screw with in anything related to combat in water. :-D

Pat

Hey, don't knock the silos. A friend of mine bought an old farm property for his retirement escape home. The barn was shot, but it had two semi-connected concreet silos, each about 16 - 18 foot diameter. He hired a contractor to clean away the old barn (got a deal because said contractor was happy to get the hand-hewn timbers and hardware) who built the two silos into two three-story structures. My friend calls them his "wizard's towers". One is his personal living quarters and the other is for entertaining guests. Washroom facilities are on the ground level between the two towers. Each vertical room is connected by a circular starcase going from floor to roof (access via trapdoor), structures are heavily insulated against New York State winters and each room level has four double Anderson-type windows, situated 90=BA from each other and 45=BA from the windows below. I always enjoy seeing the place.

, when do I bring up grandchildren?

gaseius weasel, out of the bathroom!

Here in the Deep South we amuse ourselves by letting Yankees praddle on. ;-)

Born in MA, raised in the south by the grace of God.

WmB

I wouldn't have believed it either (about a dust explosion) 'til I saw the field manual on what you can do to a moderate sized enclosed structure using a small primary charge propagated by a sack or two of common household flour. Making black powder from niter rich soil was an eye opener too. Making the powder "hotter" with scrap alloy and household acid was a bit scary too considering all of it is within easy reach of the next Tim McVeigh who might be determined to avoid the watchful eyes of Big Brother.

And for the Uber-Villain vis a vis the average James Bond film nemesis - one need only sink a few dozen million into your own nitrogen fixation plant which will convert the nitrogen from air into the nitrate based chemical of your choice - air being 78% N after all. Well everywhere except around Al Gore's mansion.

Scary. Makes me glad all we're talking about here is a wedding. ;-)

WmB

On Jan 20, 4:59=A0am, Gernot Hassenpflug wrote:>

" snipped-for-privacy@netscape.com" writes:> > It's ironic, I guess, that this year is the first time in ages that I> >

got a flu shot :-)> > > Thanks for the good wishes, guys. I'm taking it pretty easy, but when> > you get tired just taking down the Christmas tree ornaments you get> > the message.> > Hi Tom, glad you're on the road to recovery!> > > > > > - Hide quoted text -> > - Show quoted text -> > > Jim Atkins wrote:> >> Lived thru pneumonia a few years ago- from now on, be SURE to get a flu shot> >> every year- my regular doc and my ear/nose/throat (best one in Palm Springs)> >>

RMS> >> > in the past couple of weeks.> > >> > No such luck :-) Second week of pnumonia and improving. Sure doesn't> >> > leave much energy for anything and now Lynne's got a chest/head cold> >> > and fighting it off as well.> > >> > On a much brighter side my youngest, Noel, e- mailed me the other day> >> > and asked if I was ready for a beautiful Japanese daughter-in-law?> >> > Shinto ceremony in Japan in May, Christian ceremony in Montana after> >> > that.> > Hey hey! Nice one :-) I've jsut gotten back from 3.5 hours of more> discussions at the Togo shrine in Harajuku, which is where Kayo and I> will have our Shinto ceremony on April 9th this year. Way to go!> --> Gernot HassenpflugGernot,Congratulations! I wish we could go, but we're commited to two expensive trips already this year. Looks like we'll go next year.At least we'll have the church wedding in September. Lynne wants to do a Jewish service in between. That should confuse everybody involved :-)Tom

mmmm, kosher sushi....