Sports Car Ride

As promised, my favorite hitchhiking story; some of you may have heard me tell it. 

It was a bright, sunny day when I set out on the A1A to go north to Daytona Beach. A friend of mine from Sioux City had contacted me that she would be in Daytona Beach soon and could I meet her there.

I was enjoying the weather, the OCEAN, the palm trees, sand and wind while walking. Being on the road, (literally) was such a rush. It was exhilarating to experience the wonders of the tropics that Florida had to offer. I had my own “hitchin’ position” that I always used to grab a ride; it usually included a big smile, and on that day it was quite huge!
Quickly, a pickup truck stopped to offer a ride so I asked my usual questions.  They had to tell me where they were going not the other way around and what the area was like that I would be left off. No answers of ‘where ever you want to go, sister’ or ‘I’m only going a few miles’ because being left off in the middle of nowhere meant I was walking a distance.

The driver of the pick up was a very cute, young guy about 21 or so. He was going to Daytona Beach so would take me all the way there. That was great! It was always a bonus if their destination was the same as mine. About 10 minutes into the ride after spirited conversation, he says, out of the blue, ‘Do you put out?’ I started to laugh and asked him if he was serious?  He stated, “Yeah, I am” and he meant it.  Trying not to have my mouth hanging open, I asked, “You are a good looking guy! Why in the world would you give a lift and want to hook up?"  I was still laughing as I continued my line of questioning. “You must have a girlfriend. Why don’t you just go find her and have your fun?” He was nonchalant in saying that she was in school and just not available right now. I thought I was going to fall off the seat laughing!  My next question, of course, was “does this ride depend on it?” Apparently it did! And he let me out!

As I stood there on the A1A, I wasn’t paying much attention to the traffic because I was LMBO!  Then, this brand new, hot-rod red corvette whizzed by, but I didn't pay much attention to him.  I had never had a sports car give me a lift. You know, picking up hitchhikers was just beneath them. Then I noticed the car stop at some distance ahead of me, back up and stop where I stood!  He asked me, no – almost pleaded with me to allow him to give me a ride. I asked him where he was going and he said DB. What a deal, huh? I was more than happy to have a ride in a convertible Corvette! WoW! It was a great ride! The wind in my hair, great looking guy; what more could a girl ask for?

We exchanged some info and then I told him that sports cars never stop for me, let alone, backing up to reconsider! So what gives, was my burning question? He said, and I quote, “I wasn’t going to stop, but I saw you laughing so hard I couldn't have continued on without knowing what was so funny!” I told him of the funny ride that had just occurred. We both laughed till our sides hurt! He drove me all the way to DB and even bought me lunch. We had a fabulous conversation and for the time I lived in Cocoa Beach, managed to get together once in awhile. The world is a funny place if you can find the humor in it!  His name?  I have no idea...

Wanderlust

Growing up military stifles the ability to grow in relationships.  Friends and you are together for a year, maybe two, and then *poof* - gone.  Keeping in touch will last for awhile, but eventually, it becomes an effort in futility.  Trying to have a friendship with the current set of individuals is difficult enough. 

Moving from place to place also presents challenges.  But for the person with a wanderlust spirit, it makes life very interesting. Which is where I found myself after graduation.  I went to college for a year, but found I like hitchhiking back and forth more than I liked school.  It hooked me and for the next 12 years, that was the lifestyle I chose. 

It began with a jaunt from Minnesota to Florida.  It was wonderful being on the road and I liked having my thumb out for a ride. 
After a couple of years, I developed my own rules for taking a ride.  First and foremost, be certain you are not going to be dropped off in the middle of nowhere.  To determine this, you must always ask the driver where THEY are going; not the other way round.  If they can't tell you what their destination is, definately do not take that ride.  

Second, make certain you are standing in a spot where someone can pull over to pick you up or they will just pass you by. 

And most importantly, talk to the driver with humorous and fun conversation.  My thinking was always this:  if they think you are afraid of them and they have a bent toward being dangerous, they will take advantage of that and you might end up dead.  But engage them in conversation that makes them feel good and important, and you could very well diffuse a situation.

There were probably rides taken that could have proved my end, but for my continual banter with the driver.   And, of course, God watching over me --probably more than one guardian angel.  LOL! 

I did have one serious situation, but it was my fault and it involved pot.  Some good Samaritans took me in and let me stay until the driver was gone, but he put up a good fight for me.   And a memorable ride with a neighbor from my home town who lived just two blocks from my house.  That was fun and we spent some hours together talking about that.  

The road provided many stories that I will continue to tell.

Eschatology

The study of end time prophecy has been a great source of comfort for me as I look forward to heaven.  Having said that, it is also a tremendous source of unknowns as no one knows the day or hour.   But with heaven as hope, I can make it to the other side. 
The most popular thinking process is about the Anti-Christ and his ascendency.  I found this youtube video that is so interesting.  Who really knows the identity of this person?  Only God.  But we can use our intelligence to ponder it...  you decide.  I found this very compelling.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjFoT-sj5Do

Part 2 Ted Neeley

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDHoTOgeNWE

The day of the show came and the 7 of us were crazy; like schoolgirls, running around doing silly things and obsessing on Ted. He spoke at the library across the street from the theatre first and we found him there. He was with the current Judas and his lovely daughter. We could hardly contain our glee!
We mostly sang all the songs along with the actors during the show because Ted’s voice that night was very hoarse and he could hardly do it. So the audience helped him out. It was a house choir so to speak. And they added a resurrection to the show that did not appear in the movie. It brought the house down, to say the least.

After the show, there were only a dozen or so who stayed behind to meet and hug Ted. I had learned from the ‘friends of Ted Neeley’ group everything one needed to know for the meet and greet. We had our cameras, extra film, pens for autographing things, things to be autographed, gifts and messages from other fans. I was the last one to meet Ted as I learned it was preferable to get more time with him. It was well known, however, that Ted gave as much time to each person as he felt they needed with him. I saw him give well over a half hour to a person at a meet and greet.

My first hug from Ted was the most exhilarating feeling I’d had for a long time. They all said he was a fabulous hugger, and they did not lie! I have a photo, but cannot download it right now…soon as possible it will be posted.

Of course, the first thing I did when we sat down to talk, was insult him. So typical of me – fortunately he was so loving, he barely noticed. We had a long conversation, he signed my stuff, read the article and asked for a copy and took many photos. It was so wonderful it seemed like a dream. Then he was off to Omaha.

I had managed to get tickets for Omaha as well, so just two days later, along with my neighbor who had never heard of JCS, we were off to see the show there and have another meet and greet with Ted.

We made a day of it in Omaha, strolling through a botanical garden during the day, having supper at a great restaurant and just enjoying the time up to the show. We managed to find a parking place right across the street from the bus, Big Red, ending up at a little pub there, waiting. While we sat there talking about the show, we heard a couple of guys at the table next to us talking about a show. So I asked them what show they were going to see; they said JCS. I excited said, ‘so are we!’ They asked where we were from; I told them Sioux City and we had just seen the show there, and they said they had too! Now I was really excited and asked them if they live around SC. They said no and continued on to ask where we were sitting; we had front row seats so were very fired up to see the show. I asked where they were sitting and they said the stage -- - What??? Yes, they were disciples in the show! They had a great time leading us on and teasing us about who they were. Acting like a silly schoolgirl again, I jumped up got my camera and asked them if they would take some pictures with us. They were such good sports and as they left, told us they would wave to us from the stage…which they did! It was a delightfully wonderful addition to the show.

This one was not so easy; the line was long and we waited for two hours to be the last in line. In the meantime, we met a guy from England who had flown over to see the show and meet Ted; took pictures for him that we were never able to get to him. Met other gals from the FOTN website and watched those in line as they met him, many for the first time. And again, we hugged, talked, took pictures before leaving him again.


I felt so satisfied meeting Ted after all those years of crushing on him.

JCS and Ted Neeley

1973, graduation from High School and Jesus Christ Superstar hit the big screen. I resisted at first because I was running from God at the time. Complete teen rebel and stubborn, watching a movie about Jesus was just not what I wanted to do. But there it was, just calling my name. So, I went--alone or with someone, I can not say. I only know I lost part of my heart the first time I saw him on the screen.

As it began with a bus traveling along a very dusty road full of hippies, I was intrigued. Then, out of the crowd, appeared Ted Neeley. He was an odd sort of gorgeous; those eyes that weren't quite straight on but beautiful blue, that lean frame and long hair. And that voice!!  Powerful, intense; it bore right through to the soul.  It was love at first sight.

They followed him, misunderstood him, questioned him, betrayed him and eventually crucified him. For me it was Ted, not Jesus only being mistreated here. Was anyone else sobbing or was it just me? I remember wailing so loudly that during one of the 16 times I saw the movie, whoever I was with moved to another part of the theatre.

Discussions with my mom went something like, 'it's not scriptural'...'there were many untruths'...I argued --'people were at least seeing something about Jesus'...'lives were being changed somehow in spite of the falsehoods'. I would always love Ted Neeley, his face was burned in my mind whenever I thought of Jesus.

In 1992, a good friend took sis and me to Omaha to see the touring play. Ted Neeley was playing his own part and as an added bonus, Carl Anderson was playing his own part of Judas. What an amazing experience! I got to fall in love with him all over again. And at the end, I blew him a kiss and he sent one back! I thought it was a coincidence so I did it again, and again he sent a kiss back. We didn't know about meet and greets and missed the chance to hug Ted and meet Carl. It was the last time the chance to see Carl was possible; he flew away to heaven soon after.

2007 rolled around and the entire family heard JCS was coming to Sioux City. We collaborated and finally had tickets for 7 to see the show. While waiting I joined a Yahoo fan site for Ted, as well as Ted’s own site, NOTR. Imagine! An entire group of people who talked about nothing but Ted Neeley. I thought I died and went to Neeley heaven. There was the tour schedule, the public appearances he did for promotion, and his personal website where we could go to praise him knowing he read everything posted. I became the superfan I always wanted to be.

A local reporter saw Ted's site, NOTR and contacted me for a story.  Before he ever arrived, I was linked with Ted in a story about Jesus Christ Superstar. There in black and white my name and Ted’s linked together. It was heavenly for this superfan!      to be continued.....

Old Friends

When you are a military brat, longtime friends from youth are hard to come by.  What a blessing for me to have this couple, who I've known since the 6th grade, as friends.  They are as common as dirt and proud of it.  But they have this relationship that is so envious, it hurts.  How does one even get to that level? 
When I need a shoulder to cry on or a good laugh, they are my go to folks.  They have had their share of sorrows and misfortune, but they always stay together and work through it .  Recently the guy kicked our mayor in the butt because he insulted the wife.   What a gutsy thing to do; how many 40 year married couples still protect their spouse so fearfully? 
Tonight I needed a friend so we just dropped in. We talked for 3 hours and could have kept going but for time.  He told a story of a fall at work that had us laughing until our sides were splitting!  It was great and for that much needed release of laughter, I am eternally grateful. 

Bronze!

When I first met Chris Campbell, he was living on the floor of Burgess Hall that was suspended between the first floor, mine, and the basement of the dormitory.  Our two short floors were like brother/sister houses and we all partied together.  But Chris and I made a special connection.  
He was a wrestler, which I knew nothing about,  and he was quite good at it.  He won most of the time and was coached by Dan Gaeble, who had a great reputation for coaching wrestling.  
Chris was an interesting guy--the thing  I remember the most is that he could use two or three fingers to braid his afro hair into the tiniest little braids all over his head.  It amazed me!
We spent a lot of time together so I asked him to come with me for Thanksgiving.  His family was in New Jersey leaving him alone for the holiday.  Unfortunately, my father was not happy rejecting the idea.  That year I spent Thanksgiving in Burgess Hall with Chris. 
We didn't talk much as the post school years passed.  He won a Bronze medal in the Russian Olympics for wrestling which was totally awesome.   I was happy for him; it was what he had worked for...well, gold would have been better in his mind, but in my mind medaling in an Olympic event was an amazing achievement.
Years later, while sitting in a lounge drumming up business,I ran into a 'pee-wee' wrestling coach.  He said he knew of Chris but regretfully told of his passing due to some horrible disease. 
I was devasted!  Tirelessly, I searched online to find information, only to discover the guy had lied and Chris is alive and well, practicing Sports Law in California.  We have talked since then and it was wonderful to reconnect with him.  It's funny though; his voice was completely not what I remembered.  It's odd that something that important can be forgotten. 

Thanksgiving ingrate

It was Thanksgiving, a time to be with family and friends for a great dinner. We didn’t have anyone to be with, so we decided to find someone else who had no one to be with and spend the day together. A friend, who is disabled by weight, preferred to be at home, so we took our dinner fixings and went to her house. It seemed like something Jesus would do and that felt good after being sad for so long.

When asked to clean the kitchen first before cooking, it irritated me to be honest. However, cooking in a dirty kitchen is no fun, so it was the first order of business. Next, put the turkey in to cook. It was small; a turkey hen, 8 lbs. so it shouldn’t have taken too long and it had a popper. While that was cooking, there was more food to make. The sides including candied sweet potatoes, corn casserole, mashed potatoes, and stuffing along with some other things.

The popper popped out, the meat thermometer read done so out it came. She said she didn’t think it was done but couldn’t say why the two checks said it was done. We cooked the side dishes getting hungrier by the minute.

When it came to carving the turkey, it was not done, just as she had said. She stated it wasn’t done at the time, but didn’t want to argue so let it go. I couldn’t even believe that she didn’t protest if her true belief was that it was not done. Who does that?

Well, there we were – all the sides were done and the turkey had to go back in the oven. As we stood there trying to find a way to salvage dinner, I said we could eat what was ready while we waited. I also thought we could cut up the turkey and it would finish cooking faster.

I was so shocked to hear what came out of her mouth! “I trusted you to know what you were doing and now dinner is ruined.  I will have no part of eating what’s ready without the turkey; it just isn’t dinner if it isn’t all eaten together. Cutting it up is not acceptable– it’ll be dry and horrible that way.” And, the truly shocking comment: “I’m starving, so would you go to McDonald’s and get me some burgers while we wait for the turkey to finish cooking?”

So, she had required me to clean her house, insulted both my son and me during the time we were there, and now this! I very quietly packed up my things, put on my coat and left her house. Speaking would have been a mistake because I certainly couldn’t have contained my anger with a civil tongue. As we exited, I could hear her saying, “So you’re leaving? You are going to just leave me with all this mess? How am I supposed to clean this up?” No apology for being unreasonable or inflexible. No thanks for what we had done up to that point.

It was a disappointing day for everyone, I imagine. We didn’t get to eat any of the food we had cooked and she didn’t have us there to clean her kitchen. I thought about writing a note to say why I had left because there’s a doubt in my mind that she even knew how insulting and spoiled she sounded. But I still can’t think of anything to say that would be diplomatic. So, this story ends with loss of friendship and no desire to make amends.
It was an unhappy holiday; we tried to be a blessing even though it didn't quite work out that way.  I believe the effort should always be made however it turns out. 

Waking Up

Standing in the hallway of the school, shuffling from class to class, it was as if I had awaken from sleep.  But it was 6th grade and I had been in this school the previous year.  All of a sudden, I was aware - of everything.  I knew these people; had friends, but the memories of interacting with them did not exist.  As I headed to my locker, unpleasant feelings began to well up inside.  The reason was unclear. 

This began my life in a way; the previous years only exist in small glimpes.  There was the time I played marbles with the boys in Germany and I won more often than not.  There was a boy there, Phillip, with red hair and freckles -  we were sweethearts at 5 years old.   Other small clumps of time were castles climbed and explored.  Learning German nursery rhymes and seeing German horse patrols. 

Why do people lose their memories?  If you talked to a therapist, perhaps they would be able to explain; but would you truly want to know?