Just a boy in Chevy truck

It's been a while since I've last posted anything on here. Thankfully I got burnt out on being an "internet junkie". Anyways, an event occurred recently that grabbed my attention that immediately connected me with Americana. My truck and trusty sidekick, (nicknamed Old Faithful) finally rolled over to 175,000 miles.

I know that there are a lot of cars out there that have gone over that amount, but to me, it means something more. Living in a middle class neighborhood of Chattanooga, (with it's fair share of wealth), I always saw kids growing up whose parents bought them nice cars, for their first car. Living more "in the sticks" than most of those suburbanites, I didn't want anything fancy. Just a pickup, or a Jeep. I had saved up quite a bit of money, just working odd jobs and had enough money to buy a red and white, 1994 Chevy k1500, 4x4, z71, extended cab, (top of the line for it's day). I still remember going down to Alabama to look at it, then eventually buy it. On the test drive we drove it down a trail, then a country road. I had found my first car.

What was my original attraction to trucks? Americans do love their trucks, and I think it's for a number of reasons.

#1: It's a replacement for the horse. When this versatile farm animal was quickly being replaced by the automobile for transportation, farmers still needed something that could be a jack of all trades. This is why people in the country buy more trucks than anyone. It's their trusty ole' steed, which brings me to why they're so popular elsewhere.

#2: People love experiencing Americana, and part of that is our fascination of the cowboy. In the 1990's, (when my truck was produced), trucks and SUVs where outselling cars. I honestly believe that the public's love of American history is what drove them to buy pickups in such huge numbers. I think just about everyone can imagine a modern day cowboy saddling up in a pickup truck. Yet, there's one more reason, I think.

#3: In the 1970's and 80's, after the gas crisis hit, every automaker was downsizing. Gone were the days when it was your American right to own a v8 powered rear wheel drive car. The only thing that had those two options after the gas crisis were....... Trucks.

So, how does my experience tie in with these reasons that I just listed? I had that truck through most of high school. Do you know how much growing up was done in that time frame? A lot! That truck was part of my high school experience. From driving the dreaded W road, camping at "the treehouse", tail-gating at football games, dating, and where the reliability factor rings true with me- working. I knew I had to fuel this thirsty beast, and

I didn't just want my truck to be a statement. So I started selling firewood. For 35,000 miles, I've used it to haul roughly 30 ricks of wood (4'x8', or a full bed for my truck) every year. Not to mention how rough I used to drive in it, off-roading, pulling people out who got stuck, hauling dirtbikes, and so on.

I have honestly thought of buying a new truck, or a more economical car. But at the end of the day, I want MY truck. It's part of who I am.

A most peculiar week.

Well, it's official. School is finally back in full swing, which is why I haven't logged nearly as much time online as I did in the summer. But I thought that since it was such a strange week, I would like to discuss it.

It started out last weekend in Ashville, North Carolina where we had a race up at Montreat College. Turns out, the school's course was a mile short and they didn't give very good directions to the actual course itself. After the race I stayed with my family up in Asheville for the weekend, touring places like the Biltmore estate. Typical for me, the most interesting part about this house was it was one of the first houses to have indoor bathrooms! The scenery of the mountains in the background, mixed with the chateau-style house made for some incredible views. Plus, history geeks would love some of the furniture in there that belonged to very prominant people- (Napoleon Bonaparte's chess set and table).

When I got back to school, that's when I learned that a kid who had just graduated the year before was missing on the lake after he dove in. He hadn't surfaced. As I predicted when hearing of this, the next day the searchers found his body. Out of respect for his family and freinds I will not go into much more detail. But based on my past, I knew this would bother me the rest of the week even though I did not know him. I've seen it happen quite a few times, so I try not to dwell on these incidents.

The rest of the week was a typical, busy, full, week of college at TWC. Ice Cream Olympics were a great way to start off an otherwise gloomy week. It was great! I had never been able to experience one of these before. I knew there was another race was on the horizon on Saturday, so naturally I started getting antsy about it on Wednesday. Thursday was another great, but busy day. I don't think I got 15 minutes to myself that entire day! That night at BCM I got to see a friend who graduated last year. I always enjoy catching up with people I haven't seen in a while. Friday was a much more relaxing day by the standards of the rest of the week, because the next day was a big race.

Driving up to Berry College, you think of all the movies that were filmed there (much like Biltmore estate). It made the race that much more daunting in my head. The race went much better than the first two of the season, but my ideal time still eluded me. As always, the team had a great time afterwards due to the high runners are on after a race due to the endorphins. And when we got back to school, I had fried chicken and two great football games to look forward to. Today I capped off the week with a hike to Gee Creek with a group from school.

It's one of those strange unexplainable things. The week has seemed extremely long, with so many things happening. It's just been a strange week.

"Like a modern day Bonnie and Clyde"

So it occurred to me the other day that the economy is having a farther reaching effect on things in our every day lives, than just money or jobs. Wednesday night, to be exact actually. One of my favorite shows Leverage is on every Wednesday night at 9 on TNT. I found out about the show by reading Mr. Wheaton's blog and thought I'd check it out. (By the way, his episode was on Wednesday and I wish he would do more acting jobs.)

"But Thomas, what the crap does this have to do with the economy?"

So glad you asked. This show is gaining popularity due to the economy. Every episode, the Leverage team finds somebody who ranks lower on the social totem pole who has recently been dealt a bad hand in life. Either financially, their reputation, or medically. The person who inflicts this damage to the 'low man on the totem pole' is someone who has a lot of power and money. What the team does is come up with an elaborate scheme to get the wealthy to practically give them back their money. Or reputation, or get restitution for any medical damage. They 'provide leverage'. (pun intended, it's actually in the opening sequence for the show)

This show is essentially the Robin Hood of the times. Everyone seems down on their luck right now, and here's someone who will stick up for you. Just like the new movie Public Enemies. John Dillinger and most of the other bank robbers during the great depression, were the Robin Hoods of their time. The public felt cheated by the banks because they had lost everything, and here are these guys stealing back from the bank that wronged you. So the public just turned their back as these guys robbed the banks. (mind you, they never stole from the customers)

I just thought it's cool how the economy is trikling into our popular culture.

The lunch-time massacre

The event you are about to read about is an account of a tragedy which befell a college student at lunch. If he lives a very long life, he could not have wished or expected to see the horror that occurred that day in the cafeteria. For him, an idyllic lunch turned into a nightmare.

Ok, ok, enough of that. Here it is. So this week, I was eating with a freind from Sequatchie for lunch in the caf. I started to get up and take my stuff to the garbage and wasn't planning on returning. She then told me she was going to talk to some freshman from her town. So I decided to go with her and introduce myself, since earlier in the summer Marissa suggested to me that there were some nice girls attending TWC. So we switch names and I went on to the rest of my day.

Today, as I was sitting with a different group of friends I noticed she walked in. Now normally to just strike up conversation without making it seem obvious, you plan your steps to meet them at the drink station. Or something like that to just make it seem casual. (Maybe I'm just neurotic.) But there was a problem: what the flip was her name? I racked my brain for quite a while just trying to at least think of the letter her name started with! (Now entering desperate mode.) I quickly concocted a "Seinfeld-ish" scheme with a couple of my friends in which I could discreetly find out her name. The plan was: I take a friend up to her, we bump into each other, I introduce the friend, "Hey, this is ~!@#." Then the friend would say "What's your name?" or "Nice to meet you, what was your name?" Then the girl with no name would give us her name, and...... I would at least know her name! So we waited for the opportunity to arise, just like cops waiting for a perp to make a drug deal. Suddenly I noticed her getting up. "Get up! We have to go now!"

Going up there, I should have, with the little common sense I posess, figured out that the situation was miles from ideal. There were far too many people. She looked as if she were in a hurry. My partner was not that into the plan. (Piss up a flag pole)! I'm cringing just writing this; re-living the moment.) First off, she didn't see me. I had to say her name, TWICE. Secondly, there were people between us. So I was having to talk rather loudly, "HEY! DO YOU KNOW MY FREIND, ~!@# ?" My friend by the way, was no longer by my side, but behind this girl. So, in order, it was me, people filing through, the girl with no name, and then my friend. My friend was not even by me, but behind her, laughing his head off, going the other way. So she had to turn around and see who, for some reason, I was asking if she knew him? Jeeeeez, it was brutal. And I know brutal; I had a dog attack my face. So I know brutal. She replied "Yeah, I think we've met before. Well, I'll see you later." As I stood frozen in horror, I started to come through and realize what just happened. I gathered my thoughts and realized I should probably stop standing in that same spot, to protect myself from any more embarassing attention. I started making my way back to the table replaying the events in my head. But then I looked up and saw my partner had told the table what happened, and quickly readied my self for the sure-to-come avalanche of ridicule.

To tell you the truth, I don't think she put much thought into this incident. But it haunted me the rest of the day. To make matters worse all my friends were laughing it up, while I felt like I just wanted to disapear instantly. I was so stunned from how badly it went, that as I was leaving the caf I started dropping my stuff. Dropping my stuff in front of the dean and the head of student life. All this did was further add to my embarrassment, and I know I came off as frazzled to them.

This was one of the more embarassing moments in my recent history, and I can't recall feeling this akward around a girl since middle school. I'm sure it was funny to watch, but going through it was a massacre.

The Summer of SBM

Well I got moved into the dorms OK. Being on the first floor sure makes moving a lot easier! But I think my sophomore will go even better than last year. On Friday I became increasingly aware of how easy it is to pick out freshman moving in. Most of the time both parents are there along with a sibling, and they always manage to crack a half smile when you say hey to them.

Finally having some free time for a couple of days during pre-season has given me some time to reflect on the past summer. One that has affected me in more ways than I originally thought. It was during the third week of summer when I started making realizations about who I was, where I came from, what I wanted to do and be.

It all started one night after I had gone fishing with some friends on the TN river at night. Everybody who has been out late in the south, knows what a great feeling it is to be out there at that time of night. When all the world seems to be at peace, and perfection is close by. It was fairly late when I got in and was still hyped up so I couldn't possibly go to sleep. So I decided to creep as quietly as possible up to the bonus room above the garage so not to wake anybody up. I planned on watching a little of whatever was on TV in hopes that it would put me to sleep faster. I was flipping through the channels without any possible solutions to my 'ailment'; no to The Kardashians, no to Seinfeld, I didn't want to watch Bear Grylls dig through bear feces to eat some seeds. But then I came across AMC, and the jingle that comes on before a new movie starts caught my ear. So I tuned in and the instrumental version to the famous Ben E. King song Stand By Me came on with a sad looking man sitting in his car. I had seen parts of this film before, but when I was younger the only thing I learned from it was not to drink castor oil by the bottle. I watched the entire movie all the way through and was taken back. Taken back to my childhood memories. (To tell you the truth, I really became obsessed with it for a while.)

I think the movie grabbed my attention so well because it really made me think. Think about myself, my past, my future, what people thought of me. Basically it made me really take a good, hard look at myself. I was forced into self-realization. Among the first things I realized was that my childhood might seem like it wasn't that long ago, but I quickly did the math and picked up on the fact that 'Geez, has it really been that long ago since Men in Black came out? Or since the time I flipped over the handlebars on my bike?' For the first time in my life, I realized that I was no longer was in my youthful innocense, and immediately reminisced on those times. In the game of life, I had 'passed go without collecting my $200'. I thought of all the friends that I hadn't seen in years; how many of them moved, or were on drugs. I thought of the places we went to or hung out at. One of the things I missed the most were friends that were not all that far away, but we still managed to lose contact with one another. "It happens sometimes. Freinds come in and out of your life like bus-boys at a restaurant." The smell of double bubble for some reason accompanies those times of 'two for flinching'.

I also realized that there are a few things I know I don't want to do for a living, and that maybe being a writer would not be such a bad idea. I always enjoyed english assignments where I had to concoct a story, and work myself into it. So maybe I've found one more career choice that I could use with a history degree, and enjoy doing it. Over the summer it also dawned on me that I really did not care for physical labor, and I am quickly growing tired of being a firewood dealer. It's unbelievably repetitive.

Looking back on childhood has made me realize that I want to do certain things in the future that I can not go to the past and do differently. If I wish that I could have done something differently back then, then I simply tell myself that in the future, I'll do it differently. That's what childhood is all about; learning from your mistakes.

So just like my new favorite movie did, I have had a moment of self-revelation. Only mine was over the span of a few months, not just Labor Day weekend. In the movie, the boys lose their innocense when they find the body, and decide not to take credit for it. My moment like this came on September 11, 2001 when I also discovered the world isn't always as kind a place as I once thought. After that, my little town also "seemed much smaller now".

One of the reasons this film has been so popular is that it really does make people take a look back at their childhood. When people watch it, they briefly remember what it was like to be 12 and at the end of their innocent childhood. For a moment, they relive the memory.

(If you haven't already, check out the Stand By Me website that I created to help make a web presence for the film: http://standbymemovie.com/)

"You know I like my chicken fried"

Has anyone else wondered why summer seems to always blow by so fast? Endless seems the days where it's so hot that you can sit outside and listen to the cicadas sing in harmony with the rising heat. Especially the last few days of 'freedom'. That's when you really notice things like that. But eventually we have to go back to not wasting away by the pool.

Anyways when I went out to get gas for the logsplitter on Friday, I went into Favorite Market. I went at the most opportune time before the "yard sellers" as I call them choked traffic on the mountain. When I walk in I always have to use my strong will power to not buy any fried chicken in that place. The smell is overpowering. That may sound really redneck, but Colonol Sanders hasn't got anything on this chicken! So as I wait behind a few people buying their daily supply of cigs, beer, and lottery tickets, I notice somebody familiar in the store. Now here's a perfect 'Seinfeld moment': you recognize somebody, they obviously remember you, but you cannot ask them. Because if you asked them, then you would seem like a total jerk! So I waited for them to extend a hand first to avoid my akward moment.

"Hey, I know you." he said.

"Yeah, hey! How are you!?" I replied unassuredly.

"Pretty good. How is your aunt?" he asked.

When he said this I immediately remembered who this was. He was a friend of my cousin Josh. Back in 2004, my cousin Josh had died of a heart valve problem. This seems to be a common cause of death for very athletic, young people. My aunt had a very hard time dealing with it, and I have seen somebody my own age die in front of me since then. So obviously it's a very dark subject for me.

"It seems so strange that it's been so long since the..." "Hey, can I help you?" the cashier interrupted abruptly.

"Yeah, ten on pump six. Well, it's been good seeing you, but I..." I tried to get away. But he really wanted to talk.

"I'll meet you in the parking lot."

As I hurredly filled up the jerry cans, sure enough he came up to me.

"I knew you looked familiar, then I said to myself 'that's one of Josh's cousins". He pondered a while, then said "It's so weird that that happened this long ago. I hope everyone is doing OK. Well, I'll let you go. It looks like you're pretty busy. Take care!'

"Yeah, it was good seeing you too!"

It's strange how something you try not to think of can come whirling back into your thoughts like a tornado. I try not to think about it because already in my life I've seen a lot of younger people's lives get cut short before their prime. Probably none more haunting than the incident on Missionary Ridge. But you can't dwell on it. You've got to make something of your own life.

Before I knew it, I was laughing again, driving down the backroads to avoid yard sellers. I had the windows down, listening to some old Buddy Holly music, as my pickup truck rumbled down the road. I was lost in the moment, with the music and everything seeming like it was out of a movie. I thought of the Thanksgiving where my mom had made a good carrot dish, but when Josh saw it he asked, "Who made this carrot concoction?!" Everyone including my mom gave a laugh before we dug in.

Astronauts riding horses, without electricity.

Here's a short story I wrote for the 40th anniversary of the moon landing, which I know was last week. But hope you enjoy.

Ellis sits on his front porch, rocking in his rocking chair, looking at the newspaper. Then he glances at the newly built Highway 127, connecting Dunlap to Chattanooga, across Signal Mtn. It was built by the CCC to take the sting out of the Depression. He hated seeing the highway get built, but it was a better route than the back roads lacing the mountain. It also provided better advertising for the Barker General Store. He sipped a little more on the cold, sweaty glass of water. He looked to the right at his garden, then back down to the paper. Maybe he was just in disbelief. Maybe he had been washing his prized Buick when it was too hot. Maybe it was a hoax or a misprint. "Surely" he whispered under his breath, "there's no way."

In the paper there was an article discussing the possibility of space travel. During the war there had been several rocket tests by both the Nazis and America. Now it seemed as if America and the Soviets were racing to get into space to spy on each other. Ellis just stared at the paper in disbelief, thoughts racing in his mind like a dog chasing squirrels.

As a young boy at the ripe age of twelve, he remembers hearing about the Titanic sinking. Then as an adult he witnessed many people kill themselves over the stock market, and had just seen many young men die in WW2 before their prime. After hearing so much bad news, maybe just the bizarreness of the thought of people in space surprised him the most. And it gripped him.

Years later, 1969 to be specific, this race as he described it would come to an end. Ellis and his wife go to their son's house to watch the landing, where they had made an exception with the children on their bedtime. They understood the significance of that night, and they wanted their children to remember it for the rest of their lives. After Neil Armstrong's famous words were forever etched in the stone of history, Ellis thought back to that day on his front porch and was once again in disbelief. His grandson David asked, "What's the matter GG?"

"Oh, just ponderin'." Ellis quickly replied, hoping David would pursue him.

Much to his amusement, David asked him "About what?"

"How much things have changed." Ellis replied. "When I was your age, we still didn't have cars. We had to stare at horse's asses everywhere we wanted to go unless we walked. The roads were not paved, so they were too rough for bicycles. We still had to go out to use outhouses and pump our own water by hand, because indoor plumbing was still only for the wealthy. An' now! Now..." He trailed off as he got choked up.

David chimed in "It's OK GG, you can tell me. What were you going to say?"

Ellis gathered his thoughts, paused, and then replied perhaps with his strongest ever southern accent, "We're putting men on the moon right now as we speak, and there's no telling what in the world you're going to see in your lifetime." He then shed the serious tone when he said, "An' I thought electricity was a wonder!"

To this day, as David looks down at his cell phone which uses satellites in space, he remembers his grandfather's conversation with him. "Forty years ago today, on July 20th, is when one of my best memories with my grandfather took place as I witnessed history."