A friend of mine recently posed a question to me in her comment left on one of my posts. She was referring to my Fun Fact indicating it is impossible for me to speak without using obscenities. In retrospect I realize I wasn't entirely accurate. I am capable of conversation that's entirely G-Rated. Amazing, but true! Her question set my neurons buzzing and I realized I, like everyone else, communicates verbally on many levels. Here are some of the scenarios that govern how I converse:

Scenario 1:
I arrive at the foundry, clear the security gates and make my daily pilgrimage from the parking lot to the maintenance shop. Another day begins and I find myself up to my clavicle in broken machines. It's hot, the job is difficult and you can bet the mortgage payment obscenities are turning the air blue. It's written into the Millwright Manual. Obscenities are as much a part of the work as precision tools. All part of the job. And the ONLY way to vent frustration, adequately describe a situation that is decidedly irritating and a delightful way to agitate. (Most millwrights are agitators. It's a genetic trait.)

Scenario 2:
I'm in a crowded restaurant. I know some of the other customers but only a few. Most are friends I haven't met yet. My conversation is decidedly G-Rated unless I'm fairly sure my private conversation isn't being heard by anyone other than who's with me. Yes, as amazing as it might be, the old captain's capable of restraint when necessary. I have no wish to offend anyone unless I'm THOROUGHLY provoked and it takes a lot to do that.

Scenario 3:
I stop into a store to buy stuff. Same rule applies here that does in the restaurant scenario above. I don't like to offend anyone's sensibilities, so whatever conversations I have are G-Rated here to.

Scenario 4:
I am visiting with good friends either here at the Poor Folks Ponderosa or at their home. Obscenities are just part of the conversation. Part of my personal language. By not having to exercise discretion in what I say, I'm demonstrating friendship. I'm able to communicate on a more personal level, including some colorful language.

Scenario 5:
Oh goody! My favorite scenario; the one filled with passion and all that goes with it, including delightfully obscene descriptions of the emotions experienced in the moment. Lovers communicate in a special way. I'm not saying it is an endless string of colorful words, but I am saying it is part of a process. After all, what we hear is often as stimulating as what we see, sometimes moreso.

And finally this: Research has concluded that obscene language is as old as language itself and has been used through the ages as a valuable communication tool. It is amazing. One obscene word can describe more emotion than a paragraph of G-Rated words. So....
now you can see why I couldn't speak if obscenities weren't a part of my vocabulary. Lets face it. What are YOU going to say when you accidentally bang your head on the edge of the kitchen cabinet door??

H'mmm. Well, not really. But I am curious about everything I encounter, so I found myself messing around with the great Donut Personality Test. Now I've found out what kind of donut I am. I can't believe I'm saying this....but....the test results are embarrassingly accurate. Whoever devised this test will walk the plank at daybreak. Captain's orders!



* Note: I'm not real symmetrical, but I do taste good!

As my journey through this lifetime continues, I find myself slowing for a bit and searching the horizon with my eyes and my ears. I taste the wind and realize.....Each new sunrise is so much better than in years past. Sunrise is best when shared. And so I raise my cup to the sky and give thanks for the love that lives so vibrantly inside've me! It is a love that has survived more than one lifetime and will surely survive many more.
Today I celebrate that love with renewed conviction. And a spirit that is new and shiny and strong. And the journey continues.

This is a radical departure from my usual posts. With spring slowly melting into another wondrous summer it seemed only fitting to share a few fun facts about the old captain... and on a Friday no less. I think I'll call this post "Friday Fun Facts". H'mmmm. A familiar sounding title to be sure. And awwwaaaayyyy we go:

1> I'm ambidextrous with one exception. I cannot write with my left hand. (I can't write well with my right hand either. My penmanship is atrocious.)

2> I've only worn a suit and tie once in my entire life. (And I hated it.)

3> I can't remember meeting anyone I didn't like. (Maybe not at first, but with a little time I like everyone I meet.)

4> I refuse to rush when I'm making love.

5> I don't eat breakfast. I need to be awake at least four or five hours before I can even THINK about food.

6> I value my instincts more highly than my intelligence.

7> I would rather drink bleach than make love to someone I'm not fond of.

8> The only time I like to go fast is when I'm driving.

9> If obscenities were banned from my vocabulary I wouldn't be able to speak.

10> I become more sexually aroused by what I hear than what I see.

11> I once slow-danced with my friend Ray Walker at the Office Bar & Grill. (Then he patted me on the butt and I threw him head first over the bar.)

12> My favorite food is fresh, hot, spudnuts. (With a quart of milk to wash them down.)

13> I'm perpetually fascinated with body language. (Hell. I'm perpetually fascinated. Period.)

And there it is. A bakers dozen of baffling bits of who I am.

Vincent like Andrew, has ridden many a late-night ride with me on the Hitchcock Railway. Vincent is a part of me. Like a remnant of past lives long since come and gone, he rides with me always. A trail of memories to faded to recall. Ocean voyages on ancient sailing ships and desert sojourns on an ancient railway system.
Vincent has loved much, laughed often and lived life as he was intended to. So have I. It is a mystery of magificent proportions. A mystery that may never be solved. The origins of an old sea captain, one in the same with....the origins of a man named Vincent.