MIAs

Brett Morely...That is his name as I remember. What ever happened to that guy? Anybody trying to get any leads on Bird? Maybe his brother, John, still lives in Macomb.

Tunes and IPod's

Ok, Ok now that we got Wild (or Mild)-I'm not sure which is right (teetoltalling not withstanding), now I feel that I can talk more about my obscession-collecting tunes. Of course, I continue to have other unhealthy habits in drinking and smoking. Anyway, I do plan to send you back your X-mas CD, Bill. I was wondering what else I might send you. It is one of my greatest joys to supply people with music. The nurse that I work with-her parents recently celebrated their 40th anniversary-she asked me for a list of songs they might like. She is Afro-american. I asked some things about them. She said they liked to dance, party and she had a pic of them with big Afros and showing peace signs. It turned out they were'nt really into the peace or equal rights movement of the 60's. I told her I would just burn somethings for her-she tried to give me a blank CD. I told her-NO, NO, NO-it will take many more than one. I burned her 10 CD's-all things I already had. Anyway, what are guys into? I'm thinking about a 70's mix, but so much of it sucked. Do you listen to any new music? Check out www.wknc.org the crazy college kids of NC State. Sorry, this is so disjointed. The boys want to use my sweet Mac for homework.

Here's What Happened to Wild Bill

Hey Fellas,

I ain't dead...Just got Mild! I'm in my 6th year of teaching at Bradley-Bourbonnais High School..9th year of teaching after all those years of not figuring out what the hell to do. Sierra and I are both still in the same house in Bourbonnais that Kenny J and Queebs visited a few years back. Matthew is living in Aurora/Naperville (can't figure out where one stops and the other starts)...He's across the street from what used to be called Fox Valley Mall.

I've been coaching girls b-ball (rather unsucessfully, I must add) and boys golf. Things are a bit more promising on that front. Of course, all I really need to do there is make sure they get on the bus and fill out score cards. After that, I just ride around on a cart drinking Diet Pepsi! I'm a Special Ed. Resource teacher. This year I collaborate in Algebra I and Junior English classes, teach a SPED US History class, and have a couple of hours of Resource where I help kids with whatever subject matter they need help with! Pretty sweet gig. I'm not getting rich, but I'm making the world such a better place.

I haven't been in contact with anyone from WIU, except for Stoney Al. Remeber him? He calls from time to time and came her to visit last summer. The guy probably weighs about 300 lbs now! He still works at the Pentagon. I think he's DEEP undercover for some serious al Qaeda ass-kicking shit! ;-)

Anyway, I've become very mild. I think I've had one beer in the last 18 months. The summer before last was the last time I got shit-faced, and I think I'm still a bit hungover from that. I used to harken back on the good old times with fondness. Now those thoughts make me queasy.

The highlight of this past month was the BEAT DOWN the Bears took in the big game! My year would have been miserable if the Bears had won...You Bears fans are such assholes about winning! It took about 10 years for you guys to be "bearable" after the '85 season. GO PACKERS!!!

Mild "ex-Wild" Bill

It's Gonna Snow

Howdy fellas. I hope all is going well for you. I thought I would share some random thoughts while I sit at home taking care of my sick son.

We are expecting 8-12" of snow this weekend. I went out this morning to make sure the snowblower would start. It wouldn't. I'm having a friend come over later this afternoon to see if he can get it started, but I'm not holding out much hope. I'm not even sure why I bother. I can get the drive plowed for $20, but having the snowblower running gives me the freedom to clear the drive whenever I want. I'm never sure when the plow is going to show up.

It's been awfully quiet on the blogfront the past couple of days. A little too quiet. What is going on with you guys? You need to post here at least once per day, and preferably several times per day. It's your obligation, your responsibility, your solemn duty. Let's not let each other down. And remember, in the end, it's for the children.

What's the deal with U of I getting rid of Chief Illiniwek? From things I've read, the Illini indians were either a)wiped out by the Fox, Saux, etc. indians so they don't even exist anymore (i.e. no one to insult), or b)they are a completely made up tribe of indians that were created by a student writer in the early 20th century (If that's true, I wonder what they were called before that. Hmmm...)

In any case, it just seems foolish to take political correctness so far. If no one from the Illini tribe is complaining (if there even is such a tribe), what harm is there in keeping Chief Illiniwek? Having the Chief (usually portrayed by a white kid) perform at sporting events has become a tradition. And it is meant as a show of respect and honor, not insult. I think it is a mistake to get rid of him.

That's all from me. Now start writing.

Other Buds?

You guys are all very interesting and what not, but we can invite other people to this forum. I don't really know who or for that matter have any contact with anyone else from high school. I did try to email Mark Bettcher at some high school in Illinois, trying to get a line on Paul, but got no response. I don't know-we can be very selective-or invite just about everyone. I started the blog-but its OUR blog. Any thoughts on this.

The Boring Life of Bodie

Hey All,

Good idea by Ken to create this forum to keep in touch! This is the third time I have tried to post and each time it has disappeared so hopefully this is the charm.

Nothing much has changed with us since the E-mails last fall. I am settling in with Lowe's and I like it there. Don't have a permanent home store or position yet, but I scored high on their tests so hopefully that will help. Robin is still doing the workout thing part time for Shape Express, a women's only club. We are keeping are fingers crossed though because five other clubs in the area have closed in the last few months. Supposedly the person that might be buying her club wants to keep it open under a new name so helpfully she is safe because she really likes getting paid to workout. I also like it every other Friday.

The kids are keeping us busy like just like yours do. Jenna is in 4th grade, Eric in 7th and Bryan is a junior and starting to think about the college thing. I am thinking about which bank to rob to pay for it so if I don't write for a few years you will know I stunk at that profession. They are into all sorts of scouts and sports so were are always running. Amy bought Bryan an old car so that helps with the driving at least. Keith, I just got back from a cabin campout and it was just the same as when we were in scouts-lots of noise and little sleep.

Talk to you all later, Lou I'll take one with kethcup and mustard.

Bodie

The Sad, Strange Life of Lou Mindar

Hello my friends. I've been going through a mid-life crisis since the age of 25 or so, so my latest crisis probably shouldn't be that surprising. In fact, if you think about it, maybe that's all life is; just one crisis after another that eventually adds up to a life. That's pretty deep.

Anyway, my latest crisis actually started a few years ago. In 2003 I had my insurance agency and Kim was working as a claim rep in the claim office in La Crosse, about an hour away from our home. Money was tight, but we were making ends meet. Unfortunately, the company was going through a consolidation and the La Crosse office was closed. Kim's job was moved to Milwaukee. Since we counted on Kim's job to pay our bills, we moved away from Viroqua to Milwaukee in September 2003 so she could keep her job. Three months later I was diagnosed with cancer (did you hear?).

Between having cancer and living three hours away from my office, I was away from the business for the better part of 2004 and 2005. During that time, my income decreased about $25,000 annually. Since we were just barely making it before I got sick, the decrease in income really hurt.

When I was healthy enough to get back to the office, I started commuting, spending 2-3 days each week in the office and the rest of the time I ran the business from home. Honestly, that wasn't enough time to be in the office, but I didn't want to be away from Kim and the kids any more than that. My income was still down and now I was spending about $1000 per month (gas, food, lodging) to commute. It was obvious something had to change.

In the end, we decided that Kim would give up her job and we'd move back to Viroqua to try to jump start the agency. We moved back last summer and the agency has turned around some. Our sales are up and my income is almost back to where it was before I got sick. Of course, we gave up Kim's income which was significantly more than we've gained in the agency. Kim needs to find a job making the kind of money she was making before, but there are none of those kinds of jobs in our little, rural town. Even over in La Crosse she hasn't been able to find anything that would come close.

I've spoken to State Farm about getting back on with the company, but so far I've been told 1) I'll probably need to take a step back from the position I had previously in order to get back in, and 2) I'm over qualified to do the job that would be a level below what I did previously. That's frustrating. There's still a chance I may be able to get back on with the company, but at the momement it's not looking too promising.

I'm not sure what we're going to do. We've pretty much depleted our savings and are getting by right now with smoke and mirors. This can't go on much longer.

There's part of me that feels like I should be practical and just go find a job with another insurance company. I'd have to start my career over again (at age 47), but at least I'd have a paycheck. Then there's part of me that thinks, this is no time to run back to the comfort of a corporate job. I need to break away from insurance (which I've never really cared for) and do something that is important to me, like starting a hotdog stand.

Anyway, I'm open to any suggestions you might have. Be warned, I probably won't take your advice, but I'll appreciate it just the same.

Thanks!

Hey fellas! Last week was kinda tough for me. The Bears lose and Duke loses to Carolina. Wow! Anyway, I thought we might give blogging a try, to see if we can keep each other up to date with each other. The blog is called high school buds, but you can invite anyone you want.