I’ve been tagged by my British niece, Susannah, to reveal eight bits of me that you don’t know already… so here goes.





I'm colorblind. It's not a complete colorblindness, apparently its more green colorblind than red. It's not that I don't see color but in certain instances, I don't see the same color as someone with normal color vision.
My art teachers in highschool used to give me high marks fro my innovative paintings. For example; my skies were usually purple rather than blue. I, however, thought they were blue.
This has not been a detriment in my life, and actually it was the reason I ended up in the career I've been in for 41 years.
I was formally diagnosed as colorblind when I joined the U.S. Navy. This discovery eliminated the majority of career choices available to me regardless of my aptitude scores. I was left with three choices; bowswain's mate, Dental tech., or hospital corpsman. I chose hospital corpsman because my best friend had chosen that because he wanted to become a nurse eventually, so I went to "corps" school with him. I took to healthcare like a duck to water and my destiny was forged, and all because of my colorblindness.
When we meet please try to stiffle your smirks, sniggles, and chuckling over my mismatched clothing choices. ;-)



I almost entered the seminary to become a Catholic priest. I had recieved my acceptance letter, but two weeks before classes started my friend and I joined the U.S. Navy.
One Sunday at mass, during my senior year of high school, the priest was giving a sermon focusing on vocations. I felt like I was getting a message and I felt like I was destined for the priesthood. Immediately after mass, without telling a soul, I walked the 12 blocks to the seminary and asked for an application. I filled it out that afternoon and mailed it the following monday.
I must mention here that I was not some nerdy academic holy boy ever. In high school I majored in sports, music, and girls....not always in that order. Academics were a necessary evil. The elegibility standards in those days were stiffer than they are today. To be able to play each week You had to have a passing average in your core academic courses. I did sing at six o'clock mass every weekday morning and was in the Sunday mens's choir, which put me in frequent contact with two of the piests in the church. They became my mentors, so to speak, when it was determined that I had applied to the seminary. One of these priests eventually preformed the ceremony when I wed my wife.

I discussed with these two priests, on a number of occasions, what life as a priest entailed, and what I might expect while in the seminary. Since I had a girlfriend it naturally came up as to what type of relationships a priest might be allowed to have with a woman. After some hemming and hawing and well, you know rel, uhmmm, well, ahhh.... well. while you're in the seminary you can date just like you're doing now. Really, it's just college and you'll be majoring in religious studies. BUT, after you finish your studies you will be required to take a vow of celibacy and after that there can be no more romantic involvements.

Mulling over a life choice that banned the carnal pleasure that a man and a woman enjoy, I prayed and asked God for guidance. Soon I realised that was an unrealistic expectation...I joined the Navy!








Eventually the two priests that had befriended and mentored me left the church to get married to women.












Other than the United States I have lived in or visited the following countries: Canada, costa Rica, England, France, Japan, Okinowa, Phillipines, So. Korea, an So. Vietnam.







In the U.S. I have lived or visited the States of; Alaska, Arizona, California, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York,N. Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, S. Carolina, Tennessee,Vermont, Virgina, Wash. D.C., amd West Virgina.


I love old churches. The older the better. Wherever I go I seek out an area's churchs to photograph, but also to go into and feel the souls of generations past touch and speak to me. There something about old buildings, churches in particular, they validate for me that there was human life long before me. They give life to my ancesters and I am affirmed that the world didn't really start with me. I chose this picture of St. Basil in Russia for the particular reason of flowing into my next bit of unknown rel trivia........






This is a photo of the Neva river in St. Petersburg, Russia.

In 1990 we hosted a Russian girl for a few weeks during the school year and brought her back to spend the next summer with us. In turn Her family hosted our middle son at their home over his Easter vacation.


Maria Baronova and her family are from St. Petersburg, Russia, home to the Russian Navy. Maria's Father is a retired Navy captain. In 1964-65 Maria's father was stationed in Vietnam assisting North VietNam in their war with the U.S.A. Also in 1964-65, relII's father (yours truly) was stationed in South Vietnam as a hospital corpsman with the US Marines fighting against the North Vietnamese. Twenty-six years later two old soldiers, sworn enemies, Shared each others children. We trusted each the other to care for our precious children. We talked on the phone, neither of us able to speak more than a few words of the other's language. We both became friends. We knew who had made us enemies and it wasn't us.



I love food. I always say I'm on a seefood diet. One of my alltime favorite dishes is Korean Bulgogi:








INGREDIENTS:
2 pounds sirloin, thinly sliced
2 onions, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 teaspoon ginger, freshly grated
Freshly ground pepper
1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds (optional)

PREPARATION:
In a large bowl, add onions to beef.
Combine sugar, sesame oil and soy sauce to form a sauce. Add in garlic and ginger. Mix well.
Marinate the beef in the sauce for about three hours (the longer the better).
Season with pepper.
Grill on a grill, pan-fry or broil for about 15 minutes, or until meat is done.
Sprinkle sesame seeds over dish, serve with rice and side dishes.
Makes 4 servings.






I'm an animal lover. I've had a pet of one kind or another since I was three years old. Currently we have two cats. Of all the wild animals, I find the tiger to be my favorite.






I have very strong political opinions. Unless we share the same ideas we probably should avoid the topic. If you should decide to share divergent views with me you must be prepared to defend your points at all cost, for my attack on your points and my rebuttle will make the above tiger seem like a docile house cat.
Let's find topics we agree on and start and part friends. ;-)