Kevin's Watch

[Birth of Children and Great Sexual Conquests aside because nothing can top those ]

1. Witnessing a Total Eclipse of the Sun [the full shebang - diamond ring and all]

2. The Sahara at night from the top of The Erg Chebi [first of the 10 or so sand-seas]. Millions of stars [or seemed like] with no light pollution, just my wife and a bottle of wine with the berber drums faint in the distance.

3. Galloping thoroughbred horses over the 1 mile flat sands of a local beach at 6am in the morning [coz no-ones around then]. The greatest sensation of speed and fluid motion available on this planet [aside from the above mentioned conquests perhaps].

4. The total disintegration of your visual field into a kalidascope of swirling color about 20 minutes after you accidentally take about three times more acid than you should have.

5. Seeing the Rolling Stones [in thier prime].

6. Climbing behind the wheel of my first car [series three Land-Rover] on the day I passed my driving test.

7. A morning spent in Paris's Musee d'Orsay amongst the great impressionist works of the world followed by lunch in Alain Ducasses 2nd floor restaurant The Jules Verne, in The Eiffel Tower.

8. Travel; Everest Base camp [Tibet], Machu-piccu, Angkor-Wat, The Taj (How can you choose?)

9. The realisation that food [and wine] could be elevated to an art form to rival the best music, painting or literature in respect of it's beneficial effect on the soul. [Occured in a few places in the 90's where we for the first times experienced what true proffessional chefs can do.]

10. The discovery of the Chrons in a bookshop in Plymouth and the following 10 or so days.

[Footnote; I did this as an exercise and it proved a lot harder than I would have expected. Not that my life has not been full and rich in it's experience value - just that things don't really seem to stand out all that much. By the way - my wedding day was something to behold. I got married for fun [why else?] and it's been fun ever since.]

Having a goofy-ass site that I created out of boredom get mentioned in a New York Times Bestseller:

kevinswatch.ihugny.com/phpBB2/album_pag ... ic_id=1408



-jay

Rock on Jay.

--A

I've been thinking about this, off and on, but haven't formulated a list yet. I'll be back...

Meeting Jon Pertwee (Omnicon 1982); Peter Davison (Omnicon 1983); and Colin Baker, along with John Nathan-Turner, Anthony Ainley, and Nicholas Courtney (Omnicon 1984), back in the day of Classic Who.

Chairing the costume contest which had both Colin Baker and John Nathan-Turner on the judging panel, and Anthony Ainely as the Master of Ceremonies. Nicholas Courtney announced the winners after the judging (Omnicon 1984).

Menolly wrote:Anthony Ainely as the Master of Ceremonies

ouch

That was a devastating pun.

kevinswatch wrote:Having a goofy-ass site that I created out of boredom get mentioned in a New York Times Bestseller:

kevinswatch.ihugny.com/phpBB2/album_pag ... ic_id=1408



-jay

Massive respect Jay.

One day while dishing, the sun was shining in at an angle where it was hitting me, the sink and the counter next to me. On the counter was a dirty pan that I had used earlier for sautéing something that I had filled with water. There was still a little olive oil in the pan and it had beaded in these small droplets all over the surface of the water. The sun shone on it just so that they looked like jewels that were dancing, dazzling and glimmering with a golden light. It was beautiful.

Hashi Lebwohl wrote:

Menolly wrote:Anthony Ainely as the Master of Ceremonies

ouch

That was a devastating pun.

Which I used while introducing him (with waggling eyebrows as I said it) to the audience for the costume contest. And was why I wrote him, via John Nathan-Turner, in the planning stages of the con and asked him to do it, of course.

kevinswatch wrote:Having a goofy-ass site that I created out of boredom get mentioned in a New York Times Bestseller:

kevinswatch.ihugny.com/phpBB2/album_pag ... ic_id=1408



-jay

And we're all immensely glad you were bored that day.

So okay. In no particular order (which is why I'm not numbering them), here are some of mine:

* Asking a question of former President Gerald Ford at a news conference, and having him answer me. (I'd voted for the guy. Hard to believe now, but I used to lean Republican. )

* The guys in the newsroom at Mutual/NBC cheering after I'd snagged an important interview.

* Holding a book with my name on the cover.

* Visiting the Alhambra, and the Moorish baths afterward.

* Seeing original manuscripts on display in the British Library. That was probably my favorite part of my trip to London.

* Okay -- meeting SRD.

* Getting the email from the honchos at Indies Unlimited, offering me a staff position. I'd been doing my best to make them notice me, and it worked!

* As a teenager, driving down Lake Shore Drive in Long Beach, Indiana, in my mother's '67 Mustang, with the windows open and WLS (or WCFL) on the radio.

* Driving through the Matsu Valley in Alaska on a two-lane highway with snow-covered mountain ranges on either side.

* The Rocky Mountains. Hiking, camping, driving, or just looking at 'em from Denver -- doesn't matter, it's always amazing.

Smoking a pipe on a cloudless, moonless night in the middle of the Mediterranean.

Snorkeling in St. John's Trunk Bay.

The foaming rainbow bubble car wash back in my party days.

Pretty much every concert I've been to, in one way or another. For instance, driving about 4 hours to Charleston, seeing Truckfighters in their first US tour, and driving back.

Driving across the country with my friend Josh.

Driving across the country alone.

Taking my son skiiing.

Graduating with a 4.0 GPA.

Ananda wrote:One day while dishing, the sun was shining in at an angle where it was hitting me, the sink and the counter next to me. On the counter was a dirty pan that I had used earlier for sautéing something that I had filled with water. There was still a little olive oil in the pan and it had beaded in these small droplets all over the surface of the water. The sun shone on it just so that they looked like jewels that were dancing, dazzling and glimmering with a golden light. It was beautiful.

One of those rare occasions where the world grants you a gift, just for you, that can never be relplicated, never be repeated and never be explained. Wonderful!

Let me see.

In no particular order:

My first gig playing bass - in a little dive bar in New Hampshire

The first time I heard a song I played bass on on the radio - I'd driven an hour and a half to hear its debut on a college radio station in Maine

EFest 2014 and Meeting SRD - sorry, has to be on the list

In a few months, college graduation - that will be another high point

Winning my first poker tournament in Vegas - at the Rio, 88 players. Knew I was going to win from about an hour in.

The births of my children

The day we found out my oldest no longer had food allergies - we were able to be a "normal" family again instead of carrying food and fear everywhere we went

The day a company built on the software I designed sold for a cool $800 million. - this is also on the low point list, as our competitor bought us and it hasn't been the same

Any day where I can complete a song that I've been working on

The recent completion of chapter one in a project I've been working on - had the scene in my head for at least 5 or 6 years and finally was able to put it on paper in a way I was proud of

The first time I sent a high school crush a note professing my adoration, and she didn't rip the note to shreds - note that previous notes and efforts had been shredded up to that point

My mother-in-law recovering from a staph infection that had her on the edge of death for a month

The day Raymond Bourque won the Stanley Cup - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-adnOYdqJg - as a hockey and Bruins fan this nearly brought me to tears...it still makes me mist up

Snorkeling in Molokini in Hawaii - or anything in Hawaii for that matter en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molokini

This is an interesting exercise. I may come up with more.

aliantha wrote:* Asking a question of former President Gerald Ford at a news conference, and having him answer me. (I'd voted for the guy. Hard to believe now, but I used to lean Republican. )

My mom always jokes that she "got in Ford's pants" and then "gave him a hand job." She told me the story that she was getting him ready for a speaking engagement and ran the wire through his pants for the lapel mike, but during the speech, it didn't work, so she walked over and gave him a handheld mike.
That's me mum.

High points for me:
When I was simultaneously in a band, working as a DJ at the college radio station playing music that I like, and was getting a lot of attention from the ladies. Maybe the point in my life that I felt best about myself.

When I started dating my first real girlfriend.

First real grown up job in IT, and getting paid well. Of course this was before I came to know the horrors of office politics.

Bossk and I having our first real conversation after years of communicating via dick and fart jokes.

The night I hung out with an exchange student from Spain that I had a big obsessive crush on. It never progressed from there due to my own cowardice, but the pure joy I had from simply hanging out with her and her friend and feeling I had something to offer someone was big for me. Oh, and when I later asked her out and she accepted, only to later tell me that she had something else planned that night, which in hindsight was probably true, but in my self-deprecating mind told me she was not interested.

When I finally realized that the obsession with this lady was all fantasy, and I could stop looking for her in other women's eyes, and stop comparing what I thought ideal love was to my current relationships.

Seafest!

That's all I can think of right now.

Your mom rocks, Cag. And how could I forget Seafest?

Gosh - some great stuff coming out here!

I remember once walking through my home town - a hot sunny day, 19 y.o. I was the toast of my town, I knew everybody cool that was cool to know; I could hang with any of half-a-dozen different groups and always be welcome. I had a beautiful girlfriend and I had discovered the joys of 'weed'. Life was an absolute ball and I remember thinking to myself "My God, can life really be this good; Surely it can't last?"

Alas - I was right - it couldn't.

I can relate to some of the stuff. Apart from marrying and becoming a father I'd mention these moments:

• The total eclipse in 99 was awesome.

• My first gig as a bass player also rocked.

• I was the only fan personally invited by my favorite band Type O Negative to their headling show at the Wacken Open Air (3 days and 80,000+ people) in Germany 2007. I had the chance to hang out with the boys from Brooklyn and lots of other metal stars in the backstage/artist area.

• Getting behind the wheel of my first car -a Mercedes 230 (Model W123) right after passing the driver's license test.

• Eating my first butter poached lobster.

• Buying and moving into our house.

• Being told by my mentor at university my final thesis on "Worldview and Philosphy In Tolkien's Fantasy Literature" was outstanding and I should definitely get it published (never did because I was too lazy.)

• The first self made perfect risotto alla milanese.

• Standing at Cape Wrath, Scotland, looking at the rough sea with the heavy winds blowing my then still long hair.

• Watching dolphins (Firth of Forth, Scotland.)

• Discovering KISS - Alive II in the record collection of my mate's older brother when I was seven. I was hooked to R'n'R ever since.

• My first attendance at a Formula One race at Hockenheim when the engines still screamed like hell and didn't sound like nose hair trimmers.

• It may sound weird, but not eating or sleeping for 4 days straight after making the local coke dealers rich was awesome. However these days are over, luckily.

• Shaving my head after a life time of having long hair and a short period of a "normal" short hair cut.

• Getting the job at my current schhol in 2005 and finally getting the promotion in 2012 - I'm now only two further steps away from becoming a principal myself. Looks like I haven't reached the end of the road yet.

The list is endless ...

Oh dear, mine are rather boring and mundane I'm afraid.

Falling in love, getting married and births of children and grandchildren taken as read:

1. Passing the audition for the Guildhall School of Music and Drama when I was 11 (1963) to become a "Junior Exhibitionist" (don't laugh) which meant that I attended the Guildhall in London every Saturday during term time for piano and later flute lessons, plus aural, rudiments (theory) and General Musicianship (which we usually skipped to go galivanting off to various places within half an hour's tube distance from Blackfriars!) until I was 15 and a half (when I got a Saturday job).

2. My 16th birthday.

3. Meeting my particular friends, Sue, Maggie and Merry at college in 1970. Still in touch with all three, just spent a weekend in London with Sue and Maggie.

4. Finally getting my disctinction in grade 8 piano at the third attempt at the age of 24 (only got a pass at age 16 and then 21).

5. Inaugural meeting of the Lincolnshire Family History Society (6 January 1990 and my 17th wedding anniversary) and being elected founder chairman.

6. Publication of my book in 1993 (reprinted 1996 and 2nd edition 2000).

6. Being made President of above Society two years ago, and being given life membership last year.

7. Trip of a lifetime to the US earlier this year, and meeting so many wonderful people!

When it comes to high points Io, there is no 'boring and mundane'. How much would I have given to have been with you guys earlier this year!

peter wrote:When it comes to high points Io, there is no 'boring and mundane'. How much would I have given to have been with you guys earlier this year!

Well you have a few years to save for the next one so get to it.

my high points.......

Sitting with friends in a tiny restaurant in Lagos, Portugal late into the night drinking house wine and having the most amazing meal of my life.

Standing on the cliff in Sagres and seeing how beautiful everything was and how it was worth fighting for.

Walking into my house on the shore the very first time.

Starting my job working with the homeless, convinced that I was going to change the world.

Going to my first Harry Chapin concert and then him spending time after the concert reading my play.

Having all three of my foster children graduate from school, something that had never happened in their family.

Finishing college, actually finishing something.

Meeting new friends at two fests.

Taking the post fest road trip