Category Archives: MISCELLANEOUS RAMBLINGS

50 Years of Awesome

On Monday October 20th, 1969… I was born. I honestly think that might have been the first of my “one of those days” lol. Looking back onto that day at takemeback.to makes me wonder if by chance the day that I was born was a kind of weird divine life reading/plan smashed together on a lark by the powers that be. Because looking at the information is like staring at a blueprint of irony.

I mean think about it, Monty Python’s Flying Circus was the big thing on TV, The Temptations were popular in music, the President of the US was Richard Nixon, and I was born on a Monday.

And what happened in my life? I grew up to be a bank robber (a thief though unlike Nixion I never said I wasn’t) because of the temptation  of all that money I ended up on an adventure right out of a Monty Python skit and ended up with a comedy movie being done about the whole thing and all it’s flubs. Coincidence? It makes you wonder because after all, I was born on a Monday.

Sure other cool things happened, like:

  1. Elvis Presley. Yes, I was alive and enjoying one of the greatest singers the world has ever seen and then one day he was just gone. I remember watching the funeral and news coverage of Elvis. Everyone was shocked, it was like thousands of voices all shouted “No” in disbelief at the same time and watched in horror as one of their favorites, a person that felt like a part of all our families was just suddenly not there anymore. I was devastated.
  2. NASA-Skylab: This was a huge effort from Nasa and they had this neat “report from skylab from CBS’ This huge space station was so beyond cool for a youngster who loved science. I mean, I was in awe! They were testing things like how long a person could be in space, growing plants, the experience of prolonged weightlessness. I followed the whole 24 weeks, bought the collectors edition stamp and all that, lol.
  3. NASA- The 1st Space Shuttle launch. Yeah, NASA strikes again with mans ingenuity and desire to explore, it’s thrilling to watch and so of course I was glued to the TV on the 12th of April, 1981. The young adventurer in me like many others was enraptured at the idea of a time when space travel might be commonplace someday. It’s like the world got a little smaller and the universe a bit closer.
  4. NASA- The shuttle explosion: I was at home one day sick as a dog watching “The Price is Right” and they interruped Bob Barker, and I knew if they were cutting Bob it had to be huge. They showed it over and over and I sat there completely dumbstruck that something so horrible could happen to some of my childhood heros. It brought it home to me on how dangerous an undertaking can be even with a thinktank of geniuses putting a plan together.
  5. The Berlin Wall- I remember Ronald Regan being on TV and saying “mr. gorbachau take down this wall” and I saw people attacking the wall, tearing it down,and then one day it was gone. It was a moment in time that showed that people could come togher and right a wrong.
  6. Cable TV- I remember the hype of TV with no commercials, all kinds of packages based on your entertainment interests, and best of all there were remote controls. I remember my mother complaining about the price, I think it was around $30 a month, which to be fair was a decent bit of change at that time but cable was awesome because no more static TV shows, no fiddling with antenna, and again a remote control so one didn’t need to walk across the room to change the channel.
  7. The Gas Crunch – If you think gas prices are crappy right now lemme tell you about the time when gas prices doubled and then tripled and then the prices never went back down. Yeah, one day it was like 40 cents a gallon and the next it was near a whole Dollar, if you could find it. When the whole thing first started there were gas stations running out of gas, telling people they could only buy X amount of gallons, lines at the pump that went up the block, etc., it was ridiculous. Really I think the US cut off it’s nose to spite it’s face in this instance because suddenly everyone was ditching their American made cars and trucks and buying those cheap little Honda cars from overseas;,they were after all a well made vehicle, dependable, and got more miles to the gallon than that old pickup truck.
  8. The Concorde- I watched the world shrink a bit further with transcontinental super sonic flight and lemme tell ya, the Concorde was a sexy looking machine with sleek lines and swept wings. The 747’s that came along were ugly duckling by comparison.
  9. Star Wars- I remember standing in line at the theater for like 45 minutes to see Star Wars. I was a bit unsure of what all the hype was about at first but it was that day that science fiction became a part of me and hundreds of thousands of people’s imaginations plugged into The Force. The sounds, the special effects, the story…It. Was. Awesome. Nothing like the more recent ones that I won’t comment on.

As I reflect on all the things I have seen, people I have met, places I have gone, things I have done & accomplished; even with the bad times and the boring bits of regular life, well, I truly cant complain. Yeah, it hasn’t been all rainbows and unicorns , or roses (whatever) but it hasn’t been all gloom and doom either. My scars and tattoos all have a story, some good, some bad, and so do my experiences. I look back and see how I have grown and changed as a human, and what I have learned and can share from my life experiences. The biggest thing I can share is that I am far from perfect but trying to strike the best balance possible even while occasionally failing. I just keep getting up though and trying something else because I can and so can you, the only time that you won’t move forward is when you decide not to. To those who have read all of this Thank You , I look forward to my next 50 years and sharing them with you .
Hugs and kisses~ Dave

How Not to Make a Commercial

Dave: So, we tried for nearly a day (weekend before last) to get this right, finally we had to quit because it had been a long day. Christy was going to try and do something with what we had gathered last week but was a wee bit busy being sick; now that she’s feeling better today she looked at what we had amassed video wise & started fiddling with it.

Christy: I didn’t get a chance to do the chroma removal with any of this because honestly removing the green was for some reason also removing half of Dave’s hair, so…

Dave: So, while it’s not quite the video that we wanted to do since neither of us are video masterminds…

Christy: It’s a compliation of our messed up moments which seemed fun enough to share, lol.

Books2Read.com/b/DavidGhantt is the link for the book

Dave: Feel free to share if you had as much fun watching this as I did 🙂

Dave's Jacked Up Book Video Bloopers

Dave: So, we tried for nearly a day (weekend before last) to get this right, finally we had to quit because it had been a long day. Christy was going to try and do something with what we had gathered last week but was a wee bit busy being sick; now that she's feeling better today she looked at what we had amassed video wise & started fiddling with it.Christy: I didn't get a chance to do the chroma removal with any of this because honestly removing the green was for some reason also removing half of Dave's hair, so…Dave: So, while it's not quite the video that we wanted to do since neither of us are video masterminds…Christy: It's a compliation of our messed up moments which seemed fun enough to share, lol.Books2Read.com/b/DavidGhantt is the link for the bookDave: Feel free to share if you had as much fun watching this as I did 🙂

Posted by daveandchristy.com on Monday, November 19, 2018

Pop Goes The biscuits

So, I am sitting here minding my own business when I hear a thump and then something fall onto the kitchen floor. I snagged my glasses and took a peer across the room and saw a can; walking over to said can I picked it up and discovered that it was a can of biscuits. 🤔 Wondering why there was a can of biscuits that belong in the refrigerator on the floor, lol, I remembered that Bellatrix had been assisting in putting away groceries last time and lo and behold when I opened the cabinet I saw this. She had obviously put both cans of the refrigerator biscuits in the cabinet instead of the refrigerator. Of course with having the AC off due to nicer weather it is a bit warmer in the house this morning and so the can of biscuits did what any can of biscuits that is left in the warmth does, and as they did so they managed to knock everything over under the cabinet when the expansion of the dough finally made the can pop. How was your day so far?

Image may contain: food

WHY AM I GETTING THIS SNAIL MAIL?

Dave:  Baby, why are we getting mail from Florida Blue?

Christy: That’s our insurance? I think? I dunno that stupid marketplace does whatever it wants.

Dave: Oh. Well what’s our deductible?

Christy: No idea, we can’t afford to go to the docs either way.

Dave: Really?

Christy: Yep

Dave: You know how we can save some money?

Christy: …..

Dave: They could stop mailing us this crap [holding up some huge book we just got in the mail] They could save millions on paper and frickin postage because most of us can’t afford to go to the docs even if we are sick.

Christy: You’re preaching to the choir honey but we don’t live in DC so they just “think” they know what’s best, I doubt those buggers have even had to worry about where their next meal was going to come from because they were off work because of the rain or the hols [shrug]

Talk To Text

So I was using speech to text last night and this (whatever this is, lol) that I took a screenshot of (because it was so weird) is not even remotely related to what I said except the setting a goal bit…no idea where the rest came from and I know I said absolutely nothing about a goldfish. 🤣🤣🤣

THE UNANSWERED QUESTIONS

What are just a few of my unanswered questions you may wonder?

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  1. Why is it when reorganizing a room does the room looks worse than when you started right before you’re done?
  2. Why does the dog always want to go outside as soon as he’s had a bath?
  3. Why does the cat immediately use the litter box when you add more litter?
  4. Why can my child not hear me when I call her for dinner but can hear me whisper the word “chocolate” from 3 rooms away?
  5. Why do things we need or want only go on sale when we don’t have any money to spare?
  6. Why do some folks deliberately block your merge on highways?
  7. For that matter how did a lot of folks pass their driving tests when they never even learned to use a turn signal?
  8. On the car theme still, why does the car only need repairs when I’ve already paid all the bills and bought groceries?
  9. Why does school start so early in the morning?
  10. For that matter why don’t we just have school as 9-5 like a regular job and save parents who have a 9-5 some money?
  11. Why are bidets not common in the US?
  12. Why when building a house (when possible) do they not just put an access panel on the wall behind a tub/shower so that if something goes wrong with the plumbing it would be easy to get to and repair?
  13. Why don’t all hot water heaters come with a timer that you can set for the hours when you actually need hot water?
  14. Why don’t mobile home builders actually fill in the gaps between the wall panels and add a washi tape of their favored wallpaper over that instead of putting those stupid strips over the cracks?
  15. If people are so worried about the environment why are most household cleaners toxic?
  16. Why with the wealth of free knowledge available at our very fingertips via our cells phones, tablets, computers, and free wifi spots… do some people refuse to become more educated to better their situations?
  17.  Why the heck are people so fascinated with (and I’ve had them both and find the first ok once spiced) avocados and kale?
  18. Why is water expensive and soda cheap?
  19. Why don’t stores carry the more interesting veggies like fresh beets, rhubarb, parsnips, kohlrabi, etc.?
  20. Whatever happened to government cheese?
  21. Why don’t all of the girl scouts selling cookies have a way to take credit cards considering most people don’t carry cash anymore?
  22. Why can’t I simply put in a tip for the delivery driver from Domino’s when I’m paying for my order online?
  23. For that matter why does Domino’s charge a delivery fee that doesn’t go to their driver as a partial tip to begin with?
  24. Since we have the technology now to make grocery bags biodegradable why aren’t they all biodegradable yet?
  25. Why are so many rooftops black when a lighter color would keep the house cooler?
  26. For that matter, why are all trees cleared from a piece of land to be built on and only a handful planted when sturdy shading trees could easily help keep homes cooler in the summer and provide a wealth of jobs for people to trim and rake up after in addition to giving wildlife a spot to hang?
  27. Why aren’t really cool looking hats a thing if the sun is so bad for our skin?
  28. For that matter why aren’t parasols a thing for the same reason?
  29. Why does the phone always ring when I’m busy?
  30. Why is it that one always feels the need to tinkle as soon as they’ve got fresh polish that is not yet dry on their nails even if they wen’t beforehand?

Get it? Before…hand…? That was slightly punny so I’m done for now and I’m going to go back to finishing rearranging my office.

MARRIED TO MY BEST FRIEND

I saw a video today of my Aunt Clara’s little girl…who isn’t so little anymore; she was marrying her best friend. Speaking as someone who got it right the second time and thus has also married her best friend I can say that there is no finer thing to do.

I am so happy for them, even though I haven’t seen Darla since she was a tiny little thing;  I am so happy for her and her new husband and rejoice that someone else has embarked on a marriage based on not just love and infatuation but rather a marriage that has the bedrock of friendship upon which to build. Don’t get me wrong, love is important as is attraction but there are some days that you just need a friend and if your partner in life is not fulfilling that roll and in turn you fulfilling that roll for them then you do not have a solid foundation.

Dave and I have had many ups and downs in our lives some of which were self inflicted and some that were because we were just plain stupid but we eventually found one another and built a crazy weird kinda thing filled with shared ups and downs and a whole lot of odd stuff to boot, it’s always interesting at the very least lemme tell ya!

And so to Darla and Tim I say congratulations and may you live in not so much craziness as Dave and I do, lol.

THE PASSING OF A FRIEND

What do you do when a friend passes away? It sucks. You have to go and say, “Goodbye” or “Hey, we’ll see you later.” Which is what we did Saturday.

I have been a super hot mess of distracted the past few weeks because Geoff had to leave his earthly shell, I know that his soul that very essence of who he is – is fine because he was a good, honest and loving man in life, but I tear up every single time I think about how going home after a stint in the hospital became a frickin tragedy.

My heart is so very heavy when I think about him being gone because he was an absolute peach, like you have no idea, he was really really nice … and I downright weep for Sandy because she hurts so much; she will not have her husband for the hugs they shared and planned on sharing for years, the laughter, the music that he made and all of those moments of chatter and discussion they had, the morning cups of coffee, the everything .  They had a beautiful life together, sure with ups and downs like everyone else but beautiful and loving and with two wonderful girls that just made their life all the more bright.

Geoff was a person with a zest for life, there was always a quip on his lips to make people laugh, there was a diligence to him that everyone respected, he would do anything for his family including selling plasma if need be.  He would work all week and drive all the way from Ocala (where they had finally settled) to come to Jacksonville to pick Dee up to spend the weekend with Courtney since our girls have been BFF’s forever and our car wasn’t the greatest which it proved yet again yesterday morning when we tried to start it at their house to come home and it flooded.  I could almost hear him standing there laughing at our stupid car and the irony of it doing what it does at the worst possible time.

Geoff was a protector, a friend to just about everyone because I honestly don’t think he’d ever met a stranger,and a fabulous fabulous father.  He glowed with pride when Megan, Courtney, and Dee graduated, he was a source of encouragement for anyone who needed it, he would give you the shirt off his back, and was an all around damn fine man the likes of which you don’t find many of nowadays.

I just don’t know what else to say, my eyes keep leaking man, we’re all going to miss you.