KJ103's Friday Night Live In The Mixx @ City Walk in Bricktown
10/03/08
Come out and party with us every Friday night as we drop KJ103's Friday Night Live In The Mixx from City Walk - 70 N. Oklahoma in Bricktown - and bring the club to YOU!!
We get our party on 7pm - Midnight with me, Frito on the Radio.
If you were out this last weekend, check out the pictures below to see if we caught you getting your party on with our KJ103 Cam!!
I am one of MANY fans of the Blue Bomber on this site but I feel I deserve to win a press kit for some very good reasons.
I have been a fan of the Big Guy since the very first MegaMan graced our shores. The moment I dove into the heart pounding action of the Bomb Man stage, I knew this game was made just for me.
I used to get bullied a lot in school. I wasn't really popular, strong, or athletic. I tended to spend my time inside reading and playing games. MegaMan was the first game that gave me the power to choose my destiny, one master at a time. It was empowering and amazing! I still have my original copy of the game. It's not in fantasic condition, but that's because I've played it and loved it so much.
A few years later, I found a copy of MegaMan 2 for rent at a local video store. It was a good 15 minute bike ride from my house, and the guy at the counter said he couldn't reserve it for me. I have never ridden my bike so fast before. I got home and back in time to rent it (for a whopping $3.18, sign of the times...) and proceeded to play it all night.
In the intervening years I have travelled to Japan 3 times, and the highlight of my trips has been my mandatory troll through Akihabara to find those elusive "Import Only" Megaman Titles. (I even managed to do this while I was on my Honeymoon, did I marry the right girl or what?)
I've bought the soundtracks as well. And merchandise.
I know my collection isn't as big or complete as some peoples', but I've collected what I could as time goes on, and still do. One of the greatest highlights of my colletion is the MegaMan the Power Battle Arcade game. I used to volunteer for a local arcade operator, maintaining the machines and helping cash them out. I restored a Street Fighter for him in his garage, and he told me I could keep it. I was in tears of joy! About a year ago I won an Ebay auction for a CPS1 Power Battle board. The day it arrived, I put it in my Cabinet and haven't looked back. I intend to re-paint it in the classic light/dark blue and seek out a header, but here she is, my baby:
It's really every aspect of the games that drives me though. I love the music, the gameplay, the challenge, and of course, the Art. Capcom has the best art ever, and most specifically with the MegaMan series. For my birthday, a friend of mine gave me one of the greatest gifts a MegaFan could ever get, the rare, imported R20 art book!
I look at this thing every day! It's full of nostalgiac pictures and amazing artworks. He actually filmed the birthday party where he gave it to me and added it to the review of the series he let me do for his YouTube review show "The Happy Console Gamer". This video should also show my passion for this great series! I have to use a link as it's on YouTube and not my hard drive, but I hope you'll take a look:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0UqYgi0ECU
I've also found a way to keep the Blue Man with me every day, everywhere I go. I had my wife design some tattoos for me. They're on my shoulders, not necessarily for every day viewing, because they're mostly for me. MegaMan has had such an impact on my life, and on how I see things. You always have a choice, There's more than one way to accomplish anything, and if you fall down, get right back up and try again. It's this passion I carry for the games, the series, and the people that make them that are contained in the ink in my arms. Some day these will grow into sleeves, one piece at a time, but for now, here's my personal way of keeping Mega with me all the time:
I really don't know what else I can say. If nothing else, maybe this will be proof enough that I can get a promo code so I can at least buy a kit. In the end of the day, though, I owe you guys a debt ot thanks for 20 years of inspiration, devotion, and great memories, as well as for helping me find my way here, to the community that I hope will keep me long after the contest is gone.
Thanks for your time, and for this great opportunity.
Kurt Warner okay after hurting chin Warner received a few stitches to his chin after Sunday's game, according to the Arizona Republic. He should be fine for Week 6. Warner had a good game in Week 5 and
could have posted even better numbers if the Cardinals didn't spend
most of the second half sitting on a big lead. Arizona and Dallas could
engage in a Week 6 shootout.
*********************
LT aggrivates toe again Tomlinson aggravated his toe injury in Sunday's loss at Miami as a
defender stepped on him while twisting him to the ground, the San Diego
Union-Tribune reports. Tomlinson briefly came out of the game at the time, but he would later
return. In the end, he wound up with 57 total yards and did not score.
There is no denying that Tomlinson is not 100% right now as he only
showed his trademark spin on just one 11-yard gain on Sunday. "I know
my toe is hurt, but there is nothing I can do about it," said
Tomlinson. "I just have to continue to go out there and fight."
*********************
Keep an eye on Antonio Gates this week Gates' hip injury "greatly affected his ability to get open" in the
Chargers' loss to Miami on Sunday, according to the San Diego
Union-Tribune. After a five catch, 58 yard, and one touchdown performance last week it
looked like Gates had turned the corner to getting healthy, but he had
only one catch Sunday, and it certainly seems like the hip injury was a
major contributor to his lack of productivity. Check back to see how
much Gates practices in the coming week before making a decision on
Week 6.
*********************
Brian Westbrook fractures ribs in loss...status questionable Westbrook fractured two of his ribs during Sunday's loss to the Redskins, the Eagles' official site reports. This is the sort of injury that is not going away any time soon, but
possibly one that will turn into a pain-tolerance issue for Westbrook.
The Eagles have a bye in Week 7, so one possible scenario would be for
him sit out Week 6's game to give him some time to heal up. More on
Westbrook's status as it becomes available.
*********************
....Which means Buckhalter may get more carries this week With news that Brian Westbrook has two fractured ribs, Buckhalter could
once again be looking at an expanded role after having just two carries
for zero yards Sunday against the Redskins. The Westbrook news is too fresh to get a handle on how much, if any
time, he will miss, but it's an issue he will likely be dealing for for
weeks and not days, which suggests the team will need to turn to
Buckhlater more going forward.
*********************
Eddie Royal to miss time?? Denver rookie WR Eddie Royal sprained his ankle in the third quarter of Week 5's game against the Bucs on a punt return. The Denver Post reports that X-rays were negative but the ankle sprain will force him
out of Week 6 vs. Jacksonville and possibly Week 7 at New England.
Royal finished Week 5 with three catches for 23 yards before leaving.
"I tried to plant and I guess it rolled on me," Royal said. "A guy hit
me and twisted me up a little bit and it rolled." Expect Darrell Jackson and Brandon Stokley to see more work in Royal's
absence. Fantasy owners should keep Royal benched since he's shown
flashes of being a quality option when healthy.
*********************
When a stud is a dud CBS Sports So, did anyone catch LaDainian Tomlinson's effort in Week 5? How'd he look? Slow? Tentative? The opposite of amazing? Oh, come on. If you're a regular reader of this space (and if you
aren't, how's your 1-4 team doing?), you knew this was coming. Last
week, I went out on the thinnest limb I've ever gone on and called Tomlinson slower than usual. I assumed that it was mostly because of the sprained toe injury he's still recovering from. I suggested to owners who needed to make a move to fill a lineup hole and start winning games
to trade him away for a couple of quality players. And in came the hate
mail. I was called every name in the book, and many suggested I should
consider getting my brain examined at the local mental hospital. Again.
Democrat Barack Obama, reacting to Republican charges about his
links to a 1960s radical, fired back late Sunday with a Web video about
John McCain’s role in the Keating Five scandal from the early 1990s.
The short video, being e-mailed to millions of Obama supporters,
summarizes a 13-minute Web ‘‘documentary’’ that the campaign plans to
distribute Monday, spokesman Tommy Vietor said. He said McCain’s
involvement with convicted thrift owner Charles Keating ‘‘is a window
into McCain’s economic past, present and future.’’
The video release capped a day of complaints and warnings from
Obama supporters. They said McCain was inviting a harsh examination of
his past by having his running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin,
repeatedly criticize Obama’s association with Bill Ayers, a founder of
the Vietnam-era radical group, the Weather Underground.
Palin said Obama sees America as so imperfect ‘‘that he’s palling
around with terrorists who would target their own country.’’ She was
referring to Ayers, whose strongest tie to Obama appears to be a 1995
meet-the-candidate event he hosted early in Obama’s political career.
Weather Underground members were blamed for several bombings
when Obama was a child. Obama has denounced Ayers’ radical views and
activities.
Rep. Rahm Emanuel, a Chicago Democrat and Obama supporter, warned against McCain’s strategy on CNN’s ‘‘Late Edition’’ Sunday.
‘‘If we are going to go down this road — you know, Barack Obama
was eight years old, somehow responsible for Bill Ayers,’’ he said.
‘‘At 58, John McCain was associating with Charles Keating.’’
‘‘If we really want to talk who is associating with who, we will,’’
Emanuel said. ‘‘The American people will lose in that transaction.’’
A short time later, speaking to thousands of people in
Asheville, N.C., Obama said McCain and his aides ‘‘are gambling that he
can distract you with smears rather than talk to you about substance.
They’d rather try to tear our campaign down than lift this country up.
It’s what you do when you’re out of touch, out of ideas, and running
out of time.’’
Noting the nation’s serious economic problems, Obama said: ‘‘Yet
instead of addressing these crises, Senator McCain’s campaign has
announced that they plan to turn the page on the discussion about our
economy and spend the final weeks of this campaign launching
Swiftboat-style attacks on me.’’
Just months into his Senate career, in the late 1980s, McCain made what
he has called ‘‘the worst mistake of my life.’’ He participated in two
meetings with banking regulators on behalf of Keating, a friend,
campaign contributor and S&L financier who was later convicted of
securities fraud.
The Senate ethics committee investigated five senators’ relationships
with Keating. It cited McCain for a lesser role than the others, but
faulted his ‘‘poor judgment.’’
Also Sunday, Obama unveiled a TV ad on the economy that says McCain was
‘‘erratic in a crisis.’’ Some see that as a reminder of McCain’s age,
72.
The day’s events seemed to point to rising rhetorical heat in the
campaign’s final month. McCain adviser Greg Strimple recently predicted
‘‘a very aggressive last 30 days’’ of the campaign.
‘‘We are looking forward to turning a page on this financial crisis and
getting back to discussing Mr. Obama’s aggressively liberal record and
how he will be too risky for Americans,’’ he said in a conference call
with reporters.
You Knew They Was Gon' Get Him Someday...
From The Pulse...O.J. Simpson is being held in a Clark County, Nevada, prison
after he and a co-defendant were convicted Friday (October 3rd) of
robbing a pair of sports memorabilia dealers at a Las Vegas hotel.
The
verdict came down after 13 hours of jury deliberations on October 3rd,
13 years to the day that Simpson was acquitted of murdering his late
wife Nicole Brown Simpson and friend Ron Goldman in what was termed The Trial Of The Century in 1995.
A county clerk read off a dozen guilty verdicts against him and co-defendant Clarence "C.J." Stewart
for their roles in the botched robbery, in which Simpson and five
others barged into a room at the Palace Station Hotel and Casino to
forcibly retrieve memorabilia from dealers Bruce Fromong and Alfred Beardsley that Simpson says was stolen from him.
Here, the county clerk reads off the first five counts against Simpson: "Verdict:
We the jury in the above entitled case find the defendant Orenthal
James Simpson as follows: Count one, conspiracy to commit a crime,
guilty. Count two, conspiracy to commit kidnapping, guilty. Count
three, conspiracy to commit robbery, guilty. Count four, burglary while
in possession of a deadly weapon, guilty. Count five, first degree
kidnapping with the use of a deadly weapon, Bruce Fromong, guilty.
Count six, first degree kidnapping with the use of a deadly weapon,
Alfred Beardsley, guilty. Count seven, robbery with use of a deadly
weapon, Bruce Fromong, guilty. Count eight, robbery with use of a
deadly weapon, Alfred Beardsley, guilty. Count nine, assault with a
deadly weapon, Bruce Fromong, guilty. Count ten, assault with a deadly
weapon, Alfred Beardsley, guilty. Count eleven, coercion with use of a
deadly weapon, Bruce Fromong, alternative to count five, guilty of
coercion with use of a deadly weapon. Count twelve, coercion with use
of a deadly weapon, Alfred Beardsley, alternative to count six. guilty
of coercion with use of a deadly weapon."
Clark County District Court Judge Jackie Glass confirms the jury's verdict: (Judge)
"Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, are these your verdicts as read, so
say you one, so say you all, as to defendant Orenthal James Simpson?"
(Jury) "Yes."
Judge
Glass rejected requests by lawyers for Simpson, who is 61, and Stewart,
who is 54, that they be allowed to remain free until the December 5th
sentencing. The two face a minimum of five years in prison but could be
handed life sentences.
The defense had argued that Simpson
was seeking to redress a property dispute and had no idea that the
others had brought guns to the room.
The prosecution argued
that Simpson's actions had grown out of grudges the former football
star had held since his murder trial and civil case, and suggested that
they could right a wrong by convicting him. "You will be able to write
that final chapter, the chapter of arrogance and hypocrisy and that
will be the true verdict. The verdict you can feel good about,"
prosecutor Christopher Owens told the jury, according to Reuters.
To All The Baby's Mamas...
Although more white women have babies than black women, the black
women who give birth locally are more likely to be unmarried than white
women.
Statistics from the Illinois Department of Public Health indicate
about 2,440 white women and 550 black women in Champaign County gave
birth in 2006.
About
650 – or 27 percent – of the white women were unmarried, while about
400 of the black women – 73 percent, a rate nearly three times as great
as whites – were unmarried.
In 2006 in Vermilion County, 46 percent of the 948 white women who
gave birth were unmarried and nearly twice as many – 86 percent – of
the 220 black women who gave birth were unmarried.
"This is a concern in the black community," said the Rev. Jerome
Chambers, president of the Champaign County NAACP. He suggests there
are three reasons why marriage is a less-accepted option for young
black women.
– Chambers said there is a tradition among black families dating
back to the 1950s in which common law living is an acceptable
alternative to being married.
"A
lot of African-American families continue to live that way because they
saw it and participated in it growing up," Chambers said.
– Chambers said that many tribal societies in Africa often did not
have a tradition of monogamous marriage, and some of these attitudes
have been passed on to the present generation.
"Sometimes young people see not getting married as more convenient,"
Chambers said. "If I don't want to live with you any longer, I just get
a new boyfriend."
– Chambers said many black families in the last three generations
have been matriarchal, with either a single mother or single
grandmother as the head of the family or the caregiver.
"A lot of the young ladies today are not privileged to have grown up
in a male-headed family, and they don't have a real model of a
successful marriage," he said. "Having a single-parent family is what
they know."
The Rev. Evelyn Underwood, associate minister of the New Free Will
Baptist Church in Champaign, also expressed concern over the trend.
Her church has developed three programs that teach abstinence for grades 4-12.
"I'm not saying we should give condoms to kids; I can't support
that," Underwood said. "But we need to do more to educate our young
people.
"Younger women these days are focusing more on their careers rather
than on marriage," Underwood said. "I'm 65 years old. For my
generation, if you didn't marry, there was something wrong. Now it is
OK for women who want to have a baby to decide they don't want to get
married.
"As a minister, I can't condone this trend, since biblical
principles teach us that if you're not married, you are fornicating.
People used to believe in the spiritual standards more in the past. The
younger generation today appears to get away from biblical principles."
Maino Does "God's Work", Slaps Yung Berg
From The Pulse...Rapper Yung Berg can't seem to stay out of harm's way. He was
beat up and robbed last month at Detroit's Plan B nightclub and he
recently got slapped by Brooklyn-based rapper Maino in an
Atlanta nightclub. Maino explained during a recent radio interview,
"Yeah, he was a little disrespectful, so I just tried to clean him up a
little bit, and just give him a little togetherness. That's all."
The
rapper explained, "(Yung Berg) approached me and said to me 'Yo, I
heard you were talking reckless about me.' I said 'What?' He said
'Yeah, I heard you was talking reckless about me.' So, his body
language and his mannerisms led me to believe he was being
disrespectful to me, so I slapped him. That's all I did to him."
Maino
added, "Talking reckless about you? What you talking about? I shouldn't
be questioned by nobody. Like, if you got a question for me, ask me in
a way where we can talk about it. Don't fan out on me and approach me
like it's a problem. I did God's work, I just disciplined him a
little."
The situation has since been resolved as members of
Yung Berg's camp issued an apology. Maino said, "He kept his jewelry,
everything is cool. Things could have been worse for him.... I still
like this kid. I think he a good kid. I just think he has the wrong
direction, the wrong people around him. You don't walk up to a man like
that unless you already have intentions of it going somewhere.... Shout
out to his people for apologizing. Apology accepted. You should not
address people in that kind of manner. That's all."
Maino's new album, If Tomorrow Comes, is due out in November.
Feeling Left Out???
According to Bossip....Jim Jones responds to being left off T.I.’s “Swagger Like Us” track ft. Weezy, Jay-Z, and Kanye:
I think it was deliberate. I really do think it was
deliberate; maybe in my sick twisted mind I’m a little crazy. People
know who set the precedent as far as fashion
in this industry and people know who damn near changed the world as far
as fashion. You look at people, they went from the urban world of
clothing, back when Rocawear and Sean John was cool. And then in the
past 5 years I stepped in and gave them a taste of what rock and roll
looks like from my side. I guess people would say from an urban side,
and it seemed to catch on like wildfire, to the point that people was
going to stores and asking for that Jim Jones look. Me and Juelz had
**** do our own beat, I have Weezy’s verse in my inbox right now and
we kept the hook of that song because it was a sample. So we’re going
to put that as a bonus track on the album, and put it to the streets.
“No one on the corner got swag like you we don’t Rocawear that’s for
**** like you".
100 Biz Markie - "Just A Friend" 99 Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz ft/ Ying Yang Twins - "Get Low" 98 Warren G ft. Nate Dogg - "Regulate" 97 Eve - "Who's that Girl" 96 DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince - "Parents Just Don't Understand" 95 L'Trimm - "Cars With The Boom" 94 Master P ft. Sikk, Fiend, Mia-x and Mystical - "Make 'Em Say Ugh" 93 N.E.R.D. ft. Lee Harvey and Vida - "Lapdance" 92 Yo-Yo - "Can't Play with my Yo-Yo" 91 Chamillionaire ft. Krayzie Bone - "Ridin'" 90 Pete Rock & CL Smooth - "They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y)" 89 Cam'ron - "Oh Boy" 88 Jungle Brothers - "What U Waitin' 4" 87 Wyclef Jean ft. Refugee All Stars - "We Tryin' to Stay Alive" 86 Heavy D. and the Boyz - "Now That We Found Love" 85 Black Star - "Definition" 84 UTFO - "Roxanne Roxanne" 83 2 Live Crew - "Me So Horny" 82 Chubb Rock - "Treat 'Em Right" 81 PM Dawn - "Set Adrift On Memory Bliss" 80 Three 6 Mafia ft. Paula Campbell- "Hard Out Here For A Pimp" 79 DMX - "Ruff Ryders' Anthem (Stop Drop)" 78 Arrested Development - "Tennessee" 77 Cold Crush Brothers - "Cold Crush Bros. at the Dixie" 76 Big Punisher ft. Joe- "Still Not A Player" 75 Lil' Kim ft. Lil' Cease- "Crush on You" 74 EPMD - "You Gots To Chill" 73 Black Sheep - "The Choice Is Yours" 72 J.J. Fad - "Supersonic" 71 Whodini - "Freaks Come Out at Night" 70 3(rd) Bass - "Pop Goes the Weasel" 69 Common - "I Used to Love H.E.R." 68 T.I. - "What You Know" 67 Mase - "Feel So Good" 66 House Of Pain - "Jump Around" 65 Spoonie Gee and The Treacherous Three - "Love Rap" 64 The Roots - "What they Do" 63 Kid 'n Play - "Rollin' With Kid N Play" 62 Digable Planets - "Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat)" 61 Slick Rick - "Children's Story" 60 L.L. Cool J - "I Need Love" 59 Ol' Dirty Bastard - "Shimmy Shimmy Ya" 58 Ludacris ft. Shawna- "What's Your Fantasy" 57 Big Daddy Kane - "I Get the Job Done" 56 Busta Rhymes - "Woo-Ha! Got You All In Check" 55 Terror Squad ft/ Fat Joe and Remy - "Lean Back" 54 MC Lyte - "Cha Cha Cha" 53 Lox ft. DMX and Lil' Kim - "Money, Power, Respect" 52 Foxy Brown ft. Jay-Z - "I'll Be" 51 Doug E. Fresh & the Get Fresh Crew - "The Show" 50 Lil' Wayne - "Tha Block Is Hot" 49 Boogie Down Productions - "My Philosophy" 48 Nas - "One Love" 47 Young MC - "Bust A Move" 46 De La Soul - "Me, Myself, And I" 45 Geto Boys - "Mind Playing Tricks On Me" 44 Method Man ft/ Mary J. Blige - "I'll Be There For You/You're All I Need to Get By" 43 Game, The ft. 50 Cent - "Hate It or Love It" 42 Roxanne Shante - "Roxanne's Revenge" 41 Funky 4 + 1 - "That's the Joint" 40 Run-DMC - "It's Like That" 39 Tone-Loc - "Wild Thing" 38 Coolio - "Gangsta's Paradise" 37 Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock - "It Takes Two" 36 Nelly - "Hot In Herre" 35 Queen Latifah ft. Monie Love - "Ladies First" 34 Cypress Hill - "Insane In The Brain" 33 Bone Thugs-N-Harmony - "Tha Crossroads" 32 Puff Daddy & The Family ft/ Notorious B.I.G., Lil' Kim and The Lox - "It's All About The Benjamins" 31 Kool Moe Dee - "How Ya Like Me Now" 30 Tribe Called Quest - "Check the Rhime" 29 Digital Underground - "The Humpty Dance" 28 Ice Cube - "It Was A Good Day" 27 Beastie Boys - "Hold it Now, Hit it" 26 MC Hammer - "U Can't Touch This" 25 Fugees - "Killing Me Softly" 24 Eric B and Rakim - "Paid in Full" 23 Outkast - "B.O.B." 22 Naughty By Nature - "OPP" 21 Afrika Bambaataa & Soul Sonic Force- "Planet Rock" 20 Kanye West ft/ Jamie Foxx - "Gold Digger" 19 Ice T - "Colors" 18 50 Cent - "In Da Club" 17 Sir Mix-A-Lot - "Baby Got Back" 16 Missy Elliott - "Get Ur Freak On" 15 Eminem - "Stan" 14 Tupac - "I Get Around" 13 Wu-Tang Clan - "C.R.E.A.M." 12 L.L. Cool J - "I Can't Live Without My Radio" 11 Jay-Z - "Hard Knock Life" 10 Kurtis Blow - "The Breaks" 09 Salt-N-Pepa - "Push It" 08 Snoop Doggy Dogg - "Gin and Juice" 07 Notorious B.I.G. - "Juicy" 06 N.W.A. - "Straight Outta Compton" 05 Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five - "The Message" 04 Run-DMC ft/ Aerosmith - "Walk This Way" 03 Dr. Dre - "Nuthin But A 'G' Thang" 02 Sugarhill Gang - "Rapper's Delight" 01 Public Enemy - "Fight The Power"
So the Church of Scientology really wants to help Amy Winehouse, and they think they can help with her addictions!!! So they've put the word out to Amy and her people, telling her that they can design a program specifically for her!! Ok so I dont want be a hater and it seems like they really want to help her, but still the fact that the Church of Scientology is soooo secreative makes me wonder. And we all see how weird Tom Cruise is. But this is Amy Winehouse...it cant get any weirder....or could it????
This is my response to a blog post I read earlier today on Facebook... I wanted to share it here...
Chris -
Let me just say this:
IMHO - any campaign over the next 30 days which doesn't focus soley on the VERY SERIOUS ISSUES we have facing us -- the economy, health care, ending the war in Iraq and finishing the job in Afghanistan, our declining education system -- is not putting, well, the good of the American electorate first. It's time for us to get past distractions. It's time for us to get past rhetorical misdirection and to have a serious conversation about what matters most: the fact that we have serious problems, and times are far too serious for us to be spending time dealing with political BS. Let's have a real conversation about fixing the things which are seriously wrong here and get our nation back to the place of leadership that the world is looking to us for...
I had to go to the doctor today for a repeat prescription. It was only when I phoned up to make an appointment that I realised that I chosen the wrong week to run out of my pills.
I first registered with the University Health Service forty years. I never left after I became a graduate. I even stayed on after the University started advising me in their begging letters that, for reasons that were never explained to my satisfaction, I had ceased to be called a graduate and was now an alumnus.
Two reasons initially - I couldn't be bothered changing and it was a really good service. As time wore on, other ties bound me to the University Health Centre. After I had given up rugby and badminton and squash and was only left with golf, my then doctor told me that I might well not live to see fifty if I did not step up my exercise level. I was really devastated when I next tried to make an appointment and was told that he had dropped dead while out on his usual morning run.
Ten years on, another doctor gave me the same grief. This time I took his advice to heart and resolved to walk back to the office rather than taking the bus. My route took me past George Heriot's School as the mothers were driving their offspring out of the grounds at the end of the school day. As I walked in front of the lead car, the driver took her foot off the clutch and the vehicle kangarooed forwards, knocking me to the ground.
Lying there, all I could think was ‘Bloody doctors - what do they know?' I got to my feet, roaring with laughter, and went on my way. I often wonder whether the driver tells the tale of the time she knocked down a loony.
Eventually, when I began to feel guilty about still using the Service, I asked the Senior Doctor, whom I knew socially, whether I should fold my tent ‘like the Arabs and as silently steal away'. He said that they sometimes got fed up with dealing with young peoples' conditions and that they were all quite happy to have the odd geriatric in the practice. So I stayed.
Going back to the University area is full of small pleasures. I park the car in South College Street between two of the places that meant so much to me - the Old Quad, home of the Law Faculty and the Captain's Bar ( not necessarily in that order, of course). The Captain's was the haunt of the Tory Club and the aforementioned Law Faculty. We got on well with the locals. They occupied one end of the bar and we had the other end. We ignored each other, coming together only to complain about the pies which were bowfin' .
How very different from the home life of the ‘Meadow Bar' on the other side of George Square. That was where Gordon and the Labour Club and, when they were speaking to each other, the International Socialists, the International Marxist Group and the Communist Party of Great Britain (Marxist-Leninist Tendency) tried to engage the proletariat in the class struggle. Being a student politician (Conservative/Feudalist tendency), I sometimes ended up in there after an SRC meeting and I still treasure the remark from one of the poor and downtrodden when one of the IS was in full flow - ‘Haw Trotsky. Move yer erse. I cannae see ra fitba' on ra telly, ye tosser'.
The waiting room was packed - about 50 people. It is that time of year when all the Freshers are registering. As I looked around, I went back those forty years in a flash. All the usual suspects were there. The small and intense mouse, earnestly filling in all the forms and still not very good at making eye contact with the opposite sex (only a matter of time after she has had a few pints in the Union); the Jack the lad, sprawled across three seats until I did the hard ‘I could be a professor for all you know' stare when he reverted to being a guilty schoolboy. The Hippy, the Goth, the ordinary punter who was still somewhat bemused about being there at all; the foreign students for whom the whole thing was, quite frankly, foreign and a sprinkling of quiet and clearly nervous people who looked like they were regretting whatever they had got up to on their first weekend away from home.
And all, apart from one other old fart, so young and vulnerable. They looked like they were far too young to have left school at all - mind you, the doctors look like that as well to me these days.
Knowing what I had to do, I took out the book that I had brought to kill the time and held it up as prominently as I could to read it. There is nothing more satisfying than making it clear to students that I no longer have to worry about sitting exams or studying. I sat and read Jasper Fforde's latest -‘First among Sequels' in their faces until I was called.
More small pleasures on the way back to the car -into the EUSA shop to buy the DT for 40p and a coffee for next to nothing. Then it was time to go back to work and the real world.
I have just realised that quite a few of you have been posting empty nest blogs in the past couple of weeks. I should, therefore, tell you that all of my remarks about the waiting room are complete fiction. Without exception, all the students were mature and confident young adults. They were polite, clean, well-groomed and neatly dressed - the opportunity to check their underwear never arose but I am sure that it was spotless. They all had their noses buried in their textbooks or were writing long letters home.
