The Tat Man

I did not see The Heckler today. It was too rainy for him. (Michelle, thanks for the conversation starter. If I was with someone and on a sugar/caffeine high, I might just do it.)

However, I did meet someone interesting. My co-worker and I had finished shooting train memorabilia for the story I'm producing about a local train depot's centennial celebration. We were in this cool building that might have been used to store coal or unload trains back in the day. The garage door was up and a guy walked by and peered in.

"What's this?" he asked.

"An art studio," I replied.

"You an artist?"

"No, we were shooting video."

"That's a switch."

Then the man noticed a photo of a wrestler on the wall. This art studio had an eclectic mix of images on the walls.

"That guy's a wrastler." Then he proceeded to mention when the WWF matches are on. "That guy has a tatoo like me."

I looked down at the back of the man's legs. One leg had a dollar sign.

"Put them together," the man said. His left leg had "EZ" on it.

"I have a tatoo too," I said. Feeling a little awnry, I revealed the temporary tatoo on my arm. It's badly fading now.

"Oh, that's cool. Those cars are still around." My tat features a blue VW bug.

Then, for some reason, I decided to give the guy a potato bump with my hand. A man who had caught up with him and didn't seem as odd was urging his friend not to be weird and also reminding him that the bus was loading. And that was that.

Truth is definitely stranger than fiction sometimes.

Out of the Mouth of My Babe

Conversation between my son and me this morning after I noticed he was spitting bubbles with his juice and getting it all over his shirt.

Me: "Don't spit bubbles with your juice." And here comes the idle threat. "I'll take that cup away from you."

Jack: "I gotta be funny."

Me: "What?"

Jack: "I gotta spit bubbles with my juice."

Jack, funny man in training.

Superman with a motor

One of the things I love about my job is meeting people and seeing things that I probably wouldn't in a somewhat "normal" job. Last night, a couple of co-workers, Jack and I met a city employee behind a grade school for a video shoot. We are starting a series called "Off the Clock," featuring city employees and what they do for fun. Last night, a police officer allowed us to film him paramotoring, one of his favorite pastimes. The above picture illustrates this activity, not the guy. I "borrowed" it from Wickipedia.

Watching this guy fly in the sky was amazing. Like he said, it's much better than a hot air balloon. You don't have to have a land crew following you. You have more control over where you're going. And the equipment breaks down and can fit in a trunk, so no trailer is necessary.

Who hasn't wished they could fly? This is an expensive hobby and there is quite a bit of training involved, so I don't think I'll be getting my wings anytime soon. Maybe I'll start with a Vespa scooter. (In my dreams.) 

The Heckler

Today, I had my first run-in with the man known as "The Heckler." With our move to a new building, we are now parking in a different location. This means I often pass by a man who alternates between sitting and sleeping on a bench between two government buildings. Last week, a friend warned that The Heckler doesn't like people who wear suits. He also shows his displeasure when people ignore and don't talk to him.

As I walked to my car this afternoon, I saw him sitting on the bench, warming up his routine. There were two guys in front of me, one in a suit. I squeaked out, "Good afternoon!" He said, "I'm so (beepin') tired of this!" I managed to mutter, "Ok," then quickly moved on. I wonder what would happen if a person yelled back at him. I don't think I'm brave enough to try.

Persevering in Faith

We attended a church social last week. Along one side of the church is an area that is intended for reflection and prayer. As I sat there sharing cake and ice cream with Jack, I noticed a stone slate with the following passage:

"Don't worry abut anything, but in all your prayers ask God for what you need, always asking him with a thankful heart. And God's peace, which is far beyond human understanding, will keep your hearts and minds safe in union with Christ Jesus."

Philippians 4: 6-7

God always finds a way to send me a message when I really need one. This is a beautiful passage to reflect on as we wait for a match. It is a reminder of the need for faith and trust in God's perfect timing.

Introducing

Our niece, Alison Brook. She was born on Friday at 7:51 a.m. She weighed 7 lbs, 7 oz. She came out sporting a hat, already a fashionista! Congratulations to my brother-in-law, Joe and his wife, Deanna.

The Bloodiest 47 Acres

Mom, three of my aunts, two cousins, a cousin and her husband and I toured the old Missouri State prison yesterday.

Who let these clowns out? My cousin and her husband.

Our tour guides. The woman worked in administration at the prison.

The new federal court is being built to the side of the old prison. You can see it behind the sign.

Another shot of the prison as a person goes in. The front was built to look intimidating to the prisoners. Officials wanted their prisoners to feel very tiny as they entered.

Our tour guides told us that women were treated horribly in the prison. One woman recounted having her tonsils taken out by another inmate. She nearly bled to death.

This sign discusses rules for a visit. Thank goodness we all had passes to go in and get out.

We were keeping everything clear. We weren't going to get left behind!

Our male tour guide was from Iowa. He said he never believed in ghosts until the time he saw one during a tour he gave at the prison. Down this hallway, he saw a male figure in a white lab coat enter from a hallway on the right and then disappear into the opposite wall. They say his name is Jack Caw. He was a neat prisoner who didn't die at the prison, so why does he choose to stay there?

A unit in one of the oldest sections of the prison. In later years, it housed inmates that were being rehabilitated.

A look inside one of the cells. The paint was chipping very badly in this old section of the prison.

An area I think they called the blind spot. It was an area where they put unruly prisoners. No windows. The small room now serves as a storage area. This section of the prison had no air, just fans. It was pretty warm as we walked through it.

Another section of the prison. Death row was housed at the bottom of this building. Later, they housed death row inmates in the same areas as other prisoners because research indicated these folks behaved just as good/bad as the other inmates.

The pride and joy of the prison. This was where the "honor" prisoners were kept. These folks tended to have good behavior.

A look inside with four levels of cells on each side.

You couldn't really smile in these pictures. It felt out of place.

My cousin, Stephanie.

I threw a riot in my cell.

Wild woman's cell, modeling the old fashioned prison door.

Don't mess with these white gangstas, especially the one with the blue car temporary tatoo.

Soap on a rope anyone?

We were ushered into a dungeon room and the lights were turned off to simulate the experience that prisoners faced when they were locked in these rooms. Bad prisoners were locked away for hours, days, even years at a time. One prisoner went blind. Another went crazy after being doomed in these rooms for 17 years.

Old-fashioned toilet.

Some prisoners painted their cells.

A beautiful painting.

Sonny Liston trained as a boxer during his stay at the prison. Liston became a professional boxer who won the world heavyweight championship in 1962. He played an exhibition game at the prison. You can see a painting of the boxer on the wall.

Walking towards the gas chamber, creepy.

My cousin and her husband in the chairs.

The bucket where the gas pellets were stored.

During our tour, the local fire fighters and SWAT team were training on the grounds. It was a little freaky hearing bullets being fired.

The tour was interesting. The tour guides are not sure if the prison will be saved, or, if it is saved, what sections will remain standing. I'm glad we took the tour while most of it is still intact.