The year was 1977, maybe '78. The place was Guam. The child in the picture is me. Proud member of the KISS Army. What I wouldn't give to have that little plastic guitar today...

Some jackass decided it would be a good idea to smash out a dozen car windows in our neighborhood, and I was one of chosen ones. That's just what I need. *sigh*

I'm hoping to do some more hiking this year since I didn't do much in 2011. I've got to go through everything, get rid of expired items (med stuff, etc.), and fix or clean anything that needs it. Also, I need to get a new tent.

... the woman is clearly insane. :) OK, maybe not insane, but I think all of this lung transplant stuff she's going through is starting to affect her mind.

This is a "mostly accurate, though not exactly verbatim" conversation we had last night as I drove her home:

Me: Well we could ask Dawn M. to help out.

Mom: Who?

Me: Dawn M. Our old neighbor. It doesn't matter, I was joking anyhow.

Mom: Who?

Me: The lady that lived across the street from us when I was in high shool. She had a little girl and a husband who died not too long after dad.

Mom: Oh, I thought you said "Don", and I was wondering who Don is, because I don't know a Don.

Me: Um, yeah, I said "Dawn".

Mom: Right, but I don't know a Don. I thought you were talking about a man, because you said it like D-O-N, but you said "Dawn" like D-A-W-N.

Me: But... they're phonetically identical. I've never heard anyone pronounce them differently. They sound exactly the same.

Mom: No they're not. They sound totally different. One is "Dawn", and the other is "Don".

Me: Are you messing with me?

Mom: No. They sound nothing alike.

Me: OK, well we have to stop this conversation, because I don't speak "Crazy".

Mom: Don't be an asshole.

Me: Ha-ha!

Yes, she was completely serious. She started trying to emphasize the "w" in "Dawn", and that's just silly. I've never ever heard anyone do that before.

And yes, that is a picture of me, my mom, and my dad circa 1977 in Long Beach, California. See why I'm "halfbrown"? :)