Okay Karaoke…

My vision of Dante's inferno would have to be a karaoke bar. There isn't enough alcohol in Scotland to ever make me stand up and sing like 'Ole Blue Eyes'. I'm always Mr. Designated Driver when I go out and I recently had to sit through Karaoke Night without the benefit of alcohol to get me through the evening. I've now added karaoke to my list of things never to do. I keep a Bucket List in reverse. The things I don't want to do before I expire. I also have a mental list of places I never want to visit. I live an organized life….

I like people with odd hobbies? I have a couple of them. A person's hobby usually mirrors their personality. I collect rare books and military manuscripts. That would make me an introvert, which I am. If I collected medieval daggers and enjoyed sky diving, that would make me an extrovert, which I'm not.

WWI is my favourite period in history and I have a collection of Spiked Helmets (called Pickelhaubes) from the Kaisers Army, including books, medals and documents from that time. I enjoy collecting items from the common soldier and each artifact I have tells a story.

My collection is like my personality, eclectic and a little bit of a mish-mash. I don't have a large collection, but I am working on it. German Spiked Helmets are like potato crisps, it's impossible to have just one.

I find 1914-1919 to be especially interesting as the origins of many of today's political problems and conflicts of the 20th century have their roots in the horrors of the past. There's something comforting about being able to blame today's problems on past historical events isn't it.

Today is my birthday and as the years go by my 'Special Day' seems to arrive sooner. After age fifty, twelve months isn't as long as it used to be.

I really dread the corporate birthday card. My office circulates the birthday 'Hit-List' cards on a weekly basis. I shouldn't complain, as I sign a large amount of these cards passed around each week. There's a significant amount of peer pressure to add something witty in these cards.

I hope this doesn't make me a Gringe, but I like the personal touch of a birthday card, preferably from someone I know. A phone call from my son, or a Birthday hug from Ms. S. are my ideal birthday gifts.

Happy Birthday to Me…

Across the Pond