Three points of silly pride

[gurdonark]

I like that when I run the "magic points" 'similar interest' LiveJournal function, the LJ user considered to be most similar to me is the guppies, community, with its ardent discussions of tropical livebearing fish.
I am summed up, somehow, by that.

I chose my professional school path in order to cause my father to lose a wager. I've always felt that makes me uniquely qualified to give career advice.

When I was eight years old, I won the statewide newspaper "What's My Line" contest. I supplied a caption to a cartoon. The cartoon pictured a very surly man behind a lunch counter, standing in front of a sign that said "Service with a Smile". My winning caption was "I haven't served you yet, have I?". I believe the prize was 5 dollars. That was the moment at which I knew that I was not a great novelist.

I'll bet everyone has similar "defining stories" of silly achievements. I'd love to hear any of yours.

Comments

i love this post.

[pigri.livejournal.com]

this is a marvelous post idea.


now i just have to think of some points of pride.

Re: i love this post.

[gurdonark.livejournal.com]

Thanks. I'll be eager to hear yours.

[marstokyo.livejournal.com]

Not sure I understand what you mean by "similar talismans for silly achievements"??? a good luck charm for something you did that was stupid??huh?

[gurdonark.livejournal.com]

Yes. That's it. Of all my stupid achievements, those 3 seem to be magic charms to describe me.

[marstokyo.livejournal.com]

When I was around 8 or 9 I won a contest from the cereal company that made Sugar Smacks. It was a contest to complete a cartoon. The only thing they gave you was the cartoon of the Sugar Bear stretched out kind of horizontally. So I drew a hammock around him tied to two trees, and a lit stick of dynamite underneath the hammock. Somebody at the cereal company must have had a subversive streak like me, I won third prize... which I think was a stupid Chatty Cathy doll I never liked.

is that like what you were thinking?

[gurdonark.livejournal.com]

Yes! This is talismanic, because no matter how many cool things you've done ("Marstokyo" is fun to run through google, because you've got some cool stuff out there), this Chatty Cathy prize tells us
something about you that no other thing might tell!

I love that image of poor Sugar Bear and the TNT.

the little scorpio swims like a fish!!!!

[geisa.livejournal.com]

well...when i was a kid, i used to love to go to camps during the summer. i would go anywhere, anytime...just put me on the bus and let's go to the woods!!! i miss that a lot.

but there was one camp that i would go to and stay for at least a month every summer...just loved it!!! we were all divided up and slept in cabins full of bunk beds, telling outrageous "ghost/horror" stories by night (you know, the infamous "hatchet lady" etc.), and then we would do "activities" during the day. you would sign up for your weeks activities like registering for class in school. they had rifle range, archery, arts and crafts, skiing, swimming, horse back riding and others. i can't remember them all, but being the TOTAL scorpio that i am, i was always in the water, swimming, swimming, swimming!!! so i got into the swimming program. you started out as a "guppie" actually and worked your way up to minnow, sailfish, etc. i forgot how many levels there were. there were several tests that you would have to pass in relation to your swimming skills in order to move up to the next level. for example, i stayed under water for over 2 minutes, did certain dives (most off of a 40 foot or more tower, it sure looks a lot higher when you're up there looking down!!!;)), learned many swimming styles, treaded water for 30 minutes, etc. but you also had to be a certain age for some of the levels because...actually the final, and last level was SENIOR LIFE SAVER!!! yes, you could be a REAL LIFE GUARD with your senior life saver CERTIFICATE!!! and yes, my last year there i made it. the year before i had to stop at junior life saver, because i was too young to go further. but the next year i was old enough and made it!!! i am a REAL LIFE GUARD!!!

i never will forget the last thing that i had to do though, and that was swim allllllll the way to "ant island" and back!!! it was over a mile!!! that probably doesn't sound like that big of a deal to most adults...but i jumped right in and started going...it was actually fun. a counselor paddled a canoe next to me the whole way there and back...no rest though...you had to turn around and swim straight back, breast stroke, of course. i think that was the biggest accomplishment to me...that swim. all of my little friends, and all of the other little swimmers, guppies, minnows, etc., everybody!!! stood anxiously on the pier watching me the whole way and were so excited and impressed when i climbed up that ladder back onto the pier!!!;) because EVERYBODY knows...in order to make it all the way to senior life saver, you have to swim allllllll the way to "ant island" and back, a seemingly impossible task when you are just a mere "guppie"!!!

but i did it...and i loved it...priceless!!!;)

Re: the little scorpio swims like a fish!!!!

[gurdonark.livejournal.com]

Now that story shows you were truly "in the swim"!

[voodoukween.livejournal.com]

so i had this fabulous post going and blang! gone! drats! sometimes i wonder if that means i should can the whole thing

i refuse to be psychically guided by computer fumblings

so

i cannot recall any silly achievements as a child

i was far too serious and had a father who was even more so

i think, however, that i more than made up for it as an adult

and i could figure out how to upload a picture to these silly comment pages, i would show you a picture of one of my favorite "awards" that i still hang somewhere in my studio to amuse me

[gurdonark.livejournal.com]

I am no good at anything LJ, but the comment thing has a place to reference a pic on the web.

Tell me an image of your award instead, though!

[voodoukween.livejournal.com]

i know, i just have to figure out where to publish on the web besides my website...

so here's my favorite award story

i was just beginning my road trips as an engineer for Rohr Industries and my second trip was the first i would take all on my own (the first was with a male co-worker to Sheridan, Arkansas)

i was sent to a plant in Heber Springs, Arkansas, sadly the plant is no longer functioning for those lucky enough to have been hired and worked there...the wages were excellent compared to local standards and still low compared to here

they had probably heard that a "woman" engineer was coming because the skepticism, the resistance and the outright sexist behavior was blatant and tediously consistent

this is not a statement against the region or it's inhabitants....i encountered this even more here in southern california if not everywhere i went to perform inspections and analysis

i already had plenty of strikes against me it seems

well, the job i was sent to do just kept getting put on hold and excuses were made and finally my boss back here decided enough was enough and told me he would be arrive first thing the next day and for me not to say a word....i was to act as if i'd known nothing of it

he even wore his red "power" tie

we all knew what that meant

so next morning i come to work with my boss following and all the management jaws dropped. he proceeded to check the work i had accomplished and ask about current progress and completion dates and then went to bat for me

thank you John Sedej! (he hired me)

needless to say by the time he left that afternoon the roadblocks disappeared and my job was completed in a couple of days

about two weeks later, i was presented, much to my embarrassment, by my boss in my office, this wooden plaque in the shape of the state of Arkansas with a metal piece attached where upon was engraved:

LYNN DEWART
We extend our sincere appreciation for your support of the Heber Springs facility

SERVICE
COMMITMENT
OWNERSHIP
TEAMWORK
ETHICAL BEHAVIOR

(SCOTE - what a mission acronym ?!?!?!?!)

October 13, 1989

now, the teasing was unceasing from my co-workers, all male

i still do hang it in my studio with a sense of irony and fondness

especially because i returned to Heber Springs to spend 6 months in pretty much heaven on earth as far as geography, flora and fauna goes.....i have very, very fond and vivid memories of my time there and the people who welcomed me into their homes and lives.. it was a magnificent time in my life.....

[gurdonark.livejournal.com]

Nice award, nice story! Heber Springs is very nice. It's even gotten a few "resorts" lately. I would love to spend a long weekend there!

Re:

[voodoukween.livejournal.com]

really is a beautiful place, or at least it was the last time i was there

what do you mean "gotten a few resorts"

as in work?

[gurdonark.livejournal.com]

It used to be Heber Springs had one "fancy place to stay", or "resort", but I think it now has several.
I think it's always had more informal places as well.

[voodoukween.livejournal.com]

i stayed in some condos then in a friend's home a few miles northeast of town surrounded by beautiful woods

the plant i went to work at was just a tiny bit west of the old swinging bridge over the Red River

do you know where that is?

there was a great place to grab a big old juicy hamburger and excellent french fries for lunch right at the bridge

i recall hearing some years ago that some group of rowdy teenagers got on the bridge after graduation of something and got it swinging so much that it actually broke

stupid kids