funny

In light of the American who took off for Pakistan on his own to hunt for Bin Laden I think the premise would make a great reality TV show.  Let's take all the Reality wannabes (Balloon Boys' and Abby Sutherland's (girl sailing around the world) fathers, Octomom, the DC State Dinner crashers, Jon less Kate and the 8, etc.) and set them down in Pakistan with a sword, pistol, and night vision goggles.  Each week someone would be voted off (unless someone was killed or captured-then no vote needed!).  I'm sure one of these guys could catch him!

Recently I have had many people tell me they saw something that I posted or commented on the Batavian.  This would actually be the first time I have ever posted anything on the Batavian.  It turns out there is a Deb Crossett from Medina and she is the one who has been posting things on the Batavian.  It definitely feels weird to have people you know think you have said something that you never actually said.  Anyway, to help clear up the mix up between "Deb Crossetts" I have started a blog on the Batavian under the name Debbie J. Crossett.  I am from Batavia and I work in the Student Activities Office at Genesee Community College.

It is good to give thanks to the Lord,
to sing praises to your name, O Most High;—Psalm 92:1

I am off to Europe from Jan 4 to the 22. I will be flying into Brussels then going to a event till saturday. i will then fly to rome where i will stay to the 18th. I then am off to Paris, Munich and Amsterdam.

wow right? i am pretty over the top about the whole thing. I really need this trip as selfish and high minded as it sounds.

time to start seeing the world

goal for when i get back? be focus and start goal setting and mapping out my path for the next stage in my life.

as much as this may sound over the top for a 22 year old to say....the 20s are much different in the current economy and world then they use to be

1st:   We survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank while they were pregnant. They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a can, and didn't get tested for diabetes.

         Then after that trauma, we were put to sleep on our tummies in baby cribs covered with bright colored lead based paint.We had no child proof lids on medicine bottles, doors or cabinets, and when we rode our bikes we had no helmets, not to mention the risks we took hitchhiking.

         As infants and children we would ride in cars with no car seats, booster seats, seat belts, or air bags.  Riding in the back of a pickup on a warm day was always a treat.

         We drank water from a garden hose, and NOT from a bottle. We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle, and NO ONE actually died.  We ate cupcakes, whitebread, and real butter and drank koolaid made with sugar, but we weren't overweight because we were ALWAYS outside playing!  We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were home when the streetlights came on. No one was able to reach us all day. And we were OK !

          We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then ride down the hill, only to find out we forgot brakes. After running into the bushed a few times, we learned to solve the problem.

         We did not have Playstations, Nintendo's, X-Boxes, no video games at all, no 150 channels on cable, no video movies or DVD's, no CD's, no cell phones, no personal computers, no internet, no chat rooms.  We had FRIENDS ans we went outside and found them!

         We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth, and there were no lawsuits,  We ate worms and mudpies, and the worms didn't live in us forever.  We were given BB guns for out 10th birthday, made up games with sticks and tennisballs, and although we were told it would happen, we did not put out very many eyes. 

       We rode bikes or walked to a friends house and knocked on the door, or rang the doorbell, or just walked in and talked with thtem.  Little league had tryouts, and not eberybody made the team. Those who didn't  had to learn to deal with disappointment. Imagine that!!

     These generations have produced some of the best risk takers, problem solvers, and inventors ever!  The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovatiopn and new ideas.

  WE HAD  FREEDOM, FAILURE, SUCCESS AND RESPONSIBILITY, AND WE LEARNED HOW TO DEAL WITH IT.!!

  I  had the luck to be born in the 40's, and grow up in Rochester. The above was part of our  JohnMarshall 45th class reunion picnic booklet. I thought of sharing it with everybody who might remember these times, and really appreciate how lucky we are.  Thanks

Fred Gundell