California

I arrived here on Monday, September 7th.  Things are going great!  The weather is very nice (though sometimes still a bit too warm for my tastes, but I’ll try to refrain from complaining).  I spent two days at the Queen Mary Hotel in Long Beach this past Friday and Saturday.  That’s one big ship!

I’ll be starting a job search this week.  I think I’ll have to take whatever I can get, but I’d like to find something completely different from anything in my past (a tall order under the BEST of circumstances, which these are not).

Anyway, another move, another place, another life chapter.

Movin’ On

On Monday, Aug 31st, I’ll be leaving West Virginia for the sunny skies of Santa Monica, California.  This will be yet another new chapter in my life, which has already seen several.  New opportunities await, as do new challenges, new adventures, new friends, and more.  Cheers.

New Quotes

I’ve added another page of quotes (not nearly as many as the earlier posting).

New Photo

Here’s a photo, taken in 1873, of the Hebrank-Rapp Lager Beer Brewery. It was established in 1854 in Marrtown, Virginia by my great-great-grandfather Louis Hebrank and his partner Markus Rapp.

History of Marrtown

I’ve been working on updating the Marrtown history.  I’ve added photos to the original section, and I’ve started a section to add info from 1904 to present.  I can’t add the photos here, but if anyone is interested in a printed copy, let me know.

Quotes

I’ve added a page of some quotes (OK, a LOT of quotes) that I’ve collected.  What can I say, I like quotes!

High School

I’ve added a link to my high school alma mater, Parkersburg Catholic High School (West Virginia).

Vietnam

I’ve added a link to the Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial Fund site, where I posted a comment about a person who I knew who died in the war.  His death changed the entire future of my life.

Taiwan

I’ve added a link to a blog that I’ve posted to about the Taiwan Defense Command (TDC).  The TDC was located in Taipei, and was one of the locations I was assigned to during my military service in the Air Force.  I was there for one year, during an interesting period.  It was while I was there that President Carter “normalized” relations with the People’s Republic of China (PRC, or mainland Communist China).  The outcome was that all US military and diplomatic personnel had to leave.  Let’s just say that the Taiwanese didn’t take the news too well.  You can read my account there.

Marrtown

I was born and grew up in Marrtown, on the south side of Parkersburg, West Virginia.  I’ve added a page on its history.