The day after her birthday Jen was up earlier than usual as she had a special reason to get to work early. She was s surprised by her Moms sudden appearance in the kitchen. It seems that despite all her attempts at being quiet Mom heard her, she filed away the sharpness of Moms hearing for future reference. When questioned about the earliness of the hour Jen said she had been asked to do the opening set up. It was less th...

In the wee hours of the morning, while the rest of her family slept, Jen was packing. A towel wedged under her door assured the light in her room would not be visible from the hallway and invite anyone to inquire if she was OK, she was not OK. An old military duffle bag found at a garage sale was being methodically packed with some of her belongings."Enough was enough," she said to herself. Barred from dances and all spor...

We moved from the city to the suburbs in the early 60's and it did not take long for us to hear all the rumors and legends of the nearby woods that were part of Ohio's Metro-Park system. The most fascinating story concerned a creature of unknown origin that was said to haunt this area of the Tinkers Creek. Called the bufo or boofoo it was rumored that it was an escapee from the nearby mental institution. Another rumor occ...

One of the best part time jobs I ever held was for a large outdoor shopping centre. Long before the advent of indoor Malls, this centre was the crown jewel of shopping centres and very busy. The local police were forever having to leave their assigned patrol zones to run up there to deal with the problem. So the owners of the shopping centre decided to form its own mini-police department and a sit down with the police chi...

It was about 11:00 pm when the radio that had been silent since I called into service, suddenly came to life. I was advised that an intruder alarm was called in by an alarm company, the home owners were out of town. I responded that I was en route from the park, the other unit on the road with me advised me that he was about 2 minutes away from me. We met at the top of the street and rolled in dark. Rolled in dark is cop...

I have been asked many times why I do not share some of the stories about my years in law enforcement, alas that I cannot do. Remember those of us in public service quickly develop a dark sense of humor to help us cope with the day by day drama we face, we rarely see people at their best. Then there is the whole language issue. While in earshot of the public and news media it is a strain to maintain a PC tone in our speec...

Well I had my first date using the ads in the newspaper and it was a fiasco. Nevertheless I tried again and after a few phone conversations with various prospective wanna-be girlfriends I arranged to meet a woman that was closer my own age at a local coffee shop in downtown.Why this one? She sounded interesting. I waited about half an hour before she arrived and it was worth it. She was attractive, open, friendly, intelli...

About 20 some years ago there was no social media. Those wishing to meet people of the opposite sex had only a few options. One was attempting to meet a would be lover at a bar, not a good idea. The second was to attend one of the singles dancers. The cheapest was to use the personal ads in the newspaper. There were literally 2 full pages of these mini ads and the paper broke them down into various categories. Men seeking...

It had been an excellent year for the haunted house project and I enjoyed some notoriety as a result of the house's reputation. I had been interviewed for an article that appeared in the paper along with an excellent picture of myself. A local TV station set up a shoot at the airport. They were there to film Dracula's arrival to kick off the haunted house project. I  steppped off the jetway doors accompanied by a bevy of...

With the Halloween season closing in fast I am reminded of the numerous parties that I was contracted to perform at over the years as a mobile DJ, chief among these were parties held by local singles groups. Remember that on line dating was in its infancy and many folks wanted to meet prospective friends/lovers face-to-face, so these groups held weekly dances. They had some great turnouts, but it was the Halloween parties...

After a good meal, a movie and a nap I awoke ready to play. I decided tonight to head to the Strip. The hotel concierge told me that the bus was the cheapest way to go, and the layover was next to the post office located at the end of the block. So I headed out and walked the few blocks and found the layover. I questioned the driver of the bus that was there about the cost to ensure I had enough loose change, because as w...

This is a true story. The year was 1996 and I decide it was time to retire the Dracula costume and makeup that I had worn for so many years. Why the change? It seems whenever the topic of an upcoming Halloween party arose in conversation no one bothered to ask what I was going as."Let me guess, you're coming as Dracula," they responded in bored voices. So I decided it was time to think outside the norm. At the last Hallow...

The morning of my second day, I first head to the check in area, an area reserved for those of us here on a package deal. They gave us a book of coupons for free mugs and the like, but you need to check in everyday to get your freebies. I deposit my goodies in my room and head to breakfast. There is an excellent coffee shop on property I have yet to try. After a marvelous meal of steak and eggs I exit to commence a day of...

So here I am on my first trip to Las Vegas. I chose to stay downtown because it was cheaper than the strip. Back then downtown was considered a rough side of town. It boasted some well known casinos but was still called a toilet by many, and bears little resemblance to what you would find today. There was no Internet to check room prices, so you had to use a travel agent or call each airline and hotel in Vegas to get room...

It was my first trip to Vegas. I was single and decided it was finally time to visit the place that so many of my friends and relatives had raved about. There was no Internet to check room rates back them, but the travel section in the Sunday paper always showed which agents had junkets to Vegas and the prices. After a few calls and one visit to a local agent I found one at a great price and booked it. The anticipation an...