My Miserable Memory Barely Remembers Burlington-Edison High School

What you see photo documented above is my old high school building before being demolished so a more modern structure could replace it.

I saw this photo when I info-searched for images of my high school, Burlington-Edison. I was doing this because I could not remember what the new version of the high school looked like.

That is when I saw the above photo.

And found myself surprised to see that, ironically, I was the source for that photo, as it appeared on a blog post on my Washington blog, blogged way back in 2011, with the blog post titled Wikipedia Has An Article About Burlington-Edison High School.

Prior to seeing that photo I was also surprised to see there was a link to a Wikipedia article about my high school. With it being additionally ironic to go from thinking maybe I'd blog about that, and the interesting tidbits in the Wikipedia article, to see that I already blogged about that Wikipedia article 14 years ago.

Yet one more indication my memory function is faltering...

Finding Flags Flying Half-Mast On 9/11 Anniversary

Hard to believe it was 24 years ago, the morning of September 11, 2001, that I got a call from someone in Dallas, telling me the World Trade Center had been hit by a plane. I erroneously thought, since the person was in Dallas, that he was talking about the Dallas World Trade Center.

I then turned on my TV to instantly find myself shocked seeing the second plane strike the second World Trade Center tower.

It being just a little past 6 in the morning, I began calling people on the west coast to tell them to turn on their TVs. And to tell my little sister that it might be a good idea to stay home today instead of going to her downtown Seattle office tower.

Diverting slightly from the 9/11 subject, an hour or so before noon, on my way to make a bank deposit, I was surprised to see a couple churches with multiple flags stuck in the ground in front of the churches. And then I saw a Whataburger with a flag at half mast. Then another. And another. 

I knew our Dear Leader had ordered federal flags to be at half-mast, to the consternation of many, because of the Kirk killing.

And then I got to the bank, next to the post office, which was not flying a flag, half-mast, or otherwise.

But, the bank's flag was at half-mast.

So, sort of appalled that the bank would be paying homage to Charlie Kirk, I asked why the flag was at half-mast.

Because it is the Anniversary of 9/11, came the answer, which should have already occurred to me. Which explained the flags in front of the churches.

I don't know about Whataburger. I have never consumed a Whataburger burger. If that flag is still at half-mast tomorrow, I for sure will never consume a Whataburger burger.

Leaving the bank, it was on to Lake Wichita Park for some nature communing. Which is where I took the above photo of the flag at half-mast, at the Lake Wichita Park Veterans Memorial, with Mount Wichita hovering in the background.

Microsoft Memory Remembering Mount Rainier

Pleasant memories from Microsoft's OneDrive Memories of this Day, today. Usually, I do not remember the actual date of these Microsoft Memories, but these memories, I do remember the date.

August 11, 2008

Mu sister-in-law, Kristin, and her mom, Janet, let me drive them to Mount Rainier National Park, where we parked at Paradise and joined the throngs hiking to the base of the volcano.

That would me, photo documented by Kristin, with Mount Rainier behind me. I think the object in my right hand is likely my long-gone Casio camcorder. Maybe not, now that I am thinking about it. I can't remember if I have videos I made from this day. Maybe it is my Canon digital camera that I no longer use, aimed at Kristin and her mom.

I seldom make videos anymore. 

My old-fashioned means of taking photos and shooting video have been replaced by my phone. 

Microsoft discontinued its super easy to use Windows Moviemaker, with me never successfully finding a replacement which renders video as easy to edit as Moviemaker.

I wonder if I will ever experience Mount Rainier, up close, again.

Ironically, when I lived in Washington I only visited Mount Rainier National Park once. I lived closer to other volcanoes, which I frequented frequently, like Mount Baker, which I could see from my living room windows.

Pondering Perplexing Prissy Prude

Yesterday I found myself in a conversation during which the subject of a distant acquaintance surfaced. I described my recent experience with this distant acquaintance, which then had the party with whom I was conversing saying to me, "She has always been known as an over-the-top prissy prude."

To which I replied something like, "Well, I really did not know her at all."

Then I found myself Googling "Prissy Prude" to see if the information gleaned via that means matched my experience with the individual described as an over-the-top prissy prude.

From Google...

"Prissy prude" is a redundant, informal phrase used to describe someone who is excessively prim, proper, and prudish in their behavior, speech, or dress, often to an exaggerated or finicky degree. Both "prissy" and "prude" describe a person who is overly concerned with being modest and correct. 

Well, that Google definition sort of matches what I experienced.

I do not think my personality type is meant to deal with prissy prudish types, thus best avoided...

Being Disrespected For Allegedly Being Disrespectful While Being Un-Funny

A few days ago I saw what I thought was a semi-amusing item on Facebook.

I copied said semi-amusing item on Facebook to my favorite photo editing application.

I then replaced the semi-amusing item's faces with the faces of a couple of the female gender from my high school class.

I then posted the altered semi-amusing item on Facebook with the following text...

It is nice to see a couple of the young ladies from my high school class, decades later, discussing how to be happier....

I was surprised the following morning to find the following message, from one of the faces, in my Facebook Messenger mailbox...

"What did I do to deserve that picture and remark? I detest the "F" word and wish it could be deleted from the universe. Could you put somebody else's face in there besides mine or just remove it please."

Picture and remark? I did not install someone else's face, or remove it, as per the urgent request. I instead put a circle over the offendee's face. And today I added a similar circle to the other face.

After receiving the urgent removal request I commented with....

Who would have thunk that someone might recognize one of these two pictured as themselves, and leave a comment?

Yesterday the primary offendee had her regularly scheduled monthly reunion with a few with whom I was in school, many decades ago. I assume at that reunion the offendee shared her highly developed sense of being offended, because a few hours later a new Facebook comment arrived from one of the monthly reunion attendees....

I recognized both….right away….very disrespectful…..Not funny…crossed a line, IMO…

To which I replied....

Yeah, any right-minded person would find such as this totally scandalous, shocking, really. The perpetrator should be totally ashamed of himself for perpetrating such an outrage. And crossing such a clearly marked obvious line. And what sort of miscreant would find such as this as even being remotely funny? Truly perplexing...

There you go. The most recent example of why I have made it clear, when asked, if I am ever going to attend one of these high school reunions with people I have not seen in decades, with the answer being I have zero interest in doing so.

I regularly hear from those I actually knew well, along with some I really did not know in high school, plus seeing some in person. 

As for the original offendee, and her fellow offendee, who was totally offput by my alleged wanton display of disrespect, I have done something I've never before done. I un-Friended both from Facebook, thus sparing them any possible additional emotional pain and suffering.

I'll happily provide the same service to anyone else feeling pain from my alleged disrespect and sadly lacking sense of humor....

Seeking Sikes Lake Cherry Blossom at Wichita Falls Museum of Art

 
Under a cloudy September sky, a Monday, the second such day in the 2025 version of this particular month, I once again ventured to nearby Sikes Lake to commune with nature whilst acquiring much needed endorphins, along with other benefits one gains when one communes with nature.

Today, in addition to my regular route, when I walked around the Wichita Falls Museum of Art I opted to add a walk around the Museum's Sculpture Garden to gander at the many wonderful works of art.

Such as the work of sculptured art you see photo documented above.

Looking at this creation, the work's name is obviously obvious to even the most casual of art lovers.

But, I shall type the art work's name in case someone is somehow not able to easily glean it.

Cherry Blossom & Astronomy

Now, don't you feel foolish if you didn't realize the name without having it spelled out for you?

Recovering From The Attack Of The Karen

If you are so lucky as to never having had the experience of experiencing the wrath of what is commonly known as a "Karen", or in my old Skagit Valley home zone, as a "Carol", consider yourself blessed.

The Karen types are programmed different from the bulk of humanity.

The life energy of the Karen type seems to be devoted to finding something to be upset about.

Upset about something which the bulk of humanity would not react to with upset, anger and irrational vitriol.

When one is the focus of a Karen it is difficult to know how to respond. 

Not responding is probably the best strategy.

But, it is just too tempting to flip the Karen's nonsense back at her. But, wising up of a Karen is never the result. It only amps up the Karen-ness.

For today's Karen photo documentation, I morphed the Karen with whom I dealt today, with the most infamous of the breed, that being the Central Park Karen.

And now I look forward to the rest of September, and the rest of 2025, and beyond, being totally Karen-free...

Fun Friday Night Football At My B-EHS Alma Mater

Attending a Friday night football game at my alma mater, Burlington-Edion High School, in Burlington, Washington, in the beautiful Skagit Valley.

Attending an event I never thought I would ever find myself ever again attending.

You get older and everything looks smaller.

The football field grandstands look way smaller than I remembered.

Burlington Hill looks way smaller.

The people look way way smaller than the large number of bloated blimps I see all the time at my Texas locations.

I do not remember the football field grandstands being painted in the gold and blue color scheme. Or the cheerleader outfits being so garishly blue and gold.

Anyway, it is fun being back home, if only vicariously....

Saturday Return To Sikes Lake Getting Chilled With Multiple Communists

On this first Saturday of 2025's September, it was back to Sikes Lake I ventured for a healthy bout of nature communing, along with oodles of other communists communing with nature.

Methinks the reason for the size of the number of nature communers is due to the outer world being chilled to 15 degrees cooler than my usual air-conditioning setting of 78 degrees.

I will do the math for you.

The temperature was a chilly 63 degrees, as measured by the Fahrenheit method, whilst I was getting myself some good feeling endorphins.

Unlike yesterday, today I remembered to photo document my nature communing, before I got back to my motorized means of motion.

Which would make that above view looking west across Sikes Lake from the lake's rocky east shore.

Yesterday's predicted thunderstorm did not happen. But rain did pour down, but not in downpour mode, for a short duration.

Possible rain is on the weather menu for today. 

Yesterday my air-conditioner did not cycle on for the first time in many months.

Last night, sleeping in my regular mode, in the buff, atop my bedding, I was almost chilly enough to get up and walk into the closet to get a throw blanket. This morning, anticipating tonight being colder than last night, my bed is already equipped with that previously closeted throw blanket.

I wonder if the currently early in the chilly season chill is a harbinger of an extremely cold upcoming winter. I hope not...

Friday Sikes Lake Nature Communing

Since Labor Day, til today, the 5th day of the 2025 version of September, also known as Friday, I have not felt like nature communing in the outer world, due to a combo of factors making the outer world way too humid for me to enjoy subjecting myself to it.

But, today clouds are mostly blocking the sun, the resulting temperature in the low 80s, a nice cooling breeze blowing, so I drove myself to nearby Sikes Lake to do some of that aforementioned nature communing.

Even with the outer world conditions improved, I managed to get a bit overheated.

On the weather menu for later today we have some thunderstorming to look forward to, with strong wind gusts and possible flash flooding.

When I got back to my motorized means of motion I realized I'd forgotten to photo document my nature communing.

Since the phone was in hand, due to checking how many Google Move Minutes I'd accumulated, I switched to camera mode, aimed the phone at the windshield and shot the above photo documentation of the parked view in the Sikes Lake parking lot.

As you can see, the outer world is already looking a bit stormy....