This cat is sneaky..

Many people know the story of John McCain’s seven-year Veitnam P.O.W. experience in which he was tortured and refused to leave without his fellow soldiers. However, few know of a marriage that survived those seven years only to fall apart upon his return to the U.S.  “After McCain’s dramatic homecoming from Vietnam, the couple grew apart. Their marriage began disintegrating while McCain was stationed in Jacksonville” (link). Within a few years of his return, McCain and his wife Carol had separated.

In 1979, five years after his rehabilitation, McCain filed for divorce, and the divorce was confirmed the following year. The settlement included two houses for Carol (link).

A month after the divorce was finalized, McCain married his current wife, Cindy. Because McCain had gotten married so shortly after his divorce, this raised suspicions that McCain became involved with Cindy before the divorce had been finalized, something to which McCain admitted to.

John McCain once said of this divorce, “Marriages can be hard to recover after great time and distance have separated a husband and wife. We are different people when we reunite….But my marriage’s collapse was attributable to my own selfishness and immaturity more than it was to Vietnam, and I cannot escape blame by pointing a finger at the war. The blame was entirely mine.” (link)

A Huffington Post article included recent quotes from McCain’s ex wife: “Carol insists she remains on good terms with her exhusband, who agreed as part of their divorce settlement to pay her medical costs for life. ‘I have no bitterness,’ she says” (link). “‘My marriage ended because John McCain didn’t want to be 40, he wanted to be 25. You know that happens…it just does.’”

Could you ever vote for a candidate who openly had an affair?

There are some things about childhood that I feel I can’t remember very well. For example, there are certain trips I went on with my family where I can recall certain details but much seems lost . In fact, much of my childhood seems like a dream to me quite often. But one thing I do remember well is that I always loved getting together with extended family. My dad comes from a family of eight kids who all had kids themselves, so I have over forty cousins just on his side, and for the most part we all get along really well.

One thing that our family gatherings have always included is music. My uncle Tom plays a great piano and my uncle Tim always seems to have his harmonica with him. My dad plays guitar and many of us cousins and siblings play or sing as well, so we’re always jamming or just singing some old hymns that everybody knows.

Another activity always present at these family events is sports. Whether it be volleyball, ultimate frisbee, basketball or even just jumping in the pool after a long game, both the older and the younger have always been big on being outside and competing against each other.

Also, as things wind down some of us will play some board games. Games like Risk and Rail Baron have always been family favorites and were usually filled with alliances, bartering and a lot of competition over ice cream and coffee.

I’m blogging about this now because today we celebrated my grandma’s 88th birthday – she turned 88 on 8-8-08, so we had a big party for her at my uncle’s house. While many things remain the same, some things have also changed as there are some new faces as well as some familiar faces who are no longer with us. My dad’s oldest sister, Vera, for example, passed away last year and other relatives have moved away. Also, I used to be able to run circles around some of my younger cousins who today kicked my butt in basketball. But even though things change, many things are thankfully still the same. Though the people who used to be young are now older and some relatives are no longer with us, we are still blessed to have most of the family still around. This is especially true for my grandma, who has lost much of her memory but retains all of her kind and optimistic spirit. I feel the need to blog about this because today’s get-together in my uncle’s backyard brought back all the great memories of growing up and getting together with my family. I can’t say that I had a picture-perfect childhood by any means but I can say I am thankful to still get to have times like these with my family.

What is one of your fondest memories from childhood?

Funny stuff…..

Growing up I had a favorite blanket and I used to like tickling my arms with it for some reason. I called it a “sheeper” blanket, and to this day I don’t know what that means. But sometimes I still catch myself tickling my arms for some reason and then subsequently scratching them. It may sound weird but it is kind of comforting to me. You should seriously try it sometime. You won’t be disappointed.   

I also used to take baths as a kid and find myself enjoying them to this day. When visiting Japan a few years ago with my band we visited something called “onsen”, or natural hot springs. Some included different therapeutic minerals or additives such as tea and lavender. The onsen were in the mountains so the hot water felt great against the cold snow. It was only like $20 for the day and it was definitely one of my favorite tourist attractions in Japan.

Interestingly, the Japanese Macaques (Japanese snow monkey) is the most northerly-living non-human primate, and are able to survive in the bitter cold partially because of onsen springs… (link)

^^^  I’m second from the left.

Do you prefer baths or showers?

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There are so many roads
I don’t know which to take
The path before me
Sometimes winds
And sometimes it is straight
I’ve heard that there is rest to find
Past these jagged stones
And a place
To sit and rest
For these tired bones
I receive support
And strength from this branch
It has helped me
Through mountains,
Rains and avalanche
Up ahead I notice
A place that I can rest
I push myself
To find that place
This is my final test
I make it to a peaceful scene
There is a waterfall
I hear a sparrow singing
And all around me
Oak trees stand tall
I try to breathe deep
It’s difficult for me
But within the confines
Of this place
Rest comes easily
Every now and then
I wander in my mind
To this place of rest and comfort
When there is
No rest to find

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