1975........

I started this blog in 2005. Below is one of my first. It's recollection from college days - and very sadly, three within the story below are now gone (Whale, little Dix, Stinger)... I don't think they would mind me posting - for we all (I'm pretty sure) truly had love for this time, this era. The other day, I wrote about # of reads this blog has had. Well, the joke is on me. The blog below has had a total of TWO reads.. I apologize, kinda, to "Big Dix" regarding the below. He's a friend in life and on Facebook - but then again Dixie mebbe you earned it! Happy day to all.........

Posted 7/21/2005:

"The 3am Class":


I absolutely loved where I lived in 1975. (Shit, is he gonna tell another story from 30 years ago?) Yes, I think he is. It was a special time in my life. There were four fraternities at our small Liberal Art's College. From biased shoes, one was the "Do-gooders"...... One was "fun, KINDA like us, mebbe not as wild"... Another was the "I won't get my damn fingernails dirty" 'pretty boys"...... and then there was us... Animal House.

I'm sorry, I fit. Studies WERE of importance... but that time came approximately 6pm Sunday night, or, around ten-ish during the week. Somehow, we juggled fun and school, and occasionally a girlfriend.

We lived in a turn of the century brick house with 10 bedrooms that had been converted into 23 bedrooms, or thereabouts. My own particular abode was an angular 45 degree "cranny" underneath the attic, chopped out one summer - maybe 6' by 5', appeared to be a closet with a curtain adorning - and for that very reason I really lived a pretty decent life of seclusion.

I think I mentioned pinhead before. Simpleton. Call me that, it's Ok, I resemble that.

Among my favorite memories of that house: A Friday evening where my buddy "Whale" (6'1", 290) came literally rolling down the steps...... and our 80-something French House Mother came running out, reaching the panic stage of "Tooooo much Al-Kee-Hol!!!"

Normally, things were cool. The 'rats' lived in the basement, they had no windows - so it was tough down there to know when it was time to actually end a party.

Big Dix. Dix was a great guy. (We called him Big Dix not due to his parts, but due to the fact he had a younger brother that was our brother as well) Dix was a great singer, as well as a "shirt off my back"/I'll help" kinda feller. Dix lived in the darkened basement - along with 13 other Sigma Nu's... well, maybe 14, but we never figured out where Strobbe lived.

Most of us planned our schedule where the earliest Mon-Wed-Fri class we had was 9:50am.(We generally slept in on Tue-Thur!) Not Dix. Dix had the ability to stay up until 2am, and be worth his salt for Monday thru Friday 8am classes.

What's more, the bastard liked eggs....... Sooooooooooooooooo. His very loud alarm was always set for 6am..... so he'd have plenty of time for the three S's.. (Only in his case, it wasn't Shit-Shower-Shave........ it was Shit-Shower-Serenade) .... and breakfast on the quad at the College.

Not much more disconcerting than to constantly be awakened at 6am by Dix's rendition of Carlos Santana's latest tune, Motown, or Chicago (a song where they actually sang.) Just what we all wanted to wake-up to, a white dude, with a halfass Hispanic Karaoke. Dix's logic kinda said "Well hell, if I'm up, that's all that matters." --- so in effect, "screw you other guys." I really don't think he knew what a pain in the ass his early hours were to us.

We all loved Dix...... but by March, we'd had enough. With his scheming brother at the controls - we had a plan. Due to the darkness of the basement - we decided to (after Dix fell asleep) move his clock up three hours. Sooooooo, when his alarm went off at "SIX", it was really "THREE".

Twas worth staying up one night (morning) to see this. BEEEEEEP-BEEEEEEP-BEEEEEP, Dix's alarm went off. In a moment, he was on his feet, shutting the alarm off... grabbing his towel, heading off to the shower singing "You've got to change your evil ways........ BAAAAAYBEEEEE".....

Dix was Dix. He continued to shower... compile his books... dress.... and head out the back steps to take on another day. (Double Take)...... Normally, it's light out.... But this day it ain't...... Insteada 6:15 am, it was actually only 3:15am... but what the hey, he was ready to take on the day.

About all I remember was a plethora of cussing from Dix.... He woke up everyone within sight..... (Hell, we were mostly all still awake anyways.....) BUT, I think, as the clock ticked from 3am until 6am, he mighta gotten a silent message as to why this happened.. Living with Dix the remainder of that semester was a cinch..... I reckon he learned to respect your neighbors that day.

College is a very good teacher.

Tune in tomorrow where the topic will be (either) the night we shaved off one of Chuck's eyebrows while he slept... the time we put powdered sugar in Gibby's bed (undetectable on a white sheet, body heat during sleep turns it into a gooey muck).. or, what Stinger looked like the day he went to class after we'd dumped the Johnson's Baby Shampoo and filled it with Maple Syrup. (Earned, it wasn't his JB Shampoo and he ALWAYS borrowed it without asking).