Rick Comeaux:  

------------Scroll to the bottom for my oldest post from May 2009----------- October 10, 2015 update: Hey fellow classmates--ya, it's 50 years since we graduated. So old but I'm still enjoying life while time is running out and I'm staying active. Hiking and line dancing. Reminds me of the ballroom dance lessons my parents sent me to for a couple of months when I was 13 at Arden Hills Swim and Tennis Club--Sherm Chavore (Mark Spitz's coach) was the instructor. Take care... ------------------------------------------------------------------- November 17, 2013 note: Hey there everyone--it was 50 years ago today that I won the Corvette--can't even get my brain around that fact. And it was a Sunday, like today. And can't avoid the JFK 50th later this week. After 50 years, the original unedited (and very clear, bright, and computer-enhanced) "Zapruder" film was just shown apparently for the first time on a TV special--although it's been available on youtube for a year. It's very gross--the second shot caused a big chunk of red to blow forward out of JFK's head. He died that instant. We were led to believe he was being treated at the hospital for the next hour or so. But there was nothing to treat. This clear version puts an end to any theory that he was shot from the front. Since seeing it, I notice that other showings of the film on TV crop out the bottom of those few frames so his head is not shown (as if the camera moved upward for a few seconds), or they just stop the film just before the gross frames, or the most common--they skip over them, just showing the first shot fired where JFK grabs his neck and then jump to where Jackie Kennedy is climbing over the trunk. That's the video I've seen for 50 years--until last week. What is also surprising is that Jackie's head was an inch or two away from his head when the second shot was fired--she had leaned towards him after the first shot. If you want to see it, go to youtube and search for Zapruder 2012 or Zapruder stabilized or Zapruder HD. Just amazing what experts and computers can do with old 8mm film--turning it into a sharp 1080 HD film. Hard to believe but Jackie Kennedy was only 32 when she became first lady. Their looks had a lot to do with Kennedy getting elected, probably transcending his politics---just like being black got Obama elected, despite being an inexperienced, anti-America socialist who, 5 days before election day in 2008, campaigned on the promise that he would "fundamentally transform America." The response of most voters: "Whatever--I'll vote for you cuz it will be cool to have a black president." In my book, calling for the fundamental transformation of America = anti-America. -------------------------------------------------------------- January 2013 update: I've added a few new photos (click the GALLERY tab above). If anyone wants higher rez copies of the photos I posted, let me know. Classmates "down-rezes" (is that a word?) photos even if they're uploaded in high resolution. email is rickscomeau at yahoo. Yes, it's now been 50 years since 1963. Holy cow! Thanks to everyone who signed my guestbook. Hope everyone is OK. --------------------------------------------------------- Update March 2011: The other night I was thinking--What a difference 50 years makes--no, not 1961 to 2011, but this: If we Class of 1965 people had been born 50 years earlier, the only personal vehicle we would ride in until we were teenagers would be a horse and buggy! And until we were 28, the only highway over the Sierras would be the unpaved 1864 wagon road! We wouldn't have electricity in our homes until we were at least 10 years old. Our only media would be print until we were in our late 20s when we might hear a radio. Until 1915, there was no such thing as a PA (public address) system with amplified speech, much less amplified music. We guys would have been the perfect age to be drafted into World War I, and each and every one of us Class of 1915 people would have died by now! And 50 years doesn't seem that long ago when I think about the songs that were new 50 years ago this month: Runaway by Del Shannon, Walk Right Back by Everly Brothers, Bonanza by Al Ciola, Blue Moon by the Marcels, and I've Told Every Little Star by Linda Evans. BTW, if you join Classmates, make sure you cancel before your plan expires, otherwise, they'll charge your credit card for a year at full price and you can't get a refund. ------------------------------------------------------------ Update September 30, 2009: This latest news about Roman Polanski reminds me of a certain time in LA. In 1975, I met a cute girl, Daisy Magnin, at the Tower Records on Sunset. She lived up in Benedict Canyon at Yvette Mimieux's house and Roman Polanski was staying there also. I never saw them (I chatted with Yvette on the phone once and asked for Daisy a couple times (this was before cell phones of course, and before answering machines) but one time at the house, there was a paper grocery bag on the kitchen table with "Roman's Vitamins" handwritten on it. I looked in and it had 10-15 bottles of vitamins. Also, I was kind of surprised that the ranch-style house with trees all around looked so similar to the Manson murder house I saw on TV, and it was only about a mile from that house, also in Benedict Canyon. Daisy left for Rome suddenly and gave me her number there but...oh well. -------------------------- June 12, 2009: Brian Sutton reminded me that it was 44 years ago today we were dragging ourselves home from our all-night grad party at Alpine Bowling Alley (on Florin Road). I forgot who the entertainment was, other than the Coasters. Brian said we had Dick & DeeDee, Kathy Young, and the Missing Links, who I never heard of. I vaguely remember seeing Dick & DeeDee singing on the bowling lanes, but don't remember anything about the others. The Coasters were cool since we were dancing right next to them (Brian says it was in the bar). You can see the Coasters on YouTube from 1965 and get an idea of what we saw. We thought they were an oldies act even though it had only been 2 years since their last hit. Music changed really fast back then. I remember the bus ride to the bowling alley and how some booze had made it onto the bus and we were passing bottles around and drinking up fast--the ride is only 20 minutes or so which means drinking fast. I remember someone else had more booze later in the place--someone I didn't know passed out bad and had to be taken to the hospital. The next morning, I remember walking home from Mira Loma in somewhat of a daze. Ya, that was 44 years ago today. Just can't believe it's been that long ago. 1965 was a good summer. Two weeks before graduation, I had gone to the Stones at Memorial Auditorium, which was the night after the Zombies, Ike & Tina Turner, DeeDee Sharp, Shangri-Las, Tommy Roe, Jimmy Soul. Three weeks after graduating, on August 1, I got my own car finally, a 57 Chevy, and an apartment at 3545 Edison Ave #24. Had some fun times there. Went to the Beach Boys again at Memorial on August 20. I had forgotten about this show until I came across my ticket stub. For the last week of August, ...Expand for more