Friday, June 27, 2008

Friends Are Rather Like Martinis. So... Do You Like Your Friends *Up* Or *On The Rocks*?

Frankly, like my Martinis, I like my friends *Up*, but am more than willing to listen with an open heart when my friends are served *On The Rocks*. In other words, I prefer for my friends to be happy & upbeat, but certainly don't ever turn them away just because they're having *down times* that don't fit into my scheme of things. I'm a friend all the way and I'm not wishy-washy about it. Jeeze, I never liked anyone because they were perfect, but rather because of their strange or abnormal quirks & idiosyncrasies. I suppose I've always sought out the oddities in people. I'm not really sure why, but suspect it has something to do with the assorted cast of characters I was raised around.



Since The Brown Recluse didn't ever care for family, she was a study in opposites when it came to friends. Even I must admit that growing up in her shadow had its perks. Our home was always filled with interesting, artistic, musical, funny, eccentric, eclectic, and sometimes dangerous people. This was especially so when we moved to Aspen. It was never anywhere even remotely resembling a so-called normal family life, but I didn't know many other kids growing up there, that did have the norm. Aspen is a unique place, or rather, it used to be. Back in the 1960's it was grand and filled with the most colorful cast of infamous & famous people.



The Brown Recluse was friends with Leon Uris, who was a frequent visitor at our house. His son, Mike, was a good friend of The Prince's and I had a major crush on him, not understanding the vast difference in our backgrounds. Still, he was cute & funny and always had great pot entertainment resources.



Another frequent visitor was a senior level ski instructor, Bert Cross, who was also known as *Dirty Bertie Cross*. He'd once been a famous ski instructor in Stowe, Vermont as well as Squaw Valley (which meant he'd bagged dozens of Snow Bunnies), but was also a fairly good artist. When I was 15 TBR let him do my portrait, minus the usual post portrait sex antics, of course. I remember he used to come over early mornings with what he always called "Boo-Boos", which were basically coffee with whatever liquor he had at the moment. I'm fairly certain he wasn't too particular at that point in his life. He also had a lot to do with my early skiing lessons. The man had patience of steel.



Another local character that frequented our abode was the head of The Aspen Underground Ski School... Ralph Jackson. The man is a legend in stories of anyone who lived in Aspen back then, to this day. Ralph was as old as the hills (although no one actually knew his real age) but taught trick skiing back before any of it was a sport. His students were the ones who created all of the events that came to be part of the Olympics, as well as nationals & regional championships. This man was a true pioneer in the world of skiing and yet, is seldom remembered as such, in most skiing circles anyway. He also had a profound influence on my skiing technique, for which I'm forever grateful to him. He taught me to do helicopters off the roll-jump. So, clearly, the man was a genius. Always has been. Always will be. Whether anyone has ever heard of him or not.



So.... I must say that I've always been rather partial to the eccentric & quirky, as they seem ever so much more fun than the mundane. Call me crazy, but... I will argue with you to the death. As bad as The Brown Recluse was, she always provided my brother & I with a diverse group of people, although none of them were what I'd consider role models. I'll go into the *dangerous types* at a later date. It was enchanting to me, being around these people and I always thought that my life was good. Hey - what the Hell did I know? I was just a kid.... And, Aspen was magical back in the 1960's.

To Be Continued...

Oh, and by the by... I Am Back. I Think. Alright, I'm praying. I think the back is back. For Now.

14 comments:

Mental P Mama said...

Wow! Some great characters...what an adventure your childhood was.

Treasia Stepp said...

You do sound as if you were surrounded by quite the cast of characters growing up. I bet you have lots of stories to tell about that and I am looking forward to reading them.

Glad to know you back is back. Fingers crossed.

Snooty Primadona said...

MP: You have no idea how colorful they all were, lol.

Treasia: I'm going again to the soft touch chiro today @ 10:30, just for good measure. We leave for Galveston in 6 days & I need my back to be in shape. You know, so I can lie around doing nothing for 5 days, lol.

Keeper Of All Things said...

Sounds like a wonderful upbringing!!

scargosun said...

Not that I will EVER think well of TBR but I am glad she provided you with interesting people to grow up around. :)

Mamahut said...

Yay your back and your back is back! You were just too stinkin cute in the portrait.
BTW I love the new look on your blog! Happy Friday.

Daryl said...

LOVE the new decor .. and I am so happy you are feeling better!

:-Daryl

Anonymous said...

You have truly lived an intersting life. I love that. I can't imagine growing up in Aspen, sounds cool actually.

Glad your back is back.

Love your new header.

Snooty Primadona said...

Whew! Just got back from Dr. Soft Touch & I'm so glad I went back today. He did, however, warn me to not spend too much time in the computer chair, so I'm using a timer to make myself get up & walk around every 15 minutes. Tomorrow I should be right as rain. And no more falling asleep like a contortionist in my chair. You'd think that would be a no-brainer, huh?

imbeingheldhostage said...

Wow, check out the new diggs! This is fantastic-- let me guess, Nap Warden?
I think you did have a great life-- completely different from June and Ward, but look what a fascinating person you turned out to be!
I'm glad you're feeling better and joining us again.

Anonymous said...

Lovely new look and I'm glad your back is back! Isn't it great when you start feeling better!

Holy Crappers said...

Lovin it !

#1

That Janie Girl said...

I love, love, love the new blog design! You so rock!

Told Kevin we were bloggin' pals - and he had no idea you were a blogger. Guess our doctors don't have to know freakin' everything, do they??

Anonymous said...

YAY! Glad your feeling better!!



peace
#2

 

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