And my ex-brother-in-law delivered them 2 days ago. A box of old letters and pictures - from before and during the marriage years. (Also known as "the age of confusion".) No regrets though... we're still good friends.

Anyway, the point here is PICTURES! (Kien, you've got to see some of these - including the famous "Windjammer" shot!) This means the return of PICTURE DAZE!

Come back later in the AM and a story will follow. ::snigger::

Working title: BLOOD & ROMANCE

EDIT: Later in the AM (perhaps in Hawaii)

Consider this a mini-Picture Daze episode.


In the 18th year of his life, a certain someone (namely me) had struck up a casual friendship with this very pretty girl. He was out for much more than casual. For days and days he plotted and schemed to find some opening that would impress her to go out with him. (Why he just didn't simply ask is still a mystery.) Though to his defense, in his perception, SHE was the most "normal" girl he had ever been attracted to and he undoubtedly felt that this alone warranted a slick, diabolical and special ploy.

One day SHE announced that her "young rotary club" was organizing a blood drive on such and such a date at such and such a place. SHE also made it a point to explain that SHE was indeed "in-charge" of making this drive a success.

Bingo! There was the opening he was waiting for. He reasoned that helping her score points with her club would also score him points with her. So, he canvassed all his friends into turning up at the appointed time and the appointed place with the promise of free beer.

Now understand:

1. There wasn't a age limit on drinking in Malaysia at the time.
   
2. 18 year old guys are always on the look-out for free beer.
   
3. Blood drives in those days often served beer as a "fluid replenishment" after the donation.

On the day of the event he turned up with 12 of his buddies. SHE beamed when he walked through the door with his beer seeking crew at 11 AM. In an act of poetic gallantry, he volunteered to be the first. (Yes, that's when the picture above was taken.) To show her appreciation SHE sat on the bed chatting with him while a quart of his life fluids were being siphoned off. This of course made him feel that he had sufficiently impressed her... to actually ask her out after this noble event was over.

A nurse came by and pulled out the needle from his arm and was told to lie for a few minutes before heading to the drink tables. SHE left his bedside and continued to be the wonderful blood drive hostess. Within 2 minutes the nurse came by and told him that he could proceed to the drink table.

He slowly got up, flashed a gallant smile to her across the room and began walking to the drink table. Suddenly, there were gasps and muffled screams in the room. He looked around in a fit of daring-do to see where his rescue efforts were needed. Did someone faint? What was the trouble here? He was alert and ready to step into action... when his observant eye noticed that the gaspers and muffled screamers were pointing at him with the dread of death in their eyes. He also noticed a moist stickiness at his fingertips.

He looked at his arm to see that it was covered in the crimson goo called blood. In fact, there was a trail that looked like something out of the goriest Hammer movie... leading from the bed to where he now stood. From the area where the needle use to be in his arm... a small fountain was squirting out the red stuff at a steady pace.

The nursing staff descended upon him like hyenas to carrion. They sat him down at a table and cleaned him up and placed a new band-aid and gauze on the tiny wound. He was instructed to keep his arm bent while the blood coagulated. He did as he was instructed with as much machismo and grace as he could muster... as the recent panic was being quelled in the room by HER.

SHE calmly pointed him out to the panic stricken as an example and reassurance that all was well. SHE smiled sweetly at him as she did this. In his mind, all was not lost and he gallantly smiled back. However, instead of her sweet face all he saw were colored lights being sucked into an endless swirling vortex and an ever heightened ringing was mounting in his head.

Then it all went blank for him. He passed out and in slow motion fell out of his chair on to the hard cement floor... breaking the bloodclot and spraying even more blood around the room, sending anyone who was there to donate, out into the street never more to return. (This of course was retold in great comic detail by his sensitive and thoughtful friends who never let an opportunity go by at relating the story in mixed company of this uber-pathetic romantic maneuver.)

Yeah... so much for impressing her.

It all ended well though... because she did eventually go out with him (as evidenced by the picture) and all was well with the world again. (And yes... simply asking did do the trick.)

p.s. Kien's weekly Music Monday is up with one of my favorites!