After my freshman year at SUNY Oneonta in 1973-74, I returned home to the sticks outside of Port Jervis, NY, to the summer job as a sheet metal worker in my dad's factory, across the street from the house he bought when he moved us from Katonah. The summer before he and I and a couple of other unfortunate souls took a dairy cow barn and ripped everything out and turned it into the sheet metal factory he moved from the old Con Ed building in Peekskill to little old Greenville.
On August 8, 1974, I quit that job after another one of our blow-ups (#politics - I was 19 and no fan of our president; Nixon would resign the presidency the next day; he was a George Wallace supporter in '72). I decided to drive over to Otisville to "hang out" and perhaps go to the Bev for a meatball on end. I ran into Donna outside of Cinotti's, and asked her what she was doing. "Nothing." We'd dated for quite a bit of our senior year in high school (a new school for both of us), and kept in touch and even continued seeing each other during 73-74, but the relationship had soured. I don't remember why; perhaps I was still a teenage jerk then, too. And a geek.
Since I'd blown my chance to have Mom & Dad help me to pay for my sophomore year, and was now on my own, I was determined to head up to Oneonta to find my next place before they were all gone. On the spur of the moment, I thought about it and I asked Donna to move up to Oneonta with me. Totally spontaneous and unplanned. One of those Yogi forks in the road. My life was changed forever. We moved into a trailer park on Goodyear Lake, the road to Cooperstown. The trailer was (I kid you not) 8' x 32'. It had a short in it. Our Alaskan Malamute, Lady, went into heat that August, and we had no AC, and the screen door let just a little of the hot air out of that oven, but each male dog that came nosing around got a shock when his wet nose touched the screen. Winning! However after 3 weeks we finally got into our new trailer after begging the landlord - this one was a whopping 10 x 55! We spent the rest of '74 in there, some 45 years ago now, and were married the next spring. After moves to Los Angeles, Corvallis, Bryan/College Station, Tallahassee, Omaha, Texas, Tallahassee, Houston, Tallahassee, Hartford, and now, Eugene - she still stays with me and I'm over the moon with love for her, and the adventures we've shared with all of our kids. In any case, that chance moment and decision changed my life forever. We're still married, after getting hitched in the spring of '75 at my family's home, Fort Van Tuyl, built and occupied in 1771 by the John Van Tuyl family, and undoubtedly one of the seats of resistance to the Tories by Dutch and English alike.
Number 2: 8/8/88 - should be symbolic of some good fortune according to Chinese philosophy, I believe. In any case, this was the start date on my contract as a newly minted Assistant Professor of Meteorology at Florida State University. I worked there for a total of 25 years (including an earlier stint as a Visiting Assistant Professor, pre-PhD). I had also taught a year at Creighton and a year at Texas A&M, after TA duties at UCLA and Oregon State, and as lead instructor for two courses at OSU, too. I had great and sad moments in Tallahassee, but earned tenure (but promotion the year before - still can't quite figure that one out...) and did some solid work in research, outreach, teaching, and leadership. I think.
And the final one - 8/8/17 - yes two years ago today. This is the day I returned to work after a 1 week rehabilitation hiatus after the violent strong-arm robbery that took place the evening of 7/31/17 at my pharmacy, when I was victimized by the thieves, beaten and pepper-sprayed and beaten again (why did I get up?). At the ER the next day (the first of 3 visits from 8/1 to 8/8), I was told I likely had a concussion, and that has changed my life, too, as I've had several bouts of disability, including a 10 month stretch of no to less-than-half-time work and occasional problems that continue. I was 62 at the time, and old brains in old athletes don't heal nearly as quickly as young ones. Nevertheless my TBI/concussion gave me much respect for those who are victims of them, either in sport, accidents, attacks, etc. I will beat this, and thanks to my family, friends, and colleagues, I'm nearly back. Fortunately, my boss waited until my first day back full time to add 3 new programs to my duties as Science Dean. (bonus anniversary - 8/8/19) I just submitted 3 abstracts for the #AMS100 anniversary meeting. Can't wait to get to Boston in January to see everyone I've met in the 44 years since I've been an @ametsoc member, and husband!
Bye for now...1st one was great! 2nd one had ups and downs. 3rd one is the toughest, but I'm determined. Happy Anniversary, and I hope to celebrate in Boston with many of you in January!
Paul Ruscher • 8 August 2019
No comments:
Post a Comment