On A Pale Horse

In 1991 I went to a drive-in theater for the first and only time in my life. It was located on the corner of Gratiot & Hall Road, just behind a modular home sales lot. Now a days there's a 7-11 a Ford dealership, which has 24 hour service center (nice).

I was home from my first year in college...I didn't want to do much other then hang out with some of my high school friends and have one more summer together (ala American Pie 2). But my parents, in their infinite wisdom, decided that it would be beneficial for me to have a job and pay for my own EMU education. So in order to do those two things I took a job at McDonald's. The pay wasn't that bad & it didn't require too many brain cells. I picked the morning shift, start out at 6am out by 1pm, nap time, party time, repeat. I was the one in the first drive through window taking orders and handing out change from this position I had the perfect view of Belle Tire right across the parking lot. So every day I got to watch 20 something year old guys open up the overhead doors and get sticky, oily hot from changing tires. We started the wave-and-smile flirtation and after a few days we actually talked. A co-worker thought he looked like Kenny Loggins I kinda thought it was Vanilla Ice (it was 1991 for godsakes).

Our first date was at that drive-in the double feature was 'City Slickers' followed up by 'Robin Hood Prince of Thieves'. We watched the first half hour or so and then made out during the rest of the film. He wanted sex I told him I was unavailable that day, even though I wasn't. So with no where else to go and a 5am wake up call for both of us we fell asleep before Robin Hood even started. To this day I haven't seen that movie.

Kirby's career started 1971 with film "The Young Graduates" and progressed with television and supporting film rolls. His film career included rolls in 'The Godfather Part 2', 'City Slickers', 'When Harry Met Sally', 'The Basketball Diaries' and 'Good Morning Vietnam'.

He passed away due to complications of leukemia which he had only been recently diagnosed with.

April 28, 1949 - August 14, 2006 - RIP

Labels: 1949 births, 2006 August deaths, actor, leukemia

I have a thing for schmarmy guys, you know, those guys that leave an oil slick behind them when they walk, the kind of man that is crafty but a bit on the stupid side. My dating history is filled with schmucks like this and it's no wonder that some of my favorite movies include guys like this. Charles Rocket played a great schmarmy guy in movies such as Dumb & Dumber, It's Pat(i), Earth Girls are Easy and one of my all time favorites How I Got Into College. His career started in the 1970's with a stint as a Colorado newsanchor and then got his big break as the second generation of castmembers on Saturday Night Live. His claim to fame on that show was dropping the 'f' bomb on live TV (video) he was fired shortly after this uh-oh.

Mr. Claverie took his own life on October 7th by cutting his throat.

August 27, 1949 - October 7, 2005
RIP

Labels: 1949 births, 2005 October deaths, comedian, suicide, television