55 YEARS OUT OF MY MIND

55 YEARS OUT OF MY MIND
PERSONAL THOUGHTS OF BILL HAUSMAN – 1948 to 2003

First Entries – January 31, 1948 – Hollywood, California

Second Entries – January 1, 1958 – Fort Wayne, Indiana

Third Entries – August 14, 1974 – Fort Wayne, Indiana

Fourth Entries – Started June 2, 1998

Finished July 29, 1998

Fifth Entries – On and about May 12, 2003, my 80^th birthday – Fort Wayne, Indiana

Finished October 2, 2003

1948 – What will I be like ten years from now? That is what I wondered then. What was I like ten years ago? That is what I am wondering now. Well, now I can find out. These were my ideas about things ten years ago.

1958 – Now I have found out. I do not think I have changed too much. I have matured quite a bit. I am not as idealistic, but I have more self confidence now. I am not as conceited, either. Strangely, I do not wonder what I will be like ten years from now as much as I did then. I was a bit disappointed that I did not express myself more fully ten years ago, but I guess that is part of the maturing process. I am not as reticent about expressing my true thoughts now as I seemed to be then. But it continues to interest me, so I will continue the experiment. Here we go.

1974 – I really don’t know what to say here. I’m just older.

1998 – Wow. I have a lot to say now. That’s why the date above says “started on June 2, 1998”. I know I will not be able to finish in one day, even though I am retired and supposed to have all the time in the world for things like this. I really don’t know why I picked the subjects I did in 1948. I think I just went through a dictionary and chose what might seem interesting. Some subjects are and some are not. But I’ll comment on all of them anyway. The one constant throughout my life has been, and still is, my interest in and love of jazz. That will probably come out as I write these comments 50 years after the first ones. So, here we go again.

2003 – And again, and again, and again. I am sure these will be my last entries. No point in going beyond the age of 80. At least that is what I think now. I may feel differently at 90.

2003 – Of all the babies born into our immediate family, all have been boys. No girls. Ev and I had two boys, Will and Pat had two boys, and Phill and Marilyn had three boys. Seven boys, no girls. I would really have liked to have had a daughter, but then I would have spoiled her and undoubtedly would not have understood her. So it’s probably best that things turned out the way they did.

BANANAS:

1948 – I like them.

1958 – I still like them. Plain with milk and sugar.

1974 – Still like them, but don’t have them often.

1998 – I should eat many more of them than I do. They are really good for you. Can’t believe I didn’t mention banana splits before. They still exist, and they’re still delicious.

2003 – I probably eat more bananas now than I ever did. I frequently have them for breakfast, sliced, with milk and sugar. Since I now do the grocery shopping, I buy them at Scott’s about every other visit. Four at a time so they don’t rot before I get to them .In fact, I had one yesterday.

BASEBALL:

1948 – I have never really played it, and I don’t enjoy watching it very much. It’s too slow a game.

1958 – I do not identify myself at all with the game as a participant. I still do not like it much and think it is too slow. Even on TV, the only thing I watch is the World Series, and that mainly because I might win the pool, which I haven’t yet.

1974 – They must not have changed any rules since 1948, because it’s still slow and dull. I root for the Pirates, though.

1998 – No change in my attitude toward baseball. They have all this baseball news on TV and I don’t know the names of any of the players, unlike pro football and NASCAR racing.

2003 – Believe it or not, I do know the name of one baseball player. Sammy Sosa. But that’s only because he plays for the Chicago Cubs, and Phill is a big Cubs fan. Maybe this is their year. We’ll know come October.