My Earliest Memories

I have decided to focus this blog on "the moments", or memories of my life, so it only seems fitting that I begin with my earliest recollections. My first memory was actually quite traumatic. I remember we were preparing to eat dinner and I was eager to help my Mom set the table. She had prepared a roast and some other side dishes. When ever we had a roast, the drippings were served to be drizzled over the meat and potatoes. My mother had removed the vegetables to serving dishes, the roast to a serving platter, and the broth was poured into a 4 cup Pyrex measuring decanter. After carrying some vegetables to the table and while my mother was setting the roast on the table, I went back to the kitchen with the intent to deliver the broth to the table. I am not exactly sure what transpired next (perhaps it was too heavy or the glass pitcher was too hot for my hands), but the broth ended up on my right arm. I was very young (4, maybe 5) and all I remember was being wrapped in a blanket and rushed to the car. Later I learned that I was wearing a wool sweater that was quickly pulled over my head, but an intricate scar remains.


Overall I would say that I had a pretty normal middle-class upbringing during the 60's (I was born in 1962). While I was the last of six children (3 brothers, 2 sisters) I was raised primarily with my brother Kevin who was four years older then I. I was born very late in my parents life; my father, John Lester Blodgett, was born in 1917 and was 45 at my birth while my mother, Flora May (Irons) Blodgett was born in 1916 and was almost 46 at my birth. When I was born my three oldest siblings (Beverly, Nancy, and Ken) were each married and had children. Beverly had a three-year old son, Doug and a one-year old daughter, Barb. Nancy had a one-year old daughter, Elizabeth, and Ken had a one-year old daughter, Kim. I was born an uncle. While most children grew up playing with their cousins, I was playing with my nieces and nephews. My other brother, Keith was married when I was about 6 months old. Now that we have some of the structure in place, I can move on with my moments.


As many small boys did, I idolized my big brother, and in return he tortured me. I recall a rather elaborate scheme that he put together one time around Halloween. Kevin had sent away for a mail order kit that included some balloons that had eyes and a plastic sheet designed to hang from the balloon like a ghost. He rigged our bedroom up with fishing line and that night when I went to bed, but before I had fallen asleep I heard the closet door creak open and out floated a ghost. I screamed, then I cried. My brother got grounded, again.

But as a hero, he was best. One time we were riding bikes (I had a cool Schwinn with the banana seat and the sissy-bar, it was green) and my chain fell off. Back then all the bikes had a coaster brake which relied on pushing the pedals in reverse. Well, if you lost the chain, you lost your brakes. We lived on a pretty steep hill and my brother was down the hill from where I was. I panicked and started to yell. Somehow my brother figured out what my problem was and stepped in front of me with two arms straight out and grabbed my handlebars. Of course, I flew right up into the handlebars, and my brother. Once we recovered from the pile of rubble, I realized that something was very sore in a very tender area. We left our bikes and hiked back up to the house where we tried to explain to our Mom what had happened. I had to remove my shorts to show her where the injury was, and realized that I was bleeding. She tried to explain that I had injured my testicles (we didn't talk of these things). My brother and I thought she said Texaco and we could not stop laughing.

One year on vacation we took Doug, my nephew who was three years older then me and one year younger than Kevin. They were fast buddies from day 1 and I was the outcast. They agreed to order the same food at every meal, but decided I could not have what they were having. Of course I was distraught. Looking back on this with my "I'm a parent now" glasses on I cannot imagine how my parents put up with us.


After watching an animated cartoon of "The Princess and the Pea" we decided to test our sensitivities. We gathered every pillow, pad, and cushion in the house. We chose to stack them on a living room chair that rocked and swiveled. Once we had them piled up as high as we could, my brother Kevin took a running start and flying leap to get on top and check it out. Of course, we had not taken physics yet. His momentum took the rocking chair right over backwards as he crashed through a 5' x 6' plate glass window. Fortunately, he did not get seriously injured. My Dad had a Super 8 camera when we were growing up, but we were not allowed to touch it. Too bad. Some of this stuff would be right at home on YouTube.


We each had our own Hippity Hop when we were growing up. One day we decided to hang one from the back porch and hit it with a baseball bat. After watching my brother wind up and swing at it only to have the bat bounce off and hit him in the shoulder I grabbed the bat to show him how to do it. At the time I was about six inches shorter than my brother. I swung with everything I had and woke up a few minutes later laying on the bench of our picnic table saying "Where am I"?

MY "Bucket List"

Recently my son, Adam, and I have been working to develop some direction in his life. We've discussed the need to create a loose plan in life if you want to realize certain accomplishments or achievements. I was about Adam's age (16 in August) when I created my first list of some of the things that I wanted to achieve in life. At the time I was convinced that I would become a private pilot working for some corporation or wealthy family. Most of my goals were focused on that eventuality. For those who know me well, you realize that I never went that route in my life, but by making that list it forced me to investigate that path. I actually had the opportunity to take-off, land, and fly a private plane. After participating in these activities it became apparent to me that this was not the path for my future. I'd like to pretend that all the paths in my life have been well-thought out, but let's face it, many decisions that I did not think through have had the most significant impact on my path. I guess that's why I am trying to help Adam think through some of his choices. I digress a bit, but as the title of the post states I am going to discuss some of the things I would like to do before I die. This subject came up as Adam and I discussed what he would most like to accomplish in life.

Before I start my list it is only fair that I discuss, for a few moments, the things that I have done in my life that would otherwise still be on my list. I have flown a plane, visited Disneyland, spent a weekend on a sailboat, sailed on the Pacific Ocean (briefly), been to Vegas, seen a Vegas show, gambled, taken a road trip to Reno, been camping with family and friends, biked the Oregon Coast, and I have spent several days canoeing and camping the Willamette River. When I look back, I don't feel like I have gotten very far with my list, but a lot has to do with one other thing that I always wanted to do/be. I wanted to be a father and a husband. While I have achieved both of these things, I would have to say that so far I am disappointed with my success in both of these areas, but that will have to wait for another blog. I plan to make this a list that I can edit by adding new ideas and updating others as I accomplish them.

1. Live on a Sail Boat for at least a year
2. Tour the Mediterranean on a Sail Boat
3. Tour the Caribbean on a Sail Boat
4. Tour the Pacific Islands on a Sail Boat
5. Bike through Europe
6. Hike the Pacific Crest Trail
7. Bike the Pacific Coast from Canada to Mexico (working on this one in segments)
8. Drink Scotch in Scotland
9. Drink Champagne in the Champagne region of France
10. Drink Bordeaux in the Bordeaux region of France
11. Trace my Family's Genealogy and explore their origins.
12. Smoke a Cuban Cigar in Cuba
13. See a Broadway show in New York
14. Live in a foreign country for a whole year
15. Learn at least one foreign language fluently
16. Get a degree in a subject that has nothing to do with my career (i.e. Philosophy)
17. Read War & Peace
18. Drink Rum in Jamaica
19. Drink Mescal in Mexico
20. Complete a passage through the Panama Canal
21. Sail the San Juan Islands
22. Tour the Wine Region of California on a bicycle
23. Tour the Wine Region of Argentina on a bicycle
24. Take cooking lessons in Italy
25. Take cooking lessons in France
26. Take cooking lessons in Spain
27. Gamble in Monte Carlo
28. Bike New Zealand
29. Liquidate everything that I own with the exception of photos and memorabilia and live from a back pack for one year while traveling America
30. Drive America from coast to coast at least two different routes. Preferably in a Mustang Fastback
31. Tour the Wine Region of Australia on a bicycle
32. Drive a Harley
33. Build my own wooden kayak
34. Learn to Scuba Dive
35. Kayak (or Canoe) from the headwaters of the Missouri to the mouth of the Mississippi
36. Hike the Adirondack Trail
37. Learn to play the guitar
38. Re-learn to play the piano
39. Take voice lessons and learn to sing in public
40. Make Wine
41. Plow behind horses
42. Ride The Orient Express from Paris to Istanbul
43. Build a Beach House for my grandchildren to visit
44. Sail to Easter Island and The Galapagos Islands
45. Walk the Great Wall of China
46. Ride a Camel
47. Attend a Super Bowl
48. Learn to Ballroom Dance
49. Bar tend
50. Attend an America's Cup

And So It Begins . . . .

I'm told that every good story should start at the begining, but where exactly is the begining? I have been puttering around the 'Social' Internet for the last year or so trying to find my place. I'm still not sure that I have found it yet, but maybe that is because everything is so dynamic on the Internet. Constantly changing. But I can find the begining of my technology roots.

In 1989 while managing a McDonald's Restaurant in La Grande, Oregon I was introduced to my first PC. The owner had bought a scheduling application and I was 'the guy' who caught on. Changes in my personal life caused me to leave that position and I moved back to Portland, Oregon where I took a job managing in a cabinet door production shop. It was here that I discovered the power of spreadsheets, formulas, and calculations. I attended night school at Trend Business College and increased my knowledge of Lotus 1-2-3 and Wordperfect. After a layoff at the cabinet manufacturer I found myself taking a positon with Shari's Restaurants and it was back to 'manual' processes. At the time, they were reluctant to embrace technology as a tool to assist them in running their restaurants more efficiently.

In the summer of 1993 I spyed a classified ad in the Newspaper (remember, there was no 'Craigslist') looking to hire Restaurant Managers to be trained as installers and trainers for a Point of Sale company called RapidFire Software. I went to work for them after Labor Day of that year, and I have been in the technology industry ever since. My early interactions with the Internet were primarily for support. Downloading drivers was constant in our industry. Over the years I have refined my skills at research, support, and replacing my newspaper subscription, but I have yet to find my place in the "Social" Internet.

I researched "MySpace" and it did not seem like my style and Facebook seems like a whole lot of one-liners. When I was checking out twitter that seemed like an issue their as well. How do you interact with one-liners? Good conversation includes storytelling and details. It can not be summed up in "Feeling sunny today :)". I tried my hand previously at blogging (http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/Kurtus) and enjoyed it, so I decided to give this a try. I've also been trying to build my resume/business relationships by utilizing LinkedIn (http://www.linkedin.com/in/kurtus).

OK. So now you know how I got here, but you are probably wondering where I plan to go from here. I decided to call my Blog 'Celebrate the Moments'. For those my age you will probably remember the General Mills commercials for International Coffee. One of the few things I have learned in life is that the best things I have collected are not possessions, but rather memories. I have also realized that we have the opportunity to make memorable moments everyday. This Blog is my attempt to highlight the special moments and make them even more memorable. So let the celebration begin.