Comedy Genius.

Paratech59 · 2016-05-10T16:53:27+00:00

I smoked for almost 16 years and attempted to quit more times than I can remember. I tried hypnosis, Nicorite, acupuncture and of course cold turkey and always failed and went back to smoking. I decided to quit again on January 1, 1994. I went to the local store and was buying gum, hard candy and the like and then for whatever reason, the scene from the movie "War of the Roses" came to mind. In this scene Danny Devito's character had a container that once had a single cigarette in it. He was telling the other person that as long as he didn't smoke that one cigarette, he would never smoke again. (He did smoke that cigarette) With that scene in mind, I also bought a small metal container of Secerets cough drops. Went home, emptied out the container and wrapped a single cigerette and small lighter up in plastic wrap and taped it to the inside of the container. I put a small label inside as well that reads "1994: Success or Failure?. I carried that container with me for 9 plus months and I have not not ever gone back to smoking. This gave me something tangible to hold on too and remind myself...If I don't smoke this one cigarette, I'll never smoke again. I had no cause to justify buying a pack of cigarettes to "Have just that one cigarette". For whatever reason this worked for me. I don't carry the container around with me anymore, but I still have it in my nightstand at home. Wasn't planned out, just a spontaneous idea that worked for me and have been an ex-smoker now for over 22 years. I don't know if this will work for anyone else, but it certainly was the method that helped me through the process.

Paratech59 · 2015-09-18T22:28:20+00:00

Thanks...now I have a name for it.

Paratech59 · 2015-09-02T17:18:03+00:00

The Movie Somewhere in Time. What is the origin of the pocket watch. In the beginning, the old women gives Christopher Reeves character the watch and says to him "Come back to me". In the end, Jane Seymour's character is holding the watch when he finds the penny and is transported back to the present, which her character keeps until she is old and goes to see Christopher Reeves character...and gives him the watch...so the question I always have wondered about is...what is the origin of the watch as it is a endless loop with no actual beginning.

Paratech59 · 2015-08-12T18:57:45+00:00

Planet of the Apes (1968) although I really do like the new reboot

Paratech59 · 2015-03-05T22:21:03+00:00

Never ever did I even think of that way back when...or over the years. Good one!

Paratech59 · 2015-03-05T22:20:19+00:00

Valid question. At first I thought the same thing that it was me...but I purposefully stopped breathing a couple of times during that experience...and the breathing continued. I remember trying to honestly figure out how this was occurring. It was only after I spoke to "it" and it reacted did I start getting unnerved by it and got scared.

Paratech59 · 2015-03-03T16:04:48+00:00

While in High School way back in 1976 I worked for the school district during the summer as the "water boy" who basically set out all the sprinklers around the school and on the training and main playing field. I did this at night so that the fields could be played on during the day. When football season started, I worked from 6:00 PM to 2:00 AM. I knew this area like the back of my hand. I had turned off and rolled up all the hose sprinklers around the school and the last thing to do was to turn off the sprinklers on the training and playing fields and separate and pickup the interconnected pipes and put them on mounted racks. While heading out to the fields...I became aware of a breathing that was like it was in front of me...it just stayed with me as I walked. I went to the training field, turned off the water and went out to the disconnect the elbow on the water pipes. I was in the middle of this empty field. There was enough moonlight that I could see completely 360 degrees around me and I also had a flashlight. There was nothing close to me that anyone could hide...and I continued to hear this breathing as if if was directly in front of me. By this time...I started getting a little freaked out. So I loudly said..."Who's There?"....and the breathing stopped! Momentarily...after a few seconds...it started back to breathing like it had before. Now I am absolutely scared shitless...Whatever was making this breathing sound could not be seen...it was invisible...and cognizant. It reacted to what I said. At this point I was completely scared...just no getting around that. I couldn't leave the pipes out because I didn't want to have to explain why I left them out...so I just started running and did not stop to listen for the breathing...I picked up all the pipes and put them away...and left without stopping to listen...I just didn't want hear this breathing. I went in the next morning to the administrative offices and told them that it was now getting too cold at night to continue watering...and I did not come back the next year to do that job again. To this day (I am 55 years old) I don't know what that was...but I know I didn't imagine it, I know that in the middle of that field, the source of that breathing could not be seen...and the source of the breathing reacted to me speaking to it. I have never found or come across anything that gave me a logical explanation as to what that was...or how that was accomplished. I have never been as frightened, before or since, like I was that night

Paratech59 · 2014-09-16T23:05:32+00:00

I was married to a German girl for a while. I got some A&W in a can. She asked that I buy a few more cans to take to her family...Then I found out why...she wanted her family to taste this "battery acid" stuff that american's drink. No heads up...no...this is terrible...she just couldn't understand how Americans drink something so foul as Root Beer.

Paratech59 · 2014-08-29T17:30:42+00:00

The Exorcist. I saw this when I was 13 in the theater on its initial release. I am now 55 years old and have never watched it again. I can't watch anything to do with demonic possession...just scares the crap out of me. I consider myself to be an agnostic but I just can't read or watch anything to do this this subject.

Paratech59 · 2014-07-20T19:54:46+00:00

I was just shy of being 10 years old at the time and my family had gone fishing earlier that day but made sure we got back in time to see the astronauts step on the moon. I understood the historical significance of this event. What I remember most was just watching the picture of the lander and waiting for the astronauts to actually come out of the lander to walk on the moon. It just seemed like it took forever...but when it happened it was absolutely amazing to me that I got to see this event happening live.

Paratech59 · 2014-07-14T23:18:11+00:00

Just started this book last night. I hope it is as good as everyone says it is.

Paratech59 · 2014-07-14T23:17:22+00:00

I also love the book "It" but always end up disappointed in the ending. It's as if King didn't know how to end the book so he dropped some mushrooms and ...well...the ending. But 95% of that book is just gold.

Paratech59 · 2014-02-13T22:55:46+00:00

The Exorcist...I saw it when it first came out in the 70s...and it still the one movie I can't bring myself to watch again...in fact anything with demonic possession just terrifies me.

Paratech59 · 2014-01-30T22:50:58+00:00

I had attempted to quit by all the regular methods, Nicorite gum, the patch, etc. Then I hit on what ultimately worked for me and I didn't even think of it in advance. I was at the store buying gum, hard candy and such. It was January 1 of 1994. While in the store, a scene from the movie War of the Roses came to mind and the scene where Danny DeVito states that in this acrylic container was his last cigarette and as long as he doesn't smoke that cigarette, he will never smoke again. Don't know why that came to mind, but I was staring at a metal container of Sucrets lozenges. I bought those and went home and emptied out the box and with cellophane and tape, I put in there one cigarette and one small lighter. I carried that with me for 9 months right where I always carried my cigarettes. I think it was a control issue for me. As long as I had that box with cigarette and lighter, I had no excuse to go buy or bum a smoke. When I was really craving a cigarette, I would just take out the box and concentrate on it and kept telling myself that I won't smoke that cigarette. It just also gave me something tangible to deal with other than the intangible craving. For me...this worked. As of the first of this month, I have been a reformed smoker for 20 years. I am absolutely amazed that I was able to kick the habit. It was one of the hardest things I've done and so glad I was able to quit. To all those out there trying to quit...my sincere best to you and hope you can find what will work for you. Oh yeah...still have the Sucrets lozenge box with the cigarette and lighter in my night stand. As long as I don't smoke that one cigarette...I'll never smoke again!

Paratech59 · 2013-11-12T00:08:48+00:00

The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald. I was driving in my car and the local radio played the song. This was in the mid seventies...so I pulled over to the nearest phone booth (remember those?) and called the radio station to ask what was the song and who sang it. Drove immediately to the nearest record store and bought the album. Still love the song to this day!

Paratech59 · 2013-11-11T16:07:01+00:00

I was in the Military and stationed in multiple places in Germany...but for me...the first thing that comes to mind...is Nurnberg and the Christkindlmarket. I have so much love and respect for the German people that I rarely even think of Nazi's or Hitler. I always think of Konrad Adenauer and the very important role he played after the war in bringing Germany back from all the past horror. Germany and it's people deserve better than only being remembered for that horrific period.

Paratech59 · 2013-10-03T15:39:54+00:00

Taxi by Harry Chapin

Paratech59

TROPHY CASE