This page is for my short stories and even segments / excerpts from any books I am writing. Many may be based on true stories with characters and events changes to a fictitious essay. Subjects can be anything from drama to real-life events, such as storms and relationships. Check out some of my stories and commentaries titled below and enjoy!

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WHERE IS MY DAMN RECEIPT?


Receipt Rage - Mr Pressimone, who we will refer to as "Franky", was hard pressed for time - Rushing home through the crowded streets of New York to his arrogant wife of 35 years in Queens. Having put in even more years as a delivery truck driver, work had recently been sequestered with the Covid-19 pandemic, with Franky having to fill in for drivers laid off over the past 15 months. His wife, Margie, recently was laid off from her job as a server at a pizzeria after working there for 15 years.

With tough times and we'll into a third mortgage on their home in Queens, Franky took up some odd jobs, such as carpentry and plumbing on the side, mainly on weekends. To make matters worse, Franky's wife, Margie became exceptionally nagging of Franky's time, especially in lieu of an affair he had with another woman years back. Often they would bicker and argue - Which continued to worsen recently - Among the added frustrations due to the pandemic and financial pressures.

On a cold Monday morning, Margie and Franky had a bad argument. With Margie breaking things in their kitchen, and Franky storming out of the house and tearing out of the driveway headed for work, already late, and tires smoking. Margie, extremely agitated by this drama, left for a few days to cool off, spending time across town in Brooklyn with her mother, Erna.

Franky arrived to his job, after unusually heavy traffic, late and highly agitated. To make matters worse, Franky's boss called him into his office, and he was written up for excessive tardiness. This obviously happened before, and most likely after he had arguments with his wife. Franky's boss gave him one more chance, with termination of his job being the next action if he did not correct his punctuality.

For the rest of that week, Franky continued arriving on time at his company, even making it up to his boss, running extra deliveries of paint supplies and tools during his lunch break. Margie also returned home from Erna's place later that week, albeit not talking to Franky much. She was still angry.

Thursday came and proved to be the absolute head of Franky's boiling frustration. Just before finishing work, he ran another delivery and worked a bit late. With their fleet operations, drivers at Franky's company were responsible for fueling up their vehicles by the end of the day, leaving a full tank of fresh fuel for the next day. Drivers often paid for this on a fleet card, and a receipt was required for fuel purchased.

Franky was eager to get back home, and had a dinner planned for his wife, Margie, to try to cheer her up. He finished his last delivery of paint brushes, and stopped at the local gas station, Texaco, to fuel up the small delivery truck he was driving. Margie then began calling and texting Franky several times, with a nagging tone and hassling him about the time.

Franky fueled up the vehicle one last time for the day, and already antsy with Margie constantly hounding him, he purposely chose a free "pay at the pump" gas pump to avoid going inside. Upon successfully completing the transaction for the gasoline, and putting it on the company fleet card, he carefully selects "Yes" from the screen saying "Would you like a receipt?". Franky waits, and the display reads "Please take your receipt - Thank You". No receipt came out. Either the printer was jammed, or out of receipt-paper.

Franky became highly enraged. Yelling at the top of his lungs, "What the f___ is this? Where is my God damn receipt?" ... And manages to punch the gas pump display, breaking the screen on it. Franky locks and slams the open door on the delivery truck, barging into the convenience store to see the clerk to print his receipt.

Inside the convenience store, about 15 people were waiting in line. Usually there are 2 or 3 people waiting, but job cut-backs due to the pandemic took its toll, and only one Korean American clerk was working there - Not only handling purchases for gas, but preparing food such as pizza, selling cigarettes, and, even worse, lottery tickets. Franky, now mumbling to himself with filthy cuss-words, waltzes to the back of the long line, snaking its way to the back of the store.

Margie then called Franky again, while he was waiting on the back of the long line of customers. She demanded that he "better be on his way home", since it was already past 6 PM, the time Franky would have already been driving his own car back to their house in Queens. This was the last thing Franky wanted to hear, as he saw the first person in line picking and choosing lottery tickets for a good 6 minutes.

Franky's mumbling began getting louder, eventually to the point where he was talking out loud with an angry tone. The first person (finally) made it off with the lottery tickets as the next person bought food that was served there - Two slices of pizza and a fountain drink. The clerk, not only handling the job of cashier, also needed to handle preparation of the take out orders. Franky murmured, "Jesus f__king Christ! All I need is a damn receipt!", as other customers in the line turned their heads to look at Franky.

The next 13 people in the line continued to drag on. No one needed "just a receipt" printed, but we're ordering food that had to be prepared, buying groceries, such as milk or eggs, and lottery tickets - Most of them buying the latter. Franky busted out forth more vulgerous words, "F__k! I cannot stand the lottery! Come on, people!" ... A customer in front of him looked back as if Franky was a terrorist. His wife, Margie, calls again just as he has 3 customers in front of him, and having spent nearly 20 minutes in the queue, which still stretched to the back of the store.

Margie asked Franky, "What is taking so long, it's nearly 6:30? Are you coming or what? I'll just skip dinner if you're gonna do this again. You always do this, Franky." ... Franky, now yelling into his phone, exclaims "What do you want me to do? I'm having problems getting gas for my last delivery, because these 'f__king morons' at this gas station don't put paper in their gas pumps!", and hangs up. Franky then yells aloud, "It's just a simple 'paper tape' receipt! These f__king morons make us come in here and wait in line! F__k this sh_t!"

A customer behind him yells, "I had enough!", and slams down on the counter an un-bought beer and bag of chips, leaving the store. The remaining customers in the line scoff, but Franky continues mumbling and cussing his bad luck, blaring "God damn f__king 'Murphy's law'! This only happens when I'm in a rush! Why?" ... A customer, now getting served, is buying a case of beer. The clerk asks him if he "needs a receipt?" and Franky, with twitching eyes says, "I do. God damn f__king printers with no paper!".

The customer politely tells the clerk he does not need a receipt, and steps away from the counter, placing his newly bought beer case on the floor and away from foot traffic. Franky, with his turn finally at hand, demands the Korean clerk, "A receipt for pump number 7, please!", in a fierce tone. The apologetic clerk prints the receipt for Franky and says, "I will put a note and have management replenish it with paper. I am sorry." ... Only to have Franky snatch it from her hand, spout off another F-Bomb, and barge out of the doorway and past the man with the case of beers.

The customer with the beer stops Franky and sternly confronts him, angrily saying "You know what, sir? We all had to listen to you running your mouth, all your complaining, and foul language - And if my wife was here I would have slammed you right in the face!" ... Franky replies immediately, "Not now! You got something to say, then 'say it', and get the f__k out of my face!".

The confrontation escalates with Franky bickering with the other guy. Frank puts his middle finger in the man's face and says "Go f__k yourself, old man!", and pushes him. The man stumbles back, knocking some chips off one of the shelves in the entrance of the Texaco. He rushes back forward, and pushes Franky even harder, causing him to stumble back and yell, "Come on, do it, b_tch! Let's go!", and punches the other guy in the shoulder. Both scuffle, punch, and yell at each other, with Franky receiving a well-deserved black eye in the process.

The Asian clerk, already dealing with an "audience" of customers in the line, calls the police, and yells to Frank as he shuffles with the other man, "Stop! This is not the place! It's not worth it! Not in here - Take it outside!" ... The brawl continues, knocking over another shelf of soft drinks, and out through the store entrance, as a Black gentleman on a bicycle watches mesmerized. The clerk calls her manager from the back, who was doing paperwork in their office, and he manages to hold Franky and the other man in the front of the entrance.

The police arrive to the fight scene, and rather quickly, just before 7 PM. Franky picks up his phone and sees numerous missed calls and messages on it, all from his wife, Margie, who has no idea what transpired. The police detain and question Franky and the other man in front of the convenience store.

With Franky providing witnesses in the waiting line (and those watching security cameras) to an unforgettable scene, as well as statements from the other man, the police place Franky under arrest. The other man has a bruise above his right eye, as he finishes loading his case of beers in his car and puts away his copy of the police report atop them. Franky has a black eye, and several cuts and bruises on his face, and a split lip. The police cuff him and take him away to the station, charging him with assault, vandalism (to the gas pump), and disorderly conduct.

Franky's work truck was towed, and he was faced with an overnight stay in jail, stiff fines, and costly medical bills for non life-threatening injuries. His wife, Margie, already fed up with Franky's attitude, is considering a divorce. Despite having a receipt for the fuel, Franky was fired from his job, and eventually was forced to sell his home. Cause and effect = Think about it.

SIT DOWN AND SHUT UP!


Air Rage - Southwest Airlines flies a typical and routine daily route, starting off the day in sunny Fort Lauderdale, Florida, flying to Chicago, Illinois, then across to Denver, Colorado by afternoon. The daily route then makes its way back to Saint Louis, Missouri, through Atlanta, Georgia, and back to Fort Lauderdale just before midnight.

May 22 was an atypical and frustrating day for this flight route and it's crew, plagued by ground delays, weather delays, and, most of all, two unruly passengers with a bout of air rage that involved several other people. In this story, we will go into the grim details of how things unfolded.

Mister Jackson is a professional Black man managing a successful company that is traveling to Denver from Fort Lauderdale with his white co-worker, Bernie. They will connect thorough Chicago, where an Asian man, named Yuri, working at the satellite branch for the same company, will join them and travel on the same flight to Denver.

Upon leaving Fort Lauderdale, Bernie had a bad argument with his wife over the business trip. He was in a bad mood all morning, having rushed to the airport to meet Jackson, and hastily made his way though crowded security with Jackson. The security officer confiscated a 4-ounce bottle of mouthwash, which as less than half empty, clamoring the words "Sir, this can't go, okay? It can't go!".

Bernie snatched his bag and laptop from the bin, ranting to Jackson, saying, "This is totally f__ked up! TSA has their heads up their ass! There's less than 2 ounces in there, and they took it - And these 'turkeys' are protecting our country?". Jackson only murmured back, "Unfortunately the bottle was over 3 ounces, and, yes, it's unfair-", only to have Bernie interject, "-Well that's just stupid that they can't count! F__k this sh_t, come-on!".

Bernie and Jackson look at the monitors for their first leg from Florida to Chicago, relieved and saying, "Awesome, gate B9, on time too.", and proceed to concourse B. Upon arriving at their departure gate, Bernie sees a large line of pre-boarding passengers, mostly in wheelchairs. Again, Bernie rants to Jackson, "You know, we pay to be on the 'A-List', and these f__king pre-boards have just gone 'overboard'!".

The long list of pre-boards incurs a small ground delay on their departure. Jackson, being a frequent flier, reassures Bernie that it's just a delay of 15 minutes, and it is usually made up in the air. Bernie continues complaining, "Yeah, but you know how airplanes work? A small delay compounds and before you know it, we get to Chicago an hour late, and people miss connections, or, even worse, the crew times out, and the flight is canceled! Watch.".

Jackson has had enough of Bernie's pessimism. Despite all attempts of Bernie to jinx their trip to Chicago, they depart uneventfully and arrive there on time, after Bernie complaining about anything from window seats, wearing masks, to no coffee being served, due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Upon arriving in Chicago, they meet up with their other associate, Yuri, with plans to grab coffee and continue on to Denver.

While waiting at the gate, Bernie was using his laptop while Yuri and Jackson were discussing business across from him, occasionally asking Bernie to check things on the laptop. Meanwhile, outside, the sky grew dark and lightning flashed occasionally. The central USA was experiencing severe weather, common in late spring, especially in May.

The gate agent at the podium came on and informed everyone to make it to the departure gate on time, as they were trying to "beat weather" coming in. Bernie closed up his laptop, as him and Jackson were pass-throughs and did not have to wait for general boarding and can walk back onto the airplane, holding a seat near them for Yuri.

Boarding began, as Bernie worked in his laptop from his seat, sitting next to Jackson, and Yuri sat across the aisle when he boarded. The flight was crowded, and boarding was slow, with yet more wheelchair guests and pre-boards. Bernie became more and more antsy, as the scheduled departure time approached, and the plane was not even loaded. Bernie yells softly, "Come on guys. Put that stupid bag away, get out of the aisle, and f__king sit down! That's how flights are delayed!".

Within moments of Bernie saying that, the flight attendants came on the PA, and broke out the disgusting news. Announcing, "We would normally depart at this time, but there is lightning in the area, and the departure ramp is closed. We do not know how long this delay will be." ... Bernie instantly expunged, "You see! Had everyone moved their asses, maybe we all would be out of here now! I hope they're happy!".

Bernie slammed shut the cover on his laptop, then slammed the tray table unto the upright position while tossing the laptop forcefully into the seat pocket in front of him. A large man was in the seat in front of him, and exclaimed, "Hey! Easy with that!", as Bernie scoffed in a futile attempt to hide his rage. The delay continued. Departure time came and went. Sitting in the loaded plane on the tarmac for 30 minutes, then 60, with no updates from the flight crew, and the rain and lightning continuing.

All throughout the delay, Bernie sat with his arms crossed, breathing heavily, mumbling louder and louder, and saying things like, "I don't believe this sh_t!", or "This airline is all f__ked up!". Yuri asked Jackson if he was OK, with Jackson telling him "Bernie does not like flying. He gets nervous like this.". Bernie butted in, saying "Flying doesn't bother me, but there is a 'right' and 'wrong' way to run an airline!". Yuri calmly told Bernie, "Come on, relax. It's not their fault. Weather is weather.".

After nearly 90 minutes of going nowhere, the sky finally got brighter, and the thunderstorms moved off. The departure ramp was opened, and the flight crew readied the plane for take off. Bernie was relieved, and said "It's about time!", while adjusting his mask and making a motion of wiping fake sweat off his forehead. Bernie reminded Yuri and Jackson, "My wife's flight was delayed because of something like this - And her reservation for the rental car was canceled. Re-booking it costed her more than twice as much! We are lucky!".

The plane finally took off out of Chicago's Midway Airport, turbulently climbing above the remaining weather, with a deck of fast moving clouds giving way to a sunny blue sky out Bernie's window. Once underway, the plane reached cruising altitude. The seat belt light was left on since it was bumpy, so Bernie took out his laptop to occupy some time.

Upon opening the laptop and powering it on, Bernie saw that the screen was shattered, apparently when he slammed it earlier when he learned the flight was delayed. Bernie yelled, "Son of a b_tch! How the f__k did this happen?", breaking the silence of the normally quiet cabin of the plane. The man sitting in front of him got up, turned around, and punched the back of his seat in vengeance, saying to Bernie, "You really need to watch the language! Can you do that for me?".

Bernie also unblocked his seat belt and got up, put his face close to the man in front of him, and yelled "Who asked you? What you are gonna do about it?". Jackson also got up, and stood besides the two men, calmly asking them to "chill out" and sit back down.

The man standing in front of Bernie continued sternly yelling, "You bumped my seat three times - And I'm sick of you running your filthy mouth! We are all on the same airplane! Going to the same place at the same time! No need to bump my seat-" ... Bernie responded with punching the man's seat hard, and yelling "-I didn't bump your seat before - THIS is bumping your seat, a_hole! Now sit down and shut the f__k up!".

With the passengers nearby sighing in concern, and both Jackson and Yuri gently holding Bernie's shoulders, the now enraged man punches Bernie in the face, and he falls back. Bernie gets back up, rubs his hand across his nose, and grabs his half fallen mask, both soaked with blood. Bernie screams at the man who punched him, "What the f__k did you do that for?", and swings several times, landing more punches in the process.

Jackson grabs Bernie and holds back the man as he punches him again, just above the eye, leaving him with a black eye. Yuri, jumps across the aisle, attempting to grab the man punching Bernie. The man was bigger than Bernie, and manages to push over Jackson and Yuri's small frame. Yuri falls down, hitting his head on a seat arm rest, and briefly lays unconscious on the floor. Jackson continues yelling at Bernie and the irate man, "Jesus Christ guys, it's so not worth it - Please - Sit down!", as the flight crew is scurrying down the aisle.

Jackson continues to hold Bernie and the man apart, with help of the flight crew. The man tells Jackson, "Get your black hands off me, you f__king n__ger!", as Yuri gets up dazed and confused, with Bernie continuing to scream at the top of his lungs, "I hope you are happy you big fat f__king slob!". Jackson took the "n__ger" comment personally and folded into the rage, jumping on top of the man, holding him in a bear hug.

The man continued yelling at Bernie, "Let me at him - I'll rip his (Bernie's) f__king head off and shove it down that dog-eating g__ks (Yuri's) throat! Get off of me you f__king n__ger!", with Jackson yelling, "I need help here! Anyone!" ... All the while other passengers shrieked and gasped at the drama unfolding high above the Great Plains. The flight attendants, with Jackson's help, managed to hold both Bernie and the man down.

The cabin remained quiet, with all the folks involved in the brawl panting loudly, bleeding, and soaked with sweat. Yuri got up and sat solely in his seat, clenching both sides of his temples with his hands. He lifted his head, looked over and murmured to the man who attacked Bernie, saying "You know I practiced Kung Fu? You are very lucky - I could have went to jail for a long time from 'what I could have done to you', had you tried to beat me up! ... Anyway, you are in a lot of trouble, sir.".

The flight remained quiet, with the captain making a special announcement, "Ladies and gentlemen, as you probably are already aware of - We had to contain an incident and we are the first in to land at Denver in 45 minutes. The involved parties and crew will deplane first once we are at the gate ... Please be patient during this process." ... The flight descended and landed safely at Denver, and shut down its engines at the gate on the C concourse.

The airport police were the first to board the plane as everyone remained quietly seated. They made their way to the two men, including Bernie. They quietly asked both to "get up and come with them". Neither Bernie or the other man acknowledged ... Merely sitting there and ignoring the masked officers, who became more and more assertive by the second. After repeated warnings, such as "You need to get up or we will have to forcibly remove you..." from the police.

Finally, and after no cooperation whatsoever, Bernie gets up, and the other man, who was also facing the front of the plane, also gets up. He turns around and lunges at Bernie, yelling "Look what you f__king did you a_hole!". One officer grabs the lunging man and another grabs Bernie. Both resist and the police begin to scuffle and attempt to drag both out of their seats and into the aisle. Bernie keeps yelling, "I'm not doing anything!", repeatedly, resisting harder, only to be dragged down the aisle with more force from the officer.

The other man remains quiet, grunting and resisting, with the officer dragging him, saying "You do not have a choice here! You could have left quietly but that option is gone - Let's go! I said L-Let's go!". With both men bumping into seats, trying to pry their hands loose, and dragging their kicking feet down the aisle, they are eventually removed off the plane and into the jet bridge, with Jackson and Yuri voluntarily following them out.

There are a few more moans and obscene words echoing from the gate and jet bridge, then silence. The silence is quickly replaced with applause and even shouts from the passengers, relieved the ordeal is over, and getting the OK to deplane from the apologetic captain and flight crew. Upon deplaning, passengers are awarded with the sight of Bernie and the irate man sitting in cuffs to the side, and Jackson with Yuri giving statements. One old lady yelled at Bernie, "I missed my connection - Because of trash like you!".

Jackson and Yuri released statements to the police, were checked out for minor bruises and a bump on Yuri's head, and make their way to their business trip, without Bernie. Bernie and the other man faced serious federal charges for air rage, including resisting arrest and assault. The man who assaulted Bernie had a violent history, and went to federal prison for 2 years. Bernie received a 9 month sentence in prison, but it was shortened to 3 months with a $100,000 fine. Of course, Bernie never worked for any professional company and was divorced by his wife. Behave yourself on an airplane.

A CORE THAT PUNCHED BACK!


The Power Of Falling Ice - Supercell thunderstorms are highly organized thunderstorms with broad rotation that commonly develop over the central United States during the late Spring and early summer. These storms are very common in the "Tornado Alley" states, such as Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas, and pose an inordinately high threat to life and property, since they often produce severe weather such as giant hail and tornadoes. The interaction of three air masses at the surface play a role in triggering such storms in the late spring – Cold air pushing south out of Canada, hot dry air from the southwestern United States, and warm moist air from the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean. Strong winds and cold air aloft, spreading over such a setup, allow these dangerous supercell storms to form, especially where the three air masses at the surface meet.

This story is what may happen to a storm chaser who drives through, or "punches", the core of rain and hail inside a supercell thunderstorm in the central United States. Mike has been chasing storms in Florida for several years and went on a trip to the Great Plains to join some other chasers at the end of May of 2000. During several chases he observed some severe storms but from a distance until a supercell storm came up on May 26th near Throckmorton, Texas. He was in his own Chevy Blazer which he drove from Florida and was in a caravan of several other chase teams converging on the storm.

Out of curiosity, and bored of the view of the supercell updraft (rain-free) base, the same view he was jaded with since the start of his storm chasing trip, he turned his vehicle around and drove towards the dark, green, lightning-shot sky to the north. He continued into the precipitation shaft despite other chasers screaming at him on both the CB and HAM radio for him to come back. Soon sideways rain and pea sized hail slammed into Mike's Blazer, rocking it. A blinding cloud-to-ground lightning bolt hit just feet in front of him and startled him into thinking about turning around and going back out of the supercell core.

As visibility was now near zero in the blinding rain and wind, he cautiously crept along the road along the shoulder and yellow line as dime and quarter sized hail began falling and covering the ground. He stopped on the shoulder of the road, deciding not to drive, park with the hazard lights flashing, and wait it out. As 70 to 80 MPH winds and hail rocked the truck, he pointed the front of it in order to face the wind. The storm core continued to get worse, golf-ball sized hail was bouncing everywhere as lightning flashed all around with crashes immediately following each flash.

The sky was a greenish color and soon became a bit lighter, so Mike attempted to cautiously drive south again along the shoulder of Highway 183. The hail became loud and continued to grow larger, with some exceeding the size of tennis balls. Soon Mike heard two deafening crashes on top of his Chevy Blazer, as hailstones the size of baseballs smashed atop it, forcing Mike to stop on the shoulder again. Mike then hears a deafening third crash right on the center of his hood, as a huge grapefruit sized hail stone explodes into millions of white fragments leaving a big dent behind. Another grapefruit sized hailstone, lands on the top of his vehicle with another deafening crash.

Mike looks up to see the headliner buckle down during the impact, just as another giant hail stone crashes down and splinters the rear window and cold air rushes through his Chevy Blazer. A shower of safety glass from the shattered rear window covers his camera bags in the rear of his vehicle, mixed with pieces of crushed ice and driven by the fierce winds, which are now blowing into Mike's vehicle. Two more giant "frozen grapefruits" score a direct hit on Mike's windshield and smash it, leaving a spider-web pattern of cracks completely across it. The laminated glass of the compromised windshield is eventually penetrated by several more direct hits of hail. One of the stones, and wet pieces of glass splinters, and ice fall into Mike's lap.

Now Mike is panicking and can't even see out the shattered front window, still held in place in some areas by the lamination and tinting. He rolls down his drivers side window to try to look forward as he tries to drive south. A baseball sized hail stone shatters right on the top of his door and Mike gets a refreshing blast of ice in his face. Another giant hail stone shatters the rear passenger side window and safety glass falls showers everywhere and onto his Duffel bag and cooler. Everything in the vehicle is now soaked and the cold, fierce wind is blowing through the destroyed windows.

In desperation, Mike grabs his road map to support the deteriorating hole in his windshield. The map quickly gets soaked and becomes a messy ball of paste. Finally, Mike makes some headway to the south and gets out of the deadly hail shaft. He passes right under a rotating wall cloud and drives east only to see a brief dust cloud as a tornado touched down behind him. As dust is kicked up on the south side of the storm, it flies all through Mike's Chevy Blazer staining any light colored object, including his leather seats dark reddish-brown. Glass splinters still fall from the shattered windshield as Mike now holds up a book to keep it from getting worse.

He squints through any visible areas of the wind shield and looks out his driver side window just to keep driving east on Route 79. Finally he drives south and catches up with the rest of the chase group caravan parked along Highway 380, who are both awing and laughing at Mike's Chevy Blazer, or what's left of it. Mesmerized, one of the storm chasers approaches Mike and yells, "Mike, you idiot! I told you how dangerous these storms are in the Midwest, you don't just drive into the core of them! They're not like the ones in Florida, ey?" ... His only reaction was, "I didn't realize it will get that bad!" - Well, "bad" it was because Mike had to cut his storm chasing trip early because of the damage to his Chevy Blazer.

He called his insurance only to find out that they could not replace the windshield for "acts of God" in another state. The next day he decided to head back east to the Denton area after he called a body shop that can do the repair. On his way to Denton, a Decatur police officer stopped Mike, and issued him a $175 citation for driving with his windshield like that. After this long and frustrating drive, Mike got a new windshield installed in Denton, but since the hood and top of the truck was so badly dented, the glass repairman said the windshield, which costed over $500, will probably leak.

Mike returned to Florida with a nearly totaled 1999 Chevy Blazer. His insurance picked up the rest of the damage and his vehicle spent nearly two weeks in a body shop. While his vehicle was being repaired, Mike had to rent a car for $80 a day, cough up a $500 insurance deductible, plus pay around $2500 to replace video and camera equipment that was ruined. Precious footage and film was also lost, and his leather seats, stained from the Texas iron-oxide red soil, also had to be re-upholstered. All while still having to pay for the $175 ticket he got in Texas, further ensuring that his insurance premiums would go up.

The storm chase team also did not want Mike to chase with them anymore for disobeying their orders and putting part of their team in danger. What is also sad about this whole ordeal is that not only did Mike make a complete fool of himself, but paid a costly price from punching the core of such a dangerous supercell storm – And it could have been much worse than merely destroying his car ... What if he came out of the core and into a large and violent wedge tornado? What if the storm was in a populated area where flying roof debris and traffic accidents would occur? Core punching a supercell is unsafe and not a recommended practice for storm chasing. Mike learned this lesson well, and at great cost.

FALLING INTO A THUNDERSTORM


Charley Bravo - Dean left south Florida in the very end of June of 2006, heading up to Saint Louis to start his new IT contract, with a start date of July 5, which was pushed back a couple of weeks due to staffing issues. On his way up, he stopped in Jacksonville, spending a couple of days with a friend of him named Blanco, then leaving around July 2, arriving in Saint Louis and at a hotel about a day later. His original plans were to lease an apartment there, but that one fell through, so he had to wait a week to find another one close to his job where he was to start his contract at, which was also a medical claims company. During the first few days there, he began checking out the city, as well as the social life there, from the clubs to personal ads, which proved to be a disappointment.

Towards the end of July 2006, with low hopes of making any new friends in Saint Louis, and after returning from a frustrating trip to Florida on a delayed flight, Dean decided to attend the World Free-fall Convention during its last weekend. This was the last of such a yearly event, which lasted a couple of decades, and was one of the largest skydiving events in the world. At this event, people could skydive out of various aircraft, from hot air balloons to jet aircraft. Dean always wanted to do this since he started skydiving, and since he was close to such an event, and free from Gito, he thought "you only live once", and grabbed the opportunity. Dean was able to get a skydiving rig for the event, renting it from a local skydiving facility also at the convention.

He traveled to Chicago on Friday, attended the convention on Saturday, which was near Rantoul, Illinois, and returned to Saint Louis late Sunday. Dean was able to skydive for the first time out of a Pitts Special biplane, flown by the same pilot, Cabanas, that he flew with several months earlier at Sun and Fun in Lakeland, Florida. After doing aerobatics, the plane went inverted, with Dean hanging from a "T" handle grip mounted on the wing, and letting go with the plane beating him to the ground. Another jump was with a bunch of skydiving friends he knew from Florida out of an AN-2 Russian biplane. One of the final and most memorable skydives was from a DC-9 commercial jet airliner.

Dean knew about the World Free-fall Convention in the past, where they used a Boeing 727 for their jet jumps. The DC-9 had a similar exit, akin to the infamous DB Cooper, out the air stairs in the rear of the plane. Dean boarded the jet, paying $100 for the jump instead of the regular $20 for a "standard" jump ticket, along with nearly a hundred other jumpers. Inside, it was like any other airliner, with a humorous safety briefing talking about seat-belts, and emergency exits – Including that "nice big exit out the tail"! Takeoff was smooth and fast, with all the other jumpers chanting "Jet! Jet! Jet!" as it rotated off the end of the Rantoul airstrip and reached 15,500 feet in only four minutes.

Exit was at a high run-in speed of roughly 200 knots, or 231 MPH, with one pass dropping all the jumpers due to a developing thunderstorm nearby, who would run out the rear exit with no separation times. Dean watched the jumpers go before him, exiting the rear air-stairs and being blasted by the 200 knot slip-stream, which made a weird "sucking" sound with the jumpers disappearing out the rear door like a bug going out of a car window at high speed. Dean exited, running down the ramp of the air-stairs and into free-stream of the wind blast, with his arms crossed tightly and legs tucked in, bracing hard.

The speed was such that it was like impacting water at high speed, with Dean's arms flying open and feeling like his shoulders would be dislocated. His goggles shifted and a pant leg on his jumpsuit was torn from the blast of the wind, basically going from over 200 MPH to the "normal" 120 MPH of free-fall in about one second. Dean immediately looks up at the beautiful silhouette of a commercial airliner, with other jumpers exiting like bugs, and feeling the heat and the roar of the twin JT-8D engines at the rear of the plane. The view was short lived as everyone, including Dean, fell into the tops of towering cumulus clouds at 14,500 feet.

First the color went from bluish gray under the storm anvil blow-off to light whitish-gray, and snowflakes pelted Dean's face as he reaches up and straightens out his goggles. The light gray kept growing darker and darker, giving way to graupel and even small hail, and eventually rain. Dean, in pain from being pelted by the rain and ice, continued to hold his heading, watching his altimeter gradually wind down, albeit slower than usual, as he may have been caught in an updraft. Finally, at roughly 2,500 or 3,000 feet above the ground, Dean is relieved to see the nearly blackish brown give way to a dark cloud base, with the drop-zone visible below him. He was soaked from the rain, and pulled his parachute safely at about 2,500 feet, looking at other jumpers around him, and looking DOWN at both the storm wall cloud and shelf cloud!

Dean pondered, having jumped from 15,500 feet and got 85 seconds of free-fall, falling through a developing thunderstorm, something he fantasized about meteorologically since he was a teenager. Dean landed safely, and in the nick of time, as the same storm produced strong winds, small hail, and frequent lightning. Many of the tents at the skydiving convention were blown away by the strong winds, and the last skydive, out of a hot air balloon, was canceled. Instead, Dean fulfilled another dream with a ride in an L-39 fighter jet, after paying a hefty donation for abused children, with the pilot donating rides for the fearless.

Dean called his best friend, Gito, telling him about the event and his experiences there, and he wished he could be there. Having finally accepted his dire health situation, Gito promised that he would attend more of these events, "when" he gets better. Unfortunately, like Gito's declining health, this would be the last World Free-fall Convention, with the subsequent 2007 event being canceled permanently. Dean left the unforgettable event with memories that would last a lifetime, and pictures of him exiting out of the Pitts Special biplane, upside-down.

Dean continued to work in Saint Louis, visiting Chicago and Florida, alternating every couple of weeks, respectively. Unfortunately, the management at Dean's company was so bad that he was given almost no work, despite paying him a costly hourly rate for contracting. Dean would finish one of just three simple projects, then wait weeks for the next one, sitting at his desk doing nothing, and probably thinking about how lonely he was up there. Eventually there was no more work for Dean, and he was laid off, and returned to Florida having done almost no IT work on a contract job that laster nearly 4 months.

Note: This is an excerpt from a book I am writing called "Quarter Century" at around chapter 42 - Please check back often for any updates on that project.

PLEASE DON'T TOUCH ME!


You're Not My Type - Let me introduce you to Rocco, a husky and built middle aged gay Italian-American man living in Florida. Rocco has just got out of a long-term relationship of almost 13 years with a Central American man he met in 1994 named Sergio. Unfortunately, Sergio became ill-tempered, jealous, and argumentative with Rocco towards the end of their relationship. Sergio, being a stubborn chain-smoking man, refused to take care of himself, despite diabetes, heart problems, and declining health.

By 2004, Rocco and Sergio, after continuous arguments and bad habits never resolved, they broke up. However, they remained good friends and lived together with Rocco often helping Sergio with his declining health. Sergio, bound to a wheelchair and suffering permanent nerve damage and kidney failure, eventually passed away in the late summer of 2007. Rocco was devastated, having lost such a good partner and friend, regardless of what they went through in their past relationship.

To make matters worse, Sergio's mother, Sonia, who was visiting at the time of his death, did not get along with Rocco, and even blamed him for Sergio's health problems. She returned to Central America abruptly after Sergio's death, managing to leave Rocco by himself with a broken heart. Sonia also took their dog with her, and even managed to have Sergio's body shipped to Central America - For a family funeral there - In which Rocco was not invited, nor welcome, to attend.

Rocco managed to pick up the pieces of his shattered heart, and put the house that him and Sergio lived together in since 1999, up for sale over the fall of 2007. Now single, and confused on what to do, Rocco once again tried to adjust himself to going out and trying to date again. His side job, in weather research, was doing well and a man named Leonard understood what Rocco was going through. Instead of trying to date Latinos, Leonard suggested to Rocco other races - Especially Asians.

Rocco took Leonard's suggestion and put forth his efforts. He would go out to bars and clubs, even the local gay sauna in town. With the terrible memories of Sergio still fresh in memory, Rocco avoided any gay Latinos, and looked for the few Asian men he could come upon when he went out. He became very attracted to his new-found racial preference, especially to the less hairy and, most importantly, slim and "healthy looking" bodies, most Asian men have - Not the "sick overweight" stereotype Sergio burned into his head at the time of his departure.

On a late November Saturday, Rocco was feeling very distraught. He was struggling with getting the house up for sale, painting, doing minor repairs, and cleaning. He also was juggling with his real estate agent, lawyers (to deal with Sergio's estate and financial problems he left Rocco with), and Sonia calling collect from Central America asking for money that she thought she was entitled to. Stressed and aching, Rocco decides to visit the gay sauna in town, which has private rooms, a gym, and pool area with a bar.

Upon entering the establishment, Rocco rented a locker, since all the private rooms were occupied, changed into his swimwear, and hit the poolside bar for a cocktail. Rocco is delighted to look across the pool area at a table with a few Vietnamese men chatting, one of which he met there before, named Huy, who was in a hurry to leave but hoped to see Rocco if he came again. Rocco was delighted and looked forward to chatting with Huy, and / or his friends, after finishing his drink.

Rocco left the bar and took a quick swim in the pool, as he watched the group of Asian guys leave the table they were at, and walk inside. Rocco smiled at Huy as they passed, but did not get a response, and assumed Huy either didn't see him nor recognize him. Rocco finished his swim and headed to the steam room and dry sauna with a towel to dry off. In the dry sauna, Rocco sees Huy sitting next to an overweight man much older than Rocco, and clearly in seemingly bad health. Rocco approaches both and sits down nearby.

Huy clearly has no interest in talking to Rocco, despite how "interested" he seemed the last time Rocco saw him there as he was on his way out. Huy began stroking and massaging the hairy, overweight, and elderly man, only for him to get up and walk out, with Huy attempting to follow him. Rocco, touches Huy's arm by the shoulder, telling him "Hey there. Welcome back, how have you been?" ... Huy, without saying anything and walking away as if Rocco didn't even exist, forcefully pushes Rocco's hand away with a loud slap.

Rocco is shocked. He was not expecting such a response from Huy like that. Having already endured the pain and suffering over the past weeks, and pent-up with frustration, he approaches Huy again, who is still following the older man, who apparently had little interest in Huy. He gently taps Huy on the shoulder, and he instantly turns around and slaps Rocco's hand away, yelling "Don't f__king touch me! Okay?". Rocco insists, "You even remember me? We chatted last month, you were leaving for the airport, remember?".

Huy continued firmly and rudely rejecting Rocco, saying "Leave me alone!" as Rocco asked him, "You aren't interested? You seemed nice-", with Huy snapping back, "-NOT with you! Now stop following me!". The older man also turned around, coming between Huy and Rocco, telling Rocco, "Listen - He said 'no'. If you do not leave him alone, I will get security-" ... Rocco calmly tells the man, "-No, security won't care-", with the old man cutting in again, "-Oh yeah? We'll just see about that!".

Rocco's shoulders sink down, with his head down in "shame", as if he lost a championship, and he walks out of the sauna, takes a shower, and gets another drink from the poolside bar. Rocco is very angry, and his building rage is fueled by him not being attracted to the group of Asians there, and furthermore because they like white men much older than him. Rocco ponders, "Why? I am so much better looking that what Huy is looking for!" ... And continues drinking more before walking around again.

Rocco makes his way around, and sees the other two guys who were around Huy before, speaking in Vietnamese, and looking at two elderly men, even one with a cane. Rocco walked by them, thinking to himself, "Maybe they don't think younger men would like them? Maybe they will be happy if I show interest in them? Forget about Huy." ... Only to have both give Rocco a dirty look, scoff, and walk away, even when Rocco sat near them. After another walk around the "maze" of the establishment, Rocco enters the steam room.

In the steam room. he happens across Huy, who is having sex with the older man he originally tried to come on to, and with his two Asian friends watching in pleasure. Rocco was jonesing. His heart was racing. He was angry and confused. The older man was overweight and even smelled bad. Rocco could simply not wrap his mind around what was going on, and walked out in disgust. He has lost all his libido and makes his way to his locker, and sadly gathers up his items, and gets dressed.

On his way out, he passes by one of the private rooms with the door open, an older guy calls Rocco in, saying "Hey, handsome, come in and get undressed again!", as his back is being massaged by another middle aged white guy and one of the Asian guys who was with Huy earlier. Rocco begins taking his shirt off as the older man touches his chest, and the middle-aged white man unbuckles Rocco's shorts. During this seemingly imminent "escapade", Rocco reaches up and tries to touch the Asian man there.

The Asian man quickly shrugs back, and yells "No!" to Rocco. Rocco bursts in a temper, saying "Jesus Christ! What the hell is wrong with all you 'cute Asians'?" ... Only to have the two white men order Rocco out of their room, telling him "I did not pay $25 to see this! Get out!", slamming the door of the room hard as Rocco leaves it buttoning up his pants and hastily pulling his shirt down, walking fast. As he walks away, he can hear the Asian and white guys laughing hysterically behind the closed door of the room he was thrown out of.

As Rocco walked across the club, he passed the pool area, and saw Huy, sitting by the patio bar with the overweight man he had sex with earlier, cuddling. Rocco asked Huy, "Be honest! Am I too young for you or something? What happened?", with Huy responding promptly, "Yes. I like older men. Now leave me the f__k alone!". One of Huy's Asian friends also confronted Rocco as he was walking away, telling him "Why won't you mind your own f__king business?". Rocco has had enough and has reached his breaking point.

Rocco yells at Huy and points to him and his friend, saying "I hope the old man who you settle down with suffers the same fate as my ex (Sergio) did! And you get stuck with all his bills, funeral, even his family stealing your dog! You have low self esteem!". Rocco is enraged and punches the wall, and walks up to one of the high-top tables that has a candle on it. He tears off the candle that was glued to the table, and throws it at an unoccupied area besides the bar, still lit, hitting the edge of a large mirror.

The decorative candle holder shatters and the candle rolls across the floor before it goes out, smashing the glass trim on the side of the mirror, and leaves a crack across the rest of it. Huy and the other two stare silently as the bartender jumps up in shock, staring at Rocco. A staff member nudges Rocco and begins pushing him, repeatedly saying "Leave, sir! Just keep walking! You're banned! Let's go!", as Rocco complies. The staff member continues directing Rocco, who is thankfully dressed, towards the exit of the club.

Rocco continues walking, albeit fast as the staff member pushes harder on his back, towards the exit, yelling "Just keep walking, forget about your locker key. I got it.", and tossing the key to the checkout clerk. He continues, "Bob, this guy is banned - Locker 69! He's not allowed back here! He broke the fairing on the mirror by the bar with a candle he threw at it! Come-on, Sir, there you go! Out!", and pushes Rocco out the main entrance of the establishment, slamming it shut.

Rocco was surprised that the staff did not call the police on him, and made his way home, crying and balling himself to sleep in his large and empty house. It would be over a year until Rocco ever even thought about going to any such place, but he did, eventually, after he switched his main job and moved to California. Over there, Rocco eventually found another Asian man, named Ng, who was also Vietnamese. Rocco would spend at least the next 15 years in a long-term relationship with Ng. I guess love strikes when you LEAST expect it?

Note: This story is loosely based on some content in a book I am writing called "Quarter Century" - Please check back often for any updates on that project.

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