Beta-Pi-Blog

Thursday, May 15, 2008

Beta Pi Blog, Vol.2008, No.25 - The Schmeat Chronicles

Beta Pi:

IS "BETA PI BLOG" JUNK E-MAIL?: Yes, and no! It is not this e-mail. This e-mail contains some written content of the "Beta Pi Blog", not the entire content. The "blog" is actually a web-site, it includes pictures, links, Archives of previous issues, and other time-wasters. To get there, simply "Click on" the web address: http://journals.aol.com/lasimons4law/beta-pi-blog/ .

THE SCHMEAT CHRONICLES: Back in February, I sent a 1-line e-mail to Bill a.k.a. "Lunchmeat", a.k.a. "Schmeat" Whalen , wawhalen@gmail.com basically a how-are-you?

Today, I was delighted to receive Schmeat’s response. This must be what it was like in the early days of the Pony Express - you post a letter, and weeks or months later you receive a response, because the mail moved so slowly.

Enough of that - lets get right to the "meat" of what Schmeat sent me. Unfortunately, at the end of Schmeat’s awesome diatribe, he asked for confidentiality. Therefore, I am editing out much personal content of what Schmeat wrote, and letting you see the rest (without Schmeat’s permission, God help me):

"Larry,

Schmeat resurfacing.

My life has been in turmoilover the last few years. Long story made short:

Vandy - graduated on the 5.5 yr plan.

Work in hospital as orderly.

Bored. Changed subjects, from Math to Biochemistry.

Enrolled in graduate school at UConn. Ph.D in less than 4 years...mmmm less time than a BA??

Married (Edited, Blog Ed.)

PostDoc at UConn Med School. (Edited, Blog Ed.)

First stint at NIH. OK but my ADD limited my productivity - Matt Hart was right in my out to lunch personality.

Met wife 2 - (Edited, Blog Ed.)

Got married. Had kid.

Moved to NOLA and taught at Xavier. Wanted to move on, but options limited. (Edited, Blog Ed.)

-- spent 2 years as a "single parent".

Katrina.

Got to go to NIH for the second time. This time a much better situation. Got to direct my own research, great lab, etc. Department politics limited my stay --(Edited, Blog Ed.)

Mom got sick.

(Edited, Blog Ed.) Moved to Cleveland.

Took care of my Mom and autistic sister.

Mom died last xmas.

Brother in Cleveland gives me $300 and a plane ticket to New Orleans. Trying to rebuild my life.

Sorry to have been so non-communicative but due to (Edited, Blog Ed.), I would like to keep communications personal for the time being. Any thought of the blog password being protected? Just a little old fashioned and paranoid, especially after (Edited, Blog Ed.)

Anyway, say hi to all the ticklors for me. I will contact them when I get a chance.

Living A Sane Existence In A Basically Insane Society --

Bill"

TO THE MIGHTY SCHMEAT: Bill, thanks for your letter - forgive me for publishing part of your chronicle, I did so in the interest of informing the Brethren. I hope my editing satisfies your privacy concerns.

Hey, I’m sorry to hear your Mom died. My Mom died of pancreatic cancer in 2000, very tough to lose my Mom.

Schmeat, when I started the blog in August, 2006 there were 2 options, a private blog, which was really complicated (each "user" had to have a password) and a "public" blog. Path-o-least-resistance.

I have tried to keep the language on the blog clean, after all we profess to being gentlemen, no? A few privacy quirks involving some material Buck posted in a drunken blogging spree had to edited ex-post-facto, but other than that, no worries. Buck freely admits to being the author of his misfortune, God I love that man.

I have spent years and lots-o-pesos on therapy, so from my end, I - like you - am basically trying to live a sane existence, and with God’s help, I am doing alright. Be well old friend.

Larry"

* * *

NEWS FLASH: SCHMEAT SUBMITS RECENT PHOTO! Thanks Bill!

BETA PI BLOG ROSTER STATS: As of May 15, 2008, the Blog roster total is 87 Beta Pi brothers, 80 of these Tick-a-lo men have e-mail addresses. If you have an e-mail address on a Brother - fugetaboutit!

VTL,

Larry Simons

Beta Pi, 72

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Beta Pi Blog, Vol.2008, No.24 - Letters to Dr. Phibes, continued

Beta Pi:

LETTERS TO THE ABOMINABLE DR. PHIBES, continued: From time-to-time, I read something in the news that catches my eye, good or bad, happy or sad, nappy or crappy, etc. At those times, a "spark" of creative energy drives me to this keyboard - and, drives me to continue in a line of rants addressed to the Mighty-Potentate-O-Yore, "none other than" Matt Hart, matthewjhart@yahoo.com a/k/a The Abominable Dr. Phibes. Accordingly,

My Dearest Dr. Phibes:

I read the internet news today - "O-boy"

About some unlucky Fraternities "who made the grade"

They caught some Fraternity guys "who blew their mind out" - perhaps in a Yellow Car

The news was "rather sad."

"Nobody was really sure if they were from" San Diego State University . . .

"I’d love to turn . . ."

Enough Sgt. Peppers!

Phibes, you can read this by clicking on the "link" to the right.

As I read the article, I worried that our beloved Fraternity might somehow be listed.

I was wrong. Theta Chi, SAE and several others were involved.

Its as if these guys were trying to bring back the 1970's - those mighty days when the Vanderbilt Campus Police (if indeed they could be called "police")

Stood idle at the side-lines of the famed Grateful Dead Concert on Alumni lawn, which turned into a "mini-Woodstock." I was a mere Freshman then, and dear brother,

You were a Sophomore.

I recall being at the event with Frank J. Biller, who was openly imbibing certain pure-grain alcoholic beverage, a.k.a., "PGA Punch" - and I myself was "on cloud-nine" for reasons not mentionable herein. The Grateful Dead were playing, and Alumni lawn was cordoned-off by the Campus Cops, who did not venture into the center of Alumni Lawn, where the Grateful Dead fans, mostly Vanderbilt coeds - but lots of weird Nashville street-people and assorted "hippies" were digging the live music. A glorious day. I remember seeing Muenchie with this great smile on his face . . . and Pierce Hodnette with the grin and twinkle-o-the-eye which made him famous, grooving to the music! And the babes. As I rock in my rocking chair, approaching geezerdom, I remember it so vividly.

Do you remember (another John Lennon song lyric) what you were doing that overcast day?

Perhaps other Brethren recall "how many holes it takes to fill the Albert Hall?"

My regards to our beloved brethren, and I remain,

Lorenzo Bozino

For previous Letters to Dr. Phibes, go to "Archives":

Beta Pi Blog, Vol.2008, No.02 - Abominable Dr. Phibes In-but-out-but-In,

Beta Pi Blog, Vol.2007, No.36 -Fotch provides lead - Dr. Thomas McCown), and

Beta Pi Blog, Vol.2007, No.23 - Muench on Vonegut

BETA PI BLOG ROSTER STATS: As of May 7, 2008, the Blog roster total is 87 Beta Pi brothers, 80 of these Tick-a-lo men have e-mail addresses. If you have an e-mail address on a Brother - fugetaboutit!

VTL,

Larry Simons

Beta Pi, 72

Friday, April 25, 2008

Beta Pi Blog, Vol.2008, No.23 - XBG Neal Crenshaw, International Tick-a-lo Man

Beta Pi:

FRANK BILLER ALLUDES TO X NEAL: So I’m racked out in my recliner yesterday evening, watching Donnie Brasco again, when my Blackberry sounds off - message-in-a-bottle from Venerable Buck-O fbiller1@msn.com :

E-MAIL FROM FRANK BILLER, April 24, 2008:

"Dear Larry and guys,

I get sooo confused on all this blog stuff. Larry's trains of thought have always been challenging for a simple boy from Davenport Iowa like me. So, I try to follow the blog despite a great deal of confusion. However, I have to give Props to Brother Larry on his Header/Screen Crawler at the top of the Blog. I mean- come on. a copy of the cover of "Thrasher" magazine with a pic of young Ted Stephany tedstephany@yahoo.com trumpeting "Prom Date from Hell" . . . only a truly demented can mind make this kind of stuff up.

There is brilliance in Brother Larry's insanity my friends. And he does have way too much time on his hands.

Kudos to you Brother Simons. You magnificent mad bastard.

VTL Buck

"NOTE: Pan-Asian culture invades Tic-Speak. I don't know if you have noticed from brother X. Neal Crenshaw's communications, but he regularly substitutes the word " 'da" for the.

I assume this has something to do with local Thai culture, years of alcohol abuse (Gin and tonic MUST be used in sub tropical climes to ward off malaria, monkey fever and other nefarious maladies) and/or something called "Thai Sticks" (not to start another controversey ala the Ted and Vinnie scenario).

Just as the Vietnamese Spin-f _ _ _ (edited, B.E.S.) chair has crept into all our bedrooms, I notice this coloquialism has creeped into Larrys lexicon on the blog.

RESPONSE SENT TO BUCK: Thank you, my friend. Your words remind me of the scene in Patton, where Gen. Patton is surveying the battlefield with his binoculars, and says "Rommel, you magnificent bastard . . . I read your book!" I love that scene.

* * *

XBG NEAL CRENSHAW, INTERNATIONAL TICK-A-LO MAN: It’s a good thing Buck brought up X Neal. Reminds me that Neal neal.crenshaw@gmail.com recently sent me some great photos of his life in Thailand.

For those brothers new to the blog, Neal’s nick-name has morphed from "X-Neal" to XBG-Neal.

There is a story behind that (see Archives, Vol.2007, No.17 ) but suffice to say, Neal has built (he’s a contractor who builds embassies) a beautiful compound carved out of the middle of the jungle, drives a Harley in the bush, and plays guitar in a local band - and the natives have dubbed him "The Bronze God" - hence the intials "BG" have been added to the X, morphing to XBG-Neal.

Here are some shots of XBG’s jungle-paradise compound in Thailand, and his beautiful wife, and their daughter Lulu. Neal, Lulu is absolutely adorable, my brother.

As you may know, Neal issued a standing invitation to Tick-a-lo’s spanning the globe, to come vacation in his compound, where he has a pool, and recording studio. Marlon had suggested several of us charter a flight. Who knows?

BETA PI BLOG ROSTER STATS: As of April 25, 2008, the Blog roster total is 87 Beta Pi brothers, 80 of these Tick-a-lo men have e-mail addresses. If you have an e-mail address on a Brother - fugetaboutit!

VTL,

Larry Simons

Beta Pi, 72