I am 100% sure I was picked and can play back the entire episode. I could even pick out the guy in a line-up. Sadly I did not understand fully the tap on the shoulder, gentle bump and apology when it was happening.
It actually WAS just like in the movies or TV shows. Exactly in fact.
It made an end to a rather incredible night that Mel, DJs dad and I had at the Mallards game last night (Badger Honor Flight Military Appreciation Night.) Mel and a few others were honored for their service in WWII with a standing ovation of the 4,400 people that were out in a tepid 103 game time temp.
While he was getting applause I was trying to figure out were I had seen one of the organizers before, you know that feeling.
About the 4th inning a Navy vet starts to talk to Mel. He was on an ammo ship at the time the USS Indy was suppose to arrive and he remembers talking to people and asking why the Indy had not arrived yet and why no one had heard from the Flag Ship of the US Fleet. While sailors were concerned the brass just said it's a ship of war and not to worry (meanwhile 880 soles were floating in the ocean getting eaten by sharks).
For the entire and FASCINATING story read In Harm's Way: The Sinking of the U.S.S. Indianapolis and the Extraordinary Story of Its Survivors if you, do Mel was in one of the small floating life-vest groups.
For those uninformed - the USS Indy was the Flag Ship of the Pac Fleet, on July 30 at 12:14am a Japanese sub hit the Indy with a torpedo taking off the bow of the ship, which sank in like 15 minutes. Of the 1,197 on board 880 survived the sinking and 317 survived 5 days in shark infested waters while the Navy ignored the SOS calls through incompetence and thinking it was a Japanese trick . The book is seriously good.
ANYWAY - The Navy guy was talking and mentioned he had a boat that could not get onto the Madison lakes because the water is too low, the (I believe the water no longer reaches the shore :-). I asked what kind of boat and he said it was an old wooden boat. I mentioned I do the poster for the Wooden Boat show and he calls down to the guy I have been wondering about. YUP - He is one of the top guys for the show!!!! I KNEW I knew him from somewhere.
BUT WAIT - it's gets stranger!!
About the 6th inning the father of the family in the row ahead of us turns around and says "you look familiar, did you grow up in Fort Atkinson?" Surprised I said yes and he says "Rod Melotte?". WHAT??? I look at him and he tells me his name. WOW - I went to school with him and BARELY knew him 40 years ago. And he recognized me??? Is that good or bad.
Well - the game ends and we had a great time. We're walking out of the park and we go down some steps. My Nikon is slung over my left shoulder which means I'm right handed and since I have a Nikon I probably have a good phone or billfold or some other important rip offable things. This also means that said important things, are on my right side.
I have cargo shorts on which means I probably have all of the above stored in either my back pocket OR the big side Caption Kangaroo pocket.
We're clear of the big crowd and as we walk a mustachioed guy with a barrel chest, gray tee shirt, short curly hair about 5'8" taps my shoulder and apologizes for bumping into me.
I can remember a large "?" appearing above my head as I thought it was odd but with drunks and so forth just stored the memory.
On any other night I would have known immediately. I know the weight of my phone in my shorts and would have noticed. But we were given all sorts of bling and rubber ducks, programs, pens and "stuff" so I felt rather bulky.
We get to the car and I empty out all my pockets on the floor of Mels car and we drive off. We're perhaps 2 minutes out and a warning light appears in my brain. Wait a minute . . . . . I did not feel my cell phone exit my pocket.
I'm groping around on the floor and I don't want to bring this to Mels attention as we had a great time ( it was my dads birthday** and I was like celebrating it with Mel).
For the next 15 minutes Mel is talking blah blah blah and I'm replaying the entire game in my head while groping on the dark floor and just as I get to the bumping incident my head spins - THAT was it. I am 100% sure. sigh DAMN IT.
The GOOD news is that this was an iPhone 3 (not even a 3G) with busted glass and so many scrapes and nicks no one in their right mind will buy it and it's probably in the garbage. It's an old beater. Plus I was due for a major upgrade so now I'm forced to buy an iPhone 4 which is so much better then my 3.
I mentioned my dads birthday who passed away about 25 year ago from lung cancer. One thing I will always remember is that he used to make bacon and then popcorn and pour the bacon grease on the popcorn instead of butter. It was AWESOME!!!!
So once a hear I have bacon grease popcorn on his birthday.
and that is my story.
Keep cool
Rod
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