RIP Kevin DuBrow

Let's travel back in time to 1983 to a day when four guys based in L.A. who went by the name Quiet Riot took the nation - and at least parts of the world - by storm with a little record called "Metal Health."
I was one of the teens who loved these guys and spent money (probably mostly Mom and Dad's) to see them with a friend in Boutwell Auditorium in Birmingham, Ala. The above video - featuring their massive cover of Slade's "Cum on Feel the Noize" - gives a taste of what they were like back in the day.
OK, back to 2007.
While the band's lyrical content of debauchery of various sorts no longer appeals to me, the sound - vocals ranging from banshee screams to melodic signing, wailing guitars, pounding bass and thunderous drums - still does!
So, it is with a sincere prayer that I hope the late Kevin DuBrow, the band's frontman and lead vocalist, met Jesus somewhere along his 52 years here on Earth.
He was found dead in his residence in the Las Vegas area over the weekend.
Thanks for the enjoyment and memories, man.

In the blink of an eye

We took this picture of our daughter Jadyn in the upstairs play area of Arbor Place Mall in Douglasville, Ga. in March. We were in the community visiting some friends.
On Monday, a Brinks security guard and an alleged attempted robber were shot inside the mall.
One of the bullets fired in the incident apparently exited a window after flying above the food court and the children's play area, the Associated Press reported. The play area is just off the food court, where, according to the AP, people were diving for cover.
We've eaten in that food court.
Events we see or read in the news are often so much more real when we can say, "I've been there."
But it simultaneously induces concern and gratefulness to think that no one other than those directly involved were hurt, though we pray for healing for both of those who were shot.
If circumstances changed ever so slightly, a bystander - such as a child playing in the play area - could have been wounded.
It's difficult to bear the idea of my child getting hurt by some random event, but I can see the innocence of a child's playtime being vaporized by such a traumatic incident.
It certainly brings home the old saying: "There but for the grace of God go I."

Reclaiming a moment

In the summer of 1977, I went to see a movie with at least one of my parents, probably my Dad, called "A Bridge Too Far."
It's a star-studded epic - measuring about three hours in length - which tells the story of the ill-fated Operation Market Garden during World War II. What I've read of this material from Wikipedia on Market Garden looks pretty accurate.

(Please see the above clip of the movie trailer.)
I recall very vividly not being able to remain in the theater due to stomach problems. It turns out I had appendicitis and went into the hospital for several days after an appendectomy.
I watched it again this weekend thanks to a rented DVD. I think I'd seen bits and pieces of it in the years following but as an adult with a greater understanding of the events of WWII and their impact, I could appreciate it more.
And I felt as though I could reclaim a moment of enjoyment interrupted three decades earlier by illness. I'm thankful this sort of reclamation is possible.
Also, there are lessons worth learning from Market Garden, based on my understanding of the events. (This is with no disrespect intended toward those who fought and died in the operation.)
These are:
- Develop contingency plans. Sure, sometimes putting all your eggs in one basket is a risk worth taking. But more times than not, it's best to build in at least a framework for a Plan B.
- Accurately assess the challenges ahead. Too much focus on what's to come can prevent us from taking any risk at all, but obtaining and fairly analyzing information about what we may face is worth our time to investigate.
- The ability to communicate is essential. Make sure the means of communication you plan to use functions properly in a harsh environment and send alternative means of communication just in case the first option fails.