The Butter Rum Cartoon: A LETTER I WROTE IN 1988

702 W. Casino, P-104

Everett, WA 98204

October 15, 1988

Dear Linda & Ron,

It's been a while. We went up to Mom's a week ago or so and saw your video! Neat! Looks like you've found a pretty nice chunk of Kansas to enjoy your home on---and nice home! It was fun seeing you on video. Isn't that a neat way to record your family!? We've rented a video camera a couple times for "family movies," and it's so inexpensive compared to, say, 8mm movies, and the voices and sound are recorded, too! One of our next big expenses will probably be to buy our own camcorder. It's worth it in the long run, and there's always the fun of producing your own films as well---something on the order of "The Red Balloon."

Right now I'm drinking a cup of Zabar's Kenyan coffee (mail ordered from New York) and listening to the "Time and Tide" tape by Basia, a female pop-jazz singer I discovered while sorting mail with my headset radio tuned in to my favorite FM station KNUA (contemporary jazz). So I hope the caffeine and bebopping won't be too evident in my writing.

Leif's karate is coming along great! He's now an orange-belt, with two stripes, after only about 3/4 of a year! You've probably heard about his lacking the corpus callosum in his brain (the communication network between his left and right brain), and so he constantly has a difficult disability to overcome. So his accomplishments in such things as karate are nothing short of a miracle. We're proud of him! Today we all went to his Family Karate Center dojo to take part in a special parents' class, and for the first time I realize just how terribly difficult karate is! It doesn't look anywhere as hard as it is! I'm impressed! He has a real good "master"---Robert Martin of the International Karate Association, who trained under Kubota, the famous man who awarded Leif his trophies. It's neat!

As for Sam, he's having to grow up with most of his peers being twice his age, yet he holds his own. It's unbelievable that he's just 2 1/2! Kids are always coming to our door, asking, "How old is he?" They can never be convinced he's really 2 unless they ask us to make sure. Just like when kids would come to our door with Leif, asking (about Leif), "Is he really from another planet?"

Our vacation was great! Three weeks! For the first few days we did nothing. Then we went to the Movieland Wax Museum, Universal Studios, Disneyland, and the beautiful beach at Santa Barbara; and then for the last few days we did nothing. So it was nice. My favorite of all was Universal Studios. Not only was the tour great, but the boys got to participate. Out of 350 people, Leif was chosen to demonstrate the special effect of how Elliot rode his bicycle through the sky with E.T.! So there was Leif on the bike on stage, but on the screens above there was Leif riding with E.T. through the sky! What fun! And Sam's quiet forwardness was always gaining him impressive friends. Sam initiated the friendship with cowboy David by following David around and asking him questions. After the visit, David even thanked us! Another friend of Sam was the Phantom of the Opera, who was slinking around scaring people. When he sneaked up for Sam's reaction, Sam casually reached out and touched the Phantom's grody yellow teeth! A few minutes later, I turned to see the Phantom of the Opera down on his knee and Samuel walking up to hug him. In front of a gathering crowd of smiling people there were monster and child in loving embrace. It was neat, and we had no more camera film! Darn it!

Now the coffee is drunk, and I'm listening to "Dreamflight II" by Herb Ernst, a tape recommended by Zenith Supplies in Seattle---a massage supply store. So you can imagine what kind of music it is. If my writing starts getting spaced-out, you'll know why.

Speaking of massage, did you hear that that's what I'm planning to do? Next year, in September, I plan to start a year's course at the Spectrum Center School of Massage in Lake Stevens---a 600-hour course in massage therapy, followed up with a state examination and license. Then I'll be able to write my name Dale Lund, LMP (Licensed Massage Practitioner), and make a minimum of $35/hour. It's almost like med. school, with courses in anatomy and physiology, medical terminology, kinesiology, pathology, Swedish massage---theory and practice, hydrotherapy and equipment use, hygiene, palpation skills, practitioner body mechanics, first-aid/CPR, movement analysis, soft tissue injury, medical treatments, sports massage, connective tissue release, triggerpoint therapy, business management, and human behavior. It's not just rubbing folks. I've already got and am studying two of the textbooks I'll need---Healing Massage Techniques: A Study of Eastern and Western Methods, and The Human Body in Health and Disease. The other four needed textbooks are a bit too technical to study before I start school. I also need to buy a massage table before then (plan on getting a Healthcraft table---a quality portable model). For a time I'll be working in both jobs---mailman and massage therapist, but hope eventually to work into full-time massage.

It was the postal service that got me interested in doing massage therapy. There's so much stress being a mail carrier that for the first time I realized the necessity of stress-relief, hence massage. And to make sure, I went for a full-body "stress-management" massage given by an LMP recommended by the school (a Spectrum Center graduate), and yes, it works and it's worth it.

I get a good pay raise next year, so will be able to get a tuition loan. The table I can buy on Mastercard. It's going to be hard to get back into the grind of college at 40, with an energy-zapping full-time job and family, but the interest and enthusiasm are there, so I'm more excited than anything. This year there are eighteen in the class (the evening class), which is impressive for a vocational course at Lake Stevens. It'll be fun. My main motivation is to get out of being a mailman, a job I've always regretted getting into. But I'm no longer the fool who'll quit without having something better to do. Meanwhile, I now have my very own mail route, so the job is only half as bad as it was. At least I know what to expect each day, and don't have to stumble around in ignorance. My route (about 750 deliveries) is half businesses mostly on Evergreen Way (Highway 99) and half apartments on Casino Road, the street we live on (but our complex isn't on the route---just near it). I drive a jeep, and right now need to walk only three blocks to work. When I'm finally an LMP, I plan to have a clinic right in our home.

Now I'm listening to the tape, "The Gift of Time," by Jean-Luc Ponty, a neat jazz violinist also discovered on FM station KNUA. My writing should be energetic but normal now.

Did I tell you about my hobby of writing to all the nations of the world for information? The idea is to somehow put much of the info together into a children's book on nations, but I have yet to develop any formula since the info sent varies so much. But at least it's a great hobby! And now I've gotten stuff from 146 out of 168 countries! Only 22 to go! This includes three large file drawers full of various things, plus 71 books (and 103 booklets)! All for just the cost of postage (which by now has exceeded $100, but is still a great bargain). Some special items are: A cassette tape from Grenada which includes the actual sounds of the multinational invasion; high-quality books from Greece on Greek art; 13 books from the Soviet Union; 5 books from Libya including a hardcover edition of The Green book by Kadhafi himself; collector's item letters from the revolutionary governments of Libya and Bourkina Faso; a usable catalog of bushman handicrafts from Botswana; 21 8x10 glossy photographs from Mongolia; and scores of other only-person-on-the-block-to-have items. Two countries surprised me. The only things that two "enemy" nations---Iran and El Salvador--sent were several beautiful children's books, void of any propaganda (except for one of the seven Iranian books). It sure is a fun hobby. And recently a teacher in Albuquerque (who heard about it through my friend Alex) has begun corresponding with me, planning to have her class get involved in an info-from-around-the-world project. I sent her an up-to-date list of addresses with a long letter, and her next letter began... "Thank you for your very prompt and informative reply. Alex told me he could usually expect a lengthy letter from you---but I never suspected I would rate the same.

"This is great! This being the information you provided. The other social studies teachers acted like I was an overly enthusiastic teacher fresh out of school when I tried to inspire their interest in such a project, and could offer no suggestions on how to go about it. I plan to present the information to the interdiscipline team I am a part of (includes Language Arts, Literature, Social Studies, and Life Science) and see what kind of group effort we could put together. Language Arts could help with the letter writing..." I love positive feedback, and it's neat to be effective in a positive way. She'll continue keeping me informed of the progress.

Another current interest of mine is, believe-it-or-not, the Catholic Church! Micki as you know has been into it for years, and we've had a lot of arguments. Meanwhile I've been searching for some good book on Catholic apologetics, in hopes of opening my mind and in so doing restoring my peace-of-mind; and I finally found Catholicism and Fundamentalism by Karl Keating, which is fun to read and makes a lot of sense! I was so impressed that now I've subscribed to Karl Keating's monthly newsletter, "Catholic Answers," and also bought a four-tape set of a five-hour debate between him and Rev. Ruckman, a fundamental Baptist minister. It's great! So anyway, now I'm studying the Catholic Church, and finally respect it as being pretty intelligent after all. And by the way, Catholics don't worship Mary or saints or idols, like I always thought.

Micki and I are still thinking of getting a mobile home to live in (again) on some chosen property while building our dream house slowly and affordably. If we were to suffer thru the mobile home park doldrums while paying off the (used) mobile home beforehand, we could then be pickier about choosing the perfect property, maybe even some with beach access. Anyway, we won't wait too much longer, since our apartment rent is expected to go way up soon. So we're keeping our eyes open.

Well, I thought of putting on the "Timeless Flight" tape by David Blonski with Synchestra, or the "In Flight" tape by pianist Michael Harrison, but went ahead and put on the Basia tape again. She's neat.

To prepare for massage, I'm now reading The Magic of Touch by Sherry Suib Cohen---a nice book on the value of our strongest sense, and including massage techniques. This interest is a milestone for me, since I've always had difficulty touching people. Doing massage therapy will be therapeutic for me, too.

So, now that I'm repeating a subject, I suppose it's time to end the letter.

I hope you're well and happy (I hope you're feeling a lot better, Ron), and who knows: maybe you can jot a note to me one of these years. Say hi to everyone for me.

Lot o' Love,

Dale