Challenger Disaster ... Little Did They Know ... Part II

This is the second essay that talked about sending the teachers in the space, this happened two years before the Challenger Disaster that killed 7 crews including the schoolteacher in Christa McAuliffe.

R-

* * *

Mr. Snyder's Journey Into Space

Last week, Mr. Reagan ordered us to choose one teacher to go to Kennedy Space Center in Florida and ride in the space shuttle for April 10, 1985. The reason for our school to choose the teacher right now was to give the chosen teacher time to practice and prepare himself for the flight.

The school had already formed the committee to comply with President Reagan's order. I was the chairman. We discussed it for a week. We finally made the selection by order of preferences. The choices were: 1) Mrs. Garber; 2) Mrs. Panella; 3) Mr. Deuel; 4) Mr. Snyder; 5) Mr. Marzolf; 6) Mr. Frick; 7) Mr. Kraus; 8) Mr. Drake. We also considered Miss Couch, but she had a slight problem with her left pelvis and she was using a cane, so we decided it would better not to include her. Here were a list of reasons for each teacher to be chosen. Mrs. Garber: I wanted her to have a break from me because she nagged me about using my voice; Mrs. Panella: I love to laugh at her when she panick; Mr. Deuel: He is good at solving problems; Mr. Snyder: He loves science; Mr. Marzolf: He should go because he is the boss of Junior High; Mr. Frick: He loves science and he is a math expert; Mr. Kraus: He is a biology teacher and in space, he may find a way to save animals' lives. Mr. Drake: He is math expert.

We started asking the chosen teachers and only one accepted. We first asked Mrs. Garber and she said, "Fat chance." Then we asked Mrs. Panella, whom we called "Mrs. Pinella" She responded, "No way! I am afraid that the shuttle would crash on the ground before the lift-off and I would be killed!"

The next day we asked Mr. Deuel but he did not agree, so we asked Mr. Snyder and he accepted. We told him to call NASA right away. HASA said for him to go down to Florida by March 1, 1985. Mr. Snyder was looking forward to it.

When the day came, it was a busy day for Mr. Snyder. He had to pack everything according to NASA's requests. He was kind of silly. He brought a box full of tackles, a gun, a box of ammunition, and his pipe.

He left for Florida in his 4-wheel truck. It took him tow days to get to NASA.

When he finally got to Cape Canaveral, Florida -- he had meetings and was outfitted with a space suit. He had to practice everything to get himself ready for the long trip.

On April 10th, Mr. Snyder and other astronauts got in the shuttle, then the countdown began. All the people, espeically in Staunton, Va., where VSDB-Staunton is located, were watching Mr. Snyder ride in the shuttle. The shuttle was supposed to launch the satellite into orbit.

When the lift off began, Mr. Snyder began smoking his pipe. When they got into space, they sent off the satellite into the orbit. It was successful and Mr. Snyder invented a formula from a rock in space that would prodcue a world record largemouth Bass in one day. The shuttle landed in Florida and Mr. Snyder was a hero. He won one million dollars.

As he got back home, he started for Lake Moomaw, he put the formula into the bass's mouth and it grew to 24 pounds. Mr. Sndyer had caught the world's largest largemouth bass. He was awarded another one million dollars.

He used one million dollars for the wrestling team. He bought the best uniforms, the best mat and when the team was at the tournament, he reserved the best motel in town.

He enjoyed the journey into space. It was the first time in history for the teacher to ride in the shuttle and it was the suttle's first landing in Florida. Mrs. Panella lost one million dollars. She was so stupid.
-Darrell Drake

Note: Mr. Snyder was the hearing teacher at VSDB who was bit odd but yet so popular with Deafies, he was also the wrestling coach at VSDB as well. When you entered his office, you could smell the stench of his pipe. This guy is nuts, basically. Except for Mrs. Garber and Mr. Snyder, the rest of teachers are Deaf. Mrs. Panella is one easily spooked woman -- scare her, she goes nuts. She graduated from Gallaudet, was a member of Delta Epsilon -- which is odd because she is kinda inseparable with Miss Couch who is in Phi Kappa Zeta. And it is chilling enough to see Darrell Drake quoting Mrs. Panella's fears which came true when it comes to USS Challenger. Oy vey!

USS Challenger -- Little Did They Know ... !

As many of you knew, the USS Challenger were destroyed on January 28, 1986 when the booster failed to perform correctly about 73 seconds after the takeoff, killing all crews including Christa McAuliffe, the teacher from New Hampshire who was chosen by the NASA to explore the space as a schoolteacher.

Good bye, Challenger!

I stumbled upon two essays in The Virginia Guide by Mark Fletcher and Darrell Drake, both alumni from VSDB and Gallaudet -- they wrote this essays about two years PRIOR to the Challenger Disaster ... I cannot help but be amused by that. Here is the first essay of two. Enjoy.

R-
* * *
Reagan's Recommendation

One morning the bell had rung and it was time for all the students to hustle to their classrooms. We sat in our desks. Mrs. Garber came in. We were very quiet. She said, "I am giving you a break while I correct your papers." I asked Mrs. Garber, "May I read your newspaper?" She said, "You may read but be quiet." I looked at the front page. The headline said: "Reagan's Recommendation." Reagan's recommendation was to have one of the teachers into space with the astronauts. After I read the article, "That is a good idea", I cried. The teacher said, "Be quiet, please!". I tld my classmates all about it. They said, "Yeah, that's a good idea."

The next morning the bell had rung again. The students hustled to the classrooms as usual. The student brought a big box. Mrs. Garber asked, "What are you doing with that box?" "Oh, we will have a surprise for you!", one of the students said. The students and I ganged upon her. I have her a shot. The shot made her sleep. "What are you doing with me?" The teacher yelled again. The reason why we picked her to go into space was because she always picked on us and teased us.

She was sleeping then, we put her in the box. We sent her to NASA. When she rode in the space shuttle, she was very nervous. Two weeks later, the substitute teacher came into our classroom and she said that Mrs. Garber would come back next month. We were so excited that Mrs. Garber would not be here for one whole month. But something strange happened. The door was slammed against the wall. "All of you are in school suspension," Mrs. Garber said. Mrs. Garber acted very insane. Her hair stood upward and her eyes were real wide open.

We are now in the principal's office for one month. We are feeling very sad.
-Mark Fletcher

Note: Mrs. Garber is hearie. The writer is Deaf. Go figure.

Time To Ponder

14 + 14 + 600 = Sanctity? 14 bridesmaids, 14 groomsmen and 600 guests for a simple wedding makes a woman go nuts as she runs off to Las Vegas then to Albuquerque because she got a cold feet about marrying this guy.

And many religious nuts worked up a lot of crap about the sanctity of marriage. You got Britney Spears marrying for a day or two, you get Michael Jackson marrying Debbie Rowe, and now you get this cold feet.

Their arguments about "preserving" the sanctity of marriage is ludicrious at its best. Keep it coming, Republican conservatives and X-ians, it makes you look much dumber than ever!

Danny Gochenour! In The Virginia Guide, there is a picture of me and Danny when we were 7 or so at VSDB. I was not smiling, just in my natural state with awful taste in clothes, Danny, at 8, was next to me with his head leaning on my left cheek -- he smiled, you could barely see his white teeth in the black/white picture. I wish I could show the picture but no scanner is within my sight.

When I first enrolled at VSDB, Danny was my roommate, we were pretty inseparable even with the fact that he is a grade ahead of me. He was pretty boy, I was ... just me. I vividly recalled the moments when we were in our pajamas and watching the television before hitting the sack during the weekends, Danny has a quirky habit of his hands to comb his hair in a rapid manner -- he likes to have his hair in the same manner with Fonzie, the legendary character on some show in early 80s, I believe.

Danny would sit next to me and is very active with his hands on his hair while I watch the television. But when he is done with his hair, he'll roll on me despite my objections, and sit on my stomach while I try to watch the television, he'd use his hands to comb my hair to make it look like him. He would do it at a fast pace to a point where I squirm and whine about it.

Looking back, he certainly cared for me, though. I enjoyed his company, he does as well. Then he left the school. Years later, I saw him again and was horrified at how he looked. He looked like he emerged from the trailer park somewhere in West Virginia.

C'est la vie.

R-

The Series of Funny Articles

Last night, I was unpacking a box -- and I stumbled upon the old issues of The Virginia Guide, a publication published by my alma mater 5 times per year at VSDB.

It showcased some of my essays when I was a kid -- today, it is funny thing to read. In one, it has a picture of me and Danny Gochenour standing next to each other -- little did I know ... but among the first essay that I'm going to showcase to the readers here when I was 9.

Some of you will snicker and roll your eyes because it ... never mind, just read!

R-

* * *

We are learning a lot about drugs in our health class. Mrs. Marzolf wanted to show us more about drugs. She asked the policeman to come and show us about amphetamines and barbiturates. Amphetamines mean a kind of drugs that make you feel high and exciting. Barbiturates mean a kind of drug that makes you feel low ad depressed. I was excited when the policeman gave me the comic book called "The New Teen Titans." It was about drugs. It made me think about drugs and they are very dangerous. I saw LSD, heroin, cocaine, marijuana and other kinds of drugs. We were very interested. We thank the policeman for showing us the drugs and telling us many good stories. I learned a lot.

A Suburb of Philadelphia

I'm currently in Norristown, a suburb of Philadelphia. I ran out of the city for the time being. I needed a timeout from everything else in New York. I can feel that I would head down for a burnout if I remain bit longer in New York.

I love New York because of its entertainment value -- it never ceased to amaze me.

But its connections with Deaf Community, especially with the gays and lesbians are dismal at its best. Philadelphia has a wide variety of Deaf GLBTs to loiter around. I may return to New York in few months (anywhere from 3 to 6 months, give it a shot!).

New York is not a place for people who wanted a boyfriend or a girlfriend -- trust me. It is a town of cheaters. Town of opportunists to play around. I'm cool with it, though. Hell, I played a lot when I was in the city. I fucked 6 or 7 married guys, to say the least! But I'm 31. I wanted to be content with someone else. Fags in New York simply does not have the time for that until they are in 70s, until it is too late. Or until they got the damned HIV thing first. Yes, I'm being stereotypical. So fucking what!

While I'm in Philadelphia, I am going to be content, eat right, work out (?! Yes, now I do have the time!), stabilize my exhausted mind and soul. I won't be that far away from New York -- after all, it takes less than $5 to get to New York by way of SEPTA and NJTRANSIT.

By coming to Philadelphia, I am exploring on finding ways to set up the Bed and Breakfast Inn, perhaps in New Hope or in Center City -- I preferred it to be in Philadelphia area because of its centralized location between the District of Columbia and Boston.

So it is an opportunity for me to figure out the exact things I needed to push before I hit the fortysomething, really.

Which is why you see the new picture logo of Philadelphia, instead of New York.

Since I had been here for the last two days, I slept heavily. I hadn't slept this good in a long time. I needed that, though. However, my friends, one negative thing to the whole thing is ... I do not know of any gay and/or deaf bloggers in Philadelphia! Any hints? Tell me.

Cheers,

R-

The Dark Secret of Trekkies

I'm not a hard-core fan of Star Trek -- but I love Queen Borg -- I can envision myself as her, trying to conquer and assimilate everyone else into my collective! After all, I am always the perfect one and always the right one.

Among the favorite quotes uttered by Queen Borg was:

"Such a cold description for a beautiful gift."

"That is what many worlds and civilizations said to me, and now they are all Borg."

"Small words from someone else trying to attack something they do not understand."

However, this article from The Los Angeles Times was kinda alarming about the dark secret of Trekkies:

On one wall is a "Star Trek" poster with investigators' faces substituted for the Starship Enterprise crew. But even that alludes to a dark fact of their work: All but one of the offenders they have arrested in the last four years was a hard-core Trekkie.

Well, this is about the pedophilia article! Nearly all of Trekkies has a thing for kiddie porn.

And you wonder why people thought Trekkies were bit nutty ... but not me, I ain't a fan of Star Trek but by God, I love Queen Borg!

"Resistance is futile, you shall be assimilated into the collective."

Cheers,

R-

Stop! Stop This ... This Is So ... MAGNIFICENT!

Thanks to Toby, my future hubby for the information -- this is simply magnificent. Read the article and pictures ... and be sure to have some kind of orgasm, okay?

R-