OHS Newsletter
(Archived Copy)

A Summary of Events and Topics of Interest to OHS grads and friends

February 3, 2003

Please feel free to forward this newsletter to other alumni

IN THIS ISSUE:

It's February already. Time is just flying by! Some hopeful news from Norma Allison Pernell. Her son, though still in a coma, is responding to touch and sound. She asks that you all still pray for him, and she'll keep us up to date on his condition.

Surgery update: My last appointment is Wednesday Feb 5. It can be any day after that. Starting weight (I've lost 30 lbs already) will be 328 lbs. I am putting in a "before" photo below. For those of you who are normal weight, pick up THREE 10 lb bags of potatoes. That is how much weight I am no longer carrying as I go into the surgery. It's really an eye opener when you relate the weight to another object. Hopefully it will be 150 or more pounds that I will lose after the surgery.

CD yearbooks are ready! Both '64 and '65 are done. The cost, to cover expenses, is $10. The '64 Bucket comes by itself, '65 includes the summer supplement, and the 36th reunion yearbook from August 25, 2001. Also available is '32, the very first yearbook named Oaken Bucket [yearbooks up till then were named "Aegis"], the McChesney '62 yearbook, and senior sections from '63 and '61 Buckets. Robert Chan '71, has informed me he has access to at least 20 more years of Oaken Buckets, so you may soon be seeing your Oaken Bucket year here. Bob has offered to scan some books too. We are donating copies of the scanned books on CD-rom to the Oakland Public Library to complete their collection. Also available soon will be the '63 and '65 Fremont Flame, and the '65 Skyline Olympian, and the Senior section of the '66 Olympian. Thanks to Biff Gudmundsen and his help scanning the Skyline books. We may also be adding Olympian '67 and '68 seniors, too. Thanks Biff.

This project is coming along nicely. If you are interested in purchasing a yearbook CD, let me know. The cheapest way to print it out is to do it yourself on 24 weight paper. 20 weight will bleed through. Costs about 1 cartridge of black, then take it the copy shop and have it bound for about $3. I've done this with '64 and '65, and they have turned out quite well. The books still contain signatures (sorry). They are all set to print out, for example, pages 1 and 2 are the Cover and inside cover, pages 3 and 4 are the inside cover and blank page, pages 5 and 6 start the book itself.

Phyllis Giles Vance, '65, sends the following link. You can vote on one of 20 designs for the new California quarter coming out in 2005. If you would like to vote for the NEW California State Quarter: click and/or paste the link below. The designs are pretty cool. http://134.186.46.107/. Choose the design you feel most represents our State of California.

Carol Bischofberger Blackman '65, writes that she and Pete will soon be grandparents. Their daughter Abbie was expecting a little girl mid January. Their son Josh lives in So. Cal. in Palm Desert. Carol is still working at her desktop publishing business and Peter runs a successful Flyfishing shop. Best of luck on that new granddaughter. I know I've learned to play Barbie's all over again through mine.

A message from Josephine Lowe '66, a.k.a. Josie Wong. She and her daughters recently took a trip to Thailand where she met up with Jemmy Somsai, the '66 Foreign Exchange Student. Here is what she had to say:

Just wanted to let you all know that Jemmy Somsai made our Thailand vacation over the New Year Holidays a very special one. My 2 daughters and I went to Bangkok and snorkeled and kayaked in Phi-Phi Islands. December is a high tourist season and hotel rooms and air flights to the islands were hard to come by. But good ole' Jemmy made his contacts and we were able to get connected. Thanks again Jemmy! He showed us his office, RFA a.k.a. Radio Free Asia and informed us about his land. It was a tremendous experience. I did a little write-up on this Thailand travel with my daughters and if any of you are interested in this, just let me know, and I will be happy to send you my Thailand impressions, ok? More later, Josephine Lowe 1966 [a.k.a. Josie Wong].
Thanks for sharing with us, Josie. If any of you would like to get up with Josie, her address is Josie.Wong@ci.hayward.ca.us .

Got several responses to the paragraph about relatives and friends serving in the Middle East. Jeanie Golish Mills, '62 writes that Warren Sapir, '62, now lives in Australia, and his son is due to be shipped to the Middle East. Our prayers and support to all the military personnel and civilians protecting freedom loving nations the world over. Since I work for the military, I can say first hand how difficult it is to watch these young, scared but brave, troops pack up and leave for an unknown future. Again, it reminds me so much of Vietnam and losing so many friends during that time. Hopefully history won't repeat itself. Thanks for all your emails regarding deployment.

My brother Tom Burke, '70, has his Old Oakland site up and running again, and is posting the weekly email letter there. The address for his site is www.oakland.yearbookhigh.com. He has some great photos out there of Oakland and old hangouts, etc. Go out and browse through it. He is also posting updates on the investigation into the death of his son, TJ. 3 months have gone by, and still no coroner's inquest.

Hugs to all,

Bonnie

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THE CLASS OF 66.
Check out the Class of 66 website at www.ohs1966.org. Arnie Tong has posted photos of the 36th reunion which was held on Oct 18-20, 2002. Cameras were set on tables for classmates to use and you can see pictures of Friday night's Cocktail Party fun, Saturday night's Reunion Dinner Dance, and Sunday morning's Brunch. Arnie's address is stoof@alum.calberkeley.org.

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REGULAR REUNION BLURBS:

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Looking for Linda Pierce, '64. Anyone know her whereabouts?

A new address for Marilyn Galindo Nevils, she is at nannacanihave@aol.com if you'd like to write to her.
Also at a new address is Biff Gudmundsen, Skyline '65. Write him at biff22@comcast.net . He recently relocated to San Ramon, CA.

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Names added to the Memorial Pages this week --

Once again, thanks to Bob Chin '71. What a difference the photos make! Please, if you have yearbooks and a scanner, help out with missing photos! Write to Bev at bbevy@012.net.il.

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It's no secret. Every woman our age goes through the change. It was about 6 years ago, when I was having a particularly difficult time, that the doctor put me on hormones. Apparently, they were a Godsend. I say this from others reactions, not my own. One month ago, doctor took me off hormones because of my upcoming surgery so the danger of a blood clot would be less.

Last week, while keeping an appointment with my doctor, I got up to go to the bathroom. I happened to pass the doctors private office on the way. In his office, I saw my husband, on his knees, in the doctors office. "Please, Doc, you gotta help me! Put her back on the hormones! I don't know the person who inhabits her body now, but she is totally EVIL! Give her back the hormones!"

Now, I'd always thought I was a pleasant person with a good sense of humor, willing to help my fellow man. Certainly I could not be this horrific creature my husband was talking about.

Could I?

I could feel myself turning red with anger over the fact my husband was telling the doctor such lies about me. Or was it a hot flash? I burst into the doctor's office and asked Mike what the heck he thought he was doing. "I'm perfectly sane," I told him, "don't tell the doctor things that aren't true!"

The next ½ hour I had to sit and listen to what Mike had to say. It began simply enough. I started crying all the time. I'd cry at sad movies. I'd cry at the news. I'd cry over the Simpsons and King of the Hill. At work, I'd burst into tears if someone even looked at me funny. I even cried because we ran out of dog treats for the neighbor's dog. AND I can't stand the dog because she gets in my kitchen and dumps my trash! The mail was late, I cried. My fingernail broke, I cried. My granddaughter beat me in Candyland. I cried. I got my CPAP machine for the sleep apnea (God, I'm a mess!) and the mask makes me look like Darth Vader. I cried.

Then I went through the mildly irritated stage. AOL kept kicking me off line, so I called them names. I stubbed my toe on the footstool, and, after cussing the stool, I threw it out. Mike would get cut off while driving, but I was the one cussing at the other driver! The Lotto machine went down, and I took it personally that the State of California was harassing me. Mild irritation.

It was about this time that Mike says I started to grow little tiny horns out of my head, and he found a pitchfork on my side of the bed.........also the same time that irritation turned to anger. I use one of the electric carts to shop with these days, and I got upset that people would block the aisles. Mike told the doctor I would put it up to full speed and RAM people's shopping carts. He says I was laughing like a Mad Scientist when I did it. I couldn't maneuver a corner with the cart, so I took out the Bud Light display, something I'd never do in my normal state. I have deep reverence for Bud Light (Ha Ha). He says at Walmart in the Pharmacy waiting line, I'd gently keep bumping the cart into the person in front of me to try to speed up the line. I actually remember doing that! I even got mad at Mike for putting the toilet paper on the roll backwards and told him to stand in a corner until I said he could come out. He opted for the front porch, just to get away from me.

It gets worse. This week someone put a sign on my desk at work that says "DANGER! Zero to BITCH in 30 seconds". I started answering phones with "What the hell do you want?" instead of "May I help you?" The slightest irritation, from breaking a pencil tip to missing the trash can will set me off into what Mike calls "an episode." Items fly through the air, hitting walls, furniture AND people. According to Mike, I'm possessed by a monster. The problem is, doing this stuff doesn't seem whacked to me, yet when I read and write about it, I can tell my mind is slipping into animal instinct mode. I know I'm doing it, but I can't help myself. Now it's to the point where first I'm angry and throw things, then I brood about it and then I cry. I get mad and throw things at Mike for not paying attention to me, and when he pays attention to me I get mad because he's smothering me! The poor guy. I'm such a bitch! He's right! In between dealing with the hot flashes and mood swings, I show brief moments of my old self, but mostly, I'm scary.

Now I do remember when I was young doing "stupid" things, like (me and another person who is reading this letter and will recognize herself!) taking little Union 76 antenna balls and gluing them over the entire outside of a Volkswagen, or going to DeLauers books store and stealing all the "Bill Me Later" cards in the porno books, then filling in my bosses name and address and mailing them off. I screwed with my neighbor's mind. He was always high, so I took my daughters Chatty Cathy doll, and fixed it so that when he pulled the string to make it talk, it said "F--- you, Drew!" It was worth the look on his face before he threw the doll and ran out of the room! But all this was when I was young. Now, it's different. I may soon see myself on America's Most Avoidable People. They may put up my picture and bar me from shopping in Barstow anymore. Let's face it, I'm a possessed bitch.

The normal me never yells at anybody (except Mike!). I'm nice to everyone in the store, and even let people with fewer items go first. I always stop for the "Will Work for Food" guy and give him money. I'm the person everyone goes to for information, phone numbers, trivia, candy, dog bones, and anything else you can think of.

This story will make no sense to you if you are one of the lucky women who made it through the change with no problems, but if you can relate, hormone replacement is the greatest thing going.

Of course, after my initial outburst in the doctor's office, I got upset and cried........well, what did you expect?

There was nothing the doctor could do for me until after surgery. He did suggest herbal remedies, and Mike was more than happy to buy them for me. Let's hope they work. The doctor suggested Prozac.

Meanwhile, my %#%&#@@ printer won't work and I accidentally slammed my finger in the drawer. There is nothing small enough within reach for me to throw, and I notice all my little teddy bears and Scully and Mulder action figures have turned their backs on me, preferring to face the wall. And now, I have to cry!

Yet, part of the old me wants to shine through and say, "God Bless us, Everyone!"

Have a nice day.

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How about a little trivia time? This comes from Biff.

Name the ghosts, including the dog, on "Topper", both their ghost names and their real names.

What was Timmy's last name on Lassie??

What comic strip characters name was Poopdeck Pappy?

Which of Charlies Angels did Jaclyn Smith play??

What was Clarence Rutherfords nickname??

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Photos for this week include:

  • Sandy Emerson Reyes Skyline '66, then and now.
  • Carol Bischofberger Blackman '65 and Peter Blackman '65 and their family.
  • And finally a "before" photo of me taken at the 2001 reunion.
    • Sandy Emerson Reyes

    Sandy Emerson Reyes
    Sandy Emerson Reyes

    Blackman Family

    Blackman Family
    Blackman Family

    Bonnie Burke -- BEFORE -- with Miriam Kasdan and Phyllis Giles (all '65)

    Bonnie Burke -- BEFORE
    Bonnie Burke -- BEFORE

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    This newsletter is available in both HTML and ASCII text email versions, as well as this web site. If you have trouble with the graphics in the email version, and you wish to switch formats just email me at HULSEBE@barstow.usmc.mil.

    Copyright © 2002-2003 by Bonnie Burke Hulse '65 and Bev Shulster Beiman '65. All rights reserved.