Everything has a beginning, middle and an end. Everything. Even this post. Well… Everything except Guiding Light. And true love. And herpes. Sometimes those two go hand in hand. But most of the time one of those involves too much tequila and the city of Tijuana. But everything else has a beginning, middle and an end. Life. Life ends.
Whether we talk about it or not we all check out at some point. The older we get the more we think about it. Maybe because friends we know start to go, maybe because we’re faced with those life changing health moments. But at some point we all die. January has been very tough.
So far this year my high school wrestling coach, Glen Takahashi and Ron Baldan, my best friend in high school, best man at my wedding and godfather to my oldest son have both passed away. They were both in their 50’s.
I have been thinking a lot about Ron Baldan.Ron Baldan was my best friend. I would have trusted that man with my life. He loved tequila, food and strippers and not necessarily in that order. There are way too many stories to tell about Ron. I’m going to share just one.
We did a fundraiser once where the guys dressed up as female Miss Universe beauty pageant contestants. There were about a dozen of us. Not one of us could ever pass for a woman. Ever. I was obviously Miss Italy and Ron wanted to be Miss Poland because Miss Mexico was already taken. When Ron came out on stage from behind the curtain he pretended he had a wooden leg and would bend over, pick it up, and then turn it in the direction he wanted to walk while he was on the “runway”. Later, as entertainment for the “contest”, Ron and I along with my wife’s cousin Albert did a rendition of Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy dressed as the Andrews Sisters.
Each of us weighed over 250 pounds at the time. We all had moustaches. It wasn’t pretty. But the best part of that event was at the second intermission when Ron dressed up as my mother in a skit we did to the song Shut Uppa You Face. I was out in front singing and Ron was sitting behind me on the stage dressed as an old heavy set Italian woman. He was holding a large bottle of Chianti and was rocking back and forth to the song taking huge gulps of Chianti. By the time the song was over the bottle was drained. It was real Chianti.
I told you Ron loved tequila. Well that’s what we’d been drinking to get the courage to go on stage dressed as women.
First tequila. Then Chianti. Tequila and Chianti. Sounds like a new cop show on FOX. By the end of the night Ron actually believed he had a wooden leg. I will miss that man.
Goodbye Ron. You shall be remembered.
Whether we talk about it or not we all check out at some point. The older we get the more we think about it. Maybe because friends we know start to go, maybe because we’re faced with those life changing health moments. But at some point we all die. January has been very tough.
So far this year my high school wrestling coach, Glen Takahashi and Ron Baldan, my best friend in high school, best man at my wedding and godfather to my oldest son have both passed away. They were both in their 50’s.
I have been thinking a lot about Ron Baldan.Ron Baldan was my best friend. I would have trusted that man with my life. He loved tequila, food and strippers and not necessarily in that order. There are way too many stories to tell about Ron. I’m going to share just one.
We did a fundraiser once where the guys dressed up as female Miss Universe beauty pageant contestants. There were about a dozen of us. Not one of us could ever pass for a woman. Ever. I was obviously Miss Italy and Ron wanted to be Miss Poland because Miss Mexico was already taken. When Ron came out on stage from behind the curtain he pretended he had a wooden leg and would bend over, pick it up, and then turn it in the direction he wanted to walk while he was on the “runway”. Later, as entertainment for the “contest”, Ron and I along with my wife’s cousin Albert did a rendition of Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy dressed as the Andrews Sisters.
Each of us weighed over 250 pounds at the time. We all had moustaches. It wasn’t pretty. But the best part of that event was at the second intermission when Ron dressed up as my mother in a skit we did to the song Shut Uppa You Face. I was out in front singing and Ron was sitting behind me on the stage dressed as an old heavy set Italian woman. He was holding a large bottle of Chianti and was rocking back and forth to the song taking huge gulps of Chianti. By the time the song was over the bottle was drained. It was real Chianti.
I told you Ron loved tequila. Well that’s what we’d been drinking to get the courage to go on stage dressed as women.
First tequila. Then Chianti. Tequila and Chianti. Sounds like a new cop show on FOX. By the end of the night Ron actually believed he had a wooden leg. I will miss that man.
Goodbye Ron. You shall be remembered.