Catalina Island Man

ULTIMATE FIGHTER

CHUCK LIDDELL

HIDING UNDER HIS DESK!!!

Dateline Avalon CA: Local Historian Chuck Liddell claims that the "other Chuck Liddell" falsely claims on his website that "he" starred in the movie: "Hollywood's Magical Island, Catalina"! See "Chuck as Himself" on his personal website: http://www.icemanmma.com/projects/film_tv.php The "real" Chuck Liddell hereby challenges the "other Chuck Liddell" to a contest of the manly arts, to wit: a presentation of their respective movie versions of "Hollywood's Magical Island, Catalina" at the Casino Theater at a time of choosing of the "other Chuck Liddell".

This could be a real dustup as Avalon's Chuck Liddell is quoted as saying, "I had the name first" and "I will kick his celluloid"! No one from the "other Chuck Liddell" could be reached for comment, at this time.

I was Chuck Liddell before being Chuck Liddell was cool!



NO, I WILL NOT BE PERFORMING ON "DANCING WITH THE STARS" ON THIS FALL'S TELEVISION SEASON!!!!!






Yes, Chuck Liddell will be,



but I won't!





Confusing!?! Shouldn't be. Just look at our two pictures and hopefully you can tell that although I AM "CHUCK LIDDELL",





I AM NOT "CHUCK LIDDELL"!!! Makes perfect sense to me!




He will probably loose points when he body slams his partner during their first dance, forgetting where he is!

Ever since Chuck Liddell has been fighting (and sometimes "Light Weight Champion" of UFC ("Ultimate Fighting Championship") on television, I have received many phone calls, and even letters from people around the world asking "Are you the REAL 'Chuck Liddell'"? OF COURSE I AM THE REAL "CHUCK LIDDELL"! I'VE HAD THE NAME LONGER THAN "HE" HAS!!!!!

Having a name that is as recognizable as mine has its drawbacks. It can certainly be humbling!

A couple of years ago a woman in her late 20's/early 30's came up to me near the "Pleasure Pier". She asked me if ...

I was "Chuck Liddell".

Feeling a sense of my own "notoriety" on Catalina, I smiled and said "Yes, I am. How did you recognize me?" Of course, I thought of my appearances in Catalina movies, books, lectures, etc. "Someone in one of the shops pointed you out", she said.

Well, my head expanded to a size 100! She then asked if I would permit her to have my picture taken. I WAS NOW UP TO 200!!!!! I, of course, agreed, because us "celebrities" have to learn to show respect for our "public"! She then motioned to her husband, all 6'6", 275 lbs. of him, to stand next to me. Looking at her and there three young children, I asked her why only her husband wanted a picture with me and not the whole family (I am sure that we could have found a "lucky" tourist to take the picture). She then explained that "only" her husband wanted to be in the picture with me as he was an "UFC" fan and had always wanted to have his picture taken with Chuck Liddell. My head size was now down to 150. "I am not 'that' Chuck Liddell", I told her, with a half smile.



The ULTIMATE SMACK DOWN!!

"We know", she said, "my husband wanted to have a "gag picture" of you two together to show to his buddies back home!" My head had now deflated to 50!

The picture was taken and I was able to summon up a half-hearted smile. I noticed that the wife had pulled out a $1 bill and I honestly had no idea why. When I asked her, she said that that was for the photo. I was now down to 25. I told her that she could keep her $1 and then she offered to take me out for a "drink". When I told her that I didn't "drink", she said that she would give me an "ice cream"! I now imploded to a -15 cents!!!!!

Talk about being HUMBLED!!!!! I now know that a picture of me is worth $1, or a drink or ice cream, on the open market and that is only as a "gag"!

I have been kicking around the idea of "fighting" (faked of course) Chuck Liddell in a Sumo-wrestling outfit, up at our local gym, to raise money for our school's sports program. I thought that a "Chuck Liddell vs. Chuck Liddell" would be an interesting concept and one that might bring some interest from the media and bring in some bucks! I would really like to know your thoughts on this.


I do know one thing, I won't allow any pictures of us taken or sold for any less than $l.50!


I DO HAVE MY PRIDE!!

Catalina Island Man

SPECIAL DELIVERY WHILE STONED!


KIDNEY STONES: If you have ever had a kidney stone attack, SCREAM to yourself, you don't want to scare the neighbors! I passed at least one stone every year for almost 20 years! One time, while traveling through Western Samoa, I passed two, at the same time, one from each kidney!

The pain of passing a kidney stone is often referred to as the "worse pain" there is. I heard of a woman, a few years ago, who passed a kidney stone while she was delivering her baby!


AT LEAST, THAT'S ONE SITUATION I DON'T HAVE TO FACE!

For whatever reason, my kidney stone attacks always seem to occur in the middle of the night. I usually find myself falling out of bed in pain. The story that I am about to tell certainly falls within this category.

About thirty years ago, I had such an attack, around two in the morning. At that time I was taking care of my invalid father here on Catalina Island and didn't want to concern him, but the pain was so bad. It seemed like it was too early in the morning to call a friend, who was a nurse, to ask her to be here when Dad normally woke up around 7:00 AM. I wanted to drive myself to the hospital (in our golf cart), but I was so bent over in pain that I didn't trust my driving, so I called the hospital to have them send an ambulance. Because the neighbors were aware of Dad's condition, and because it was so early in the morning, I requested that they not have their lights flashing, nor their sirens blaring. I was going to be dressed, suitcase in hand, and out in front of the house, so that I could quickly jump in the front passenger seat and get rushed to the hospital, before anyone was disturbed.

YOU GUESSED IT! The ambulance arrived a few minutes later with lights flashing and sirens whaling. It was so early in the morning and everything was so quiet, I had never seen so much light nor heard anything so loud. It sounded like they had borrowed additional equipment to put on this display! Every house in the neighborhood had turned on their lights and I am sure that they must have thought that the ambulance was for my father!

I quickly jumped, or squirmed in the seat, which would be more accurate, looking like I was auditioning for the role of "Quasimodo", "The Hunchback Of Notre Dames". I "Thanked" them for respecting my wishes not to make a spectacle of my departure! I was then rushed the two blocks to the hospital and quickly wheeled to the front desk to be admitted.

I quickly explained the situation, told them I was passing a kidney stone, and informed them that I would be coherent only for a few more minutes, at which time, I would start screaming, and they would need to give me a morphine injection IMMEDIATELY. Being a cautious group, and I don't blame them, they sent me to the x-ray department to verify my diagnosis, after which, they would then contact the "doctor on call” for authorization for the morphine.

Joe Quinn, a great friend of mine, who had been awakened in the middle of night, threw on some clothes, and rushed to the hospital to take said x-ray. While I sat in the wheelchair, with the pain getting worse by the second, he rushed out of the x-ray room and informed me, along with the head nurse, that I was passing "one heck of a stone".

Armed with this information, the nurse then called the doctor (who will remain nameless, but who proved to be probably the WORST doctor that our little hospital every employed!). The nurse put down the phone and with a very concerned look informed me that the doctor said that because he had been partying most of the night, he would not be coming to the hospital now, but would come at 8:00AM when he made his "usual rounds".


8:00AM!!!!! THAT WAS FIVE HOURS AWAY!!!!!

I told the nurse that I couldn't withstand the pain for five hours and that they would have to give me the morphine shot NOW! With a solemn voice, the nurse told me that they couldn't even administer an aspirin until the doctor showed up at 8:00AM, examined me, and authorized my medication.

With all of the presence of mind that I could muster, I said to the nurse, "Let me explain something to you. I have just a few more minutes before the pain because so excruciating that I won't be able to control myself. I am going to start "SCREAMING", uncontrollably, pretty soon, and IF I don't get morphine SOON, I am going to SCREAM this hospital down to its foundation!!!!!!!!!!"

The nurse, now understanding the situation, directed the "Candy Strippers" to take me into the maternity "Delivery Room", which was on the other end of the hospital, as far away from the other patients as possible. I had no choice, so they wheeled me in and quickly got me in a gown and tossed me into the bed.

The two young ladies, who obviously knew nothing about kidney stone attacks, stood there, with sympathetic and concerned looks. They shared with me their frustration that the doctor refused to come and that they couldn't do anything to ease the pain. One of them showed a glimmer of enthusiasm, when she suggested "Why don't we put you in the stirrups and elevate you in different positions until the pain goes away!?!"

YOU'VE

GOT TO BE

KIDDING!!!!!!!!!!

Kidney stones pass by urine pressure, NOT "gravity", but by now any words that I would have uttered, to try to educate them would have been less than flattering to their lack of medical knowledge, so I went along with them. They put my legs in these "slings" and proceeded to "elevate me" until I told them that the pain had gone away.

Well, they took my legs to "greater heights", leaving the rest of me, namely the back of my neck, still on the bed. They then asked me, with hope in their heart, "Does your kidney pain feel any better?"

"CONGRATULATIONS", I yelled, "YOU HAVE NOW CAUSED THE KINK IN MY NECK TO HURT MORE THAN MY KIDNEY!!!!!

LET ME DOWN!!!!!!!!!!"

They quickly let my legs down and asked if there was "anything else" they could do for me. I told them to





"...REMOVE ALL SHARP ITEMS FROM THE ROOM AND GET OUT OF REACH,





BECAUSE IF I GOT MY HANDS ON EITHER ONE OF YOU I WILL TEAR YOU TO PIECES!!!!!





SHUT THE DOOR, LEAVE ME ALONE,





BUT BE SURE TO CALL GRACE (my nurse friend) TO MAKE SURE THAT SHE WILL BE THERE WHEN DAD WAKES UP AT SEVEN!!!!!"

They seemed to have caught on to my pleas and threats, so they quickly left. All I remember from 3:30-8AM was me, alternating from screaming to crying and back.

F I N A L L Y the doctor arrived, with the x-ray in hand, he came into the room and said jovially, "Boy, you must have really had a tough go of it from the size of that stone!!!" I tried to raise my arms so that I could grab his tongue and turn him inside out, but I didn't have the strength. He then told me that he was going to put me in a semi-private room and give me the morphine. IT’S ABOUT TIME!

I woke up around Noon and, once I got acclimated and remembered where I was, and why I was there, I looked over at the other bed and saw a face that I recognized. "Fred", I said, "how are you doing?"

"HOW AM I DOING!?! I'm dead tired and got NO sleep at all last night...how is anybody in this hospital doing after being kept up all night by a woman delivering a baby. SHE WAS IN LABOR FOR HOURS! Didn’t you hear her!?!" "No, I didn't hear a thing. Boy, those drugs must really have worked well!"

"What’s even worse", he continued, "Is that she has to be the ‘ugliest woman on the planet!” "How do you know she was 'ugly" I said? "You should have heard how DEEP HER VOICE WAS! I wouldn’t be surprised if she had a beard. BUT the worst part of it is that she must have delivered the ‘ugliest baby in the world!!”

I couldn't for the life of me figure out what he was talking about and then it FINALLY HIT ME!



"Don't worry, Fred, I can guarantee you that an 'ugly baby' wasn't born last night."

"HOW DO YOU KNOW!?!" "Because I AM THAT UGLY WOMAN'!" and then I proceeded to tell him the whole story.

I KNOW that women are smarter than men (I know that I am in a whole lot of trouble with 50% of you readers, making this statement) and now I KNOW that this so-called "weaker" sex is also the STRONGER!

GOOD GOING LADIES!

Catalina Island Man

WHAT I HAVE LEARNED IN 62 YEARS

28. Thank those who do "day to day services", for you, i.e. drives you from the airport to your car, cleans up your table at a "buffet", opens the door for you, etc. This is also a good way to judge one's character by how they treat "service help".

29. Don’t look back over past mistakes with, "If only I had….!

"Trust me it will "eat your alive"! Simply learn from past mistakes, but don’t try to relive or keep hoping for a do-over?



30. Sometimes it is better to be guided by your heart and not your head. You be the judge of whether one is more appropriate than the other.

I hope that the heart wins out in most cases.

Catalina Island Man

WHAT I HAVE LEARNED IN 62 YEARS

25. Learn to listen to people, without having to give "advice". Most of us simply need to "talk" to someone and be heard, not judged, directed or have problems solved.













26. Don’t be afraid to talk to strangers. If someone looks like they need someone at that moment, be that "someone".








Don’t be surprised if you become good friends. After all, how do you think that you made the friends that you have now?









27. Always show appreciation for what others do for you, with a "Please" and "Thank You". It has a dual affect. It makes the person you are speaking to feel that you are acknowledging what they are doing and this gives them a feeling of "worth" and thus they will want to repeat the experience.







It also reinforces in you, by saying these words, how much we do depend on others and how much others do for us!

Catalina Island Man

My Gregory Harrison Story

Yesterday, a good friend, Gregory Harrison, left with his family back to Oregon. You probably recognize his name, and picture, from a number of television, movie, and Broadway performances (look him up on the "internet" to be reminded of his work!). Like me, he was born on the Island. He is younger than me and LOOKS IT!



http://www.gregoryharrison.com




I knew Gregory's father, mother, and his paternal grandmother. There are a lot of stories here and Gregory loves to tell them. His lovely wife is Randi Oakes, known for her work on the television show, "CHIPS", and his three beautiful daughters, one who is following in her parents' footsteps and is becoming an actress!


















http://www.goldensilents.com/stars/charlesbuddyrogers.html





My favorite story concerning Gregory goes back to 1987. The Catalina Island Museum (which I am a board member) was presenting its first "Silent Movie" (which is now done annually), with Gaylord Carter, one of the last original "Silent Movie" organists and the movie that was shown was the




















http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wings_(film)

1927 classic, "WINGS"
(the first movie to ever receive an "Academy Award"), with the star of the movie, Buddy Rogers (look for the upcoming "BLOGS" about Gaylord and Buddy). Gaylord and Buddy stayed in town rehearsing for the movie and concert to follow and I had the honor of escorting their primarily female entourages around the Island.




















When I told them that that evening, in celebration of the 100th Anniversary of the naming of "Avalon" a our only incorporated city on the Island, Gregory was going to be the "Master Of Ceremonies" for the event, which was going to include dancing, there was MAJOR excitement in my 1979 VW van! I assured them that I would invited Gregory to our table, at the event, and the excitement grew even more!







As can ONLY happen on Catalina, just about then I saw Gregory, with his shirt off, running down the hill, entering Avalon from the "Interior" of the Island, in our direction. He looked GREAT with his shirt off and didn't have a bead of perspiration on his body, although it was a pretty warm afternoon. He and I exchanged "hi's" and we passed each other and the screams started in my vehicle, luckily not causing me to get distracted and run off the road, which would have meant, if you remember my "BLOG" about getting my driver's license, sure and complete death!






















That evening, after he had done his ceremonial work and had been interviewed by a member of the press (I seem to recall the "Los Angeles Times")I went up to him and reminded him that the "Carter/Rogers" table would LOVE to have him drop by at his convenience. As the consummate gentleman, he readily agreed.

Before we started over to the group, I had to tell him how "impressed" was with seeing him running down the hill, with his shirt off, and not a drop of perspiration on his body! He then said that he had a "confession" to make! "I was walking down the Summit Road", he said, "with my shirt on, when I saw the reflection of your van in the traffic mirror (see "BLOG" about the "COWS, MIRRORS, and BANANAS"). I knew who was in your van, so I quickly took off my shirt and started running. When you passed me and I could tell that you weren't able to see me any more, I put my shirt back on and kept walking!"







I BLESSED GREGORY FOR HIS HONESTY! Greg made me feel a little less inferior to him! By the way, he hasn't changed at all since then, as you can see in the picture. If we weren't such good friends, I would hate him!

Catalina Island Man

WHAT I HAVE LEARNED IN 62 YEARS

22. Don’t envy others! You don’t know where most people have come from in their lives and, let’s face it,




most of us try to put our best foot forward, which makes it difficult to know if what we really have or





who they really are is really worth envying.












23. Try to be more "real" and honest about yourself so that you don’t give others cause to envy or feel inferior to you.





Share more of our "commonality" and less of our "elitism".




24. March to the beat of your own "drummer", even if it means sometimes being in your own one-person parade.



Don’t follow the crowd simply for protection.
















Lead the crowd!

Catalina Island Man

WHAT I HAVE LEARNED IN 62 YEARS

19. Compliment people whenever possible.

Especially compliment people you don’t know and for doing things that most people take for granted:

sidewalk sweeping, weeding their garden, washing their car, having a nice smile, etc.

20. When you feel down, concentrate on others’ needs rather than your own.

You would be surprised how soon you forget about your own problems when you think about helping others.

21. No matter how bad things may seem we are still better off than the majority of the rest of the world. This may seem trite or difficult to internalize being as spoiled as we are.

We seem to think that we shouldn’t compare our situation with others, but it does show that humans can and do survive under much worse conditions than we will likely ever have to face.