Tom's Diary

Hey [Kandi],

Do any of those weddings you’re in need a DJ for the reception? Just had to ask.

Well, if you can’t work at camp, I hope you can stop by and visit between July 23rd and August 3rd (session 6). That’s when [our gang] will be there.

I plan on mentioning the PA system once I’m a member of the Lions. Perhaps one day, I’ll sit on the BLC board.

Wow. Enjoy Honduras. Take lots of bug spray. And make sure you’re well vaccinated. And be careful of the water.

All is well here. My wrist is 100% now. What a relief. I started doing some yard work. There’s a fence out there that must be torn down – the floods last September partially washed it away. I wish they would have taken it completely. Also, we have lots of evergreen trees around, that the flood debris snagged up in. So those require clean-up too. Lots of work this spring.

Well, you take care too. Shouldn’t be too long before your school term is over.

Later,
Tom

Carl,

The wrist is doing well. I began lifting weights again, although on a very abbreviated schedule.

I’ve heard from [Kandi], [Ron], and [Jack].

No writing lately.

No Djing either.

I’m just looking for my dream girl. That is the only priority I have at the moment.

I sent my camp papers in last week, and also made a donation to the swimming pool project from my school’s alumni association.

Had a nasty cold a couple weeks ago, but it’s almost gone now.

Well, talk to you later,
Tom

Hi [Ronda].

The wrist is doing much better. All the pain is gone, and I’ve started lifting weights again (lightly). I saw an orthopedic surgeon and he gave me a shot of cortisone into the thumb-side of the wrist. As soon as the medicine went in, it felt 100 percent better. Then, he also gave me a splint to wear, that holds the thumb still. That’s probably why it took so long to heal before. ’cause the splint I was using allowed the thumb to move too much. But I’m thrilled that it’s better. The cost for treatment was $600. I paid that, but now I’m broke for this month. It was worth it though.

Yes, seeing you again if I come would be wonderful. I have to come to State College (East Beaver Ave.) to pick up some DJ stuff from The Music Mart. When I find a ride over there, I’ll let you know. Perhaps we could meet for lunch.

Congratulations on the job. I will miss you at BLC however. Maybe I’m totally wrong. But I sensed a neat connection between us. A shame we won’t get to dance some more to pursue that.

Do you have a phone number I could call you on? It’d be wonderful to hear your voice.

Well, take care, and write again soon. I always like hearing from you.

Tom Hesley

Carl,

The wrist is much better. I went to a bone specialist, and he gave me a shot of cortisone and a better splint to wear. It felt better just after a few days. Today, all pain in it has gone, and I’m thinking of getting back into weight-lifting (very light activity of course). It’s doing very well.

Just sent my camp papers in today. I’ll be going at our usual time (the late July session).

Sorry to hear about your back. Take care of it well. You don’t want to have any spinal difficulties. Those can take so long to heal.

I’ve heard for [Jack] and [Ron]. No one else lately.

Take care,

Tom Hesley

[Kandi],

Well, winter is over half-over. So things should start to warm up soon. Before too long, you’ll be able to do some of that reading outside.

I’ve never heard of Hitch.

My wrist is doing much better. I really lucked out. It turned out not to be broken, and all I had was a form of tendonitis called ‘De Quervain’s Tenosynovitis’

To fix it, the doctor gave me a shot of cortisone right where the tendons were hurting, and then gave me a splint to wear that holds my thumb still. Within a week of the treatment, all pain subsided, and I’ve started lifting weights again (on a small scale at the moment, but hope to build back up to where I was by the summer). The bills for the treatment were $600. So I have to get cracking on some DJ gigs to pay for that one.

The lady in New York and I have decided to be “just friends.” She’s not too happy with that, but I believe she understands my predicament. I have come into contact with a new lady (from Russia), who wants to come see me already. I don’t know about this either, just because she’s so far away. But she insists that if she comes to visit, and we decide to be together, she’ll move to the US. I feel much more positive about this one than the lady from New York. However, I haven’t yet even heard her voice. She’s supposed to call me tomorrow for a chat. Hopefully, it will go well.

Well, enjoy your studies. I’ll catch you the next time you come up for air.

Tommy

Hey there [Lynn]!

How’s it going? Are you ready for spring yet? What’s going on in your life? How are your cats? How’s your business? Are you busy doing taxes for people these days? Do you still do them for that Jewish Princess?

I’m still here, Djing. I did ten gigs last year. That’s up a couple from 2003. Added high-intensity black lights to the show, which seem to be a big hit. Djed my first two wedding receptions in 2004 as well as my first class reunion. All events went off very well. I have the music on the computer (over 35,000 songs now) and that makes taking instant requests a snap.

I injured my wrist last November (tendonitis) while weight-lifting. The doctor gave me a good splint to wear and a shot of cortisone to help it heal faster. It seems to be on the mend now, but it’s been quite the painful affair throughout the holiday season. Amazing that though tendonitis is not a break or fracture, it takes longer than those to heal well.

Mom’s doing okay. Curt is still here. Smoking [...] out back.

We had a flood in September. The furnace and water heater had to be replaced. And, I lost some of my DJ gear and a couple brand new DeWalt power tools, but was able to repair the rest. At least the computers were on the second floor, and so did not get wet.

In 2004, fate brought to me several interesting women to date. One was a ballerina from Romania, who spoke English with a thick, exotic accent. I fell in love with her immediately, and of those four ladies, SHE’s the one I felt I could be happy with, forever after, if such a thing is possible.
However, she wanted me to accompany her to her home country (as well as foot the bill for her move). And that was only after we’d been dating but a month. I told her I’d have to know her for at least a year before even considering such a venture, especially since it would mean selling virtually everything I own (it’s too expensive to ship stuff over there, and the electricity in eastern Europe is different than it is here). Things designed to run on American power usually can’t run on Romanian power. Anyway, she quickly grew impatient with my trepidation, and stopped seeing me. Ah well.

Also, it wasn’t clear that she’d stay with me once there. I feared that we’d just get settled and then she’d leave me all alone, in a strange country, whose native language I do not speak. I could not, after only knowing her a month, commit to such a risk. So, she ended our association abruptly. No discussion. She just stopped calling and refused to accept my calls and answer my email. Another one bites the dust. I was hurt, but I’m over her now, ready to try again.

All in all, life’s been good. My health is great, and though money’s a bit scarce right now, I’m happier today than I ever was working for [the company]. I am considering moving to New York City though and getting another job, if the DJ stuff doesn’t become profitable soon. I just can’t escape this longing I have to be in a big city.

Well, gotta run. So take care and write back at your convenience.

Tom

Dear Carl,

Yep. All is well. I go to have my wrist examined tomorrow. Hopefully, they’ll figure out what’s wrong with it and get it healing for me. I’m anxious to begin lifting weights again.

Give your Mom my regards in her recovery from her surgery.

I’ve heard from [Ronda] and [Kandi].

You take care as well. Talk to you soon.

Tom

Hi [Ronda].

The doctors rescheduled my wrist appointment for tomorrow morning. Hopefully, they’ll get me back on track with the weight lifting soon. I’ll let you know.

Glad to hear that school is going well for you. I’ve been in touch with [Kandi]. She just got back from a semester in China. In fact, she just wrote today. She’s doing well.

Well, catch you later,
Tom Hesley

Dear [Kandi],

Hi. All is well, except the wrist that is. I have an appointment with an orthopedic specialist tomorrow morning. Hopefully, he’ll give me some answers then so I can get it healed quickly. No, it’s not feeling any better. They suggested I take big doses of Motrin three times a day. I did that for a week, and the wrist did feel a bit better. At least at first. However, my body was getting used to the Motrin as eventually, it no longer relieved the pain at the dosage prescribed. Also, I worried about what all that medicine was doing to my kidneys, liver, and other organs. So I decided to stop taking it since it really wasn’t working anyhow. Well, we’ll just have to see what they say tomorrow.

Yes, I remember the first-day-of-the-new-term-jitters quite well. I had them especially strongly on the first day of my first term in college. Ah but it gets easier each term you do it, as you gain more confidence in your abilities to handle anything they throw at you.

As far as exciting happenings goes: Yes, I’ve begun talking with a lady from New York City. She has seen my pictures and wants to get to know me. She’s an LPN at a hospital in Brooklyn. Sweet and sophisticated she is. However, I have not yet seen her pics. I’m not sure she and I match well, because she wants to have children immediately, whereas I do not want them at all. Also, she is married, and even though she’s legally separated, I don’t relish involving myself in that sort of situation, particularly since her husband still comes around (they have one child together), and stays at her apartment several nights a week.

She says there’s nothing going on between them, and I believe her. But the fact that they share that bond (their son) seems a bit daunting to me. The thought of having to share my lady with another man, even in the decidedly innocent venture of raising a child, scares me. I never liked sharing my sweeties. I don’t know. I just don’t’ get a good feeling about it as of yet. Perhaps more time on the phone with her will help solidify my interest.

Well, enjoy your new term. Good luck. Study hard. Score high. And, as time permits, write soon.

Later,
Tom

Hey Jeff!

Thanks for letting me know. [That software I supported while there] did have a long run, and this ends a distinguished era for [the compnay]. The first [software] pieces went into production at around this time in 1993, I believe. 12 tears (I mean, YEARS). What a life.

How you doing? Who’s still left out there? Are you a manager yet?

Things are going well here. I’m continuing to build my DJ business. The music collection is up to 35,000 songs now, and I’m doing some Windows programming in Visual Studio 2003 .NET, to manage all those MP3 files. I’ve added some high-intensity black lights to the show, and did my first two weddings in 2004. The business is still limping, but it’s starting to pick up momentum.

I injured my wrist last November. They think it’s broken, so I’m not going to be doing any DJ gigs until that gets straightened out. Hard to carry my heavier gear around with just one hand. Here’s a pic of me doing a sweet sixteen birthday party a little while ago…

Give the folks who knew me my regards, if you wouldn’t mind. Let ‘em know that I’m still alive and kicking.

Tom Hesley