It’s not often you get a whole boxcar to yourself but the thing is you can’t very much enjoy it. The rocking motion puts you to sleep, over and over again. I was headed west on the Pennsylvania ’cause I heard there was a get-together around New Goshen, Indiana-never heard of it before but what else was there to do? You never know with these meetups. Sometimes 5 folks showed, sometimes 20, sometimes 50. The big ones a real hoot, plenty of drinking and swapping of stories both real and tall. Where was I? Ah, the sleeping. I don’t dream much anymore but I dreamt of Johnny last night. I knew because I woke in a sweat that was both cold and warm. That hadn’t happened in a while. Hope it doesn’t happen again soon.
I met him in boot camp-I’d gotten kicked out of the house, there was a war on that the U.S. had recently joined and I figured I’d do my part. He was there on the bus headed to the base. You couldn’t miss him. Bright red hair, pale skin like it was a thin cotton bedsheet. He was getting a ribbing from some guys and wasn’t getting upset about it, kept his cool. I noticed that about him. After we got our brushcuts the jokes died down a little but not with our drill instructor-he lit into Johnny something fierce but Johnny would just take it, I mean what could he do, jaw back at him? I figured our instructor needed a whipping boy and Johnny could take it so that’s how it went.
The first time we were all allowed off the base Johnny wore this bright red bandana or maybe it was a neckerchief?, around his neck. I couldn’t believe it. He was inviting all kinds of shit-talking but it occurred to me that this kid, a kid just like me, was his own man. From that day forward we buddied up. Most times when guys rode him he smiled and looked down like he had some sort of secret he was gonna keep to himself. Things got rough a few times and we got into some scraps but nothing serious.
We made it through boot camp easy and were sent to England in mid-May of ’44. Things were coming to a head, there were so many rumors flying round but I knew we would be seeing some action. Sure enough, we found ourselves on a transport ship headed to ‘Utah Beach’. I thought it was kinda funny that them Frenchman had a beach with the same name of one of our states. Johnny was sitting across from me and we were both nervous as hell but we kept looking at each other and it was unspoken, ‘I’ve got your back and you got mine’. Just before we were about to jump out he yelled at me to get my attention and I saw that he had his ‘lucky’ red bandana tucked in his chest pocket. Big grin on his face. I laughed.
We made sure we were no more than 3 yards from each other as we made our way forward. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Johnny fall backward, his face in the sand. I rolled him over and he was done for. It looked like the bullet he took hit his shoulder and went into his neck. His eyes were glazed over, his mouth was moving and nothing was coming out. Then his eyes rolled back into his head and time seemed to hang in the air for a bit. I couldn’t see anything around me, there was no gunfire, no explosions. But then a bullet grazed my arm, stinging me back to now. I grabbed his lucky bandana out of his pocket and moved forward with the rest of the unit.
I couldn’t tell you what happened the next few days-I remember anger, fear, desperation, dread and other stuff all jumbled together as one. It was night near a fire later on when I was eating my rations that I ‘came to’. I dropped my food and wandered a little bit, finding a shed that I collapsed into and I began sobbing. I cried for a long time, so long that I pissed myself, not that it mattered one bit.
I kept hold of his bandana in the belief that the luck would work for me if it didn’t for him. It’s usually folded away among my things but when we have these get-togethers I tuck one corner of it in my front pocket and let it hang down. You see, you’ve got to stand out in some way so that you can be identified by your brothers. At one of my first ones a guy asked me what my nickname was. “Nickname? I never thought about it”. This old fella said, “Look over there, that’s Doulbledown Pete, over there’s Triple Trouble and that guy’s Frank Fancy. You gotta have a name.” I looked down at the bandana trailing out of my pocket, “I guess my name’s Johnny, Dead Johnny, is what it is.” The old man looked at me, turning the name over in his mind, “Dead Johnny… Dead Johnny… damn, that’s a good one, folks’ll remember that one for sure!”
And that’s how I got my name, and I gotta admit it’s catching on. What is it, ’48? Maybe 1949? I’ve been at this now for a few years anyway and the name is starting to get around…
/to be continued
TO THE GAME!
Pats/Seahawks:
Cam Newton’s star turn last week caused many to overlook the fact that the entire receiving corps went 10 for 96 yards. That’s 2019 Michael Thomas numbers! Needless to say, this isn’t the most opportune time to get the passing game going. So look for more of Pats wr’s not being able to get separation and Cam trying to make the best of it.
Enjoy.
“Let Russ Cook” is gonna be 2020’s “Oh, for the love of God, SHUT UP!” NFL phrase.
And he missed that throw too.
Too bad Breaking Bad is done and they can’t do a crossover
Hooray for distraction!
/
Smart
Edelman was just reverse cradle piledriven on that hit.
the fact that Edelman didn’t somehow end up in tampa as well makes me wonder how much leverage brady actually had
Brady wanted to be the Assistant Head Coach. Belichick just wanted him to be the Quarterback. That’s a simple as that.
Why does it feel like Edeleman has been the league for 84 years?
Time distortion is a concussion symptom
Also a symptom of psychedelics and religious experiences.
Because he looks like an undecided voter in the last days of the Weimar Republic?
Ok, one more of those
OMG. Just won my FF matchup on that one. Maybe.
Just an impression, but it seems like D-backs have been hit hardest by the wave of injuries today
NFL Players: “We don’t need a preseason! Its stupid!”
Injured Reserve: “I’m gonna end a whole shitload of careers.”
I’d disappoint her at least as much as tonight’s game is going to.
Welp Irvin is done for the year
D’OH
Sucks.
12 lol
Now at this point, Marvel Studios is just showing off.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AD7s_jQOCrQ
I’m still not sure what’ll happen, but I’ll roll with it.
I kinda get the idea that all that 50’s sitcom stuff is all just one episode
Team with awful person coach and talented but kinda annoying QB beating team with awful person coach and talented but kinda annoying QB is not nearly as satisfying as beating a team with an awful person coach and talented but awful person QB
Awful person QBs. Farve? Manning?
I think her kids are in my nephews class in Maple Valley Elementary
MVP that guy
Mario Van Peebles says thank you, it’s an honor just to be nominated.
Beat the blitz
—Winston Churchill, 1940
Jesus DK is ripped
https://v.redd.it/qhquul438c531
Tom Brady isn’t a Patriot anymore or even involved with or interested in this game. Why is Collinsworth still verbally fellating him?
Old habits die hard. And then they go soft. But if you wait 15 to 30 minutes…
Now I want Chinese food.
Ever carry a torch for an ex?
Imprinting.
Robert Kraft watching from the Rising Lotus Spa.
I’m assuming she’s applying for colleges this year? Best of luck to her, and happy birthday from another September bday 🙂
Get her in to McGill or Queens up here, to avoid the unsettling that is about to happen with you lot.
Happy Birthday to your daughter!
Me too! Mine is the 26th.
I’m 22nd, we should cheers during the Thursday game!
We will! September b’days are the best. Gumby’s was the 1st and it’s a 0 year for us. He’s in his 60’s now, poor old fella.
Thank you JEST
Seriously. How can a franchise not bend over backwards to please a player like that?
Oh wait, Gase? Yeah, got it.
I’m at the point in my Jets fandom that I’m actively rooting against them until ownership changes hands.
As a 1990s Hawks fan I salute you
Colinworth should give DFO his MVP ballot.
We would just vote for Pollard every year
I need Cam Newton to throw deep to DK Metcalf. SHUT UP I CAN DREAM!!
Are you managing my team?
For your sake, I hope not. I stink so bad, I stink.
There’s gotta be enough Emmy and/or Grammy categories that DFO has one by now, right?
“Moast Hustle”
“Least Time Spent Outside”
I hope we get Best Cinematography
Drunkest pervs who have slept with Julian Edelman.
moose wins best gif usage in a landslide
The tragedy of sports announcers is that this is them at their best. If you had a conversation with them at a party you would be LUCKY if it was this good.
Collinsworth sounds like he would be pretty amusing drunk
Al with the politics.
Deep Dickson
Not for nothing, but what the fuck kind of dreadlocks is/are Cam sporting? It looks like he made them with maple syrup.
New England is noted for it’s maple syrup. North Carolina is not.
vinegar based BBQ sauce it is.
NC BBQ is not BBQ.
Source—TX BBQ.
As a neutral Canuck, agreed.
The other is fancy mustard.
“Nothing wrong with fancy mustard!”
-Raheem Mostert
It’s different, but goddamn tasty.
Lewis upholding German Ifedi’s lofty standard
The Bart, The.
The Pats still call a QB sneak all the damn time, yet the D somehow has an easier time stopping it when it’s Cam
Defense is allowed to hit Cam
Brady’s comment was written by his publicist
We suddenly remembered Cam from Carolina
I wish Instant Hippo Thoughts took 8 hours to read so I didn’t have to read any news tomorrow.
Can Cam score like 3 more times to save me from my own dumb self?
Beer is so much better than milk.
Funny how Cam looks good now and Brady sucks
BLAME BELICHICK’S SON, YA FUCK YA!!!
East is east and west is west and never the Swain shall meet
Except the Prime Meridian and the International Dateline, of course.
Holy shit our air isnt full of smoke
Thanks to Nano-Bubble technology!
Ours is.
Interesting twist on Fantasy Football. Instead of picking a team, each team is made up of all the players who have gone elsewhere from a particular team. So there would be a team of ex-Eagles, a team of ex-Donks, a team of ex-Teamers, etc.
I got dibs on the ex-Parrots.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZw35VUBdzo
In baseball the former Mariners are formidable
The Seattle Sounders of MLS play on this turf which might be inspiring New England to lay down and fake injuries
Any team named for the act of shoving things into your urethra has to be tough
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1J3uj2wqPPA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTBlKRzNf74
I’ll always upvote mid 2000s J-pop.
anime nerd brocky was a thing
His buddy Bubba was a shrimp loving man!
His friend with no legs he called Litunent Dan!
pic
WE-UH NEED TAWWWMY BACK. NO ONE DENIES THIS!!
1 TD, 1 int and 1 fumbaroo lost is better! Woo!
Am I doing it right?
Newton returns to form.
Camception.