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 Re: This is my rifle, this is my gun!!
 
Finucane
1933 posts
2nd
Joined
1/25/2006
Re: This is my rifle, this is my gun!!
Posted: 25 Mar 06 8:16 AM
Deadshot:  That name, Longaway, was just made up, means nothing.  Many of the names are created just to give characters a handle.  David HATES to have characters introduced but not named.  Now some of the characters' names do have significance but you'll have to figure out what that is by yourself.

I was an English major (served in a British Thermal Unit during the war, heh, heh), first BA at UofMd and then 30 semester hours in the master's program at George Mason University in Fairfax, VA.  I had one required class and a thesis and I'd have been done.  I'd already picked the thesis topic and lined up two professors to be my advisors.  It would've been on Swift and Johnson and their respective views of death.  Then I took the required course, Theory of Literary Criticism.  It was the ONLY college course I ever took where I didn't understand a word of what the instructor was telling us.  About that time I got a job and said, "Screw this!" and dropped out.  I've never gone back.  One good thing came out of all that, instead of going to class for 3 months I went to the Virginia Room in the Fairfax Main Library and researched local history by going through the microfilm files of old newspapers.  Learned so much that eventually I started getting involved in local historic preservation projects and that led to an appointment to the Fairfax County History Commission.  I've resigned from that and other volunteer duties in the community so I can goof off full time.

Dan
Deadshot
415 posts
5th
Joined
2/10/2006
Re: This is my rifle, this is my gun!!
Posted: 25 Mar 06 8:35 AM

Oh, I plan on figuring out the significance of certain characters' names.  Always hunting on that.  I still betting "Bass" was named after a beer.

Wow!  Much cool Danners.  So you are a Terrapin!  Something about living on the East Coast that warrents an interest in History.  Growing up in Mystic, Connecticut I was surrounded by it.  Chicago has its fair share also.  The big VA is full of History.   

Ok, I'm trying to figure out how to jump straight to retirement since I have a good 30 years to go before I can officially have the right to.  Any suggestions?

Deadshot

Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli
shadowghost1
100 posts
5th
Joined
2/4/2006
Re: This is my rifle, this is my gun!!
Posted: 25 Mar 06 3:08 PM

Definitely not a Terrapin, and they aren't getting another cent of my money.  *shudder*  Hates UofMD with a passion (no offense, Dan!) for their robbing of the people!  (jk, just can't stand the engineering school's policies)  They rake in the tuition, but expect the students to teach themselves the information.  Sorry, dudes, but if I'm paying you, you're going to be doing the teaching!  I went there for a year.  It is a good school for liberal arts and other such majors.

I'm getting a BS in Electrical Engineering.  I'm going to Capitol College, which is in Laurel, MD and not too far from the UMD.  I'm close to DC, not Frederick.

I thought of getting a BA in History, but as you said, nothing I could do with it but teach and I would not make a good teacher.  :)  So that got ruled out.  Besides, I'm only interested in very specific parts of history, so I study it on my own.

Shadow
Deadshot
415 posts
5th
Joined
2/10/2006
Re: This is my rifle, this is my gun!!
Posted: 31 Mar 06 6:14 AM

Electircal Engineering...hmmmm.  I believe Mike and Dan could use some of that with their houses. 

Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli
Finucane
1933 posts
2nd
Joined
1/25/2006
Re: This is my rifle, this is my gun!!
Posted: 31 Mar 06 6:57 AM
I went to "University College" at MD, that's the institution for adult students.  I was in my 40s when I started.  My major was liberal arts so never got involved in the technical stuff and never got involved in the campus scene either, except to get to classes, the bookstore, etc., etc.  I went under the GI Bill that just about paid tuition (I lived in VA and commuted) but I figured since Uncle Sam was paying for me to study there I'd study.  Frankly, the instructors I had were very good even though  I was older than some of them.  And I've NEVER been interested in basketball or for that matter any team sport, but in particular basketball.  In my opinion all those humongous ball bouncers if they were worth a s**t would be in uniform doing something useful.  If I had my way I'd take every football field, every stadium, level them and build houses for poor folk on the ruins.
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