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James Loyd Harrison
"James"
And yes, the Loyd only has one L
Musical Accompaniment: deleted 9/15/2003
(copyright laws); "Dances with
Wolves, John Dunbar Theme"
would have been a good choice because it is one of his favorite movies.
Another choice: From "Mad Max: Beyond the Thunderdome" sung by
Tina Turner (another favorite movie)
And of course, there is "Georgia On My Mind" performed by Ray
Charles (Words below)
Jan. 2004; Fernando Sor (1778-1839); "Etude for Guitar,
No. 17"; www.karadar.com because
he enjoys guitar music
A good musical choice here would be "If
you could read my mind", by Gordon Lightfoot
Lake Lure, NC
James
Loyd Harrison
The
real Webmaster and Chief Bottle Washer
Born October 17, 1943
Marietta, Georgia
EDUCATION:
Bachelor of Science Degree, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia
Ph.D., Biochemistry, University of Tennessee, Memphis,
Tennessee
Few hours short of an Engineering Degree, Florida
PROFESSION:
Scientist: Chemist; Biochemist
Professor of Biology & Chemistry
OCCUPATION:
Nuclear Power Plant Employee, College Teacher,
Electrician, Mechanic, Carpenter, Plumber,
Painter
and
Engineer, Astronaut, Welder...Just kidding
Jack of all trades...Not kidding
James With "Hooker", The Supervisor
HOBBIES:
Working with computers
Repairing things, building things, fixing things
INTERESTS:
Watching Movies; Working with Tools; Landscaping; Travel; Teaching;
Reading Scientific & Nature Magazines
Spending time with Martha & Josh
(Frequently "On Call" to help Martha Jane & Josh!)
FAVORITE CARTOON:
"Roadrunner"
GOALS:
"To reach retirement as quickly as possible"
"No grass to mow"
PREFERENCES:
To vacation in the mountains instead of the beach
On Vacation at Chimney Rock, NC
Great Trip
Pinebridge Inn, Spruce Pine NC, August 2001
Unique Hotel. You can't tell from he outside, but the rooms are large and
beautiful. Two brothers graduated from the old school, invented the "Buck Stove",
became millionaires, bought the school and converted it into an inn. Nearby, a long footbridge that crosses the (tiny) Toe River and
(active) railroad tracts and takes you to the downtown area--a great place to
have an early breakfast. Very friendly town.
CHRISTMAS PARADE
Spruce Pine, NC
November, 2001
OUR FAVORITE ENTRY IN THE PARADE: "THE
CEMENT TRUCK"
WITH A SIGN SAYING "SPREADING YARDS OF CHRISTMAS
CHEER"
Cement
Truck, Christmas Season 2001
Letter to Aunt Frances & Friends by Billie Fazakerly Harrison
Have you ever seen a cement truck in a Christmas parade? Well neither have I--until our brief trip to the mountains recently. We got there just in time to see Spruce Pine’s parade. We walked over from our hotel and crossed a long footbridge over the Toe River and railway tracks to the tiny downtown area. I’ve never seen such a long parade for such a small town. It took a full hour. It was poignant, charming, and funny. The parade started out with fire trucks from all the communities around. “As far as the eye can see” said one lady. She was right. I’ve never seen so many fire trucks, emergency response vehicles, etc. Of course this gave me goose bumps and I had a hard time not getting too emotional since they were representing the firemen that were lost in New York, Sept. 11. They even had a rescue canine unit. (I bet they come in handy for people stranded or lost in the mountains. As beautiful as they are, there are some spooky, isolated places in these mountains.)
For the most part, the parade was more of a local
advertising campaign. I still haven’t figured out why so many guys on
motorcycles and kids on all terrain vehicles and men with pick up trucks were in
the parade.
Of course, there were lots of church groups
represented and one cute entry from the animal shelter. However, these dogs
looked more like well cared for pets than homeless, lost dogs. There was one
adorable sassy pug that didn’t look like it belonged there at all.
There were also numerous tractors of all sizes and vintages. Some were ancient. There is a lot of farming in the valleys.
My favorite entry was “The Cement Truck”. This
proud behemoth decorated in Christmas lights somehow belonged there. There is a
lot of mining in the area and the cement truck belonged to an explosives
company. It had a sign on the front saying “Spreading yards of Christmas
Cheer”. It was hilarious and dignified at the same time. We had such a good
time at this unique “mountain style” parade.
I had planned to do nothing but relax and read. I had
a bag full of books and never got around to reading anything I brought because
there was just too much to do.
We went to an art show that was also unique. Instead
of getting a brochure of various art shows and arts & crafts shops to visit
in town—you were given an inadequately drawn map and had to drive all over the
mountains to the various places. (Five miles in a town is not the same
thing as five miles on those twisty turning roads that seem to go straight up
and down vertically.) We met some very interesting people. I was fascinated with
one lady in particular. She lived on the side of a mountain that faced a valley
and owned the property on the hill rising from the valley on the other side. She
sold wool products from the sheep and llama she raised. The “Tunis” sheep
she had are almost an extinct breed. Supposedly they date back to biblical times
and were brought over here by George Washington. She said they were nearly wiped
out during our civil war. (She didn’t say why, but I’m guessing they were
used for food during that terrible time.) She also has two rental properties
across from the valley and James can’t wait to go back there on our next trip.
We also spent one day in Ashville, NC (nearby). One
of our favorite hotels (Grove Park Inn) had their numerous Christmas trees
decorated a Gingerbread House Contest that was awesome. An incredible amount of
work and imagination went into these good smelling but non-edible entries.
We never got around to going to the Christmas tree
farms and picking out our Christmas tree. However, we found one in Charlotte, NC
on the way home. It is a large “balled” tree we plan to plant in the yard
after Christmas. You should have seen us dragging this 200 lb. balled tree
through the front door. It’s a wonder we don’t both have permanent back
injuries. It’s decorated now with white, silver, and blue ornaments, silver
tinsel, and crystal icicles. To me, it’s quite beautiful.
Well,
back to work and reality.
Billie
& James
Christmas Season, 2001
(Note: We did get another Christmas Tree from the mountains after all. We were
supposed to work on remodeling our bathroom during the holidays, but took off
instead. We went back up there and stayed at a bed and breakfast a couple of
nights before Christmas and took our Maltese, Lola, with us. It was a nice
visit, a good way to end the awful year we had all just gone through: James' job
problems, Josh's wreck and being out of work for awhile, my health problems
starting with lingering bronchitis from July through August then
"fainting" spells; James' father's death in August, Martha
Jane's job change and frustration with the job market, and the awful, awful
September 11 attacks that have changed us all so much. More than ever, we
appreciated and enjoyed our time together this Christmas.)
FAMILY BACKGROUND:
Paternal Family Names: Harrison & Harvey; English names; Occ., Farmers
Maternal Family Names: Hicks & Adams; English names; Occ., Farmers &
Ministers
Religion: All Baptists
James Loyd's Name: Goes by James, never Jim. Named after James Adams, his maternal great grandfather, a
minister; Middle name: James' mother chose to spell "Lloyd"
differently: "Loyd"
Personality & Temperament: Want something done? Ask James.
Hard working, stern, self disciplined, hard headed, serious, honest through and
through, incredibly intelligent, impatient with those who don't take their jobs
seriously, appreciates land and likes to be outside, doesn't hunt, reads only scientific material, dry
sense of humor, dependable, loves teaching, good with children, definitely not
politically minded or motivated, focused, determined, very outspoken, kind & affectionate or very
curt & critical--depending on the circumstances, loves movies, hates gory
movies, likes to laugh.
Jokes
Boss Bashing
Quote from a recent meeting: "We are going to continue having these meetings, everyday, until I find out why no work is getting done". Quote from the Boss... "I didn't say it was your fault. I said I was going to blame it on you." He walks, talks and performs rudimentary tasks, all without the benefit of a SPINE. Quote from the Boss after overriding the decision of a task force he created to find a solution: " I'm sorry if I ever gave you the impression your input would have any effect on my decision for the outcome of this project!" HR Manager to job candidate "I see you've had no computer training. Although that qualifies you for upper management, it means you're under-qualified for our entry level positions." Quote from telephone inquiry "We're only hiring one summer intern this year and we won't start interviewing candidates for that position until the Boss' daughter finishes her summer classes.
Dictionary of Evaluation Comments
Some of you might like to know what the supervisor is really saying
in all those glowing employee work performance evaluations she/he keeps
cranking out.
AVERAGE:
Not too bright.
EXCEPTIONALLY WELL QUALIFIED:
Has committed no major blunders to date.
ACTIVE SOCIALLY:
Drinks heavily.
ZEALOUS ATTITUDE:
Opinionated.
CHARACTER ABOVE REPROACH:
Still one step ahead of the law.
UNLIMITED POTENTIAL:
Will stick with us until retirement.
QUICK THINKING:
Offers plausible excuses for errors.
TAKES PRIDE IN WORK:
Conceited.
TAKES ADVANTAGE OF EVERY OPPERTUNITY TO PROGRESS:
Buys drinks for superiors.
INDIFFERENT TO INSTRUCTION:
Knows more than superiors.
STERN DISCIPLINARIAN:
A real jerk.
TACTFUL IN DEALING WITH SUPERIORS:
Knows when to keep mouth shut.
APPROACHES DIFFICULT PROBLEMS WITH LOGIC:
Finds someone else to do the job.
A KEEN ANALYST:
Thoroughly confused.
NOT A DESK PERSON:
Did not go to college.
EXPRESSES SELF WELL:
Can string two sentences together.
SPENDS EXTRA HOURS ON THE JOB:
Miserable home life.
CONSCIENTIOUS AND CAREFUL:
Scared.
METICULOUS IN ATTENTION TO DETAIL:
A nitpicker.
DEMONSTRATES QUALITIES OF LEADERSHIP:
Has a loud voice.
JUDGMENT IS USUALLY SOUND:
Lucky.
MAINTAINS PROFESSIONAL ATTITUDE:
A snob.
KEEN SENSE OF HUMOR:
Knows lots of dirty jokes.
STRONG ADHERENCE TO PRINCIPLES:
Stubborn.
GETS ALONG EXTREMELY WELL WITH SUPERIORS AND SUBORDINATES ALIKE:
A coward.
SLIGHTLY BELOW AVERAGE:
Stupid.
OF GREAT VALUE TO THE ORGANIZATION:
Turns in work on time.
IS UNUSUALLY LOYAL:
Wanted by no-one else.
ALERT TO COMPANY DEVELOPMENTS:
An office gossip.
REQUIRES WORK-VALUE ATTITUDINAL READJUSTMENT:
Lazy and hard-headed.
HARD WORKER:
Usually does it the hard way.
ENJOYS JOB:
Needs more to do.
HAPPY:
Paid too much.
WELL ORGANIZED:
Does too much busywork.
COMPETENT:
Is still able to get work done if supervisor helps.
CONSULTS WITH SUPERVISOR OFTEN:
Pain in the ass.
WILL GO FAR:
Relative of management.
SHOULD GO FAR:
Please.
USES TIME EFFECTIVELY:
Clock watcher.
VERY CREATIVE:
Finds 22 reasons to do anything except original work.
USES RECOURSES WELL:
Delegates everything.
DESERVES PROMOTION:
Create new title to make h/h feel appreciated.
Words TO THE SONG:
"Georgia On My Mind"
Lyrics written by Stuart Gorell and music by Hoagy Carmichael; This song was designated Georgia's official state song in 1979 and sung by Ray Charles. Words:
Georgia, Georgia, The whole day through, Just an old sweet song, Keeps Georgia on my mind
I'll say Georgia, Georgia, A song of you, Comes as sweet and clear, As moonlight through the pines
Other arms reach out to me, Other eyes smile tenderly, Still in peaceful dreams I see, The road leads back to you
I said Georgia, Ooh Georgia, No peace I find, Just an old sweet song, Keeps Georgia on my mind
Repeat last two stanzas.
BACK (Acknowledgements: Billie, Martha Jane, Joshua, Pets)
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