A Conversaton with Elizabeth
1998
Re: Australia
From:
larry.m.mixson@bvs.com (LARRY M. MIXSON)
To:
Elizabeth
Date: Fri, 6 Mar
1998 09:52:17 -0800
Subject: Re: Australia
You are right, I don't know much about your life before you met me. I
did not know that you were friends with people from the chemistry
department. I'm sure that my father new them for he seemed to know
everyone that worked there. Since he was in charge of the chemical,
supplies, ordering equipment he knew just about everyone. He was the
type of guy that if anybody wanted something done "you go ask Morris." I
always found it disappointing that both my parents worked all those
years at U of F and neither one ever got a college degree or even took
courses. Actually that is not quite true, my father signed up for a free
introduction to FORTRAN computer class and asked me if I wanted to take
it with him. I did so and that was the start of my work with computers.
Dad found it too confusing and didn't finish the class.
I believe the Star Spangled Banner song you referred to was done by Jim'
Hendrix. Yanni is one of those musicians whose music I find boring. We
went to one of his concerts at Wolftrap and he just stands there in
front of his keyboards tossing his hair around. Julie's father says that
his music is simplistic. Julie's father is quite an accomplished
musician, primarily piano. In his retirement he teaches music and has
about 30 students. He has had several students win top awards at state
and east coast contests and win scholarships to well known schools. He
plays Bach for warm up exercises that have so many notes I can't even
figure it out. Now, Eyna is someone I really like. Her music seems to
reach into one's soul. I believe we have all of her CDs. Julie got a
chant CD a couple of months ago but I have not listened to it yet. I
still have a Gregorian Chant record I bought at the U of F record sale.
I didn't know that about Bernstein although it doesn't surprise me.
Geniuses are often quite eccentric.
I would agree with you about my daughter and prenuptial agreement but I
don't think it would be wise for me to suggest it to her. Suggesting
anything negative about her boyfriend makes her get very defensive about
him and then she looses all reason. It is dichotomy for her to be such a
"together" woman with her education, and career but to have such a
screwed up relationship. In some ways her boyfriend is not that bad, he
has a masters degree in International Business and works for a company
on some secret government contract. But when it comes to their
relationship is where I believe she could do much better. Ah, but am I
sounding like my parents?
Now that you mentioned it I do recall that your mother was from England.
I wonder how her being English might have influenced you when you were a
child. When I
worked at ICL I had to deal with the English a lot for ICL is an UK
company. We most always had people from England around and had video
conferences with them weekly. It has been said that dealing with the
French, Germans, etc. is easier because you realize that you speak
different languages and come from different cultures. With the English
you are fooled to thinking that they think like you because they "speak"
the same language but actually they are saying something quite
differently. Also the English had great difficulty saying No. You could
have a meeting and think that you had an agreement but they really never
said they agreed but were being polite and not saying no. The
Australians on the other hand are great to work with, our head of
marketing was from Australia and she was great, she was blunt and
straight forward. I'll have to catch the Crocodile Hunter sometime.
Ah yes, politics. That will have to be for another time.
Larry
Updated: 04-02-2024