lapaglia

Thanks for the welcome. PDSTRO (Pressed down, shaken together and Running over) was the Ministry's version of CSN (Crosby, Stills and Nash) Great lyrics, good music and perfect harmonies. "Like an eagle", "Christ is Coming", "Pioneer" "The Way of Peace" and so many others. A really great group. It was Joe Fair, Paul Cuoco and Ralph Grahm. I know Joe is still active in the Music business in Nashville with his Son. Ralph and Paul I am not sure where they are at the moment. Great guys and GREAT music. The way of Peace-----Click the play button on page A blast from the past for all the old timers. Like an eagle-----Click the play button on the page. Another great song of theirs. FYI now that you know that PDSTRO = "Pressed down, Shaken together and Running over" you might understand why my band was "Good Measure". Yep I always wanted to be their "Neil Young" I wish all my wow family members well. I had a lot of fun going out 3 times. I spent a few weeks working at headquarters on the video equipment. Fell in love with Stanley Reheard while i was there. She wound up marrying my wife and I. It was her first marriage. She did good because it stuck :) I'll stop rambling for the moment. But there are a lot of good memories from those times. If you can dig up the threads you were talking about that would be great. You know you are old when your life is part of a nostalgia thread :D Michael.

So there I was was, in Tucson, on the waiting list for Minuteman when I get a call to go to Mesa AZ. One of the members of a family didn't show up. I got there 10 days after the rest of the family did. We have a straight laced Coordinator with a HOT newlywed wife. A guy named John and me. We lived in a 2 bedroom apartment for about 4 weeks then John and I got an unfurnished apartment in the same complex. The Coordinator was more interested in his wife and running our lives than doing the word. John was never really there. Like he was living almost on another plane of existence. Made things tough the first few months. No TV or Music in the apartment. All He and I did was play chess every night. Most of the time i won. But he had a habit of conceding the game when he could see he was trapped. I honestly don't think I did an end game the entire time. 20 moves in and he would resign. So I got tired of that. Borrowed a motorcycle from a friend in Jan. Started hanging out at the Corp Leaders house. My old band mate was living with him and we played a lot of music. It helps to have Paul Cuoco as the Branch leader if you like to play music. We had a blast. I was home for twig every night then gone. My coordinator made it clear that he was not to be bothered except during twig. So every night after twig I drove to the Branch leaders house and jammed until I had to go to work. I worked 12-6 AM at Jack in the Box. I can understand how John doesn't remember me being there as I wasn't really there a lot. My year was great! had fun, got some people in the class, but not at my twig. Learned the entire PDSTRO catalog. Dated a really cute wow sister. The strangest thing that happened was one morning on the way home from work the delivery driver gave me a 5 lb block of cheese. amercian sliced cheese. I got home and was really tired so I went to bed. Got up at 4 pm and looked in the fridge. The cheese was gone. I asked John and it seems he ate the entire 5 lbs! To this day I don't understand the concept of eating ALL of the only food in the house. The pretty much ended it for me with that family. I was there for twig and when I had to for a family meeting. I am amazed someone could eat that much cheese and not get sick, in about 8 hours no less! In any situation you get out what you put in to something. I had a good year. The rest of the family not so much. My fault as much as anyone else. I stopped putting forth any effort and my time with them suffered. But to be honest Id do it again. I took that year for me to grow and not worry about the rest of the family they were all WOW vets and knew how to make things happen but it seems, they chose not to. So flash forward to here and I find my wow brother is here. I contact him a few times and nothing. So I wrote my version of the year we had. I would do it again and the same way. it prepared me for my 3rd and final year in Racine WI. That was a good year too. I met a wonderful woman. we got married, last week celebrated 30 years together. We left the ministry soon after we were married and got out before things were really bad. For me it was not a bad time. I learned a lot and grew a lot. But ya know, I still wonder how he ate all that cheese so fast. :) Michael LaPaglia Good Measure

Did that and tried email.

I'm surprised to get no response from John on this. Its been a week and he is posting all the time. I guess he doesn't love me any more O well after 32 years I guess I will have to learn to move on. Seriously John, Id love to here from you. Its been a long time and it was an interesting year. At least tell me to leave you alone. Then I will know you saw this. If nothing else give me permission to post the story about the 5 lbs of American cheese!! Thanks, Michael.

Wow, how soon they forget. Your original 4th never showed so they sent me in the second week. You and I shared a room for the first two months then moved to our own apartment for the rest of the time in the field. You and I played chess almost every night I was home. Around Feb I got my Motorcycle and spent a lot of time at the Branch leaders house playing guitar with the other member of my band, Good Measure (we were in TN the year before together) and backing up Paul Cuoco From Pressed Down. He was the Branch leader. Yes our Twig coord was an interesting person but darn his wife was hot! do you remember her name? I'm crushed you totally forgot I was there. :D Ill bet you forgot the thing with the 5 lbs of American cheese too. Since I wasn't home as much as you were I figure my year was better than yours. Then again I had family in Tucson so between the band and Home I have a support system. Love to hear from you. Michael