Making a Blog Comeback

Location: International
Date: February 18, 2011
Adventure #45

Yesterday, I watched my ultimate saccharine guilty pleasure - the TV musical show Glee - and the episode was about its downtrodden characters making comebacks. Not that I usually take inspiration from prime time, but it did remind me that I have been neglecting some of my outlets and things that make me me - namely creative writing - and I could use my own mini-comeback. Furthermore, I promised that I would do 50 adventure postings in a year, and I am about a month behind, but gosh darn it, I am still going to finish it and keep going.

While there were many factors at play to my absence, like the holidays and my trip to the states, there was one big one. In January, my family suffered a big loss when Mike's grandfather, whom everyone called Pops, passed away. He was an avid reader of my blog - dare I say its biggest fan - and was endlessly supportive of my writings and was genuinely interested in the day-to-day happenings of my life, which I wrote about it in this posting. For awhile it made me too sad to write this blog knowing that Pops wouldn't be there to comment. But he was always a friendly motivator who sent me messages and phone calls when a new posting was long past due, so I know he'd want me to keep going with my blob. When we were in Dallas for the memorial services, I got the great honor to write Pops' obituary with the help of the family, so here is another of many tributes that Pops is due:

Leslie "Pops" S. Klein, Jr., loving husband, father and grandfather, passed away peacefully on January 10, 2011. Born June 7, 1926 in Chicago, he was the son of Dorothy and Leslie S. Klein. Les moved to Dallas in 1938, graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School in January 1944 and attended Baylor University in Waco until he joined the U.S. Army at age 18. He served in the 44th Division, 324th Infantry, C Company and was transferred to the HQ Company, 3rd Battalion, 324th Regiment as a Jeep driver for the message center in France, Germany and Austria. Later, he was trained at Camp Chaffee in Arkansas and was sent to Japan for its occupation. He was discharged from the Army as a corporal and received the Bronze Star, two European Battle Stars and a Combat Infantry Medal. After the war, he attended S.M.U., where he met his wife Mary Grace Carter of Tulsa, Okla. He was a member of the Kappa Sigma fraternity. Enjoying a career as an accomplished furniture salesman, Les once worked for the Curtis Mathes Company. He bought its mattress factory, founded the Southland Bedding Co. in 1963 and acquired the Spring Air bedding franchise in the mid-1970s. In 2005, he received the Tupelo Furniture Market Manufacturer's Representative Award. Demonstrating his faith through his kind and generous personality, Les was a sincere Christian and a long-time member of the University Park United Methodist Church. He was extremely proud of his grandchildren whom he cheered on at Highland Park sports events. He is survived by his devoted wife of 60 years, Mary Grace; two sons and their spouses: Ann and Les Klein and Nancy and Mark Klein of Highland Park; six grandchildren and their spouses: Sarah and Matt Klein, Emily and John Klein, Katherine and Chris Herron, Marisa and Michael Klein, James Klein and Ginna Klein; and three great-grandchildren.