Another Rodney Dangerfield Obituary
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Sgt. Stryker, Parker weighs in with a great obit to the late departed comic:
bq. Back in 1987, I was preparing myself for whatever was next after the navy. I decided that I should probably convert as much of my Navy schooling into college credits as possible, maybe even get one of those sheepskins. So, via the New York Board of Regents, I learned that a lot of that schooling would translate quite readily. However, I would need to take a few more classes to broaden my education in order to get a degree.
bq. Some classes I did not mind taking, such as Creative Writing, and Calculus. But some I just had no interest in. But I soon learned of the CLEP tests, which allowed a guy like me to, in essence, challenge the course, take the final and get the credit. Without having to sit through boring classes I was not interested in. One such class was on art, to satisfy a humanities requirement. So, what the heck? (I am just not an art guy. What I like, and call art, I seem to be the only one who does. And a lot of what others call “art", I just don’t get. I’d rather have had a picture drawn by my then preschool children than say, anything by Picasso.)
bq. One of the questions asked on that test “Who wrote this poem?
bq. “Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
bq. Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.
bq. Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
etc...
bq. Thankfully, the night before this test, I watched “Back to School” and was able to confidently pick Dylan Thomas as the author. Thereby eking out a passing grade on this CLEP test, get an Associates of Science degree via the New York Board of Regents, and getting this job as a Principle Science and Engineering Technician at Stanford Linear Accelerator Center.
bq. So thanks Rodney Dangerfield. Thanks to your very funny movie, I am where I am at today. Here is hoping that Saint Peter calls you “Sir” and you get the respect you so richly deserve for the rest of eternity.
Posted by DaveH at October 7, 2004 10:16 PM