March 24, 2010
Just got off the phone with a man who bought a box full of negatives at an estate sale. He's been scanning them and it appears they are of Tombstone in the early 1900s. He said he called the historical society and they acted like they didn't want to see anything, so he called me! Man, I tell you, this is why I love owning a history magazine. He's bringing them out next week.

I'm getting ready to fly to Lubbock on Friday. Writing up a series of True West Moments based on lawmen, for Jeff Hildebrandt to run between Lawman, the TV series.

Not everybody loves my sense of humor on True West Moments. Got this email earlier this week:

"If you are the Bob Boze Bell that does the 'True West Moments' on tv..are you making that crap up? I always wondered until I heard your reason for 'Give me a Brake Man', referring to the brake man on the trains.....that is ridiculous and does not even make sense. How in the world do you expect folks to take you serious when you put something like that on?

"'Gimme a Break Bob'...Be for real."

—Nick G.

Need to get my new 20X Beaver Brand hat blocked tomorrow. Taking it out to J.W. Brooks Custom Hat Co. in New River.

And while we're talkin' negative energy, got this in the mail today:

"I've been subbing to True West nigh more than 30 years (actually 40), and have noticed the mag is getting a bit peculiar. The latest one, a female on the back cover and 15 women from page 80, I mean guys—the west was won by hard nosed males—not a bunch of swishes. . .I'm not too crazy about the tourist trap destinations, but will make an exception for Cody, Wyoming. My father was from there, and told me the locals met George Leroy Parker in the 30s. And all that 'House Beautiful' and Hollywood crap—is that the Real West? Also, I'm not too crazy about giving Clint Eastwood all that publicity. He's the same age as me (80), and I'm not fond of his 'spin'. Either too violent or not violent enough. Both "Madison County" [The Bridges of Madison County] and "Unforgiven" made me want to throw up. Let's get [back to] the real West.
—Big Vinny

For what it's worth, Flagstaff has had more than 11 feet of snow this year, yes so far, THIS YEAR. Amazing.

A study by researchers at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana, found that the less people smiled in their yearbook photos, the more likely they were to later divorce. When they compared the top 10 percent of brightest smiles with the bottom 10 percent of weakest smilers, the lack of smilers were "five times more likely to be divorced than the top."

This isn't my high school photo, but it's damn close:



And yes, this sad drummer has been divorced. Ha. But he smiles more now!

"It's difficult for anyone to battle against the supremacy of humor."
—Oswalkdo Graziani, of the website El Chiguire Bipolar in Venezuela