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Patrick W. O'Bryon
Writer. Traveler. Europhile, especially Italy and France. Hobbies: rescuing animals from abuse, abandonment and mistreatment, and being sous chef around the kitchen to my chef de cuisine wife.
Blogroll
Corridor of Darkness, A Novel of Nazi Germany (paperback)
Category Archives: Memoir
MY ODDEST EUROPEAN CHRISTMAS
During the Cold War era I spent a few years in Germany, first as a twenty-one-year-old graduate student and then with the military. I spent my first Christmas holiday season putting a Eurailpass to good use, randomly hopping on or off … Continue reading
BUILD A NUCLEAR REACTOR ON YOUR KITCHEN TABLE!
My brother James and I once built a nuclear reactor at the kitchen table. Hard to believe? Sure, but even more amazing, it’s still firing people up almost forty years later. Okay, fine, a little explanation might be in order… Early in 1979 we had a … Continue reading
Posted in European Travel, Memoir
Tagged Anthropocene, board games, China Syndrome, Containment, meltdown, nuclear power
4 Comments
HOW I ENDED WORLD WAR I, ALMOST BLEW UP A FRIENDLY GARAGE, & SAVED PORN FOR THE WORLD: A Memoir of High School in the ’60’s
The year was 1964, and I was in high school. I had an adventurous friend named Dan, an older brother Mike who thought pornography might broaden my education, and a dangerous love of chemistry. Dan and I were in the … Continue reading
STORMY NIGHT, ABANDONED HOSPITAL, DANGEROUS INTRUDERS? — MEMOIR, PART TWO
(Should you not yet have read Part One of this little hospital memoir, you may want to check it out first.) “Let’s get out of here!” The teen-aged son of Dr. B appeared every bit as worried as the rest … Continue reading
Posted in Memoir, Travel Memoir, Uncategorized
Tagged Carrollton Missouri, family travel, hospitals, roadtrips, Travel
6 Comments
A DARK & STORMY NIGHT & AN ABANDONED HOSPITAL: a Memoir of my Youth
Back in my youth our family did a lot of traveling. Most of our relatives lived in the Midwest—Kansas, Missouri, Illinois. And every summer we piled into the family sedan (no air conditioning, of course) and headed east to spend at … Continue reading
Posted in Memoir, Travel Memoir
Tagged family travel, hospitals, Midwest, proctologist, summer storms
1 Comment
HOW NOT TO RAFT A RIVER: Another Misguided Adventure
Readers of this blog know that water and I have had a difficult relationship over the years…you know, near-drowning, that sort of thing. So in honor of the season, here’s another look at what NOT to do when it comes to … Continue reading
Posted in Memoir, Outdoor Adventures, Travel Memoir, Uncategorized
Tagged Cosumnes, Rafting, Water Safety, Whitewater
4 Comments
MY LIFE IN THE MILITARY: Final Episode: Making the World Safe for Democracy, One Autobahn at a Time
So, if you’re interested in the rest of the story, let’s take a look at the demanding job I took on… (For those who have read the previous posts on this topic, you already know that in 1970 I went from expecting to risk life … Continue reading
Posted in European Travel, Memoir, Travel Memoir, Uncategorized
Tagged army life, Army regulations, Autobahns, AWOL, Cold War, Europe, Germany, military training, NATO
2 Comments
CONFESSIONS OF A DANGEROUS MAN: Stand Back If You See Me Coming Your Way
Some people have been known to suggest that I am a bit clumsy. I believe the word “klutz” has been used on more than one occasion. As for me, I have a different take on this: I tend to move … Continue reading
Posted in Memoir, Uncategorized
Tagged Italy, klutz, New College, Positano, power tool, Power tools, tool safety, University infirmary, University of South Florida
2 Comments
MY CAREER IN THE MILITARY: PART FOUR: Patience as its Own Reward
(For those of you who haven’t been following stories of my short-term military career in the 70’s, you may want to read the earlier postings to bring you up-to-date before tackling this one.) Now I’m sitting pretty with orders to … Continue reading
Posted in European Travel, Memoir, Travel Memoir
Tagged Army, army life, Army training, Fire Direction Control, Fort Sill, Germany, Iron Curtain, military draft, military training
5 Comments
Patrick W. O'Bryon 