GenkiColleen,
Happy GOGeversary!! As others have stated a very impressive listing of goodies fur shure! We'll get the wish list outta the way 1st (and Thanks to Foxworks for the Donate!)
1.STAR WARS: TIE Fighter Special Edition
2.STAR WARS: TIE Fighter Special Edition
3 STAR WARS: TIE Fighter Special Edition
4 STAR WARS: TIE Fighter Special Edition
5 STAR WARS: TIE Fighter Special Edition
Now for the hard part. And seriously this is kinda hard for me, not that I havent had bad things happen but because of how many Ive had and all of them I could spin into a funny (because Without Tragedy there would be no Comedy! Which if you didnt know [but of course you do, but the rest of the viewers might not] the 2 masks associated with Stage,Movies and TV (one smiling one crying? yeah those!) represents). So heres the story;
*fade back to 1990-1991, Location: Off the West Coast of Africa (specifically Liberia,Sierra Leone and Monrovia) on-board USS Newport (LST-1179)* After having spent the last 3 months doing 'Gator Squares' (A "Gator Square" is a 'box' that Amphibious craft (and other ships too but anything 'Gator' attached to it means its an Amphibious Craft doing it) do while 'On Station'. Ours had 30 knot 'Legs' (the sides of the box) that we 'Patrolled' at 3 knots (taking us 10 hours to complete 1 'leg')) Marine Amphibious Readiness Group 2 steams south. We've been given Orders to return to Port in Rota, Spain, but after having requested and granted permission to Cross the Equator. Those of us who wish to participate are going to become ShellBacks! (A ShellBack is someone who has crossed the Equator aboard Ship) The last 3 months, while Desert Storm has Raged on in Iraq, havent been the best. We got on Station and within the 1st hour a bright orange object is seen bobbing along. Its a body in a life jacket. The body is wearing a uniform so we have to get further instruction (otherwise we would have retrieved it right away, but with a uniform on us recovering it could start an International Incident since the body could be that of a Combatant for either side of the civil wars going on, and our job is to provide support for the Embassies for the 3 countries mentioned). By quirk of fate, "Bob", as the floating body became known, would be floated Out by the tide and floated In by the Gulf Stream, so that we would see him on 2 legs of our Square for the next 5 weeks. After 5 weeks we get the ok to Retrieve Bob. Yours Truly was chosen to be part of the boat crew for doing so. To spare you and everyone the gory details, but to put things in perspective, imagine removing a boiled chicken from a pot, then multiply that by 3. The gruesome deed done, complete with retching and groaning, we return to our un-eventful Patrol. Our Duty complete we head south to cross the equator during the night and turn around to head back North towards Rota. In the Morning we go thru the ShellBack Initiation (which I wont go into since it varies alot from ship to ship) and afterwards have a Talent Contest! The prize, $100 and a Case of Beer! Now during this last 3 months a few of us while on watch would sing little ditties while on watch to keep us awake and to help pass the time, 5 of us decide that we'll enter into the talent show and do "Phib Trekkin" (a Parody of Star Trekkin' with lines and themes pertaining to things that went on during our "Cruise"). Its a Hit! Everyone on-board, including the Marines, roars with laughter as we Lampoon the various activities and key personnel. We were the 5th act of 10. After ours the last 5 decided they couldnt compete and the 1st 4 dropped their entries! We've won the Talent contest! As an Encore we did 'Twelve Days (of Xmas)on Newport". We get our $100 ($20 a piece) and a promissory note for a Case of Beer for when we reach Rota.
So thats how we spun a bad situation into something good, We sung a Parody of it! We learned later that a copy of our Talent show made the circuit of the other Ships of the 'Float' and we would be approached through the last 2 months of the 'Medd Cruise' by complete strangers with congratulations and 'Well Dones!' (Attaboys we called them in the US Navy at that time)
And so in conclusion, I hope you find this little tale from 20+ years ago able to meet your criteria and that I am one of the Chosen, and Congrats to everyone, in advance, who do.