Eric Karns

Originale.

We had a great thanksgiving this year. Mom, dad, Jessica and Pete made the rainy 10 hour drive to DC and Mary and I made a 20 lb. turkey… (which surprisingly came out great, unlike the great ham mishap of ‘06.) We even got to visit the Aiken’s just before Alissa and Ben went to their wedding shower. I’m looking forward to completing the holiday blitz this Christmas in Michigan *fingers crossed for snow.

Ok, I found my great grandpa’s death certificate and contrary to my previous report, his death was a little less glamorous than was previously believed, haha. As it turns out, we already knew he was an alcoholic, and that he died suddenly and his death certificate says he died of brain hemorrhage with acute alcoholism being a contributing factor. I guess it’s no wonder he was an alcoholic considering the fact that he ran a saloon. He was only 33 years old when he died so my grandfather never really knew him - he died on my sister’s birthday in 1922 and was a fellow pisces.

The real mystery lies in the fact that his death certificate, which had information from his wife, states that his father was from Ireland when all previous census and WWI registration information says that his father was from Italy. So getting to the bottom of his real father is going to be a chore. I would just like to know if our family name is in fact Karns. One thing that is definitely confirmed though is that his mother’s maiden name was Cicardi and that she was from Genoa, Italy. I’ve even found what I believe is her immigration records from 1879.

This is the WWI Draft Registration card that my great grandpa Karns filled out in 1917. Robert John Karns is rumored to have died around 1921 (when my grandpa was only 2 or 3 years old) in a bar fight at the Saloon he owned in Kansas City.

I was able to trace my grandpa Karns’ ancestry through his mother’s lineage back to the 15th century and found some very interesting information. Through this particular branch, my family came from England in the 1600’s to St. Mary’s, Maryland where they eventually made their way to Kentucky and then Kansas City, Missouri where my grandpa was born.

Some famous people I am related to are:
President James Garfield (2nd president to be assasinated)
President Ronald Reagan
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Amelia Earhart
Winslow Homer
George Orwell
Audrey Hepburn

All very distantly of course, but still fun information to know!

I noticed that the big headline in news right now is ‘bomb parts smuggled past airport security’ and it pisses me off… it’s like, every time there’s a major holiday the media decides it’s the perfect time to scare the shit out of everyone. I swear to god I’m a paranoid schizophrenic nowadays from the stupid sensationalist media. I guess it works for them in the end though… the public gets scared shitless about anything the media decides to exaggerate, we’re all glued to the news, eyes-wide-open and are subjected to all the advertising which is making a killing pushing the soma we need because we’re all buggin from the impending end of the world.

This is Larry David’s genius way of dealing with those annoying bluetooth yappers. I think I’ll try it next time I’m at the bookstore where these people tend to congregate.

I’m loving the recent fad of retro inspired car design (excluding of course the milktruck pt cruiser) from the Ford GT to the Mustang. Sometimes I wish I would have stuck with industrial design in college. If the new Mustang weren’t so impractical I would be very tempted to get one.

“WASHINGTON, DC - Fall, the long- running series of shorter days and cooler nights, was canceled earlier this week after nearly 3 billion seasons on Earth, sources reported Tuesday.”

I guess the ozone has gone on strike?

Click he pic above to view a gallery of some of the most beautiful photos you’ve ever seen. Doesn’t look so much like an ‘ax*s of ev*l’ now does it? Kinda reminds me of Italy… I definitely want to visit someday.