Jonathan Lathrop's Page

This website was written in 1998 and reflects my pets and interests at that time.

1953-1976

Originally from Plainville Connecticut, My dad was a Cattle Dealer and Auctioneer who died when I was twelve. Mother was a Home Economics teacher who mainly worked as a substitute. While in high school I started and ran Citadel Coffeehouse every Friday night in the basement of Trinity United Methodist Church in New Britain Connecticut. I graduated Magna Cum Laude from Tunxis Community College with an AA in Liberal Arts. At the University of Connecticut I majored in Psychology and graduated with a BA.

1977-1980

I worked as a Community Organizer in Chicago for two years and in Mt Rainier, Maryland for two years. Organizing was exciting and had it’s own rewards but I found the internal organizational conflicts disconcerting. It seems as though almost every neighborhood organization I have ever seen has either blown up or died out. This experience is the principal reason I have vowed to be self employed and to keep it small. It is hard to have office politics in an organization of two or three.

1981-Present


After collecting unemployment for a couple of weeks I decided that was not for me and ran an ad in the Washington Post reading "Have Pick-Up Truck Will Travel." I was busy almost immediatelyA few months later I had the opportunity to buy a larger truck for $150. I out bid the scrap man by $50. A couple thousand in parts and repairs later I changed my ad to "Have Truck Will Haul." It has made me a living ever since. I still have the same Truck a 68 GMC 4500 though every moving part has been replaced or rebuilt with the aid and advice of my brother Ellsworth. Now I am working on replacing parts that don't move.
 

Our Family

Also in 1981 I met Diane Sitar, now my wife. We have been married since 1986. We have a dog named Kujo and a cat named Goofy. Little Miss Goofy was exactly that. when she was kitten. She couldn't look at you straight on for more than a moment. If she stared at you her head would slowly rotate until she was looking at you upside down Now that she's grown up she is haughty and very dignified. She always holds the high ground and can either be found on top of the refrigerator or on the seat of the stationary bicycle. She is a friendly cat and likes company but disdains touching. Any more than a single finger under the chin or behind the ear and she gives you a gentle swat and runs away. It took her a while to get used to Kujo but she has convinced him that she's the boss and she rules the roost quite effectively. Here she is saying "Hi!"

Kujo is the opposite of his name. He was given to us by a customer. We think they wanted a mean guard dog and named him Kujo for the killer dog of the movies. But he turned out to be such a sweetheart that they gave him to us. . We don't know what breed he is except for the obvious German Shepherd. People have guessed part husky, part border collie, part retriever, even part chow. He's very happy-go-lucky and affectionate and we love him dearly.


Hobbies and Interests

I have lots of interests and hobbies. I enjoy listening to radio generally especially NPR. I also like playing with my DX390 Short-wave. I am able to receive stations from all over the world including: Britain, France, Germany, Chezch Republic, Slovakia, Russia, Kuwait, Egypt, Israel, Nigeria, China, Japan, New Zealand, Australia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Canada, Mexico and many in the US. A good place to find out more about this hobby is the Usenet news group rec.radio.shortwave.


I also enjoy mechanical puzzles. for years I made some every year for Christmas. I haven’t this year but still enjoy them greatly. “Puzzles Old and New, How to Make and Solve Them” by Jerry Slocum et al is a wonderful book for any one interested in making their own puzzles. Slocum bases it on his own extensive collection. One of my favorite puzzles is pentominoes. Pentominoes are the twelve basic shapes which can be formed by five square tiles arranged adjacently. They can be made from 1 X 1 stock cut and glued together. Then try to fit the twelve pieces in to a 6 X 10 tray. There are 2339 ways to do it or so say the mathematicians. It takes a while to find even one.
Sign My GuestbookView My GuestbookGuestbook by Lpage p>Peaches En Regalia by Frank Zappa sequenced by Anson Moss


Our Favorite Links

INDEX of my web pages
Have Truck Will Haul: My Moving Service
Therapy on the Web: Psychological services on the internet
Free Homepages: A long list of free rescources on the web
National Public Radio: Our favorite radio network


Jonathan Lathrop

jnathan@lathrop.com
5708 63rd Ave
Riverdale, Md 20737
United States


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