What exactly does "Bemo" mean?


In 1983, when I worked at Godfathers Pizza in West Springfield,VA, It was an epithet given me by my then manager Larry O'Dea. We were preparing one of the sandwiches from our menu and these sandwiches came with an order of potato chips. These chips came in packages like those found in vending machines. Among the employees, these packages had developed the reputation for having five chips in one bag and 45 or 50 in the next. Emblazoned across the front and back of these bags was the letters BE-MO and nothing more. So Larry asks me "What the hell kind of name is "Bemo" for potato chips?", to which I replied "Maybe 'cause there be mo' in one bag than there be in another" Neither one of us thought more about it till the end of Larry's shift when, on his way out, he sticks his head back into the kitchen and says "I'll see you tomorrow, Captain Bemo". And the nickname just sort of stuck.

It's also a military acronym for Batallion Motor Officer.

What exactly does Bemo Do?

The last time I wrote here I was working on geting my bachelors degree finished. Well, thanks to the twelve thumbed freaks at George Mason that will not be a reality until next May and here'e why. On September 28 of this year (1998) I recieved a letter postmarked the 21st from George Mason University. for those of you that dont understand the signifigance of this fact, GMU is about 5 miles from my home. So in esscence it took seven days to get a letter five miles. Anyway, this letter dated September 21 starts out "Dear Timothy Ellerbee, We were reviewing your application for August graduation....." Now I ask you, is there not something fundamentally wrong here? This monolith of postsecondary education was reviewing August grad applications in the last week of September! So of course I recievced this letter the Monday after the last day register for this semester. So I have to wait until next semester to take one class to graduate. You may ask "how could not know that you were not going to graduate?" Well I called the department head to set up an exit interview and was told that I didn't really need one and that it was only a formality. Now, here's the rub. Had I had that exit interview, I would have bee informed that tha class that I dropped over the summer in order to take a fulltime job in the field for which I had studied for five plus years, was, in fact, still necessary for me to graduate. It was a simple upper level elective but that's as may be. So in answer the above question, Bemo gets the dick. AGAIN.

But seriously, right now I am working as a Production Coordinator for WUST Radio, AM 1120, in suburban Washington DC. I produce New World at Night on WZHF AM 1390 for WUST and New World Radio.

Additionally I play and write music. For a sample of my songwriting/poetry, try my poetry page. There's a lot of work left to do there but it's a start.

As for my playing, I play guitar and have since the fifth grade,which was '7?. Suffice it to say that I've been playing for 24 years. I play mostly on my early '90's Fender Stratocaster. I have a few other guitars as well. I have an early '90's BC Rich NJ Strat and a Platinum Strat as well as a Charvell Surfcaster. Just recently I added to my ever-growing family of six-stringed wonders a brand-new white on red Telecaster.

I play through a 60W Fender Blues DeVille and a Puke Green "Ibanez Tubescreamer". I use an ART 2000 preamp/processor and record everything with a Yamaha MT8X 8-track cassette recorder. I am hopefully moving to the digital domain with a Fostex FD4 HD recorder and a Sony Minidisc recorder for final mixdown. Presently, however, I mix it all down to a TEAC CX650R stereo cassette deck with DOD stereo eqalization.

Let the Celebration Begin!

The wedding was the 10th of Jan. at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Fairfax Va. and the recrption in the ballroom at George Mason University. We had about 50 people attend, mostly friends and co-workers of mine and a few of her high-school friends as well as some of her dad's family. Sadly, though, her father was unable to attend because he is snowed in in North Korea. Things were hectic at best. First the battery on my camcorder didn't hold a charge, so there's no tape of the ceremony or the reception. Then the priest never showed up. We had to get a substitute priest at the last minute. He got half way through the ceremony before he remembered our names. It was "The bride and groom..." this or "This lovely couple..." that.

The weather could not have been more ideal, though. Had we had it one week earlier or later, it would have sucked. But the sky was clear and the temperature was around 60. It was damn near springlike. I will have pictures up on the web shortly, for those of you who care. And for those of you who don't: why the hell are you even reading this page then?!?!?

We honeymooned at the Acorn Inn, a little Bed & Breakfast in Nellysford Va, near Charlottesville. The first night we broke the bed! Now, now, now. It was nothing like that. It broke even before the honeymoon had started. I simply rolled over to turn off the light and the whole damn thing collapsed. But, the innkeeper gave us the night free since we had to sleep on the floor. So it worked out for the best I guess. We'll have pics of the B&B ASAP as well.

So now it's official. Mr.and Mrs. Bemo.

And it has been for a year now. One year together. In that year we have moved three times, I thought I had graduated but didn't and went ahead and walked while Geni didn't walk (she couldn't get off of work) and she actually graduated, then she went to Italy, I got a job in my career field, (how many people do you know of that actually do that?) I built a recording studio from scratch for WGMU Radio, damn near got arrested for asserting my rights as a student and a taxpayer, spent over $4500 on auto repairs instead of stupid shit like food and rent, I found out that I didn't graduate after all and we got a cat.


Write me at bemo@wgmu.gmu.eduwith any comments or constructive criticism or what have you.


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Last updated January 16, 1998