Jerry H, train dood

What is your name?
Jerry Huddleston, but until I was seven I thought my name was Jesus Christ.



What is your hometown?
I was born in Elgin, Illinois, and I grew up in the far far far NW suburbs in a place called Wonder Lake. It's like the largest man-made lake in Illinois or something like that, but I wouldn't swim in it if I were you.



What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?
I've always thought it would be cool to own a baseball team. But because that's not gonna happen I'd like to have a crack at being an elementary school teacher. I dunno why that never occurred to me when I was in college, but I guess I was too busy drinking. I've coached Lizzie's baseball team since she was in kindergarten and me and the kids have had fun. And the best part would be not having to work all summer!



What's the deal with trains and what do you do with them?
You had to ask that question and now I have to answer it and not come across like a total nerd. Here's goes: when I see a train I like to think about where it came from and where its going. We've all been stopped at a grade crossing before, but most of us don't realize how railroads are integral part of our transportation system. Really, everything from your breakfast to the fuel in your car was on a train at some point on its way to you. I also have a lot of fun taking pictures of trains. It can be more difficult and frustrating than you might think to get the shot; everything has to come together, but when it does, the results can be pretty cool.



What are three awesome things about 2009?
1. Hayden was born on January 20th, and she just turned one.

2. Lizzie, my eight-year old, ran two miles without breaking a sweat.

3. A friend and I spent four days this fall chasing trains in the Dakotas. We were in the sun for four days and we went from before sunrise until after sunset.



What's your favorite childhood memory?
I remember sitting in the back of my Dad's car when we drove to Woodstock at night and it seemed to me that everything in the world had been rearranged. It's lost to me why we went there, but because we never went anywhere at night, it was like being on another planet. Imagine being lost in your car without a compass or a road map.





What is the best thing about you?
I can't think of anything more interesting than visiting new places and meeting new people or learning about other people that lived in a different time and place. You know, we get into a routine and can't remember one day from the next, but when you visit someplace like Albuquerque, N.M. or Faith, S.D. or make a new acquaintance, that memory is sharp and vivid. It's also in part why I went to college for history: to study people from a different time and place.



Do you have a blog or favorite website you'd like to plug?
Yeah, I like to share my train pictures here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/huddleston/



What question didn't i ask you here that you wanted to answer? :
Speaking of history, Robert S. McNamara, JFK's Secretary of Defense during the Vietnam War, said about interview questions, "Never answer the question that is asked, rather answer the question you wanted asked." You got the best question: "If you were a baseball player what would be your "At bat" song?" Hey, I've played baseball and I've thought about that question. Some of my favorite memories are playing catch before the game listening to music from an open door of a pick-up truck or from the speakers at the park.

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I started laughing at that last answer. Now I think I should've asked him what his 'at-bat' song would be, but then that goes against Mr. McNamara's ideals.