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Sgt Roman F. Klick 36620923
HS 1393 Engr APO 75
c/p SF Cal
24 Aug 45

Dear Aunty Clara,

Friday

I hope that you are able to see this type after it is photographed because it is pretty faint as I type. I'd use the smaller type with the new ribbon but I doubt if I'd be able to fill up the page with that many extra words on account of because I'm writing this letter close to the witching hour. Why so late you might ask. Well, it happened this way. Jack M asked me if I was going to the school this evening and I said no that I was CQ. Then he said why didn't I get someone to take my place and right then and there Smarrito said he would take my place so that I could go to school and I did just that. Bob Burkholder went to school this evening too after missing the first session.

However, if for no other purpose than to realize just exactly what the score was, we did not waste our evening. But as far as the schooling we got, that was nil. First of all our Music Appreciation class was not what it cracked up to be. At least not that session, perhaps later on when he got into the more interesting aspects it would turn out better. As it was we covered Richard Wagner (pronounced Ricard Vagner) and several of his works. Among them were (1) Scene 1 Act III from Die Miestersingers (2) Overture to Die Miestersingers (which, incidentally, we heard twice played by the Manila Symphony) and (3) the last act of Tristam and Isolde. While the straight music - the overture - was good as always, neither of us could stomach the screeching voices which make up an opera. Music in the abstract is perfect but singing in the abstract grates on the ears. Of course I did learn a bit about the man Wagner and also the story of Tristam and Isolde.

The next course Slide Rule and Logs was filled up and so was Burky's Psychology class. The Slide Rule course gives you a small scale slide rule as well as a book although the book I have at home is more comprehensive. Anyhoo, neither of us could go to those classes so I went to the class "History of the Far East" thinking I would pick up a good text book for interesting reading if nothing thing else. But no text book in that class. It was purely a lecture course and nothing more. I went through one of those lecture courses before - Dunn's Civil War History at Central Y - and only the ability of the teacher saved the course from being monotonous. The teacher for this lecture course concerning mainly the history of Japan, was a foreigner with a broken English grammar and trite in his ways so that during the five minute break he gave us at 9:30 PM I stepped out never to return. Meanwhile Burky had done nothing but walk around the Quiapo district around the Philippine Institute.

At ten o'clock when the classes let out we all walked down to where the truck was parked and clambered aboard. From there we had to go to the Red Cross where we were to pick up some other fellows. Since it was ten after ten and the truck had to wait until eleven, Bob and I went for a walk down Rizal Avenue and then cut back through the Ongpin District (Chinatown). When we did arrive, they were waiting for us as all the other passengers had arrived in the meantime.

So much for the activities of the evening. Now for a brief resume of my afternoon.

I honestly do not believe I should ever make any predictions about what I intend doing either at work or in the evenings for sure as not I will do just the opposite. Remember my telling you in this afternoon's note about it being Orientation Day today and that I'd only have to work two hours this afternoon. Well, the SCRAPER had to go to press and my assistance was needed so I came right back after my early chow and had permission to miss the Orientation Class so as to continue working on the paper. But the paper didn't get out anyway because Smarrito the fellow who types up the final stencil was busy with some Guard Orders and could not get at it. Now tomorrow, Lt Suiter is going to expect the paper to come out and it will still not be ready. Mainly on account of because Jack M is the printer of all free hand stencil work and on Saturday's he takes Lynd's place on the mail run so that Lynd can have his "Sunday".

I did a dumb stunt this morning. Somehow I thought it was Saturday morning and I prepared everything for inspection. Cleaned my rifle, dubbed my shoes, straightened out the shelves etcetera only to come back at noon and realize that it was Friday morning and not inspection day. Now tomorrow morning I'm only going to have to go through the entire procedure all over again.

In Myrtle's letter she mentions quite a few Little Moron jokes and writes very few of her own words.

That Fingerhut's certainly has capitalized on the going out of business of the other local bakeries, hasn't it. If they have to install the "take a number" system there, they must be jammed. That is a good idea about having the stores close during the noon hour --- a good idea for the ones who work in the stores --- but how about the other working people who want to shop during that little time they have off?

Say, which is it, is Mrs Wren (formerly) Mrs Ohlson or Mrs Johnson now. I'll swear to it that you have used both names within the past two weeks in referring to her.

Speaking of Gershwin records again, I don't think I'll ever tire of his music because it has been about six months now since I saw his Rhapsody in Blue and was officially introduced to his music and it is still as interesting and delightful to listen to as it was then, if not more so because of the better appreciation of it as it becomes more familiar. It's like Schubert's Serenade. His melodies are so nice yet so hard for me to remember and I can play them over and over again. Besides if you get some of them (or even one) I'll be home to hear it in the flesh very soon.

Say, it looks as if Sackett's furlough is going to come through anyhow. One of the other fellows with a lower priority than Sackett got his orders today and we are thinking that the missing order prior to that one has the ones for Sackett. Eddie L. will never come back if he goes home now because he has 81 points and by the time his furlough is over they will be discharging men with that number.

Well, this is about it for this evening even though I had to rush through inside a mere thirty odd minutes of typing.

So-long,   /s/ Roman   Roman