Ray Normandin

Hi,

I wanted to take the time to welcome you to my personal website. I thought long and hard about why I wanted to have a web address with my name on it. I thought that people would think that I am a egomaniac or self serving. The truth of the matter is the exact opposite. I feel that in our society today there is too little contact with our neighbors, friends and even families.

I personally want to open my life up to those who are interested in what I believe in or what I have to say. This is meant to be fun, entertaining and informative. I have no political agenda and everything I put on this sight is my own opinions or interests. For most of my life I was a fence walker. I never really had an opinion about much, but as I have gotten older that has changed. I feel it is my right and my obligation to express my feelings on a myriad of subjects. That is what you will get from this website. Take it or leave it, it is all up to you individually. I will express my true feelings, good or bad and whether I get any approval or not. So I welcome you to this place and I hope you leave with something positive.

Thanks for coming and revisit often for I will be adding new things all the time. I will also be adding photos, videos, articles and excerpts from screenplays I have written or been a part of writing.

Warm regards,

Ray Normandin

On Friday, April 13th, 2001, my life changed forever. It was a normal day; however it was ironic that it was ‘Good Friday’ as well as ‘Friday the 13th’”. The following is a true account of that horrific day. ”

Ray

Am I going to die today? That was the thought running through my mind, it kept repeating like an old skipping 45 record, over and over again. The Uzi semi-automatic machine gun was three feet away and pointed at my head. The clip was hanging there as if to say, “I’m holding the key to your living or dying”. Your mind goes through strange thoughts whenever you are in a situation of extreme duress. Looking at the Uzi, I couldn’t help wondering if it was loaded or not. I could only assume it was.

With my hands in the air, at the assailant’s request, I was thinking, “Can this really be happening, is this guy for real?” I am in the middle of a real life bank robbery. At that moment, I wished that I, along with everyone in the bank were invisible.

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Original article here.

A few years ago 54 year old Trudy Carroll’s doctor told her, that she had to quit Martial Arts because of a severe back injury. Today Trudy is the reigning Colorado State Sparring Champion in the 39 and older class. “Trudy pushes herself harder than any other student in our school. I’ve seen her exercise with tears streaming down her cheeks and never even say a word,” said her instructor Master Don Bendell.

It was WorldBlackBelt’s First Founding Member Chuck Norris who inspired Trudy to return to her passion for the Martial Arts after a twenty-year absence. According to Trudy, “if he can do Martial Arts at his age, being older than me, I’m going to try it.” “When I first tried the Martial Arts I was a 30-year-old single mother of two and the lack of time and money made it too difficult, but I never lost interest and I promised myself that one day I would return.”

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Original article here.

I am sure that anyone who has ever been to a Memorial service would rather be elsewhere. The thought of having to say a final goodbye to someone we love and care for is the last thing we want to be doing. Anyone who knew Howard Jackson, could not help being touched in some way, no matter how small. Be it his angelic smile, his warm handshake, his soft and unassuming voice or even the person he transformed into when entering a mat or ring. No doubt he was a world champion fighter, “The California Flash”, but that was business. The rest was Howard the Father, son, brother, teacher, and the friend. I have often heard the measure of a person’s life is the legacy they leave behind, in other words what did people truly think of them and how were their lives touched by that person.

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