Homegoing

Homegoing - Yaa Gyasi, 2016

Finished reading in October 2020

I was stunned by this book. Perhaps it's the times we are living in right now but this was probably the most gut-wrenching powerful novel I've read in years. This beautifully written and terribly sad book is a great American novel. Two hundred fifty years and multiple generations tell the story of an unforgettable family and their experiences of the slave trade, colonialism, living in racist America. The book is ambitious, well researched and emotional. 

I'm looking forward to reading her new novel.

Winter is Coming

 

The expression Winter is Coming is much more meaningful this season and goes way beyond any reference to Game of Thrones. Yesterday there were some flurries in the air.

And there is a sense of dread in the air. People are worried about the upcoming holidays. We are too. We had tentatively planned to travel to Philly for Thanksgiving and to help celebrate Clara's second birthday but in the end we decided that we did not want to risk traveling by airplane at that time. We also found out our airplane tickets that we purchased last March would still be good until December 2021. So we decided to avoid the holiday travel and drove down to spend time with Katie and Todd and the kids for ten days in October.

Over the years we had been spending Thanksgiving at Dave and Donna's house but this year we are not going there even though we will stay in town this year. They always have had a big crowd but not this year. They will have a small immediate family only dinner and we will too. 

We are thinking the same will probably happen for Christmas too. We've always had people over for Christmas Eve dinner at our house and we have usually gone to Tom and Diane's on Christmas Day for dinner. Not this year. Maybe Katie and Todd will come to Buffalo but that will all depend on the virus contagion at the time. Same with Sean and Ashley. We may be staying with us for a few days but we don't know yet.

There is lots of speculation that there will be another virus spike after Thanksgiving because so many people will ignore the pandemic guidelines have interact with their families over the holidays. It's probably a good time to hunker down.

There is also a fear of the long winter isolation. Throughout the past spring, summer and fall we had the option to sit on the porch or the backyard. They were places of refuge. We could get out of the house. Go for walks throughout the neighborhood.

There is also the problem of keeping busy. Becky has her studio and artwork. I will continue to write in this blog about all kinds of different things and I will read more books, watch some movies and TV shows and spend some time upstairs with my keyboard.

Jack O' Lantern

 

Halloween 2020. Last weekend, when we were in Philadelphia visiting Katie and Todd, Becky carved a couple of pumpkins while Henry and Clara intently watched the process. Then the candles were lit.

On Saturday the kids got dressed up in their costumes and were taken to the zoo where they had registered to join the annual Halloween party that was scaled down, socially distanced and spread out over several weekends. They had fun and got some candy. Traditional trick or treating was not planned.

Here in Buffalo traditional trick or treating was being discouraged by the government although some people were loudly exclaiming on social media that they were taking their kids out hell or high water. Another example of the virus becoming political again.

Becky and I discussed the Halloween and virus situation and decided not to give out candy this year. We are just not comfortable interacting with people on our porch this year and really did not feel comfortable encouraging people to let their children put other people at risk. There are other more creative ways for folks with children to have a holiday celebration without going door to door in their neighborhood. 

It's sad but safe and especially now that there is a spike in infections happening everywhere as another wave of the virus sweeps over the country. 

The Ever Fonky Lowdown

Morning kitchen listening... the new project from Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra. I gave this a listen to after hearing a discussion about it on Marc Maron's WTF podcast with Wynton Marsalis as a guest. 

The album was interesting and entertaining, It was narrated by actor Wendell Pierce as Mr. Game who spoke about society between the big band music. It was an insight into 2020 society using a jazz parable to tell the story.

The Old and the New

Our home is 114 years old and so of course you come across the old and the new throughout the house. One of these paradoxes stares back at me every day and every time I'm sitting at the kitchen table using my laptop like right now.

This photo shows the wall directly across from me. There is an installed phone jack that clearly has the Bell Telephone logo mark on the lower right corner. In the outlet directly below the phone jack is a WIFI signal booster. It looks like a little character on the wall with the antennae  for arms on the device body with the outlet above supplying the eyes and mouth in a surprise expressing with the arms held up. Very strange.

45 Years

 

Becky and I have been together 45 years. We started going out together in the fall of 1975 and a year later we were living together on Seymour Street in the Germantown section of Philadelphia in the house my mother and grandmother grew up in.

This picture was taken in the spring of 1976 while visiting Niagara Falls during my first trip to Buffalo. I'm wearing my old Navy peacoat.

I posted this picture on Facebook on October 29, 2015 for our forty years together. Five years ago. A lot has happened during those five years. We both retired from our jobs. We both went on Social Security and Medicare. We traveled a couple of times to Europe. We had a couple of wonderful grandchildren and now another one is on the way. And of course now we're living through a global pandemic made worse by an incompetent madman in the White House running for reelection. 

Voted Today - 2020

Becky and I voted today. We waited in line outside the Gloria Parks Community Center for about an hour which wasn't so bad. In fact it felt good to be part of that crowd.

The picture is the voting line where we stood. 

People all over the country are standing in lines like we did to vote the monster out of office despite the pandemic he so incompetently allowed to get so much more worse than it should have been. The madman puts his power grab over the lives of the nation and even his supporters.

Earlier this evening there was a story on the news where he left hundreds of supporters standing around in subfreezing temperatures waiting hours for transportation from his rally. He famously said that he could shoot someone on 5th avenue in NYC and his supporters would still stick with him. Apparently he could shoot down his supporters' families in the street and they would still go to his rallies and support him.

Fall in Philadelphia

 

We just returned from our fall trip to Philadelphia to spend some time with our daughter's family. We had a wonderful time with Katie and Todd and those two little kids. We stayed with them for ten days.

During our time there we basically stayed within the bubble of the immediate family. We walked around the neighborhood everyday but we did not venture beyond. Becky made a couple of trips to the store and the post office but I did not go anywhere. It is the time of the pandemic. 

This was our first trip to their home in a year. The last time we were in Philly was for Katie's surgery last year in October 2019 but of course we were there for a month that time. We had planned to fly down again last March and had our plane tickets but cancelled the trip because of the virus. We wanted to use the tickets to fly down for Thanksgiving this year but we have been scared of this second wave of the virus that is slamming the country as the weather gets colder. We also found out that our plane tickets were good until December 2021. So we decided to drive down in October instead.

The trip was uneventful and there was not a lot of traffic on the road. We really enjoyed our stay with the kids but we didn't see anyone else nor did we go out to any of the many restaurants, taverns and brew pubs nearby. Normally we would have gone out with family and friends but these aren't normal times.

This time last year there was a great street festival around the corner on Germantown Avenue. The picture here shows how it was then and it's hard to believe that we are not able to hangout and interact with people like that now. Neighbors getting together and having fun. It's sad to look at. That was this time last year. One wonders what this time next year will look like.

So we decided not to go down for Thanksgiving and the holiday here in Buffalo will be different this year too. Becky and I will probably just have a nice dinner and a bottle of wine by ourselves. Katie and Todd would like to come up to Buffalo with the kids for Christmas but no one is making plans yet. It will all depend on how the virus is spreading and how people react to it. I have a feeling we will be having another quiet dinner alone again but we'll see.

I'm already looking forward to the spring and it isn't even winter yet.

Sticky Fingers & Rolling Stone - The Magazine

Sticky Fingers: The Life and Times of Jann Wenner and Rolling Stone Magazine by Joe Hagan, 2017

Finished reading in October 2020.

I've always had a love hate thing with Rolling Stone magazine. After reading this book I now understand why I've had those feelings for 50 years... Jann Wenner. I love the music but hate the way Wenner presented it as founder, editor and publisher of the magazine. Plus he is a serious asshole in every way.

The book was a fascinating account of the time and there were many insights into the music scene of the sixties and seventies but it was also a glimpse into the personal foibles and I really was sick of him by the end of the book. He constantly treated people horribly in his constant drive for fame, wealth and power. A greedy back-stabbing con man. However, the book was a fun romp through the world of sex, drugs and rock and roll.

I started my first subscription to Rolling Stone in the summer of 1968. That lasted a couple of years and expired while I was in the Navy. Later I got another subscription in 1974 that lasted two or three years until I got fed up with their stupid reviews and terrible coverage of the music I loved. I especially disliked their total disregard for black music of any kind. Over the years I would pick up an issue now and then but never saw enough good to warrant another subscription. During my years working in libraries I would always look at an issue now and then while eating lunch but still didn't see enough to commit. 

I continued to read everything I could get my hands on about music and records. I subscribed to many different music magazines over the years and enjoyed most of them more than Rolling Stone.

Here are some of the other music magazines I've subscribed to over the years:

• Creem
• Trouser Press
• Downbeat
• Spin
• Musician
• Dirty Linen
• Crawdaddy
• Paste
• Mojo
• Under the Radar
• American Record Guide
• Uncut
• No Depression
• High Fidelity
• New Music Express
• Broadside

The Fire Truck

The Fire Truck sits on a shelf in the front hall closet. Sometimes we will be on a video chat call with Katie and the kids and Henry will say he wants to see something. Of course I know what he means. He wants be to go over and open the closet and show him the Fire Truck sitting there on the shelf. He gazes at it for moment and then is happy.

We bought the fire truck for Sean when he was a toddler so that would be about thirty years ago and we kept it. Sean played with it all the time and it was one of his favorite toys. The fire truck was always nearby and as he got older it stayed nearby on a shelf in his room. Later we moved it on to a shelf in a closet but we never got rid of it and it stayed there for many years

When Henry game to visit as a toddler we got it out and he loved it. Every time they visited he would play with the fire truck and then he soon learned that he could see it from his home during our video chats. 

Now of course Clara plays with it too and in another year or so Sean and Ashley's new baby boy will be playing with it.

Watching YouTube Videos

Recently over the past few months I've started playing classical music videos on YouTube. I pick out something that runs for an hour or two and let it play while doing other things around the house. I've been a little partial to the cello. There is a lot of wonderful classical concerts in a variety of situations. Mostly from venues throughout Europe and always amazing to watch. I've done it enough times so that now the channel has some history and algorithms to work with to continue playing videos that I would have chosen myself.

Becky and I have also ended an evening at the TV watching a few videos on YouTube before going to bed. We have been watching a lot of the NPR Tiny Desk concerts and also performances from KEXP. We really like watching jazz and some rock performances. We always make sure we are watching a live show and not just still photos with a song from an album playing. We also watch some comedy skits from Saturday Night Live, John Oliver and some stand up comedy from Jim Gaffigan. 

This has helped us during these months of the pandemic. We found ourselves keeping the TV on a lot of the day while we were doing other things around the house. I also usually had music on the stereo in the kitchen. It was usually news on the TV but over the months it was more and more bad news with the pandemic raging, trump ignoring the crises and then the long slow oncoming election season. We needed something else on the TV. Sometimes I would put a soccer game on but there wasn't enough games.

So I found those jazz and classical concerts to play. 

The Witcher

First I watched the Netflix TV series. There were eight episodes released at one time so it was easy to somewhat binge watch them. I did the series in about two weeks. Then I began reading the books. The first two in the series are collections of short stories and the first season of the show is based on those two books. I assume then that the second season which begins in 2021 will be based on the Blood of Elves which is the first complete novel of the series. 

The Witcher novels and short story collections by Andrezej Sapkowski. I read them all this year.

• The Sword of Destiny, 1992, stories - Mar 2020
• The Last Wish, 1993, stories - Apr 2020
• Blood of Elves, 1994 - Jun 2020
• The Time of Contempt, 1995 - Jun 2020
• Baptism of Fire, 1996 - July 2020
• The Tower of Swallows, 1997 - Sep 2020
• Lady of the Lake, 1999 - Oct 2020

Utopia Avenue

Utopia Avenue by David Mitchell, 2020

Finished reading in October 2020

The latest novel from David Mitchell about a fictional psychedelic rock band in the swinging 1960's London. I found this to be one of my favorite novels of the year and I've read a few really good ones. 

Lots of cameo appearances by the likes of John Lennon, Jerry Garcia, Keith Moon, Leonard Cohen, David Bowie, Mama Cass, Brian Jones, Janis Joplin, Diana Ross, etc kept things interesting in a strange way.

Some of the minor characters in the novel have appeared in several of Mitchell's previous works.

I was also reading this at the same time I was reading the biography of Jann Wenner and Rolling Stone magazine which was another perspective on some of the same era.

Let's Go - Decade 1 Mix

A mega mix of music from the first decade of rock and roll approximately 1955 to 1965. 

This mix is a combination of several mixes that evolved over the years. Originally they were on cassette tape, then CDs and now files on a flash drive. They have also been and are now playlist on iTunes and Spotify. Every song here I have in my collection.

This is the music of my early youth. The music of the 1950's we were calling oldies in the mid 1960's.  Most of the songs on this mix I listened to all the time. This is the soundtrack of my early teenage years.

These songs were regularly played at the dances we went to all the time at Wagner's Ballroom, Holy Child church hall on Broad Street and at the area high schools. They were played all across Philadelphia for teenagers.

They were also played on the many radio stations by disc jockeys such as Jerry Blavit, Hy Lit, Joe Niagara and many more.

There is a link at the bottom of the page to this Spotify playlist.

Let's Go - Decade 1 

1. Let's Go (Pony) - The Routers, 1962
2. Little Bitty Pretty One - Thurston Harris, 1957
3. Shout Shout (Knock Yourself Out) - Ernie Maresca, 1962
4. You Can't Sit Down - The Dovells, 1963
5. Shake A Tail Feather - Five Du-Tones, 1963
6. South Street - The Orlons, 1963
7. Amazons and Coyotees – The Dreamlovers, 1958
8. Pretty Little Angel Eyes - Curtis Lee, 1961
9. Quicksand - Martha Reeves & The Vandellas, 1963
10. The Loco-Motion - Little Eva, 1962
11. Da Doo Ron Ron - The Crystals, 1963
12. The 81 - Candy & The Kisses, 1965
13. Going To A Go-Go - Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, 1965
14. Do You Love Me - The Contours, 1962
15. I Do - The Marvelows, 1965
16. Mr. Lee - The Bobbettes, 1957
17. Let The Good Times Roll - Shirley and Lee, 1956
18. Quarter To Three - Gary U.S. Bonds, 1960
19. Speedoo - The Cadillacs, 1955
20. Blue Moon - The Marcels, 1961
21. The Wah-Watusi - The Orlons, 1962
22. Bristol Stomp - The Dovells, 1961
23. (Love Is Like A) Heat Wave - Martha Reeves & The Vandellas, 1963
24. Wild One - Bobby Rydell, 1960
25. Mashed Potato Time - Dee Dee Sharp, 1962
26. The Twist - Hank Ballard, 1959
27. Let's Twist Again - Chubby Checker, 1962
28. Peppermint Twist - Joey Dee and the Starliters, 1961
29. Twist And Shout - The Isley Brothers, 1962
30. I Saw Her Standing There - The Beatles, 1963
31. Glad All Over - The Dave Clark Five, 1964
32. I Get Around - The Beach Boys, 1964
33. Surf City - Jan and Dean, 1963
34. Walk, Don't Run - The Ventures, 1960
35. Barbara-Ann - The Regents, 1961
36. Walk Like A Man - The Four Seasons, 1963
37. Denise - Randy & Rainbows, 1963
38. He's A Rebel - The Crystals, 1962
39. The Real Nitty Gritty - Shirley Ellis, 1963
40. Walkin' With Mr. Lee - Lee Allen, 1957
41. Kansas City - Wilbert Harrison, 1959
42. I'm Walkin' - Fats Domino, 1957
43. The Way I Walk - Jack Scott, 1959
44. Honky Tonk (Part 1) - Bill Doggett, 1956
45. Fever - Little Willie John, 1956
46. Come On, Let's Go - Ritchie Valens, 1958
47. Only The Lonely - Roy Orbison, 1961
48. Blue Jean Bop - Gene Vincent, 1956
49. Don't Be Cruel - Elvis Presley, 1956
50. Rave On - Buddy Holly, 1958
51. Johnny B. Goode - Chuck Berry, 1958
52. Jenny Jenny - Little Richard, 1956
53. She Loves You - The Beatles, 1963
54. Not Fade Away - The Rolling Stones, 1964
55. Dance, Dance, Dance - The Beach Boys, 1965
56. Beach Party - Annette, 1963
57. Surfin' Bird - The Trashmen, 1964
58. The Little Old Lady From Pasadena - Jan and Dean, 1964
59. Green Door - Jim Lowe, 1956
60. Blue Velvet - Bobby Vinton, 1963
61. Sleep Walk - Santo & Johnny, 1959
62. The Stroll - The Diamonds, 1957
63. I've Had It - The Bell Notes, 1959
64. Babalu's Wedding Day - The Eternals, 1959
65. The Lion Sleeps Tonight - The Tokens, 1961
66. Puff, The Magic Dragon - Peter, Paul and Mary, 1963
67. Lovers Who Wander - Dion, 1962
68. Love Potion No. 9 - The Searchers, 1964
69. Love Me Do - The Beatles, 1963
70. Please Mr. Postman - The Marvelettes, 1961
71. That's What Love Is Made Of - Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, 1964
72. Come See About Me - The Supremes, 1964
73. Come And Get These Memories - Martha Reeves & The Vandellas, 1963
74. 1-2-3 - Len Barry, 1965
75. Sherry - The Four Seasons, 1962
76. Surfer Girl - The Beach Boys, 1964
77. Time Is On My Side - The Rolling Stones, 1964
78. I Only Have Eyes For You - The Flamingos, 1959
79. Bring It On Home To Me - Sam Cooke, 1962
80. A Thousand Miles Away - The Heartbeats, 1957
81. Tears On My Pillows - The Imperials, 1958
82. Forever - The Marvelettes, 1962
83. Ooo Baby Baby - Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, 1965
84. Love Is Strange - Mickey & Sylvia, 1956
85. Cry To Me - Solomon Burke, 1961
86. The Great Pretender - The Platters, 1955
87. Wonderful! Wonderful! - The Tymes,, 1963
88. So Fine - The Fiestas, 1958
89. It’s All In The Game - Tommy Edwards, 1958
90. Town Without Pity - Gene Pitney, 1961
91. Remember (Walkin' In The Sand) - The Shangri-Las, 1960
92. You Don't Own Me - Lesley Gore, 1963
93. Will You Love Me Tomorrow - The Shirelles, 1960
94. Baby, I Love You - The Ronettes, 1963
95. Then He Kissed Me - The Crystals, 1963
96. Chapel Of Love - The Dixie Cups, 1964
97. He's So Fine - The Chiffons, 1963
98. Baby Love - The Supremes, 1964
99. My Girl - The Temptations, 1964
100. Ask The Lonely - The Four Tops. 1965
101. When You're Young And In Love - The Marvelettes, 1967
102. You've Really Got A Hold On Me - Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, 1962
103. Unchained Melody - The Righteous Brothers, 1965
104. Rag Doll - The Four Seasons, 1964
105. All I Have To Do Is Dream - The Everly Brothers, 1958
106. Goin’ Out Of My Head - Little Anthony & The Imperials, 1965
107. Maybe - The Chantels, 1957
108. Don't Ask Me To Be Lonely - The Dubs, 1957
109. Save The Last Dance For Me - The Drifters, 1962
110. Blueberry Hill - Fats Domino, 1956
111. Spanish Harlem - Ben E. King, 1960
112. Gypsy Woman - The Impressions, 1961
113. Book Of Love - The Monotones, 1957
114. Lonely Teardrops - Jackie Wilson, 1958
115. Crying - Roy Orbison, 1962
116. Everyday - Buddy Holly, 1957
117. The Wanderer - Dion, 1961
118. At Last - Etta James, 1960
119. Love - Martha Reeves & The Vandellas, 1965
120. Only You (And You Alone) - The Platters, 1955
121. Look In My Eyes - The Chantels, 1961
122. Oh What A Night - The Dells, 1959
123. Sad Sad Girl And Boy - The Impressions, 1963
124. Sincerely - The Moonglows, 1956
125. Please, Please, Please - James Brown, 1956
126. You Gave Me Somebody To Love - The Dreamlovers, 1965
127. Sweet Talkin' Guy - The Chiffons, 1960
128. Be My Baby - The Ronettes, 1963
129. It's My Party - Lesley Gore, 1963
130. A Lover's Concerto - The Toys, 1965
131. Til - The Angels, 1960
132. I Love How You Love Me - The Paris Sisters1960
133. I Will Follow Him - Little Peggy March, 1963
134. The Way You Do The Things You Do - The Temptations, 1964
135. Where Did Our Love Go - The Supremes, 1964
136. Baby I Need Your Loving - The Four Tops, 1964
137. How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You) - Marvin Gaye, 1965
138. The Shoop Shoop Song (It's In His Kiss) - Betty Everett, 1964
139. Duke Of Earl - Gene Chandler, 1962
140. Stay - Maurice Williams & The Zodiacs, 1960
141. Out Of Sight - James Brown, 1964
142. Tell Him - The Exciters, 1962
143. She's A Fool - Lesley Gore, 1963
144. I Only Want To Be With You - Dusty Springfield, 1963
145. I Want You, I Need You, I Love You - Elvis Presley, 1956
146. Runaround Sue - Dion, 1961
147. Why Do Fools Fall In Love - Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers, 1956
148. Leader Of The Pack - The Shangri-Las, 1964
149. Don't Say Nothin' Bad (About My Baby) - The Cookies, 1963
150. Runaway - Del Shannon, 1961
151. That'll Be The Day - Buddy Holly,1957
152. Oh, Pretty Woman - Roy Orbison, 1964
153. Be-Bop-A-Lula - Gene Vincent & His Blue Caps 1956
154. All Shook Up - Elvis Presley, 1957
155. C'mon Everybody - Eddie Cochran, 1958
156. Ruby Baby - The Drifters, 1956
157. Maybellene - Chuck Berry, 1955
158. Tutti Frutti - Little Richard, 1955
159. Willie And The Hand Jive - Johnny Otis Show, 1958
160. Land Of 1000 Dances - Chris Kenner, 1963
161. Another Saturday Night - Sam Cooke, 1963
162. Tear It Up - Johnny Burnette and The Rock 'n' Roll Trio, 1956
163. Whole Lot Of Shakin' Going On - Jerry Lee Lewis, 1957
164. Blue Suede Shoes - Carl Perkins, 1955
165. Do You Want To Dance - Bobby Freeman, 1959
166. Pony Time - Chubby Checker, 1961
167. Bony Moronie - Larry Williams, 1957
168. The Train Kept A-Rollin' - The Johnny Burnette Trio, 1956
169. Rumble - Link Wray, 1958
170. Little Girl Of Mine - The Cleftones, 1956
171. Bye Bye Love - The Everly Brothers, 1957
172. Been So Long - The Pastels, 1957
173. Gloria - The Cadillacs, 1954
174. Earth Angel (Will You Be Mine) - The Penguins, 1954
175. To Be Loved - Jackie Wilson, 1958
176. Long Lonely Nights - Lee Andrews & The Hearts, 1957
177. Crying In The Chapel - The Orioles, 1959
178. When We Get Married - The Dreamlovers, 1961
179. Gee Whiz - Carla Thomas, 1961
180. What's Your Name - Don & Juan, 1962
181. Where Or When - Dion & The Belmonts, 1959
182. Eddie My Love - The Teen Queens, 1956
183. Maybe I Know - Lesley Gore, 1964
184. My Boyfriend's Back - The Angels, 1963
185. Big Girls Don't Cry - The Four Seasons, 1962
186. Easier Said Than Done - The Essex, 1963
187. Soldier Boy - The Shirelles, 1960
188. Navy Blue - Diane Renay, 1963
189. Hushabye - The Mystics, 1959
190. In The Still Of The Nite - The Five Satins, 1956
191. Since I Don't Have You - The Skyliners, 1958
192. Little Star - The Elegants, 1958
193. There's A Moon Out Tonight - The Capris, 1960
194. Angel Baby - Rosie & The Originals, 1960
195. For Your Precious Love - Jerry Butler & The Impressions, 1958
196. I Want To Walk You Home - Fats Domino, 1959
197. You Belong To Me - The Duprees, 1962
198. So Much In Love - The Tymes, 1963
199. Under The Boardwalk - The Drifters, 1964
200. I Know A Place - Petula Clark, 1965
201. It's Not Unusual - Tom Jones, 1965
202. These Boots Are Made For Walking - Nancy Sinatra, 1966
203. Goldfinger - Shirley Bassey, 1964
204. The Good, The Bad And The Ugly - Hugo Montenegro And His Orchestra, 1966
205. Green Onions - Booker T. & The MG' s, 1962
206. Don't Hang Up - The Orlons, 1963
207. You're So Fine - The Falcons, 1959
208. Baby Workout - Jackie Wilson, 1963
209. Wild Weekend - The Rebels, 1962
210. Woo-Hoo - The Rock-A-Teens, 1959
211. Duck Tail - Joe Clay, 1956
212. Ooby Dooby - Roy Orbison & The Teen Kings, 1959
213. Tallahassee Lassie - Freddy Cannon, 1959
214. Believe What You Say - Ricky Nelson, 1958
215. Breathless - Jerry Lee Lewis, 1958
216. Forty Days - Ronnie Hawkins, 1959

Keys to the House

Down in the basement of our one hundred and thirteen year home we found a hook with a number of keys hanging from it. Later I found a drawer in a cabinet with another set of keys. 

All of the old doors around the house have key holes. Are these the keys? Never checked. We just left them on the hook where we found them. They are still there. I just recently took this photo.

One wonders what was locked up so long ago.

Last year I was on the front porch and a group of elderly people were walking along the sidewalk looking at houses. They stopped in front of our house and called up to me. Apparently they were from the family that lived in this house up until the 1970's. We talked for a while and they were thrilled when I took them into the backyard. One of the men said he helped his father build the stone fire place in the back when he was a child. I almost offered to let them walk through the front door and out the back door of our house but I didn't know what Becky was up to and didn't want to surprise he. I also didn't know the shape of the house at the moment. They didn't ask so I didn't offer.

Their father was a dentist and I had heard that from another neighbor. I did find out that he had his office and dental chair around the corner in the building where the Parkside Meadow restaurant is now. I was glad to hear that because I didn't like the idea that maybe he treated people in his home and there could have been a dental chair somewhere on the first floor.

Too Much

Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World's Most Dangerous Man by Mary L. Trump, 2020

Read in October 2020

I read this book in four days. I really just wanted to get it over with. I already knew a lot about the circumstances of trump's toxic family but it was very interesting hearing coming directly from a family member. I was especially appalled by the horribly damaged father Fred Trump and his abuse of his children that led to the psychopath son in the presidency. A very grim history of a dysfunctional family that Mary Trump somehow manages to inject some humor at times although we all know how the story goes on to the White House and all of the damage done to our country along the way. It is interesting that Mary Trump is a clinical psychologist with a PhD and knows what she is talking about not only about the family history but the pathologies of the family members. Especially Fred the father and Donald.

It was telling that Donald tried to stop the publication of this book. He is always trying to hide something. He is such an evil person who makes such bizarre choices, obvious lies, rude obnoxious behavior, mentally unstable and grossly unqualified at anything to do with governing. How did he get to be what he is and why do some people actually think he is a good president.

I can only believe that he channels some peoples fear and hate. He makes them feel good about their awful selves because there he is. He certainly has no moral values and his presidency has been responsible for the death of over 200,000 Americans and staggering unemployment.

My Three Sons

My Three Sons was another one of those television shows I watched throughout my childhood. It began broadcasting in 1960 and went on through 1972 although I stopped watching around 1968 or so. I remember it in black and white and it went to color some time after 1965. I think our family got a color tv around 1966. That was a big deal.

I remember always liking Fred MacMurray as the dad in the show. It was strange to me for this guy to be raising his sons without a mother for them. He did have the maternal grandfather living in the home who was also the primary housekeeper and caregiver. William Frawley played the grandfather and I always liked him in the show. He was called Bub and was in the show for the first few seasons. I think I stopped watching when Bub and the oldest son left the show.  In general by the late 60's I was watching a lot less television and was out of the house more in the evenings. For a few years in the early 60's I watched this show a lot.

Cape Canaveral - the playset

One of my favorite toys as a kid was this Cape Canaveral play set I got for Christmas when I was in first grade. That would have been 1957. 

Tom and I played together with this all the time along with our Lincoln logs and erector set. Over the next few years we would get similar themed play sets such as Fort Apache and The Blue and The Gray, a civil war play set.

I remember in first grade after we got back from the Christmas break the nun asked everyone to bring something in they got for Christmas to show the class. I brought in one of the rockets and a figure.

I'm sure Henry would enjoy playing with something like this.

Here are the other sets Tom and I played with as little kids.

 

The Legion of Decency

 

The film censorship organization Catholic Legion of Decency was formed in 1933 to identify and list movies they felt were objectionable to the point of view of the Catholic Church. The rating system backfired as many Catholics used the list as suggestions. The rating system was revised in 1978 and the organization ceased to exit in 1980.

In the meantime as I was growing up my parents religiously posted on the kitchen bulletin board the current list clipped from the local Catholic newspaper.

Any movie we wanted to see had to be listed in the proper category. A. Seeing a B movie was a sin but going to see something condemned was under the pain of a mortal sin.

A: Morally unobjectionable
B: Morally objectionable in part for all
C: Condemned by the Legion of Decency

I got a lot of mortal sins at the movies. 

Here is a very partial list of movies I saw that were condemned by the Catholic Church's Legion of Decency,

• The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
• Rosemary's Baby
• Never On Sunday
• Barbarella
• Valley of the Dolls
• Billy Jack
• 8 1/2
• Some Like It Hot
• Psycho
• Spartacus
• From Russia With Love
• The Odd Couple
• Clockwork Orange
• The Last Picture Show
• Pink Flamingos
• The Exorcist
• High Plains Drifter
• The Omen
• Taxi Driver
• Dawn of the Dead
• Grease
• All That Jazz

And the list goes on and on.  There was a theater in our neighborhood that ran mostly foreign films and every thing they showed seemed to be condemned. By the time I was 16 I was ignoring the list.

The Pence Fly

The debate last night between the vice presidential candidates took a very comical turn when a fly landed on Pence's head and stayed there for over 2 minutes. Social media immediately went crazy.

Becky and I had a great laugh.

Some interesting quotes on social media:

• flies have a natural tendency to land on spoiled meat
• Pretty fly for a white guy
• Black flies matter
• Flies love the smell of bullshit
• At least Pence didn't eat the fly....Yet.
• When you’ve been spewing so much bullshit that the flies start chilling on your head
• When your brain is rotting from conspiracy theories
• Fun fact: flies are attracted to shit, the undead, demons, and sociopaths.
• In classical art the fly has a ton of symbolism. It represents decay, corruption, and death. Also, when hovering around a nobleman it represents disfavor and corruption.
• Fly lays eggs in that white nest. Coming....maggots for magats! 
• Pence is so full of Shit even the Flies know it!! 
• "They're probably watching me. Well, let them. Let them see what kind of a person I am. I'm not even going to swat that fly. I hope they are watching...they'll see.They'll see and they'll know, and they'll say, 'Why, she wouldn't even harm a fly.'
• How the White House will explain the fly: 
• The fly picked the winner of the election 
• Flies don't land on people exposed to covid-19 
• Fake Fly 
• The deep state is plotting against them and the fly was proof that the election is rigged.
• Flies gather around excrement.
• What has two arms, two legs and flies... Mike Pence
• When you're spewing shit
• If that fly laid an egg in Pence's hair he better carry them to full term.
• A FLY landed on Pence's head knowing exactly what that smell is.
• Pence is such a gnat-zi
• Literally nothing they said matters. All anyone will remember is the fly on Pence’s head deftly clinging to a single strand of bleach-white hair for 2 minutes. It was marvelous. I was spellbound. A moment unlike any other in our nation’s history

Jackson Browne & Bruce Springsteen

It was early October 1973, I had just returned from a long deployment in the Caribbean and South America and was visiting family in Philadelphia when a friend suggested we go see some music. John was very excited about seeing this new singer songwriter named Jackson Browne whom I'd never heard of before as I had been overseas for most of the last three years. There was another act on the bill that he was vaguely familiar with but whom I had also never heard of before named Bruce Springsteen. The show was out at the Fieldhouse on the Villanova campus.

Bruce was the opening act and he certainly nailed it. Jackson Browne was wonderful too but no way could he follow the E Street Band back in 1973. I quickly went out and bought both their albums. John and I would see Bruce Springsteen five more times in 1974-1975. The Main Point twice, Widener College, and twice more at the Tower Theater. Every show was spectacular and very long too.