My wife called me on her way to work this week and said that I had received a package. I told her I hadn’t ordered anything. She told me what the return address was and said it felt like a book.
I started to think about whether or not I had preordered a book awhile back. Nope. I told her it must be something someone is sending me for my birthday or something. My brother will send stuff every once in awhile from Amazon. Sam told me it wasn’t an Amazon box. I was stumped. It wasn’t until I thought more about it being a book that I wondered if maybe I had won one from Goodreads.
Since joining Goodreads, I always look at the free book giveaways. I don’t enter them all, but the ones that sound good to me I will put in an entry. I logged in and looked at my “Entered Giveaways” and began to scroll. Sure enough, I was chosen as a winner for a book. Next to the book on the site there was a box that said, “I have received my book.” When it arrives, you click on it.
I don’t win stuff often, and many of these giveaways have thousands of entries. I’m sure I will be posting a review when I finish…. Here is the book:
The following “quiz” has been published in books and can be found all over the internet. It is attributed to the cartoonist Charles Schulz, who drew Snoopy and Charlie Brown for many years. An inquiry to the Charles Schulz Museum has proven that the quiz is NOT something he said, however, it does make an amazing point and is a good starting point for today’s blog.
Here’s the first quiz:
Name the five wealthiest people in the world.
Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.
Name the last five winners of the Miss America contest.
Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer prize.
Name the last half dozen Academy Award winners for best actor and actress.
Name the last decade’s worth of World Series winners.
How did you do?
The facts are, none of us remember the headliners of yesterday. These are no second-rate achievers. They are the best in their fields. But the applause dies. Awards tarnish. Achievements are forgotten. Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.
Here’s another quiz. See how you do on this one:
List a few teachers who aided your journey through school.
Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.
Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.
Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special.
Think of five people you enjoy spending time with.
Name half a dozen heroes whose stories have inspired you.
Easier?
The lesson: The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards. They are the ones that care.
Today is National Teacher Day (some call it Teacher Appreciation Day). When I look back on my life, there are many teachers that have made a difference in my life. Some of them are no longer around, and some of them, I am lucky to still be in contact with. Today, I salute some of them.
Mrs. Waters – Kindergarten.
Back when I was a kid, you didn’t have all of these levels of preschool to go through. Kindergarten was your first stop. It was the first time you were away from mom and dad. I wish I could remember more about kindergarten than I do, but what I do remember is that Mrs. Waters was one of the sweetest ladies and she was always smiling. I remember it was either Mother’s Day or Father’s Day and we had to each paint something for Mom or Dad. I had a floppy “paint shirt” which was one of my dad’s old shirts and I remember she took a picture of each student in this shirt and sent a black and white 5X7 of it home. Sadly, it is probably long gone. I remember before she took the picture she came over and fixed my hair and said, “we want mom and dad to see those beautiful brown eyes of yours”. Probably the one and only moment from kindergarten I remember. (2024 – I actually looked at the district’s website hoping to see that she was still teaching there, but didn’t have any luck finding her.)
Mrs. Cook – Second Grade.
Why is she so important? We moved in the middle of second grade. I was leaving all of my friends behind and starting new. I remember my dad taking me to school that day and we were in the office as the National Anthem was playing. I was taken down to the room and Mrs. Cook walked over to get me at the door. She brought me up in front of the class and had me introduce myself. I know this is hard to believe, especially with all the public speaking have done in the past, but I was scared to death. All these kids were looking at me. She helped me by asking me questions, letting me answer, and then asked the class if they had questions. I don’t recall if they did, but she made that whole experience so much less stressful for me.
Mrs. Gallop – Fourth Grade.
She was fun. I would have to say that my love for reading probably came from her. I remember how reading was such an important part of class. I recall her reading us “Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing”, “SuperFudge” and “James and the Giant Peach”. She was so animated as she read to us each day. She loved reading and we loved hearing her read. One of the first chapter books I got for my oldest sons was “Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing”. I remember in “James and the Giant Peach” there was a swear word. To be honest, I don’t recall what it was, but she warned us. She tried to play it off. When she read it, there was shock then giggles. Mrs. Gallop swore!!! She kept reading as animated as ever. When I took my sons to see the play at the Flint Youth Theater not too long ago, I remembered sitting around on small pieces of carpet listening to the story. (2024 – Back when I first wrote this in 2018, a fellow teacher shared this blog with Mrs. Gallop, who sent a very kind note back to me)
Mrs. Kellogg – 7th Grade.
I just loved her! She was no nonsense, and yet enjoyed a little nonsense at times. I was lucky enough to have her for 7th and 8th grade for English. She was tough and I learned a lot about writing because of her. She also was instrumental in getting me to be proactive about working. Yeah, I was not very self-motivated at this point in my life. We were supposed to be doing some quiet reading, and I think I was staring off out the window or something and she called my name and said, “Don’t just sit there like a Willie Lump Lump! Get your eyes on the book!” Well, Willie Lump Lump was a Red Skelton character, who I knew because my dad let us listen to old radio shows. I laughed at this and a special bond was created. I never wanted to disappoint her, and I took initiative to get my work done.
She is also responsible for a yearly tradition for me. We read Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol in 7th and 8th grade. I have read it every year since. I kept in contact with her long after she retired and sadly, I lost her address in between moves. She passed away before I had the chance to reconnect with her. She was a fine example of a caring teacher. (2024 – after writing this blog, I connected with her daughter who shared some stories about her mom. Sadly, I found out that her daughter passed away shortly after that from cancer)
Mr. Harvey – 9th Grade.
I was probably the worst algebra student. I got sick and missed about two weeks of school. When I returned I had no clue what we were doing. I tanked quizzes and tests and we were closing in on the finals. He asked me to stay after class and asked what was up. I told him that I was just lost. He told me he was worried that I was not going to pass the class. He offered to stay after school with me to reteach some of the things I was confused about. Needless to say, there was a lot I was confused about and he realized it right away. He asked why I didn’t ask for help. He worked with me and I squeaked by with a D. Not a proud moment, but it would have been an E for sure if he hadn’t gone out of his way to help.
Mr. Benefield – 9th Grade.
Remember that scene in Stripes when John Candy says as a kid he “swallowed a lot of aggression … along with a lot of pizzas”? That was me. Gym class was not my favorite because I was overweight and never felt like I could do what everyone else was doing. Mr. B was fair. He knew when I was slacking and all he had to say was my name and I would kick it up a notch. Gym class was not like your other classes where there were 25 kids – there were double that or more in gym. If he was calling me out – it wasn’t because he was being mean, it was because he knew I wasn’t giving all that HE knew I was capable of. Side note – he was one of the best damn football coaches our school has ever had! (2024 – we are friends on Facebook and I know by the posts to his page that I’m not the only one who thought he was a great teacher.)
Mr. Balos – 12th Grade.
Ok, I had him for a senior elective class called Life in America, and it wasn’t a very hard class, but I still learned a lot from him. First of all, he taught us the importance of history. Granted this was entertainment history, but it was still history. Second, he knew that hard work had to be balanced with a little fun. He always wrapped up class five minutes before the bell and told us a “story”. These “stories” were jokes older than he was. While there were many kids who either groaned or stared off dumbfounded because they didn’t get the punch line … I was always laughing like hell. He once said “A bad joke is ALWAYS worth sharing”. It is – throughout life, some of the most awkward situations I have been in were always made a bit less stressful because I told one of his “stories”. I also learned a lot about golf from him and I can hear him every time I get on the tee … “the ball is seven feet long”. (2024 – Mr. Balos passed away in 2015. I don’t recall what year we did this, but he actually dressed up in his tuxedo and we video taped a set of his stories. He stood in his classroom doing his “standup” for a handful of lucky audience members. I posted the video to YouTube a couple years ago. Here is the link:)
Mr. Yanoulaki – 12th Grade.
As I stated already, I sucked at math. I was lucky enough to have Mr. Y for math in 12th grade. I want to say that the class was called “Math for Life” or “Math for Everyday Living” or something like that. It was the class I felt everyone should have. In it we talked about figuring out gas mileage, how to balance a checkbook, learning to calculate volume and measurements, how to calculate percentages, and a whole lot of other things that I use every day. He was very energetic – it was like he had ADD. He was always moving from the time he walked in to class until class was over. Many people tried to take advantage of him and make fun of him, but I really thought he was great. He was such a genuine man. He knew when people were toying with him and often just ignored them. Sometimes people would push him a bit too far and it would make him angry. Respect is something that many of my classmates did not have. He could be very fun, but when it was time to work – that’s what we needed to do. It was when someone decided to try to get him talking about something off topic that he’d get mad. He did not have any issues having someone removed from class because of things like this. I think many just pushed him so they WOULD get kicked out. (In 2018, I wrote )I have remained in touch with him after all these years and he is still doing well and as energetic and healthy as ever. His nephew is my chiropractor and we’re hoping to get together for coffee one day soon. (2024 – While I did get to converse with him on the phone a time or two after writing this blog, I found out that he passed away last year. I hadn’t heard about it until months later. I wish I could have attended his funeral and paid my respects.)
Mr. Shaner 9th-12th Grade.
Mr. Shaner was my band director. If you are looking for my stance on Music Education in schools – here it is. “I LEARNED MORE TO PREPARE ME FOR LIFE FROM BAND CLASS THAN ANY OTHER CLASS IN SCHOOL”. There. I said it. I learned the importance of preparation. I learned the importance of punctuality. I learned the importance of practice. I learned the importance of team work. I learned the importance of organization. I learned the importance of patience. All of my time management skills came directly from band class. I learned about discipline and work ethic. I learned the importance of cooperation and respect. The list goes on and on. The lessons that I took from band class in itself can be an entire blog.
I recall one day in 9th grade, I was running late for school. I grabbed a pair of khaki pants from a basket that was in the laundry room. I walked into school and TS said “Hey, man, you know an iron can get those wrinkles out of your slacks”. Now some people might think this was mean. I didn’t take it that way. Instead, it made me aware of little things like looking good. It was a simple nudge to take an extra minute to dress right.
It was not odd for him to call someone in the office and ask if everything was ok if they looked like something was bothering them. Sometimes he would get wind of a situation someone was dealing with and he would be aware that there was a lesson in it for everyone. He would just tell some story in class with the lesson at the end and it did two things – it helped the person in the situation AND it helped the rest of us in case that situation ever popped up in our lives.
I remember one time Steve and I were goofing off during a rehearsal. It was the day before festival, so it was not the time to be fooling around. He stopped the band and asked us what was so funny. Because we did not have an answer he pointed to the door and said “I’ll see you after rehearsal”. We sat at the end of the hall and pondered how much trouble we were going to get into not only with him but with our folks. He sent Kelly, the band president down to the end of the hall to get us. He looked at us dead in the eye and said “I did not want you to go with us to festival tomorrow, but the band as a whole voted and said you should come”. He proceeded with the rehearsal. The following day, I was the first to arrive in the band room. He greeted me with a smile and I was completely confused. He was SO angry the day before. I asked if he had a second and he said to follow him to his office. He sat down and looked at me, like he had no idea why I was there. I apologized for my behavior the previous day and told him it would never happen again. He stared at me for a few seconds and got up quickly (which scared the hell out of me). He extended his hand and said, “It takes a lot of guts to admit when you are wrong. It takes a real man to apologize. Thank you for taking responsibility for your actions. I have a lot of respect for you.” He took it a step further and made sure the entire band knew what happened. He said he thought that they should know that I cared enough about them to apologize for my actions. Talk about respect? I have the utmost respect for that man and all of the lessons I still carry with me to this day. I am glad that we have remained in contact all these years later. He was a major influence in my life and in the lives of many students. (2024 – Often, he and I would e-mail life updates to each other. In the last e-mail he sent me, he stated that he was going to drop me a letter in the mail. That letter never came. In the middle of the pandemic, he was hospitalized (not with Covid) and was sent home with Hospice care. He passed a couple days before Christmas. To say I was devastated is an understatement. He was much more than a teacher to me – he was a friend. I wrote a blog after his passing [link below]. I truly miss him a lot!)
It would not be fair for me to write about teachers if I did not mention these three ladies. They were the instructors in college for my sleep program. Each of them taught differently and with different styles, but they still got the information to me. You know that saying “Learning can be fun”? They made it fun. But wait…it was college. I was late to the college party as I didn’t go until I was over 40. Everything I had seen about college had big classes with serious teachers who took no BS. While we learned, we laughed. There were plenty of funny stories and we learned from them. And each one of them cared for their students. Never once was I turned away if I had a question about something we learned in class. If I didn’t understand, they would go over it and over it until I DID understand. Sure there were other classes I had to take in college, but these classes and these three wonderful ladies – who I also call my friends – helped me to walk across a stage with a college degree … something I NEVER thought I was capable of doing.
2024 Addition
As I scrolled through my Facebook friends this afternoon, I realized just how many of my classmates went on to become teachers themselves. They obviously had a few teachers that made a difference to them, too. Every one of those friends are great teachers! I know this because I know them and I know their personalities. I have no doubt that they go the extra mile (just like so many of the teachers we had in school) for their students!
One group of teachers who I neglected to mention, probably because I was solely thinking of “teachers” as being exclusive to the classroom, is the Bible Teachers/Pastors that have helped me and taught me so much about my faith. I am grateful to each of them and even though many of them are in different states, I am glad to be able to catch many of their messages and teachings via Facebook or the internet. Thank you to Pastor Jordan, Pastor Ross, Pastor Reid, Pastor Bruscha, Pastor Ressor, Pastor Atwood, Pastor Keable, Pastor Farber, and the other great teachers who have helped in my study of God’s Word.
There are many more teachers I can mention (and knowing me, probably will in future blogs), I want to say thanks to each and every teacher who was a part of my school years. You made a difference. You should be applauded and commended for the work you do. The many hours of your own time that you spent grading papers. The extra time you took to help that one student who was struggling. The money that you spent out of your own pocket to get something for your class. You may never know the influence that you had on a student, but I am here to tell you on their behalf that you did make an impact and to thank you.
If you are a teacher in the classroom setting today, whether it is grade school, high school, or college. YOU matter. YOU are helping tomorrow’s scientists dream. You are helping feed the doctors of tomorrow wisdom. You are shaping our future. I thank you! If you are a Bible teacher – Thank you for your teaching. Thank you for spreading the message. Keep pressing toward the mark.
I’ve played a lot of Motown records in my radio career, and today I want to feature someone who should have been bigger than he was. The great Jimmy Ruffin was born on this day in 1936. I always felt that Jimmy was overshadowed by his younger brother, David Ruffin, who of course was the lead singer for the Temptations.
Jimmy actually sang at Motown records as a session singer in 1961. He was drafted into the army and upon his return to Motown he was offered the chance to join the Temptations to replace singer Elbridge Bryant. As luck would have it, they heard his brother Davis sing and offered him the gig instead.
Jimmy returned to his solo career and didn’t have much success. In 1966, he heard the song “What Becomes of the Brokenhearted.” The song was written by William Weatherspoon, Paul Riser, and James Dean (not the actor), who were Motown writers. They had originally intended the song for The Spinners, another Motown group, but Jimmy persuaded them to let him record it instead. It would go on to become his biggest hit!
Some say that the writers wanted to create a song that expressed the pain and sorrow of losing a loved one. However, they said that they were influenced by the soul music of the time, especially by singers like Otis Redding and Sam Cooke. The song also reflects the social and political turmoil of the 1960s. At the time the US was involved in the Vietnam War and the civil rights movement was facing a lot of resistance.
The song was recorded in Motown’s Studio A and Jimmy was accompanied by the instrumentation of Motown’s in-house studio band, the Funk Brothers, and the joint backing vocals of Motown session singers the Originals and the Andantes. The Originals were a quartet who backed other Motown singers like Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, and Diana Ross. The Andantes were a trio of women who often backed The Four Tops, The Supremes and the Temptations.
The song was released on June 3, 1966 as a single on the Soul label, a subsidiary of Motown. It was also included on Jimmy Ruffin’s album Jimmy Ruffin Sings Top Ten, which was released in 1967. It was a hit in both the US and the UK, reaching No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100, No. 6 on the Billboard R&B Singles chart, and No. 8 on the UK Singles Chart in 1966.
Jimmy Ruffin continued to record for Motown and had several more hits, but “What Becomes of the Brokenhearted” remains forever connected to him and his biggest hit. Jimmy passed away on November 17, 2014, after a long illness at the age of 78. He is remembered as one of the most soulful singers of Motown.
“What Becomes Of The Brokenhearted”
As I walk this land of broken dreams I have visions of many things But happiness is just an illusion Filled with sadness and confusion
What becomes of the broken hearted Who had love that’s now departed I know I’ve got to find Some kind of peace of mind Maybe
The roots of love grow all around But for me they come a tumblin’ down Every day heartaches grow a little stronger I can’t stand this pain much longer
I walk in shadows searching for light Cold and alone, no comfort in sight Hoping and praying for someone to care Always moving and going nowhere
What becomes of the broken hearted Who had love that’s now departed I know I’ve got to find Some kind of peace of mind Help me
I’m searching though I don’t succeed But someone look, there’s a growing need All is lost, there’s no place for beginning All that’s left is an unhappy ending
Now what becomes of the broken hearted Who had love that’s now departed I know I’ve got to find Some kind of peace of mind
I’ll be searching everywhere Just to find someone to care I’ll be looking everyday I know I’m gonna find a way Nothing’s gonna stop me now I’ll find a way somehow I’ll be searching everywhere…
Actor George Clooney turns 63 today. While he is known for some TV work (ER, The Facts of Life, Roseanne, and Downton Abbey), he has also made quite a name for himself in the movies. His films include Hail Caesar, Catch 22, Leatherheads, The Thin Red Line, The Fantastic Mr. Fox, The Monuments Men, The Perfect Storm and Ocean’s Eleven (and the sequels).
For Movie Music Monday, I chose a cut from his film O Brother, Where Art Thou? The film is set in 1937 in Mississippi and Clooney plays one of three convicts who escape from a chain gang and are looking for treasure. They are naturally pursued by law enforcement and are on the run.
In their travels, they come across a young man who says he has “sold his soul to the devil” so that he could play guitar. The four men (who need some money) stop at a radio station and record a song as “The Soggy Bottom Boys.” Little do they know, the record becomes a HUGE hit. The song – I’m a Man of Constant Sorrow.
Origins of the song vary but it seems that it was first published in 1913 and it was called “The Farewell Song.” It is credited to writer Dick Burnett, however, even he wasn’t sure he did. In an 1973 interview he was asked:
“What about this “Farewell Song” – ‘I am a man of constant sorrow’ – did you write it?” To which he replied, “No, I think I got the ballad from somebody – I dunno. It may be my song …”
The Stanley Brothers recorded it in 1950, and Ralph Stanley said this about the song’s origin: “Man of Constant Sorrow” is probably two or three hundred years old. But the first time I heard it when I was y’know, like a small boy, my daddy – my father – he had some of the words to it, and I heard him sing it, and we – my brother and me – we put a few more words to it, and brought it back in existence. I guess if it hadn’t been for that it’d have been gone forever. I’m proud to be the one that brought that song back, because I think it’s wonderful.
In 2001, radio stations began to get requests for the bluegrass song and it didn’t take long for the Mercury Nashville label to send it out as a single. Stations were divided on whether to play the song because of its “old” sound. I was on a country station at the time and I remember when we added it to the playlist. Did it stick out when it played? It sure did. Did we get countless requests for it? We sure did? It was an unexpected hit.
Of course, some folks really believed that George Clooney sang the lead on the song, which is just not true. The lead vocals were sung by Dan Tyminski, who was actually a member of Union Station (Alison Krauss’s band).
The song received a CMA Award for “Single of the Year” in 2001 and even won a Grammy for “Best Country Collaboration with Vocals” in 2002. The song was also named Song of the Year by the International Bluegrass Music Association in 2001. It peaked at No. 35 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart.
Man of Constant Sorrow
I am a man of constant sorrow I’ve seen trouble all my days I bid farewell to old Kentucky The place where I was borned and raised (The place where he was borned and raised)
For six long years I’ve been in trouble No pleasure here on earth I find For in this world I’m bound to ramble I have no friends to help me now (He has no friends to help him now)
It’s fare thee well my own true lover I never expect to see you again For I’m bound to ride that northern railroad Perhaps I’ll die upon this train (Perhaps he’ll die upon this train)
You can bury me in some deep valley For many years where I may lay Then you may learn to love another While I am sleeping in my grave (While he is sleeping in his grave)
Maybe your friends think I’m just a stranger My face you’ll never will see no more But there is one promise that is given I’ll meet you on God’s golden shore (He’ll meet you on God’s golden shore)
Back in the day, there was an old radio show called I Love a Mystery. It’s no secret that I do, too. A mystery can take many forms – the cozy mystery, the whodunnit, the locked room mystery, courtroom mystery, etc …
I just finished a book that has many of the things I love in a good mystery. First, there are plenty of suspects. There’s an earlier murder that may or may not be connected to the first one. There are characters you like and dislike right from the get go. There are twists and turns, and some great suspenseful moments.
I added this book to my “to read” list simply because of the title – How to Solve Your Own Murder. I was hooked right from the beginning and loved every minute of it.
Here is the Goodreads synopsis:
For fans of Knives Out and The Thursday Murder Club, an enormously fun mystery about a woman who spends her entire life trying to prevent her foretold murder only to be proven right sixty years later, when she is found dead in her sprawling country estate… Now it’s up to her great-niece to catch the killer.
It’s 1965 and teenage Frances Adams is at an English country fair with her two best friends. But Frances’s night takes a hairpin turn when a fortune-teller makes a bone-chilling prediction: One day, Frances will be murdered. Frances spends a lifetime trying to solve a crime that hasn’t happened yet, compiling dirt on every person who crosses her path in an effort to prevent her own demise. For decades, no one takes Frances seriously, until nearly sixty years later, when Frances is found murdered, like she always said she would be.
In the present day, Annie Adams has been summoned to a meeting at the sprawling country estate of her wealthy and reclusive great-aunt Frances. But by the time Annie arrives in the quaint English village of Castle Knoll, Frances is already dead. Annie is determined to catch the killer, but thanks to Frances’s lifelong habit of digging up secrets and lies, it seems every endearing and eccentric villager might just have a motive for her murder. Can Annie safely unravel the dark mystery at the heart of Castle Knoll, or will dredging up the past throw her into the path of a killer?
As Annie gets closer to the truth, and closer to the danger, she starts to fear she might inherit her aunt’s fate instead of her fortune.
This was such a great read. If you love a good mystery that is a mix of Agatha Christie and Perry Mason, you will love this one!
A couple years ago, the kids got a Tonie Box. If you look at the picture above, you can see the character sits on top of it and it plays a story or music. You can read my original blog about it here:
We bought a small container to keep all of the characters in, and at some point, Ella decided that the characters were fun to play with. So when they are not listening to them, they are playing with them. Today, she asked me to come and play with her. She told me I could be Batman.
I always try to make her laugh and usually it doesn’t take much. Today, Wonder Woman and Elsa asked Batman to dance. I made a gruff voice and said, “I’m Batman. I don’t dance.” She asked me why and I ad-libbed, “My cape trips me up” and made him fall. I told her, “I have to go fight crime! The Penguin is out robbing banks.” She dug into the Tonie container and said, “No he’s not! He’s right here!”
Give me five minutes on the web and I can find something to chuckle about. Sometimes it is right here in a WordPress Blog, other times it is on Facebook, and even serious news sites can lead to something humorous.
I have probably written about this before, but one of my favorite sketches from SNL was the old Celebrity Jeopardy sketches with Will Ferrell as Alex Trebek.
The funniest one to me was when Norm MacDonald played Burt Reynolds, but changed his name to …
…Turd Ferguson.
Midway through the sketch, he puts on a ridiculous hat.
Insanity ensues, Alex get’s flustered and the sketch ends.
I laughed a little bit too hard as I stumbled on a site where people take Precious Moments figurines and “redesign” them. Someone made a Turd Ferguson Precious Moments figure!
Someone spent a whole lot of time on that and I think it is hilarious!!
I’m not sure why I stopped doing this feature, but it is time for it to make a return. I was sent a photo from a friend that I had forgotten about. When I opened up the email, I remembered this feature. It is probably something I posted on my Facebook or now defunct MySpace, but I don’t think I have ever posted it on here.
This photo will take us back to 2004 or 2005.
This photo was taken as part of a photo project that a friend was doing for college. The idea was to take 100 photos and then tell a story with only 12 of them. She came to the station during a show and shot some pictures of me on the air, it just so happened that my oldest boy was with me that day. He was probably around 2 years old here.
This was not taken in the main studio. This was taken in one of the production studios where I was probably cutting a commercial or working on sweepers. Dante’ loved to talk into the microphone and I always had him say things for my show. Just like they had to do with the kids who voiced those Charlie Brown specials. I would feed him a line in pieces and then edit them all together.
I had him say things like:
“Not funny, Daddy!”
“Is it time to go home yet?”
“I’m Dante’ and you’re listening to my daddy, Keith Allen, on 94-5 The Moose!”
“Ha, Ha, Ha, Ha! Wait, what?” (For play after a bad joke)
I don’t think this was a pose, I truly believe that was meant to be a candid, but I just happened to be looking at the camera.
As I look at behind me in the photo, in the cabinet I can see one of the equalizers. I always wanted to get one for a hone studio (which I never ended up doing). Underneath that is a Mini-Disc player. I loved having one of those. I used it when I DJ’d a lot. It was digital, so you could edit and even loop things on it.
For the older readers, directly below that is a cassette player. When I was on the west side of the state, we would actually get commercials on them for on air play. Needless to say, the quality was NEVER that good. We primarily used it to record commercials to take to the clients so they could see if they liked the way their commercial sounded.
It is not in view, but under that was a CD player. We would dub songs into the automation system that way or rip them in on the computer. Most of our production music was on CD (and you can see some of those sitting directly above the mixer board.
By this time, most of the production was done on the computer (directly in front of my son) or the one to the left of that one. However, one of the coolest things in this picture is the ancient reel to reel machine behind my left shoulder. I believe that is an old Tascam unit. We used to use those to record phone calls at my first couple jobs. If something needed to be edited, you had to mark the tape with a china marker, cut the tape with a razor blade and splice it back together with tape. It was a process, but I remember watching some guys who were masters at editing things in less than a minute to be ready for air.
That microphone was one of my favorites to use. It was an Electro Voice RE20. I was gifted one of them and it remains one of my treasured pieces of radio memorabilia. Perhaps one day, I will venture into podcasting and find a way to use it again.
It is amazing to think that this picture was taken was about 20 years ago. I am glad that I still have some audio clips of my son from this age. Today, he could sing bass in a choir his voice is so low. He just turned 22!! Time truly flies….
We signed Ella up for T-ball a few weeks back. We got her a helmet, a glove, a bat, some practice balls, shoes and a bag to carry it all. She’s been pretty pumped up about it. She finally had her first practice today.
The worst thing about working when I do is that a lot of the activities happen when I am at work. I have rearranged my schedule a bit so that I can see a game a week (they play 2) and not have to use personal time off. Sam went with her to practice.
The first thing she texted me was that she is the only girl on the team. I really hope that this won’t bother her. She can be anyone’s friend, but I also know how cruel some kids can be. We hope that this will be a sport she likes to play and will continue in the future.
I coached my two older boys with both T-ball and baseball for as long as they played. I was not a good coach, but I certainly enjoyed being there with them. They seemed to have fun, even though they didn’t play long.
This week, I will be playing catch with her and helping her with batting. I am excited for the first game in a couple weeks…
I’ve had this book on my “To read” list for some time. I added it for a couple of reasons. First, I have always loved hearing stories about “old Hollywood” and hoped that this would kind of fall into that category. Second, everyone kept talking about it. When my wife read it recently she said she thought I would enjoy it.
Side note: I had no idea that the author, Taylor Jenkins Reid, had also wrote Daisy Jones and the Six. That’s another one that everyone seemed to be talking about, but I’m not sure I want to read it. My wife said it was “just ok.”
Before I offer up my thoughts on this book, let me share the Goodreads synopsis:
Aging and reclusive Hollywood movie icon Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life. But when she chooses unknown magazine reporter Monique Grant for the job, no one is more astounded than Monique herself. Why her? Why now?
Monique is not exactly on top of the world. Her husband has left her, and her professional life is going nowhere. Regardless of why Evelyn has selected her to write her biography, Monique is determined to use this opportunity to jumpstart her career.
Summoned to Evelyn’s luxurious apartment, Monique listens in fascination as the actress tells her story. From making her way to Los Angeles in the 1950s to her decision to leave show business in the ‘80s, and, of course, the seven husbands along the way, Evelyn unspools a tale of ruthless ambition, unexpected friendship, and a great forbidden love. Monique begins to feel a very real connection to the legendary star, but as Evelyn’s story nears its conclusion, it becomes clear that her life intersects with Monique’s own in tragic and irreversible ways.
To quote my wife, the book to me was “just ok.” Don’t get my wrong, it wasn’t bad. As a matter of fact, there were quite a few surprises in the story. As the synopsis implies, Monique and Evelyn’s life have some sort of connection and I never put it together. This was a big surprise to me. Actually, the connection really made the book worth reading for me. Especially since there were a few times I was ready to put it down.
As you might expect in a story of old Hollywood, there is plenty of scandal, secrets, jealousy, lying, manipulation and deception. I have often used this description, but it read like an episode of Desperate Housewives or a bad soap opera. “Who’s sleeping with who?” kind of thing at times.
Again, it wasn’t a bad book, it is just not really my kind of book. Not to sound chauvinistic, that is not my intention at all, but I felt like the book might appeal more to female readers.
Various Ramblings of a Nostalgic Italian 