My My, Hey Hey

What female superhero are you??? Jean Grey You have a tendency to be the interest of many men. You're beautiful, intelligent, extremely powerful, but also extremely caring. The perfect woman!

Click Here to Take This Quiz Brought to you by YouThink.com quizzes and personality tests.

"You have a tendency to be the interest of many men. You're beautiful, intelligent, extremely powerful, but also extremely caring. The perfect woman!" Well, that IS me. And Jean Gray, a superhero I've actually heard of!
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You Are 83% Burned Out

You are extremely burned out. You work too hard, and you're not getting the results you deserve. It's time for a life change, as soon as you can manage it. You're giving away most of your energy to something you don't even enjoy.

Are You Burned Out?

I'm reminded, of course, of that Neil Young lyric: "It's better to burn out than fade away." (Neil's birthday was earlier this month.)

ROG

Half A Ton

My mother really didn't want anything for her 80th birthday. So we didn't give her anything. Instead we took things away. My sister Leslie flew in from San Diego to Charlotte on Tuesday the 13th and I from Albany on Thursday the 15th. The mission: to get rid of stuff, specifically from the shed, which is the size of a small trailer home, that's in the back yard.

Part of the task was to ascertain just what was there, so there was a lot of sorting of papers. But we were able to put all those canceled checks from 1983 in the "to be shredded" pile, and Avon catalogs for the last decade of the 20th century in the recycle pile, except for the back page stamped with Mom's name and phone number, to the shred pile.

We also had to deal with a nasty little infestation of ants, hundreds of these large black insects eating away at everything in one corner of the structure.

We did keep photos and references to my father's 39 (or more) businesses. And there were things we kept of sentimental value. But lots of stuff went, including, unfortunately, a box of FantaCo publications that had gone to mold.

All told 562 pounds went to the shredder. I've discovered that there are companies that will come to your house and for about $90 for the first 500 pounds, shred the stuff right there. Some of the companies even have cameras inside the vehicles where you can see the shredding take place. We opted to go with a company that was a member of the NAID®, the National Association for Information Destruction. This process beats the heck out of doing it yourself with some $30 shredder from Office Max, since the cuts are more precise, and the time savings is ENORMOUS.

Additionally, 14 Avon boxes of recycling went to the recycling place and 13 contractor bags went to the garbage. My sister Marcia held a garage sale for some other items, and while not much of it sold, not much of it returned either, since Leslie found some medical charity to pick up the unsold items after the event. Marcia also took a few things to Goodwill.

So, I think it is not a reach to think that we got rid of 1000 pounds of stuff before Leslie and I left a week ago Tuesday. And Mom's happier with things going off her property than coming onto it.

If you're tackling such a project, consider latex gloves; we occasionally used hospital masks as well, though not as often as we should have. Also, drink PLENTY of water to wash out whatever toxins you might come in contact with.

November Miscellany

Politics, Race, Comics, Music, Sports, Weather - we do it all

U.S. Thanksgiving Day, we drove from Albany to Oneonta, and saw the temperature rise from 44 and fog to 52 to 68F in a little more than an hour. Then that afternoon, the temperature plummeted, where it's been ever since.
***
I received this question, as did a number of other bloggers: "I'd be interested in your reaction to this: An effort underway to remove Pelosi as Speaker, and make way for impeachment. Details. What flaws do you see with this plan; and is there a way to block this?"

As I've made abundantly clear, I favor the impeachment of Bush and Cheney. But the idea of impeaching Pelosi for her "high crimes and misdemeanors" of NOT impeaching them in order to impeaching them seems a bit surreal. Actually, it reminds me of a maneuver of my former church whereby the associate pastor was removed in order to make way for removing the senior pastor, except that it took 10 years to actually remove the senior pastor.

Regardless, the impeachment of Nancy Pelosi is highly unlikely to happen. And even if it did, impeachment of Bush/Cheney won't happen. The Democrats are too risk averse. And oddly, from everything I've read, impeachment might very well STRENGTHEN the Democrats as it did in 1974, and as it did for the Republicans in 1868.
***
The current TV Guide lists the current Presidential candidates' favorite television programs. Will Fred Hembeck support Barack Obama, now that Obama's come out in favor of SponngeBob Squarepants? And speaking of Fred, read Hembeck: Court Jester of Comics, an interview by Peter Sanderson in Publishers' Weekly.
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A couple things I learned from ADD, one directly, one indirectly:
Tom Spurgeon's Holiday Shopping Guide and
an interview with David Michaelis, biographer of Charles Schulz. Oh, and Gordon says nice things about the book about the creator of the Peanuts comic strip.
***
I don't really follow college football, and don't like how the polls determine rankings; I'm more of an NFL fan. Still, I prefer the way cthe college game settles ties, with each team getting a chance or two (or three, in the case of Arkansas' upset of LSU last week) to the randomness of the coin toss to determine who'll get the ball first, and quite possibly, score and win.
***
Cracked.com shows video clips of 8 of The 9 Most Racist Disney Characters:
#9. The Merchant from Aladdin
#8. Sebastian from The Little Mermaid
#7. The Crows from Dumbo
#6. King Louie from The Jungle Book
#5. The Siamese Twin Gang from Chip n’ Dale Rescue Rangers
#4. Sunflower the Centaur from Fantasia
#3. The Indians from Peter Pan
#2. Uncle Remus from Song of the South
#1. Thursday from Mickey Mouse and the Boy Thursday (Book)
The Little Mermaid clip surprised me, but I see its validity on the list.
Even though I feel uncomfortable with Song of the South - I do remember it in re-release c. 1960, I think, the movement to get Song of the South released on video doesn't bother me. Not to say that I'll buy it.
***
Also from Cracked.com: Ridiculous Overseas Rip-Offs of American Films, including a hysterical "Thriller" from India, a cheesy "Star Wars" from Turkey, and this Beatles Indian riff featuring, of all people, Mark Cuban:

ROG

The Lydster, Part 44: Mess

In the room where Lydia had been sleeping, there was a large closet that really limited the space a growing girl would need. So, while I was on a business trip, Carol, her father and our contractor had it taken down, which was fine. The trouble is that it left big holes in places that will have to be patched before the room can be reoccupied, mostly to avoid the dust.

This meant that Lydia had been sleeping in the guest room, in a very large bed. While she was comfortable sleeping alone in her Lydia-sided bed, she's loath to do it in the big bed, but "needs" someone to sleep with. This is normally my wife, who I wake up 30 minutes after we they go to bed. But sometimes, I can't wake her, and end up sleeping alone. When Carol has evening meetings, I'm the one who ends up sleeping with the child, and apparently, I cannot be awakened, though I generally wake up on my own and go back to my bed.

Once the room was repaired, then the room was repainted, for the former closet area was totally a different color from the rest of the room. I'm thinking, "I cannot wait. My daughter in her room, in her bed. My wife and I in our bed, all night. I can't wait."

So the room is ready, but the girl is not. As I feared, she got acclimated to the guest room, and finds her nice new room foreign, even with all in there. I hear patience is a virtue; I must be a virtuous soul.

ROG

Oscar-Worthy Movies I Have Seen: 1937

I used to do this once a month, but haven't since July; if I'm ever going to get to movies that came out after I was born, I'd better get to it.

Picture:
THE LIFE OF EMILE ZOLA, "The Awful Truth", "Captains Courageous", "Dead End", "The Good Earth", "In Old Chicago", "Lost Horizon", "One Hundred Men and a Girl", "Stage Door", "A Star is Born"
Actor:
SPENCER TRACY in "Captains Courageous", Charles Boyer in "Conquest", Fredric March in "A Star is Born", Robert Montgomery in "Night Must Fall", Paul Muni in "The Life of Emile Zola"
Actress:
LUISE RAINER in "The Good Earth", Irene Dunne in "The Awful Truth", Greta Garbo in "Camille", Janet Gaynor in "A Star is Born", Barbara Stanwyck in "Stella Dallas"
Supporting Actor:
JOSEPH SCHILDKRAUT in "The Life of Emile Zola", Ralph Bellamy in "The Awful Truth", Thomas Mitchell in "The Hurricane", H. B. Warner in "Lost Horizon", Roland Young in "Topper"
Supporting Actress:
ALICE BRADY in "In Old Chicago", Andrea Leeds in "Stage Door", Anne Shirley in "Stella Dallas", Claire Trevor in "Dead End", May Whitty in "Night Must Fall"
Director: LEO MCCAREY for "The Awful Truth", William Dieterle for "The Life of Emile Zola", Sidney Franklin for "The Good Earth", Gregory La Cava for "Stage Door", William Wellmann for "A Star is Born"

I'm sure I saw, on TV, Captains Courageous and The Good Earth and quite possible Emile Zola and Stella Dallas, but none of them since I used to watch movies on Saturday and Sunday afternoons as a kid, and none of them have stuck, except The Good Earth; I found the struggle to survive on the farm quite moving.
***
100 Movies, 100 Quotes, 100 Numbers




ROG

Plastic QUESTIONS

Certainly, you're aware of all the problems with plastic. I was recalling some news story some months ago about how even the very efficient recycling system in San Francisco can't deal with plastic bags and end up throwing them away. And, of course, plastics are made of petroleum, adding to the demand for oil which helps raise the price of gasoline.

Bottled water has been banned by several municipalities to try to hector people not to add more plastic bottles. But recently, my wife told me about a story that washing and reusing plastic water bottles carry a risk as well, the solution for which is to buy more bottles of water made of plastic (?!).

So, the question is simple: how do you minimize use of petroleum-based products? It can be anything from carpooling to reusable canvas bags. And do you think sometimes that stores make it difficult to refuse a bag because of their policies?

Recycling cost/benefit.
***
Getting catalogs that you throw away or recycle without even looking at them?
Sign in at Catalog Choice.org
Raid your recycling box for all the catalogs you want to stop
Look up the catalog company names on the website
Enter your name the way it appears on the catalog
Enter the customer number
Do this for each catalog and within 10 weeks, they'll stop coming to your door.
***
Got an e-mail from the Central Administration of SUNY, which read:As you know, the State University follows Executive Order No.142 which requires all state agencies to reduce the amount of waste by separating recoverable materials from regular solid waste. Consistent with this order, blue recycling bins are currently located in all office areas throughout the building to dispose of paper products.
GREAT! So, I called the contact to clarify a point. I discovered that, since we're in a private building, rather than in a state building, the landlord does not have to follow the same rules. Another reason why I hate the place I work.

ROG

When Black Friday Comes...

Got this e-mail this week:

This is of utmost important to our communities.

Friday after Thanksgiving is the biggest shopping day of the year, It is the day that most retailers make enough money put them in the Black for the whole year. We as Black People are consistently getting the bad end of the stick. Our children are being terrorized each and everyday by the police across the country. Nooses are being hung around everywhere. We are being disrespected in all places. Our men and children are being killed by police, stopped and searched, new prisons are being built for our children, there is big business in investing in private prisons and they must keep them filled up. We are terrorized on our jobs with constant threats of being written up and fired, losing our livelihood, our homes and just feeding and taking care of our children. We are treated in a dehumanizing manor on these jobs. So many of our people who have worked for the city for decades are being pushed out with trumped up charges, criminalized, degraded, insulted and threaten and some are even losing their pensions.

Brothers and Sisters we must act! It will visits your door, it is coming! We must stand together to say NO JUSTICE! NO PROFIT! This has got to be the new battle cry of our people. Our elders stood together during the Montgomery bus boycott in order to get some form of justice for our people. We must do it again!

If we stand together and sacrifice one day Friday November 23, 2007 and DO NOT SHOP! DON"T BUY ANYTHING ON THAT DAY! We will send out a message. Things will have to change. Let this country feel what it feels like to not have our dollars. If you buy something, buy from your own people. Please pass this message to everyone on you e-mail list. No Justice! No Profit! If you do not know what I am talking about remember:
Noose Epidemic
Racist Mob Attacks
14 yr old stripped and left in swamp by police
5 yr old hand cuffed
Va. woman kidnapped, stabbed, raped, made to eat vomit, blood, feces
35 students arrested for attending funeral of classmate, who had parents permission
6 month pregnant Principal stopped by police and made to lie face down on ground in front of her small children
Jena 6
Police Terrorism
Michael & Evelyn Warren attorneys assaulted by terrorist cops
Sonny Carson Avenue
Viola Plummer
Sean Bell
Katrina
Health Care Crisis
Land Grab of the Black Community
The list goes on and on and on

TAKE THE BLACK OUT OF BLACK FRIDAY
NO SHOPPING THE FRIDAY AFTER THANKSGIVING - NOV 23
ECONOMIC SANCTIONS ARE THE ANSWER TO RACISM!

My reaction: Eh. I don't know how this particular boycott - and I'm in favor of strategic boycotts - has any effect on the issues mentioned.

Last year, I got e-mails that led me to Buy Nothing Day, A 24 hour moratorium on consumer spending - participate by not participating.

Here's the real deal: I'm not buying anything today, not because of some political agenda - I happen to think, if anything, that people should be out supporting SMALL businesses today, and every day. I'm not shopping today because I HATE shopping today.

One year this century, I got talked into doing the 5 a.m. thing. At the end of the three hours, I was exhausted, not from getting up early, but from that crush of humanity. In fact, the only time I ever enjoyed shopping on Black Friday, it was at a department store in a little town called Delhi, NY, probably the size of two Wal-Mart departments; it was warm and friendly and not crowded at all.

Oh, I heard on NPR this morning two things. One was that the shopping season will be "soft:", so that time for other bargains will likely pop up. The second is that one should avoid SUI, shopping under the influence; otherwise, you might bring home that dancing Santa you REALLY don't need.
***
The lyrics to some Steely Dan song.

ROG

Food Quiz

I like Thanksgiving; it's ecumenical. I don't have to worry about it as I do next month, where hopes for either "Merry Christmas: or "Happy Holidays" is likely to tick off SOMEONE.

I was going to give a litany of everyone (friends, family, people of courage) and everything (music, writing, learning new stuff), but instead I swiped this quiz from Jaquandor. He did it on Canadian Thanksgiving, Buffalo being pritnear Canada. So I thought I'd post it on the U.S. variety. It's about food!

1. How do you like your eggs? I like eggs almost any way possible: poached, fried, boiled, scrambled. In scrambled eggs, I tend to put pepper, Worcestershire sauce and a little mustard, plus whatever leftover meat and/or vegetables are in the fridge.

2. How do you take your coffee/tea? Coffee - not at all. Tea - varies with my mood. Sometimes with nothing, most often with lemon, or lemon and honey, or milk and sugar. Rarely lemon and sugar.

3. Favorite breakfast food? Favorite would be pancakes with fresh fruit, real maple syrup, with sausage. Unfortunately, it's usually Cheerios and/or Shredded Wheat. Or oatmeal, which I do like quite a bit.

4. Peanut butter - actually hate the taste of peanut butter; the smell sometimes makes me nauseous. Since I ate it in great quantities until I was five or six, I theorize that I must have gotten sick from eating too much of it, though I have no specific recollection. Since my daughter is allergic to peanuts, we don't have it around anyway.

5. What kind of dressing on your salad? Usually Russian, though when I'm out, it's often ranch for some reason.

6. Coke or Pepsi? Usually Pepsi, but I like Coke too.

7. You’re feeling lazy, what do you make? Chopped apple and cottage cheese, with a touch of mayo.

8. You’re feeling really lazy. What kind of pizza do you order? Mushroom and sausage, or mushroom and onion, or onion and sausage, or plain.

9. You feel like cooking. What do you make? Lasagna.

10. Do any foods bring back good memories? Campbell's Cream of Mushroom soup. Macaroni and cheese. Meatloaf. Mashed potatoes with gravy.

11. Do any foods bring back bad memories? Spaghetti-Os. Campbell's Tomato soup. Waxed beans (canned). Beets (canned). Almost any vegetable (canned). Instant potatoes. Bologna sandwiches on white bread with Miracle Whip.

12. Do any foods remind you of someone? Anything with tomato sauce reminds me of my father; he'd cook the sauce for hours. Waffles - also my father, who had a ritual discussion of how he could tell the doneness.

13. Is there a food you refuse to eat? Sauerkraut - hate it. Most melons.

14. What was your favorite food as a child? Spinach. Seriously, Popeye had brainwashed me. Also corn on the cob, still a favorite.

15. Is there a food that you hated as a child but now like? Broccoli, tomatoes, many vegetables (fresh or frozen).

16. Is there a food that you liked as a child but now hate? Not hate, per se, but off-brand ice cream is generally not worth the calories.

17. Favorite fruit and vegetable: Pineapple, spinach.

18. Favorite junk food: ice cream.

19. Favorite between meal snack: Yogurt, with banana cut into it. Or the aforementioned apple and cottage cheese.

20. Do you have any weird food habits? I've been known to eat cottage cheese with almost anything, e.g., apple sauce.

21. You’re on a diet. What food(s) do you fill up on? Water, actually.

22. You’re off your diet. Now what would you like? The same.

23. How spicy do you order Indian/Thai? On a scale of 1-10, about 7.

24. Can I get you a drink? Sure, anything with vodka, rum, whiskey, tequila (but not gin or Scotch).

25. Red wine or white? White. Red gives me a serious headache.

26. Favorite dessert? Ice cream. Or cake. Or both.

27. The perfect nightcap? Tea with honey.
ROG

Comments

I've been blogging 2.5 years and yet I haven't had a formal comments policy. Noticing that Jaquandor (yes, him again) wrote one up some time ago, I thought it'd be a good idea to do likewise.

1. I encourage comments about the topic at hand. In fact, I would enjoy receiving more. Indeed, I've left it so you don't have to do word verification when commenting. You don't have to even have a Blogger account, since you can just click on the anonymous button. (And if you DO want to identify yourself, just sign it.)

2. As we all are, I'm imperfect. If I've made an error of fact, or have a link that doesn't work, please let mer know ASAP, in the comments section or via e-mail, posted in the sidebar.

3. I expect that, from time to time, readers will have a strong negative reaction to something I've written in this blog. I'm good with that. Leave a comment to that effect.

4. But there's a certain level of social decorum that I expect. I would refer to it as as "common sense" except that it isn't as common as I would have thought.

a. No flamewars. If you start attacking others, or me, in a way that I feel is inappropriate, I will delete the post. Except for spam, and one incredibly racist comment, I've never done it before. I don't like doing so. But I will.

b. If you want to attack me and tell me that I'm stupid and only an idiot would believe that GWB should be impeached, fine, but such comments will require a name and an e-mail address. Anonymous attack comments will be deleted as soon as I learn of their existence.

c. Every comment left here is also forwarded to my Gmail address, so don't think that leaving a nasty comment on a post that's buried deep in my archives will escape my notice. Since many people seem to come to this blog via search engines, that happens quite often.

d. Any other comments that I deem inappropriate - and I have VERY liberal standards - will be deleted. Also spam, unless it's REALLY entertaining.

"Hey, Roger, don't you believe in the First Amendment?" Indeed, I do. I support your right to start your own blog and have your own rules.

e. Please limit comments to the topic of the post at hand. If there's something else you really want to call to my attention, e-mail me. I check it often.

ROG

Bike Stuff

I'm still riding my bike. My rules are that there must be a wind chill of 20 degrees F or more, that it be dry, and if it has snowed, that the road be thoroughly plowed. Actually, I like when it snows six inches or more on Albany, because alternate side parking goes into effect, and the city actually plows the roads to the curb, more or less. Whereas a three-inch snow can turn to snow and slush on the right side of the road, where I try to ride.

When I wrote my last bike post, I neglected one important thing one should do: have a bell. I think I forgot it because I no longer have one; it seems to have "walked". In lieu of a bell, I find that it is important to be able to yell with some volume and intensity. What you yell is important. I used to yell, "hey!", but I don't think the long A carries as well as I would like. So I've opted for "yo!", a term I use almost at no other time, but seems to have the effect of stopping moving cars, even with their windows up. Probably better than my bell, I think. This might get drivers' attention as well.
ROG

Lloyd Price Ain't got Nothin' On Me

Your Brain is Yellow

Of all the brain types, yours is the most intellectual. You crave mental stimulation, and your thoughts tend to very complex. Your thoughts tend to be innovative and cutting edge, though many people don't understand them. You tend to spend a lot of time thinking about science, architecture, and communication.

What Color Is Your Brain?

You Are Rain

You can be warm and sexy. Or cold and unwelcoming. Either way, you slowly bring out the beauty around you. You are best known for: your touch Your dominant state: changing

What Type of Weather Are You?

You Have A Type B+ Personality

You're a pro at going with the flow You love to kick back and take in everything life has to offer A total joy to be around, people crave your stability. While you're totally laid back, you can have bouts of hyperactivity. Get into a project you love, and you won't stop until it's done You're passionate - just selective about your passions

Do You Have a Type A Personality?

10 Worst Pennant Race Collapses: The Mets weren't #1

Hyphenated Words: A Guide

You've probably heard that, starting a week from today, the writers and management are going to start talking about ending the writers' strike. Here's hoping for a quick resolution. Meanwhile, check United Hollywood for some entertaining and sometimes thought-proviking videos and discussions.
ROG

The Real Forrest Gump

I've been always been rather so-so about the movie Forrest Gump. It was a technological marvel, yet it often felt at arm's length away emotionally. I guess I never bought Sally Field as his mother either, especially after having seen her and Tom Hanks as contemporaries in the movie about comedy, Punchline.

I don't know what I was looking up when I discovered that there was a guy named Sammy L. Davis, no relationship to the late entertainer, and that his military heroism that took place 40 years ago today was, in part, the inspiration for the movie character.

He doesn't look at all liker Tom Hanks.
***
This was on Evanier's page a while ago, but I do so love this video about waterboarding with a Beach Boys beat.
***
I've decided that Nancy Grace's very existence is a test of my Christian faith. I hate Nancy Grace. OK, I don't hate her exactly, but her brand of "journalismm" where she pronounces people guilty before all the facts are in offends my sensibilities; she's often parodied for a reason. She also has an annoying voice.

So when she, at the age of 48, gave birth to twins this month prematurely, and developed blood clots in the lungs, I had to fight, with all my strength, getting a feeling of schadenfreude. So, I (choke) wish Nancy Grace well so she can go annoy me again.
***
CNN distorting a story big time:


ROG

"The Place That God Forgot"

That's the pet name that one of my best friends has for our old hometown of Binghamton, NY. I think it's a bit harsh, but I do know where she's coming from.

My sister Leslie flew from San Diego to Albany on August 10, and my mother from Charlotte, NC to Albany on August 12. One doesn't fly into Binghamton from hardly anywhere; it cheaper to fly into Albany or Syracuse or New York City, then rent a car or take a bus.

Leslie, my mom and I drove down to Binghamton that weekend for my sister's XXth high school reunion; my mom and I saw friends. I was hanging out with another one of my friends from grade school when three very drunk people approached us about going somewhere on foot at 7 pm; there just isn't very much to do in downtown Binghamton most evenings, though there are pockets of improvements.

Binghamton is an odd place. Where I grew up in the 1960s, in the First Ward, the housing stock is much the same, and therefore deteriorating or vacant, mixed with these incongruous pockets of yuppie houses with Beemers in front.

But it's my hometown. More specifically, it's my mom's hometown, and she gets joy visiting our old church, her old friends. We've done that trip three or four years n a row now. Binghamton's only 150 miles from Albany, but it feels like a half a lifetime away; for my mom's sake, it's worth the trip.

Happy 80th birthday, Mom.
ROG

Golden Compass QUESTIONS

I was having a conversation online with someone about an upcoming movie, suggesting a backlash against it. I'd just received this e-mail:

THE GOLDEN COMPASS, a new movie targeted at children, will be released December 7, 2007.
This movie is based on the first book of a trilogy by atheist Philip Pullman. In the final book a boy and girl kill God so they can do as they please. Pullman left little doubt about his intentions when he said in a 2003 interview that "My books are about
killing God."
The movie is a watered down version of the first book and is designed to be very attractive in the hope unsuspecting parents will take their children to see the the movie and that the children will want the books for Christmas.
The movie has a well known cast, including Nicole Kidman, Kevin Bacon, and Sam Elliott. It will probably be advertised extensively, so it is crucial that we get the word out to warn parents to avoid this movie.
You can research this for yourself. Start with this article on Snopes.com, then go to Google.

This letter went on to distinguish it from the Harry Potter books, which were derscribed as having a Christian subtext(!).

I was vaguely familiar with the Golden Compass books, but haven't read them, so I'm trying to find out:

1. Whether you think the books are anti-God/anti-religion, and if so, how did that affect your enjoyment of the books?

2. Do you plan to see the film? Does a potential boycott make you want to see the movie more or less? Given the limited number of films I see these days, I wasn't planning to see it at all - it's just not my kind of flick - yet a boycott somehow makes it somehow more intriguing.

ROG

Smokin'

There was this front page story, below the fold, a couple months ago After tobacco ban, where there's smoke there's ire; As hospitals prohibit smoking, employees begin puffing away off-campus, irritating neighbors. I was thrilled to see this piece, because I experienced the same thing. I even wrote a letter to the editor in response, which didn't get published. But I DO have a blog:

I walk past the cigarette-smoke gauntlet that is St. Peter's Hospital regularly. Ironically, the best place to walk to avoid the poisoned stench is through the St. Peter's New Scotland Avenue parking lot, right past the area where the smokers used to be able to congregate. Of course, I have to negotiate past the moving cars, but that beats walking out onto the busy street.

At least one St. Peter's employee regularly uses the bus kiosk at the corner of New Scotland and South Allen Street as his personal smoking emporium. I've also seen Albany Med employees smoking in the bus kiosk across from the hospital, at New Scotland and Holland.

I appreciate the hospitals wanting to make their campuses smoke-free, but personally, I'd rather let them go back to the designated locations.

I discovered subsequently that St. Peter's has torn down a building that was behind the hospital where people used to smoke. Alas.

I have my bona fides as almost virulently anti-smoking. Yet why is it, when someone comes up to me and asks if he or she can "borrow" a cigarette, almost inevitably I say something along the lines of "Sorry, I don't smoke" or "I'm afraid I don't smoke"? I'm NOT sorry that I don't smoke; moreover, I'm HAPPY that I don't have the means to shorten someone else's life. So, why do I often sound so damn apologetic? Maybe it's some Piscean need to please.

Anyway, today is the Great American Smokeout, where people are supposed to quit smoking. I hope they do, but failing that, please keep that cigarette away from my family and me.

What Hast Moss Wrought

Lynn Moss, the wife of Fred Hembeck, has posted pictures of the second FantaCon back in 1980, before she WAS the wife of Fred Hembeck, if I'm remembering correctly. (EDIT: I wasn't remembering correctly: they were married the year before.) The convention was put on by FantaCo Enterprises, the comic book store I worked at from 1980 to 1988. The pictures feature Fred, Lynn, Bill Anderson, Joe Staton, Wendy and Richard Pini, Dave Simons, and John Caldwell, plus FantaCo artist/front man Raoul Vezina, FantaCo employee Mitch Cohn and FantaCo owner Tom Skulan. The pictures also feature the "art jam" drawing done by Fred, Raoul, Wendy Pini, Berni Wrightson, Jeff Jones, Simons, Caldwell, and Staton, a drawing Fred described on November 28, 2003.

BTW, 21 Central Avenue, Albany, which was FantaCo's location for its 20 years, has been several things in the years since it closed in 1998. Currently it's a bazzar (their spelling), a convenience store that sells halal meats and other items.
***
R: You really ought to plug Fred's upcoming book again.
R: Well, I have all of those FantaCo publications in the Smilin' Ed and Hembeck series. In fact, just came across them in the attic this weekend.
R: Yeah, but there's over 600 MORE pages, some of which you've never seen.
R: Really?
R: Yeah, and all for about $25.
R: WOW! But I need a new angle.
R: How's that?
R: I need a new way to plug the book again.
R: How about the cover, with the color scheme they chose NOT to use?

R: That'd work.
***
A bunch of Jack Kirby stories that have allegedly never been reprinted. (Thanks, Dan.)
***
Fred and Rose talk about commerce, of a sort.

ROG

Happy Odd Couple Day

HAPPY ODD COUPLE DAY!
Here's a tease for the movie version showing on TCM

And here's the original TV intro; the voiceover part was dropped in later seasons:

I'm recalling a Mark Evanier post of six months ago, addressing that TV opening:
"On November 13th, Felix Unger was asked to remove himself from his place of residence. That request came from his wife. Deep down, he knew she was right, but he also knew that someday he would return to her. With nowhere else to go, he appeared at the home of his childhood friend, Oscar Madison. Sometime earlier, Madison's wife had thrown him out, requesting that he never return. Can two divorced men share an apartment without driving each other crazy?"
Specifically, the part about Felix returning to his wife: was that inserted because of fear that Felix and Oscar might be perceived to be...(horrors) gay by the American television viewing audience? Yet that concern apparently DIDN'T exist in the movie version or the play that was produced, of course, in an earlier time.

If his observation is accurate, and I believe it is, why was that done? I suspect it's because the producers' thinking was that people go to to the theater and the movies, but TV comes into one's house, and delicate sensibilities needed to be protected from such "untoward inferences".
ROG

Dead Russian Composers and Kevin Bacon

From Johnny B:

If I were a Dead Russian Composer, I would be Dmitri Shostakovich! I am a shy, nervous, unassuming, fidgety, and stuttery little person who began composing the same year I started music lessons of any sort. I wrote the first of my fifteen symphonies at age 18, and my second opera, "Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District," when I was only 26. Unfortunately, Stalin hated the opera, and put me on the Enemy Of The People List for life. I nevertheless kept composing the works I wanted to write in private; some of my vocal cycles and 15 string quartets mock the Soviet System in notes. And I somehow was NOT killed in the process! And Harry Potter(c) stole my glasses and broke them! Who would you be? Dead Russian Composer Personality Test

I was sort of pulling for Sergei Prokofiev, who died two days before I was born.
***
Meanwhile, I was trying to ascertain how I would get to do Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon after reading Lefty's note about his wife, and I realized that my friend Sara Lee in the music business would be a link to a number of people, from Robbie Robertson to Tom Petty.
So, Kevin Bacon was in A Few Good Men with Jack Nicholson
Nicholson worked with Cher in The Witches of Eastwick
Cher worked with my friend Sara Lee on a tour
***
Sort of speaking of which, on this PBS website, you can play Six Degrees of American Masters. For instance, getting from Hank Williams to Tennessee Williams:

Hank Williams is connected to Willie Nelson because Willie Nelson appeared in the 1992 story of Hank Williams, I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive.

Willie Nelson is connected to Joni Mitchell because Willie Nelson covered Joni Mitchell's song, Both Sides Now.

Joni Mitchell is connected to Quincy Jones because Joni Mitchell performed on Quincy Jones' 1986 book/recording, Children First.

Quincy Jones is connected to Truman Capote because Quincy Jones composed the music for the film of Truman Capote's In Cold Blood (1967).

Truman Capote is connected to Gore Vidal because Gore Vidal and Truman Capote were literary rivals.

Gore Vidal is connected to Tennessee Williams because Tennessee Williams and Gore Vidal were friends.

Some are more tenuous than that, especially when events (World War II) are included, but it's a bit of fun.
***
Blog link add: The sister of a good friend of mine, Annika Pfluger, recently started her own business making artisan chocolates. Check out her site, and you'll see that she makes all of her chocolates by hand including the hand painting. Her ingredients are fair trade/organic/local where possible.
ROG

War to End All Wars

Since I understood its meaning, I always liked Veterans Day. When I was a child, I loved the parades.

Now, I appreciate the perhaps the foolhardy optimism of a war to end all wars, which is what they called The Great War; it ended on November 11, 1918, which became Armistice Day. Of course, the Great War became World War I when we fought World War II. Armistice Day became Veterans Day, and we've had a couple wars since then.

Even as we honor those who fight the wars the politicians send them to, the foolhardy dream remains:
I ain't gonna study war no more,
I ain't gonna study war no more,


Ain't Gonna Study War No More.
***
United Methodist bishops call for US withdrawal from Iraq.



ROG

Writers Guild Strike QUESTIONS

Much to my surprise, I have found myself utterly fascinated by the WGA strike. I freely admit my sympathy for the writers, who are getting ripped off on DVD sales and streaming video broadcasts. I've watched the WGA videos on YouTube; while The Office Is Closed is the most entertaining, Why We Fight is the most useful in understanding the situation. Oh, and here's info about an episode of The Office you may not see for a while, scheduled for only a couple weeks out.

I've added to my webroll the United Hollywood website, where I found out about an online petition, which I signed (#1018); I never know the efficacy of online petitions, but what the heck. I've been also following Writers Strike, Ken Levine and Mark Evanier's posts. In fact, Mark answered my strike-related questions; how did he know I was specifically interested in JEOPARDY!?

1. What do you think of the strike? Do you side with the writers, with management, a pox on both of their houses, or you just don't care? (Gordon cares.)

2. Has the strike already affected your viewing? (Maybe Lefty can finally catch up with The Daily Show and Colbert.)

3. If it is a prolonged strike, what will the networks use to fill up the time? Reality shows and repeats, sure. Old movies? Unaired episodes of Viva Laughlin?

4. What will you do with all that found time? (After I catch up with MY backlog of programs, I'll read more.)
ROG