R.I.P.

September 30, 2024, at home

R.I.P. (April 14, 1941 – September 30, 2024)

Today Is ...

September 30, 2024, at home

I do like hot mulled cider, but I am surprised that the celebratory day is not later in the year.

Coffee & VFW

September 29, 2024, at home

I love an espresso, but my coffee of choice is a ristretto, which is a "short shot" of a more highly concentrated espresso. It is often enjoyed in Italy as a quick pick-me-up in the middle of a busy day. I am partial to espresso, perhaps due to my partially Italian heritage.

September 29, 2024, at home

VFW = Veterans of Foreign Wars

Sons Day & More

September 28, 2024, at home

While I do not have a son, I am one. National Sons Day is celebrated on September 28 AND March 4. Many people celebrated yesterday, which is OK. I just don't understand why.

(As I have mentioned many times, I have been a Men's Rights Activist since the early 1990s, when I was in my early 30s. So, of course, I promote everything male.)

September 28, 2024, at home

In July 1981, when I was 20 years old, I was a golf instructor / counselor-in-training at a golf school/camp for adults (one week) and for children (two weeks, ages 10 to 18) in Southern Pines, North Carolina. I attended this camp almost every summer from age 11 in 1972 to age 19 in 1980. (I was permitted to attend at age 19 even though I was technically too old.)

September 28, 2024, at home

Today is National Drink Beer Day. My favorite beer is Mohrenbräu, which is a famous Austrian beer. I first drank it in my Austrian cousins' living room in Dornbirn, Austria, in the early 1980s, when I was in my early 20s. I have enjoyed it on many subsequent trips to Austria. I have never found it in the United States. Mohrenbräu is brewed in Dornbirn.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohrenbrauerei

September 28, 2024, at home

This is definitely NOT for me. I really dislike strawberries. I also don't particularly like whipped cream.

Today Is ...

September 27, 2024, at home

I do like chocolate milk, specifically made with Ovaltine or Bosco, because it tastes like my childhood.

September 27, 2024, at home

I love corned beef hash and fried eggs for breakfast. My dad did, too.

September 27, 2024, at home

Today's date seems a bit early to be celebrating.

Dumplings & Pancakes

September 26, 2024, at home

I do like those Chinese dumplings: fried, not steamed.

September 26, 2024, at home

I like pancakes, particularly chocolate chip pancakes, with real butter and real maple syrup.

Bryan Ferry's Birthday

September 26, 2024, at home

Happy 79th Birthday to one of my favorite singer/musicians ever: Bryan Ferry. He was the lead singer, keyboardist, and song writer for the (mostly) 1970s glam/pop/rock group Roxy Music. He also has many solo albums. I attended two of his solo concerts in 1988: in Philadelphia and in New York City.

My favorite Roxy Music song is "Take a Chance with Me" which has been my favorite all-time song since its release on 1982's "Avalon," Roxy Music's last studio album. NOTE: This is NOT the ABBA song with a similar title.

My favorite solo Ferry song is "Driving Me Wild" from his 2014 album "Avonmore." (Click the link below to watch the official music video.) Trivia: Ferry's son Tara plays drums on this song/in this video. Also, the short instrumental song that ends Roxy Music's "Avalon" album is titled "Tara."

Many thanks go to my cousin Scott for introducing me to Roxy Music's "Avalon," which I didn't like until my third listen. This was the first Roxy Music album I heard. Shortly after, I purchased every Roxy Music album in a used record store.

NOTE: That is NOT Ferry in the photo below.

https://youtu.be/T7UB_0AiLNU?si=lRGzhAcvPGzW1uW9

"Abbey Road" Release: 1969

September 26, 2024, at home

On this date in 1969, The Beatles released "Abbey Road," their last recorded studio album. Their album "Let It Be" was recorded before "Abbey Road" but released after "Abbey Road."

Jughead, Ariel, & More

September 25, 2024, at home

Today is National Comic Book Day.

I became a big fan of Jughead comic books (digests) in the early 1990s, when I was in my early 30s. During that time (1992 to 1996), I was a reporter, writer, editor, and researcher for a weekly, international magazine on the financial and technical aspects of the chemical industry, and I needed to read something simplistic for a change, so I chose Jughead.

Jughead Jones and I are very much alike. He's lazy, awkward, clumsy, and a free spirit, plus he likes to eat, especially hamburgers, and is not popular with the ladies. He is just kind of ... "there," being somewhat superfluous.

I have been a fan of Jughead since I was a kid in the 1960s. I enjoyed the comic strips, which I still do, and The Archies Show cartoon TV series that aired for one season in 1968, when I was seven years old.

September 25, 2024, at home

Today is National One-Hit Wonder Day. What is your favorite one-hit wonder? Mine is "Ariel" by Dean Friedman from April 1977. I was 16 years old when it was released. Although it's about northern New Jersey in the 1960s, I can absolutely relate to it because I grew up not far away on Long Island, New York. (Both areas are quite close to New York City, so the experiences were similar.) I like this video and the lyrics of the song because both really captures the time period, and also both somewhat remind me of my childhood. (I'm not Jewish.) Friedman had other minor hits, but "Ariel" is by far his most famous.

https://youtu.be/WSkX2o__7VU

LYRICS

Way on the other side of the Hudson
Deep in the bosom of suburbia
I met a young girl she sang mighty fine
Tears on my pillow and Ave Maria

Standing by the water fall in Paramus Park
She was working for the friends of BAI
She was collecting quarters in a paper cup
She was looking for change and so was I

She was a Jewish girl, I fell in love with her
She wrote her number on the back of my hand
I called her up, I was all out of breath
I said, "Come hear me play in my rock and roll band"

I took a shower and I put on my best blue jeans
I picked her up in my new VW van
She wore a peasant blouse with nothing underneath
I said "Hi." She said, "Yeah, I guess I am"
Ariel, Ariel

We had a little time, we were real hungry
We went to Dairy Queen for something to eat
She had some onion rings, she had a pickle
She forgot to tell me that she didn't eat meat

I had a gig in the American Legion hall
It was a dance for the Volunteer Ambulance Corps
She was sitting in a corner against the wall
She would smile and I melted all over the floor
Ariel, Ariel

I took her home with me, we watched some TV
Annette Funicello and some guy going steady
I started fooling around with the vertical hold
We got the munchies and I made some spaghetti

We sat and we talked into the night
While channel two was signing off the air
I found the softness of her mouth
We made love, the bombs bursting in air
Ariel, Ariel, Ariel, Ariel

Way on the other side of the Hudson
Deep in the bosom of suburbia
I met a young girl
She sang mighty fine
Tears on my pillow and Ave Maria
Tears on my pillow and Ave Maria
Tears on my pillow and Ave Maria

(Songwriter: Robert James Smith)

T.S./Hurricane Helene Near

September 25, 2024, at home

We are awaiting the wind and rain from Tropical Storm/Hurricane Helene. My wife and I, and my mom who lives about a mile away, are located at the blue dot.

UPDATE: Less than a minute after I posted this (on Facebook), it started to rain.

Punctuation & Cherries

September 24, 2024, at home

I would like to take this opportunity to address one of my punctuation pet peeves and also to tell you a somewhat obscure punctuation rule that many people do not know.

PET PEEVE: Please do NOT place a comma between the subject and the verb in a sentence, even if the subject is lengthy. For example, do NOT place a comma in the following sentence:

"The boy who lives down the street in the two-story house is coming to our apartment for dinner."

If you place a comma between the word "house" and the word "is," it is incorrect and is tantamount to writing this sentence: "I, am."

RULE: When making a word ending in "ss" possessive, the method is based on the first letter of the next word. For example:

the boss's chair
the boss' salary

the princess's castle
the princess' secret

Basically, you can have an "s" three times in a row, but not four times in a row. Did you know this rule?

September 24, 2024, at home

I have eaten Cherries Jubilee many decades ago. I would prefer it with chocolate ice cream.

My 1st Published Article

September 24, 2024, at home

I am "only" 63 years old, but this makes me feel old:

Today, I am celebrating the FORTY-SECOND (42nd) anniversary of my FIRST published article in a newspaper. This solidified myself as a journalist and became the launching pad for a fascinating journalistic journey over several decades.

Here is my review of The Who’s 1982 album “It’s Hard,” which appeared in the September 24, 1982, issue of The Villanovan, the weekly newspaper of Villanova University in Villanova, Pennsylvania, near Philadelphia. Click/Tap on it to enlarge it. I also wrote a review of The Who concert I attended a month or two later.

After two-and-a-half years in the pre-med program at Villanova, I changed my major to communications with a minor in the French language, graduating in December 1984. I then graduated with a master's degree in journalism from the University of Missouri in Columbia in May 1988.

I have definitely had a fun, interesting, and challenging series of gigs over the years (September 1982 to April 2017).

My positions over the years include reporter, writer, rewriter, reviewer, proofreader, page designer, photographer, researcher, and many types of editors for newspapers, magazines, newsletters, statistical reports, white papers, news websites, and a wire service. I have also edited three books: a paperback on bankruptcy law; and two paperback biographies on Johnny Cash and on Whitney Houston.

Some of the other vastly varied topics with which I have been involved include (not in order): news; business; sports; real estate; income tax; automotive; religion; advice; immigration; risk management (corporate insurance); the chemical industry, including heavy and agriculture chemicals, organics (aromatics and aliphatics), pharmaceuticals, paints, coatings, plastics, oils, fats, waxes, flavors and fragrances; commodities (futures and options) trading, specifically coffee, sugar, cocoa, cotton, orange juice, and whole milk, plus crude oil and natural gas; the Federal Reserve Bank of New York money supply; home improvement; home building; housewares; health and beauty care; components of retail store displays, specifically mannequins, lighting, showcases, shelving, framing, plastics, flooring, graphics, signage, architecture, and analytical research; a cruise ship; and rock 'n' roll, movies, gossip, crime, and entertainment, specifically as a copy editor and page designer from 2002 to 2011 for Star, Globe, National Examiner, and National Enquirer magazines.

Due to medical issues, I left the journalism profession on March 31, 2017, which was the final day of a three-week-long gig editing and rewriting the Intranet (internal) website of The World, the largest residential cruise ship in the world.

As for me now, I am (still) in the midst of writing an autobiographical novel loosely based on my four years as a reporter, writer, and researcher, covering the technical and financial aspects of the chemical industry for an international weekly magazine based in New York City from 1992 to 1996. I worked at four gigs in The City from 1991 to 1998 before moving to Florida.

In addition, I am (still) in the preliminary stages of self-publishing a book of my self-penned poetry. I have written more than 300 poems since 1986, so I need to choose 75 of my subjectively best poems for inclusion. I have had several of my poems published in national anthologies, mostly in the 1990s, and one in 2010 with Eber & Wein Publishing company. One of my poems was published in 2022 in Eber & Wein's "Best Poets of 2021" anthology. I also had a poem published in 2021 in this company's anthology titled "Best Poets of 2020."

I also maintain a personal blog, which basically is most of my entries from Facebook; and a YouTube channel that mostly contains videos of myself playing the piano and/or singing, plus medical updates.

Today Is ...

September 23, 2024, at home

When I was a kid in the 1960s and 1970s, I enjoyed Swanson chicken pot pies. We didn't have them often. My wonderful wife sometimes makes pot pies from scratch.

September 23, 2024, at home

I used to love these, but I have lost my taste for them.

Beautiful Turkey Dinner

September 22, 2024, at home

This afternoon, my wonderful wife made this beautiful dinner: turkey rolls stuffed with bread stuffing, sautéed onions, and dried cranberries; extra bread stuffing; gravy; mashed sweet potatoes with unsalted butter and ground cinnamon; green beans with slivered almonds (in an air fryer); and white shoepeg corn (my favorite) with dried parsley.

Today Is ...

September 22, 2024, at home

I never liked a cone. I always choose a cup, since I was a kid in the 1960s.

September 22, 2024, at home

I prefer dark chocolate.

September 22, 2024, at home

I used to write in a journal until one day in the mid-1980s I stopped and then started writing poetry. I thought that writing my heartfelt and spiritual thoughts as poems was better than writing about my daily exploits in a journal.

September 22, 2024, at home

Vote Red

Singapore Grand Prix

September 22, 2024, at home

I am watching live coverage of the eighteenth race of the 2024 Formula 1 racing season. The Singapore Grand Prix is being broadcast on Sky Sports F1 (on a feed to ESPN). The race started at 8 p.m. local time (8 a.m. Eastern Time in the United States).

Below is a diagram of the Marina Bay Street Circuit through the streets around Marina Bay, Singapore. Almost all of the races are on actual circuits (tracks), so this street circuit is relatively rare. Each circuit around the world has a different configuration, therefore a different dynamic, regarding turns and elevation fluctuations. As you can see, this circuit is particularly challenging.

This season's 24-race schedule is as follows: Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Australia, Japan, China, Miami, Italy, Monaco, Canada, Spain, Austria, Great Britain, Hungary, Belgium, The Netherlands, Italy (different circuit), Azerbaijan, Singapore, Austin, Mexico, Brazil, Las Vegas, Qatar, and Abu Dhabi.

The first two races this season (in Bahrain and in Saudi Arabia) were held on Saturdays due to the Islamic observance of Ramadan. All other races will be held on Sundays, as usual, except for the Las Vegas Grand Prix which will also be held on Saturday.

Before each race, there are two days of practice/qualifying. The races run every week or every other week from March into December.

In Formula 1 racing, there are 20 (male) drivers, with one driver from the United States. There are 10 teams (with two drivers on each team), so not only do drivers compete against their rivals, but they also compete against their teammates. There are two championships: one for the drivers and one for the constructor teams.

This season, as with last season, there are three races in the United States. In fairly recent years, there were no drivers from the United States and no races in the United States.

Formula 1 racing is the only sport that I actively follow. I have been a fan for decades. I watched my first F1 race decades ago on television at the home of one of my many Austrian cousins while on vacation in Austria.

Taste Test Video: Ka'chava

September 21, 2024, at home

Taste Test: Ka'chava Shake Powder (Sept. 21, 2024)

I created and uploaded a video onto my YouTube channel: It's a taste test of Ka'chava shake powder with which to make healthy shakes. I decided to try it to regain my strength following six surgeries in two years (March 2022 to April 2024), plus other recent medical issues.

https://youtu.be/MrUp25WP2AI?si=8ozK50jjf2l-x4fe

Today Is ...

September 21, 2024, at home

I used to celebrate National Singles Day/Week, when I was single. Now that I'm married (since February 4, 2006), I not-so-fondly remember my single decades.

I was without female companionship from age 20 to age 40 (February 1982 to November 2000) and not by choice, so I have been quite intimate with the (good and bad) aspects of single life. (Please, no pity.)

During my lifetime, I was rejected hundreds and hundreds of times by women. This includes 414 rejections by women in 18 months with a video dating service in New Jersey in the mid-1990s, when I was in my mid-30s. Almost all of these women said "unattractive" was the reason for not wanting to meet with me for a date. I was able to go on a few dates, but when around 400 women described me as "unattractive," I will admit that I started to believe it.

I even wore a fake wedding ring twice in the mid- to late 1990s to get women to be friendly toward me: once while living in New Jersey and working in New York City; and once living and working in Florida. They seemed to be more friendly toward me, but not that friendly. When a man wears a wedding ring, he is suddenly viewed as normal by women because they know that one other woman knows he's normal. He becomes less threatening.

September 21, 2024, at home

I grew up on Long Island, New York, specifically Babylon and West Islip; I have lived in upstate New York: Cornwall-on-Hudson, Newburgh, Wallkill, and Wellsville; and I have worked in New York City for seven years (1991-1998). (I have lived in six states: New York, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Missouri, New Jersey, and Florida.

September 21, 2024, at home

I do like pecan cookies.

September 21, 2024, at home

I do like the occasional chai tea.

Car Wash (Mom's Car)

September 21, 2024, at home

Car Wash (Sept. 21, 2024)

My wife and I ran my mom's car through an automatic car wash. Here is a less-than-one-minute-long clip from that experience.

https://youtube.com/shorts/o2abT8LpezI?si=Zldnp4UASybVtBzU

Today Is ...

September 20, 2024, at home

If I am feeling mainstream, I'll go for a pepperoni pizza. If not, then I'll go for my favorite pizza topping: pickled capers. My other favorite toppings are fried egg and/or artichoke hearts and/or anchovies.

September 20, 2024, at home

At university/fraternity parties in the early 1980s, we drank fruit punch mixed with ginger ale or Sprite and with Everclear (95% grain alcohol) in huge punch bowls. (fun times)

September 20, 2024, at home

I do like fried rice.

September 20, 2024, at home

I do like string cheese.

Today Is ...

September 19, 2024, at home

When I was a kid in the 1960s and 1970s, I enjoyed Snack Pack butterscotch pudding, as well as Snack Pack chocolate pudding. My mom would put one in my lunch box, later brown paper bag, to take to school with me.

Another Piano Improv

September 18, 2024, at home

Piano Improv: 2nd in 3 Days (Sept. 18, 2024)

I created and uploaded a video onto my YouTube channel of myself playing an improvisation on my digital piano. I like to sit at my piano and play whatever is in my head at that time. I make it up as I go along.

Due to medical issues, I haven't played in about sixteen months, other than two days ago, when I created and uploaded a more simplistic piano improv video as my first time back at the old 88 keys.

My wife and I were staying at my mom's home about a mile away for a few days while our condo was being "tented" for termites. (My piano is in my mom's porch area.)

Note: The scar in my left leg is from having a vein removed that was used for my quadruple coronary artery bypass surgery in March 2022.

[I changed the title to 3 from 2 because it was "in 3 Days" even though I created the 2nd video about 48 hours later, which is "2 days."]

https://youtu.be/q2iCkbE60GY?si=r0uFWxZMTA-7A0ft

Today Is ...

September 18, 2024, at home

The cheeses I prefer on my burgers are blue, Swiss, or Provolone, but I do eat McDonald's cheeseburgers with American "cheese," which I don't like all that much. My wife and I ate doubles today. I never, EVER put any vegetables on my (cheese)burgers, meaning no lettuce, tomatoes, onions, etc., although I will sometimes put sliced pickles between the cheese and the top bun. My topping preferences for my burgers are either:

1. mayonnaise and ketchup
2. fried egg and ketchup
3. only peanut butter

Piano Improv Video

September 16, 2024, at my mom's home

I created and uploaded a video of myself playing an improvisation on my digital piano. Due to medical issues, I haven't played in about sixteen months. I wanted to create a video this time where I sound "rusty," so it sounds like I haven't played in a long while. My wife and I are staying at my mom's home about a mile away for a few days while our condo is being "tented" for termites.

Piano Improv (Sept. 16, 2024)

UPDATE: I like to sit at my digital piano and play whatever is in my head at that time. I make it up as I go along.

https://youtu.be/xI3kKXxsQ2Q?si=LTSyJOJxhoRxgQOm

Today Is ...

September 17, 2024, at my mom's home

A Monte Cristo is my favorite cooked sandwich. I have enjoyed them since the late 1960s, when my age was in single digits. It is made with ham, turkey, and Swiss cheese. The assembled sandwich is then dipped into an egg batter and pan fried until golden. It is then typically dusted with confectioner's (powdered) sugar. I like mine with grape jelly, although red raspberry jam is nice, too.

September 17, 2024, at my mom's home

I think that I like apple dumplings. I am not sure if I have ever eaten one. I hate raw apples, but I like apples in any other form, so I am sure that I would like them.

Today Is ...

September 16, 2024, at my mom's home

Play-Doh was initially invented as a way to clean wallpaper.