Today Is ...

In the late 1940s, maybe early 1950s, when my dad was a kid, he had a pet squirrel named Jake. Jake lived outside, but would come into his house in Lindenhurst, Long Island, New York, to visit. One day, Jake never came back.

My dad (1934-1997) told me that Jake would sit on his shoulder and watch television with him. I am now questioning whether that is temporally possible, unless his parents had an early version of a TV. Yeah, he must have been in his later teens because he graduated from high school in 1951 at age 17, and then attended the Wharton business school at the University of Pennsylvania.

January 21, 2026, at home

Iguana Video

January 20, 2026, at home

An Iguana Visited Me (Jan. 20, 2026)

(length: 35 seconds)

So, I hear a thud. I look out of my bedroom window to see a relatively large iguana attempting to enter. I know that it couldn't, but it was still an unnerving event, with it scratching on the window and staring at me. Sorry, I know you are cold, but you can't come in. I don't want to close the blinds, but I may have to close them. The thing continues to stare at me with the hope that I have some compassion and let it inside to get warm. Come on. It was 71 degrees here this afternoon, but it was cooler earlier. Well, maybe it's just relaxing.

During cooler temperatures here in southeastern Florida, iguanas fall from high in the trees onto your head, so be careful out there.

https://youtube.com/shorts/WIV2relViEo?si=13tUypsbJ8CJdRRA

"Meet The Beatles!"

January 20, 2026, at home

Sixty-two (62) years ago today (January 20, 1964), The Beatles released their first American-version studio album on Capitol Records: "Meet The Beatles!." I have listened to it many times since its release.

According to Wikipedia: "Meet the Beatles!" is a studio album by the English rock band The Beatles, released as their second album in the United States. It was the group's first American album to be issued by Capitol Records on 20 January 1964 in both mono and stereo formats. It topped the popular album chart on 15 February 1964 and remained at number one for eleven weeks before being replaced by "The Beatles' Second Album."

The "Meet The Beatles!" cover featured Robert Freeman's iconic portrait of The Beatles used in the United Kingdom for With the Beatles, with a blue tint added to the original stark black-and-white photograph.

"Introducing ... The Beatles" is the first studio album released by the English rock band the Beatles in the United States. Originally scheduled for a July 1963 release, the LP came out on 10 January 1964, on Vee-Jay Records, ten days before Capitol's "Meet the Beatles!."

Of course, living in the United States, I was initially familiar with the U.S. releases, as I was growing up in the 1960s. When I grew up, I discovered that the British releases were far superior.

Iguana Visitor

January 20, 2026, at home

So, I hear a thud. I look out of my bedroom window to see a relatively large iguana attempting to enter. I know that it couldn't, but it was still an unnerving event, with it scratching on the window and staring at me. Sorry, I know you are cold, but you can't come in. I don't want to close the blinds, but I may have to close them. The thing continues to stare at me with the hope that I have some compassion and let it inside to get warm. Come on. It's 71 degrees here and now. It was cooler earlier, but it's not bad now. Well, maybe it's just relaxing.

During cooler temperatures here in southeastern Florida, iguanas fall from high in the trees onto your head, so be careful out there.

Today Is ...

From husband Bill, January 20, 2026, at home

I like many cheeses, including Provolone, Mozzarella, Ricotta, Gorgonzola, Blue, Brie, and Emmental (Swiss), but (I think) my favorite cheese is Leyden from The Netherlands, which is similar to Gouda but harder and contains whole cumin seeds and whole caraway seeds.

UPDATE: I forgot Romano and Parmesan.

From husband Bill, January 20, 2026, at home

Today is National Disk Jockey Day. Dan Ingram (September 7, 1934 – June 24, 2018) was and still is my favorite disc jockey on "WABC Musicradio 77" (770 AM) which broadcast from New York City when I was growing up on Long Island, New York, in the 1960s and 1970s.

The station began broadcasting Top 40 hits on December 7, 1960, less than three months before I was born, and switched to a news-and-talk format on May 10, 1982. Around that time, Ingram, and many of the other WABC DJs, went to WCBS (101.1 FM), which was an oldies music station in New York City, to which I also listened. Ingram retired in 2013 and passed in 2018 at the age of 83.

Ingram and the other DJs on WABC, including Harry Harrison, Bruce Morrow ("Cousin Brucie"), Ron Lundy (another favorite of mine), and Johnny Donovan, provided the soundtrack to my early life, especially during those many hot summers on the beach at Robert Moses State Park, either Field 4 or Field 5.

Here is a link to part of Ingram's broadcast on July 4, 1968, when I was seven years old.

https://youtu.be/7_DKAK77Lno?si=ukdFY5OhnncW26kz

Around that time, as many kids did, I would record my favorite songs off of the radio tuned to WABC in my room with my portable cassette tape recorder by holding the microphone close but not too close to the radio speaker.

From husband Bill, January 20, 2026, at home

I like buttercrunch, but I prefer it covered with chocolate.

The Dadaistic Piano

 The Dadaistic Piano (with Improv): (Jan. 19, 2026) 

https://youtu.be/pKT81ahPRkw?si=UPe77LaZWRQZ8eCs 

I created and uploaded a video onto my YouTube channel: "Bill Santos: Piano & More." (length: 3'38") ... I used a section of one of my piano improvisations that I recorded as a video on December 24, 2022, as the backing track for this new video. 

I like to sit at my digital piano and just start playing whatever is in my head at that time. I make it up as I go along. This is my method with all of my piano improvisational videos. 

I have been interested in Dadaism for many decades, and I have considered myself to be a Dadaist since about the same time, expressed personally and artistically in the form of my prose, my poetry, my music, both composing and my method of playing, and, if I can get myself started and motivated, my painting. 

Dadaism is an artistic movement that started in the early 1900s. As per a Google search (to be accurate), Dadaism is "an anti-art movement born from World War I's (1914-1918) horrors, rejecting logic, reason, and societal norms through absurdity, chance, and irrationality to protest the war and challenge traditional art, using mediums like collage, performance, and nonsensical poetry to shock and provoke, laying groundwork for future movements like Surrealism." It started in Zürich and traveled to major cities around the world, including New York, Paris, Berlin, Cologne, and Hannover.

January 19, 2026, at home

Boiled Pork Chops

Many thanks go to my wonderful wife for cooking for me one of my favorite dinners: boiled (yes, boiled) pork chops (with gravy). She also air-fried brussels sprouts; and pan-fried sliced potatoes in a pan with olive oil. 

My paternal grandmother, whose parents were from Austria and Switzerland, often made boiled pork chops when I was a kid in the 1960s and 1970s. My father's sister has often made it, too.

January 19, 2026, at home

MLK Jr. = Trump

Martin Luther King Jr. was a Republican and would have definitely been a strong Trump supporter. Trump is following MLK Jr.'s philosophy by ending DEI hiring, which is ending the practice of hiring blacks based on the color of their skin rather than their actual ability. Women also benefit from a similar concept of being hired instead of men based on gender rather than ability.

"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character." - MLK Jr.

That is definitely a MAGA concept: hiring by merit and ability rather than by gender and by color of skin.

DEI = Didn't Earn It

Amazon Delivery

I took delivery yesterday of my most recent online order from Amazon: two bottles of pineapple-flavored, liquid magnesium glycinate; 24 emesis bags; two jars of Brioschi (Italian, lemon-flavored digestive aid); and sugar-free candy.

January 19, 2026, at home

Humorous

Angry liberals empower Trump supporters and make us laugh.

January 19, 2026, at home

Return To "Normalcy"

January 19, 2026, at home

PHOTO: Me, physical rehabilitation at home, January 16, 2026

I am regaining my strength and my spirit, and getting back to a "normal lifestyle" after recent, severe medical issues. Between March 2022 and November 2025, I endured eight surgeries that took me down hard. Before that, I was dealing with other medical problems, including other surgeries (many left foot; nasal/sinus); dialysis; plural effusions; skin, bone, and blood infections.

My pain has mostly abated; I am continuing physical rehabilitation at home in an effort to walk again; receiving continued wound care on my left foot at home; and I am gearing up my brain to get back to writing my autobiographical novel.

Many thanks go to my wonderful wife and my terrific mother for their support and prayers, as well as from friends and family members.

Hey, I now have several long (and short), epic scars in my chest, in my belly, in my back, and in both of my legs, which I consider to be badges of honor. I do not seek pity or sympathy. I just want to tell you that I am returning to a life of "normalcy" after several years of difficult medical struggles.

My recent surgeries:

*March 2022: quadruple coronary artery bypass surgery ... broken sternum (breastbone) and removal of a vein in my left thigh
*May 2022: 1st chest surgery (remove loose screws/sternal plate and clean out infection)
*May 2022: 2nd chest surgery (a week later to close my chest)
*September 2023: 1st spine surgery (remove abscess in infected disk)
*October 2023: 2nd spine surgery (placement of titanium metal rod to hold my spine together due to a bone infection)
*April 2024: right ankle surgery due to 2 fractures
*November 4, 2025: artery bypass surgery (3-foot-long blockage in main artery in my left leg; removal of 3-foot-long vein in my right leg and inserted within my left leg)
*November 8, 2025: left foot surgery (3rd and 4th toes of my left foot amputated due to artery blockage)

Quark & Popcorn

I like to eat Quark (the cheese), although I haven't eaten it in several years, and I have never put it on my face. Many years ago, I used Quark (the publishing computer program) at work. I sort of like the character Quark from Star Trek. And, I have never seen a Quark (subatomic particle).

January 19, 2026, at home

Reality V. Utopia

The United States is one of the LEAST racist countries.

https://youtube.com/shorts/mUqGFjB2wIs?si=TEENqUL3h6nSbHRb

January 18, 2026, at home

From husband Bill, January 18, 2026, at home

One of my favorite books is "The Tao of Pooh" by Benjamin Hoff. (Tao is pronounced "dow.") Taoism is a Chinese philosophy/religion that emphasizes living in harmony with the universe. It also teaches that one doesn't have to label oneself as anything. One can just be (just exist). Pooh is an example of Taoism. Hoff writes from the perspective of himself, an author writing a book, but as if Pooh were sitting on his desk. He and Pooh have a conversation about Taoism. Hoff also wrote the book "The Te of Piglet" which explains the concept that there is power in being small.

From husband Bill, January 18, 2026, at home

I have eaten many roasted Pekin ducks (no "g") with orange sauce when I was a kid in the 1960s and 1970s, but I don't ever remember eating it in this style. I actually have been recently thinking about Peking Duck (with a g), so I will no doubt order it soon at a Chinese restaurant.

Employment Video

From husband Bill, January 17, 2026, at home

I created and uploaded another video onto my YouTube channel: "Bill Santos: Piano & More." Which of these 10 jobs did I NOT have? The answer is at the end of the video. (length: 5'31") ... I created this video for fun and to share a bit of my professional life with friends, family members, former co-workers, and anyone who is interested.

GAME: Which Job Did I NOT have? (Jan. 17, 2026)

https://youtu.be/Tfd2iTq5ZSA?si=U1r4YzSkOqV237vP

Be Careful With Exercise

Exercise can kill you. Be careful.

"Heart study flags dangerous rhythm risk for endurance athletes over 50"

https://www.foxnews.com/health/heart-study-flags-dangerous-rhythm-risk-endurance-athletes-over-50

January 17, 2026, at home 

Today Is ...

From husband Bill, January 17, 2026, at home

TRIVIA: You know how Popeye eats spinach to get strong? Well, initially, he was to eat garlic.

Today Is ...

From husband Bill, January 16, 2026, at home

While my taste has mellowed over the years, I still enjoy spicy dishes, specially Indian, Thai, and Mexican. I still occasionally sprinkle red pepper flakes on my Italian dishes.

From husband Bill, January 16, 2026, at home

I am (still) in the preliminary stages of compiling 75 of my more than 300 self-penned poems for self-publication as a soft-cover book. Also, I am (still) in the process of writing an autobiographical novel loosely based on my four years (1992 - 1996) as a reporter, writer, editor, and researcher for an international weekly magazine on the financial and technical aspects of the chemical industry (based in the financial district of New York City). I am including and elaborating on, and partially exaggerating various aspects of my entire life so far. I hope to have it self-published. (I was a journalist from September 1982 to April 2017.) I was sidetracked by medical issues, including eight surgeries between March 2022 and November 2025. Because of that, I have more to write about. 

From husband Bill, January 16, 2026, at home

I have had eight surgeries between March 2022 and November 2025. I wish they could have been done without scalpels. Then again, I now have cool, long incision scars in my chest, back, and legs.

*March 2022: quadruple coronary artery bypass surgery (broken sternum required)

*May 2022: 1st chest surgery (open chest to remove loose screws/sternal plate and clean out infection within my chest)

*May 2022: 2nd chest surgery (a week later to close my chest)

*September 2023: 1st spine surgery (remove abscess from infected disk)

*October 2023: 2nd spine surgery (placement of titanium metal rod to hold my spine together due to bone infection causing my spine to "collapse")

*April 2024: right ankle surgery due to 2 fractures (bone biopsy, deburring of bone, draining of fluid)

*November 4, 2025: artery bypass surgery (3-foot-long blockage in the main artery in my left leg; removal of 3-foot-long vein in my right leg, which was inserted within my left leg to bypass my blocked artery)

*November 8, 2025: left foot surgery (3rd and 4th toes of my left foot amputated due to artery blockage) ... I also have a wound on the heel of my left foot due to the blockage.

From husband Bill, January 16, 2026, at home

I do like figs, especially from my maternal grandfather's fig tree when I was a kid in the 1960s and 1970s, but I have never been all that fond of Fig Newtons.

From husband Bill, January 16, 2026, at home

My Initial Religion: Roman Catholicism

My Current Religion: Gaudiya Vaishnavism (Hare Krishna), a sect of Sanatana Dharma (Hinduism)

From husband Bill, January 16, 2026, at home

"Nothing is real." - John Lennon

The day is to celebrate nothing.