"...youth's a stuff will not endure." (Shakespeare 'Twelfth Night'

.....There used to be two locations where I could get a couple of hot dogs and fries from Nathan's--one in Boca Raton and one in Boynton Beach and then the one in Boca closed down.  Oh, yes, and there was a Nathan's venue in the Lake Worth plaza on the Florida Tpke., but it closed down also. Sadly, then the one in Boynton Beach closed down, and I was devastated and had severe withdrawal symptoms for lack of a Nathan's hot dog and fries. This lack went on for a whole year and was severely exacerbated when I also broke my hip back in March and both of these events led to a depression unalleviated and painful. Yes, having to endure a Hebrew National hot dog did not help either the pain or the depression. However, I became my old cheerful self once again when I discovered a Nathan's venue very recently inside of a K-Mart store just east of I-95 and Palmetto Park Rd.!  It was rather strange to be eating Nathan's hot dogs inside of a department store, but that did not affect the delicious experience.

.....I was reminded of the zeitgeist days that I used to go to Coney Island when I was a kid and ate at the ORIGINAL Nathan's.  Hot dogs were a nickel back then, but the high price did not matter to me.  Along with the hot dog, I also used to opt for a chow mein sandwich which Nathan's offered at the time.  Coney Island was a long way from the Bronx on the el, so I had to make the most of it as far as having fun was concerned.  Of course, I was always with a girlfriend and we went on the Cyclone roller coaster, of which there was no equal in the world.  Then what was called The Steeplechase, where you sat on a horse--not a real one, but almost-- for the ride was on rails and you rode that horse as though it was Seabiscuit; although it was way before that horse was born. Then there was the Spooky House which led you on a scary ride, mostly in the dark.  That gave the girlfriend an opportunity to scream and grab me around my neck; and gave me the opportunity for other things a guy might do in the dark, driven by raging hormones--and also a bit scary, depending on how well you knew the girl.  

.....After the rides, it was wonderful just to walk on the boardwalk and smell the ocean and watch the seagulls. We would stop and get some salt water taffy or some cotton candy or some chocolate fudge and then stop for awhile to play some miniature golf.  Sadly, it was dusk by this time and I had to get the girl back home before it got really dark. The experience cost me about $1.35--almost all of my weekly allowance, but I had to admit it was worth it; especially Nathan's and the darkness of the Spooky House.  There is no fun like that anymore; not anywhere. Not even close. Why is it that by the time you get your head straight, you're too tired or too ill or too immobile to do anything about it. I have no regrets about youth being wasted on the young; I guess I wasted my youth having fun and eating hot dogs, but who cares?

THANKSGIVING DAY

.....Today is "Turkey Day", although I suspect that not everyone is going to eat the traditional food.  Those who are financially secure may be grilling steaks in the back yard, or simply chicken, or hot dogs and hamburgers...or even, perhaps, lobsters.  But there are millions of people in this country now who are living in poverty.  I believe the latest figure are those whose income is below $22,000 a year.  Now, this doesn't merely apply to families who are living in run-down, crime filled urban areas; it also applies to people who live in well-to-do suburban areas of big cities who have lost their jobs, and perhaps their homes, and who have to change their lifestyle with food stamps in order to feed their families.  It is truly tragic that people have to suffer this way...and Republican congressmen oppose any tax on the wealthy 1% of this country.  The fact is that many of them are wealthy themselves. There is one way, and one way only, I believe to escape a life of poverty--and that is education.  There is no reason that I can think of that funds to improve run down schools, and funds to attract good teachers, and funds to send poor kids to college cannot be legislated.  FDR sent thousands of veterans to colleges under the GI Bill--and I am one of them.  Why not the same type of program for the children of poverty stricken families?  Oh, well, I'll get off my soapbox now.  I may not know what I'm talking about, but what I am thinking is a whole different matter.

.....In yesterday's posting, I included a stanza from a lengthy poem by Swinburne called "The Garden of Proserpine" which seemed to inspire a few readers. It was a stanza which stood out for me when I first read it.  But it was not the only inspirational stanza that I read when I was in the process of being educated.  There are couple by George Gordon, Lord Byron that stand out in my mind.  Like this one which touches upon Nature, something in life that we should be thankful for.

There is a pleasure in the pathless woods,
There is a rapture on the lonely shore,
There is society where none intrudes,
By the deep sea, and music in its roar:
I love not man the less, but nature more,
From these our interviews, in which I steal
From all I may be, or have been before,
To mingle with the universe, and feel
What I can ne'er express, yet cannot all conceal.-

.....To mingle with the universe!  Man, how lofty is that?  Try mingling today, Thanksgiving Day; believe me it is "cleansing," cathartic--and if it works for me, it can surely work for you.  I've written some poetry myself, but it is all put to shame by such lines as "There is rapture on the lonely shore."  Rapture, indeed.  And today, one must give thanks for all that nature provides, and Byron manages to tell us what it is.

"Heap high the board with plenteous cheer, and gather to the feast."

.....Finally, I decided to write a novel; it will become known as "the great American novel" depending on whether or not I finish it.  No fair comparing it to anyone under the age of 80 who has written a novel--like F. Scott Fitzgerald or Ernest Hemingway, or Mark Twain, et cetera.  Now, you might be curious as to the subject of this novel; well it's a novel subject which at the moment I am not able to divulge.  I have a few pages already, and I have no idea where this thing is going, but I'm going to plod along until I have as many pages as "The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire." (Is that a novel? I never read it.) Or perhaps as many pages as Tolstoy has written in his novel...I don't think he was over 80.  I did read somewhere that his wife copied his edited versions of "War and Peace" 13 times!  She had to have had writer's cramp.  And she never had the use of Paper Mate Ink Joy 300 RT Retractable pens.  If I ever finish this novel...and it might be when I hit 90...I will probably send it to Oprah, if she still has a show.  Otherwise I will give it to an agent to publicize and sell a million copies like Sarah Palin. You never know.

.....I will write this book in spite of the fact that I have had a sore toe for almost nine months, and I still have to go to the wound care center.  And in spite of the fact that my hip surgery has not healed to the point where I can ditch the scooter and the walker and get by with a cane that Bobby bought for me; and in spite of the fact that I have had stitches in my cheek from Moh's surgery for a couple of weeks now.  The doctor does not have to remove the stitches because they will dissolve themselves and most likely  will leave a scar on my face so as to spoil my looks.  I will write this book in spite of the fact that I have watched RH+ unhappy about her weight loss; and in spite of the fact that she has had some serious medical issues herself, and I don't like to have things like that happen to her.  If these medical problems continue, then these are not the "golden years"; more like the tin years.  The novel may have to wait until I'm 95, and by then I'll only be able to write about five words at a time before I need to take a nap.

.....Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day, and I suppose we ought to remember all those things we ought to be thankful for.  I am thankful that I am still living and have all my "marbles"; I am thankful that in these times, my house is free of debt; I am thankful for the full life I have lived and I believe none can match; I am thankful for the amazing four children that I have brought up; I am thankful for the amazing woman that is my wife; I am thankful for the books I have published; I am thankful for the health that I have in spite of my misfortunes; I am thankful for my good friends, and when the need for thanks comes around I am reminded of a poem written by Swinburne:

From too much love of living,

   From hope and fear set free

We thank with brief thanksgiving

   Whatever gods may be, 

That no life lives forever, 

 That dead men rise up never;

That even the weariest river

   Winds somewhere safe to sea.

"...and damned be he who first cries 'hold', enough!" (MacBeth)

.....Our cuzzin, Ruthie, from the UK has been so angered and frustrated and nonplussed, and nonminused, and furious about being kept on "hold" on her telephone calls that she was inspired to write the following poem.  This is a UK poem on the subject of "hold" , not a USA poem.   The author is Ruth Grimsley an English poet, and her poem is now immortalized.

OTHERWISE PLEASE HOLD

I telephoned the Council   to get some information

And heard a recorded message   that caused me great frustration

“Press 1 if bankruptcy is looming: press 2 if your ferret needs grooming

Press 3 if you want to catch cold: otherwise please hold!” 

I held on as instructed    for 60 minutes – an hour!

Until near-fatal boredom   did me quite overpower

2 .  I telephoned the company    that sells us all our gas

And got a recorded message    that made me feel like an ass

“Press 1 for the complete works of Trollope: press 2 for some corporate codswallop

Press 3 to buy or sell gold: otherwise please hold!”

I eventually spoke to a person   but she was just a minion

She sympathised with my problem   but couldn’t pass on an opinion

I telephoned the DWP      to query the administration

Of my pension, and their message   caused me great perturbation

“Press 1 for cheap offers amazing: press 2 for double glazing

Press 3 to stop growing old: otherwise please hold!”

I held on for a solid hour   without any sensible reasons

Because I found I was listening    to Antonio Vivaldi’s “The Seasons”

I telephoned the company    that gets our water drained

And sat amazed to listen to the message it explained:

“Press 1 to know how Catholics   and Protestants do differ

Press 2 to find out how to make   you or your partner stiffer

Press 3 to feel that heavenly love   does your soul enfold

Otherwise, would you      please just kindly hold.”

I sat there idly wondering   where these ideas came from:

Then another message said   “see our website

www  dot idiocy dot com”

If I’d wanted an hour of boredom    I could find it easily

If I’d wanted to get nothing done, I could have done that for free

If I’d wanted to hear Vivaldi    I could have done it on my own

And if I’d wanted to view a website    I’D NEVER HAVE PICKED UPTHE PHONE!

.....I would not deign to ruin the effect of horror as one finishes reading this poem (must be read aloud conversationally in order to feel the horror) on the chance that any of my readers has experienced the same onphone experience that Cuzzin Ruthie has achieved so artfully in this, her madness poem.  The worst thing, besides being put on "hold" is to have someone speak English to you in a foreign language. Perhaps that will be her next poem. (And notice the erotic line RG snuck in which makes this an R rated piece and her a limey to be desired.)

"Animals are such agreeable friends..." (George Eliot)

.....I always knew--well, maybe not always-- the collective nouns referring to certain groups of animals.  For example, a herd of cows, a flock of birds, a school of fish--what fish is educated?--a gaggle of geese.  Aha, what about a group of lions, crows, doves, owls and baboons?  It will not be fair if you google them.  If you know, just put it down--and it has nothing to do with your IQ. I'll give the answers at the end of this article.

.....Today, I literally spent hours attempting to change my IDs & passwords on a few websites, and getting routing numbers from online banks so that I could transfer funds when I need to.  The damned websites battled with me over giving me access to my accounts, and several times I had to call customer service on the phone.  That's where I got an automated person telling me which numbers to press according to the information I wanted.  To speak to a real live person, one has to wait about 10 minutes most of the time. Screw that.  I'll start all over again manana.  Perhaps things will have changed.

.....Things are getting better with me.  The sore on my heel is almost closed.  I am free of pain now most all of the time--unless of course I bang it against something.  Insofar as my hip is concerned, the doctor tells me it's healed after looking at the x-rays.  I have my doubts because I cannot walk without the use of my walker--which, incidentally, has Harley-Davidson stickers all over it--courtesy of Bobby when he was here with Michelle. I don't know what is going on with them now.  Did get exciting news from Katrina, my granddaughter, telling everyone that she has a very special man in her life who has proposed to her. She is now engaged to this sailor named Max Hudgins.  They have tentatively set the date for September--depending on their schedule with the Navy.   So I suddenly have to start saving for the wedding.  But I do have my tuxedo ready!

Answers: A murder of crows, an exaltation of doves, a parliament of owls, and last, but not least, a Congress of Baboons!  Most appropriate, don't you think?

"Can'st thou quake and change thy color, murder thy breath in the middle of a word, and then begin and stop again, as if thou wert distraught and mad with terror?" (RichardIII)

.....69 years ago today, November 18, I joined the Navy. Should I celebrate this anniversary or not?  If I celebrate now how should I go about it?  Go out to dinner? A movie?  Or just treat it like any other day. .....I remember that day vividly.  Mom took me to the center where all the enlistees were.  I had a helluva time getting my mother to agree to let me join the Navy.  I told her I wouldn't get hurt because I would sign up to be a Yeoman...who, basically was a clerk.  I could type and take stenography. A Chief Petty officer took me to a room where I took all my clothes off and he went back to give everything to my mother.  In this room  I had a thorough physical exam.  Then another room where they took off my curly locks and made me look like a plucked chicken. When all this was done, everyone got into line and made an oath to serve the country. In a few days we boarded a train, and we were on our way to boot camp at Great Lakes, Illinois--close to Chicago.  

.....This morning the wound care nurse changed the dressing on my heel wound.  She comes twice a week. On Wednesdays I go to the wound care center where the doctor looks at it.  I asked him when the heel would heal and he said about the end of the year.  I have to admit the thing feels a lot better. I can even get t sock on my foot.  After the nurse left, I left to go to the dermatologist where another nurse took the bandage from my cheek and I walk around with my stitches open for anyone to see.  Then I met Rhoda at Bagel Tree for her brunch and my breakfast.  Some celebration.  Weeeee!  I had two eggs over medium, bacon and home fries well done, coffee, and a plain bagel with cream cheese.  My anniversary breakfast.  When I got back home, I went to the Theatre Arts Class which I have been attending ever since I got home from my rehab.  The "students" put and a show in the ballroom for residents to attend free.  They did skits and monologues.

..... The showcase performances were disappointing.  Some in that show forgot to get into their character; forgot the motivation involved in the skit or the monologue; forgot the emotion of the character; spent too much time holding their papers for dear life; forgot to use decent diction and elocution; forgot facial expressions, and several other facets of acting. (See title). Sadly, no one asked me for some help.  I don't bite.  I don't intimidate.  In short, I teach.  So, I see no reason to continue going to that class; there are no roles for a guy with a walker.

Sturm und Drang? Sui Generis?

.....Yesterday, I had mohs surgery on the squamis cell carcinoma on my left cheek which only added to the sturm und drang of this year.  (No, Joel...not that cheek). See, I have interrupted your obvious attempt at a bon mot. I simply cannot wait for this year to be over so that I can get a new start with everything cured and healthy.  And that also goes for RH+ whose health lately has made her RH-.  So, at the moment I am relegated to the use of a walker-- and mine compared with the others' around here looks as though it's custom made.  There are Harley-Davidson stickers all over it (courtesy of Bobby) accompanied by such stickers as "Been there.Done that"; "Why is it that everything my wife gets mad about have to be fun?"; and "Bikers have more fun than people do.".  I also have stuck a miniature flag on a stick to the walker.  And, finally, (for the decorative nonce) RH+ bought lamb's wool grips for me.  Thus, I am the pride of Huntington Lakes.  No one has a walker like mine in any other South Florida community. In that respect I am surely "sui generis".

.....Last evening in our clubhouse, the "Boomers' Club"  held a Veterans' Day party in our ballroom, although I doubt that many of our members are real Boomers.  I know I'm not. I'm a Greatest Generationer, and I did observe several other guys in my category. At any rate, there were about 250 members there enjoying a concert by the Boca Singers who delivered several patriotic tunes. One of them was "God Bless America" when most everyone stood up with hands across the heart.  To me, that was the song that Kate Smith sang at Philadelphia Flyers' hockey games and it became known as Kate's song. But it is obviously not our national anthem, and I don't know why everyone stands for Kate Smith.

.....Yesterday was Veterans' Day, and since I am a veteran I got a few telephone calls of recognition. The best surprise came from Katrina (24), Bobby's daughter, who is making the US Navy her career it appears.  She spent four years in Hawaii and came back to Maryland recently where she works of aircraft engines. We spoke to her for about a half hour.  Of course, we invited her to come here for her leave to get away from the snowy north. Then we got a congratulatory call from her Dad who does call us often. And finally, Sean (28), Bonny's son, called from California to wish me a happy Veterans' Day. However, I for one, did not consider it to be "happy"--why happy? I could not help remembering, all day, those we left behind who never will have the opportunity to be happy. But, I do understand the reason behind wishing friends & relatives a happy day on all of our holidays--except Memorial Day, when I don't think it would be appropriate.  Well, I guess I did have enough to say on Veterans' Day...check out the comments!

"Tis ten to one this play can never please all that are here..." (Henry VIII)

.....Judging from the spirited comments on my October 25th blog, it seems to me that there is some interest in figures of speech.  Consequently, I shall shamefully cater to those who wish to do some writing, and whose sentences often contain these figures without the author knowing that he has used them.  However, those who do write for fun or profit would do well to know some of the important figures of speech so as to make his/her writing more interesting.  For example, there are litotes, oxymora (plural for oxymoron), hyperbole, & aposiopesis--something you might want to look up... and if you don't do it I'll...  (The last type of threat is rarely used in writing, but often used by parents in speaking to their children.)  Speaking of writing, and figures of speech, I have just published a book of poetry in full color which is a hard cover version of "Addenda" (the paper-bound); I must say it is a thing of beauty...something that would do well to be displayed on your living room's cocktail table...or something similar...so that guests might casually pick up and read some.  Unfortunately, it comes at a fairly high price of $24...but of course I think it's worth it, and I could use the royalties.

.....Speaking of high prices, with the help of son, Bobby, who has an account on eBay, & with the help of his expert advertising, we sold a gold coin of mine for $3100.  I bought this coin a few years ago from the US Mint for $1200.  I've been collecting coins for as long as I can remember, and put each denomination in coin folders.  Recently, when son, Joel was here with Barbara I gave him most of the collection...as a part of his inheritance...he should make a good sum of money if he ever decides to sell.  I have already given each of the "kids" a cash part of their inheritance.  I can't believe I'm using the word "inheritance".  I never believed I'd have anything to leave as an inheritance, but I invested well and I decided, along with Rhoda, to give them their share of inheritance before I die...so that I could see them smile.  Unfortunately, I don't have "skype" so I could not see the smiles.  (I think it's called "skype")

.....about the health issues: I've given up going to hyperbarics (the oxygen treatments) because it has made my ears stuff up as sometimes occurs when flying, and secondly, I got tired of spending an hour and a half in the tube.  Extremely boring.  I still have the sore on my heal, but I've been going to the wound care center and it's gotten very small.  There is a lot less pain involved now.  The other issue is my hip; my leg is still not mobile & so I have to use a walker.  I hate it, but I can't do anything about it.  As for RH+, she has her own health issues which are not up for discussion here.

.....about theater issues: Once a month the "Acting" class which meets every Thursday puts on a "Showcase" in the ballroom & usually about a hundred people come to be entertained by the monologues and skits which people in the class perform.  A friend who attended said it was "fun".  Oh, I totally agree about the fun part, not so fun about the performing part.  Probably not so much fun for those in the audience who left at intermission.  The frustrating part for me, however, since I studied at the Columbia School of Drama, and the NY Conservatory, and I have 30 years experience performing in the theatre here and in NY, and that I am a PH.D in English, is that only one or two in this class appear to be interested in getting some help with their ACTING!  I thought that is what the class was supposed to be about, but disappointingly, it doesn't appear that way.  Whatever people are told about the importance of projection, of diction, of movement, of facial expression, and  emotion & etc.,  they completely ignored in this showcase--including what instruction they were given on Thursday's rehearsal about the proper use of the microphone.  Perhaps the latter was due to nervousness or stage fright or both. As for my part in the show--it was to sing "Rich Man" with a harmonica player's accompaniment.  Oh, I'm no Zero Mostel, or Hershal Bernardy, or Topol, or Richard Burton, but I do know a bit about the theatre and about performing.  It amazes me that those who have put on "in-house" shows in the past few years have never asked if I would care to direct a show.  They surely could use some direction-- and profit by it.   I suppose now I'll be known as the Piers Morgan of Huntington Lakes.