Youth is a blunder, manhood a struggle, old age a regret. (Disraeli)

.....On the 27th of February, in the year 2014 (huh?), the Baron will reach the ripe old age of 90.  I do wonder why they call it "ripe".  It sounds too much like "good for picking,"  and I've picked a peck or two  in my time: two fractured hips, COPD, PTSD, Ph.D, pneumonia, melanoma, tonsillectomy, and circumcision (sp?)which I didn't call for at all.  And the number "90" rings some bells much less scary than the coming 90 and its accompanying surprise party.  And then

 incidentally, some people either can't read, or they lost their glasses, or they did not know the meaning of RSVP. If the latter, one wonders what school they attended.  At this surprise party, we are graciously having dinner served to our guests, and all the invitees who have not responded, s'il vous plait, have not indicated their choice for dinner.  When I say "surprise" party, I mean that I'm surprised I've reached 90 and that's what the party is all about. 

 

.....So I ask, why is age 90 all the rage?  There are other 90s that can be used for chit-chat. How about driving 90 miles an hour? How about 90 pieces of gold? How about if the price of oil goes up to $90 a barrel then Allah has to add 18 more virgins to his stock of 72 making it 90 and making it extremely difficult for a young terrorist who blows himself up to satisfy 90 virgins every day throughout all eternity, and he doesn't even know if they are men or women?, The Koran doesn't say.  Yes, and then their is school when the teacher implores you to write a précis of 90 words, and you get a 90 on the math test.  So  you see, there are many more 90s in the world for one to use in ghoulish conversation.

 

.....My British cousin has requested that I analyze another of Shakespeare's sonnets. I'd like to do that--after all, I am an Anglophile, and one of these days when I find a sonnet I like I will satisfy her wish (Christmas is over), but that kind of post may drive some readers away.  I really don't care; I will do a sonnet.  After all, I'm a poet and have published two books of poetry.

"Carpe Dium" (Seize the day)

....Well, to those who have been curious to know why I am no longer Director of the "In-House" show in March, perhaps the email to the president of the Board may enlighten you.  And so I will show it to you now--(Marty is/was Producer of the show)

Aaron: Insofar as my manuscript is concerned, I told Marty that he could direct the show if what he said was true about the cast grumbling about my "strict" direction. I did not believe him, but gave him the opportunity to direct my script anyway because he's a young guy needing experience.  I did not cede the script to him!  Since then, I have heard there have been changes that I have not authorized and which positively violates my copyright (which can be plainly seen stated on page 2.)  All I asked (and still ask) is that the three songs that are very important to my theme be returned to the play, which apparently have not been.  Sandy Zemser decided that she wanted to replace them. I do not have too much faith in her artistic or creative bent, though she may know music.  Please tell them to replace my songs. Please tell them that any changes to my manuscript must have my permission according to the Copyright Act.

.

I ask that you support me in this matter for I'm in the right, and they're clearly in the wrong. The bottom line is that I own this manuscript, of which I am the author, to be used--or not, for the in-house show.  If you do not like what I wrote, you have the right to refuse it.  It must be one way or the other.  I've done more in 30 years to entertain and educate this community than any single person in this cast. I deserve your protection of my Copyright.  And as of now, it appears this has not been the case.

 

.....I hope this has cleared up the situation for you.  Of course, if my songs are not replaced, then I can sue and win--but I don't plan to do that.  I don't want to stir the pot more than it has been stirred already.  I suppose I can write another musical next year, but who knows what the future will bring. Shakespeare wrote "We know what we are, but know not what we may be"

The Bad, the Good, and the Ugly

.....The musical that I wrote has been "stolen" and "ravished".  I recently turned over my role as Director to a "friend" who was at the time the Executive Producer.  I told him he could take over the direction as he saw fit, but should he wish to change anything in the script not to do so without my approval.  If he changed anything without my approval, it would be a violation of my copyright. The fact is that I named him the Director, but I did not give him the play.  Well, since then he went along with his pal, the musical director to change songs that I wanted to begin the show and to end the show.  When Rhoda went to him to ask that he return the script, he refused to do so.  To me, this is outright thievery and violation of the copyright.  What happens now I'm not sure.  I have two choices; take legal action  or let it go and spare myself any further aggravation. I have chosen the latter.  Thank goodness.  Now I can sleep late.

.....The invitations to my Surprise Birthday Party are all out, and the RSVPs are dribbling in.  It appears that some people cannot read...perhaps they are really illegal immigrants.  They do not include what they would care to have for dinner, and so Rhoda has to spend a lot of time calling them back and getting them to speak English or not getting a seat at the Surprise Birthday Party.  Now, some readers think I am fooling by saying it's a "Surprise Party".  Well obviously I know about it so the "surprise" must be that I have been able to reach the age of 90 in order to enjoy a party.  So, it's really a surprise birthday, not a surprise party! Pretty tricky, eh?  All the grandchildren have responded with the exception of Sean and Hannah.  However, since they are adults, their parents don't have to answer for them. If they don't RSVP, then we'll arrange for them to dine at Wendy's.  Huston also has a problem; he ordered cereal which is not on the menu. Will there be music? Yes. Will there be an open bar?  Yes.  Should you bring gifts?  No.

.....Now . the ugly is the amount of time one has to spend taking medication and going to doctors when reaching my age and before.  One may have to see a Primary doctor, a Neurologist, a Coronary doctor, a Pulmonologist, a Dermatologist, and perhaps a Psychiatrist. Then there's the Podiatrist and the Manicurist.  Every week  a "senior" (like me) has a doctor's appointment somewhere and since I have given up my car keys RH+ has to drive me everywhere. I still know how to drive but if I had to get into a car with a 90 year old, I would not do it.  So instead of being hypocrital, I gave up my keys, but not without a tear for the end of an era.

Surprise Party Feb. 28 celebrating still being vertical at 90.

.....OK, folks--this post will be #500!  It has been fun to write these things, but it ain't easy.  At times I lose my train of thought, and I can't dredge it up again.  Perhaps when I was younger I would have been able to do it, but I was doing other things--like making a living and putting food on the table.  With four famished kids one has to work much harder, and find odd jobs on weekends like refereeing for example.  I haven't forgotten my promise to write about what I am going to do. I already wrote about what I did, and what I was doing although I may not have finished the task.

......First of all I am going to retire from theatrical ventures. I succeeded in writing a musical. I think it is a darn good one, but I might not get to see it performed because, as Bobby commented,
an Eagle cannot soar when surrounded by turkeys.  No need to feel concerned because I will enjoy not having to get up early for rehearsals.  And no matter if the cast wants to change some things in it so that they will get the maximum applause or whatever.  I will forever know that I wrote a musical! An that's a fact.  Next I would like to try writing a play or a novel.  I have a half novel of sci-fi that I started a while ago but I left it to soak when we drove to NY and back, and I kind of lost interest in it. Also what I am going to do is to reveal to Ruth Grimsley the meaning of some obscure lettering. COPD means "chronic obstructive pulmonary disease". Then there's PTSD which means "Posttraumatic Stress Disorder" once called "shellshock" or battle fatigue,  and then there's ED meaning "erectile dysfunction". Now don't blame me. I didn't make these up, but I think I have them all. At the moment I also have Edema. With all of this, I will somehow survive. Survival is my thing.  Well, I know this is kind of short; I have to go watch SUV on TV.






























1

"All the world's a stage...and one man, in his time plays many parts" (As You Like It)

.....According to my recent post to this blog, I mentioned that I would discuss "...what I am doing, what I've done, & what I'm going to do".  So I will work on that theme here; what I'm doing now is trying to get over my bout with COPD, (although RH+ keeps calling it pneumonia which I think it is not.).  This illness is somewhat debilitating, and so I am not upset about not directing my script.  I am sure I'll be fine in time for my surprise party.  Just you guys make sure you respond and declare your dinner preference--otherwise we'll give you directions to Wendy's.  And I believe you all have adult children--with one exception and dogs are not invited.  These adult children have also received invitations and ought not to depend  upon their parents to respond for them.  I suppose that's old-fashioned; so what? I don't care; when you're 90, it's fun.  And you can eat stone crabs every night.
I am also relaxing and watching TV instead of rehearsals.  I'm also trying to keep up with Time magazine, which gets more boring with every issue.  Same goes for Sports Illustrated and Playboy. Their articles are becoming longer and longer and more and more esoteric. And thus,  my preferences lean towards NCIS, NCIS LOS ANGELES, PERSON OF INTEREST, HAWII 5-0, and LAW AND ORDER: SUV.  And I also look forward each day to SNOOPY, the most independent persona I have ever met. As the Baron, I always look to him for inspiration and a ride in his Sopwith Camel.  And I  love when he goes to sleep on the roof of his house, and birds light on his nose.

.....So, now I have done enough about what I am doing and what I have done.  As for what I am going to do--it's a matter of deep thought and conjecture.  I did stop writing my science fiction novel right in the middle because other activities began to become higher priorities.  I don't know if I'll be able to get back into it.  My two characters were about to encounter slavery at George's place in Virginia; and then they would help him to become the father of his country besides the father of a lot of slave babies.  I believe they'll enjoy Lincoln more. Washington rarely tells a joke.  ....  I am also not going to drive anymore.  I've given my keys to RH+.  I can't be hypocritical about driving after 90--I've always maintained that I would be loathe to be a passenger in a car being driven by a person thus aged & I would be super loathe to take on a  passenger while I was doing the driving.  And, oh yes, I will still vote Democratic, and will never drink tea again.

.....One more task--I have written 499 posts. I must write 1 more.

"I had as lief the Town Crier spoke my lines" Hamlet

.....It has been a long, long time since I sat down at this typewriter to entertain myself (who reads this anyway?) with what I am doing, what I've done, and what I am going to do.  What I am doing at the moment is trying to get over the voice of Susan Boyle that I just heard on Utube.  I only heard her once before and that was when she sang on Britain Has Talent--or some such show.  Well, she blew me away then, and she just blew me away once more with her renditions of "Wild Horses" and "Memories" (Cats).  It simply goes to show, as Hamlet said, "There are more things in Heaven and Earth than are dreamt of in your philosophies, Horatio."  Think Holocaust and how in the six million there may have been one who could have, would have, developed a cure for cancer.  See what I mean?  That is, no one has discovered me yet, except me--and what do I know?

.....Another venture that I have been very, very, busy with is the writing of a musical tor a performance in our 603 seat Theatre of the Performing Arts at the end of March. And you might be curious enough to wonder why I am writing such a thing that I have never attempted before and for which I figured I have very little experience or talent.  I decided to try to imitate Rogers and Hammerstein--or perhaps just Hammerstein, but then as I ruminated, I thought that what I might produce could turn out to be too professional for our theatre and audience...seniors...most of whom fall asleep during performances.  Ah! But I decided to employ some jokes in my script, and everyone would stay awake anxious to hear the next one. 

.....For the past 30 years, there has always been what is called here, an "in-house" show; that is, one produced by the residents, as opposed to a "book show"---one that was performed on B'way.  I've been involved in both types; "HMS Pinafore", "Show Boat," "Music Man," "Fiddler," etc. And also performed in several nondescript in-house shows written by a resident or two or three.  Ah, but this year, no show had been approved by the Board and to everyone's horror--no show!  Well, after having one kind of show or the other for 30 years it has become a tradition, and seeing some performers champing at the bit, I decided to write a musical fit for way off B'way.  And I did.  I just finished it, and after at least a dozen changes, I came up with a 20 page script that attempted to re-create a WWII USO concert.  The songs all came from that era, and the title I gave it was "43!" 

.....I was scheduled to be not only the writer, but also the director.  However, after only a few rehearsals, there was mumbling and grumbling about the direction and how the director (me) would not accept changes, ideas, suggestions, and etc. from the cast.  If my name was to appear as the writer I did not care to accept changes or additions or subtractions I decided it was not worth getting up at 7:30 a.m. three times a week. 

An Awesome Analysis of Sonnet LXXIII

Several friends have asked me to show them Shakespeare's sonnet 73 because they do not have access to it.  Well, that is strange; I was given to understand that every home should bear a copy of Shakespeare's plays and sonnets, a Bible, and all of the Peanuts cartoons where Snoopy imagines his dogself to be the Red Baron flying his Sopwith Camel. Well, I am flattered that I have been asked, for the sonnet and so here it is: 

Sonnet 73

That time of year thou mayst in me behold
When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang
Upon those boughs which shake against the cold,
Bare ruin’d choirs, where late the sweet birds sang.  

In me thou seest the twilight of such day
As after sunset fadeth in the west,
Which by and by black night doth take away,
Death’s second self, that seals up all in rest. 

In me thou see’st the glowing of such fire
That on the ashes of his youth doth lie,
As the death-bed whereon it must expire
Consumed with that which it was nourish’d by.  

   This thou perceivest, which makes thy love more strong,
   To love that well which thou must leave ere long.

It would not, nor should not, take much trouble to reach an understanding of what theme this sonnet is about.  It's about the loss of one's youth and life, like a burning fire, eventually is ravished by old age. I am certainly not claiming that this is the only interpretation of this magnificent poetry. There are as many explanations as there are scholars to analyze it. But they are all wrong, and I am right.
In the first quatrain (four lines) the poet reminds the loved one that he is in the "winter" of his life when the "yellow leaves" have fallen.  In the second quatrain the poet states that he is in the "twilight of life--like a sunset which is gone by "black night".  (Aw come on--you can figure out what black night is all about) The final quatrain claims that his life is now in the embers of a fire and will soon be consumed by the ashes.  The last couplet reminds the lover to see and understand the poet's closeness to "black night" and so must strengthen the bonds of love before his coming death. I will tell you that this is a simplistic analysis; I have much more to say about it than this, but I am too busy trying to develop an entertaining musical, and an entertaining interpretation of the sonnet must wait. 

Shakespeare's Sonnet # LXXIII (Read it)

.....Casting the musical which I titled "43!" is coming along.  There are some new talent who moved into the community, and they will certainly enhance the show.  If I can get CDs of the show, I will send them out to friends and relations.  Unfortunately the theatre is being renovated, so we can't get in there to begin rehearsals...and we certainly are going to need rehearsals.  Well, enough about the show.  We have put down a deposit at the Westchester Country Club's banquet hall for the 28th of February birthday party I'm to have.  Ten years ago I had my 80th there.  It'll be an extravaganza with plenty for our guests to eat and drink. So hold the date.  Who knows? You may get an invitation.  I did not want a big party, because I don't like being in the middle of a place with a lot of people.  Rh+ however, philosophized that you're only 90 once.  Yeah; if you can reach 90 and I'm not there yet.   If I do get there, I'll be amazed; then I might as well go for 100.  That's like Don Quixote trying to reach the unreachable star.  Maybe I'll get to be the oldest WWII vet alive.  Then they'd have to award me the Medal of Honor even though I have two of the highest combat medal the Navy awards--the DFC.

.....Speaking of birthdays, my virtual reality cousin, Ruth Grimsley, just had a birthday a couple of days ago.  I don't know how old she is, you never ask a lady her age or how much she weighs.  Nevertheless, I do hope she had a happy birthday; she keeps my spirits up one way or another.  Speaking of spirits, I have kept mine up by thinking of, not my life, but the lives of my children, and recently I thought about my son, Joel's, life.  He was a bright student in school, he played Little League baseball and was a great base stealer.  He picked apples one year in the summer; he graduated from Cornell; he went to Australia and was a teacher there; he worked on a kibbutz in Israel and wrote a book about that experience--so he was an author as well.  JR also spent 20 years or so in the CIA, and when he retired he went to work for a software company and kept an "office" in his basement.  Now he is the Vice President of that company and he has offices in a new building.  Now consider that he is over 60 (!) and is the captain and manager of a 55+ champion soccer team.  And, oh yes, I almost forgot, he married a beautiful girl, Barbara, and has two grown children, Adam and Hannah.  Now that has been quite an industrious, exciting, and noble life. He has made me proud and a grandfather.  I have three more "kids" and I will get to them eventually.

"Democracy is government of the people, by the people, for the people" (Lincoln)

........Well, finally the Grand Old Party buckled somewhat so that the job of keeping America on an even keel got somewhat done.  The Tea Party wing of the Republican Party is ripping it apart in their imbecilic frenzy to get rid of a black president.  If there is anyone who doubts that racism still exists in this country, well then it is a black mark on our democracy.  Democracy?  Not much left of what the founding fathers envisioned. What we have is a plutocracy or oligarchy; not much difference.  No doubt I might not live long enough to witness the people of this country taking charge of America at the ballot boxes.  For unless we do, the Lilliputians and Blefscudians will be running this country at the behest of the Yahoos.
..........Right now, I'm recovering from my sixth fall!  Yes, I have fallen for one reason or another--no doubt from carelessness primarily.  So I'm left with two broken hips and a lot of ripped skin.  I am subject to the ignominy of not being able to walk without the aid of a "walker" which I hate.  Every time I use it, I am reminded of how I ran two marathons and flew 60 missions in WWII aerial combat.  I flew with barely a scratch from enemy submarines, Messerschmitt's, and Japanese Zeros.  (That's how I became the Red Baron). And now I'm almost housebound.  RH+ drives me wherever I have to go; she is really my only friend and she is the epitome of what one can expect from a friend.  That is why she is a + and not a --.  Actually I do not have a single male friend in the world anymore; they've all died, and I am blessed to be able to live at least until I'm 90--and that will happen in another four months.  RH+, of course, is making a BIG party for me on Feb. 28.  Save the date in case you're invited.
........I am now proud of myself; I have written a musical which will be performed here on the last weekend of March.  I have not only written it, but I will also direct it.  So, now I join Rogers and Hammerstein and Steven Sondheim in the annals of hit musicals!

"After crosses and losses men grow humbler and wiser." (Franklin)

.....Well I suppose I have to write a post on this blog more often--(I hate when people pronounce the "t" in "often). I have had at least 5 readers who have asked me to continue this blog, so I must even though it's difficult.  I mean because there are tremors in my hand, I keep pressing the wrong keys--oops! There it goes again. Now I have to backspace and delete the wrong letters.

.....Today we went to the Westchester Country Club where there is a banquet building and selected the kind of dining we will entertain our guests with on Feb. 28.  Hold the date.  I did not mind not having a party because if my family comes, it will cost them a lot of money just to come for dinner!  I have four in California, about eight in Maryland, and three in the Navy--including one guy who just started walking I presume.  And of course there are cousins all over the place--and one cuz I never met who lives in England, of all places.  Too many Muslims there.  But I don't think she will come to the party; too far and too expensive. 

.....I suppose you all know that I fell for the sixth time a couple of weeks ago.  I had too much trouble getting out of the house with one hand on the walker, one hand trying lock the door, and the screen door resting on my butt; so the walker tipped over and I went with it.  I did a number with the skin on my arm and both knees.  RH+ called 911 and off to the ER they took me.  I was there for a few hours while the dressed my wounds and sent me home.  Now I have a nurse coming every other day to change the dressings.  I fell, but of course I already broke both hips from falls on two cruises, so at least I was fortunate not to have three hips.

.....Now, I have something political to say.  The Republican party--and particularly the Tea Party is destroying our government, and making us the laughing stock of the world.  There is no doubt in my mind that this wing of the GOP is fiercely racist, and doing everything they can to keep Obama from getting anything done.  At one time in Boston, a tea party tossed all the tea in the ocean.  Now, perhaps the Republican Tea Party, itself, ought to be tossed in the Ocean.  Oh, I have a better idea; allow the states whose government is irrational and racist secede from the Union.  Then the UnUnighted State's government would be smaller and thus find it more easily to function.  There.  I said it.  What is happening in our Congress these days is Un-American.

 

 

"...but I have miles to go before I sleep." (Robert Frost)

Hi...If there is anyone left who is reading this blog, I have just a couple of things to write about.  I just had published what I'm certain will be my last book.  Buy it...it might become a collector's item one day.  OK don't buy it--it's too much to pay for it anyway.  I'm pretty proud of the fact that I wrote my "Memoirs" in 2007 and since then have published 12 more books consisting of all the blog postings since then.  It may not seem so great, but I believe they will be very interesting historical reading, especially with all the comments attached.  Now this may be the last posting owing to the fact that typing has become a major problem because of the tremors in my hands.  I'm constantly pressing the wrong letters on the keyboard and then having to erase them and stick in the correct letters.  It's just too much frustration.

Nevertheless, I just did complete my attempt at writing a musical for presentation in our theatre in late March.  We have had a musical here for the past 30 years, but this year none was approved by the Board of Directors of Huntington Lakes.  I felt that this was not acceptable so I decided to write one myself.  The concept is that what I wrote is a recreation of a USO concert during WWII.  The cast will take the part of the celebrities who sang at these concerts and the audience will be the military at a boot camp.  What I wrote was accepted by the BOD and I think it will be a hit with those who come to see it and be reminded of the music of WWII.  The title is "43!" (Just as you see it with quote marks and exclamation point).  So much for that; I have launched myself on a new career--composer--sort of like Rogers and Hammerstein. I will write and direct all the musicals.  (Just kidding.  I'm finished with my writing careers).

In March, when this musical goes live for 3 nights, I will have turned 90. I do have two broken hips and a pacemaker; I do use a walker--but in spite of all illnesses I still have my driver's license.   So long, cuzzin Ruthie; so long PB--so sorry to have disturbed you; so long kids; so long to all my former students and to all whoever read and commented on Red Baron's Blog.

Memories.

.....This is an email I received this morning.  I thought, perhaps, it might be of interest to you, and since you know me, you might know me a trifle better.  I was attached to VB 110 in the US Navy Air Wing 7.  All 10 of my aircrewmen are gone. But I am prominently mentioned in this Museum.

Dear All
I am sending you all an update on the museum. We are putting forward to see if anyone would like to help with our appeal by buying a square foot of land as a donation. We are asking for people to donate $25.00 (includes the exchange rate to pounds ) or £10.00 with this donation you will get a years membership of the museum (with a newsletter every three months ) and we are also looking into putting all names of people that buys a piece of land on a wall in the rebuild building for all visiters to see in years to come. If you fill you would like to help please use this website http://dmm103105110.btck.co.uk and click on the Campaigne/Donate page then scroll down the page and use the PayPal link.

I started a Museum (Charity No 1052892 ) called Dunkeswell Memorial Museum at the only USAAF and US Navy Anti Submarine airbase in England and Europe in world war two. This base was the home of the 479th Anti Submarine Group with 2nd,4th,19th and the 22nd Squadrons and VB 103,105,107,110,114 and VB 63 Squadrons of the US Navy Fleet Air Wing 7. There are many buildings that still exist today from WW2 left standing around Dunkeswell airfield. One of them is the administation complex. These buildings were the last buildings that all crews went in before flying their missions and sadly some never came back to these building and the base. These buildings are VERY REAR as they were only used by the USAAF 479th and the US Navy Fleet Air Wing 7 Groups doing Anti Submarine Missions to help to defend the supply convoys to England from attacks by U-boats and surface vessels which were out in the Atlantic and the Bay of Biscay. The Administation Buildings are the only ones left outside the United States of America left standing from WW11. The Museum is trying to raise £110,000 to buy the administration complex and the land this will be a permanent Memorial building for the Dunkeswell Memorial Museum, for all who served at Dunkeswell during WW2,including the 39 Officers and men of the USAAF who lost there lives in combat and also for the 183 Officers and men of the US Navy who lost there lives in combat and the 49 killed in non combat. One Officer from the US Navy that was based at Dunkeswell was Joseph P Kennedy Jr older brother of John F Kennedy. Joseph was at the base until his death on the 12th August 1944.
The Museum website address is http://dmm103105110.btck.co.uk . If you know how we can get this help or if anyone can find it in there hearts to give a donation to this good cause with a letter of support and send it too the address on the website or by paypal using the Museum email address of dmmsecretary@btinternet.com. All I am asking of you is if you would put the word around about our appeal and I will say that if my email has upset you in anyway then I will say that I am very sorry for asking.Yours David Sharland

......August 28th is fast approaching and that is the 50th Anniversary of Martin Luther King's march on Washington.  I took a day off from school and went to DC to become a part of it. I will always remember his speech and the electricity of that day.  And to my loyal readers and commenters, I will not be writing many posts to this blot until April.  I am too busy writing the script for a musical.

"It matters not how long we live, but how." (Bailey)

....I'm a child of the "Humanities".  In college I took as many courses in the Humanities as were offered: English literature, Shakespeare, Philosophy, Creative Writing and so on.  But there are those who trash the Humanities as wasted tuition dollars, a one-way ticket to unemployment (I taught for 30 years).  Mark Edmonson who teaches English at the University of Virginia said in the Washington Post that we "humanists" prepare students to succeed in the working world just as well as all those practical majors--maybe better.  He goes on to say that we offer tools of thought.  We teach our students to understand and analyze complex ideas.  We help them to develop powers of expression, written and verbal.  At our best we teach them how to reason--and reasoning undergirds every successful project.

 

.....In a recent article in "Business Insider" Bracken Darrell, the chief executive of Logitech tells about how he loves hiring English majors: "The best CEO's are extremely good writers and have this ability to articulate and verbalize what they are thinking."  It seems that there's no problem then.  Do you want success?  Come on in.  But the Humanities are not about success.  Success is multi-faceted, and making a lot of money is not the only way to success.  The Humanities is about questioning success--and every important value.  Sure we humanities students are different not because of our powers of expression or our capacity to frame an argument or our ability to do independent work, but true humanities students are exceptional because they have been, and are, engaged in the activity that Plato commends--seeking to understand ourselves and how we ought to live our lives.  And that, my friends, has been, and is, the primary goal of my life.

"Oh, no man knows through what wild centuries rove back the rose". (De LaMare)

.....Everyone I speak to is enthusiastic about the show.  I now have all the lyrics listed for the WW II songs I'm planning to use.  I don't think that I will be singing anything.  I'll be too busy directing.  I am meeting with the pianist shortly to see if he has the sheet music.  He said he wanted $3000 to play at all rehearsals.  We settled on $2750. Besides the songs, I have some skits for the show, also for people who are not singing.  We are not going to have a choreographer because I'm not planning for any dancing. 

Thursday, August 15, 2013

"Oh, no man knows through what wild centuries rove back the rose". (De LaMare)

.....I'm afraid that the 21st Century is running away from me.  I'm a child of the 20th Century. The other day Rh+ laptop computer froze and we couldn't figure out how to shut it down, so failing everything else, we pulled the plug and after a few minutes plugged it back in again--but same result.  So I told her either to call Comcast or call in a Geek to fix it, but she did nothing about it for a couple of days.  But she was so anxious to read her email that she began frothing at the mouth like a Pit Bull.  So, in desperation she plugged it back in again & a little message superimposed on the frozen web page said that an error had been discovered and that it would be fixed. And so, the laptop went about fixing it all by itself and in about 20 minutes there was her desktop all ready for her use!  Was there a little Geek hiding in that machine, or a robot? Or a Smurf? Or Captain of the Enterprise.


.....21st Century stuff, that episode.  But then there is Facebook and Twitter and Linkup  or something of that nature; and Apps, and iPhones, and iPads and Flash Drives, and HD.  Life is complicated enough with medication and doctors' bills and .09 interest on Savings accounts that do nothing to help you cope with high food costs & mortgages (although I have no mortgage) and $3.99 a gallon for gas.  I was used to paying 5 cents for a hot dog with mustard and a Mission Orange.  When someone young asks what plane I flew in WWII and I say, a B24 Liberator, they get glassy-eyed; when they ask if I won any medals and I mention the DFC, it means as much to them as Sequester means too me. In 1940s we had no such thing as a "sequester".  Kids today never heard of a "record album" or black and white TV.  A skate key is like a dinosaur to them.  And when Orson Welles says "Rosebud" kids today think they smell a flower.

.....It's all too nerve-wracking to me. I'm cancelling my Facebook and Twitter accounts because when I go there, I have no idea what I'm doing and now I don't want anything to do with them.  Anyway, right now I am writing a script for a musical I am showing next March.  I never wrote a musical, though most everything else including a Sestina.  You can try it, but you won't succeed. The Sunday Times crossword puzzle is easier; so is running a marathon or learning to eat broccoli.  Unfortunately, while writing this musical, I must neglect my  blog, although I'll turn to it now and then as a change of pace.  I'm 89 though I can still think, but the 21st Century baffles me as well as it baffles Congress.

"The Moving Finger writes, and having writ moves on..." Omar Kayyam"

 

....Here in Huntington Lakes there has been a show produced by residents every year for 30 years.  Some of the shows were "book" shows, a show once produced on Broadway, and some of the shows were written by residents.  Those shows were not in the same character as the book shows.  I performed in most every one of the shows and was the primary actor in all the book shows.  That was a lot of work, but fun.  It was like a new career.  But this year the Board of Directors rejected a resident's show, and so for the first time in 30 years there was to be no shows.

....I felt that a resident's show had become traditional, and that is something like "history" and thus cannot be ignored.  So I decided to write a show, a task I have never attempted before, and I thought that the residents here would enjoy hearing the songs of WWII in a USO setting.  I brought the idea to the BOD and they approved what I intended to do, a minor miracle.  The show is scheduled for March 28-30.  Rhoda will be my Stage Manager and she's very good at what she does.  Only problem at the moment is having to direct rehearsals in the morning and I am not a "morning person".

.....I'm going to be busy writing a script for the show, and I can't do that before we have auditions.  But still there are things to do which means I probably will not have enough time for writing posts for this blog as often as I am used to--but still I do hope to write them from time to time as long as there is something to write about.  I've been doing this since 2007 and I have published all of this blog in eleven books which no one buys.  Some day they will be best sellers and they will make a movie about me, or a circus.

 

 

"What can't be cured, must be endured" (Proverb)

.....I figure it's time to get busy again, and perhaps even be able to write another post to this unattended blog.  After all, since I last wrote something, a new prince has been added to the royal family, and being a Baron, I feel obligated to say a few words about "George".  His birth, I am sure, engendered much joy to our friends in merry olde England, but no more than did our great grandson, Prince Huston when he was born to PK (Princess Katrina Ross) in our own realms here.  Joy was spread throughout the Baron's offspring in Maryland, Virginia, Florida, California, Montana, and even as far away as Cuzzin Ruthie in Britannia.  Unfortunately, RH+ and I will be unable to attend Georgie's bris.

.....At the moment, I am getting only the last vestiges of my battle with bronchitis--a cough now and then.  It has been the worst illness I have ever suffered, but I suppose any illness will be the worst from now on.  Getting on in years, I have learned requires the strength to weather one illness after another.  It also requires wasting a lot of time in doctors' waiting rooms, as well as maintaining a decent health insurance policy.  If that is what President Obama wants every American to have, what's so bad about that?  If that is what Republicans are opposed to, then it certainly must be a good idea.  Can anyone think of a good idea the GOP has come up with in Congress since FDR's administration?  If so, cite it in a comment.

.....Here in Huntington Lakes there has been a show produced by residents every year since 1982, and this year the Board has rejected the only show presented to them.  I wasn't at the meeting when this happened so I don't really know who was principally responsible for this rejection.  My feeling is that when the residents have a show to put on, it should not be a matter for the Board to like or dislike.  The show is a vehicle for residents who enjoy performing, and for some who have bought homes here because of the opportunities available for them to be part of a group who do sing and act before an audience.  Since I have written and published 13 books, I decided I'd try my hand at writing a show, and so I have.  It will be a recreation and remembrance of the USO concerts of WWII with songs and celebrities of the era.  I am now waiting for an opportunity to bring it before the Board.  I hope that happens sooner rather than later. 

"We few, we happy few, we band of brothers..." (Henry V)

.....I just got a new edition of Time magazine with an image of a hood of the kind Trayon Martin was wearing on the night that he was shot.  And the title superimposed on this image is "After Trayon".  I haven't read the article as yet; I've been badgered sufficiently by the media--newspapers, magazines, and TV; especially TV,  and especially CNN.  And now it seems that this event, because of the verdict, has been turned into an issue of racial discrimination.  A white vigilante male, while his head was being bashed on the sidewalk, shot a black teenage male .  He pleaded self defense; the jury agreed, and so he was acquitted.  Now, suppose his head was being bashed against the sidewalk by a white teenage male.  Would he have been found guilty?  The prosecution wanted a guilty verdict based on second-degree murder?  Well, I thought that was pushing it a bit.  I don't think I could ever find a man guilty of that charge beyond a reasonable doubt, that would put a man in prison for life.  Perhaps the prosecution might have gotten a guilty verdict on the charge of manslaughter; perhaps not.  Who knows?  But the media climbed aboard the choo-choo of racism and blew that train whistle for all it was worth.  Racism? Hey, millions of Americans voted a black man for president.  Wherever racism is involved, it exists in the Congress of the United States.  If our president was white, would he be subject to the virulent kinds of mischief he's been subjected to since he has been President? For  certain, racism does exist in our country; it evolves from one ethnic group to another; from one culture to another, and it will always be that way--but that is why we are a country of laws, and if there exists a better system somewhere else, I'd like to know where that is.

.....from former student:

.....I re-read "Tailgunner".  Daughter had it for a few years.  I read the last half of the book first, from your low point in the VA Hospital after the War and all that followed.  What a life!!
.....I'm glad you're blogging, it gives us all a lift.   EBJ

"Refuse to be ill. Never tell people you are ill; never own it to yourself." (Bulwer-Lytton)

.....I'm still struggling to get this bronchitis out of my system before it turns into pneumonia...I've been using the nebulizer every day, but it doesn't appear to be doing much good.  I went to the VA Medical Center on Monday for some dental work, but the dentist (a Columbia grad) said it would not be a very good idea to do the work planned while I was suffering from this type of illness--so he sent me home.  I do have a 2:30 appointment with my doctor this afternoon, so tune in tomorrow and I will be able to give you an update.  Yesterday, I also went to my eye doctor because I could not drive my car with the distance adjustment that his colleague made for me.  He had ordered a prism for the left lens.  However it just made my distance vision much worse, and it was impossible to drive because I was seeing double and the white lines separating the lanes in the road seemed to be crossing each other so that I was not able to tell whether or not I was driving in the correct lane.  Well, we were there for 2 1/2 hours before it was discovered that the prism had been put into the lens backwards!!.  So much for medical training ( the ophthalmologist was a Cornell grad).

.....Jumping now from health problems (I'm 89 and up)-- to show biz talk, I've been doing a lot of thinking about the show I have been conjuring up--that is a reprisal or reincarnation, or reproduction or remembrance--or whatever you want to call it of a WWII USO concert with musical numbers of the 30s to 50s.  I plan on calling the show, "43!" (Yes, with the quotation marks and exclamation point.  Yeah, yeah, I know--the movie "42" about Jackie Robinson, but his show is titled after his uniform shirt number, and my intended production is titled after a year in WWII.  So, you see, there is a difference.  During the show, the audience here will be considered a conglomeration of members of the Army, the Navy, the Air Force, the Coast Guard, and the Marine Corps.  With that idea in mind, the audience will perforce suddenly all become actors in the show's cast.  Naturally, they will participate in a few of the show's "patriotic" songs.  There will be a Master of Ceremonies, and to break up one vocalist after another, we will have jokes and a couple of skits.  There will also be WWII numbers of duets and trios.  The set will have a USO theme.  None of this will happen until the Board of Directors hears about and approves it.  That will most likely occur in August. 

.....and another former student--now probably 70ish.

.....Seriously, though, reading your blog makes me miss you very much -- and it brings tears to my eyes. I'm once again reminded of what a significant influence you have been in my life. I suspect you'll never really know the extent of that influence, because, like most meaningful things in life, it's not about a moment, a word, a specific gesture or occasion, but the sum total of your "being" and my "being" connecting over time. 
.....Doc, you thought I was someone special when no one else did -- least of all me. You saw potential in me that I didn't believe I had. And because of your belief in me, combined with the example of excellence you set, I stored away somewhere in my psyche all those moments, those conversations, those looks over your glasses that made me feel you could almost see inside me. And time and time again over my life -- sometimes consciously, sometimes not -- I have revived them, wondered at them, reveled in them. It is, after all, the amalgamation of the people and events in our lives that shape who we become. Yes, as you say, it is always a choice we make. But those of us with rich resources tend to make better choices. Thank you for being one of the rich resources in my life.

With all my love,   FS

"Love is not love which alters when it alteration finds..." (Shakespeare)

.....There has been a show here in Huntington Lakes every year for the past 30 years produced by the residents.  I have had the good fortune to have performed in several of them.  Most of the shows have been "book shows" meaning that they were shows performed on B'Way; shows such as "Fiddler on the Roof", "My Fair Lady", "Showboat", and etc.  When there were no book shows there were "in-house" shows written or just put together by a resident.  However, this year the condo Board has rejected the only show that has been presented to them.  Consequently, residents who are interested in performing on the stage of our theatre are left showless.  Since I have been furious about the Board's intransigence about an "in-house" show, and so I decided to "write" one myself.   I have never tried to write a musical, but I thought of an idea for one, and I have been working on it.  This musical will be a reproduction and remembrance of the USO concerts for troops in WWII.  The songs of that era will be revived and residents who sing will be introduced as the vocalist who made the song popular.  I plan to do more than have vocalists one after another, however, but I don't want to go into it right now.  It will be a top notch show, I assure you.  I am a professional. 

 

.....Now, in spite of the fact that my good British "cousin" has admonished me, after a fashion, about publishing letters I have received from former students (see her comment in a previous posting), I will, nevertheless continue the practice of publishing them here for the reasons I have discussed in a previous blog.  This one is from one of my very first students whom I first met in the 9th grade at Sea Cliff H.S.--a year or so before we went into the new North Shore H.S.

 

Dear Dr. Ross,

 

I am so happy to receive your e-mail.  You are so precious to me.  I have always adored you.  I  have never told you that you turned my life around when I was a very unhappy Freshman at Sea Cliff HS.  You were never aware of the harassment I endured at the hands of a former, very jealous BFF.  I begged my parents to take me out of SCHS---but it wasn't possible - so I stayed and tried to make the best of it.  I always vowed to "get even"by coming out on top and with your encouragement and support I did.  I was terrified when you interviewed me for the position of Editor-in -chief of the Viking View---even more terrified when I was appointed.  But with your wonderful confidence, we succeeded. 

 

 I love you so much,   (BK)

I Didn't Even Know she Was Jewish!

 

....I learned something recently that stunned me. It's about a woman I loved--though never met. 

 

I didn’t even know she was Jewish

 

.....She was called the most beautiful woman in the world. A Jewess who hated Fascism & Nazism yet dined with Hitler & Mussolini. She invented a way to prevent radio signals of allied submarines from being jammed. We know it today as WiFi. Even today the Navy uses this technology .  In 1933,  a beautiful, young Austrian woman took off her  clothes for a movie  director. She ran through  the woods, naked. She swam in a lake,  naked, pushing well beyond the social norms of the period. The movie was called "Ecstasy".
.....The most  popular  movie in 1933 was King Kong. But  everyone in Hollywood was talking  about that  scandalous movie with the gorgeous, young Austrian woman.
Louis B. Mayer, of the giant studio MGM, said she was the  most beautiful woman in the  world. The film was  banned practically everywhere, which of  course  made it even more popular and valuable.  Mussolini  reportedly refused to sell his copy at  any price.
.....The star  of the  film, called Ecstasy, was Hedwig Kiesler. She  said the  secret of her beauty was "to stand there and  look  stupid." In reality, Kiesler was anything  but stupid. She was a  genius. She'd grown up as  the only child of a prominent Jewish  banker. She  was a math prodigy. She excelled at science.  She was married six times. She became a big Hollywood star.   Her film name was Hedy Lamar.  What a life!

 

.....I am still suffering from acute bronchitis.  I can't shake it, even though I am taking nebulizer treatment.  My nurse, RH+ reminds me that it will take time because I am not 17 anymore.  As if I have to be reminded.  I have absolutely no desire to leave this house.  I am very comfortable just staying here without going anywhere.  Can't go anyway--it pours rain every day.  The one good thing that I can say is that I really can walk pretty well with a cane now without having to use that ugly walker like a nursing home resident.  And to keep busy, I am working on developing a show...I will direct it.

More about it later.

  

"I see my reputation is at stake; my fame is shrewdly gored." (Troilus & Cressida)

.....It's been a long, long time since Father's Day when we started out to drive to New York; a big mistake of course.  But we did plan to honor the invitation to Rhoda's nephew's wedding, and since I did not want to fly ever again--we took to the car.  It was about then that I contacted acute bronchitis which is still plaguing me in spite of all the steroids and nebulizer treatments I've been taking.  So, I imagine that when you reach my age it takes a lot longer to get well than it did when I was 20.  I was 20? When was that?  But this illness is not the only problem that I have been occupied with.  I was seeing double while driving with the distance glasses I had been wearing, so when I went to the eye doctor a few days ago, he had a prism put into one of the lenses, so now I see triple.  Reminds me of a joke.  "Hey, Doc, I see triple when I open my left eye".  So the Doc replies, "So, don't open it.  $20 copay, please."

.....In the previous post, Ruth Grimsley wrote in a comment that I should avoid publishing "encomiums" about me from former students.  I could understand why she would advise that, and her reasons deserve merit.  However, I did respond to that in a comment of my own, which if you fail to read it, here is what I wrote:

(Ruthie, dear: I feel that I must document the greatest part of my "legacy" which is the 30 years I spent in front of a class full of teenagers most of whom were reluctant to be there and certain that they were to be bored. This blog is a diary which, hopefully, my descendants may read one day; and I trust that perhaps some neighbors are reading it now, and will get to know me better than they do now with their perception primarily of me as a WWII veteran with some medals which they never heard of. I prefer them to know me through the eyes and minds of my former students who are in their 60s and 70s, and who remember me in special ways. These ways are significant in the story of my life; so why should I neglect and hide them?)


OK, So the following is not from a student, but from a colleague, a teacher and coach of great intellect and skill:


Dear Cleverest One of All,

.

The Doc Rosses of the world are truly humble, and do not always recognize the inter-generational positive effect they have on the world. You should be aware that your influence upon your students will be felt long into their own lives.  Your example of courage, persistence, and honor was so important in a school full of jaundiced time-servers.

 One of the greatest gifts we can transmit to students is an appreciation of great literature. Your enthusiasm and acting skills brought outstanding authors to life. While Shakespeare was your forte, my favorite was the way you did Robert Burns, complete with an accurate Scotch burr. I was never careless with praise, and never gave a damn about what anyone thought of me, so when I say that you were the only GREAT teacher I ever met in the public high school system; you can take it to the bank. More important, you were a Renaissance Man, whose interests and skills went far beyond the academic. Your daughters are only one of your great accomplishments, although that would be enough for you to have lived your life very well, indeed.

 

Incidentally, I've written a show.

"A little learning is a dangerous thing...drink deep..." (Pope)

.....Well I got to my blog after being asked to sign in--which I haven't had to do in a very long time--and I started clicking on things I have not seen to this day!  One of the clicks landed me on a page with 42 unpublished comments from various former posts.  Most of them were from somebody named "anonymous" and since I do not know anyone by that name I deleted all 42 at one click, and started to write this post. There is not much I can say at this juncture in my life except that at the moment I am sick with bronchitis and I have to use the "nebulizer" with medication four times a day.  So, in order to give my readers (hah!) something to read, I will repeat some comments I have received on occasion from former students.  I cannot help it if it seems as though I am bragging or something; OK, so I am bragging or something.  But seriously, I started writing this blog some years ago so that my grandchildren would know more about their grandfather than some grandchildren know about their grandfather after he has passed away. I'll just do one comment today:

.....Sept. 17 2001
I owe it all to Dr. Ross...Shakespeare (Hamlet in particular), Beowulf (read with gusto in its lyrical Old English), and Freud (for dummies).  The roots that started at North Shore H.S. have blossomed.  I married an Englishman...and look forward to our bi-annual pilgrimages to Stratford-Upon Avon's Royal Shakespeare Theatre and eagerly anticipate the next great Branagh adaptation (my favorite is still Henry V).  I have become a writer of children's picture books...in verse, having been a poet since the 4th grade it seemed like the logical thing to do.  I too was wide eyed with wonder and hung on every syllable in Dr. Ross' class.  There seems to be quite a few of us who were able to climb out of the DARK PIT...INTO THE LIGHT, thanks to the love of "higher thinking" drummed into us by Dr. Ross.  The problem is...the rest of the people we have to deal with on a daily basis are still in the dark.
BARBARA BURTIS 1977

.....Well, there you have it.  Thanks, Barbara.  Actually, I'm having problems remembering many of my former students, and that is a shame--I'm not proud of it.  I'm proud that former students remember me--I cannot name a single teacher of mine in high school.  That was James Monroe HS in the Bronx; it no longer exists.  Neither do many of my students.  Neither does my memory.

Never again! Ever! Come to Florida (Ross)

....I'mfinally back home and I may never leave here again.  We shared driving all the way to New York and back, and we came home exhausted to the max.  In addition, I developed acute bronchitis and it's a bitch.  I have to use the nebulizer four times a day, and of course, I'm taking anti-biotics.  But you don't want to hear about this, so I'll change the subject.  We left here on Fathers' Day and on the 19th of June we arrived in Washington one day late.  This happened to be our 30th Anniversary.  We were late because we got into a raging rainstorm a few miles north of Richmond, and so we had to stop for a hotel before getting to DC as we were supposed to.  Anyway, we all got together for dinner at PJ Chang's for what happened to be a sort of Anniversary celebration the following day.  Sons Joel and Bobby were there, Barbara and Michelle their lovely gals; grandson Adam and new wife, Tucky, as well as granddaughter Hannah and her boyfriend (forget his name).  We had a great time that night.  And I loved seeing my sons looking so well, and apparently very happy with the life they are leading.

.....As far as the wedding in NY is concerned, we took up residence at a Ramada Inn in Rockville Centre.  I wasn't impressed.  Expedia claimed it was a bargain at $768.  It wasn't.  On Sunday we donned our wedding gear--I in a tux (which I shall never wear again), Rho in her gown.  We were supposed to be at the temple at 6pm for family pictures but because of poor directions, we never arrived on time.  The wedding was a "posh" affair that included the loudest band on the planet.  There was not one slow dance when couples over 30 could dance together.  No.  Every "dance" involved jumping up and down and waving your arms in the air.  If you did not participate in this "Simon Says" dance routine, you would apparently be thrown off the floor or led to your table by a waitress.  All I could do was sit at the table all night because it is very difficult to dance up and down and wave your arms while holding on to your walker at the same time.  And since it was a "kosher" wedding, the servers kept coming around with kosher hors-doevres to shove in my mouth.  Another kosher wedding? Never again.

.....On Monday we went out to dinner with Renee and Jeff, Rho's daughter and son-in-law, and started the trek home on Tuesday with a stopover in DC.  The reason for that was to see Huston, our great grandson, but Mom Katrina was in Kansas and could not get back to DC on time for us to see him because Grandmother Hudgens died and PK, Max, and Huston had to stay for funeral services.  It was a huge disappointment.
In conclusion let me say that RH+ was a heroic figure all the way.  Because of my disabilities she had to lug all the baggage out to the room getting in and out to the car leaving.  In addition, she did most of the driving.  I never felt so helpless, and I promised myself never to break any more hips.

 

"Congress shall make no law abridging the freedom of speech" (First Amendment)

.....The comments on the previous posting are very interesting to me because I spent half a lifetime studying the relationships of speech and writing.  Eons ago the attempt to imitate the spoken word was written on stone--and animals were used to capture the spoken word.  Perhaps it was a Pharaoh's speech written for the ages--something akin to the Gettysburg Address. 

....."Egyptian hieroglyphics can be read now because of the translation of the Rosetta Stone. The Rosetta Stone is an ancient Egyptian  stele inscribed with a decree issued at Memphis in 196 BC on behalf of King Ptolemy V. The decree appears in three scripts: the upper text is Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs, the middle portion Demotic script, and the lowest Ancient Greek. Because it presents essentially the same text in all three scripts (with some minor differences between them), it provided the key to modern Egyptian hierogliphs."  (from Wikopedia)

.....So, it seems to me that what is now called an "emoticon" is actually a kind of hieroglyph--though the emoticon really is not a word as is a hieroglyph; it is mostly used to indicate tone, as Joel has pointed out in his comment.  I'll stick to hieroglyphs and demotics and three cheers for King Ptolemy the Fifth.

.....Speaking of speech, I spoke to RH+ yesterday (See? I'm trying to make a literary transition from the prior discussion of speech) and told her that I would like to get her a "memento" of our 30th Anniversary, so we drove to the Town Center Mall in Boca in order to obtain a proper memento--something to remember me by.  I don't think I will make our 40th.  Fortunately we found that there was a scooter to be had in exchange for a driver's license at the information counter. There is just so far that I can walk with my walker.  Anyway, to shorten this story, we went into Mayor's Jewelry store and I bought her a diamond ring; of course you would need a magnifying glass in order to see the diamond.  However, although I never got her an engagement ring, this ring, remember, is a "memento".  She is to wear it on the finger she uses to inform me of her displeasure at times. The finger, itself, is a kind of emoticon. But at least this particular finger will sparkle. 

Et vadit mundi; And so goes the world

.....I must discuss something that I have wanted to explain for a very long time, and it is really very simple.  In writing anything, the issue that is missing is the tone in one's voice as one is speaking.  Writing is not the language.  Speech is the language.  Thus when it appears as though I am having an argument with one of my readers, that may not be the case at all.  Without the accompanying tone of voice in the writing; when a viral discussion appears to be going on in this blog, it is simply verbal gymnastics; when I deliver an opinion in my blog, advancing a disagreement with any reader's point of view on a subject; when it appears to be a confrontation, I don't mean it to be.  I never wish to have a confrontation with any reader, be it a friend or a relation.  When you grow up in the South Bronx, you learn to dance the tango on a friend's body, and when he gets up he bloodies your head with a baseball bat.  And then you go together looking for girls.  And when you go through a world war, your attitude against  the enemy is beyond mean.  And so, this becomes a part of your life style.  Win--or pay the price.

 

.....On Father's Day (how did that happen?) we are driving to New York, and then home.  It has got me concerned about how I will react to such a trip.  And then I thought about my trip around the world, skipping from one country and culture to another without worrying about the effect on mind and body.  I felt like the Great Gatsby or even Gulliver.  I could conquer any development; after all, I was eventually  decorated with the DFC, the highest honor the Navy could bestow.  And so I went to Norway, Sweden, Holland, Denmark, Germany, France, Nepal, Iran, Turkey, Australia, Tahiti, Bora Bora, Samoa, England, Israel, Fiji; not necessarily in that order--and a couple I have forgotten.  And now my wife is driving me to New York, and I am carrying along my walker. 

"Age cannot wither, nor custom stale her infinite variety" (Shakespeare)

.....I've been living here in sunny (?) Florida for 31 years and I have never experienced such rainy weather as we are having now.  It has been raining heavily on-and-off for about 10 days.  This kind of weather keeps us housebound on most days since RH+ and I do not want to drive anywhere in this kind of weather even if we have a doctor's appointment--which we have fairly often.  Yesterday, por ejemplo, RH+ had an appointment at Boca Hospital for an MRA (not MRI) test on her kidneys.  Of course I accompanied her while she was called for the test.  About 30 minutes later it was an RH-- who came hyperventilating into the room where I was waiting for her, and she was 10 sheets to the wind hysterical.  The problem was the machine she was placed into was extremely narrow and had a cover that closed her in.  And then it became extremely noisy.  Well, RH-- felt as though she was in a coffin, and she discovered that she suffered from claustrophobia.  She screamed for the nurse to abort the test, and then she left to come to the waiting room where she found me.  I really don't want to go into this any longer.  Let's just say that fire and smoke described her demeanor until she once more--and it took a while--for her to become the lovely RH+ that I was accustomed to.  And so on the way home about 5pm we stopped at a Chinese Restaurant and we both had lobster Cantonese which for us was comfort food.  And we both needed a little comfort.

 

.....Now, it's the following day and still we are threatened with rain.  I have to get to the Mall to buy a pair of shoes for the wedding we are going to in NY.  I am required to wear a tuxedo to this affair and all I have is a pair of brown sandals that are comfortable to wear, but do not match very well with a tuxedo.  It's mid-afternoon now, and if it is not raining we will probably get to the Mall for shoes and perhaps dinner in the food court.  On the computer, I"ve already checked my email and the sports, and have played a few games.  And then I thought about the fact that RH+ and I will be celebrating our 30th Anniversary on June 19.  It so happens that we will be in DC on that day and perhaps we'll get to see my two sons and their significant others as well as the grandchildren they have provided us to give money to.  I'd like to get a memento for my own significantee for our 30th because I don't believe I'll be around for our 40th.  If I just happen to be wrong about that, at my age then (99), I doubt if I'll give a damn about anything except how I'll get to reach 100 and do an Argentinian tango on the dance floor with Rhoda(85).  Whoever reads this is invited to the party.

 

 

"Nature, Time and Patience are the three great physicians."

.....Today RH+ came with me to the VA Hospital in West Palm Beach.  As a matter of fact she is the one who drove.  It's about 30 miles on the turnpike and she drives me quite a bit when I have appointments or when we go out to a restaurant in the evening.  I get into the passenger seat while she takes my walker and puts it in the back seat.  She is a very big help to me.  Hmmm, I like this color; Navy blue, I suppose. One of my readers complained that it was to difficult to read some of the colors I pick out for the blog.  We had to go to a new mental health building to see Mary, the RN who helps with the medication I get from the VA.  The old PTSD building was very easy to get to, and usually we were able to park right by the entrance.  This new building is kind of in the boondocks (that means "out of the way" Ruthie) and the parking lot is pretty far away from the main entrance.  If I should drive alone, I would have to take my scooter.  When Rho drives, she lets me off at the entrance and then parks the car.  

.....We will be driving up to New York on June 16 and it's about 1200+ miles.  It will cost us about $165 each way in gasoline.  I suppose that's a little cheaper than flying. Besides, I don't want to fly ever again if I can help it.  Of course we will also have hotel expenses there and back.  Oh, by the way, we are going up for a wedding.  Rho's nephew is getting married.  However, Rho has been having a serious problem with her carotid arteries and her kidneys.  On Friday she has to go to the Boca hospital for some tests, and depending on the results she may have to have surgery.  If so, and depending on how serious it might turn out to be, we simply will have to forget about going to the wedding.  Her health comes first.  Of course, a lot of people, including us will be very disappointed, but what is, is--and it has to be dealt with.  So, keep your fingers crossed, and if you have religion, say a prayer or two.

"Friendship should be more than biting time can sever." (Eliot)

…..I’m depressed, disconsolate, disenchanted, dejected, despondent, dispirited, and devitalized. And you may ask why this is so? Mark Twain was right when he said, “Lord save us from old age and broken health, and a hope tree that has lost the faculty of putting out blossoms.”. The fact is that I have lost the faculty of doing what once I was able to do—to put out the blossoms of skills I owned from my own Hope Tree.  Life was at one time a joy, but now I’m as dormant and helpless as a pebble on the bottom of the sea, where once I was an Orca.  No longer can I lift a golf club from a bag and feel the power of its use.  No longer can I run a marathon or walk a mile; nor even walk at all without the help of a device which I loathe.

 

 

…..I miss seeing teenage faces every morning and the awe in their eyes as Shakespeare suddenly reveals himself to them right in the classroom. I write books that no one reads. I cannot move around on the stage if I were to sing once more in a lofty role.  I can’t call a friend on the phone; all my friends have passed on—except, of course, Ruthie,  who also happens to be an adopted cousin who hasn’t passed on yet; but she lives in England so that I can’t hop over to see her.  Male companionship is virtually non-existent.  There is one buddy from my B-24 crew left; but he lives up north, and a colleague who claimed to be “forever” my friend has not only violated that claim, but has vowed never to read this blog again.

 

…..The problem with the “friend” who failed me, I believe, is that he is not happy with my liberal political leanings, and with my using this written means to express my beliefs.  He apparently has also abandoned the First Amendment as well. The Bard has said in one of his sonnets that ”…love is not love which alters when it alteration finds,” and that it “…looks on tempests and is never shaken.”  The fact is, that being an 18-karat manic depressive and having lived a life of violent emotional contradictions, I have an over-acute capacity for sadness as well as elation.

 

…..And so it turns out, sadly, that he is not a friend at all, and apparently never was.  But despite of all that I have written here, and the reason I nevertheless thrive and survive with elation, is the magnificent wife with whom I have shared my life for the past 30 years.  June19th, the date we married, looms shortly ahead; a day which leads us on to our future together like a beacon lighting our lives.  And this it is that allows me to leave all pain behind me.