February 17, 2022
“Buiti binafi”, or “Good Morning!” in Garifuna, an Arawakan language spoken mainly in Honduras, and also in Belize, Guatamala and Nicaragua.
I enjoyed watching the Super Bowl. It was a good game between well matched opponents. I am happy for Matt Stafford and the LA Rams but the Cincinnati Bengals have nothing to feel bad about. With the new rules and free agency, I think the multi win dynasties that teams like Miami, Washington, Dallas, San Francisco and New England might be a thing of the past. Coaches have lots of tools to even the playing field so to speak during the offseason so every year the skill levels seem more evenly distributed across the league. If this year’s playoffs are any indicator, we are in for some great football for a long time to come. (PS. The Chiefs vs Bills playoff was the best I have seen!)
This week I learned some stuff:
• I was speaking with a young man this week. He was being very candid about the way he looks at things. He is very focused on his college education as opposed the opportunities for college social interactions. He is not responsive to classmates who deviate from the topic of the class. He feels they diminish his focus and has elected to put them into a “time waster” category. I found this very interesting and given the importance and cost of a college education a reasonable approach. However, I pointed out that that such an approach will impeded his ability to actually know the other person. We don’t know what we don’t know and if we limit interactions we may never know.
• The new stained glass project is daunting. The pattern vellum feels very much like the vast space it is for someone who has only one 9×12 pieces before this project. I must keep repeating my Yoda mantra, “ Let go of your fear Luke. It is the path to the dark side.”
• February 17th is the 48th day of 2022. Just 320 days till Christmas! Today in 1621 Myles Standish is appointed as first military commander of the English Plymouth Colony in North America; Today in 1887, the first ship passes through the Suez Canal.; On this day in 1964, in Wesberry v. Sanders the Supreme Court of the United States rules that congressional districts have to be approximately equal in population; Today in 1972, cumulative sales of the Volkswagen Beetle exceed those of the Ford Model T; On this day in 1996, world champion Garry Kasparov beats the Deep Blue supercomputer in a chess match; Today in 2011, Libyan protests against Muammar Gaddafi’s regime begin; In 1922 on this day, Tommy Edwards, American R&B singer-songwriter and first African American to have a number 1 song on the Billboard Hot 100 with “Its All in the Game” was born: Born today in 1924, Margaret Truman, American singer and author; Today in 1925, Hal Holbrook, American actor and director; Born today in 1931, Buddy Ryan, American football coach; Today in 1936, Jim Brown, American football player and actor was born; Huey P. Newton, American activist, co-founded the Black Panther Party, was born today in 1942; Rene Russo, American actress, was born today in 1954;Lou Diamond Phillips, American actor and director, was born today in 1962; On this day in 1963, Michael Jordan, American basketball player and actor, was born; Today in 1965, Michael Bay, American director and producer was born; American singer-songwriter, guitarist, actor, and producer Billy Joe Armstrong was born today in 1972; Geronimo, American tribal leader passed away today in 1909; Thelonious Monk, American pianist and composer passed away today in 1982; and finally, today in 2021, we lost Rush Limbaugh, American talk show host and author.
Website Update:
This week:
• A New Vocabulary Quiz!!!!
• Last week for our new Musical Trivia Quiz!
• No new recipes this week.
• The Home Page quote tis week is from President John F. Kennedy, ”Too often we… enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought.”
Writing, Ceramics, Stained Glass and Painting Update:
• I am painting again! But not as often as I should.
• Grandpa Stories is once again making progress towards being republished. It is taking me longer this time because I have to use a page magnifier to see the print well enough to read. I just finished editing another chapter!
Weird-Stuff-O-Meter:
• Listening tp Patty Griffith’s song, “Wild Old Dog” today and learning about her old dog Bean, made me recall a scene in All Creatures Great and Small, where some farmer or something, brings a dog to the vet to be put down (the vet refused!) There was nothing wrong with the dog, he was just old. I have heard terrible stories about families abandoning pets at shelters when the get older and perhaps more expensive. It breaks my heart to hear those stories. When I was searching for my new 8 year old puppy from the Humane Society, seeing all those cages with these sweet loving faces perk up as you walk by. Its just heart breaking. You give money and you do your part adopting them when its time but it never quite seems enough. This is one of those terrible problems that makes you really wish that you had a magic wand.
Music Update:
Once again, yours truly takes you on another meander through the dusty cobwebs of my music library. This week I have a lovely mix of new and old that I hope you will enjoy.
This week’s UJT Radio Program:
• Joni Mitchel – Real Good for Free — This has always been one of my favorite songs by a musical giant. This is the live version from her iconic 1974 release, “Miles of Aisles”. This is a mostly instrumental piano song, but Tom Scott and the LA Express backed her on that album.
• Patty Griffith — Top of the World — This is just a beautiful song in the same vein as Millworker by James Taylor. It comes from her 2013 release, “Silverbells”. I read an article about her in Lonestar Music. It mentioned that she has a newer album out, “American Kid”. I have only heard one song from it so far. It’s called, “Wild Old Dog” and it made me cry it was so sad. The article celebrated her old dog, Bean. Bean is a long time touring roadie gone grey now. He still travels around with her but his movements are slower and there are a lot more naps involved. The article told the story of how she came to write Wild Old Dog. It’s about perhaps one of the most cruel and cowardly acts that humans do – abandon a dog because he or she got old.
• Jerry Garcia — Bird Song — This is from Jerry’s first solo album, “Garcia” released in 1972. This song is Jerry’s Tribute to his friend, Janis Joplin.
• Sarah Jarosz — Run Away — This lady is just real special. This one comes from her “Follow Me Down” album released in 2011.
• Jimi Hendrix — Rainy Day Dream Away — This always was one of my favorite songs from Jimi. The first time I heard it, I was surrounded by one of those horrendous south Florida rainstorms. We were sitting my friend George’s front porch, smoking a doobie, listening to the rain when the song came on. This one comes from his amazing, “Electric Ladyland” album released in 1968.
• Quinn Sullivan — Cyclone — This guy was 14 years old when he recorded this song. This one is from his second album, “Getting There” released in 2013.
That’s it… Do the best you can; Laugh every chance you get; Always remember… The best is yet to come! As always, thank you for being my friend!