May 6th, 2021
“Bon maten”, or “Good Morning!” in Haitian Creole (Kreyòl ayisyen), a French-based creole spoken mainly in Haiti.
This week I learned some stuff:
• Our erstwhile editor “Yippee Tied One On” last night, imbibing far too much Scotch whisky in celebration of Cinco de May, which led to a severe case of marginal performance in terms of releasing this latest version of the UJT Update. Some people!
• To add insult to injury, by the time he drug his sorry butt out of bed and limped to the mac to finalize this week’s release, Cox decided we would be better off without internet services. So as of this moment I have no idea when we will be publishing.
• May 6th is the 126th day of 2021. Just 233 days till Christmas! Today in 1889, the Eiffel Tower is officially opened to the public at the Universal Exposition in Paris; Today in 1935, under the authority of the newly-enacted Federal Emergency Relief Administration, President Franklin D. Roosevelt issues Executive Order 7034 to create the Works Progress Administration; On this day in 1937, the German zeppelin Hindenburg catches fire and is destroyed within a minute while attempting to dock at Lakehurst, New Jersey. Thirty-six people are killed; Today in 1940 John Steinbeck is awarded the Pulitzer Prize for his novel The Grapes of Wrath; Today in 1994, Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom and French President François Mitterrand officiate at the opening of the Channel Tunnel; Today in 1996, the body of former CIA director William Colby is found washed up on a riverbank in southern Maryland, eight days after he disappeared; Steve Jobs of Apple Inc. unveils the first iMac today in 1998; in just 36 minutes, the Dow-Jones average plunged nearly 1000 points in what is known as the 2010 Flash Crash today in 2010; Today in 2013, three women, kidnapped and missing for more than a decade, are found alive in Cleveland, Ohio; Sigmund Freud, Austrian neurologist and psychoanalyst was born today in 1856; Orson Welles, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter was born on this day in 1915; Today in 1931, Willie Mays, American baseball player and coach was born; Rubin Carter, American-Canadian boxer was born today in 1937; Bob Seger, American singer-songwriter and guitarist was born today in 1945; Henry David Thoreau, American essayist, poet, and philosopher passed away today in 1862; And finally, Jim Wright, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 56th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives.
Website Update:
This week we made the following changes:
• Last week for our Vocabulary Quiz,
• Week two for ourMusical Trivia Quiz!!
• This week I didn’t come up with any new recipes for you.
• This week’s Home Page quote comes from another very interesting guy, Mencius, Chinese philosopher who left the state in 289 BC.
Writing, Ceramics, Stained Glass and Painting Update:
• My creative gear box has been and still is stuck in neutral. I haven’t figured out how to push start this particular VW!
• I didn’t attend watercolor classes this week via zoom. I hope we can go back to the classroom soon.
• Grandpa Stories is still not re-published.
Weird-Stuff-O-Meter:
• I want to get my teeth cleaned. I normally get them cleaned every 3-4 months but since the pandemic this was not possible. My regular dentist sold his practice to a marketing firm disguised as dentist’s practice. It is also located in my old neighborhood so I took this opportunity to change my dentists. My new dentist was a fantasy of his teenage parents when I got my first filling. I got xrayed, measured, and examined. The came up with a plan to catch my teeth back up in terms of cleaning. Then they through in another $420 of non covered procedures and another $30 for fluoride treatments that dental insurance companied don’t cover for people over 19. I understand the concept of revenue generation and selling up services but unless the entire dental insurance community is in cahoots, I am pretty sure these additional services are “peace of mind” valued versus imperative health care. I will do the research but I found the whole thing very interesting.
Music Update:
Once again, yours truly takes you on another meander through the dusty cobwebs of my music library.
This week’s UJT Radio Program:
• Robin Trower — Bridge of Sighs — My brother reminded me of this great guitarist. He shared another cut off this album but I have always had a special thing for the title cut from this 1974 solo release.
• Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats — Hey Mama — This is another tip from my brother that I really liked. I had never heard of these guys. This is from their 2018 release. “Tearing at the Seams (Deluxe Edition)”.
• Joe Banamassa– Sloe Gin – I am not too sure how many people know what Sloe Gin is. I love this great tune from his “Joe Bonamassa: Live from the Royal Albert Hall” released in 2009. By the Way, Sloe Gin was the favorite alcoholic beverage of high school girls follow closely by Southern Comfort. Hehehehe…
• John Mayer – Stop This Train – This is one my favorite cuts from one of my favorite records. This one comes from, “Continum” released in 2006.
• U2 — Ordinary Love — Their magic leprechaun pixie dust is still swirling around these guys. This a sound track for “Mandela – Long Walk To Freedom (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) released in 2013.
• Carl Verheyen Band — A Clawhammer Man — My friend George Gomez dropped me an honest to god card and sent a new CD from his guitar teacher, Carl Verheyen. It’s just an amazing album. The best part of the note was when George told me that he is going into the studio with Carl and his band to record some of George’s original songs. You have no idea how wonderful that news is. George was a truly gifted guitar player when he was 16 years old. Life got in the way a bunch of times, but I am just so jazzed that he is going to be recording his music with a band of his caliber. And these guys are all great players! This is funky tune from the bands latest release, “Sundial”.
That’s it… Do the best you can; Laugh every chance you get; And always remember … The best is yet to come! As always, thank you for being my friend!