May 20th, 2021
“Mirëmëngjes”, or “Good Morning!” in the Tosk dialect of Albanian, an Indo-European language spoken mainly in Albania and Kosovo.
I hope everyone got their taxes done on time. With the extension it kind of sneaked up on us but we got them all in on time.
This week I learned some stuff:
• I found a new Irish Whiskey that I really like. “Proper Twelve” is from Conor McGregor and pays homage to his neighborhood, Crumlin, Dublin 12. If you can find it, you will enjoy it.
• May 20th is the 140th day of 2021. Just 219 days till Christmas! Today in 1609, Shakespeare’s sonnets are first published in London, perhaps illicitly, by the publisher Thomas Thorpe; Today in 1862, U.S. President Abraham Lincoln signs the Homestead Act into law, opening 84 million acres of public land to settlers; On this day in 1873, Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis receive a U.S. patent for blue jeans with copper rivets; Today in 1991, the first public display of Thomas Edison’s prototype kinetoscope; the Battle of Hamburger Hill in Vietnam ends today in 1969; Cher, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actress was born today in 1946; Timothy Olyphant, American actor and producer was born on this day in 1968; Gilda Radner, American actress and comedian passed away today in 1961; And finally, Robin Gibb, Manx-English singer-songwriter and producer passed away today in 2012.
Website Update:
This week we made the following changes:
• Week two for our new Vocabulary Quiz.
• A new Musical Trivia Quiz !!! YEAH!!!
• This week I added a reciepe for some tasty Indian Rice.
• This week’s Home Page quote comes from another very interesting guy, Albert Einstein. “Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning. “
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:
• Do you remember your dreams? Sometimes I do but usually not for very long but I will wake up mentally in the the time and situation that I was dreaming about. This week, I dreamed I was part of humanity that was the last to leave earth for some unknown destination. I had to choose the people who would be the last to leave with no guaranty that we would escape on time or reach safety. It was sooo strange. Oh I think we made it or at least we were as I awoke.
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:
• Venice — Starting Here Again — This is just a very pretty song played beautifully. This is a deep cut from their “Born and Raised” album released in 1997,
• Jackson Browne — Fountain of Sorrow — This is another favorite cut from another favorite album. “Late for the Sky” was released in 1974. “… you know that hollow sound of your own steps in flight.. “
• Bruce Hornsby – Fields of Grey — I have heard some of Bruces songs that I like better than others and different versions I liked better but I have yet to hear a song by Bruce that I didn’t like. I hope you like this cut from his 1993 release, “Harbor Lights”.
• Bob Dylan — Shelter From The Storm — Always one of my Dylan favs. He has given us so much music and poetry. This version was released on the Songs for Japan album released in 2011.
• Matchbox Twenty — All Your Reasons — The song says it all. Sometimes you just don’t want to hear it …again. This one comes from their icon, “Exile on Mainstream” released in 2007
• Marshal Tucker Band — Fire on the Mountain — Each week my brother sends me songs to hear. I had seen Marshal Tucker as an opener for another band and really liked them so I bought this record as soon as it came out. Toy Caldwell plays steel guitar out of tune because he didn’t know how to tune it but it worked. There are actually three “Fire on the Mountain” songs that I really like. This one, another from the Dead on “Shakedown Street” and lastly, a newer one (2009) by Rob Thomas. This one came out in 1975 on “Searchin’ for a Rainbow”.
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!