October 26th, 2023
“ Dobroho ranku”, or “Good Morning!” in Ukrainian, an Eastern Slavic language spoken mainly in Ukraine. I have decided that the UJT will remain focused on Ukraine until we can all rejoice at the end of hostilities. It has been 602 days since Russia invaded Ukraine.
This week I learned some stuff:
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- The dry-out of our soggy kitchen and bathroom is complete. Now we are waiting for the contractor to come in to replace the drywall ceiling in the kitchen and the shower that they had to remove to dry it all out. And so it goes…
- This week I start my next poll worker adventure with 2 days of training, the the poll set up on Friday, and the poll working for the following 10 days.
- October 26th is the 299th day of 2023. Just 60 days till Christmas. On this day in 1900, Max Planck discovers Planck’s law of black-body radiation; Today in 1960, the United States imposes a near-total trade embargo against Cuba; The Dow Jones Industrial Average falls by 22%, 508 points today in 1987; Today in 2003, Mother Teresa is beatified by Pope John Paul II; Saddam Hussein goes on trial in Baghdad for crimes against humanity today in 2005; Today in 1934, Dave Guard, American folk music singer-songwriter, member of The Kingston Trio. arranger, and musician; Peter Max, German-American illustrator was born today in 1937, Peter Tosh, Jamaican singer-songwriter and guitarist was born today in 1944; Angus Deaton, Scottish-American economist, and academic, Nobel Prize laureate was born today in 1945 as was Divine, American drag queen performer, and actor along with John Lithgow, American actor; Patrick Simmons, American singer-songwriter and guitarist with The Doobie Brothers was born today in 1948; Virgil Earp, American marshal passed away today in 1905; Gig Young, American actor died today in 1978; Son House, American singer and guitarist passed away today in 1988; Alice Cooper’s Glen Buxton, American guitarist, and songwriter died today in 1997; Finally, we lost Tom Bosley, (AKA Richie Cunningham’s dad in Happy Days) American actor today in 2010.
This week’s Website Update:
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- I am starting my gig as a poll worker tomorrow so I am not sure when the Vocabulary and Music Trivia Quizzes will be updated.
- This week’s recipes include Crispy Smashed Potatoes, Creamy Pickle Poppers, and my version of Hawaiian Macaroni Salad (2 scoops Brah!). All were good.
- The Home Page quote for this week’s wisdom is from former First Lady, Eleanor Roosevelt. “When will our conscience grow so tender that we will act to prevent human misery rather than avenge it.”
Writing, Ceramics, Bonsai Trees, Stained Glass, and Painting Update:
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- I still haven’t gotten to the Juniper that BJ got me for my Birthday. The good thing is that while I procrastinate I am not yet killing this pretty little living creature.
- I am actively adjusting the design as I pick the glass for my stained glass project.
- I didn’t manage to get some more of the paper editing done on Grandpa Stories”. My goal is 3-5 chapters each week till it is don
Weird-Stuff-O-Meter:
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- It seems like one thing after another in terms of challenges. As my patience grows thinner, the need for it shrinks. Between my eyesight issues, knees, hearing, and now my shoulder, I need to be patient with myself. But that knowledge does not help much when I have to stop to catch my breath or take a pic of it with my camera so I can see the directions or let the pain from using my right arm chill out. Oh Well! End of Whine!
Music Update:
Here is a new batch of music for you to try out. This week’s selections are a response to a question posed in Facebookland. What songs by well-known artists did not get the attention they should have?
This week’s UJT Radio Program:
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- Savoy Brown – Hellhound Train — This was a great band that just never got the attention that they deserved. They were prolific and had a large following just almost no air time. This one is the title cut from his 1972 release.
- Kris Kristofferson –Jesus Was a Capricorn – Unlike most people who learned about Kris through Janis Joplin’s Me & Bobbie Magee” hit just before she died. I loved the song like everyone else but didn’t know anything about Kris. If you ever want to study a fascinating life story, read about Kris. The first time I ever heard his voice was from a rather eccentric jukebox in a rather eccentric bar called the “19th Hole (though it was nowhere near a golf course). The owners and their son John who worked the bar loved Kris Kristofferson. I would estimate that 40-50% of the selection on that jukebox was his music. I had just met my soon-to-be wife and we were tearing around SW Miami on my Honda CB 350 motorcycle that I drove down from Virginia (But that is another story). Any of my best friends from my hometown had adopted this bar and we seemed to spend a lot of time there. The bar had to close by law at 2 a.m., But John would just lock the door and often we sang to the songs on that jukebox together until the sun was just creeping out from behind the Australian Pines across the street. ANYWAY! This was the song that stole my heart.
- Stephen Stills — Treetop Flier — CS&N and then CSN&Y made everyone famous. Those iconic bands featured Stephen mostly on electric guitars but he is also a formidable acoustic player as well. I have been an avid fan of SS forever I think but it was my friend Randy, who turned me on to this song on a visit to Lori and Randy’s place in Ghent that I first heard this one. I have just too many SS favs to go through but we all got a glimpse of how good he is alone with his guitar when he released, “Black Queen” that was released on his self-titled 1970 release. “ This is a song about a card game. “ … Treetop Flyer is from his 1991 release, “Stills Alone”.
- Stevie Ray Vaughn * Double Trouble – Rivera Paradise – My brother Mike reminded me of this fantastic instrumental given to us by the late SRV. This one is from their 1989 release, “In Step.”
- Bonnie Raitt — Love Letter — This is a sweet song that really describes wanting well. This is another great unsung cut from her 1999 release.. “Nick Of Time.”
- Eagles – A Hole in the World – This is one of the finest examples of rock & roll harmony there has ever been. This song was written by Don Henley and Glenn Fry in response to the September 11th bombings. It is the first Eagles recording without Don Felder playing guitar since 1974. It was released in 2003, on their compilation album, “ The Best Of”.
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!