November 22nd, 2018 – Happy Thanksgiving !!
“ Felice Ringraziamento!!” Wishing you a “Happy Thanksgiving” in Italian!
Mickey Mouse celebrated his 90th Birthday on November 18th. In probably his final bad business move. Walt lost the rights to his first cartoon character, Oswald, The Lucky Rabbit, to Universal Studios. So he just created and released “SteamBoat Willie” featuring his new star, Mickey Mouse on November 18th, 1928. Billions of kids of all ages are awfully glad he did. Happy Birthday, Mickey!!!
California is burning. Up north, over a hundred folks are dead with another thousand or so unaccounted for. Almost 150,000 acres have burned taking more than 8000 homes and business with it. It is a terrible tragedy. Help if you can by donating to the American Red Cross at this site. All donations will help alleviate the suffering and are tax deductible for you.
This week I learned some stuff:
• NATIONAL CRANBERRY RELISH DAY Each year on November 22, cranberry lovers across the country observe National Cranberry Relish Day. I bet you were already going to celebrate with your turkey!?
• AARP is amazing! Their website is very well organized and helpful in some very creative ways designed to enrich geezers I think. They have a daily quiz on a wide variety of subjects (SSN, Insurance, Job Hunting for the Aged, etc.). As you progress through the quiz you are given (taught really) about the subject of the quiz. Each of these quizzes will earn you points that you can redeem for discounts or gift card from various retail and service companies. You can earn up to 5,000 points per day. Check it out.
• I just found a new show that I enjoy a lot on PBS. “We’ll Meet Again with Ann Curry is on Tuesday’s in my area. This show shares the most wonderful re-connection stories! If you have ever lost touch with someone you deeply cared about and reconnected years later, you will enjoy watching others experience that same joy. It is evidently in its second season but I just found it last Tuesday. I don’t want to miss it again.
• Lastly, since we are talking about TV shows. “The Last Ship” finished its 5 year run on November 11, 2018 proving the fact that one ship can only save the world so many times in five years before being sacrificed to save it one more time. The producers of this show did an excellent job of weaving pretty realistic shipboard life into the fantastic plots and action of this story. I enjoyed the story, the acting, and the ending. Well Done.
Website Update:
• “New” Vocabulary Quiz. WhooHoo!!
• Second week for the New UJT Music Trivia Quiz.
• I got busy with one new and one old recipe this week. Creamy Garlic Chicken Alfredo was added to the Main Course page. This thing is so easy and tasty, never again will you ever buy that nasty stuff in a jar! I had forgotten to add my recipe for Pecan Pie from Thanksgiving last year so I added it today. It tastes REAL GOOD! Iffn’ I do says so myself!
Writing, Ceramics and Painting Update:
• I finished another round of Grandpa Stories edits! Whew! I am glad that is over .. sure it is!
• I did some more painting this week and glazed my weird wind-chime fish thing. It should be very colorful and I hope pretty. My new box project needs some tweaks but I ran out of time in class. No classes this week so I will be painting and writing at home all week.
Weird-Stuff-O-Meter:
• I read something in Facebook the other day (so you know it has to be true!) about Steve Banyan and his company’s involvement in the BREXIT Referendum.
• Researchers have found a 4,000 year old termite complex in Brazil that is larger than Great Britain!! Trump says it was his first hotel… just kidding. 🙂
Music Update:
Here is another musical smorgasbord for you to feast upon. I know that not every dish will be your favorite but I hope you will sample it all.
Go to this week’s UJT Radio program.
• USA for Africa — We Are the World — A kid that I grew up with in Coral Gables posted this video on Facebook and it made me cry just like the first time I heard it way back in 1985.
• Marcin Patrzalek — Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony —I found this to be amazing and I hope you enjoy it as well. This young man is a guitar prodigy from Poland.
• The Youngbloods — Get Together — This one is from my new favorite Walmart commercial where all these different people bring their own chairs to a huge table for Thanksgiving to this song sound track.
• Al DiMeola, John McLaughlin, Paco DeLucia — Guardian Angel — From the Vinyl!!!! From their magnificent live capture, “Friday Night in San Fransisco” released in 1981. Guitar genius just oozes from every part of this record. Paco has left us now.
• Venice — Rivers Never Run — Another beautiful pile of sweet harmonies from their “Venetian Vinyl” album released in 2015.
• Pure Prairie League — Falling In and Out of Love — Speaking of pretty harmonies, these boys were about the best in their time and style of music. This comes to us like a time capsule from 1972 from their, “Bustin’ Out” album.
• Leo Kottke – June Bug — What this boy does with a 12 string just ain’t natural, I tell you! But I like it a lot. Probably not for every one but it will do just fine for me. This one is from one his “best of Leo” records that I found last year.
• Tedeschi Trucks Band – Shrimp and Grits (interlude) – This little ditty is just like the hot sauce you would sprinkle on your gumbo. Just a little bit but just right too! From their debut album featuring this wonderful 11 piece rock, roll and blues band, called “Relevator” released in 2011. These sound exactly like The Allman Brothers Band did in 1973, except totally different 🙂
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!