The man in the crowd with the multicolored mirrors on his hobnail boots... / A soap impression of his wife which he ate / And donated to the National

Well,

As you should be able to infer from the title of this post - maybe not yet - this one is about Beatles random thoughts and useless facts (trivia). I'll try to make it interested, educational, and humorous.

We can start with, although it is by no means an easy one, the question of where does the title lyrics come from. By 'come from' we (I) always mean, in the case of lyrics, the song and if possible the album. In this particular case, there is a definite song title and album name. Some hints - as should be clear from the density of the lyrics, that John Lennon wrote this song. Although Sir Paul and George did have some really nice backgroud harmony singing 'Bang Bang, Shoot Shoot', which is a big hint indeed.

Limitations on the length of a Blogger post chopped off the last word which I intended to include. It is 'Trust', as in 'National Trust'. I assume that is the UK equivalent to the Smithsonian Institution in the states. I also have to imagine that the donation was going to be in the form of a piece of shit, but I could be wrong.

Here is the asnwer, hidden as usual behind a click:

Click here for the song title and album

Happiness Is A Warm Gun ... The White Album.


More to come ...

Rich

Speaking and reading Russian - a challenge

Well,

I began this post with some specific intent, but I've forgotten that, so I'll just meander for a bit about the Russian alphabet and phonemes (I love Phonetics), until I might just remember the initial intent of the post.

And BTW, this is not meant to be educational, although it might prove to be. I will try to keep it as light and amusing as possible.

The Russian alphabet is a subset of the Cyrillic 'code page' ... hmm, I am losing some people now, I know. A 'code page' is a grid of 256 characters, 16 by 16. Each box in the page (think of a double-sized checkerboard (or chessboard, if I'm writing for a more sophisticated audience), contains a letter - which corresponds to a 'sound' (phoneme).

Now, the Russian alphabet uses only 36 of the boxes in the Cyrillic code page. The other unused ones correspond to letters or sounds in languages like Armenian and Turkish, Ukrainian, etc. So let's not discuss these other sounds right now - although they are worthy of discussion elsewhere.

Most of the letters of the Russian alphabet 'sound' out in a way an American speaker can handle, but not always! There are at least two letters that defy pronunciation by an English speaker, and unfortunately they are ubiquitous in Russian. So, I will address that is a few paragraphs.

36 letters ... 24 consonants, 10 vowels (yep, 10) and two letters that HAVE NO SOUND AT ALL. I asked a native Russian a question ... when you were a little tyke in elementary school, did your classroom have the letters of the alphabet all around the room, with cute pictures of objests than began with the letter ... like 'A' with an apple, 'Z' with a zebra? The answer was YES. Then, I asked, what about the 'znacks' - the letters with no sound. The answer was 'there was no picture under them, just white space'. Perfect.

Now, Russians love to clump consonants together. There is actually a word in Russian which has 5 consonants in a row at the beginning of it. Russians have no problemo pronouncing it, although I go into fits and screams trying.

On the other hand, there are certain common sounds in English which a native Russian who has not studied English early on - and BTW, most Russians study English from the second grade on - cannot pronounce, try as they will. 'TH' has no sound in Russian; 'W' has no sound', etc. So a native will speak 'Uma Thurman' as 'Uma Turman' - the 'TH becomes a 'T' - and 'W' becomes, at best, a 'uhh-a'. Luckily, there are no Russians with names like 'Wayne' or 'Wendy'.

On the other hand, there are sounds and letters in the Russian alphabet which a native English speaker doesn't have a chance in Hell of pronouncing correctly.

The Russian letter 'ы', which is a SINGLE letter, not a little 'b' with a capital 'I' next to it, appears everywhere in Russian, and to some degree gives Russian it's distinct 'sound'. But forget about pronouncing it correctly. Think of forming your lips and mouth to say the letter 'O', as in 'Oh my'. But then, holding that formation of the mouth, say 'E', as in 'EEK'. Now, let the sound drop into your throat - don't palatalize it (don't use your tongue). That would be close.

As for the two znacks - they have no sound, but they modify the sounds of the letters surrounding them, significantly. So thay have to be understood and reckoned with.

Russians, as a final note in this edition of the blog phonetics/language division, have no sound for a 'soft' 'G'. Or a sound for 'J', which is pretty much equivalent - not exactly phonetically, but close enough. So, that stuff you put on your hair after a nice shampoo is called 'Gel', with a hard 'G', as in 'Going'. And the closest a Russian can come to 'Jennifer' is 'Dzhennifer', where the 'zh' is a transliteration of the amazing letter of the Russian alphabet ж - sounded as the combination 'su' in the English word 'pleasure'.

'Transliteration' is another topic to be discussed in the sequel. And it will fascinate you.

So, in Russian now ...

пока пока до видания

That said - 'see ya ... goodbye' transliterated as 'poka poka do svedanya'

Rich ... рич ... and that is my name in Russian - Ричард Роиано

And I realize that the 'N' looks like an 'H' and the 'R' looks like a 'P'. Get over it. Okay. Here is the most common word a visitor to Moscow (Moskva, in transliterated Russian) sees on store fronts - figure it out for yourself - Рестаран - give up ...

Restaurant, OK.

Rich, again

Herb Garden

Well,

Europeans, Western and Eastern, and even Russians, talk about their family kitchen gardens all the time. The term 'kitchen garden' was new to me, but some questioning revealed that a 'kitchen garden' is what I would call a 'vegetable garden' combined with an 'herb garden'. Stuff you can grow and then eat.

I planted a little herb garden in a plastic window box, in my North-facing window, and it is doing fine. Although it is the source of my infestation of fungus gnats ... harmless little friends that tickle when they attempt to take a tasty drink of water from what collects in the corners of my eyes while I am sleeping. I don't mind at all. I am just going to wipe my eyes off when I get up, and it's just as well something benefits from it.

This herb garden has, of course, parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme, and also basil and oregano. It is doing quite well, and I trim it down and use the clippings most every night, as a tasty herbal seasoning to whatever I am cooking for dinner.

Here is a photo of the window box herb garden ...



From left to right, that is oregano, thyme, sage, rosemary, big space, then parsley and basil.

The big space is for future additions. You can see a nice big blow-up of the photo if you click on it

So, there ends a nice family-oriented blog post.

Rich

Drosophilia

Well,

I have been invaded by winged creatures. Nothing to be upset about. In many ways, they have become my friends.

Dosophilia - fruit flies, fungus gnats, and one errant regular house fly. Hmm, I am about to give him, or her, a name. I can't sex it at this point.

They are not unwelcome. I understand their mission. And the house fly has become kind of a friend. OK, I know this is wrong, but I am alone most of the time, and I need to talk to somebody.

There are well-established ways to eliminate these little flying pests, but I don't see the need. They will die soon enough of their tiny little lifespans. And they do amuse me.

The fungus gnats come from my herb gardens in the windows. My fault, I over watered. The fruit flies come from, I dont' know what. But they thrive. The little house fly, my friend, probably got through an open window, and probably wishes he/she was outside right now.

I do catch and kill a few of the fruit flies, especially when they attempt to land on my tasty dinner. But I am usually unsuccessful. They are too fast for me.

Well, I just thought to mention my major occupation right now. Protecting my food from the little critters.

At least they don't buzz around your ears at night ... they only tickle.

Rich

Fandango!

Well,

I just visited the Rhinebeck Farmer's Market, and there was a fine jazz duo - Martin hollow-body electrified guitar and uprignt bass.. Both guys were excellent musicians, and both looked about my age - meaning old. But when they performed, it was sublime.

It reminded me a bit of Dave Brubeck's meanderings, with the trio, quartet and other configurations.

OK, the follwing link is not working yet. I'm working on it. Be patient. It isn't an easy one. I'm trying to get you to be able to listen to a track on MY computer, and that is NO easy task. But I'll get it workin' soon. Come back later.

Someday My Prince Will Come

Here is a video of Dave playing this recently, unfornately without Desmond - he died (sigh!) - but the uneasy-ness of the song comes fromt the fact that the drummer - Joe Morello in the original quartet - is playing in 4/4 time (march time, so to speak), and the bassist is playing in waltz tme - 3/4 tme. These two time signatures do NOT work together. But Brubeck improvises in one, then the other, interchangeable.

This creates an uneasily sensed creepy-ness to the playing. And it is hard to make out at first. Try listening to just the bass line, then the drummer. And listen how Brubeck dances around them. It is pure genius.

So, I am still working on the fix to allow you to listen to my own recording off of 'Countdouwn - Time in Outer Space', the definitive version, with Desmond. I have a solution, but it will take a it of time to pull it off. Enjoy, for now.

And, BTW, Brubeck is f*cking 88 years old in this video. I should be so lucky. 88 years old!!! And still going strong. Perhaps playing jazz piano isn't such a bad idea.



Rich

The Avengers

Well,

Here's some TV nostalgia, of the highest order. Throughout the 60's ... I know, a long time ago. I don't remember too much about that time, but I was there. At least, I've seen photos of me then.

Patrick McNee and either Honor Blackman, Diana Rigg (sigh!) or Linda Thorson.

Here is the opening sequence during the Emma Peel (Dame Diana Rigg) days ...



Yes, most of the episodes were filmed in black and white, but no matter. Favorite episode - easy - 'Too Many Christmas Trees', in which Steed (McNee) and Mrs. Peel are guests at a Christmas party at a wonderful English mansion with a Dickensian theme. Steed is costumed as Sydney Carton ('hoist on my own petard' - A Tale of Two Cities), and Emma is Oliver Twist.

The entire series is available on A&E DVDs, and worth seeking out at your local library. The Hudson Valley system has them all.

Here is a 5 minute clip of the first few minutes of the episode.


Watch The Avengers - S04E13 - Too Many Christmas Trees.avi in Entertainment  |  View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

Rich

Another YouTube from 'A Day at the Races'

Well,

I found this on YouTube, and it's way to good not to embed here. This is Ivie Anderson, the vocalist that convinced Duke Ellington to on occasion feature a female singer. Also, performing as part of the crowd are members of the Ellington orchestra. They are uncredited in the film, as Duke though their appearances weren't up to his standards. He is to be credited for that opinion. He understood stereotypes and didn't want any possibility of it happening here; although he had nothing to be concerned with in this scene.

Most amazing, besides Ivie's singing, is the heavy-set guy she dances with. He is incredible, and that 'split'. WTF! Yes, the last frame of his face might be considered a little stereotyped, but, you see, it's not! It's an expression of such pure joy, and if that's racist, there's something wrong here.

Ivie, BTW, died a few years after her scenes here - of asthma. Something nobody dies of anymore. Her death, and not the expression on the dancer's face, is wrong!!

Enjoy!



Also, for the film-o-philes among us, and especially the Marx Bros.-philes, yes, there is the musical number in 'Duck Soup' called 'All God's Chillun Got Guns', and it is the same tune. Remember that 'Duck Soup' has Groucho saying 'This means war!' several times. The general theme in 'Duck Soup' is quite different from 'A Day at the Races'. Although, there are plenty of cross-references in the two films. I guess it's just part of what makes watching a Marx Bros. movie so interesting and rewarding.

There is a lot of opinion on the airwaves - Internet - about why the Marx Bros. included so prominently rather long sequences featuring Black singers, dancers, musicians and actors. I find it all rather unimportant. Oh, the theories - the Marxes were Jews and understood persecution and status as a minority. Perhaps. But missing the point entirely. You see, the Marx Bros. were funny, and Black musicians and dancers and actors were superb. You don't need an excuse when you have that kind of ability.

It's like a lot of people I, on occasion, talk to. During this last election, they fell neatly into two camps. One group said that if B. Obama becomes President of the US, we will become a Muslim (!) nation. The other group said that change is coming and a good thing. These were very polarized groups. I have always felt that politics plays itself out. And that the country survives even the worst leadership - no comment intended here. But I was surprised by the fervor, even violence, expressed by some. Get over it. Have a drink.

Well, I am getting a little more personal and serious than I intended here. So, I will stop.

Full stop.

Rich

Tasty popcorn incident, The famous

Well,

Here is a story I have delayed relating. Why? I don't know. It is important knowledge for you. Maybe, I just needed the right frame of mind, so to speak.

I will warn you ... now. Continuing to read this post will forever change your life! Don't take this as jive. You are the way you are now ... and after reading this, you will be different. And forever different.

OK, one more time. Right now, you are Person One, for example. After reading this post, you will be Person Two, to extend the example. And Person Two will not be the SAME. Be forewarned. And kiss your current self goodbye.

Story begins ...........................

It was many years ago ... I was a youth. BTW, I use the ellipsis effect a lot in this story. Get used to it.

I was only fifteen years old back then. I don't remember that, but there are pictures (OK, I used that line before ... I like it). I was a little tad in high school at the time. And during the summer, and even on the weekends of the regular school year, I had time to kill. Oh, and although it plays no part in this story, it is worth mentioning that I was a virgin. This plays a bigger part in stories to follow. Now, my father, bless his soul, always had at least two jobs; usually three or more. One of these was working as a 'field usher'. Now, we have to take our first, of many, full stops to explain this job title. Trust me, it will be worth it and interesting too. Much more interesting than the 'I was a virgin' stuff. Well, I was only 15 ... give me a break.

My father worked, part-time in the evenings per force, at a Drive-In Theater. Now I know you don't know (interesting grammatical construct) what a Drive-In Theater is. I will explain. There is this big field, out in the middle of nowhere, hopefully. The field has a BIG white screen at one end. It is designed to have movie films (from the department of redundancy department) shown on it. In the middle of the field is a building which contains two things - a projection booth and a refreshment stand - from now on referred to as the 'stand'. All around the projection booth/stand structure, and facing the screen, are spots for cars to park. They are angled up in such a way to make viewing the screen easy. Next to each parking spot is a metal pole, about four feet high,and on this pole are hung two speakers. The speakers will carry the sound portion of the movie, and the car owner is expected to neatly place the speaker on one of its windows.

The specific Drive-In Theater I worked at was the Whitestone Bridge Drive-In Theater, so called because it was on the approach to the Whitestone Bridge between the Bronx and Queens, New York.

My father was a 'field usher'. He came to work at about 6 PM every evening, and manned with a flashlight, would guide the cars into appropriate spots on the field. Families - those with young kids - would like to park into a spot near the 'stand', so as to be able to get tasty snacks like popcorn and soda and submarine meatball heroes, and to be near the playground, complete with a Ferris wheel, underneath the screen. Other cars would prefer to be further back on the field. Actually, there were some spots WAY in the back of the field that didn't even have speakers on the poles, or clear views of the screen. At 15, I didn't quite understand why someone, or someones', would want to park there. Stupid me, I know, I get it now.

Well, one day, they had a job opening at the Drive-In, for a 'field electrician'. They needed someone to come in during the day, and check out and replace the speakers on the poles. 12 to 5. I could only get a 'working permit' which allowed 12 to 5 work, and I sure as hell could replace a speaker on a pole. So I got the job.

There were 2000 spots at the W.B. Drive-In, with over 1000 poles. But I checked them all out every day. I used to play an AM radio station through the sound system - I couldn't play a movie soundtrack - usually WMCA, the Good Guys, boss 1960's music. I loved the job, although I got a heck of a sunburn walking the field every day.

And, although I had to clock out at 5 PM every day - btw, I earned .95 an hour - sweet - I would hang around to chat with the 'stand' people. They would come in to work at about 5 PM and prep the stand for that night's tasty food treats. They were mostly Hispanic, so we got along really well, as I knew a little Spanish, and this was the Bronx of course.

Now, this completes the preface to this story. Again, I warn you, don't continue if you don't want your life changed forever.

Continuing ... there were two big sellers at the stand, coke and popcorn. Oh, the submarine meatball heroes were big too, but not like the Coke and popcorn. The stand had a really nice looking popcorn machine. It was kind of like a unit where a little mechanical man cranked a pot full of popcorn and butter - really grease - and the popcorn would 'pop'. But there was no way that the little man was going to generate enough popcorn to satisfy the long lines of popcorn patrons during the brief intermission between the two movies. SO, popcorn was popped well in advance of the show, and then stored in the 'store room' behind the stand, for later use. The popcorn was stored in large 30-gallon plastic or metal containers - they were garbage cans, OK - until needed.

Now, just before the stand would open, the containers of pre-popped popcorn would be placed under the machine with the little mechanical man. And the stand workers would scoop down under the machine to scoop up some tasty popcorn into a container for the customer. Worked perfectly.

OK, get ready. Sorry.

At about five PM every day, the stand people would come in to prep the stand, and they would take out the containers of stored popcorn. They would open each container up, as I watched in fascination, and bop the container up and down, to settle the contents.

Thousands, ok maybe millions, of roaches would come flowing out of each container. So much so that the walls of the containers appeared to turn brown. They would scatter about, as we would have fun trying to stomp some of them.

Then, the containers would be placed under the popcorn machine.

All night long, people would come back to the stand to buy another tasty container of popcorn. 'Hmm, such good seasoning. So tasty, those little flecks of flavor.' Of course they were referring to the little wings and duty/doody (I never know how to spell that word) and other body parts in the popcorn. I always thought the jagged little legs would be a give away.

So, next time you have a tasty popcorn at the theater - by the way, all hardtops do the same with their popcorn - remember where that tasty flavor comes from.

Rich

I've grown accustomed to her face ...

Well,

I don't know how this happens. Damn!

Here is the absolute best rendition of the 'My Fair Lady' song, written by Learner and Lowe. And, surprise, it is sung by one of my favorite singers, Dean Martin. This a video clip off of his long-running eponymous TV show - 'The Dean Martin Show'. This clip is priceless, so enjoy ... Especially listen to the phrasing. It is perfect! and knowing.

And think, what I am going through right now.



I can't provide a direct video link to this one, for copyright reasons, but here is a link to a YouTube clip of Dean in 'Artists and Models', one of his last films with Jerry Lewis. The song is 'Innamorata' (Beloved), and it is perfect. So, take the link and enjoy. And that is Shirley McLain with Dino. In her first film appearance. The subtitles are Dutch, so learn a little Dutch along the way - one of the hardest languages to learn on Earth!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rvc-pHgjsMc

For those who want to just see a YouTube clip of Dean singing the song, with some archival footage behind it, go to this. It is pretty good.





Rich

The Dark Knight, and Baby Elephants

Well,

I just borrowed and watched the film 'The Dark Knight'. It was pretty good.

I have been a fan of the Batman as far back as I can remember - I guess I was a kid then. I don't remember being a kid, but I have photos.

The Batman was inked, oringinally, by Bob Kane. And the original story was written by Jim Finger. Of course, in the world of comic books, the inker is just as important, if not more so, that the story-line writer. So, only Kane is credited as the creator of the Batman.

Here is a photo of one of the first comics ...



Most who watch the latest series of movies are getting only a partial feeling of the character. In most of the comics, Batman is joined by Robin, his 'sidekick'. Kane intended Bruce Wayne to be modeled after Sherlock Holmes. And Robin was meant to be his Dr. Watson.

The recurring villains were his arch-nemesis, The Joker, The Penguin, Catwoman, and The Riddler. Of course, the Joker was able to hurt the Batman the most. Not physically in a direct sense, but by hurting those around him. Joker is responsible for at least one Robin's death - there were three Robins in all, and in crippling (hmm, is that politically correct) the Batgirl, Commisioner Gordon's daughther. She continues to appear in the story arcs as the Oracle, confined to a wheelchair, but is a computer wizard who assists the Batman in his fight against crime in Gotham City.

The current movie is somewhat accurate in having Bruce Wayne work out of a penthouse in the middle of Gotham City, not because Wayne Manor was still being rebuilt, but because he wanted to be 'in the thick of it', in the middle of the city.

All in all, the movie was pretty good. Heath Ledger, the junkie drug-addict who died soon after completing the filming, was accurate to the character of the psychopath Joker - although interestingly, he is never referred as a psychopath in the movie (and a better protrayal would be hard to find in filmdom of this personality disorder). Christian Bale is fine as the Batman, although I still keep seeing him as his character in the flick 'Metroland.' Hmm, I bet your thought I was going to say 'American Psycho'. And Gary Oldman is, as is always the case, superb as Gordon.

A little long on showing time, a little overly verbose, and a little short on action, but nevertheless, a great flick.

I also watched the 1945 version of Christie's 'And Then There Were None' last night, and I have commented on that in previous posts. It doesn't get any better, even with the Hollywood ending Christie used for her stage production of the novel. I still maintain that the 1987 Russian film is the best, and I have a trailer in a previous post to illustrate that fact.

Tonight, I will watch two John Wayne flicks - 'Donovan's Reef' and 'The Searchers', the latter being considered, all around the block, as the best Western EVER filmed. And I agree. "Donovan's Reef" is sort of in the family, fun type of Wayne film, much like 'Hatari'. And BTW, if you haven't seen 'Hatari' yet, RUN out and get a copy. Yes, it is directed by Howard Hawks - on of my favorite directors. And, it is that good. Elsa Martinelli, the Italian vixen (opps, see previous post) who is now 75 years old - I can't believe it - and lives in Tuscany, and the baby elephants ... it doesn't get any ... well, I have said that too many times here. Henry Mancini's score is alone worth the price of admission - hmm.. Baby Elephant Walk.

Ready? Time for a clip, you bet-cha??




And you would not believe the argument Wayne and Martinelli get into as this clip ends. Seems she didn't realize that a herd (or parade or crash - take your pick - and study previous post) of elephants would be stalking her and the babies. Wayne scares them off.

Rich

Flocks of critters

Well,

Here we have a post in which I am trying to regain the level of dignity that most of my previous posts have lacked. Hope it works.

We all know that, in English, groups, groupings, or flocks, of animals - living things - are given unique names. 'A gaggle of geese' comes to mind most quickly. Strictly speaking, a topic in etymology, as opposed to philology, here is a quick one for you ...

What is a group of female foxes called?

As is my usual wont, I will give both a hint, and the answer, hidden below. But, really, any full-blooded male should know this one without assistance.

Click here for the hint

It starts with a 'V' and has the letter 'x' in it.

Click here for the answer

Vixen - it is it's own plural.

Some other terms to know...

A kaleidoscope of Butterflies.

An exaltation of Larks.

I am not making this up. Yes, an exaltation of larks ...

Here is a video of the teenage Dutch violinist Janine Jansen playing Ralph Vaughn Williams 'A Lark Ascending', probably one of the greatest pieces of instrumental music EVER. Enjoy.



The video is outstanding for it's close-ups of clarinet, flute and horn work, but oh, the close-ups of Janine's 1727 Stradivari "Barrere" violin are precious. I have read this score, and it is just 'not easy' for the violinist. And no one does it better that here - even Tasmin Little's recording doesn't compare. So, again, enjoy. And yes!, those are triple stops she is playing during a cadenza.

I have only included the first half of a 15 minute video here. By all means, go out and buy, or download for free - Janine encourages this - the complete video. Janine is sometimes called the 'queen of classical downloads', so explore.

An exaltation of a single lark!

Rich

Photoshop - a dangerous tool

Ok, I putting this one here to illustrate the danger of Adobe Photoshop.

We all know Miley Cyrus - that adorable young teenager that so many youths adore.

Here she is at a recent photo opportunity - I don't know where, but somewhere.

She is wearing a tight outfit, perhaps a mistake on her part. But, whatever. Someone Photoshoped to modify the 'gamma' on the outfit she was wearing. It is not incorrect. This is a correct interpretation of her outfit at that time. There is nothing false about the photo. But, it is somewhat uncomplimentary.

BTW, 'gamma' refers to a complex set of parameters used to adjust the display of images, usually on PC screens. PC games, as well as web sites, have to be concerned with these values. Adobe Fireworks, for example, goes through a lot of effort to deal with this. Here a is basis 'gamma' relationship:



Yes, this is a differential equation. Get over it. It isn't that hard to understand.

Well, what can you do. This is Miley as she was dressed at the time.

And let's address the fact that Miley, conscientiously, was displaying a 'camel-toe'. Now, I will NOT go further into the meaning of 'camel-toe'. There are lots of places you could go to learn about that. Although I would prefer to thing my readers treat the term as 'obvious'.



Now, let's keep in mind that this is a fifteen year old girl.. So, stupid is as stupid does.

And I will probably remove this post soon. But I thought you should see what can be done in Photoshop. And exhibit caution in your photos.

Rich

No comments ever!

I write these things, usually in the middle of the night. And they represent whatever is on my mind at that time. Not always good. I know that. And many times, you cannot imagine how often, I edit and modify the posts in the following days - to remove stuff I think is offensive after some thought. usually.

But, no one comments! I think I would be much more careful and thoughtful if some people would comment a bit. Now, I am not pointing a finger at any one person. If you just read and enjoy the posts, that is enough. So, don't stop doing that.

But this is just crap I come up with at 3 AM, and sometimes it is really shitty. So tell me so. That is what the 'comments' thing is for. And make up some ridiculous name so's I don't, or no one else, will know who you are. Is OK.

Well, I'll know, and probably hate you for negative comments, but WTF!

I'm writing my little weak heart out here. I woke up this morning with serious heart arrhythmia and shortness of breath and a bloody nose. Oh, I took one of those 'baby' aspirins and tried to calm down, but it sucked. I thought I was dead meat. Then, I just got over it. Well, I wrote a quick e-mail to Vyanna and felt better.

So, anyway, I hope you enjoy the postss. They come out of the blue mostly. Some are not appropriate, I realize that. Others are cute. But, I try not to edit them too much. They are thoughts - random thoughts - and always useless facts!

Rich

I love my cigar, too, but I take it out of my mouth once in a while

This post might be a bit risque, or at least at the time of the posts' quoted title.

During a filming of his TV and radio quiz show - You Bet Your Life - Groucho Marx was bantering with a young woman contestant. 'Tell me about your family.' 'Oh, I have eleven children!' was the response. Groucho responded 'Eleven Children ...' She answered 'Well, I love my husband.' Read the title of the post again to know Groucho's response.

Urban legend? Groucho denies having said it, but we all know better.

BTW, if you haven't watched a copy of 'A Day at the Races' yet, do so. As I mentioned earlier, not only is Alan Jones the father of pop singer of 80s fame Jack Jones - 'Lollipops and Roses' was the big hit song - I named that incorrectly in a previous post, but Maureen O'Sullivan co-stars with Jones. Well, Maureen is known for at least two things. One, she was 'Jane' to Weismuller's Tarzan in at least sx movies, and what else. Well, if you don't know this one, for shame.

She played Mom to Hannah in Woody Allen's flick 'Hannah and Her Sisters'. Yes, she played Mia Farrow's mom in that flick. And do you know why she was totally qualified to play thar role - I'm sure you know where this one is going ... Yes, she is Mia Farrow's real mom.

Six Degrees of Separation.

Tonight, I am going to watch 'Donovan's Reef' - Wayne. I also have a 'DVD of the 45 undre Rene Clair's direction of 'And There Were None' - the Christie flick I have lectured on extensively here. I haven't seen it yet. Can't wait.

Small pleasures.

So, take it easy.

There was a horrific accident on the local Taconic Parkway up here near Rhinebeck yesterday. Eight people, including five children died. That is hard to understand. Eight people, five children! Somethings is awry. I can only send my heart-felt condolences to all related to these families. I can't even imagine such devestation.

Merce Cummingham died at 91 last night. If you don't knon who he is, get with it. Spend a few minutes on the Internet - Wikipedia or Google. One of the progenitors of modern dance, in the WORLD.

If you want to be a rock, OK. Otherwise, read a bit.

Here is a cute motivational poster. Sometimes you really have to know where you stand in the food chain, to survive. I well remember walking down my little driveway in Red Hook one morning and coming face-to-face with a red fox. Now, we both were doing a 'stand-off' thing. I was staring at him, and he was staring at me. But I realized that, without a weapon of some sort, I was WAY below him on the food chain at that moment. So, I carefully backed-off. He had way bigger teeth and claws than me.

So, little Kitty, yes it looks like a tasty bird. But think! You are about to be someone's tasty lunch. That is a bald eagle, and it can easily pick up a cat, dog, or sheep, in it's talons, while ripping the animals head off.

You can click on the poster to see it bigger.

Well, OK, one more random drop ...

Mozart hated two instruments. The harp and the flute. Go figure. When he was finally begged to write something for these instruments, he wrote ONE concerto, for flute and harp. That's killing two birds with one stone. And of course the concerto is considered one of the best ever written, for any instruments. He just couldn't do wrong. Ah, if life were always like that.

Rich

The Giz' Mopper

OK, this one is touchy, but I can't resist to write it up.

So, here goes.

I used to work, as a consultant, as a certain giant in the computer industry, a company whose initials start with 'I'. And they have this facility in a Northeastern State, in what is generally considered part of New England. I worked there for a very long time. Hmmm, they have a fine cafeteria. Full of good things during the luncheon hours. Tasty sandwiches. I used to love their tasty Liverwurst sandwiches. So good!. There were two guys who manned this station in the cafeteria, and they were masters of the art of making tasty Liverwurst sandwiches.

Hmmm. So good! Let's solidify the concept of the tasty Liverwurst sandwich in your mind.

Now, half way between this facility and my home at the time was a small store. It was easy to pass by and not see. It was tiny. It was a peep show place!

Now, if you don't know what a peep show place is, and you don't see where is blog entry is going, there is something askew. But I will continue. - Read the title of the blog entry, please!

A peep show place is a store you go into, and in the rear there are several little booths. You go into a booth and sit on a little bench. There is a place to insert a nickel or dime or quarter, whatever. And then a video comes up on a screen. It is always of some woman displaying her 'private parts'. OK. In some fancier places, there will actually be a real woman on the other side of the screen, and you can actually touch her. But in this place, it was a video. Not even a very clear video.

Now, after a 'while', you finish your work, and leave.

There is a guy working there - the giz' mopper - who has the job of going into the booth after you leave, and mopping up the floor with a wet mop.

Well, surprise to me, I stopped there one night, and there was the giz' mopper - OK, all together now - the Liverwurst guy from the cafeteria.

OK, I don't know how to end this one. I am at a loss!

Rich

A tad bit more Marx Bros. stuff

'A Day at the Races' contains, in the 'Examining Ms. Dumont' scene, one of the only times all three brothers perform together. They always worked alone or in pairs. So enjoy it. That scene is infamous for one other, easy to miss, fact. During the 'hand washing sterilization' parts - it happens twice - they are singing 'Down By the Old Mill Stream' and there are clearly three voices singing in harmony. So Harpo does speak.

In real life .. hmnnmm, can't believe I just wrote that ... Harpo had a very distinctive voice. In fact, it was exactly the same as Chico's voice - which was not his signature Bronxite Italian, of course. One of the reasons Chico spoke as he did, and Harpo didn't, was so that people wouldn't confuse the two.

Chico, btw, is pronounced like 'chick-o', as in 'chicken'. Not cheek-o. He was always chasing 'chicks'/women, so the nickname came about. I cringe every time I hear someone talk about 'cheek-o'. Jesus, get it right. Or forever hold your piece.

And, yes, Groucho's mustache was fake.

A highpoint of 'A Day at the Races' is Ivie Anderson singing 'All God's Chillum Got Rhythm'. Ivy died at age 44, just 12 years after her performance here, of acute asthma. Think that one over a bit. Ivie was responsible for getting her mentor, Duke Ellington, to accept the idea of a (female) vocalist with his orchestra. Prior to her, he didn't accept the idea. Well, we have "It Don't Mean a Thing (If it Ain't Got That Swing)" and 'Mood Indigo' thanks to her. RIP, Ivie.

Rich

Here we go again

I couldn't help but look this one up. Sorry.

"I've seen the flop, the bend, and the river, and i like my pocket 10's, but something tells me he's got niggers in the woodpile...I fold."

Too precious. Too perfect.

Watching Bronwyn and Dinah across the street. Yes, that is their names. Well, Dinah is a puppy dog, so she has no excuse. But Bronwyn? That is somebody's joke, OK. It would be worse if she wasn't such a pretty woman. But she is. So, I just look. Winnie, I call her. But I know it's Bronwyn.

Oh, he don't plant 'taters, and he don't plant cotton. And them dat does that, they're soon forgotten. But ole man river ... he jus keeps rollin' along.

One thing about Sinatra. When he acted, as he did very well, he could put on any accent needed. But when he sang, oh and he sang, he always used perfect diction. Perfect! You may not have been aware of it, but he spoke the King's English. And that was one, among other, reason we don't forget him. Perfect diction.

So here is a video, of some guy - I have no clue; don't even ask - but the sound is Sinatra, off the 'Concert Sinatra' album. Trivia question - why not? What musical does 'I Have Dreamed' come from? You don't know? You have got to be kidding. Most famously associated with one particular actor who was born in Vladivostok in Far Eastern Russia. His former home is actually a museum now. And yes, he was bald and had a first name that begins with the letter 'Y'. Hmm ... Getting to know you ...



Rich

Ten Little Niggers

OK, I know what you are thinking. Let me explain a bit. This is the title of a book. Not just any book. The seventh best-selling book in the WOLRD! It has been translated into at least 67 different languages. Now, there are six books before it on that list of best-selling books. The first five are religious in nature - the Bible is number one with over one billion copies sold, the Qua ran is number three, the Book of Mormon is number five (go figure). As a sin, number six is the first Harry Potter book! But there it is, Ten Little Niggers is number seven.

Let me say that again. "Ten Little Niggers" is the seventh best selling book in the world - OK - 900 million copies sold, and growing.

OK, there has been a real push to include a trailer here. So here it is. It is the trailer for the Russian film - the best I might add - so enjoy... BTW, the title of the film - in Russian - is Desyat Negrityat (Russian: Десять негритят), which in case it isn't obvious, translates to, you guessed it, Ten Little Niggers.

Tatyana Dubrich's personification of Vera Claythorne is way over the top - perfect. And you have to totally believe her death by hanging. I couldn't imagine it better acted. So enjoy ... the subtitling is very good too. Very close to the Russian that is spoken. Enjoy. Put it on full screen.




Now, I know you are thinking, as is my style, that I am making this up. So, suffer ...

Considered by myself and numerous others as the finest mystery novel ever written, it differs from other Christie novels in having no famous detective in charge. It is isolated entirely. Ten people are invited to an island off the coast of England to an enchanting manor, and each is killed within two days. Plain and simple. Each guest finds a wall-hanging framed poem in his or her room. It is the same in every case:

Ten little nigger boys went out to dine;

One choked his little self and then there were Nine.

Nine little nigger boys sat up very late;

One overslept himself and then there were Eight.

Eight little nigger boys traveling in Devon;

One said he'd stay there and then there were Seven.

Seven little nigger boys chopping up sticks;

One chopped himself in halves and then there were Six.

Six little nigger boys playing with a hive;

A bumble bee stung one and then there were Five.

Five little nigger boys going in for law;

One got into Chancery and then there were Four.

Four little nigger boys going out to sea;

A red herring swallowed one and then there were Three.

Three little nigger boys walking in the Zoo;

A big bear hugged one and then there were Two.

Two little nigger boys sitting in the sun;

One got frizzled up and then there was One.

One little nigger boy left all alone;

He went out and hanged himself and then there were None.

Hmm, politically incorrect. Certainly. Clearly Barnes and Noble will not have this one on their shelves under this title. It is published in this country as 'And Then There Were None'. But, that is a cop-out. On a copy I borrowed from the Rhinebeck library, on the copyright page, it clearly identifies the title as 'Ten Little Nigger's'. Christie herself refused to change the title. The Dame said 'that is the way I wrote it. Fuck you'. You've got to respect that.

I first learned this nursery rhyme as a child from my CZ grandmother. She would recite it to me as 'ten little indians', but always told me it was really 'ten little niggers'. I remember eating these tasty little chocolate candies when I was a young tot. They were shaped like little children and were called 'nigger babies'.

Well, it didn't make me racist or anything else like that. It was simply a part of life. This is part of the challenge for a teacher. You see, this book is read by most tweens while in junior high school. And it is the teacher's task to explain the use of that 'n'-word. Just as must be done when teaching 'Huckleberry Finn', in which Nigger Jim is one of the few likable characters.

BTW, Christie goes further in the novel (it is truly a novel ... over 250 pages long). She uses the phrase 'There's a nigger in the woodpile' several times. Well, why should that be meaningful to anyone living in or near to Rhinebeck? Please don't insult me by not being able to answer that question. Well, just in case, here is the answer to that:

During and before the Civil War, many negro slaves came to the North, and Rhinebeck, via the 'underground railroad'. Nothing more than a long chain of underground tunnels, it enabled many thousands of slaves to escape their 'masters' in the South and start a new life in the North. This complex network of tunnels had a nexus right here in Rhinebeck - the Cigar Shop in the middle of town is a well-known junction. Entrance and exit from the railroad was kept hidden, but usually involved a woodpile hiding the hole. Hence 'there's a nigger in the woodpile' meaning 'let us check out the woodp9le for an entrance to the railroad'.

Aha, there's an answer to everything if we just look.

So, let there be a nigger in your woodpile.

te sarut ... (kisses in RO)

Rich

Monkey hate

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Blood Fest

Sometimes we all need a good slasher movie.

So, let's go right to the top of the list. This director, who received an Academy Award, in an indirect way I guess, for Best Film a few years ago, for 'The Return of the King', is an Aussie. One of his first publicly-shown films, however, is TO THIS DAY considered to be the bossest slasher flick EVER made. In point of fact, the blood-flow count during the infamous lawnmower ending scene is documented at over 5 gallons per second! Yes, you read that correctly. And that's not counting the fetus-in-the-blender either. In most Eutopean countries, when you rent this baby, they include a few vomit bags as well!

You know it can't get any better than that! 5 gallons per second! And yet, you are laughing all the way. 'Your mother ate my dog!' - a quote from the flick.

Perfect!

Here are some cuts from the IMDB site, concerning this flick...

... IMDB quotes begins ...


* Just before Lionel makes his entrance with the lawnmower, Paquita and friend (the one with glasses) are attacked by Voids legs (cut off in the bathroom scene) and a horde of zombies. Paquita and the girl grab a leg each and rip them apart. They then use these limbs to attack any zombie that comes near them.

In the original New Zealand release when the zombie baby first apears it attacks Lionel but is unsuccesful as its umbilical cord gets caught up on a nail. This scene is not present in the unrated american version.

... IMDB quotes end ...

So, name the director and, of course, the movie. And yes, a MONKEY does figure into the plot. Extra points if you can explain that. And the good Dr. Watson never got to write about it either. Everybody's got something to hide, 'cept for me and my ...' And my Romanian readers should have NO problem explaining the monkey's part - yum yum ... hint~

Click here for the answer

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Braindead_(film)

Rich

Putting the harp into Harpo

OK, here is a bit of a trivia question for you all,

Every Marx Brothers movie has a scene in which Harpo plays the, hmmm, harp. These scenes are, arguably, the best scenes in each film. Harpo's entire visage, his entire personality seems to change during these scenes. He, of course, was a very talented and professional harpist, a very formidable instrument under any circumstances.

So, the question ... the writers struggled as to how to introduce the harp into each film. So as to make it seem 'natural' that it was there. An interesting challenge. When was the last time you walked into a harp on Seventh Avenue?

But they did it - another pleasure of watching a Marx Brothers' movie.

In 'A Day At The Races', the harp is introduced in perhaps the most ingenuous way, an incredibly inventive way. SO, question ... how?

Extra points if you can name the song Harpo plays, in the most wonderful way.

Here is a clip from 'A Day At The Races', in which Harpo plays a tin whistle, dancing with a full crew of Negroes. I use this word on purpose. Most people don't understand this extended scene in the film at all. Is it that hard to understand? Think! It is one of the most beautiful scenes in filmdom. Jesus Christ, use your head. Yes, it has little to do with the film's general narrative - it was designed that way, so the editor's could cut the scene from the film to allow it to be shown in the South - where censorship at that time would have prohibited it - think about that for a minute! Most people will say, well, the Marxes were giving a few hundred people some wages for a few days. True, but wait. They were doing a lot more. We watch this film every day, and I have never seen a better depiction of everyday life in strife than this. It is pure Dickens. And then some.







I'll give you an extra question along the same lines. In 'A Night In Casablanca', Harpo's harp is hidden in a secret room full of Nazi treasure troves. When he comes upon the harp, and his entire body quakes, as do our's - as we know there is going to be a boss harp solo coming up - what does he play? It is perhaps the best rendition of this old war horse ever!

For now ... Rich

Little steps

Most of the time, I take little steps.

I know, you are thinking, take big steps. But I don't.

I am afraid to take big steps. And I don't feel I have to take big steps.

I have learned, over many years, that you do indeed have to take steps in some direction, but that you can also wait til someone comes in that direction to meet you.

Your outside is in, and your inside is out ..

"Everybody's got something to hide, 'cept for me and my ..."

BTW, the concept of 'your outside is in, and your inside is out' was mentioned, quite explicitly, in Nabovok's Lolita. In a big way. Read the novel, if you haven't yet.

OK, if you know how to complete the above quote, you are in the right place.

More ruminations on the Whte album

'Martha my dear' ... does it matter that the truth of the matter is that Paul's dog was 'martha' ... 'hold your head up silly girl ... see what you've done' ? Or that John Lennon's mom was Julia?

And what about 'Rocky Raccoon?- Rocky had come equipped with a gun'

'You say I'm putting you on, but it's no joke, I'm going insane.' - I'm so tired.

'You were only waiting for this moment to arrive.' - Blackbird

Life goes on

Looking through a glass onion

Honey Pie ... does it ever get any better than that?

If you don't immediately know where the title of this entry and the first two words of the above sentence come from, I feel sorry. I don't know what to say.

I am listening to the 'White Album' as I write this, so I am somewhat biased in that direction.

There is a certain definite pleasure that comes from placing a needle on a platter spinning on your turntable to play a certain track on an LP - as we used to call them. Well, I still do.

I was playing my copy of the original 'White Album' - Beatles - just tonight, when I realized that it just doesn't get any better. Oh, I follow and enjoy every piece of music, pop or otherwise, that becomes available, but ...

So, I was just thinking maybe being crazy is not all that bad.

OK .. more thoughts to come. BTW, just watched 'A Day At The Races' - Marx Brothers - well, what can I say. Just go watch. It doesn't get any better ...



And then there is the issue of 'Glass Onion'. This idea was hinted at in 'I'm looking through you' (Rubber Soul). How we can so easily change based upon our individual circumstances.

Anyway, I meant this entry to be just a reminder of what we have in our legacy ... treasure it.



George ... RIP


OK, here is a video and I hope you watch it, from the group - a group frm Canada - called 'Guess Who'. Well, I liked them. So anyway, here it is...with Burt Cummings playing piano and singing and Randy Bachman on guitar.



Always ... Rich

Sometimes people can astound you

It happens every so often that my breath is taken away. Not often. I am too old for that to happen a lot. But it does happen. And it happened today.

Someone wrote to me - indirectly - the following ...

We are a thread of sand heated by the sun and cool sea.

I have translated this for you. It was initially written in Romanian. I have on more than one occasion indicated that I consider Romanians, well especially the women, to be among the most sensitive and intelligent persons on Earth. Who else but Ionela would get up early in the morning to make a breakfast of eggs in the style of a painting by Vermeer. And who else would send me a blog comment like the one above. I could go on, with quite a few more comments and observations, but it should not be necessary. God blessed Romanian women with at least two things ... beauty and brains. And we are all the better for it. Oh, and they cook too!

Vyanna, I love you.

And Ionela, well, of course I love you too ... wherever you are right now. Here is a photo of my Ionela, oringally from Galat,i, in the snow of Bucharest .. outside the flat.



With almost any browser - I primarily use Firefox - you click on the photo and it should appear as a separate .jpg image which you can play with. I can't do any better than provide you with that.

And I will soil this blog with a photo of myself (and Ionela) in my car at one time. I am sorry to do this, but some people have asked for a photo of the two of us together, so here goes ...




It is odd, I know, that we have been blessed with these alien creatures, these women, but, 'oh God', thank you.

I will close with this comment in Romanian, bad Romanian, but I am trying ...

nu-l ia un caz de sanii mari, dar pentru a mari minţile .

Now, if you don't understand that, don't worry. I simply tried to say that it is better to have an open mind than big tits. Well, of course, it is best to have both, but we can only hope for one.

Hmm, well I think so. And now that I have alienated half of humanity ...

Rich

Good Bye WQXR

Well,

The NY Times announced today that WQXR, it's classical music radio station broadcasting at 96.3 FM, and including it's 'repeater' at 103.7 in Poughkeepse - for the Hudson Valley region - will cease to exist by the end of this month.

Technically, the station will move to 105.7 FM, currently the position of the Univision radio station directed at the extensive Hispanic community of NYC. At that position, it will continue to broadcast spanish-speaking news and entertainment.

The new position on the FM dial is restricted to one-tenth the broadcasting power of the current QXR. It is designed to reach no further than southern Yonkers, covering the Bronx and the northern areas of Manhattan ('El Barrio'). To increase this broadcast power is prohibited by the FCC, because of definite interference to other neighboring stations.

So, good bye WQXR. I do not doubt that the programming will become one of Hispanic-oriented news and entertainment. And I am not being critical of that at all. It is important. But so was QXR. Where will the Metropolitan Opera broadcast their weekly Saturday program of live performances, etc.?

So, now, NYC, you leave us with no real classical music station. WNYC-FM tries, but fails. Only its Internet-only audio stream at WNYC2 offers an alternative, and I refuse to accept an Internet-only solution.

I can only suggest to stop buying the NYTimes and listening to the radio station while it stills exists. But that is pathetic and sad (perhaps a redundant comment).

Sniff!

I am sure the current QXR staff are being offered 'free' language courses in Spanish at NYU, in order to keep their jobs. You know, I learned Spanish, a beautiful language, at NYU, so that I could teach mathematics-bilingual in New York City high schools. And it was one of the best things I EVER did. But I chose to. I wanted to make a difference. I didn't do it to keep my job.

I have a deep association with the Hispanic community. When I was a member of NYC's local 802 musicians union I played many a 'pick-up' job - called at the last minute to help out - to play a Columbian or Mexican or Puerto Rican wedding. I didn't always know what I was doing, but I played my heart out. I once even substituted Ampeg bass for Eddie Palmieri's orchestra for a very long and difficult night. I don't need a lesson on Hispanic music.

But I do love QXR, as many in my fellow Hispanic community do also. We all took inspiration from what we heard on QXR. You see, all musicians belong to the same community. We all love to listen to Tito Puente and then Alberto Ginestera. This is truely something most non-musicians don't understand. It is hard enough playing the notes ... making them 'mean' something is a much more difficult task.

So, I am sad.

Please, make this work out OK in some way.

Please, if not for me, for NY.

Rich

Seeing, but not observing

Holmes, on more than one occasion, accused Watson of 'seeing, but not observing.' The first example of this is when Holmes asks Watson exactly how many steps are there from the 'ground floor' of 221B to their flat - on the so-called 'first' floor - English terminology - in the States we would say 'first' and 'second' floor. Watson has climbed the stairs many, many times, but he has no idea of how many. The answer, according to Holmes, is 17 steps. This is disputed by experts of Victorian architecture of the structures on Baker Street. But, let's accept it as canon.

Now, to the point. Every day, most of us hold a cardboard cup in our hands. Frequently, we place it on our office desk and stare at it for much of the day. We hold it out in front of us during conversations. And probably stare at it quite a lot. I am describing, of course, a cup of Starbucks coffee.

Now, without using the Internet to look this one up, tell me what the Starbucks logo is.

There are three acceptable answers, but only one is technically correct. A careful observation of the logo will clearly indicate the only really correct answer.

I will offer a tiny hint. It is not a deer or moose, as you might think by the name 'Starbucks'.

OK, one more good hint - it is a mythological creature.

Also, as a really last hint, the correct name of this creature begins with the letter 'M'. But even that hint is misleading, big time.

So, for now, have a nice cup of java, and remember that 'two' is better than 'one', in this context.

Click here for the answer

If you answered, ‘Mermaid’ or ‘Siren’, you deserve a nice cup of Starbucks joe. But, technically, the mythical creature is a ‘Melusie’' or 'Melusia'


Notice that the Melusie has noticeable breasts, a prominent tummy and a cute belly-button. But, most importantly, notice that she has two tails and a bit of a 'space' between the two tails and below the tummy. This drawing was designed to NOT be too explicit. But you get the idea. There was always a problem with the standard depiction of a mermaid, for most 'guys'. The melusie solves that problem.

In terms of the Starbucks logo, well, it has evolved over time, becoming less explicit with each iteration. Here is the current logo ...



Notice, however, the two 'strange looking' objects to the left and right of the mermaids head. Yep, the two tails of the melusie, suitably spread wide apart. Hmm, almost one behind each ear.

For an interesting, and entertaining, representation of this topic, check out the recent tween movie ‘Aquamarine’, featuring Rhinebeck's own Emma Roberts.




So, there you go. Have yourself a nice brew now.

Rich

Clock Bob

Be patient, please. I'm writing this one as we speak. Clock Bob deserves quite a bit of thought.

How do I write these posts? You ask!

I usually write them first in an xHTML editor like Dreamweaver. All of the css, javascript and xHTML can be edited there first. Then, I copy it to the Blogspot editor. I try to keep the fancy stuff to the LCD, as I have no idea what browser you are using. I test it in Firefox 3.x.10, IE 8 and Chrome, but you could be using anything else for all I know. So, it is ultimately a throw of the dice.

There you go!

Now, back to Clock Bob.

Every day, punctually at 10:30 AM, Clock Bob sits down at the far north end of the bar at the Beekman Arms. Although the bar doesn't technically open until 11:30 AM, it is indeed 'always open', and some person - the front desk person, whatever - will come and service him. He has his own mug hanging from the bar ceiling. And he always has the same ... a bottle of Heineken. He turns on the TV which hangs over the bar, always to either AMC or TCM, and watches a 40s-60s classic movie - hopefully a John Wayne one.

His favorite movies are 'Hatari', 'The Searchers' (one of mine too), 'Rear Window' (well, anything by Hitchcock), and 'The Guns of Navarone' Also, 'Father Goose' (Cary Grant) and 'Donovans Reef'

That is a fine selection of movies.

I personally love anything directed by Howard Hawks, John Ford or Hitchcock. But my favorite movie of all time - 'The World of Henry Orient'.

Rich

Making tea of your heart

Well, I know we all think differently about certain things., But sometimes the differences are strange.

I have a friend, a clinical psychologist, who lives in Cluj_Napoca. Yes, that is an underscore in the name of the city. Frequently written as a hyphen, it really IS an underscore. As a quick aside, there is one, and only one, town in the USA with not one, but two, hyphens in it. Name the town. Give up? Ho-Ho-Kus, NJ.

Now, this underscored city is situated right in the middle of Transylvania. That's right! In Romania and in the heart of Dracula's world. And it is just about as bizarre as you would imagine. But, it is a university town, and Romanians are a very intelligent group. Believe me ... I lived with one for a while.

She told me an interesting tale. Well, not a tale, a true everyday occurrence in Romania. Some one had died. And shortly after his death, his corpse had been dug up! It seems that his heart had been cut out of his dead corpse ( and yes, I realize that expression is from the Department of Redundancy department) , and then the body returned to the grave. Nobody thought that the least bit odd.

You see, his heart had been dried out, and then ground into a powder. Then, it was used to make a tea. All of his enemies had a tasty drink of that tea. In that way, they gained his spirit.

Well, I will go now, to have a tasty drink of tea.

Rich

Enchanted

I was recently surrounded by five - no less - women, all of whom were enchanting. Each was perfectly dressed, with wonderfully pendulous breasts hanging as if waiting to be picked, and the smell of exotic perfume was mixing in my brain in miraculous combinations.

I was enchanted.

I kept my silence, as is my style. But, I was beguiled. I just kept listening and wondering. It was obvious, after a few listens, that some were married and bore children, and others not. But I was enchanted, totally.

How strange is it that I found myself in the middle of this conversation? I don't pretend to know.

There is a ceramics store across the street from me in Rhinebeck. You know what I mean. It is, like, a place you go to so that you can paint some color on a mug, have one of the people at the store 'fire it' up for you, and, 'voila' you have a coffee cup with your painting on it.

Well, this store is rather well attended, and I recently read that the owner of the store's last name is 'Plantania' .

Now, I know John Plantania. He is the famous guitarist who appears on every Van Morrison record, and lots others, and happens to live in Rhinebeck. So, small world. Just an interesting fact.

Rich

It doesn't get any better than this!

OK, Holmesian fans,

It just doesn't get any better than this ...

Here is the official entrance exam for membership in the BSI scion near you!

It is not easy, and I offer no solved puzzle.


Enjoy!

OK, as the tiniest of hints, I will offer the following. There is always some controversy about how to pronounce 'Pall Mall'' (Hint!). The correct way to say this is as if 'Pall' rhymed with 'Pal', as in 'pal' of mine. So, it is 'Pal, Mal'. mmm!, I wonder if Mycroft knew this?

Well, OK, one more hint - you'll need a lot more to get through this. The **** Star of Savannah is a ship. Eat your orange, and watch out for the little annoyances in it.

OK. one more. I don't want you to be in pain too much. Dr. Grimesby Roylott, owner of the speckled band, did indeed throw someone over a 'pet'. But this is a trick clue. When you are jumping out of a plane, be sure to have your PARAchute.

I would like to introduce some 'The Prisoner' trivia here. I hope someone knows anything about this TV series from the 60s. Well, here goes...

Patrick McGoohan starred in this series of 17 episodes.

1. What was his character's name in the series?

2. Who was his primary nemesis in every episode?

Well, more to come ...

Rich

Commissionaire

Good Morning,

The Baker Street Irregulars, and every scion society, must, according to the by-laws, have three officers. Just as any corporation, these three officers fill the roles of president, vice-president and secretary. However, here, they are referred to differently. So...

Name the titles of the three leaders:

Click here for the first officer

Gasogene.

Click here for the second officer

Tantalus.

Click here for the third officer

Commissionaire.

I could ask a bonus question ... what exactly is the meaning of this third officer's title, at the time of Holmes' London? But I won't.

I was lucky in the order, But I've always been lucky when it comes to killin' folks.
- William Munny (Clint Eastwood), towards the end of 'Unforgiven' (1992)

Rich

A Challenging Sherlock Holmes Trivia Question

This question is not original. I found it in a list of questions used for a 'College Bowl' type quiz show emphasizing Sherlock Holmes trivia. Or, if you don't remember that TV show, think in terms of 'Jeopardy' where one of the column headings is 'Sherlock Holmes'.

The point is, the question is designed to be answered without reference to any outside material - written or otherwise. Just what is in your head. Also, you are under 'time pressure'. You want to press your buzzer and give your answer before any of the other players.

Having said all that, I did supply two hints and the answer. The first hint is a mild one, while the second hint should, more or less, give away the answer. In all three cases, the actual hints and answer are initially hidden from sight. You have to click where indicated to reveal the actual text.

So, here is the question:

Let's begin by ignoring Doyle's frequent use of 'The Adventure of the ...' in the title of many of the 60 stories (4 + 56); also ignore the word 'The ...' when the story title did not start with 'The Adventure of the ...'. In other words, 'The Adventure of the Mazarin Stone' becomes just 'Mazarin Stone'. 'The Adventure of the Cardboard Box' just 'Cardboard Box'. 'The Hound of the Baskervilles' becomes 'Hound of the Baskervilles'. You get the idea.

OK, now, putting all the titles, modified in this way, into alphabetical order, name the first and last titles.

GO!

Click here for Hint One

The first title does start with the letter 'A'.

Click here for Hint Two

The last title starts with the letter 'Y'.

Click here for the Answer

'Abbey Grange' and 'Yellow Face'.

Hope you liked it.

Rich

Yet Another Sherlock Holmes Entry

Not that I want this to be thought of only as a Holmes trivia site, but I did find one item of such relevance to be worth mentioning.

In the early to mid 1940s, Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce starred together in 14 consecutive 'Sherlock Holmes' films, most directed by Roy William Neill. The first two - the first being 'The Hound of the Baskervilles' - were suitably set in the late Victorian/Edwardian era. Mysteriously, then, all the remaining 12 films moved to a 1940s setting in WW II London.

Each film was an interesting, non-canonical, mashup of plot points from assorted Doyle short stories. One of the last ones, entitled 'Sherlock Holmes in Washington' (1943), has Holmes saying this to Watson - the quote is somewhat paraphrased from 'A Study In Scarlet':

I shall write a monograph someday on the noxious habit of accumulating useless trivia.

Well, that makes me feel special.


Rich

Rainy, thunder storming night

A bleak, raining, thunder storming night like I find myself in at this moment up here in Rhinebeck, deserves some Sherlock Holmes trivia. So two trivia questions, both self-rated as intermediate:

Both questions will be about small snippets of dialogue between Holmes and someone else. Your objective is to name the story - both are from short stories.

1.
Sterndale: How do you know that?
Holmes: I followed you.
Sterndale: I saw no one.
Holmes: That is what you may expect to see when I follow you.

2.

Gregory: Is there any other point to which you would wish to draw my attention?

Holmes: To the curious incident of the dog in the night-time.

Gregory: The dog did nothing in the night-time.

Holmes: That was the curious incident.

So, there you go. I call the questions intermediate in difficulty because they assume some knowledge of the canon, and are not simplistic like asking 'Does Holmes ever call Dr. Watson by his first name 'John?' Well, OK, that is not an easy question to answer either. But I could certainly come up with a few questions that would be considerably harder to answer.

Oh, it is thundering and there is lightening outside now. Perfect.

Well, for now, 'Il n'y a pas des sots si incommodes que ceux qui ont de l'esprit.'

Rich

Acrophobia

I have a rather severe case of acrophobia. I've always had it since I can remember, but has significantly worsened in the last three years. I don't know why, but it has.

First of all, this does not mean I am afraid of the outdoors, or being outside my flat, or being around people. That is agoraphobia. Acrophobia is a fear of heights. For me, it extends not only to 'my' fear of falling, but a fear I have of anyone else around me falling as well. Call it 'extensible acrophobia', for lack of a better term.

It also has little to do with the term 'vertigo', although Hitchcock helped little to make this distinction. I don't get 'dizzy' (vertigo), I get scared.

Well, I have a lot more to write this, but that will come soon.

Rich

Cell Phone-atopia

I hate using the phone ... always have. I am shy about talking to people in general, other than myself - to whom I speak all the time. I dislike receiving calls, and rarely make calls.

So, cell phones, and their infinitely more grotesque mutations, are an interesting class of items to me.

I remember well when the very first cell phone became a reality - something you could really buy and use, in a limited and non-military way - there weren't many cell towers back then. I am talking, like, mid 1980s. These phones were HUGE monsters. Big rubber duckies that you couldn't fit into any opening of your clothes. You carried them around, like some people used to carry SLR cameras slung around their neck with 200 mm telephoto lens attached. When sitting at a bar, where nowadays most seem to have to place their tiny little cute cell phones in front of them in anticipation of a call from the President, this huge cell phone would find its place of honor near to whatever 'taste' the imbiber was having. It would never receive a call, at least not in my presence, nor did I ever see anyone make a call on it, but it was impressive. It was a sign of supreme geekdom and enlightenment. I was a bit envious, I have to admit.

Now, of course, they make big-number cell phones for the older generation and pre-teens. Cell phones are getting bigger again, too. But mostly because of all the swiss-army-knife capabilities attached to them. Explore this link for the ultimate cell phone, the Pomegranate, which has several amazing features, including a built-in coffee maker!

I purchased the cheesiest, cheapest, feature-less cell phone it is possible to buy, and, son-of-a-b*tch, it still came with games and text messaging. It looks like a candy bar, and stll works fine, in terms of receiving unwanted calls.

Now, if I were going to buy a mobil phone of some sort, and be proud of it, it would be a satellite phone - like an Iridium. That is a phone! Independent of the existence of cell towers and reliant only upon the immense string of low-level synchronous satellites in Earth orbit, it works even on a 'desert island', where I imagine a phone might be a handy device to have.

It is still very expensive to buy and use, and includes no games, texting capability, or Internet access. No downloadable ring tones, or videos or songs, or anything except one feature. You can make and receive phone calls on it. Wow. What progress!

Rich

Ouch, that hurt!

Blogging has an interesting aspect. You can very easily hurt someone, quickly, via a nasty comment. Of course, you can take it back, but to what avail?

Let me date myself a bit. Way before e-mail (btw, 'e-mail' being the only certified correct spelling for the concept in the NY Times Book of Style), and way before it's progenitor - MCI Mail - which worked upon a complicated process involving things called DUPs and Flux Capacitors - there was only TELEX and phone calls and regular mail. However, there was a thing called 'talk'.

Now, I want to center in on 'talk'. This was a DEC computer application. OK, I know no one remembers the DEC omputer line, but it once was big-time at almost all universities, not the least of which was New York University, where I was a graduate student. In the student center of computer terminals was a HUGE array of cubicles, each containing a terminal (a very crude terminal by today's standards, a Lear ADM-3A - check it out on eBay), and you would sit there and do your programming. Programming in FORTRAN, COBOL, SNOBOL, Algol-60, whatever. It was perfect.

Now, let's suppose that someone you knew was also in the big room, maybe even miles away - well, not miles away, but certainly aisles away - and you wanted to talk to 'her' - remember, this is Rich writing this.

All you had to do was invoke the 'talk' program, and a little cute window, or pane, would open, into which you could write a line of talk. Immediately, the recipient would see it on 'her' terminal, and could respond.

Now, I have to mention that these were all ASCII-based terminals, and the software sensed every keystoke. It was not like typeing in a line, and then saying 'send', as we do now. EACH time you touched a key, the recipient saw the thing you typed (letter, usually). If you decided to 'erase' whatever you had typed, the recipient actually saw your 'cursor' backing over the thing you wanted to erase.

This is clearly not good.

All communications via computer, intimate or otherwise, are designed to be reconsidered, thought over, deleted, re-drafted, etc. You do not type something into a terminal, and have the other side see it immediately. That might as well be ... speech.

Even text messaging does not allow this to happen.

But, back in the good old days, that was the way it worked.

I made many an enemy that way.

Rich

Sherlock Holmes Blogs, etc.

I am really not a geek, but I am a big-time fan of Doyle's Sherlock Holmes canon.

I just now spent a bit of time searching the web for interesting blog's concerning Holmes and, more specifically, Holmes trivia and discussion.

Conclusion - there are some really, really good trys, in ernest. Unfortunately, they suffer from some strange blog disease about 'commenter'.

Many of the personal blogs - which this has not yet become - suffer from a surfeit of comments inviting you to a naked webcam site. That seems to be a given. It is SPAM, but ... what else is new.

Other blogs, like Sherlock Holmes blogs, seem to suffer from 'geek spam' ... buy iPhone .... ! Well, at least it's not webcams.

I have observed that crossword puzzle blogs - I love crossword puzzles, and will include some favorite blogs eventually - do not have this problem at all. One of two possible reasons. The blogger moderates and edits out the undesirables, or some people are just not attracted to something so arcane as solving a crossword puzzle.

Still working on it.

In the meantime, comments welcome. This will get better over time.

Rich

“Omne ignotum pro magnifico.”

First sample blog entry ... to be amended seriously.

I suppose the title of the Blog itself could have been 'Random Thoughts and Trivia', but I was reminded of a brief dialogue between Johnny Carson and Ed McMahon just after Carson's infamous monologue at the beginning of one late night show. 'What do you think we offer our audience?', MaMahon asked. 'A compendium of useless facts!', Carson answered, without batting an eyelash.

I'm paraphrasing, of course. My memory isn't, and never has been, very accurate.

Question of the day, for those to whom I have not already asked - what is the most famous occurrence in literature of the Subject line of this entry? And, as extra credit, what does it mean in the context in which it was said?

Better edits later. Comments welcome.

Rich