Using my blog to try and make the world a better place. If I can help someone forget their troubles for a few minutes a day, it's all worth it.

Sunday, April 30, 2006


Alfons Mucha, Dancel (1898)

Blue jean baby, L.A. lady, seamstress for the band. Pretty eyed, pirate smile, you'll marry a music man. Ballerina, you must have seen her dancing in the sand. And now she's in me, always with me, tiny dancer in my hand.
Click on the picture for a larger view.

The Parakeet

This is the parakeet I mentioned in my bio. This photo is me attempting to bond with that stupid bird, but honestly it never happened. It could never seem to get far enough away from me, probably because it knew I really didn't like it. Once mom and dad got drunk and took it out of it's cage, thinking they were going to give it a bath in the kitchen sink... to this day they don't believe me when I tell them the story.
I don't know why, but somehow scanned photos come out crappy on this blogsite. I believe this photo was taken in 1971 (if you can make it out).

A 1969 Christmas

Me playing with my new Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots game. Interesting toy for an only child.

Saturday, April 29, 2006


Nighttime on The City of New Orleans, changing cars in Memphis, Tennessee. Half way home, we'll be there by morning, through the Mississippi darkness rolling down to the sea. And all the towns and people seem to fade into a bad dream and the steel rails still ain't heard the news. The conductor sings his song again, the passengers will please refrain - this train's got the disappearing railroad blues.
Good night, America, how are you? Don't you know me? I'm your native son. I'm the train they call The City of New Orleans, I'll be gone five hundred miles when the day is done.

The Mouse's Tale

Fury said to a mouse, that he met in the house, 'Let us both go to law: I will prosecute you.-- Come, I'll take no denial; we must have a trial: for really this morning I've nothing to do.' Said the mouse to the cur, 'Such a trial, dear Sir, with no jury or judge, would be wasting our breath.' 'I'll be judge, I'll be jury,' said cunning old Fury: 'I'll try the whole cause, and condemn you to death.'
Lewis Carroll
Click on the picture for a larger image.

Wednesday, April 26, 2006

Scripto pencils


Back in the late 70's I was in love with these things (well, maybe love is TOO strong a word, but I thought they were pretty cool).

Tuesday, April 25, 2006

Monday, April 24, 2006

You Passed 8th Grade Math

Congratulations, you got 9/10 correct!
Well, I said I wasn't going to attempt this one, but I couldn't help myself. If only I could have done this well back when I was in school.....

Sunday, April 23, 2006

I love going out to eat.


When I was little, dad and mom could always take me out to eat at nice restaurants because I didn't misbehave. I was quiet and never a bother. It was because I actually LIKED going to nice restaurants, even at a very early age. I still like going out to eat, although I don't go to fancy restaurants (now that I'm paying the bill). My favorite types of restaurants are All-You-Can-Eat buffets, Italian restaurants, and pizza places.
Click on the picture for a larger view.

Saturday, April 22, 2006

The dark side of disco.


Ethel! Bad Ethel!
Back in the late 70's, it seems like EVERYONE got on the disco bandwagon - and some should have just left it alone. Ethel Merman was an incredibly gifted, talented, and extraordinary Broadway performer unparalleled in many respects ...... but when it came to disco, she should have just bowed out graciously. To hear a clip from the above album, click on the following link if you dare (but don't say I didn't warn you):
Howard Pyle: The Mermaid (A sereia) - 1909

Friday, April 21, 2006

Incredibly easy recipe

MEATLOAF WITH POTATOES

2 lbs. hamburg
4 pieces crumbled bread
1 egg
A dash of Bell brand seasoning
A little water

Mix all ingredients and place in a loaf pan, and cook for 1 hour, 15 minutes at 350, along with a few whole potatoes (a potato can be put in the oven to bake without wrapping it in aluminum foil. Just poke with fork only a few times. Once the skin is broken it will not burst).
Prep time is only about 10 minutes (including pre-heating oven). It's an incredibly easy meal-in-one, and perfect for single guys who aren't great in the kitchen. You can't mess up on this one, unless you overcook it. Also, Heinz makes a great beef gravy that heats up in a matter of minutes.

SUGGESTION: Put the potatoes in the oven 10 to 15 minutes before putting meatloaf in oven.

Thursday, April 20, 2006

The Brady Bunch Staircase

When I was a kid I was absolutely fascinated with the Brady's staircase. I thought it was so cool. It was a secret fantasy of mine to someday live in a house exactly like theirs, staircase and all. It's interesting that on almost every sitcom, they had a 2-story house and their stairs had a landing: Bewitched, The Brady Bunch, The Partridge Family, Donna Reed, Leave It To Beaver, Roseanne, All In The Family, The Cosby Show, Different Strokes, The Beverly Hillbillies, etc. It's also interesting that on every show during it's entire run, the interiors never change. Walls never get re-painted, new pictures never get hung, the furniture never gets re-arranged, no new appliances, the TV always stays in the same place (sure, Carol and Mike re-wallpapered their bedroom but the story line required it. After all, how else was Alice going to be able to "accidentally" step in a tray of wallpaper paste????).

I'm Bobby Brady

You Are Bobby Brady

Ultra competitive, you will do almost anything to win. From pull ups to pool sharking, you're very talented.
And while everyone is aware of your victories, they still (affectionately) consider you to be a little brat!
I've taken several "which Brady are you?" quizzes on the internet over the years, and I always end up being most like Bobby (I mean EVERY time, not once was I someone else), which is cool because Bobby was my favorite boy character on the show. They did get one thing wrong, though, I really stink at pool.
"Oh Alice, with all that hardware on your head you punctured your air mattress!!!!!"

Wednesday, April 19, 2006

Fisher Price Playsets

As a young kid in the early 70's, among my most favorite toys were Fisher Price playsets. I had the above schoolhouse, the castle, and the barn (I don't remember if I had the garage or not). They were wonderful toys that inspired creativity and imagination, and since I was an only child until I was 13, most of my toys were one-person toys.
Click on the picture for a larger image.

Monday, April 17, 2006

The Electric Company - ah, I miss those days.


Title: the “ly” song
Composer: Tom Lehrer
Lead vocals: Tom Lehrer
Scene: Cartoon with a man faced with many awkward situations.


You’re wearing your squeaky shoes,
And right there taking a snoozeIs a tiger.
So how do you walk on by?
Silently. Silently. Silent, l, y.
You’re a secret agent man
Who’s after the secret plan.
How do you act so they don’t know you’re a spy?
Normally. Normally. Normal, l, y.
At an eating contest you boast

That you can eat the most.
How do you down your fiftieth piece of pie?
Eagerly, unh. Eagerly, yeah. Eager, l, y.
On the lake your boat upset,
And your clothes got soaking wet.
How do you stand and wait for them to dry?
Dih-dih-dih-dih-dih-dih patiently.
Dih-dih-dih-dih-dih-dih patiently.
Dih-dih-dih-dih-dih-dih patient, l, y.
In the public library,

You fall and hurt your knee.
But the sign says “quiet, please”,
so how can you cry?
Quietly. Quietly. Quiet, l, y.
As you walk along the street,
A porcupine you meet.
How do you shake his hand when he says hi?
Uh, carefully. Carefully. Careful, l, y.
You enter a very dark room,

And sitting there in the gloomIs Dracula.
Now how do you say goodbye?
Immediately. Immediately. Immediate, l, y.
Bye-bye!


The Electric Company ran from 1971 - 1977 on PBS. It was one of my absolute favorite shows from around '72 - '76. I watched it every day. It had, as part of it's cast, Morgan Freeman, Rita Moreno, and Joan Rivers.
Click on the picture for a larger view.

Sunday, April 16, 2006

HAPPY EASTER!

Saturday, April 15, 2006

Come sail away with me, lad.

I'm sailing away, set an open course for the virgin sea.
I've got to be free - free to face the life that's ahead of me.
On board I'm the captain, so climb aboard,
We'll search for tomorrow on every shore.
And I'll try, oh Lord I'll try, to carry on.

I look to the sea, reflections in the waves spark my memories.
Some happy, some sad,
I think of childhood friends and the dreams we had.
We live happily forever, so the story goes,
But somehow we missed out on that pot of gold.
But we'll try best that we can, to carry on.
"Ladies and gentlemen, there's nothing to worry about...but please keep your heads down."

It's time to play the music
It's time to light the lights,
It's time to meet the Muppets
on the Muppet Show tonight.
It's time to put on makeup
It's time to dress up right
It's time to raise the curtain
on the Muppet Show tonight.
Why do we always come here
I guess we'll never know
It's like a kind of torture
To have to watch the show
And now let's get things started
Why don't you get things started
It's time to get things started
On the most sensational inspirational
celebrational Muppetational
This is what we call the Muppet Show!

{Blatt!!!!!!!!!!}
The Muppet Show debuted in 1976, the start of the disco era. One of my favorite shows back then. I miss Jim Henson.
Click on the picture for a larger view.

I can't say I totally agree, but that's what they said:

You Are
Animal

A complete lunatic, you're operating on 100% animal instincts.
You thrive on uncontrolled energy, and you're downright scary.
But you sure can beat a good drum.
"Kill! Kill!"

Monday, April 10, 2006

Sunday, April 09, 2006

When I was a kid I thought it was hillarious to sneak up on someone and scare them.... actually, I still think it's funny but I don't do that anymore.
Click on the picture for a larger image.

Burger Chef

In our town, before McDonald's, and after the A&W Root Beer stand, there was Burger Chef. I don't know how many people remember it, but I loved Burger Chef. They had an early version of McDonald's Happy Meal. The Chef's was called the "FUN Meal" - which came with a hamburger, fries, drink, desert, and a toy. I always ordered a Fun Meal. Once McDonald's came into town, followed by Burger King, the Chef didn't make it long. Nothing could compete with McDonald's back then. I'm not sure when the last Burger Chef closed up shop, but it just goes to show than no one is on top forever (and do note the cigarette machine in the background. Imagine walking into a fast food restaurant today and seeing a cigarette machine? No wonder Burger Chef folded. Imagine saying: "I'd like a fun meal with a Pepsi, and a pack of Marlboro's, please.").
Click on the picture for a larger image.

Saturday, April 08, 2006

Well the elbows of his jacket are blue and shiny.
He's drunk and gone to sea
(He is drunk and gone to sea).
And he mumbles as he plays
The only song he knows.
It's the only song he needs
(The only song he needs).
Always be looking for an opportunity, you never know when they'll pop up.
Click on the picture for a larger view.

The 'awkward years'.

Most men's awkward years spans between the ages of around 12 to 20.
For me it lasted from ages 10 to 32.

Thursday, April 06, 2006


When I was a little bitty boy, Just up off-a floor
We used to go down to Grandmas house Every month-end or so
We'd chicken pie and country ham, N' homemade butter on the bread
But the best darn thing about Grandmas house
Was her great big feather bed.
It was nine feet high, and six feet wide, Soft as a downy chick
It was made from the feathers of forty-leven geese
Took a whole bolt of cloth for the tick
It'd hold eight kids 'n four hound dogs
And a piggy we stole from the shed
We didn't get much sleep, but we had a lot of fun
On Grandmas feather bed
Click on picture for larger view
1971





















There's: "hanging out with the wrong crowd", and then there's: "being the wrong crowd".
Click on the picture for a larger view.

The Fore n Aft Motel - Cape Cod, Massachusetts

In the late 80's, I had a small Motel Management business. This was our first motel, The Fore N' Aft on Cape Cod. I actually took this photo myself before I knew of Joel Myerowitz's poster of the same image. The motel stood on both sides of Route 6A in North Truro, also known as 'Beach Point'. Real Estate is not inexpensive on Beach Point. This property pictured is under contract for $1M. It is roughly 1 acre (more or less). There were also rental cottages right on the water. One year, on 4th of July weekend, a woman had rented a cottage for a week. 45 minutes after she arrived, she entered the office and informed me that the accomodations were not up to her standards, and she demanded a refund and checked out. I didn't persuade her to stay because I knew I would rent the unit to someone else. She left and I rented the unit 30 minutes later. The woman who checked out came back around 9:30 p.m. and asked if I had rented the unit, because she wasn't able to find accomodations elsewhere. I informed her that I did rent the unit, and we had no vacancies. There were no vacancies anywhere for 150 miles. I really enjoyed that.

Wednesday, April 05, 2006

They still had these (tupperware parties) in the 70's. After one Tupperware party, mom came back with a large Tupperware container that she paid alot for. She was going out that night and said to me: "I've got the Tupperware container in the oven. If you are going to heat up anything in the oven, PLEASE remember to take the tupperware out of the oven first". To which I replied: "Yeah, sure". Later that night I decided to heat something up, turned on the oven to 450 degrees, then 15 minutes later I realized I hadn't taken the container out of the oven. By the time I got to it, the oven racks had burned through the bottom of the Tupperware and it was ruined. She never got a chance to use it. She was so taken by the fact that I could be so stupid, she didn't really get angry - after all, I was always doing stupid things.
Click on the picture for a larger view.
IT'S ALL SO ABSURD, BUT THIS WAS ME BACK IN THE EARLY 70'S.
Click on the picture for a larger view

Sunday, April 02, 2006

This guy was everywhere in 1978.
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