Semi-regular, Semi-permanant performance home
My family always made a big party out of Easter. My grandparents were very religious (Methodists) and we all went to church, but afterward it was your typical family feast with all the relatives.
My Grandpa Roy and Grandma Lee hosted (until they got too old) and we had a big egg hut for the kids in their yard. We also had small gifts — nothing like Christmas, but little things. Also Easter was a time to buy new clothes (usually “Sunday School” clothes but sometimes everyday stuff).
Always A Good Egg
The food was outrageously good and plentiful — lots of stuff with all the good Midwestern-type of picnic food — every kind of salad and Jello dish you can think of — all the baked goods from cookies and brownies and fudge to cakes and pies, and of course LOTS of ham, potatoes and that stuff.
Then — whenever we had a big gathering — the men would churn home-made ice cream. Grandma made her own special vanilla mix with a hint of lemon extract — I have never found any commercial ice cream that tastes quite like it. We would fill the tub with ice and take turns cranking the mixer … Grandpa Roy would start, then poop out and my dad would take over, and when we got older, the boys would finish off (it got more difficult as the ice cream solidified). One person would keep adding ice and rock salt as it drained off (of course you did this outside because of the water flow. )
Great memories. I think after we found all the eggs, sometimes we nagged the adults to hide them again!
Most of the day was spent watching TV (adults) and playing board and card games. It was a real close, extended family. My Uncle Bill and Aunt Bee (Dad’s sister) had two kids about ten years younger than me, so it was like a new generation and my two brothers and I moved up into the adult roles — hiding Easter eggs, helping make ice cream and whatever else men did (this was back in the day when the women did all the real work — cooking, serving, washing dishes).
Great memories. And I really miss every bit of it.
Hope you and your family have a very happy Easter.
Stephen Colbert will succeed retiring David Letterman — and I think there is no better choice.
After growing up with legends like Jack Paar, Johnny Carson and Steve Allen, I have been very disappointed by the choices networks have made for late night show hosts.
For years, David Letterman was the only one I really could stand. When NBC chose Leno over Letterman, I was bummed out, but I came to understand that NBC is the National Bland Company and couldn’t handle the edgy Letterman. He flourished on his own terms in his own show.
I really don’t want to get into criticisms of Leno or Conan O’Brien or Jimmy Fallon or Seth Myers. I find Craig Ferguson watchable and enjoyable — in occasional small doses. I like what Jimmy Kimmel does with his skits — occasionally.
The real talk shows and the real talent in the past decade have been on Comedy Central — Jon Stewart’s Daily Show and the Colbert Report.
The faux-conservative character of Colbert was such a delight and always fresh. But I was amazed to discover the depths of his talent over the years (did you know he sang — on Broadway?).
Colbert will be worth watching, and we know he can keep up the quality every night.
Jon Stewart may stay at his current post until he retires — he has built a wonderful experience. I just wish he could get the viewership Colbert is going to get on a major network.
Vive la Letterman, vive La Colbert!
Music theory — ugh!
It’s like the musical equivalent of long division. Nobody likes it, nobody wants to learn it, it’s hard!!!!
Well — that’s why we lazy boys (TM) love to find shortcuts. And today’s shortcut is a way to remember the Circle of 4ths/5ths.
Oh boy! Ain’t We Got Fun! OK — let’s get into it, kiddies.
First of all — why do we need these pests? Eddie Vedder don’t need no steenkin Circle of 4ths. Justin Timberlake neether!
But those who want to remember little things like how many sharps or flats are in a certain key, or what the major chords (and relative minor chords) in a guitar song will be — here is today’s magic trick.
Four Crazy Guys Drank At Ed’s Bar
Freddie Can Get Drunk At Every Bar
Fidel Castro Gets Drunk At Every Bar
Fred Can’t Go Driving After Eight Beers
Fat Cats Get Down At Ed’s Barbecue
Four Chorus Girls Danced All Evening Bare
Four City Girls Dance An Excellent Ballet
Father Christmas Gave Dad An Electric Blanket
These are really amusing little bits of gossip — but they are also the order of Sharps in a key
Replace “techno pundits” with whatever you like —
WADE
This is an actual listing in the SF Bay Craigslist …. you can imagine how my interest perked up when I saw it!
Are your hands a little grimy and need a good cleaning? Here’s an old trick that still works today.
Crush a raw egg in your hand and rub the slimy mess with both hands thoroughly.
Rinse the egg from your hands with warm water (soap is optional)
Or — if you are in a hurry or out of eggs, just rinse your hands with soap and dry them.
Works as well today as it did in Grandma’s day.
WADE
The 2013 Oscar telecast was newsworthy for many reasons — both the obvious and some unique reasons. But the most visible result (at least right here) is that it spurred me to post something new for the first time since December.
Face it — Network TV is a dinosaur. It is a Dead Man Walking. It doesn’t know it has died and has not yet laid down in a grave. The networks flail around trying to attract a public that is more interested in something that respects their intelligence and gives quality instead of pandering to advertisers.
One example is the three yearly broadcasts of Ricky Gervais hosting the Golden Globes awards Gervais is well known for his snarky style, and the producers obviously thought he’s got that “edgy” attitude that would bring about some excietment and some buzz to the awards show. It did — and the feedback was usually that people were outraged by his behavior. Perfect! The awards show got attention and people would turn in to see what the bad-boy would do next.
Oscar producers tried the same strategy with Seth McFarlane. He is far from an unknown quality. McFarlane is one of the most prolific producers of multimedia comedy working today. He has at least three television shows in production and scored a huge hit with the theatrical film “Ted.” So getting him to be host was obviously done with eyes wide open.
Looking at the resulting headlines tells the stories. His opening number “I Saw Your Boobs” was offensive to women. His “Ted” presentation with Mark Wahlberg was offensive to Jews. His irreverent attitude toward Hollwood and Movies and Oscars was basically offensive to to everybody. Or so the Outrage-Press would have us believe.
In other words — the strategy worked like a charm Look for other programs to try this tactic now that it is well-proven.
WBW
“The early bird gets the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.” — Willie Nelson
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