This Date in History - July 31

Happy birthday to Jerry's kid.  He made it big....despite Dad.

30 BC:  IN THE BATTLE OF ALEXANDRIA, MARC ANTONY ACHIEVES A MINOR VICTORY OVER OCTAVIAN'S FORCES, BUT MOST OF HIS ARMY DESERTS, LEADING TO HIS SUICIDE.

And this despite sleeping with Liz Taylor.  Or Jennifer Lopez.

781:  THE OLDEST RECORDED ERUPTION OF MOUNT FUJI.

Can you find this on You Tube?

904:  THESSALONICA FALLS TO THE ARABS, WHO DESTROY THE CITY.

Doesn't they always?

1201:  ATTEMPTED USURPATION OF JOHN KOMNENOS THE FAT.

If that's your nickname, you really must be.

1451:  JACQUES COEUR IS ARRESTED BY ORDER OF CHARLES VII OF FRANCE.

Coeurless.

1492:  THE JEWS ARE EXPELLED FROM SPAIN.

I see a pattern forming.

1498:  ON HIS THIRD VOYAGE TO THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE, CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS BECOMES THE FIRST EUROPEAN TO DISCOVER THE ISLAND OF TRINIDAD.

His fourth voyage there was on Carnival Cruises.

1703:  DANIEL DEFOE IS PLACED IN A PILLORY FOR THE CRIME OF SEDITIOUS LIBEL AFTER PUBLISHING A POLITICALLY SATIRICAL PAMPHLET.

Is this what's going to happen to me and this blog?

1763:  CHEIF PONTIAC'S FORCES DEFEAT BRITISH TROOPS AT THE BATTLE OF BLOODY RUN.

I used to like Pontiac, but only in the four door sedan.

1856:  CHRISTCHURCH, NEW ZEALAND IS CHARTERED AS A CITY.

Well, if you're going to include Jesus' name, you should be a city.

1911:  ARRANGER GEORGE LIBERACE IS BORN.

"Yeah, my brother George...."

1916:  GAME SHOW PRODUCER BILL TODMAN IS BORN.

And when do we get Goodson?

1919:  SPORTSCASTER CURT GOWDY IS BORN.

"Namath back to pass....."

1929:  ACTOR DON MURRAY IS BORN.

He chose to leave "Knots Landing" after its second season.  The show ran eleven more years.  Mr. Murray, I hope you fired your agent.

1930:  THE RADIO MYSTERY "THE SHADOW" AIRS FOR THE FIRST TIME.

He knows.

1931:  WCBS-TV IN NY BEGINS EXPERIMENTAL BROADCASTS.

Some might argue that they never stopped.

1932:  ACTOR TED CASSIDY IS BORN.

You rang?

1932:  THE NAZI PARTY WINS MORE THAN 38% OF THE VOTE IN GERMAN ELECTIONS.

Not an overwhelming majority, but they had tanks and panzers.

1939:  ACTRESS FRANCE NUYEN IS BORN.

I met her once at a screening of "South Pacific."  A friend of mine made her cry.  E-mail me for the details.

1940:  A DOODLEBUG TRAIN IN OHIO COLLIDES WITH A MULTI-CAR FREIGHT TRAIN, KILLING 43 PEOPLE.

And injuring lots of doodles.

1941:  UNDER INSTRUCTIONS FROM ADOLF HITLER, NAZI OFFICIAL HERMANN GORING ORDERS A GENERAL PLAN FOR CARRYING OUT THE FINAL SOLUTION OF THE JEWISH QUESTION.

Sounds incredibly vague?  In retrospect, we get it.

1945:  MUSICIAN GARY LEWIS IS BORN.

Not a one-hit wonder, but certainly less than ten.

1948:  IDLEWILD AIRPORT IN NY IS DEDICATED.

I wonder what its three letter abbreviation was before it was renamed JFK.

1961:  AT FENWAY PARK IN BOSTON, THE FIRST ALL STAR GAME TIE IN MLB HISTORY OCCURS WHEN RAIN STOPS THE GAME IN THE 9TH INNING.

How did bookies pay this off?

1966:  ACTOR DEAN CAIN IS BORN.

He actually might have been the best Superman.

1971:  APOLLO 15 ASTRONAUTS BECOME THE FIRST TO RIDE IN A LUNAR ROVER.

Whee!!!!

1973:  A DELTA AIR LINES JET CRASHES IN THE FOG AT BOSTON'S LOGAN AIRPORT, KILLING 89.

You will soon understand why this is not a good day to fly.

1987:  FILM PRODUCER JOSEPH E. LEVINE DIES.

And the "E" stood for?  Anybody?

1992:  THAI AIRWAYS FLIGHT 311 CRASHES IN NEPAL, KILLING ALL 113 PEOPLE ON BOARD.

Like I said....

1992:  CHINA GENERAL FLIGHT 7552 CRASHES AFTER TAKING OFF, KILLING 108 PEOPLE ON BOARD.

Cancel my reservation, please.

1992:  GEORGIA JOINS THE UNITED NATIONS.

Some people will do anything to honor Jimmy Carter.

2004:  ACTRESS VIRGINIA GREY DIES.

Wife of Earl, mother of several Crayolas.

2006:  FIDEL CASTRO HANDS OVER POWER TO BROTHER RAUL CASTRO.

"Yeah, that's my brother Raul...."

2012:  MICHAEL PHELPS BREAKS THE 1964 RECORD FOR THE GREATEST NUMBER OF MEDALS WON AT THE OLYMPICS.

Three of which are now on eBay.

2012:  AUTHOR GORE VIDAL DIES.

When this first happened, I thought he already was.

2017:  FRENCH ACTRESS JEANNE MOREAU DIES.

Adieu.

Dinner last night:  Chicken sausage and macaroni salad.

Len's Recipe of the Month - July 2019

It's summer.  It's hot.  And who wants to put the oven on to make dinner or dessert?

Voila.   How about an icebox cake?  For those under 50, an icebox is what you used to call the refrigerator.   It's also a nifty device to make this recipe, which I call strawberry lasagna.  It features the same layering process.   Courtesy of my cooking mentor Valerie Bertinelli.

Pull out your 13 x 9 baking dish.   But don't worry.   That's the only time the word "baking" comes up.

Grab yourself a pint of fresh strawberries and slice them however you like.  Put the pieces aside.

In a mixing bowl, soften up 8 ounces of cream cheese.   To this, add the following;

4 cups of heavy cream.

3/4 of  a cup of powdered sugar.

1/2 cup of strawberry preserves.

2 teaspoons lemon juice.

1 teaspoon vanilla extract.

Beat this all together until peaks form.  About four to five minutes on low.

Get a box of graham cracker cookies and line the bottom of the dish with one sleeve of cookies.   Layer on the cream mixture and put some of the strawberry slices on top.   You'll want to make three layers so repeat the process twice.   

Chances are you will have some cookies left over.  Put them into a Ziplock bag and pound the crap out of them until they are tiny crumbs.   Sprinkle them over the top of the lasagna.   Cover and put it into the icebox...I mean...refrigerator.  Ideally, you want this all to set overnight.

And then enjoy!

Dinner last night:  Had a big late lunch so nothing really.   Except for a piece of the above.

Monday Morning Video Laugh - July 29, 2019

I love these Hitler rant videos...this one Adolf goes nuts over a Mets loss.

Dinner last night:  Bacon-wrapped chicken sausage and macaroni salad.

The Sunday Memory Drawer - Dad's Annual Two Weeks Off

Here's a photo of my mom and me one summer,  My mom is on the left.  

Ah, summer vacations.  If my father was still alive, we would be smack in the middle of his vacation.

It was annual clockwork. My dad would take his two weeks of vacation every year at the same time. The last week of July and the first week of August. Right in the middle of the summer.   In retrospect, I wonder how, after working for the same company for several decades, my dad's vacation time had not increased.  I guess there is something to be said about being in a union.

Nevertheless, very early on in my kid years, this would be the time we would pack ourselves into a car and travel someplace. Loaded down with juice and lots of plums and peaches for the road. And usually Colorforms to keep me occupied. I couldn't bring comic books along to read in the car. I did that once. The decoration I upchucked onto the side of Dad's green Buick wasn't exactly Jackson Pollock.

We only went as far as a one-day drive could take us. Perhaps a long one-day drive, but one day nevertheless. So, essentially, our radius was about 300 to 400 miles. No more. No less. As a matter of fact, I never flew on an airplane until I got to college. I think about this every time I see some five-year-old throwing Cheerios around on one of my cross country flights.

Ideally, my folks and I would travel with another family. Another mom and dad to give my parents somebody to yak with and perhaps another kid or two that I could hang with. There were a few times where we went solo and those trips tended to drag. After 50 weeks together as a family unit, we needed a break from each other as well. 

Invariably, though, there would be some point in the vacation with another family that something would happen. A sour word exchanged. A nasty look shared. And then the edict would come from Mom.

"Stay away from THEM."

I remember a bunch of these destinations. Lake George, New York, was popular. They had a couple of Disney-like theme parks. Storyland where you walked around some nursery rhyme settings and then fed the wandering animals, as in the photo above. 

There was another gimmick called the North Pole and it was always odd to visit there in the sweltering July humidity. You got to meet elves and the complete Santa Claus clan. I was always curious why Mrs. Claus never had any kids. My mom would tell me that all the little workers were all the children they needed. I guess I was too young for the real explanation, which was readily apparent when you toured their house. Santa and the missus were sleeping in separate rooms.

The longest trip we ever made was to Niagara Falls, New York. All day in the car. Extra peaches and plums. Sheer boredom. But the view of the falls was worth it, especially when a wave knocked me clear across the Maid of the Mist. 

In those days, my father was an amateur photographer and loved taking slides with his Argus Technicolor camera. I remember when these particular slides came back from the developer. Somehow, two got superimposed over each other and the Maid of the Mist was poised right on top of the Horseshoe Falls. Was the Fotomat guy fooling around or was it an accident? We'll never know.

I'll always remember Niagara Falls for the huge case of food poisoning I must have got. All I can recall is lying on a hotel bed with alcohol soaked washcloths all over me. There was a visit from a doctor. I think I was there for about two days. At one point, I was visited by Vivian Vance in a nurse's outfit. Sheer delirium without a drop of liquor.

One summer after I had become a baseball fan, our familial trip trooped up to Cooperstown and the Baseball Hall of Fame. A great, great excursion for me. But, the little hamlet in upstate New York features few hotels and even fewer with air conditioning. One of my mom's pre-requisites for summer fun was the ability to go someplace and sleep in an air conditioned room. Without the cooling at night, my mom was even less impressed with Mickey Mantle's uniform pants displayed during the day.

Atlantic City, in its pre-casino days, was another popular destination over a few summers. The Boardwalk. The Million Dollar Pier. Salt water taffy. The Steel Pier where the Diving Horse worked and where I shook hands with Paul Anka after a performance. I was probably seven years old and already taller than he was. Another year, we saw the Lennon Sisters. Anything connected to the Lawrence Welk Show bored me shitless. I fell sound asleep in the aisle of the theater.

No trip to Atlantic City was complete without a visit to Zaberer's Restaurant. This place was such a big deal that you kept seeing the signs all along the road to Atlantic City.

"Ten miles to Zaberer's."

"Five miles to Zaberer's."

"Zaberer's right around the bend!"

This was a total dress-up eating event and probably the biggest meal we had all year. You made reservations several days in advance and still waited an hour in the lounge for your table and the ultimate heart-stopping slab of prime rib. 

The big draw in the waiting room was a color TV, back in the days when nobody had one that worked correctly. At Zaberer's, Mitch Miller's beard was not purple.

On one Atlantic City trip, there was such a rift with THEM that my folks and I hightailed it out of there. Up the road to Asbury Park. Where there was nothing to do. And we stared at each other for what seemed to be an eternity. I ran to a bench and buried myself in the library books I had packed for the trip.

It was the last time we ever traveled anywhere as a family.

But Dad still was off the same time.  The last week of July and the first week of August.

Dinner last night:  Leftover sausage, peppers, and onions.

Classic Movie Trailer of the Month - July 2019

Fifty years ago, if you were not interested in Apollo 11, you might have been in movie theaters watching this...

Dinner last night: Sandwich and salad.

It's A Sign

Dinner last night:  Had a big late lunch so nothing really.

What To Do If Your Basement Gets Flooded

Well, if it's the basement in the movie "Crawl," don't go down there.  Because, during a Florida hurricane, you never know how many hungry alligators might be swimming around.

If that sounds like a preposterous plot of a horror movie, it probably is.  But, at the same time, "Crawl," tautly crafted by director Alexandre Aja, is perfect movie fare for a summer's evening.   At a crisp and compact running time of 90 minutes, Aja wastes no time in entertaining and scaring his audience.  You will be eagerly munching on your caramel corn as the gators are busy munching on those looters down at the local gas station.  Yum.

What is great about "Crawl" is the fact that you really only have two main characters to worry.  Haley, played by Kaya Scodelaro (think Emma Stone without the freckles), is a swimmer for the Florida Gators college team...wink, wink.   Some category ten hurricane is on its way and she needs to check on her dad (Barry Pepper) who has been depressed following a divorce and holed up in the old ramshackle of a family home.  

That, my friends, is all you need to know.   Just like in "Jaws," it takes a little while for the toothy villain to show up.   And when it happens, there are two of those blasted things swimming around the cellar which is slowly filling up with water.  And then the buffet table is officially open.

There's a lot of backstory unveiled in the dialogue between Haley and Dad.  And the best part of that is the conversations are steeped in gallows humor as they wonder just when and where the next feeding will begin.

As in every really good horror film, there are some really dynamic scares as well as some rollicking laughs.   Just when you think a movie like this shouldn't work, it does.  Of course, you know the gators are fake, but it doesn't make a difference.   They scare the shit out of you regardless.

A production note: read the closing credits and try to pronounce some of the names on the crew.   They all end with "ic" as virtually the entire population of Serbia contributed to the making of this movie.   Whether it be Serbia or Canada who apparently funded the film, they should be content to know that they have put together a truly fun movie.   

Munch, munch.

LEN'S RATING:  Three-and-a-half stars.

Dinner last night:  Salad.

This Date in History - July 24

Happy birthday, Linda Harrison.  One of the knockouts from "Bracken's World" and a major star of my puberty.

1148:  LOUIS VII OF FRANCE LAYS SIEGE TO DAMASCUS DURING THE SECOND CRUSADE.

The French get uppity and it's still early.

141:  THE BATTLE OF HARLAW - ONE OF THE BLOODIEST BATTLES IN SCOTLAND, TAKES PLACE.

And blood doesn't wash out of kilts easily.

1487:  CITIZENS OF LEEUWARDEN, NETHERLANDS STRIKE A BAN ON FOREIGN BEER.

What does anybody have against Lowenbrau?

1567:  MARY, QUEEN OF SCOTS, IS FORCED TO ABDICATE AND IS REPLACED BY HER ONE-YEAR-OLD SON.

Leaving a baby in charge...never a good idea.

1701:  ANTOINE DE LA MOTHE CADILLAC FOUNDS THE TRADING POST, WHICH LATER BECOMES DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

I guess somebody had to.

1823:  SLAVERY IS ABOLISHED IN CHILE.

As if anybody wants to live there...period.

1847:  AFTER 17 MONTHS OF TRAVEL, BRIGHAM YOUNG LEADERS 148 MORMONS PIONEERS INTO SALT LAKE VALLEY, RESULTING IN THE ESTABLISHMENT OF SALT LAKE CITY.

And the Osmonds rejoice.  Millions of others don't.

1866:  TENNESSEE BECOMES THE FIRST US STATE TO BE READMITTED TO THE UNION FOLLOWING THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR.

But, please be aware that there will be an added processing fee.

1897:  PILOT AMELIA EARHART IS BORN.

On this day, people knew where she was.

1901:  o. HENRY IS RELEASED FROM AUSTIN, TEXAS AFTER SERVING THREE YEARS FOR EMBEZZLING FROM A BANK.

Who knew?  How's that for a short story twist?

1915:  THE PASSENGER SHIP SS EASTLAND CAPSIZES WHILE TIED TO A DOCK IN THE CHICAGO RIVER.  A TOTAL OF 844 PASSENGERS AND CREW ARE KILLED.

While tied to a dock??  Gee, how many would have died if they ever made it out of port??

1920:  POLITICIAN BELLA ABZUG IS BORN.

The original yenta.

1924: ARCHEOLOGIST THEMISTOKLIS SOFOULIS BECOMES PRIME MINISTER OF GREECE.

With a name that scores 80 points in Scrabble.

1931:   A FIRE AT AN ELDERLY HOME IN PITTSBURGH, PENNSYVLANIA KILLS 48 PEOPLE.

And melts 48 walkers.

1935:  THE DUST BOWL HEAT WAVE REACHES ITS PEAK WITH A TEMPERATURE OF 109 DEGREES IN CHICAGO.

But it's not humid.

1936:  ACTRESS RUTH BUZZI IS BORN.

Want a Walnetto?

1937:  ALABAMA DROPS RAPE CHARGES AGAINST THE SO-CALLED "SCOTTSBORO BOYS."

A perfect idea for a Broadway musical.

1945:  ACTRESS LINDA HARRISON IS BORN.

And, other than being gorgeous, her biggest accomplishment was being married to Richard Zanuck for a while.

1946:  COMEDIAN GALLAGHER IS BORN.

No cantaloupe is safe.

1950:  CAPE CANAVERAL BEGINS OPERATIONS WITH A LAUNCH OF A BUMPER ROCKET.

And hundred of nearby Florida residents call up their realtors.

1951:  ACTRESS LYNDA CARTER IS BORN.

Wonder Woman!!!!

1959:  AT THE OPENING OF THE AMERICAN NATIONAL EXHIBITION IN MOSCOW, US VICE PRESIDENT RICHARD NIXON AND SOVIET PREMIER NIKITA KHRUSHCHEV HAVE A 'KITCHEN DEBATE."

Coke or Pepsi?

1964: A YOUNG MET FAN STEPS INSIDE SHEA STADIUM ON A RAINY FRIDAY NIGHT WITH SEATS RIGHT BEHIND THE MILWAUKEE BRAVES DUGOUT.

And the third base coach gave me gum.

1966:  GOLFER TONY LEMA DIES.

6 feet under par.

1969:  APOLLO 11 SPLASHES DOWN SAFELY IN THE PACIFIC OCEAN.

Moon rocks for sale.  Cheap.

1974:  THE US SUPREME COURT UNANIMOUSLY RULED THAT PRESIDENT RICHARD NIXON DID NOT HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO WITHHOLD SUBPOENAED WHITE HOUSE TAPES AND THEY ORDER HIM TO SURRENDER THEM TO THE WATERGATE SPECIAL PROSECUTOR.

Wait.....I haven't finished editing them yet.

1980:  ACTOR PETER SELLERS DIES.

The Pink Panther Doesn't Return This Time.

1982:  HEAVY RAIN CAUSES A MUDSLIDE THAT DESTROYS A BRIDGE IN JAPAN, KILLING 299. 

Sorry, that Chicago boat still wins for biggest July 24 calamity.

1983:  GEORGE BRETT BATS FOR THE KANSAS CITY ROYALS AGAINST THE NEW YORK YANKEES AND HITS A GAME WINNING HOMER NULLIFIED IN THE PINE TAR INCIDENT.

Pine tar?  I don't see any pine tar.

1984:  TWENTY YEARS TO THE DAY OF A YOUNG FAN'S FIRST ENTRANCE INTO SHEA STADIUM, ANOTHER GAME IS ATTENDED WITH GOOD FRIEND BIB.  A PARTICULARLY EXCITING EXTRA INNING WIN OVER THE CARDINALS.

And so July 24 is essentially my baseball birthday.

1998:  RUSSELL EUGENE WATSON JR BURSTS INTO THE US CAPITAL AND OPENS FIRE KILLING TWO POLICE OFFICERS.

So much for the 2PM tour.

2002:  DEMOCRAT JAMES TRAFICANT IS EXPELLED FROM THE US HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ON A VOTE OF 420 TO 1.

I supposed Mr. Traficant was the 1.

2005:  LANCE ARMSTRONG WINS HIS SEVENTH CONSECUTIVE TOUR DE FRANCE.

Yeah, no drugs there.

2012:  ACTOR CHAD EVERETT DIES.

He really needed a Medical Center.

2012:  ACTOR SHERMAN HEMSLEY DIES.

Really movin' on up.

2016:  SINGER MARNI NIXON DIES.

Outliving many of the voices she dubbed.

Dinner last night:  Last of the leftover tri-tip plus salads.

Missing The TV Variety Show

I do, you know.  When I was a kid, that staple of prime time entertainment was a big deal.   And I loved a few of those programs.   "The Hollywood Palace" with its rotating hosts.  "The Dean Martin Show" with its seemingly unrehearsed banter.   And, of course, the pinnacle of them all.  "The Carol Burnett Show" loaded with guest stars, wonderful sketches, opulent production numbers, and Tim Conway.

So I've been thinking of those shows again because, in the space of five short days last week, I enjoyed two evenings at the Hollywood Bowl that made me long for those glory days of television.  Featuring two really superb performers who could easily bring back the TV variety show.

First up at the Bowl was the always reliable Kristen Chenoweth.   Now I've seen her show several times and have also relished her performances in two great Broadway musicals, the revived "Promises, Promises" and "On The Twentieth Century."  One more time at the Bowl and she never ever disappoints with her set list, her comedic bantering, and sheer honest performance.  A five tool player if there ever was one.

If there is anybody out there who could singlehandedly could bring back what we remember as "The Carol Burnett Show," Kristen could.  Surround her with the best guest stars and regular supporting players.  That could be the revival of the weekly television variety show all on its own.

Meanwhile, there used to be a prime time phenomenon as the "TV Special."  Those spectaculars that gave around once a season with a star that usually was of a more loftier pedigree.   Well, after seeing Hugh Jackman at the Hollywood Bowl several days, he certainly is the one.  

Forget all those X-Men and Wolverine movies he does.  That's small potatoes.  This guy commands a stage with singing, dancing, story telling, and a nifty turn as the late Peter Allen.  The production values of his Bowl show were sumptuous.  The kind you might have seen surrounding a special starring Sammy Davis Jr. or Mitzi Gaynor back in 1977.  

The shows by Kristen and Hugh were bi-polar opposites.  Kristen's evening was fun and small and intimate.  Jackman's production obviously cost some money and it was all there on the stage.   They were both different, but, at the same time, the same.   Wildly entertaining and reminiscent of TV variety days gone by.

Well, there's your next bright idea, television executives.   Don't screw it up.

Oh, who am I kidding?

Dinner last night:  Farfalle pasta in meat sauce.

Monday Morning Video Laugh - July 22, 2019

So the question is this.  If you are going to pass out on an amusement park ride, why go on it???

Dinner last night:  Leftover tri-tip and salad.

The Sunday Memory Drawer - "One Small Step..."

Fifty years ago this weekend and I remember it like it was yesterday.

The nation was focused on Apollo 11. There were moon watching parties. Crowds gathered to view it on a big screen in Grand Central Station. It was all encompassing.

Given that Sunday, July 20 was a typical hot and humid summer's day, I can remember walking through the neighborhood and hearing Chet Huntley blaring out like he was on a loudspeaker. With all the open windows of the apartment building across the street, you could not escape him supplying the soundtrack up and down our block.

The scheduling of the day's events were etched in our minds. You knew what hour they would be "undocking" from the command module, what hour they would be landing on the lunar surface, and exactly when the astronauts would venture out to walk through the craters for the very first time. The latter was scheduled to take place very late on that Sunday night so, luckily, they planned this perfectly to coincide with our non-school summer schedule.

On that day, I, however, had a focus elsewhere. 

The Mets had just gotten good and were finally competitive for the first time ever. Neil Armstrong, pish tosh. For me, it was Tom Seaver and nothing else. The team was on the road, having just completed two series against the Chicago Cubs that launched the Flushing Faithful into their own pennant-bound orbits. 

The Mets were playing a doubleheader against the virgin Montreal Expos in that French dump called Parc Jarry. They lost the first game, 3-2. But, the second game was a seesaw battle that lasted 10 innings and, in those days, an unheard-of three hours. As the Mets battled through the tenth inning, I was distracted in so many directions. The Mets on the tube. The moon landing on another channel. And a violent thunderstorm outside my window. Too much for this youngster to process at once.

My dad, rarely moved by anything, was duly impressed by the moon stuff.

"You better watch this because it's history."

It was one of those super-rare moments where my family acted as one. My parents glued to the TV in the living room with me draped across the floor and spooning with my dog Tuffy. We, like the world, were together. Yet, there was one other person in the house who didn't give a shit.

Grandma downstairs.

My grandmother had pretty watched dismissed the space race as soon as it started.

"Wasting all the poor taxpayers' money." 

She'd wave in disgust whenever somebody mentioned it. As Armstrong and Aldrin strolled around the moon, Grandma had already gone off to bed.

In the weeks after, Grandma did not stop with her disdain over Apollo 11. It had been a very rainy summer and, by mid August, we were knee deep in mildew. 

As Grandma sat in her favorite rocking chair and surveyed the soggy neighborhood from her living room window during one more rain storm, she tried to fit the pieces together for me.

"You know why it's raining so much? God is mad at us."

Huh?

"God is mad because we had no business going to the moon. He didn't want us there so now he is making it rain."

Logical? In her mind, yes. I tried to reason with the unreasonable.

"Grandma, it's raining here in New York, but it might not be like this in Texas or California."

She waved me off.

"It's raining and God is mad."

This volleyed back and forth. Logic and illogic. Sense and no sense. Finally, Grandma pulled an ace from her sleeve.

"It's true because I heard it on the television."

Her standard retort. You can't refute the things you hear on TV. I asked her who said that God was mad on the TV.

"Walter Cronkite."

I guess this is why Cronkite was the most trusted man in America. My grandmother listened to him.

You can't battle that kind of logic. I walked away from the conversation in defeat. 

Well, at least, the Mets were winning in the summer of 1969.

Dinner last night:  Tri tip beef and salads.

Classic TV Theme Song of the Month - July 2019

Since it's the fifty year anniversary of the moon landing and we're thinking about astronauts this week...

Dinner last night:  Hot dog at the Hollywood Bowl.

Your Weekend Movie Guide for July 2019

Hard to believe that "True Grit" is fifty years old.   What a great summer movie!  But that's what you used to expect from Hollywood during the hot weather months.   Mindless, yet fun entertainment that allowed you to soak in the air conditioning of a darkened theater.

Welcome to July 2019.   Oh, I'm sure the current fare at the cinema is mindless.  But is it fun?  Meh.  You know the monthly drill, folks.  I'll drift through the entertainment pages of the LA Times and give you my knee jerk reaction to the garbage being magnified on those huge white screens.   I'm sure we'll need to protect ourselves with an eye patch just like Rooster Cogburn's.

Over both of our eyes.

Toy Story 4:   Spoiler alert.   Probably the only movie on this list that I might see.

Crawl:  Blog review coming.  Alligators terrorize a father and a daughter in their house.   Yum.

The Lion King:  Disney once again eats it own by turning a perfect good cartoon into a live action movie.   

Aladdin:  See "Lion King."

Hobbs and Shaw:  Yet, another movie from the "Fast and Furious" franchise, which now has more chapters than there are books in the Old Testament.

Stuber:  A cop and an Uber driver join forces.  It was a matter of time before those drivers got plots of their own.

Into the Ashes:   I can't find much on IMDB.  Not a good sign.

Men in Black International:   Who was the genius that brought this franchise back??

Rocketman:   Decent biopic of Elton John.   Still lingering around theaters.

The Farewell:  A Chinese family discovers their grandmother has only a short time to live.  The Joy Bad Luck Club.

David Crosby - Remember My Name:  Will do.  Son of Bing, right?

Above the Shadows:  An invisible woman can only be seen by a MMA fighter.  I just write what I see.

Bottom of the 9th:  The title intrigues me.  The plot is about a baseball player who has been in prison for 17 years.   Titles are obviously deceiving.

The Price for Silence:  Richard Thomas is listed in the cast.  Hello, John-Boy.

Ring Ring:  A horror movie about telemarketers.  It's about time.

Supervized:  Aging super heroes in a nursing home.  Again, I just write what I see.

Sword of Trust:  Conspiracy theory nuts try to prove the South won the Civil War.  No, it's not a documentary.

Rosie:  A homeless Irish family.  Just when you thought they were all in San Francisco and Los Angeles.

Purge of Kingdoms:  A parody of "Game of Thrones."  This means all the jokes will be lost on yours truly.

Iron Sky - The Coming Race:  Another Iron Sky movie...whatever the hell that is.

Yesterday:  Somebody claims to be the writer of Beatles music.  I hear this movie stinks.   Today.  And tomorrow.

Sea of Shadows:  Shadows must be the big movie buzzword this week.

Spider-Man - Far From Home:  When it comes to this movie, I won't be.  Far from home, that is.

Late Night:  Reviewed recently here.  Decent enough comedy.   If I get two good laughs these days, the movie is successful.

The Last Black Man in San Francisco:  I think that might have been Barry Bonds.

Dinner last night:  Salad.

What A Dump

Or whatever it was that Bette Davis supposedly said.

This is City Hall of my beloved hometown of Mount Vernon, New York.  As a child, I remember it being a wonderful and diverse community.  Back when I was a kid, it was no secret that the Mafia ran the government there.   And, surprise, surprise, it was a nice place to live.  Hey, the garbage got picked up.  That's a given if the mob...ahem, waste management specialists...are running things.

Then, back in the 80s when Mount Vernon became almost 99% African-American or Haitian, the city populace had enough votes to get rid of the Italians and install their own.   That's when things fell off a cliff.

Drive through Mount Vernon in 2019.  Parts of the town are uninhabitable.  The shopping on Fourth Avenue, once glorious, is now one bargain junk store after another.  The roads are completely torn up.  You can easily lose the undercarriage of your car if you don't watch where you are going.

Meanwhile, City Hall over the years has been occupied by a continuing clown car of crooks.   One Mayor, Ernie Davis, was thrown out twice for embezzling.  You see, the idiot voters re-elected a second time even after he was convicted.

A new guy came in about two years ago to clean up the mess.   Recently, he got arrested.  Here's his mug shot.

So, the City Council votes to oust him.  There is an acting Mayor now.   Despite the fact that the previous guy has refused to leave.   

Are we having fun yet?  

The other day, the Police Commissioner got arrested.   I have no idea why.  You get confused when you try to pay attention to Mount Vernon politics.

The city is dead.   Stage 4 inoperable cancer.  

If there ever was an argument for being a libertarian, my hometown is a strong one.

Dinner last night: Had a late lunch sandwich.