Thanksgiving, The Letter U and

Letter U...Underwear

I know it is a simple thing but what a fabulous thing. 

Think of life without it. It is functional, practical and at times provocative and arousing. There are tons of reasons for me to be thankful for underwear not the least of which is a propensity to chafe.

Thanksgiving, the Letter T and

Letter T...Teenager

Yes, one of the scariest words in the English language is my entry for today's Thanksgiving alphabet.

I've got one and she is a beauty. My daughter Lindsay is my first born and one of the goofiest, dearest and sweetest souls I know.

Yes I'm biased but it doesn't make me wrong. I know in a blink of an eye she will no longer be a teen. She will be graduated and married and probably a Senator or curing cancer or being an artist or caring for animals out in the world and she will thrive and succeed in a million ways. I also know that she will being doing it all with a kind and gracious heart. An attribute she most obviously got from her Mother.

But for today I've got her and am thankful for the joy she has brought my heart and my soul.

 I love ya Lou!

Thanksgiving, the Letter S and

Letter S...Steven Spielberg

To represent all my favorite movie makers over the years I picked dear old Steven Spielberg. Let's face it. Over my life there hasn't been a bigger name in the movie industry. His breadth and depth of film making is just ridiculous.

I love movies and have my whole life. Much like music, politics, plays and books movies have been more than just a form of my entertainment but of my education and my escapism.

Documentaries, dramas, comedies, war films, shoot-m-up westerns, historical period pieces and the occasional chick-flick all fill the bill.  I love them all and probably a bit too much.

So for this entry to the Thanksgiving Alphabet I give  a few shout outs to some of my favorite Cinema personalities: Spielberg, Frank Capra, Josh Logan, Jimmy Stewart, John Wayne, Charlie Chaplin, Gene Kelly, Elia Kazan, Jimmy Cagney, John Huston, Howard Hawkes, Gene Simmons, Bette Davis, Cary Grant, Gene Hackman, Joan Allen, and on and on and on and on and on.......

Thanksgiving, the Letter R and Religion

Letter R...Religion

For today's letter I simply say that I am thankful for my religion and all that it brings and offers me. I am at times cynical, short to anger, anxious and angry but my religion and my faith serve as comfort and a steadying force in my life and for that I am thankful.

Thanksgivng, the Letter Q and the Quill

Letter Q...Quill - 

A couple of hundred years ago if I were making a list of things to be thankful for I might be doing it on parchment with a quill pen. Then we get a press then we get a typewriter then we get word processor then we get a PC then we get billions of bits of data going out over the world wide interwebs. It is just mind boggling.

I have studied the history of communications and through everything from the first printing presses to the internet the one constant has been change. What's next? Who the hell knows. To be true there are plenty of folks that think they know. You can watch a hundred TED Talks and hear 100 different new ideas. Guessing correctly is worth a few hundred billion dollars for sure.

All we know is that there will be something new. Facebook will be the old way of getting the word out. Communication evolves and Technology's application to those infinite advancements is exciting to watch. The Chinese proverb says "May you live in interesting times." So on this Thanksgiving Alphabet for the letter Q I am thankful for the Quill and all he advancements and inventions in communication that have followed.

Thanksgiving, the Letter P and Playwrights

Letter P...Playwrights 

I'm going to take some literary license here and expand this category to cover all the authors of plays and novels and history that I have enjoyed over the years. As a child I just did not enjoy reading much to the chagrin of my parents. Thankfully, much to the credit of their example, I found reading later in life. It has been a joy and a comfort to me over the years.  

Twain said "The man who doesn't read good books has no advantage of the man that can't read."  I couldn't agree more.

Here are a few of my favorite authors from different eras and mediums Mark Twain, William Faulkner, Eudora Welty, E.L. Doctorow, Larry McMurtry, Neil Simon, Tim Tyson, Tom Clancy, Shakespeare, David Mamet, Jerome Roberts & Robert Evan Lee, David McCullough, Patricia Cornwell, John Grisham, David Ambrose, John Meecham, David Baldacci, Michael Crichton, H.L. Menken ..... Not nearly enough room.

So for today's Thanksgiving Alphabet and the letter P thanks to the Playwrights and all the other wrights for that matter.

Thanksgiving, the Letter O and Orinthological Phalange Extensions

Letter O...Ornithological Phalange Extension 

This is the scientific / biological description of Shooting someone the Bird. I know it is not polite but doggonit sometimes you run across someone who is just enough of a chowderhead to deserve it. The OPE as I like to call it is simple, clear and effective.

So the next time you feel your temperature rising and you feel you are about to say something you'll regret just take a deep breathe, stick out your arm and slowly extend your middle finger.

A picture is worth a thousand words.

Thanksgiving, the Letter N and "Nattering Nabobs of Negativity"

Letter N..."Nattering Nabobs of Negativity" -

This phrase was written by William Saphire for then Vice President Spiro Agnew.

What I am thankful for are all the political writers I have enjoyed reading over the years and thanks to my Dad for exposing me to politics, current events and the discussions thereof. This phrase happens to be one of my favorites. I'm a sucker for alliteration. 

With the myopic views of news channels like Fox News and MSNBC logical, civil and congenial discussions of ideas seem to be things of the past. Nobody wants to wander out of their camp site and see what is in the woods because they are afraid of getting eaten by a bear I suppose.

Here is the truth, I have never been hurt by reading or listening to what a smart, thoughtful and serious person had to say. 

I've never felt obliged to concur with someone just because I read their work. However,  I can appreciate the art of well reasoned argument and a sly turn of phrase. How boring a world it would be if the only people we spoke with or the only ideas we exposed ourselves to were those that we agreed with in the first place.

So to those opinion givers who have entertained and enlightened me over the year I Thanks.  Here are a few of my favorite writers: Chris Hitchens (rip), David Broder (rip), Howard Fineman, Maureen Dowd, Jon Meacham, Mark Halperin, Peggy Noonan, Thomas Friedman and the head honcho George Will.

Thanksgiving, the Letter M and Momma

Thanksgiving, the Letter M and Momma

(This is a re-post of an original post from Mother's Day)

I called my mother Momma.

Occasionally when I was kidding around I would jokingly address her by one of her God-given names, Lola or Earlene and my tongue was planted firmly in my cheek. It was never Mommy and "yes or no" was almost always followed by a proper southern "Ma'am".   If we were arguing I called her Mother, something my wife first noticed.  But whatever I called her it was always done with love and respect.

By definition every Mom is a force of nature in her child's life. In Momma's case she was a force of nature in a more traditional sense to countless numbers of people. Those that knew her understand. My Mother never "slipped quietly" into a room.  My Mother never stood against the wall. My Mother never waited for somebody to do what needed to be done.  The moment Momma entered the room it was her room. She stood in the middle of every room because whatever was happening wasn't happening on the edges. She was a woman of action.  There was not a task to small and definitely not a task to large.

You need a wedding director? Call Earlene.  You need a fundraiser organized? Call Earlene. You need somebody to run the booster program? Call Earlene.  You need a choir director? Call Earlene. You need an event catered? Call Earlene. You need somebody to manage feeding 400 people a night for 4 nights to raise money for a school trip? Call Earlene. You need to have 15 teenagers spend the night and have them fed and ready for church the next morning? Call Earlene.   Actually, to be accurate you didn't have to call her because half the time it was her idea to begin with.  She was an uber-multi-tasker before multi-tasking was cool. It is said that you can never have too many irons in a fire if the fire was hot enough. Mom's fire burned and burned hot.

In my last two years of high school, apparently Momma was beginning to fear "Empty Nest Syndrome".  So she started her own business. Two years later she owned and operated three day-dare centers that cared for over 150 children every day.  One of those was in our basement.   Not to rest on her laurels she also joined the NC Association of Daycare Owners and spoke on their behalf before the General Assembly. No, Momma was no shrinking violet.

Momma  was a classically trained musician.  I know that I am biased but she was a phenomenal singer. She could inspire with her performances. She was a beautiful soprano with the ability to the rattle the rafters of any church so fortunate to have her bless it with her voice. Anyone who ever heard her sing "The King Is Coming" was never soon to forget it.  She was choir director of our church and a friend, confidant and mentor to dozens of youth and members over the years.

Of all the things that made Momma special, her innate ability to praise, inspire and motivate others to step-up and participate is the one I remember the most.  Go look up the word "ENCOURAGER" and there would be a picture of my mother. Had she even remotely enjoyed sports she would have made an awesome coach.  There was very little room in Momma's vocabulary for "CAN'T" and if you told her there was something you could not do, her typical reply would be "Ah, Bull, I know better."  Then she would stroke your ego and tell you all the right things to pump up your confidence. Then, if that didn't work, the next step was a swift kick in the pants. But make no mistake it was always done with love.  Through the sheer force of her will you would find yourself standing up doing exactly whatever you thought you couldn't do ten minutes earlier.  I saw her do it 1000 times and each one was beautiful.

We lost Momma way too soon almost 16 years ago. The reception line for her viewing lasted nearly 4 hours with a line out the door.   Time after time guests wanted us to know what Momma had done for them.

"Your Mom was really there for me when my Dad passed."

"Earlene is the only reason I went to college. She told me I could."

"Your Mom always made me feel special."

"Mrs. York stood up for me when nobody else would."

"She just made you feel better when she came into the room with her smile"

Over and Over and Over.....We had always known it but I don't think we had a full appreciation of her reach until that night.

Earlene Brown York was larger than life.  I am thankful she was/is my Momma. The biggest regret of my life is that my children never go to meet her.  She would have eaten them up. However,  I am comforted in knowing that because of her I am a better Father to my kids. I know that I am a better Husband to my wife and a better confidant to my friends.  I know that the best parts of me are better for having had her encouraging, prodding, praising and loving me.  I miss her this Mother's Day and I miss her every day.

So for this Thanksgiving Alphabet I am thankful for the Letter M and my Momma. If you can I suggest you drop what you are doing pick up a phone or better yet drive to your Momma's house and tell her you love her.

Thanksgiving, the Letter L and Laughter

Letter L...Laughter 

 I know this is a little bit of a copy of my H entry but Laughter is astoundingly important to me. 

All laughter for that matter.  Snickers, chortles, belly rolls and gut busters it doesn't matter. I just love to laugh. My daughter particularly likes it when I laugh so hard that no noise comes out.  It is just me trying to breath with my mouth wide open like Munch's The Scream.

Any week has been a disappointment if I haven't laughed so hard that I actually cry at least twice.

When my wife and I first got married I would excuse myself and sit in another room while she watched America's Funniest Videos in the den, just to hear her laugh. I never thought I would love a sound that much until I heard that same laugh mixed with those of my children. 

Music to the ears. 

So today for my Thanksgiving alphabet I give thanks for the letter L and Laughter.

Thanksgiving, The Letter J and Jabberwocky

Letter J... JABBERWOCKY

And all the other facts, tidbits, passages and information that have stayed with me over the years that were introduced to me by the wonderful and fabulous teachers and professors that did their best to give me an education. THANKS!

Jabberwocky

BY LEWIS CARROLL

’Twas brillig, and the slithy toves

      Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:

All mimsy were the borogoves,

      And the mome raths outgrabe.

“Beware the Jabberwock, my son!

      The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!

Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun

      The frumious Bandersnatch!”

He took his vorpal sword in hand;

      Long time the manxome foe he sought—

So rested he by the Tumtum tree

      And stood awhile in thought.

And, as in uffish thought he stood,

      The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,

Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,

      And burbled as it came!

One, two! One, two! And through and through

      The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!

He left it dead, and with its head

      He went galumphing back.

“And hast thou slain the Jabberwock?

      Come to my arms, my beamish boy!

O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!”

      He chortled in his joy.

’Twas brillig, and the slithy toves

      Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:

All mimsy were the borogoves,

      And the mome raths outgrabe.

Thanksgiving, The Letter I and Irregardless

Letter I... IRREGARDLESS 

The word. Well, not a word as the case may be but I think you get what I am saying.

 I am thankful that I know "IRREGARDLESS" is NOT a word. It never has been and I pray to the heavens it never will be. It is slang. It is urban legend. It is, or would be , self negating if it actually was a word.  Also, if it were a word it would be the only word that means the same thing as the word from which it is derived. Regardless and Irregardless mean the same thing. Well they would if Irregardless was actually WORD!

One scholar put it this way -

"That’s right, folks, there is no correct usage of the word irregardless. How is this possible? Because the word, irregardless, is not a word. It is not a word in English. Nor is irregardless a word in German, French, Haitian-Creole, Pig Latin, or even Spanglish."

Please, English speaking humans, stop it with the irregardless.

Thanksgiving, The Letter H and Humor

Letter H...Humor - 

I assume that there are some people on this planet that don't enjoy humor. It is almost unfathomable to me but with 7 Billion people on the planet there is no accounting for taste. Keanu Reeves has an acting career for God's sake.

I have been blessed to be surrounded with people who have given me the gift of laughter my entire life. Any sense of humor I have comes from my father.. He is 78 and still has a sly wit and a weakness for a bawdy joke but not too bawdy. My brother and sister have both brought me to tears with laughter more times than I can remember. Even in the difficult times of our sibling relationships I still remember an abundance of laughter. 

Now I am blessed with a quick witted wife and two children who are too funny for their own good. This isn't to mention all of my friends through the years. You know who you are.

Have you ever laughed so hard that you think you've pulled a muscle? Do you ever laugh so hard that you lose your breath? Because of the people in my life I do both almost on a daily basis.

 Mel Brooks said "Humor is just another defense against the universe." I am thankful to all my friends and family who have helped me fight the good fight over the years.

Thanksgiving, The letter G and Gynotikolobomassophile

Letter G...Gynotikolobomassophile - 

So often when we think of what we are thankful we search for the big, important items in our lives. Our kids, our parents, acts of kindness or pivotal events that have deeply effected our lives are obvious and worthy choices. Other less likely items are the little things. The pieces of our daily lives that we may not notice but nonetheless bring us a little joy. They aren't monumental or necessarily notable but they little nugget throughout the day that make life just a little better.

So with that it mind I offer that I am thankful for quirky words like Gynotikolobomassophile  that from time to time I run across here on the world wide interwebs and in funky little things like books. Then I get to look them up or google them learn just a little something I didn't know before. I know it is a small thing but that's the point.

FWIW – it’s a person who enjoys nibbling on the earlobes of women. I swear - look it up.

Thanksgiving, The Letter F and the Forefathers

Letter F...Forefathers - Yes they were rich, white, self-serving landowners who completely screwed the pooch on the question of slavery. They were also smothered with genius,  patriotism, bravery and vision by setting us on the path in this grand experiment.

Below is the text of the Declaration of Independence. It is a combination of poetic imagery and surgical persuasion that is hard to imagine could be conceived today.  Below that are the names of the cobblers, doctors, farmers, preachers and sages who pledged to each other their Lives, Fortunes and Sacred Honor.

Just wondering.  When's the last time any of us did that?

So for this Thanksgiving Alphabet letter F I am thankful for the Forefather of this nation.

IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776.

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.--Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.
He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.
He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.
He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.
He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.
He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.
He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.
He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.
He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance.
He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.
He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.
He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:
For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:
For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:
For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:
For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:
For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:
For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences
For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:
For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:
For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.
He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.
He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.
He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.
He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.
He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our Brittish brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

John Hancock, Samuel Adams, John Adams,Robert Treat Paine,Elbridge Gerry,Josiah Bartlett,William Whipple,Matthew Thornton,Stephen Hopkins,William Ellery,Roger Sherman,Samuel Huntington,William Williams,Oliver Wolcott,William Floyd,Philip Livingston,Francis Lewis,Lewis Morris,Richard Stockton,John Witherspoon,Francis Hopkinson,John Hart,Abraham Clark,Robert Morris,,Benjamin Rush,Benjamin Franklin,John Morton,George Clymer,James Smith,George Taylor,James Wilson,George Ross,Caesar Rodney,George Read,Thomas M' Kean,Samuel Chase,William Paca,Thomas Stone,Charles Carrol,George Wythe,Richard Henry Lee,Thomas Jefferson,Benjamin Harrison,Thomas Nelson, Jr.,Francis Lightfoot Lee,Carter Braxton,William Hooper,Joseph Hewes,John Penn,Edward Rutledge,Thomas Heyward,Thomas Lynch,Arthur Middleton,Button Gwinnett,Lyman Hall,George Walton

Thanksgiving, The Letter E and the Electoral College

Letter E...the Electoral College! 

I have many friends with whom I respectfully differ on this subject but I submit that the College as designed by Madison, amended by the 12th amendment implemented in 1804 has not only stood the test of time but is even more necessary and important today. I am grateful for our free elections and the Republic for which they support.

Contrary to some arguments the Electoral College does not stifle the voices of the citizenry but helps assure that the government is responsive to all the country and not just those areas with dense populations.

So for today's Thanksgiving Letter E is for the Electoral College!

MURICA!

Thanksgiving,The Letter D, Daddy, Deed and D.D.

The Letter D holds specific significance for me.  The finest man I have every known is the first D.  Dad of course.  His father, my paternal Grandfather...D.D. York  and my only son who is loosely named after his Great Grandfather, Daniel Darrow York.  That is not a bad lineage.

My Grandfather, Pappy as I called him, was D.D. York.  The D's didn't stand for anything. He was born in 1900 and times were lean. His folks couldn't even afford a name. ( Pappy would laugh every time he told that story) They just called him D. I suppose if he was in trouble they may have called him D.D.  His second wife called him Deed.  That stuck with me when I had a son of my own.

When Daniel came into this world his name was inspired by Pappy.  We gave him the name Daniel Darrow York so he would at least have more than initials. Coincidentally we call him Deed. 

So for today's Thanksgiving Alphabet I am thankful for all my favorite D's.  Daddy, D.D. and Daniel. Nope, not a bad lineage at all.

Thanksgiving, The Letter C and Caffeine, Carbs and Camaraderie

Every Friday morning around 6:00 am a group of guys drag our butts out of bed , make our way to the local Panera Bread Company and partake in my Thanksgiving Letter C - Caffeine, Carbs and Camaraderie.

About 8 years ago a dear friend of mine,Colleen, suggested that a few young fathers she knew should start a bible study. Having heard about Tony Dungy's "All Pro Dad's" program she was certain it would be something we would enjoy. So, being a group of smart, resourceful and independent young fathers we did a wise thing. We took the suggestion of a smarter, more resourceful and markedly more capable woman who came up with the idea in the first place. We decided to meet for coffee. What is coffee without bagels or cinnamon roles?  So Panera Bread became our home away from home.

There were six of us the first meeting and to be honest we had absolutely no idea of what to do. Thankfully, Colleen being her typical smart and resourceful self had taken the initiative to order our books for us. Seriously, left to our own devices we were lucky to arrive completely clothed. But there we were and we set off on a weekly ritual that is still going 8 years later.

We have described ourselves in a number of ways.  Bible Study, Book Club, Support Group, Breakfast Club and Dad's group have all been used and each sort of works. We definitely eat breakfast and we are all Dads but we don't rely on books to carry the conversation anymore.  While we have spent hours discussing God and Faith over the years, calling ourselves a "Bible Study" would strain credulity. Support Group is definitely accurate but sounds way too clinical for such a motley crew. What we are is a group of fathers with kids ranging from 3 years to just starting college.  We are school teachers, salesmen, insurance adjusters, executives, principals and at least 3 self-proclaimed sages. We've shared successes, failures, illnesses, deaths, struggles and joys. And we have laughed.  My how we have laughed. We are friends and neighbors and in our own little way we are family.

So here we are some 8 years later and what we have are a couple of dozen books, gallons of coffee, pounds of pastries, our favorite waitress Jamie, 5 Charity Auctions, dozens of birthdays, concerts, dinners, thousands of prayers and sincerely more laughs than you could possibly imagine. What started as a few complete strangers meeting for breakfast turned into a small band of honest to goodness friends who love each other and usually can't wait for Friday morning's arrival. It helps keep us sane or at least as sane as possible. It is, without a doubt, one of the favorite parts of my week and I will be saddened if I ever lose it. 

So I am thankful for my Cs.  My caffeine, my Carbs and Most Definitely my Comrades on Friday morning.  And while I am at it don't let me forget Colleen who got this ball rolling in the first place. 

Thanksgiving, The Letter B and the Beatitudes

Letter B...The Beatitudes

In my life, just like billions of others, faith and religion are vital to my sanity, my balance, my happiness and quite simply my life.

Just like anyone else I struggle daily to know and understand how my faith applies to my daily life. Many people of faith invoke a black and white interpretation of our rules and doctrines. Honestly, many critics of faith apply a similar interpretation just from a different vantage point. Both sides leave little or no room for the gray parts of life.

Often times the letter of the law seems to be in contradiction with the spirit of the law. For me, the way we act and behave when we are in that lost, middle, gray area is how we can define grace on this earth.

So today, and everyday, I am thankful for the Beatitudes. Those 8 reminders from the Sermon on the Mount that are not the letter of our laws but their Spirit.

Blessed are the poor in spirit,for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are they who mourn,for they shall be comforted.

Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.

Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.

Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Thanksgiving, The letter A and the Minnesota Wrecking Crew!

A couple of years ago one of my FACEBOOK friends shared a daily list of Thanksgiving for November. Using letters of the alphabet as a guide they planned to post each day. Mostly on a whim I decided to the same thing.  Me being me, I decided to be silly and slightly mocking in my approach. For my first entry, the letter "A" of course,  I said that I was thankful for Arn and Ole Anderson the Minnesota Wrecking Crew......  What? you don't know who they are? Well millions of people do but since you are so behind I will assist you with a pic.

The Minnesota Wrecking Crew

Why Oh Why would you be thankful for the Anderson Brothers? It is a fair question. The honest answer is that they were my "A" entry because the menacing image of them in their matching briefs made me laugh and their last names started with "A".  Simple as that. At least it was until my wife asked me the same question. "Who in God's name are Arn and Ole Anderson?"

"You don't remember them?" I said.

"No." she rather condescending replied.

Slightly insulted I tried to explain to my wife that the Anderson Brothers were world class, championship, tag-team professional wrestlers and no less than 50% of the original, infamous "Four Horsemen" wrestling alliance that all but ruled the "black hat" side of  Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling's ring from the early 70's through the mid 80's.   

The look on my wife's face was a strange combination of bewilderment and horror similar to the first time you realize your parents weren't virgins. It was obvious that she didn't know a turnbuckle from.....well......a turnbuckle.  But, being as open minded and and tactful as only my wife can be she said.

Baron Von Raschke

"Oh, dear lord you used to watch wrestling?"

"No!" I exclaimed.  "Well, yea" I acquiesced. "But, not the crappy WWF with Hulk Hogan. That's when wrestling went HOLLYWOOD. I used to watch the cool stuff on Mid-Atlantic Championship out of Charlotte."

Surprisingly, my wife's "OMG My Parents Have Sex" face did not go away.

But then, almost out of desperation, I attempted to find deeper meaning and  explain the circumstances for my betrayal of dignity. Growing up I lived next door to my paternal grandfather. I called him Pappy. It was a short walk through the woods but being the youngest grandchild and part of busy family we didn't see much of him. We could go weeks between visits and to be honest we were just closer to my mother's parents.

Andre the Giant

Then when I was about 11 or 12 years old Pappy asked me if I would like to mow his yard. I agreed to the task at the king's ransom of $5 a cut. Pappy was getting a deal and I was making enough money to go to the movies each week and the enforcer of child labor laws were none the wiser. Another bonus to mowing on Saturday morning was I finished around Lunchtime. It was also time for Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling.

The Nature Boy Ric Flair

For one hour every Saturday I witnessed a transformation. This quiet, hard working, calm soul of a man turned into a foaming at the mouth lunatic. Sitting in his recliner, lunch on his TV tray and napkin hanging from the collar of his his shirt, Pappy became engrossed in this universe that was Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling. In this universe the world was at war and you had to pick a side. There was good and evil. There was right and wrong and Pappy took his sides and took them with gusto. In this universe Rowdy Roddy Piper, Greg "The Hammer" Valentine, Baron Von Raschke, The Iron Sheik, Arn & Ole Anderson and Ric "Nature Boy" Flair were the bad guys. Wahoo McDaniels, Ricky Steamboat, Jay Youngblood, Jimmy Snuka (before he was the Superfly), Johnny Weaver, Andre the Giant, Black Jack Mulligan and Rufus R. "Freight Train" Jones and Pappy where the Good Guys. It was a side of him I never saw anywhere else.

Jay Youngblood and Ricky Steamboat

It's a little silly I know. But for a 10 year old boy it was an awesome way to get to know my Grandfather. Thinking about it,  maybe I was more grateful for Arn and Ole Anderson than I even realized. Not them alone but the entire experience of escaping into their world with Pappy for an hour every week to watch the matches. Picking the side of this old man who I loved but didn't really know. It gave us something in common beyond our name. It gave me something to look forward to during the week. It gave us a relationship. It was easily my favorite hour of the week and the couple of hours I spent with Pappy and Wahoo McDaniels would have been payment enough. Although, I still took the $5.

As I go through this Thanksgiving exercise again I am keeping Arn and Ole Anderson as my "A". I'm not keeping them for the silly outfits (well maybe a little). I am keeping  them because of the connection with my grandfather that they and their cohorts gave me.

So check back the rest of this month. I will have an Alphabet of Thanksgiving and I encourage you to do the same. And remember it is OK to have fun with it. You never know what you might realize about yourself.

Oh, He's Just an Actor RIP Robin Williams

It is always a little strange when a celebrity dies. It’s not like we actually knew the person. They didn't come over for dinner or sit on our porch. However, it's not uncommon for us to grieve the loss of these people we didn’t “know”. I'm not talking about over the top, crazy, stalker-like grieving. I'm talking about a genuine sadness at the loss of someone we may not have “known” but our emotions knew greatly.

I first saw Robin Williams about 35 years ago when he guest starred on Happy Days. Later, Mork and Mindy was "must see tv" in our house. We had not seen anything like Mork and in a lot of ways we still haven’t.

Additionally, my older brother had Robin's live stand up album.  I have to admit that at 8 or 9 much of his comedy flew right over my head but I soon learned to appreciate it. Years later he filmed a comedy special at the Metropolitan Opera that is still as good as it gets. Manic, fast-paced, mile-a-minute comedy that is occasionally juvenile but more often poignant and hysterical. He would bounce from off the cuff observations about the chandeliers in the hall looking like Imelda Marcos' earrings to funny, but tragic stories about his addiction to cocaine.  His legendary stand-up career along with the years as co-host of “Comic Relief” with Whoopi and Billy Crystal was more than enough to put him on any list of America's greatest comedians.

But I’m a movie guy. As great as a comedian as Williams was to me he was even a better actor. That is not to say that every film he made was cinema gold, far from it. However, when he was good, He was very, very good and could more than hold his own with ANYONE. If you are not familiar with Robin Williams or only know him for certain things I would suggest a few films to make su otre you see exactly how good he was.

Good Morning Vietnam
Good Will Hunting
Awakenings
Dead Poet’s Society
The Fisher King
Patch Adams and
The Bird Cage

I admit it. I feel a little silly mourning the loss of an actor. Maybe it is because we live in such a “cult of personality world”. We celebrate and sometimes idolize our celebrities all while we envy and begrudge them for their “easy lives”. Seriously, why would anyone be sad because someone they never met, who made tons of money for just acting had passed away?

Well, Robin Williams has, over the years, made me laugh uncontrollably; cry with both sadness and happiness; think to understand and cheer with triumph.

How many people in your life have you "known" who never solicited even one of those emotions? Yet I would not  feel silly about mourning their passing.

So, while I am not ready to shave my head and curse the movie gods for taking a legend by building a funeral pyre on Hollywood Blvd. I am ready to say that someone whose work I have enjoyed for over 30 years has tragically died today and for that I am sad.

Unsolicited Movie Review – Guardians of the Galaxy

The best movie I ever “heard” about was, without a doubt,  “Legends of the Fall”.

The most disappointing movie I ever “saw” was, without a doubt, “Legends of the Fall”.

Some of my favorite films are ones where I had no expectations walking into the theater. I suppose it is human nature to build up your hopes so high that it’s practically impossible for anything to live up to the hype. Conversely, I have loved films others completely panned.  Now that I think about it maybe I’m just a contrarian.

Did I mention just how much “Legends of the Fall” sucked?  Oh, I didn’t. Well maybe because there is no way to describe the level of SUCK that movie achieved.

Anyway, after hearing how awesome the new Marvel Comics film “Guardians of the Galaxy” was going to be (mostly from the studio itself), I was a little nervous. I intentionally read the articles, reviews and observations of last night’s Sneak Previews with a grain of salt. I don’t know if I had unrealistically overblown expectations or if I was an Opinion Virgin whose predilections were as pure as the driven snow. Maybe I'll never know.

What I do know is that “Guardians of the Galaxy” is as fun and entertaining of a movie as you’ll see this summer. Marvel continues an amazing streak of successful adaptations of its cache of comic book series. Where Guardians strays from the formula is that all the other movies were from well established brands. Spiderman, The Hulk, Captain America, X-Men etc were all well known in popular culture outside of the comic book community. Guardians is significantly lesser known. So would the story work? Would audiences embrace unfamiliar characters? Would the adaptation be entertaining or just cheesy? All the questions were answered and answered correctly. Top to bottom the film delivers.

The story is compelling. The script is tight and efficiently tells enough backstory to set up the series without cutting into the meat of the action. The characters are amazingly likable and have sharp chemistry.  The jokes work and the action was exciting.  Oh and Green women are pretty hot. Who knew?

For fear of over-recommending the film and turning Guardians into an overblown wall of suck for you like "Legends of the Fall" is for me I will leave my review with this. I thoroughly enjoyed the movie. It was well worth the price of admission.  

Unsolicited Movie Reviews - Summer Blockbusters 2014

Been away for a while but the bride and wee ones are out of town on vacation so Pops gets to catch up on the big bang movies that the wife doesn’t usually go see.  So here is a compilation of some of the big movies of the “Summer”

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Unlike Transformers or Spiderman or even Planet of the Apes for that matter the Marvel Comics universe of The Avengers seems to have a limitless range of stories to tell before they start getting old. The new Spiderman, #2 but really #5 if you consider the Toby Macguire years, is flat. Even after retooling, Planet of the Apes is superb, but one more film is about all that franchise has left. That is OK because the story arc really works as a trilogy. By comparison, the Avenger’s world has had 8 or 9 films already and while they haven’t all been perfect they sure aren’t stale and there doesn’t seem to be any end in sight.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier is the latest offering. If you are an Avengers fan you should like this. If the Avengers isn’t your bag, you know what, you should still like this.  Sharp writing, well-formed characters and some classic old-fashioned heroism all with a WWII tie-in make it a perfect summer action film. Captain America is ‘Hamburger and Apple Pie’ and that is what makes him great.

Did I mention Scarlett Johnssan? What I didn’t.  Oh, well, let me take care of that. 

SCARLETT JOHNSSAN! Wow, I may need a cigarette.

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The Amazing Spiderman 2

Have you seen the other 4 Spiderman movies since 2002? Then you’ve seen this movie as well. It is pretty fun and rather entertaining just like the other 4. You won’t be disappointed you watched it but you won't go change your life’s philosophy over it either.  My suggestion would be to wait and see it at the discount theater.

By the way, Emma Stone is a huge upgrade from Kirsten Dunst. The Green Goblin’s make-up/outfit is a serious upgrade from the original but the new Goblin is a no Willem DeFoe.  Then again who is?

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Godzilla

Do you remember all the old Godzilla sci-fi flicks from the 60’s and 70’s? Now imagine if those movies had today’s computer graphics, a strong script with cool references to the A-Bomb and Grade-A acting talent. Bingo!, you have the newest incarnation of GODZILLA!

The movie isn’t a classic like Jurassic Park but it is a quality update and superb homage to the throw back movies we used to watch on the Saturday Matinee...on one of the 3 channels our antennae picked up. Oh and Bryan Cranston is a superb actor. I know this isn’t news but just needs to be said from time to time.

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Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

While I loved the original Planet of the Apes with Charleston Heston and Roddy McDowell, I absolutely abhorred the Marky Mark version from 2001. So when I saw Rise of the Planet of the Apes a couple of years ago I was shocked how much I liked it. It surprised me how well it worked on an emotional level. Then my wife watched it and liked it. How could this be? I knew the movie was not a fluke.

The 70’s films were the quirky, heavy handed, cinema equivalent of a dozen, pretentious, college hippies passing around a joint realizing the evils of humanity and feeling certain they were the first ones to ever have such an original thought. Sort of like “The Legend of Billy Jack” but with monkey costumes. The 2001 movie was just crap. But Rise of the Planet of the Apes accomplished something special. It humanized Caesar. It placed him and the audience on a level, emotional playing field and it worked. 

The new movie Dawn of the Planet of the Apes continues this trend and expands it to the entire monkey tribe. These are not, as Heston called them in the original, “damned dirty apes”. These are fathers and mothers and children trying to survive.

Like any good sci-fi it builds a world with cinematic/literary rules and sticks with them allowing the viewer to accept what they are seeing. The special effects are insane and like all excellent special effects they enhance the story as opposed to distracting from it.  But, what makes the movie work, like what makes all good movies work, is the simple fact that we care what happens to the characters. We laugh with them, cry with them and cheer for them. It just so happens that here the “them” is a bunch of damned dirty apes. 

Excellent film! It stands on its own but seeing “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” would be a good idea.

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Transformers: Age of Extinction

This film was billed as a “re-tooling” of the franchise. If by “re-tool” you mean trading a really talented, petulant, young star with a really talented, petulant middle-aged star and turning the ubiquitous, smoking-hot bombshell from the love interest to the daughter then yes it was a “re-tooling”.

In actuality it is 1 hour and 45 minutes of awesome, blow-em-up, By God, movie making, summer fun stretched out for nearly 3 hours.

Some people say Donald Trump would not wear his hair the way he does if he had one good friend to tell him how bad it looks. Michael Bay (director) must not have any friends. If he did they would have told him 1/3 of his film was unnecessary going a long way to counteract much of what makes these movies work to in the first place.

Any sequel to a big special effects film has to keep getting bigger and bigger with each film or so they say. It doesn’t always make a better film but it's conventional wisdom. Inherently any level of credulity the movie makers developed with the audience to suspend disbelief gets so strained that all believability is thrown out window and you remember that you aren’t a part of this strange and awesome world. You are just some schmuck who paid $8 to sit in the dark with strangers waiting for the credits. At one point I got up just to stretch my legs. I knew I wouldn’t miss anything.

Let me put it another way. Do you like bacon? Bacon on pretty much any level is perfect. It has reached a level of perfection that is unrivaled. Now, occasionally, we get a new twist on bacon. Sometimes it is peppered. I’ve seen it deep fried. There is chocolate covered bacon or bacon ice-cream. People try them and say 'Man that’s good'. And a lot of time they are right. However, if we are honest with ourselves none of the combinations are truly better than the actual bacon itself. The first Transformers was bacon with some chocolate drizzle. It was new and tasty with a twist.. Transformers: Age of Extinction is Bacon that has been married with a brownie, covered in chocolate, topped with ice cream, lathered in caramel, spiced with red-hots, wrapped in dough, deep fried and dusted with powdered sugar. The really good stuff is so covered in crap it isn't that good any more. What’s the use? If you eat it all you will be puking even before you get on the Tilt-A-Whirl.

The movie has an above average cast that works well together. Stanley Tucci is, as always, an absolute riot and owns every scene he is in. I personally think the special effects took a step back. Not that they are bad but I don’t think they are used in service of the story. The new “transformer’s” transformations look more like magic instead of awe inspiring mechanical miracles. It is a little thing but it’s just one more thing that covers up the bacon.

I just want some bacon!