Update 1-16-07

Hi,

It's Martin Luther King's birthday, of course, and a good time to acknowledge how much his hard work contributed to our lives.
   
    Christmas just ended abruptly here.  I was up on the roof, finally taking down the lights now that Epiphany and the high winds have passed, and my partner called me down to say that his brother-in-law's son Brian had died.  Brian had some problems in his twenties, but we've all been focused on the health of older relatives lately, on both sides of the family, and neighbors fighting diseases.  So this was a surprise.  Brian was 32 and leaves an ex-wife and two kids.
   
    In happier news, Barbara Blitfield Pech replied to Peter Rosen's comment about his misreading her word "contentment" for "continence" with:  That all DEPENDS.  But, urine my thoughts for a safe, warm, and dry 2007.
   
    To which Peter replied:  I can't even begin to compete with that, so I had better not try.  This could lead somewhere none of us would want to go.
   
    Barbara has also been playing magic tricks with birth dates.  She mentioned that by merely looking at our  yearbook, she remember the following:  Ed Albecht 10/30.  Sue Atkins 10/31.  Fran Bellucci 4/2.  Jerry Bittman 4/28?  Barbara Blitfield 11/14.  Linda Charnes 12/4.  Carol Ewig 11/23.  Ellen Epstein 5/15.  Robin Feit 3/7.  Robert Fiveson 6/15.  Roy Harris 2/10.  Barnett Kellman 11/4.  Robert Kelman 4/24.  Bea Massa 3/7.  The Nudelmans 4/18?  Linda Passaro 6/19.  Ken Schwartzman 2/10?  Gayle Ulrich 4/?  And Booker Gibson's son Chris was born 12/24/62, hence the name Chris.
        All of which brings up the fact that, as Barbara also reminded us, Paul Zegler's birthday is on January 19th.  So happy birthday, Paul.
   
    And Barbara sends a food SOS:  Our local grocery, in planned infinite wisdom, has discontinued stocking some of my weekly favorite appetite and home sustaining products, making my simple pleasures less simple and certainly without pleasure.  Since I can't have that, if you happen to be in the supermarket in the next days and see any of these products, please grab 'em, pack 'em, and post 'em with the grocery bill and postage included.  JENNIE-O TURKEY BACON.  SKIPPY SUPER CHUNK LOW FAT PEANUT BUTTER.  HILLS BROTHERS DECAF COFFEE.  TWININGS TEA -- DARJELING.  SCOTT BATH TISSUE (toilet paper) COLOR -- PEACH.  EDDY LEON COOKIES.
        Please, NO gifts as this could turn out to be more than a one-time request, unless I can personally fight the head honchos and reinstate my food favorites on the shelves.  If you find things on the list, please let me know, so I won't have duplicates, which is not necessarily a bad thing.  By the way, I can keep an equal eye out for you, too, as it seems many favorite things are now going regional rather than universal in distribution.
        Again, many thanks  And:  Is Howard Johnson's ice cream still around?  If so, meet me at the airport with a spoon.
   
    In non-Barbara news, from Sweden which is probably even colder than L.A. this week, Jan Martin wrote:  I do have a new e-mail address.  It's:  jan.martin@sverigesingenjorer.se.
   
    [Rich -- so I guess that Swedish-to-English computer translator worked.]
   
    Bernie O'Brien wrote:  Happy and Healthy New Year to you and yours!
   
    Back to the sad news, Jerry Bittman wrote:  To all those who knew Ken Seelig's dad Mike, I am sorry
    to say that Mike has passed away.  For those who didn't know him, Mike was a treasure.
        Just as Kenny did, Mike passed away peacefully in his sleep.  I spent so much time over at Kenny's house and have such great memories of both his parents.  As I mentioned to Andy Dolich and Stu Kandel, next season the Yankees will be blessed to have two angels in the outfield.
   
    Again, happier thoughts:  Marc Jonas sent a selection of photos from 50's and 60's TV shows, to remind use where we came from.  He wrote:  "Here's our youth, in pictures," and the shots included:  The Honeymooners, The Mickey Mouse Club, Batman and Robin, Gene Autry, The Andy Griffith Show, The Lone Ranger, The Li'l Rascals, and Superman.
        I wrote Marc back mentioning that I watched slightly different shows:  Topper.  People's Choice.  Sherlock Holmes.  Crusader Rabbit.  Rocky and Bullwinkle.  The Three Stooges.  Laurel and Hardy.  Abbott and Costello.  Burns and Allen.  And lots and lots of Farmer Gray cartoons.  No wonder my mind was twisted.
        Marc answered:  I must confess that I watched them, too, except maybe for Farmer Gray, which/who I don't recall.  Guess I didn't do much else but watch TV, beginning with a 12" Dupont set in a cabinet ten times the size of the screen.  Which reminds me of Winky Dink and You.  Or was it Me?
   
    And speaking of television, Amy Lieberman wrote:  You realize now that everyone's going to wonder, "Who is Billy Valentine?"
   
    [Rich -- He's the singing voice of the songs used to connect the scenes on Boston Legal.]
   
    Finally, from a friend of mine whose business recently took him to the Atlanta Gift Show:  What a day!  Ran into our friend Jay.  Ran into our neighbors Eric and Todd.  Ran into a taxi.
        As out shuttle bus was approaching the Convention Center, the driver stopped for a red light.  When the light turned green, following standard Atlanta driving procedure, he stepped on the accelerator. Unfortunately, a taxi  driver decided that was the exact moment he would cut in front of the bus to make an illegal right turn.  Crunch!  Right into the side of the taxi.  That started our day with a bang!
        Continued the day by buying etched glass from a vendor we had seen earlier in the week.  Sales rep was not very helpful when we originally saw the glass, so why would I think she'd be any more helpful when we returned?
        Me: "Do you have a bio on Mr. Colkins?" (Usual artist's bio:  education,  techniques used, places work has been shown, perhaps a philosophy, if we're lucky, a photo of the artist and other work.)
        Rep:  "Yes he was born in Northern Canada, but his parents moved him to Florida when he was young because of ill health."
        Me:  "Do you have any info on him as an artist?"
        Rep: "Well, I can tell you that once he got very drunk at a bar and took off all his clothes and danced on the table."
        Me: "Is there anything we could suitably tell our customers about Mr. Colkins?"
        Rep:  "Well, he's a very little man, and he married a big woman who's in the army."
        Me:  "Thanks.  You've been very helpful."
        From there we moved on to Napp Deady, a company known for fine artwork and a very liberal open bar. As the sale rep, Herb, and I are walking the showroom choosing pictures, the rep looks at Herb's chest to read his badge.  "Oh," she says, seeing we were from Provincetown, "I see you're into water."  Oblivious, Herb shakes his glass and says, "Oh, no, I'm drinking white wine."
        We shopped until five and then bid farewell to the Atlanta Show and got on a bus which would take us back to our hotel.  We were speeding along when people in the back of the bus started yelling, then whistling, then stomping their feet.  I figured they were just a bunch of rowdies who had spent too much time at Napp Deady until they started yelling "Fire!"
        The bus was on fire and flames were coming through the floor.  We made a hasty evacuation as the bus driver screamed, "Run away from the bus!  Run AWAY from the bus!" and the back of the vehicle burst into flames.  The busload full of passengers stood on the shoulder of the road for thirty minutes, until a replacement bus arrived.
        I told Herb I was fine and pretty calm under the circumstances.  But after we were settled into the new bus and on our way, I turned to the woman sitting next to me and said, "The bus I was just riding on caught fire."
        "I know," she told me.  "I was on the same bus."
        So much for cool and collected.
        We head home today with visions of Mr. Colkins dancing naked on the bar table while etching glass.
    Fortunately, we're not going home by bus.