Hi,
First, a note from Steve Zuckerman, no longer a man on an island: Remember when you wrote that while I was living in Puerto Rico, you could envision me in a hammock enjoying the tropical breezes? Well, I traded in my tropical paradise for the good old USA and just moved to Tampa, Florida. 28 years of living on a tiny Caribbean island, sweating out tropical depressions, near hurricanes, and recently unsettling earth tremors was enough. It was time to relocate to the mainland, and the west coast of Florida was the perfect choice.
Separate from that, I could not miss the note Robert Fiveson sent about his close friend who was connected to the Cuban Missile Crisis -- the note about inaccurate guidance systems strapped to the Soviet nuclear missiles deployed in Cuba. All that would make for a interesting cold war spy novel with a lighter touch for a change, a sidenote to history, once again at the peak of the United States' involvement with Cuba under President Kennedy.
Puerto Rico was a very significant location for gathering intelligence on that Caribbean island as well as having key military bases from which to strike from. One of the most advanced nuclear submarine bases was housed in one section of the island, and on the north shore was installed a top secret radar and sonar site for tracking Soviet submarine movements. There was also a communication network for our nuclear submarine fleet in the North Atlantic. The United States military still makes good use of Puerto Rico as a important base in the Caribbean and in the Atlantic Ocean.
Next, a cultural note from Los Angeles -- a review of the latest production Paul Zegler's in: Family holidays have much in common, no matter what religion they're celebrated in. In The Face in the Reeds, which premiered August 22nd in Santa Monica, a family gets together to celebrate Passover. This is a perfect play for this intimate stage, bringing the audience into the dining room to share the joys and heartbreak. Christina is the newest member of the family, a second wife and a recent convert to Judaism. Husband Barry is a doctor, trying maybe a little too hard to provide his family with the best. Rachael, their daughter, is trying to find her path in life and the love she wants from her family. Mose is trying to get past his bar mitzvah. Grandpa is recovering from cancer and chemotherapy and perhaps enjoying too much the release that medicinal marijuana gives him. Thrown into this mix is Patrick, a young doctor and an Irish Catholic at his first seder. But this could be any family, celebrating any holiday, with enough laughter to keep the audience happy yet enough touching drama to make people care about the characters.
Part of what makes the play such a pleasure is the characters. Christina is easy to identify with. Barry is the rock of the family. Rachael is searching. Mose acts with a maturity past his age. Patrick is a contradiction. As Grandpa, Paul Zegler brings to the role a character that is so well-defined and played that some of his scenes can tear your heart out. The ensemble works together well, bringing the comedy to life without seeming forced. Most importantly, the meaning of the holiday is woven into the story, providing a base for each character’s role not only in the dinner but also in helping to recite the story of Passover.
The Face in the Reeds, written by Robin Uriel Russin, a professor at UC Riverside, will be performed Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm and Sundays at 2pm through October 11th. Information regarding tickets can be obtained by calling 310-397-3244.
Part of what makes the play such a pleasure is the characters. Christina is easy to identify with. Barry is the rock of the family. Rachael is searching. Mose acts with a maturity past his age. Patrick is a contradiction. As Grandpa, Paul Zegler brings to the role a character that is so well-defined and played that some of his scenes can tear your heart out. The ensemble works together well, bringing the comedy to life without seeming forced. Most importantly, the meaning of the holiday is woven into the story, providing a base for each character’s role not only in the dinner but also in helping to recite the story of Passover.
The Face in the Reeds, written by Robin Uriel Russin, a professor at UC Riverside, will be performed Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm and Sundays at 2pm through October 11th. Information regarding tickets can be obtained by calling 310-397-3244.
Three vintage Internet cartoon captions, forwarded with a batch of others by Allan Bendel:
Windows cannot find the file you're seeking. Would you like a glass of wine instead?
You've been online for 1 year. Would you like to log off and get a life?
One cat speaking to another: "Cool. I just sold the dog on e-Bay."
Related to dogs and cats, a video link from Zelda White Nichols: sunnyskyz . com/happy-videos/481/If-This-Video-Doesn-t-Make-You-HAPPY-Well-There-s-Just-No-Hope-For-You#6dOX0GogwDlOmV0A.01 (please remove the spaces)
In people news, Emily Kleinman Schreiber just posted the latest Alumni Association Bulletin. A quick way to reach it is through the South Alumni Association page on Facebook.
Finally, Shakespeare eloquently summarized the Seven Ages of Man, but Robert Fiveson just forwarded a perhaps more accessible version from the Internet:
You’re in the middle of a home project, hot, sweaty, and covered with dirt, lawn clippings, or paint. You’re wearing work clothes -- shorts with a hole in the crotch, a ripped T-shirt with a stain from who-knows-what, and a pair of raggedy tennis shoes. Suddenly, you need to run to Home Depot.
In your 20s:
You stop what you're doing. Shave, take a shower, blow dry your hair, brush and floss your teeth, put on clean clothes, check yourself in the mirror and flex, add a dab of your favorite cologne because, you never know, you just might meet some hot chick while standing in the checkout line. And yes, you went to school with the pretty girl running the register.
You stop what you're doing. Shave, take a shower, blow dry your hair, brush and floss your teeth, put on clean clothes, check yourself in the mirror and flex, add a dab of your favorite cologne because, you never know, you just might meet some hot chick while standing in the checkout line. And yes, you went to school with the pretty girl running the register.
In your 30s:
Stop what you’re doing. Put on clean shorts and shirt and change your shoes. You married the hot chick, so no need for much else. Wash your hands, comb your hair, check yourself in the mirror, and decide you “Still got it!” then add a shot of your favorite cologne to cover the smell. The cute girl running the register is the kid sister of someone you went to school with.
Stop what you’re doing. Put on clean shorts and shirt and change your shoes. You married the hot chick, so no need for much else. Wash your hands, comb your hair, check yourself in the mirror, and decide you “Still got it!” then add a shot of your favorite cologne to cover the smell. The cute girl running the register is the kid sister of someone you went to school with.
In your 40s:
Stop what you’re doing. Pull on a sweatshirt that’s long enough to cover the hole in the crotch of your shorts, put on different, cleaner shoes and a hat, and wash your hands. Your bottle of Brut is almost empty, so no point wasting any on a trip to Home Depot. Checking yourself in the mirror, you do more sucking in than flexing. The hot young thing running the register is your daughter's age, and you feel weird thinking she's spicy.
Stop what you’re doing. Pull on a sweatshirt that’s long enough to cover the hole in the crotch of your shorts, put on different, cleaner shoes and a hat, and wash your hands. Your bottle of Brut is almost empty, so no point wasting any on a trip to Home Depot. Checking yourself in the mirror, you do more sucking in than flexing. The hot young thing running the register is your daughter's age, and you feel weird thinking she's spicy.
In your 50s:
Stop what you’re doing. Put on a hat, wipe the dirt off your hands onto your ripped T-shirt, change shoes because you don't want the dog crap getting into your new sports car, check yourself in the mirror and swear not to wear that shirt anymore because it makes you look fat. The cutie running the register smiles when she sees you, and you think you've "Still got it." Then you remember -- you're wearing a hat from Bubba's Bait & Beer Bar that says, “I Got Worms.”
Stop what you’re doing. Put on a hat, wipe the dirt off your hands onto your ripped T-shirt, change shoes because you don't want the dog crap getting into your new sports car, check yourself in the mirror and swear not to wear that shirt anymore because it makes you look fat. The cutie running the register smiles when she sees you, and you think you've "Still got it." Then you remember -- you're wearing a hat from Bubba's Bait & Beer Bar that says, “I Got Worms.”
In your 60s:
Stop what you’re doing. No need for a hat any more, hose the dog crap off your shoes, the mirror shattered when you were in your 50s, and hope you have underwear on so nothing hangs out the hole in your shorts. The girl running the register may be cute, but you can't really tell without your glasses.
Stop what you’re doing. No need for a hat any more, hose the dog crap off your shoes, the mirror shattered when you were in your 50s, and hope you have underwear on so nothing hangs out the hole in your shorts. The girl running the register may be cute, but you can't really tell without your glasses.
In your 70s:
Stop what you’re doing. Wait to go to Home Depot till you call the drug store to have your prescriptions ready and check your grocery list for a quick stop there. Got to save trips! Don 't even notice the dog crap on your shoes. The young thing at the register stares at you, and you realize the family jewels are hanging out, but who cares?
In your 80s:
Stop what you’re doing. Start again. Then stop again. Remember you need to go to Home Depot but go to Wal-Mart instead 'cause it’s closer and you went to school with the old lady greeter. Wander around trying to remember what you're looking for, then hear a fart and turn thinking someone called your name.
Stop what you’re doing. Wait to go to Home Depot till you call the drug store to have your prescriptions ready and check your grocery list for a quick stop there. Got to save trips! Don 't even notice the dog crap on your shoes. The young thing at the register stares at you, and you realize the family jewels are hanging out, but who cares?
In your 80s:
Stop what you’re doing. Start again. Then stop again. Remember you need to go to Home Depot but go to Wal-Mart instead 'cause it’s closer and you went to school with the old lady greeter. Wander around trying to remember what you're looking for, then hear a fart and turn thinking someone called your name.
In your 90s:
What's a home deep hoe? Something for my garden? Where am I? Who am I? Why am I reading this? Did I just send it? And who farted?
What's a home deep hoe? Something for my garden? Where am I? Who am I? Why am I reading this? Did I just send it? And who farted?
The repeated upcoming reunion information:
The class of '64 reunion: Friday, October 10, 2014, 6 to 11 PM. $70 per person, cash bar. Hyatt Regency, Hauppauge, New York. Committee phone numbers: Tom McPartland 570-223-2577. Ken Silver: 631-463-2217. Bette Silver: 631-463-2216.
The class of '65 50th Reunion: April 24 through April 26, 2015, Hyatt Regency, Hauppauge.
The South '65 e-mail addresses: reunionclass65 . blogspot . com (remove the spaces)
The South '65 photo site: picasaweb . google . com/SouthHS65 (ditto)
Rich
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