21,554 and Counting

21,554 and Counting

It has now been 21,554 days since the Detroit Lions won the Championship of the National Football League. Last night they were defeated by the dreaded Green Bay Packers and failed to win the Division Championship. Green Bay won that.

The Lions did make the play-offs, backing in as the New York Giants beat the Washington Redskins.

I think the Lions will play Seattle next week.

Christmas Holidays - 2016

Christmas Holidays - 2016

We were supposed to go to Jenny's for Christmas, leaving on the 22nd and returning on the 27th. We even had the tickets on Delta and, believe it or not, they were paid for.

Julie hadn't been feeling well for a month or so. Nothing really bad, just sub-par. On Monday, December 19 she went to the doctor and called me from his office saying he wanted me to come and get her and take her to the ER. Her heart rate was quite elevated, up around 150. At the ER they confirmed the high heart rate and a cat scan revealed the possibility of pneumonia. She stayed in the hospital Monday night. On Tuesday they decided to do more testing so they kept her overnight again. On Wednesday, when radiology looked at the cat scan they detected what they thought was a nodule of some kind or another on her lung. 

They gave Julie the choice of doing nothing and observing the nodule over a month or so, or having the nodule checked out with a biopsy. She chose the biopsy which they did on Thursday and she came home Thursday evening.

The nodule turned out to be scar tissue. We're not sure what the scar tissue was from, but we were glad it was scar tissue and not something more ominous. 

We cancelled the New York trip as her doctor said it would be "premature'' to travel that far. And that trip can be stressful flying into LGA and traveling by town car to rural Westchester County. We were both looking forward to going. Ah, well. 

So, the Christmas Holidays were largely spent at home. Tom and Bill both came down on Friday for short visits. John and Lois brought some food over. (They are the Sczomack's from the Guild.) Amy and Jerry from her work brought the vendor gifts to the house. 

We watched a number of the versions of A Christmas Carol and White Christmas and It's A Wonderful Life, and Holiday Inn.

We missed seeing Jenny, Sophie, and Bob and spending time with them. We also didn't get to see Rick and Addie who live in Vermont, but who were driving down to spend a few days after Christmas with Jenny and family. We hadn't seen Rick, Addie, and Bob since the summer of 2015. Bummer. FaceTime, here we come.

January 1, 2017

January 1, 2017

I really stopped writing during and after the election of 2016. Trump’s victory was really upsetting to me, especially when you take into account the popular vote which Clinton won by something like 2.7 million.

Trump is an orange clown. He has filled his cabinet with billionaires and who knows what kind of goals they have for themselves and the country?

The photo is of Julie and me on New Year's Eve. We stayed home and, believe it or not, watched Holiday Inn. That movie was made in 1942 - 75 years ago.

I haven’t written about being cast in Arsenic and Old Lace. I'll be playing Mr Gibbs. He's the only old man who doesn't get offed by drinking poisoned Elderberry Wine. Close, but he escapes.

I'm going to try and write something every day. I will blog about Arsenic and Trump and growing older. I should tell my Grandchildren about this blog. There's some good stuff in it.

So Much for My Resolution

Well, so much for my New Year's Resolution. I vowed to write everyday. Today is Valentine's Day and I haven't written since January 9.

Winter is here. The wind is howling. And temps are supposed to be below zero tonight and lower tomorrow. I used to like it. Now I guess I hate it.

Took the picture below during the last full moon. That's "Billy's" house the moon is shining on. Julie thinks his house is visible from the International Space Station.

I'm in another play. The Guild is doing To Kill A Mockingbird and I'm playing Judge Taylor. It's not a very big part, but it's fun. "Remember, Mortimer. There are no small actors – only small parts."

We have three great kids in the show. Jamie Paschke is playing Scout. Leo Varitek is Jem. Peter Moore is Dill. They're going to be great. I'm violating one of my major drama rules by going on stage with them,  "Never go on stage with children. They'll steal the show everytime."

The New York Times

I subscribed to the New York Times digital edition. Three months for 99 cents. (I'm surprised there isn't an option-shift dollar sign. Maybe there is and I can't find it.) I have been enjoying reading the Times.

Here are some things I've liked.

Jessica Bennet wrote an article about autocorrect. Here's a quote. "But these days autocorrect is creating problems as it solves others. Tech companies like Google, Facebook and Apple employ dozens of linguists — or “natural language programmers,” as they are known — to analyze language patterns and to track slang, even pop culture. And they can do amazing things: correct when you hit the wrong keys (the “fat finger” phenomenon) and analyze whom you are texting, how you have spoken with that person in the past, even what you’ve talked about."

And this, from the same article.  "Your smartphone may now be able to suggest not just words but entire phrases. And the more you use it, the more it remembers, paying attention to repeated words, the structure of your sentences and tone."

Paul Krugman in an article titled "Voodoo Time Machine" this about the Republican party. "They’re claiming credit. Never mind the fact that all of the good data refer to a period before the midterm elections. Mitch McConnell, the new Senate majority leader, says that he did it, that growth reflected 'the expectation of a new Republican Congress.'"

"The response of the Democratic National Committee — “Hahahahahahaha” — seems appropriate. I mean, talk about voodoo economics: Mr. McConnell is claiming not just that he can create prosperity without, you know, actually passing any legislation, but that he can reach back in time and create prosperity before even taking power. But while Mr. McConnell’s self-aggrandizement is funny, it’s also scary, because it’s a symptom of his party’s epistemic closure. Republicans know many things that aren’t so, and no amount of contrary evidence will get them to change their minds."

David Brooks wrote a great piece titled "I Am Not Charlie Hebdo." Here's a quote.

"In most societies, there’s the adults’ table and there’s the kids’ table. The people who read Le Monde or the establishment organs are at the adults’ table. The jesters, the holy fools and people like Ann Coulter and Bill Maher are at the kids’ table. They’re not granted complete respectability, but they are heard because in their unguided missile manner, they sometimes say necessary things that no one else is saying."

"Healthy societies, in other words, don’t suppress speech, but they do grant different standing to different sorts of people. Wise and considerate scholars are heard with high respect. Satirists are heard with bemused semirespect. Racists and anti-Semites are heard through a filter of opprobrium and disrespect. People who want to be heard attentively have to earn it through their conduct.

The massacre at Charlie Hebdo should be an occasion to end speech codes. And it should remind us to be legally tolerant toward offensive voices, even as we are socially discriminating."

"The massacre at Charlie Hebdo should be an occasion to end speech codes. And it should remind us to be legally tolerant toward offensive voices, even as we are socially discriminating."

The times give great coverage to whole bunches of things. There covereage of the Charlie Hebdo incident has been outstanding.

Keep it up Times. I may take a regular subscription.

20,827 and Counting

The Lions lost to the Cowboys yesterday and their 2014-15 season is over. The last time they won a league championship was 1957. I was 23 years old and in the Army in Germany. I think it was 20,827 days ago.

The Lions led for a time, but it all unraveled in the last 10 or so minutes. A terrible call by the officials helped Dallas. One of their defensive backs had been called for pass interference. The penalty had been announced to the crowd. Detroit had a first down on the Dallas 29.

But, wait! Suddenly the flags were picked-up. The ball was returned to the original line of scrimmage. The referee is said, "There is no penalty on the play." It was fourth and one at the Dallas 46 yard line. Then, the Detroit punter shanked his kick and it only traveled 10 yards. Dallas scored. Ball game over.

So, it's 20,827 days and counting.

"The Lions, may they always win. But, the Lions, win or lose."

Yet Another Story

A long time ago, it was sometime in the mid-50’s, I was in NYC and was going to go see the stage production of “Seven Year Itch” starring Tom Ewell. We got to the theatre about two hours ahead of the curtain and popped into the bar next door. It was practically empty except for the guy sitting at the bar. We sat down next to him and began chatting. We told him we were in town to see the show. We chatted for a while. He left, telling us to “enjoy the show.” 

In the theatre, the curtain went up. There's a guy on a chaise lounge reading something I think. Suddenly, from the apartment above him, a flower pot falls, narrowly missing him. "Son-of-a-bitch!" It was Tom Ewell. Who knew?

He later appeared in the film version with Marilyn Monroe. Here's a famous shot from that movie.