Oldest birthday is in the books

So it's that time when, of the four boys, the last of the birthdays has come and gone.  It's our fully adult and grown oldest son.  Like all oldest kids, he's the trial and error child.  Yes the oldest gets the most attention.  Because everything is a first.  Often you don't know what you're doing and each and every life event, milestone or blindside has to be dealt with on a scramble and improvise sort of way.  By the time even the second child comes along, you have a feeling of 'been there, done that.'  Not that each child won't bring his unique challenges and experiences that require punting and hoping for the best.  But for the oldest everything requires such an approach.

That was certainly true with our oldest.  Each of our sons has faced his own issues and even obstacles in life.  Such is life for everyone.  But I'll admit, sometimes I think our oldest son must have run over Life's dog at some point. From the day he was born it was jump from frying pan and avoid the fire. 

He came home the second day after his birth because that's what insurance companies were doing at that point. New moms and newborns out the door after 24 hours.  The problem is, he developed a late build up of fluids that, had he been in the hospital, they no doubt would have caught.  As it was, on that night of his first day home he gave a giant gag and then promptly stopped breathing.  Being brand new parents we had no clue what to do but panic.  Fortunately my mother-in-law was staying with us.  Being a veteran pro-parent, she swooped into action, flipped him upside down, and hit him like a Tom and Jerry cartoon until he choked out the liquids and began to breath again.  We still shudder at what would have happened if she wasn't there.  Needless to say, one thing I clearly supported Bill Clinton on was his putting the kibosh on insurance companies playing that little game.

Unfortunately for our son, it was only the beginning.  And the first years of his life would see multiple hospital visits, doctor visits, infant surgeries and a host of other problems.  His first pediatrician - perhaps the best ever - was just starting out and we were both new parents, so there was a bond there. We were also among his first patients.  Plus we were there so often.  I could have had my mail delivered to his office and not miss a beat. Eventually we moved out of the Ohio Valley and I believe that helped somewhat.  But for the longest time he would be tripped up with health issues, and unfortunately it didn't just end when we came to Ohio. 

Nonetheless, he has never given up. Once he gets going that is. Waiting until the 11th hour to charge forth is his is kryptonite.  But once he throws himself in, he will typically go well beyond merely succeeding to full blown excelling.  In school I told my sons to do good at many things - academics, arts or music, sports.  And they mostly did.  Our oldest, being the oldest, held out at first with the sports. He had played soccer as a youngster, but wasn't terribly brilliant at it. Both of his younger brothers were better.  But he decided in 7th grade to go out for track.  Yuck.  It was sad to watch.  I won't get into the details.  But not to be discouraged, he asked me to coach him over the summer and he would try cross country in the fall.  By the end of the season his next year, he was the second fastest in his school and one of the fastest in the district.  

But that's been him. Readers of my blog know that he initially intended to go into the culinary world and be a chef.  He has an innate knack for making meals better than most high class restaurants at which we've eaten. My wife and I say he broke eating out for us.  Because there are few times we can't get him to make better than eating out.  But just as he was going full throttle, he suddenly got hit with a catastrophic food allergy that all but put an abrupt end to such a career in any realistic way.  Which obviously caused him a major setback. 

Nonetheless, he kept plowing forward in school.  He reconsidered his earlier thought of going into politics, since that was my initial college major back in the day. Nonetheless, I advised him that politics is like a demolition derby. It's a lot of fun to watch but I wouldn't want to drive in one.  Eventually, through a strange series of events in various classes and opportunities, he began to be involved in immigration issues and all the hubbub in that area.  He had already considered how to go into politics when he was younger, seeing the possibility of a law degree as the slingshot to go into the political world.  Now he began to put things together, and so he is now where he is.  He decided to revisit the idea of law school, but doing so to jump into that hot button of all topics today around international law and immigration.  

So now he's in it, up to his neck.  Owing to his grades from his undergrad days, he received a very hefty scholarship that takes care of the bulk of his schooling costs.  So far, two boys through undergrad work and one going into his second year and not a brass farthing of student loans between them.  All of our family chicanery has done some good. Though it's clear he isn't going to make it all the way through without needing some loans, added expenses and just living now being what it is. 

Still, he's bounced back yet again, and is going full steam.  He said he got through baby's first law exams and didn't do badly.   So overall, once again, doing pretty well.  Better than I would, that's for sure.  But as a whole, I find my sons are typically better than me in most things, and I don't mind admitting that.  

At one of his law school events, having learned to tie his tie from his old man

The calm uncle.

One more Ghost Run for the road.  Three of the boys go back to the original scene of the crime

The boys and daughter-in-law together to carve those pumpkins for another Halloween fest, since Halloween and our oldest's birthday have always been close at hand

The First Haunted House

This, The House of the Devil, produced by that early wizard of the new technology of moving pictures, Georges Melies in 1896. 

They say this is the first actual Haunted House on film, and the first true horror movie.  Now, film buffs and historians might debate that second part.  Some argue that the horror 'genre', in terms of what a genre actually is, didn't emerge until Universal's famous monopolizing of the 1930s horror movies beginning with the original Universal Frankenstein and Dracula.  

I've seen some argue that the reason for this distinction is that, even into the early 20th century when movies were just beginning and evolving, much of the social structure of the West was still somewhat religious based.  That is, while from the top down Europe and America were clearly secularizing, on the street level - and for those products pandering to the street level - religion was still very much the default world view for the masses. 

By the 1930s, however, apart from that 'last Great Awakening' that occurred as people flocked back to churches due to the Depression and growing problems in Europe and later Asia, society was already starting to secularize more and lower toward the ground.  So as the Universal (and yes, other studio) monster films emerge, it's no longer simply falling into line with the default worldview, but rather standing in stark contrast to the emerging secularized, science and scholarship based society we see developing.

This is clear in some of those movies that emphasize the 'this can't be, science says so' theme.  Perhaps.  An interesting observation.  And one, even if a bit simplified, I think hits somewhat close to the mark.  After all, the utter collapse in a religious worldview and a Christian platform upon which we understand our reality that happened after WW2 was so quick, it's roots had to precede the war.  

Guilty as charged

Here's a fun link on verbal ticks associated with life and conversations in the Buckeye State.  

Yes, we know it's Kroger, Meijer, and JC Penney.   But 99% of the time it's given an 'S' at the end.  Kroger's, Meijer's, Penney's.  Perhaps ownership acknowledgement?  Another fun one: Warsh.  As in 'It's in the wash.'  But more than anywhere else I've ever been, I'll hear it pronounced 'Warsh' in these parts.  Why?  I don't know.  The only one I didn't know and, to be honest, have never heard, is calling the trunk of a car The Boot.  In everywhere I've been, including Ohio, it's the trunk of the car.  But the others are fair.  

One that wasn't mentioned: Saying 'Yeah-no' before a sentence. This might be done elsewhere, but I hear it in Ohio more than anywhere else I have lived.  That is, you actually begin a sentence or a thought in this manner: 'Yeah-no, Ohio State will definitely go to the championship this year.'   'Yeah-no, congress is obviously dropping the ball on this.'  'Yeah-no, the Rolling Stones were simply not on the same level as the Beatles.'  Whether the speaker is agreeing or disagreeing with the subsequent statement is anyone's guess. 

Bonus:

My mom had an endless supply sayings.  She was the queen of quips, though never with more than a high school education.  Many were old saws of course.  She didn't invent them, but she had an endless store from which I learned my way around this old world.  Sayings like 'Lazy people work the hardest', or 'Worry about the person in the mirror before you worry about others', or 'A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.'  Of course some of it was probably from her family.  My uncle, who served in the Pacific in WW2, used to be fond of saying 'Wish in one hand and crap* in the other and see which one gets filled the fastest.'  So some of that inheritance I received was no doubt from where she received it.  Given the reputation her dad had of being rather blunt and opinionated, it's not hard to believe where they came from.  

But my all time favorite, because I have no clue what it means, was this gem she would say before wading into my sister or me to drive home a point: 'I'll tell you one thing, and that ain't two things!'  Often proceeded by 'Buster.' If you can crack that code, beyond the obvious fact of the statement, you're smarter than I am.  To this day my sister and I have been unable to figure it out.  

*He didn't say 'crap', but you get the point. 

The birth of the Victorian haunted house

I'm usually skeptical about this sort of history.  The old 'How hemorrhoids changed history', in terms of the supposed impact that particular condition had on Napoleon during the Battle of Waterloo.  The real origins of Halloween.  That sort of thing.  Trying to make simplistic sweeps about some historical development or event and explain it all in a bottle.

Nonetheless, it isn't to say such approaches are always wrong or bring nothing to the table. I simply figure there is more to it than what the article shows; other explanations, and other answers.  This might be one small idea in a bucket of ideas worth considering.

And it was fun.  As I wrote here, there are reasons haunted houses exist and we are drawn to them.  And no, the article here doesn't suggest Victorian houses were the basis for the idea.  That idea of haunted locations goes well beyond the emergence of Victorianism.  

This is interesting

And seasonal.  I wrote ages ago on the original spooky movies we watched as part of our annual Fall and Halloween viewing.  Most of the movies were not an every year occurrence, but a few became annual traditions right along with The Great Pumpkin and Halloween Haunts.  And one of those is often the 'kick-off' movie of the season, Universal's 1931 production of Dracula.  It was a favorite of my mom (released the year she was born), and I suppose that's one reason I have a fondness for it. Plus, it's just an excellent production, with sets and atmosphere that shame most modern attempts to capture the same feel.  And, as my sons like to point out, it helped teach the world that at least part of the classic ballet Swan Lake really belongs in the realm of horror. 

Well, it turns out that there was an epilogue for the movie that hasn't been shown in decades.  And it isn't part of any version of the movie I know.  Prologues weren't uncommon back then, having them from the original Frankenstein to DeMille's Ten Commandments in 1956.  But an epilogue? I wonder how common those were.  

Anyway, here it is.  A fitting post for the first day of that Month of spooky.  If the epilogue ran with the original release or was added later, I also don't know.  Again, this has only recently come to my attention because I think it was only recently unearthed.  It's Edward Van Sloan, who played Dr. Van Helsing in the movie, giving a final warning to the audience about, well, you know: 

Now came and went birthday number three

Of the boys that is.  

One thing that became a tradition in our household, at the insistence of our second oldest, was that we refrain from any Autumnal, especially Halloween spirited spooky activities like old Universal monster movies, until after his birthday.  This is because years ago, when they were still in public school, we began moving the Fall activities and viewing to as early as August.  It simply was difficult getting all the things we had done into the calendar when the older three had so many conflicting schedules.  By the time their jobs were the mischief schedule-wise, our son said enough.  Henceforth, any allusions to so much as a cornstalk will be held until after his birthday. 

So, it's after his birthday.  And we'll be heading into that wonderful season of Fall.  But first, a shoutout to our second oldest. Emotionally driven, highly intelligent and at times irascible, he is the reason we homeschooled.  His quick wit and razor sharp recall doesn't let things go, like when the district's Gifted Program administrator told him his classroom work and his lifelong achievement of all As really didn't matter.  What mattered was to the testing. He rode that horse to the finish line, doing his best Robin Williams impersonation along the way.  We realized the only way to recalibrate his focus was to go radical.  Had we not been in the economic troughs from our entrance into the Church, we might have gone to private schooling. As it is, homeschool was the only option we could come up with.

Of course he's not just rapier wit and intellect. All three of the brothers got good reviews from their teachers, and all three were noted for being nice and helpful to others.  This was made obvious by how willingly they all stepped up to the plate and helped with taking care of my mom while she was living with us, even as her health declined. But our second boy was the one who would take it to the next level. It was nothing to see him break away and walk across a parking lot if he saw some lone kid, or maybe a teen in a wheelchair, and just visit for a few so they weren't left out.  Despite his general introverted ways, he was willing to step in and help or even defend others when he saw the need or opportunity.  

Beyond all that, through the years we've seen him do amazing things.  Possessing a never ending appetite for new things, he was ever the one to think outside the box.  And even now, as a father of two, married, and already working on a sequel to his and his wife's first novel, he and our daughter-in-law have done more in a few years than I've done in a few decades.  Given his love for his family, his drive to accomplish and his boundless curiosity and willingness to dig in on what he believes, you just can't help but be proud. In a very good way. 

He's the hat wearer, so no doubt loves this import from Ireland

The middle two, or how many Griffey's does it take to put candles on?

Both families, us and his in-laws pulled together to get the Rivendell Lego Set
I'll never discourage them staying young at heart in that way

It looks like they're plotting something

Proudly showing off his homemade Tiramisu (it was delicious)

Shameless grandkid pics - the contemplative grandson, the exuberant granddaughter

The bros together again. L-R: Our oldest, our second bday boy, our third, and our fourth

The best time for being a grandparent

When you have a chance to watch all of your grandchildren together.  Of course there will likely be a numerical limit to that down the road.  But as of now, when the grand total of grandchildren able to be babysat is two, it's a go.  And a fun go at that. 

He has a sly smile as his sister looks up from coloring

He makes his move - to punch the book not color!

She surveys the damage as he tries to act indifferent

Happy grandma and uncle with the little'uns

By all accounts, our youngest is wonderful with the kids

Contrasts: One chilling baby, and the exuberance of running on a breezy summer day

On top of all the fun, it was decided over at the house to get some turkey legs and roast them along with some roasted spiced potatoes, leeks, and for dessert, a seed cake that would make Bilbo proud.  They figured what better way to kick off the approaching Fall season?  Though our third son wasn't available owing to work, we made sure to save him a plate.  All was right with the world.

The two oldest working the grill together

Enjoying the spoils and thoughts of the coming season

Musing on The Chosen

 

L-R: Thomas, Ramah (F), John, Simon the Zealot, Judas (sitting), Matthew (standing), Simon Peter, Jesus, Mary Magdalene (standing in rear), Andrew (sitting), James (standing), Mary Mother of Jesus (standing in rear), Eden (wife of Peter, standing), James the Lesser (standing in front of Eden), Philip (on ground), Thaddeus (sitting), Tamar the Ethiopian ((F), standing in rear), Nathaniel.
[(F) - fictional characters]

As a general rule I have an aversion for watching anything to do with history published within the last decade or so.  I know that's not fair.  I'm sure some good productions have come out during this time.  It's just so often things are infused with the Leftwing anti-Westernism it's tough to get by any fair viewing or enjoying of the content without choking on the agendas. 

That's why, despite the buzz, I didn't try to get hold of The Chosen when it was first released.  If I have an aversion to historical productions, I avoid like the plague modernist spins on anything Scriptural.  

Nonetheless, a couple years ago when my mom was still living with us, and everyone was at Mass while I was home watching her, I decided for her TV viewing of the day, I'd turn this on.  It just happened to be one of the first options, and there are only so many times I can watch Matlock.  

At first I was befuddled.  What was this dumpster heap I was watching?  Yes, I immediately recognized the actor Erick Avari as Nicodemus, who was the show's obvious ringer.  But it made no sense.  The first episode was almost over and no Jesus. It was all about Mary Magdalene, her demons, Nicodemus's and the Pharisees' inability to help her, and her downward spiral.  Until, at the end of the episode, she leaves a tavern, stumbles into a back alley, and suddenly, there is Jesus.  All he says is 'Mary.'  And that's that. End of episode. 

Which is about how the show handles things.  Now, I have come to enjoy and, more importantly, appreciate the show since that first Easter weekend when I saw it.  But before telling why, a few notes about some issues that I or others have with it and how it handles things in ways I think could be better.

First, it's a series.  Like all television series in the history of television, even with the greatest series, you will have good seasons and not so good seasons.  Good episodes, and not so good episodes.  Same here.  The first season was inspired, and the second season batted it out of the ballpark.  Some of the best religious production I've ever seen came from those.  After that?  A hit, two hits, there's a miss, another hit, a bunt, a strike, and a hit again.  Both in terms of seasons as well as episodes. Every season has had at least some shows worth their salt.  But again, a full TV series with the warts and all.

Second, its basic gimmick.  In some ways, the show approaches the Gospel like a combination of DC Comics and Tom Stoppard.  That is, Jesus, especially in the early episodes, is basically Clark Kent. He's your buddy Jesus from Nazareth.  He laughs, kids, jokes about.  He's an itinerant carpenter, building different things to make a buck.  He hurts his hand while crafting something.  He's one of the guys.  But then, when the Bible story hits, he's all Second Person of the Holy Trinity.  No suffering fools or taking gruff there.  From the beginning, it makes it clear his eyes are on his passion and he never loses sight of that, no matter how much tomfoolery in the meantime.  

Likewise, a tremendous amount of the story is pure fan fiction.  Like your 'Dracula: The True Story!' types you see today, whereby they mean completely changed around and made up, same here.  But like Stoppard's play Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, that all changes when the biblical accounts walk into the room.  With Stoppard, the titular characters are modern, speak modern, act modern, and more or less carry on like a modernized sitcom.  But when the actual characters of Hamlet come into the scene, it's straight from Shakespeare quote by quote.  Same with The Chosen.  However fictionalized or made up the characters or storylines, once the biblical narrative kicks in, it's usually verbatim from the Scriptures. 

Now, this is all fine and dandy, but I think one thing it suffers from is an abundance of time.  They know they now have many seasons and episodes, and the temptation to fill the air with endless fictional accounts or this and that can be a bit much.  Some is done well, such as a fictional exposition to help the audience understand the political factions within the Jewish leadership.  But sometimes it's a bit much.  I mean, you can't make things too suspenseful because we all know what will happen.  So endless fictionalized machinations and intrigue and subplots can lose their flavor after awhile.

I do love the idea of Jesus as 'every dude' in that Clark Kent sort of way.  After all, it's refreshing to discover that the Second Person of the Holy Trinity is actually lousy at handball.  But there are times when they go a bit far with that, or with the more modernized dialogue.  Sometimes it works.  Sometimes it doesn't.  It's just one of those things.  The worst part is probably for those well versed in the biblical narratives.  Sometimes the show changes around timelines or stories to the point that those who know the biblical accounts might be genuinely confused.  Though people who have no clue will not be bothered.  And the series does begin, it should be noted, with an opening text explaining that this is a heavily fictionalized account, and recommending all viewers grab a Bible and read for themselves.  So there is that. 

Finally you have the character portrayals. The show goes out of its way to reimagine various biblical characters in new ways.  And that, as can be expected, has caused a great deal of discussion. Matthew is heavily autistic, which accounts for his obsession with details.  James the Lesser is disabled (more on that later).  Pontius Pilate is a fop, an almost effeminate popinjay who is in over his head but knows Emperor Tiberius is ever behind the scenes like a Romanized Sauron, ready to drop the hammer if he doesn't get his act together.  Simon Peter, while muscular, is one of the shortest in the cast.  Simon is often shown as a larger, dominant natural leader type.  Simon the Zealot is practically a ninja warrior Judea style.  There is reason to believe that the character of  Yussif, a major secondary character who is in the Sanhedrin, whose family are wealthy stonemasons, and is sympathetic to the Jesus mission, will turn out to be none other than Joseph of Arimathea.  And on it goes.  Like any creative decisions, these have brought praise and condemnation, with many preferring more traditional portrayals, even if they like the series as a whole. Others, naturally, find them refreshing or thought provoking.  In this case, a matter of opinion I suppose.  

Now, to paraphrase Peter O'Toole in the movie Becket, I have told you why I hate The Chosen, but I haven't told you why I love it.  Though hate is a strong word.  Simply some criticisms I believe are valid.  Next time, however, it will be the positives.  And don't worry, they far outpace the negatives, which is why I don't hesitate, despite the issues I have, giving it a rousing thumbs up. More on that next time. 

A dancing fish

Really, an old clip of Abe Vigoda, who played the character Phil Fish in the show Barney Miller and famously Sal Tessio in The Godfather, gives a glimpse of his singing and dancing abilities: 

A good sport, he joked that when people met him on the street in his later years, they usually expressed shock that he was still alive.  It didn't seem to phase him.  People with that level of humor and understanding always impresses me. 

Challenge accepted

"The four kings of EMI are sitting stately on the floor"

Speaking of my youngest son, he recently asked an ancient question that still brings much controversy and debate even today.  That is, regarding the album The Beatles, more famously known as The White Album, which songs would I keep and which ones eliminate?  If you recall, I did a series of posts on my opinion about the least good to best Beatles albums.  Naturally The White Album was brought up. It is most famous for showcasing the quick unraveling of the Beatles camp, with each of the band members more or less producing their own songs while the others went their ways.  

They had come back from India with over thirty new compositions, and wanted thirty to be on the next album, for a double album of original material.  The problem was, their producer, the famous fifth Beatle George Martin, felt many of the songs were subpar at best.  He argued that if they cut the number of songs in half and ditched the lesser ones, they would have a great album, perhaps one of their best ever.  But by then, Martin's opinion was having less and less of an impact.  So it was the full monty.  

When it was released, it obviously went to number one.  But for really the first time, critics were mixed, and many said it was disjointed and inconsistent in style and quality.  Of course today, it stands as one of their greatest, and one of the greatest of all time.  Largely because it shows where they were moving as individuals by that point in the band's rather brief time together.  

Nonetheless, never one to shrink from a fun challenge that costs nothing, I thought I would step up to the plate and make my case for which of the songs should stay, and which could be let go, in order to have that greatest of all albums.  I'll start with the first album of the two, then the second, in order of the songs as they appear.  

ALBUM 1

Back in the USSR

The 'hook' that producer George Martin so valued.  That first song on an album needed to grab the listener.  Largely Paul's production, it's not his greatest, but as an homage to, among other things, a Beach Boys vibe, it works, and is too good to jettison.

Verdict: Keep

Dear Prudence

An idyllic Lennon piece, using the name of a friend he got to know in India.  It's a perfect segue from Paul's USSR.  As a set, they demonstrate well the radical differences between Lennon and McCartney as songwriters, especially by the White Album's recording sessions.  And, in its own way, a good song.  Paul's bass work is alone worth the listen.   

Verdict: Keep

Glass Onion 

A Lennon rant, largely aimed at Paul.  By now the cracks were showing, and this song is Lennon venting.  "I told you about the fool on the hill, I tell you  man he's living there still"?  "Here's another clue for you all, the walrus was Paul"?  Yeah, we get it.  Not a bad song, and a good listen, but a bit 'give it a rest John.'  If pressed for space, it can go.

Verdict: Scrap

Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da

The much maligned Paul ditty so famously hated by Lennon. It's problem isn't that it's not a fun listen.  But by now Paul was obsessed with production and seemed to think that if you took Mary Had a Little Lamb and poured three months of production onto it, you could make it into an operatic masterpiece.  Still, it's fun, and I don't care what people say, you can't help but tap your toes when it's on. 

Verdict: Keep 

Wild Honey Pie

Burn it with fire.  The Beatles earned the right to be goofy, and many of their studio tricks became a Beatles staple.  Even the wonky You Know My Name, Look Up My Number is earned given their contributions to modern music and the recording industry. But that is no excuse for this hunk of audio garbage. 

Verdict: Scrap 

The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill

Another case of Lennon sermonizing.  This was a dig at America's war machine in Vietnam and the general tendency of America to fight and want to win wars.  It's OK, but not Lennon at his best.  With both albums present, I'm glad it's there, but if we have to cut, it goes. The clearly discernable vocalizing of Yoko Ono only makes the vote easier. 

Verdict: Scrap

While My Guitar Gently Weeps

What can I say.  I know people who don't like the Beatles who concede this is a great song.  With Eric Clapton on guitar, some say it isn't just one of the Beatles' best, but one of the best of all time. Certainly George at the top of his game.  Easiest vote on the album. 

Verdict: Keep

Happiness is a Warm Gun

The first of the Wacky Three.  Taken as a single song, this is pure Lennon.  I don't think getting rid of this works, because it's Lennon in all his 'throw the rules out with the bathwater' glory.  Almost five different song ideas smashed together, they say that all four of the Beatles agreed this was the most fun to record during the White Album sessions. When joined with the next two, the song is even better at showing the vast sweep of styles the Beatles could produce. 

Verdict: Keep

Martha My Dear

The second of 'the Three.'  It's more noticeable on CDs, where this immediately follows Happiness.  On the albums, this is the first song of side two.  As a result, it misses some of the punch of being a perfect Paul insert between two Lennon contributions that demonstrates yet again their stark contrast in writing styles.  Inspired by his beloved sheepdog Martha, it's a toe tapper to be sure.  But on its own, it isn't particularly memorable otherwise, except as part of the three song set.  

Verdict: Scrap 

I'm So Tired

Supposedly a Lennon lament over being tired, having insomnia, and yearning for Yoko, you can't help but wonder if it inspired Madeline Kahn's Dietrichesque performance in Blazing Saddles. Apart from the dig at Sir Walter Raleigh, however, it's more just listening to John fume.  As part of that three piece set, it works perfectly after Paul's Martha. But on its own in attempting to condense the song list, it could be removed without much loss. 

Verdict: Scrap 

Blackbird

The first of the "Zoo Section" (each having animals in their titles), Blackbird was Paul's subtle shoutout to the Civil Rights movement.  It's a pretty and somewhat moving song, especially if you don't know the context and think of it more in terms of general human experience.  Nonetheless, with Paul alone on acoustic and some bird sound effects, it's not his greatest by far.  Not bad at all, and quite a lovely listen worth being on the two album set, but just not necessary.  In a pinch, it can go. 

Verdict: Scrap

Piggies

The song that shows George had all the subtlety of a communal bedpan when it comes to social commentary.  We get the point.  It's a fun song to be sure.  And its blues riff on a harpsichord is classic 'do anything musical that you want' Beatles style.  Nonetheless, its own lack of anything but bludgeoning the message makes it easy to dismiss if pressed to eliminate songs. 

Verdict: Scrap

Rocky Racoon

OK, Paul.  A narrative song in which everything seems to hinge on a Gideon's Bible in a hotel room that ultimately has nothing to do with the song.  The whole song is like that.  A Paul attempt to tap into some faux Country Western musical theater, it can easily be dropped.  A common theme with the Zoo Collection. 

Verdict: Scrap

Don't Pass Me Buy

Ringo's first solo song writing credit (under Richard Starkey).  It's also a nod to the Country-Western genre since, by all accounts, Ringo was quite the fan of that form of music.  A bizarre lyric at times gets drowned out by recording styles and heavy arrangements. Still, it's his first composition, and only one of two songs with him on vocals on the album, so I'd be reluctant to get rid of it unless hard pressed. 

Verdict: Keep

Why Don't We Do It in the Road

Verdict: Scrap

I Will

This works only as a follow up to Why Don't We Do It in the Road. Both are essentially Paul solo performances with a couple exceptions, demonstrating his talent for extreme shifts in musical styles if not musical genres, as well as his command of various instruments.  I would either want to keep both or jettison both. Since I don't have a third option, however, I'll let this one stay. 

Verdict: Keep

Julia

John's tribute to his mom.  Both John and Paul lost their mothers at a young age, and that was the glue that cemented their 'soulmate' relationship in the early days. Despite this, the song somewhat meanders and isn't the best output from John.  It isn't bad, and is touching given the context.  But if we have to cut songs, this one can be cut.

Verdict: Scrap 

ALBUM 2

Birthday

The hook song for the second album, Birthday has drawn its share of critics over the years. It does sound like an amateur jam session in someone's garage to be sure.  But it's also high energy and a reminder that despite all their world and music changing influence, the Beatles were, in the end, merely a rock band wanting to rock.  

Verdict: Keep 

Yer Blues

A John number in pure John fashion.  A straight blues performance with a variety of influences, it's just too John not to include.  The ending drags a big, but overall a strong addition and one that segues, once again, so wonderfully into Paul's follow-up. 

Verdict: Keep 

Mother Nature's Son

One of Paul's home runs.  It sits perfectly after Yer Blues as yet another 'compare and contrast' between his output and Lennon's.  It's a wonderful, peaceful, evocative song from start to finish and there is no way it could be taken off an album. You can almost hear the sound of the music as the waters of that mountain stream rise.  

Verdict: Keep

Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except for Me and My Monkey

Another of Lennon's goofy for goofy's sake songs.  The final riff at the end, with the band doing a strange sort of 'sound like a monkey?' chant, has a certain flare, but not enough to warrant keeping the rest of the song.  So much of Lennon's output this time lacks the usual edge or intent.  It's as if he's wanting to be weird for weird's sake, and if we have to cut songs, this one goes.

Verdict: Scrap 

Sexy Sadie

On the other hand, here is Lennon at his sharpest.  It's a well known dig at the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (get it? Maharishi - Sexy Sadie) because of rumors that the guru's intentions were not altogether spiritual where the women on the trip to India were concerned.  The lyrics make it clear how imbittered Lennon was from the experience.  But it's a strong song even without the backstory.  One of his best on the album, and a keeper.

Verdict: Keep 

Helter Skelter

Forever linked to the Manson murders, it's the song that made spinning records in reverse to hear hidden messages all the rage.  It is also considered by not a few music historians to be the first proper 'proto-heavy metal' song based on its instrumentation and style.  Paul is showing he can be nitty gritty bombast with the best of them.  And when you hear this next to his loves ballads like Yesterday, or Michelle, or Here, There, and Everywhere, you can't help but appreciate his ability to tap into almost any musical genre, if not lay the groundwork for new ones, and make it work.

Verdict: Keep

Long, Long, Long

Of two minds on this one.  It's a pretty song of George's.  But the way the sound was mixed (and my son has explained it to me more than once), it's almost purposefully muted to contrast it to the ear splitting volume of Skelter.  Therefore, you either turn up the volume or spend most of the song struggling to hear. Nonetheless, the effect works, and if you make it through the first part of the song, you see it's a pretty good offering from George.

Verdict: Keep

Revolution 1

The beginning of side 2 of the second album, this is John's wading into politics.  Contrary to what an activist recently wrote online, modern day justice warriors don't want this blazing out of the speakers. It's a warning as he watched protesters, and in many cases those who shared his views, begin to spiral into violence, or embrace alternate forms of hateful or other dangerous views.  Just because you see a problem doesn't mean you will always approach it correctly. This is also an iconic song for being a Beatles song that the Beatles themselves covered.  It would take the Beatles to cover their own song, and in a completely different style.  While the single release is a hard rock anthem, this is a slow, understated, tripped out mumble.  One of Lennon's most famous and iconic compositions, and an easy keep.

Verdict: Keep

Honey Pie

No wild honey pie here, this is McCartney invoking an old, vintage 1920's era jazz scene and pop culture motif.  It sounds it.  You could believe it was written ages ago as a backdrop for a Fitzgerald biopic.  The transition phrase that uses a worn, scratchy phonograph sound to suggest an old recording is typical Beatles cleverness. It works as an homage, and as a standalone, and deserves to stay on the album.

Verdict: Keep

Savoy Truffle

Sorry George.  A playful dig at his friend Eric Clapton's insufferable sweet tooth, it's a rousing, fun, and upbeat song.  But not terribly unique or special.  Fun to listen to, but if something has to go, let it be this, and we'll keep While My Guitar Gently Weeps with no complaints.

Verdict: Scrap

Cry Baby Cry (Can you take me back)

No clue about this one.  At one point, in today's sensitivities, I could almost see it banned.  The refrain 'you're old enough to know better' just doesn't sit well for many modern listeners.  Though we don't have to assume the worse behind its meaning.  Even so, the song itself is a strange concoction with dreamy lyrics that bring to mind strange settings in a pseudo-Mother Goose sort of way.  It's an interesting tune, and if there was space, I'd want to keep it.  Plus you have the attached 'Can you take me back'; the part of a song McCartney was working on but never finished.  So what do you do?  If you're the Beatles you just paste it onto another song. Too much to lose, so unless there is no choice, it stays.

Verdict: Keep

Revolution 9

The greatest and most famous argument at Abbey Road studios in Beatles history. Everyone, and I mean everyone, wanted this off the record.  But it was a John and Yoko avant-garde sound experiment, and it stayed.  Coming to this "song" while listening to the album is like driving 70 mph down a highway and suddenly hitting two hours of traffic stuck in construction.  In reality, if the album is cut for any reason, this is the first to go.  As the double album, it stays due to its historical place in the canon.  And as a testimony to the  Beatles' vast influence over the evolving technology and development of the recording industry.  But if we must cut, there is no way this nine minute fever dream on tape remains.

Verdict: Scrap 

Good Night 

Not written by Ringo, but sung by him.  An almost lullaby.  The orchestrations are straight out of Percy Faith, and the lyrics seem as if Ringo is putting his children to sleep with a gentle verse for pleasant dreams.  It's almost parody, and yet it isn't.  Like most Beatles output, it manages to be many things and few at the same time.  It works as the finale for the album, and whether two albums or one, I think it stays and is a fine closing out of the whole work.

Verdict: Keep 

It was a happy 250th Celebration

As I said, fast on the heels of our third son's birthday came this year's 250th Independence Day celebrations.  Because we've been hit was some pretty hefty medical bills over the years, and the various boys have their expenses and lives and all, we were going to cut back on the fireworks that have become a thing ever since they were legalized here in the Buckeye State. But then we decided it just wasn't right, to cut out doing our own fireworks on none other than our 250th birthday as a nation. No way!  So my oldest found a buy 1, get 2 free deal and we jumped on it.   

Don't worry, we practice safe fireworks.  We don't get the monstrous kind.  Usually the type that make pretty lights displays.  We divided the whole celebration over two days.  On July 4th proper we went out while our town was setting off their own alternate fireworks display.  Even toned down, it was a pretty good show.  Better than some of the televised ones I'm sad to say.  And leaps better than the trash heap that has become Columbus's vaunted Red, White and Boom over the years (including this one). 

The next day, we had a grand multi-family cookout with my son's in-laws. That's the parents and one, two, three and four of their sons.  That's right.  The gremlins have six uncles. I'm not worried for their  well being in the upcoming years.  

It was a great time.  One of those weekends where everything seemed to work.  We even let the kiddos see some of the fireworks early on, particularly the quiet ones.  Their reactions are still being analyzed.  Otherwise, a fine time.  Because of schedules and folks going their own ways, we didn't have the usual 'patriotic viewing' of old.  But through July we'll try to catch up on a few things.  

One other odd note.  Some years it was customary for us to visit our big local cemetery and go around to the veterans, much like Memorial and Veterans Day.  Even if it would have been only our youngest with us.  But they had the cemetery closed on July 4th. I've not seen that before.  Strange. I can't help but wonder why.  But otherwise, a July 4th in our own humble way to be worthy of this country we've inherited on its 250th birthday. 

And now the pictures!

Impromptu baby cleaning with a couple of the uncles from the other family -
six in all, and not an aunt between them

Washing baby bucket is what happens
when babies eat July 4th picnics

My new official favorite pic of her

Dueling with giant sparklers - don't try this at home people

Looking more like a Victorian mystery than 4th of July

Our three oldest introduce our daughter-in-law to the
more dangerous ways to handle a sparkler

Our youngest tries to get fancy

Bad photo from dim lighting, but I like the effect

A Griffey family tradition: Build sculptures of sparklers and then burn away, 
trying to compete with the sun if we can

Another new tradition is run before the fireworks explode

A shot of our little finale for the year - a fine time

Though I seldom post any home videos, I figured it would be apropos to post this, the last of the fireworks we set off in our own humble display.  Happy 250th Birthday!

 

A shout out to our third oldest

It's that time of year again!  Our half of the year.  Though that has expanded to include May, due to our daughter-in-law and our granddaughter, with the storms of Pride/Juneteenth being a period where we have to hold our breaths from Memorial Day to our third son's birthday. And then it begins!

It's tough to separate our third oldest and his birthday from Independence Day that is always right around the corner.  Nonetheless, we managed to have a nice little gathering for him.  He's at once difficult and easy to buy for.  Easy because, with very few exceptions over the years, he loves whatever he gets.  Difficult, because on the whole he says he's basically happy and doesn't need much.  Plus his schedule, full time work, going to school, keeps him more than busy.  

Once he planned on going into law enforcement.  Then he was badly injured and had to miss part of a year of police training, and it was during that time that 2020 happened.  As he said, someday he might reconsider the police force once the country has decided to agree that it's always bad to kill police, rather than today where it's obviously up for grabs.

Instead, after waiting a few, he decided to pick up the baton that my oldest had to drop and go into the culinary world.  For whatever reason, all of our boys - the three oldest at least - have always done well in the kitchen.  While none of them match our oldest and his natural gift for mouth watering fare, they each have their areas of talent and expertise.  After working in restaurants to raise money for college, he concluded he already knows his way around that business model anyway, had already received promotions, and why not make it official.

He did hesitate for a time.  He felt bad going where our oldest now cannot go.  But I told him it's his life, and he can't not go somewhere just because his brother can't.  Once he announced his intentions, his brother was, for the record, happy and supportive.

Of course it being our third son, much of what he has is from sheer brute strength of will.  He managed to finagle a job at one of the premier restaurants in central Ohio.  It works along with the Cadillac of assisted living centers in these parts.  One of those centers whose family gatherings feel like a WEF meeting.  The head chef is one of the best in the area, and it is one of the locations that culinary students are sent to be tutored in the profession.  As my son says about his own situation, he gets paid for what others have to pay to get.

But being him, he doesn't hold back.  At one point he felt he wasn't where he needed to be.  That he was valuable enough to the company that he should be farther on.  So he went to the top and said they had best step up to the plate or he's out of there.  And they did, giving him more than he was wanting.  I joked with one of his brothers that they should try that in their jobs.  One said he could do the same thing, but they would know he didn't mean it. But that's our third son.  Of the four, the big, boisterous AAA personality.  Not one to hesitate, he tends to plow forth.  So here's to him on his latest birthday, may many blessings come his way over the upcoming year. Happy Birthday! 

Holding his first nephew

UPDATE:  As if to drive home the point of his big personality and can do attitude, even the gremlins concede the initiative to him!:

It pains me

 Heh.  Still busy, but this made me laugh.  Ain't it the truth.  I've often wondered that myself!

Speaking of, from a local publication musing on a few headlines that we've had in the Buckeye State over the last few weeks:

The things you find on the Internet

This is from a 1960s TV special The Music of Lennon and McCartney.  It can't be overstated the massive impact that those two young amateur musicians and songwriters had on the music industry both now and back then.  Not only in the world of pop music, but beyond. The great Leonard Bernstein once lauded their songwriting skills as being right up with the best of classical composers.  And in the above clip, the brilliant Henry Mancini, of all people, gives us a rendition of one of L&M's earliest compositions that wowed the critics in the day - If I Fell.  One of the songs written for their first film A Hard Day's Night. 

The fun bit is that Mancini was a major influence on the Beatles' own record producer George Martin.  The one most often called the Fifth Beatle, Martin was a WW2 vet who was classically trained in music and, by his own accounts, dreamed of having a career scoring music for movies.  And one of his heroes in that regard was Henry Mancini.  In an interview I saw some years ago, he spoke of Mancini's almost unnatural ability to produce the most memorable music with so little effort. The example he gave was the theme to The Pink Panther. I mean, not until John Williams took the music world by storm with two notes meant to herald the arrival of a shark has a composer accomplished so much with so few notes.  

Fun stuff. For a bonus, that wizardly brilliant Pink Panther theme that can't be unheard for a least a day once you hear it: 

It was 46 years ago

To the day that the US won the gold this year, that the legendary Miracle on Ice took place.  I was in 7th grade when that miracle happened, and only vaguely aware that a sport called hockey existed.  This is football country after all, with the occasional nod to college basketball or baseball (see the Big Red Machine from a few years earlier).  But in February of 1980, on the 22nd, I became very aware of hockey.  

It was the Cold War.  And though you already had a significant portion of the American Left working overtime to turn as many Americans against our own country as it could, they were still a minority. Even if they enjoyed a disproportionate representation in many of our nation's elite institutions, the main gist seemed to be a desire for God Bless America to continue.  So needless to say, that underdog victory against the Soviets came as quite a patriotic boost.  Especially in the doldrums of Carter's last year as president.  

Fast forward to today.  We always try to watch the Olympics.  The first one I was aware of was the 1976 Montreal Olympics, when young Nadia Comaneci wowed the world in gymnastics.  Others would follow.  In most years it's a mix of astonishing victories and crushing disappointments.  

Perhaps the most enjoyable games as a spectacle were the Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan in 1998.  Beyond the famous Hermanator's crash of the ages (He'll be back!):

it was probably the most interesting, for the media did wonders unpacking life in Japan, its history, its culture - you felt like you were there visiting in person.  

For my older boys, there will never be one like the 2008 Beijing Olympics.  You had Usain Bolt absolutely stunning the world in a track record that has yet to be beat.  Quite simply, he is bult like a distance runner but has the speed of a sprinter.  And of course, you had the aquatic phenom Michael Phelps becoming the record breaking gold medal winner in one of the most thrilling photo finishes in Olympics history: 

Phelps and Bolt would be back to do it again in the troubled, yet exciting, 2016 Rio Olympics, that also saw the rise of swimming superstar Katie Ledecky.  When the broadcast showed an animated map demonstrating how many miles she has swam and how many times that would circle the globe, the boys still chuckle thinking of it. 

So not only are there always thrill a minute moments, there's just a certain pride in seeing one's own country do well.  I know, there have been protests over the years.  In fact, my sons asked me this year if any Olympic athletes outside of the US have ever protested their own country at the Olympics like we've had happen. I told them I'm sure I don't know.  

But those are usually the exception to the rule.  And we saw it this time, as Americans couldn't help but be proud on the anniversary of the Miracle on Ice (and Washington's birthday to boot!), when the (once again) underdog USA hockey team pulled a stunner in yet another nail biter for the record books. 

We got home from Mass just in time to see the last seconds of regulation time before they went into overtime with a 1 to 1 score.  Knowing very little of hockey, I get the gist - get puck in goal.  And apparently the US goalie is legend, because through the entire Olympics I believe he allowed only two goals.  Without knowing much, I can tell that's impressive. 

But it was an exciting, nail-biting win.  And it was a good feeling, and a little bit of a return to Proud to be an American thinking.  Not a bad thing in these crazy times. 

From the man who made the winning goal