A Good Book

I'm not sure why I even picked up this book. Maybe because Stephen King mentioned in a recent column in Entertainment Weekly that Jodi Picoult was more than just a chick writer. Maybe because it was only $5.95, cheap fora paperback nowdays. It was probably because when I picked it up at Walmart and read the back of the book it intrigued me.

Whatever the reasons I picked up the book, I'm glad I did. I went home and threw some hotdogs on the grill. While waiting for the food to cook I picked up the book and figured I'd read the first few pages to see how it read. Later that night I was still reading the book. I couldn't put it down. By the next day I had read it.

My Sister's Keeper is about Anna, a 13 year old girl that was concieved to be a donor for her older sister that is sick with lekumia. Suddenly at the age of 13 Anna decides that she wants to have the last say about what is done to her body and goes to a lawyer to try to settle the matter. But there's so much more to this story than just that plot. Picolut makes these characters live and breath. She makes you think Anna is right and than within a few pages you're wondering why she doesn't want to help save her sister's life. There are no simple answers in this story.

And if you don't have tears in your eyes after the ending you have to be heartless.

This was a truly great book. One that I'm glad I read. There's a movie coming out this month that's a adaptation of the book. I read that the ending to the movie has changed from the ending of the book. If you've read the book you can guess what they changed. There's just no way that they would film the ending of this book.

I've alread bought another one of Picoult's books, 19 Minutes. It's the story of a high school boy who goes to school one day and shoots and kills ten classmates.

If you've been hestiant about reading Jodi Picoult because she's branded a "chick writer" don't be. She's not a chick writer, she's a writer of the human heart.

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Five Years Ago...

Ray Charles died five years ago today. To say he was a genius is an understatement.

Happy Birthday Donald

75 years ago Donald Duck made his screen debut in "The Wise Little Hen." Until 1985 he was voiced by Clarence Nash. Legend has it that Walt Disney created Donald after hearing Nash do his duck voice.

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Marva Wright Has Stroke

Marva Wright is a local blues singer. Yesterday after performing she suffered a stroke and was admitted to the hospital. Marva didn't start singing professionally until she was in her 40s and than it was a way to bring more money in for her family. Since than she's gained quite a reputation as a blues singer.

The above picture is one I took at Jazz Fest and is one of my favorite pictures.

Here's hoping she gets better and back singing before long.

Koko Taylor

I'm trying to catch up from not posting for the last few weeks. This last week at work has been so busy but things should calm down for a little while now. One of the things I missed was the death of Koko Taylor. She died on June 3 of this year. She was born in Tennessee in 1928 and was known as the Queen of the Blues.

I saw her a few years ago at Jazz Fest. For her age she put on a show that could put singers half her age to shame. The woman could sing. I feel very honored that I had the chance to see her perform before she died.

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Old School Fridays: My Current Mood Is...

I can't believe how many Old School Fridays I've missed recently. I love doing these, but somehow I have missed more than my share lately and technically I've missed Friday, as I'm posting about thirty minutes into Saturday. The theme for this week is our current mood. Well after being sick for the last few weeks and in the hospital and even afterwards tired and rundown I have to say now...I Feel Good.

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Late Memorial Day

I missed posting Memorial Day. I was up at my Moms and she doesn't have Internet access, but I still find I need to post something. My Dad was in the Navy for twenty five years. He spent part of his time overseas when he was younger in Europe. Every year he would spend at least two weeks in the summer of sea duty, where he had to go aboard an aircraft Carrier. He was an Aviation Ordiance and the a Chief.

Where my Mom lives now she is pretty much out in the country. The town she lives in has less than a thousand people in it. The town next to her is Middelton. They have they Veteran's Wall, where everyone from the area that served in the military is up on their wall. Each veteran has a brick. The one above is for my Dad.

Mom Has Company

My Mom mentioned that she had seen an animal in her back yard about a week before I went up there. She wasn't sure what it was. Well when I was up there she called to me while she was in the kitchen. Looking out the kitchen window was this fellow up above. These pictures are right in her back yard, next to my Dad's shop. The first time I tried to take a picture I opened the back door and he ran back under my Dad's shop. I went around the front and came in from the side and managed to get this picture of him a few minutes later.

I say groundhog, but I'm not an expert on such things. Anyone out there can second my guess or have another idea what this guy is. Evidently he has a home under my Dad's shop.

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Back From The Missing

I'm back. If anyone is still out there reading after my disappearance of the last two weeks. After getting out of the hospital I ended up going up to visit my Mom in Tennessee. I was scheduled to go this week anyway, but wasn't sure if I would be able to after my hospital stay. But after a few days sitting home I figured I would give it a try. The drive wasn't bad and once I got up there I pretty much took it easy. We went a few places, but took it easy each day, I was still tired and not up to full speed. In fact I still feel not quite up to full speed. Since getting back I've been taking it easy. I haven't had the energy to get on here and post. But tomorrow I go back to work, so I figure I better get moving on things. Hopefully next time I head up that way we can get together Vinnie, but this time I don't think I was up to much.

Still I've been gone and have a bunch of posts I need to make in the next few days. And a lot of blogs to visit.

LOST

I know this is late, but hey, I've been sick. Still not up to a lot of sitting in front of the computer but had to post. While they'll never top the season finale of Jack and Kate at the airport this one was pretty good. I never imagined who was in the crate. Puts a whole new spin on things now, doesn't it? I wasn't as surprised by Juilet's death (if she is dead) or her actions. I kind of thought the show was going to end with the bomb going off. And the actress that plays Juliet has a leading role on a new series next season so I guess she had to go. Though I did like her and Sawyer together. I'm hoping that he doesn't try to go back to Kate now, I am so tired of that Jack/Kate/Sawyer triangle.

Any ideas on who Jacob is? Or the mysterious "Loop-Hole" guy? How about Cain and Abel? I know it's a wild guess, but there's a lot more going on here than it looks. Everything that's been happening on that island has been a product of their feud I think.

Any theories?

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I'm Home

I'm back from the hospital. Not to make a long story about it, still not strong enough to sit behind here for too long, I ended up with a bug, they called it actue enteritis, which means I had a bad case of diarrhea and I got an even worse case of dehydration. I spent two solid days hooked up to IV bags pumping me full of liquids. I'm actually feeling better today. I even ate a little bit, which is more than I've done for the past week. I'll tell more later, but I wanted to let everyone know I was ok and thanks for the good thoughts.

Sitting in the hospital. I'm dehraydated,they've been exchanging those bags out all nite. I could use a little cheering up so leave me a message

Killing Time

I'm just on here trying to kill some time. I just spent ten hours at work and plan to go back in a hour or so and spend another eight or so. I figure if I lay down and try to sleep for just a couple hours I'll be worse off, so I'm just on here spinning my wheels.

Happy Mother's Day

I realize I talk a lot more about my Dad on here than my Mom. That's more due to circumstances than anything else. Since today is Mother's Day I wanted to talk about my Mom.

My Mom was born 74 years ago in a small town outside Memphis Tennessee. It's actually the same small town she lives in today. Inbetween she moved to Memphis, met my Dad and got married and than moved around the country as the wife of a Navy Sailor.

My Mom was born into poverty. Her Dad was a farmer. She had two brother and two sisters, she was the middle child. The girls had one room, the boys another. They didn't have an indoor bathroom until she was in high school. I remember the outhouse when we used to visit when I was a kid.

During high school my Mom played basketball. From what I gather she was pretty good. Back than there wasn't much for a woman basketball player to do, so after school she got a job in a bank in downtown Memphis. Going into the city today is an experience, she gives a history lesson of what the city was like back when she was an emerging adult. What store was at that corner, where she used to live down that street, what it was like taking the bus from her apartment she shared with five other girls to work and back.

When my Dad came to Memphis he was in the Navy. They got married and he didn't reup. He tried driving a city bus for awhile. He tried a few other things. He decided to re enlist in the Navy. Actually I found out years later, after he died, when my Mom pointed out this older man at his wake. It was an old friend of his from the Navy, she said. He had ran into my parents when they were at the zoo with me and he had convinced my Dad to go back in. Shortly afterwards they were transfered to New Jersey, where my Dad was from. It was always they...when you're in the military it's not my Dad that was transfered, it's the both of them. My Dad might have been the one in uniform, but when your spouse is in the military it's both of you in there.

Growing up both my parents instilled a deep appreciation of learning in me and my brother. They wanted my brother and me to go farther than they did. My Mom isn't much of a reader, she never has been, but she never let that stop her from making sure that I read and read as much and as well as possible. I've joked that I've been in some sort of book club since I was like five.

My Mom has a strong sense of right and wrong. She's never taken to lying and cheating. And she made sure we knew that in the strongest sense of the word.

My Mom worked just like my Dad. All my life I remember my Mom working. But she still made sure she had time for us.

It's easy to take for granted those that are always around us and care for us. We just assume that's the way it is and will always be. Well, it's not always true. Sooner or later it changes. We need to make sure we appreciate these people while they're here. Make sure you call you Mom today and wish her a Happy Mother's Day.

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LOST

Next week is the season finale and we're building up to a good one. It's kind of nice to see Ben confused and not acting like he knows what's going on. The final scene where Locke tells him what his plans for Jacob are was priceless. Ever Richard appears somewhat confused over Locke's actions right now. I have to admit I was surprised when Sayid appeared out of the jungle. I had kind of forgotten about him.

All in all a very good episode.

Re-Watching Studio 60

It was supposed to be the show to beat that year. Three years ago I think. This was the new show from Aaron Sorkin, his first tv show since he left The West Wing. It was a behind the scenes look at a thinly veiled Saturday Night Live. Also that year was the debut of 30 Rock, another show with a similar theme. Most of the critics were giving Studio 60 the edge.

Well, we all know how that ended up. Studio 60 is gone, after one season and 30 Rock is finishing up its third season. I have to admit that I've still failed to watch an entire episode of 30 Rock. It may be a great show, but what little I've seen has just never moved me to watch more. Maybe one day I'll sit down and watch an entire episode or two and see what the fuss is about.

I had high hopes for Studio 60. I loved The West Wing, I consider it one of the best shows ever on tv. I think Aaron Sorkin is a genius of a writer. But I remember somehow missing episodes of the show and not really worrying about catching the next one. I'd catch a show when I remembered it was on, but I wasn't that concerned about making sure that I did. And when the show was canceled I wasn't that upset. When it came out on DVD I passed.

Well, Best Buy just had it on sale for $15.00 so I couldn't pass it up. And since I've been off today and with nothing better to do I've been watching it. It's actually a very good show. Matthew Perry and Bradley Whitford are great as the two leads. I think one of the problems with the show was that after coming off The West Wing where a character's decisions could literally change the world they wanted to have that same weight to the characters in Studio 60. Well, one was the White House, the other was Hollywood.

I've watched about five episodes so far and am really enjoying it. This is one of those shows that I think will be remembered as being better than people thought it was. If you get a chance check it out.

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Another Rock Singer Arrested For Drugs

If it wasn't so sad it would be a cliche. Henry Lee Summer, best known for his 80's pop hits such as "I Wish I Had A Girl Like That" was arrested for drugs. Read more here.

Jazz Fest

I've posted a bunch of pictures from my one day at Jazz Fest over at Voices to hear. Go check them out and let me know what you think. There's only so many ways you can take a picture of an artist performing on stage, I tried to make it at least interesting.

A Tale of Todd

I work in retail. I'm a manger. Today, like most Mondays, we had our weekly Managers Meeting. We get together and talk about what's happening for the coming week, what happened last week, I'm sure most of you can figure out the particulars. In today's meeting I made a request of my fellow managers. I asked them to stop the joke playing and teasing of a particular associate. I asked them to please make the request of the associates that work in their department also.

The associate I was talking about, let's call him Todd (of course that's not his real name and the chance that he'll read this is pretty close to nil, but I still feel better not using his real name) is, I guess the current PC would be, mentally handicapped. I personally don't feel that saying someone is retarded is wrong, it's their condition, but the use of that word has been so distorted and overused that it's come to be stigmatized nowdays. I'm not sure of the level of Todd's illness, most people always say that such a person has the intelligence level of an eight year old, a twelve year old, etc. But that's probably too much of a generalization. Ask Todd a question about the Saints and he can tell you more than I know, ask him to do simple math and there's a problem. Of course with such situations like this there are usually emotional problems too. Todd is a good worker, but when another manager will ask him to do something different he usually doesn't want to do it. I'm one of the few there that he listens to without too much trouble. Once he picked up some keys that the Front End uses and even though other associates saw him do this he refused to admit what he had done. I was off that day and only learned this when I came in the following day. Eventually the other managers had to call his Dad in to get the keys from him.

Generally Todd is a good worker. He cleans the store for us. He empties the wastebaskets. He sweeps. He mops. He stays busy. And he is a friendly guy. He's not a kid, I guess he's in his late twenties/early thirties. I guess I should know, since I hired him, but I honestly don't remember.

You can probably figure out where I'm going with this, of course there are people at the store that like to tease Todd or make fun of him. The other day a few people where telling him that some of the managers at the store were being transferred and he would be working for someone else. He was becoming upset. The other night someone spilled something on the floor and when he went to clean it up some of the other associates were teasing him.

And the worse part, it's some of the managers that work at the store that are probably the worst offenders when it comes to this type of behavior. I brought it up in the meeting. I asked if we could refrain from teasing Todd, if we could stop trying to make him look like a fool. I got a little worked up. Basically I told them that I didn't think too much of someone trying to play games with Todd. If they wanted to trade insults do it with someone that was equipped to sling them back and they could take me on anytime they wanted. I can hold my own. See, that's the thing, I don't mind insult humor, when it's against someone with the same advantages. I can give my share, but I can take it also. And that's cool.

I've never seen the humor in these type of situations. To me it's just plain cruel. I've tried to let others know when they do these type of things with a “I don't think that's funny” but sometimes I think they're not the real bright ones, they don't seem to catch on.

Jazz Fest

Went to Jazz Fest today. It was great, but I'm too tired to do much posting right now. Just to give everyone a hint at what's to come thought I thought I'd post one picture.