Book Reviews

My large melon went through some good reads lately, all biographies. Some music, some comedy and some history as you're never too old to absorb the past.

Geddy Lee – My Effin Life

Most music/band biographies deal with the band having their differences at one time but Rush never seemed to have that. I was fortunate to see them live once and it was one of my top shows to see. They took their performances seriously. He went by 'Gary’ early on but became ‘Geddy’ from his polish mother’s accented pronunciation of his name. A chapter is devoted to the hell his parents went through during the Nazi Holocaust. A crazy time.

Lee was classmates with hockey player Steve Shutt and actor Rick Moranis. The former was an enforcer in pro hockey and it turns out he was one in grade school as well as Lee stopped getting bullied when Shutt stepped in. Lee helped the latter when Moranis was doing the SCTV McKenzie Brothers (“take off you hoser”) movie ‘Strange Brew’ and sang a song for the soundtrack.

I don't think there are many people that had issues with Geddy; a good person/friend.

Mel Brooks – All About Me

The short, Jewish guy from Brooklyn has lived quite a life and has an incredible take on humor; and fought for our country in World War II. His movies make me laugh even more now than when I first saw them as I was not even in my teens when Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein came out so half of the jokes I didn’t understand at the time. With the many racial stereotypes referenced in Blazing Saddles, I’m not sure the movie could be made today. Case in point, it recently ran in the local theater near me for it’s 50th anniversary and one elderly couple who I’m guessing hadn’t seen the movie before walked out in the middle of it as I’m not sure they knew what was coming. Not your average western. Another one of his movies that might be a tough one to make today, but is a great one, is History of the World, Part I. His take on the Spanish Inquisition with a song and dance number might make the censors cringe just a bit today.

I forgot he put together the TV show, Get Smart, as it was one of my favorite shows on re-runs growing up in the non-cable world.

Washington: A Life

The same author that wrote the U.S. Grant bio, a good read on the man who didn’t have a chance to enjoy older life as while he was our first president, he wanted to do only one term and head back to his place in Mount Vernon and retire, the developing country still had issues to address so he was urged to complete a second term and stabilize everything. 

Not the hit of the party during social gatherings, Washington was portrayed as respected and cordial but not a "woo woo" type of personality.

Some good tales of the revolutionary war as the colony’s military was ill equipped, had their share of deserters and locals in the colonies weren’t exactly cheering for them. The British had a better equipped military but poor leadership and somehow we won.

It’s no coincidence that all of Washington’s portraits don’t have him showing off his pearly whites as he had some poor teeth. He wore dentures that had bolts and springs for them to work and were a mix of any teeth he could get his hands on.

Slavery was accepted during his life and the book portrays Washington as being good to his slaves and on the fence on the topic of abolishing it; but the fact is that he was a slave owner of many and didn’t push for abolishment so I think the author was being generous to him on the topic.

The Essential Lewis & Clark

An edited collection of the journals Meriwether Lewis and William Clark put together in their expedition from 1804-1806 across the country starting in Illinois and ending in Oregon and the Pacific Ocean. After the Louisiana Purchase was completed, President Thomas Jefferson wanted to see what was out there for commerce purposes and commissioned the two to check it out. Traveling into the unknown, some good tales of their group meeting up with friendly and non-friendly Indian tribes, also known as the Lewis and Clark before Lewis and Clark. Lewis and Clark had balls doing what they did but the Indians still get no credit for being first. 

While the leader and more intelligent of the two, Lewis dealt with depression and sadly took his own life just three years after the expedition.

Johnny Cash: The Life

It should have been titled, “The man with a 100 lives” as Johnny lived a hard life but seemed to cheat death multiple times. He liked his pills.

Pill issues aside, you definitely knew one of his songs by the first few notes (dig da dig, dig da dig…) that seem to be constant in all of them. The great storyteller, Cash could preach with the best of them with his lyrics.

Cash even had a short experience in Michigan working on the auto line after high school but was home sick and headed back to Arkansas a short time after.

I was too young for it but in the late 60’s, Cash had what other music acts did at the time and had a television show that lasted a few years. The musical variety shows don’t exist anymore (sorry but 'American Idol' is not a variety show) but that was a different era as we only had three, maybe five channels to choose from.

Trail Head

Bird & Leo

Bird met up for another play date with Leo recently. Leo lives in the Chicago suburbs and has a vacation home in Michigan so it will be a long distance/part time relationship for the two; which I think Bird is cool with so she can focus on important things to talk about when they do meet up and have a stronger emotional connection.

Woof.

Trail Head

Dog Party

Bird had some social time Friday evening as a local establishment held a 'Pumpkins and Pups' gathering. Costumes were optional for the dogs but I have to wrestle Bird just to get her harness on so a costume was not going to happen. Some good butt sniffing for all who attended. Bird held her #2 in until we were walking to the car and she let go on Main Street; literally on the street. A few elderly ladies walking by got a chuckle watching her lack of discretion.

Trail Head

The many poses of Bird (mostly playing dead)

In celebration of Bird's six months on earth this past week, I give you a glimpse of her many poses.  I think she has the 'playing dead' pose down.

Trail Head

"get that camera away from me, trying
to get my 18 hours of sleep here"

Wish Granted

The one thing lacking around this area is a good pizza as many try but it isn't up to par compared to establishments down state, specifically Buddy's. Well, someone was listening as I walked by the freezers in the local supermarket the other day and shining through with harps playing as I opened the door was the attached. An actual restaurant serving it hot out of the oven would be ideal but beggars can't be choosers so I'll take it.

Trail Head

Homecoming

This week/weekend was homecoming at the local school which meant the annual tradition of high school/college alumni coming back to town (do people really make a point to come home because it's homecoming?), cast ballots for the homecoming court (the precursor for school students to display 'vote for' election signs so they can do it when they are older and able to vote and put similar signs in their yard for presidential elections), the homecoming dance (an opportunity for parents to take uncomfortable pictures of their kids with their dates) and the homecoming parade (the tradition of people in cars waving at people lining the streets waving back at them); all leading up to a football game. There is never a homecoming for the spelling bee or the science fair. No love for our future difference makers. One homecoming tradition I believe they can do without is the homecoming floats as they are more or less fillers for the parade. I get it in that it's supposed to build comradery within classmates in working together but it ends up being a few people doing the actual work and based on the attached pictures, it looks like a few classes found out at the last minute they had to present something.

Happy Homecoming.

Trail Head

not sure exactly the theme here - a chair and a bent 
Christmas tree - go Lily and Dylan!

at least the Freshmen got the point of 
calling out the football team's opposition

prop a crapper up on a trailer and 
surround it with wrapping paper

maybe it was my angle but not sure 
what to make of this one - no idea

Almost Cut My Hair (because my barber closed)

As the CSNY song goes, "almost cut my hair, it happened just the other day...", the other day I pedaled over to my barber in Elberta for my monthly cut. The guy is an MSU fan and has to be the quickest cutter out there in that he could finish in about five minutes. Very efficient and cut it like I wanted it. It was not to be for my most recent visit, however, as the sign on the door advised that the shop was closed indefinitely. All the Spartan paraphernalia that donned the walls inside was gone as well. Don't cry for me Argentina though as this is probably the biggest drama I have and if that is the biggest drama, things overall aren't too bad. Granted, there aren't many places in the area to get a cut (I tried a place in Beulah but was number seven in line so I walked), I'll figure something out. Maybe friend Jim downstate has his Flowbee Haircutting System (the apparatus hooks up to a shop vac and you can cut your own hair) somewhere in storage that I can use.

Trail Head

Smart Pea Brain

Bird turns the big five months on Tuesday (no, there won't be any birthday parties for a dog) but that little pea brain of hers is making strides over said five months. 

Number one, and most important number one, she is potty trained for the most part and can hold her bladder for the entire night now so this scribe has been able get somewhat of a full night's sleep lately rather than walking outside in my boxers at 2 AM to oversee the process. My 50-something year old prostate normally has to urinate at that time anyway so it wasn't too much of a nuisance (besides rain storms) in addition to the being able to see the many stars/northern lights here in northern Michigan while supervising. 

Number two is pictured here. Whenever the air conditioning kicks on, you can bet your next paycheck that Bird will be hovering over the vent to take advantage of the cool air. 

Good dog; sometimes.

Trail Head

Way Back Machine - back yard carnival

Labor Day was this past Monday and that meant a few things. One, the kids were going back to school the next day and more importantly for the small port town I live in, the tourists were leaving! Yes, they do allow for local businesses to pay the bills throughout the year and most are good people but some can sure be a pain in the back side on occasion.

Another tradition for Labor Day that isn't around anymore was the Jerry Lewis Labor Day telethon to benefit muscular dystrophy. From Sunday through Monday, it was on the idiot box. Twenty four hours of some really bad entertainment but was going for a good cause. From the telethon, the way back machine takes us to the mid 1970's when it offered kids an opportunity to help the cause in the form of each kid putting on a back yard carnival. You contacted the telethon and they sent you a kit with signs, tickets, badges and tips of how to put on a backyard carnival. Maybe it was a prelude to my sister's public relations career but she was the leader of ours as I recall. We lived in a very large neighborhood in Farmington so getting a crowd to attend wasn't too hard. I can't recall what games we created or if there was a talent show but I do remember that McDonald's was a sponsor of the kits and you could arrange to sell their outstanding orange drink at the carnival. I loved that sugar water! I don't believe they sell it anymore as it was probably not good internally for anyone (it was more or less orange syrup) but it tasted better than anything out there.

I doubt we made much of a donation (betting the parents kicked in a few bucks) but entrepreneurship was alive and well in Farmington back in the 1970's.

Trail Head