thank you, keith burnett

- Who's that?

The guy who took me to see "Star Wars" for first time.
He'd already seen it six times and it had only been out a week.
He was taking me for his 7th time.
He had us sit in the front row, "for maximum benefit," he'd said.
He was so right!

- You remember all that?

I do.
That saga of Good versus Evil had a tremendous impact on me.
I had experienced ghosts at a young age, so the concept of spiritual forces in the universe made complete sense to me.
Plus, he and I had been dating for a month or so.

- Oh, cool! How is he doing?

I have no idea.
We lost track of each other after he was transferred out of the AE field and become a boatswain's mate.
That was a couple of weeks after "Star Wars".

- That's too bad that y'all lost touch.

I think it was for the best.
He was such a good-looking guy, though.
I'd been at Great Lakes for just a couple of weeks maybe.
One day, in the chow hall, this tall and handsome freckled-face fellow had approached me and asked, "Would you do me the honor of dining with me?"
(smile!)
How could I have resisted such an offer?
That started an affair that was quite memorable!
He even took me to a tattoo parlor in Lake Geneva!
He was going to have my name placed on his arm forever.

- Wow!

Wow is right!
I was still 18 and the thought of my name engraved forever onto anyone was incredible and sweet, but I couldn't let him do it.
When he was shipped out a month later, I was glad we'd turned that into a lost weekend instead.
That was my first one of those... and I loved it!!!
(smile!)
Sex was still pretty new to me back then.
(smile!)

- A lost weekend??

Oh, yes! 

I haven't had one of those since I parted ways with the singing bird - Harry of Charleston. 

But what a time we had then!

It was during that first year we were together, and I was his Peach and he was my Plum.

I'd driven up to see him, and he knew right away it was a bootie call, but he didn't care - he was ready for it!

Me, too!

One of the nice things about being older, and no longer having a uterus or ovaries, is the complete release from thoughts of pregnancy.

Seriously.

He'd had prostate cancer and no longer had sperm, or even ejaculate fluid, but he was able to reach a climax and so was I, and so we did that Friday afternoon...

again and again...

into the evening, into the night, until we pretty much passed out...

then awakened Saturday morning and were at it again.

We just couldn't even brush fingertips together without wanting more, and more, and more.

He finally managed to leave the bed and go downstairs to get us some food and water.

No sooner had we downed some refreshments than we were at it again!

It was like we were in our twenties instead of our fifties!

Sunday morning, we seemed to have had our fill, at last.

Ah, such good memories!

 

- Wow.

Indeed.

In fact, when I was describing what a "lost weekend" was to the physicist, that particular one was the one I referenced.

It's pretty well crystallized in my memory banks.

(smile!)

- What about the one with Keith that started you off?

I honestly don't recall that so much, as our first encounter in the chow hall and then that trip to the tattoo parlor in Lake Geneva, Illinois.

Definitely good memories!

Time to get back to the present, though.

Things to do, people to see... you know!

- I do! Later, then!

voice of 4ever plaid!

Picture this: it's the day in 1964 when The Beatles first performed on television on The Ed Sullivan Show.
Four young men, themselves in an a capella band, have left home and headed to the studio to see the English group in person.
Sadly, their car crashes along the way and all four are killed.
They didn't even get to wear their new jackets.
Now, fast forward to the Plantation Club at the Landings, tonight!
Magically, wondrously, the four find they are alive again and scheduled to perform their 50's tunes at a dinner theatre!

I was absolutely delighted!!!
I'd never been to this venue before and it was such an intimate setting for this musical -
and so very appropriate for those pop tunes and corny humor!
This performance was so very in keeping with the SVF7's theme of "Heaven and Earth", especially with these fine fellows getting a second chance at their dream of singing to an audience.
As I said, it was delightful!

This is the foursome that regaled and entertained us with familiar songs and jokes!
From left to right, that's Sparky (Sean Christensen), Jinx (Peter Lake), Frankie (Nicholas Yaqunito), and Smudge (Scott Russell) -
three tenors and a bass!
They had me tapping my toes from "Three Coins In The Fountain" all the way to "Love Is A Many Splendored Thing", the finale!
Good thing I was in the back row!

Glad they had this post-show photo session to preen in their special-order jackets!
Their names were embroidered with gilt thread on the inner pockets - how glamorous!
The middle man - literally - is the director... I think.
My attention, truly, was focused on Smudge, with his gorgeous beard and nerdy glasses.
My kind of man, especially with that fabulous deep voice!
His "16 Tons" was definitely a favorite tonight, not that the other guys didn't sing well.
Sparky's "Catch A Falling Star" and Jinx's "Cry", as well as Frankie's "Heart And Soul", were all marvelous, truly they were.
But it's all about that bass, 'bout that bass, for this Georgia gal!
(smile)
"Forever Plaid" was worth every penny of the $35 and I gladly would have watched it again!
Sadly, this was its second, and final, performance.
Fortunately, I found out I need not let cost be a deciding factor for future SVF7 events.
The Savannah VOICE Festival allows a sizable discount not only for students and active-duty military, but also for veterans.
From now on, I'll only pay $10 for a ticket!
Many, many thanks, y'all!)
See you on the 16th for "The Little Prince"!
(smile)
Now, I must get ready for a luncheon with Eric Mitchell at Spanky's midtown.
I haven't physically seen him in years, outside of his walking through the neighborhood to survey the damage after Hurricane Matthew.
Mostly, we banter a bit on fb, as he has worked at TVR and knows my first niece, her sister, her brother, and her mom, all through that rental venue.
Anyhow, he said something on fb and I countered with a lunch suggestion and he bit...
so, now, we'll have a bite together and take it from there.
My bites are going to be of pizza, at least to start.
(smile)

still got bacon on the diamond!

For a team that's just two years old, the Macon Bacon are sizzling!
This year, they've won the South Division championship and the Region II Championship.
Thursday, they had the first-ever Petitt Cup Play-off on their turf, but lost.
That game was obviously a pitchers' duel, lasting only two and a half hours and posting only three runs total for the two teams. The Morehead City Marlins, who have been amazing this year, only gave up two hits to the host team.
Yesterday, the second Play-off game was held, this time on the Marlins' diamond.
That new venue was just fine for the Georgia boys of summer. They started out hitting strong and kept it up, even accomplishing something I've waited years to see - A GRAND SLAM.
Wow.
Congratulations, Alex Canty!
Wow.
The Morehead City fans must have been stunned.
After all, the Marlins had been crowned the Petitt Cup Champions of 2018.
This year, those boys of summer have dominated the field repeatedly.
Like I said ealier, that North Carolina team has had phenomenal stats all season, even besting those of the Savannah Bananas by the summer's end. The Marlins had a whopping 37 wins with 14 losses, compared to my boys of summer with 35 wins and 15 losses.
Wow.
What about Macon's record?
They had 30 wins and 21 losses... so, that's makes them a Cinderella story, doesn't it?
We all know how that fairy tale went...
go, Macon, go!
Bring that Championship Cup back to Georgia tonight!
(smile!)

look! squirrel!

"Is it here?"
No, silly rabbit!
This is my nephew, Jason,
and his lovely bride, Hannah.
Until today, it was he and she...
and now baby makes three!
Welcome to our world, dear Ryker!
Many thanks, Emily, for keeping
all of us in Savannah posted about
the glad event in the ATL!
i thank You, dear God, that mother
and baby are healthy and safe.
What a blessing!

"What about that squirrel?
Is it here?"
No, no, no.
Don't you recognize my first niece, Christina Ann?
I was able to answer her call to join her at bingo tonight at the Elks Lodge 183.
That was three hours with her!
Now, she and I are off to Carey Hilliard's for a nosh -
more time with her!
i thank You, God!

"Oh, it's a park!
This has got to be where the squirrel is!"
Well, if there was a furry beastie there, I did not see it, so that's another no go, dear.
I was down at Morrell Park on a reconnaissance mission.
Since I seem to be in charge of the NCW event for our SERMACS,
I needed the park's dimensions.
More on that later!

"This looks like an art exhibit, but a squirrel could be in all that..."
Oh, but there is not one!
This is not one art piece, but three combined, much like the SeeSAW that Troy Wandzel was part of - and painted me into - in 2012.
That's him, in the center, in his red ballcap, at the reception for the first BrainStorm in 2016.
That projected video, running over 2017's BrainstormRising, and a new community-built addition, formed BS3 for this year.

"Yes, he and A.J. Perez speak of that trio as memory, momentum, and creativity. Hey, I see the Squirrel Mistress!"
That's right, that's Christa on the right, sitting with Lynn and a now-blonde Barbara.
Lauri and Sandy are on the left.
I had seen a fb post about a new pizza joint that I had known would intrigue Christa... and it did!
Such a nice luncheon we had!

"How very nice for...
oh, wow!!! Look at all the pictures of squirrels!!!
How cute they are, all dressed up!
That reminds me of the photos of the odd dogs at the Jepson!
Is that what I was to find?"
You betcha, sunshine!
Oh, and thanks for the remembrance of Wegman's art!
Now, as I said, I'm to meet Christina, so away I go!
This was quite a bit of fun!
(smile!)

bacon-slathered owls!

Congratulations to Macon Bacon for becoming the Region II Champions on Tuesday!
The photo above is not of that game, sadly, as it was held on their turf, not here.
The shot was one taken here, back in July, and features the team participating in our "Salute To The Troops".
Even though they lost that particular game to the Bananas, I was very impressed with one of their players, Daniel Harris, who played some amazing baseball.
I was again very impressed with him last Sunday, at the Divisional Semi-final played here.
He was absolutely awesome out in left field, continually thwarting the home team's attempts to land hits before they smacked into his golden glove.
Wow.
Over and over again.
Wherever the ball was headed, he was right there, waiting under it.
Well, almost every time.
In that ninth inning, he may have drifted for just a second, allowing the ball to slip just long enough for the Savannah Bananas to score one last run.
No harm done, as Macon still had double the runs of the Savannah team.
(smile)

As South Division Champions, Macon took on the Forest City Owls for the Regional Semi-final.
Only one run was scored by either team in what must have been an incredible pitchers' duel.
Only six hits were made during the two-and-a-half hour game.
Wow.
One of those hits was a home run...
a home run that accounted for the only score...
a home run from an amazing left-fielder.
Congratulations, Daniel Harris!
I look forward to hearing your name in the majors someday soon!

Meanwhile, the Macon Bacon have won their way into the Petitt Cup Championships and still have at least two games ahead!
The first of those is tonight, on their turf.
Good for their home-based fans!
Just keep up that strong level of playing, boys of summer!
I'll be checking the results later...
I promise!

heaven and earth, and hauer too

The Savannah Voice Festival has begun!
Actually their Seventh Annual Season (which I christened SVF7) officially began last weekend, but those events weren't free.
Now that I'm retired and on a budget, "free" is my favorite type of event!
(smile)
The theme this season is "Heaven And Earth", so how appropriate that the first no-cost performance is at a church!
Plus, it was at 7 PM on the 7th... and that's special for me!
Held at First Presbyterian Church on a rainy evening, Carolyn and I were right there...
seated way in the back, as we arrived moments before the concert.
The important thing is: we were there!!!
(smile)
"VOICES In Sacred Song" could have just as easily been titled "Christmas in Summer".
That was fine by us!
We were even allowed to sing along for the very first song, and we certainly did!
"O Come All Ye Faithful" had the words in the program, but we knew them by heart.
(smile)
The highlights for me include that first song, from "Messiah", with Peter Lake's sweet tenor; Psalm 23 sung as a hymn, by soprano Maria Zouves; "The Bird's Song", trilled by mezzo Maayan Voss de Bettancourt; mezzo Jessica Best with "Gesu Bambino"; and Chad Sonka's baritone in "Antiphon".
I also loved singing along with the final song, the "Hallelujah Chorus"!
Then we beat feet out of there, barely reaching my car before the downpour -
hallelujah!
Right place, right time!
Off and over to the west side of town for the Sentient Bean we went!
After all, it was a Wednesday night and that meant Jim Reed's movie and the PFS crowd!
This one was to be a "mystery" tribute to the late Rutger Hauer, who died last month.
What a coincidence that this actor was in my thoughts earlier!
So, what obscure or lost or rarely seen film was it to be?
"Blind Fury", from 1989, with a 45-year-old Rutger in fine form!
I'll definitely have sweet dreams tonight!
(smile)
I'm so glad Carolyn was able to join me for all of this!
It was especially nice to be able to talk to her about all of it later, too, when we went post-movie for a nosh at the Black Rabbit.
i thank You, God, for that blessing!

thinking

Ever wonder how the brain makes connections between symbols and language?
I do.
Most of the time, I just seem to follow rabbits around, whether they be white or invisible or of any other ilk.
Every once in a while, though, I get to follow a thought in slow motion to a logical conclusion.
Three times over the past two weeks, solving a Jumble has showed me the way that works.
I speak not of solving the actual riddle, but of unscrambling the four words to obtain the letters needed for the puzzle's answer.
On three occasions, I was able to follow a train of thought as I unscrambled a single word.
Let me show you what I mean.

The initial one was dated July 23rd, with the letters t-e-c-r-i-m.
I left it until last, then tried it as t-e-r-m-i-c, which led to m-i-c-t-e-r.
No, those were certainly not real words.
Neither were r-e-m-i-c-t nor t-i-c-m-e-r.
The fifth try yielded c-i-m-e-r-t, which certainly sounded false.
Okay, time for c-r-i-t-e-m...
and I suddenly realized the correct word was m-e-t-r-i-c.
Eureka!

The next was from the Jumble printed on July 31st, stumping me with a-a-t-r-o.
My initial try with all those vowels gave me t-o-a-r-a.
That would have worked if there was an "i" instead of that "o".
Trying again, I had a-r-o-a-t, which sounded horrible, making it wrong.
What about o-a-r-t-a, I thought aloud...
but immediately had it: a-o-r-t-a!
My heart certainly liked that one!

On August 3rd's puzzle, the word giving me fits to unscramble had these letters.
p-h-i-b-s-o
My first attempt - p-h-o-b-i-s - sounded Greek, not English.
The second rearrangement - p-h-i-b-o-s - was not helpful at all.
The third time - s-i-b-o-p-h - was not the charm.
Hmm... how about s-h-i-b-o-p...
which made me think of "Ladyhawke" and Rutger Hauer...
and that evil b-i-s-h-o-p...
success!

As I was doing these back issues of the local paper, I happened to have all three of these Jumbles handy.
I had done these in no particular order, but I had noted the wrong word choices and thought someone out there in the world of ether might enjoy my musings.
Remember, the real trick is to say the words out loud.
If they don't sound real, they most likely are not.
Folks tend to favor language that flows, not only in organic and biochemical nomenclature, but in everyday life.
(smile)

putting the pieces together

This was how my day began.
It was only 7:41 AM, I'd had no coffee, and my car was trapped in reverse in the street.
Fortunately, Steven of Hook Towing & Recovery was able to show me where she hurt before he took her to get repaired.
Then, he took me where I needed to be, too.
He is a retired deputy sheriff and a super nice guy, helping turn my "Monday" back into a Tuesday again.

And just where was it that I needed to be so early?
Right here, at my dentist's office, where I had been bound for an 8:00 AM appointment to re-attach the crown that fell out last Thursday.
I had been eating a cookie, of all things, when my tongue felt the hard gold object.
Doctor Julie saw me at once and put that crown back atop tooth 15.
i thank You, God.



Afterward, I was at a loss about what to do or where to go.
Back down the street to the GMC dealership I went, on foot, of course.
Chris of Critz told me the mechanic probably would not even get to my car today, but I assured him that was fine. I had nowhere else to be and would need to be on that side of town to meet Kevin at 6 PM for the dinner buffet at Pakwan.
Fortunately, the tv in the lounge had "The Price Is Right" on.
Some normalcy for my day!
I helped myself to a cup of coffee and some cheese biscuits from Byrd's.
After the show ended, I was alone in the lounge, but "Boomerang" was on.
Good movie! I watched for a while, up through the point where Eddie Murphy and the woman are watching "Star Trek" and he is explaining the show's finer points to her as they both fade to sleep.
Very nice!
But now it was approaching 1 PM. Time for lunch?
Maybe, I thought, the AMC Classic 10 would have a movie playing?
No, they did not, not until the 4 o'clock hour.
Then, I realized something: GenerationOne would be open! And free! And right near Subway!
So, that's where I went, back down Stephenson, across Waters, and the the Subway first.
The singing clerk made a fabulous chopped salad and I sat outside and ate every bite.
Then, staying in the shade as much as possible, I meandered over to GenOne.
It was time for games, but folks were already playing.

But the jigsaw puzzle table was beckoning to me.
Someone had managed to put together the entire border of this open one.
I decided to start grouping the pieces by color: all those with a special shade of red over here, all light blue over there, that sort of thing, just to make it easier for the next person.
I even made sure every piece had been turned over to its face!
That's when I noticed the letters on

some of the tiny bits.
Those letters had differences in coloration, use of varied fonts, subtle changes in shading...
and justthatfast I found myself captivated into solving the puzzle.
After all, I was attracted to the final image of this 1000-piece test of analytical skill and attention to detail.
I had seen that image in "Now You See Me", an image of a section of a romantic bridge in Paris, the Pont des Arts.

It was an image of love, in the form of padlocks from couples of all ages, each twosome capturing their adoration of each other within the confines of a lock without a key, never to be released for eternity.
I spent about two and a half hours, but I managed to fill in these three sections, each with unique padlocks.
Then, it was closing time...
and my phone rang!
My car was ready for me!
Laura gave me a lift back to Critz.
Hooray!

And, sure enough, the mechanic had given shifting powers back to my little Saturn...
but they only charged me the diagnostic fee.
Why?
Well, they'd had to manufacture a clamp to take the place of the little plastic doohickey that connected the shift cable to something else in the engine compartment.
"That's one of the issues with older cars", the clerk told me. "Some of the parts are simply not available anywhere anymore."
He should know, as he drives a 1999 Jeep and has run across that a time or two himself.
All's well that ends well, though!
I was able to meet Kevin in time at Pakwan!
However, they were busy putting new pieces in order and were not open for dinner.
Over to Moe's again, as we had for the "Tunnel To Towers" fundraising night!
Then to a pure popcorn treat: "Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw"!
What sheer fun!
Just what we both needed to cap off the day...
each other's company.
i thank You, God.

bacon bests bananas for south division title

Tonight's post-season game began in much the usual way.
This was taken at 5:36 PM, just a few minutes after the gates had opened.
Willie and I are there at least by that time, so he can get to his seat before some illiterate person tries to take it.
The rain had delayed our arrival, so three poachers had tried to settle in.
No worries, I ran them right off!

The stands were otherwise rather empty, except for us regulars, the Banana staff, and the Pep Band.
Nicole took this one of Steve Gerard, Willie, and me.
I'm wearing the new Minion-enhanced chemical symbol-adorned t-shirt that Tony and Laura gave me about a week ago.
New colors for a new Divisional Play-off game!
Thanks, y'all!
It's so.... ME!!!

Folks were pretty slow coming in tonight, mostly because of the rain.
Yes, that same rain that had made us late was still falling, turning the field into Lake Grayson.
Here, we're being treated to a game of "Split Says", featuring Banana Santa, Split himself, Nicole, and Luke, the unripe boy.
At the very least they had those of us there moving and engaged, so that was good.

I was kept pretty busy saving seats for that youngest brother of mine and that giving new sister-in-law.
Willie is no help in such things, he gets too nervous about it.
When I finally went down for some pre-game food around 7:30, I came back to two seats, not three!
But we obviously made it work just fine, squeezing our loving selves a little closer together!

Not that we had to stay that close for long.
By the time that Ethan Baucom clocked the ball over the wall at the left field line, quite a few folks had left, including the trio with the little boy at the end of our row.
It may have only been the 4th inning, but 9:32 PM read the time.
Little ones had to be in bed then!

It was just as well that those folks left when they did.
The very next inning, Macon's Sean McQuillan hit a solid single that brought in two runs, putting the Bacon on top.
Gene Perrone came by for one last visit to Willie in the stands.
Tony and Laura were glad to be distracted from the errors being wrought by Bananas on the field.
I'm sure Willie and Steve felt the same way.

They all felt it in the air, as did I:
the home team was done.
Tony and Laura left after the seventh-inning stretch, as the time was then after 11 o'clock and they had very early mornings.
Macon had not relinquished its grip on the top spot and had even scored another run.
Most of the seats were now empty and the waitstaff and band members sat in the box seats.
The Macon Bacon team were on
their feet, always, cheering and

playing for keeps...
and that's exactly what they got!
The biggest error made that night was the Bananas placing Jack Gowen - ERA 9.64 - on the mound in that last inning.
Perhaps the Savannah coach was ready for a break to have played him ever again.
Macon jumped on that opportunity, as they had been doing all night, and added three more runs to clinch the lead, 7 to 3.

Congratulations to the Macon Bacon on becoming the South Division Champions!
On Tuesday, they'll face off against the Forest City Owls, who won the West Division Championship in a tight, back-and-forth game against the Gastonia Grizzlies.
The Regional Semi-final will be played in Macon and I almost wish I could be there...
almost.
If only it wasn't to be played on a "Tina Tuesday"...
but it is and I will be with Kevin for our dinner-and-a-movie time.
Hooray!
(smile!)
Thanks for all the baseball, my boys of summer!
I hope to see some of you again next year!