Sunday Stealing – Just Another Meme

Do I NEED business cards?

Created with the Imgflip Meme Generator

Welcome to Sunday Stealing. Here we will steal all types of questions from every corner of the blogosphere. Our promise to you is that we will work hard to find the most interesting and intelligent questions. Cheers to all of us thieves!

This week we’re inspired by Blogography. More than 20 years ago, he stole this meme from Neil, his blogging buddy. Alas, Neil’s blog no longer exists, so that’s where the trail goes cold.

Another Sunday, Just Another Meme

1. Do you have a business card? If yes, what’s your job title?

No, but I’m seriously thinking of getting one. I would hand it out when I’m trying to get people to give book reviews or author talks for the Friends and Foundation of the Albany Public Library. Maybe my titles would be library volunteer and blogger. Optimally, it would be green and have a picture of the duck. 

When I WAS working, I had at least four different business cards, for each of our office spaces: SUNY Central (the castle), 41 State Street, 22 Corporate (frickin’) Woods, and 10 N. Pearl Street. I believe the phone numbers changed each time.  I was an Information Specialist.  

2. What day of the week were you born?

Saturday’s child has far to go.

3. What vegetable do you refuse to eat?

Kale. This past week, my ophthalmologist gave me a list of veggies good for eye health; kale was at the top, but I despise it. Spinach, fortunately, was third.

4. How many times have you stayed overnight in the hospital? 

Lessee: the nosebleed when I was five; the car accident when I was 19; and the arrhythmia, which was more than 10 but less than 20 years ago. 

Not Franklin Pierce, either 

5. Do you have more piercings or tattoos?

Neither. But here’s Tattooed Love Boys, from that great first Pretenders album. 

6. Do you like to shop?

Not at all. I DID like to buy music online for a time, especially during COVID, but I’m running out of room. As I wrote here: “One time this past decade, my wife was going to buy me a winter coat for Christmas, so we went into JCPenney’s. I looked at two coats and liked the second one. I tried it on; it fit, and I said, ‘Okay, we’re done.’ She said, ‘Don’t you want to look at some others?’ ‘NO!'” 

7. How much cash is in your wallet right now?

$37, three tens, a five, and two ones.

8. Let’s play MASH: Do you live in a mansion, apartment, shack, or house?

A one-family house. Before my wife and I moved here 26 years ago, she lived in a two-family dwelling which she owned. When she moved here, her voter registration carried over the Apt. 1; this was rectified about three months ago.  

9. Where are you in the family birth order (oldest, middle child, youngest, or only child)?

I am the eldest of three; two younger sisters.

10. When you were 5 years old, what did you call your parents?  

I am not sure. Maybe Mommy and Dad. 

Thank you for playing! Please come back next week.

Hot R&B Singles for 1996

Aaliyah is my daughter’s favorite artist in the genre

The Hot R&B Singles for 1996, formerly Hot Black Singles and so many other categories I can barely keep track of, has some crossover with the pop charts, but here are plenty of other songs.

Down Low (Nobody has to know) – R Kelly featuring Ronald Isley and Ernie Isley, seven weeks at #1

*Tha Crossroads – Bone thugs-n-harmony, seven weeks at #1; #1 pop

I Believe I Can Fly – R Kelly, six weeks at #1

Killing Me Softly – Fugees featuring Lauryn Hill, five weeks at #1 as an album track; no, I don’t really know how that works. The song was written by Gimbel and Fox, and was a #1 pop/#2 soul/#2 easy listening hit (as Killing Me Softly With His Song) by Roberta Flack. I do have the Fugees album The Score, from whence the 1996 hit came.

Not Gon’ Cry– Mary J. Blige, five weeks at #1

*No Diggity – BLACKstreet featuring Dr Dre, four weeks at #1; #1 pop

*How Do U Want It – 2 Pac (featuring KC and JoJo,  three weeks at #1; #1 pop

Hit Me Off – New Edition, three weeks at #1. I believe this was on the playlist when my daughter and I saw them.

Twisted – Keith Sweat, three weeks at #1

Nobody – Keith Sweat featuring Athena Cage, three weeks at #1

Before You Walk Out Of My Life – Monica, two weeks at #1

*You’re Making Me High – Toni Braxton, two weeks at #1; #1 pop. Part of the New Edition show in Boston

I Can’t Sleep Baby (If I) – R Kelly, two weeks at #1

My daughter’s favorite

If Your Girl Only Knew – Aaliyah, two weeks at #1. My daughter has gotten into 1990’s soul, and Aaliyah was the lynchpin. This is why we went to the New Edition tour. She recently bought me an Aaliyah compilation. 

Pony – Ginuwine, two weeks at #1. My daughter’s affection for ’90s soul turned me on to this artist, who I had not heard of previously.

These are number one from one week

You’re The One – SWV (Sisters With Voices). I own their 1992 debut album, It’s About Time.

*Always Be My Baby – Mariah Carey; #1 pop

Last Night – Az Yet

Almost drowned, almost arrested

Rockbottom Dam in the Susquehanna River in Binghamton, NY

My dear friend Carol, who I’ve only known since kindergarten, sent me this link to a WNBF radio story, “Rockbottom Dam Removal To Be Studied By City of Binghamton.” That would be in my hometown. She asked, “Didn’t you almost drown there?”  

I replied, “Why, yes, I did. And I almost got arrested for skinny dipping the same day.”  Carol noted, “I see a blog here, unless you’ve already done that.” No, I had not noted when I almost drowned. I said, “Okay, a blog post it will be! Thanks. I always need content.”

First, a bit of description. “The Rockbottom Dam, which has been a fixture in the Susquehanna River for two centuries, might become a thing of the past.” I did not know this: “According to historians, the dam was built in 1828 to power a nearby gristmill. The city acquired the structure several decades ago to control river levels for the nearby water filtration plant.”

And: “Three Binghamton firefighters died in the flood-swollen river near the Rockbottom Dam over a two-day period in September 1975. The mayor said the dam continues to pose a ‘‘huge safety risk’ for the downtown district and prevents people from safely using the river.”

Sketchy recollection

Here’s the thing, though: I don’t remember a lot of the details of my misadventure. For instance, it was likely in the summer of 1970, when I would have bicycled there. But it could have been the year before or after. I don’t know what month it was.

Obviously, it was hot enough for me to decide to go swimming. It was a spontaneous decision to go into the river. I didn’t have a swimsuit, but I figured I wouldn’t be seen from the nearby Brandywine Highway. I was only in the water above the dam for about five minutes when I obviously got too close to the undertow. For about 30 seconds, I was pretty sure I was going to die.

I have never been a strong swimmer, though I was pretty good at holding my breath underwater, a skill I honed from hanging out in the above-ground pool in the backyard of my maternal grandmother’s next door neighbors; one of the girls who lived there was one of my sister Leslie’s best friends.

In any case, I made it to the shoreline. I put on my underwear, pants, and shirt. At that point, two city of Binghamton cops came toward me from the roadway. One asked, “We got a report of a man skinny dipping here. Were you skinny dipping?” I lied, “no.” The cops looked at each other, shrugged, and one said, “Okay, then.”

I went home. I don’t recall that I told anyone, such as my family, though OBVIOUSLY I told friend Carol. I don’t remember doing that either.       

September rambling: ‘Subsidizing Suicide’

Rebecca Jade in London


CDC Issues Emergency Response for Florida Dengue Outbreak.

Ahead of Biodiversity Summit, UN Chief Warns Countries Are ‘Subsidizing Suicide’ by Backing Fossil Fuels. “I urge governments everywhere to end these handouts once and for all, and to use the savings for people and planet instead,” said António Guterres.

Voters in Oil-Rich Alberta Strongly Reject Leaving Canada.

In Virginia, Racism and Redlining Are Fueling a Flock Camera Backlash.

Expedia amazoned hotel rooms. 

Smart Answers to Stupid Comments About Slavery – Takes™ by Jamelle Bouie.
Dolores Huerta, Labor Leader and Force for Civil Rights, Has Died. She co- founded the United Farm Workers.

Tom Skerritt has died at age 93. I watched him in many movies and TV shows, but my favorite was his run on Picket Fences.

Walter Koenig, Chekov From ‘Star Trek,’ Has Died. As the Russian navigator of the U.S.S. Enterprise, he was a mainstay of the original television series and seven films. He was 90.

Christiane Amanpour Says She Is Leaving CNN After 43 Years.

The Dominican Baseball Factory – A teenage prospect’s family was promised $1.8 million, and most of it was gone within a few years thanks to the moneylenders who circle young players.

A Final Scream at the End of the Movie. Not quite an end credits scene, but worth the wait. 

Churn and Burn

140 Horror Scripts to Download and Study – Share.

What does it mean when someone says, “Roger that”? Incidentally, as of this writing, ROGER is still available for Wordle. 

LOWER AND LOWER

‘I don’t ramble,’ as he sinks to new levels of delusion.

Ohio’s Republican Governor Calls on Vivek Ramaswamy to Take Down Attack Ad. It features the estranged mother of Ramaswamy’s Democratic opponent, Dr. Amy Acton, and has drawn widespread criticism, though FOTUS strongly defended it.
Could House Republicans refuse to seat Democrats? FOTUS might try
FOTUS Signs Order Exempting Russia From Sanctionss Law. The sanctions were part of a measure that was named after Senator Lindsey Graham, the South Carolina Republican who died in July.
“I’d Like to Report a Theft”: Bernie Mocks FOTUS’s  Anti-Fraud Tipline. “A man inside our government illegally spent nearly $22 million in taxpayer dollars on bogus campaign ads praising himself. He now resides at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.”

902 pregnancy-related prosecutions in three years after Dobbs. Pregnancy Justice found that most cases involved child neglect or endangerment charges

FEMA tells states to handle disasters on their own

Women are disappearing from top roles in the regime

CMS rescinds nursing home voting guidance

Musk chose to restrict Ukraine’s access to SpaceX satellite network
Most of Ken Paxton’s Money Can Be Traced to Elon Musk. The world’s richest person, who has become the biggest known midterm donor, gave $158 million to a group that quickly spent that much to help Mr. Paxton’s Senate bid in Texas.
MUSIC

The Smooth Jazz Show on The Soul Of London Radio– Thursday 15th October 2026. The “Album Of The Week” is the latest from vocalist Rebecca Jade. Released in 2022 and entitled “A Shade Of Jade”, Paul Russell features several tracks from the Album on the show. The interview came ahead of her LIVE performance at The Indigo @ The O2 on Friday, 16th October.

The RFK Jr. Lament – A Randy Rainbow Song Parody

Symphony No.10 in F minor “In Autumn” by Joachim Raff

Coverville 1597: The Chuck Berry 100th Birthday Cover Story and 1598: The Hall & Oates Cover Story IV

Favorite Songs by Favorite Artists (Series Four) #12: The Smiths and  #13: Moxy Früvous 

expectations – Olivia Rodrigo (feat. Chappell Roan); video appearance by David Byrne

Bette Davis Eyes – Kim Carnes

Show Me– Pretenders

Ingrid Bergman – Billy Bragg and Wilco

It Never Entered My Mind – Dawn Upshaw

Cinnamon Girl – Los Lobos

Nicole Kidman – ADÉLA

Burning House – Cam 

When I Think Of You – Janet Jackson

From Lerner and Loewe’s Camelot – the title song and If Ever I Would Leave You

Fiddler: A Miracle Of Miracles | Documentary, which I saw at the Spectrum Theatre in 2019; recommended. 

K-Chuck Radio: When it was more than tainted love

How Bernie Taupin and Elton John Became The Greatest Songwriting Duo – Rick Beato interviews Taupin

Michael Lewis and the “bureaucrats”

Who Is Government

At the end of each year, I list people whom I think were most heroic. In 2026, I will include Michael Lewis. 

I’ve been familiar with the author for years. Adam McKay directed the Oscar-winning film adaptation of The Big Short, which explored the impending 2008 subprime mortgage debacle and how some continued to game the system. The film was great, IMO.

At the October 6 book review for the Friends and Foundation of the Albany Public Library, the topic was Who Is Government: The Untold Story of Public Service, a 2025 non-fiction collection that “explores the essential, behind-the-scenes work of career federal employees,” edited by Lewis. The reviewer was Patrick Wildes, Director of the Albany Law Center.

From Penguin: “Michael Lewis invited his favorite writers, including Casey Cep, Dave Eggers, John Lanchester, Geraldine Brooks, Sarah Vowell, and W. Kamau Bell, to join him in writing about someone doing an interesting job for the government. The stories they found are unexpected, riveting, and inspiring, including a former coal miner devoted to making mine roofs less likely to collapse, saving thousands of lives; an IRS agent straight out of a crime thriller; and the manager who made the National Cemetery Administration the best-run organization, public or private, in the entire country. Each essay shines a spotlight on the essential behind-the-scenes work of exemplary federal employees.” 

Lewis’s most recent book is Blockers: Rebels in the Deep State, which “profiles federal workers targeted by [FOTUS] and his mega-donor Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).  CBS News Sunday Morning national correspondent Robert Costa talks with Lewis about why Americans may not understand the value of government workers, and with a former IRS attorney who says she was alarmed about a DOGE effort to acquire taxpayer information.”

From Amazon:

“Blockers. It wasn’t a compliment. In the new Washington, it was the worst thing you could be—especially if you worked in the federal government and wanted to keep your job. A Blocker was a holdover, an impediment, someone who didn’t get the message—and, most of all, someone who didn’t belong.

“Michael Lewis found six of them.

“Blockers is the story of people who believed they had a calling, who were convinced they were doing something the country couldn’t do without, and then discovered they were no longer wanted. One kept Americans’ most sensitive tax data out of the wrong hands, and another made sure that politicians and civil servants played by the rules. One figured out how to stop wildfires from destroying suburban neighborhoods; another helped uncover the mysteries of cystic fibrosis.

“There was also a security guard.”

In both books, Lewis recognizes the value of hard-working federal employees whose service, especially in the latter tome, has been unjustly denigrated.  As Dylan sang: “I pity the poor bureaucrat…”