Ramblin' with Roger

Binghamton: This happened instead

FlixBus

When I mused about Binghamton, NY, and the weekend of September 25-27, I had a plan, though only part of it took place. This happened instead.

(This, by necessity, is in parts because the damn thing went 1800 words.)

PLANNED: Friday, September 25: I was writing a Sunday Stealing post, but I ran out of time. But I’m taking the laptop; I’ll finish it later. Right?

PLANNED: I was going to get a ride from a friend, but she’s taking care of a dear friend of hers, whom I know.

NEW PLAN: Once upon a time, I could take a bus from Albany to Binghamton, but that’s what popped up. So I took a Greyhound bus to Syracuse, but it’s not the familiar vehicle. It’s a FlixBus. What? “Flix SE acquired Greyhound Lines Inc. in 2021. Having already been present in the North American market with its FlixBus services since 2018, the purchase of Greyhound brought together two leaders of the bus industry, combining FlixBus’s innovative global technology and expertise with Greyhound’s iconic legacy and nationwide network.”

But this bus is much less comfortable, with less legroom and narrower seats than the old-line Greyhound buses I’ve ridden. Oh, it has numbered and assigned seats. They printed the seat numbers and placed them near the stingy overhead space. Humorously, they printed 13A/13B and 13D/13C; someone at the bus company changed the 13s to 14s because, obviously, Flix is superstitious. My seat 14A was right behind 12A, very near the bathroom.

I get to Syracuse, buy a Subway sub, but don’t eat it because I have to get on the bus to Binghamton, and the space is not conducive to eating. There have been a number of people on both buses who I assume were Amish; some of the men were wearing those Weird Al hats.

Parlor City

When I got to town, I gathered the cane, the sandwich, and a couple of other things. I’m trying to get off the bus, but one of the Amish guys who got on in Syracuse is trying to get back on because he just wanted to stretch his legs, or whatever. So he moves to my right, and I pass him on my left as I go to the station.

NOT IN THE PLAN: My friend in Binghamton, Cee, meets me and asks where my suitcase is. Oh crap. It’s still on the bus! And the bus has already left for New York City with my clothes, laptop, knee brace, electric toothbrush, etc.

(Note: I’m blaming the Amish guy; I’m blaming bus fatigue. But it’s possible that if I had turned RIGHT off the bus, I would have seen the opened luggage compartment.)

After a not-too-brief period of self-loathing, I go to the Flix/Greyhound window. The guy was sympathetic, but said I should call the company, and they would tell me to contact them online, which is what happened. I did, reported the incident, but I had no confidence that anything would happen.

I pulled out my phone, checked my contacts, and found someone with a 212 area code. I’ve met Andrea – we saw Rebecca Jade on Long Island together in 2021. Could she go to the corner of 31st Street and 8th Avenue in Manhattan at 7:20 p.m. and get my suitcase? (It’s not at a station.) She said yes, but extorted me for a bottle of wine.

Did I mention that I hate shopping?

NOT IN THE PLAN: Now what? Cee took me to Boscov’s, a department store, where I bought $150 of clothes. During this, my sister Leslie had spoken to her friend and Binghamton cousins, one of whom called while trying to find apparel in a store I’ve almost never shopped in, under stressful circumstances. So when my cousin says, “How’s the family?” I replied, “I’m sorry, but I have no bandwidth for that, ” which she seemed to understand.

GOTTA EAT: Cee, her husband, and I went out to a casual Thai restaurant. Pretty decent.

I stayed at their house. While I went to sleep, I woke up at least four times. Someone turn this man’s brain off, please.

Sunday Stealing – Say What?

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 have returned to If By Yes, a Canadian blogger who describes herself as a “left wing left hander with two left feet.” It’s a shame she doesn’t update her blog anymore. Anyway, she inspired …

WHAT? Say what?

1. What are you currently excited about?

I’m excited not to travel this month. While I like BEING places, I’m not fond of GETTING there.

Beyond that, I’m vaguely interested in the Major League Baseball playoffs. At this juncture, my rooting interests are, in order. 1. The NY Yankees (old habits die hard) 2. Chicago White Sox (the Pope’s team who were terrible in recent years) 3. San Diego Padres (the team I’ve seen most often in person; never won a World Series) 4. Milwaukee Brewers (never won a WS) 5. Tampa Bay Rays (never won a WS) 6. Cleveland Guardians 7. Atlanta Braves 8. Los Angeles Dodgers (won the last two WS)

2. What do you wish you had more time for?

Everything. Specifically a book I agreed in principle to write which has not happened.

3. What would like to do less?

Waking up in the middle of the night, thinking too much.

Cash

4. What do you spend too much money on?

At this point, not much. I bought a few books and two compact discs this year. One could make the case that I buy too much takeout food, especially when my wife is working late, but meh.

5. What childhood wish never came true?

I had so many: being a minister, being a lawyer, being President of the United States. I’m fine with that outcome.

6. What did you do to celebrate your last birthday?

Playing hearts at my house, same as last year and the year before and the year before that…

7. What drives you nuts?

Drivers and pedestrians distracted by their mobile devices.

8. What keeps you sane?

It’s always been music. At church recently, someone about 45 years younger was working on a crossword puzzle and asked, “Is there someone named Roberta Flack?” Well, YEAH. Stevie Wonder just put out a 4-song EP in honor of the 50th anniversary of his monumental album Songs In the Key of Life. One of the songs, I Can See The Sun In Late December was recorded by Roberta back in the 1970s.

This led to mentioning other Roberta songs: First Time Ever I Saw Your Face, Business Goes On As Usual, To Love Somebody, Go Up Moses, Where Is The Love (with Donny Hathaway) and my favorite, Gone Away, which really does me in.

9. What historic date is etched in your memory?

August 28, 1955, the death of Emmett Till.

10. What one thing would make your life immeasurably better?

Teleportation.

Thank you for playing! Please come back next week.

Rock Tracks #1 for 1986

iconic 1989 movie scene

The chart called Rock Tracks was initially called Top Tracks in 1981, then Top Rock Tracks in 1984. On April 12th 1986, it became Album Rock Tracks.

What is a track? Billboard contended it is an individual song “played on the raw merits of popularity regardless of its mechanical configuration, meaning regardless of whether it was a 45RPM, a single, an LP cut, or whatever.”

I Want To Make The World Turn Around – Steve Miller Band, six weeks at #1

All The King’s Horses – The Firm, four weeks at #1

*Higher Love – Steve Winwood, four weeks at #1; one week at #1 pop

Why Can’t This Be Love – Van Halen, three weeks at #1

Stick Around – Julian Lennon, three weeks at #1

*Invisible Touch – Genesis, three weeks at #1; one week at #1 pop

Throwing It All Away – Genesis, three weeks at #1

*Amanda – Boston, three weeks at #1; two weeks at #1 pop

Don’t Get Me Wrong – The Pretenders, three weeks at #1. I liked the Pretenders a lot in their various iterations, but I don’t recall seeing this video.

Stages – ZZ Top, two weeks at #1

*Addicted to Love – two weeks at #1; #1 for one week pop

Like A Rock – Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band, two weeks at #1; suddenly I feel like buying a Chevy truck

*Sledgehammer- Peter Gabriel, two weeks at #1;one week at #1 pop

Secret Separation – The Fixx, two weeks at #1

Take Me Home Tonight – Eddie Money, two weeks at #1. Wikipedia: “The song’s chorus interpolates the Ronettes‘ 1963 hit “Be My Baby“, with original vocalist Ronnie Spector providing uncredited vocals.” This jump-started Ronnie’s career.

The rest are one week at number one

*Kyrie- Mr. Mister; two weeks at #1 pop

Missionary Men – Eurythmics. I was a big Eurythmics fan. I saw Annie Lennox’s art show at MASS MoCA in 2019.

In Your Eyes– Peter Gabriel. I own a LOT of Gabriel. But I have never seen the 1989 film Say Anything, directed by Cameron Crowe, though I’ve watched the scene when Lloyd Dobler (played by John Cusack) holds the boombox.

Emotion In Motion – Ric Ocasek

Hip To Be Square – Huey Lewis and the News

It’s A Wonderful Life Museum

Spotted Duck ice cream

I didn’t know there was an It’s a Wonderful Life Museum in Seneca Falls, NY. But, of course, there had to be.

On September 5, after breakfast at the hotel, my wife and daughter went for a walk while I desperately tried to whittle down my email. Then we drove down to the waterfront, walked through the Seneca Falls Museum and Tourism Center, and looked for a place to have lunch.

After the meal – good food, slow service – I went to the IAWL Museum, eventually joined by the rest of the family. As I have noted multiple times in this blog, I dismissed the film for years until my wife insisted I see it. It’s surprisingly good. My family has even seen a Radio Theater retelling.

My good friend Steve Bissette wrote a great review back in 2008. It ends:

“We may love A Christmas Carol, but we know the Scrooges, the Potters and the Geckos of the world would laugh at the ghosts of Christmas past, present and yet to come. They laugh at them and spit on us every chance they get.

“That, I’m sorry to say, is part of why It’s a Wonderful Life continues to bring tears to our eyes today.”

Cole Haddon noted, and I quoted, regarding a pivotal scene: “George wasn’t supposed to cry, but Stewart couldn’t help himself. That’s because the actor was a broken man himself, not unlike the character he was playing…”

History

As for the museum itself, it had a lot of memorabilia, some of it signed by Karolyn Grimes, who played little Zuzu Bailey. Seneca Falls ISN’T Bedford Falls, but there IS a connection that is more than coincidence, which is why Grimes comes to town regularly.

Among the interesting pieces are a couple of photos of Donna Reed with actor Dick Van Dyke advocating in 1968 that the US should have a Secretary of Peace. The description of Lillian Randolph indicated that she took some grief for playing the maid Annie, though it had not bothered me.

Some time after Todd Karns played Harry Bailey, he became a noteworthy painter. A fan letter to Jimmy Stewart from Don Collins, one of the twin boys who played baby Pete, is displayed.

The crew had a picnic after wrapping the film in August 1948, with all the actors and production folks. It’s hard to see, but Jimmy Stewart appears wearing a hat in both the back row left and back row right.

Just a few doors away is a shop where I bought a replica of the Globe Theatre Program for the movie premiere. The shop owner was a really interesting dude who had lived in several states, but moved from NYC to Seneca Falls shortly after 9/11.

Ice cream

Before we headed back to Albany, our daughter wanted us to stop at an ice cream shop. As it turns out, it was about 40 minutes away in Penn Yan. We went through Geneva, which we recognized because our daughter had visited Hobart and William Smith Colleges.

The line at the Spotted Duck was a bit long, but the service was rather robust. The three of us shared an eight-flavor flight, then we looked at the ducks, some of whom were spotted.

On the ride home, the youngest of us saw 28 deer; I think I saw 8. The bad weather seemed to miss us; we drove through a section of the highway where it HAD rained, but not when we were there.

What a full couple of days.

Weird Binghamton thing

5 Gaines Street

Les.Roger.backporch — Les and Roger Green, back porch of 5 Gaines St, 2nd floor, 1953

I’m having a weird Binghamton thing.

First, I should note that I’m writing this on September 24. I shall have attended my Binghamton Central High School reunion on Saturday, September 26. (Grammarly does NOT like future perfect tense.) So I likely wouldn’t have had a chance to write anything over the weekend.

And September 26 would have been the 100th birthday of my father, Leslie Harold Green, who was born and raised in Binghamton and attended BCHS in the early 1940s. As far as I know, he never graduated but later received his GED. He did all right for himself.

What really fascinated me was the Zillow notice that 5 Gaines Street in Binghamton, where I grew up, has been for sale only since the 22nd. Let’s see: “new vinyl siding.” That’s true. When I grew up, it was green asbestos. Later, it was brown, not particularly well painted. “The first-floor unit features 3 bedrooms.” There were really only two when I grew up, but they might have reconfigured the space.

How is it BIGGER?

Speaking of space: you know the cliché that your home seems smaller as you grow up? Well, based on the photos, it looks somehow larger. Even the backyard, which was a postage stamp, seems bigger. The only thing that is appreciably smaller is the front door, which used to be thick and heavy.

Ah, the stairs going from the first to the second floor used to be carpeted. I fell from the second floor to the first after visiting my paternal grandparents, who lived upstairs. I still have a scar under my lower lip.

A small part of me wanted to bug the real agent for a tour, but I’m loath to waste their time.

Kelly posted Autumn Leaves by Nat King Cole, my mother’s absolutely favorite singer, on September 24, and I got oddly weepy.

Anyway, I’m finding the synchronicity just a tad… disconcerting, as though the universe is trying to tell me something about my hometown that I am not discerning.

How this played out is just plain weird. (TBC)