Ramblin' with Roger

Sunday Stealing Knows It’s Not Friday

not a conspiracy?

God — **The star in the center, as seen by the Hubble Space Telescope, is known as V1331 Cyg and is located in the dark cloud LDN 981.**

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!

Once upon a time, there was a blogger named Janet who posted a fill-in-the-blank meme every Friday. Let’s give it a try.

Stealing The Friday Fill-in, though Sunday Stealing Knows It’s Not Friday

1. Being wrong is not the end of the world. One of the things I’m pretty sure I mentioned on this blog once upon a time was that my goal was to know everything I wanted to know. Some things I’m pretty good at include the order of American Presidents and their years. But misremembering stuff is a function, not just of aging, but, increasingly, of something else more important to me has taken its place.

2. Pie tastes so good! It should be a fruit pie, such as an apple, cherry, or blueberry pie, either room temperature or slightly warm, but definitely not right out of the refrigerator. It should be accompanied by a good vanilla ice cream. Alternatively, pizza, but no ice cream.

3. Sometimes, putting others first is misguided. I am reminded of what flight attendants tell us: take care of our own air masks before tending to the children in our care. In general, saying NO is both difficult for me and utterly necessary.

The usual

4. A whole lot of music is breathtaking, really. Some of it is structural, but a lot of it is memory, the way that a song can recreate a sensation.

When the family buried my father, Taps shook me, much to my surprise. And it was a live rendition, not a mechanical one. CBS News Radio News has gone off the air, and hearing the theme, especially the one from the 1980s and 1990s, made me a bit melancholy. Julie Andrews singing octaves at the very end of “Do-Re-Me” is glorious. The inverse pedal point is possibly my favorite thing in all of music.

5. Well, maybe there are coincidences. From THR: “Have you ever seen a final trailer for a major studio’s event movie that’s narrated by its director? That’s the case for the new trailer for Disclosure Day [Stephen Spielberg], which has enjoyed one of the weirdest and most freakishly fortuitous marketing campaigns in Hollywood history, as the real-life disclosure movement involving government officials claiming a UFO cover-up coincides with Universal’s promotional push for their movie about the same thing. Universal has used a muddy blend of traditional marketing, clips highlighting the director’s own belief that aliens have likely visited our planet, and footage in the latest trailer that looks nearly identical to videos the Pentagon just declassified just last week.” So, maybe, not everything is a conspiracy.

6. This week, my plans include at least one trip to a large metropolitan city. As is usually the case, I won’t say when, where, or why until after the fact. It’s like I didn’t announce that my daughter and I went to Charlotte, NC, to see my baby sister and her daughter until we came back.

Thank you for playing! Please come back next week.

#1 pop hits of 1956

Aura Lee

These are the #1 pop hits of 1956. You might guess who dominated the charts; it was the guy who made his debut on the Ed Sullivan Show in September of that year.

Every song went at least gold. Note that, because of the multiple charts in that era, there were 83 weeks of #1 songs.

Don’t Be Cruel/ Hound Dog – Elvis Presley (RCA Victor), 11 weeks at #1, quadruple platinum. Written byOtis Blackwell and Leiber/Stoller, respectively.

Singing The Blues – Guy Mitchell with Ray Coniff and his orchestra (Columbia), 10 weeks at #1. I heard this song more often on the radio than any song on the list.

The Wayward Wind – Gogi Grant; orchestra under the direction of Buddy Bregman (Era), 8 weeks at #1

Heartbreak Hotel – Elvis Presley (RCA Victor), 8 weeks at #1, double platinum. His first RCA single. Song credited to Mae Boren Axton, Tommy Durden, and Elvis Presley

Rock and Roll Waltz – Kay Starr, orchestra and chorus conducted by Hugo Winterhalter (RCA Victor), 6 weeks at #1

The Poor People Of Paris – Les Baxter and his Orchestra (Capitol), 6 weeks at #1. Instrumental. I know this song! But I didn’t recognize the title.

Memories Are Made of This – Dean Martin with The Easy Riders, orchestra conducted by Dick Stabile (Capitol), 6 weeks at #1

I know that tune from grade school!

Love Me Tender – Elvis Presley (RCA Victor), 5 weeks at #1, triple platinum. From the 20th Century Fox production of the same name, Elvis’ first film. Song attributed to Elvis Presley-Vera Matson, based on the old folk tune “Aura Lee”

My Prayer – The Platters (Mercury), 5 weeks at #1; initially made famous by both Glenn Miller and The Ink Spots.

Lisbon Antigua – Nelson Riddle and his Orchestra (Capitol), 4 weeks at #1. Instrumental, piano by Stan Wrightsman

I Almost Lot My Mind– Pat Boone, orchestra and chorus conducted by Billy Vaughn (Dot), 4 weeks at #1. “Reviving” a 1950 R&B hit by Ivory Joe Hunter.

The Green Door – Jim Lowe with the High Fives, piano and orchestra by Bob “Hutch” Davie (Dot), 3 weeks at #1. You’d think I’d have heard a song with this title, but I do not recall it.

Moonglow and The Theme From “Picnic” – Morris Stoloff and the Columbia Pictures Orchestra (Decca), 3 weeks at #1. Instrumental from the movie.

The Great Pretender – The Platters (Mercury), 2 weeks at #1. Per The 45 Prof: “Tony Williams purportedly had a head cold and stuffy nose when he recorded this unforgettable #1 pop & R&B hit.”

Hot Diggity (Dog Ziggity Boom)- Perry Como, orchestra conducted by Mitchell Ayres, with The Ray Charles Singers (RCA Victor), 1 week at #1

I Want You I Need You I Love You – Elvis Presley (RCA Victor), 1 week at #1, platinum. Elvis’ second RCA Victor single (released between “Heartbreak Hotel” and “Hound Dog/Don’t Be Cruel”).

May 2026 health report

reunion

When in doubt, write the May 2026 health report.

Mind: As I mentioned, having my cellphone downstairs overnight is a tremendous benefit to me.

I’m finding the monthly story time to be therapeutic. Part of it is the exercise to come up with five or six minutes on a topic without notes. Can I make it interesting, even entertaining? This is not particularly in my comfort zone. I don’t memorize it as such, but I have to create mental bullet points.

I really enjoyed Free Comic Book Day, which I ALMOST forgot about, even though I wrote about it. Fortunately, I put it on my phone calendar.

There was a FantaCo reunion of sorts at Earthworld. Of course, John Hebert, the featured artist, worked on the comic book Sold Out, which he was working on four decades ago; John said that I “launched” his career no more than six times in my presence. Bill Anderson worked at FantaCo, inked Fred Hembeck and Raoul Vezina, and performed other artistic tasks. Joe Fludd did some writing and illustrations for the Chronicles. So I’ve known all of them for at least 40 years.

Hearing: I had a hearing test, and the results were pretty much the same. I’m missing some sounds at the extreme ends of the range, but I don’t need an aid yet.

DDS: I had a tooth pulled, and I was going to get it replaced last month. But it didn’t “take.” So it will be postponed until July.

The funny – not ha ha funny – thing that medical providers often say is, “This is just going to be a pinch.” But the eight-year-old in me was feeling OUCH! OUCH! OUCH! Actually, the pain over the following 24 hours was quite exhausting.

The cane

I often carry a cane, but I don’t always use it. When I’m on a flat surface, it’s not necessary unless I’ve been either walking or standing for a substantial amount of time. Then my knee, usually the left one, locks up on me.

It’s generally not necessary to go up a set of stairs, but going down is more treacherous, especially stepping off a bus from the rear exit.

And the cane is definitely required on uneven surfaces – rolling lawns, bad sidewalks, and gravel driveways, for example.

But I also use it to propel myself when I’m trying to walk faster in order to catch a bus. The CDTA app says it should take three minutes to get from my house to the nearest bus stop; that was never true of me, even a quarter-century ago.

I do note that, in the main, people are much nicer to the old man with the cane. If I ever get my knees fixed, I may STILL carry the thing around.

May rambling: the Great Society

No one wants a permanent gerontocracy

Heather Cox Richardson: “On May 22, 1964, in a graduation speech at the University of Michigan, President Lyndon Johnson put a name to a new vision for the United States. He called it ‘the Great Society’ and laid out the vision of a country that did not confine itself to making money, but rather used its post–World War II prosperity to ‘enrich and elevate our national life.’ That Great Society would demand an end to poverty and racial injustice.”

Pope Leo Warns of Risks From A.I. in 42,300-Word Encyclical

Structured Settlements & Factoring Companies: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver

FOTUS claims Congress said yes to his big dumb arch—102 years ago

No one wants a permanent gerontocracy

Newark’s Mayor Arrested at Protest Outside ICE Detention Center; Gov. Sherrill denied access to facility; migrant jail detainees launch hunger, labor strike over conditions behind bars

Elon Musk is mad that mythological movie characters aren’t white

Tennessee Man Jailed for Sharing Charlie Kirk Meme Receives $835K Settlement. Larry Bushart missed the birth of his granddaughter and lost his job as a result of his 37 days in jail.

Anderson Cooper’s emotional farewell to 60 Minutes after 20 years

Veteran 60 Minutes Journalist Sharyn Alfonsi Says ‘Wall Has Come Down Between Editorial Independence and Corporate Interests’

Mark Evanier’s Trip Back East, mostly to see Jack Kirby’s name on a street sign, and a story about his Uncle Nathan

Kobe Bryant + Kyle Busch =/= Abraham Lincoln + John F. Kennedy

“He Breathes, He Writes”: The Voluminous Memory and Deep Empathy of Ironweed Author William Kennedy

Is Kingston The New ART CAPITAL of Upstate NY?

Only In Monroe with Stephen Colbert

The Most Valuable Background Actor in History? and Don’t Let the Moose Lick Your Car and The Day America Locked Canada Out of Its Garages

I’ve been away

I’ll likely write about it in dribs and drabs. But this was oddly relevant.

Wordle 1,800 3/6

AROSE 94

CLIME 4

NIECE

Wordle 1,801 3/6

AROSE 97

TULIP 1

VISIT

MUSIC

Paul McCartney’s Joyous Performance in the Finale of ‘The Late Show’

Orion and Pleiades by Toru Takemitsu

Laurie Anderson: Tiny Desk Concert, May 22, 2026

Favorite Songs By Favorite Artists (Series Four) #4: This Heat (And Related Artists) and #5: Jonathan Richman

Top Of The World – Greenvines Duo

I Can’t Stand The Rain – Ann Peebles (1974)

Coverville 1581: The Janet Jackson Cover Story and 1582: The Bob Dylan Cover Story IX

Come On – The Rolling Stones

West End Girls – Pet Shop Boys

K-Chuck Radio: S-S-S-S-S-Saigon…

Nik Durga: New Zealand Music Month and the songs I didn’t grow up with

Greatest Love Of All – Whitney Houston

WHERE THE HELL IS OUR CONGRESS? | A Randy Rainbow Song Parody

The faulty blog list

vestige

**By kind permission of SMBC Comics. “Fixing Social Media”**

Some time ago, George wrote about my faulty blog list:

Pulled up your profile page and started checking out all the blogs you have listed there. Half of them exist but are empty, half of them haven’t had anything posted for years, and half of them post so sporadically, I wonder why they bother. Yes, I know, too many halves.

Reminds me I should go clean up my own link lists, and I will. Any day now.

BTW, I didn’t check George’s links.

Despite some hyperbole, he was correct that a handful of the websites I linked to were dead. Easily remedied.

The bigger problem was the nearly two dozen that hadn’t published anything in a long while. My difficulty is that, in many cases, I had encouraged those people to start or continue their blogs, commenting frequently. So, I had a degree of ownership in the process. Often, they were my friends and good acquaintances.

I suppose the blogroll is an archaic relic of years past, when blogging was cool. As mentioned, I would pore through my friend Fred Hembeck’s roster of links when I started blogging in 2005. I made several blogger buddies, some of whom I’m still in contact with. BTW, Fred’s list is now a historic record.

Still, I made the painful decision to zap the blog links that hadn’t been updated in the past two years. Afterward, I remembered that I didn’t have to DELETE them; I could just make them invisible. D’oh!

Add the daughter

On the other hand, I’ve added my daughter’s student portfolio from Hampshire College for Fall 2022 – Spring 2026. It was an exercise she initially did for one class but ultimately created for her whole college tenure.

Come back, Shane

All of this is to say that if you would like me to link to your blog/webpage, please let me know, especially if I have previously linked to it.

Oh, one exception to my purge of links. I’ve kept the Schomburg Center Black Liberation Reading List of 95 books because it’s still useful.

Also, my high school classmate Armen Boyajian, who started following my blog during COVID, has a YouTube channel. He died at the end of 2022; I see no reason to take his page off the list.