Category: Uncategorized

Books, brooks, a sudden savant

Books and Brooks by Melanie

Diana de Avila.Uranium Glass
Uranium Glass. Copyright 2020, Diana de Avila. Used by permission.
Because I’m so old-fashioned, when I woke up in the middle of the night, I updated my blogroll. I mean, what else does one do with a foot cramp at 2 a.m.?

I started with adding some folks who were on my previous blogroll. Some, I discovered, were defunct or inactive.

And I’ve added a new one, Books and Brooks. The title comes from As You Like It: Act II, Scene 1 by Billy Shakes. “And this our life, exempt from public haunt, Finds tongues in trees, books in the running brooks, Sermons in stones, and good in everything.”

This blog is by Melanie, whose previous blog I had discovered quite by accident and followed regularly. Unfortunately, it came down, not by her doing.

Melanie was crucial in helping me discover my biological grandfather and has provided me in additional genealogical tips. We’ve never met in person, but she’s has been a great friend.

Synesthesia

Someone I HAVE met in person is Diana de Avila. When I first saw her one New Year’s Eve, she was playing Celtic Snare with Albany Police Pipes and Drums. She became a friend of a friend. Her other relationship went by the boards, but Diana and I kept in touch.

She was/is a fascinating person, a military veteran and a former nun. We’d drink tea or coffee in some hangout on Lark Street in Albany and solve the problems of the world. Briefly, we were even neighbors.

When she moved away, we kept in touch sporadically. Among other things, she was an early tester of Google Glass, which I found fascinating.

And now, I’ve just discovered Diana has Acquired Savant Syndrome. She is one of only 319 people “added to a registry.” She notes, “There are a few things that make my case even rarer: 1) I am a female, 2) mine is accompanied by Synesthesia. 3) I don’t have Autism and am not on the spectrum – mine arose from brain injury.”

The Synesthesia somehow makes sense to me. Many years ago, she and another friend were in the house of my soon-to-be wife reading auras and seeing colors the rest of us were not connected to. It’s not the same thing, of course, but it resonates similarly to me.

You should read this article about Diana, which touches on other aspects of her life including her health. And check out her website.

I’m lucky to have Melanie and Diana in my life.

How fragile we are, how fragile…

Angioimmunoblastic T-Cell Lymphoma

Suddenly, the chorus of some Sting song popped into my head.
On and on the rain will fall
Like tears from a star
Like tears from a star
On and on the rain will say
How fragile we are
How fragile we are

That’s it! That is how I’m feeling. The song references a different context, but it still applies.

ITEM: My father in law Richard has Angioimmunoblastic T-Cell Lymphoma. It’s a rare form of the disease. It took ever-so-long to get a decent diagnosis, involving him staying at hospitals in both Schenectady and Oneonta, cities 75 minutes apart, over a three-week period.

The treatment options, even early on, were uninspiring. The possible side effects of one course of treatment was having a heart attack. So that won’t happen. There are family dynamics needing to be balanced as well.

Who are you?

ITEM: A boy, 7, tested positive in Albany County for coronavirus. He is a student at the elementary school nearest my house, the school my daughter used to attend.

ITEM: The office I used to work at is on the third floor of a building downtown. Someone in another unit on that floor tested positive for COVID-19, it was announced March 16. Out of respect for her PRIVACY, we don’t know which person it is, except it is a female. The units don’t interact much, but they DO share a small breakroom. And I actually got to befriend a number of people in that other unit. So my ex-colleagues are all self-hanging out at home.

ITEM: This is not my usual behavior, but I have developed a fair case of hypochondria. Indigestion manifests in my mind as lung disease. My regular spring allergies/sore throat is, in my head, something worse. At least I recognize it as such.

ITEM: I’m really angry that he has been gaslighting us, that his decision to disband a pandemic team has hindered coronavirus response, and now that he’s FINALLY figured it out, he blames his son-in-law. The buck stops…somewhere else.

And then, at about 2 a.m. a few days ago – because I can’t sleep – I watched a couple Vlogbrothers posts: The Anxious Scroll (Hank) and Together (John). Then I read The Art of Socializing During a Quarantine.

They reminded me of what I used to do 25, 35 years ago: look through my address book and call people I had not spoken to in a while. That was it! In the morning, I was so excited to do it, even before I’d picked up the phone. It was something that got me out of my own head. I’m going to try to do that twice a day, at least.

More good news is that my church is come up with a remote connection.Virtual worship. I suspect we have to bring our own bread and juice.

Someone else’s list of music

some soul music

William DeVaughnSomewhere, maybe at church, I came across a pad with a list of music. Actually, several lists. They were handwritten, and they did not include artists. A few times I had difficulty reading the titles. There were time indicators on this particular roster, suggesting someone putting it together for a specific purpose.

Solid (As A Rock) – Ashford and Simpson. #1 for 3 weeks RB, 12 pop in 1984. I love this song. How is it that they are not in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, at least as songwriters? They’re in the Songwriters’ Hall of Fame.
Your Precious Love – Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell. #3 for five weeks RB, #5 pop in 1967.
Everybody Plays the Fool – The Main Ingredient. #2 for three weeks RB, #3 pop in 1972.
Kiss and Say Goodbye – The Manhattans. #1 RB, #1 for two weeks pop in 1976.
Shining Star – The Manhattans. #4 RB, #5 pop in 1980. The 4:33 running time helped me determine that it was this song, not EWF.

Misty Blue – Dorothy Moore. #2 for two weeks, #3 for four weeks pop in 1976.
Woman to Woman – Shirley Brown. #1 two weeks RB, #22 pop in 1974. There’s a 2012 song by Keyshia Cole, featuring Ashanti that is apparently a cover.
Never Knew Love Like This Before – Stephanie Mills. #12 RB, #6 pop in 1980. She has a Diana Ross quality to her voice.

NOT Curtis

Be Thankful for What You Got – William DeVaughn. #1 in RB, #4 pop in 1974. Here’s a longer version. Some people have understandably confused him with Curtis Mayfield.
Yearning for Your Love – The Gap Band. #5 RB, #60 pop in 1981.

Love Ballad – L.T.D. # 1 for two weeks RB, #20 pop in 1976. A great Jeffrey Osborne vocal.
Footsteps in the Dark – Isley Brothers, 1998.
Never Too Much – Luther Vandros. #1 for two weeks RB, #33 pop in 1981.
Stop in the Name of Love – Margie Joseph. #38 RB, #96 pop in 1971. The running time suggested that it wasn’t The Supremes version. I first heard this on a STAX/VOLT box set.

Odd habits: Ask Roger Anything

eggs

odd eggYou could Ask Roger Anything. About his odd habits, for instance. Of course, he might tell you that he has no odd habits. This would mean one of two possibilities. Either he’s totally self-unaware or he’s lying.

Is my sleeping pattern a habit? Here’s an article about sleeping in two shifts. This is definitely me, especially in the last year. So if I’m writing to you at 3 a.m., my time, it’s likely that I just got up, read my email, and will probably go to bed in a half hour.

I have had the habit of playing music related to the birthdays of the musicians. But in retirement, I have fallen well behind. I used to play 6-10 CDs at work each day, but I’m not at home now nearly as much as I was at work then.

OK, I suppose this is odd. When I take eggs out of a carton, I remove a egg from one end, then the one from the opposite corner. The last eggs in the carton are in the middle. This has something to with me once dropping a carton because I grabbed it at one end, which was empty, and I didn’t anticipate a half dozen at the other end.

The ask

Want to know more odd habits, or anything else about me? This is your lucky day! It’s that time again for you to Ask Roger Anything. I mean anything. Based on my track record, I’ll even take the time to answer them, most likely within a month. That’s the swell guy I am!

Per usual, you can leave any of your questions and/or suggestions, in the comments section of this blog or on Facebook or Twitter; for the latter, my name is ersie. Always look for the duck.

If you prefer to remain anonymous, you can do that. However, you need to SAY so specifically. E-mail me at rogerogreen (AT) gmail (DOT) com, or send me an IM on FB and note that you want to be unnamed; otherwise, I’ll assume you want your moniker to be noted.

PostSecret questions: Genesis

GenesisThe PostSecret guy asked his followers on Facebook for once-in-a-lifetime questions to ask his “dad for an unforgettable interview. Over 700 replies with more than 1,000 questions came back.”

I liked them so much that I purloined them to answer myself. Some of them aren’t suited to this format, but I made most of them work. And the piece became so long that I’ve broken it down into three sections. That means three blog posts, because the blogger is basically lazy. And because I don’t want you to have to read a 1200-word post. See how nice I am to you.

Can you tell me about your best friend when you were a kid and one of your adventures.

That would be Ray. We were in Cub Scouts together, and his mom was our Den Mother. One time when I was about nine, I had a birthday party at my house. I had intended to invite a lot of people. But only Ray and my late pal Bernie showed up. I felt terrible, but they made me feel less bad.

Bernie Massar, Barnyard (1953-2019)


In junior high, sometimes, walking home, I’d go to the houses of Bill, Lois and Karen on Mygatt Street, Carol on Cypress, then Ray, at 7 1/2 Cypress. I’d walk through his yard, walk down the stairs through the Canny’s trucking company lot on Spring Forest Avenue, then down Oak to Gaines Street.

For some obscure reason, I remember this. In a reflection on Penny Lane, he wondered if the line was “standing in the English reign,” as opposed to “rain” and that the Beatles were having a play on words. Her Majesty IS a pretty nice girl.

What is the oldest story you know about our ancestors?

I reckon that would be James Archer, who fought in the Civil War.

Civil War & great (X2) grandfather James Archer

Can you describe a favorite memory about a family member?

My favorite recollection of my dad was when I was at a conference in Savannah, GA in 1998, and my dad drove down from Charlotte, NC for the weekend. He hung out with me and my friends Mary, Donna. and Kellie. We had key lime pie.

Random Memory of My Father: Savannah, GA


If this was to be our very last conversation, is there anything you would want to say to me?

When in doubt, be kind.

Do you have a favorite snack, song, television show, recipe, comedy?

Snack: spinach dip. Song: Bein’ Green. Television show: The Dick Van Dyke Show. Recipe: lasagna. Comedy: Young Frankenstein.

A song that reminds me of myself


What is your first memory?

Augmented by a photo, it was sitting in a plastic pumpkin at the Catskill Game Farm when I was about three.

Did you ever get into trouble as a kid? What happened?

I once threw a snowball at my friend Carol. It was icy, and it really hurt her. I felt terrible. But I don’t think I actually got into trouble. I was an annoying good kid.

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