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Newspaper delivery and a bank call

$1 bills in the ATM

Oddly, my newspaper delivery and a bank call made me feel nostalgic.

Our newspaper deliverer called us Sunday night, leaving us a message on the answering machine that the Times Union had altered the delivery route and that they wouldn’t be delivering for us starting Monday morning. They asked us to call them back, but I didn’t initially have a chance.

On Monday, the paper was delivered to the sidewalk curb. Tuesday’s paper made it to the sidewalk, and Wednesday’s was on the edge of the grass near the sidewalk.

I called our previous deliverer, who was always gracious and promptly got the paper to us, barring a blizzard or TU production problem. They got shifted to a downtown route with a day’s notice.

I called the Times Union circulation number – a lovely one, BTW, 518 454-5454 – about the new less-than-useful delivery person. Surprisingly, I got to a Real Person after a few automated options.

I noted that the previous folks had always delivered the paper to the porch. Then, I stated that I had delivered papers as a young teen – Binghamton’s Evening and Sunday Press – and that I always threw them on the porch. (This is technically not true; sometimes, they wanted the paper between the front and the screen doors or in a milk carton, and I would accommodate that. BTW, I can still fold and toss a weekday newspaper.)

The TU representative agreed with my assessment and put the information in a portal where the new delivery person would see it. Sure enough, our papers landed on the porch subsequently.

Bank call

On the same Wednesday, my bank’s branch manager called me to see if I had any questions or issues. I had assumed he was calling about a problem or to get me to utilize a different bank product.

Nope, he just wanted to know how things were going. I was fascinated that he knew I was a bank customer three acquisitions ago, in February 1978!

I did have one question. Why can’t I get one-dollar bills from the ATM? The answer is that I can, but only through the drive-through ATM. It reminded me of the drive-throughs I’ve used in New Paltz and Schenectady, when I had to avoid the motor vehicles gingerly.

He did want to see my DMV card because the one they had on file had expired years ago. I didn’t recall I had given the bank that info. Later, I walked to the branch and showed the guy the info. I shared with him that I worked at that 1978 antecedent, but quit, because I took a job at the Schenectady Arts Council. I went from making $6,000 to $8,200 per year. Also, I wouldn’t have to spend an hour trying to find why I was a nickel off.

Some days, I wonder what happens with my days. Sure, I play Wordle, Quordle, and Connections, make breakfast, write a blog post, load or empty the dishwasher, work on getting speakers for the library, pay bills, and try to keep up with the news. But where does the REST of the time go? On that particular day, I was engaging in a bit of nostalgia.

Hello! My Name Is Blotto: The Movie!

Bowtie, Broadway, Cheese, Sergeant, Lee Harvey, Blanche, Chevrolet, et al.

I had a deep-seated NEED to see the documentary Hello! My Name Is Blotto: The Movie! Here’s the trailer.

At this point, I need to explain what Blotto was. Initially, several of the members were part of the Star Spangled Washboard Band in the 1970s, starting off in Lake George, NY. They achieved a modicum of fame, even appearing on The Mike Douglas Show, which was a big deal. (John and Yoko co-hosted the show in 1972.)

Then, the SSWB disbanded and, through some alchemy, became Blotto, with the members all having the same last name, a la the Ramones. They created a song, “I Wanna Be a Lifeguard.” The Albany-based group received airplay from WNEW in NYC and other stations in the Northeast and beyond. They had achieved a modicum of fame.

A new entity called Music Television was created in 1981. The folks at MTV wanted to know if Blotto had a video. A few months earlier, a couple of college kids working on their final project offered to make a short film of Lifeguard, which aired as the 36th video to play on MTV on August 1 of that year. And Lifeguard had a new life.

They toured incessantly, releasing some singles and the album Combo Akimbo, which had a great cover designed by the late, great John Caldwell. That album included I Quit.

FantaCo, the comic book store I worked at for much of the 1980s, carried their music partly because we were all part of the city’s arts scene. I got to know some of the guys. (We ended up at a restaurant in Troy after Raoul Vezina’s funeral in November 1983.)

But the music industry didn’t know how to categorize them. Blotto was not a comedy group, though there were comedic elements. Metal Head, for instance, annoyed some, er, metal heads, even though it featured Buck Dharma of Blue Öyster Cult. Incidentally, there’s a funny story about a biker’s helmet.

Now what?

Eventually, they played less often and got “grown-up” jobs, such as Paul Rapp (drummer F. Lee Harvey) attending law school and becoming an intellectual property attorney.

Sarge (Greg Haymes) became a writer covering the music scene, primarily for the Albany Times Union and the Nippertown website. I would see him all over the area until his untimely death from cancer. I attended his funeral at the Egg, the first time I’d seen Broadway (Bill Polchinski, a social worker) in years.

Oh, the movie! I forgot. It was great! Lee Harvey, Broadway, and Bowtie (Paul Jossman, who got into computers) were the core conversants, along with Blanche (actor/director Helena Binder). There were old interviews with Sarge and Cheese (Keith Stephenson, who died in 1999).

The film featured familiar faces such as Jim Furlong (Last Vestige Records, and member of the music group the A.D.’s –Livin’ Downtown), Vinnie Birbiglia of the club J.B. Scott’s, and MTV VJ Martha Quinn.

I wish I could have gone to the world premiere at the Cohoes Music Hall, but I was out of town for a wedding. So when it was announced that it would be shown at the Spectrum Theatre in Albany, I was there for the Monday 3 p.m. show, the second of a two-week run. There will be others.

Blotto put Albany on the national music map and supported other local bands in the 1980s.

Roger: another book review and giving blood

solar lantern

Sometimes, it IS all about me.

ITEM: At 2 p.m. on June 3, Roger will conduct another book review in the large meeting room at the Washington Avenue branch of the Albany Public Library.

June 3 | Book Review | 60 Songs That Explain the 90’s by Rob Harvilla. Reviewer: Roger Green, business librarian, retired from the NY Small Business Development Center.

You’ll find the other reviews for June below.

ITEM: The APL library budget passed! And the candidates I supported won! Also, the City School budget was approved.

ITEM: Speaking of the Albany schools, Albany High School sponsored another American Red Cross Blood Drive. Last Monday, I noted that I had not donated blood in 2025, so I checked the Red Cross calendar. Sure enough, there was a drive at AHS, only 0.7 mile away, on Wednesday, May 21.

In recent years, they have been giving away T-shirts. I now have a lot of tees. But I could “get an exclusive American Red Cross solar lantern when you come to give blood May 19-31, while supplies last.” So I opted for that gift, though I would have donated without an incentive. They told me it’s time #183; my donation time was six minutes, ten seconds. It probably took that long because the scar makes it more challenging to get to the vein.

My buddy Alicia, the school librarian, coordinated the drive and got the photographer to take the picture above. A friend saw it on the school district’s Facebook page and forwarded it to me, which I have purloined.

ITEM: I got to sing at two funerals on successive Saturdays this month, for Christy on May 3 and Don on May 10. Both were great events but exhausting. Going to the Greek Festival the following weekend was a pleasant diversion.

ITEM: It happens a lot: two First Friday events, one at my church (see above) and a new Art at APL Exhibit opening at the Pine Hills branch, both on June 6. Cloning is not an option.

APL Book reviews, Tuesday at 2pm

At the blood drive, I talked to school librarian Kristen, who works at several districts, about getting speakers for the FFAPL Tuesday talks. If you’re interested in doing a book review or an author talk, please let me know. They are all on Tuesdays at 2 p.m. at the Washington Avenue branch of the Albany Public Library, 161 Washington Avenue.

May 27 | Book Review | Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer. Reviewer: Elaine Garrett, BFA, MA, STEM Outreach and Workforce Development, SUNY Research Foundation at NY Creates and the NYS Center of Excellence in Nanoelectronics and Nanotechnology, UAlbany.

June 10 | Book Review | Jane Austen Education: How Six Novels Taught Me about Love, Friendship, and the Things That Really Matter. By William Deresiewicz. Reviewer: Gene Damm, former president, Friends of APL.

June 17 | Book Review | He, Leo: The Life and Poetry of Lew Welch by Ewan Clark. Reviewer: Dan Wilcox, noted local poet & peace activist.

June 24 | Book Review | Germinal by Émile Zola. Reviewer: Carl Strock, author & award-winning journalist.

ITEM: I’m having some dental pain. My dentist referred me to an oral surgeon, whom I won’t see until late June. Meanwhile, I need to set up an appointment for my foot ailment.

Lydster: credit cards abroad

United Airlines to EWK

The joys of using credit cards abroad. Shortly before my daughter went to South Africa for the college semester, I ordered another copy of my credit card with my daughter’s name on it so she could use it there. While it didn’t always work, despite my call to the issuing bank, it was a largely workable system. But then, I received an email from the bank in mid-March.

“We’re introducing new features for managing Authorized Users on your account. If you have Authorized Users, they’ll be issued replacement cards with a card number different from the number on your card. These cards will be sent to your address on file and should arrive by May 12, 2025, as long as your account is not closed.”

That’s a pain. I called them, told them my daughter is away and having difficulty receiving mail there. The representative said they could send her the card to South Africa via the shipping entity DHL. Okay, problem solved.

In early May, her card arrived at MY address. The problem is not solved. She has the account number, but using her card in person may be limited.

Newark

The other problem is that she’s supposed to fly back on United to Newark Liberty International Airport (EWK) in mid-June. Have you heard about the issues?

Is there a workaround? From here: “United Airlines — the largest carrier at Newark [which she flew going out, and is scheduled to return on] — is alerting customers through its app and website about ‘Newark flexibility.’

“You can reschedule your trip, and they will waive change fees and fare differences, but your new flight must be a United flight departing between two days prior to and two days after your original travel date.

“Tickets must be in the same cabin and between the same cities as originally booked, or LaGuardia Airport in Queens and Philadelphia International Airport in Philadelphia.”

Ultimately, the solution will be to fly to the DC area – only a couple of dollars to change it – and figure out how to get her home on the train.

Sunday Stealing — 8 Things about YOU

possum

http://www.weblogcartoons.com/2006/06/27/weight-of-the-world/

Welcome to Sunday Stealing. “These questions were inspired by a blogger named Becca. Back in 2007, Becca was asked to reveal eight interesting things about herself. We’re turning her answers into questions to learn a little more about YOU.”

8 Questions

1. What habit do you wish you could break?

Procrastination. I’m not talking about taking a break – for me, it might be playing pinochle or spades on my phone – but doing that in lieu of what I must do.

On Tuesday, a dead possum lay next to our back porch. It was the size of a large house cat, with a tail that reminded me a little of an armadillo. I called the state Department of Environmental Conservation to see if they would take it away for me; alas, no. I was told there were too many dead critters. So I played some cards.

Now, I MUST remove the animal before I take two buses to my dentist, and then go to the library for a book talk. I decided to put it in an empty box from a recent delivery. The spade shovel from the shed didn’t have enough surface area, so I had to retrieve a snow shovel. Getting the tail in was the most challenging part. Then I put it in the trash, but I decided I didn’t want the box to open, freaking out the trash folks, so I put the box in a bag.

I barely got to the dentist on time.

2. Where is your favorite vacation spot?

IDK, but I enjoyed going to Washington, DC with my family last year.

I do need some education

3. How many years of formal education have you completed?

My Master’s degree is two years of schooling beyond my Bachelor of Arts.

4. Have you ever had a job that required you be certified or licensed?

I needed a Master’s of Library Science to work as a librarian for 26 years.

5. Do you enjoy camping?

Categorically, no. Sleeping on the ground? Bugs?

6. Tell us about a time you got away with something.

Even though the statute of limitations has run out, I think not.

7. Where have you lived the longest, and what do/did you like best about it?

The house I live in now has built-in bookcases. It’s close to four bus lines.

8. When you were a kid, were more of your playmates boys or girls?

I remember being on the playground at Daniel S. Dickinson School when I was in fifth grade and realizing that girls were more interesting people than boys. This had nothing to do with romance or the like. It’s only been since I’ve been attending my current church and joined the Bible Guys and a dad’s group that the number of my male friends is even half that of my female friends.