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8647

James Comey’s seashells

More often than not, recently, the conspiracy wants to win out. My most reliable MAGA follower wrote regarding James Comey’s seashells in the shape of 8647: “Be arrested for ordering a murder on the President of the United States. That’s exactly what he did. He ordered a hit.” Well, no, he did not.

From here: What Does 86 Restaurant mean? Discover This Vital Term with a Positive Twist!

The term “86” can be used in different contexts within a restaurant:

Out of Stock: When an item is “eighty-sixed,” it typically means it is out of stock or has been removed from the menu.
Expelled or Barred: The term can also refer to a person who has been expelled or barred from a restaurant or bar for inappropriate behavior.
Removal: More generally, “86” can denote the removal of any item or person from a particular setting.

The restaurant reference is by far the most common.

Alternatively

From here:

“In 1933, newsman Walter Winchell published a column where he referenced the term in a ‘glossary of soda-fountain lingo.’

“86 may have developed because it rhymes with the word nix, which means to cancel.

“Another story relates to a bar in New York City named Chumley’s. The bar is located at 86 Bedford Street. According to legend, unruly patrons would be thrown out onto the street, where they would see the 86 over the bar door. This became known as ‘being 86’d.’

“To keep cowboys from getting too rowdy, the bartenders would slyly give them 86-proof liquor instead of the standard 100-proof.

“Another story relates to Article 86 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice… [which] deals with soldiers who have gone AWOL. Another military origin story relates to a Navy coding system that designated items for disposal. The code AT-6 was assigned to those items for disposal. It’s easy to see how this might, eventually, get transformed into 86”.

You may remember the spy comedy Get Smart (1965-1970), created by Mel Brooks and Buck Henry. Don Adams played Maxwell Smart, Agent 86. “Despite being a top-secret government agent, he is absurdly clumsy. Yet Smart is also resourceful, skilled in hand-to-hand combat, a proficient marksman, and incredibly lucky; all of this makes him one of CONTROL’s top agents. Brooks decided on Smart’s code number, 86, as a reference to the slang term, meaning to forcibly eject someone, such as a patron from a bar or casino.”

I’m SHOCKED!

Re 86: “Many of the Republicans who said they were enraged by the use of ’86’ had previously directed the term at their own political opponents. In a February 2024 tweet, Matt Gaetz, then a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Florida’s 1st congressional district, wrote that House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, Republican National Committee chairwoman Ronna McDaniel, and Senator Mitch McConnell had been ’86’d’ from their leadership positions.”

Heather Cox Richardson, a couple of days ago, on 86: “It is a common term, used by MAGA itself to refer to getting rid of somebody…until now. MAGA voices are insisting that this image was Comey’s threat to assassinate the president. [FOTUS] got into the game, telling Brett Baier of the Fox News Channel, ‘that meant assassination. And it says it loud and clear…. [H]e’s calling for the assassination of the president…that’s gonna be up to Pam and all of the great people…. He’s a dirty cop.’ [His] reference to Attorney General Pam Bondi and law enforcement paid off: yesterday, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said that the Department of Homeland Security and the Secret Service are investigating Comey. He showed up voluntarily at the FBI headquarters in Washington, D.C., today for an interview.”

Aesthetics

I like the above design, which I stole from a guy on Facebook. One person thought it should be all dimes and pennies. Nah. 47 should be dimes and pennies, since it represents the rank order. But because 86 is a concept, I appreciate the quirkiness of the quarters.

Someone online joked that 8675309 threatens people living in ZIP Code 75309. Fortunately, ZIP Code 75309 “is not currently assigned to a geography.” But if it were, it would be in Dallas County, TX.

Marcia: my niece’s mother

Mecklenburg County

Last December, I received a notification from Ancestry asking whether this person named Marcia was my niece’s mother. Well, yes. I found it really funny that it didn’t ask me whether Marcia was my sister, which she is, as well as Alexandria’s mom.

The site gave me a lovely color picture of her graduating from high school in Charlotte, NC, in the ’70s. However, I can’t show you that one because it’s linked to many other people’s pictures with their names. So, it won’t allow me to show you the individual photo. Instead, I share another picture from around that same time.

I was always jealous of her ‘fro. I could never grow one like that. In fact, my hair started receding around the time of this picture or probably even earlier.

Interestingly, there is a Marcia Green, who graduated from Binghamton Central High School, my alma mater, in 1978. She is NOT my sister.

NC

It was 50 years ago last year that my parents and Marcia moved to Charlotte, NC, from Johnson City, NY, near Binghamton and in Broome County. My father went south first, Marcia, and then my mother.

Marcia had a different high school experience than our sister Leslie and me. She attended Johnson City High School briefly and then graduated from a school in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina.

When we have conversations on our Sunday ZOOM calls, we naturally have many similarities from growing up as a base of experience. But Leslie and I both attended Binghamton Central for three years, though she spent ninth grade at West Junior High School after they closed my K to 9 schools, Daniel S. Dickinson.

One of my random favorite thoughts is that I once sang for Marcia’s kindergarten class at Dickinson, though I’m not sure how that happened. Her teacher was Mrs. Burroughs, whereas Miss Cady taught Leslie and me.

Happy birthday, Marcia!

Sunday Stealing — Back to Bed

sarcophagus

Man with sleeping mask and earplugs in bed

Welcome to Sunday Stealing, Back to Bed.

“Last week, we shared questions about your bathroom. This week, with questions stolen from Manic Monday, we’re moving to the bedroom.”

1. Let’s say your alarm wakes you up with music. What would be the worst song to hear first thing in the morning?

It doesn’t matter. Any song with words is irritating to wake up to, even songs I like.

2. How many pillows do you sleep with?

Two. One doesn’t cut it at all.

3. What size mattress do you sleep on?

I share a queen with my wife.

4. Do you always sleep on the same side of the bed?

Yes, to my wife’s left, near my dresser.

5. Do you make your bed every day?

No. My wife often does. Back in the 1980s, I visited my sister in California. After I didn’t make the bed for a couple of days, she made it and said, “Won’t that feel better?” NO! Being in a well-made bed is like being in a sarcophagus. I’ll kick out a hospital corner in minutes.

6. Do you keep water on your bedside table?

No, I’d almost certainly knock it over.

7. How often do you change your sheets?

Once a week.

8. What’s under your bed?

A couple of bins of clothes, I think.

9. Do you sleep in total darkness or like to have a light on?

It’s mostly darkness. There’s a night light on the baseboard in the hallway, so I can see if I wake up in the middle of the night, which happens about two-thirds of the time.

My childhood room

10. What do you remember about your childhood bedroom?

Growing up, we lived on the first floor of a small two-story house owned by my maternal grandmother. I probably slept in the same room as my sister Leslie until my sister Marcia arrived.

There was no other room as such. In the middle room, my father built a wall that ran from the kitchen entrance about 2/3 of the way into the room, then another wall at a 90-degree angle from the first, leaving about an entrance to my room the size of a standard door, though I did not HAVE a door. Then he built a solid piece of wood – one large shelf – held up by the two new walls and the existing wall to serve as the frame for my “bed”. On top of that was a foam mattress.

I did have room for my stuff under the bed, including a very low dresser. Around the corner was my bookcase, filled with my Golden Book Encyclopedias, World Almanac, and other books.

One of those books described the solar system and gave the relative sizes of the sun and the planets. So my father painted the solar system on the ceiling in my room—a giant sun and the various planets, including their known moons at the time. I remember that according to the book, Jupiter had 12, Saturn 9, Neptune 5, Uranus and Mars 2 apiece, and Earth and Pluto 1 each.

Since the walls my father built didn’t reach the ceiling, a single ceiling light illuminated the middle room/my room. Anyone coming to visit us who went into the kitchen or bathroom was likely to see at least this massive star on the ceiling.

The Bed from the Broadway musical HAIR

Top country singles of 1945

NOT the Deep Purple song

I have gleaned the top country singles of 1945 from Joel Whitburn’s Top Country Singles from 1944 to 2017. The charts only began in 1944.

You Two Timed Me One Time Too Often – Tex Ritter, 11 weeks at #1. Woodward Maurice “Tex” Ritter was the father of John Ritter (Three’s Company) and grandfather of Jason Ritter (the new Matlock), though Tex died six years before Jason was born. Tex wasn’t fond of John’s career choice.

Shame On You – Spade Cooley and his orchestra, featuring Tex Williams, nine weeks at #1, written by Spade Cooley

At Mail Call Today – Gene Autry, eight weeks at #1, a WWII song

I’m Losing My Mind Over You – Al Dexter and his Troopers, seven weeks at #1, co-written by Dexter. I’d never heard of Al Dexter until I started looking at these charts, but he shows up quite a few times.

Woody’s cousin

Oklahoma Hills – Jack Guthrie, six weeks at #1. Jack was a cousin of Woody Guthrie; the songwriting credit here is Jack, but it sounds a lot like the Woody song that Woody’s son Arlo recorded

With Tears In My Eyes – Wesley Tuttle, four weeks at #1

Sioux City Sue – Dick Thomas, four weeks at #1, co-written by Thomas

It’s Been So Long, Darling -Ernest Tubb, four weeks at #1

Silver Dew On The Blue Grass Tonight – Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys, three weeks at #1. A WWII song.

Smoke On The Water -Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys, two weeks at #1. A definite WWII song: “Hirohito, ‘long with Hitler, will be riding on a rail. Mussolini’ll beg for mercy. As a leader, he has failed.” Not to be confused with the Deep Purple song.

There’s A New Moon Over My Shoulder – Jimmie Davis, co-written by Davis, who was governor of Louisiana when this song was released.

Stars And Stripes on Iwo Jima – Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys, an obvious WWII song

Shame On You – Lawrence Welk and his orchestra with Red Foley

Too busy to worry

Chautauqua

Since it’s our 26th anniversary, I’ve been trying to determine what made this marriage thing work. It may be we are too busy to worry about the small crap. Yeah, she still says at church, “Let’s go,” and then ends up in a 15-minute conversation with someone. I have an uncanny ability for my cough drop wrappers to end up on the floor.

My wife’s job remains extraordinarily busy. Moreover, her mother moved from one retirement facility to another, which is in a much smaller space, in March. This involved my wife, with help from her brother, sister-in-law, and husband, to clear out the previous location. This was a real time suck, not just the cleaning out distributing stuff to other people if they wanted it. She also has additional fiscal responsibilities.

At church, I’m in the choir and occasionally read scripture or handle communion. She counts the money every four to six weeks, and there are always other things that come up. Weddings, funerals, medical visits, and one-off things fill the void.

Last year, my wife and I overbooked ourselves by getting not one, but two theater subscriptions: to Proctors and Capital Rep.. This coming season, we will only be doing the latter. Other things we’ve done in previous years, we have decided to forego because there’s no time.

We’re also trying to keep in contact with our daughter, who is only 7,845 miles away. Yay, WhatsApp.

FBH

As I noted last year, one thing that has continued to work is the full-body hug, which we do once in the morning before she goes to work and once in the evening before she goes to bed. She always goes to bed before I do.

This picture was taken at Chautauqua in the summer of 2024. We were very ambitious and went to both Chautauqua and DC. I’m waiting for the time when she retires; maybe we can actually relax. Or maybe not.

Anyway, she’s a great partner as we muddle through life. I love you, dear.