Sunday Stealing Archives - Page 20 of 33

Sunday Stealing: The Pen Company

The Good Book

Here’s the new Sunday Stealing, The Pen Company. But before I get to that, a couple of Independence Day announcements in Albany, NY.

First, the July 4 oration will take place at the Stephen and Harriet Myers residence, 194 Livingston Avenue in Albany, NY, sponsored by the Underground Railroad Education Center (UREC). Music by Magpie, who will be joined by Kim Harris.

Second, Sheila E. will be performing at 8 pm at the Empire State Plaza. One of her singers cannot make it, so subbing will be Rebecca Jade, who is my niece. Rebecca was backing Sheila when my wife, daughter, and I saw them at the New York State Fair in Syracuse back in September 2019.

Onto the show

1. If your house was on fire, which three items would you save?

A metal box in my office that has my birth certificate, my father’s death certificate plus other important documents. A box of photos. My laptop.

2. What is the strangest or most awkward date you’ve ever been on?

Oddly, it wasn’t my date. My ex-girlfriend was going to the Washington (NY) County Fair with her new boyfriend c 1996/97. She invited a friend of ours and me to attend as well, because we were all “mature” people. It was…weird. Interestingly, they broke up, I got back together with my gf, and we’ve been married 24 years.

3. What are your biggest fears?

The loss of freedom and justice in the United States, based on the actions of several governors and state legislatures, the rhetoric of several candidates for the 2024 Presidency, and recent Supreme Court decisions.

4. How do you spend your time when you are procrastinating?

Usually playing double deck pinochle or backgammon on my phone.

5. What has been your most memorable birthday so far, and why?

Probably my 50th because I had a big party at my church. I made a mixed CD that I gave out.

6. What is your favorite snack?

Fig Newtons with milk.

7. What was your first pet?

Peter the cat. He was very smart. When he wanted to come in, he’d jump onto a piece of furniture and rattle the door knob.

I am where I am

8. What’s your favorite city in your country?

It might be Albany, NY because that’s where I decided to live. My favorite place to visit might be Galveston, TX; I’d go out to he pier at 5 a.m., watching the tide from the Gulf of Mexico come in.

9. Do you have a garden?

We have a garden. But I have little or nothing to do with it.

10. What is your favorite thing about your home town?

My hometown was Binghamton, NY. It was small enough – and my school was tiny enough – that I can to this day name most of the kids in my 9th grade class. And I’m still friends with three of them. Oh, and went to kindergarten with them too.

11. What was the last book you read?

A Century of Pop Music bt Joel Whitburn.

12. What is the best book you have ever read?

Quite possibly, The Good Book: Discovering the Bible’s Place in Our Lives by Peter J. Gomes. Here’s a reader recommendation from Thrift Books:

“Gomes takes the Bible off its pedestal and presents it to us as a tool for Christian living. This book is a must read for any Christian struggling to read and understand the Bible in modern terms. He explores many of the controversial topics of the Bible, including race, homosexuality, women’s roles, anti-Semitism, wealth, and more. [This is definitely true.]

“He challenges the reader to accept the Bible as an interpretation of fantastic religious events with historical and sociological significance. He teaches the reader to deal with contradictions within the Bible, even within individual books of the Bible… This book challenged my beliefs in positive ways and taught me to never ‘idolize’ the Bible again.”

Roger that

13. Who is your favorite author?

It might be Roger Ebert, whose movie essays I enjoyed greatly. His autobio, Life Itself, is the book I would liked to have written, if I had the skills.

14. Is there a food that you hate?

Olives. Black olives, green olives.

15. Do you get along with your neighbors?

The neighbor to one side, Al, is great. Now, the property on the other side is owned by an absentee landlord, so the quality of the tenants has varied. I’ve written about not great ones here and elsewhere, and the best ones here. But by far, the WORST thing that happened from that house was created by the landlord himself. What a schmuck.

I wrote about terrible neighbors across the street, but thankfully, they’re gone.

16. Do you have any tattoos or piercings?

Nope. And I was never seriously interested in doing so.

Sunday Stealing: Sign Up Genius

Oxydol

This Sunday Stealing is from Sign Up Genius

1. Would you rather ride a bike, ride a horse, or drive a car?

I don’t drive a car. I’ve never had a license, though I’ve had seven (!) driver’s permits, which is why I know the rules of road so well. The last time I rode a horse was June 9, 1976; I had a hangover, which I don’t recommend. I do have a bike, and have ridden it, although not yet this year because I can’t find my bike lock, so we’ll go with that.

2. Who is your favorite author?

It’s been a long time since I wrote more than two books by a single author, and that was when Russell Baker was still writing for the New York Times. I could cheat and say the late Joel Whitburn, who is more of a compiler of pop music citations than an author as such. I’ll pick Art Spiegelman, author of Maus, because I used to know him personally, back when he was

the co-creator of RAW magazine.

3. Would you rather vacation in Hawaii or Alaska, and why?

Either, because they’re both changing rapidly. Alaska is too warm now, and I expect much of Hawaii will be underwater in a few decades.

4. If you could go back in time, what year would you travel to?

About a week ago and say no to a couple projects that have become a time suck.

They’re insincere

5. What’s your favorite zoo animal?

The giraffe because they’re so freakishly strange. Incidentally, my post about the song At The Zoo by Simon and Garfunkel.

6. What’s the tallest building you’ve been to the top of?

The 86th floor of the Empire State Building.

7. How often do you buy clothes?

Almost never unless they wear out. My wife buys me clothes because my criterion for “worn out” and hers are not the same.

8. What was the last thing you recorded on TV?

Jeopardy, and I’ve already watched it. On the other hand, the DVR is 52% filled, some of it going back to December 2022.

9. What was the last book you read?

We Return Fighting: World War I and the Shaping of Modern Black Identity, edited by Kinshasha Holman Conwill

10. What’s your favorite type of foreign food?

I answered this before, so I’ll answer it again differently. I had some Jamaican food this weekend which was quite good.

11. What kitchen appliance do you use every day?

The electric can opener, usually to open tuna.

Saint Nick lives!

12. How old were you when you learned Santa wasn’t real? How did you find out?

WHAT? What are you telling me here? Santa’s not real? Why would ever say such a thing?!

13. What was your favorite subject in school?

From 5th to 11th grade, math: algebra, geometry, trigonometry.

14. What’s the most unusual thing you’ve ever eaten?

I don’t believe I’ve eaten anything particularly weird. OK, this is a story from my youth. My mother made… something. It was awful. It had green specks in it. At the time, there was a laundry detergent call Oxydol, and it advertised as having “green bleaching crystals.” So we referred to… whatever it was… as tasting as though it had green bleaching crystals.

15. What’s your favorite family recipe?

I recall no family recipes. My maternal grandmother probably had some, but she evidently never passed them down to her daughter, and certainly not to me. My father was actually a better cook than my mom, but his methodology was to find random leftovers in the refrigerator and mix them together, usually quite well. He called the concoction goulygoop, which we didn’t know until some years later was merely his term for goulash.

Sunday Stealing: Je ne comprends pas

“common sense”

The new Sunday Stealing.

1) What is your favorite way to spend a lazy day?

Je ne comprends pas. Qu’est-ce qu’une journée paresseuse ? I’m not feeling “a lazy day” of late. If I did have one, I would watch the Tonys and the National Spelling Bee Finals, in that order, which I have recorded.

2) What do you look forward to every week?

I like seeing folks at church and attending the Tuesday noon book reviews.

3) Name three pet peeves you currently have

Certain people think their way is the only way.

Some people are “all hat, no cattle”; a recent example is Antonio Brown, the braggadocious owner of the Albany Empire Arena Football team, who got his team booted from the league for non-payment. He reminds me of a particular politician whom he said he admired.

Bad drivers, bike riders, and pedestrians.

4) Where would you choose to go if you were to win an all-expense paid vacation for two weeks to anywhere in the world? What are some of the things you would like to experience while you were there?

I need to go to either Asia, Africa, or South America. I suppose I’d go to Nigeria to be on the grounds of my ancestors. I’m 20% Nigerian, almost entirely on my father’s side. Maybe there are some resources there that would help with my genealogical search. And if not, it’d be worth it anyway.

One Man Army

5) What was one of your favorite toys as a kid? Did you save any special things from your childhood that you still have today?

The only toy I can remember is a Johnny Seven OMA (One Man Army), a multi-function toy weapon produced by Deluxe Reading under their Topper Toys toyline and released in 1964.” It was the best-selling boys’ toy that year. I’m fairly sure I used it in antiwar film my friends made five years later. Featured on Law and Order: Criminal Intent. “Detective Robert Goren finds one in a toy store and demonstrates all seven firing modes” (Episode: Collective) June 2006. Because I’ve dealt with collectibles, I remember seeing that scene and howling with laughter.

The things I have from my childhood tend to be books. One in my line of vision is Play the Game: the Book of Sport, edited by Mitchell V. Charnley (1931). This was an anthology of sports stories from American Boy magazine from 1923 to 1931, which I read repeatedly.

6) What is your favorite holiday? What is your least favorite holiday?

My favorite is Thanksgiving, though I’ve had some terrible ones. My least favorite is Memorial Day because too many people don’t know what it’s supposed to mean.

7) Have you ever met anyone famous? What concerts have you attended?

I’ve answered the famous question recently. Here are some concerts I’ve attended. It does NOT include several classical concerts, mostly the Albany Symphony Orchestra. The one that stands out featured Evelyn Glennie, the percussionist.

Not so common

8) Are there any expressions that people use that really annoy you? If so, what are they?

There are several, but I’ve blocked most of them out. “Common-sense” reforms or gun laws or whatever bugs me because it presupposes some agreed-upon definition of “common sense.”

9) Do you like your name? Are you named after anyone? Is there a story how you got your name? Would you change it if you could? If so, what name would you give yourself?

I’ve told this story before, but I can’t find it. My father named me. At some point after I was born, he was over at his cousin’s house furiously writing…something. He was coming up with a name for which the initials spelled out something but nothing offensive or complicated for me to live with. So Roger Owen Green spelled out ROG. It was brilliant. I love the name, and I wouldn’t change it.

I was not named for anyone. Curiously, my sister Leslie was named after my father. I can’t begin to understand that logic.

10) It is said that it’s the little things that make life worth living. Name five of those little things in your life

Music. And not listening to it but math: 4/4, 6/8, 3/2 et al. The inverted pedal point. Modulations.

Math. 0 squared + 0 +1= 1 squared. 1 squared+1+2=2 squared. 2 squared+2+3=3 squared. Figuring out if a number is divisible by 3 or by 9. License plate algebra.

History. Being a keeper of the history of FantaCo, the comic book store where I worked from May 1980 to November 1988. Doing genealogy and having some luck; see tomorrow’s post.

White noise. It helps me sleep.

Electricity.

Sunday Stealing: Swap Bot

unscheduled

This Sunday Stealing is from Swap Bot, which I misread as Swamp Bot.

Have you tried anything new this year?

I went to a corner grocery store that was six blocks away. I had not been there in decades, if at all, and I’m unsure why. It’s nicer than the store a block closer to me.

Oh, yeah, I also went to France last month. I’d never been anywhere except North America before. The picture is of the bride and the groom’s father at the wedding rehearsal in Erdevan.

What would you do if you didn’t have wifi for a week?

Read books and magazines a lot. Play board games. Talk on the telephone.

Do you like summer? Why or why not?

I don’t mind it unless the sun is scorching. That said, I tend towards the shade because of my vitiligo.

What’s one restaurant that you like in your city? What food do they sell?

Allie B’s Cozy Kitchen serves soul food.

Do you prefer a digital book or a real paper book?

I really can’t concentrate while reading digital books, and have tried. Also, I’m on the computer a lot, so I like paper books.

What’s one thing that you want to buy, but it’s a bit expensive, so you haven’t bought it yet?

A new office chair. It’s a bit shaky. It’s not terribly expensive, but I’m a bit low on funds after going to France.

What tea brands do you like?

I don’t know about brands. I tend to like most teas by most brands. When in doubt, get me English Breakfast.

What’s one food that you can binge eat a lot?

Ritz crackers and cheese together.

Small amounts of money

Write one random thing that happened to you this month.

On June 7, I received an email telling me: “Between June 14^th and June 19^th, 2023, you will be sent a settlement payment from the class action settlement in In re EpiPen Marketing, Sales Practices and Antitrust Litigation, Civil Case No. 2:17-md-02785-DDC-TJJ, pending in the United States District Court for the District of Kansas.”

On June 9, I received an email: “New York Attorney General Letitia James has reached an agreement with Family Energy, Inc. The Office of the Attorney General of the State of New York (“NYAG”) has determined that you are eligible to receive a payment of $57.13 as compensation for money you have lost due to this company’s deceptive business practices.”

Also, on June 9, “Yahoo Data Breach Settlement sent you USD 61.08. Your Yahoo Data Breach settlement payment is now available in PayPal.”

These minor payments to me are undoubtedly a massive pain for the payees.

How many long-term penpals do you have right now? (people who pen pal with you for more than 3 years)

Define penpal. If by that, you mean regular communication, then nobody, and there hasn’t been any since about five years after I got email. Before email, I probably had a couple of dozen folks regularly.

What food do you want to sell if you own a small food trailer?

Not really in my skill set or my interest. Still, I’ll pick eggs because I DO know how to make them scrambled, fried, poached, et al.—some real and faux sausage and toast.

Precious

What’s one handmade gift that you received and really liked?

Messages from my daughter. But I’ve kept several things my daughter has created.

What’s your ideal Saturday like?

Unscheduled, which has not happened nearly often enough. I’d catch up on reading newspapers, watching Finding Your Roots on TV, and finally clean my office.

What things do you like to buy on Etsy?

Not much. My daughter bought rolling pins from Ukraine for her mother, which I paid for. We have ordered delicious bundt cakes from Great Exbaketations Bakery in the past. I bought two obscure CDs in 2022.

What kind of Asian food do you like?

Indian, specifically lamb saag, chicken tikka masala, and others. I also like Chinese food. I’ve enjoyed Thai food the few times I had it.

Sunday Stealing: plans for June, et al

new ancestors

The current Sunday Stealing is again from Stolen from League of Extraordinary penpals. It addresses plans for June and other things.

1. What are your plans for June

It started busy. On June 2, I went to TWO art shows taking place simultaneously for First Friday. Art at APL is at the Pine Hills branch of the library, while my church had art, plus music by the Albany Gay Men’s Chorus. Fortunately, they were the #10 Western Avenue bus away from each other.

On June 3, I attended Pinkster at the Schuyler mansion. It is “a distinctly African celebration through which enslaved and free Africans maintained familial & community ties, traditions, and connections to African culture.

In the future: Help find book reviewers for the FFAPL Tuesday noon talks, working on the Underground Railroad Center’s July 4 event. Give blood this week. Visit another church congregation for a shared picnic. And probably participate in another choir funeral. I’m never bereft of tasks.

2. Your mid-year resolutions or goals

To get through the DVR before September. It’s currently 72% full. I record more than I watch and sometimes give up on programs. Still, I want to see those episodes of Finding Your Roots.

3. Are you good at taking care of plants

No. More than that, Stormy the cat eats plants and then gets sick, so that’s a non-starter.

4. What makes you feel nourished

Physically? Emotionally? I eat oatmeal with blueberries, strawberries, and bananas most days. I listen to music., currently the San Francisco Days CD by Chris Isaak. Listen to Solitary Man. BTW, I was listening to the Brazilian drummers at Pinkster, and I recognized a particular rhythm played on The Obvious Child by Paul Simon, about 3/4 of the way through.

5. Which animals do you see most in your area

Sometimes it’s ravens. The neighborhood cats like our backyard.

6. Books on your summer reading list

The same as are on last summer’s reading list. It’s longer because I keep buying books. The one I grabbed off the shelf was True Believer: The Rise and Fall of Stan Lee by Abraham Riesman. There are a bunch of baseball books I’ve inherited.

Having nothing to do with football

7. Projects you want to tackle this summer

Get reimbursements for my health expenditures. Get a replacement for a lost savings bond. Clean my office.

Work on genealogy. BTW, I just discovered another ancestor this week. I was looking for my mother’s father’s mother, which was a dead end. BUT I found my mother’s father’s father’s parents. Daniel Williams and Sarah Benson had six kids, the eldest three born in Canada.

8. Do you have weddings, graduations, summer celebrations

The UREC 4th of July. Olin family reunion.

9. Which summer snacks are you excited to enjoy again

Corn on the cob, which I’ve already had.

10. How much time do you like to take for vacations

Optimally two weeks, but it doesn’t always work out that way, especially since my wife is still working.

11. How much has changed since last summer?

It’s less COVIDy. For most of last year, Albany County had moderate COVID transmission. Since April 2023, it’s been low transmission. This is huge, especially for congregational singing.

12. Something that would be out of character for you

Brandishing a weapon

13. What do you miss about winter?

My hay fever doesn’t bother me, then.

14. Your favorite free/cost-effective ways to have fun

Listen to music and read.

15. Who do you trust most to house & pet sit

My daughter’s oldest friend, K. we have a demented cat, Midnight, so it’s tricky.