Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Today
It's snowy and cold and windy in the northeast today. A fitting end to a strange year. It's a bit insulating as long as you're indoors, so that's kind of nice for a day like this. On the other hand, I must venture forth for groceries (one's guests and oneself must ingest at least a bit of something other than good wine and cheese) and, later, to spend the evening with good friends.

To anyone who chances by,
and to my blogging friends,
and to my family (especially t3ccitw),
I wish the best of years
in the up and coming not-quite-prime-number 2009.

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Permalink | 6 comment(s) | posted by jau at 11:45 AM

Monday, December 29, 2008
Anniversaries
It's Marianne Faithfull's birthday. She's awesome. Listen to something by her today.

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Permalink | 0 comment(s) | posted by jau at 2:03 PM

Friday, December 5, 2008
Anniversary
Talk about an important day. Many children, movie makers, movie goers and people in general should celebrate today and honor the 107th birthday of Walt Disney (the man, not the studio).

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Permalink | 0 comment(s) | posted by jau at 6:28 AM

Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Birthdays
Peter Falk is only 3 years younger than Lauren Bacall??!!! And they are, respectively, 81 and 84 today?? Wow! Well, happy birthday to them both.

It's also Henry V's 621st birthday today. If you've never seen Kenneth Branagh's film of the same name, you must. It's fantastic.

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Permalink | 0 comment(s) | posted by jau at 9:09 AM

Thursday, September 11, 2008
Joseph Vitale, one of 2996
Reprinted from 9/11/06 and 9/11/07. My very small part in bloggers' tribute to the 2996 is posting Joshua Vitale's profile originally published in the NYTimes on 10/28/01.
Joshua Vitale and Ina Weintraub had been best friends since they were seventh graders in Syosset, on Long Island. Two years ago, when they were 26, Mr. Vitale made a confession as they left the movies. " He said he'd been in love with me for many years and that if he didn't tell me this now he would always regret it," Ms. Weintraub said. "I was so blown away I didn't talk to him for three months. "When the dust settled, the couple's life together quickly fell into place. They got engaged and moved into an apartment in Great Neck, N.Y. Mr. Vitale, who had been a wanderer, a party animal and something of a lost soul for much of his 20's, got a job at Cantor Fitzgerald's trading desk."Once we got together it was like we were shooting for the stars," Ms. Weintraub said. "We were so happy."

Two days before Sept. 11, [2001,] the couple tried to get tickets to the United States Open tennis tournament, without success. Josh said: 'Forget the Open. Why don't we go to the zoo?'" Ms. Weintraub said. The couple communed with the gorillas at the Bronx Zoo, and then Mr. Vitale, his wandering instincts intact, found a path where they had a picnic together. "There was nothing left unsaid between us," Ms. Weintraub said. " He knew how much I loved him and I will always know how much he loved me."

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Permalink | 0 comment(s) | posted by jau at 8:23 AM

9-11





....If only I knew what I know today
I would hold you in my arms, I would take the pain away
Thank you for all you’ve done, forgive all your mistakes
There’s nothing I wouldn’t do to hear your voice again
Sometimes I want to call you but I know you won’t be there…

If I had just one more day
I would tell you how much I’ve missed you
since you’ve been away....

from “Hurt” by Christina Aguilera

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Permalink | 0 comment(s) | posted by jau at 12:01 AM

Saturday, September 6, 2008
9*11*08
McCain and Obama will speak together on September 11th, at Columbia University (here is the press release).

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Permalink | 0 comment(s) | posted by jau at 5:35 PM

4 years and counting
Just realized that Thursday was JMBM's 4th anniversary. Hard to believe I've actually done this that long. 1542 posts over 1460 days so I've met my goal of writing more or less at least one sentence every day. I still haven't figured out why I find it perfectly easy to write here but paralyzingly hard to write freely on a piece of paper or in a word processing program. I know I've never liked doing much of anything unless there's an audience of at least one, though, so perhaps it's knowing that people might be reading what I write, or is it the punch and brevity? I wonder if other bloggers find blogging or "real" writing easier.

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Permalink | 9 comment(s) | posted by jau at 8:50 AM

Monday, July 21, 2008
Over the moon

Amazingly it's been 39 years since Neil Armstrong walked on the moon. I wonder whether it was one of those nights like last night and tonight when the moon looked very low, huge, full and bright orange. More photos at boston.com.

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Permalink | 0 comment(s) | posted by jau at 2:35 AM

Thursday, July 17, 2008
Musing Laura
Happy 3rd blogiversary to Laura! The 6th was Laura's own birthday and apparently today is her blog's. She's definitely one of the good guys, always articulate and verbal, always fun, informative and interesting to read. She thinks and writes with a vibrant combination of rationality, emotion and sense and covers a wide variety of subjects in the process so visiting her blog is like visiting with a friend. Which is why I often bring a cup of coffee! Besides, anyone who loves old movies and Disneyland as much as she does must be seriously okay.

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Permalink | 2 comment(s) | posted by jau at 11:37 PM

Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Happy birthdays
Apparently (h/t Missy) July 6th was Laura's birthday - HAPPY BIRTHDAY, if nine days late. She shares the day with GWB and a good friend of mine who weaves and the Dalai Lama (and a whole host of interesting people, as a matter of fact).

The day before it was the 4th birthday of one of T2CGITW. I do not know how that is at all possible but she is the cat's meow and all that.

It was a weekend for good people.

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Permalink | 2 comment(s) | posted by jau at 11:54 AM

Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Juxtapositions
   Another interesting day of similar (or not) birthday celebrants:

   – John Wesley,
   – Newt Gingrich and John Murtha
    - who do have much in common as it happens,
   – Escher,
   – Joe Piscopo,
   – Mark Linn-Baker,
   – John Hersey, and
– Dean Martin, Igor Stravinsky, James Brown, Barry Manilow, Ruben Blades and Red Foley - who have music in common, albeit extremely different music.

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Permalink | 0 comment(s) | posted by jau at 9:12 AM

Tuesday, June 3, 2008
History is made
We should pause a moment to recognize and honor the enormous thing that has occurred today:

a black man is an elected nominee for the office of president of the United States of America

Only a few short decades ago, black people could not attend college with white people in many states of this country. Only a few short decades ago, powerful hoses were turned on black children as they walked to school. Only a few short decades ago, appallingly, some people made outdoor sport of chasing and shooting black people set to running through the woods like animals.

Now, in the spring of 2008, the large numbers of votes cast for Obama in every state of the union makes it evident that monumental change has occurred and, whatever you think of the merits of the person himself, it is an important and superb moment for humanity.

Sadly, many people perished in the struggle for human equality. It would be good if they all somehow know what has happened.

An ironic postscript is the fact that today is the 200th anniversary of the birth of Jefferson F. Davis, President of the Confederate States of America.

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Permalink | 2 comment(s) | posted by jau at 11:27 PM

Thursday, May 29, 2008
Birthdays
What a day. Many of the honorees seem to have several traits in common, at least as far as their public personnae and fame convey. They're forceful, creative, funny, verbal and smart.
JFK, Chesterton, Patrick Henry, Spengler, Paul Ehrlich, Annette Benning, Melissa Etheridge, Noel Gallagher, Herb Shriner, Scary Spice (I mean Melanie Brown) and David Hinkley (oops), also Bob Hope and Beatrice Lillie (both of whom were simply awesome and incredible entertainers)
Happy day to them all and happy memories and thoughts as we picture them.

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Permalink | 0 comment(s) | posted by jau at 9:19 AM

Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Today
Today ("super Tuesday") is Adlai Stevenson's 108th birthday. Perfect.

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Permalink | 0 comment(s) | posted by jau at 9:27 AM

Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Today's birthday
Amusingly enough, today is the 95th anniversary of Richard Nixon's birth. If anyone had thought of it, or at least mentioned it, it might have explained a lot of yesterday's apparently unpredictable behavior in New Hampshire's voting booths.

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Permalink | 0 comment(s) | posted by jau at 9:25 AM

Tuesday, January 1, 2008
Today
Nice touch that today is Edmund Burke's birthday.

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Permalink | 0 comment(s) | posted by jau at 10:17 AM

Sunday, November 11, 2007
Peace in our time
Although I absolutely honor and respect the military - without whom there would be no peace or freedom because human nature is so idiotic so often - I also yearn for the peace and decency that idealism makes one think is possible. Folk music has often championed international and human peace, sometimes with a gentle touch that seems almost onomatopoeic. So, today, Veterans Day, JMBM brings you a lovely recent performance by Cat Stevens of his marvelous Peace Train (h/t Music and Cats, one of my favorite blogs). Steven's voice was and still is one of the most infectious ever, and I really love this song. Most happily for us all, Stevens has decided that he should not remain in hermit-like remove. Anyway, take a moment to listen, today especially. It's a real pleasure to hear. And its message to celebrate.

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Permalink | 2 comment(s) | posted by jau at 12:56 AM

Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Birthdays
No way. Grace Slick is 68 today. Surely not. She'll always be a rambunctious kid. Happy birthday, Gracie!!!!

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Permalink | 1 comment(s) | posted by jau at 9:57 AM

Friday, July 6, 2007
Birthdays
Quite a week, people-wise. July 4th was the birthday of the U.S. (Wednesday) and yesterday (Thursday) was the birthday of two work friends AND the younger of t2cgitw and today is the birthday of the Dalai Lama, Nancy Reagan and George W. Bush. Therefore:
HAPPY BIRTHDAYS!!!!!

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Permalink | 5 comment(s) | posted by jau at 10:06 AM