It's Poetry Friday time and since this is my first Friday since school ended, I thought I might celebrate the start of my ntwith sharing a poem here.
I wrote this poem 32 years ago when I was in my late 20's. I came across it today when going through boxes stored in our Garage Attic or the Grattic as we like to call it.
I recited this poem publicly some 30 years ago. It went over like a lead balloon like all the poems I recited that night. I tool one of them out of mothballs and posted it here on Poetry Friday 3 years back. It was well received so I thought I'd share this one as well.
Life In A Hall of Mirrors
Distant music of the Ice Cream Truck
Wafts sweetly through the streets
Children Stop Their Playing
Pavlovian dogs pull allowance out of pockets
Catching A glimpse of the truck
They pursue their pied piper
The Truck stops; The smiling driver is cheered by the crows
The children happily exchange their money
For sticks wrapped in paper
An old man watches them pretend to eat ice cream
And tells of the old days
When The Ice Cream Man sold Ice Cream
(And it cost less too!)
The children say they like pretending better
The Ice Cream Man drives off
Wondering what to leave off next
The stick or the wrapper
Karen Edmisten is hosting Poetry Friday this week. Click here to get there.
Introduction: Vladimir Lebedev is one of my favorite people in the world. I have thought this about him almost since I met him in Khabarovsk, Russia in December of 1992. Vladimir has has worn many hats in the time I've known him. chauffeur, itinerant musician, soldier, interpreter, pastor, international student, father, husband, missionary but with every hat he's always tried to adorn himself with humility, wisdom, grace, and a desire to show God to others.
To that end, I was delighted, but not surprised, when Vladimir shared some thoughts on musicians using their platforms on his Facebook page earlier this week. I am sharing them here with links to some of the songs that he referenced. I'll add some of my thoughts about his musical musings at the end.
Rock musicians keep dreaming. Good intentions. Strong lyrics. Terrific music. Is there a solution to the world’s evils? Can humanity come together to live in peace? Can we stop hypocrisy and greed in the governments to bring wars to an end? Can we finally start caring for one another instead of looking for reasons to separate and hate?
Long ago, John Lennon with his “Imagine.” Freddy Mercury of Queen with his “Show must go on.” Ozzy (Osbourne) with his “Dreamer.” Russian rockers of various types Zemlyane, Kruiz, and Aria with their “songs for peace.” And more recently Udo Dirkschneider with his soul-shattering “One Heart, One Soul.”
This indeed is a passionate call for common sense, for something every human soul feels deep within. But where is it really taking us? Is there something missing in this search? Is it not crying out into a void? It is impossible to, in the words of Bono from U2, "find what we are looking for" without turning to our Creator and Savior who revealed himself to humanity in the person of Jesus the Christ. He has everything that our whole beings are craving for.
Maybe Blacky Lawless of WASP is right when he sings:
[Verse 1]
Gazing through the window at the world outside
Wondering will mother earth survive
Hoping that mankind will stop abusing her sometime
After all, there's only just the two of us
And here we are still fighting for our lives
Watching all of history repeat itself time after time
[Chorus]
I'm just a dreamer
I dream my life away
I'm just a dreamer
Who dreams of better days
[Verse 2]
I watch the sun go down like everyone of us
I'm hoping that the dawn will bring a sign
A better place for those who will come after us this time
[Chorus]
I'm just a dreamer
I dream my life away, oh yeah
I'm just a dreamer
Who dreams of better days
This indeed is a passionate call for common sense, for something every human soul feels deep within. But where is it really taking us? Is there something missing in this search? Is it not crying out into a void?
It is impossible to “find what we are looking for” (in the words of Bono of U2) without turning to our Creator and Savior who revealed himself to humanity in the person of Jesus the Christ. He has everything that our whole beings are craving for.
Maybe Blacky Lawless of WASP is right when he sings:
Jesus, I need you now
Show me, I'm lost somehow . . .
Is there no hope for me?
Oh, somewhere you'll show for me?
Oh, I'm holding on, believing there's a reason I can find
Ooh, Lord remember me, take me up tonight
(Golgotha, 2015)
Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For - Sing 2
Draw closer, though they’re still as cold as ever…
And like at the hour of eclipse,
And like at the hour of eclipse,
We wait for light and see our earthly dreams…
And we dream not of thunder at the cosmodrome,
Not of the ice-cold blue of the sky -
But we dream of grass - the grass beside our house
Green, green grass…
—
And we fly our orbits,
Unbeaten paths -
Lifetimes like meteors in the vastness…
Courage and risk were justified,
For the music of space
Floats into our matter-of-fact talk…
In some opaque haze
Earth in the viewport -
An early evening-time twilight…
But the son misses his mother
But the son misses his mother -
The mother waits for her son, as the earth awaits her children…
And we dream not of thunder at the cosmodrome,
Not of the ice-cold blue of the sky -
But we dream of grass - the grass beside our house
Green, green grass…
Dave's Thoughts: I really appreciated Vladimir's take on this, I think it's especially important to note that trying to fix a broken world is a universal pursuit. It is not just an American past time. In the 1970's there were many popular songs that I would call searching songs. Songs like Desperado by the Eagles and Dust In the Wind by Kansas. In the late 70's early 80's the years of my spiritual formation many people would use these songs in the same way Paul used the statues on Mar's Hill, as a way to pointing to the truth of Jesus. Vladimir is essentially doing similar work in his comments here.
Yesterday I posted Ronald Reagan's commencement address from Eureka College when He was President of the Unite States. . Today, I have footage of him while Governor of California performing at a celebrity roast for Bob Hope.
My Brother texted me during the coverage of the announcement of the new pope that one of my childhood White Sox heroes, Chet Lemon had passed away. Now, that Dick Allen has been elected to the Hall of Fame, Lemon is one of the best White Sox players to not make it to Cooperstown. A 3 time all star, and a World Series champion with the 1984 Tigers. Lemon was aggressive at the plate, on the base paths, and patrolling center field. In the time he played in the MLB between 1975 and 1990 he was 2nd in being hit by a pitch. He holds the American League single season record for most put outs as a centerfielder (509 in 1997) when he was with the White Sox.
Some of Lemon's leatherwork is in display when he was on the Baseball Bunch T.V. show. In the episode he works with young players on how to run down a ball and be aware of the fence.
Footage of Lemon's famous catch in game 3 of the 1984 World Series.
I shared a clip from this speech last year. I thought it would be interesting to share the speech on it's 43rd anniversary, the year that the average Eureka grad is reaching retirement age.
Judson University is located about a mile from my house. I drive by it 10 to 15 times a week and have seen many concerts and performances at it over the years. I even ran in a 5 k there. A few years ago I walked into the church I was attending at the time and saw that Bob Bennett was going to be performing a few songs during the service.
The director of the Judson Choir was also the worship director at this church and Bob and the Choir were recording a live album together and the director had arranged for Bob to sing at our church that Sunday morning.
I took one or two videos from my phone of his songs and have posted them on you tube and some of them here over the years. I didn't take this video it was filmed at Judson during the course of making the album. Now, that the A to Z challenge is over I'd like to have a few more midweek music breaks and thought this would be an excellent place to start.
If a picture is worth 1,000 words, how many rants are 4 worth? I'll just put one short one at the end,
The Rant: I have worked a myriad of jobs and at none of them have I always felt valued. It is a promise that no employer can keep especially one like McDonalds with a long history of exploiting their workers.
For More Wordless Wednesday click here for the Wordless Wednesday blog and here for the comedy plus site. As I am participating in both places today.
As with all the 12 New Movie reviews , I will attempt to do the following:
Rate each movie on a 1 (worst movie ever) to 5 (best movie I have seen) scale.
Provide a 2-3 sentence summary of the movie.
I will share 1 theme from the movie.
Write one thing I liked about the movie and 1 thing I disliked about the movie.
State who I think would make the best audience for this movie.
The Train (1964) Rating 3 stars out of 5
Summary: At the end of World War II, A Nazi officer (Paul Scofield) attempts to bring a train filled with French art masterpieces to Germany. The station master (Burt Lancaster) who is also part of the French resistance is tasked to stop the train from getting to Germany.
Theme: Is art worth dying for?
Likes: When I heard Paul Scofield (A Man for All Seasons, Quiz Show) was in this film I jumped at the chance to see it. Scofield does not disappoint. His performances are known for being multilayered and this is no exception. I also like the fact that this is filmed in black & white.
Dislikes: This movie did not live up to the expectations I was given on line. It would have worked as a straight action movie and it would have worked as a straight character study. It almost works as both and almost is where the disappointment comes from.
A Good Audience for this Film:3 audiences come to mind: People who like WW II films, admirers of the films directed by John Frankenheimer, and people like myself who come running when they hear the name Paul Scofield.
2025 New To Me Film Update
I have watched and reviewed 3 films:
Films released from 2009 to 2024 Watched 0 Remaining 2
Films released from 1994 to 2008 Watched 1 Remaining 1
Films released from 1979 to 1993 Watched 0 Remaining 2
Films released from 1964 to 1978 Watched 1 Remaining 1
Films released from 1949 to 1963 Watched 0 Remaining 2
Films released before 1934 and up to 1948 Watched 1 Remaining 1
Around 5 years ago Allen Levi shared this song on you tube. It was April 27th 2020. We were about 6 weeks into Co-vid lockdown and Allen shared this song from his porch. I meant to share it last Sunday which was the 5 year anniversary of it's release. I was just at the end of catching up in the A to Z challenge and finishing the last week up. Now that the song is 5 years and a week old I'm sure it will resonate just a little differently than it would have last week at 5 ...
Welcome to our first post A to Z Challenge Team Saturdazzle of the year.
I am on the road today so I am literally phoning this post in. I am emailing this directly to my blog from my phone.
This morning Amy Charlie and I participated in the Northern Illinois Foodbank 5K. It was a lot of fun. We all finished in less than an hour. I wasn't sure if I'd be able to run the entire race without walking but I was able to.
In the A to Z challenge this year in the A to Zs of me J stood for Jester and I was in full jester mode at the race. Where my self designated task was to bring fun and merriment wherever I went. I would make jokes as I passed people and say things like don't these Saturday DMV lines get longer every year. When I ran past the 2 mile marker I told one of the many volunteers encouraging us along the path to ask me to tell her a Broadway themed 5 k pun when she obliged. I said 1 mile more and I'll be less miserable.
The Jesting did not end after I finished the race. I waited for Amy to near the finish line and let the audience in on the big reveal...
After the race Amy and I grabbed some lunch and drove to the Rosemont L station where we took a blue line train then a red line train to Comiskey park in Chicago. Now in fairness it hasn’t been called Comiskey since 2003 it’s now on it’s 3rd name change I’ll just call it Sox Park.
Today the White Sox played the Astros and despite getting 5 strong innings from their starter and scoring 3 runs in the bottom of the first for an early lead they lost to Houston 8 to 3.
This is not what brought Amy and I to the ball park today. Amy went because she’s always up for an adventure and I went for the commemorative Dick Allen bobble head.
In The Box
Outside The Box
Photo by John Iacano/Sports Illustrated
The Bobble head was modeled after the iconic 1972 Sports Illustrated cover of Allen juggling in the dugout in his first season with the White Sox. By the 1970's public perception was already changing about smoking. Allen was reprimanded by the White Sox for the incident. The bobble head is true to the SI cover except Allen is not smoking.
As I’ve said in these pages before, as recently as W is for White Sox fan, Dick Allen is one of the main reasons I became a Sox fan.
Allen was at long last posthumously elected to Baseballs Hall of Fame earlier this year. Several members of Allen’s family were on hand today for the celebration and will be in Cooperstown in July when Allen will be inducted into the Hall.
It was really quite a day.
The 2025 A to Z challenge is over. I finished. My theme this year was the A to Z's of me .
During the last few weeks of each year I spend a lot of time tinkering with the look of my blog. I made a text box called Me from A to Z. It had an attribute of me from A to Z. As I shared in my theme reveal the original 26 attributes were :
Amateur Parodist, Blogger, Christian, Daring do-gooder, Evangelical sans Trump Kool-Aid,
Father of 3 adult children, Giraffe lover, Husband of one amazing wife, Illinois resident,
Quintessential worker ,RITA (Republican in theory, anyways.) ,Sixty something
Teller of jokes,U of I Parent - ILL,Voracious reader, Willy Wonka Wannabe, Xenophile ,Yankovic enthusiast ,Zoo attender
I made the list , put it on my blog home page and kinda forgot about it. As I began to prepare for the challenge I ruminated between several ideas for themes. I thought about going without a theme
or even not participating and just concentrating on reading and commenting. Then I remembered the list. I hadn't even considered using it for the challenge when I created it.
As I began to prepare posts that matched the titles it became clear that some of those titles weren't going to make it to the final product. I have emboldened the attributes I didn't use in the list above and the attributes I replaced them with in the links below. For example in the middle of March I stopped subbing at the middle school I'd been at for over 2 years. So M for Middle school had to go. Others were so similar that expanding on them made it seem like I was being redundant.
This is the 4th year that I have been copying and pasting the same introduction at the beginning of my posts. I did use 2 variants of the intro this year: 1 for when I was posting on time and 1 for when my posts were late. In the latter I would say how many posts I was behind. I stayed up to date from amateur to Iguchi and caught up at Xenophile and was still on pace when I ended at zoo. I was late for a little more than 1/2 of the challenge. The funny thing is I posted on my blog on both the K and the L day which is where I fell behind. They just weren't A to Z posts.
Being behind didn't bother me too much. I was always confident that I would finish. It did impede with my reading and commenting on blogs which was the least I have ever done in all my years doing the challenge. I did get to more of that in the last few days once I caught up.
Something I did this year that really helped me get to this reflection right away is that from day 2 I built the index of the challenge on my daily post. So, it was a simple matter of changing the topic from the previous day from "A is for " to "A was for" and then copying and pasting the whole thing to the current letter. Today all I did was take my list from the beginning of Wednesday's post and change is to was for Z. I'll change them all back to is when I put the index on a page in my blog later this month.
One thing that surprised me this year was how many of my posts had political or spiritual components. I guess I shouldn't be so surprised since my theme was me and I do have spiritual and political components. I did go hard after Trump on 3 occasions and restrained myself from making it four when I was writing X is for xenophile.
There were many posts including lots of A, some of B, and all of C where I reused previous posts, pictures, poems and songs. Again, with the subject being me, it felt natural to share as many examples of me as possible.
A is for Amateur Parodist may have been my favorite post this year. It had links to works by 3 other parodists, examples of some of my older parodies, and 2 that were written while I was writing the post. I was especially proud of Amlodopine, which is a parody of Yesterday that starts with someone singing the praise of the efficacy of their blood pressure medicine and quickly changes into a rant of how Trumps first 100 days is making him more dependent than ever on the medicine. In my mind, the song became an homage to the old Sesame Street segment when Kermit The Frog would interview Don Music at the piano and after a little head bashing on the piano due to writer's block the lyrics of the song would change dramatically from the original.
I enjoyed participating in the A to Z challenge again this year. For more about the A to Z reflections click here. To sign up for the reflections click here.For the reflections spreadsheet click here.
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