Day #4 6/9/23
Amy here. Our fourth day in Greece was more of a mess than the previous few days. Before the trip had started we had heard how you could run around the Olympic stadium, in the mornings before they started charging admission to see it. We had planned to do this, just to say we had done it. So when we got into the cab, and were chatting away with the cab driver, we were wondering why the ride was taking so long. It turns out there are two Olympic stadiums in Athens; the one we wanted to go to which was built in 330 B.C. and then excavated in the 19th century for the first two modern Olympics and the stadium that hosted the 2004 Olympics. We realized that she was taking us to the stadium that hosted the 2004 Olympics, rather than the one from the 1800’s. When we finally arrived there, and it was crawling with people we didn’t end up running.
Here is what we missed ...
It was disappointing. But then we decided to walk around Athens for a few more hours until we had to catch the ferry to Sifnos. We got some tea and then decided to find a local library. We LOVE libraries (it’s part of the reason we saw the ruins of Hadrian’s library), and have visited many many libraries in our 25 years of marriage. This library, however, was open only by appointment, and the doors were locked. We were denied entry. While we were searching for the library as we walked around we came upon what looked like a protest. It turned out to be a college graduation.
After we could not get into the library we walked around some more and went to a Greek street food place we had learned about on the internet before the trip called O Kostas .
It was amazing, and well worth all the misadventures up to that point.
We then walked back to our hotel, to retrieve our luggage before getting a cab to the ferry. I get seasick and wore these wristbands which apply pressure and they worked like a charm! No ill
effects from the three hour ferry ride. We arrived in Sifnos and I immediately fell in love with Greece!
Have not posted for awhile. More on that later. Now that I'm back, let's get righ to it with this Brady Bunch Avengers parody which is just a little bittersweet as it includes the late Chadwich Boseman. Just a little in the box thinking from the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.
I just finished watching the finals of the 2023 Scripps National Spelling Bee. Before I announce the winner and the winning word I'd like to talk about my involvement in the bee.
I spent the first semester of the 2022 2023 school year as a long term substitute teacher in a 6th and 7th grade autism classroom. My group of students studied the same curriculum as the rest of the students in our school. All my 6th graders and 7th graders participated in a classroom spelling bee, which is the first step in the Scripps spelling bee program.
I drilled my students for several weeks held a few practice bees and even had a scrimmage with another classroom. It was exciting to see all my students grow in their spelling during this process. At the end of the semester they found someone to take over the class and I moved on to my current position as a building sub in a k-5 building. When the 2nd semester began my 6th grade winner and my 7th grade winner participated in spelling bees for their grade. Unfortunately both of my former students got out on their first word.
Tonight I was turning off the television when I saw that the Scripps final bee was about to air live. This brought up memories of my former class. As a substitute teacher I may never get another opportunity to conduct a bee, but it was one of the high points of my educational career.
The finals were amazing. The students were polished, poised and prepared. I especially liked the parts where the judge would affirm the incorrect speller on the amazing run they had just finished.
Dev Shah of Largo, Florida win the competition. Here is how it happened.
The A to Z Road Trip is here. This is a chance to give anyone who wants to regardless of whether they participated in this years A to Z challenge a chance to take a deeper dive into the blogs that did participate.
Here is the link to the road trip. Here is the spreadsheet of those who are so far entering their blogs into the roadtrip.
Today I picked up a book from my library, a biography of Jim Henson. In the prologue he describes a Sesame Street sketch where a little girl is reciting the alphabet to Kermit. I reemebering watching this scene as a kid, and again with my kids when I bought the Sesame Street Old School DVD set, I pulled up the scene from YouTube because it has an a-z vibe to it.
2016 was a big year at the movies for Walt Disney Studios. According to Box Office Mojo, they had 5 of the top 7 grossing films released in that year. It was also a big year for animated children's movies with 3 of the aforementioned top 7. Zootopia was 7th on the list grossing 341.3 million in the U.S. alone.
By gkaidan - Own work, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=42701886
Zootopia - Disney Enterprises Inc.
Zootopia features Ginnifer Goodwin (Once Upon A Time) and Jason Bateman (Arrested Development) as the voices of Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde a bunny on the Zootopia police department, and a fox, a hustler, and a condog (a male fox is called a dog, look it up.).
This movie follows the standard buddy cop movie plot. A by the book, play by the rules cop is partnered with an informant who flaunts and plays fast and loose with the laws. As they learn to work together they go deeper and deeper to uncover a vast conspiracy.
This plot also underlies the main theme of the movie that biases and prejudices don't really show what the true heart of a person, or in this case an animal is.
Positive Tomato: Sure to speak to kids d grown-ups alike, Zootopia unfolds a poignant lesson about how prejudice can hurt people, but also how it can be overcome. And it does all this in a wonderfully fun film. Kristy Pucko - Pajiba
Top 100: I enjoyed this film quite a bit, but it is nowhere near my top 100, I doubt it would even make the top 200.
A to Z Connections: Bonnie Hunt who voices Judy's over-protected Mom also appears in Dave as a very eager White House tour guide. She co-starred, co-wrote, and directed Return To Me.
Today is the 23rd of February. It is also the year 2023. Starting on January 23 (Actually, I started today read more about that by clicking here.) I began making posts about people born on the 23rd of the current month.
Today I am featuring Aziz Ansari who played Tom Haverford on the NBC comedy Parks & Rec.
A Typical Tom Haverford Pose
Ansari was Born on February 23rd, 1983 in Columbia, South Carolina. I was born on the23rd of September in 1964. I graduuated from High School in 1983, and I lived in Columbia for 2 years from 1996 to 1998. If you are not familiar with Park & Rec, the scene below is a really good intro to the Tom Haverford character,
The # 1 song in the United Kingdom on February 23rd, 1983 was Too Shy by Kajagoogoo.
Rich Mullins passed away over 25 years ago. His music is as meaningful and relevant to me today as it was back then. This is one reason why I am so delighted that a recording of a concert he gave many years ago has just been released on almost all of the streaming platforms and is also available on c.d. The Album is called Deep Valley and was recorded at Deep Valley Christian Service Camp in Western Pennsylvania. Rich loved this camp and my understanding is that he performed there often. Here is a recording of the song Finish Line recorded at the camp in July of 1983. (This song is not on the album.)
Rich Mullins's music still has an impact on people today as attested in this New York Times Piece. Bellsburg, the album mentioned in the NYT piece has been available for streaming since November and Deep Valley dropped (as the cool kids say) earlier this month.
Both albums were funded on Kickstarter and produced by Old Bear Records. I received both albums on C.D. by participating in the Kickstarter. I enjoy both albums immensely. I guess if pressed, I would say I like Deep Valley every bit as well as Bellsburg as it is great to hear Rich playing in a concert setting again on a new recording. I highly recommend either album.
My wife and I are going to listen to Deep Valley on the way home from work today.
As you know this is the year 2023. My father and I were each born on the 23rd day of our birth month. I decided that this year on the blog each month on the 23rdI would feature someone famous or otherwise who was born that day. I am writing this on February 23rd and postdating it on January 23rd as I clean forgot about doing this for January.
Mariska Hargitay was born on January 23rd, 1964. I was born on September 23rd, 1964. She and I have the 23rd and 1964 in common. She is now 59 and I have 8 months (or so) to have that in common with her as well.
This is the go-to pose of her SVU character
Hargitay's mother was actress Jayne Mansfield who died when Hargitay was 3 years old. Hargitay is best known for her role as Olivia Benson on the Law & Order spinoff series, Law & Order SVU.
On January 23rd, 1964 the # 1 single in the United Kingdom was Glad All Over by The Dave Clark 5.
Amy gave me some White Sox Ticket vouchers as a Christmas gift and while I am excited for the future of the White Sox, I still love the past of the White Sox. Here are some videos featuring HOF pitcher Jim Kaat, The former White SOx hurler. The first is his induction speech at the Hall if Fame last summer.
The second is an interview he did on the MLB network after the passing of Dick Allen.
I was very glad to see Kaat finally make it to Cooperstown. It's too bad Allen did not make it in his lifetime, I hope that He will make it soon.
Love,
Crazy Uncle Dave
In the world of Contemporary Music their are few bigger names than Keith Green and Rich Mullins. Admittedly, there are literally bigger names as the aforementioned take up only 5 combined syllables and fit comfortably on the 1/3 of the first line of this text. Their actual names may be small but their impact on the lives of believers has been great indeed,
Keith Green share many of the same attributes including the same birthday, today, October 21st (Keith in 1953, and Rich in 1955). They were both gifted musicians and lyricists. They both were outspoken in their faith and counter cultural in their approach to ministry. They also died very young in vehicular accidents.
Due to a plane crash in 1982, Keith Green did not live to see his 30th birthday and Mullins who covered a Green song on the 1992 tribute album No Compromise died in a car crash in 1997, just over a month before his 42nd birthday.
Green before his conversion to Christianity was headed to a career as a rock and roll teen sensation. The below footage is from a guest appearance on the panel show I've got a Secret when he was 11 years old. After revealing his secret The youngster performs one of the songs he composed.
It is no secret that the music, the vulnerability, and the passion of both Green and Mullins has informed my own journey. It is fitting that they shared the same birthday , the same passion for Christ and the same method of expressing that passion. They also share a place in my heart for how their music and ministry still inspires me to this day.
Today is my birthday and a few months ago I noticed that one of my White Sox heroes, Lance Johnson, had a 6 hit 3 triple game against the Minnesota Twins on my birthday back in 1995. Here's the footage ...
I have really enjoyed my short time as part of the Poetry Friday community. Up until a month ago or so, I would just occasionally see links to it on some of the blogs I follow. It wasn't until 4 weeks ago that I started posting there.
I love music, and I have a very eclectic taste in music. There are many things I enjoy about music, but I think overall I am drawn to the lyrics. Today's "Poem" is actually lyrics from a song that I think would make excellent poetry. I think once a month or so, I will share some of these songs here and post them as well to Poetry Friday, which by the way is being hosted this week by Janice at Salt City Verse.
Today's Poem/Song is How Can They Live Without Jesus by the late Keith Green.
Before I reveal the lyrics, a few quick comments about them and the writer. Keith Green was a contemporary Christian musician (CCM) from the mid-'70s to the late '80s who died in a plane crash in 1982. He was a gifted pianist, singer, and songwriter.
This song has a very strong and clear Christian message. It is a message that many may take umbrage with. I don't share it here to be divisive or evangelical. While I agree with the tone and the message of the song, I share it here because I think it's great poetry. I find it thought-provoking, and at the same time, it is enjoyable.
How Can They Live Without Jesus
How can they live without Jesus?
How can they live without Gods love?
How can they feel so at home down here,
When there's so much more up above?
Throwing away the things that matter,
They hold on to things that don't.
The world has gone crazy,
But soon maybe,
A lot more are gonna know.
For maybe they don't understand it
Or maybe they just haven't heard
Or maybe we're not doing all we can
Living up to His Holy Word.
'Cause phonies have come
And wrongs been done
Even killing in Jesus' name
And if you've been burned,
Here's what I've learned:
The Lord's not the one to blame.
For He's just not religion
With steeples and bells
Or a salesman who will sell you
The things you just want to hear
For His love was such
That he suffered so much
To cause some of us
Just to follow, follow
So many laughing at Jesus
While the funnies thing That He's done
Is love this old stubborn rebellious world
While their hate for him just goes on
And love just like that
Will bring Him back
for the few, He can call his friends
The ones He's found true
Who've made it through
Enduring until the end
The ones He's found true
Who've made it through
Enduring until the end
If you are interested in hearing the song, here is a rendition by the CCM vocal group, Glad.
My ADD gets in the way of my everyday life but it often leaves a pleasant wake in it's path. Today, right now in fact,I was getting ready to leave the house on what will be a very busy day. I couldn't find my phone and when I found it it was totally uncharged so I needed to charge it. I noticed it had earbuds in it that were not working on my phone last night when I was trying to listen to Moby Dick before I went to bed. So, instead of plugging in the phone and continuing to get ready to leave. I took the earbuds plus the phone to the computer to check if the earbuds worked on the computer, which they did.
I thought the best way to check it, would be to go to YouTube . Instead of going to the video I was going to look up, I got distracted by a Jim Edmonds video and began watching the video of his 8 amazing catches. I liked it so much, I decided to post it here. I also googled Jim Edmonds HOF and found this good article about his qualifications to be voted in by the veteran's committee. I was right about to go back in my archives and see if I voted for him on my mock ballot when he was eligible, when my wife walked by and asked if I found my phone and then reminded me it still needed to be charged. I'm going to go back now to my busy day, which I just made a little busier for myself. Thanks ADD!.
When I post this in a few days, the today referenced at the top of this (6/24/2022) will actually be in the past. How long in the past? Only my ADD can say for sure. For now: enjoy this video of great Edmonds catches that my ADD left in it's wake.
.png "By gkaidan - Own work, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=42701886")
