A Quote to Start Things Off

Somebody told me there was no such thing as truth. I said if that's the case then why should I believe you" -Lecrae - Gravity

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Pictures of Memories I

Pictures of Memories I
Snow kidding! These "kids" now range from 17 to 23

2024 A to Z Challenge

#AtoZChallenge 2024 badge

Wednesday, April 3, 2024

A to Z 2024: C is for Cinematic Compositions

#AtoZChallenge 2024 letter C

For The A to Z Challenge this year, I am focusing on everyday holidays. Each day there are multiple unusual things to celebrate.  Every day of the challenge I look for an event taking place that day and pair it with the letter of the day.  I have also made up 5 holidays to coincide with the vowel days of the challenge.  At the end of each post I will share a special song of the day for that day's letter.  At the end of the month, these songs will be assembled in a to z keepsake playlist on Spotify.  Every day is a celebration, let's unwrap today's together. 

Today's Holiday: National Film Score Day

April 3rd is National Film Score Day.  It is held every year on this day to commemorate the release of the Jungle Book in 1942.  According to National Today that day was chosen because Miklos Rosza's score was  so transformative  that they chose the  date  of the "release of 'The Jungle Book' to mark the first time film scores acquired importance.

Here is the trailer for the Jungle Book which features some of the score.

The reasoning for the choice is date is a bit of an exaggeration.  Film scores had already acquired importance by 1942. I know this for a few reasons one is that by the mid 1930's The Academy of Motion Picture Sciences was already giving out Academy Awards for best Score.  In1939, for example Erich Wolfgang Korngold won the Academy Award for the score for The Adventures of Robin Hood.


I don't have a top 10 list of film score composers, but it sounds like a kind of  thing I should have.  That list would almost certainly include the composers of some of my favorite scores of all time like the aforementioned Korngold (Adventures of Robin Hood),  Dimitri Tiomkin (High Noon), Vangelis (Chariots of Fire), and John Williams (Star Wars).  

In addition, The 2006 rom com The Holiday has a great scene in it where Jack Black who is playing a film score composer is in a Blockbuster and is explaining as only Jack Black can  how great film scores can be.  It also features a killer cameo by Dustin Hoffman and I have it all queued up for you, so enjoy.


To see a longer clip of the same scene click here.  (The longer scene includes some plot points and may be confusing to those  who have not  yet seen the film.)


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Today's song of the day is Coast to Coast by Noel Paul Stookey & Bodyworks.

 

That brings the number of songs in the Leap of Dave 2024 Blogging A to Z Playlist up to 3.

Note: If you look at theses posts any time after the day they drop, which is certainly fine and encouraged, the playlist will go up to the date you are looking at the post.



So that ends the film on the letter C. I think you know the score.  (I made the exact same kind of joke at this point in yesterdays post.  If you don't remember, o don't believe me  you can always click here. Before you go , feel free to leave a comment.  Do you like movie scores?  Do you have a favorite? 

Oh, speaking of comments, here is an unabashed plug.  Feel free to check out some of my other posts from before the challenge began.  I don't get a lot of traffic on the blog outside of the challenge, and while I mostly blog for my own amusement, and enlightenment.  I wouldn't mind amusing and enlightening a bigger audience.  So check out of my previous posts, here is the last one I did before the challenge began. If you do check them out maybe you can leave a comment there as well.  Thank you very much.  This way if you like what I'm cooking, you can continue to join me after the challenge.  

To go to the home of the A to Z challenge click here, to see the 2024 master list of participating blogs click here. Enjoy the 2024 A to Z challenge, and Happy Holidays!

Tuesday, April 2, 2024

A to Z 2024 - B is for Books for Children

#AtoZChallenge 2024 badge B

For The A to Z Challenge this year, I am focusing on everyday holidays. Each day there are multiple unusual things to celebrate.  Every day of the challenge I look for an event taking place that day and pair it with the letter of the day.  I have also made up 5 holidays to coincide with the vowel days of the challenge.  At the end of each post I will share a special song of the day for that day's letter.  At the end of the month, these songs will be assembled in a to z keepsake playlist on Spotify.  Every day is a celebration, let's unwrap today's together. 

Yesterday, I created a new made up holiday by making one up.  Today I will regale you with info regarding a Holiday that someone else made up.  Today is Children's Picture book day! 

Here is an informative video from the  Champaign Library.




 

Like many of these made up Holidays the day we celebrate it is based on a relevant birthday.  The birthday in this instance is Hans Christian Anderson who was born on this day in 1805.  

In preparation for this post I watched the Danny Kaye Film Hans Christian Anderson.  I will review the film sometime shortly after the challenge is complete.  Here is the trailer.  

Exactly 98 years and 11 months after  Han's Christian Anderson's birthday Theodor Geisel much better known as Dr. Seuss was born on March 2nd 1904.  Geisel became a pioneer in children's picture books.  




The book, “The Cat in The Hat,” by Dr. Seuss, sits on a book shelf at West Elementary School during a National Read Across America Day event Mar. 2, 2017 at Yokota Air Base, Japan. National Read Across America Day is a holiday to share the fun of reading with children of all ages, and is celebrated on Dr. Seuss’ birthday. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Donald Hudson) Unit: 374th Airlift Wing DVIDS Tags: Japan; Yokota Air Base; 374th Airlift Wing; Dr. Seuss; National Read Across America Day

One of my favorite kinds of picture books is what I call Alphabet books.  These books much like the A to Z challenge take a subject and then devote 1 page and 1 picture per letter of the alphabet.  On a recent trip to the Beloit Public Library (which I will also be reviewing after the challenge)  I was reminded of my love for Alphabets and took pictures of several of them














Not sure why that pen is in all the pictures, it's nothing to write home about.  

Among other holidays occurring today is Autism Awareness Day.  

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Today's song of the day  is Broken Things by Julie Miller



The Leap of Dave A to Z Spotify Playlist is now up to 2 songs.


Time to close the book on the letter B.  I think you get the picture.  As you head back to more of the challenge or just your regularly scheduled life feel free to leave a comment.  Maybe you can let me know what your favorite picture book is/was and why.  


 To go to the home of the A to Z challenge click here, to see the 2024 master list of participating blogs click here. Enjoy the 2024 A to Z challenge, and Happy Holidays!

Monday, April 1, 2024

A to Z 2024: A is for Adult Children

#AtoZChallenge 2024 badge A

For The A to Z Challenge this year, I am focusing on everyday holidays. Each day there are multiple unusual things to celebrate.  Every day of the challenge I look for an event taking place that day and pair it with the letter of the day.  I have also made up 5 holidays to coincide with the vowel days of the challenge.  At the end of each post I will share a special song of the day for that day's letter.  At the end of the month, these songs will be assembled in a to z keepsake playlist on Spotify.  Every day is a celebration, let's unwrap today's together. 

When I first started this blog in 2009 (click here for the inaugural post), I had 3 children between the ages of 3 and 9)

Back then they looked like this ...



Since then ,life happened  at a brisk pace and  my wife and I soon  had 1, then 2, and then  (for 9 glorious months in 2018-19) 3 teenagers.  Now we are down to one teenager and we find ourselves  the proud parent of 3 adults.  Babies having babies is one thing, but adults raising adults is quite another.

Today is the first of 5 days that I will make up a new holiday.  It is going to be called Adult Children Appreciation day.  Here are some facts about the Holiday that I am making up right now.

Adult Children Appreciation Day was created by David Roller in 2024 to commemorate that all his children were now adults as the youngest had turned 18 that winter.  Adult Children Appreciation Day was first celebrated on April 1st, 2024.  Adult Children Appreciation Day is held the Monday after Easter.  Mr. Roller (That's Me.) says he chose that day because it had been a family tradition for him to go to Walgreens the day after Easter and buy Easter products for 1/2 price or less.  Dave's oldest daughter loved Bunnies and this was the most cost effective time to buy bunny themed gifts,  

Even though the first Adult Children Appreciation Day was on April 1st, it is not associated with April Fools Day at all.  Mr. Roller chose Springtime to celebrate this holiday as spring is associated with growth and all growing things mature to some sort of adulthood.

Since The original ACDA was on   April 1st and April 1st  is also National Greeting Card Day, the creator of Adult Children Appreciation Day gave greeting cards to each of his adult children telling them about qualities they are developing that He appreciates.

If you and your adult children are together on Easter Sunday that is a good time to give them a note or a card showing how much you appreciate them. The Next 3 ACDAs will fall on April 21, 2025, April 6, 2026, and March 28, 2027

Here is what my kids look like now ...







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I happen to be typing this post at a local library a few days in advance of the challenge.  In the past 2 months I have  visited 14 local libraries as part of the Library Lover's Expedition.  I mention this because April 1st is also Library Snapshot Day an annual day that celebrates the importance of libraries.  I am planning on writing apost for each of the 14 libraries I visited for the challenge later this year.  For today I will just post a few of the snapshots I took at some of the libraries.






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 Today's Song of the Day is Any Other Way by Andy Gullahorn

Andy Gullahorn and Jill Phillips










I am a big Spotify guy and have soooo many playlists that  I have created.  I have made a special play list for the A to Z challenge.  By the end of the month it will contain all 26 songs featured here.  For now it just contains the A song.



Every good beginning must come to an end. Hopefully you have appreciated Adult Child Appreciation Day. There are still (at least) 25 more holidays to enjoy and a few more for me to make up. In your comments if you have adult children let me know what you most appreciate about them. I will try to make some guide comment solicitations for each day, but feel free to comment anyway you want.

To go to the home of the A to Z challenge click here, to see the 2024 master list of participating blogs click here. Enjoy the 2024 A to Z challenge, and Happy Holidays!

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Opening Day MLB 2024 White Sox



The White Sox open at the stadium FKA Comiskey Park  this afternoon at 3:10 p.m.  The Sox open against Al Central rival Detroit.  After losing over 100 games last year and a bit of house cleaning near the end of the season that continued over the winter not very much is expected in GM Chris Getz's first full season in his new position.  Pedro Grifol  is in his second season as manager for the southsiders and I believe he will be given a long leash this season to get the team back on the winning track.

Opening Day starting line up for the Sox.  (Players in Bold are making White Sox Debut)

1 Andrew Bentendi LF

2 Yoan Moncada 3 B

3 Luis Robert Jr CF

4,Eloy Jimenez DH

5. Andrew Vaughn 1B

6. Paul Dejong SS

7. Kevin Pillar RF

8. Martin Maldonado C

9. Nicky Lopez 2B

This is obviously the first starting line-up for the White Sox this year.

The starting pitcher for the White Sox is Garret Crochet.  This is Crochet's first major league start.  He is only the 2nd White Sox player to ever have their first major league start on Opening Day.  The first happened some 123 years ago when Roy Patterson pitched for the Chi Sox in the first ever American League opener.  Crochet has been converted into a starter and was named the opening day starter after Dylan Cease, who had already been assigned to start Opening Day was traded to the Padres earlier this month. 

T


Wednesday, March 27, 2024

Themes for the A to Z Challenge 2024 for Blogs featured on my Blog roll

 Many of the blogs that appear on my blogroll are blogs I discovered during the A to Z challenge.  Last year I put out a post right before the challenge featuring the themes for all the blogs on my blog roll that were in participating in that years challenge.  

This year I am putting them in order of who has posted most recently as of midnight 3/26/2024

Liz of Laws of Gravity is participating this year but has not specified a theme.  Like myself. Liz is a substitute teacher by trade and I am looking forward to see what She has fir us this year.

John Holton of The Sound of One Hand Typing is an epic blogger.  He has an epic theme this year in rhymes with "ale".  I wonder if S will be for Swale, the race horse that won 2 legs of the Triple Crown in 1984 and died 8 days after winning the Belmont Stakes.  


Our Next Stop is Wolf of Words . The Fan Fiction Master is back at it again this year, color me very excited. 


Rambling With A.M is a blog I added to my blog roll after last years challenge.  Her Theme this year;  Gardens, History, Art, and the Unexpected. Speaking of unexpected, this is just one of 3 blogs on my roll with rambling in the title.  

Janet's Smiles is an avid concert goer and is using that as this years theme.

One of my favorite blogs is Sue's Trifles.  Her theme this year is poetry.

We move from poetry to prose with  hdhstory.net, who is using the theme "Truth or Consequences" in his stories for April.

Last year I had 5 bloggers from my roll participating in the challenge.  I also want to do a special shout out to Helen  at Are We Nearly There Yet.  Helen started the 2021 A to Z challenge and got through J.  She added K and L in 2022, and got M through Q in 2023.She continues to plow through the challenge and her writing is honest and encouraging.  She is nearly there  and has only 9 letters to complete her journey.

The A to Z Challenge starts this Monday! If you are thinking of participating you can sign up here.  

A to Z 2023 Road Trip

#AtoZChallenge 2023 RoadTrip