The Things That Remind Me Of Mom
October 31, 2021
My mom’s been gone for a decade, but I am still reminded of her frequently. Any good day in her favorite comic strips, Rose is Rose or Pickles brings her back. Political news that proves her favorite aphorism, “The Masses Are Asses.” The pictures of her in my office.
I was surprised, and did not expect, that this news from last week would make me yearn for her: Mort Sahl, Whose Biting Commentary Redefined Stand-Up, Dies at 94.
There were very few records in my home when I was a boy―nearly all of them selected by my mother. Broadway cast albums for West Side Story and Sweet Charity. My brother’s 45 rpm record, Paint It Black. The RCA stereophonic test record with Prokofiev’s Lt Kije Suite and Rag Mop as demonstrations. Vaughan Meader’s The First Family and two Mort Sahl albums, The Future Lies Ahead and Live at the hungry i. It was from Sahl that I learned a cherished and oft-used quotation, “If you maintain a consistent political position long enough, you will eventually be accused of treason.”
I listened to all of these albums dozens, if not hundreds of times; they are part of who I am. I only saw Sahl live once, at the Rheem Theater in Moraga, California, in September 1985, but he was still sharp, and funny, and still had his red v-neck sweater and rolled-up newspaper.
My mom loved him, I loved her, from whom I got much of my sense of humor and joie de vivre. Another of our connections is gone.
Paul’s Poetry Corner: Regret
October 31, 2021
Link to: Regret
Sometimes I find
Regret in my mind,
For things that I cannot forget.
Yet all my crap decisions combined
To create the best possible life I could find.
Right Column Redux: Paul's Lo-Cal Peanut Buttter Substitute
October 31, 2021
The column to the right on this blog contains permanent content, most of which has appeared at one time or another in the main body. I’ve decided to include a few reminds of said content each week.
Humor: Mutts Mindfulness?
October 31, 2021
The Mutts comic strip is usually charming; on Oct. 23 it was mildly profound:
This and That
October 31, 2021
The great 440 Hz conspiracy
I figured the tuning conspiracy was mostly or all baloney, until I got to the part about the frequency that resonates with the heart chakra.
Science Made Simple
October 31, 2021
From the PBS Newshour on Oct. 15:
Dr. Celine Gounder:
Well, think of it like maybe a mug shot of a criminal. If you have two different photographs, one from the front, one from the side, you have a better chance of recognizing that person out in public than if you only had one snapshot.
And, similarly, these vaccines give your immune system different ways of looking at the virus. And so your immune system has a better shot at recognizing it down the line.
End of November 1 Column
October 31, 2021
I’m Just An Old Gynophile
October 29, 2021
I have always preferred the company of women to men, as long as I can remember. It was difficult before college, when I was shy and awkward around girls, but my lovers fixed that, and it’s been women first for me ever since. See the details at I’m Just An Old Gynophile.