As February is Black History Month in the US, I decided to focus strictly on African American fiction and history.

I am presently reading Langston Hughes' debut novel, Not Without Laughter, which is a semi autobiographical story about a Black family growing up in Kansas in the early 20th century. Hughes was primarily a poet and that's how I'm familiar with him.

After that I will read Ralph Ellison's novel Invisible Man, which was influenced by TS Eliot's The Waste Land and Dostoevsky 's Notes from Underground.

For the history, it's Isabel Wilkerson's acclaimed The Warmth of Other Suns. It's about the Great Migration of southern African Americans starting around the period of World War I and lasting until around 1970. They were fleeing the "Jim Crow" laws in effect, and also hoping to find better paying jobs.

Scott Wilson's book had a reference to Dennis being sent home from the tour during the 60s and that he was distraught. I don't know any more than that.

The problem with the Super Bowl was that everyone down here, and in much of not most of the US, thought our New Orleans Saints should have been playing the New England Patriots. The reason we didn't get to play was due to an unbelievable "non-call" on a play where a Los Angeles Rams player clearly committed a pass interference penalty on our player. If the penalty had been called the Saints would have been able to keep the ball longer, run down the clock, and kick (hopefully!) the winning field goal.
Anyway the head of the NFL admitted right after the game that the officials goofed up big time, but nothing could be done.
And to add insult to injury, it was discovered afterwards that 4 of the officials lived in the Los Angeles area!
You can see the play in question online by  searching  "Saints vs Rams non call".
But the weather was great yesterday and thousands took to the streets to have a party celebrating the team.

To Add: It would be wonderful if this was the worst problem we had to deal with !

Around 0630 I put a small pork roast in a slow cooker, along with lots of onions and garlic, then went about my day. About 6 1/2 - 7 hours later, the roast was ready. Quite delicious, and served with sweet potatoes, and king cake for dessert.
Bring a New Orleanian through and through, I joined the local citizenry in boycotting the Super Bowl. The TV was tuned to either the Kitten Bowl or the Puppy Bowl. There were lots of anti-Super Bowl parties throughout the city.
Get back to regular life tomorrow

Rats! Watched first few minutes and was going to come back to it. Oh well

I know, Ralph Fiennes is one of my favorite actors .
That being said, for some reason I had trouble getting interested in that movie.

That song is not what I usually listen to. It's not a bad song but that type of music raises my stress levels if it plays over and over in my head.
Posted here because JK was hoping that all was okay. After a big bump for a few days everything's okay in my corner.
And hoping all is well with you and kitty, and that the weather in your neck of the woods isn't as crazy as it is in much of the world nowadays.

Hello. Doing a little better after family craziness (still going on but am adjusting).

Reflected by music playing in my mental jukebox. On replay for a couple of weeks was the not very calming song, "7 and 7 is" by Love.
Thank goodness my "jukebox" is now playing songs such as the vocal track of "Little Bird." Much better!

 and btw I enjoyed your take on William Blake on another board.

[Love and Mercy]

In the movie Love and Mercy there was the scene where Brian goes with Melinda to a Moody Blues concert. This actually happened, although the details are different and as related in The Wilson Project, rather disturbing. If I was Melinda I would have run away from that craziness pronto.

So glad kitty liked his new basket.

Happy New Year to you all! :-)

Just listened to Auld Lang Syne by the Jingle Cats .

RR1, how does your kitty like his new basket?

RR1 your kitty is sure blessed to have you in his life.

Just read the announcement on FB

Billy Joel channel is up and running again on Sirius/XM channel 30. Until Jan 31.
Listening to it now.
Make it permanent already!

[Jaws.]

Went to lunch with family , at a restaurant by a swamp South of here.
Coming back, at the exit from the interstate, my car started bucking when I applied the brake. Then I had trouble moving the car at all. Managed to get off to a street and to a curb. No matter how much I pushed on the accelerator the car wouldn't budge. Mom was freaking out. I told her thank goodness this happened where it did and not in the swamp area or in the middle lane of the big bridge crossing the Mississippi River. Car got towed home and I'll arrange to tow it to repair place tomorrow.
I could be really upset about it as I need a car , and the repairs could be very expensive.
However, earlier in the day I checked out two books from my Library. One was Indianapolis
by Lynn Vincent and Sara Vladic, which is about the USS Indianapolis and what happened to it in 1945. This incident was recounted in the movie, Jaws. I listened to the "Jaws Indianapolis Speech", which is online, today. Bone chilling to say the least.
The other book I checked out was David Blight's biography, Frederick Douglass - Prophet of Freedom. Douglass grew up a slave and managed to escape and become a great orator and leader of civil rights in the 1800s.
These people had REAL problems!

In fact, every vocalist who splashes melismata in all directions for no good reason. 

Absolutely. Particularly with the U.S. National Anthem. Just sing the dang thing!

I had a musician friend who, finding out that he and his wife were going to have a daughter, said that he was thinking of naming her "Melisma." Thankfully they reconsidered : -)

Listened to "Sugar Plums - Holiday Treats from Sugar Hill Records" today.
Wonderful bluegrass/folk/acoustic music for when you are in a laid back holiday mood. My favorite is Doc Watson's "Christmas Lullaby."
Looks like it's available to listen to online.

People as fruit?
I tend to retain water if I eat really salty foods, so I can be a watermelon. :-)

BTW, RR1, I've gotten some nice shoes (including the comfortable slippers I'm wearing this morning) at dollar stores.  However most stores around here no longer accept checks. It's cash, or debit/credit cards only.

[A Charlie Brown Christmas]

Got the okay from family to get a week off from Caregiving duties.
Registered for a leisurely course on Agatha Christie, Sherlock Holmes and others , lectures and films. It will take place towards the end of March at a lodge in Western North Carolina. So all I have to hope for is that the weather cooperates.

Listened to some songs from "Holland." Steamboat and The Trader leave me misty eyed.

 my youngest sister texted that her daughter needed to get her tonsils out. After a bit another sister chimed in and said A Charlie Brown Christmas was on TV. So the five of us, living in various places in the Eastern US, texted humorous commentaries as we watched. My contribution? "Ugh! Dog germs!" It was very enjoyable .

Waiting for some nasty weather to arrive, or should I say nastier than we've already had. We're facing about a 12_hour stretch under a High Wind Warning, with winds gusting to 50 mph (80 kph). Will be rocking and rolling tonight - not just here but in much of the Eastern half of the US.

Maybe just stop reading this thread, as I will do now.
I sometimes read posts on that other forum. I was sort of following the "Rocky" thread but when it started to turn ugly I stopped reading that thread.

Carpenters Christmas Album.

Yeah you heard me. This punk chick loves her some Carpenters  and I do not care who knows it

As of now Merry Christmas Darling is my favorite non religious Christmas song.
What a voice Karen Carpenter had.

Back in 1975 our graduating HS class was asked to pick a song. We chose John Denver's "Poems, Prayers and Promises." The powers that be nixed that probably due to the lyric " pass the pipe around. " So we were given a song to sing at our graduation. The uplifting song? "The Sound of Silence." Our hearts overflowed with happiness as we sang " Hello darkness my old friend... "

Anyway, didn't think I'd hear another oddball graduation song such as the above.
One of my nephews graduated from a Community College today. What was the song played when all received their degrees?
 "Chain of Fools"! 

I enjoyed watching Laverne and Shirley back in the 70 s.
I'm an Amazon Prime member, and will be watching some movies available, including Big, A League of Their Own, and Awakenings, a wonderful film.

Here's an update -
Mike Love "plays his favorite holiday songs from the 60s and beyond, including a few tracks off his new Christmas album 'Reason for the Season'"

Sirius XM channel 6 (60s channel)
All times ET:
12/17 2-3 pm
12/20 8p.m.
12/22 10 a.m.
12/24 2p.m.
12/25 9 a.m.

Didn’t know where to post this.
While driving just now heard an announcement that Mike will be ‘spinning his favorite Christmas songs’ tomorrow on the Sirius/XM 60s channel . Don’t know any more. Assume his FB page will have more info

(Delete post)


I'll defer to Buckethead's post below...