Tuesday, Sept 14th, 1976

TBG had some new TV news today.

Dad accidentally bought me another of last week's TV GUIDE. Just wasted a quarter.

Wrote about Teresa and the dog in my journal. Reads like a short story.

I plan to order some CAPTAIN BRITAIN this week as well as some other stuff from the new TBG.

An X-rated ALICE IN WONDERLAND looks good at Showcase but I doubt I'll see it.

We had an extra-long home room today that included an episode of SANFORD & SON. Mr. Tucker's comments on my bio in the other Journal were relieving and refreshing. I think I like this guy! I also got a dumb desk in Spanish.

Saw Dylan's "Hard Rain."

NOTES: You'll note that this was back when wasting a quarter actually meant something!

The story of "Teresa and the dog" involved a trip Debbie and I and a couple of other young girls had made to the Public Library back in the summer before sixth grade. We cut across a vacant lit that was overgrown with weeds and we ran across a dead dog. Teresa was a very sensitive girl and she insisted we say prayer over the dog before we went on. In my mind, we were intrepid adult adventurers crossing a plain. She knelt before the dog and I stood with my hand on her shoulder. It was a hot summer day and the other two stood impatiently beyond us, the sun glinting off the sweat on their arms and faces while vultures circled overhead. I had a good imagination.

CAPTAIN BRITAIN was the first major comic book series Marvel had published exclusively for the UK market with no US distribution at all. I was about to order 30 of the first 31 issues. It would be 20 years before I found the missing one on this side of the Atlantic.

Dylan's "Hard Rain" was, I believe, on some TV special that evening. I remember it was the first time I had heard the song or really seen Bob performing. It has remained one of my favorites of his songs ever since.

ALICE IN WONDERLAND was, in fact, an X-rated musical version...with really good songs! It was a softcore film starring Kristine DeBell and the actor who played the Urologist on THE BOB NEWHART SHOW! It would be a few years before I saw it but I quite enjoyed it. Ms DeBell went on to costar opposite Bill Murray and Jackie Chan and appear in a fun episode of NIGHT COURT. She even snagged a regular role on a soap until someone found the excised hardcore scenes she had originally shot for the film. The picture has become a cult film and, in fact, someone did do a live Off-Broadway version at one point!

No freakin' clue why we were watching Redd Foxx in Home Room.