tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54664543879048299892024-02-19T00:36:38.082-05:00A Geek's Journal-1976What if there had been blogs in 1976? I would most definitely have had one and this might well have been it. This blog is based on my actual journal kept in 1976.Bookstevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09797445163866512849noreply@blogger.comBlogger407125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5466454387904829989.post-70872706544755027972013-05-14T10:24:00.002-04:002013-05-14T10:24:35.896-04:00The Movies of My Life<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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One of the most popular features of my Journal blogs seems to have been my growing love of movies old and new. Check out THE BOOKSTEVE BIJOU for more personalized looks at the movies that have made up my life!</div>
<br />Bookstevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09797445163866512849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5466454387904829989.post-74651947199406088682012-06-11T00:06:00.001-04:002013-05-11T10:38:51.367-04:00Cancelled<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdNrk5VpOrHxge38XmXGawM4pF8pOk3Sf9h6uQv_K426SC892uPrtbCG8hTLADJJNG0bO4HLbafC042LrXAFCeS_nEuTimkdzmISPOm38XmTkTBxSRHw9TmRn_Hoiu9mOPaTXzTSkrRsRC/s1600/Screen+shot+2012-06-11+at+12.00.21+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdNrk5VpOrHxge38XmXGawM4pF8pOk3Sf9h6uQv_K426SC892uPrtbCG8hTLADJJNG0bO4HLbafC042LrXAFCeS_nEuTimkdzmISPOm38XmTkTBxSRHw9TmRn_Hoiu9mOPaTXzTSkrRsRC/s640/Screen+shot+2012-06-11+at+12.00.21+AM.png" width="508" /></a></div>
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Well, 45 days have passed. We plugged the Kickstarter drive to friends, on boards, in forums, on Facebook, on my blogs and even got some nice plugs from various big name sites!</div>
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But we only got 11 supporters.</div>
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So...for now at least there will be no Book of the Blog. </div>
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Special thanks to all 11 of you who jumped on board, only a few of whom I knew personally! We will rethink the concept and it may yet become something. Just not anytime soon.</div>
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Thanks!</div>
<br />Bookstevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09797445163866512849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5466454387904829989.post-20658510678585799272012-05-10T10:12:00.002-04:002012-05-10T10:13:28.716-04:00Kickstarter Incentives Updated<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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After sitting at $127.00 for the past two weeks on our campaign to fund a book of this blog, we suddenly got two more backers after adjusting the incentives so that you now get a signed copy of the eventual book at the $50.00 level! Please check it out and consider pledging! 31 Days to go!</div>
<br />Bookstevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09797445163866512849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5466454387904829989.post-42610347451003888462012-04-26T12:48:00.001-04:002012-04-26T12:48:10.492-04:00****Support the Book on Kickstarter!****<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7hd_VFzwhBy7PoNLO_ynhlLd8vGnWoHSqs126ho0-k4010BNwq1aniIkNjsSjsYSDqALNW6r2ssbFk5-tzsLZpY_dij9A41yT-CJW-o28n6eeBlFEkzrNuisc8ZItahHV_v6qf4h7__4b/s1600/Screen+shot+2012-04-26+at+12.47.22+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7hd_VFzwhBy7PoNLO_ynhlLd8vGnWoHSqs126ho0-k4010BNwq1aniIkNjsSjsYSDqALNW6r2ssbFk5-tzsLZpY_dij9A41yT-CJW-o28n6eeBlFEkzrNuisc8ZItahHV_v6qf4h7__4b/s400/Screen+shot+2012-04-26+at+12.47.22+PM.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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As of now, A GEEK'S JOURNAL 1976, THE BOOK OF THE BLOG is a live project on KICKSTARTER and we can use the support of all of you who have asked for such a book in order to make it happened.<br />
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<a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/603655558/a-geeks-journal-1976-the-book-of-the-blog">http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/603655558/a-geeks-journal-1976-the-book-of-the-blog</a><br />
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If you can, please donate. If you can't, please spread the word that we are attempting to make this expanded book of the blog a reality!<br />
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Thanks in advance for your support!Bookstevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09797445163866512849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5466454387904829989.post-58384446636432309922012-04-16T21:53:00.002-04:002012-04-16T21:53:35.387-04:00A Geek's Journal 1976--THE BOOK??<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCTWr9D08oxWeaSQLrgek4_QKJtmn4HkUzFWIcFUM977XouATNfvXcYr6UdGFdtLE17NQQMzxJZoyoQpzBQyGvnXHe_5vxnpAFtyU5y2ftDfpLoB_ZoXJNhBEwxqEp8vdGDupT1hPDFa2c/s1600/Screen+shot+2012-04-16+at+4.50.32+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCTWr9D08oxWeaSQLrgek4_QKJtmn4HkUzFWIcFUM977XouATNfvXcYr6UdGFdtLE17NQQMzxJZoyoQpzBQyGvnXHe_5vxnpAFtyU5y2ftDfpLoB_ZoXJNhBEwxqEp8vdGDupT1hPDFa2c/s400/Screen+shot+2012-04-16+at+4.50.32+PM.png" width="316" /></a></div>
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Coming Soon...maybe. Maybe not.<br />
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A lot of folks have asked for it--including a couple of publishers-- but I'm not convinced there's a market. The book would contain all the original journal entries but substantially increased annotations and much more perspective about what was going on in the wider world during that time period. We're thinking about going the Kickstarter route. Would you support that? Would you but the book? Let me know. If the answer is yes then we can make this a reality. I look forward to having my geeky senior pic on bumper stickers for promotion!Bookstevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09797445163866512849noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5466454387904829989.post-70806095166872418472012-01-01T00:20:00.000-05:002012-01-01T00:20:41.803-05:00Follow Me Back to 1974!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DY1zaSeB_qY/Tv_svpWlw0I/AAAAAAAAbDQ/5ST63UG9j98/s1600/rfrgeh.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="252" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DY1zaSeB_qY/Tv_svpWlw0I/AAAAAAAAbDQ/5ST63UG9j98/s320/rfrgeh.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">What are you doing here? 1976 has ended! Follow me back to 1974 where we're doing it all again for the next twelve months!</div><a href="http://1974geeksfirstjournal.blogspot.com/">http://1974geeksfirstjournal.blogspot.com/</a>Bookstevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09797445163866512849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5466454387904829989.post-9558589489048815342011-12-31T00:03:00.009-05:002011-12-31T00:03:00.488-05:00Friday, December 31st, 1976<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqE8aPYfqhJFc-gQs00zhiCRUchjhfD8zg31uOBir0mS0QtBzDAMjuRXbnTMOD-7s8mk4izX0jAiaCupZgYDKwgZrGZSLn2YuIsdyAhoCNgbp73YBLeZWweLr4qheLEo3RbWVkKfNyGkuz/s1600/rqeq3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqE8aPYfqhJFc-gQs00zhiCRUchjhfD8zg31uOBir0mS0QtBzDAMjuRXbnTMOD-7s8mk4izX0jAiaCupZgYDKwgZrGZSLn2YuIsdyAhoCNgbp73YBLeZWweLr4qheLEo3RbWVkKfNyGkuz/s400/rqeq3.jpg" width="302" /></a>Below zero degrees!<br />
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At last I got around to my homework. More strip-cutting, too.<br />
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Gave in to IT one last time this year! I am weak.<br />
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Mom made chili today!<br />
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Tonight we put the lights in at the office.<br />
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Well, this is the final day of 1976 and in these last few hours I've been reflecting on the passing year. One year ago tonight I predicted great things simply because I had always felt they would come this year. And they did in a way.<br />
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This was the year I saw my first concerts--Dawn and Wings. Also saw lots of other celebrities including Bob Hope, Gene Roddenberry, De Kelley and a host of other greats and near-greats!<br />
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On the other hand, a good share of bad things hit me, too. The incident at TUNNELVISION, a turbulent battle inside my mind about the future and my role in it and the sad realization that the past is getting further and further away.<br />
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I suppose on balance the Bicentennial year was one of my better ones, though. The good things seem to have outnumbered the bad. I completed several comic book collections, attended several conventions, I saw Debbie again, I started whole new areas of interest including Jayne Mansfield, Laurel and Hardy and underground comix.<br />
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In spite of all this, though, I feel a disappointment. It's not the loneliness--I've learned to accept that to a large extent. Somehow, though, I feel lonely in a different sort of way.<br />
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Still...today is an ending and tomorrow another new beginning. It all starts anew. My main resolution is to take control of my own hormones--to avoid IT or anything related to it for at least nine more days at which time I turn 18 and my guilt will hopefully dissolve since I'll be of age at that point.<br />
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In the meantime, here's hoping for a better year next year...tomorrow. Happy New Year.<br />
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<b><i>NOTES: As I mentioned earlier, for this last day, I actually stapled in a new page. </i></b><br />
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<b><i>The sketches above are from the inside back cover of the '76 Journal and were made throughout the year. </i></b><br />
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<b><i>The fact that my Mom made chili was unusual. In fact, I don't recall her ever making chili. Chili was something my Dad made and taught me to make. I make an excellent chili if I do say so myself. My wife says its my best dish as a chef. I never make it the same way twice, however, and often toss in new stuff just to see how it plays. I got that from my Dad, too. </i></b><br />
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<b><i>The obsession and guilt over natural hormonal activities didn't go away. My parents, as wonderful as they were, never talked to me about sex or masturbation. While I picked up the details on my own a little at a time, the fact that it was so hidden always gave me that level of shame. I was in my twenties before that went away. I'm happy to say (Don't tell him I told you) that we never made that mistake with our son. He knew, on an appropriate level, from the earliest point he was interested. </i></b><br />
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<b><i>Friends since third grade, Terry and I grew apart a little at a time and finally just stopped hanging out together in our early twenties, our paths having diverged from one another. I would see him on rare occasion come through my store in the late eighties. It wasn't until 2010 that we reconnected via Facebook and now speak from time to time on the phone. He remembers all this stuff, too, although sometimes differently than I do. </i></b><br />
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<b><i>I did go to Graduation and graduated 12th in a class of 200 plus. I could have been higher if I'd actually tried. I was given an award as the outstanding English student. My son is now in the same school and, grade-wise, as a Freshman, he is thus far way out in front in the # 1 spot. </i></b><br />
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<b><i>I did NOT attend college. Part of the reason was the fact that my innate shyness prevented me from taking the steps necessary to even find out what needed to be done. It's my biggest regret and yet, if I had taken that different path I would never have met my lovely wife of 20 years now and we never would have had our son. </i></b><br />
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<b><i>I worked through some of my shyness issues when I took acting classes in late 1979. This enabled me to get a gig as a writer/performer with a local comedy troupe in 1980 and then found a similar comedy group of my own. It also enabled me to get a real job rather than emptying trashcans and mopping floors in the middle of the night. I could never have done retail without acting classes! Later on, the acting classes came in handy when I started performing onstage annually at the Cincinnati Old-Time Radio Cons, too! The shyness actually remained, though, and still is an issue, but it could have been much, much worse...without the acting lessons.</i></b><br />
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<b><i> In 1978, my dad was hit by a car while walking home with coneys for me. It made the front page of both local newspapers the next day. He broke his arm and his shoulder and had leg and hip injuries. He never drove again and, because of my motion sickness issues, I had never learned to drive. He sold his car. It limited us severely and for a solid year his arm was in a fleece lined brace and we watched him deteriorate. I was convinced he wasn't going to make it. But he did. He recovered almost completely. </i></b><br />
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<b><i>I took over the cleaning of the Social Security Office entirely as he was no longer in a position to help at all. With my pay, I was looking at an apartment across the street when suddenly my Mother took ill two years later. After yet another year-long struggle, she succumbed to cancer. My dad and I stayed there, same apartment, as roomies for another decade. Although greatly affected by her loss, his health improved amazingly. Although he never drove again, he began flying for the first time in his life, joining a couple of travel clubs! He even flew with me to Williamsburg, Chicago and San Diego (the latter two for comic book conventions, of course) in the eighties and nineties.</i></b><br />
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<b><i>I never saw Debbie again and finally--FINALLY--stopped thinking about her all the time as my "ideal" girlfriend. I would not have my first date until I was 23. She was 20 and...experienced. It took a couple of years of dating me but eventually she "experienced" me, too! After her, though, a couple of minor infatuations but no real relationship until I was 29...and I ended up marrying that one!</i></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK-bRy_KRQDQ_CmEUwIb6eeiO3sBZdcjHHbzmFPnecOFDo6bF3zAnu6hny8HmwEmhzdnuqQ6ViPUcCMTveaDhrA3lpeG8vTEWTByBXsuEQlDnJ8wItA9QGDGpb2qDF5E2UhctL0SzBrYNW/s1600/Screen+shot+2011-12-30+at+11.07.04+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK-bRy_KRQDQ_CmEUwIb6eeiO3sBZdcjHHbzmFPnecOFDo6bF3zAnu6hny8HmwEmhzdnuqQ6ViPUcCMTveaDhrA3lpeG8vTEWTByBXsuEQlDnJ8wItA9QGDGpb2qDF5E2UhctL0SzBrYNW/s320/Screen+shot+2011-12-30+at+11.07.04+PM.png" width="320" /></a><b><i>After more than two decades of managing bookstores, I became a victim of the economy...and then reinvented myself as a writer. One book that I did behind-the-scenes work on in 2011 was just today chosen by CNN for one of their year-end "Best of" lists! I'm not doing great at it. Right now we have less than 25 dollars to our name. But it's early yet. It's what I've always wanted and I'm NOT going to give it up now!</i></b><br />
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<b><i>So I thank you one and all for embracing A GEEK'S JOURNAL-1976 in such an amazing and gratifying way. I honestly feel that seventeen year old me would have loved to have realized how universal his problems and obsessions were. How NORMAL he really was! The fact that my hated Senior Picture has been literally seen all over the world via the Internet thanks to AOL and the UK, German, Japanese, Spanish and Russian blogs that have linked this site...flabbergasting. It's going to stay up for anyone who wants to look back over the whole thing to get a fuller picture or for those who have yet to discover it. Again, though, I thank you so much...</i></b><br />
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<b><i>And invite you to jump back a couple of years with me starting tomorrow to find out JUST who I was at the ages of fourteen and fifteen as we do it all again with 1974--A GEEK'S <u>FIRST</u> JOURNAL!</i></b><br />
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</i></b>Bookstevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09797445163866512849noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5466454387904829989.post-62433584390172723822011-12-30T00:44:00.002-05:002011-12-30T01:04:51.732-05:00Thursday, December 30th, 1976<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK0U8oUZcKQzL8Tt8sOm9z8AOZ27p3IfJWESB0JMw4VIwVrYkHXGksAaRjGi46-9j3p5kzosq_wfwfGPrCWLQm2OgOwEzJa67pclZI4HsMEC2hYPODElM08jahqxhZY9LToDTMVgGKTYPD/s1600/lhlah1+000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK0U8oUZcKQzL8Tt8sOm9z8AOZ27p3IfJWESB0JMw4VIwVrYkHXGksAaRjGi46-9j3p5kzosq_wfwfGPrCWLQm2OgOwEzJa67pclZI4HsMEC2hYPODElM08jahqxhZY9LToDTMVgGKTYPD/s320/lhlah1+000.jpg" width="215" /></a>Seemed like Thursday all day.<br />
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Dreamed about Debbie for the first time in awhile.<br />
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Picked up a really neat Laurel and Hardy book with Aunt Rosie's five dollar Christmas money.<br />
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Dad off early again today.<br />
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<b><i>NOTES: What can I say? I remain a Laurel and Hardy fan to this day and have watched several of their films-good and bad--over the past year. Even introduced my son to the boys' films and the concept of reciprocal destruction. Was even reading some old Laurel and Hardy comics recently!</i></b><br />
<b><i><br />
</i></b><br />
<b><i>As for it seeming like Thursday all day...it WAS a Thursday! Not sure why THAT was allowed to take up precious bottom of the page space, y'know?</i></b><br />
<b><i><br />
</i></b><br />
<b><i>Remember---1974 is coming back!</i></b>Bookstevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09797445163866512849noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5466454387904829989.post-67250410601812254742011-12-29T00:57:00.000-05:002011-12-29T00:57:00.706-05:00Wednesday, December 29th, 1976<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh6kzLUfeo241NP4oF6fu0g32SddUuVuztuNeGZ7asboeW6erqSi1dKNOICO-W2uCnYTmf7XMxwOm2Kkm9BVPY8Z0ktgJzP45ddA1H5xKIv1lkoq4cSmMn9xVW4Z3uPWsBIf9En9sJo1M2/s1600/Screen+shot+2011-12-28+at+5.45.56+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh6kzLUfeo241NP4oF6fu0g32SddUuVuztuNeGZ7asboeW6erqSi1dKNOICO-W2uCnYTmf7XMxwOm2Kkm9BVPY8Z0ktgJzP45ddA1H5xKIv1lkoq4cSmMn9xVW4Z3uPWsBIf9En9sJo1M2/s320/Screen+shot+2011-12-28+at+5.45.56+PM.png" width="237" /></a></div>Mom off at noon today.<br />
<br />
Very cold!<br />
<br />
Finally cleaned desk.<br />
<br />
Read the new PLAYBOY.<br />
<br />
I said no more IT until my birtday. That didn't work when IT happened again today. Darn it!<br />
<br />
<b><i>NOTES: Not much to say here. Year's almost over and I was down to the last few lines in my Journal.</i></b>Bookstevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09797445163866512849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5466454387904829989.post-41157056271560374292011-12-28T00:09:00.000-05:002011-12-28T00:09:00.666-05:00Tuesday, December 28th, 1976<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnnV5i3w5itqaxumD2qeTPYaudzpIYlXVoU4GcSlGk7kg54VGvwU1RZWGgPzuLQp7T3CMWZ5VVl1nFhORMvGsx2VcFQamI72337MdioUMQYJdhZhG_oaJnDkZG810Pmnjxc-lsQ-TZY7qm/s1600/382031_1020_a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnnV5i3w5itqaxumD2qeTPYaudzpIYlXVoU4GcSlGk7kg54VGvwU1RZWGgPzuLQp7T3CMWZ5VVl1nFhORMvGsx2VcFQamI72337MdioUMQYJdhZhG_oaJnDkZG810Pmnjxc-lsQ-TZY7qm/s400/382031_1020_a.jpg" width="248" /></a>More stripwork.<br />
<br />
Terry seems really miffed because I skipped the new KING KONG. Not sure why.<br />
<br />
Two trips into Cincy. Got some dinner and the new PLAYBOY (no IT). Then had to go back for medicine for Dad's toothache.<br />
<br />
There was an UNTOUCHABLES movie on today.<br />
<br />
<b><i>NOTES: THE UNTOUCHABLES was a show I had vague memories of as a child in spite of the fact that it was NOT a show little kids should have been watching. Produced by Desi Arnaz, it was the dramatized story of G-Man Elliot Ness and his fight against the gangsters and bootleggers of the 1920's. The movie I saw that day was THE SCARFACE MOB, pieced together from the 2-part pilot film of THE UNTOUCHABLES and co-starring the great hammy character actor Neville Brand as Al Capone, a character who was in jail throughout the rest of the series. </i></b><br />
<b><i><br />
</i></b><br />
<b><i>Above right is a theatrical poster for THE SCARFACE MOB but I went for the Belgian version seen here because of the gleeful look on Stack's face as he guns down the bad guys. Looks ten times creepier than Capone's!</i></b><br />
<b><i><br />
</i></b>Bookstevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09797445163866512849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5466454387904829989.post-59396382816077671882011-12-27T00:11:00.000-05:002011-12-27T00:11:00.708-05:00Monday, December 27th, 1976<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Yh2z9ufXAFA/TvkfWe8Xa7I/AAAAAAAAatY/dfEkNndsGxA/s1600/ws_Dirty_Harry_is_The_Enforcer_1024x768.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Yh2z9ufXAFA/TvkfWe8Xa7I/AAAAAAAAatY/dfEkNndsGxA/s400/ws_Dirty_Harry_is_The_Enforcer_1024x768.jpg" width="400" /></a>Got three letters today!<br />
<br />
Worked on more stripwork this morning.<br />
<br />
To Florence with Terry on a neat adventure to catch the brand new Eastwood flick at the brand new cinemas there!<br />
<br />
<b><i>NOTES: When I was a child, Florence, Kentucky seemed not only a million miles away from where we lived but there was no point in us ever going there because it was all farm country. In the early seventies, plans began to come together for the Florence Mall which opened earlier this year. </i></b><br />
<b><i><br />
</i></b><br />
<b><i>The rest of the area built up quickly around the Mall's lead with a half dozen strip malls and a ton of restaurants almost before you knew it! Still, it wasn't easy to get there as it involved a bus ride of nearly an hour each way. </i></b><br />
<b><i><br />
</i></b><br />
<b><i>Then they announced the "Cinema City Six!" When they finally opened they were the Florence Mall Road Cinemas or just the Mall Road Cinemas or some-such. We always just referred to them as the Florence Cinemas. It was the second multiplex we had around here after the barely accessible (if you didn't drive) Showcase Cinemas.</i></b><br />
<b><i><br />
</i></b><br />
<b><i>Regular readers will have no doubt noted that I saw a LOT of movies in those days! The first one they had at the new multiplex that I just had to see was the latest Clint Eastwood Dirty Harry flick! I had loved the intense first one and liked the more pop feel of the second one even better! I just couldn't wait for this third one! Too bad I didn't really care for it. Ah, well...</i></b><br />
<b><i><br />
</i></b><br />
<b><i>About a decade after this, I would begin a nine-year long stint working in Florence. For the first six of those years, I still didn't drive and had to make that nearly-hour bus ride both ways five days a week.</i></b>Bookstevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09797445163866512849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5466454387904829989.post-63870785335859290742011-12-26T00:23:00.000-05:002011-12-26T00:23:00.035-05:00Sunday, December 26th, 1976<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Kog3ELpHmuk/Tve7h8LnX_I/AAAAAAAAaos/ysjJ-37bVCM/s1600/Annex+-+Flynn%252C+Errol+%2528Private+Lives+of+Elizabeth+and+Essex%252C+The%2529_01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Kog3ELpHmuk/Tve7h8LnX_I/AAAAAAAAaos/ysjJ-37bVCM/s320/Annex+-+Flynn%252C+Errol+%2528Private+Lives+of+Elizabeth+and+Essex%252C+The%2529_01.jpg" width="250" /></a>Some snow again.<br />
<br />
Parts record playing and ROBIN HOOD today. Rosie and Bill came down for a little while, mainly just long enough to exchange presents.<br />
<br />
I salvaged strips from the GAZETTE and then disposed of them.<br />
<br />
McCLOUD was back tonight and saw Annette again, too.<br />
<br />
<i><b>NOTES: ROBIN HOOD was probably the Errol Flynn version, THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD, another favorite from almost the moment I first saw it. I remember seeing Flynn first in CAPTAIN BLOOD and thinking he was the single handsomest man I'd ever seen. </b></i><br />
<i><b><br />
</b></i><br />
<i><b>I probably watched it again out of the corner of my eye as I cut up my entire collection of THE MENOMONEE FALLS GAZETTE on this day. Yikes! Looking back now, I wish I'd kept them but they were tabloid newspapers on fairly good paper and they came out weekly. Between them and the weekly TBG, they took up a LOT of space! They were too cool, though. Imagine an entire newspaper that ran nothing but the comics! And not just the regular comics---classic strips were mixed in with little known gems, current favorites and the best of the foreign market. And every one of them a week's worth at a time! After this date in 1976, all I had left, however, was a couple of folders with some of my favorite strips. Sigh...</b></i><br />
<i><b><br />
</b></i><br />
<i><b>Annette would, of course, be Annette. Funicello. Those early MICKEY MOUSE CLUB reruns had a lasting effect.</b></i>Bookstevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09797445163866512849noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5466454387904829989.post-54215142565980867962011-12-25T19:27:00.000-05:002011-12-25T19:27:33.072-05:00****It's 1974 All Over Again Starting January 1st!****<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWO6ZCiWx_TMsZUJOKTIyI32QfaZOiSyxnbtaxCU3klco5JHE9yekC_0KwU9a5sRN5F24g6fEkj2xhL9O9PIMAYSP29gcJbMS9S7o4Azq-uxF-jrn3MFHLaaVGWHn-1QrDXNUxbW_hbRk_/s1600/19741128-elton_1781200i.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="207" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWO6ZCiWx_TMsZUJOKTIyI32QfaZOiSyxnbtaxCU3klco5JHE9yekC_0KwU9a5sRN5F24g6fEkj2xhL9O9PIMAYSP29gcJbMS9S7o4Azq-uxF-jrn3MFHLaaVGWHn-1QrDXNUxbW_hbRk_/s320/19741128-elton_1781200i.jpg" width="320" /></a>Musical Moments of '74!<br />
<br />
John Lennon's last live performances, onstage with Elton John!<br />
<br />
Mick Taylor leaves the Rolling Stones!<br />
<br />
The Ramones make their debut!<br />
<br />
The Captain and Tennille get married and Sonny and Cher get divorced.<br />
<br />
ABBA wins the Eurovision song contest!<br />
<br />
Stevie Nicks and Lindsay Buckingham join Fleetwood Mac after the departure of lead singer Bob Welch.<br />
<br />
Barry Manilow hits it big with his first # 1 record, MANDY!<br />
<br />
Where was I while all this was happening? Watch for 1974: A GEEK'S FIRST JOURNAL!Bookstevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09797445163866512849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5466454387904829989.post-81256692712672995602011-12-25T00:25:00.000-05:002011-12-25T00:25:01.078-05:00Saturday, December 25th, 1976<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjor69qXZHU5gRJz1jKVA0H5uGCGiQLWz43h73uPjlqaHfI7WY5bEY9WjCYxmEorfAyZgMffFE69CeGXuOETgz1HiF9pQg5QVhdqxiaVzxDqsFVD-H5QYmnI5gd8NB_c4lFoFePjeVeL1fN/s1600/sthair.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjor69qXZHU5gRJz1jKVA0H5uGCGiQLWz43h73uPjlqaHfI7WY5bEY9WjCYxmEorfAyZgMffFE69CeGXuOETgz1HiF9pQg5QVhdqxiaVzxDqsFVD-H5QYmnI5gd8NB_c4lFoFePjeVeL1fN/s400/sthair.jpg" width="268" /></a>Christmas. Awoke early like when I was a child. Finished reading the paper by 6:10 AM. After that, I grabbed my new records for intermittent playing the rest of the day. Just marvelous! Waited to read my new book but it was marvelous, also!<br />
<br />
Cheated out of the expected snowstorm. It passed North of us.<br />
<br />
Skipped the movie today.<br />
<br />
Seemed like Sunday all day long instead of Saturday.<br />
<br />
I completely rearranged my office to add in my new bookcase!<br />
<br />
IT, too.<br />
<br />
<b><i>NOTES: At this stage, my Christmases were kind of non-descript I guess. Just a couple of gifts and we didn't even go see any relatives/ </i></b><br />
<b><i><br />
</i></b><br />
<b><i>Normally, we would always go to one or the other of my Aunt's houses--Aunt Velma or Aunt Rosie. Aunt Velma was my dad's sister and Rosie was his sister-in-law. Velma's four daughters and their husbands and kids (mostly around my age) led to a packed house for a very Baptist celebration with a turkey and the best baked beans I've ever had (and I had some pretty good ones just tonight that I made myself!). Rosie and my Uncle Bill normally just had their daughter's family, an amazingly delicious ham and a quiet afternoon of sitting around the living room after presents were opened. </i></b><br />
<b><i><br />
</i></b><br />
<b><i>After a few years, like this one, of skipping it, we returned to the traditions and my wife and I carried on the Christmas visits after my parents died until Rosie, Bill and Velma (at age 104) passed on. </i></b>Bookstevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09797445163866512849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5466454387904829989.post-61069619858579388072011-12-24T02:18:00.001-05:002011-12-24T02:18:08.468-05:00***1974 is Coming Soon!***<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdCHEwzzaUsCoRK-MsSRSEg-6ylyDmLOhFXjnfONHgbwrS7L-W8J2HNq5LzW41DLdyDYIRxMWFaaxeUiUDebMqyO5sOi5Fy1m6ZKsCluYsmmSCKZvllAHNySMUjPXIK1gE3p5KotKPT7TZ/s1600/image050.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdCHEwzzaUsCoRK-MsSRSEg-6ylyDmLOhFXjnfONHgbwrS7L-W8J2HNq5LzW41DLdyDYIRxMWFaaxeUiUDebMqyO5sOi5Fy1m6ZKsCluYsmmSCKZvllAHNySMUjPXIK1gE3p5KotKPT7TZ/s400/image050.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Bookstevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09797445163866512849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5466454387904829989.post-16904411681552416312011-12-24T00:03:00.000-05:002011-12-24T00:03:01.653-05:00Friday, December 24th, 1976<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wYangCIWVwc/TvU1oHdzPRI/AAAAAAAAamw/6g_1vMJrQqo/s1600/wingsoveramerica-j0566d.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wYangCIWVwc/TvU1oHdzPRI/AAAAAAAAamw/6g_1vMJrQqo/s320/wingsoveramerica-j0566d.jpg" width="320" /></a><b style="font-size: x-large;">DAMN! </b>I opened up my WINGS OVER AMERICA album and there were only two records! It's supposed to be a three record set! WE took it back early this afternoon and luckily they exchanged it easily! Whew! Hope nothing else goes wrong.<br />
<br />
Mom's present was a neat blow-dryer for sure! She also got flowers from Mrs. K upstairs!<br />
<br />
Later in the day it seemed like Saturday.<br />
<br />
Christmas movies tonight.<br />
<br />
<b><i>NOTES:Not sure why I opened the record that day or why Mom got presents. We were never one of those families that opened presents on Christmas Eve. Good thing I did open my present, though, as we were able to get it replaced with one that was at least all there. I remember freaking out so much when I saw only two of the three records!</i></b><br />
<b><i><br />
</i></b><br />
<b><i>This year again, out of economic necessity as well as a general depression, we're pretty much having to skip Christmas--no shopping, no tree, presents, houseguests, TV specials or even special meals--unless you count the meatloaf I'll be baking over the weekend. I miss the holidays the way they used to be. Sigh... For those of you who DO celebrate in one way or another, I do hope you enjoy your 2011 holiday weekend.</i></b>Bookstevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09797445163866512849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5466454387904829989.post-41654494546375898602011-12-23T00:30:00.004-05:002011-12-23T00:30:00.659-05:00Thursday, December 23rd, 1976<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DMolqQz5mRQ/TvPSUO_o71I/AAAAAAAAahs/ZWt5kagBAs8/s1600/silent_movie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DMolqQz5mRQ/TvPSUO_o71I/AAAAAAAAahs/ZWt5kagBAs8/s400/silent_movie.jpg" width="261" /></a>Hard winds today. We ended up putting up the tree in my room this year! Chicken and coneys for meals.<br />
<br />
Went uptown with Mom and got (<b><i>indecipherable</i></b>) at Post Office.<br />
<br />
New books were out over the river later and I finally saw SILENT MOVIE.<br />
<br />
Tonight I heard the live BAND ON THE RUN on the radio and had along talk with Terry.<br />
<br />
<b><i>NOTES: Wish I could recall or at least interpret what we got at the Post Office. Oh, well...it's a lovely Depression-era Post Office we have here. All Art-Deco. I was there just Tuesday in 2011. </i></b><br />
<b><i><br />
</i></b><br />
<b><i>SILENT MOVIE was the somewhat self-indulgent comedy that madman Mel Brooks made after his spectacular success with BLAZING SADDLES and YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN. It's a clever idea for a comedy sketch...dragged out to feature length. Basically Mel Funn (Brooks) and his two associates (Marty Feldman and Dom Deluise) were planning anew silent film and went around Hollywood attempting to convince some of the biggest stars of the day to star in it. These included, in unbilled cameos, Burt Reynolds, Liza Minnelli, Paul Newman and Anne Bancroft. It's not a bad movie. It's just NOT the laugh-riot they seemed to expect. Best part is famous mime Marcel Marceau, ironically and amusingly given the only one word bit of dialogue in the entire film. He says "No!"</i></b><br />
<b><i><br />
</i></b><br />
<b><i>A few years back, Amazon had a big box set of Mel Brooks DVD's on sale for only 35 dollars. SILENT MOVIE was included and I watched the whole thing again. Didn't laugh. Neither did my son. We both kept pointing out how clever this bit or that bit was, however. </i></b>Bookstevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09797445163866512849noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5466454387904829989.post-3760453980029898332011-12-22T00:35:00.001-05:002011-12-22T00:35:01.953-05:00Wednesday, December 22nd, 1976<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOIsBk4-uR7eCShud0cmFVOD0OMArMF52BoHMXshfxLWS1OmoPPkJ6wfV4erusD5fy7VI9f7aoSAzB8P6YlnGpdwr2d4Uq9xCLvRZ1RjdyzMfq4YscXDJY2XgVKHsnkc9xTBEWuPigAvfa/s1600/Flyingcircus_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOIsBk4-uR7eCShud0cmFVOD0OMArMF52BoHMXshfxLWS1OmoPPkJ6wfV4erusD5fy7VI9f7aoSAzB8P6YlnGpdwr2d4Uq9xCLvRZ1RjdyzMfq4YscXDJY2XgVKHsnkc9xTBEWuPigAvfa/s320/Flyingcircus_2.jpg" width="320" /></a>Rotten Day. Shoe was elected Scrooge as expected. He enjoyed the Farrah poster I gave him. Tried my best to avoid the Christmas party but didn't and ended up with stomach-hurting milk. Nothing else after that. Ugh.<br />
<br />
Little out over the river but I bought Randy a calendar for Christmas. Maybe SILENT MOVIE tomorrow.<br />
<br />
Another new Python on 48 tonight.<br />
<br />
<b><i>NOTES: I don't recall Mr. Shoemaker as being particularly Scrooge-like but it seems from this and an earlier post that he was the favorite to be named as Scrooge...whatever that entailed. To be honest I haven't the slightest memory of this situation. It's like reading about someone else. And I bought him a Farrah Fawcett poster!!??</i></b><br />
<b><i><br />
</i></b><br />
<b><i>Randy is my cousin. He went on to be a professional ventriloquist, a lawyer and, eventually, a local mayor. </i></b><br />
<b><i><br />
</i></b><br />
<b><i>MONTY PYTHON'S FLYING CIRCUS had actually ended production in 1974 as a series and the guys went on to do films, beginning with MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL. To us in America, though, these episodes shown on the local PBS affiliate were still brand new.</i></b>Bookstevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09797445163866512849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5466454387904829989.post-79820767315544459762011-12-21T16:33:00.000-05:002011-12-21T16:33:56.462-05:00***EXTRA***King Kong 1976<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6H4tJVmbLX3Qvnpt9DP8lq5NYczZV9vKBusr3lF7YKLlMb3KzgR844ZloqEcod6vv28dUPxlRU_idzCVqROPF3F0-OoG3OThJElosFfJaO0LI0sL_BTxpMhk1Z9udzHXSvvSeh5GUozjP/s1600/rgh.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6H4tJVmbLX3Qvnpt9DP8lq5NYczZV9vKBusr3lF7YKLlMb3KzgR844ZloqEcod6vv28dUPxlRU_idzCVqROPF3F0-OoG3OThJElosFfJaO0LI0sL_BTxpMhk1Z9udzHXSvvSeh5GUozjP/s640/rgh.jpg" width="465" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><b><i>One over-hyped movie that I skipped in 1976 was the remake of what had become one of my favorite films--KING KONG. This one received a ton of publicity regarding everything from robotic apes to its more-or-less newly discovered starlet, Jessica Lange. It also had this amazingly cool poster with Kong straddling the still-new Twin Towers in a scene nothing like anything found on-screen!</i></b><br />
<b><i><br />
</i></b><br />
<b><i>I pieced this one together from a two-page ad in TV GUIDE 35 years ago last week. The film was not well-received critically nor by fans of the classic version but it didn't do that badly. Jessica Lange has actually been in the news this week in 2011 for her break-up with Sam Shepherd. </i></b><br />
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<b><i>I finally saw the picture when it aired on network TV a year or two later.</i></b>Bookstevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09797445163866512849noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5466454387904829989.post-67597436554174106342011-12-21T00:14:00.000-05:002011-12-21T00:14:02.303-05:00Tuesday, December 21st, 1976<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2oZwtBB3wj_2tOugr42xPDBw84pjpr3GF4bcoWSW4Sj0ded3D4gcEEuKu8bwcf5J9UWwDXw-OiKyXiZ2Ppe0I4ZsSbIEnPkcxt0JR5b5sA3ZAK8rttXqfrDBesuwWRZ_Wbmlb0hrtvheu/s1600/2289143777_b627897068_o-1024x840.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2oZwtBB3wj_2tOugr42xPDBw84pjpr3GF4bcoWSW4Sj0ded3D4gcEEuKu8bwcf5J9UWwDXw-OiKyXiZ2Ppe0I4ZsSbIEnPkcxt0JR5b5sA3ZAK8rttXqfrDBesuwWRZ_Wbmlb0hrtvheu/s320/2289143777_b627897068_o-1024x840.jpg" width="320" /></a>Extremely cold!!! Bad school day and tomorrow should be worse. It'll be the last day of school for the year at least.<br />
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On arrival home today I was presented with a brand new bookcase as an early Christmas present!<br />
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Got a Christmas card from Yoshiko. Never thought to send her one.<br />
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<b><i>NOTES: I've never been big on Christmas cards. As a kid, I helped my Mom send out scores every year to relatives, friends and sometimes people we never even thought of outside the Christmas season. As an adult I went from sending out a few to close friends and relatives to sending out exactly zero. </i></b><br />
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<b><i>When I was managing Waldenbooks, I would always send cards to the other stores in our district as well as to some of our better customers. I remember one year I bought one with a deadpan dog and car wearing reindeer antlers and I wrote in the names of myself and my Assistant Manager on each of them, varying from card to card as to whom was who.</i></b><br />
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<b><i>My mother used to save every Christmas card we ever got. We had several boxes full. AS a kid I used to enjoy getting them down from the high closet shelves and going through them. As an adult, they were taking up space and I threw them away. Sigh...</i></b><br />
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<b><i>As far as the early present of the bookcase, well, there's a reason they call me "booksteve."</i></b>Bookstevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09797445163866512849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5466454387904829989.post-2710330864311676472011-12-20T00:50:00.000-05:002011-12-20T00:50:00.316-05:00Monday, December 20th, 1976<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlK5sMgFOeXFeHw4TByoBeOD_0SNfBh7IRsR2pobxMZFUi5Oxu_Idm9ACNv32DbI_fi8hf9L9GCDNWHSsANBUAnlWw3ktXQDngXYkZDCxmSPkKAso8iWZ-SiEEd1dIAl3LKyYEc6iVQIyg/s1600/jeanette_kahn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlK5sMgFOeXFeHw4TByoBeOD_0SNfBh7IRsR2pobxMZFUi5Oxu_Idm9ACNv32DbI_fi8hf9L9GCDNWHSsANBUAnlWw3ktXQDngXYkZDCxmSPkKAso8iWZ-SiEEd1dIAl3LKyYEc6iVQIyg/s320/jeanette_kahn.jpg" width="196" /></a></div>All my index cards were missing but I had the info in my notebook. I got to switch lockers again.<br />
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Found out that Janie N. is doing a term paper on comics, too.<br />
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Rain and snow all day long.<br />
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J. Kahn was on the hotline tonight.<br />
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<b><i>NOTES: Janie N. was one of my fellow students who, as recently as last year, lived right down the street from me here. I spoke with her more often just running into her on the street than I ever had in High School. I think she's moved, though. Haven't seen her in quite a while. I don't recall her having any interest in comics but apparently she did back then at least.</i></b><br />
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<b><i>Jenette Kahn was the then-new Publisher at DC Comics. From the beginning, she had attempted to put herself out there so fans would know her. Remember, comics were essentially a "boys'" medium and here was a girl running one of the two biggest comics companies! So there she was that day on the Hotline. I would sit next to her table at breakfast at a convention hotel in Chicago in 1990. She had a good run with lots of innovations and then moved on.</i></b>Bookstevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09797445163866512849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5466454387904829989.post-46427218379067488712011-12-19T00:14:00.001-05:002011-12-19T00:14:01.854-05:00Sunday, December 19th, 1976<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisNd8Vj2zxYg-reDYRI8Eko_RlNG1CC0VjUk1ooX77TqVBAmjBEyosrkyIIot86mV7LXJ7xaoiSqh8Xs1Tu6JI25C3Xt_bf18Urc5XZ3f3jpVve6enlGuGWbHumlJmPNXhyCHkS_mZcuY2/s1600/coverlt7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisNd8Vj2zxYg-reDYRI8Eko_RlNG1CC0VjUk1ooX77TqVBAmjBEyosrkyIIot86mV7LXJ7xaoiSqh8Xs1Tu6JI25C3Xt_bf18Urc5XZ3f3jpVve6enlGuGWbHumlJmPNXhyCHkS_mZcuY2/s320/coverlt7.jpg" width="320" /></a>For the first time in ages, most of the day was spent on homework.<br />
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Heard more live Wings on the radio and read in the paper of a new live Beatles album recorded in 1962 coming soon! Speaking of albums, Betty called and asked Mom what I wanted for Christmas so I said 33 1/3 and she told her she'd get it!<br />
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Felt good all day until I had to deal with Jack at SS tonight still finishing up cleaning from the party. I silently hurried home as quickly as possible.<br />
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<b><i>NOTES: The Beatles' Star Club recordings from Germany are really lousy recordings done from the audience on a reel to reel recorder. They were a major disappointment on arrival and yet have been endlessly repackaged ever since.</i></b><br />
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<b><i>Betty is my older cousin and she and her husband had long-since taken to calling and asking what people wanted for Christmas. On the one hand, it eliminated that wonderful element of delightful surprise when you got the perfect gift. On the other, though, it also eliminated that terrible moment when you opened your gift and got...socks.</i></b><br />
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<b><i>In this case, Betty got me George Harrison's THIRTY THREE AND A THIRD album, his most commercial album ever with some fun songs including the two I had enjoyed from his recent SNL appearance. </i></b>Bookstevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09797445163866512849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5466454387904829989.post-7752518774083737552011-12-18T00:57:00.002-05:002011-12-18T00:57:00.702-05:00Saturday, December 18th, 1976<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOVrk9vMCXGW-gThEh7Jw3_Z0z-SLUKullkj0N7ipx7SxqrDY95Hg-YbEY_iwy0HiWDYVqx812KJeCi3n3rc-i6FYG_NCpP3nVl0eMqYiL_1US5qp1Lnzx-w633VVYeNQ-ygiIJOj2XcPL/s1600/the-pink-panther-strikes-again-movie-poster-1976-1020465660.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOVrk9vMCXGW-gThEh7Jw3_Z0z-SLUKullkj0N7ipx7SxqrDY95Hg-YbEY_iwy0HiWDYVqx812KJeCi3n3rc-i6FYG_NCpP3nVl0eMqYiL_1US5qp1Lnzx-w633VVYeNQ-ygiIJOj2XcPL/s400/the-pink-panther-strikes-again-movie-poster-1976-1020465660.jpg" width="263" /></a></div>Watched a beautiful Osmonds Christmas show before bed last night!<br />
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A well-planned day in spite of IT twice.<br />
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Saw PPSA at the Times.<br />
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Had to clean up last night's Christmas party at SS over top of Jack who was "helping."<br />
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Mom washed late tonight as I watched a great WONDER WOMAN and an even better Mike and Gloria episode of ALL INTHE FAMILY.<br />
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<b><i>NOTES: "PPSA" was THE PINK PANTHER STRIKES AGAIN. The Times Towne Cinema was the last of the prestigious downtown theaters in Cincinnati and even it was stooping to the occasional exploitation film. The Times was where I saw TUNNELVISION earlier in the year.</i></b><br />
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<b><i>I recently watched all of the Peter Sellers Pink Panther films again and, while one can see the diminishing budget--or possibly just increased egos and paychecks--Sellers as Clouseau never fails to make me laugh. </i></b>Bookstevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09797445163866512849noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5466454387904829989.post-9462182933606564552011-12-17T00:43:00.000-05:002011-12-17T00:43:01.467-05:00Friday, December 17th, 1976<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVzLHqAgh-ysbOV-_V3h8XYRaWVlNXg76BrVFLURYx-9Crz0XY1DFnXAopPmOPPthNCV3e1qOcqrOiC1W02JOG2xUn6ADaW4bMozz9OkXScX_xi2kdVLzDrr5n59xjqWiY0PBwcpHepO83/s1600/Florence-yall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVzLHqAgh-ysbOV-_V3h8XYRaWVlNXg76BrVFLURYx-9Crz0XY1DFnXAopPmOPPthNCV3e1qOcqrOiC1W02JOG2xUn6ADaW4bMozz9OkXScX_xi2kdVLzDrr5n59xjqWiY0PBwcpHepO83/s1600/Florence-yall.jpg" /></a>48 votes for Mr. Shoemaker as Scrooge. He's planning a party next Wednesday. Twelve years ago today we had our Kindergarten Christmas play! I took the pics to school and showed them to Karen. She signed the back of it. She's SOOOO pretty! Wow.<br />
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I chose my book for my next review.<br />
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No SS tonight. Decided to wait until tomorrow.<br />
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SILENT MOVIE is coming to Y'all.<br />
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<b><i>NOTES: Karen Rooney, in case you'd forgotten, was in my Kindergarten class. I think she was in first grade, also. After that, I didn't see her until seventh grade when they combined several schools to create a whole new Junior High School. She aged very well to that point. Only saw her once in the years since.</i></b><br />
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<b><i>SILENT MOVIE was the new Mel Brooks movie. "Y'all" was a nickname for the then-new Florence Mall and its cinemas, so called due to a water tower nearby. Someone had painted the name FLORENCE MALL on the tower and then, for legal reasons, were told to change it. They repainted it to say FLORENCE Y'ALL...which it still does to this day.</i></b>Bookstevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09797445163866512849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5466454387904829989.post-88214613173538618742011-12-16T00:19:00.000-05:002011-12-16T00:19:00.217-05:00Thursday, December 16th, 1976<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_8GabvOzDXQqiFrur2BAxThGyFIZShTVEMGZBbUfVXBuJLcgr4b4tM1Sii3wPs2lbH_r6kO-QwJ_KJfCe8VJtiVzAaH0up7anRC1uYla4Y099U9wRY9HovihIGABm4E335iM9E9LuMx6S/s1600/Jack+Clark.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_8GabvOzDXQqiFrur2BAxThGyFIZShTVEMGZBbUfVXBuJLcgr4b4tM1Sii3wPs2lbH_r6kO-QwJ_KJfCe8VJtiVzAaH0up7anRC1uYla4Y099U9wRY9HovihIGABm4E335iM9E9LuMx6S/s320/Jack+Clark.jpg" width="320" /></a>Spanish was a mess at school. Depressing. Freezing fire drill at lunch.<br />
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Unexpected new books in Cincy after school. Plus WINGS OVER AMERICA with strict instructions--DO NOT OPEN UNTIL CHRISTMAS!<br />
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Unexpected reruns tonight. Felt really weird watching Jack Cassidy on CROSSWITS. It was like "He can't be gone. There he is!" So many have died recently.<br />
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<b><i>NOTES: So we come to the final page of the actual journal with the remainder of the year squeezed in practically in one-liners before I stapled in a page for my big summing up. </i></b><br />
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<b><i>CROSSWITS was a decidedly second-string syndicated game show whose idea of a seventies celebrity was often of the likes of Carlton Carpenter (who hadn't done much of anything since the fifties and wasn't particularly famous even then). The show ran five seasons, however, hosted by Jack Clark, a man whose name was better known as announcer than host for a number of earlier game shows. Jack Cassidy happened to be on the episodes running during the week in which he died. Sad.</i></b>Bookstevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09797445163866512849noreply@blogger.com3