VERY BUSY BIRTHDAY WEEKEND

Yesterday, for much of the day, it was plum pouring out. Today's much nicer so far though. I have to lector at 10:00 Mass tomorrow. Unfortunately Cheryl is on the schedule for 5:00 today. I should most certainly hope she doesn't try to switch again. That's entirely too annoying. Last week she was on vacation. Yesterday & this morning I played my guitar & read part of "The Possessed". Last night I also listened to some jazz on my Duke Ellington & Dizzy Gillespie CD's. Uncle Frankie & my father are supposed to go to yet another game tomorrow. Usually their games are spaced further apart but weather considerations make things crazy. Today's an especially big important day for Liverpudlians. It's officially Beatle George Day over in the Fabs' hometown. Today is also my cousing Jamie's birthday. He's my cousin Alan's son & lives over in Michigan. Tomorrow is two cousins' birthday. We shall have to wish happy birthday to Elaine & Fran, both in Pennsylvania. Besides that, it's also Swiss National Day. It was inspired by the mention of early August in the Charter of 1291.

MISERABLE WEATHER

My father & Uncle Frankie went to a game yesterday. It started at 1:00. It was because of a cancellation of a previous game they were supposed to attend. They're going to go to another game tomorrow too. Uncle Frankie hung around for a while after the game. Mary Anne called yesterday. I suppose it was about all the latest gossip from New York. I read some more of "The Possessed" last night & this morning. Fortunately I've been getting very close to the end. Last night I also listened to a part of the "Carmelite Dialogues" CD I have. It's a famous opera by Poulenc. I didn't bother to watch "Burn Notice" last night but I made sure I recorded it. I was quite careful to keep track of it so I could be positive that it worked out. The weather today is quite dismal. It's been pouring out for most of the day. We shall have to settle for a dreary Friday dance. Lately I have been quite conscientious about playing my guitar. Each day I try to set aside quite a lot of time for practice although the self discipline has been getting me quite crazy.

RAINY NIGHT

I mistakenly thought there was a meeting at O.L. Mt. Carmel last night. I appeared to have gotten my Wednesdays all mixed up. On the way home I made sure I took advantage by stopping at a local Turkey Hill for gas. It's been going up lately. I just noticed on a website dedicated to Beatle George that August 1 has been designated George Harrison day in the Dark Horse's native Liverpool. There's a really nice big concert tribute to him over there. Last night there was yet another major rainstorm in the area. Lately there are always bulletins on TV about flooding in the local counties. My father says West Pittston was completely flooded. Last night I read some more of the encyclical "Evangelium Vitae" & played my guitar for a while. I didn't see Uncle Frankie yesterday. As far as I know he may have shown up when I wasn't around. My parents went food shopping & plum forgot to get coffee.

MEETING TONIGHT

The sky is very cloudy so far today. It's been raining. Last night I watched "E.T.: The Extra_Terrestrial". It's the early 1980's movie. As far as I know it seems to have been sort of the basis for the idea for a favorite TV show of mine, "ALF". Henry Thomas, Dee Wallace, Erica Eleniak, Drew Barrymore & Peter Coyote were in it. Last night I also listened to my Eubie Blake CD for a while. He's another one whose music makes me feel as if I've gotten stranded in a silent movie. I ate more of the Chinese trail mix yesterday. I played my guitar last night. "After Midnight" & "Cocaine" by Eric Clapton are getting a little easier to handle lately. Tonight there's a meeting at O.L. Mt. Carmel in Pittston. A couple of weeks ago we met at the Victory Pig & miniature golf course. This week's just a normal meeting. So far we don't have very many people in our group. With a little more advertising, though, that may change eventually. The leader has been hearing from interested people.

WARM SPELL

Uncle Frankie came over for a while yesterday for just a typical visit. I finished my bag of that spicy Chinese trail mix yesterday & started another one. It tastes quite good in a bizarre distinctive way. Last night I listened to one of my Mozart CD's for a little while. I also listened to a Scott Joplin CD. Joplin's songs always remind me of what it most feel like to have to be stranded in a silent movie. When I was a kid in high school, Marvin Hamlisch recorded a version of "The Entertainer" for the movie, "The Sting". In keeping with my habit lately, I played my guitar & read a lot yesterday. The weather's been awfully warm lately. At least the air conditioning in my car has been working fairly well so far. A lot of people complain about heat but I can't get enough of it.

FRAN'S BIRTHDAY PARTY

It was quite a rainy weekend. Lately there seems to be at least a rainstorm each day. As usual I made sure I spent a lot of time reading "The Possessed" & playing my guitar. So far, Fr. Marchetti seems to be doing quite a good job of things over at O.L. Sorrows & St. Joseph's. The new weekday schedule starts this week. As usual I got nudged into lectoring yesterday at 10:00. Yesterday my parents & I went to Uncle Frankie's for Fran's birthday party. Her real birthday's not until next Sunday, the same day as Elaine's. A splendid time was had by one & all with quite a whole lot of the requisite living in the past to show for it. It was too fattening though. They most certainly seem to have quite a thing for those really fancy olives. Mary Anne called last night. She & Bridget went to see Robin, & Mark's daughters, for a while.