THE FURTHER ADVENTURES OF HEATHCLIFF

2012 SO FAR

2012-01-26T13:12:00.000-05:00

Last month's Carmelite meeting went well. Sister Mary Robert gave each of us a Christmas present. We went through all the usual necessary business & agreed to start reading a new book. This month's meeting, though, scheduled for last Saturday morning, was cancelled because of the snow. Mary Elizabeth called me & explained that because a few of the ladies live in Lackawanna County they might have had a rough time getting through all the snow we were expecting. It snowed that day but the weather didn't stay bad. Within a few days it was melted. I really wanted to go to Washington, D.C. this past Tuesday for the annual March for Life. Unfortunately, though, I ended up not going. It rained that day so the trip would have gotten me crazy anyway. My parents have both been sick lately. My mother's birthday is this coming Saturday & we all hope she will be feeling well enough to be able to enjoy it. There are lots of relatives' birthdays this month. Today we wish a very happy birthday to cousin Larry's wife Rose. Over the past few months, a few people in my class in high school have died. My classmates & I are all so sorry about them & shall pray for their souls. Last week my car's battery died so I went to Frank Gubbiotti's garage in Plains to get it fixed. Frank & His partner were both ill with the flu so their secretary got Sam to put a new battery in for me. Sam said that I should need a new starter to go with the rest of my troubles. My inspection is coming up soon, no later than March, so I shall get it done within only a very short time. Last year at this time I was violently sick for a long time but so far this year the I've gotten has been a few days worth of a very bad headache a while ago. Besides that I get slight headaches every time the weather changes. Lately I've been watching old TV shows like "Alfred Hitchcock Presents", "Bachelor Father", "The Time Tunnel" & "The Mothers~In~Law".

MERRY CHRISTMAS

2011-12-22T11:57:00.000-05:00

Christmas very fast approaches. It's time yet again for all the reminiscing & partying to begin in only a few days. Mary Anne & her family will be coming in on Friday. Fran will be here then too. Uncle Frankie went away to visit her for a while recently. Conveniently my father has been out of the hospital for a while & he's even allowed to drive now too. I sometimes have to take him to the hospital for check~ups. Over the course of the past week, ever since Friday, I've gotten three nightmarishly blinding headaches. As far as I know they may have been becaus of sinus trouble. The first one was on the day of St. Monica's Christmas party. I went to the party but I was miserable. The party was supposed to be in Fr. Leonard's honor but he wasn't available. Winter officially began yesterday. We have no snow but there's been a lot of rain. Ruthie complained about how odd that is. I went back to Frank's garage a while ago to find out about whether he can help me with my odometer in time for the inspection I have to get by next month. He took down all the information he needs. I got my annual Christmas card from Carole but so far I haven't gotten one from Grace, Daren's mother, yet. They're the only cards I get each year. I made sure I sent one to each of them. I also sent one to Lisa from my class in high school. She's been very ill. Unfortunately Burt Koza just sent out a Facebook notice recently telling us all that O.L.P.H. in Lindenhurst, after ninety~nine years, will also be closing down the school at the end of the school year.

THANKSGIVING AND ADVENT

2011-11-29T12:59:00.002-05:00

Thanksgiving worked out reasonably well. Mary Anne & family couldn't come in but the relatives from West Wyoming were here. Fran got here for a little while. The food, as always, was entirely too fattening. The only disadvantage was that at the end of the night I went to bed with a very bad headache. I took an Excedrin migraine pill, though, & it soon went away. A lot of relatives called to say hello. Gary called. He & I spent quite a long time on the phone. The Ronald & Linda even showed up from Washington State to visit Hilldale. They showed up for a couple of hours a few nights ago. Recently I went to a Lay Carmelite meeting in Wilkes_Barre & a men's group meeting at St. Monica's. Those meetings really keep me busy. Recently I saw Alfred Hitchcock's "The Wrong Man" & the famous Humphrey Bogart movie, "The Maltese Falcon". Now that my father's home from the hospital he has to go to the V.A. hospital in Wilkes_Barre frequently. He can't drive for now so I have to drive him there. I also have to do the grocery shopping. That's a major advantage because I always use my Price Chopper card to make sure I get credit for gas for my car. This past Sunday the Church started using the new translation for the Mass. It's a little hard to handle at first because of such an old habit but it should be very easy after a while. It's the same translation as the one they used when I was a kid. I went to a meeting a while ago at St. Monica's where a visiting monsignor explained all about it for us. Advent has begun. Christmas will soon be upon us. Unfortunately today marks the tenth anniversary of the death of Beatle George.

BAD TIME FOR QUEENS KIDS

2011-11-17T14:19:00.000-05:00

Lately it's been such a sad time for us kids from 92 Street & St. Gabriel's. Earl's mother died in October, two weeks before his birthday. He & his brother, Jr., were really good kids. Tommy, Jo Anne & Ruthie were also friends of mine from those days. Their mother died last week too. When Earl's mother died I made sure I talked to him on the phone. It was the very first time we'd spoken since we were twelve years old. We haven't seen each other in person since then. I also spoke to Jo Anne on the phone when her mother died. My father was recently rushed to the hospital a while ago too. First he went to the Veteran's Hospital. Then he went to the General Hospital. They're both in Wilkes_Barre. He gets lots of visitors & phone calls. He's been recovering slowly but it's a seriously strenuous time for all. Mary Anne, Steve & Bridget came in for a couple of days last weekend to see how everything's been working out so far. We've spent a lot of time going back & forth to the hospital but my mother & Uncle Frankie are getting a bit too old for this kind of aggravation.

NOVENA

2011-11-03T12:30:00.000-04:00

During the first week of last month I went to Rose Chairge's in West Pittston to get a haircut. I was a little afraid to ask her because of the floods up there. Fortunately she didn't have any trouble. The lay Carmelite meeting, a few weeks ago, went quite well. The attendance was exceptionally good. A few people talked about the retreat in Middletown, N.Y. in September. Recently I went to the annual St. Jude novena at O.L. Eucharist Church on Main Street in Pittston Junction. I really like to go there every year. I only missed the first night. One night I went nuts because they put up orange cones to block the parking lot so outsiders couldn't steal spaces. The problem was they kept me out to. Sister Mary Ann explained the circumstances. This month I also needed an oil change. I made an appointment to have Frank Gubbiotti, from Plains, do it. He's on River Road. His place needs lots of repairs because River Road was hit so hard by the flood. I made sure I asked him to help with my odometer too. If I don't get another one by January I shall not pass my inspection. Recently my oldest friend, Earl from Puerto Rico, gave us all such very sad news. His mother recently died. She was always such a very good person when I knew them in Queens. When I went to a recent Guardian of the Redeemer meeting at the Oblate Seminary on 315, last Saturday, there was a bad blizzard that started early in the day. & drove us crazy all day. That's not a good place to have to deal with a snowstorm because the road back & forth to there is so steep.

ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI

2011-10-04T12:58:00.000-04:00

September 16 was my birthday & the 25 was my father's. All went well. As always Uncle Frankie & kin came over from West Wyoming. They stayed for a few hours & we all had a really nice time. The only trouble was that Mary Anne & her family couldn't come in because they were all too sick. I got a surprise on my birthday from my old friend Jim. He said he was in Baghdad with the Air Force. Fr. McKernan's birthday was the 17 so he & I went to breakfast the morning of mine at the Colonial Pancake House on Wyoming Avenue in Wyoming. It was a really nice time. The week after that Walter & his wife, after 8:30 Mass at St. Joseph's, invited me to go to breakfast with them at the Avenue diner on Wyoming Avenue in West Wyoming. While we were there I noticed a lot of other people were there from St. Monica's too. Unfortunately Fr. McKernan got into a very bad accident on Rte. 309 in Wilkes_Barre last Thursday. His car was totalled & he was slightly hurt when an old woman ran a stop sign & hit him. Unfortunately because of the recent flood there have been all sorts of troubles around here. I went to the St. Therese novena for five of the nine days over this past week. Her feast day was this past Saturday. It was insanely hard to get home though because the northbound lane of River Road is closed down. It was severly damaged in the flood. One day I made the very definite mistake of trying to go home by way of the detour. It didn't work out well. I was afraid that Rose wouldn't be available to cut my hair because West Pittston was especially badly hit. I asked Michelle about her though & she told me to go to her Facebook site. When I sent her a message there she said that nothing bad had happened to her. I can make an appointment to go to her barber shop now. Today is the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi. We wish a happy day to all Franciscans.

2011-10-03T13:56:00.001-04:00

BIRTHDAY EARTHQUAKE

2011-08-24T11:46:00.001-04:00

Two weeks ago I went to the annual Bazaar at St. John the Evangelist Church in Pittston. It was a really nice time even though it was violently hot & crowded. The traffic was so bad that even though I got there fifteen minutes after it started I was still forced to park around a quarter of a mile away. I gave them my usual five dollars to buy some contest tickets. I won a twenty five dollar gift certificate to a nice Italian restaurant in Forty Fort. Last week was Pittston's annual Tomato Festival. I went there for a little while one day too. The guy whow was in charge of the San Cataldo Society's basket of cheer reminded me that he recognized me from last year. We see each other over there every year. A couple of days later my mother, Fran & I went there to check it out. I got a falafel at the middle eastern food stand. Fran got something too. We took something home for my father. We also got t~shirts as souvenirs. Unfortunately for two nights in a row I got extremely violent headaches a while ago. I'm still supposed to water those really nice flowers whenever it doesn't rain. Lately, though, it seems to rain so frequently that I hardly ever bother even to think twice about them. Yesterday was my nephew (& godson) Michael's twenty~third birthday. Amazingly it was also, for most people I know, our very first ever experience with an earthquake. Although it occurred somewhere over in Virginia, because it registered at 5.8 on the Richter scale it affected the entire eastern seaboard. I happened to have been looking at my Facebook account at the time so I was able to get reactions & comments from friends, relatives & former classmates & teachers of mine in many different parts of the country. When it first happened the woman sitting right next to me made a comment about how maybe it was from the truck that was passing by. We then realized, though, that that couldn't have been it because the building shook violently & it lasted for about ten seconds. There are very many birthdays in August so happy day to all who qualify.

2011-08-02T16:13:00.001-04:00

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OIL CHANGE

2011-07-26T11:03:00.000-04:00

Lately I've been watering the flowers in the front yard every day that it doesn't rain. That most certainly didn't include yesterday. There were two absolutely torrential downpours, each one fairly brief, with lots of thunder & lightning. This year has been quite a record breaker for extreme temperatures. I have absolutely no idea whatsoever of what the names of most of the flowers are, except the buttercups. They're the big yellow ones. The flowers appear to go through phases somehow. There are times when they're all out either in full bloom or on their way, with exceptionally nice buds. Then they go through periods of total absolute death. They all get stark & horrible looking. Each stage seems to last for only a fairly short time. Recently I went to Di Leo's Garage on Wyoming Avenue & Ninth Street in town to get an oil change. It's only right down the street. It went fairly well except for the price. It got a little steep because I needed a new oil filter & a rim for my tire. The guy who's in charge is named Joe. Another guy gave me a ride each way so I could stay home while it was getting fixed. Fortunately it only took a few hours. Sometimes those things can last for an unbearably long time. Daren's birthday was July 21. I made sure I sent her mother, Grace, a card. She sent me one too. She included some very nice pictures of Daren & her(Daren's)two sisters. Daren died in 2005. Fr. McKernan has been doing a really good job so far of keeping our men's group running. We meet on the second & fourth Saturday mornings of each month in O.L. Sorrows rectory. The last Carmelite meeting, a couple of weeks ago, went really well too. Attendance wasn't so good but we got a lot done there. Our meetings are every third Saturday of the month at 9:00 a.m. at the Little Flower Manor on South Meade Street in Wilkes_Barre. We always welcome new members.

2011-07-17T06:10:00.001-04:00

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FOURTH OF JULY SHINDIG

2011-07-05T12:29:00.001-04:00

This past weekend, starting pretty much on Friday morning, my father's relatives got together for their fifty~first annual overcrowded feeding frenzy in Hilldale. They call it a family reunion. Richie's, Sean's & Jamie's families were all missing. Michael, Tony Sr. & Junior & Scott from Buffalo weren't there either, but most of the others managed to make it. Michael even took Erin with him. I made sure I wore a hat most days & didn't a headache or sunburn. Yesterday I forgot though, & I woke up very early this morning with a headache. Because I always made sure I stayed only until around 8:00 each night I never got too worn out. As always it was a mixture of sports, gossip, intellectual debate, religion & politics, & picture taking. My camera & video camera got a lot of mileage. The food was entirely too fattening so I shall have to spend the next few weeks toning my appetite down. Mary Anne, Robin & a few others even went shopping for hooch. I put in a share of the price & got a few swigs to show for it over the course of the weekend. Most probably I shall not have another drop until the next especially big occasion. Unfortunately the only thing missing this year was music. Most years lately we always seem to have an ad~hoc band made up of anyone who can play his way out of a brown paper bag. There was some bad news on Saturday since the insanely violent electrical storm, that started at about 4:00 a.m., lasted all day & drove us all plum crazy. It's been raining like crazy for quite a while this past spring & summer. A few weeks ago Vinnie, Steve & I got the idea to go to Jitty Joe's for ice cream but somehow we didn't end up going. Several people only stayed for a day or two so it was hard to keep track of everyone.

FOURTH OF JULY

2011-06-29T12:29:00.000-04:00

This past weekend Sam, the younger of my nephews, had quite an exceptionally nice & busy time. He went to his Senior prom & his graduation from Long Beach High School, on Long Island. He's eighteen years old as of earlier this month. It's a month of major milestones for him. Following in his brother Michael's footsteps he intends to attend Hofstra University in September. He recently got his driver's license too. Michael is also quite busy too with his girlfriend Erin, job & new life. Bridget, their sister, the youngest of all, has just finished her time at summer camp. Mary Anne came in on the bus a couple of days ago to help with all the necessary cooking for the Fourth of July. Very soon we shall have to face the inevitable crowd in Hilldale. Unfortunately I missed the big final farewell reunion at St. Gabriel's in East Elmhurst, & shall also be forced to miss the big reunion at St. John the Baptist in West Islip. It's on July 1. My parents still constantly pester me to water the plants & flowers for them each day. There's so much rain lately though that many days it's entirely unnecessary. Last night at around 10:30, there was an absolutely overwhelming electrical storm. My cell phone works really well. My parents now have the one I started out using because they don't want to be bothered with all the extra things. I was forced to spend an absolutely insane amount of time on the phone with the Tracfone people to get theirs re~activated but other than that all goes quite well.

ST. GABRIEL'S

2011-06-23T13:39:00.000-04:00

Father's Day, last weekend, went quite well. As always my parents & I partied with Uncle Frankie & kin from West Wyoming. Fran came up for the weekend & invited us over to his house for a nice big supper on Saturday & breakfast on Sunday morning. Recently my mother sent away to QVC for yet another cell phone so she & my father could have one available for when they go out. Because they really don't need a video camera or anything like that, I got theirs & they now have mine. I especially like the one I have because it takes very nice pictures & the video camera is quite an interesting perk. Recently all my St. Gabriel's friends & I got some extremely bad news. Our beloved school over in East Elmhurst, Queens, recently re~named the La Salle School at St. Gabriel's Parish, will be soon closing down. Our last reunion will be this coming Saturday, June 25. I really wish I could have attended but due to circumstances beyond my control there's no way I could possibly get there. That parish was always the single biggest, most important landmark of my childhood. A lot of my old St. Gabriel's friends have been joining Facebook lately. Last Saturday's Carmelite meeting went well. Sister Mary Robert was there. We needed her help with the installation of officers. We meet every third Saturday morning of the month at the Little Flower Manor in Wilkes~Barre at 9:00 a.m. & are always looking for new members. The weather's been exceptionally nice & warm lately. It rains quite a lot but we need the rain. There was an exceptionally violent rainstorm starting at around 4:00 a.m. this morning. My parents always want me to water their really nice flowers, that they got from Aunt Lauren's farm, but on days like this no extra water will be necessary. I've been reading a lot lately, especially poetry & Carmelite books. Two days ago was my cousin Larry's birthday so we all have to say happy birthday to him. June 18 was also Beatle Sir Paul's birthday. It's good to see he's still around.

BUSY TIME

2011-06-14T13:10:00.001-04:00

The weather's been usually pretty hot & frequently rainy around here lately. It's a busy time of year. Sam will be graduating from high school this month. Michael is really keeping active with his girlfriend Erin. Michael & Sam both have jobs that keep them occupied. Father's Day is this Sunday so we shall be going out to a restaurant as always when Fran comes in. I've been keeping in touch & getting back in touch with people from St. Gabriel's lately. We're all so very sad to have to face up to the fact that our beloved school, over in East Elmhurst, N.Y. will have to close this month. Unfortunately I most probably won't be able to go to the big reunion. The more time I spend in northeastern Pa. the more I see that nobody here has to be fit to drive his way out of a brown paper bag, in order to get a license. I've been reading, & watching a lot of movies lately, as always. I've always been interested in things like that. Recently we just got some very bad news over at St. Monica's. I noticed in the Citizen's Voice yesterday that Laura, who was until recently a parishioner & lector of ours, has died, at only forty years old, of cancer. This coming Saturday morning, I shall be going to our monthly Carmelite meeting. We have a meeting every third Saturday morning of the month at 9:00 a.m. at the Little Flower Manor on South Meade Street in Wilkes_Barre. New members are always welcome. Fr. McKernan isn't going to have Mass or Bible meetings on Thursday nights for the summer but we go to his men's meeting on Saturday mornings twice a month now. The Easter Season ended this past weekend on Pentecost Sunday so I've started my new breviary.

CARMELITE MEETING

2011-05-25T12:49:00.002-04:00

A couple of weeks ago the Catholic radio people tracked me down again. This time it was to get me to help with addressing envelopes for them. There were fewer than twenty to write out. I delivered two directly to the people who were supposed to get them. The recent Carmelite meeting worked out well too. As always our attendance was nothing to brag about but it ran rather smoothly. We meet every third Saturday morning of the month at the Little Flower Manor on South Meade Street in Wilkes_Barre. We are always trying to find new members. Lately I only get very mild headaches every once in a while. Now that I no longer seem to have an allergy to caffeine, a change of weather always seems to get me crazy. Three days ago was my brother~in~law Steve's birthday. Yesterday was cousin Gino's. Bridget's is this coming Friday. Fran & Uncle Frankie came over for a visit last Saturday night. It was really nice. She only gets to show up once in a while. Mother's Day & my parents' fifty~fifth wedding anniversary~Cinco de Mayo~both went off without any trouble too. To celebrate we went out to Perkins to get a nice meal & to St. John the Evangelist's graveyard to visit all the deceased kin. Yesterday I went to a local jewelry store on Wyoming Avenue in West Wyoming to get the batteries replaced for my watch & my father's remote control for his car. There seems to be yet no end to the torrential downpour lately. I heard someone say on the radio a little over a week ago that this year had seen, so far, the fifth wettest spring in history.

DIVINIE MERCY SUNDAY

2011-05-04T11:46:00.000-04:00

In my last post I mistakenly said my appointment for the blood drive was on Friday. It was on Thursday. Conveniently it was very easy for me to get there because it was at O.L. Mt. Carmel church on William Street in Pittston. Although it wasn't until 4:00 p.m. I, of course, being so compulsively punctual, got there at around 3:00. A few of the phlebotomists who showed up that day were regulars so at least two of them, Marlene & Tina, recognized me quite well by now. The women I spoke to at first, when I told them I was so early, let me get an early start. Marlene, though, came over & reminded me that I was going to have to wait until a double red cell opening was available because that's what I had promised to do. After it was all over I got some apple juice & cookies & a coupon for a contest. My old Knights of Columbus council, 794 in Lindenhurst, N.Y., used to give us a really nice full meal. There's a bitter rainstorm right now ever since last night. It's very common lately for some obscene reason. We always get such bad weather, with intermittent spurts of niceness. Easter & Divine Mercy Sunday are now both over. The English prince's wedding supplied us with a lot of nice hoo~ha, as did the beatification of Pope John Paul II. On the more morbid side we were all relieved to find out about the death of Osama bin Laden a few days ago.

HAPPY EASTER

2011-04-26T12:59:00.001-04:00

This month's Carmelite meeting worked out quite well. It was Chris's reception day. Her husband & mother both showed up for the Mass. Yvonne & Judy were there too. The only catch is that whenever they attend a meeting it's always so mind~bogglingly long. Sr. Mary Robert, as always, was especially helpful. Easter was a very nice time too. The kin from West Wyoming showed up. Steve & all the kids were here too. Mary Anne wasn't available though because she wasn't feeling well. We had our big meal on Holy Saturday because it was the best thing to do for the people who had to travel. At around 8:00 that night Steve & I took the kids to Jitty Joe's for our mandatory ice cream jaunt. I ended up getting a cup of teaberry ice cream. There's still entirely too much candy & food left over. Aunt Lauren & Uncle Jim brought Benjamin over on Good Friday night. As always I ended up lectoring in church on Palm Sunday. Fr. McKernan even got me to have my foot washed. My cell phone works quite well though most of the mileage I get from it is from the Facebook app. I made sure I got a haircut from Rose Chairge a few days before Easter. I always have to call for an appointment. She recognizes my voice on the phone whenever I call. Among other birthdays this month, yesterday was KrissyKrissyKrissy's daughter Natalie's big day. She's three. I haven't gotten many headaches lately, just the occasional really slight one. The weather, finally & at last, has been getting very nice. Well it's about time. There's no weekday Mass at O.L. Sorrows this week so I go to St. John's in Pittston every morning. People are still working so hard to keep St. Gabriel's, over in East Elmhurst, from having to close down. I have an appointment to give blood this Friday.

IT'S DEJA VU' ALL OVER AGAIN

2011-04-09T13:13:00.002-04:00

We're very well into spring & the weather is still cold with lots of bitter rain. I was hoping to be able to go to Middletown, New York this morning for a Carmelite day of recollection but I couldn't get in touch with anyone to make the necessary arrangements. No one was available at their office to answer their phone when I called. I spoke to Barbara & explained it all to her. We St. Gabriel's people are still quite saddened over the closing of our school. I was really happy, though, to find out on Facebook that one of the women in our group has tracked down Sr. Rose Eugene, my first grade teacher. She's now Sr. Evyleen Larkin. Mary Anne couldn't scan the picture of Mr. Di Noto & me so I could show it to him on Facebook but I sent it to him in an email. He really liked it. Uncle Frankie's back from his trip to Fran's house. He gave me a coupon to go to A&A to get an oil change for around half the average price. This afternoon I have to lector at 4:00 Mass. Cheryl hasn't called me in quite a while for some reason. A couple of weeks ago I ran into Arlene, from the Catholic radio station, at CVS in the Midway. She told me to call Carol & Ed & ask if they need any help lately. A few days ago Carol called & asked me to put up posters at the local churches. That's really easy. As always I've been continuously reading, watching movies & playing my guitar.

ST. GABRIEL'S

2011-04-01T13:00:00.002-04:00

It's so hard to believe but St. Gabriel's, my grammar school over in East Elmhurst, New York, will be closing down in June. Br. Edward Shields, F.S.C., who has been the principal for the past quite a few years gave us the bad news a couple of days ago. I spent my first six years of grammar school there. The Vincentian Sisters of Charity & De La Salle Christian Brothers, as well as many good lay teachers, gave me quite an exceptional education there. The priests of the Brooklyn Diocese were in charge of the parish. I left Queens right before my twelfth birthday but I shall always remember those days. That parish was quite a fine environment. Now because of the internet I can always keep in touch with all my old friends from there. It's still so sad, though, to see our school close. All good things must come to an eventual end & I haven't been actively involved with the parish or school in the past few decades but those memories of long~gone days will follow us all throughout our lifetimes. It's especially sad that this news comes so soon after the death of Miss Geraldine Watzel, everyone's very favorite second grade teacher. She was a symbol of how good St. Gabriel's was.

CELL PHONE

2011-03-29T12:43:00.001-04:00

Recently I broke down & got a cell phone. Because of my mother's obsessive~compulsive thing about the home shopping channel I got it that way. It's a little Samsung Tracfone. The deranged thing about it all is that I've never been able to stand the telephone in general. On top of that I have an absolutely insatiable hatred of the way people are always rambling on in public, interrupting others & making complete horse's butts out of themselves on these kinds of phones. I've been enjoying it immensely though. I've developed quite an insanely obsessive~compulsive need to put people's numbers into it, & to do all sorts of other things, all except for using it to call anyone. Predictably I use a few seconds of the Beatle classic "She Loves You" as my dial tone. Lately there's been entirely too much snow & bitter cold weather in general so no one would notice that spring has officially sprung. A couple of weeks ago there was a violent blizzard. We all hope it will be the very last of this year. My cousin Larry's family has been very busy with his new grandson & cousin Maelene & family are anxiously awaiting the birth of her new granddaughter. The last Carmelite meeting, two weekends ago, went quite well. We meet on the third Saturday morning of each month at 9:00 at the Little Flower Manor in Wilkes_Barre. Uncle Frankie is gone away to visit Fran for a few days so predictably I've ended up having to get his mail for him each day while he's gone. Lent progresses so far without any major trouble. Easter is very late this year. Finally & at long last the bridge on Eighth Street, after its having been under construction for such an annoyingly long time, will be officially opening to traffic at 4:00 this afternoon. The old one, right next to it, is soon to be torn down. It's like the end of an era around here.

ST. PATRICK'S DAY

2011-03-14T10:53:00.001-04:00

My parents held their St. Patrick's Day party early this year. It was this past Saturday. Mary Anne came in on the bus on Friday night. Steve & the kids couldn't come. They were too busy. The relatives from West Wyoming showed up, as always. Fran, because she has so far to travel, stayed with Uncle Frankie overnight. I made sure I put some Irish whiskey & whipped cream into my coffee so I could have it Irish style. The parade from Scranton was on. I've never been to that one but I went to the one in Manhattan quite a few times when I was young. I even met Robert F. Kennedy at the last one he attended right before he was assassinated. As always we watched a few movies on cable TV while they were here. Yesterday I saw a DVD of Woody Allen's first movie, "What's Up, Tiger Lily?". A couple of weeks ago I saw a DVD of his "Hannah & Her Sisters". He's always been quite a favorite of mine. I've been playing my guitar quite regularly lately & I read every day too. I'm almost finished with Sir Thomas Mallory's "Le Morte D'Arthur". When I first added Mr. Di Noto, my tenth grade theology teacher, to my friend list on Facebook, he asked if I had any pictures of me from my school days that I could show him. Yesterday I made sure I dug up one of him & me from my last day at school. I asked him if he'd be willing to let me take a picture of him & he nudged me into getting one of both of us. I asked Mary Anne if she'd be willing to scan it onto her computer so I could show it to him. Looking through the old albums gave me all the inevitable nostalgic flashbacks to my days as a young hep cat. To my chagrin my violent cough persists. Although all the other symptoms of my recent bouts with the flu are gone my throat continues to drive me crazy. Linnae asked me to switch with her this weekend. We lectored at each other's Masses. It's especially aggravating when I start coughing in front of a lot of people. Daylight savings time began this Saturday night. It's my favorite time of the year. The weather though is still too cold & it's even been snowing for the past two days. The temperatures are somewhat warmer than recently though.

BAD WEATHER

2011-03-09T10:03:00.001-05:00

Today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. Instead of 7:00 a.m Mass today at O.L. Sorrows I shall be going to 7:00 p.m. Mass at St. Joseph's. I have put away my brown breviary & gotten started on the red one. My mother's eye operation was yesterday morning at 6:55 a.m. My father took her to the hospital at around 6:00 a.m. She has another appointment today & will have to go back for quite a while from now on. Things have changed quite a bit since my eye operation at Brunswick Hospital in Amityville when I was a fourteen year old kid. Mary Anne & family, & a few other relatives & friends, called to see how she's been feeling. Mary Anne's kids have been doing well lately. Michael is quite happy with his girlfriend Erin & his new job. Sam will be graduating from high school in a few months & is looking forward to college. Bridget is a typical kid in her early teens. There was a very bad blizzard this week that lasted from Sunday night into Monday. It started with a very bad rainstorm all day Sunday. Spring is only twelve days away & I have been desperately awaiting it. I'm still practicing my guitar on a regular basis & reading a lot each day. My flu is virtually gone by now except that I still have the slightest bit of a cough left. Dr. Radzwilka has me taking two iron pills each day because my iron count has always been entirely too low.

IT'S ONE OF LARRY'S FAVORITE DAYS OF THE YEAR

2011-03-03T10:47:00.006-05:00

Larry's cold is as good as over by now although he's been going absolutely crazy with a persistent cough that just won't go away. He doesn't have any of his medicine left but he can still go to the drug store for a refill. The weather has been getting nicer lately now that February is gone. All the raging blizzards & thunderstorms appear to be behind us. Uncle Frankie comes over lately every once in a while. Larry has a seemingly compulsive habit of always locking the door when he comes inside & Uncle Frankie isn't the least bit fond of this so he always whines about it. He has a key anyway though so Larry doesn't care. Cousins Mark's & Gary's birthdays were at the end of last month. Larry wished each of them a happy day. Beatle George would have been sixty eight years old at the end of last month. Larry enjoyed listening to all his good music. One of the big upcoming events in Larry's world is the reunion, this June, at St. Gabriel's. He'd very much like to be able to go. It turns out that Mary Anne's friend Steve, from Lindenhurst, is now married to an alumna of their old school. Larry really enjoys keeping in touch with people from those days. There's a Carmelite day of recollection coming up, in Middletown, N.Y., next month. Larry really wants to go. Last Friday at O.L. Sorrows, St. Monica's held a Night at the Races. Larry really wanted to go. He even made sure he got a ticket. Oddly, though, he plum forgot exactly which night it was supposed to be held. He assumed it was supposed to be on Saturday or Sunday & missed it. Larry's tenth grade theology teacher just sent him a Facebook message explaining that he's on the far left wing. Of the two teacher's of his on his friend list they're both extreme liberals. The reason Larry has written today's entire blog in the third person is because today is National Talk in the Third Person Day. On days like this Larry is reminded of Elaine's boyfriend Jimmy on a certain episode of "Seinfeld".

WEATHER CHANGE

2011-02-18T13:09:00.003-05:00

The bitter cold weather, at least for now, is over. I find it rather hard to believe that I went out without a coat today. The snow's melting. St. Gabriel's in East Elmhurst is planning a big reunion in June. Jo Anne said she may go. Tim, From California, will even go too. I just found out that Mary Anne's old friend, Steve from Copiague, is married to a woman who went to school there. I'm still reading quite voraciously lately. I try always to finish one book & then virtually immediately pick up another one. I've also been trying very conscientiously to practice my guitar each day. Uncle Frankie is supposed to visit Fran for a couple of days this weekend. I shall have to pick up his mail again. Fr. McKernan won't be available for a few days at St. Monica's so I shall have to go to St. John's in Pittston for a few weekdays. Recently I added a second teacher of mine to my Facebook friend list. Jerry Di Noto was my theology teacher in the tenth grade. I tracked him down a few days ago. Tomorrow I shall have to go to another lay Carmelite meeting in Wilkes_Barre. It's at 9:00 a.m. at the Little Flower on South Meade Street. We meet on the third Saturday morning of each month. There will be another day of recollection in Middletown, N.Y. this spring. I'm hoping to be able to show up. Mary Anne's family has been doing quite well. Michael just got a really nice new job & we're all happy for him.

BUSY & COLD

2011-02-05T11:48:00.001-05:00

Tomorrow is the big Super Bowl. Until recently it had always been at the end of January on the weekend closest to my mother's birthday. The weather lately is still an absolute nightmare. I got my car stuck in the ice in front of the house one day after a particularly bad storm. I spoke to Bob, at O.L. Sorrows, on Thursday night. He said he couldn't go to Washington, D.C. because some woman's pipes had burst because of the weather. He was forced to help her. Phil, the groundhog, saw his shadow on Groundhog Day though so supposedly we shall be seeing an end to it all very soon. Uncle Frankie, after a brief spell with some kind of sickness, is back on his feet again. Fran was supposed to stay at his house this weekend for the big game but she was forced to go home yesterday because of the weather. Aunt Lauren finally & at last showed up yesterday to get Benjamin's Christmas present. If she would have left it for another week & a half it could have been his birthday present. Today she's coming over with some pizza from her church. Donna, the ex~nun, called last night. She wants me to lector for her later today at 4:00 Mass & she can take my turn tomorrow at 11:00 Mass. My flu is gone but it lasted throughout all of January with all sorts of aches & pains to the very end. I still have a slight cough.

ROE V. WADE

2011-01-25T12:29:00.001-05:00

Unfortunately I ended up having to miss out on Monday's trip to Washington, D.C. for the annual pro~life march, although I'd already paid for a ticket. I went to bed insanely early on Sunday night, as always, in order to make sure I could count on getting up in time. When I got up, though, the temperatures in this part of Pa. were significantly below zero degrees. That gave me the distinct impression that I may have been taking on entirely too much of a risk because I knew that I should have to spend all day long outside in the bitter cold. Although Dr. Radzwilka said I should be allowed to go, I wasn't anticipating that much of a cold spell. A couple of days before the trip Bob called & said he'd be going. He wanted me to call him on Monday morning to wake him up so I called him at 5:00 a.m. His wife answered & said he couldn't go. Maybe his reasoning was the same as mine. Uncle Frankie's been very ill lately with something like the flu. Aunt Lauren came over yesterday. Today is Noreen's birthday. The Super Bowl is only two weekends away. Life around here is much easier at this time of year than it was in New York when we all used to have to go to Levittown's American Legion post with my father to see the game over there. I could never handle all the food, crowds & cigarettes. Since I've never enjoyed sports anyway it was quite a major chore for me.

BUSY TIME

2011-01-20T11:13:00.001-05:00

The night before New Year's Eve I got a very violent attack of the flu. I was at O.L. Sorrows lectoring at 7:00 p.m. Mass when my voice started getting hoarse & I started getting very weak. I spent the next few days in bed with a violent headache & cough, besides all sorts of other aches & pains. Eventually I made an appointment to see Dr. Radzwilka in West Pittston. He prescribed a couple of kinds of medication before I made the appointment. The syrup gave me violent headaches so I gave up on it. When I went to the appointment I got him to do some blood work too. So far I have gotten no results. When I started feeling better I made sure I called Chris Calore, in Wilkes_Barre to see about getting onto a bus for the trip to Washington, D.C. next Monday for the annual pro_life March. He was forced to put me on a waiting list but he eventually called & said I get to go. I went last year & all worked out quite well for me even though it was too strenuous. Nothing gets me so crazy as haveing to be restricted like that all day long. I have to get my car inspected in January each year. This Saturday I noticed at the last minute that I desperately needed an oil change. I went to De Leo's gas station on Wyoming Avenue in Wyoming because it's the closest to me. He also does inspections so I made an appointment, for yesterday, to get my inspection. It was a long boring day for me but ultimately I got my usual expensive repairs done & I'm now set until next March. He says I now get a two~month grace period. This past Saturday was our monthly lay Carmelite meeting on S. Meade Street in Wilkes_Barre. Barbara & Rosemary were the only regulars who couldn't show up. Sr. Mary Robert spent the morning with us though & she was very helpful. The weather lately has been very violently cold with entirely too much snow & ice. There have been so many birthdays this month. We wish a very happy birthday to my mother, several cousins & , among the non~relatives, Tim, Lisa & Laura.

THE YEAR WINDS DOWN

2010-12-27T14:03:00.003-05:00

Christmas went quite well. Mary Anne, Steve & all the kids showed up. So did the West Wyoming kin. If Aunt Lauren & her family could have shown up all the northeastern Pa. relatives would have been here. There were all the usual minor irritations. The kids were somewhat ill & the food was entirely too fattening. Mary Anne & family were forced to go home early yesterday because of the big blizzard. Fortunatley it didn't amount to anything of any significance around here, other than slight snow & lots of wind. In New York, though, all the major airports were closed. I went to 8:00 Mass this morning at St. John the Evangelist in Pittston, with only insanely intense winds & somewhat slippery roads to bother me. Mike Aquilina, from EWTN, & his friend were there. Of course I got my annual card from Grace, Daren's mother, a few days ago. I'm still reading Cervantes' "Don Quixote". In only four more days, 2010 will be over. I still have to pay my K of C dues. It's just a matter of getting the money ready & sending it out to Wayne at my council.

CHRISTMAS TIME IS HERE AGAIN...O~U~T SPELLS OUT

2010-12-22T14:31:00.001-05:00

Yesterday cousin Larry's daughter Jennifer gave birth to a baby boy. He's now the tenth Joseph among our relatives. I got a haircut at Rose Chairge's new barber shop in West Pittston yesterday too. It's right inside her husband's comic book store. It was a little hard for me to track it down but I got there eventually with no trouble. Aunt Lauren came over last night for a while when I was at confession at O.L. Sorrows. A few weeks ago Tom sold me a St. Monica's sweatshirt. I picked it up last night. I've been re~reading Cervantes' "Don Quijote", the classic picaresque novel. It's long & the small print gets me crazy but it's always been quite a favorite of mine. My nephew Michael just graduated from Hofstra University this past weekend so he's been quite excited lately. It's still insanely cold but I can handle it as long as the snow doesn't get any worse. Last week, from Monday until Wednesday, there was no priest at our church so I went to Mass each day at St. John the Evangelist in Pittston. This year is very fast coming to its end. We should most certainly hope that 2011 will bring us much better times.

CHRISTMAS BECKONS

2010-12-17T12:54:00.004-05:00

Today is December 17, so Advent is coming to a close & Christmas Eve is exactly a week away. So far I've yet to get a haircut from Rose Chairge in West Pittston but I've kept track of her phone number so I can make an appointment for the upcoming week. Tonight, at 7:00, is a party over at O.L. Sorrows in honor of Fr. Leonard Butcavage. I'm taking chicken. He spent a few months with us recently & often returns for parties & special occasions. The weather has been very bitter cold recently but there haven't been any significant snowstorms, only a few that were slightly aggravating. Unfortunately the rest of the country has very bad blizzards. I got a Christmas card from Carole, my old supervisor from Citicorp, a few days ago. I've yet to get one from Grace, Daren's mother. I sent out a card to each of them two days ago. Of course we've been getting inundated with all sorts of left~wing manipulations of language & symbolism these days, as always, pretending that it's just another holiday season. Liberals always claim they have the right to control us for the sake of not offending the supposedly maligned minorities & other special interest groups. Yet another dark side of Christmas is the inevitable greeting card from at least one relative or acquaintance, always a tangential character, who appears to be harboring the very definitely mistaken impression that people are impressed by, or interested in, his, & his family's escapades from the past year. There's one of those in each crowd. These cards always seem to be filled with references to promotions, scholarships & glamorous vacations. They're more boring than offensive. Unfortunately there was just an extremely bad accident over by the Midway Shopping Center's parking lot this morning. I heard that a car was cut in half. That's quite a dangerous intersection. A couple of days ago I took advantage of some coupons for Dunkin' Donuts. I got a half dozen donuts & a hot latte'.

BEATLE JOHN

2010-12-08T12:15:00.001-05:00

Today is the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, a major Feast day on the Catholic Church's liturgical calendar. It's a holy day of obligation. I shall have to go to 7:00 Mass tonight at O. L. Sorrows. I tried to go to Mass this Morning at St. John's in Pittston. I didn't know that their Mass would be only at 7:00 a.m. & other Masses later in the day. They don't have an 8:00 a.m. Mass today. Sadly, today also marks the thirtieth anniversary of the assassination of Beatle John Lennon by Mark David Chapman outside the Dakota building in Manhattan. It was a Monday night. I can still remember it as if it were only last night. Lennon's music, image & reputation, to this very day, are still a part of our cultural landscape. Even the very young, who hadn't even been born during the lifetime of the famed Swain of Liverpool, are quite smitten with him. Today's Tina's twenty~first birthday. She's cousin Gary's daughter. The weather lately has been very bitter cold but we don't get any snow beyond just the slightest dusting each day. So far there's no fog or icy rain either. Yesterday was especially cold. Buffalo has quite a bit of snow so I suppose we should all feel quite sorry for Maelene & her family.

TWO DOLLARS

2010-12-04T13:13:00.001-05:00

Uncle Frankie's home from Fran's house. Aunt Lauren is visiting Noreen. Advent yet again beckons. As of today we have only three weeks until Christmas. Besides the slight snowfall on Thanksgiving we got some more last night & this morning. The weather's been very bitter cold but not unbearable. Tomorrow I shall have to lector at 11:00 a.m. Mass at O.L. Sorrows/St. Monica's. I need a haircut. I should suppose I could track down Rose Chairge's new place over on Luzerne Avenue in West Pittston but so far I haven't bothered. There are several other places that are much closer. A few days ago when I went to a neighborhood stationery to get the Citizen's Voice, they guy in the store gave me two two dollar bills for change from a five. Two dollar bills have been around since I was a kid in the eleventh grade & I don't usually get to see them in circulation. Unfortunately four days from now will mark the thirtieth anniversary of the murder of Beatle John Lennon in Manhattan by Mark David Chapman. It still seems as if it were only last night. So far I have yet to see an entire episode of the show "House". I've seen half of each of a few episodes though. It's not so bad so maybe I shall continue watching it. Vinnie & Michael like "Burn Notice". I like it too but it's not on until 10:00 at night. Perhaps I shall watch the reruns. They're on much earlier at a time when civilized human beings can see them.

COLD WEATHER

2010-11-30T12:44:00.002-05:00

Thanksgiving worked out quite well. Uncle Frankie, Fran & Lisa showed up. So did Mary Anne, Steve & all the kids. Sam's & Bridget's braces are finally gone. Michael & I got into our inevitable debates about theology & philosophy. It was a fattening time for one & all. To my chagrin there are still leftovers even now. Mary Anne & family only stayed from Wednesday until Saturday because Steve's band, Spectrum, had to play at a concert in Long Beach on Saturday night. I recently finished reading a biography of John Henry Cardinal (now Blessed) Newman, by Fr. Ian T. Ker, & have started re~reading Virgil's "Aeneid". Lately on TV I've been watching old shows like "Peter Gunn", "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" & "Daniel Boone". I used to like "Daniel Boone" & "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" when I was in grammar school but can't remember "Peter Gunn" except by reputation, except for the really famous instrumental, by Duane Eddy, that's the theme song. Herschel Bernardi was in it. I remember him from "Arnie". I also watch a lot of old movies on channel 72. After a long spell of exceptionally inexplicably nice weather we've gotten lots of cold & rain lately. It even snowed a bit on Thanksgiving. My headaches really kick in when the weather changes. Uncle Frankie's been visiting Fran yet again for the past few days. That means I'm back to picking up his mail each day. Wayne, from my Knights of Columbus council in Luzerne, recently sent me a notice about my dues. I shall have to get them paid soon.

THANKSGIVING BECKONS

2010-11-20T14:28:00.001-05:00

Uncle Frankie's back, as of two days ago, from his trip to Fran's house. I picked up his mail each day when he was gone. Thanksgiving is only five days away. Everyone has been making preparations. Mary Anne & family will be showing up in a few days. In the 1980's I spent several Thanksgivings in North Tonawanda with relatives. It's too bad we can't have those days back now. This morning I went to Wilkes_Barre for our monthly Carmelite meeting. We meet at the Little Flower Manor on South Meade St. every third Saturday of the month at 9:00 a.m. Only a few people showed up this month. The weather's been very nice lately with occasional very violent thunderstorms including one in the middle of the night this past week. To my chagrin I always get very violent headaches when the weather changes like that. After tomorrow's 11:00 a.m. Mass the two churches in the Wyomings will officially be known as St. Monica's Parish. There will be a reception at St. Joseph's immediately following the Mass. It must be a stressful time for people who grew up with these parishes. Yesterday I called Jim, in California, on his cell phone. We often get to talk on Facebook anyway but he gave me his number so we could at least give it the more personal touch for once. This month we wish very happy birthdays to Steve in California, cousin Maelene's son Scott, & cousin Leonard's granddaughter Sarah(today), Wendy, two Javas & Kim.

R.I.P. MISS WATZEL...THE END OF AN ERA

2010-11-19T13:46:00.002-05:00

I just got some very sad news a couple of days ago. Brother Edward Shields, the principal of St. Gabriel's, my old school, in East Elmhurst, recently sent out a Facebook message telling us about the death, last weekend, of Miss Geraldine Watzel. Miss Watzel was my second grade teacher. She was seventy six years old. My old friends & I have always remembered her so fondly. Although I'd never expected to see Miss Watzel again, I was lucky enough to be able to attend a few reunions several years ago at the old parish, where she showed up. Even after so many long decades she was still quite a formidable intimidating character. St. Gabriel's, now the La Salle School at St. Gabriel's Parish, was the most important part of my early days in Queens. My days in that neighborhood & parish have always been a memorable part of my life. Over the course of my educational lifetime I got very many exceptional teachers but Miss Watzel was among the very best & most memorable. I shall have to keep praying for the repose of her soul.

BIG PARADE

2010-11-15T14:25:00.001-05:00

Uncle Frankie & Fran came over for dinner two weekends ago. Mary Anne, Steve & Bridget came in last weekend. Michael & Sam stayed home because they were too busy. This past weekend was fairly quiet. Uncle Frankie was visiting Fran. I checked his mailbox on Saturday but he didn't get anything. Now that I get channel 72 again, I've been watching a lot of old movies. That channel has all the really interesting classics including even the very old silent movies. Veteran's Day passed by a few days ago without any significant milestones. There were no really noticeable festivities around here. The weather lately has been unseasonably warm although the mornings can be cold & icy. Yesterday was the Feast of All Carmelite Saints. Today is the Feast of All Carmelite Souls. This weekend was St. Joseph's & Our Lady of Sorrows' parishes' last weekend in existence. As of next Sunday our new parish's name will be St. Monica's. I lectored at O.L. Sorrows' last Mass yesterday. I covered for Linnae. Fr. McKernan was gone for a couple of weeks to India recently. There were visiting priests while he was gone. I gave a double red cell donation last Monday at O.L. Mt. Carmel in West Pittston. Unfortunately I got a very bad headache on Tuesday & another one on Thursday. When I used to work at Citicorp in Farmingdale & Melville, around twenty years ago, Carole, who was then my supervisor, always complained that every time I gave blood I got a violent headache the next day. Unfortunately it still happens. Yesterday I went to Barnes & Noble in Wilkes_Barre. It was one of my usual trips over there. When I went to Price Chopper at the Midway, to get the papers & a loaf of French bread, there were a bunch of fire trucks & police cars there to help the local high school celebrate their having one the biggest game of the year. They led a big procession up Wyoming Avenue. Thanksgiving is now only ten days away. Recently I got my dues notice from Wayne at the Luzerne council of the Knights of Columbus. It's that time of year again.

Fw: Hi Larry

2010-11-15T13:20:00.001-05:00

OCTOBERFEST

2010-10-26T11:12:00.001-04:00

A while ago I started using the discount card they have at Price Chopper. Not having had any idea which gas stations accepted it, I first took it to the Unimart in Exeter. The guy behind the counter mistakenly told me it was for Turkey Hill. The lady at Turkey Hill in Exeter told me it was for Sunoco. I took it to Sunoco on River Road in Plains & the guy there told me it was for only certain Sunocos. Eventually I found out that it's accepted at the Sunoco on Main Street in Pittston. Columbus Day & Octoberfest went by without any festivities. At least I didn't attend any. St. John the Baptist in West Islip, my high school, called me with a recording advertising their Homecoming Day. There must have been a nice time on Wellwood Avenue in Lindenhurst for Octoberfest. I always used to enjoy attending things like that. The St. Jude novena at St. Mary Help of Christians, on Main Street in Pittston Junction, has been going quite well so far. It lasts until Wednesday night, his feast day. So far I've gone there each day, or night. Last night it rained but it was a nice rain. the weather has been awfully unseasonably warm lately. When I was a kid Halloween was always bitter cold. We used to have to wear very heavy winter clothes under our costumes. This month's birthdays are Georgia, Nicolas, Tony Jr., Tammy & Joseph, among the relatives. For friends, there are Frank, Earl, Jim, Cathy, Brian. Uncle Frankie comes over once in a while lately but recently he went away to visit Fran at her new house. Fr. McKernan left this past weekend to go to India. He's visiting Mother Teresa's sisters for two weeks.

A VERY SAD WEEK

2010-10-15T14:31:00.001-04:00

In September my Aunt Mary died in New Jersey. She was a distant relative. On October 4, Richard died. It was the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi. Although he wasn't a real uncle, we'd always called him Uncle Richard. He was Uncle Joe's brother & had always been around. I showed up at the wake in Exeter & funeral in Plains. I was supposed to be a pall bearer in case they needed me. They had enough though. I was supposed to drive in the procession but I ended up going with Gino & Michelle. On October 6, Uncle Larry died. It was the Feast of St. Bruno the Carthusian. He was married to Aunt Norma. After Richard's wake & funeral Gino, Michelle & I went out to Long Island for Uncle Larry's wake. Unfortunately we took a bit of a detour through Manhattan. I ended up staying with Mary Anne & her family overnight. She, Michael & I went to Roosevelt Field Mall so he could get his first suit for a job interview. I got a chance to see all the New Yorker relatives & other connections at the wake. My mother spent a few days in the hospital so my parents weren't available. Today's the Feast of St. Teresa of Avila, a favorite Carmelite patron of mine. Among other things, I've been reading David Limbaugh's "Crimes Against Liberty". It's quite an anti_Obama philippic. Beatle John's seventieth birthday was on October 9. Tomorrow I shall have to go to a Carmelite meeting in Wilkes_Barre. They're at the Little Flower Manor on South Meade Street every third Saturday of the month at 9:00 a.m.

CATHOLIC RADIO

2010-09-29T11:36:00.001-04:00

My father's seventy seventh birthday on Saturday started out as an absolute mess. My mother got violently sick around 1:00 a.m. & that led to nothing but trouble. By Sunday though she got better so we went out, with Uncle Frankie, to the Outback Steakhouse in the Hub in Wilkes_Barre. All ultimately ended up working out quite well. I even ended up getting a coupon for another free visit to show for it. My birthday went well too. Mary Anne & family called. I wasn't home when Michael called but I showed up in time for Mary Anne. Two Saturdays ago the owner of the local Catholic radio station, JMJ750 am, stopped me in the parking after 8:00 a.m. Mass at the Oblates' Seminary. He asked if I should be willing to do some volunteer work for him & his wife from now on. Their names are Ed & Carol. Ed told me to show up at 1:30 on Monday. I got there a bit early & was kept waiting because no one else showed up until quite a bit after that. I started working with Bob the engineer, who showed me a lot of things I shall have to get to know how to do. Lynn Marie, from our young adult group, was being interviewed by Carol & two other women, Arlene & Anne Marie. I called Lynn Marie last week to see if the young adult group was still in existence. It's still advertised in the Catholic Light. She said it's gone until further notice. Fr. McKernan's bible study group at O.L. Sorrows has been doing quite well so far. Happy birthdays this monthish also go out to Jo Anne from Queens, Maria's cousin Roseanna (Dino's wife), my old pal Henry from S.U.N.Y. Farmingdale's mail room & the postal service in Melville, Mike from high school & cousin Mike, as well as to Eddie & Jessica, two of the cousins' kids. I've probably already mentioned a couple of them. By now we have gotten through most of the annual novena to St. Therese of Lisieux at the Maronite church of St. Anthony & St. George in Wilkes_Barre. As usual I missed a few days. I got a cake & cupcakes at their bake sale. Most of the times I go through that neighborhood I see policemen constantly pulling people over. There's a high crime rate in that part of the city.

CLASSIC LITERATURE

2010-09-15T13:21:00.001-04:00

My fifty first birthday is tomorrow. Hay fever's been getting me crazy for the past quite a few weeks. I haven't had any bad headaches lately except for one a couple of weeks ago. Uncle Frankie & Fran came over for a while one night last weekend. She's been doing quite well with getting settled into her newly purchased house lately. I've been doing a lot of reading these days. Besides classic poetry, I recently re_read Emily Bronte's "Wuthering Heights" & Lewis Carroll's "Through the Looking Glass" & "Alice In Wonderland". The Beatles & their musical contemporaries were all greatly influenced by Carroll's work, & by classic literature in general. Glenn Yanik showed up last Saturday morning, at O.L. Sorrows for a meeting of his men's group. Fr. Leo was there too. We shall be meeting at the Oblates' seminary on 315, on October 2 for a meeting with Bishop Bambera. Mike Aquilina, a Catholic apologist from EWTN, who was raised in Pittston, will be there. I lectored at 11:00 a.m. Mass last Sunday. The new schedule is now official. Michael called last week. He's home from Costa Rica. All went well for him & his friends over there. Although it was during the time when Hurricane Earl struck nothing bad happened anywhere near them. To my chagrin the summer will very soon be over. The weather lately always seems to be very cold, & frequently foggy, in the mornings. It gets very nice during the main part of the day though. There were a couple of thunderstorms a couple of days ago. We really need the rain so I didn't complain much.

ST. MONICA'S FEAST DAY

2010-08-28T12:52:00.001-04:00

The Borough of Wyoming is celebrating the 125th anniversary of its founding this year. There are all sorts of things going on this weekend in honor of this momentous milestone. The weather, ever since our recent rainstorms, has been cooling down a bit. Our mornings are always very foggy lately. Fran & Uncle Frankie came over for supper last Sunday in honor of her new house. She's been very busy with it. Today we wish Jo~Anne a very happy birthday. She & I were really good friends as kids in Queens, on 92 Street. We were in the same class at St. Gabriel's. Because yesterday was the Feast of St. Monica, & she will soon be the patroness of our new parish, the priests over at O.L. Sorrows & St. Joseph's held a vigil on Thursday evening with exposition of the Blessed Sacrament & evening prayer at St. Joseph's. After that there was a really nice party & all the regulars showed up. I've been reading a lot lately. I've been reading a lot of poetry by Robert Frost & Carl Sandburg. I've also read Thomas Merton's "The Other Side Of the Mountain". My hay fever's been getting me crazy lately. A few days ago I went to the CVS in the Midway on Wyoming Avenue to get something for it. I ended up getting CVS's version of Claritin. I only take one pill each day. It's been working out fairly well so far.

HAIRCUT

2010-08-20T12:43:00.001-04:00

Pittston's annual Tomato Festival is now under way. I made sure I showed up for the first day yesterday. One of the things I regularly get some chances for each year is the San Cataldo Society's basket of cheer. I'm such a regular with them by now that the guy I spoke to at their stand, Carmine, even recognized me from last year. Early in the morning, immediately after 8:00 Mass at St. Joseph's, Bob gave me some really nice big tomatoes from his garden. I wanted to make sure I got a really nice haircut so I could be ready for tomorrow's lay Carmelite meeting in Wilkes_Barre. We meet each third Saturday of the month at 9:00 a.m. at the Little Flower Manor on S. Meade Street. We are always looking for new members. Tomorrow Judy & Yvonne will be there for their annual visit. Recently when I drove over the bridge on Eighth Street I noticed that Rose Chairge has moved because of all the construction. I have no idea where she is so I went to a new place this morning in Exeter. I went to Gerald's Hair Fashions. It's the first time since I've been living here that I went someplace else. As a kid, though, I used to get my haircuts at other places around here. The lady who cut my hair was named Vicky. She did a really nice job. Fran got her new house so we're all really happy for her. Uncle Frankie showed up yesterday. There doesn't seem to be anything new with him lately.

BIRTHDAYS

2010-08-13T13:23:00.002-04:00

Today's the infamous Friday the 13. There have been a lot of birthdays lately. Mary Anne's birthday was three days ago. Uncle Frankie's was yesterday. He, my parents & I went to the Pittston Diner by the Pittston Bypass to get something to eat. Today is my cousin Maelene's(Mary Ellen) birthday. She lives around Buffalo. July 21 would have been Daren's birthday. She died in 2005. Her mother, Grace, sent me a card. Yesterday was also cousin Java & Nunziata's thirty seventh wedding anniversary. The annual bazaar for St. John the Evangelist Church in Pittston started yesterday & will last until Saturday. They never let it go until Sunday. I didn't go yesterday because it was such a rainy day & those things have all their main attractions outside. I shall hope to go later today. It starts at 5:30 each day. Pittston's world_renowned annual Tomato Festival begins very soon. It goes from Thursday, August 19th to Sunday, August 22th this year. Be there or be square. Lately I've been reading a lot, including Carmelite books & classic poetry. I've also been listening to my usual bottomless pit of old music, ranging mostly from the 1960's to the early 1980's.

MANY BIRTHDAYS

2010-08-09T13:35:00.001-04:00

A few days ago a woman called from a political organization. I know those surveys are unavoidably necessary but she drove me crazy for around ten minutes with all sorts of annoying repetetive questions about my opinions about the Pa. politicians & how they stand on things. Mary Anne, Steve, Sam & Bridget came in on Friday night & left last night. Michael's enjoying his big trip to Costa Rica. This month has many birthdays & we had quite a nice party for them all. All the gang from West Wyoming showed up. All their birthdays are this month. Sam did a lot of work over the weekend. He, Steve & Bridget helped my father with the garage too. Steve, Uncle Frankie, the kids & I went, as always, to Jitty Joe's last night. Sam's favorite singer & musician these days is Jack Johnson. Johnson does a really nice version of Beatle John's "Imagine". Recently I got the new schedule for O.L. Sorrows. Now that Rocco's back I'm not on the schedule that frequently anymore. One individual makes quite a difference. My hay fever has been going crazy lately. I've been doing quite a bit more coughing than sneezing. There's a bit of a drought these days besides the excessive heat. After a brief respite the temperature this week will be back up past ninety degrees.

FIREMAN FUND RAISERS

2010-08-02T12:07:00.001-04:00

August has always been quite an especially big month for birthdays among my relatives. Yesterday was Jamie's birthday. He's my cousin Alan's son in Michigan. Today is Fran's & Elaine's birthday. They're both cousins too. Yesterday my parents & I all went to Uncle Frankie's house for a party for Fran. Immediately after the party, though, she was forced to go home because it's such a long trip for her. I lectored at 10:30 Mass yesterday at O.L. Sorrows. It's nice to see that Rocco's back on the schedule. On Saturday night there was a big fund raiser put on by the local firemen. I didn't bother to show up. Everyone at Mass yesterday wondered why I wasn't there. Gino & Michelle, Uncle Frankie & Fran went there for a while & they too were surprised that I never bothered with it. The big annual Tomato Festival in Pittston is also coming up this month. I should suppose that life as we know it will cease completely if I dare to pass that one up. It's been raining intermittently around here these days. We haven't gotten enough though. On Friday night I saw "Rosemary's Baby" & on Saturday night I saw "Dr. Doolittle". They were both really famous when I was a kid.

FAMILY FEASTS

2010-07-19T13:16:00.002-04:00

Saturday morning's lay Carmelite meeting went well. We meet at the Little Flower Manor on South Meade Street every third Saturday of the month, from 9:00 a.m. until 11:00 a.m. Anne & Mary Elizabeth were there for a while but they had to leave early. Barbara couldn't show up because she got very sick from all the bitter cold air conditioning at the meeting in Middletown. They really overdid it that day. Last Sunday I won twenty dollars on the money wheel at O.L. Mt. Carmel's family feast. This Saturday I won a basket of shampoo, soap & bath products. I lectored at 10:30 Mass yesterday. Amazingly my cousin Maelene's son, Joey, turned thirty on July 16. They live in North Tonawanda. I can still remember when he was first born. At times like this I feel like such an old geezer. Uncle Frankie & Fran came over for a while yesterday. She had to leave early but he stayed for supper. It rains every once in a while lately, including this morning but it's not enough. I've never been able to help getting a kick out of the really nice green border around the otherwise parched grass on people's lawns these days.

JANE AUSTEN

2010-07-14T13:58:00.001-04:00

It's been raining all day today at least since this morning. Lately we've gotten frequent small rainstorms but not as much rain as we really need. People's lawns have been dying with brown grass all over the place except for the few people who have zoysia grass. Unfortunately Aunt Lauren's sister-in-law Joyce died last week. Although none of us knew her my mother & Uncle Frankie went to the wake yesterday. My father wasn't available because of a doctor's appointment. Today is Maria's birthday. She's cousin Gary's wife. We wish her a very happy birthday. Lately I've been reading a couple of Carmelite books. I just finished, yesterday, "The Institution of the First Monks" & started re_reading "To Quell the Terror". I've also re_read most of Jane Austen's "Pride & Prejudice". Unfortunately I shall have to get some exercise eventually. My extra weight has yet to go away. Long_time N.Y. Yankee owner George Steinbrenner died early yesterday morning of a massive heart failure. I've never liked sports but this really caught my attention.

YET ANOTHER MIDDLETOWN TRIP

2010-07-13T11:34:00.002-04:00

I went to yet another Carmelite day of recollection on Saturday morning. It was, as always, in Middletown, N.Y. I drove, in a summer shower, to the Little Flower Manor in Wilkes_Barre to meet Rosemary. From there, she drove to a local school in Clark Summit where we got together with Barbara to go the rest of the way. As always Fr. Mario, Theresa, & Jim & Rosemary were there with all the other regulars. I was especially happy to be able to see Marie, Carmela & Debbie from the Seaford chapter too. They told me all about Fr. Stanislaus & Fr. Vitalis. As always they served a really nice continental breakfast & lunch. There were lots of things on sale from the book store too. It was quite an absolutely exhausting day though. I woke up with a very annoying headache on Sunday. The weather on the way home was slightly weird. It rained for a few seconds at a time in certain places only over specific spots. I've hardly ever seen anything like that before. Rich, the oldest of the Ronald's three kids, turned forty on Saturday. I went to the last night of O.L. Mt. Carmel's annual feast last night. While I was there I won twenty dollars on the money wheel. Fr. Phil & Fr. Jackson were there. Fr. Phil said that our next meeting would probably be sometime next month. Yesterday Danny showed up with a picture, for my parents, of all the kin from the Fourth of July. He wanted to know if Gino & Michelle were home because he had one for Aunt Helen. He also found a pair of sunglasses & a watch that one of the kids appeared to have forgotten to take home.

BLOOD DRIVE

2010-07-08T12:23:00.001-04:00

Yesterday Barbara called to see if I really intended to attend Saturday's Carmelite day of recollection in Middletown, N.Y. Later last evening Rosemary called to confirm our driving plans. Rosemary & I shall have to meet at the Little Flower Manor in Wilkes_Barre at around 6:00 a.m. From there we shall join Barbara in Scranton. We just went to Middletown very recently. Judy & Yvonne will be at the meeting & they also have to come visit us next month. They show up once a year. On Tuesday I started re_reading Jane Austen's "Sense & Sensibility". Since I've already read it quite a few times, & seen the movie with Emma Thompson & Kate Winslet a few times, it gets a lot easier to figure out each successive time. The heat wave continues although today, so far, seems a bit cooler than yesterday. My car still doesn't have air conditioning although I tried a while ago to get it fixed. Some things are simply entirely hopeless. Yesterday I gave blood in Plains. My appointment for a double red cell donation was for 4:00. I got there around 3:00. Unlike the last time I went to the Waterfront Banquet Facility for a blood drive, it was exceptionally crowded. Yesterday hardly anyone showed up so I got finished slightly before 4:00. My New York K of C council gave each donor a full meal. Here we just get water, juice & muffins or cookies or something. They also gave out a free coupon, as usual, for three pints of Friendly's ice cream. One of the volunteers said she recognized me because she lives on Tenth Street & goes to St. Cecelia's. Fr. Leo McKernan is now the pastor at St. Joseph's & O.L. Sorrows. He showed up for 8:00 Mass at St. Joseph's this morning. He's our fourth in the past two years.

BLOOD DRIVE

2010-07-07T10:27:00.002-04:00

We're having quite an exhausting heat wave lately. Even I'm a little taken aback & I've always been quite fond of warm weather. Today we wish a very happy seventieth birthday to Beatle Ringo. Yesterday, believe it or not, marks the fifty third anniversary of the day when Beatle John first met Beatle Paul. Today we also wish a very happy birthday to Michael, my cousin Mary Ellen's son in North Tonawanda. Unfortunately he didn't get to show up in Hilldale for the Fourth of July this year. At least the weather was much more manageable then. The Depends team were able to beat the Pampers team quite easily. When cousin Larry started complaining about a few things he didn't have to include the weather on his list of grievances. Chris, from the Red Cross blood services, called yet again yesterday to remind me that I promised to got to the Waterfront Inn in Plains at 4:00 this afternoon to give a double red cell donation. As of today we shall have a new pastor at our churches. It was Fr. John Polednak's last day. He celebrated 8:00 a.m. Mass. Fr. Leo McKernan shows up later today. He will be in charge from now on.

IT'S FINALLY OVER WITH

2010-07-06T10:45:00.001-04:00

Yesterday was the last day of 2010's family reunion. This one was a bit of a milestone because it was the fiftieth. It all started in 1961. On Sunday, Gino & Michelle threw a nice big surprise party for Aunt Helen at the Checkerboard Inn in Trucksville. A splendid time was had by all. Aunt Helen's not a blood relative. She was married to Uncle Rego who died in 1993. She's the youngest of the oldest generation of us. Some of the kin went to the Italian graveyard to visit the deceased family members' graves right before the party. As always the weekend's conversation ranged from sports, trivia, religion & politics to nostalgia, philosophy & music. I haven't gone into the pool in very many years. Oddly my cousin Danny asked if I've ever been thrown in. In our crowd, getting thrown into the pool is quite an entirely inevitable rite of passage for the very young. He appeared to have forgotten that when I was a kid & young adult he, more than anyone else, was the one who always threw me in.

HILLDALE

2010-07-03T11:47:00.002-04:00

We're all in Hilldale. Today's Larry's & Rose's thirty fourth wedding anniversary. This month also abounds with relatives' birthdays. The festivities started early yesterday. As always there's quite a large unruly crowd of relatives. Mary Anne & Steve are here with the kids. Michael's even brought Erin with him. Last night we spent a while on the patio playing in a sort of ad-hoc band. We shall be playing our annual softball game & taking a picture later today. Unlike previous years I haven't gotten any significant sunburn in recent years because I no longer take any chances like that. With any luck Vinnie & I shall be taking Anthony for ice cream later. All the intellectually inclined cousins are, as always, trying to drive each other nuts with drastically incompatible points of view about life.

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY

2010-06-22T11:49:00.001-04:00

This past Saturday morning I went to the monthly Carmelite meeting in Wilkes_Barre. Seven people showed up. After the meeting Sr. Mary Robert opened up the gift shop for us. I promised Barbara that I shall be going back to Middletown, N.Y. again on July 10 for another day of recollection. Now I know exactly how to get there really easily. Father's Day went really well this past Sunday. My parents & I went out with Uncle Frankie & Fran. We went to a Chinese restaurant in one of the malls in Wilkes_Barre. It's one of those all-you-can-eat places & we all really overdid it. I've never really liked Chinese food but nobody ever bothers to listen to me. After we left Uncle Frankie, Fran & my mother went to Wegmann's for a while. My father & I went straight home. Mary Anne & the kids all called up to say happy Father's Day. I got a very violent headache at night after I went to bed. I lectored at 5:00 Mass on Saturday. Starting on July 7, Fr. Leo McKernan will be our new pastor. As of November we shall even have a new name for the parish. From then on it will be named St. Monica's. Yesterday was cousin Larry's birthday so I made sure I sent him a happy birthday e mail. The July 4 weekend is coming up very soon so many of my relatives will be getting ready for a big time. It's the fiftieth anniversary this year.

MANY SPECIAL OCCASIONS

2010-06-08T11:02:00.001-04:00

Yesterday I went on one of my typical jaunts to the Barnes & Noble by the Wyoming Valley Mall. While I was walking around KrissyKrissyKrissy came over to me & said hello. She & Ed were in town visiting his parents. They recently went to Jason's wedding. Jennifer's birthday is today so we shall all say happy birthday to her. Sam's birthday went well yesterday. My parents made sure they called to wish him a happy birthday. He wasn't home but later he called back. Mary Anne's & Steve's twenty second wedding anniversary was June 4. Amazingly I can still remember their big day as if it were only yesterday. Finally & at last, Brianne gave birth recently to her little daughter, Nina Genesee. This kid really took her time. Brianne & Matt are quite happy. So far I haven't done much walking in spite of the conveniently warm weather. Yesterday, though, I made sure I walked for a few minutes outside. I truly should try to get back into the habit from now on. I've been doing a lot of reading these days. I've been reading the autobiograpy of Bl. John XXIII & poems by Emily Dickinson, William Butler Yeats & John Milton, among other things.

MIDDLETOWN CARMELITES

2010-05-17T12:29:00.003-04:00

We have to wish Aunt Lauren a happy birthday. Yesterday was her big day. The lay Carmelites' Marian day of recollection went really well on Saturday. My father drove me over to Anne's house before 7:00 a.m. She, her daughter Mary Elizabeth & I left for Middletown after a few minutes. we were there by around 8:30 in spite of Uncle Frankie's having absolutely insisted it was at least a two_hour drive. We went on Rtes. 81 & 84. Rte 380 was up there too. Port Jervis is on the way. The weather was really nice. That was only my second time I've ever been to the shrine. I went there once in 1995, around the time Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated. I went when Fr. Mike Kissane was vocation director, to see if I should become one of their friars. That's when I first met Fr. Mario Esposito & Fr. Brocard Connors. Fr. Brocard died a few years ago. Fr. Mario was in charge of the day of recollection. Yvonne De Thomas & Judy Knidds showed up from Pa. Theresa, & Jim & Rosemary Lancelotti were there from Middletown. Dianne Massiello was the only one I recognized from the Long Island people. The food was really good & it was very crowded. It's an especially nice place with lots of nice scenery.

OIL CHANGE

2010-05-12T12:45:00.001-04:00

Today is my cousin Vinnie's birthday. He's around five years younger than I. Raised in & around Buffalo, he's now a policeman in North Carolina. For some reason I always seem to back away from oil changes for my car. Yesterday, though, I made sure I made an appointment at A&A because of my upcoming trip to Middletown, N.Y. on Saturday. I'll probably not even end up driving anyway but I didn't want to take any chances. I couldn't stand the phone call because they kept me on hold for over six & a half minutes. I got there slightly before 8:00 a.m. today. All worked out quite well. I took a biography of Emily Dickinson with me to keep me occupied. It all lasted only for slightly under an hour anyway. Immediately after it was all over I went to the Unimart in Exeter to get the papers. Then I went right over to see Uncle Frankie. It rained violently all last night & the weather's been miserable all day so far too.

MIDDLETOWN TRIP

2010-05-11T12:15:00.001-04:00

My big trip to Middletown, N.Y. is coming up. It's for the Carmelites' annual Marian day of recollection. I called Barbara & Ann yesterday to make sure I got all the arrangements right. To my undying chagrin Barbara is entirely too fond of the phone. She talks for an entirely unnecessarily long time. I'm supposed to meet Ann at her house in Pittston at around 6:45 a.m. on Saturday. We have to arrive at Middletown by 8:30. I went there once in 1995, when Fr. Mike Kissane was their vocation director, to see if I should become a friar. I still take the paper over to Uncle Frankie's house each day during the week. Fran is frequently home on weekends so I don't often have to be bothered then. My parents' anniversary party on Saturday went well until the end of the night when my mother got a bit ill. She was feeling very poorly on Sunday too. Mary Anne went back home, on the Martz bus, on Sunday morning. Fran took her to the bus station. Sam's induction into the National Honor Society was last week. Even though spring has been here for quite a long time already, we still have very cold days. It's very easy to get sick & tired of the bad weather.

: I DON'T HOW IT WORKS, BUT IT DOES

2010-05-06T13:22:00.001-04:00

quisque me ad cenam vocarit, valeat.

--- On Mon, 11/5/07,> wrote:

From: jlaureen836@aol.com <jlaureen836@aol.com>
Subject: Fwd: : I DON'T HOW IT WORKS, BUT IT DOES
To:.net
Date: Monday, November 5, 2007, 6:28 PM

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Subject: Fwd: : I DON'T HOW IT WORKS, BUT IT DOES

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Subject: : I DON'T HOW IT WORKS, BUT IT DOES

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WHAT A LONG STRANGE TRIP IT'S BEEN~

2010-04-28T12:18:00.001-04:00

The weather's been unseasonably cold lately. Yesterday it was raining in the morning, as it had been for a few days before. Now the rain's gone but it's as cold as it usually is at the beginning of autumn. Today marks the fourth anniversary of my big move to Pa. In all that time I've grown accustomed to all the innate oddities that characterize this particular neck of the woods. Because I have kin from here I've always known about the distinct fruitiness that only exists here. By now I've gotten to know all sorts of local yokels whom I could never have otherwise gotten to know. I've always been subjected to the accent anyway so that's no big deal. Every day, except for most Sundays, I go to Uncle Frankie's right after 8:00 Mass, to make sure he gets the Citizen's Voice. The only catch is that I can't handle all the junk food. I've been getting terribly overweight lately. Yesterday I made sure I mailed out the forty dollars for my trip to Middletown in a couple of weeks. It's for the Carmelites' Marian day of recollection. Tonight, assuming there's no change of plans, I shall be going to the meeting at O.L. Mt. Carmel in Pittston. The Scranton Diocese now has a new bishop. Msgr. Joseph Bambera's first day in charge was this past Monday.

GETTING OFF THE ELEVATOR

2010-04-27T13:31:00.001-04:00

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quisque me ad cenam vocarit, valeat.

--- On Mon, 2/8/10, Ron Testa <testa@wavecable.com> wrote:

From: Ron Testa <testa@wavecable.com>
Subject: FW: GETTING OFF THE ELEVATOR
To: "Ron Testa" <testa@wavecable.com>
Date: Monday, February 8, 2010, 9:31 AM

Sometimes you think you pushed the wrong button.

Posted via email from redhotrabbit's posterous

BEATLE ANNIVERSARY

2010-04-20T11:58:00.001-04:00

To my chagrin, I was forced to miss this past weekend's big reunion over at St. Gabriel's. It was for Sr. Bernadette's & Sr. Catherine's milestone anniversaries & St. Gabriel's seventieth anniversary. Jo Anne & her mother went. Jo Anne said that of all the people from our class only Mike & Margreen were there. I can't even remember Margreen. Of all the kids in our old crowd I can only remember a few dozen well. Today would have been Aunt Mary Theresa's birthday. Tomorrow Uncle Frankie, Fran, my mother & I shall be going to 8:00 a.m. Mass for her at St. John the Evangelist Church in Pittston. After Mass my father will be joining us for breakfast. Every morning for the past to weeks I have getting the Citizen's Voice for Uncle Frankie & taking it over to his house right after 8:00 Mass. This past Sunday I called Kelly Stuart to find out about the details for the Marian day of recollection for the Carmelites in Middletown, N.Y. in May. It will be on the third Saturday of the month so it will have to replace our usual meeting. Last weekend's meeting worked out well. The new people stayed after the meeting for their formation classes. This month marks the fortieth anniversary of the Beatles. Pope Benedict XVI recently released a statement commending their brilliant talent & forgiving them for all their checkered past. Of course Beatle Ringo's not all that impressed.

HAPPY DYNGUS DAY:

2010-04-05T11:19:00.003-04:00

Easter worked out quite well. It was entirely too fattening but quite enjoyable. I got a card from Grace, Daren's mother. Mary Anne & family showed up. She got here first last week, then Steve & the kids on Friday. They all went home together yesterday afternoon. Uncle Frankie, Fran & Lisa showed up yesterday. Michael, Sam, Steve & I were playing the guitar for quite a while. I lectored at 10:30 Mass yesterday. My mother, Mary Anne & the kids were there. Gary called yesterday to wish my parents a happy Easter. The spring weather has arrived. It's still too cold in the morning most days but most of the day is very nice lately. Today is Sean's birthday. He's the Ronald's son. A few days ago was Doriana's birthday. She lives in Italy. Today is also Dyngus Day. That's another name for Easter Monday. In certain Catholic cultures, it's considered quite a big occasion. I recently got a much_needed haircut in time for Easter. When I called Rose Chairge for an appointment she somehow recognized my voice in spite of my infrequent haircuts. I must have quite an exceptionally distinctive voice.

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY~

2010-03-17T12:21:00.002-04:00

Jo Anne just recently sent me an e mail reminding me of St. Gabriel's big reunion next month over in East Elmhurst. It's on April 28. As far as I know it will be at Bruno's. It's in honor of Sr. Catherine's fiftieth anniversary of her profession, Sr. Bernadette's (a principal of ours) sixtieth anniversary of hers, & St. Gabriel's seventieth anniversary. Yesterday the weather, once the day got rolling, was very nice. I should hope this will portend the end of all the bitter cold rainy weather & that we can count on a nice spring from now on. Today is St. Patrick's Day. In spite of what people may think I'm technically only half Irish. Fran & Lisa came over for corned beef & cabbage on Sunday. The parade in Scranton worked out very nicely although I, unfortunately, didn't go. It's the third biggest St. Patrick's Day parade in the country, surpassed only by New York & Chicago. I even met Robert F. Kennedy at the Manhattan parade right before he died. The Oblates' novena for the Feast of St. Joseph continues. I've gotten there most nights so far. Of course, old faithful Cheryl called on Saturday to ask me to cover for her on Sunday morning last weekend.

GUITAR

2010-03-10T12:46:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was Jim & Lori's silver wedding anniversary. Jim & I were really good friends as kids. I hope it was a really happy day for them. Sunday was David's birthday. He's cousin Alan's son. Today is Mike's birthday. He & I were classmates in high school. We can wish a very happy birthday to them both. Barbara called a few days ago about some details that have to be straightened out for the Carmelites' records. There has been a lot of confusion with them lately. I got in touch with John & Marie from New York. They could only tell me when my date of profession was. The weather has been getting amazingly nice around here & this coming weekend we shall even be back to daylight savings time. There's still very little snow on the ground but otherwise all bodes well. I'm still playing my guitar on a regular basis. Those magazines help quite a lot.

HAPPY NATIONAL GRAMMAR DAY!

2010-03-04T13:19:00.001-05:00

It snowed for a while last night as I was on my way home from St. Cecelia's after 7:00 Mass. I'm getting plum sick & tired of it by now. This morning I sent out my K of C dues for the year. I always seem to send out this council's dues at the last minute. Tonight I have to go to another meeting over at O.L. Mt. Carmel. I should hope Lynn Marie's feeling better. My car's mileage recently got up to 135,000. As of last month, I've had it for a full fourteen years. Today is National Grammar Day. I absolutely despise any disrespect whatsoever for the English language. Any attempt at cramming liberal ideology down our throats, by way of language, gets me crazy. Lately I've been listening to a lot of old albums, mostly from the 1960's. There's a lot of variety in all that old music.

BISHOP & CARDINAL

2010-03-01T13:36:00.000-05:00

The snow lasted for quite a while over the weekend. It came down over the course of three days & today there's a slight drizzle. Dave was very helpful. He shoveled quite a lot of the snow. I went to confession on Saturday at 3:30 at St. John the Evangelist Church in Pittston. When I got there I noticed that the parking lot was filled up. When I got into the church I overheard someone mention that Justin Cardinal Rigali & our new bishop were there. I knew they'd be showing up but I must have forgotten it was this weekend. I made sure I stayed for 4:30 Mass. After Mass I met them both in the Seton Auditorium. Uncle Frankie came over for supper yesterday. He's been getting around more each day lately. I got a headache yesterday. Oddly whenever I get a headache my right eye always gets really bad looking. Today is the first day of March so spring will soon be upon us. I just got a letter from the Red Cross on Saturday. There will be yet another blood drive at St. Joseph's Church on Sixth Street in Wyoming next Sunday.

BLOOD DRIVE:

2010-03-01T12:32:00.001-05:00

St. Joseph's Church, 94 East 6 st. Wyoming Pa. 18644... Sunday March 7, 2010... 11:30 am to 4:30 pm

quisque me ad cenam vocarit, valeat.

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SNOW!~:

2010-02-24T11:35:00.001-05:00

I dread the big upcoming snowfall

quisque me ad cenam vocarit, valeat.

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BEATLE BIRTHDAY

2010-02-23T12:14:00.000-05:00

Today's weather has been very bad so far. The weather we were threatened with as early as yesterday is now upon us. There's sleet coming down & the temperature is very damp & bitter. Yesterday I went to the Guild in Scranton. It was the very first time I ever set foot into Scranton alone. I took the GPS with me. That thing has a mind of its own. I should have gotten onto Rte. 81 without doing exactly what it told me to do because it took into the the city by way of a nice but out_of_the_way road I'd never even heard of before. On the way home it made me get off 81 onto an exit by the airport that was a bit out of my way. I got the book I wanted. One of these days I shall have to go back up there again to see more of the city. Eventually I want to go to the Borders over there too. Today is Beatle George's birthday. He would have been sixty seven years old. Scranton now has a new diocesan bishop. I just found out this morning, at Mass, about the appointment of Msgr. Joseph Bambera. I should only hope he turns out to be much less controversial than Bishop Martino.

MEAT FREE FRIDAY:

2010-02-20T13:52:00.001-05:00

I didn't get to eat any meat yesterday because it was a Friday

quisque me ad cenam vocarit, valeat.

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MEAT FREE

2010-02-20T13:41:00.001-05:00

Uncle Frankie's been recuperating fairly well so far. He's been out of the hospital for a couple of days. Sam has been doing quite a good job painting the kitchen. The smell isn't too intense but it gets annoying after a while. Steve's supposed to come in today to pick him up. My monthly Carmelite meeting, on South Meade Street in Wilkes_Barre, was this morning. It's at the Little Flower Manor each month. Including me there were seven people who attended. Unfortunately there were a hearse & other limousines outside getting ready for a funeral cortege. In a place like that they always have to face up to deaths. I ended up not eating any meat yesterday because it was a Friday. I was forced to eat quite a lot of salad, potatoes & crackers. Lately I've been drinking tea more frequently. I used to drink it quite regularly & I've been renewing my old habit. Yesterday I went to Wal_Mart on Oak Street in Pittston to get a a GPS mount for my car. The salesman I met in the electronics department suggested I go to the automotive department to see a wider selection. It was a good thing I took him up on it because by going there I saved ten dollars.

FRIDAY DANCE!:

2010-02-19T12:54:00.001-05:00

Happy Friday! It's time yet again to do our big weekly cha cha!

quisque me ad cenam vocarit, valeat.

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PAINTING

2010-02-18T11:43:00.000-05:00

Today is Yoko Ono's seventy_seventh birthday. Beatle John would have turned seventy in October of this year. Sam started painting yesterday. He's been doing quite well so far. My father took Uncle Frankie to the hospital & things got out of hand for a while but everything eventually worked out. I went out to get pizza at Sizzle Pie. Unfortunately Sam doesn't like onions & they always put onions on pizza. Because it was Ash Wednesday there was no meat on the menu. On the way home I stopped at the Turkey Hill gas station next door. I ended up driving Uncle Frankie home in my father's car through quite an annoying snowstorm. Tonight I shall be going to O.L. Mt. Carmel for a meeting.

ASH WEDNESDAY:

2010-02-17T13:55:00.001-05:00

Today's the very first day of Lent. It is a day of strict fast & abstinence

quisque me ad cenam vocarit, valeat.

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MARDI GRAS

2010-02-16T11:53:00.000-05:00

Yet another snowstorm has come upon us. It started last night. Although it hasn't gotten out of hand so far, it's still getting everyone crazy. My nephew Sam, from New York, is supposed to come in on a bus on Thursday. I should hope he at least gets a break. Uncle Frankie's back in commission. He showed up for a while yesterday. He & my parents went shopping for the paint Sam will need. On Saturday I was supposed to lector at 5:00 Mass but Cheryl ended up covering for me. Today is Mardi Gras. Traditionally it's the day before Ash Wednesday each year. I'm still practicing my guitar. I've been using a guitar book I have that covers all the technical details quite well.

MARDI GRAS:

2010-02-16T11:39:00.001-05:00

Today is Fat Tuesday. Tomorrow is AshWednesday

quisque me ad cenam vocarit, valeat.

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VALENTINE'S DAY

2010-02-13T12:31:00.000-05:00

The weather is still an absolute nightmare in other places but it's reasonably nice here. Aunt Lauren just told my mother yesterday, on the phone, that Noreen got hit very hard with snow. Tomorrow is Benjamin's birthday. He's Aunt Lauren's grandson. It's also Anner's(really Anna) birthday. She's an old supervisor of mine from Citicorp in Melville. Yesterday I went to Barnes & Noble in Wilkes_Barre. I need the exercise & it's entirely too cold to walk a lot outside. We wish a very happy Valentine's Day tomorrow, to all who qualify. Lately I've been thinking quite seriously of finding out how to apply to get onto "Who Wants to Be A Millionaire". I've always been quite annoyingly knowledgeable about a wide variety of things. I could pass for a combination of Diane Chambers & Cliff Clavin on "Cheers". Later today I have to lector at 5:00 Mass. Over the course of the past two nights I saw two Hitchcock silent classics. I watched "Easy Virtue" on Thursday night & "The Ring" last night.

RAGING BLIZZARD

2010-02-11T12:56:00.000-05:00

I finished reading the book by Etienne Gilson yesterday, although I still have some of the appendix left. Yesterday I drank a cup of hot tea with lemon. It was quite enjoyable & I'm thinking of getting back into the habit. A couple of days ago I saw Alfred Hitchcock's "The Farmer's Wife", a silent movie from 1928. Yesterday's weather was an absolute nightmare but at least it was only temporary. We got eight inches of snow. Everything was, as always, closed down for the day. I shoveled the sidewalk & driveway but it served no purpose. It was just really good exercise. As always my windshield wiper, on the driver's side, flipped out on me. At least it's easy to fix. This morning Dave came over to shovel all of it. I'm quite happy my trip to Washington wasn't this week or I should have been forced to miss out on it. As always I've been practicing "Norwegian Wood" on my guitar.

WOODSTOCK:

2010-02-11T12:22:00.001-05:00

Yesterday I listened to a lot of songs on the Woodstock concert album. Why can't anything sound like that anymore?

quisque me ad cenam vocarit, valeat.

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DARWIN

2010-02-09T10:44:00.000-05:00

I gave blood at St. John the Evangelist Church on Sunday morning. It's the church I was baptized in. Originally my appointment was for noon & I intended to go to 10:00 Mass. However, I ended up giving blood slightly after 10:00 & attended 12:15 Mass. The Super Bowl went well. Fran & Uncle Frankie came over. Everybody except me watched the big game. I didn't bother with anything except the Who. They were quite good even though Roger Daltrey & Pete Townshend are the only ones left. Unfortunately we all ate entirely too much. I watched Mel Gibson's "Apocalypto" again over the weekend. Yesterday I went back to Barnes & Noble over in Wilkes_Barre. It's a good idea to walk around somplace like that to get exercise. It's too cold to walk outside. I recently finished "The Merchant Of Venice" & have started reading Etienne Gilson's "From Aristotle to Darwin & Back Again: A Journey in Final Causality, Species and Evolution" just in time for Darwin's two hundred & first birthday, which he shares with Honest Abe.

VALENTINE'S DAY

2010-02-04T13:27:00.002-05:00

Today it's time to wish a very happy birthday to Fr. Frank Pavone, a big name in the pro_life movement. We also say happy birthday to my cousin Alessandro, who lives in Italy. Last night, I entirely mistakenly went to O.L. Mt. Carmel in Pittston, expecting to attend a meeting. Last month, though, wasn't an isolated incident. They're always going to be on Thursdays from now on. Tonight's the next meeting. Aunt Lauren came over to visit yesterday for a little while. I'm still trying to figure out how to play "Norwegian Wood" on the guitar. It seems to get a little easier each time I pick it up. The weather is still too cold but I can handle it fairly well so far. Valentine's Day is coming upon us. Yesterday I got a Reese's peanut butter cup in the shape of a heart. The blood drive at St. John's Church, in Pittston, is going to be this Sunday. I got a card in the mail from the blood people yesterday with my Columbia magazine.

FEAST DAY:

2010-02-02T14:35:00.001-05:00

today is the Feast of the Purification of Mary

quisque me ad cenam vocarit, valeat.

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GROUNDHOG DAY

2010-02-02T12:34:00.000-05:00

The weather is still consistently ice cold. I've been trying to learn to play the Beatles' "Norwegian Wood" lately. The version in the "Acoustic Guitar" magazine makes much more sense than the version in the large Beatle book I have. Yesterday I also read a few more pages of "The Merchant Of Venice". Today is Groundhog Day. Alas our friend Phil saw his shadow so we can expect yet another six weeks of winter. Today is also Nicolas' birthday. He's the older of my cousin Mark's sons. Judy, from the Carmelites, called me a few days ago. Aunt Lauren called my mother yesterday. Yesterday I went to Dunkin' Donuts in West Pittston & got a bagel with bacon & eggs, & a hot chocolate, for breakfast. I've never been in the habit of eating breakfast but I have a lot of coupons.

BARNES & NOBLE

2010-02-01T14:22:00.000-05:00

The weekend was bitter cold but very nice & quiet. The temperature was consistently in the teens. The only thing that bothered me was that Cheryl called on Saturday & asked me to lector for her at 5:00 Mass. She's a real pain. They were selling tickets over there for next Friday's night at the races. I used to like those things at My old Lindenhurst Knights of Columbus council. My mother & Fran went shopping for a while on Saturday afternoon. Yesterday I went to Barnes & Noble for a while. I got the latest issue of "Acoustic Guitar" magazine. Today February begins. On Saturday I saw "Diary Of A Country Priest" again & last night I saw "Wild Strawberries" again. Unfortunately I got a little bit of a headache yesterday but it wasn't very bad. I took a couple of Excedrin for it. Yesterday I listened to the Beatles' entire "Abbey Road" album.

SNOW

2010-01-29T13:39:00.000-05:00

My mother's birthday went quite well yesterday. The phone rang constantly. Mary Anne & her family all called. So did Fran. As of today I have finished reading "A Midsummer Night's Dream". The weather has been bitter cold since at least early this morning although yesterday's snow is gone. Originally I was supposed to lector for one of the Masses but I switched with Cheryl a few weeks ago. I still have the raisins I got from Vinnie for my birthday a few months ago. Since I'm not in the habit of eating raisins on a regular basis they've lasted quite a while. Rich is constantly trying to get things done on Facebook, Twitter & other sites for his client, Mark Spencer.

HAPPY FRIDAY!:

2010-01-29T12:32:00.001-05:00

It's time to do the Friday dance, cha cha cha!

quisque me ad cenam vocarit, valeat.

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OBAMA

2010-01-28T12:27:00.000-05:00

When I first left this morning there was a pretty heavy snowfall. I have no idea of exactly when it first started but it came down quite a bit. Today's my mother's birthday so her partying will have to be restricted to the weekend. Michelle called yesterday because it was her birthday too. Uncle Frankie came over for a while last night. I started re_reading Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream". Obama's State of the Union address was on last night but I didn't bother to watch it because there are so many other ways available to find out about it.

FEAST DAY OF BL. GEORGE, ALWAYS A FAVORITE OF MINE:

2010-01-27T11:42:00.001-05:00

Happy Feast Day of Blessed George Matulaitis-Matulewicz, whom some of you may know renovated (or renewed) the Marians of the Immculate Conception in 1909 as the order was only down to one member. If you'd like to find out more about Blessed George, you can read about him at this link: http://www.padrimariani.org/en/heritage/renovator.php

quisque me ad cenam vocarit, valeat.

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BL. TITUS

2010-01-27T11:24:00.000-05:00

This morning when I first left St. Joseph's there was a very slight snow flurry. Yesterday was Larry
's wife Rose's birthday. Today is Gino's wife Michelle's birthday. Tomorrow is my mother's birthday. There are a lot of happy birthdays to go around this week. The coffee pot has been on a fairly good streak lately though often it messes up & doesn't work well. I'm practically finished with that book of essays about Bl. Titus Brandsma. When I've finished it I shall have to start something new. Yesterday I needed gas so I went to the Unimart in Exeter to get ten dollars worth.

MUSICIAN

2010-01-26T13:56:00.000-05:00

Yesterday's weather was somewhat like a spring shower early in the day. After a while, though, it got bitter cold as the rain continued. There was flooding in Pittston & its general area. Places on Long Island are also flooded. So far today things have gotten much nicer. Maria called my parents a couple of days ago. It was really good to hear from her. There's a really good musician in northeastern Pa. these days. Mark Spencer has been getting a lot of attention lately on Myspace, Facebook & Twitter. I should hope you will all be willing to listen to his eclectic playing. He & I have never met but I know his manager, Rich. It's really nice having a working odometer in my car again. Until recently I had been forced to bluff my way past people who wanted to know about distances between places.

ODOMETER

2010-01-25T14:13:00.001-05:00

Yesterday my parents & I went to see Uncle Frankie, Fran & Lisa. It was for my mother's birthday party. All went quite well. Today is Noreen's birthday. She's my cousin. This morning I went to AA in Exeter to get my odometer put into my car. It's been raining since yesterday afternoon but it's only a spring shower today with temperatures over fifty the last time I checked. That's why I didn't mind the trip. It all took only a little under & hour & was very inexpensive. Now I can count on having no more car troubles for quite a while. While I was there I hung around & looked through the store. I should get some of the car cleaners they have. My steering wheel needs a new cover too. I'm still playing my guitar quite regularly & I seem to be getting a little better. Unfortunately I haven't gotten any new magazines or anything lately to be able to play from.

BIG TRIP

2010-01-23T11:47:00.003-05:00

Yesterday I went to Washington, D.C. I got up at around 3:10 a.m. My father took me to the Assumpta Council at 5:30. Mass started after 6:00. The bus ride was nightmarishly uncomfortable but it worked out really well. We walked around all day outside when we got there. To my surprise I saw a priest who was a dead ringer for an usher at O.L.P.H. in Lindenhurst. There were people there from the Diocese of Rockiville Centre but I didn't recognize any of them. On the way home we stopped at a really nice restaurant in Maryland. There were a lot of donuts, coffee & water on the buses too. The trip took four and a half hours each way. We got back to my council at around 10:30. I borrowed a cell phone from a guy in the Plymouth council so I could call my father to get me. The trip was extremely painful physically but at least my nerves didn't bother me. Of course I woke up with a bad headache in the middle of the night but it went away when I took an Excedrin. There was a little rain & snow in Maryland & Virginia on the way but Washington's weather was nice. It was so crowded that we couldn't get into the building where the spokesmen were appearing. During the trip we watched pro_life videos & the movie "The Bells Of St. Mary's" with Bing Crosby & Ingrid Bergman. Today it's time to say happy birthday to Brianne's husband Matt. Tomorrow's Jim's birthday. He & I were in the same homeroom in high school. Now we're back together on Facebook so happy birthday to him.

ODOMETER

2010-01-21T13:02:00.001-05:00

Yesterday's slight snow didn't amount to anything. Last night I made sure I got one of my big green bags out of the cellar so I could take it with me on the trip tomorrow. I ended up having to spend quite a lot of time going back & forth downstairs anyway. This will be my first trip to Washington since the 1990's & I've really been looking forward to it. Yesterday the UPS truck came with my odometer, thanks to Steve. I called the AA in Exeter to make an appointment to get it installed. The guy on the phone said I could have an appointment tomorrow but I'm not available. I got one for Monday. As always I shall be there at 8:00 a.m. Today is my cousin Alan's birthday. He lives in Michigan. We wish him a happy birthday. Saturday will be Matt's birthday. He's Brianne's husband in New York.

COFFEE

2010-01-20T14:20:00.001-05:00

It started snowing this morning. My parents were saying that an ambulance paid a visit to one of the old couples in the neighborhood during the night. I should hope all goes well for them. Nothing much of any significance has been happening to me lately but that will all change on Friday morning. I shall have to be in Luzerne, at my Knights of Columbus council, bright & early to be on the bus to Washington, D.C. I shall start getting things ready, a little at a time, over the course of today & tomorrow. The bus ride may get me a little crazy since I've never been able to sleep on a moving vehicle. I shall have to take something with me to read. Ever since I got a bag of coffee over at Dunkin' Donuts last week, I have really been noticing how theirs is so much better than the other brands. I'd never even think of getting any from Starbucks. Theirs rivals Sanka for the worst of all possible fates worse than death.

KEYS

2010-01-19T13:14:00.001-05:00

The weather has been cold & rainy all morning so far, ever since yesterday. My father got a little sick last night so Uncle Frankie came over to help. I called Ada last night to make sure I explained to her that I can't possibly get to the meeting on Thursday because I have to get up too early on Friday. She wasn't home so I gave her mother a message. I also called Chris Calore to make sure all the details have been taken care of. He has everything he needs. He must have gotten a lot of people to show up. There are two buses & they are both full. I'm still trying to get used to the slight confusion of my new set of car keys. Until recently I only needed one key for the entire car. Now I need one for the door & one for the ignition.

OLD MOVIES

2010-01-18T13:31:00.002-05:00

On Friday my key got stuck in my ignition but it's all over now. Steve even found me an odometer so it's just a question of getting it from him. I should most certainly hope my car troubles are over. Originally I wasn't on the schedule to lector this weekend. Cheryl, of course, called though, at slightly after 9:00 on Saturday night. I ended up having to cover for her at 10:30 Mass yesterday. Over the weekend I watched a couple of more Hitchcock movies. I saw "Secret Agent" & "The Thirty Nine Steps" on Saturday. They're among his oldest. I've seen them both before. I also watched "A Man & A Woman" again. It's all in French so I needed subtitles. The them song was a big instrumental hit for Ferrante & Teicher in the 1960's. I recognized it as soon as I heard it. It rained last night & the weather was cold & damp this morning.

HITCHCOCK:

2010-01-16T14:03:00.001-05:00

I saw "Sabotage" again last night , with Oscar Homolka & Sylvia Sydney. Go Hitchcock!

quisque me ad cenam vocarit, valeat. Please visit me at:

http://eastelmhurst.blogspot.com http://www.xanga.com/itsmethelion

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SATURN

2010-01-16T13:15:00.001-05:00

I got my car towed away last night. When I drove it home from the library yesterday all seemed to have been going well. When I parked next to the curb, though, & tried to get out, the key wouldn't come out of the ignition. I got somebody from West Pittston to fix it for me. I got it back this morning. Because of all the trouble I was forced to miss the Carmelite meeting. I ran into Anne at 8:00 Mass at the Oblates' Seminary on Rte. 315 so I told her I couldn't make it. Steve called this morning. He's found a guy who can help me get an odometer. Saturn's out of business so we Saturn people are going to have a very hard time from now on whenever any little thing happens. Today we wish a very happy birthday to Tim. We were in the same class at St. Gabriel's in East Elmhurst. Last night I watched the very old Alfred Hitchcock movie, "Sabotage". The weather today has been very nice so far. I was surprised to see that it's been forty degrees at least since 7:00 this morning.