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The Art of
Heh… roller skates.
As a young'n middle of the last century, I tried on the skates that clamped on my PF Flyers. Once. Didn't go far. I think they didn't stay on well. And I'm fond of modes of transport that include brakes.
Fast forward to early this century, and I and the three kids all got in-line boots. I was surprised to find I mastered them immediately. Some experience water- and snow-skiing probably helped.
We enjoyed going to the park (in town, not on our country driveway) and skating around and around… until that day…
…there was a steep hill with a turn right at the bottom. I saw one kid zip down and, to my great surprise, zip around the turn like a pro.
Then a second kid zipped down, made the turn, and I heard a scream.
Dad, being an idiot, immediately headed down the hill, and about half-way down I realized I was unlikely to make that turn and was going too fast.
I threw myself off the path, trying to land on my butt with feet out front, but instead flipped over head-first and cracked my head on a rock. Only time I was ever glad I was wearing a helmet! I actually blanked out for a moment.
Third kid was at the top of the hill, certain he had just seen most of his family wiped out.
Fortunately, I was the only one injured. I walked down and found one kid delighted to have successfully made the turn, and the other, who had screamed, had merely fallen safely after turning.
I never went skating again.
Posted by: mindful webworker - rocker and roller skates at December 07, 2024,
as comments here and here on Ace of Spades ♠
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From Mindful Webworkshop #16 — Christmas, Dec 25, 2016
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The Piano
Just before Thanksgiving, we finally got Mom's piano out of storage and into the new house. It's a beautiful baby grand Knabe that was, IIRC, a wedding [corrected] gift to Mom from Dad's mother. Mom always took great care of it. Only slightly out of tune after two years in storage. Dominates the main hall, but really classes up the joint.
I was discouraged from playing it in my youth (siblings!). After college, I became self-taught on a cheap honkey-tonkey upright, more fitting to my kinda-goofy talents than this fine instrument; but I sure enjoy playing the baby grand. Late in life, Mom even seemed to like my playing. I wasn't going to take it, but MiladyJo encouraged me to, so here it is. Neither of my sisters plays.
My fingers aren't as limber as they were just a couple of years ago, less of a span, and I'm terribly out of practice. But I play for myself, and Milady doesn't complain. Neither does the dog.
Songs on this vid (Webworkshop #9) are me recording at Mom's several years ago.
Posted on A♠ by: mindful webworker - stiffening hands at December 16, 2023 08:39 PM
Slightly revised, Nov 23, 2024.
The Webworkshops
Back in college, I started writing lyrics. They may not be great songs, but they were mine.
I had accompanying tunes in my head, but didn't know (still don't) sheet music. Out of college, I bought an old upright piano; fun, tinny, honkey-tonk sound. I taught myself to play and mark down chord notations. Chord notations won't tell you the tune, of course, so I recorded all my songs on tape, for posterity's sake, as if anyone would ever care. Wonder where those tapes are now.
Several years ago, I set out to record my songs on video. "Mindful Webworkshop" was fun to do, anyway. (The 16 workshops are all up on my website.) My keyboard skills were sometimes all right. My vocals were, well, untrained and often creaky. The mic was crap. But I got the songs down, for posterity's sake, as if anyone would ever care.
There were still more songs I wanted to record, but the workshops were terminated for technical reasons. Subsequently, my nice, newer upright piano got ruined. My hands have started to get arthritic-stiff. My voice has only become creakier. Glad I got most of the songs recorded when I did. For posterior's sake.
Posted on A♠ by: mindful webworker - I never knew I could write anything so beautiful! -Doc Brown at August 12, 2023 09:32 PM
Slightly edited, Nov 23, 2024.
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Watching classic Have Gun Will Travel episodes, finding familiar actors. Here's six episodes in a row.
John Hoyt (1905-1991) IMDb
Another regular character actor, appeared twice in Have Gun. We just watched him in S3.E22, "The Ledge," aired Feb 13, 1960, where he played "Dr. Stark." I kept thinking, I know him from some other show, also as a doctor. Sure enough, he was "Dr. Phillip Boyce," the "Bones" to Jeffrey Hunter's captain in the original Star Trek pilot.
Hank Patterson (1888-1975) IMDb
Was in ten episodes of Have Gun. We just saw him in S3.E23, "The Lady on the Wall," one of a collection of geezers in the bar of a dying town. Eminently recognizable as Fred Ziffle, from Green Acres.
Harry Carey Jr. (1921-2012)
Classic and familiar character actor, was in a dozen different Have Gun episodes. We just saw him playing the Sheriff in S3.E24, "The Misguided Father," aired Feb 27, 1960. He was one of the teasing geezers in the bar in Back to the Future 3.
Philip Ahn (1905-1978) IMDb
"played hundreds of Chinese and Japanese characters during a long career."
Was in "Hey Boy's Revenge," aired Apr 12, 1958, played W Chung, but we just watched him in "The Hatchet Man," S3, E25, aired Mar 5, 1960, played Hoo Yee. Best known to us as "Master Kan" in the 1970s Kung Fu series.
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Ken Lynch (1910-1990) IMDb
A wealthy financier hires Paladin to protect him in S3,E26 "Fight at Adobe Wells," aired Mar 12, 1960. The financier was played by Lynch. Where, I wondered, do I know him from? Ah! He was in the Star Trek episode "The Devil in the Dark," where he was "Vanderberg" the head of the mining colony being attacked by a mysterious monster. That's the episode with the memorable line: "I'm a doctor, not a bricklayer!"
James Coburn (1928-2002) IMDb
Paladin has to square off against a Texas gunslinger (Coburn). Shocker! Paladin won. Coburn was also in an earlier episode of the same season.
Like to see what-all the old actors were in. Some folks seem to be in just about everything, back in the day.
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Commented on Ace of Spades, Saturday, July 30, 2011 - 22:57
It's late, I'm tired, I have no energy to read any of the no doubt fascinating and insightful 228 comments, I'm on a slow rural connection, and can't see the videos. The world is doomed. We rent rides to the space station from the Russians, the budget is a pop bottle rocket (the kind that explode), Dick Milhouse O'Bluffy is STILL pResident, communism is rampant, there's no beer in the fridge, we're losing Iraq and Afghanistan and Libya but about to go to war with Iran while the imminent Mexican invasion (h/t Ann Barnhardt) is timed to coincide with the multi-city terrorist nuking (see.. uh...) and the Yellowstone volcano, and Mr Jesus still hasn't been back to visit us, BUT...
NOW THERE'S A REAL CRISIS! I bought a bag of ordinary Oreo cookies tonight and the filling.. the filling was about HALF there!! Win The Future? Is nothing sacred? It was, like, twice the thickness of my big toenail. Maybe the cookies were thinner, too, but who cares, that would be a good thing. Is this a plot to force us to buy double-stuft just to get normal stuff? Is this Michelle Obama's latest plan to screw dietary happiness? It wasn't even worth twisting them apart and scraping the filling out. It's not like I can go out and buy Hydrox, y'know? (You don't know? I feel so old!)
Maybe I just got a bum bag. Instance is not pattern. But Nabisco, I'm watching you!
That is all. Good night.
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This got amusing responses from phoenixgirl and chemjeff and Peaches and The Great Satan's Ghost and robtr and someone and ParanoidLaundryGirlinSeattle.
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