Monday Meanderings - 4.6.2015

Between the overall decline in postal mail volume (some 12-15% annually) and the fact that we now do so much of our correspondence/business over the Internet (thus helping to bringing about the aforementioned decline), it is becoming more common for the postal person to pass us by on his daily rounds. Some days we don't even get a circular or letter wanting to sell us some "senior-related" product - like hearing aids. Some days we don't even get bills! We refer to that as, after finding the mailbox empty, "either he hasn't been here yet, or nobody loves us."

Before my sister gets any ideas, I need to tell you that I made some similar statement about the paucity of mail I was receiving after I went off to college. She, bless her heart, proceeded to sign me up for every mailing list she could get her hands on. I don't know how many magazine tip-ins and printed "send me more information" ads she filled out, but it wasn't long before the workers in the post office at ACU were commenting on the volume. And once started, like spam email today, it was impossible to stop.

Graduating and moving a few times ultimately pared the volume, but I think I was still receiving catalogs for Women's Extra-Large shoes long after moving to Austin, years later. So, don't get any ideas (I'm talking about you, Pat). Walking out to the mailbox is a form of exercise now. Actually getting mail is not the big deal it once was. We will still feel loved. Trust me.

Went to Fran's for breakfast on a Friday a week or so ago, and there was a sign that said "Closed for 24 hours." On Saturday, the sign read "Closed - Spring Cleaning." A week later it was still closed. For some time now, the service at Fran's has declined significantly, so we sort of figured the place was going to close for good and this stretch of signs seemed to confirm that.

Mind you, there has not been any turn-over in the kitchen staff, and the food is still very good. That's why we kept checking back. And sure enough, this past Saturday the sign said, "Open for breakfast this Saturday." And they were! Maybe there was a new coat of paint on a wall or two in the dining room. Hard to tell. There was even a full complement of waitstaff tripping all over each other (literally). More than we can remember seeing in a couple of years!

Since I couldn't cram anything new into my bathroom medicine cabinet, I decided it was finally time to clean it out. It wasn't all that hard. Almost everything found in a medicine cabinet has a "use-by date" on it. So the cleaning consisted of checking the date to see if the expiration was in the current decade (don't judge; you've got 'em too.) If not, toss it.

But toss it where? I'm well aware that one should take certain environmentally-friendly steps when disposing of old meds and such. I finally decided that I could make 2 stacks. Those things that were so old they had lost all potency -  the packages marked expiring before, oh, let's say before the current century, and the other stack consisting of things that probably needed a hazmat suit in order to handle it. As a bonus, if I get one of those suits, I can also deal with the things that are multiplying in the very back of the refrigerator, too.

My very tenous link to the Kennedy Assasination - Stories for my grandchildren

I ran across an article in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram about workers, engaged in a years-long effort to make electronic copies of old case files and destroy their paper counterparts, found an old Tarrant County court file that included documents trying to prevent the late, famed attorney Melvin Belli from representing Jack Ruby, who shot Lee Harvey Oswald.

The two files contained the efforts of local attorneys to encourage the Texas State Bar to prevent Belli from representing Ruby, who gunned down Oswald on live television after he was arrested for killing President John F. Kennedy. Belli tried to prove that Ruby was legally insane when he shot Oswald in Dallas more than 50 years ago. But Ruby was found guilty of murdering Oswald and sentenced to die.

One of the documents is a letter that Belli, based in San Francisco, sent to 96th District Judge Fisher T. Denny stated in part, “I have no intention of being bound by (attorneys’) advice or suggestions. Knowing the facts, the State Bar of Texas may act as it is advised, and I say this respectfully.” Also in the file are letters from attorneys throughout the state asking the Texas Bar to sanction Belli for his comments. Eventually the cases were dismissed, according to the article.

So how does this have anything to do with me?

In 1964, I was working for a company called Fidelity Films. Our primary task was to film the Herald of Truth television series, but the company often contracted for commercial and sponsored work. In this case, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation hired us to provide a film crew for an interview with Melvin Belli to be aired later over the CBC network, and I was the sound man on that crew.

Belli, a colorful character known as "The King of Torts" (and by detractors as 'Melvin Bellicose') was famous for his many celebrity clients, including Zsa Zsa Gabor, Errol Flynn, Chuck Berry, Muhammad Ali, the Rolling Stones, Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker, Martha Mitchell, Lana Turner, Tony Curtis, and Mae West.He was defending Jack Ruby for no charge, apparently for the publicity alone.

We set up in a downtown Dallas hotel and representatives from the famous attorney were there to set some ground rules for the CBC crew - and for us. An emphasis of those guidelines was that the attorney's name was pronounced "BELL eye," NOT "Belly."

A bit later, Mr Belli and his entourage swept into the room, 5 or 6 assistants trailing behind him, Our crew chief stepped up to greet him and said - you guessed it - "Good morning, Mr. Belly."

 I don't remember anything about the interview itself, but I do know that the CBC didn't use us again. And that's my connection to this historical event.

Monday Meanderings - 3.30.2015

The local In-N-Out burger places are almost always jam-packed at any given time. So who thought it a good idea to stop by one during SXSW and Spring Break? #wowlookatthatline

I bought a package of a local coffee while we were in Honduras and I've been trying to make it last, reserving it for mornings when I can sip it while sitting out on the patio. It's going fast.

From the frequency and duration of time that the AT&T U-verse service truck sits in front of our neighbor's house I can only assume a couple of scenarios. The first is that U-verse is a terrible cable services provider and should be avoided like the plague. The second possibility is that the technician and the neighbor are carrying on a torrid romance. Or, I guess both is another possible scenario.

I have a picture, but after long, careful thought I decided not to post it. It was featured in another of the many reasons why Austin is - and always will be - weird. As part of  the "Get Your Rear in Gear 5K Run/Walk," sponsored by the Colon Cancer Coalition, participants got to trot through a giant, Pepto-Bismol pink inflatable... colon. Yep. Complete with veins and funky little bumps, which one  can only assume represent the kind of things the Colon Cancer Coalition wants to prevent. You're welcome.

I mentioned the historic Burma Shave signs in my last post (it was in an update; if you didn't see that reference try this link). Of course, you have to be of a certain age to know about the Burma Shave signs. They were common on Highway 180 between Breck and Fort Worth back in the day. Here's a link to the Wikipedia history of the signs, and here's a link to a compilation of all the signs themselves.

I leave you with a favorite:

He saw 

The train

And tried to duck it

Kicked first the gas

And then the bucket

But will I be able to play the violin?

I had an uncle who lost his left arm after his vehicle was sideswiped by a truck many, many years ago. In the days before air conditioning, it was not uncommon to drive with an arm propped in the open window and that was my uncle's undoing. Forever since, "Don't prop your arm in the driver's window" has been a family tenet. I think it has even been mentioned to my grandchildren. Barb reminded me this morning that it was even the topic of an old Burma Shave sign:

     "Don't stick your arm

     Out too far.

     It might go home

     In another car."

I was much younger when I had contact with Uncle Erwin; he and his family lived in Louisiana and the visits were infrequent, but I remember being fascinated about the lack of his arm - and how little effect it had on him. In an era when there was no Velcro and pull-over shirts simply weren't worn, he learned to button his pants and shirts with one hand. Driving was never a problem, and he even learned to tie his shoelaces with one hand!

I can't. Tie my shoelaces with one hand, that is. I know this because my left arm is currently in a sling, common procedure after arthroscopic surgery. It was minor surgery, but has temporarily made me like my Uncle Erwin.

Truth be told, I am not one-armed. I'm more one-and-a-half armed. I can easily use my left hand - if it is within close proximity to my body. What I cannot do is extend my left arm forward, or to the rear of my body, and only partially to the side. If I can get the task at hand near to me, I'm good. The rest will have to wait for physical therapy and healing.

In this temporary condition, I have been made more aware of what an actual disability might mean; I try various tasks just to see if  I can do them with one hand. I can type, even if it is the Columbus method (find the key and land on it). For those keyboard functions that require two hands, there is a Windows feature called "sticky keys" that provides assistance for combinations like Alt-Ctl-Del. Apple builds a similar function into the OS operating system as well.

Shoelaces? Velcro or elastic shoelaces. Shirts and buttons? Easy, depending on the hand available, or with "button aids." Pull your pants on? Doable, but it's not pretty without "dressing sticks." In fact there is a wide variety of ability products and devices available, including sock aids, one-handed belts, one-handed nail clippers, one-handed can openers, Wash your hand? Sponges do the trick.

But playing the violin? Some things were just not meant to be.

Monday Meanderings - 4.23.2015

Closed for repairs today. More on Wednesday.

Thanks for stopping by.