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Happy Birthday Barbie

Mar20

I’m a Barbie Girl

March 20, 2018

If you are planning to write a novel set in 2018 then you might consider Michael and Jessica as the names of your main characters. That is if your characters are in their 20’s or 30’s and you want to have their names sound authentic for someone born in the 1980’s or 1990’s.

Last week we discovered that Barbie and Ken were both introduced in the month of March. Barbie in 1959 and Ken in 1961.

Happy 59th Birthday BarbieThe name Barbara was, at the time, a very popular name. It first hit the top ten names list in 1927 and remained there until 1958, a whopping 31 years. If you expand a bit, the name was a top 20 name for a total of 38 years. Whether one can blame Barbara’s free fall from popularity on the Barbie Doll is debatable. Having the most famous fashion doll in the world bear that name no doubt made more than a few parents reconsider it as a good choice for their daughter. After all, who would want to name their child after a doll? Another factor is that names, particularly girl’s names, tend to be popular for a period of time then are not used for decades.

Ken – or Kenneth – was a solid boy’s name from 1924 until 1964 ranking in the top 20 every year. Because both names are ranked individually, the popularity of the name is artificially reduced. But again, names which are strongly associated with certain people or characters tend to lose popularity. It is possible Ken and Kenneth were the victims of this.Ken birthday with Barbie Harem

What about our heroine of today, Jessica? She first entered the top 10 in 1976 and remained there until the year 2000. It was the first or second most popular girls name from 1981 until 1997! No wonder everyone probably knows someone named Jessica.

Of course Michael may be the most popular guy’s name ever. It was in 1944 when the name broke into the top 10 and… it’s never left. It occupied the number one spot for an unprecedented 41 years! It’s been so popular that I recall back in the 1980’s you could even buy a black and white generic card which had printed on it “Happy Birthday Mike.” ( I knew this as one of my brothers is named Michael!) It may have run its course, however, since in 2016 it was only the 8th most popular name for boys and may soon exit the top ten.

Now, if you are expecting a baby in the next year and don’t want your child to have the same name as every other Tom, Dick, and, er, Harry, then cross the following names off your list immediately:

1 Noah Emma
2 Liam Olivia
3 William Ava
4 Mason Sophia
5 James Isabella

These names were the most popular names for babies born in 2016.

For this week’s article I did not plumb the depths of the infallible Wikipedia! But here’s the link to the Social Security Name Index where you can, like me, waste hours of your time ‘research’ what to name your characters.

https://www.ssa.gov/cgi-bin/babyname.cgi

Update: March 2022

Five years later and the list has changed dramatically! Here are the top five names for boys and girls from 2021:

Boys              Girls

  1. Oliver             Charlotte
  2. Declan            Aurora
  3. Theodore       Violet
  4. Jasper            Hazel
  5. Silas               Luna

Happy Birthday Ken!

Mar13

A case of Kenvy

March 13, 2018

Her introduction in March 1959 sent shockwaves through the toy world and resulted in a nearly complete abandonment of a name which had been in the top 10 for popularity for four decades. The Barbie Doll truly had that impact.

Ken dollLittle girls everywhere loved Barbie. What wasn’t to like? She was pretty, had a great wardrobe, and was the perfect size for small hands. But there was something missing. That something arrived in mid-March 1961: Ken.

Now Barbie had a boyfriend! Ken was every parent’s dream guy for their daughter. He was clean cut, handsome, had hands and arms which were stiff and straight, and a head which could only turn left and right, and was missing guy parts. Then, in 1977, Ken got a celebrity makeover. Gone was the military haircut and the square-jawed face. His new look featured longer hair, dimpled chin, bent arms, a head that swiveled, jewelry and – the most important thing of all – permanent underwear.

He and Barbie were a ‘couple’ until 2004 when Mattel announced their breakup. From the infallible Wikipedia:

“In February, 2004, Mattel announced a split for Ken and Barbie, with Russell Arons, vice president of marketing at Mattel, saying that Barbie and Ken ‘feel it’s time to spend some quality time – apart…Like other celebrity couples, their Hollywood romance has come to an end’, though Arons indicated that the duo would ‘remain friends’. He also hinted that the separation might be partially due to Ken’s reluctance to getting married. In February, 2006 however, a revamped version of the Ken doll was launched, though it was stated that their relationship is still purely platonic. In 2011, Mattel launched a massive campaign for Ken to win Barbie’s affections back. The pair officially reunited in Valentine’s Day 2011.”

Barbie solo in the spotlight.jpgI got my first Barbie Doll for Christmas 1961. Her wardrobe consisted of a bathing suit, a short gold dress, a black evening gown (Solo in the Spotlight!) and a wedding dress. Based on how those clothes ‘survived’ the years I must have played with that doll a lot. The wedding dress, particularly, is mostly a rag but I still have it.

Yet,  I never got the one thing I really wanted for my Barbie which was a Ken.

Three houses down the street from me lived a little girl named Martha. As the youngest – by nearly 10 years – of three girls, it seemed as if Martha had everything. Her Barbie wore the best clothes, relaxed in really cute wicker furniture and, most important, she had a Ken.  I liked going to Martha’s house – despite the fact she was three years younger than me – because of her great Barbie collection.

But I was never allowed to play with her Ken. He was sacrosanct. And I had Kenvy.

Queen of the Prom game.jpgThe closest I ever got to having a Ken was when I played the game “Barbie, Queen of the Prom.” In that game you had to navigate the board to collect a prom dress, appropriate accessories and, most important, a date. There were four choices: Ken, Allan, Tom and Poindexter. No one ever wanted Poindexter. Probably because he looked like he was about twelve.  By the time I was playing that game, it was the mid-1960’s and Ken’s military crew cut was going out of style. No, the desirable date for Queen of the Prom was Allan, a freckled face red head with a winning smile.Queen of the Prom dates

Eventually I got over my Kenvy. Probably when I had a daughter of my own who also LOVED her Barbie dolls (she had dozens, I only ever had two) and who also had a couple of Ken dolls. She played with her dolls for hours but I was most amused by the Ken and Barbie interaction. Whichever Barbie was the favored doll got the Ken. It was that simple. The pair would go on dates and, often, I would see them ‘kissing’ each other as my daughter’s imagination created romantic scenarios. On occasion I would sit on the floor and play Barbie’s with her. But I was never allowed to play with the Ken’s. Some things never change. Okay, so maybe I still have Kenvy.

For more information about Ken click on this link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ken_(doll)

Because there was so much to talk about JUST with Ken, I will be discussing name etymology next week and the cultural impact Barbie and Ken have had over the past 58 years.

Iditarod Race, Alaska

Mar6

Just Short of Magic

March 6, 2018

iditarodIt’s one of the most grueling races in the world and participants encounter blizzards, white out conditions and temperatures, with wind chills as low as -131 degrees.

Held in early March each year the Iditarod has come to symbolize the heartiness and determination of Alaskans.

A few race details from the infallible Wikipedia:

“The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race is an annual long-distance sled dog race run in early March from Willow to Nome, entirely within the US state of Alaska. Mushers and a team of 16 dogs, of which at least 5 must be on the towline at the finish line, cover the distance in 8–15 days or more. The Iditarod began in 1973 as an event to test the best sled dog mushers and teams but evolved into today’s highly competitive race. Then a record, the second fastest winning time was recorded in 2016 by Dallas Seavey with a time of 8 days, 11 hours, 20 minutes, and 16 seconds.”

In 2017 the race began on March 6th. A few weeks later I experienced a tiny sliver of what that adventure is like when I got to ride on a dog sled just outside of Fairbanks, Alaska.

view of the back end of the dogs just short of magicWhat I determined in the five days I spent there with my two best friends from high school, Cindy and Daphne, were the following:

  1. It takes a very sturdy person to live in the Alaskan interior. I would not do well there.
  2. Minus 26 degrees is really, really cold.
  3. Riding on a dog sled is a rush of an experience

Just short of magicI am forever grateful to my two friends for the once in a lifetime event. It was, as the name of the business stated, Just Short of Magic. It was a beautiful, sunny day and the temperature was 10 degrees.

In addition to the ride, we were instructed on how to harness the dogs to the sled and each got a turn driving the sled. As Daphne pointed out “it’s a good core workout!”

I also learned that the dogs are not all Siberian Huskies. In fact, most of their dogs were not Huskies. The dogs, however, must possess certain traits as follows:

  1. Thick paw pads
  2. Hearty appetite
  3. Want to pull 85 percent of the time
  4. Dense fur

If a dog does not have these four traits then Alaskans have a name for those dogs: pets.

Snide and Daphne Just short of magicAlthough the adventure was only a couple of hours it was, as their business name proclaimed, just short of magic. I relished the rush of cold air, the way the sled flew over the snow, the cacophony of the barking dogs, and the sparkle of the white snow.

And if you happen to find yourself in Alaska when the snow is still on the ground and the temperature is below freezing, this is my number one recommended thing to do!

For more information about the Iditarod, Wikipedia tells all: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iditarod_Trail_Sled_Dog_Race

And to book a dog sled experience: https://justshortofmagic.com/dog-sled-tours/

Just short of magic me and Daphne

Update: People have been curious as to the origins of the Iditarod. Also from the infallible Wikipedia:

“The most famous event in the history of Alaskan mushing is the 1925 serum run to Nome, also known as the “Great Race of Mercy.” It occurred when a large diphtheria epidemic threatened Nome. Because Nome’s supply of antitoxin had expired, Dr. Curtis Welch refused to use it and instead sent out telegrams seeking a fresh supply of antitoxin. The nearest antitoxin was found to be in Anchorage, nearly one thousand miles away. The only way to get the antitoxin to Nome was by sled dog as planes could not be used and ships would be too slow. Governor Scott Bone approved a safe route and the 20-pound (9.1 kg) cylinder of serum was sent by train 298 miles (480 km) from the southern port of Seward to Nenana, where it was passed just before midnight on January 27 to the first of twenty mushers and more than 100 dogs who relayed the package 674 miles (1,085 km) from Nenana to Nome. The dogs ran in relays, with no dog running over 100 miles (160 km).”

You May Already Be a Winner!

Feb27

February 27, 2018

God shows himself in mysterious ways…

the-voice-mail-boxyou-may-already-be-a-winner-jack-ziegleA good editor is the key to making sure whatever is written reads right and, well, doesn’t make ridiculous mistakes. In late February 1997 an American Family Publisher’s Sweepstakes entry was received by the Bushnell Assembly of God Church. It began thus:

“God, we’ve been searching for you”

Apparently when dealing with the topic of God the Infallible Wikipedia is silent. Therefore, I share this brief clip from the Spokesman Review:

“If God were to win, the letter stated, ‘What an incredible fortune there would be for God! Could you imagine the looks you’d get from your neighbors? But don’t just sit there, God.’

Sweepstakes officials did not return several telephone calls for comment Thursday.

(Pastor Bill) Brack said his 140-person congregation is considering whether to mail in the entry. The church could use the money.

And if American Family chooses a different winner?

‘God would be disappointed,’ Brack joked.”

This story reminded me of something similar which I experienced a couple of years ago. I make frequent trips from Seattle to Yakima to help with my 94 year old father. I have a 10 year old Garmin GPS which I like to turn on and use to give me approximate arrival times, elevation, etc.

One day as I was headed back home I stopped at the westbound Indian John rest area and, since I hadn’t yet sent my husband an update as to my estimated arrival time (ETA) I tapped out a quick text message as I was about to continue west. It wasn’t until I received his reply that I realized autocorrect on my phone had done this:

“God says I’ll be home at 4:30”

Apparently the terminology “GPS” didn’t exist in my phone and switched it to the word “God” instead.

I believe I got back a reply something to the effect of “its good God knows when you’re getting home.”

Ever since then when I send messages about my ETA I type in “God” and refer to the GPS as “God.” I do get strange looks from time to time. The way I see it is that it’s good to have God giving me travel advice.

GPS goes crazyIf I had any doubt that my GPS truly was God my disbelief was dispelled about a year and half ago. I was on my way back from Yakima and was driving up I-82 towards Ellensburg. I glanced over at the GPS but what I saw left no doubt that some higher power was in charge. Instead of an elevation of about 2700 feet as expected “God” let me know I was at over… 50,000 feet! As Doc Brown says in Back To The Future “Roads? Where we’re going we don’t need… roads!” Although the photo I snapped was a bit fuzzy, you can clearly see the elevation and God’s instruction that I am to continue to the alley. What alley, I never did find out. This craziness continued until Thorp when, apparently, I was no longer flying and once again on solid pavement.

To read the entire article on God perhaps winning the sweepstakes, here’s the link: http://www.spokesman.com/stories/1997/feb/28/god-you-may-have-won-11-million-sweepstakes/

And, of course, the original movie trailer from the 1977 George Burns and John Denver flick “Oh, God.”

Dorothy Hamill

Feb13

February 13, 2018

Artistry On Ice

hamil newsweekThe year was 1976 and Olympic fever was in full force that February. There was one person, particularly, everyone was talking about. From her cute, bobbed haircut to her signature skating move, girls everywhere wanted to look like her and boys wanted to date her.

On February 13, the skater won the women’s Olympic gold medal in figure skating. Her name was Dorothy Hamill and she was 19 years old.

From the infallible Wikipedia:

“At the 1976 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria, Hamill came in second in the figures and then won the short and long programs, taking the gold medal. She was the last single skater to win the Olympics without a triple jump. Hamill also won the 1976 World Championships and then turned professional.

“Hamill is credited with developing a new skating move — a camel spin that turns into a sit spin – which became known as the “Hamill camel.” The bobbed hairstyle that she wore during her Olympic performance was created by stylist Yusuke Suga, and started a fad, known as the “short and sassy” look. Her glasses with oversized frames also started a trend in the 1970s. The media dubbed her ‘America’s sweetheart.’”

Only seven American women have ever won gold in Women’s Olympic Figure skating: Tenley Albright (1956), Carol Heiss (1960), Peggy Fleming (1968), Dorothy Hamill (1976), Kristi Yamaguchi (1992), Tara Lipinski (1998) and Sarah Hughes (2002).

peggy-fleming-olympicsAnother Olympic fact, Peggy Fleming was the only US athlete to win a gold medal in the 1968 Olympics. The skating program had been decimated seven years earlier when a fatal plane crash on February 15, 1961, claimed the lives of the entire US skating team and coaches who were  en-route to Belgium for an international competition. Also from the infallible Wikipedia:

“All 18 athletes of the 1961 U.S. figure skating team and 16 family members, coaches, and officials were among the fatalities. The dead included 9-time U.S. ladies’ champion, turned coach, Maribel Vinson-Owen and her two daughters, reigning U.S. ladies’ champion Laurence Owen (age 16) and reigning U.S. pairs champion Maribel Owen (age 20).  Maribel Owens’s pairs champion partner Dudley Richards and reigning U.S. men’s champion Bradley Lord also died, along with U.S. ice dancing champions Diane Sherbloom and Larry Pierce. The team also lost U.S. men’s silver medalist Gregory Kelley, U.S. ladies’ silver medalist Stephanie Westerfeld, and U.S. ladies’ bronze medalist Rhode Lee Michelson.  Laurence Owen was the cover story for the February 13 issue of Sports Illustrated.”hamill history sabena plane

Although I was never an Olympian, I first tried ice skating about age 8 when our neighbor, Royce, sprayed water on his family’s driveway to create an ice rink. Royce, who was several year’s older, had outgrown a pair of skates which I got to borrow. I was very excited about this and, after the skating session, rushed home to ask my mother if we could buy the skates.

My mother, ever practical, told me ‘no.’ I think it had a lot to do with the fact that, in reality, there were few days in any winter – even in Yakima – where the temperatures were cold enough to create an ice rink; also, I did have a tendency to flit from one interest to another and, no doubt, the obsession with ice skating would soon fade. This is why Dorothy Hamill, and not me, won the 1976 Olympic Gold medal. That and the fact that I’m one of the most un-athletic people I know!

As always a couple of links:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorothy_Hamill

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sabena_Flight_548

Monopoly Board Game

Feb6

February 6, 2018

Take A Walk On The Boardwalk

Monopoly walk boardwalkThe moment you draw a Chance card that says  “Take A Walk On The Boardwalk” probably one of two things happen:

You’re either giddy because now you can buy the iconic Monopoly property; or you’re in despair because the rents will wipe you out.

The game, which was first published on February 6, 1935, is – I think – a rather polarizing experience.  Monopoly was, according the infallible Wikipedia:

“derived from The Landlord’s Game, which was created by Elizabeth Magie in the United States in 1903 as a way to demonstrate that an economy which rewards wealth creation is better than one in which monopolists work under few constraints and to promote the economic theories of Henry George and in particular his ideas about taxation. It was first published by Parker Brothers in 1935. The game is named after the economic concept of monopoly—the domination of a market by a single entity. It is owned and produced by the American game and toy company Hasbro.”

People who play the game seem to either love it or hate it. And it’s easy to see why they hate it. It pits players against each other who are encouraged to rejoice at another player’s bad luck. Many a monopoly game has ended with an overturned board and scattered money and properties.

Which seems appropriate since the a friend of Magie’s, Charles Todd,  introduced the game to one Charles Darrow – who took the game and began selling it as his own. Also from Wikipedia:

Monopoly national parks.jpg“According to an advertisement placed in The Christian Science Monitor, Charles Todd of Philadelphia recalled the day in 1932 when his childhood friend, Esther Jones, and her husband Charles Darrow came to their house for dinner. After the meal, the Todd’s introduced Darrow to The Landlord’s Game, which they then played several times together. At that point the game was entirely new to Darrow, and he asked the Todd’s for a written set of the rules. After that night, Darrow went on to utilize this by distributing the game himself as Monopoly – an act for which the Todd’s refused to speak to Darrow ever again.

After Darrow had excellent sales during the Christmas season of 1934, the Parker Brothers bought the game’s copyrights from Darrow. After finding Darrow was not the sole inventor of the game, Parker bought the rights to Magie’s patent.”

I often played the game as a child but found the hours long commitment to be more than was enjoyable. Not to mention that I simply was not cutthroat enough to be merciless to my opponents. The early parts of the game – going around the board and buying properties – is fun but once those houses and hotels start getting erected… well, that’s a good time to end it.

monopoly wineopoly board game

In cleaning out our game cupboard recently, we came across several versions of Monopoly including one based on National Parks and also on Wineries. There are also city, state, international and specialty versions of the game. We asked our children if they were interested in the one’s we have. While the oldest said no, our daughter seems to love the game, and is slated to get the various versions the next time she has a way to transport them to where she lives.

For my part, if I never play Monopoly again I can live with that.Monopoly Rich_Uncle_1946_Cover

Here’s a link to the article about the game and, believe it or not, a separate page to tell you all about Rich Uncle Pennybags!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monopoly_(game)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rich_Uncle_Pennybags

National Nothing Day

Jan16

January 16, 2018

A “Nothing” sort of day

January 16, it turns out, is historically one of the most boring days in history. The three most exciting things I could find for this date were 1) Debut of the Donny and Marie Show in 1976  2) Cher and Greg Allman’s divorce finalized in 1979 & 3) Wayne Newton performs his 25,000th show in Las Vegas in 1996.

January 16 Boring celebsTruly riveting events. Which is why January 16th being “National Nothing” Day seems appropriate.*

The day was started in 1972 by San Francisco Examiner columnist Harold Pullman Coffin. The day was created, according to the infallible Wikipedia as a way:

“…to provide Americans with one National day when they can just sit without celebrating, observing or honoring anything.”

There truly is no lack of irony with what I discovered about this event. Wikipedia’s article is what’s known as an ‘orphan’ with not a single link to anything about this event. Yet the ‘day’ was significant enough to be included in the 1975 printing of Chase’s Calendar of Events (first published in 1957).

Chase’s Calendar was also started by someone in the newspaper business. Bill Chase worked for the Flint (Michigan) Journal in the library. Hours and Hours of clipping and filing news stories prompted the idea of the publication which, as of 2012, had been updated and produced annually for 55 years.

There are a couple of takeaways from all this. First, is that if you are a writer and love trivial facts there’s probably a book inside of you. It amazes me the things that someone has turned into a book. Second, is that unless I’m sick, I can’t possibly sit and do ‘nothing’ all day. But, of course when one looks at the description of the day it doesn’t literally mean to not do anything.

I can’t think of anything more boring than sitting around and doing ‘nothing.’

Mrs. RennWhen I was in high school I had a fabulous teacher by the name of Mrs. Renn. Sadly, the year I was in her class she was diagnosed with terminal cancer. But that did not stop her from coming to school every day and imparting her knowledge and wisdom to a bunch of ungrateful teenagers. One day I recall one of the students must have complained about the literature we were discussing and that she was bored. Mrs. Wren didn’t get mad at the student but took the opportunity to impart her philosophy on life. I paraphrase but the message was this “there is no excuse to EVER be bored; if you have your mind, you can always find something interesting to read, or write, or do.”

The impact was huge. I’ve carried that message and that day with me all these years and I’m eternally grateful to Mrs. Renn for giving me wisdom at a moment in time when I needed to hear it.

So my plans for National Nothing Day is to seize the opportunity to use that time to have the very best day possible ‘doing’ all sorts of interesting (to me) things.

I enjoyed this article about the man who started Chase’s Calendar: http://www.annarbor.com/news/chasing-down-days-ann-arbor-founder-of-chases-calendar-of-events-turns-90/

And the Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Nothing_Day

What are YOU going to do today when there’s ‘nothing’ to celebrate, recognize or observe?

*Martin Luther King Day (he was born January 15th) was designated as a Federal holiday in 1983 and it was not until the year 2000 when all 50 states observed it. Since it falls on the third Monday in January it has occurred on January 16th five times since its creation (1989, 1995, 2006, 2012, 2017) now making the January 16th designation as “Nothing Day” erroneous some years.

New Year’s Resolutions

Jan2

January 2, 2018

What’s Your Resolution?

A search on Thesaurus.com turns up 43 words as synonyms for the word ‘resolution.’  Some of those included are: ‘aim’ ‘dedication’ ‘fortitude’ ‘heart’ ‘mettle’ ‘moxie’ and ‘perseverance.’

Postcards2CardsNewYearsResolution1915

During the first week of January this year, 41 percent of American’s will make at least one New Year’s resolution and 44 percent of the resolutions are related to self-improvement. In order to succeed in the fulfillment of their goals it usually requires dedication, fortitude, and perseverance.

I rather like that we have a specific date each year when the psychological odometer turns over. Some people will commit their plans to paper (or electronic paper!) while others will simply make a mental note as to what it is they wish to improve or achieve in the coming 365 days.

Although the first recorded ‘resolutions’ seem to be connected to John Wesley (founded the Methodist Church) and the formation of ‘Watchnight’, people have designated certain dates as the beginning of a new year for thousands of years. From the infallible Wikipedia:

“Babylonians made promises to their gods at the start of each year that they would return borrowed objects and pay their debts.

The Romans began each year by making promises to the god Janus, for whom the month of January is named.

In the Medieval era, the knights took the ‘peacock vow’ at the end of the Christmas season each year to re-affirm their commitment to chivalry.

At watchnight services, many Christians prepare for the year ahead by praying and making these resolutions.

This tradition has many other religious parallels. During Judaism’s New Year, Rosh Hashanah, through the High Holidays and culminating in Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement), one is to reflect upon one’s wrongdoings over the year and both seek and offer forgiveness. People can act similarly during the Christian liturgical season of Lent, although the motive behind this holiday is more of sacrifice than of responsibility. In fact, the Methodist practice of New Year’s resolutions came, in part, from the Lenten sacrifices. The concept, regardless of creed, is to reflect upon self-improvement annually.”

Several years ago, after reading a book which provided a methodology to identify those goals which were the most important, I created a list of things I wanted to achieve. Each year I pull out that list and review it and only one thing remains which I have not accomplished. Who knows which one it is?

Here’s the list:

-Get children successfully launched in life. Success would be if they are self sufficient, self-directed and motivated; they know how to go after those things they want in life.

– Create a program for the Bellevue Rainbow (Girls) which will be the pinnacle of success.

-Write/Publish a book

In looking at the list I realize I should have separated the last goal into two goals. Writing a book – I discovered – was a whole different animal than getting one published. Since I made the list I have completed five 80,000 word (or greater) novels. Each time I write the words ‘The End’ there is a feeling of accomplishment. And yet.

Back to resolutions. Yes, I probably should lose 20 pounds. Yes, I probably should exercise more. Yes, I should write thank you notes more often and either hire a housekeeper or get my lazy one to work harder. But none of those things will be on my list this year. Just one thing is there: publish my novel(s).

New years app.jpgSo here’s a toast to 2018 as a whole blank slate of a year stretches before us. Whatever your goal may be I wish you the : ‘aim’ ‘dedication’ ‘fortitude’ ‘heart’ ‘mettle’ ‘moxie’ and ‘perseverance’ to achieve it. Happy New Year!

As always, a few links of interest:

https://www.statisticbrain.com/new-years-resolution-statistics/

https://www.livescience.com/42255-history-of-new-years-resolutions.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Year’s_resolution

Grand Ole Opry

Nov28

Will The Circle Be Unbroken?

November 28, 2017

It was called the Golden Age of Radio and one of the best known programs was first produced on November 28, 1925. In fact, that program is still heard every week as a live stream on the internet and is the longest running radio broadcast in US history.303

WSM  radio called the program a ‘barn dance.’ The name we all know it by: The Grand Ole Opry.

From the infallible Wikipedia:

“The phrase ‘Grand Ole Opry’ was first uttered on the air on December 10, 1927.  At the time, Barn Dance followed the NBC Red Network’s Music Appreciation Hour, a program of classical music and selections from grand opera presented by classical conductor Walter Damrosch. On that particular night, Damrosch had remarked that ‘there is no place in the classics for realism.’ In response, Opry presenter George Hay said:

‘Friends, the program which just came to a close was devoted to the classics. Doctor Damrosch told us that there is no place in the classics for realism. However, from here on out for the next three hours, we will present nothing but realism. It will be down to earth for the earthy.’

Hay then introduced DeFord Bailey, the man he had dubbed the ‘Harmonica Wizard’, saying:

‘For the past hour, we have been listening to music taken largely from Grand Opera. From now on, we will present the Grand Ole Opry.’

Bailey then stepped up to the mic to play ‘The Pan-American Blues,’ his song inspired by the Pan-American, a premier L&N Railroad passenger train.”

When people wanted to watch the broadcasts, the producers obliged but the show quickly outgrew its original locale. It moved a half dozen times – to larger and larger facilities – before finding a home in the 3,000 seat Ryman Auditorium in 1943. Then, in 1956, a new medium entered the equation and once a month, for the next few years, the Opry was broadcast on television.

In the 1960’s it was determined that the Ryman – old and falling into disrepair – was no longer adequate. Additionally, Nashville’s central core suffered from urban decay and the show’s owners made the decision to build a new facility on farmland east of town. The 4,000 seat facility opened in June 1974 and, despite catastrophic flooding of the Cumberland River in May 2010, continues as the home of the Grand Ole Opry.

322One interesting thing is that a circle was cut from the floor of the Ryman Theater and installed in the center of the new Opry stage. When our family visited Nashville in March 2013 we toured the facility and stood in the famous ‘circle.’ Later that evening we attended a show which featured Craig Morgan as that night’s main act. I was surprised, however, by the number of long time Opry acts which were still being performed including a ‘Minnie Pearl’ impersonator and also Little Jimmy Dickens who, until he died in 2015, was the oldest Opry member.

316If you go to Nashville, a visit to the Grand Ole Opry is a must and very worthwhile.

For more about the Opry: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Ole_Opry

There’s a song which is sung following the induction of new members into the Opry ranks. It’s titled “Will the Circle Be Unbroken?” Take a listen:

November 28, 2022 – Over the years of writing this blog if I’ve learned one thing, its that certain topics seem to rise to the top and coincide with monumental life events. When I posted this on Tuesday, November 28, 2017, it was with the knowledge that my mother was not long for this earth. Two days later she passed, giving significance to this song and the concept of the unbroken circle.

Pac Man Fever

Oct10

…and the Kong who was King

October 10, 2017

Arcade room gamesIt was in October of 1980 when the United States was truly invaded by the Japanese.  We are not talking about military here. No, this invasion featured four ghosts named Inky, Blinky, Pinky, and Clyde and a round yellow fellow with a huge pie shaped mouth dubbed Pac-Man. (There are articles which place the release date on October 10 but that date is disputed)

The game, which had been released in Japan a little over four months earlier, was an instant hit. Young people flocked to arcades and taverns where Pac-Man eagerly gobbled up their quarters.

Soon, Pac-Man merchandise flooded America as did other Japanese companies looking to capitalize on Pac-Man fever.

From the infallible Wikipedia:

pacman screen“When Pac-Man was released, the most popular arcade video games were space shooters—in particular, Space Invaders and Asteroids. The most visible minority were sports games that were mostly derivatives of Pong. Pac-Man succeeded by creating a new genre. Pac-Man is often credited with being a landmark in video game history and is among the most famous arcade games of all time. It is also one of the highest-grossing video games of all time, having generated more than $2.5 billion in quarters by the 1990s.

The character has appeared in more than 30 officially licensed game spin-offs, as well as in numerous unauthorized clones and bootlegs.  According to the Davie-Brown Index, Pac-Man has the highest brand awareness of any video game character among American consumers, recognized by 94 percent of them. Pac-Man is one of the longest running video game franchises from the golden age of video arcade games. It is part of the collection of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. and New York’s Museum of Modern Art.”

Donkey Kong PaulineMy hubby was hired by a CPA firm in Burien who had a client that needed an auditor. So they sent him out to do the job and thus began a seven year run with a different Japanese invader: Donkey Kong. While many think of Nintendo as a behemoth company, when Donkey Kong was first being sold into the US market they had six employees: two Seattle based salesmen, the company president, a couple of Japanese developer/engineers, and one American to make the build’s happen.

It was in 1982, after Donkey Kong’s popularity skyrocketed (and made the two US salesmen millionaires) that the hubby was hired as the company’s US controller. Those were crazy days with incredible long hours but also a real sense of family within the fledgling company.

We hosted an April Fool’s day party several years the theme of which was bad jokes and to play video games.  We even brought in full size arcade games (borrowed from Nintendo) for the attendees to enjoy.

When he left the company in the late 1980’s we had acquired a variety of Donkey Kong themed items: mugs, cups, socks, both electronic and board games, shirts, a bulletin board, an aped shaped ‘bank’ and, the most prized possession of all: an electronic cocktail tabletop game.

Yes, we still have all those things including the game table. But, unlike the days of Pac-Man and Donkey Kong fever, quarters are no longer needed. All you have to do is plug the thing in, press a button to load the game, and escape back to the 1980’s when arcade games were king and the Japanese took the country by storm.pac man blinky

To read more about these two arcade phenomenon click here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pac-Man

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donkey_Kong_(video_game) (there are some errors in this article. Specifically, Nintendo’s first headquarters were in Tukwila, not Redmond, Washington)

October 10, 2022 Update: When the daughter and her (then boyfriend) hubby moved back to the PNW, we gifted them the cocktail table Donkey Kong Game which we can visit pretty much anytime we want. As I organized things I put all of the Donkey Kong collection together and here’s a photo of most of the items we collected.