Daily Doings at the Line of Death Bar & Grill

The Music Man...

2025-07-24T05:46:45Z

This week, the Centerville Pops is performing music from the musical The Music Man, along with other movie music. I don't have any major roles, but I'm in the chorus.

Back in 1980 (my junior year), we performed this musical in high school. But I wasn't in the chorus for that show. I was in the pit Orchestra. playing the "Reed 5" part -- baritone saxophone, bass clarinet, and bassoon. I had either Ben Boyar or Bernie Schneider playing the bari sax part, since I didn't play sax at the time.

We had professional Broadway musical scores we rented. We rented lighting from Unistage, and built own own scenery.

We didn't have a bassoon player, which made it tricky to play Marian the Librarian. It had a nice bassoon part, And I tried to sight transpose. Bassoon music is written in bass clef, and bass clarinet music is written in treble clef, and one octave (and one step) lower than written. I should have taken the time To transpose the music.

Yes, our teachers (Mrs. Green and Dr. Baudo) worked us hard, and rehearsals often went into the evening (10 pm), but we had fun doing it.

The student actor who played Professor Harold Hill went on to pursue a career in acting. His name is John Plumpis, and has his own page on IMDB.

Who else do I remember from the show? Marian was played by Amy Glazier. Marcellus was played by Leigh Koltun. The barbershop quartet had Thomas Dow and Bill Barlow.

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Time to switch to my summer wardrobe...

2025-05-20T18:20:19Z

The month of May is the time I typically switch my wardrobe for the summer season. Depending on when the temperature first hits 80 degrees (Fahrenheit), I'll make the switch early in the month, or late.

The main switch is that I swap my jeans to shorts. I still like wearing my polo shirts in the summer months.

In the past few years, I picked up some cargo shorts made of nylon and polyester. The main advantage they have over cotton Is that they dry quicker, in case I get splashed or get caught in a rainstorm. The cargo shorts offer more pockets.

I also have some shirts and socks made of this material. In the winter months, I use these as liner layers underneath cotton clothing (or wool socks), to stay warm.

I also switch out the leather belt and wallet, and go with a web belt and a nylon wallet. (Carhartt makes a nice one.) Leather gets wrecked in water.

I'll wear these until October, when it starts to get cold.

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He does what?

2025-01-31T20:45:28Z

Cerebus #69 still makes me LOL. I love the insult the one guy says before doing a sailor dive off the building: "The President sucks wet farts out of dead pigeons!"

If I said that aloud, I'd likely to be attacked by MAGA loyalists, if they're not doubled over in laughter.

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How I became a fan of "Doctor Who"...

2023-11-29T04:14:57Z

The year was 1983. My local PBS station -- WNED-TV -- was showing episodes of Doctor Who at 6pm on weeknights. At the suggestion of one of my mentors and friends (Tom Pellitieri), I gave it a try. There was a lighthouse, lots of dimly lit scenes, and floating cabbages ascending a staircase. I didn't understand what was going on, and thus didn't care for it. When I mentioned this to Tom, he said "Oh. Horror of Fang Rock. Not a good story. Try another episode." And I did. The second episode I saw was episode 3 from "The Face of Evil". The scenery was brighter, and featured a computer asking itself 'Who am I?"

The following year -- 1984 -- I met Jim Ramberg, who was another fan of the series. The Buffalo Time Council, a Doctor Who fan club, was formed. And I attended my first two conventions -- a Creation convention in Rochester featuring Terrance Dicks, and Panopticon West 1984, also known as the First North American Time Festival, in Columbus, OH. Colin Baker was the GoH. A running gag throughout the weekend was a fan dressed up as Sgt. Benton, delivering Colin orange juice. Early on, he spilled the glass of orange juice over Colin. The second time this happened, the top of the glass was covered with Saran wrap, so when the glass was tipped over, the juice didn't leave the glass. At the end, they poured pitchers of orange juice over each other.

Fans of the program called themselves "Whovians".

For the next few years, I was active in Doctor Who fandom, through the Buffalo Time Council, and attended a couple of conventions in the Buffalo area that were led by Dan Harris.

In 1989, I moved to Dayton, Ohio, and attended a convention in Columbus later that year. In 1995 and 1996, I attended the Visions conventions in Chicago, IL.

This year -- 2023 -- marks the 60th anniversary of the broadcast of the first Doctor Who episode, "An Unearthly Child". There are three specials airing in the next few weeks, but since I don't have Disney+, I may have to visit some who has that service, and watch them.

I don't watch as much TV as I used to, but it's not likely I'll turn down an opportunity to watch Doctor Who.

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Facebook jailbird....

2023-11-25T03:15:59Z

Well, now. I am spending Thanksgiving weekend in Facebook Jail. I've been put in timeout for two days. I can't post, make comments, or even like other peoples' posts.

So what did I do to deserve this?

Yesterday, I tried to post a PDF of an 'allergen card' I developed for my UU fellowship, based on prior work by a now-deceased member. We use this for potlucks and dinners to identify possible allergens in food that is brought in by a member. Facebook's content enforcement bots saw this as copyright infringement, and took down the post. I tried to appeal the ruling, but all I got was the runaround -- a link to the appeal form took me back to the original post.

Today, I posted about what happened, and included a screen shot of Facebook's message to me. Apparently their content enforcement bots didn't appreciate me making them look bad, so they took that post down as well, and put me in timeout.

There are other allergen cards out there. But this was one that was developed independently. How can I reach a human and state my case, or appeal their automated ruling? Or is Facebook too big to care?

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Why are video releases important?

2023-11-23T05:37:32Z

These days, it's very easy to record a video of someone, and post it on a social media site such as YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, et al. How can this be done to document permission from the person being recorded, and protect them from potential liability?

( A video release form. )

Bottom line: Cover your tuchus and use release forms. In this situation, it is easier to ask permission than to apologize.

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The philosophy behind "Do Moogs"....

2023-08-12T04:48:05Z

Back in high school, "Do Moogs" became one of my catch phrases. It came as a response to the phrases "Do bongs", "Do bowls", and "Do joints" that I often saw written on some desks. (I stayed clean through high school. If there was any pot smoking done by my fellow students, I was completely oblivious to it, and I was never invited to partake.)

( So what is the philosophy behind this catch phrase? )

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Why a fraternity?

2023-05-21T02:55:05Z

So. It's been 40 years since I've been initiated as a brother into the Delta Chi Fraternity. I occasionally get the question, "You're not the typical fraternity type. Why did you join one?"

( The short answer: I wanted brothers. )

Recently, fraternities and sororities have come under fire, especially when one of them makes the news as a result of an alcohol abuse incident, a sexual abuse incident, or a hazing incident. We've been fighting that battle since I first joined, and we're still fighting it now, 40 years later.

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My Hercules 3-speed bicycle.....

2022-10-18T02:51:53Z

There are times I think about getting another bicycle, to run short errands to and from the grocery store, the library, and a few local restaurants.

I don't think I've ridden a bicycle since 1982 or 1983, when I started driving cars.

( The bicycle I had was a Hercules 3-speed English racer. )

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My weekend hideaway....

2021-10-25T02:31:07Z

If I could afford it, I'd love to get a cabin or cottage in the woods, or one near a lake, at which I could spend my weekends.

I have fond memories of going out to my great uncle Veneard's land in Boston, NY. (We called him "Uncle Lefty" because he was left-handed, or "Uncle Vern" for short.) He had a 26-acre parcel on the west side of Zimmerman Rd., and a 46-acre parcel on the east side of Zimmerman Rd., near Polish Hill Rd. The 26-acre parcel had a small, rustic cottage; the 46-acre one had part of a run-down cottage. Once he retired, he sold the 26-acre parcel and built a new home for his family on the 46-acre parcel. He passed away several years ago, but his widow, son, and daughter-in law live there now.

In/around 1970, my parents obtained two pine trees from the 26-acre parcel, and replanted them in front of their house in Tonawanda. Those trees remain there to this day.

Other friends of mine, or their families, have weekend cottages. Two of them have on in/near the Mt. Airy Forest in Cincinnati. One has a place on Canoe Lake in Ontario. And another has one on a lake in Michigan.

I realize that such a cabin or lake house would involve a lot of work, upkeep, and maintenance on my part. So maybe it's a dream I won't be able to realize.

What features or amenities would I like to have? Electricity, if possible. Propane gas for heating and cooking. A fireplace, of course. A large enough living room for having folks over for filksings, and crash space so they could stay overnight. Perhaps a sweat lodge, for those inclined to use it. Definitely an outdoor fire pit. Enough land for people to put up tents or park a small RV. And a shipping container I can use for storage.

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When life gives you Keurigs....

2021-09-20T03:00:48Z

Several years ago, when the Keurig coffee makers started appearing on the market, I thought, "Who would spend $100 on a coffee maker?" Then they started appearing -- one in my veterinarian's office, one at my local auto service center, and the folks down the hall at work have a couple of them.

What are the advantages? First, it makes one cup at a time. Pots of coffee are often left uncofnsumed or forgotten, and often boil dry while sittinggi on the warming burner. Second, the coffee tastes better.

And what are the disadvantages? It produces a lot of waste, especially considering the K-cups that get used and tossed in the trash.

( Read more... )

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Jim's Visitor's Guide to Buffalo and Western New York....

2021-08-07T18:44:10Z

A couple of weeks ago, one of my clients mentioned that he was headed to Niagara Falls to meet up with some friends from Vermont. He said it was an ideal halfway point. Since that's my old stomping grounds, I offered to send him a lit of restaurants, aerospace sites, byways, and attractions.

( Here's the list. )
I’m sure I’m missing a few sites; I’ll add them in a future release.

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Wild Outdoor Adventures of my Youth (Part 2)....

2021-03-25T23:10:02Z

[Also originally posted to the "Growing Up in the Town of Tonawanda" group on Facebook.]

In which I cover more of the things I did that I forgot to include in part 1.

The Youngmann Expressway -- I-290 -- was built in the early 1960s. It was named for a civil engineer who did during construction of the road. I've heard about several people slightly older than me playing on the unfinished highway, as it hadn't opened for traffic. It had already been built and opened by the time I was a toddler, so I didn't get to explore the unfinished highway.

In the early 1970s, the houses on Willowgrove South were being built. Large mounds or hills of dirt were piled up, from the excavation of the house sites, so that the builders could pour the concrete foundations and basements. We called that area "The Big Hills", and we would often ride our bicycles on those hills. These were on standard bicycles, and we didn't wear any protective gear -- helmets, elbow pads, or knee pads. This predated BMX (bicycle motocross) by several years. Those were great hills for bicycling, even though it was risky. Thankfully, none of us got hurt, although a couple of teenage boys tried to mess with me there once.

Across the street from me, there was an abandoned gas station, or what was left of it. The concrete islands were still there, but the gas pumps were gone, and the service station building had been demolished. (I think it was an old Atlantic station that was built in 1957 and closed several years later.) Behind it was a vacant field of mostly dirt and grass. There was also a trail along the houses that went from Parker to Woodstock, which I often used to go to the stores in the Woodell Plaza. The Brighton Fire Department building is on the site now.

In the summer, the town's recreation department would place a wooden shack on the grounds of Glendale Elementary, and the staff would guide and assist us with various crafts -- plaster of Paris molds, spin art, plastic lanyard (which we called "boondoggle"), and weaving looms (on which we made many pot holders).

As I grew older, I started riding through the back entrance of Ellicott Creek Park to Creekside Drive, and Ellicott Island Park. There was a stone building on the south shore of the island, which had been boarded up. The locals called it "the casino", and I could never figure out why. I guess there was a fire that destroyed the structure, but left the stone works. I also rode my bike
down Creekside Drive to the city limit, at which point it became East Niagara St.

I also followed the service road to the town's sewage treatment plant. I could smell when they were in operation; it smelled like Nair hair remover. I often wondered why Paradise Lane, from the Raintree Island subdivision dead-ended, and wasn't built to the service road. That would have provided an additional exit to the subdivision. It was a 200-foot gap that ran under power lines.

I also fished in Ellicott Creek with one of my neighborhood friends. We didn't catch much -- mostly carp, bullhead (a type of catfish), and a rock bass. I once saw some teenagers in a canoe go into the storm sewer that ran under Woodstock Ave. that emptied into Ellicott Creek. I don't know how far they went in the storm sewer.

Another one of my neighborhood friends built a tree house in his backyard, and we spent many afternoons there, chewing gum, reading comic book, sharing stories, or just hanging out.

I have a vague memory of a flood in the summer of 1968 or 1969. I was riding down the side of the street in a plastic boat.

Would I allow my kids to do these things now? Perhaps. We didn't care as much about personal injury, personal liability, and litigation that we do now. We took responsibility for ourselves, even if it meant taking our lumps, and risking getting grounded.

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Wild Outdoor Adventures of my Youth (Part 1)....

2021-03-25T02:26:26Z

[Originally posted to the "Growing Up in the Town of Tonawanda" group on Facebook.]

Mitchell Connor's story about the field near the Sheridan Dr. pedestrian bridge and the path to Hoover Middle School reminded me of my own wild outdoor adventures. I grew up in the Green Acres North subdivision of Tonawanda, NY (north of Buffalo). Behind my house on Parker Blvd. was a set of Niagara Mohawk power lines. The utility would mow the field two or three times a year. When they didn't mow, the grass would grow high, and a few friends and I made a few "forts" in the field. Actually, we just flattened the grass in the area.

Also near our house was the Lehigh Valley railroad line, and Pee Wee Creek, a small tributary running into Ellicott Creek. We would ride our bikes through the open field, on a path that ran behind the Greenhaven Library. Sometimes we'd catch tadpoles or polliwogs. A few times, we would put pennies on the railroad tracks, which would be melted and crushed by the train as it went by. We saw a lot of insects as well -- grasshoppers, potato bugs (aka roly-polys), a mantis or two, butterflies, moths, and so on.

And then, there was Ellicott Creek Park. In the summer, we would ride our bikes through the park. We were careful to stay away from the teenagers there who would be drinking beer and smoking cigarettes (among other things). Some folks would even canoe on the creek. In the winter, a pond in the corner of the park was turned into an ice rink. I remember crossing the railroad trestle to get to the pond.

Also what I remember from those days was not having a care in the world, not worrying about tomorrow, paying bills, liabilities, and all the other grownup stuff that our parents took care of then that we're taking care of now.

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Memories of Thanksgiving....

2020-11-27T06:48:32Z

This afternoon -- actually, the past few days -- I was thinking about Thanksgivings past. The days when I would get together with my parents, relatives (often my Uncle Joe), or good friends. Few of us had any of that aspect of the holiday this year, as we mostly isolated due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

One of my close friends -- Heather aka maedbh7 -- wrote about her Thanksgiving experiences over the years. ( I'm inspired to do the same. )

This year, I spent it alone. This isn't the first year I've done this. I had no desire to invite myself to Rebecca's for dinner; that would be tacky. I cooked a 3-pound turkey breast and some side dishes -- stuffing, yams, green beans, cranberry sauce, biscuits, and turkey gravy. I watched a little bit of the Macy's parade, and mostly listed to music during the day. I also talked with my friend Howard over the phone.

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Memories of a 1970s Game Show Addict....

2020-10-15T01:54:40Z

The recent death of game show host Tom Kennedy, and thinking of the shows he hosted, reminded me that I used to watch a LOT of game shows when I was growing up in the 1970s. I even tape-recorded some of the theme songs and gameplay from some of the shows. I still have them in my audio archives.

What did I find fascinating about the game shows? The elaborate sets, with fancy, eye-catching lighting, moving stages, and early digit counters and electronic displays. Some featured favorite celebrities, and sharp-dressed, quick witted hosts or emcees (short for "Master of Ceremonies").

Most of the shows aired in either the morning (10am-noon) or afternoon (12:30pm-5:00pm) time slots. The evening game shows aired between 7pm-8pm. Nearly all were a half hour in length.

Which ones do I remember from that decade (1970-79)? I may be fuzzy on the details; some shows I've completely forgotten about, and some I can't remember the host.

( Here's a list. )

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Have I ever experienced racism? Yes.

2020-06-14T19:29:30Z

Something I've noticed: The people who deny racism, or don't see it as a problem, have likely never experienced it for themselves. They've never been in "the minority". And so they're not aware of that blind spot.

What is their typical background? European-American (or "white"). Christian (I'm including Catholic here). Straight. Cisgender (as opposed to transgender). And most of the time, male.

I'm Italian-American. I do not know the racism my [paternal] grandfather experienced from the time he arrived here to the time he died. Nor the racism my [paternal] grandmother, or her parents, experienced. Between then and the 1970s, things changed, and Italians, or those of Italian ancestry, were somehow reclassified as "white", and therefore, "one of us". I don't recall ever being called "dago", "wop", or "guinea".

I am also Polish-American. I endured the "dumb Polack" jokes of the early 70s. And again, I don't know the racism my maternal grandparents, my mother, or her siblings, had experienced. They lived in the Black Rock neighborhood of Buffalo, a predominantly Polish neighborhood, which was safe territory for them.

Have I ever experienced racism? Yes. I was the lead maintainer of a computer program used by several different system program offices (SPOs) of the Air Force. One org had everyone deployed at the administrator level, instead of one administrator and everyone else at the data entry level, as the system was designed. Their rationale was "We're all administrators here". I advised them to correct this, to select an administrator, so I could reassign the roles. As we were leaving, one of them said to one of my co-workers, "I don't like some foreigner telling me what to do." (I didn't hear this. If I had, I would probably have said, "Foreigner? I'm a US citizen. Have you ever seen an Italian-American before?"

But compared to other people in my life who have experienced and endured much more racism, this is just a drop in the bucket. From the woman of color who was stopped in Oakwood for "following too closely", or the man on color who was stopped on the 315 in Columbus twice by the same cop and advised to get out of town, or a Jewish friend who had someone who was pro-Palestinian denounce a family portrait.

How do we end this? How do we dispel the fear and hate? We just keep talking, trying to resolve our differences peacefully, without resorting to violence or murder.

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My life after cutting the cable....

2020-05-28T02:49:20Z

It's been about 7 months since I made a blog post.

One of the topics of current discussion is television. What have people been watching? Game of Thrones, Star Trek: Picard, The Mandalorian, and the Tiger King. But not me.

( It seems I've been missing out on these shows. Or have I? )

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Memories of Dawn (amadearose32)....

2019-11-04T02:43:57Z

One of my close friends, Dawn Rose Amadea, passed away this past Thursday, October 31, after years of health issues.

( Read more... )

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Large conventions don't interest me.

2019-08-31T03:21:19Z

This is the weekend of DragonCon, a huge SF/fantasy convention in Atlanta, GA. Earlier this month, the annual World Science Fiction Convention -- Worldcon -- was held in Dublin, Ireland. I'm hearing reports from friends in fandom who are at these conventions and telling me what a great time they're having, and/or what I'm missing out on.

( But here's the thing: Large conventions of any type just don't interest me any more. )

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My Apollo 11 memory....

2019-07-20T13:26:28Z

50 years ago today, the crew of Apollo 11 landed on the Moon. (Technically, only Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed while Michael Collins remained in the orbiter.) What was I doing that day? Watching the coverage on CBS, with Walter Cronkite, on a black-and-white TV, and eating cherry chip birthday cake. (Yes, July 20 is my birthday.) It's the earliest memory I have; I can't remember anything from my life before that day.

What I -- or many other people watching -- didn't know how close they came to not making the landing. They had only 30 seconds of fuel remaining, and the folks in Mission Control were holding their breath. This segment from yesterday's NPR Morning Edition recounts those minutes leading up to the landing.

After they landed safely, they were instant celebrities. Neil hated the limelight and mostly kept to himself. He had a farm near Lebanon, OH, and briefly taught aerospace engineering at the University of Cincinnati in the 1970s. He passed away in 2012. I would have loved an opportunity to meet him and have a beer with him.

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30 years in Dayton.....

2019-06-22T03:29:43Z

30 years ago this month, I left my parents' home in Buffalo, NY and moved to Dayton, OH to start a new job.

On Thursday, June 22, I flew out from Buffalo to Dayton via Detroit, to attend an in-person interview the following day. My itinerary said I had a hotel room at the "Holiday Inn Fairborn". But none of the shuttles said that on their vehicles, and I didn't know that it was also known as the "Holiday Inn I-675". I ended up taking a taxi to the hotel. At the interview, I was offered the job, and was advised to start as soon as possible. So after flying back home, I tied up some loose ends, packed some boxes, and on Tuesday, June 26, drove down to Dayton. In the first month, I lived in hotel rooms as I searched for an apartment. I found a 1-bedroom unit in Kettering.

In the past 30 years, there have been a lot of changes. Many businesses, restaurants, and shopping centers have come and gone. ( Here's a list of places I remember from 1989 that no longer exist. )

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"White courtesy phone, please..."

2019-04-27T18:03:34Z

I've often used this phrase to call attention to something I'd see on Facebook or other social media, if I think it would be of interest. I like it better than just using their name.

Where did this phrase come from? I first saw it in the signature file in someone's Usenet post. I thought it might have been a lyric in a Laurie Anderson song, because the line I saw mentioned a Mr. Sharkey, which happened to be one of her songs.

Back in the days before nearly everyone had cell phones and the capability to send and receive text messages, places that had large quantities of people moving through them -- airports, train stations, hotels, convention centers -- would have a bank of telephones available for guest use. One or two of were designated "courtesy phones" -- they had no dial, and connected directly to an information desk. If someone was trying to reach a traveler, they'd leave a message with the info desk. A page would go out -- "John Smith, white courtesy phone please", and if John Smith heard it, he'd go to the nearest courtesy phone, pick up the receiver, and get the message read to them by a staff member at the info desk. More information (and pictures) here.

The fact that someone had to ask me about that phrase gives me pause. Has the courtesy phone gone the way of the pay phone? Is this person so young, or so untraveled, that they've never seen a courtesy phone?

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Remembering Harold Stein (hms42).....

2018-10-29T17:20:43Z

I was saddened and stunned to hear the death of Harold Stein.

Harold was a workhorse in the filk community. While he didn't sing or perform (to the best of my knowledge), he was a regular at many of the filk conventions, including the Ohio Valley Filk Fest (OVFF). He spent most of his time behind the mixing console, and occasionally chatted with convention regulars and guests as his busy schedule allowed.

Over the years, Harold amassed and catalogued an incredible collection of filk convention performances, and served as the unofficial filk community archivist. He recorded many performances, from concerts to filk circles, and ensured that performers had an opportunity to obtain copies of their performances. He was the filk community's counterpart to Alan Lomax, the famed ethnomusicologist known for recording many examples of American folk music.

I knew he had some health issues, but he didn't go into much detail about them. He had been scheduled to be this year's Listener Guest of Honor at this year's OVFF, but had to bow out due to those issues.

At this point I am not sure who will keep his legacy of filk recordings alive. I'm hoping several people will step up. I'd like to, but I'm currently dealing with my own digitization and decluttering projects.

Harold's Dreamwidth blog is here.

I often said that the Filk Hall of Fame should be for anyone who has contributed to the filk community in the long-term, whether as a performer or support person. Based on his service to the filk community over the years, he's more than worth of a nomination. I'm sad that this is a posthumous nomination; he should have been in a few years ago.

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My history in audio tape.....

2018-07-25T19:57:38Z

Earlier this week, I finished degaussing (or bulk erasing) the last of my collection of over 300 audio cassette tapes. I had previously digitized them by playing the tapes while recording the audio signal on my home theater PC using the Audacity program. Since I now have digital copies of the information on the tapes, I no longer need the audio tapes, and could now part with them.

( But listening to those tapes, and handling them one last time, brought up a lot of fond memories. )

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