What's in a name?

I was surprised, but pleased, to see this picture of Cecilia on the front page of the New Britain City Journal, as she sang the National Anthem at the opening ceremonies of the Fagan Little League season last Saturday. In attendance, New Britain Mayor Tim OBrien, CT Lt. Governor Nancy Wyman, and Congresswoman Elizabeth Esty. On the day of the event, Cecilia was announced as "Alicia Gigliotti," but that is corrected in the paper, although still misspelled as "Cecillia." Who thought GIGLIOTTI would be the less problematic part of her name!?!

Among my top three M*A*S*H quotations

"I will not carry a gun, Frank. When I got thrown into this war I had a clear understanding with the Pentagon: no guns.  I'll carry your books, I'll carry a torch, I'll carry a tune, I'll carry on, carry over, carry forward, Cary Grant, cash and carry, carry me back to Old Virginia, I'll even 'hari-kari,' if you show me how, but I will not carry a gun!"

Hawkeye Pierce
"Officer of the Day" (M*A*S*H, Episode 3, Season 3)

I have been surprised by all the "Boston Believe" signs...

...since I really didn't think there was any doubt about Boston's existence (although there is a part of me that's a bit unsure of Kokomo).

But it has gotten me thinking of great "believe" songs (like these):

 

 

 

 

And, for the record, my FAVORITE "Boston" song ever is:

 

 

Obviously, I'm still trying to master those "Moves like Buckley"...!

...when I chat with such notables as author/songwriter Wesley Stace. 

(Although, I must admit, in my imagination I always remember his leaning MUCH farther back in his seat on Firing Line...almost horizontal!)

 

 

 

 

 

(Stace/Gigliotti photos: K. McElveen)

 

Of course, we need not even mention the seersucker!

 

 

 

 

 

Who the heck is in charge of marketing at AMC?

Is it really wise to advertise the fact that every one of your dramatic series (Mad Men, Walking Dead, Breaking Bad, et al.) has the same plot?

I wouldn't think so.

Then again, I'm no advertising account exec.

I know I should be focused on more important issues being raised in today's Gospel reading...

...but, if our Evangelist John is going to list all the folks who were at this appearance by the resurrected Jesus on the shore of the Sea of Tiberias, then I'd respectfully ask: name them all.

Here's what he does:

"Together were Simon Peter, Thomas called Didymus, Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, Zebedee's sons, and two others of his disciples."

Later, we learn that one of the two others is "the disciple Jesus loved" (i.e., John himself), but that leaves one more.  Who, for Heaven's sake?

This is the Scriptural version of  the "Theme from Gilligan's Island" from Season 1, that, after listing the title character, "the Skipper, the Millionaire and his Wife, and the Movie Star" just lumps the Professor and Maryann into "and the rest." 

At least that was corrected in later seasons.

April 12th has been a very big day in history, and I'm hard pressed to...

...think of a bigger one over the years:

1633 Galileo is convicted of heresy

1861 U.S. Civil War Begins

1954 Bill Haley and the Comets record "(We're Gonna) Rock Around the Clock"

1961 Yuri Gagarin becomes the first man in space

Other suggestions?

The next big thing!

Given the ubiquity and frequency of "Flash Mobs," I've been disappointed that I've never witnessed one in any public location to which I hadn't been tipped off previously. 

This got me to thinking: What if a whole bunch of people, with boomboxes, gathered a public place at a given time and, at a precise moment, all simultaneously pushed "Play" and stared at a random group of people until they broke into a hastily-choreographed version of Kenny Loggins' "Footloose?"

It'd either be the greatest thing ever, or we'd get arrested.

Just a few of the topics discussed with Wes Stace at CCSU on 4/3/13

Raising Lazarus from the dead (John 11.1-44)

"Sorry, Lazarus"

Mott the Hoople

The many different English words for types of carriages

Erasmus' "The Abbot and the Educated Woman"

"The Colloquy of Mole and Mr. Eye"

Fassbinder's Fear Eats the Soul

Paul MacCartney

Audio dramatizations of early James Bond novels

Elizabeth Barraclough and Paul Butterfield

Tom Stoppard's Lord Malquist and Mr. Moon

(well, at least its cover)

Poe's "The Colloquy of Monos and Una"

Jessold is Dylan

Jessold is Stace

George (not the dummy one) is the anti-Wes

Making music literary v. making literature musical

"Crusties"

John Roderick and The Long Winters

E.M. Forster

God

The Devil

Letting the reader fill in the scene

Songwriting in the car

Loving what you do