colon cancer cognizance concert

And to think: I very nearly missed this event, and would have, if not for the JEA.

If I had missed out, then my ex would have, too, and that would have been a shame.

He is much fonder of many of the artists that performed - and much more knowledgeable of their music repertoire - than I am.

We both have too many people dear to us who have died from colon cancer: his Mom, my Great-Uncle Sam, my Grandpa, my Daddy, and friends along the way.

We both make sure to have colonoscopies regularly to guard against that beast. (In fact, I'm due for one near the end of this year, I think.)

My favorite piece was the 20-minute bit of heaven from the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra! They regaled the audience with Gershwin's "Rhapsody In Blue" and I swayed and swooned along the entire time!

I also very much liked The Gold Souls (they reminded me of Lake Street Dive!); Kermit Ruffins and his trumpet solo rendition of "What A Wonderful World"; K.F. Jacques' unique "Operatronic" experience; the glorious D-Composed, promising "Change Is Gonna Come"; and a trumpet and bass number called "Blues For Science".

Plus, I have a special mention of Rufus Wainwright singing "Hallelujah". Partly, that mention is because that song always makes me think of my ex and how much he enjoyed Jeff Buckley's version. (He let me know he very much enjoyed hearing the song in this show tonight.) Partly, that mention is because Rufus is the only artist that had two numbers during this two-hour plus concert.

I enjoyed this quintet of fellows, too!

Calling themselves "The Beacons", they are each and every one of them enterologists - and pretty fine musicians, too, as they demonstrated with The Beatles' "Imagine".

Good job, y'all!

I just may have to listen to the concert again, especially as it will be on the American College of Gastroenterology website for at least a little while.

Check it out sometime... and keep those guts in tune!

(smile!)

put on yer easter bonnet, with all the frills upon it

... but forget about any parades.

Seriously.

We're still in a pandemic and, as slowly as vaccinations are occurring, we're likely to stay in pandemic mode for months yet.

Sure, the President is excited that more than 150 million doses of vaccine have gone into arms, and so am I.

But, doing the math, that means, at most, 75 million Americans are fully vaccinated.

At most.

Doing the math, that means, at most, 22% of the USA's population are fully vaccinated.

At most.

More people need to step up and get the vaccine.

Now, folks can even drive up at a mass vaccination center and don't even have to get out of their car or truck or SUV.

More people need to walk the walk, not just talk the talk, of being an American citizen fully invested in making this country better.

It isn't like folks are being asked to roll up their sleeve and donate blood; just roll it up and get a quick little jab from a very tiny needle.

Let's work together to stop the deaths from COVID.

Please.

Okay, how about some graphs to encourage people who are floundering or waffling or just plain being a baby about needles?

(By the way, thousands of people with diabetes use needles daily - daily! - to monitor their glucose levels or administer insulin.)

This graph has the total number of COVID-infected people since the start of the pandemic, concentrating on the first three months of this brand-new year.

As can be seen here, three of the ten states I monitor already had more than a million cases when 2021 dawned. 

In fact, on January 1st, sunny California began the year with more than 2.5 million people who had been infected by SARS-CoV-2 and developed COVID. Now, at the end of this third month, that West Coast state has added another cool million to that sum. That's an additional 1,000,000 cases of infection in not quite 90 days.

How appalling.

Texas and Florida both started out with around 1.5 million infected citizens of their respective states.

Texas has added one million more since then; Florida, thankfully, has not added quite a million, lagging behind by about a quarter-million.

Good for Florida.

Pennsylvania, Georgia, Tennessee, and Michigan each began their 2021 with more than 500,000 cases of people infected by the coronavirus.

Of the four, Pennsylvania is the only one that has doubled its number.

That would be another half-million in less than 90 days.

Georgia and Tennessee have kept close company with their numbers, as if one of them is serving as the pacer for the other in this mad race.

I expect both to pass the million-people mark fairly shortly, with Michigan close behind.

That leaves Alabama, Louisiana, and Oklahoma all at the bottom, all starting just below the half-million, all just above it now.

All total, for these ten states, 2021 began with about nine million people who had been infected; now, that sum is at least twelve million.

For only ten states.

Mind, that's with no major holidays or even nice weather in many of those states.

Now, spring has sprung and Easter and Passover are here.

People are flocking to airports, restrictions are being lifted, and the general mood is one of gaiety and mirth!

Are we to infer that life can return to 'normal'?

Are there no new clouds of cases threatening rain on egg hunts and backyard parties and religious gatherings?

Let's take a look at where not to travel.

How are these ten doing with their cases per 100,000 population?

Well, honestly, like in the above graph, this one shows the order of the states to be the same from January 4th to March 29th, the end dates on which I gathered the data.

Tennessee leads all: it had 9 people infected out of 1000; now, it has 12 people infected out of every 1000.

That 30% increase is seen for all ten over this almost 90-day period.

Ranking them from most dangerous to visit to least, that would be Tennessee, Oklahoma, Alabama, then, Georgia, Texas, Louisiana, Florida, and California, with Pennsylvania and Michigan at the bottom, having at most 8 people of every 1000 having been infected.

So far, the graphs have looked at overall numbers, which include those since all of this began here in the States, with the influence of new cases accumulated.

But what about those new cases?

Well, here are the 7-day totals of new infections, since January 4th of this year up to yesterday, for seven of my ten states.

(I chose not to show California, Texas, and Florida because their values for the first six weeks were so far above the others that no meaning could have been discerned.)

I would like to say that have a clearly marked decreasing trend in numbers of new cases, I would very much like to say that.
However, I cannot say any such thing because something is obviously amiss in Michigan and Pennsylvania for the last three weeks.

At the start of 2021, Georgia had almost 70,000 new cases per week ; now, that number has dropped to around 10,000 new cases per week.

At the start of 2021, Georgia had the most new cases, followed by Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Alabama, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Michigan, with those latter four hovering around between 30,000 and 25,000 new cases per week.

Almost 90 days later, Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, Oklahoma, and Louisiana are all at 10,000 new cases or less per week.

Pennsylvania, however, is up to 25,000 new cases per week!

Michigan is even worse, at more than 30,000 new cases per week!

I asked my ex and he spoke of sports games causing their rise in numbers.

What craziness.

So, what are my holiday travel plans?

Zero, zip, zilch.

I'll be staying in town this coming weekend and minding my 3 w's.

I'm going to the Savannah VA Center shortly for my second dose of the Pfizer vaccine, then I'm going to treat myself to a lunch I don't have to cook.

I look forward to being able to dine with fully vaccinated friends and family by the end of April; by that time, my body will have had the two to four weeks required to generate the antibodies needed to protect me from death by coughing, i.e., development of severe COVID if I should become infected by the coronavirus.

Hence, my continued attention to the 3 w's.

(smile)

Oh, for those wondering about some data points being missing for the past few weeks, do not fret that I have been ill and unable to obtain data.

I have decided to only collect data on Mondays henceforth.

I had been collecting on Mondays and Thursdays, but once weekly is all I can abide to look at these numbers.

Truly.

And now, time to head off for my appointment!

off to cancun and eqypt!

First, I had my regular church, as this has been Sunday all day. That was followed by a vote about a merger, but more on that another time. It may well be a moot point by the time the UMC is done with their vote this summer. We shall see, shan't we?

RAWR!!!

After that, I was free to meet with my first niece and her girls for lunch! Hooray!

And where did we dine?

Well, as my Christina Ann put it: at one of her favorite restaurants, eating her favorite food, with her favorite aunt - that would be me!

The feeling was definitely mutual!

Little Miss Miyah Papaya is such a wiggle worm and she so wants to be grown!

Slow down, child, you're not quite 4 yet, there's plenty of time to get there!

She had insisted that I sit next to her, but when the food came, she had scooted over toward her mom.

Silly girl!

And here's her little sis, Chloe Leeanna, looking like a big baby doll more so than a real child!

Both girls had chosen dresses to wear for their outing and both had chosen matching 'pearl' necklaces and bracelets at the clothing store they hit before our luncheon.

LOL! They looked so sugar and spice, but they definitely have a bit of snips and snails and puppy dog tails!

I'm glad Cancun was a bit slow by the time we got there at 3 PM, and even slower by the time we had finished our chips and dip and other Mexican delights.

That meant the girls could run about without causing a problem for others while Christina and I talked about life.

She is so ready for her Florida vacation next week!

Now, pardon me, but I'm about to head off to Egypt with Carolyn!

"The Ten Commandments" is just starting and this is my first time seeing it as it was meant to be seen back in 1956: on the silver screen, unedited for tv 'mercials, with an intermission in the middle of its 4-hour run!

Woohoo!!! Thanks, AMC 11, for giving me this as my 104th movie!

tks 4 th nvt ambar

Tonight, I did something I've never done before.

I had never even known such an event existed.

The only way I found out about it was because I washed clothes on Thursday.

Seriously.

I try to go to Sandfly Laundry on that day of the week as I enjoy talking with the young woman who is the attendant.

We talk of a variety of things, so it's a fresh experience each time.

That day, it had been more than two months since we last spoke, as she had been absent last month when I'd watched my clothes tumbling.

So we talked of whatever came to mind, as we always do.

This time, it was vaccines and the zoo and churches and religion...

and that's how I got invited to the Memorial Dinner for Jesus.

Never heard of it?

Nor had I.

Then she brought up the famous painting of Jesus and the disciplines at the table.

"Oh, you mean 'The Last Supper'?", I suggested.

Yes, that was it, she confirmed, after a brief discussion about that word "supper".

That's when she invited me to the annual event at her church.

It was to be virtual this year of continuing pandemic and they had been encouraged to invite non-members to partake.

As I know very little about Jehovah's Witnesses and wanted to know more, I agreed.

I'm glad I zoom'ed with them tonight.

I'm glad I'd been invited to do so.

I have a better understanding not only of that faith, but also of other religions that follow Jesus' path.

I very much liked that the person in charge of the meeting - for that's what it was, more so than a sermon - referred to the Bible and read aloud each scripture cited.

That practice allowed all to know the words were not being paraphrased or changed to fit the meaning imparted during the talk.

It struck me as something Grandpa would have done during his days as a traveling Baptist minister.

The practice very much lent credence to the talk.

I admit to being confused at one point, though.

According to the speaker, only 144,000 souls would be going to heaven, to serve as the governing body alongside God, after Jesus' second coming.

Everyone else would have their eternal life on Earth.

Say what?

I had heard naught of that.

According to the speaker, only those who were part of the 144,000 should partake of the Memorial Dinner - which is also known as Communion by other faiths - and all others are to abstain from consumption of the meal's elements.

Say what?

I had most certainly never heard of that!

Then the speaker related the story of the 102-year-old woman who devoutly partook of the Memorial Dinner for Jesus for more than nine decades, never missing the annual event.

Did she believe herself to be one of the 144,000 destined for heaven?

She did not deign to do so.

She consumed the bread and the wine in case God chose her to be one of those 144,000.

That's right.

As I learned, God will be choosing, from all the multitudes of people who have lived on Earth, the 144,000 that will be having eternal life in heaven.

God will be choosing.

That's why it's important, the speaker said, for all to dine at the Memorial Dinner of Jesus, as no one knows if they are part of the chosen few.

I understand.

This consumption of the elements is not a monthly event, as begun in the Catholic faith three centuries after Jesus' death or has practiced in the Protestant faiths that sprung up after the Reformation in the 16th century.

For Jehovah's Witnesses, this eating and drinking of bread and wine is strictly annual, occurring roughly at the same time as Passover, when the meal was held between Jesus and his twelve apostles.

Remember, Jesus, and his followers, were all Jewish.

So, was tonight Passover?

Well, that will begin Sunday, March 27th, and run through April 4th this year.

According to the speaker, the Jewish calendar has shifted, so this seder is on the first night of the celebration of the Jews' liberation from Egypt.

That's clearly a discussion for another time.

For this meal, the point was to obey Jesus' commandment to "do this with thoughts of me."

And so they did, as did I.

I will also partake of communion on Easter Sunday, with my church, with the understanding now that "The Last Supper" is not synonymous with Communion, but a thing apart.

I will look forward to discussing this at the next session of Clergy Talks, hopefully during the summer months again, as it was last year.

Meanwhile, my thanks to the laundress for this new experience.

i thank You, God, for her presence in my life.

found out about you

"You talkin' 'bout the Gin Blossoms' song?"

No, but that makes a great title for this post.

"How so, pray tell."

Well, remember back at the end of October last year, when the attorney let me know that the USPTO had denied the industrial patent on my invention?

"I most certainly do. The reviewer had been rather dismissive, going on and on for THIRTY-ONE PAGES, citing references to other works, but without disclosing their particulars. The reviewer had not even provided the papers for you to read. You had been very upset about it."

Of course I was. It had seemed to be a very personal attack on me. Fortunately, Mr. Cramer had assured me that receiving an initial rejection was part of the process and the objections given seemed fairly lightweight. He told me that it was very rare to have a rejection that rambled on for so many pages; he made it sound like that reviewer had been desperately picking at nits. He had crafted a reply and sent it in on Mama's birthday. I had taken that coincidence to be favorable.

"Of course! But it didn't turn out that way?"

No, it did not. That reviewer dismissed Mr. Cramer's reply, going on and on, again, and again for MORE THAN THIRTY PAGES, about these mystery papers that were not shared with us.

"I am so sorry to hear that. I know it was terribly disappointing."

Yes, it was, but I didn't collapse in tears this time. The rejection was a near duplicate of the one before, so I had already read them. The difference was the concluding remarks by the reviewer, in which I was invited to call for a phone conference.

"For real? You, specifically, were invited to call the reviewer directly and address their objections?"

It certainly read that way. I have a phone conference with Mr. Cramer for next Wednesday, so I'll ask him about it. I have to wonder how many inventors do such things. You know, speak one on one with the reviewer of their patent.

"Well, that would be new to me. I certainly had not heard of any such doings."

Yeah, neither have I... but I have looked into it. I did a search on the phone number provided in the rejection notice.

"And is it a general number at the USPTO? "

No, it is not. That phone number is direct to that reviewer, who is referred to as an Examiner in  Group 3710, in Art Unit 3715, in the Amusement and Entertainment Devices area, which includes Class 434 for Education and Demonstration.

"Woohoo! That's quite a bit of information! You go, girlfriend! "

Oh, but that's not all. The site also gave that reviewer's title - "Pat Examnr Elctrl Engrg" - and their boss's contact information. But here's the juiciest part: the Patent-Bots site gave the ranking of this reviewer compared to ALL OTHERS in their Group. In fact, the site provides the approval rating for all the reviewers in the Group, and probably for all reviewers in all Groups, at the USPTO.

"Wow. What a treasure trove of information you have unearthed."

Indeed. I fully intend to bring up this person's stats to Mr. Cramer and see if we can request a new reviewer. This person has almost the worst approval stats in their Group.

"Ack. I'm sorry your invention drew that one for judgement."

Yes, me, too, but at least I have a better understanding of how this one works. I look forward to talking with Mr. Cramer about the situation. I think it would be helpful to drop some of the claims listed for my invention. I'm going to try my hand at rewording those, too, to emphasize that the characters are permanently affixed, not detachable. One of the papers used for comparison speaks of a periodic table with detachable element fields, or so it sounds, and the examiner has the incorrect belief that mine is like that.

"I think that sounds like a good idea, for you to write up that section. But that might mean you need to rewrite the body of the application. "

I suspect that will be the case. We will see. First, though, is the need to speak with the attorney about options. He has a good history of seeing inventors through this process. I ran a check on his "approved patents" from 1-1-2019 to 3-31-2020 last year and he had 144 patents completed. Since then, he's helped 132 more to get approved.

"I wish you well with that. I'm glad you have him to help with your invention's journey through. What's the deadline for the reply to the reviewer? "

June 11th. I'm going to shoot for having it done well before my birthday.

"That sounds like a mighty fine game plan. I suggest you go ahead and start reading over the application and making changes now. Carpe diem!"

No time like the present!

snake handler, at last

The left side of my kitchen sink drained this afternoon.

Sure, that doesn't sound like an occurrence worthy of a blog post, but... 

when one considers that it has been plugged up since 12 March...

it really is a big deal.

Lack of a red snake with teeth was part of the problem.

My red snake, which I've had for so long that I cannot recall when last the sink stopped up, had gradually lost its bite.

It worked just fine for the very slow-draining bathroom sink, clearing out with ease the slippery strands of my hair that had slithered down and remained trapped in the pipe as I brushed my teeth.

It worked just fine for the right side of the kitchen sink, which had been draining just fine, regardless of the presence of a popsicle stick that must have taken a dive sometime during the hotter months; the snake fished it out with ease.

The only difficulty had arisen from the left side of the sink.

When it was snaked, clots of hair with globs of yellow chicken fat emerged, once, twice, even a third time...

then, no more could be fetched up.

Good, right?

Apparently not.

The left side of the sink, which had been fine, was blocked up tight.

Even though I repeatedly sent the red, nearly toothless, bit of plastic into the now-watery depths, no clogging material was loosened and no water drained.

Mind you: the sink had been draining fine before I sent the snake in.

The use of baking soda and vinegar to manufacture scrubbing bubbles to float free any obstruction, multiple times over the ensuing days, was no help.

I was forced to use a cup to bail out the sink and set the drainer so I could wash dishes, twice over the past 13 days, bailing out the sink afterward each time.

Of course I sought remedy!

All I needed was another red snake, a young one with deep fangs all over, and my problem would be solved!

The problem was, such a beast could not be found.

Searching online led me to seek it out at CVS, at Target, at Publix and Food Lion, all of which had it listed, but not in stock.

This week, I was determined to hunt for it and be successful.

Two of the Walmarts listed that they had multiple packages in stock, so off I went yesterday, credit card in hand and mask on face.

The first one had none on the shelf with the other drain cleaning products.

Drats.

The other Walmart, out by Savannah Mall, had none, either.

Ack!!!

Okay, fine, I would stand in line at Customer Service and ask, as they had listed online that five packages were in stock.

So, I did that very thing.

They called up one of their stockers and I explained what I sought...

and he revealed that they did, indeed, have it on the shelves, but not in cleaning supplies...

no, no, no...

they kept it tucked away in the hardware section of the store.

Off to F-11 I went, instead of G-10, and... there it was!

Snatching one up, I jubilantly headed for the register and then to home!

Opening the package, I freed the snake and sent it diving into the left-side kitchen sink!

Nothing happened.

No clots grabbed, no water rushing down the drain.

Drats.

So I used the gel drain cleaner, waited 30 minutes, flushed with hot water... but the water simply sat in the sink, cooling off, unmoved by my actions.

Drats.

This morning, the water was still in there.

Frustrated, I gently applied the plunger, depressing the rubber dome just barely before lifting it through the water...

and the sink drained!

Like, completely!

Cautiously, I turned on the tap and let water sluice over... and it ran down into the pipe as if it had never once had a problem!

Hallelujah!

And now I again have a red snake with teeth.

only 12, not 13

Well the Clergy Talks series had its last stand today.

I am sure going to miss this weekly interlude with my boys of religion.

There's talk of these Zoom sessions getting turned into podcasts, but we'll see.

I doubt I'll be drawn to those if I cannot interact actively with these men.

Perhaps they will have another series in the summer?

I will hope for this again, next year, to brighten my winter Wednesdays.

I did miss one episode, as it is.

That was the one on February 23, when I found myself southside, responding to an alert from Dawn and me thinking I was going to get a vaccination.

Nope, that didn't pan out - I wasn't old enough.

What a problem to have!

(smile!)

I was definitely present for episode 9 that first week of March!

The Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2021 and the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 had just gone into effect and the question posed was: What would you do to benefit your community if you had a trillion dollars to splash around?

I suggested community centers to draw people together, much as the squares designed by James Oglethorpe do downtown.

Michael liked that idea, and thanked me for the reminder of them, but mostly the four men seemed to focus on drawing people to churches for support and comradery.

I also suggested Gardens For Humanity, much like Habitat For Humanity, but with the sweat equity invested in food crops to increase self-sufficiency and decrease food bills.

Robert liked that idea, and my proposal of unused buildings being repurposed as greenhouses for the different foods to be grown.

Such a fruitful discussion!

(smile!)

The March 10th session had a much more somber tone and dealt with the concept of hate and how to quell it.

What good timing for that topic, as I had just been to the SJFF18 Zoom talk for "Shared Legacies" about that very thing!

I told them we live in a combative society, especially concerning sports, in which we are encouraged to belittle and disparage those who are not on the team we want to win. How can we make "sports = game"?
Well, they could all certainly run with that pass, couldn't they?

(Get my little sports-related joke?)

The talk did turn to religion at one point, with Michael tossing in that the story of Cain and Abel is a metaphor, with the growing of crops by farmer Cain being the new way and hunter-gatherer Abel representing the old way.

Say what?

I asked, "Does that mean eat meat, not veggies?"

Apparently so.

I would like to talk to Grandpa about that and get his take on it.

I bet I could have had a grand discussion with Frank about it, too.

David thanked me for my comments - aloud, that is, not just in the 'chat' box.

How very nice of him!

As I told him, I respond there to let them know they have an audience.

I didn't tell him it's also because I want to be included in the discussion, so speaking up will certainly accomplish that.

(smile!)

Want to guess which holiday this session was on?

I found it delightful that Michael and Billy were festooned to show off their Irish spirit!

Robert was a bit chagrined that the day's date had not registered with him, as he had greenery he could have donned, if only!

David, I think, is in Texas, so St. Patrick is not really of interest there.

He had a game for all to play: if you could have a do-over, 1) what country would you want to be born in; 2) what religion would you practice; 3) what job would you pursue?

The only caveat was they could not be born in the USA, choose the religion currently followed, or perform any of the jobs they had ever had presently or in the past.

Very interesting questions, very interesting answers, and this possibly has something to do with the doctoral degree that David is now seeking.

And how had he introduced the game?

By running a trailer for "Quantum Leap"!!!!!

I was so thrilled and made sure they knew I watched the show every weeknight!

I didn't mention that part of the attraction was to the body parts revealed by Dr. Sam Beckett during the course of many of those episodes.

I don't think they would have cared about that.
Side note: Billy and Scott Bakula were in New York City during the same time period, both auditioning for parts in shows to be performed on, and off, Broadway.

Perhaps, if I had not gone to see Sam Waterston and Gilda Radner in "Lunch Hour", I might have seen a show with Billy or Scott, back in 1981.

How cool is that?

(smile!)

And so we arrive at today's Zoom, which I had thought would be penultimate, but, no.

And I had thought there were to be 13 episodes in the series, but, no.

And there were to be four clergy present for the meeting, but, no.

In fact, Robert left halfway through, as he had somewhere else to be, so it was just David and Michael for the last of it.

And, so, just what was the topic?

Books and how they are read.

No, not whether the words are read from left to right or vice versa, as they are in Hebrew.

The conversation revolved around the amount of attention given to the words and whether that concentration varies based on the type of book being read.

They were comparing secular books to religious ones.

Me being me, of course I threw in my two cents' worth.

"I am much more thorough with science books than I am with science fiction... and I enjoy them differently, but I do enjoy both types."

Oh, yes, I am certainly going to miss these Wednesday afternoons with them!

Maybe, once this pandemic is behind us, I'll be able to chat with them in person.

Hopefully so.

(smile)

15 tales for a new teen

Dearest Conner,

 

Happy 13th birthday! 

My apologies for not getting this mailed sooner, but I knew what I wanted to give you, but could not locate it in my house.

Yes, that means I need to get more organized...but that's how I've been for many years. :)

So, why did I want to give you this book?

Mostly it's because I am fond of the science fiction and fantasy stories between its covers.

I was about your age, as I recall, when I first became fascinated by such tales from the imagination - and I still am captivated by them.

I am hoping you may also have an interest in such stories.

I've enclosed a SASE and ask that you write a note and let me know your favorite three stories, if you would be so kind.

 

All of the stories were written by Savannah students at SCAD and I helped them get the book published by contributing to their kickstarter campaign.

(My name is on page 159.)

Again, my apologies for being so late with your gift.

Please regard this as my extension of your birthday celebration!

with much love always,

Aunt Tina

sjff18, plus two

I admit, I was a tad late joining the Savannah Jewish Film Festival for its 18th year, but I did manage to catch all the movies, if not all the post-film discussions.
This first one, for instance, would have been quite the lively repartee, I'm sure!

"Kiss Me Kosher", aka "Kiss Me Before It Blows Up", featured a lesbian couple, one an Israeli tour guide, the other a German on holiday, and a ring that may or may not mean an engagement.

Hilarious, with just the right dash of pathos!

But what about that trio that kept popping up, singing of weddings?

Was that a Greek chorus in a LGBT movie?!?

I would have loved to ask the director about that!
Sadly, that was held at 7 PM on 28 February... and that's when I watched the movie.

I had misunderstood how the virtual schedule worked this year.

No worries, I had it figured out after that!

 

Good thing, too, as I would have been quite disappointed to have missed the talk for "Here We Are".

That was a thoroughly delightful film about a father and his now-grown autistic son, on the move from the mother, who wants the boy placed in a home "with others like him".

As I told the others, their family dynamics were much like those depicted in "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time", a play I'd loved so very much I saw it three times!

(I watched this movie twice!)

The post-film Zoom talk was on 3 March.

There were two fathers who talked with us about their sons, one now grown, the other just 11 years old, and neither of them had experienced quite the issues of the dad in the film.

Those two fathers, as well as the woman therapist with them, were in Charleston.

(This year the SJFF and the CJFF have united for all films and talks.)

What did I learn? 

Autism affects 1 out of 34 boys, but only 1 out f 134 girls.

That's definitely something to ponder.

 

The third film was a documentary, less than 30 minutes, and was done as a substitute for the JEA's usual "Food For Thought" (luncheon series on Thursdays).

That means we all Zoom'ed together to watch it, then discuss it, at 1 PM on 4 March.

I had already watched "Commandment 613: A Sacred Craft" the day before.

Had I known the Torah only consists of the five books of Moses?

No, I had not; I thought the Torah was the entirety of the Old Testament of the Bible.

Had I known there were so very many commandments?

No, I had not; nor had I known that they are meant to be sung, not spoken.

My thanks to Rabbi Ray (left), the one who taught Rabbi Kevin Hale (center) whose work on Torah scroll #795 was the focus of this movie from Miriam Lewin.

On the right in the photo are the tools used for the restoration of these ancient documents.

I even found out that a local synagogue has Torah scroll #1477 which had been sent from the small town of Slany to the Jewish Museum in Prague in 1939, for safekeeping. Rabbi Ray is the one who restored it before giving it to Mickve Israel here.

The next time I go there, I'll have to ask to see it, now that I understand more what it represents and how many hundreds of years it has survived.

The next item for the SJFF18 was to be four shorts from students of the Sam Spiegel Film School in Jerusalem. Two were to be discussed, two were not, so that Saturday found me at Vimeo watching all of them twice.

I'm so glad this film festival is virtual so I have that opportunity!

 

I began with the two that I was on my own to watch and explore.

"The Silhouette of Braids" used old silent family movies, with a running dialogue between two women, to diagram a dysfunctional daughter-mother relationship; I found it to be rather sad.

On the other hand, "Claude Bartini and I" was delightful!

It was a travelogue from a young man tasked with taking his aged idol to a film screening!

"Lookout" was a glimpse into the military life of a watcher, a naive 18-year-old girl.

Noa Gusakov was there via Zoom for a Q & A after her film, so of course I asked her about the barracks scene!

"Supporting Role" featured a young man who gets to realize how his ex-girlfriend really saw him when he walks into a film she's shooting.

Nir Pushkin said the hardest scene to shoot was the fight scene with the tangle of striped-shirt guys tussling over a coat; I liked that, too!

Tuesday, 9 March, brought "Shared Legacies", a compilation of 1960's era news reels and stories from those who were part of the civil rights movement.

The focus was on Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Rabbi Joshua Heschel, including their friendship that was at the heart of the movement's combining of blacks and Jews to have voices heard and laws passed.

Sadly, after King's assassination and Heshel's death, the others lost cohesion and the momentum stalled.

The placard raised during on of the marches grabbed my attention as it captured a key theme:

WE OWE OUR CHILDREN A JUST SOCIETY

- doesn't that speak volumes?

The ZOOM discussion continued with the sharing of stories, this time from three people who were high school students during the integration in Charleston.

None of them were roughed up as I was during the de-segregation busing of the Savannah schools in 1971. None of them were beaten to the ground and kicked by trespassing high school students like I was at my middle school. None of them missed a week of classes because they had been beaten like I was.

The two women, both black, spoke of some name-calling and racial slurs; I, too, experienced those as a young white girl. One of the women made signs and sandwiches for the marchers, but did not herself march. The other cooperated with her white friends to "shake up their parents", but did not march, either.

The one man, white, said his high school experience was fairly uneventful; the presence of the two black students at his school did not cause any particular turmoil.

So many different stories.

It's important that all stories are told.

 

The final film for the SJFF18 was "The Rabbi Goes West", a documentary that educated me about a Jewish sect I'd never known about... and chances are good that few people have heard of them.

Chabad-Lubavich is Hassidic in nature, but unlike all other practices of Judaism, their events are free to attend; dues are never required.

That's certainly a draw for those on budgets. I know my friend Sandy has said that her mom pays her dues so Sandy can attend the synagogue.

It's also a draw for those seeking a social outlet in a open and welcoming environment which is hoping to reunite lapsed or non-practicing Jews with their faith.

The movie followed Rabbi Chaim and his growing family (eventually they had five adopted children) as they set up their center in Bozeman, Montana. (That's a town I know only because Sheldon Cooper visited it seeking a new home with no crime - and was promptly robbed at the bus depot!).

So, what is the purpose of the center?

To have a gathering place for more Jews to do mitzat so the Messiah will come.

Say what???

No, that's the truth. This sect seems to be a bridge between Judaism and Christianity, near as I can tell, though no one actually mentioned that point.

The Zoom discussion on 11 March was with the writer-director Gerald Peary and he thought the audience was all Jewish until I let him know otherwise. He and his wife made five trips to Montana to meet with Chaim about different aspects of that branch of Judaism, catching some high holidays, but also regular occasions.

The pandemic has actually benefited  his documentary, as big movie houses have agreed to "show" it on their virtual screens. That means money to recover his costs for making the film, every time someone rents it. He doesn't honestly expect to "get rich", though, and acknowledges that this was a labor of education for himself.

Very nice, very realistic.

Now, what about that "plus two"?

Well, as the local film festival seemed a bit short this year, I went in search of other virtual hosts to add to the movie list.

Surprisingly, there were quite a few out there!

Sadly, most had already occurred... but one was still in the running.

The Pioneer Valley Jewish Film Festival, in its 16th year in Springfield, Massachusetts, still had two of its seven films for me to view - and they were different and were also free!

So I signed up to receive the links, of course.

The first of the two was "The Keeper", seen by me on Pi Day.

That's one I would have viewed twice, had I realized it in time.

Not quite a documentary, it chronicled the life of Bert Trautmann, one-time German prisoner of WWII in an English prison camp, who became the beloved goalkeeper for the Manchester City football team for better than a decade.

And just how had that come to pass?

He was blocking balls by fellow prisoners, in exchange for cigarettes, when the local grocer spotted him and wanted him for the losing team he sponsored.

That grocer, as good fortune had it, was the owner of an unbiased eye, willing to not only overlook the lad's nationality, but to defend him to others.

The grocer's daughter, as good fortune had it, eventually saw the lad's good qualities, too, and had the good sense to wed him.

And the entire country of England was on his side by the time their son died, even though he mistook the ice cream truck accident as God's vengeance for war wrongs.

His wife made sure he knew the boy was her child, too, and God would not have made her pay for her husband's sins.

Wow.

How very fortunate Trautmann was the day the grocer saw him playing ball that day in the prison yard!

Second chances are so valuable.

 

The other film, the final one in the PVJFF16 series, was a 2017 documentary, "The Museum".

What an interesting way to "see" a museum: not as a collection of artifacts or art, but as a mosaic formed by inclusion of the stories of the people who bring such a building to life.

I speak of the docents, the curators, the security guards, the movers and cleaners and organizers of the museum's contents, the people who visit, the politicians and benefactors that keep its lights on.

I wish I had watched it before its final day of availability on vimeo!

I would have shared it with everyone I know who works at a museum.

The zoom discussion tonight had Simon Sidelman, a scholarly fellow, providing some history of the Israel Museum in Jerusalem, as well as some background on several articles which are part of its collection, including... get this... the draft of Albert Einstein's Theory of Relativity, donated by the man himself.

Wow!!!

I like the outdoor sculpture, said to be a favorite backdrop for couples.

And why wouldn't it be?

The letters are Hebrew for "love".

Striking resemblance it has to the the Philadelphia sculpture, doesn't it?

Proof positive that love makes the world go around!

(smile!)

i thank You, God.

just another 90-minute sales pitch

"From someone trying to sell you more points at Diamond Resorts?"

 

Surprisingly, no.

This one came from my minister and the church council.

 

"The church is in need of fundraising again?

What is it this time, the roof or the heat? "

Neither of those, nor anything else at Asbury Memorial Church.

No, it was about something else entirely.

 

"Okay, spill the beans."

 

Well, it all came to light last Sunday evening.

We'd been told there was another congregation wanting to do as we'd done and leave the United Methodist Church worldwide organization.

They had taken a vote and agreed on that course of action, but there was a snag.

So they had contacted Reverend Billy Hester for help.

 

"Yeah, with their hand out, I take it?"

 

Exactly.

They didn't have the money to buy their way out, should the UMC allow them to leave, as it had us two years ago.

I suggested that the congregation - which consisted of thirty people - simply give up their membership at the small Thunderbolt church and join AMC.

No, that was not agreeable to them.

 

"I see."

 

Hence, the sales pitch devised by our church council and headed by our minister.

A 90-minute spiel, with charts and photos, to try to convince us that it was in our best interest to pay their departure costs and buy their property back from the UMC for the folks at Wesley Oak UMC - again, should their franchise even be allowed to leave by the mother ship.

That part won't be known until late summer, after the UMC General Convention.

 

"So, everything is in a stage of 'what-if' at this juncture?"

 

Most definitely.

 

"And how much are they asking AMC members to pony up on their behalf?"

 

Well, actually, I had not finished speaking of the fiscals for this transaction.

Oh, no.

Not only do they want us to purchase their property from the UMC, but they also want us to have some major repairs done on it as well as some other fees.

All told, it's about $300,000.

 

"What in the world...?

Seriously, why don't those 30 people over there jump ship and join y'all? "

 

Well, they have a community gardening project for the members and neighbors and are active with the Forsyth Farmers Market.

Those 30 people don't want to stop doing that.

And they have their own minister and she will continue serving them and preaching on Sunday mornings to them, even though we will be footing her salary.

Those 30 people don't want to lose her, of course.

Plus, since they have so few active members, they are behind on paying the pension she would one day receive from retirement, so that needs to be funded and brought into the black, instead of the red, as does the insurance for the property.

Oh, they are also behind on paying their apportionment - essentially their franchise fee - to the worldwide UMC and have two years' worth to bring current. 

As for those repairs (two roofs, three HVAC units, and "a smattering" of smaller repairs) to the church and cottage, that would add another $110,000, minimum.

 

"I can't believe this is under serious consideration."

 

Nor can I.

All told, we would be out of pocket a minimum of $260,000. 

That's if the UMC agrees to allow Wesley Oak to escape its grasp.

 

"And Asbury Memorial is solvent enough to take on such an endeavor?"

 

I think not, nor did several present at last week's sales pitch.  

Right now, the church's account has around $600,000 in it.

Part of the reason it has that much cash is that we are currently missing two key leaders in the youth programs.

One died a year or so ago (she dealt with the teens who are now called Angells to honor her); the other resigned her position due to needs of her young family.

Not having Vacation Bible School and several youth functions has contributed to the church's substantial surplus of funds, rather than the deficit we've had. 

 

"So, now it looks like those funds are burning a hole in the church's pocket?"

 

Yeah, I think that's it.

What's that saying about being more careful when poor than when rich?

Oh, I remember: penny wise and pound foolish.

I know that Billy is concerned about the current smaller size of the congregation compared to the grand scale that had built up after Janice Gannt's death, especially now that he is wanting to retire and take some time for him and Cheri, now that the kids are all grown.

He is no doubt worried that AMC will shrink down to the 25 members it had wehn he first crossed its threshold a quarter-century ago.

However, my concern is that this financial obligation that he wants us to take on will drive away more members than will be gained.

 

"What about you?

Will you leave if the vote is positive for the merger? "

 

I don't know.

That word, merger, has such a nasty taste in my mouth.

I've already lost my alma mater because of that word.

I'd hate to lose my church home as well.

However, like I said, we're all just playing a game of 'what-if' at this point.

 

"So, what happens now?"

 

We're to vote on the merger after service today.

It's going to be done by ZOOM, with one vote per electronic device, to help those folks who have multiple members in one household.

I'm not sure how things are to be handled for those without such devices, like Miss Virginia, who doesn't have a computer or tablet or any of that stuff.

 

"Not your monkeys, not your circus, ya know.

I am sure that someone on the church council has handled that. "

True that.

Okay, I'm going to get my second cup of coffee and go to church.

I sure am going to miss that Zoom coffee hour we usually have. 

plethora of food!

When I came home from Hinesville, I brought lots of love with me.

Love from my first niece, love from her outlaw mom, love from her brother.

I know, at first glance it just looks like food.

Here's the important part: it's groceries I didn't have to buy.

In fact, it's almost a hundred dollars' worth of free food for me.

As a retiree, I have become increasing conscious of every dollar going out.

That's why my being treated for passage in, treated for lunch, treated for dinner, were all added blessings for the day yesterday at the zoo!

i thank You, God, that I am part of this loving family!

Tomorrow, I look forward to oatmeal pancakes for breakfast!

Now, I'm off to the cinema for "The Courier", as this brand-new movie is free to me, courtesy of my A*List AMC membership. 

Hallelujah!

lorikeets and giraffes, sting rays and goats!

Oh, my!

Here's my nephew, Michael, blissfully feeding sugar on a popsicle stick to one of the free-flying members at the Lorikeet Aviary.

Doesn't he look like he hasn't a care in the world?

Oh, my!

Here Michael is again, this time petting goats!

The woman in the foreground is his mom, Melinda, also known as Grammy to his two 6-year-old girls.

That's Leila, with her back to the camera and glitter on her pants, while Alyssa plays with her hair.

Oh, my!

Here they are again!

This was earlier, on the train, with the three of them two rows up, and their cousin Miyah, too!

Grammy is right behind them, lil' Miss Chlo by her side!

Oh, my!

Now, all four girls are together in the hurricane simulator!!!

Michael had to let out the two little ones midway through - the loud noise scared them so much!

Mama Christina was close at hand to reassure, as she had known it would frighten her girls - they don't even like hair dryers.

Oh, my!

I fed this giraffe!!!

We all had Total Experience tickets, granting us passage on the train, feeding of birds and giraffes, rides on the Carousel, the 4-D movie about Mowgli, and even discounts on lunch at the Trout River Grill!

Oh, my!

What a beautiful bit of lyrical writing at the pavilion in the Asian Bamboo Garden!

No, it wasn't haiku, but it it very much was in that same genre, with imagery called into being by the words.

Oh, my!

More beautiful images were evoked by this poem by Herman Hesse, "Sometimes", over near the largest alligator I ever hope to see at the Florida Pavilion.

I read aloud the original German words, in my best poetic voice, taking care to follow their rhythm... and others paused and listened to the wistful longing within the foreign words... very nice.

Oh, my!

We took care to pause now and then, too - of course, as we passed seven-plus hours at the Jacksonville Zoo!

That was Michael taking a time to himself with the near-haiku.

Then we had all the little blonde babies in the stroller!

Actually, that didn't last long, as Miyah didn't have enough room there on Leila's lap!  Everybody out! LOL!

Oh, my!

By that time, we had petted the sting rays and had them nuzzle our empty hands for fish that were never there.

We'd taken two rides on the train and sought out the (komodo) dragon and admired the peacock with the impossibly-blue breast that almost sparkled.

The chilly morning had made way to a warm and sunny day that was perfect for our outing!

i thank You, God!

And many thanks to you, dearest Christina Ann, for giving us all this day together.

She covered admission for all eight of us.

And her mom, my dear outlaw, bought lunch for all - thank you, Melinda.

Oh, my!

bit o' luck o' the green!

To tell the truth, my good luck began on Monday!

That's when my Louisville niece, Emily, sent this photo to let me know the card sent to her daughter, Ally, had arrived!

Here's the incredible part: I had not mailed out the cards and stickers to my greats until Saturday afternoon, on my way to the cinema.

Hooray for the US Post Office!

The very next day - i.e., yesterday - my Savannah nephew, Zach, sent this photo to let me know his son, Kobe, got my missive of love!

Later that day, my first niece, Christina, texted to thank me "for being you" and sending the card and stickers for her family!

So, to those who doubt the value of the postal delivery system, I say: it's working just great, thank you!

As for my celebration of this second Saint Patrick's Day in pandemic mode, I was treated to the live mass at St. John's Cathedral!

My many thanks to the Savannah Saint Patrick's Day Committee for stepping up their game and making this available on broadcast tv for all to enjoy!

Last week, I watched the Greening of Forsyth Fountain while I ate breakfast in my robe, and why wouldn't I? It was on tv!

And later this morning, after the televised mass, I was 'present' at the ceremony for the Celtic Cross in Emmett Park!

I'd never made it to this one before, but I'm so glad WTOC aired it instead of the game show today.

The focus of both events today was on the religious nature of the holiday, with its emphasis on faith and family.

Hallelujah for that!

Donned in green from my neck to my toes, I set out with $17.70 in cash, and two gift cards with remnants, to buy groceries for my dinner on this festive day... and, magically, returned home with 95 cents in change for $28.87 worth of food!

Had a wee leprechaun pointed me toward a rainbow with a bit of gold?

Not quite, but close!

That lovely bit of sirloin - a full pound! - was a manager's special, saving me $2.42 on the three-meal portion of beef.

Plus, I'd saved $3.05 on five packages of frozen veggies, as well as 70 cents on those turkey hotdogs I love - hooray!

As for those gift cards, one had $1.09 and the other had $4.79 - money now spent on useful items and two pieces of plastic out of my life!

What a fabulously Irish feast I had tonight!

Besides that beautiful steak, colcannon also graced my plate, making this a meal that would be found in Ireland on this day!

What? No corned beef? No boiled cabbage? No little new potatoes?

Only in America, dearie, as my research online confirmed.

I guess I have a new tradition!