On the South Side

First, thanks to Loretta and Rob for adding their phone names . But also, Marty, I know you weren't trying for an exhaustive list when you were writing these down. Let it be known that you could have come up with all of them had you tried. It was just fun reminiscing about the old phone names. Especially having conversations in front of young people (under 40) who looked at us like we were crazy. Tonight we (Annette, me, two other couples and Emily and two girlfriends) all went over to the Stork Inn for some ice cream. This is a place that was a tavern when I was growing up. Here's a write-up from the Landmark Assoc. of St. Louis: "Constructed in 1910, the Stork Inn at 4527 Virginia Avenue was the first of three delightfully picturesque establishments designed by Klipstein & Rathmann for August Busch who hoped to counter the growing prohibition movement by creating wholesome images of Old World charm on sites with maximum visibility. The Stork Inn occupies a we...

If you were born before 1963 or so, and you lived in the St Louis area, you probably had a phone number that started with one of these words. Which one was yours? And what part of town did you live in? CENTRAL CHESTNUT COLFAX CYPRESS EVERGREEN FLANDERS FORREST FRANKLIN HARRISON HEMPSTEAD HUDSON IVANHOE JACKSON JEFFERSON MAIN MISSION MOHAWK PARKVIEW PLATEAU PROSPECT (3800 block of Wyoming off S. Grand) STERLING (Dogtown) VERNON VICTOR WOODLAWN WYDOWN YORKTOWN Can you think of any that I didn't get? (Thanks to Marty who remembered all of these)

My fingers got a little ahead of my brain last night. Thanks to Rob for catching it. An eye for an eye is indeed an Old Testament reading. Jesus references it in his Sermon on the Mount where he says, "You have heard it said...." meaning "The Old Testament says..." So, in effect he is saying, "The Old Testament says, 'an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth' but I tell you not to resist. If someone slaps you on your right cheek, turn and offer the other cheek." He then continues, "If anyone wants to sue you and take away your shirt, let him have your coat too. If someone compels you to go one mile, go with him two." The interpretation of this within the Christian community is varied with most of the discussion centering on pacifism. Main stream folks would say He's not talking about what our culture likes to call "self-defense." With uses of the words "slap" and "sue" and "compel", He seems...

I've re-written last night's entry. Though it looks the same at a glance, it's not. Hopefully it will be easier to follow this time, so if you've already read it, consider reading it again. Anyway, the whole point of it was that in 1989 this was a real eye-opener for me. After reading Joseph Campbell's Masks of God series I was convinced there was a mythic side of existence. When I got to the part about "my religion", for the first time I put some value in it. My religion is as good as the next guy's, right? That got me started reading Christian philosophy and theology. That's a subject for another time. I was reading some athiest's blogs tonight and there was a discussion going on about the good parts of the Bible and the bad parts of the Bible. One guy said, "yeah, Jesus said some pretty cool things." I was struck with the question, how does someone determine the good parts from the bad? At first glance it seems to be just ...

As I promised in an earlier entry , here is a follow-up on how the Mythic reading of the Virgin Birth of Jesus helped me come to grips with what I now call Biblical Truth. The Virgin Birth of Jesus is a reflection of the first birth of life from non-life. Whether you take the story of Creation as told in Genesis completely metaphorically, or even reject it outright, you must know that there was a time when there was no life on earth. Science (today) puts this time about 3.5 billion years ago. So, one moment there is nothing that we would define as "life." Then, the next moment there is. Life has sprung from non-life. This is the virgin birth of life that is mythologized both in Genesis and in the Virgin Birth story. Of course, this early life was hardly anything to speak of. A certain arrangement of a certain type of molecule that all of us smart people now think probably gave rise to something even more special. But as a secularist, this was the first time I'd ...

Be sure to visit my sister's photo page .

As I suspected, the Comments server is back up now. Just in time for my sister to get the trivia question right. Gilligan's first name was Willy. Jonas Grumby was the Skipper's name, and how about the Professor's name? It was Roy Hinkley. By the way, the Gilligan-first-name-question is only meant for us trivia addicts; it was never mentioned in the series. I told Annette today that I didn't know what to write about anymore. She said, batting her eyes, "write about me!" It just so happens that I was singing some of my old songs today. This second verse is all her and written shortly after we met. _____________________________________________ I met a lady, just as fine as she could be Proud as a lion she roared that she was in love with me I had no choice but to heed her will I followed her around all the way until We had to stop and make a deal That she would be nice if I would be real And before too long we both began to feel That the love w...

Hey, where'd my comments go?! Do not panic, they'll be back; though I don't know exactly when. Hopefully by the time you read this. The comments are hosted by a company called HaloScan and their server is down tonight. Sorry. Here's a quick trivia question for you: What was Gilligan's first name?

For the past couple of days, it's been rather chilly here on the South Side. And this after a spell of very warm weather just last week. We actually had our air-conditioner on last week and tonight the heat is on. It must be spring in St. Louis. For some reason walking to the alley to take the trash out is a memory-provoking experience for me. It always has been. It's a job my mother gave to me at a very early age, so memories of actual trash-taking-out are included in with miscellaneous reflections of my life. These overcast skies and chilly spring air for some reason reminded me of mornings on camping trips when I was growing up. For a time, Dad, Mom three sisters and I would pack up and camp for a week every summer. It was always with at least one other family, usually the Bighams. Kim (John) Bigham and his wife Carol and their two girls and one boy were fixtures in my early life. My dad and Kim were best friends from childhood. There was rarely a Friday night when ...

I came across this blog from Iraq today. (See the link in the right column.) There's a lot there, but I think everyone should read it. It's written by three brothers who, between them, give an insightful glimpse into what's going on over there. If you get time, start at the bottom and read up which will bring you chronologically to the present. There also you will find exerpts from a diary written during the war itself. If you care, think you care, or just think you should care about the war in Iraq, you need to read this blog . Also, read this USAToday article about the blogging Iraqis.

Both last night and tonight I helped someone set up a piece of furniture that they had just bought followed by setting up a piece of technology that they had just bought. The first person is a native Nigerian, a Professor of Sociology and an old client of Annette's. The second person is a middle ages woman from the South Side, a nurse and also an old client of Annette's. The first night I set up a large computer desk, then a new computer and he paid me $100.00 bucks. Tonight I set up a kitchen cabinet then a DVD/VCR and she paid me $100.00 bucks. I just thought I'd tell the story. It struck me how similar the two nights were, though totally unrelated to each other. Pretty exciting, eh? OK, here's a trivia question for you: Popeye's nemesis; is it Bluto or Brutus?

You know, I would have been wrong on this one. I sure thought it was one million. Oh, well; just call me Barney. Also, apologies to Marty who told me Saturday night when she saw me at the coffee house that the answer was 15 million and I told her "no, it's 1 million." So in the time she spent thinking about it, Goober comes in with the correct answer. So Marty, you got it right. We had another great coffee house Saturday night. About 50 people showed up. In addition to Marty and Wally, my Dad and his wife Judy, my Mom! and her "friend" Les Meyer. Russell sang a beautiful rendition of Blue Moon which his Mom came to hear. That was very nice. The "oldies" that I picked turned out to be good choices. I could really hear everyone singing along on most of them. A friend from work also came down to hear us. Now he can go back to tell everyone how cool I am. Nobody believes me when I tell them that I used to be a rock star. I think it's the bald h...

It really feels like spring now. Actually, today felt more like summer but I'm not complaining. It was a beautiful day and evening. The trees are blooming and when you turn your car down South Grand, you feel like you're under a giant canopy of green. It suddenly becomes quiet and serene. When I come around the block to my street, I always turn off the radio. I just love our block. Quiet, green; great neighbors to sit and gab all night to. I have three young people that work for me in my office. I always take the opportunity to ask them some pertinent trivia questions, especially on history when conversation may turn to something in the news. Today one of them commented on the new nickel that she had just seen. I asked her if she knew who that was on the front of the nickel. She guessed Washington. Oh, well. After I told her it was Jefferson and mentioned the Louisiana Purchase in context of the new nickel, I asked if anyone knew who we bought it from. Nobody knew. I keep t...

Rosemary Clooney had hits with "Hey There" plus "This Ole House" which were both #1's. "Hey There" was #1 for all of October then "This Ole House" for a week following that. "Mambo Italiano" was the third one. Thanks for reading and responding. I apologize to anyone who might have wanted to think about the answer for a little bit, I forgot that my brother-in-law Rob might be reading this. None of us could keep up with him if the category was '50's pop music. So here's one from the innocuous TV category: What movie star played Michael J. Fox's alcoholic uncle in the sitcom "Family Ties?" (He was in three episodes.)

Alright all you hippies, yippies and beatniks. This Saturday nights the coffee house features "Oldies." You gotta come and sing along with us. 7:00 pm this Saturday night. Be there or be square. This got me thinking, just what is an "Oldie?" Last month we did Beatles; wasn't that Oldies? No, that was Beatles. It kind of goes back to an argument I was making in a previous blog entry . The Beatles were too serious. The Turtles, now that's Oldies. All those animal names. In case you didn't know the Beatles decided to make a play on words from Buddy Hollly's "Crickets" so the came up with Beatles spelled with the BEAT. So, we're going to do some Turtles, Monkees, Drifters, Hermits and maybe a little Elvis. Here's some '50's lingo for all you beatniks: Wowsville, daddy-o, cool daddy, good time, voodoosville, big daddy, wow, dig, crazy, hep, string me, allie oop, like way out man, coffee pad, bug me, hep cat, square, s...

Oh, woe to those who don't live in our little town. Sunday morning the alarm clock rang at 5:30 am. I stumbled out of bed to get to church so I could get the coffe plugged in. The sunlight was just fading into the sky and I thought about the family and friends that were down at Bellerive Park for the Sunrise Service. This little park is a perfect place to watch the sun come up as the view to the east is introduced my the Mighty Mississippi River, then slowly told by the flat terrain of western Illinois. I've yet to make this service because I'm always back at church getting their breakfast ready. On this chilly morning I knew they wouldn't be long. I was right; they showed up ready to eat at ten after seven. Tom Boyer and his wife, who live on the corner of Bellerive and Louisiana are always the first to arrive. Tom is a veteran of the Korean War and he will always approach me to say, "Do you need help with anything?" "No, thanks, Tom, just have a ...

Today was a nice day. The weather was chilly and rainy. I slept late which shouldn't suprise anyone who looked at the time of last night's blog entry. Spent some of today looking for an answer to my guitar dilemna that I mentioned the other day. I didn't find anything that really jumped out at me. My friend Paul who owns Huelsing's Music was off for the holiday so I couldn't talk to him about it. I think what I'll do is take a couple of my different guitars up there on Wed. night so she can try them out. Including Emily's Ovation guitar which is quite thin-bodied. If that helps then I'll know I'm on the right track. Tomorrow is Easter. I'm doing breakfast for about 50 people at 7:30 am at church. There's a ecumenical sunrise service at 6:30 at Bellerive Park and then some of them will come to our church afterwards to eat. I also have to start getting ready for the next coffe house which is a week from tonight. The sing-along theme th...

Last night (Thurs) we did our usual Seder Meal at church. This is when we re-enact the Last Supper of Jesus. It's pretty informative, but the highlight for me was that I invited a young woman from work to come and she accepted. She has two young kids and is separated from her husband. I'm not sure what she thought of it but at the end she asked to borrow a Bible. That's gotta be good. Annette sat at the table next to us which was full of our neighbors. That was great to see too. So tonight we had our Good Friday service over at Christy Memorial Methodist. (This is the church we share our pastor with and it's located in "Little Bosnia"; known as Bevo to south-siders. They're starting a Bosnian ministry over there and I know they're excited to be in the early stages of this mission.) The sanctuary was beautiful; lit by candles that were dampened as the service progressed. We heard scripture readings from the different Gospels portraying the last hour...

This girl that I'm teaching guitar is going to have some problems. She's only sixteen years old yet she is quite over-weight. The problem is that she doesn't have a lap to sit the guitar in. I've tried using a strap at various lengths, standing and then sitting on different types of chairs. I can see the frustration in her face coming from the fact that she can't see her hands either on the fretboard or as they strike the strings. Two things dawned on me that might help her. One, a more folk-style guitar. Her dad went out and bought a guitar for her, which of course is great, but the one he picked is too big. Rather, the body of the guitar is too big and the neck is too narrow. A traditional folk guitar has both a smaller body and a wider neck. I'm going to visit the Guitar Center to talk to them about a possible trade. The other thing I thought of is what would I do if she was blind? Could I teach a blind person to play guitar? I think I could. It would ...

I had a very full day today. Took the day off work to visit the campus of Missouri University in Columbia with Emily and Annette. We took a guided tour of the campus. I think Emily liked it. She's on spring break and she went out with friends tonight so we didn't get a chance to talk to her about it. Then, some old friends were in town for a couple of days and I went up to Venice Cafe to meet them. Annette was not feeling good so she stayed home. It was fun. I had water and a young lady called me "sir". Oh well. I'm too tired to write tonight so here's a link to an article by Camille Paglia .

So my step-brother Pete, who I introduced to the wonderful world of restaurants almost ten years ago, is now sous-chef for Butler's Pantry Catering here in St. Louis. He works with a couple of people that I worked with at the 9th Street Abbey. He calls up Emily last week and asks her if she would like to work "this Sunday and next Sunday at 9:00 am?" She says OK not realizing that it's Palm Sunday and Easter! Not only would she miss Church both days, but confirmation class which follows. I was not happy. I could have solved the whole problem for her, but instead I asked her if she would like me to solve the whole problem for her. She said no. So, I just told her that I wasn't happy and let it go at that. She worked busing tables at the Palm House in Tower Grove Park (they do a brunch there). I picked her up about 2:30; she was bushed. She was on her feet the whole time. Her confirmation teacher was very understanding. He told us that he'd have no problem wi...

If I speak in the great languages of men or angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I am wise and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, and it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in wrong but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, and always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child; I tho...

Tim McNabb has taken some great photos of our spring flowers. Take a look .