My young friend told me that he's writing a book and that he already has a publisher who is going to publish the book after his having submitted only one chapter. I asked, "You mean a publisher will accept it without having a complete manuscript?" I asked if the publisher were a vanity press. He didn't know what a vanity press is. I explained to him about vanity presses and I told him to be very careful about any contract he might sign.
I asked him what the book was about and he stated, "It's kinda an autobiography except in novel form." I replied, "Oh, a roman a clef." When he told me he didn't know what "roman a clef" meant, I answered, "I don't think you should publish a book until you know what a roman a clef is."
At a recent tea party at the Atwood House, in Chillicothe, I was the only participant attired in hat, gloves, "spectator" shoes and a "posh frock". [RE: "posh frock": a term I often use to denote a "fancy dress" which I first heard on the British TV sitcom "Fawlty Towers"] Some people had not heard of "Fawlty Towers" with John Cleese; in the show, the wife, played by Prunella Scales, always wanted a "posh frock". "Fawlty Towers" is considered to be the all-time best British sitcom and was always a joy to watch in the 1970's. We still use several quotes from the show:
"Why don't you have another vat of wine, dear?"
"Coming, my little piranha fish."
"Sounds like somebody machine-gunning a seal."
"If you bother me again, I shall visit you in the small hours of the night and put a bat up your nightdress!"
One table partner at the tea mentioned that Jackie Kennedy popularized hats. I told why Jacqueline Kennedy always wore gloves: she chewed her fingernails and she had nicotine stains on her fingers because she was a chain-smoker.
At the tea, among the items we were served were cucumber sandwiches, scones, marmalades, lemon curd dessert and English Breakfast Tea (it's the same Twining's tea bags I have at home!). When I asked if the contents of a bowl were "clotted cream", I was told it was "Devonshire Cream" (I guess they think Devonshire Cream sounds better than clotted cream, but it's the same thing!)
While there, I told the "Condonium" story and about Queen Esther Brown. Bev Bradley told me that there is a Chillicothe City Councilwoman whose name is also Queen Esther and she married a man whose surname is Lester; yes, she's QUEEN ESTHER LESTER!
The 4th of July is the time when we celebrate our nation-- a time to reflect on the freedoms which we believe are not granted by our government, but are self-evident rights for all humankind. Time for the Independence Day Quiz which asks, "How much do you really know?" Every day thousands leave their homelands to settle here in the land of the free. Before they become citizens they are required to take a citizenship test and score 80%. Could you pass this test if you took it today?
Our quiz is made up of 20 questions which were once used on the actual citizenship test. We've added a few curveballs-- The last ten questions may be a bit harder, but a score of around 24 out of 30 is considered a passing grade.
CLICK HERE to take the QUIZ; share your scores with me, if you wish. HAPPY JULY 4TH!
Rules:
This is not a contest and no prizes will be granted for correct answers.
There are two kinds of people: those perverse people who like to scare people and others who don't. My husband loves to scare me.
As a young married couple, we lived in a Victorian 3rd floor apartment. He always got home before I did. At the top of the stairs was a landing with a beautiful stained glass window and a table and lamp in the corner to provide light. There were two apartments on the third floor.
One evening after work, I was trudging up the steps with my cooler, lunch box, work bag, and purse. Just as I was near the top of the stairs, he stepped out from the corner and yelled "BOO!" at me. I screamed and all of the contents from my arms went tumbling down the steps. The neighbors came to see what had happened. I told him that if took the rest of my life, I was going to get even with him.
In the following days, I plotted, planned, and strategized HOW I could get even. One day I was able to get off work early and I rushed home, parked the car blocks away and waited patiently for him to arrive. I waited, with bated breath, and as I heard his footfall on the steps, his voice rang out, "Sweetheart, you're just going to have to be more original!" I jumped out and asked, "How did you know?" He answered, "I knew you'd try the SAME thing; I've just been waiting!" I asked again, "But HOW did you know--I got off work early, I hid the car--how did you know?" He laughed and said, "I smelled your perfume in the hallway!"
Irving Berlin was perhaps the heir to the throne in writing songs of sadness, loneliness, depression, misery and hopelessness.
My friend Patty and I are inveterate list-makers; I sent her my list of my SADDEST SONGS and below is her answer; my list is below Patty's and below mine are my brother Roger's and my brother Norman's TEAR JERKERS! My friend Arminta's list is below their lists.
From Patty:
I cannot believe you sat there and wrote all of those songs AND the artists. The first time I heard my #1 saddest song, I was a teenager and cried all the way through it; I agree with a lot of yours, but here are my saddest, saddest, saddest:
"Danny Boy"
"Kiss From a Rose" - Seal
and the saddest of all:
"My Buddy" - an old WWI or WWII song - I can barely listen to it without sobbing.
*MY LIST*
JOHNNY I HARDLY KNEW YE--CLANCY BROTHERS AND TOMMY MAKEM
OLE SHEP--ELVIS
GLOOMY SUNDAY--BILLIE HOLIDAY
IN THE WEE SMALL HOURS OF THE MORNING--FRANK SINATRA
I CAN'T MAKE YOU LOVE ME--BONNIE RAITT
HE STOPPED LOVING HER TODAY--GEORGE JONES
ELEANOR RIGBY--THE BEATLES
IN THE REAL WORLD--ROY ORBISON
HE AIN'T HEAVY, HE'S MY BROTHER--THE HOLLIES
CRY ME A RIVER--JULIE LONDON
DANCE WITH MY FATHER--LUTHER VANDROSS
I'VE GOT TO GET A MESSAGE TO YOU--THE BEE GEES
THE PATRIOT GAME--CLANCY BROTHERS AND TOMMY MAKEM
SHILO--NEIL YOUNG
ANYONE WHO HAD A HEART--DIONNE WARWICK
HURT--JOHNNY CASH
THE RIVER--BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN
A CHANGE IS GONNA COME--SAM COOKE
SPACE ODDITY--DAVID BOWIE
THAT'S THE WAY I'VE ALWAYS HEARD IT SHOULD BE--CARLY SIMON
LAST KISS--J. FRANK WILSON
HALLELULJAH--LEONARD COHEN
TELL LAURA I LOVE HER--RAY PETERSON
PATCHES--CLARENCE CARTER
TRAVELIN' SOLDIER--THE DIXIE CHICKS
I'M SO LONESOME I COULD CRY--HANK WILLIAMS
CAT'S IN THE CRADE--HARRY CHAPIN
LONG, LONG TIME--LINDA RONSTADT
ALONE AGAIN, NATURALLY--GILBERT O'SULLIVAN
SEASONS IN THE SUN--TERRY JACKS
CIRCLE GAME--JONI MITCHELL
TEXAS GIRL AT HER FATHER'S FUNERAL--RANDY NEWMAN
MR. TANNER--HARRY CHAPIN
AND THE BAND PLAYED WALTZING MATILDA--CLANCY BROTHERS AND TOMMY MAKEM (WRITTEN BY ERIC BOGLE)
THE GREEN FIELDS OF FRANCE--ERIC BOGLE
THE ROSE--BETTE MIDLER
IF I HAVE TO GO--TOM WAITS
UNTIL IT'S TIME FOR YOU TO GO-BUFFY SAINT-MARIE
TOMORROW IS A LONG TIME--BOB DYLAN
500 MILES--PETER, PAUL AND MARY
IF YOU GO AWAY--DUSTY SPRINGFIELD
CRYING--ROY ORBISON
THE END OF THE WORLD--SKEETER DAVIS
HURT SO BAD--LITTLE ANTHONY AND THE IMPERIALS
SEND IN THE CLOWNS--JUDY COLLINS
I WILL REMEMBER YOU--SARAH MCLACHLAN
I AM A ROCK--SIMON AND GARFUNKEL
AT 17--JANIS IAN
SHE'S LEAVING HOME--THE BEATLES
VINCENT--DON MCLEAN
DESPERADO--THE EAGLES
FREE FALLIN'--TOM PETTY
DUST IN THE WIND--KANSAS
BEHIND BLUE EYES--THE WHO
SO FAR AWAY--CAROLE KING
WHEN WILL I BE LOVED?--LINDA RONSTADT (EVERLY BROTHERS!)
AIN'T NO SUNSHINE--BILL WITHERS
*ROGER'S LIST*
ARLINGTON--TRACE ADKINS
WHISKEY LULLABY--ALISON KRAUSS
BELLEAU WOODS--GARTH BROOKS
SARAH BETH--RASCAL FLATTS
LENINGRAD--BILLY JOEL
ALEXA--BILLY JOEL
DIDN'T I--MONTGOMERY GENTRY
AMERICAN PIE--DON MCLEAN
OLD HIPPIE--BELLAMY BROTHERS
RIDING WITH PRIVATE MALONE--DAVID BALL
WRECK OF THE EDMUND FITZGERALD--GORDON LIGHTFOOT
WHO WANTS TO LIVE FOREVER--QUEEN
LAST DATE--CHET ATKINS OR FLOYD CRAMER
EMPTY CHAIRS AT EMPTY TABLES--COLM WILKINS
UNCHAINED MELODY--RIGHTEOUS BROTHERS
OPERATOR--JIM CROCE
HIGHWAYMAN--WILLIE, WAYLON AND THE BOYS
JIM, I WORE A TIE TODAY--WILLIE AND JOHNNY
50,000 NAMES--GEORGE JONES
*NORMAN'S LIST*
WISH YOU PEACE--THE EAGLES
LONG WAY HOME--DON HENLEY
POWER OF LOVE--CELINE DION
BLUE EYES CRYING IN THE RAIN--WILLIE NELSON
THE PRETENDER--JACKSON BROWNE
FOLLOW ME--UNCLE KRACKER
SUNDAY MORNING COMING DOWN--WILLIE NELSON
LOST THAT LOVING FEELING--RIGHTEOUS BROTHERS
WE'VE GOT TONIGHT--BOB SEGER
ALL SUMMER LONG--KID ROCK
I'M ALIVE--JACKSON BROWNE
FRREBIRD--LYNARD SKYNARD
WE'VE GOT TONIGHT--BOB SEGER
RUN LIKE A THIEF--BONNIE RAITT
DEJA VU--JOHN FOGERTY
WAITING FOR A STAR TO FALL--BOY MEETS GIRL
TEARS IN HEAVEN--ERIC CLAPTON
SUNSHINE ON MY SHOULDER--JOHN DENVER
WILD SIDE OF LIFE--HANK WILLIAMS
COME TO MY WINDOW--MELISSA ETHERIDGE
FAITHFULLY--JOURNEY
AMAZED--LONESTAR
SOMETIMES LOVE JUST ISN'T ENOUGH--PATTY SMYTH
NEON MOON--BROOKS AND DUNN
BELIEVE--CHER
MEET ME IN MONTANA--DAN SEALS
TALKING TO THE NIGHT--DON HENLEY
LYIN' EYES--THE EAGLES
DIMMING OF THE DAY--BONNIE RAITT
*ARMINTA'S LIST*
HONEY--BOBBY GOLDSBORO
OPERATOR--JIM CROCE
HE DIDN'T HAVE TO BE--BRAD PAISLEY
DESPERATELY--GEORGE STRAIT
FIRE AND RAIN--JAMES TAYLOR
I didn't realize that my BLOG items were a part of Google until I received a "comment" on my article about Richie Havens. Donald Havens, Richie's brother, from Brooklyn, NY, found the article on Google and posted a nice comment to the blog article.
On page 188 of Richie's autobiography, "they can't hide us anymore": "My brother Donald also got involved with beautiful drawings for the exhibits and I did some too." The exhibits he refers to were about the maritime museum for children created by Richie's friend Michael Sandlofer.
I asked him what the book was about and he stated, "It's kinda an autobiography except in novel form." I replied, "Oh, a roman a clef." When he told me he didn't know what "roman a clef" meant, I answered, "I don't think you should publish a book until you know what a roman a clef is."
