Thursday, October 30, 2008

Post 24 of 30 :: Sunset on Island Lake?


Don't I wish! No, this isn't Island Lake. It's sunset at Huntington Beach, California in June, 2006.

We'd gone to California to visit our daughter Amy as she worked as a chaperone for visiting church groups doing mission work in downtown Los Angeles. We were there for almost ten days - too long for a guy from Chicago. Immediately after our vacation I didn't think I'd want to go back. But now I guess I would, as long as it wasn't for too long a time. Perhaps a week's vacation . . . which I need . . . now!

Monday, October 27, 2008

Post 23E of 30 :: Cary Grant


All day, all night, Cary Grant!
That's all I hear from my wife, it's Cary Grant!
What can he do, that I can't?
Big deal . . . big star Cary Grant!

Post 23D of 30 :: My Grandfather's Timex


My grandfather's watch was the best ever made
By the Timex company
Just like that watch John Cameron Swayze displayed
Last night on the ol' TV

Oh, it works under water so perfectly
And it still makes a ticking sound
Which my grandfather tried only this afternoon
And that's how the old man drowned!

Post 23C of 30 :: On Top of Ol' Smokey



On top of ol' Smokey
All covered with hair
Of course I'm referring
To Smokey the Bear

Post 23B of 30 :: The Diet


Oh, I diet all day and I diet all night
It's enough to drive me bats
Got no gravy or potatoes
'Cause the whole refrigerator's
Full of polyunsaturated fats

Fair thee well, Metrecal
And the others of that ilk
Like the diet start tomorrow
'Cause today I'll drown my sorrow
In a double malted milk

Post 23A of 30 :: Allan Sherman


The music of Allan Sherman - another part of my childhood that I remember fondly - is still available. You should find it in your local library, or have it sent in by inter-library loan - but listen to it. He's a tragi-comic figure who wrote witty rhymes to then-current popular and classical music and parlayed that talent into a career. One that subsequently destroyed his marriage and family life, unfortunately, but one that also brightened my youth. (Here's a link to his Wikipedia entry.)

These blog entries (23B-23E) are snippets from his "Shticks of One and Half a Dozen of Another". You may have to be of a certain age to understand some of the references . . .

Post 22 of 30 :: Joe's Sayings


Years ago, I worked at a factory that made automotive chemicals. It was an interestng experience, to be sure; one that taught me both how things should be run, and how people should be treated, and how things should not be run and how people should not be treated.

The plant manager was one of the most interesting people I had ever met - a real character. He had a number of funny sayings which I want to present. Now, remember, this was a factory setting, so some of the concepts embodied in these sayings might be a little rough (for younger or more sensitive readers . . . ha!). One thing about them, though, is I've rarely heard them used by anyone who didn't work at this place.

Saying #1 - for when surprised by something: "Holy Mother Cat!"

Saying #2 - for when surprised by something: "Holy Livin' Shit!"

Saying #3 - when the college kid (me) didn't do something right: "Send 'em to school, give 'em a book and they still don't know nothin'!"

Saying #4 - used in "woulda/coulda/shoulda" mode: "Yeah, and if your aunt had balls she'd be your uncle!"


I'm sure I'll remember a couple more in the near future. If so, I'll post an update. I just Google'd Joe's name and found a residential listing. Wonder if he'd rememeber me?

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Rats!


I didn't make the 30 postings in 30 days goal. Not because I'm out of material, though. Rather, because I have too much to do and can't get to the blog often enough! So I'll complete the 30 (with nine more to go) and sally forth from there!

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Post 21 of 30: A Rope-Skipping Song


My wife remembers this, from her childhood, jumping rope in the neighborhood:

Cinderella, dressed in yella
Went downtown to meet her fella
On the way her girdle busted
How many people were disgusted?

Then, counting as you jumped: 1, 2, 3 . . .

Cracks me up to think about it!

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Post 20 of 30: Gravy


This is another piece from the 1991 class, and, I have ta tell ya, it was a heckuva lotta fun to write! I was laughing myself silly while thinking up these lines. Got a roaring ovation when I read it in class, too.

Gravy
© 1991 by Mark Dopita

Gravy eats time, when cooking don't boil
or the pan will be black
the Gravy, like soil

Gravy don't dress, it's brought to you nude
for putting on meat
or your wife (but that's lewd)

Gravy dreams lightly, inside of your gut
and soon it adds pounds
to both sides of your butt

Gravy is born of spices and juice
a sprinkling of parsnip,
a carcass of moose

Gravy loves meals, at lunch and at dinner;
the folks who don't like it
they seem to stay thinner

Gravy hears footsteps, a rushing to places
and soon it is seen
on shirts, laps and faces

Gravy kills hunger, a longing for food
the flesh of dead veggies,
dead critters (some moo'ed)

Gravy for Bison, Gravy for Snake
the mashed are the mountains,
the Gravy, the lake

Gravy for Otter, Gravy for Bear
Gravy at food fights
stays thick in your hair

Gravy for Kitty, Gravy for Dog
Gravy for Wombat
and Weasel . . . Warthog!

Gravy for Elephant (I like it baked)
how many Gravies
does Heinz Ketchup make?

Gravy, I love it! Gravy it's great!
so please to forgive me
I'm off for my plate!

Post 19 of 30: My Hands


Another old piece, from April, 1991, in an English class at McHenry County College. Write about your hands, the instructor said. No need to rhyme this time.

Looking back at it, with four kids, it's a wonder that the dishes were ever done. I still try to keep the kitchen clean, washing and putting away the few dishes that might have been left from last night while the coffee is brewing - kids are grown, now - and picking up most every night.

And I still write computer programs, and feel that I'm nothing more, really, than a tradesman of the 90's and 00's. White collar? Maybe, but still a tradesman.


My Hands
© 1991 by Mark Dopita

Lovely?
My wife's hands are; not mine
Mine are homey hands
Full of oil from the car
Dust from the attic
Paint
The deep yellow, smelly, dank "stuff"
From the innards of a pumpkin I just
Carved for my kids

My hands are workman's hands
Hands of the 90's
Hustling out of file cabinets
Bustling over the keyboard
Bellied up to the desk
Coding computer programs

My hands do the dishes, the water roasting
The pots, pans, glasses, silverware
The house owns my hands at night,
The job the day
The sink constantly re-fills
Overnight, somehow

I long to awaken
To find the dishes done,
The sink drainer empty
Of last night's plates

Post 18 of 30: Draft of an (Old) Untitled Song

From circa 1977, after I had left Northern Illinois University, dropping out of college.

I didn't want to be a songwriter or a performer at that time, but wanted to write songs because . . . I don't know. Seems soooo long ago. And re-reading this after so many years gives me the feeling that I must have been somewhat depressed at that time.


Untitled
All Rights Reserved

If you realize what I say is not always true
Then do not ask me why
And if you understand the world as it is today
You won't wait long to die
Maybe I can't see
Maybe we're all blind
Or have I lost my mind?

Being alive today
You will learn some way
That time merely flutters by

If you realize what I do is not always right
Come be with me tonight
And if you understand the actions of my friends
You must have seen the light
Maybe I can't feel
Maybe I'm made of clay
I don't know what to say

Seeing the sites so fine
Daring to cross the line
Don't say "don't do that" . . . you might

If you realize emotion is up to me
You'll know I don't give a damn
And if you understand politician's schemes
Better leave now while you can
Maybe I don't know
Maybe you're not sure
I wish to hell some were

You know you've lost your head
Leaving men for dead
Reason escapes from every man

Post 17 of 30: How It (Unfortunately) Used To Be


In my travel back to Kansas for dad's 70th anniversary since high school graduation, in the stop at the Hays cemetery, I saw something that made me think how lucky we are to be living in this age. Picture four gravestones, four children, none of whom lived to be three years old. I was stunned.

I no longer remember the family's last name (and I didn't think to write it down), but consider the pain they must have had to deal with. Death was an integral part of life, it seems, back in the late 1800's. How could they have handled such a thing? I pray that God gave them strength, and that they believed in the promises Christ made to us, to be with Him in Heaven some day.

Albert, born 23 Oct 1887, died 16 Apr 1888
Herman, born 27 Nov 1886, died 26 May 1887



Paul, born 3 Oct 1883, died 1 May 1886
Carl, born 21 Feb 1879, died 30 Jun 1879

Post 16 of 30: A Boy and His Dog



This picture shows a monument to Jackie Downing (1873-1878), the son of James M. Downing (1842-1932) and Ella L. Downing (1852-1933). It can be found in a cemetery in Hays, Kansas. My father was born and raised in Plainville, Kansas, some 25 miles from Hays. He told me the story of the little boy and his dog.

Now, my dad was born in 1921, so this story has some dust on it. But it seems that the little boy became ill with a disease and passed away. The boy's dog went to the grave every day, pining for his lost friend. Then, one day, he laid down at the grave site and died there. My dad said that the statue had been put in place long before he was born. And you can see from the weathering, that it has been there for years.

I'm sorry I don't have a better picture. But it's really quite something to see, and to think about . . .

50% There!


So now I've gotten to 15 of 30 posts and still haven't found the materials I was looking for. So I have more to post, and plenty of time to do it (to reach my goal of 30 posts in 30 days). But this weekend will find me in northern Wisconsin, and there's still class on Tuesday and Thursday nights, and jazz-band music to practice (with a concert coming up in ten days or so), and computer programs to write, and a deck railing to stain, and . . .

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Post 15 of 30: What is it like?


I'm reading The Year's Best Science Fiction, 24th annual edition. Specifically, a story by Bruce McAllister called Kin. Near the end of the story, which is about a 12-year old boy from Earth and an alien assassin, the by asks the question, "What is it like to kill?"

The answer is very well-written, but I thought at once that the question in the story is not the correct question for the answer. And posing this other question has forced me to think back to before I had even met my wife, before we were married, before we had children, before my wife became ill, before the older generation of my family had started to pass away. And then to think forward again to today.

The question: What is it like to love?

The answer: It is both more, and less, than one imagines it will be.

And so it is . . .

Sunday, October 5, 2008

Post 14 of 30: How Many Smoots Tall Are You?



I, personally, am 1.12 Smoots tall, according to this amusing article from those good old (clean) college days!

I feel sorry for the guy whose face is just outside of what is now a (somewhat) famous picture. Right place, right time, wrong height!

Cub Watch :: Just Wait Until Next Year . . .


There, now I've said it. Said it in '69, too. To cap it off, here's the famous little ditty written by Steve Goodman, A Dying Cub Fan's Last Request. Nuff said . . .

By the shore's of old Lake Michigan
Where the "hawk wind" blows so cold
An old Cub fan lay dying
In his midnight hour that tolled
Round his bed, his friends had all gathered
They knew his time was short
And on his head they put this bright blue cap
From his all-time favorite sport
He told them, "Its late and its getting dark in here"
And I know its time to go
But before I leave the line-up
Boys, there's just one thing I'd like to know

Do they still play the blues in Chicago
When baseball season rolls around
When the snow melts away,
Do the Cubbies still play
In their ivy-covered burial ground
When I was a boy they were my pride and joy
But now they only bring fatigue
To the home of the brave
The land of the free
And the doormat of the National League

Told his friends "You know the law of averages says:
Anything will happen that can"
That's what it says
"But the last time the Cubs won a National League pennant
Was the year we dropped the bomb on Japan"
The Cubs made me a criminal
Sent me down a wayward path
They stole my youth from me
(that's the truth)
I'd forsake my teachers
To go sit in the bleachers
In flagrant truancy

and then one thing led to another
and soon I'd discovered alcohol, gambling, dope
football, hockey, lacrosse, tennis
But what do you expect,
When you raise up a young boy's hopes
And then just crush 'em like so many paper beer cups.

Year after year after year
after year, after year, after year, after year, after year
'Til those hopes are just so much popcorn
for the pigeons beneath the 'L' tracks to eat
He said, "You know I'll never see Wrigley Field, anymore before my eternal rest
So if you have your pencils and your score cards ready,
and I'll read you my last request
He said, "Give me a double header funeral in Wrigley Field
On some sunny weekend day (no lights)
Have the organ play the "National Anthem"
and then a little 'na, na, na, na, hey hey, hey, Goodbye'
Make six bullpen pitchers, carry my coffin
and six ground keepers clear my path
Have the umpires bark me out at every base
In all their holy wrath
Its a beautiful day for a funeral, Hey Ernie lets play two!
Somebody go get Jack Brickhouse to come back,
and conduct just one more interview
Have the Cubbies run right out into the middle of the field,
Have Keith Moreland drop a routine fly
Give everybody two bags of peanuts and a frosty malt
And I'll be ready to die

Build a big fire on home plate out of your Louisville Sluggers baseball bats,
And toss my coffin in
Let my ashes blow in a beautiful snow
From the prevailing 30 mile an hour southwest wind
When my last remains go flying over the left-field wall
Will bid the bleacher bums ad?eu
And I will come to my final resting place, out on Waveland Avenue

The dying man's friends told him to cut it out
They said stop it that's an awful shame
He whispered, "Don't Cry, we'll meet by and by near the Heavenly Hall of Fame
He said, "I've got season's tickets to watch the Angels now,
So its just what I'm going to do
He said, "but you the living, you're stuck here with the Cubs,
So its me that feels sorry for you!"

And he said, "Ahh Play, play that lonesome losers tune,
That's the one I like the best"
And he closed his eyes, and slipped away
What we got is the Dying Cub Fan's Last Request
And here it is

Do they still play the blues in Chicago
When baseball season rolls around
When the snow melts away,
Do the Cubbies still play
In their ivy-covered burial ground
When I was a boy they were my pride and joy
But now they only bring fatigue
To the home of the brave
The land of the free
And the doormat of the National League

Post 13 of 30: Apple Picking



My wife Nancy, our son Tim and his girlfriend Melissa went apple picking yesterday, on a very pretty Fall day. Clear skies, sixty-five degrees . . . perfect! The orchard, called Royal Oak Farm, is a Christian business: "our purpose and goal is to Glorify God by being faithful stewards of all He has given us." With 10,000 apple trees and 600 peach trees on 160 beautifully maintained acres, I think they've done their job. (Here's a link to their web site.)

The picture above shows what we picked - a half-bushel of Jonathon's and Gala's. I also sampled an Empire - I'd never had one before - and found it delicious! (I actually ate two Empires while we picked. I talked to another guy who said he'd had six! I wonder how many apples are eaten during the process of picking? No doubt this is factored into the price.)

It's amazing how many varieties of apples there are; Royal Oak grows about two dozen. I read somewhere that there are over 8,000 varieties of apples, world-wide. I guess I'm not surprised, given how things spread across the globe the way they do.

Apart from enjoying the beautiful weather and the drive to and from the orchard through what is rural McHenry county, I have to comment on how amazingly good really fresh food tastes, compared to store-bought. I have to agree with all those who say we should "buy local, eat local" - there really is a difference! But we should be good for quite a few days, now, and I'm looking forward to the apple at both morning and afternoon break time.

Friday, October 3, 2008

Cub Watch :: Just Wait Until . . .


Ouch! The Dodgers wiped us out again! I'm not holding my breath for a miracle, either. When you've lived in Chicago your whole life, you've lived through a lot of disappointment.

I'm afraid it's just abuot time to stick a fork in us . . .we're almost through!

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Just Wait . . .

I won't say it yet (ya know, the tired old "Wait Until Next Year"), but a 7-2 loss is not a good way to start the playoffs. Three walks and a grand slam from Ryan Dempster in the 5th? Let's hope things turn around!!!

(This does not count as one of the 30-in-30 posts. It's simply a sad commentary on what my neighbor used to call "The Chubby Cubbies".)

Post 12 of 30: Chicago

As part of that Creative Writing class I mentioned in my last post, I also wrote a small set of poems to the city. In reading these, please understand that I was brought up in the suburbs of Chicago, not in the city itself. My folks lived 2900 north on Keating Avenue for less than three years before we moved to Mount Prospect. And now I'm fifty-some miles from downtown, so I am writing as an observer of the city rather than as a city dweller.

'Course, none of this really mattes, as we each have our own perspective, don't we?

All of the following are © 2000 by Mark Dopita.


A Bit of Fun, with ‘71

Chicago, Chicago, burning bright
Giving off un-holy light
To prove that I am not a liar
Take a look – downtown’s on fire!


You might remember that the city burned in 1871 - Mrs. O-Leary's cow and all that bit.


To Al Capone

Al Capone, along with his thugs and other
Mobsters, terrorized the city and its’ citizens
In Chicago’s chapter of Prohibitions
Dirty little book.

And though Capone was a complex man, and
Talented enough to run such a major enterprise,
In the end, he was nothing
But a simple crook.


My uncle Freddie, who died back in 1967, used to work for Al Capone during Prohibition. I probably don't have as high a regard for him as he did . . .


On Politics

“Chicago ain’t ready for reform!”
And in this town, ain’t that the norm?


Today, the whole state is as big a mess a Chicago is. And it looks like we're getting ready to vote a Chicago socialist into office? Lord, come and take me to your Kingdom!


Thoughts on Lake Shore Drive

Chicago’s really not that windy
Though her politicians are
But the pols ain’t out and about
When you slide your car
Into a lane on Lake Shore Drive.

The wide expanse of
Lake Michigan on one side,
On the other, expensive condo buildings
Lined up tall and wide
Peering out over the road.

Downtown is a sparkling jewel
A harpists strings waiting to be plucked
Stores, everywhere, and restaurants,
Bars; hidden treasures tucked
Among spires of stone, brick, steel and glass.

Now you’re south to Soldier Field
A monument to those who died
Defending us, and our freedom
In whom we show great pride
And only with monuments can repay.

Past Hyde Park and farther
South along the drive you go
Looking back o’er your shoulder
You draw in the breadth of a city so
Modern; beautiful; peaceful.

A city not without its’ problems
Racial, social divides and hate
But somehow, the City That Works;
A daily test of wills and, simply, fate:
Only time will prove your greatness.


Chicago is the City That Works. I am always amazed when I travel downtown - the buildings, the people, the food, the music! My wife and I attended both BluesFest and JazzFest this year and enjoyed both immensely. There's nothing like sitting in Grant or Millenium Park on a warm summer night, with Lake Michigan at your back, the music on stage in front of you, a li'l drink in your hand and the sun setting behind downtown.

Lovely . . .

Post 11 of 30: To Chicago Sports

With both the Cubs and the Sox in the playoffs this year, I thought it might be time to dust off this old gem. I wrote it for a Creative Writing class in the Fall of 2000.

To Chicago Sports
© 2000 by Mark Dopita

‘Twas nineteen-sixty-nine and I,
A skinny boy of thirteen, who
With loved Chicago Cubs did die
A little bit (I did not cry)
And with them I was through!

In sixty-nine the Bears were bad
(I think they lost all games but one).
I remember talking to my dad
Who said he just could not be sad
For pro teams; no, he cared for none.

Old Notre Dame, that was his team
And in the Twenties, by wireless set
Knute Rockne built a football dream.
They’d never lose; they reigned supreme!
Those glory days he’d not forget.

Now thirty years have gone, and more
Will pass by faster than we know.
The Bulls have closed and locked the door
Having tried to even up the score
Of champs on high, to teams brought low.

But though the Bears won football’s crown,
The Cubs and Hawks have only tried.
We worry who’ll next let us down
But if you win, you’ll own this town
And keep the sports fan pacified.

Though seek we may, we won’t soon find.
How many times must Chicago hear
That musty phrase, that wicked line
That echoes back to each one’s mind
“Just Wait Until Next Year!”