Ramblin' with Roger

My blog can drink legally in every state

Dustbury, ABC Wednesday, Forgotten Stars, AmeriNZ

My blog is so old that it can drink legally in every state. So I decided to credit (or blame) 21 people (more or less) who facilitated that. Some I’ve mentioned before.

Won – Rocco, my friend and fellow employee of the comic book store, ran into me in the autumn of 2004. He asked me, “Are you reading Fred’s blog?” I said, “I don’t read ANY blogs.”

Too – So I started reading the blog of Fred Hembeck, the somewhat famous cartoonist with Marvel, DC, FantaCo, et al., which had started in January 2003. He wrote every day, or nearly every day, and he wrote a LOT. Eventually, I started emailing him with ideas for his posts. I know he noted Herb Alpert’s 70th birthday at the end of March 2005, and he credited me.

Tree – Mark Evanier, the guy who was an assistant to Jack Kirby, wrote cartoon shows, and a bunch of other things, appeared on Fred’s extensive linkage page. ME wrote a LOT, though not nearly at the word count of FGH.

For – I don’t know if I came to Steve Gerber (d. 2008) via Hembeck or Evanier. In any case, his pledge to write every day, which he stuck to until he got sick, was the final push to get to start my own blog.

Fie! -When I first started blogging, I was also looking at a number of blogs from Fred’s roster. A fair number of the bloggers seemed to be somehow connected to one Chris (Lefty) Brown. I got involved with a mixed tape exchange, OK, mixed CDs. The group included Eddie Mitchell, SamuraiFrog, Thom Wade, Johnny Bacardi, Mike Sterling, and others, including…

Cease – Greg Burgas, who still writes about his current consumption of pop culture, as well as My Daughter Chronicles.

The game show

Sen – So what would I write about? One of the topics, I suppose, needed to be about JEOPARDY, the game show I appeared on in November 1998. Six and a half years later, I figured I had better write about it soon. So I’ll attribute this angle to Adenia Yates (1908-1966), my mother’s maternal aunt, whom I would see at lunchtime each weekday. She turned me onto the game. I suppose Merv Griffin and his then-wife, Julann, who designed the game’s format, Art Fleming, and Alex Trebek, should get a piece of the credit.

Ate – As I admitted repeatedly here, my wife and I got one or two of those baby books, in which one is SUPPOSED to write down all of those milestones (first step, first tooth, etc.) that the Daughter reached. Well, I SUCKED at this. So I vowed to write about her every month on the 26th. And I have.

Nein – Ken Levine was a writer on TV shows I used to watch, such as MASH, CHEERS, FRASIER, THE SIMPSONS, and DHARMA & GREG. He started his blog shortly after I did. He would solicit Friday questions. I’d ask some, and he answered most of them. He eventually started a podcast. At some point, he stopped blogging and limited his posts to podcasts. Those ended in 2023. You can find the blog – though not the audio for the podcasts – here.

The Times Onion

Tin – In the late 1990s, Mike Huber was involved with these community webpages, housed on the Times Union website. Then he was in charge of the community bloggers on the TU site. Since I was posting every day, he wanted me on the TU blog farm. I resisted for a couple of years, but in 2008, I relented. I wrote about that experience here; the TU community blogs died in 2021.

Leaven- One of the TU bloggers was Chuck Miller. He’s also an everyday writer. After he left the TU blog farms, he has lifted up other local (or local-adjacent) bloggers every Saturday

Too well – J. Eric Smith, once a TU blogger, is now in Arizona but still on Chuck’s roster. Among other topics, Eric writes a lot about music and film. He mentioned me kindly a couple of times.

Thirsty -Charles Hill, a/k/a Dustbury, was a legendary blogger from 1996(!) until he died in 2019. He commented on my blog almost daily, and I enjoyed the interaction. I’m extremely sad that his stuff wasn’t captured by the Internet Archive. I still follow my fellow Dustbury acolyte, fillyjonk.

Every week

Fortran – I came across one of those groups, an abecedarian meme called ABC Wednesday, where one participates with others, literally from around the world, in sharing a picture, a poem, an essay, SOMETHING with the various letters of the alphabet. It was run by Denise Nesbitt. My first post there was in October 2008 in Round 3, letter K. By the end of Round 5, I was assisting her. And from July 2012 to July 2017, I ran the thing, assisted ably by Leslie from British Columbia and others. Then, from that date until the end of 2019, I helped Melody.

Iffy- Arthur Schenck. I found AmeriNZ, a blog and podcast by a US expat now in New Zealand, via the demographically similar Nik Dirga. (How I found Nik, I have no idea.) Anyway, I’d comment on Arthur’s platform and steal, er, borrow ideas.

Cistern – I didn’t even know what a Byzantium Shores was, but I started following Kelly Sedinger regularly. Even my wife, who doesn’t read these things, knows that Kelly is the overalls guy from the Buffalo area. He moved the site to Forgotten Stars about five years ago. He’s a real writer who’s published books! HE’s a budding photographer! But he STILL hasn’t done a pie to the face in far too long.

Severed teen -Alan David Doane was one of those FantaCo kids whom I really got to know when he was an adult. Among many things, he convinced me that I could write about comic books on a now-defunct platform. It was challenging and fun!

Irwin Corey’s brother-in-law (really)

Ate teen – Arnold Berman was a kind of relative. Charlotte, one of his sisters, married my maternal grandmother’s brother, Ernie. Arnold’s fascination with his genealogy has made me more interested in mine, which has become a recurring theme on my blog. He died a couple of years ago.

Nein teen -Ken Screven – The legendary CBS 6 (WRBG-TV) newsman was a TU blogger after he retired. He turned out to be more pointed than he was on the air, which probably influenced me to be a little more direct in my opinions. He died in 2022, and I miss him.

Too Auntie – Steve Bissette, the great artist of Swamp Thing and a whole lot of other stuff, met at FantaCo in 1987, I believe. He was doing some horror art, and I did, among other things, the mail order and shipped out items he helped create. We fell out of touch, but reconnected when I found his blog in 2008, which I wrote about here.

Too Auntie One – Amy Barlow Liberatore is Sharp Little Pencil, a blogger from near my hometown of Binghamton, NY.

#1 pop hits of 1946

To Each His Own

These are the number one pop hits of 1946. Fascinatingly, of the 20 recordings, the same song went to the top by two different artists (The Gypsy and Oh! What It Seemed ) or even three artists (To Each His Own).

This is a function, in large part, because between 1944 and 1958, there were multiple charts. In 1946, it was Best Sellers, Juke Box, and Disc Jockey. That’s why there are 96(!) #1 hits that year.

The Gypsy – Ink Spots (Decca), 13 weeks at #1, gold record. Even though they came out long before I was born, I always loved the group.

Oh! What It Seemed To Be – Frankie Carle and his orchestra with Marjorie Hughes, vocals (Columbia), 11 weeks at #1. Co-written by Carle. Hughes is Carle’s daughter.

Rumors Are Flying – Frankie Carle and his orchestra, with Marjorie Hughes, vocals (Columbia), 9 weeks at #1

To Each His Own – Eddy Howard and his orchestra, vocals by Eddy Howard and trio. (Majestic), 8 weeks at #1, gold record. The song is from the film To Each His Own.

The Gypsy – Dinah Shore, orchestra under the direction of Sonny Burke (Columbia), 8 weeks at #1. I recall some of her talk shows and even some of her later variety series.

Oh! What It Seemed To Be – Frank Sinatra, orchestra under the direction of Axel Stordahl (Columbia), 8 weeks at #1

The Old Lamp-Lighter – Sing and Sway with Sammy Kaye with Billy Williams and choir (RCA Victor), 7 weeks at #1

(I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons -the King Cold Trio (Capitol), 6 weeks at #1

Winter hit

Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! – Vaughn Monroe and his orchestra, vocal by Vaughn Monroe and The Norton Sisters (Victor), 5 weeks at #1. Written by Sammy Cahn and Jule Styne. This didn’t chart until 12/22/1945 and peaked on 1/19/1946. So this was a real winter, rather than a Christmas song

Five Minutes More – Frank Sinatra, orchestra under the direction of Axel Stordahl (Columbia), 4 weeks at #1

Prisoner of Love – Perry Como with Russ Case and his Orchestra (RCA Victor), 3 weeks at #1, gold record. He had a musical variety show from 1948 to 1963, which I vaguely recall

To Each His Own -Freddy Martin and his orchestra, with Stuart Wade, vocals (RCA Victor), 2 weeks at #1, inspired by the Paramount picture, To Each His Own

Personality – Johnny Mercer and the Pied Pipers, with Paul Weston and his orchestra (Capitol), 2 weeks at #1. “Dorothy Lamour introduced on-screen this great Johnny Burke-Jimmy Van Heusen song in the Hope-Crosby film ‘Road To Utopia.'”

Symphony – Freddy Martin and his orchestra, with Clyde Rogers, vocals (Victor), 2 weeks at #1

Doctor, Lawyer, Indian Chief – Betty Hutton, orchestra and vocal quartet conducted by Paul Weston (Capitol ), 2 weeks at #1. Here’s Betty Hutton performing the musical number from the 1945 Paramount movie “The Stork Club”.

Ole Buttermilk Sky – Kay Kyser and his orchestra, with Michael Douglas and the Campus Kids (Columbia), 2 weeks at #1, song from “Canyon Passage.” Michael Douglas later became TV host Mike Douglas, whom I would watch occasionally

These are all one week at number one

Surrender – Perry Como, with Russ Case and his orchestra (RCA Victor)

To Each His Own -Ink Spots (Decca ), gold record. Song written by Jay Livingston and Ray Evans

I’m A Big Girl Now – Swing and Sway with Sammy Kaye with Betty Barclay, vocals (RCA Victor)

White Christmas – Bing Crosby with Ken Darby Singers and John Scott Trotter and his orchestra (Decca), a holiday Song. This is the 1942 version, the last year it charted before it was supplanted by the 1947 take. The Irving Berlin composition from 1942 was the eighth-most-recorded song between 1890 and 1954.

April rambling; alternative world order

Sid Krofft

Amnesty International’s annual report on human rights around the globe described a push for a “predatory alternative world order.”

His Erratic Behavior and Extreme Comments Revive Mental Health Debate

The Most Ludicrous, Morally Obscene, and Dangerous Man in the World

The deaf, dumb, and blind cult is still dazzled by the nastiest, most naked ‘emperor’ ever, and Jordan Klepper Gets MAGA’s Take on the Iran War & the War with the Pope | The Daily Show

‘Anytime you engage the Border Patrol in interior enforcement, the wheels are going to fall off.’

Google Broke Its Promise to Me. Now ICE Has My Data.

The insider trading suspicions looming over this regime

Flu vaccine no longer mandated for US troops, Hegseth says, citing “medical autonomy” and religious freedom.

When Ezekiel 25:17 Meets Psalms 3:16

The Pentagon doesn’t want you to hear about threats to the editorial independence of Stars and Stripes. They fired their ombudsperson.

He Wrote an Op-Ed. Then the police tracked him. A legal case in Kansas shows how surveillance technology can distort policing priorities. When authorities can monitor anyone cheaply, the temptation to target critics increases.

Jimmy Kimmel Provides an Alternative White House Correspondents’ Dinner Roast

AfA

Astronauts for America is a nonpartisan organization of former NASA astronauts who have sworn to defend the Constitution of the United States, committed to science, evidence-based decision-making, public service, and the rule of law.

Measles Took My Daughter. This Is What I Want Everyone to Know.

The Death of a Superman. How clothing donation bins quietly kill homeless people across North America.

988 Launch Tied to Drop in Youth Suicides

The Short and Ridiculous Trial of a Protester Arrested in an Inflatable Penis Costume. An Alabama cop who confronted the No Kings protester claimed she posed a risk to public safety.

The product liability legal case of the century arrives this summer: Coyote vs. Acme, the movie

Gerry Conway, Former Marvel EIC, Dies at 73. The first Spider-Man comic I read was the Death of Gwen Stacy, which he wrote, among MANY other pieces for Marvel and DC. He also wrote for television, including Diagnosis: Murder and, my favorite of his, Law & Order: Criminal Intent.

Sid Krofft: About and Memories, and H.R. Pufnstuf, Witchiepoo, Joy the Bugaloo, and me

Marvel Confirms 2019 ‘Avengers: Endgame’ To Be Replaced Before ‘Doomsday’ Released- a good reason to give up on the MCU, IMO

William Shatner is selling Kellogg’s Raisin Bran

“Your settlement payment of $9 for the In re EpiPen Marketing, Sales Practices and Antitrust Litigation, Civil Case No. 2:17-md-02785-DDC-TJJ is now available.” I’m rich!

Crease and Desist and The Cat Phone Came Back and The Crime of Borrowing a Teenage Witch? and The Good Advice That The DMV Rejected

MUSIC

Antichrist Superstar from Colbert

Aeolian Beauty by RZA · Colorado Symphony · Christopher Dragon

Goodbye Henry – RAYE, feat. Al Green

Solsbury Hill -MonaLisa Twins

Gladys Knight’s title tune for 1989’s Bond movie Licence To Kill

Meaning Business – Wendy Eisenberg

Musician Dave Mason, who was a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Traffic, died at the age of 79

Coverville 1577: 50th Anniversary of Ramones and 1578: Dave Mason Tribute and Paul Carrack Cover Story

Favorite Songs By Favorite Artists (Series Four) #1: HOUSE Of ALL

Angel Of The Morning – Merrilee Rush

Kiss – Prince

April 23

Medicare Advantage

Occasionally, I’ll do a day in the life. I picked April 23 because it was SO all over the place emotionally.

Even when I woke up a few hours after going to bed, it felt weird. I looked at the clock radio, and it was flashing. This meant the power went off, but came on about half an hour ago.

That tracks with the email I got at 12:28 a.m, but did not see until morning. “Dear National Grid Customer,

We detected power outages near [address]. There are currently 1713 other customers also associated with this outage. We are investigating and will provide updates around progress when we get more information. If you are without power, please let us know by reporting it on our website.”

Well, I didn’t get more info, but didn’t need any.

So in the morning, we had to do what we usually do when the clocks change twice a year. The computer clocks are correct, as is the battery-powered analog clock in the kitchen. I have to change the clocks on the stove and microwave.

But much to my surprise, I didn’t have to change the plugged-in “8-inch large clock with day and date for the elderly.” We had purchased it for my MIL for Christmas in 2024, but she didn’t like it. Conversely, I LOVE this thing. Knowing the day, and especially the date, has been a lift ever since I retired.

A certain ‘tude

I was listening to the boom box in my office, but something sounded off. I thought the machine was squealing. No, it was the sound of a bird chirping outside my window! I didn’t see it, but it made me happy.

Eventually, I’m about to take the bus downtown. I wait a few seconds to see if anyone is getting off. I got on, scanned my card, and this dude was just standing there waiting for me to get off the bus so he could get off. What? Someone said, “Next time, you should just USE that cane” that I was carrying. The implication was clear. That seemed extreme.

Then I walked to the next bus. As I walked past a shop, I saw a guy trying to hustle a merchant. The storekeeper said to the other guy, “Let me do you a favor. Get out of my face in the next ten seconds, and I won’t have to give you a lecture.” A “lecture” clearly suggested a thrashing.

What weird energy.

A little more conversation

I get to my doctor’s office early, so I text my daughter to ask if I can call her. (That’s the current protocol, right?) I share that her grandma had been in the hospital briefly, but is now rehabilitating.

She told me that a couple of women at UMass in Amherst were assaulted recently, the latter killed. She found it understandably unsettling, as she goes to that campus periodically, including that day. As it turns out, the woman killed was the wife of the alleged assailant.

I go into the doctor’s office. To get reimbursed for the payment that’s due, I need an itemized statement from the office, which isn’t generated automatically. I suggest printing the bill (which I probably have SOMEWHERE at home), and that does the trick. The receptionist suggests I could do her job, and this becomes her running joke when I later make a new appointment.

Meanwhile, a couple of patients are in the waiting room, railing about Medicare Advantage. I am very interested in the topic, since it will soon involve choices my wife will have to make. One said to “go online,” which I always consider a non-answer. (Still, read this and watch John Oliver.)

The other guy thought it was too limiting and was relieved to get out of his plan, only because his provider had discontinued MA and wanted to put him in a PPO. My doc later said that the MAs are mining patient data and overcharging the government.

The medical aide, who was wearing a New England Patriots sweatshirt but who was otherwise very nice, engaged in some NFL banter with me. She: “You had five years (for the Bills to win the Super Bowl).” Me “Go, Seahawks! “(who beat the Pats in the last Super Bowl.) And “18-1” (Pats were undefeated when they lost the SB to the Giants in the 2007/08 season.) Fun stuff!

Old friend

I got on the bus back to downtown when I saw an old friend. We used to ride the bus together when we both worked in Corporate (frickin’) Woods. She recently retired from her job in insurance; she got a very part-time job at the office of one of her doctors. I don’t think we have seen each other since COVID, which we will rectify.

I went home, took out the trash, and had a quick dinner.

sigh

Taking the 114 bus, I walked north on Willett Street. These two women and their two children were walking south. They must have passed me. A young (20ish?) woman was across the street, in Washington Park, walking in the same direction but slightly behind them, screaming a xenophobic, profanity-laden litany. I stopped and watched her for about four minutes. If she had wanted to get closer to them, she could have. They all got to the corner, turned left, and were out of my sight. I still wonder if I had interceded, if it would have helped or harmed the situation.

I went to choir, and afterward got a ride home.

It was a very rollercoaster kind of day.

Earthword Comics combines ICE incident, FCBD

raising funds for the West Hill Refugee Welcome Center

A story in the Sunday, April 26 Times Union newspaper reminded me that Free Comic Book Day is coming up on Saturday, May 2. As a former comic store employee and a former collector long before that, it’s my way to check in.

And I always go to Earthworld Comics at 537 Central Avenue, near Manning Blvd. Earthworld was started a few years after FantaCo’s 1978 opening, but we were very civil competitors. When I would come into the store for FCBD in the 2010s and early 2020s, J.C. Glindmyer, the original owner, would treat me like royalty, which was both weird and very sweet. I was sad when he died in 2023.

His son Nick Glindmyer, who now owns the store, is doing something special for FCBD this year, tied to an ICE incident. “According to a notice posted to Facebook by the Capital Region Sanctuary Coalition, which monitors ICE activity in the region, a pair of ICE vehicles surrounded a car in front of Albany Strength Gym, next door to Earthworld, around 8:17 a.m. on March 19. ICE agents then approached the car, and an individual who was inside the car was detained. A photo accompanying the notice shows at least two agents — one wearing an olive ‘Police’ tactical vest — interacting with a car outside the gym’s front window.

“So we thought, ‘How can we use our platform with Free Comic Book Day to help those that might need help?’ He decided to turn the centerpiece of the shop’s biggest day of the year… into a fundraiser for another Albany neighbor, the West Hill Refugee Welcome Center.”

Headlocked Comics

“Glindmyer said the shop will have $20 tote bags for sale on Free Comic Book Day… featuring the cover image from a comic written by Clifton Park-based creator Michael Kingston, owner of Headlocked Comics, a wrestling-oriented comics publisher. Created by artist Michel Mulipola, the image features a hulking, masked figure based on professional wrestler Brody King, wearing a costume with “Abolish ICE” across the chest. All revenue from sales of the bag will go to the West Hill refugee assistance programs.

“Locally based comic artist John Hebert, who has illustrated a long list of Marvel Comics’ series over the years, will also create an original piece of art for the event that will be auctioned off to benefit the WHRWC. Hebert will be in attendance at Earthworld throughout Free Comic Book Day.” I helped work on a comic book for FantaCo, Sold Out, with John Hebert many moons ago.