Ramblin’ with Roger 2012 Random Year in Review

Hey, it was HOT out.

My blogger buddy and near-twin Gordon, the only non-local blogger I ever met in person (2008 in Chicago) always does this thing whereby he randomly selects a blog post from each month in the past year, and does a single post that serves as a “year in review”. As these are random selections – I even use a random number generator to pick the post and the line – I’m not sure how representative these are, but what the hey.

January – Will the advent of the talkies mean the end of his career, in favor of younger talent, such as the pretty extra Peppy Miller (Argentinian-French actress Bérénice Bejo)? My review of the movie The Artist.

February – Here, then, is Salon’s Who’s the worst president of them all? My Presidents Day post.

March – Or maybe it’s just that these dudes want women to shut the hell up, particularly about issues that primarily impact women. A political rant, so VERY rare.

April – One library vendor decided, after the fact, that library patrons can only take out an e-book, I believe, 28 times, because that’s some average book circulation number. In answer to a question by Jaquandor, a technology rant.

May – (Although I was REALLY hoping she wouldn’t opt for the hyphenated choice; after a while, when Mary Smith-Wesson marries John Smith-Jones, and she -or they – become the Smith-Wesson=Smith-Jones family, it can get cumbersome.) My Mother’s Day post; the “she” is my wife Carol.

June – During the House committee hearings on impeachment, Republican House member William Cohen of Maine’s looked pained as he recognized his President’s failings. An ABC Wednesday post about Watergate.

July – The fact that a larger pool of consumers, historically, has lowered the costs of goods and services. Answering Amy’s question about health care.

August – The people of the congregation were all dressed with expensive clothes and fine jewelry. One of the very few times I stole a post from an e-mail. Hey, it was HOT out.

September – We’d been to their wedding only a few years earlier. A day in the life.

October – Ever since I was old enough to discern things independently of what my teachers taught me, I’ve been utterly fascinated by Columbus Day.

November – On either side, there are possibly more people than what the properties are zoned for, though I couldn’t prove it. Neighbors.

December – Then some major holiday the week after that.
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I note that http://byzantiumshores.blogspot.com/2012/12/best-of-2012.html Jaquandor does a great job in his year in review. I could put together such an extensive retrospective list – what movies I saw, which books I read. I have a difficult time spending a long time looking back in a strict annual way.

Dustbury on Patti Page.

Random People with Birthdays on March 7

1953 Roger Green, librarian, blogger

Pictured: Franco Harris and Lynn Swann (with Terry Bradshaw), Hall of Famers all, from the 1970s Pittsburgh Steelers

1980 Laura Prepon, actress
1974 Jenna Fisher, actress
1970 Rachel Weisz, actress
1968 Jeff Kent, baseball infielder
1968 Ricky Proehl, NFL wide receiver
1967 Zheng Haixia, WNBA center (Los Angeles Sparks)
1966 Jeff Feagles, NFL punter
1966 Mel Rojas, baseball pitcher
1965 Steve Beuerlein, NFL quarterback
1964 Wanda Sykes, comedian
1962 Taylor Dayne, singer
1961 Mary Beth Evans, actress
1960 Ivan Lendl, tennis pro
1960 Joe Carter, baseball outfielder
1954 Matt Frenette, rock drummer ( Loverboy)
1953 Roger Green, librarian, blogger
1952 Ernie Isley, vocalist and guitarist
1952 Lynn Swann, NFL receiver
1950 Franco Harris, NFL fullback
1946 Matthew Fisher, rock keyboardist (Procol Harum)
1946 Peter Wolf, rock singer (J Geils Band)
1945 John Heard, actor
1944 Townes Van Zandt, musician
1943 Chris White, rock bassist (Zombies)
1942 Michael Eisner, former Disney honcho
1942 Tammy Faye Bakker, television personality
1940 Daniel J. Travanti, actor (Hill St. Blues)
1934 King Curtis, rocker
1934 Willard Scott, weather forecaster
1930 James Broderick, actor
1930 Lord Snowdon, Anthony Armstrong-Jones, photographer
1908 Anna Magnani, actress,
1875 Maurice Joseph Ravel, composer (Bolero)
1849 Luther Burbank, horticulturist
1659 Henry Purcell, organist/composer

Let’s talk about me

So what two characteristics do you think are most like me?

Of course, everything in this blog, one way or another, is about me.

But I admit to being utterly fascinated by tests that supposedly explain me. For instance, at my last work conference, the speaker gave us a test to see what our individual communication styles are. The choices were:

Driver (dominant, bottom line, panther)
Expressive (influencing, needs interaction, peacock)
Amiable (steady, wants nice & fair, dolphin)
Analytical (careful, detailed, owl)

So what two characteristics do you think are most like me?
Take your cursor over the info below and block it to read. I’ll also put these in the answers 24 hours from now.

I picked expressive and analytical.

The test picked amiable (48 points), expressive (39); analytical got 10 points, and driver got 1..

Discuss.

OH, and if you want the code for whiting out the text, let me know that too.

I got nothing. Well, except…

Interview of me in Monday’s (Albany, NY) Times Union

I’m just getting back in town from our annual work conference. The Internet connection was not the fastest in te world, let’s just say.

But hey, you can read this interview of me in Monday’s (Albany, NY) Times-Union. Or you can read my intro to last week’s ABC Wednesday blog.

Somebody asked me about whether I had any insight re: last week’s “end of the world” pronouncement. The answer is no. But I am totally mystifed why this particular blowhard got such play; I just don’t get it. At least the December 2012 Mayan thing, I’d been hearing about for a while; the coverage of this one caught me by surprise, given his previous (lack of) success with such projections. I never mentioned the recent declaration in this, or any other blog, previously because I had nothing to add.

That said, I appreciated the insight of a buddy of mine, who e-mailed, “In a twisted sort of way, the Rapture flap reminds me of this episode of The Twilight Zone. “

(Photos courtesy of the TU)

Natal day, again

On a birthday we do not say: “Thanks for what you did, or said, or accomplished.” No, we say: “Thank you for being born and being among us.”

I take my birthday off from work each year, and today is no exception. Likewise, the blog.

I have, in the past, and will again this year, quote a section from one of my favorite books, Here and Now: Living in the Spirit by Henri J.M. Nouwen, a Canadian theologian who died in 1996. (Copyright 1994, published by The Crossroad Publishing Company.)

I share this passage about birthdays, not only for my sake but, I hope, for yours as well:

Birthdays need to be celebrated. I think it is more important to celebrate a birthday than a successful exam, a promotion, or a victory. Because to celebrate a birthday means to say to someone: “Thank you for being you.” Celebrating a birthday is exalting life and being glad for it. On a birthday we do not say: “Thanks for what you did, or said, or accomplished.” No, we say: “Thank you for being born and being among us.”

Celebrating a birthday reminds us of the goodness of life, and in this spirit, we really need to celebrate people’s birthdays every day, by showing gratitude, kindness, forgiveness, gentleness, and affection. These are ways of saying: “It’s good that you are alive; it’s good that you are walking with me on this earth. Let’s be glad and rejoice. This is the day that God has made for us to be and to be together.

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