"I have touch'd the highest point of all my greatness: And from that full meridian of all my glory, I haste now to my setting." (Henry VIII)

Since the lady of the house has gone out to lunch with her sister and a childhood friend recently rediscovered, I've been left alone to ponder a subject for my blog...well, not really my blog. I've been retired here now for almost 26 years...hard to believe. I was just a kid when I bought my condo...age 58. Now you can do the math about where I am now. I've also been married to Rhoda for 25 years, and I have to admit I was under a lucky star or some mistletoe or something when I met her. Not only has she been the absolute epitome of what a wife should be, she has also been my best friend. Never mind about pondering about a blog...so many events have happened during my retirement, it's been like a whole life in itself. We've witnessed the births of several new babies in her family and mine; barmitzvahs and batmitzvahs; a couple (or more) of weddings; the tragedy of Rich Higgins, my son-in-law; the naming of the USS HIGGINS for him; Hurricane Wilma; the very late awards of two Distinguished Flying Crosses and eleven Air Medals for my WWII service; the Dedication of a National Cemetery; my performances in several Broadway musicals--(not on Broadway, but in our clubhouse, in case you were wondering); and my publication of five books. Yes, five. Also, I learned how to play Canasta; and we've been on several cruises. It's been quite a ride!

But now the time has come to get realistic about the inevitable in a life. I'm not the same guy that I was when I first came down to Florida. I was in first rate physical shape even without human growth hormones. I had just run in two 26 mile marathons. I was running or walking 5 miles a day. I was playing golf at least three times a week. But now I take medications for various conditions morning, noon and night. I have two internists, a neurologist, a pulmonologist, a psychologist, a psychiatrist, a podiatrist, a paleontologist, a dermatologist, an orthodontist, an astrologist, an ophthalmologist, a cardiologist, an anthropologist, and maybe a couple other "...ists" that I can't remember. I also now have a scooter so I can get around without having to walk too far in pain.

There you are. I have lived a full and eventful retirement so far; but now I'm "pondering" about what the future holds for me. What else can happen? I'm not physically exercising, but I'm keeping my brain sharp by writing, doing puzzles, playing games on the computer, and socializing with old friends and very fond new ones. Que sera, sera. Like Abou Ben Adam, I plan to be the very last WWII Vet. (If that happens, Rho will have to stock up on the Pampers.)

"Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow..." (Macbeth)

Today was Rhoda's bowling day; not too bad--she broke a 100+ three times. I never broke a 100--except on the golf course. My best score ever was at Glen Eagles, where one day I shot 74. That course is a real championship course just in case you were all wondering about that score. As a matter of fact, I was a 7 handicap for a couple of years. I don't play anymore, and I'd like to give a set of clubs to each of my sons so they can at least go to a driving range this summer. However, I went to mail a package to Bobby--really only a large envelope with contents that weighed hardly anything, and they charged me six bucks. I can't imagine what the cost would be to mail a set of golf clubs. And while I'm at it, gas is now $3.49 a gallon and I fear it won't stop there.

So far I haven't any comments about my choices for the Greatest No-Brainers in the History of the World, so I'll just venture into uncharted waters and mention a few more. Greatest Astronomer: Copernicus; Greatest Jewish Pirate: Jean LaFitte (see photo); Greatest Accidental Medical Discovery: X-Rays (Roentgen); Greatest Philosopher: Aristotle; Greatest Exploring Discovery: America (Columbus); Greatest Swindle: Sale of Manhattan Island. I'm probably not finished with this dialogue, but if you're tired of it, let me know.

Tonight we had a meeting of the "Boomers Club" of which we are members even though we are not really Boomers. Maybe more like Bumblers. However, since it was Game Night we participated and even won a couple of prizes. One of the games involved Word Jumbles where letters of words are jumbled and you have to figure out what the word is. There were 20 different jumbles and I manage to figure out 18 of them, and so I won some "play money". After all the games, we had fruit, cookies, and beverages served at our table.

"What a piece of work is a man! How noble in reason! How infinite in faculties!" (Hamlet)

The other day we got a postcard from FPL warning that power was going to be cut off today from 10 to 1pm. We were in a quandary as to what we were going to do for those three hours. Certainly we couldn't sit here in the dark without A/C or lights. I also had an MD appointment at 1. I told Rho that I had better cancel the appointment so that we would not have to be concerned about getting to the appointment, and that's what I did. Tentatively, we thought about just going to The Isle Casino, but we weren't too thrilled about gambling at 10am, so I suggested we find a movie that we could go to during those three hours without power. We did find that "Drillbit Taylor" was playing at 11:35 which was perfect, because then we could go for a leisurely breakfast, and then take in the movie. It was about three high school kids who were constantly threatened by a bully, so they "hired" a bodyguard who just happened to be a homeless guy who had gone AWOL from the army. I won't be so cruel as to say how it ended. But it did end and we headed for home at about 2:30. We learned that FPL didn't get to the job until noon, and then it only took an hour. Typical Florida timing. For dinner we dined on pizza.

If you've been reading these blogs lately, you know that I've been thinking about my choices for the "Greatest Whatever in History." So, today I'm going to select some "no brainers." You may not agree, but who cares?

Greatest in the History of the World:
Writer: (duh!)William Shakespeare;Wine Drinker: Eliyahu HaNavi (Elijah); Religious Leader: Mary's kid; Head of State: Abraham Lincoln; Military Man: Audie Murphy; Aviator: Charles Lindbergh; Athlete: Jim Thorpe; Golfer: Norman Ross (Pending); Madman: Adolph Hitler; Speaker: Marc Antony; Beauty: Helen of Troy; Hunk: Atlas; Explorer: Christopher Columbus; Scientist: Albert Einstein; Zoologist: Charles Darwin; Inventor: Thomas Edison; Poet: John Keats; Composer: Beethoven; Singers: Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand.

Those are enough for now. Next, perhaps, we'll think about the Greatest Discoveries in the History of the World. Who knows? Maybe we'll get on TV. Johnny Carson? Jerry Lester?

"All the world's a stage and all the men and women merely players." (AYLI)

Today Rhoda had no luncheon date and no date to lunch with any of her friends, relatives, or City of Hope members. Instead, she had a Canasta game scheduled in our kitchen. Unfortunately the venue had to be changed because the apartment underneath ours is being "re-modeled" and the noise of a hammer reverberates as though it were happening in our place. So, I suggested that she call the girls and switch the game to some other place where it would be quiet. Consequently the game is being played in the Clubhouse, and I'm here free to write my blog in silence because the hammering has stopped. I thought perhaps that I might go to a movie, but there is nothing showing that appeals to me. And speaking of movies I've got to nominate the Greatest Actor in the History of the World. So, let's get to it.



SUPER STAR DEFINITION - By our definition, a "Super Star" is a movie actor or actress who can "open" a movie, someone whose fans rush to see their latest film on opening weekend. They have a proven track record of box office hits. They are frequently household names. It also helps if they have gotten critical acclaim and/or Oscar nominations. A "Super Star" can be identified by his/her first name like "Mel" or Julia" or "Harrison." Of course, there have been many "character" actors such as Robert Duvall who are wonderful actors, but they do not qualify. If we go back aways to the Greek and Roman theaters, the actors wore masks so we do not know who they were, and the dialogue was somewhat stilted by authors like Aristophanes and Sophocles. Then there were the great actors, Edmund Kean and Will Kemp of Shakespeare and the Globe Theater...but actors in those days were mostly "declaimers". They would "orate" their lines.

In our lifetime, we have to include actors by our definition: Such as Laurence Olivier, Richard Burton, John Gielgud, Jack Nicholson, Humphrey Bogart, John Travolta, Tom Hanks, Dustin Hoffman, Al Pacino, and Marlon Brando. However my choice for the Greatest Actor in History is Charlie Chaplin. People can watch his films over and over again and never get tired of his antics.

Picking the Greatest Actress is a trickier problem. I like Ingrid Bergman, Jane Fonda, Meryl Streep, Helen Mirren, Judy Dench, and a host of others; but my first choice will be Kathryn Hepburn. She won three Oscars. Who has a better choice?



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"There are more things in Heaven and Earth...than are dreamt of in your philosophy." (Hamlet)

Just returned from the podiatrist. He took some tests last week including x-rays of my ankles and today he said they were full of arthritis. I don't really feel any problem with arthritis; just some "neuropathy" in the balls of my feet. It's like walking on some rolls of cotton underneath your toes. Not painful, but uncomfortable. Starting next Monday he said he wanted to start some treatment for the neuropathy. I'm not sure what the treatment will be, but I'll agree to it. What the hell; it's something to do.

Now, back to the important stuff--the Best Invention in the History of the World! Now, I'm not talking about "best discoveries"; that's another debate. And I'm not talking about mini-inventions like the mousetrap, the toothbrush, can openers, toilet paper holders, remote controls, I-Pods, trusses, Beanie Babies, or the bra for example. I want to nominate the greatest invention ever; the major criterion is that it has to be used all over the world and secondly, it has to have improved the quality of life. Someone mentioned "gravity"--but that is a discovery, not an invention. Now, the wheel was invented by a guy named Moishe Round, I believe...tho' I'm not sure. I think he was trying to find a way to make it easier for the Jews to lug the stones up to the pyramids

When we study the great inventions of the world, we find that they are either very simple, basic things like the wheel or very complex things like the computer. Some inventions were silly, some deadly serious, but even the inventions that were not successful were not all failures either. Each invention shed some light on the good intentions of the inventor and their quest to improve the quality of life.

In 1440, German inventor Johannes Gutenberg invented a printing press process that, with refinements and increased mechanization, remained the principal means of printing until the late 20th century. The inventor's method of printing from movable type, including the use of metal molds and alloys, a special press, and oil-based inks, allowed for the first time the mass production of printed books. It had a huge effect on religion after he printed the Bible and people had to learn to read in order to interpret the Holy Book for themselves. But was this the "Best Ever"? In 1871 Seth Wheeler obtained the first patent for Toilet Paper on a roll. Before that, in 1371 in China toilet paper was first used (by the Emperor) on sheets 2' x 3'. Must have been a very big Emperor. Now, this may be one of the silly ones, but think of the cost of dry cleaning has been saved.

Now, the great inventions must be considered of course: such as the Automobile (Karl Benz), the Airplane (Wright Bros.), Bifocals (B. Franklin), the Elevator (Otis), the Cotton Gin (Whitney), the Internet (Vinton Cerf), the Telephone (A.G. Bell), Television, and the World Wide Web (Tim Berner-Lee). But my choice for the Greatest Invention in the History of the World is the Electric Light Bulb which lit up the Planet and saved it from the fiery darkness. Thanks, Thomas. Now, next--who are the Greatest Actor and Actress in the History of the World? And your nominees? And will someone invent a better name for the award than "Oscar"?

"A plague of opinion! A man may wear it on both sides..." (Troilus & Cressida)

Guinness has it's world's records for everything; thus I've been thinking about establishing my own "bests" in the world...not records to be broken, but the "bests"...like the best car, the best plane, the best ball point pen, the best invention, the best condom, the best actor or actress (ever), the best writer, and so forth and so on. Right now, since I'm writing, I will decide what the best language is for writing--literature--like plays and novels, etc. Arabic and Hebrew are too esoteric and limited; Russian, also--though better than the latter two. Spanish and Italian are beautiful, but too many words end in vowels; nice for rhyming, but not for prose. German is too guttural and French too effeminate. Chinese and Japanese are OK for their citizens, but for us only OK on translated restaurant menus. And Greek is Greek to me. That leaves one great language for literature--English. Oh, I know that some good...even great...books and poetry have been written in other languages, but not to the extent and power of works created by writers in English. And while I'm at it, I am nominating the greatest writer in the history of the world--William Shakespeare. Have you a better? No way.

Speaking of restaurants (which I did) what is the greatest and best food in the world. I'm setting up the criteria as the most tasty and delicious--comfort food; not necessarily the "healthiest". So let's go back a thousand years. How about "manna"? Raw fish or meat? Drumsticks? Matzoh? No. None of these. The "best" will be in one of the 21st Century foods. I don't think it would be hummus or filafel. Spaghetti and meatballs? Possibly. Outback steak? Hardly. Nathan's hot dogs and fries? Now there's a tempting one. Chocolate ice cream? That's a dessert. No. The very best food on the face of the earth, comes from the sea--lobster; the bigger the better. Have you a better? No way.

Meanwhile think about the Best Invention in the History of theWorld. I'll tackle that one tomorrow. But you can comment first if you choose to.