Liberality

I keep wondering why people write letters to the editor of their newspapers complaining that they are "ultra-liberal" and unfair to whom or whatever are their own choices. If they don't like the newspaper they're reading, why don't they subscribe to one more to their liking? Personally, I don't mind if the paper I read is "liberal". I find that word much more comforting than "conservative." What's so bad about "liberal"? For example, if your sister or mother or wife or father, etc. is icing a newly baked cake, I prefer saying, "Be a little liberal with the chocolate, if you don't mind." It sounds a lot better for the success of the cake rather than asking the icer to be "conservative" with the chocolate--don't you think? Another example: If you're a teacher and a student hands in a commendable essay, it would not be inappropriate if you are somewhat more liberal with your praise than you are conservative--don't you think? Also, as a parent, perhaps you could be a little more liberal with the keys to the car should your teenage son or daughter is in need of it. It seems to me then, that "liberal" should not be such a pejorative term as some conservatives make it out to be. Even the pledge of allegiance ends with "...one nation, indivisible, with liberal and justice for all"--don't you think?

I'm satisfied that Barack Obama is a liberal president elect who is a graduate of Columbia College, and thus any alumni should be happy and proud of that. I am--although not an alumni of the college, I'm still an alumni of Columbia University. In 1947, most students who went to the College were high school graduates, and WWII veterans, under the GI Bill, went to the School of General Studies--and if they wanted to teach, took their masters at Columbia Teachers' College. The curriculum at the School of General Studies was much more liberal and flexible than that of the College. I had a great education there. My good friend and colleague, Phil Bergovoy graduated from the College--but I don't think he is of the "liberal" persuasion. However, no one is more liberal with his friendship and loyalty than he is to me.

By the way, the dictionary defines "liberal" as "generous, bountiful, not narrow in opinion or judgment." That's good enough for me.

"And nothing comes from nothing..." (The Sound of Music)

One of the funniest shows that I've seen on TV was the "Seinfeld" show with Jerry, George, Kramer, and Elaine; and one of the most laughable, if memory serves me correctly--and I'm somewhat short on that commodity--was one episode in which Jerry and George were proposing to a TV producer that they do a show on "NOTHING". And that is exactly what this blog will be about; but perhaps not so funny. I have heard nothing about my Aunt Belle because information is not forthcoming from my two cousins, Jerry and Ronny. Nevertheless we are making a charitable donation to the City of Hope in her honor, and a Certificate to that effect will be sent to the boys. Yesterday, I went to the VA Medical Center for a dental appointment and underwent a couple of fillings in a couple of teeth that remain in my mouth. Of course, since it was the VA, and I'm a veteran, the cost to me was nothing. I can't imagine how much I have saved on dental bills since I moved to Florida. Not only have I saved on dental bills, but my hearing aids have also cost me nothing. The nurse said that the aids, privately, would cost about $6000. At that price there would be nothing worth hearing.

There has been way too much pressure on me to renew my walking-in-water therapy, and although I believe it will do virtually nothing for me, I have agreed to dive into it once more just so certain people will have nothing more to say. However, this cannot happen until January because we are going on a cruise from Dec. 17 to Dec. 27. When we return we will get a prescription from our doctor to start the therapy in January. So, nothing more can be done this year because the therapy is supposed to be administered three times a week according to Medicare. But I'll only be able to do it twice a week in January owing to the fact that I have decided to reopen my class aptly titled, "Fun With Shakespeare." I'll be teaching "Hamlet" where something is rotten in the state of Denmark. Something like what is going on in this country, although Sen. McCain offered his opinion that nothing was amiss. The fee will be $37.50 which is practically nothing considering the fact that I'm a professional and come cheaper than an MD for an hour and a half.

And so this 85 year old man goes into a bar to meet a friend, and the friend asked where this old guy had been for the past five months. The old guy says, "Well, I was accused of rape, and when I went before the judge, I felt so good and proud about the charge that I pleaded 'guilty'."

"Then what?" asked the friend.

"Well, the judge gave me five months in jail."

"For rape?"

"No. For perjury."

So, he got five months for NOTHING. And Red Baron's readers got NOTHING to read today, no thanks to Jerry Seinfeld.

"Death, a necessary end, will come when it will come." (Julius Caesar)

This morning I awoke to the news that my Aunt Belle passed away last night. This was very disturbing news to me for she was my last aunt to be alive, and my favorite. She leaves two sons, Jerry and Ronnie. Jerry, as a very young man was attacked by polio and has been in a wheel chair ever since. He's over 70 right now and has lived longer than doctors expected. He married a lady many years ago who had one son. My aunt's other son, Ronald lives here in Florida with his third wife. He was divorced from his first, and his second wife died of cancer. Aunt Belle lived in Boca Raton in a condo right on the ocean on the 19th floor. What a beautiful sight from her terrace. My aunt was over 90 years old and she will be missed.

Of course there was a time in my life when I had the good fortune of knowing all my aunts and uncles, and I had many of them. My mother had three brothers and two sisters all of whom married and provided me with additional uncles and aunts, and eventually a cornucopia of cousins of various sexes. My father had one brother and a sister both of whom married and had children. My Uncle Morris, my father's brother, married Celia, a Catholic girl and all their children--I believe there were eight of them--were brought up as Catholics maintaining the name of Rosenberg! I am still in touch with one of them who lives in the Atlantic Highlands in New Jersey--namely Peter Rosenberg--a very fond nephew of my mother. But as life would have it, I did live to see every one of my aunts and uncles die, and my Aunt Belle, who was married to my mother's brother, was the last of them. And so I am left with a myriad of cousins who are scattered over the country and dot the landscapes as a legacy of their parents. I do love them all--even though I have no clue as to where many of are.

Now tonight, we are celebrating at dinner my friend and neighbor's 85th birthday; and so, as fate would have it, I will have to bear this day with sadness and joy. It will be difficult.

"Speak the speech, I pray you, trippingly on the tongue..." (Hamlet)

Yesterday we went to the most dreadful, deplorable, dismal, atrocious, woeful, abominable, execrable, pitiable show I've ever seen, been a witness to, or sat through. It was called "Noises Off," but I would suggest that a number of loud boos to put on some noise from the audience wouldn't have been inappropriate. The actors kept running up and down stairs to an upper level with four doors, ran in and out of the doors there and also opened and closed several doors on the lower level of what supposedly was the inside of a large house. Their lines were delivered with loud English accents and Rho and I couldn't understand a word we heard. It was wise of the playwright to provide two intermissions--one of 15 minutes, the other at 10. This gave ticket holders time to get to the rest rooms to throw up before returning to their seats for additional punishment of observing the actors coming in and out of all the doors and slamming them closed. It was a farce, but a damnable poor one. The Marx brothers would have been a sight better. We have tickets to three more shows in the series at this theatre, and hopefully there will be an improvement. I'm looking forward to "Evita". I expect it won't be done in Spanish. And one more problem; perhaps the man who sits in front of me will be guillotined in the interim so that I can at least see the action.

On Friday night we went to "Karaoke Night" in the clubhouse. For some unknown reason we belong to the Boomers' Club who were sponsoring the evening. After some club business and reports and information about future events, the Karaoke host--a hired professional with professional Karaoke equipment--his aid, a young lady, played dance music and many "Boomers" took advantage of it. Then the host played a few line dances and Rhoda got the chance to do some exercise. Finally, the Karaoke part of the program got under way. There were about 300 people there and every table had a book with all the songs in alphabetical order with little pieces of paper for those who had motives to sing to write down the title of their song. I got to sing my "signature" song, "If I Were a Rich Man". The problem was that several lines in the middle of the song were left out, and as the words on the screen reached that point it skipped the lines and went to the lyrics that come after them, so I was thrown off for a few seconds, but I finished on time. No. There were no prizes, just a string of Mardi Gras beads.

Well, Obama, the right man was finally elected and Thanksgiving is on the horizon. And then in December, the cruise, and Hanukkah, and Christmas, and who knows what else? The Fates are in charge of all this. And for those who are not familiar with these hags--they are three Greek Goddesses of Destiny and Fate. Otherwise known as the Moirae, these timeless old hags weave the threads of destiny that control your life. The original spin doctors. They are: CLOTHO who spins the Thread of Life, LACHESIS who allots the length of the yarn, and ATROPOS who does the snip (the final one). All the good and evil that befalls you is woven into your destiny and cannot be altered even one jot. You may find this a little unfair, but there's not much you can do about it. Even the rest of the Greek Gods cannot escape their destinies.