Giuseppe Verdi . Knew of him , now know the name of his NABUCCO opera. Will drop that when trying to impress high brow music types
Pancho Villa. The bin laden of his day after he attacked Columbus New Mexico in 1916 .A friend's grandfather from Hungary only in the USA for a month joined the army and ended up in the hunt for Villa. He had no idea about where he was or who Villa was , who Mexicans were . Also a Mexican immigrant I bartended with for fun put a photo of Villa up in the bar with photos of lowlifes we were told to watch out for . Seeing Pancho on the wall a female bartender added a photo of her ex husband who wasn't paying child support .
Barbie .A iconic toy but according to some feminists propaganda aimed at girls to make them sex objects/anorexics
Yuri Gargarin .New, a brave man & real explorer.
Menachem Begin .Complicated guy . From what I read a racist murderer like the Nazi's .In 1948 had a village of 500 some Palestinians all murdered and in 1982 like now in Gaza invaded Lebanon murdering tens of 000's of innocent people including several entire refuge camps .However signed a peace deal with Egypt that is still holding which is very good.
James Levine .Stayed at the hotel where I worked in Louisville
Am still thrilled about yesterday's post seeing how I had a connection with Julius & Ethel Rosenberg even though it is thru the Judge Fred Vinson who helped send them to the chair
1965 Selma .A great day for the civil rights movement .Was not spontaneous but planned and the organizers knew there wud be trouble . A white Protestant minister was killed by the police for helping the black protestors.
Thomas Garrigue Masaryk .Quite a name !From what I read the only democratically elected leader between Switzerland and the USA /Canada in the 1930's .Also was i the USA teaching at the University of Chicago where one of my hero's President Obama also taught .Found he had helped a Jewish guy falsely accused of murder
Anna Magnani. Another earthy Mediterranean women like yesterday's Melina Mercouri !
Anthony Armstrong - Jones.The royal family sure gets some wild ones doesn't it ?
Saint Thomas Aquinas . Interesting man .
Stanley Kubrick .Has made some famous movies , EYES WIDE SHUT was strange but kept your attention .
We had a good bye party for my associate Marcus .He and the wonderful woman he met out here are going home to bigger & better things .Good for them
Some may recall Marcus from last year when I mentioned while in Seoul South Korea for work we went to the DMZ border between South Korea and psychotic North Korea that included getting a picture at the same spot his grandfather stood in a photo of him then a soldier in the Korean War . With help from a some American and South Korean soldiers we found the exact spot and took a picture of Marcus there. It turned out to be a huge deal for Marcus and his family back in the USA
The other woman on the team and I later went out with 2 of the American officers who helped us
The Alamo .Texans really Americans massacred trying to break free of Mexico .In the end Texas won and 10 years later the USA beat Mexico in another war and took in Texas. But the Mexicans won in the end since today all around the Alamo in Houston is full of Mexicans and they won't speak English and hate gringo's
Julius & Ethel Rosenberg .Soviet spies who were caught & executed . A personal connection .The Chief Judge of the US Supreme court Fred Vinson and moi are from Louisa Kentucky , population 3,000 .He refused to block the Rosenberg's execution sending them to the electric chair . In such a small town my ancestors must have known him or his family . Especially since his father was the Sheriff or jailer and the Lawrence County jailhouse has always been a second home for men in my family
Michelangelo . A genius . My neck got very sore from looking at his painting on the Sistine Chapel in Rome but it was worth it.
Woodstock . A sacred event to Boomers .I wud not have liked being at a huge concert in the rain with no bathroom .
Napoleon Bonaparte . A hot topic here at the mostly expat filled apartment building I live in . Some of my French neighbors are up in arms about the Hollywood movie about him .Really too emotional ! To me only a movie and to retaliate advised my French neighbors to make a French movie about some American President or someone like Elvis
Kabul falls. A guy I went to high school with was killed there earlier .In the army , had no idea where Afghanistan was but died there. A sad thing .
Miriam Makeba . Someone new and I loved her PATA PATA
I have not heard of Lorie Morgan moi, well, I have now , just watched her singing 'Except for Monday' on you tube, very beautiful lady with a great strong voice.
You will be a great mother when it happens, and with your ambition and determination I am sure it will, it is only March, you still have another nine months to achieve that goal .
Is there anyone in your past you look back with an 'if only ' longing? Someone who had the qualities and character you are looking for to be a long term partner and parent with you?
Thanks !
Am happy you liked Lorie Morgan .We may have our own WOMEN"S THOUGHTS musical exchange going . Shaliby alerted me to the great Juliette Greco and now I have spread the word about Lorie Morgan .
Someone from the past ? 10 years ago I got to be friends with a guy who studied by me . One afternoon of passion but since we were both involved with other people we decided to keep it friendship .I even went to his wedding . Last month saw he's now an MD in area where Doc's like him make an average of $250,000 a year . I could kick myself
Star Spangled Banner chosen as national anthem in 1931 .When I was working in Beijing in 2012 at an election we burst out singing it when Barack Obama was elected
Herge .I remember Tintin cartoons on HBO , very European.
Albert Sabin .A great man!
Gandhi .A major influence on Martin Luther King back home
Good you have a routine that gives you control in your life
Wake-up .Put coffee on , take a shower & do make up, get dressed .Drink coffee and have something to eat .Got to work usually in a taxi .Some superficial socializing with fellow tenants in the lobby .
Come home from work usually in another taxi . Change from work clothes ( a dress or skirt ) into a Tee & running shorts or cut offs .Merlot & a microwave dinner . Check the computer & watch tv .
Sometimes it all gets so exciting worry I will burst into flames !!!!!
Salem witch trials . Give the right wing religious fanatics backing trump the chance we will have them again !
Yellowstone Park ........Visiting there is the dream of millions of Americans .To me "so what "? Name of a popular TV series.
Lindbergh kidnapping . He was such an evil person ( Nazi) you have to wonder if he & his wife ( also a Nazi) were their child's real killers ?
Stalin dies. Truly evil person , just read how he wasn't a real Russian but from Georgia and spoke Russian badly .
Watergate scandal . You can drive right by the building . It popped up later in the Clinton /Monica Lewinsky scandal since Monica lived there.
Harry Belafonte .Stayed where I worked in Louisville Ky Didn't meet him but then a bartender served his managers drinks .
Glen Miller. I love his MOONLIGHT SERANADE , puts you in the mood for romance .
Ron Howard .Ritchie from HAPPY DAYS and Opie from THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW .He has probably been on tv every day someplace in the USA for the last 60 years .
Yitzhak Rabin . Maybe if he had lived there wud have been a 2 state solution and nothing like the disaster now ?
Gabrielle D' Annunzio .That's the most Italian name I've ever heard Surprised he was male.
3. Did you have any New Year good intentions, what were they and have you achieved/are achieving them?
Keep my job , get back into tennis. So far so good. Also finding a spouse & have a baby , no luck .
4. Do you have a favourite signature perfume...what is it?
No 5
5. What keeps you awake at night
Nightmares about the past especially childhood and losing my job
6. If you had a whole day to totally please yourself, what would you do?
Riding the Star Ferry around Hong Kong .Could be watching old movies or a binging a good TV series ......... sex, drinking ...... listening in or being part of a good conversation 7. What are you most proud of about yourself? Am alive after doing many stupid things and being treated like dirt by people who I cared about .My BA , MBA , working overseas , senses of curiosity & humor
8. Is there a time when you did something so out of character that your closest chums wouldn't believe it? Yes but in reverse My friends from the past have always been surprised I didn't end up a hooker or junkie with several kids with several fathers like my sisters
Work and meeting of the 5:30PM Club .That is a group of mostly American expats but with people from other English speaking countries often there. The meetings are actually parties at rotating bars the first Friday of every month .People come to socialize, be with fellow Americans , drink , network , find an SO or at least partner for the nite , and drink some more .
Tonite I took 2 of my 3 new people ( the gay guy didn't want to come ) and introduced them around .Both were stunned by the presence of 6 Filipino women we call the Manila Honeys . All in their 2's and gorgeous, dressed to kill. On the look out for what they see as a rich American bf or even husband who will take them to the USA to live a life of luxury .Also meeting fellow Americans et al .
My new co-workers had fun .Gigi was hit on by a good looking Australian guy who explained the difference between Australian and New Zealand accents with her pretending to care since he was so gorgeous . While Sean got caught up in a definitely male conversation about the last Superbowl . I TT some airline people who lots of interesting things to say .
Pope Benedict resigns . Interesting , popes usually die in office. I was in the process of becoming a Roman Catholic so it was confusing to me, wondered if the church was going out of business ?
Olof Palme .New to me .I see the first world leader to call for justice for the Palestinians and because of that he may have been killed by the israeli's or supporters . Tragic.
Brian Jones. Another new to me , OMG the ROLLING SYONES have ben around forever .Hard to think of them as being young like Brian Jones was when he died.
Vincente Minnelli . New too , married to the insane Judy Garland and Liza Minnelli's father .
Galileo and the Catholic Church fighting .The war between science and religion continues to this day ! The teaching of evolution is a red hot topic with many fundamentalist Protestant religions in the USA .
Egypt & Israel make peace, start diplomatic relations . Great event , if the israeli's were only so smart as to do that with the Palestinians today things like October 7th attacks & the holocaust going on now in Gaza could be prevented .
Levi Strauss. The greatest clothes designer in his tory , blue jeans are still popular over a century after he invented the m in the 1840's.