Author: nostalgicitalian

I'm just a guy who likes the classics. I love Old Time Radio Shows. I love Classic TV. I love Classic Movies. I love songs from the "Great American Songbook". I dig songs from the first decade of Rock and Roll. Don't get me wrong, I am not opposed to newer things. My musical taste ranges from Classical to Classic Rock and Country to Rap. I love a good book and am always looking for something to read. I tend to lean toward historical fiction, biographies, mysteries, and more. I have always believed that our past (and the things we've experienced in it) make us who we are today. That being said, after reading through some old My Space blogs (yeah, that's about how long it's been since I blogged regularly), I decided that I should once again write. Welcome to my blog. I hope you find it interesting, thought provoking, and entertaining in some way. CONTACT ME AT - nostalgicitalian@yahoo.com

Book Recommendation – The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife

“You’ll never regret being kind even when people aren’t kind to you.”

The truth quoted above is just one of many I found inside my latest read. I added it to my “Want to read” list after seeing the title. “Borrowed life” intrigued me. Author Anna Johnston was new to me as well. I wasn’t sure what to expect.

The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife began to show up in blogs I follow, on a list of books whose titles all follow the “The _________ _______ of Character Name” format, and then as a Goodreads suggestion. The suggestion read: “For readers of Remarkably Bright Creatures and A Man Called Ove,” both of which I really enjoyed.

The book had me laughing and crying at times. There are so many things in the book that I could relate to. Despite the main character, Frederick, doing some pretty unbelievably insane things, he is very likable. You understand why he is doing what he is doing, and pull for him. I’m jumping ahead here. Before I go further, let me give you the Goodreads synopsis:

For readers of Remarkably Bright Creatures and A Man Called Ove, a warm, life-affirming debut about a zany case of mistaken identity that allows a lonely old man one last chance to be part of a family.

‘Would you mind terribly, old boy, if I borrowed the rest of your life? I promise I’ll take excellent care of it.’

Frederick Fife was born with an extra helping of kindness in his heart. If he borrowed your car, he’d return it washed with a full tank of gas. The problem is there’s nobody left in Fred’s life to borrow from. At eighty-two, he’s desperately lonely, broke, and on the brink of homelessness. But Fred’s luck changes when, in a bizarre case of mistaken identity, he takes the place of grumpy Bernard Greer at the local nursing home. Now he has warm meals in his belly and a roof over his head—as long as his poker face is in better shape than his prostate and that his look-alike never turns up.

Denise Simms is stuck breathing the same disappointing air again and again. A middle-aged mom and caregiver at Bernard’s facility, her crumbling marriage and daughter’s health concerns are suffocating her joy for life. Wounded by her two-faced husband, she vows never to let a man deceive her again.

As Fred walks in Bernard’s shoes, he leaves a trail of kindness behind him, fueling Denise’s suspicions about his true identity. When unexpected truths are revealed, Fred and Denise rediscover their sense of purpose and learn how to return a broken life to mint condition.

Bittersweet and remarkably perceptive, The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife is a hilarious, feel-good, clever novel about grief, forgiveness, redemption, and finding family.

Through a series of mishaps and misunderstandings, lonely Frederick suddenly finds himself amongst some very unique people at the nursing home. He is quick to be nice to everyone he meets there. He befriends patients and staff, many of whom cannot believe the change in personality of “Bernard.”

Many of the situations he finds himself in will have you laughing out loud. The kindness and compassion Fred extends to everyone will warm your heart. The struggle and guilt Frederick feels inside with each day at the nursing home will break your heart. Then there are situations that make you wonder just how he’s going to get out of the mess he’s created.

I don’t want to give too much away, so I will just say that this book is simply wonderful! It is definitely one of the best books I have read this year. I was surprised that this is Anna Johnston’s debut novel. She did such an amazing job of expressing the various feelings that characters were experiencing. I felt the anger, the grief, the disbelief, and the happiness right along with them. That doesn’t happen very often for me.

This incredible story is one that I will remember for a very long time.

5 out of 5 stars.

Getting Closer …

I suppose every state (or country for that matter) has their own weather quirks. Here in Michigan, the weather is a subject of humor almost daily. There is a plethora of funny cartoons/memes about that very subject. Here are a few of my favorites:

Alas, Spring is trying to get here. We had a few nice days this week, but it was still a bit chilly. All the kids had to see was that it was sunny and they wanted outside.

Before they went out, they had been playing in the “dress-up” bin. Ella was in her Skye from Paw Patrol outfit, while Andrew was Cat Boy from PJ Masks. They wanted to go out and ride their bikes, scooters and electric car. They didn’t even take off their outfits. Instead, they played out in the front of the house in them. One can only imagine what folks thought as they drove by.

The Cat Boy mask has a see through blue plastic window. I am almost positive that Andrew had it twisted upside down because the mask didn’t look like it fit him properly.

Another sign that spring and summer are coming is that the baseball teams are practicing out on the field behind our house. I love when they practice. The kids usually play on the swings or in the sandbox while I watch the practice.

I don’t remember seeing it last year, but they actually have a pitching machine this year. It’s kind of funny to watch because the coach acts like he is going to throw the ball and when his arm comes down, he drops the ball in the machine. I thought this was weird until I heard him tell the batter “When my arm get’s up here, that’s when you gear up to swing.” Ok, makes sense now.

In all the years I have watched the practices, the batters have always used the aluminum bats. Summer is full of the “Tink” sounds of the ball hitting the bat. At this particular practice, I was surprised to hear the sound of the ball hitting a wooden bat. Oh, how I know that sound!

When we would play ball every day in the summer as kids, we never used aluminum bats. We’d have 10-12 wooden bats of different lengths and with different players autographs etched into the bat. When the ball would hit the sweet spot, it made such a glorious sound!

Detroit Tiger legend and announcer George Kell

There were about 4-5 kids out of 15-16 on the field that used a wooden bat to hit with. When they connected, that ball would launch over the fielder’s heads. I am anxious to see just how many use them in games this spring/summer.

Whether we decide to take a trip out of town or just sit in lawn chairs watching high school baseball, I am SO looking forward to nice weather.

Friday Photo Flashback – Pops

Tomorrow marks the 31st anniversary of my paternal grandfather’s passing. My maternal grandfather passed away 13 years earlier and taught me that those near and dear to me won’t be here forever. Because of that, I became very close to my paternal grandfather.

I have blogged about him and the special relationship we had in the past. I was devastated when he passed away. I find myself quoting him and thinking of him a lot.

My dad posted a picture of him on social media last week. He said he was thinking about his dad. He had posted a picture of him, my grandma, my great aunt and my great grandma. I went to a folder on my hard drive looking for that picture to post, but instead I stumbled on another photo.

The photo is of my grandpa and my dad when he was younger. They are sitting on a couch together. My dad and I look a lot alike today, but there are photos of him as a kid where he looks like me, too. The picture of him and my grandpa reminded me that there was a similar picture of me and him together. Coincidentally, it is also taken while we sit on a couch.

I found each of these separate, and seeing them side by side for the first time is really neat. There is no doubt that big eyebrows run in the family!

One day I will have to go back and dig deeper into these pictures and talk about the stuff in the background. For now, it is all about “Pops.” I truly miss him.

A-I-A-I Oh!

Last week social media was flooded with AI generated pictures of people’s “action figures.” You basically upload a picture of yourself and ask AI to generate it with whatever accessories you want. And while there were memes making fun of everyone doing this, I had to try it for myself.

This made me laugh out loud. It also got me wondering what else it could do. I asked it to make me and Larry from the Three Stooges doctors.

They got Larry’s hair right, but not so much the face.

Then I asked it to make me and Moe from the Three Stooges mechanics.

This was a bit closer. The face is a bit off, and I have no idea why they have my name as Chris here. I figured they’d get better as I kept going.

So I asked it to make me and Dean Martin singing a duet.

This is actually pretty good. Dean’s eyes are a bit off, but I was impressed. The best one of them all though was when I asked it to make me having a nice pasta dinner with Frank Sinatra.

All that’s missing are the pinky rings! I was totally blown away by this one. I have a few more ideas I want to try with a few other celebrities. If they are worth posting, I’ll share them.

The Music of My Life – 2020-2025

Last May I began this feature. Today, I will finish it off by looking at 2020 through the present. As I got closer to the end, it became difficult for me to pick ten songs from each year. Proof of this will be evident from this post.

The songs that I featured each year had to connect with me in some way. It was attached to a core memory. Maybe it reminded me of one of my kids or a friend. Maybe it was a song from my years DJing. Maybe it was just a song that I liked a lot. The only real rule was that it had to be released in the year featured. With that in mind, let’s see how the last five years of music connects with me….

2020

There were no songs that really hit me in 2020. Thank you, Covid

2021

The world was still reeling from the pandemic. There was so much uncertainty. Many folks reconnected with their faith, as I did. I went back and watched the Bible classes I had taken. There I found comfort and the strength to get through things.

I want to say that a friend of mine asked if I had ever heard the song “My Jesus” before. I hadn’t and I found it online. It hit me immediately and I shared it with my wife. It is a powerful song, but even more powerful when you hear the story behind it.

Anne Wilson’s life changed in more ways than one when her older brother, Jacob, died in a car accident at 23. She told songfacts.com: “It was so tragic. He was my best friend. That’s actually how I started singing and how I got into music and that’s why I wrote the song ‘My Jesus.'”

After losing her brother, Wilson processed her emotions through journal entries. As she flicked through her entries before a writing session with Matthew West and Jeff Pardo, the young singer had an idea for a song. She told Billboard: “I walked through a really tough season of grief. I remember having this moment where I wanted to give up on life. When I looked back at my journals, I saw how God pulled me through. I also realized I never referred to God as anything else, except ‘My Jesus.'”

When she brought the title into the writing room, it turned out that the two others had that same exact title as an idea. None of the three had spoken about it, so it must have been “a total God thing.”

My Jesus

2022

No songs

2023

When I heard that they were releasing a new Beatles song, I hoped it would be better than Free As a Bird. When they released that for the Anthology stuff, the technology wasn’t as good as it was in 2023. Because of this, Lennon’s vocal sounds tinty.

Songfacts tells the story:

“Now and Then” was originally written and recorded by John Lennon around 1977 as a solo piano track. After his death in 1980, the unfinished demo floated in limbo until 1994 when his widow, Yoko Ono Lennon, gave the recording to the three surviving Beatles, along with Lennon’s demos for “Free as a Bird” and “Real Love.”

Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr considered “Now and Then” as the third Beatles reunion single for their 1995–1996 retrospective project The Beatles Anthology, following “Free as a Bird” and “Real Love.” After two days of recording, it was scrapped, largely because Harrison’s didn’t like it.

In 2022, using advanced technology and a curatorial touch, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr completed the track. The same AI restoration technology Peter Jackson used on the Beatles documentary Get Back was applied to Lennon’s vocal take.

“Back in 1995, after several days in the studio working on the track, George felt the technical issues with the demo were insurmountable and concluded that it was not possible to finish the track to a high enough standard,” Harrison’s widow, Olivia, said. “If he were here today, Dhani and I know he would have whole-heartedly joined Paul and Ringo in completing the recording of ‘Now And Then.'”

Besides Lennon’s John’s vocals, “Now And Then” includes electric and acoustic guitar recorded from the scrapped 1995 sessions by Harrison, a new drum part by Starr, and bass, guitar and piano from McCartney that matches Lennon’s original playing. McCartney added a slide guitar solo in Harrison’s style “as a tribute to George.”

“Now And Then” became the first AI-assisted song to earn a Grammy nomination, and the first to win, when it took the award for Best Rock Performance at the 2025 ceremony.

As a life long Beatles fan, I was impressed with just how good this one turned out.

Now and Then

2024

My wife will often listen to Pandora as she gets ready for work. The next song seemed to play on there at lot. It also seemed to play on her Sirius XM station when we went anywhere. It sort of had a catchy hook, but it wasn’t so good that I’d buy it.

One day I was driving with the kids in the back of the car and my daughter started singing “Excuse me, you look like you love me…” over and over again. It made me chuckle.

You Look Like You Love Me

2025

There has not been any songs from this year that connect with me. I tend to listen to audio books or songs from my iPod when I drive, so I don’t really get to hear anything new anyway. I’m ok with that.

Wow. Five years and only three songs. What a way to wrap up a feature, huh? Well, technically, I had wanted to wrap this up in May. So I have an idea on how to fill a couple Wednesdays and still keep it musical. Tune in next week to find out more….

Tune Tuesday

On this day in 1994, the great Tony Bennett recorded his MTV Unplugged special. It would be released in June of the same year.

Think about this for a minute. It is 1994. It was the year of dance music like Another Night by Real McCoy. It was the year of rap music like Tootsee Roll by the 69 Boyz and Regulate by Warren G. It was the year of rock like Closer by Oasis and Black Hole Sun by Soundgarden.

The Unplugged appearance by Tony Bennett consisted of songs from the Great American Songbook. Tony on MTV?? How could this possibly work?! Would the MTV generation even consider watching this old crooner? You bet they did! Unplugged helped introduce some classics to an entirely new audience.

The show itself was like any other Tony Bennett show. It was Tony and a small group. This time he was backed by the Ralph Sharon Trio. The show also included guest appearances by Elvis Costello and k.d. lang. The audience was mesmerized by Tony and the album went platinum. It also won Grammy Awards in 1995 for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance and Album of the Year!

The set list included It Had to Be You, Fly Me To The Moon, and A Foggy Day. It also featured some of Tony’s big hits. He sang I Left My Heart In San Francisco, Rags to Riches, I Wanna Be Around and Steppin’ Out With My Baby.

For me, the highlight was Tony and k.d. lang singing Moonglow together. The harmony is not an easy one, yet k.d. nails it. She said this about Tony, “He asked me to perform on his MTV Unplugged album in 1994 and the sparks started flying when we sang together. I felt elevated, comfortable and just in sync with him when we were doing Moonglow – as if I was with a teacher but also a friend. It was like an opening. It just felt right.”

As you watch the clip, you can see the mutual love that these two have for each other. Eight years later, the two would get together for an entire album called “A Wonderful World.”

Tony was a legend. His performances were pure magic!

Movie Music Monday – Coal Miner’s Daughter

Loretta Lynn was born on this day in 1932. She really was born a coal miner’s daughter and the song is autobiographical. It reflects on the hardships her family faced growing up in rural Kentucky, where there was little money but a lot of love.

She called her autobiography “Coal Miner’s Daughter” and that was adapted into the movie of the same name in 1980. Sissy Spacek was cast as Lynn. Originally, she was supposed to lip synch with the songs for the film. However, it is Spacek who does all the singing in the movie. As a matter of fact, her version of the title song went to #23 on the country charts.

According to songfacts.com, the song had an extra four verses to it. Her producer, Owen Bradley, told her to remove them because the song was too long. “He said, ‘There’s already been one ‘El Paso,” and there’s never going to be another one,’ referring to the 4 minute song by Marty Robbins. Lynn said, “So I fiddled around and fiddled around, and finally I got four verses that I took off of ‘Coal Miner’s Daughter.’ I wished I hadn’t, but I did.”

Loretta had been releasing music since 1960. She released almost 20 albums before she released Coal Miner’s Daughter. The song was different for her because had gained popularity with tough-talking, assertive country classics like “Don’t Come Home A’ Drinkin (With Lovin’ on Your Mind)” and “You Ain’t Woman Enough (To Take My Man)”

She continued to make music through 2021. She passed away October 4, 2022.

Happy Heavenly Birthday to Miss Loretta!

Here is Sissy’s version from the film

A Heartwarming Rescue

I wanted to share this story last week, but time got away from me. I love to hear positive news stories because it seems there is a plethora of negative ones. This one happened in my home state.

The story begins with every parent’s worst nightmare. A two-year old toddler was watching TV when his parents left the room. When they returned, they found the apartment door open and the child missing. This was about 8:45pm.

A search effort, including two K-9 units and an Michigan State police helicopter, was launched. Law enforcement officers and volunteer community members also participated in the search. The mission was critical since temperatures dropped into the 40s that night and the parents said their toddler was only wearing a diaper at the time.

The helicopter was already in the air when the call came in. It was piloted by Michigan State Police Sgt. Cole Martin and Tactical Flight Officer Brandon Franklin.

“En route, we said, ‘We got to find this baby as soon as possible.’ We have children of our own,” Franklin recalled. “We weren’t leaving until we found that child,” Martin added.

The two were using “Heat-seeking technology” to locate the child. After searching for 15 minutes, Martin and Franklin said they saw something moving in a ditch, just off a highway. It was about 11:30pm.

The helicopter began tracking a heat signal in a wooded area. The signal was detected about 15 minutes after entering the area. “It’s in a ditch. I can’t tell if it’s an animal or the child,” a Michigan State Police trooper can be heard saying during the two-minute video. Then one of the troopers can be heard saying, “We got him!” What a relief that must have been. The two hovered over the area and directed the police on the ground to the child.

The toddler was found conscious and alert and taken to an area hospital before reuniting with his parents.

The Department of Public Safety said the “incident would have undoubtedly ended in tragedy” without the use of technology and the dedicated people who were searching for the child.

Thank goodness for a happy ending.

Book Recommendation – I Hope This Finds You Well

When I read the premise of this book, it peaked my interest. Can you imagine if you were able to read your co-workers messages to each other? Would you want to know what they think about you? What could you do with the information? I was anxious to find out.

Natalie Sue’s “I Hope This Finds You Well” is a book that had very high praise from bloggers, book sites, and even my local Barnes and Noble. Once I was able to find the audio version, I scooped it up. It didn’t disappoint. Let’s go a little deeper with the Goodreads synopsis:

As far as Jolene is concerned, her interactions with her colleagues should start and end with her official duties as an admin for Supershops, Inc. Unfortunately, her irritating, incompetent coworkers don’t seem to understand the importance of boundaries. Her secret to survival? She vents her grievances in petty email postscripts, then changes the text color to white so no one can see. That is, until one of her secret messages is exposed. Her punishment: sensitivity training (led by the suspiciously friendly HR guy, Cliff) and rigorous email restrictions.

When an IT mix-up grants her access to her entire department’s private emails and DMs, Jolene knows she should report it, but who could resist reading what their coworkers are really saying? And when she discovers layoffs are coming, she realizes this might just be the key to saving her job. The plan is simple: gain her boss’s favor, convince HR she’s Supershops material and beat out the competition.

But as Jolene is drawn further into her coworker’s private worlds and secrets, her carefully constructed walls begin to crumble—especially around Cliff, who she definitely cannot have feelings for. Soon she will need to decide if she’s ready to leave the comfort of her cubicle, even if it means coming clean to her colleagues.

Crackling with laugh-out-loud dialogue and relatable observations, I Hope This Finds You Well is a fresh and surprisingly tender comedy about loneliness and love beyond our computer screens. This sparkling debut novel will open your heart to the everyday eccentricities of work culture and the undeniable human connection that comes with it.

I went into this book with an idea of what to expect, however, there was much more to this story. I really found myself connecting with the characters. Each one seemed to be relatable to someone I had worked with in the past or currently. “We’ve all worked with someone like (Fill in the blank)” they say….

Have you ever told a lie and then have to cover it up with another lie and another lie until you are at your wits end? As the storyline progresses, it is sort of like that. The situations that Jolene finds herself in build up into the chaos you might see in an old sitcom. By the end, you can’t help but wonder if things are all going to work out in the end.

Not really knowing what to expect, I can say that it exceeded my expectations. It was a good and relatable story with likable and unlikable characters. It keep moving in such a way that you want to know what will come of the situation presented. “How is she going to get out of that?” I found myself saying.

If you’ve ever worked for an annoying boss or co-worker you will relate and enjoy this story. If you work in an office setting, you will enjoy it and relate to it a bit more.

4.5 out of 5 stars

Friday Photo Flashback

Today I want to wish my oldest son, Dante’, a Happy 23rd Birthday! It is truly hard to believe he is that old. It seems like yesterday that he was born. What an amazing day that was!

This picture is one of my favorites of him. The way his eyes are looking off to the side reminds me of a mob boss. I can see that face sitting at a meeting of the Five Families and he’s takinig it all in. LOL.

This was in his bassinet, which had a Noah’s Ark theme. His whole room was done up in Noah’s Ark. There was a border on the wall, the crib sheets, the mobile, a lamp, and so many other things. I had no idea that they could make so many things for a theme. It was crazy.

Many know that he was diagnosed with Autism early on in his life. Thanks to early intervention and therapies, he is high functioning. He has Asperger’s Syndrome. He never let that define him. He was in the mainstream classes in school. He graduated and found work. He manages his money well and recently moved in to his own apartment.

I am so proud of all that he has accomplished in his life. I know he will continue to to grow and mature in the years ahead. He’s one amazing kid, well, a man now.

People say we look and act alike and I take that as a huge compliment. He is my Mini-Me and I love him very much. Happy Birthday, son. May your day be filled with love and happiness.

Love, Dad