Friday Photo Flashback

In 2013, I was in the final semesters of our sleep program. For one of the classes we were given an assignment involving a presentation. We were to pick a partner (or partners) and do a presentation on a sleep disorder. There was a catch however. The presentation could not be something that was a typical dull presentation.

We were encouraged to be as creative as possible in presenting our topic. Our instructor showed us a couple examples from previous classes. One was a simple video that was recorded in the school sleep lab on nightmares. Two students played parents and another played a child with the disorder. We were told of another group who did a “newscast” in front of the class on their topic and a group that presented their topic as a song they wrote and performed.

I had a connection with the production director at the local Fox affiliate and he allowed us to shoot our presentation there. We did ours as the SNL version of Celebrity Jeopardy. Thanks to the use of a green screen, My buddy Matt played Clint Eastwood and Alex Trebek, while I played Elvis and Sean Connery. It truly looked like the real show thanks to props from the TV station.

I say all that to set up today’s photo:

One of the presentations was done as a sort of talk show. One of our classmates was the host who was to interview “Key Thallen” a brilliant play on my on air name (Keith Allen). My friend Jackie portrayed Key. If memory serves me right, she asked if I had any radio station T-shirts she could borrow for their presentation. Not knowing that she was going to go the extra mile, she walked into the room wearing the T-shirt and the “old man” hat I always wore. She topped it off with obnoxiously large eyebrows and goatee that were stuck to her face.

I honestly don’t remember much of their presentation because I was laughing through the entire thing. I have to say, her impression of me was spot on! Finding this photo brought back memories of some really fun days.

Friday Photo Flashback

I stumbled on a picture of my mom yesterday and thought it would make a good flashback picture.

The picture shows my mom holding on to the only cat who ever lived in their house. I remember the cat was named Callie and it never seemed to want to be near anyone but mom.

How mom got dad to agree to get a cat, I will never know. My dad made it quite clear growing up that he disliked cats. Somehow, he welcomed the kitty into the house.

I never knew what it was like to have a cat until I had moved away from home. I don’t remember how I came to get one, but I named him Larry. When I moved back home, my brother took him to Ohio with him.

I can’t tell, but it sure looks like this is our house. It may be the front room. It is hard to tell.

A couple things stand out to me. I do not remember this sweater at all, but I love how mom looks in it. Next, the garland in the background. Mom always had garland on doorways, windows and even on the walls. Garland always makes me think of mom.

I have no idea when this was taken, but it looks like mom is healthy. I’d imagine this was taken before she got cancer.

It’s funny how I was just talking about my mom and then I stumble on this photo. I wish the photo was a bit clearer.

Friday Photo Flashback

I had meant to post this photo last Friday, but posted a Christmas recap instead. I know that we are into the new year, but it is too cute not to share.

This is Ella in 2020. She’d be 9 months old here. I remember that I bought a Santa hat that read “My First Christmas” for her. However, by this time, it had gotten too small for her.

This was during Covid and it was a very weird Christmas. I love that reindeer shirt she is wearing. It is cropped out of the picture pretty much, but the big plastic thing behind her was the indoor swing we bought for her. She spent so much time in there.

It’s funny to see the Christmas tree in the corner. I don’t remember but one or two years that it was there. Most of the time it is in front of the big living room window. We must have been very trusting here because the gate that we had put up to keep Ella and the cats away from the tree is not up. Maybe we took it down to get to presents? I really don’t know.

It is amazing to look at her baby face. You can see little features that she still has today and features that have sadly faded away with growth. I miss her being this tiny.

Friday Photo Flashback

Today is the 110th birthday of “The Chairman of the Board!” Happy Heavenly Birthday to Frank Sinatra. He lives on through the music he left behind.

I got to interview a lot of famous people when I worked on the radio, but I wish I could have had the chance to interview him. He was a legend and set the bar extremely high for everyone who followed him.

When I figured out how to goof around with AI, I said “Imagine me having a spaghetti dinner with Frank Sinatra.” I thought this came out pretty good!

That’s not the photo flashback, though. That takes me back to my birthday in 2019. My wife is the queen of gift giving. She hears little things I say in passing and always comes up with a great gift.

I’m not sure what would have made me talk about music on vinyl to her, but obviously I did. For my birthday, she bought me a record player and the perfect album to spin on it.

I still pull it out and listen to it on vinyl. The sound is simply amazing, especially when you listen in headphones. There is something special about hearing music on a record. Sure digital music sounds pristine, but the analog record is “fuller.” I wish I had kept all my old albums.

This post just reminds me that I need to head out to some of the used record stores to do some shopping….

Happy Heavenly Birthday, Mr. Sinatra!

Friday Photo Flashback

Well, the Christmas season is officially underway. I can assure you that I have NO plans to go out shopping today. I’m just built for stress like that. Anyway, since it is official, I thought I would search for a Christmas themed photo to feature.

A while back, my brother put all of the digital Christmas photos in a folder marked “Christmas Through the Years.” One of the first photos to pop up was this one;

It is pretty much all of the girls in the family. From left to right on top: Mom, Grandma, Aunt Linda. Bottom left to right: Arin, Aunt Jodi, Melissa. It is one of the few pictures with all the gals from my mom’s side in one photo.

The photo is taken at my Aunt Linda’s house. This was probably around 1981, just after my grandpa passed away. We usually had Christmas at my grandma’s. Occasionally, it would be at my Aunt Linda’s or our house. When it was at my aunt’s house, my uncle’s parents would often be there. They were Italian, and I just loved talking to his mom about Italy and Italian food.

My Aunt Linda gave me my first Bible as a Christmas gift one year. I wish I’d took it a bit more seriously then. She wrote something on the inside cover that has always stuck with me and makes more sense now than it ever did. She said, “Remember that this book has ALL the answers.”

My brother and I don’t see my cousins enough. I’m going to have to ask him to let me know when he comes up next time well in advance. We are over due to be together.

Friday Photo Flashback

I found today’s photo in a stack of pictures I found in a box.

Growing up, we always had dogs. The two we had throughout most of my childhood were Lucy and Daisy. Daisy was a beagle and we got her when she was a puppy.

Lucy would bark. Daisy would howl. We had never heard a dog howl before. She would also go after birds, rabbits and other critters. She would have been a good hunting dog.

I remember when Lucy got old, my dad “took her to the farm” to get better. Well, that was obviously code for “putting her down.” She was very sick at the end and there was nothing that could be done. She was in a lot of pain, so the decision was made.

Daisy was around for quite a few years after Lucy. At some point my mom brought another puppy home and called it Sassy. I remember her playing well with Daisy, and at the same time she reminded me of Scrappy Doo. I can’t tell you why.

Thinking back, we had this one dog named Pepe that grew to be very large. They had told my folks that she would be a small dog. They lied. One time we were going to be gone all day. Dad thought he’s put the dogs in the garage so they wouldn’t go to the bathroom in the house. When we came home, Pepe had white stuff all over her face. She had been eating the drywall in the garage. Another time she had found a D battery and ate almost half of it. It is a wonder that dog didn’t kill itself with all it would eat.

When I moved out, someone gave me a kitten. From that time on, I think I’ve always had a cat. Currently Maizey and Bitsy are the felines in our house.

I know some folks aren’t pet people, but I’ve always been. I loved the companionship of our dogs and love when the cats decide to sit on my lap. Pets are truly family.

Friday Photo Flashback

I went looking through my junior high yearbooks this week. I had heard of the passing of a classmate who went to a different high school, but was in junior high with us. I knew the name but couldn’t picture his face, so I went through the yearbook.

While searching I was reminded of some of the teachers I had. One in in particular came to mind immediately – Mrs. Kellogg.

I just loved her! She was no nonsense, and yet enjoyed a little nonsense at times. I was lucky enough to have her for 7^th and 8^th grade for English. She was tough and I learned a lot about writing because of her. The above picture was taken on my last day of 8th grade. These were the days when no one knew what a “selfie” was. I really wish I had a photo of us together.

Mrs. Kellogg was instrumental in getting me to be proactive about working. Yeah, I was not very self-motivated at this point in my life. I remember one day we were supposed to be doing some quiet reading, and I think I was staring off out the window or something and she called my name and said, “Don’t just sit there like a Willie Lump Lump! Get your eyes on the book!” Well, Willie Lump Lump was a Red Skelton character, who I knew because my dad let us listen to old radio shows. I laughed at this and a special bond was created. I never wanted to disappoint her, and I took initiative to get my work done.

She is the teacher responsible for one of my yearly traditions. We read Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol in 7^th and 8^th grade. She had recorded herself reading it on tape. When we “read” it in class, we read along with her voice. I have read it every year since.

I kept in contact with her long after she retired and sadly, I lost her address in between moves. She had told me that she was working on a book. I told her I would love to read it, and then I lost the address. She passed away before I had the chance to reconnect with her. She was a fine example of a caring teacher.

Friday Photo Flashback

Here’s a photo I forgot about. It’s probably late 1970 or early 1971.

That, my friend, is yours truly.

There’s not much to the photo. However, it is obvious that I have looked cute in a beret since I was young.

The thing that really stands out here is the gold couch that I have mentioned before. Take a look at that ridiculous pattern. I don’t understand the appeal of it. It is so gaudy. If this was the best looking piece, I can only imagine what else was in the showroom.

I remember it being really rough when we did sit on it. Maybe that’s why people were thinner in the past – the furniture was so uncomfortable or ugly they never sat down. Just a thought…

Friday Photo Flashback

Note: This blog is about my personal experience and is not intended to bash anyone’s religious beliefs. I am more than happy to share my faith with those who ask, but I also know that everyone has a right to what they believe. That being said, I will proceed.

I was born and raised Catholic. Isn’t that what all Italians are? When I was about 16 one of my coworkers and I were talking and he brought up the Bible. He was also raised Catholic. He questioned a lot of things in our shared religious background.

This led to more conversations. Over the course of the next few weeks we talked more and more about things that didn’t necessarily line up with what the Bible says. I already had questions about some things, and many of them were answered by our studies.

In the end, I found that I had enough information that I left the Catholic faith. I began to read my Bible more and found a lot of great studies online from a few pastors that helped clarify a lot of the confusion I was experiencing.

When I moved to the Flint area, I was searching for something in a local Christian book store. As I was looking through some commentaries, from the back of the store I thought I heard the voice of a pastor I was familiar with. It wasn’t him in person, but a recording of him.

I went to the cashier at the front of the store and asked about it. This led to being introduced to Al, a guy who shared my beliefs. He was also attending the same Bible School as I am in now (where the pastor I heard teaches). He would go on to graduate the school and become pastor of our local assembly.

Initially, we met in one of the classrooms at the Bible store. Over time we were able to buy a building, which he remodeled and became our meeting place. He really worked hard on it. I want to say that the building used to be a bank. He had done a ton of drywall work and when he was done we had a room for the main gathering place, a nursery, bathroom, and a small kitchen.

When we began our services there, Al asked me to teach the Sunday morning Sunday School class. At first I spoke on different topics every week. Then I began to do some series, which the members of our church really enjoyed. One of the series was on Manuscript Evidence and how the Bible came to be. That was a lot of fun to teach.

I tell you all of that because it leads me to today’s Photo Flashback.

The above picture is of me and my oldest son. It was taken in between Sunday School and Sunday Service. I would guess that this is around 2004. It very well may have been as Easter service because he is kind of dressed up.

He didn’t always stay still in the nursery and was often very loud. We had probably just gotten the diagnosis of Developmental Delay around this time. It wasn’t odd for him to walk up to me while I was teaching Sunday School. When he did that, I usually picked him up and continued teaching.

My ex (who is cropped out of this picture) had gotten to the point where she didn’t want to go anymore. I wound up going alone and teaching for a while. Then, my ex would plan things that made it hard for me to keep teaching. On top of that, I was working Saturday overnights and it was difficult to work 12 hours, drive an hour home, wait an hour or two before heading to church.

They stream online now, so I can watch him or other pastors all over the country from the comfort of my couch. The kids are not to the point where they will sit still long enough to listen, so they watch Paw Patrol or whatever while I listen to a message. I miss being there live and I certainly miss teaching. I’m hoping that I’ll be able to do that again soon.

Friday Photo Flashback

I have a few pictures of me that I absolutely love. I may have featured this one before, but it makes me smile when I see it.

This is me at my grandma’s house. It is taken in their front room, where no one was really ever allowed to go (at least when we were there). It was rare that anyone would venture into this room, let alone sit in it.

I’m not sure how old I am here, but I’d guess one or two. I love the look of determination on my face in it. I have no idea what kind of suit I am wearing here. As I look at it, I’m not really sure that shirt even goes with it. I also wonder if I had just woke up from a nap because of the way my hair is all messed up.

That’s my mom behind me. I wish there was more of her face in the picture. I love her smile here. I am guessing that my grandma is sitting on the couch in front of me.

Speaking of the couch, get a load of that crazy design! Compared with the chair my mom is sitting in, I can’t help but ask if these two pieces of furniture even go together. It is almost like they are from two separate (and ugly) sets.

Photos of my grandma’s house are always neat just because of the stuff in the background. The table behind my mom has candlesticks and a lamp on it. I don’t get it. That lamp also has a wacky design on it. I remember that it had one of those light bulbs that had three different brightness levels on it. It also had a way to make the bottom of the lamp only light up.

That orange pillow behind my grandma – I remember it being like a silky kind of material that seemed to snag on anything. There were always little threads hanging off it where it got caught on something.

This is one of those photos where I wish I could zoom out and get a bigger picture of what’s going on. Sadly, I can’t. So I will look at myself staring at this apple with a bite out of it and my mom smiling …. and smile.