We finally ditched cable. I guess technically, we still have internet through Xfinity, but we had to dump it. The promotional deal was done and our monthly bill jumped up to $170. It was time.
90% of the stuff we watch is on Netflix or Disney Plus, so we decided to keep the internet and stream. We got the unlimited data plan and cut our bill down A LOT!
Our old TV was a Roku TV, but when it died, we just got a smart TV. So I ran up and bought the cheap Roku set up from Walmart and in a matter of minutes, we were all set to go.
Naturally, the Roku set up comes with a bunch of the streaming apps all ready to go. Sam knew that Paramount Plus had all the Nick Jr. shows that the kids watched and she paid to get that every month. They have just about everything on there, including shows I watched with my older boys that they are just discovering.
I’ve been thinking of getting Paramount Plus ever since they made that series “The Offer” about the making of the Godfather. I just never knew what else they had. After scrolling a bit today, I cannot wait to check out some new stuff and some classics!
The Andy Griffith Show
Chappelle’s Show
Dexter
Gunsmoke
Hawaii Five O (the original)
I Love Lucy
Key & Peele
The Love Boat
Mission: Impossible
Perry Mason
Reno 911
Star Trek (and the many spinoffs)
Taxi
The Twilight Zone
You Can’t Do That On Television
…and SO much more! There are a lot of original shows on there as well as musical stuff. Yeah, I’m kind of excited.
As the Nostalgic Italian, it only makes sense to feature one of the great Italian American singers on his birthday – Lou Monte. Many people will have no idea who he is until you mention the Christmas song Dominick the Donkey. Yep, he sang that one. Personally, it saddens me that he will be remembered for that one more than his other hits.
Musician Lou Monte recording at a Reprise Recording Session on October 30, 1961 in New York. (Photo by PoPsie Randolph/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
Much of this is taken and adapted from the biography at his official website loumonte.com.
Lou Monte was born as Louis Scaglione today in 1917 He was born in Manhattan, New York. He played the guitar and started singing as a child beginning his professional career as a singer, comedian, and musician as a young man just prior to World War II. After a stretch in the military, Monte settled in Lyndhurst, New Jersey and his first real break came when he had a radio show in Newark, New Jersey. Eventually, Monte was given a television program on that same popular station, WAAT.
Entertainment journalist June Bundy notes, “although Lou had been singing professionally for fifteen years, it wasn’t until he recorded an Italian-English version of “Darktown Strutter’s Ball” at the end of 1953, that he hit the big time.” After that, his records, both comedic and not, sold in the millions. He appeared regularly at many famous nightclubs and, unlike most Italian-American comedians of the era, he was seen frequently on national T.V. At the pinnacle of his popularity, he was promoted in various press releases as “The Godfather of Italian Humor” and “The King of Italian-American Music.”
Here is the 1953 song that Bundy mentions:
The medium of most of Lou Monte’s comedy is song, although his extensive and impressive night club act also contained a good deal of stand- up. Many of his songs were sung, and nightclub acts performed, in English with a liberal interspersing of Italian dialect (of Neapolitan and Calabrian). As one commentator has noted, “He translates American music into Italian and Italian music into English.” As was stated in a past nightclub review, Monte’s “songalog is heavily laden with pizza pieces, including Italo verses of his American numbers with emphasis generally on comedy tunes.” Monte’s appeal to the Italian-American audience can be understood in both emotional and social terms. Emotionally, his humor provided some Italian Americans with a sense of comfort, of one-upmanship, or the sense of being a part of an inside joke, and, socially, of having a slice of their world recognized by others. His appeal to other ethnic groups was based upon their perception that his humor related to their own experiences in associating to American society.
An important theme in Monte’s Italian-American humor is his tendency to Italian-Americanize American history and life. Such a technique served this marginal ethnic group by making it feel a part of America’s early historical development. It also served to heighten a sense of in-group solidarity by the ludicrous layering of Italianicity on things supposedly rock-solid Anglo-Saxon. In one song, he asks the question, “What did Washington say when crossing the Delaware?” The answer: “Fa un’fridd! (It’s cold!).” This bit is a take-off on a joke which was popular in the Italian- American community, although Monte sanitized the coarser punch line.” In this way, he played to the Italian-American audience, knowing its members would enjoy and relate to the reference.” In another example, according to Monte, the name of Paul Revere’s horse was Baccigallup. The hit song, “Please Mr. Columbus” offers yet another of Monte’s unique historical interpretations.
I love Please, Mr. Columbus! I’ve seen many men’s vocal groups perform this on stage, but the song loses something when you lose the “Italian” in it.
A lot of Lou’s music dealt with the common themes of marriage, courtship, sexual relationships, and food. In his food song, “My Rosina – The Menu Song,” the lyrics include: “She is so good looking when she is cooking, what a beautiful sight among the pots and pans.” In collaboration with Ray Allen, Monte wrote, “Who Stole My Provolone?” (sung to the tune of “Hang Down Your Head Tom Dooley”) a song parody, making use of the double entendre. Originally, my thought was just to post one song, neither of which I have mentioned yet, but as I read through the biography, I thought I would share the above songs, too.
The song I originally wanted to feature is a song that means a lot to me. When I got married the first time, I wanted to be sure to share a dance with my Italian grandmother. Looking back, I probably should have picked a Dean Martin song, as she loved him, however, I wanted to have some fun. So I chose an Italian Tarantella that was popular at weddings (and is even featured in the wedding scene in the film The Godfather) – Lazy Mary.
The song is a remake of the Italian song “Luna Mezzo Mare.” It tells the tale of a conversation between a young woman who wishes to be married, and her mother. The somewhat risque song mixes English and Italian verses. The two use double entendre to compare the occupations with the sexual appetites of the various suitors. The song goes back to the mid-1800s and the lyrics got a bit raunchier by the end of the century.
Monte’s 1958 version of the song peaked at number 12 on the U.S Pop Singles chart. Believe it or not, it was banned initially by British radio because of the innuendos in the song. That obviously doesn’t bother Americans, as the song has played during the seventh inning stretch at almost every New York Mets home game since the mid-1990s.
Unlike most Italian-American comedians of his time, Lou Monte received much national television exposure on such programs as the Perry Como Show and The Ernie Kovacs Show. Monte’s records sold in the millions. As a matter of fact, Reprise records had its first smash hit with Monte’s “Peppino The Italian Mouse” recording. Monte also made appearances at prominent feasts and festivals it is said that had a role in the comedy hit film, “Robin and the Seven Hoods” (1964), although I cannot find proof of that.
Lou Monte died in Pompano Beach, Florida in June of 1989. The Nostalgic Italian wishes Lou Monte a happy heavenly birthday!!
My friend, Eric, was the choir director at my high school. While I was never in choir, music brought us together. We played many Easter services together, he matches with the alumni band, and he even provided music at my first marriage.
Every day on Facebook, he will play a song on his piano. Selections vary from classical to jazz to pop. He is currently playing a series of ballads.
Last night he played “Speak Softly Love.”. You may know it as the Love Theme from The Godfather. It was a huge song for Andy Williams. It reminded me of a version I was introduced to by my brother.
I had never heard of Petrizio Buanne. My brother shared his first album with me and I loved it. He covers the Godfather tune, entitled “Parla Piu Piano.”. Sung in Italian, it sounds SO good!
I figured I have been so focused on books lately, it was time to once again share some music. Here are all three versions of the song. Enjoy.
I believe the saying goes “A stranger is a friend you haven’t met yet!” Thanks to this blog and social media, I have been able to connect with some friends who I have never met face to face. One of those friends is Mr. Puppet.
A few days ago, I posted a blog about random acts of kindness. Today, I need to thank Mr. Puppet for an act of kindness that I was the recipient of. Before I tell you about that, let me tell you about him.
Mr. Puppet is Bob Abdou. He is a ventriloquist and puppet master who has been entertaining folks for many years. As I sat here trying to recall just how I connected with him, I realized that it could have been quite a few ways (all of them on Facebook). For example, it could have been because we are both Beatles fans. I belong to a few Beatles group pages and I may have met Bob on one of those. Is Bob a big fan? Well, he has “a few” Beatles collectibles.
….and a few more ….
… and a few more
….and remember the famous Abbey Road album cover?? Yeah, his Beatles puppets actually walked Abbey Road!!
It could have been through a Beatles page I became acquainted with him. It also could have been one of the Batman pages I follow. He’s a fan of the Caped Crusader, too!
Of course, maybe it was through a love for Spiderman or Marvel comic characters…?
Or maybe it was on a site about collectible Lunch Boxes or Classic Movies or TV Shows?
A better guess might be through a Three Stooges page …
In all honesty, however, I think we met through a mutual love of the legendary Soupy Sales.
He even has an original White Fang puppet in his collection!
Before going on, I think it is apparent from the above photos (all stolen from his Facebook page), that Bob is quite a collector. While I have never been to his home, I understand that it is not an odd thing for people to stay overnight at his place. I would imagine from all of the many photos that I have seen, his house is more like a museum. This incredible collection is simply amazing!
He has amazing stuff from Happy Days that even Henry Winkler would find fascinating!
And I can honestly say, no one I know – except Bob – has a Welcome Back, Kotter collection!!
Back to Soupy and how we met. Bob can correct me if I am wrong, but on one of the Soupy pages on Facebook he posted that Soupy Sales attended his wedding! I couldn’t even imagine how cool that would be! He posted a picture of Soupy with him and his wife, June.
Bob actually remembers the first words Soupy spoke to him at the Friars Club. He has them hanging in his home.
You can learn more about Bob, his shows, and more by surfing to his website:
On January 8th, I posted a small blurb on Facebook about it being Soupy’s Birthday. I included a couple links to past Soupy related blogs that I had written. I later discovered that I had received a private message from Bob:
“Hey Keith. Send me your home address. I have an item to send you soon. Thxs bob“
Keep in mind, Bob and I have never met face to face. I know him through Facebook, we have chatted on occasion and we share a love for many of the same things (The Godfather, The Muppets, Dean Martin, Red Skelton, Hanna Barbera cartoons, and of course the other things I mentioned above). If it had been anyone else asking, I just would have ignored the message. But it was Bob, so why wouldn’t I send him my address? A few blogger friends have my address and have sent me books, Christmas cards, etc… So I sent it to him.
Today, I received the “item” he sent me. I was speechless. Truly. Included in the box was a note that reads, “Since we are both Soupy fans, I want you to have this special toy plaque.”
I have never seen this before. It is so cool! It is obviously Soupy doing his dance “The Mouse,” which was a number one song in New York City and a fan favorite.
From the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU, Bob! I will be sure to take good care of it! Your kindness speaks volumes of your character. I am so grateful to have connected with you. I hope to one day get to meet you in person, shake your hand, and compare White Fang impersonations. What a blessing it is to call you my friend! Thank you again!
Bob included his phone number with the package, and I plan on giving him a call in a few days to thank him personally, but for now, his generosity was something that I felt needed a place on the internet. (I also wanted to make sure I gave his website a plug!)
I also wanted to say that it feels good to be the person who performs random acts of kindness. However, when you are the recipient of one of those random acts, it really does feel extra special.
I remember a time when we had Netflix and Hulu and that gave us pretty much every thing we needed to watch movies and TV shows. That’s not the case today. So many “parent companies” are pulling stuff off Netflix to add to their own streaming platform and quite frankly, it ticks me off.
All the NBC shows are now on Peacock, all Star Wars, Pixar and Disney is on Disney +, and so on and so forth. We’ll guess what? I’m not paying for all of them! We’re barely getting by with all of the inflation, gas prices, and life in general! I cannot afford $20 a month here and $15 a month there. The cable bill alone is high enough! To add more streaming services would put us in one big financial hole!
What really angers me is that there are things that I would LOVE to watch, but can’t because there is no way to justify paying for another streaming service. Paramount + has The Offer, a series about the making of the Godfather. I would love to see it. HBO Max has the new Christmas Story movie, which I hear is great! My list goes on and on. I just cannot in good conscience pay for something that I will only use to watch one or two shows.
The TV shows I would binge watch, well, many of them I have on DVD. I can pop them in whenever I want to. It seems to be more worth buying them outright at $40 and watching them for years that to pay $20 a month and maybe not even get the chance to watch them. And when you have them on DVD, you get the bonus features that don’t show up on streaming.
Actor Jack Palance once said, “The only two things you can really depend upon are gravity and greed.” The fact that there are almost as many streaming services as there are cable channels makes me sick. I’m sorry greedy streaming company – you aren’t getting my money every month.
I suppose I will hope that the one or two things I want to watch on their platform will end up on DVD soon …
So I guess today is “One Liner Wednesday.” Many of the blogs I follow were posting quotes today. I actually posted this quote on my Facebook this week and it is a quote that sums up the week for me.
There is another quote, which I believe came from the movie Scarface: “Never beg anyone. Never trust anyone. Never expect anything from anyone.” I have heard the quote “Trust no one” before, and I guess they really are the same thing. However, this takes it a step further and fits perfectly.
It is sad that even those people who you thought you could trust, you can’t. The hard part is trying to figure out who was the “turncoat” or “traitor.” In the end, does it matter? Not really.
I’ve always been the kind of person who is open and wears my heart on my sleeve. I suppose it is a weakness to trust everyone. It’s like the quote from the Godfather: “Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer.” But how do you really know who the friends are and who the enemies are? I suppose you don’t – so bottom line: Trust No One.
It has been some time since I have been able to participate in a Blogathon, but when I saw that The Ultimate Decades Blogathon was being hosted by my friends over at Tranquil Dreams and Drew’s Movie Reviews, I had to take part in it. The basic theme is to blog about a movie that was released in a year ending in “2.” While scanning the releases from 1972 – it became very obvious which movie I would be writing about – The Godfather. (This blog may contain spoilers.)
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the film. This puts me at a disadvantage. Why? Because, let’s face it, there will be plenty of articles, books, internet articles, magazine special editions and more about this movie. You will not have to go far to find material on this masterpiece. As a matter of fact, I am currently reading one of the books that was released just a few months ago about the film.
I had actually hoped to finish the book prior to having to write this blog. I am just over halfway finished and it is fantastic!
This week, I watched the film in its entirety in preparation for this blogathon. With every viewing, I come to appreciate it more and more. It remains a film that I never tire of watching. It never gets old. It still holds up 50 years later. The Mark Seal book I am reading has certainly made me more aware of the difficulties that surrounded the making of The Godfather. At times, you wonder how it ever was finished!
At any rate, what could a lowly blogger like me possibly present to you about the Best Picture Winner of 1972? My thoughts, my observations, and my reasons for loving it. Now that I think about it, I guess I chose this film for selfish reasons. I have quoted it and referred to it in passing in past blogs, but I have never actually devoted an entire blog to it.
Unlike some blogs, mine is a personal blog that features stories from my past, posts about my family, posts about my struggles, posts about my passions, likes, and dislikes. It is a picture of “me.” No picture of me would be complete without The Godfather. So, here goes….
The First Viewing
I was two years old when The Godfather came out. I don’t recall exactly how old I was when I first saw it. What I do remember is that it was not a complete viewing.
As a teen, I remember my dad would always be laying on the floor watching TV. I had come into the room and dad was watching the movie which was playing on one of the local networks. I remember being instantly being caught up in it. As my memory serves me, the scene I was watching was where Michael goes to the hospital and no one is watching his father. I remember him begging the nurse to help move him because people were coming “to kill him.”
Once the Don (Marlon Brando) is moved to another room, Enzo the baker is shown walking up the stairs and down the hall. The entire scene where Michael and Enzo are out in front of the hospital as the car carrying the murderers pulls up (and drives away) had me at the edge of my seat! I watched the rest of the movie with my dad and remember asking him a gazillion questions.
Eventually, my dad purchased the movies (Part 1 & 2) on VHS. I remember watching part one from beginning to end and being blown away. I was never really aware of the film’s length because it held my attention all the way through. Admittedly, it took more than a couple viewings to finally get all the names of the various characters right.
For the next couple years, it seemed like HBO or The Movie Channel played the Godfather films in a hot rotation right around Christmastime. I remember going over to my girlfriend’s house and her dad was watching it. I sat down on the couch and we bonded immediately over the film. I’m not sure she was too happy that our time together was sitting on the couch watching a “mob movie.”
The movie is one of the few films that I have to sit down and watch if it is on TV. If I am scanning channels and it is on, I stop and watch. I can’t help it. I get caught up into it immediately.
The Big Screen
In 2002, select theaters were showing the film for its 30th anniversary. This was an opportunity that I had to take advantage of. My wife at the time had never seen the movie and I asked if she would like to see it. She said yes and we bought tickets.
I wish I could convey to you the amount of excitement that I felt as I sat in the seats of the Royal Oak Main theater (in Michigan) as the lights dimmed and the movie started. This was my first time watching this masterpiece on the big screen. The camera fired up and there was the solo trumpet playing the opening 7 notes of The Godfather Theme. I had chills!
“I believe in America….” The words of Amerigo Bonasera came through the sound system. The camera fades in on his face as he tells the story of his daughter and the boys who beat her. The camera pulls further and further away from him and eventually we see the back of Don Corleone. We hear the dialogue between them and it isn’t until we see Bonasera whispering in the Don’s ear that we finally see the man – Don Corleone.
The opening scene of the film remains one of my favorites of all time. It is just brilliant. It is perfect. Watching it on the big screen for the first time remains one of the coolest moments!
Mario Puzo’s novel does not open with this scene. Director Francis Ford Coppola stated that he knew this was the scene that should open the film. I can’t imagine it opening any other way. So much is conveyed it this scene – respect, disrespect, power, and family. It is the perfect springboard for the remainder of the film.
Mario Puzo, author of the Godfather
Casting
It is probably easy for me to say that the cast of the Godfather is perfect, especially since it is 50 years old. Believe it or not, Paramount was against Marlon Brando as Vito Corleone. They also were not keen on Al Pacino as Michael. Can you imagine James Caan as Michael (and NOT Sonny)? How about Martin Sheen instead of Robert Duvall as Tom Hagen? There was quite a lot of fighting over who should play who in the movie. In the end, Coppola wound up with the cast that he wanted, and when you see the finished product, you see that he had it right all along.
The Corleone Boys – Michael, Vito, Sonny and Fredo
Fun Fact: Mario Puzo actually wrote a letter to Marlon Brando telling him that he thought Brando would be perfect for the role of Don Vito Corleone in the film. He stated in his letter that Brando was the “only actor who can play the Godfather.”
Fun Fact: Throughout the entire film, the word “mafia” is never uttered.
Not Just Another “Mobster Flick”
People who have never seen the Godfather assume that it is just another mobster film. I would tend to disagree. To me, it is more about family, greed, power, and loyalty. Coppola stated somewhere that he wanted to show that the Corleone family were real people, with jobs (illegal or not), children, a home life, etc…
One of the first things we see in the film is a huge family wedding. There is laughter, dancing, music, food, and plenty of friends and family. We also see the mixture of business and family, as the Don is “working” in his den as the wedding is going on. We see him as a husband and father, dancing with his wife and his daughter at the wedding festivities. The importance of family is present as the family poses for a photo, but the Don states that it cannot be taken until Michael arrives.
The “Family” Business
The phrase “family business” is used a few times in the film. To me, the term illustrates that the two are separate, yet connected. It becomes very clear that when it comes to business, the Don, his consigliere (Tom Hagen) and his two older sons (Sonny and Fredo) are involved. The youngest son, Michael, is not a part of the family business. Sonny says that he didn’t want to “get mixed up in” it. Michael is also referred to as a “civilian” by family members. Yet his entering the business is one of the most intriguing things to me about the movie.
When Michael makes his entrance into the film he is walking hand in hand with his girlfriend Kay (Diane Keaton) in his military uniform. We see him walking from behind almost swaying, without seeing his face, we know that he is happy and in love. He is a far cry from the man he will transform into. He is soft spoken, even when he explains to Kay some of the terrible things his family is responsible for. He also makes it a point to explain, “That’s my family, Kay. NOT ME.”
In an interesting turn of events, not very far into the movie the “star” is shot and absent for much of the middle of the film. I am talking about The Godfather himself, Vito Corleone (Brando). This event leads to the beginning of the transformation of Michael. The soft spoken son, who had had his jaw broken by a corrupt cop, is now telling his brothers that he will step in and knock off the man responsible for shooting his father (which brings about a lot of laughter at first, but ultimately is what the family decides to do).
It’s not personal, Sonny. It’s just business.
In this scene, Coppola again works magic with the camera. As Michael describes what he wants to do, the camera slowly moves closer and closer to him. As the camera stops he states firmly, “I’ll kill them both.” The transformation has begun.
It continues quickly. During the scene where Michael does it, you can see him lost in thought as Virgil Solozzo (who sets up the hit on the Don) and the police captain are sitting next to him at the table. I love that as the camera sits on his face, the sounds of the trains get louder and louder until he finally stands and shoots his victims.
By the end of the film, Michael has become Don. His dark eyes tell a story of tragedy and anger. He is cold and heartless. He has “settled” all family business.
To me, this is one of the most amazing character transformations in all of film. He has gone from likeable to someone you cringe at when you look at him. He makes your stomach turn.
Final Thoughts
I feel as though I have not even begun to scratch the surface of just what a powerful movie this is. When someone thinks about the Godfather, they think of:
The horse’s head
Leave the gun. Take the cannoli
Sonny getting shot at the toll booth
Luca Brasi
The meeting of the Five Families
The interplay between the “settling of family business” and the baptism
There are so many wonderful scenes throughout this picture. I could write a blog about each of those scenes just as easily as I could write a blog about each character. The things presented here, are the things that stood out for me right from the get go when I wondered what to present.
For anyone who has never seen the movie, it is a must watch. You also need to watch it more than once. As I stated, it gets better every time. I also recommend reading the book, whether you do it before or after watching the movie, it really doesn’t matter. In some cases, reading it before will give you a better chance at remembering who is who. For me, it gave me a lot more insight as to what characters were thinking during key scenes.
(Note: Pick up Francis Ford Coppola’s Godfather Notebook. It has pages from the novel and his notes. It is fun to see how he thinks about what to keep and what to leave out. It is also cool to see what he thought was important and just how to convey things on film.)
There is plenty of imagery throughout the film. One of my favorite examples of this involves the scenes where someone kisses the Godfather’s ring. Like a pair of book ends – we see two Dons (Vito from the beginning of the film and Michael from the end of the film) in an almost identical scene. The family’s power has been transferred from one to another.
Coppola is a master at tying things together and the pictures above illustrate that.
I, on the other hand, tend to ramble (hence the title of my Blog Page). I hope that you have found my thoughts on the film enjoyable. I hope that they move you to watch the film again or for the first time.
In closing, I want to thank my friends at Tranquil Dreams and Drew’s Movie Reviews for allowing me to take part in this blogathon. I highly recommend that you follow them for some pretty amazing content. Check them out here:
A radio friend discovered my blog on accident. He was doing a search on Honey Radio and my blog came up. He messaged me and asked “Is this yours?” After messaging back and forth, I told him to let me know if there was any specific topics he’d like to see on the blog.
It’s been some time since I have done a “Question and Answer” blog, so I may do that again. I also am considering hosting a guest blogger. If you are interested, let me know.
There are a couple things on the way that I am excited for. First of all, next month I will be taking part in the Ultimate Decades Blogathon. It’s a cool idea where you can write on movies released in years that end in “2.” 1932, 1942, 1952, etc… You can imagine my excitement when I remembered that The Godfather was released in 1972.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the film. While I have eluded to it in many other blogs, I am excited to dedicate an entire blog to the movie. I plan on finishing a book that recently came out about the movie …
Watch for this blog in February. #UltimateDecadesBlogathon
I am also looking forward to the TV Show draft, which is currently on hold for a bit, but should be starting up soon. My first pick is a show that only lasted 6 shows and spawned a successful movie series. More on that soon.
This pregnancy has been difficult for Sam. She has been in a lot of pain. We found out that the reason for this is that the placenta is positioned anterior. Because of this, she has had a few extra ultrasounds to make sure everything is ok. While at her OB a couple weeks ago, he stated that while doing the ultrasound, he should be able to see the gender and asked if Sam wanted to know. Sam told him that we had already gone to the 3D place and found out the gender.
The doc told her that those places are right “about 50% of the time.” While he checked her, he really couldn’t tell for sure what the baby’s gender was. He even stated that there was certainly “a possibility” that it could be a girl. The reasoning was that the position of the placenta could have made it look like something it wasn’t.
This threw a big curve ball at us. What if the baby was a girl? We had already made the announcement that we were having a boy. We would have to wait and see. If it WAS a girl, we had a solid name picked out. Just like with Ella, it was a name we both agreed on almost immediately. The only thing that we hadn’t nailed down was a middle name, but we had our top choices all picked.
So we kept things quiet until this week. Sam went in for the 20 week ultrasound and we can confirm that the baby is indeed a boy. He is a very active boy (as Sam has been able to see in all the ultrasounds). Due to the placement of the placenta, however, it really limits how much Sam gets to feel him move. So with the confirmation of gender, we moved back to our list of Boy Names and had to nail one down!
We had a few names that really stood out. We went back and forth on a couple of them. We had one name that we really liked, but it was ruined by a story from a family member. There was another we liked and just really kept going back and forth with it. Finally, we came to a decision.
The baby’s name is …
Andrew Joseph to be exact.
Sam’s grandfather was Joseph, which is where the middle name comes from. Andrew was just a first name that we both liked. It works out great in the “nickname” department, too. We can call him Drew or “AJ”. I like AJ a lot!
There is lots of excitement and anticipation for his arrival. October seems a long way away, but at the same time, it will be here faster than we know it!
Funniest Observation of the Week.
Leave it to my dad! I called him to let him know the baby’s name before Sam posted it on Facebook. I loved to see his reaction. It was a few hours later that my dad commented on the post on Sam’s Facebook page. He observed that now I will have three sons and a daughter – just like Don Corleone in the Godfather!
David O’Keefe’s fantastic Godfather artwork!
Only my dad would have observed that!! That’s just one of the reasons I love him! Thanks Dad!
I love reading. I don’t get as much time to do it as I’d like. I have a stack of books on my “to read” pile right now. I really need to stop going to the library because every time I do, I bring home three or four and the “to read” pile doesn’t go down.
I was challenged to write this blog by another blogger I follow. Interestingly enough, a different blogger had posted a few blogs about books and we had brief conversation about doing a blog like this, and then I received the challenge from a second blogger.
I took a piece of paper out and jotted down the first few books that came to mind and stopped when I reached 5 for the three categories. Included is a brief description of each, should you be moved to read them.
Fiction
Pandora’s Clock – John Nance
A plane carrying a “super virus” that could leave all the passengers dead within hours. Word gets out about the plane and no one wants them landing at their airport. Reviews I read afterward were not that great, but I enjoyed the book.
True Crime – Andrew Klaven
A man is about to be executed for a crime he didn’t commit. He tells his story to a reporter who investigates and finds the real killer. It is a race against the clock to stop the execution. I read this in one day! I couldn’t put it down. The movie made based on this book was a huge disappointment.
The One Man – Andrew Gross
One of the best historical thrillers I have read. A man is sent to sneak into Auschwitz concentration camp to save a man who has information that can start a war – or end it. Loved this book!
The Godfather – Mario Puzo
A classic! I can re-read this over and over. The story of the Corleone Crime family, which was turned into an Academy Award winning film. A story you can’t refuse!
11-22-63 Stephen King
What an amazing premise for a story! Already fascinated with the assassination of JFK, this was a must read for me. I was not disappointed. A high school English teacher is recruited by a friend to stop the Kennedy Assassination by going back in time through a time portal in the neighborhood diner. This is also on my “books to read again” stack.
Non-Fiction
Hiroshima – John Hersey
Powerful and eye opening story of the bombing and aftermath of Hiroshima, Japan. It is truly amazing to read the stories of people who survived this horrific event.
A Night to Remember – Walter Lord
The minute by minute account of the sinking of the RMS Titanic. I first read this in high school for my Survey of Non-fiction class. It remains one of the most accurate accounts of the tragedy.
Maus – Art Spiegelman
I read this for one of my first college classes. The true story of a Holocaust survivor, as told by his son. It is a graphic novel based on conversations between father and son.
The Michigan Murders – Edward Keyes
One of the first true crime stories I ever read. Between 1967-1969, there were many murders of young women in the Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti area of Southeastern Michigan . The killer was being called the Ypsilanti Ripper. At times gruesome, the story was fascinating.
Exit The Rainmaker – Jonathan Coleman
I first learned of this book from a co-worker who was reading it one night at the radio station. The book tells of the true story of Jay Carsey, a college president, who walked away from his wife, work, family and friends to start a new life. I learned afterward that he not only did this once, he did it twice! Carsey died in 2000, but his story makes you wonder just what makes someone do what he did!
Biography
Sid Caesar – Where Have I Been?
Sid was a very funny guy, but boy did he have demons! I had no idea just how many issues he had until I saw this one on a library shelf and picked it up.
Jack Benny – Mary Livingstone
There are many other biographies about Jack Benny (by Irving Fein, Milt Josefsberg, and his daughter Joan Benny), but I chose this one written by his co-star and wife, Mary Livingstone. I have read this one a few times, and even though the stories are the same, it just makes me love Benny even more.
One Fine Stooge – Steve Cox
Steve Cox and Jim Terry do such an amazing job with this book on one of the most underrated classic comedians – Larry Fine. Great stories, great photos, and a wonderful tribute to my favorite Stooge.
Moe Howard and the 3 Stooges – Moe Howard
Moe on Moe. In his own words, and with lots of pictures, Moe shares many stories from his days as leader of the Three Stooges. This was one of the first books I ever bought on the Stooges, and remains one of my favorites.
Soupy Sez – Soupy Sales
I wasn’t young enough to watch Soupy in the 60’s, but I did get to see his 70’s revival show on TV as a kid. I also loved listening to his Moldie Oldies Show on the radio. Soupy tells some great stories in this biography.
Closing Thoughts
I am sure if I really thought about it, I could come up with many more books I enjoyed. For now, this satisfies the challenged posed to me. What books are your favorites? Tell me about them! I’d love to add them to my list of books to read!
Various Ramblings of a Nostalgic Italian 