I received some feedback the other day on my claim that the British English pronunciation of the proper name “Ralph” is “Rayff”. It ain’t necessarily so, said my correspondent. A friend of mine from the island of Jersey told me that "Ralph" is just pronounced "ralf" in the UK like we Americans do. She said … Continue reading Ralph/Rafe
Herod the Great
Herod the Great (c. 73 – c. 4 BCE) was installed as king of Judea by the Romans around 37 BCE. He is known for his great building projects and for his tyrannical rule. His tyranny extended even unto his own family as he had three of his sons executed as well as his wife Mariamne I. … Continue reading Herod the Great
The Albanian Dance
My sister Donna has been on a world tour, and her latest stop is in Albania where she is studying the culture and learning the intricate dances. She sent me a video of what she has learned so far. I’m not sure which one she is in the video, but certainly she’s one of the … Continue reading The Albanian Dance
O Little Town of Bethlehem I
The Philadelphia Church of the Holy Trinity is an Episcopal church on Rittenhouse Square that was built in 1857. It may surprise some of this blog’s readers to find out that I’ve attended services there a few times. Not church services. Oh, god no. I’ve been there for music concerts. The interior has fine acoustics, … Continue reading O Little Town of Bethlehem I
Lucy and Jeannie
One of the famous I Love Lucy episodes involves Lucy making wine and getting into a fight with her fellow grape stomper. That’s in the fifth season episode “Lucy's Italian Movie”. A few years ago the last boss I had at the Defense Support Center Philadelphia, Jeannie Lacovara, sent me a photo of her at a … Continue reading Lucy and Jeannie
A Zellers Family Christmas
Back in December 2004 our cousin Kim threw a Christmas party for the somewhat fragmented Zellers clan (that's my mother's side of the family). Eleven years later I finally finished editing a short video of the occasion, which should give you an idea of how far behind I am on my projects. For those … Continue reading A Zellers Family Christmas
Tell Me Why
At the opening of South Pacific, the children sing: Dites-moiPourquoiLa vie est belle? You probably don’t need a translator to tell you what that means: Tell meWhyIs life beautiful? Well, I have a “Tell Me Why?” question, and it has nothing to do with life. For the past nearly 40 years I’ve been eating practically … Continue reading Tell Me Why
Genealogy
I haven’t written about religion for awhile, have I? That’s supposed to be the raison d’être of this blog, or one of the main ones anyway. Perhaps it’s time to rectify that. ’Tis the season, so let’s look at the nativity stories. There are two distinct and largely incompatible nativity stories, one in Matthew and … Continue reading Genealogy
Janus Redux
Quote of the day: Age is strictly a case of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter.—Jack Benny Not long ago I recalled that when I was writing about my community theater acting appearance in the play Janus, I had stumbled upon the information that Betty White and her new husband Allen … Continue reading Janus Redux
We’re Having a Baby
I’ve published excerpts from both Todd Purdum and Jess Oppenheimer’s books, but I’ve avoided the parts where they write about the I Love Lucy show. (By the way, Madelyn Pugh, one of the Lucy writers, also published a book of memoirs, but it doesn’t seem to be out in an ebook format and I gave away … Continue reading We’re Having a Baby