I'm Getting Ready for the Super Bowl

I admit I don't know beans about football.  I never gave it that much thought until recently.

The "recently" was watcing two University of Georgia  championship games , a week apart.  I feel I helped them win the first one.  It was the first time in many years that I sat through a UGA football game and they won.  During that game the announcers talked about a married couple that will not attend UGA games together again.  They have decided that , from their history, that every time they had attended together Georgia lost.  The second game I watched the following week they were winning until I  went to bed (I had a doctor's appointment the next morning).  Then they started losing.  Based on the other couple's belief to their attendance is a bad luck charm, if I watch it all, I am their good luck charm.

Now, back to the present and watching this year's Super Bowl game, to sit in front of the TV and to know what is going on, I just downloaded a digital MAD Magazine, which was a special SUPER BOWL issue years ago. 

I'll be cramming with it so I won't be completely dumb about football (not to mention hopping on the Band Wagon).

No More Updates!

For the most part I do not like updates of programs on the computer.   They seem to be counterproductive and disruptive.

Sometimes when I just feel at home with a new program the makers demand it to be updated which  I have to relearned everything.

Now, I am in the middle of transferring data, mostly photos and genealogy data from my old computer to our new computer. 

For a couple of days Windows have been hounding me to set up a time for an update and each time I clicked the "remind me later " button hoping that in time when they remind me again they will be leaving a message with a dead computer.

But yesterday, they ran out of patience.  They did not offer the "remind me later" selection it had a list of dates and times, not going beyond Sunday. 

I told Anna about my problem and she fixed it.  She got onto the programs and found where you could talk live to a technician.  She told the technician we did not want to update Windows on the old computer because we would be leaving it for good in not over a week.  The technician walked her through the innards of Windows to select "No More Updates"

Whoopee!

Month and Kay Calhoun

 I just came across this picture.  Monty and Kay Calhoun at the 2014 Varner Reunion.  Kay passed away last week.

SUNDAY FUNNIES!! MAD #1, 1st Story

This is the first MAD comic book, Issue # 1, first front page, and first story.  It was published by E.C Publishing Company in the early 1950s  EC, up to that point was publishing mostly horror comics (TALES FROM THE CRYPT, etc).  MAD, in time, changed their directions. 

The story was written by MAD's creator, editor Harvey Kurtzman and illustrated by Georgia's own, Jack Davis.

Mankind?

Do you remember a movie in the '50s about the U.S. Air Force in the Korea war that starred Van Johnson?  I don't remember the name of it, but during an air battle Van Johnson was hit.  His plane was OK, but he was wounded.  He was blinded.  Another pilot came up and flew alongside him and gave him instructions on turning and led him back to the base or carrier, I forgot which...I am not one for details.

Or maybe you remember the movie about Apollo 13 computer failure and the astronauts had to manually get the space craft back to earth?

Well, picture me as Van Johnson or Tom Hanks or whoever it was that manned the space craft and overcoming odds.

We got a new computer yesterday and I am learning it.  My son Adam, wiser than I am  did not disconnect the old computer which is the one I am on now.

I did use the new computer to send an email this morning and it seemed to work.  "One small step for mankind."  Aha!  I'm at it again!

My Excuse in Advance

I may or may not be back here for a while.  It looks like I will be getting a new computer today.  Transferring my links and all the bells and whistles from my present heap to the new one might be a challenge.

Artsy Zama

We had lunch at Zama Mexican Restaurant.  As decor they have a lot of Astec Art, paintings and little figurines.

I ordered a sacrificed virgin dipped in hot sauce.

Not really!

Kay, Rest In Peace

We have received word that Kay Calhoun has moved on.  We are sorry to hear this.

God Bless Her.

Mistaken Identity

At lunch today Anna and I were in Zama Mexican Restaurant  sitting a booth about 15 to 20 feet feet away were two women eating lunch and talking.  The lady facing me looked about my age and I sensed something familiar her. 

"Were we classmates? "I wondered.  I thought we both have aged and don't recognize each other.

The heck with it!  I am going to march up to their booth and ask, "Do I know you?"... or should I say, "I know you from someplace - were you brought up in Marietta?"

Hmmm.

I thought I better go talk to her before I lose my nerve.

Then she said something to her companion and smiled, showing her teeth.

Then I recognized her likeness.  She is not one someone I knew or thought was in my memory bank.

She looked very much like Penelope Wilton, the lady who plays Isobel Grey, a.k.a. Baroness Merton, in Downton Abbey.

Whew!  Just another time I dodge making a fool of myself.

Throwback Thursday: Wright Family on Lookout Mountain

Throwback Thursday:  About 1931.  Anna's father's mother side of the family, the Wright family visiting Lookout Mountain, Umbrella Rock, which overlooks the Tennessee River (squint and you can see it). 

Surely there is an elevator or easy steps leading up in the back.

Trump's personal doctor Harold Barnstein

In high school was a girl in our class named Nancy.  Nancy was short, quiet, and sweet.  She would do almost anything anybody ask of her.  It did not take us boys long to discovered her hidden talent:  She was good at writing adult-level notes, giving written permissions, or a written excuses.

For instance once she gave me written permission to play pool at the Past Time Pool Hall, signed, Mrs. Ed Hunter.

I was reminded of Nancy when I read this bit of news:

Trump's doctor stated that Trump was too sick to talk to Mueller.

Because

click on pictures to make them bigger

The Beginning of Women's Rights

On this date in 1571 Mary I, Queen of England, opened up the Royal Exchange of London.

In my mind, that is small potatoes compared to something else she did while she was in power:

Queen Mary I of England declared it was against the law to beat one's wife after 10 p.m.

Is that the first  step for women's rights or what?

Exciting Directions

I forgot to mention that yesterday I went to the dog park about 90 minutes later than I normally go.  It was a completely different set of people and dogs.  A different social club.

Within hearing distance from where I was sitting a man with a thick black beard was talking to a young couple about a certain restaurant the couple liked.  I did not catch the name.

The thick black bearded one wanted to know where it was at and the couple was trying to tell him... but first they had to name a place nearby this restaurant that he knew of so they could both relate in giving and receiving the directions.

Finally the bearded one realized where they were talking about and started telling them landmarks on each side to the street to let them know he knew exactly where they where  talking about.

When he first started talking he sounded relaxed but the more he talked the  faster, louder, higher, and excited  he got.

He sounded like he was on the peak of an organism.

I enjoy talking about local directions also, and may even get a little excited getting someone to understand where I am talking about, but I never got a hard-on.

Today is National BE HUMBLE Day

Happy BE HUMBLE DAY!!

SUNDAY FUNNIES!! POOPEYE!

Popeye's comic strip birthday was last week, starting back in 1929.  In honor of that lets look at MAD comic book back in the 1950s rip him apart..  Story written by editor Harvey Kurtzman and illustrated by Will Elder.

click on each page to make it readable and maybe understandable. 

Tossing Pizza Dough

We went out to eat pizza last evening. We were seated in front of a pizza assembly line. 
It was crowded, thus a long wait. I used my time, partly, watching the three of four young men on the pizza assembly line. One guy knew how to throw the raw flattened pizza dough spinning in the air and gracefully catching it.
Then one time he missed and the dough nosed dive onto the floor (I suppose it hit the floor, a counter blocked my view.). 
SPLAT!
When it fell out of view all men looked down at it, then a second of silence and then they burst out laughing.
Then after talking it over they got the giggles.
I like to see people not take themselves too seriously.

What Did I Want To Know?

An old friend called me yesterday wanting to know something about old Marietta.  He calls sometimes about my blog and sometimes about old Marietta.

Yesterday he called about old Marietta.  He wanted to know the name of the barber. His father used to take him there to get a haircut.

I told him I know the barbershop he is talking about but I had no idea the name of it.  I suggested calling Paul, he would probably know.  Paul had one of their barber chairs.

Back then I used Hunter's Barber Shop and sometimes Powells'.

My old friend called back this morning and asked me what was he suppose to call Paul and ask him, he forgot.

Welcome to the Old Men's Club!

HAPPY WINNIE THE POOH DAY

Today is Winnie the Pooh Day!

Also the birthday of Winnie the Pooh's author A.A. Milne

Throwback Thursday: Aunt Tade Tyson

Throwback Thursday:  My great aunt Lela Octavia "Tade" Tyson Carr (1886-1957).  She is my Grandma Hunter's sister.  Aunt "Tade" married E.J. Carr 4 December 1928 in Cobb County.   I know nothing else about the man and would not known about him if I had not came across his name in the book of Cobb County marriages and that he is listed in the Mars Hill Cemetery.

Aunt Tade lived in Acworth, just a block or two from Main Street, across the corner from a school.  Sometimes when I went to Acworth Beach, before I could drive I would drop by and visit her while waiting on Daddy to pick me up.

The picture of the three women are sisters.  The one on Tade's right is Anne Tyson Crowder and the one on her left, the one she is looking at disapprovingly or concerned is my Grandma Hunter.   

Boss, you won't believe this....But...

I was going through some photos I took in the summer of 2014 of the reenactment of the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain and came across this picture: a platoon of Johnny Rebs standing near-attention when a yellow school bus rode by.

Imagine that there was a time-warp and the group of Rebs are real and also the school bus is real.  Either the men or the bus just went through a cosmic cloud and ended up in another time.  How will they explain this to their boss?

I relate, I am always finding myself in situations not easily explained.

Today In History, POPEYE'S birthday.

On this date, January 17th, 1929, POPEYE makes his 1st appearance in comic strip, "Thimble Theater".

I don't know about Thimble Theater but I do know his early videos from hours in the afternoon sitting in front our family's small black and white TV watching the POPEYE CLUB hosted by Officer Don (Don Elliott). 

Officer Don was very skillful in cutting off little kids before they could holler out the F word that their older sibling coached them to do.

Larry Bradford and I had the motions and Ka-ka-ka-k-k of cartoon Popeye's laugh or cackle  and the way he went around mumbling to himself down pat.

Survey Says!

Survey says!  According to UNCLE JOHN'S BATHROOM READER: 

Survey said 70% of people* say they tell 7.5 lies a day. 

Lets break this down:  7 out of 10 people* say they  tell 7.5 lies a day.  That implies that 3 out of 10 people* said they don't lie.

Therefore, 30% of people* tell 8.5 lies a day.

* Instead of "people" UNCLE JOHN'S BATHROOM READER said "Italians".  I think the same applies to all people so I neutralized the group identity.  

My Claim to Fame (Its all about me)

My claim to fame:

These pictures are of my first cousin Patti Hunter Bagley, and her husband Mark Bagley rubbing elbows with Stan Lee.

Mark, my cousin-in-law,  is one of the key SPIDERMAN artists. 

Stan Lee is head, or was head of Marvel Comics.  If you have seen any Marvel Super Hero movies you have seen Stan.  He makes a cameo in them all.

I have known of Stan Lee a long time.  When he first became an associate editor with Marvel Comics his uncle was the CEO. 

In the late 1940s my hero Harvey Kurtzman was a struggling young freelance comicbook artist.  Stan gave him some jobs as putting "fillers" in the comics he managed.  The name of Kurtzman's fillers were "HEY LOOK!" 

Harvey Kurtzman went on to create MAD Comicbook.

Years ago I saw Stan Lee do an interview with Harvey Kurtzman and MAD and UGA artist Jack Davis and he appeared to be hyper.

Stan Lee will turn 96 on his next birthday in December 2018 and he is spry and active.  Being hyper must help longevity.  

Martin Luther King Day

Looking at MARVELOUS MRS. MAISEL

Looking at THE MARVELOUS MRS. MAISEL.  I was introduced to the series Amazon's THE MARVELOUS MRS. MAISEL.  I was so amazed by the details we watched the first four series (with bathroom breaks of course).

The series starts off as watching the very well organized skillful housewife Midge Maisel prepares in her Pyrex container a brisket fresh from the oven.  They  used the meat as payola, or bribe, to pay off the owner or maybe manager of The Gas Light in Greenwich Village,  for a prime spot in the line of entertainers, who have five minutes or so of entertaining the audience for her husband, a standup comedian wannabe.

By the way, the husband was a sorry comedian.  He stole his skits from Bob Newhart and his delivery and timing was wrong.  Luckily for him he did not quit his day job, which is a vice president of a large corporation  which his uncle is the president.

Did I mention that her and her husband are jewfish?   Their families are very typical stereotyped Jews, which is whole new set of continued laughs.

The husband leaves Midge for his secretary and she gets drunk and pops up at the Gas Light and stumbles up on stage just to whine about how things are not going her way and lights up the house in laughter, then the owner or manager of the establishment wants to be her manager.  But she is not fully persuaded she is good at it.

So far, she has spent two, maybe three nights in jail for lewd language and exposing her breasts on stage. In jail she  gets to know comedian Lenny Bruce and they become running buddies, sort of.

That is what I like about it, the parade of real characters that she crosses in the story.  Almost like a hipped Forrest Gump. 

From my several times in the village I remember the Gas Light and was a Lenny Bruce  fan.

The series has its cackling out loud moments and a lot historical correct moments.

It is very enjoyable.

PS - It has a jazzy type music like "HE DONE HER WRONG" (Meany the Moocher?) which adds to it all.

SUNDAY FUNNIES!! UNDERWATER ADVENTURE

From the pages of HELP Magazine in 1962.  The story is by editor Harvey Kurtzman and the art is by his sidekick Will Elder.

As always, click on each page to be able to read it and see what is going on.