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Thanks, Ronn Ives, owner
“So MANY good boys were killed…”
18 February '12 by Ronn Ives, under Larger Forces at Work.
Today would have been my Mother’s 87th birthday… but she died last October 31st.
In her honor, I’d like to repost a piece from eleven years ago before she was lost in the disease of Alzheimers…
December 8, 2001:
Sixty years and one day ago it was December 7, 1941 in South Bend, Indiana. Out in the driveway was Shirley Jean with her Dad. It was cold out. The warming car felt cozy. Maybe it was Benny Goodman or Duke Ellington on the car radio. Everyone was just waking up. The neighborhood was quiet as Russ backed the car out onto Eckman street.
Suddenly, the DJ broke in to allow a broadcast of President Roosevelt. The Empire of Japan had, without warning, attacked military bases at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. There was a massive death count of American soldiers and civilians, with many more wounded. Wordless, father and daughter stared at one another and the dashboard while the car idled in the middle of their street.
“I wasn’t yet seventeen. I didn’t know anyone in the service. There were very few people in the military. We weren’t involved in the war in Europe. Of course we knew about Hitler, and some of what he was doing… but it was far away, and just seemed like THEIR problem.”
“Of course, there was NO other topic of discussion the next day in school. No one could concentrate on the regular subjects. It was so hard to believe, but we knew it was true. We didn’t have television or live video… but we knew this was no ‘War of the Worlds’ radio joke. It changed all of our lives forever. No one from then will ever forget. No one. So many good boys were killed. It was terrible… but it HAD to be done. We had to protect ourselves. They weren’t going to stop. We had to stop them.”
“It was so sad that President Roosevelt, who’d seen us through the Great Depression and most of the War, died just before we’d won. We felt so bad about that. On V-E (Victory in Europe) Day, I was working downtown at ‘Spiro’s’ department store. It was about an hour before quitting time when the news came that Germany had surrendered. This was great news about Europe… but we knew it wasn’t over. There was still more war with Japan…”
“Your Uncle ‘Bo’ went to Germany during their period of Occupation. On VJ (Victory in Japan) Day, we heard the news over the radio from President Truman. Japan had surrendered. We didn’t know exactly WHY yet. It didn’t matter. EVERYBODY WENT NUTS! All of us working downtown just left our posts, and ran outside with the customers into Michigan Street. Everyone was hugging and kissing and dancing. THE WAR WAS OVER NOW!”
“I hope people don’t forget what we’ve had to go through, as a country…”
(These are excerpts from talking with my Mom, Shirley Jean, this morning over the telephone.)
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“We’re here because we’re here”
12 February '12 by Ronn Ives, under Larger Forces at Work.
Last night – despite it being very cold and a snow starting up – my wife and I went to a new restaurant in another city… not because we chase new dining experiences – we’re NOT that type – but because this was a fund raiser by an organization who helps homeless children, and because the feature of the evening was eight+ speakers, each scheduled to tell a story from his/her life… and because we knew some of the people involved.
(The event was filmed. At the end of this piece is the link. You’ll like the stories! Go have a listen!)
The organizer/cheerleader did her job through the evening, and, while on stage, blurted out a phrase that made me think she had northern or eastern Midwest American roots. She said:
“Okie dokie!”
This morning, that phrase got me thinking of things my Dad used to say to us kids growing up in northern Indiana. A big one was always proclaimed when we arrived somewhere. He’d say: “We’re here because we’re here!“ Well… okay Dad… that’s tough to argue… I never quite got it, but it became its own Truth because I heard it so much and because Dad said it.
I told my wife about it. My guess / analysis? This was something soldiers would say – an attitude they would have – especially during war. They went where they were told. “We’re here because we’re here. Accept it. End of discussion.” Her very first comment (ironically, after complaining this morning about the Carpal Tunnel Syndrome aches in her hands from so much typing on computers) was: “Word Search it! You’ll probably get the answer!”
It’s funny how you think your Dad or Grandma or that old neighbor “owned” a word or phrase or idea… and you’ve never questioned its authorship. It’s MEANING? Yes. AUTHORSHIP? No.
So I did a search. It popped up immediately! “We’re here because we’re here“. British, World War ONE, a repeating phrase, sung to the tune of “Auld Lang Syne”, as soldiers went to the trenches. My logic was solid.
NOW it made even MORE sense. I’d never heard anyone else say it. I’ll bet Dad picked it up during World War TWO when he was stationed in Britain and Scotland (sometimes being housed by locals) for B-17 bombing runs over Europe. The puzzle pieces fit beautifully… and, I like the idea.
http://www.homesforkids.org/get_involved/andThatsMyStoryPerformers.html
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Ethyl wins
10 February '12 by Ronn Ives, under The Antiques, Design and Art World.
So, today I debated WHICH MUSICAL person/group was the MOST IRRITATING – i.e., which one(s) were most likely to drive me right OUT of a room.
Obviously I had time on my hands, and thank god for a pal dropping by who not only likes doing such things but encourages it!
We started with perimeters that seemed reasonable (at first): Rock groups from the 60′s and 70′s. Plenty of material there… Garry Lewis and the Playboys, The Fugs, Country Joe and the Fish, The Grateful Dead, later Elton John, ALL those pseudo-operatic disco mega-orchestral groups, or Billy Joel, Jimmy Buffet, the other cabaret/bar types… we slid easily into the 80′s.
But, something was missing. Sure, his or her popularity has always been a mystery to me (I KNOW I’VE STEPPED ON TOES ALREADY…), but THEY don’t have the incredibly irritating EDGE I sought for in this high-intensity comparison contest. Face it, The Spice Girls HAD no edge. They were just dull. That’s all. Talentless, corporate Products. Disposable. I also had to leave behind the idea of a certain period or style of music. It was an unnecessary boundary anyhow. But wait… AH HA! “Musicals” are a favorite hate of mine… “STAGE” musicals especially… and comparo-test was pretty easy after that.
The person’s voice had to be loud AND irritating, their GESTURES had to be jerky & artless, their choice of music HOKEY & KITSCHY at the very least… we’re talkin’ Ethyl Merman! Ethyl can chase me out of a room ANYTIME!
I LOVE these intellectual challenges. It’s not as exciting as watching food get hit by cars, but it’ll do for today.
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Let the Fragile Illusion Continue
05 February '12 by Ronn Ives, under Larger Forces at Work, What Really Matters.
George Harrison died in 2001. Twenty years earlier, John Lennon was murdered. Each of their deaths had a very different effect on me.
We’ve come to almost expect people in the music business (and the other arts) to be self-destructive – dying “too young”. This is NOT the exclusive history of Baby Boomers and their Rock & Roll heroes. Just two words to make my point: Billie Holiday. But when a NOBODY simply walks up in the dark out of nowhere with no warning and guns down a famous person (especially one you admire), and offers no explanation (not even a crazy one), it’s a shock. THAT musician was supposed to go on – creating more of their Art.
Harrison died of throat cancer. I don’t know its cause, but many of his career photos show a cigarette nearby. It’s a choice. My Great Uncle Willis collapsed dead in the hallway of the hospital sneaking a smoke while being treated for lung cancer. As did his sister, my grandma. As did her son, my father. None the less, Harrison was 58 – only 7 years older than me – and his Time was up. All Things Must Pass. Paul lost his wife Linda to breast cancer, but he, along with Ringo – as “Beatles”, true markers in the lives of so many – still live.
Let the fragile illusion continue as it can. We want our heroes with us. I heard Elvis was spotted at a truck stop near Omaha, Nebraska just last week. The King lives!!
“My sweet Lord, I really want to be with you.”
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Recycling
02 February '12 by Ronn Ives, under Larger Forces at Work.
I tell people that one of my main jobs is to SAVE the lives of THINGS until I can get them into the home of their next Protector. I’m merely the Foster Parent. After an antique is purchased from me, it’s all up to the new owner for an unknown number of years.
As I sit with my antiques, I watch the passing seasons. I know what I am seeing will pass, be replaced by another, and then return but never identically.
Today I watched a hearse lead a funeral procession north up my street. Moments later I watched a city recycling truck drive south down my street. A few minutes later, I watched a casket company truck go the opposite direction.
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“NORM!!”
31 January '12 by Ronn Ives, under What Really Matters.
One of my favorite TV shows of the 1980′s was “Cheers”. I prefer shows (including comedies) that are based on personalities (“Cheers”, “M.A.S.H.”, “All in the Family”, “Andy Griffith”, “Everybody Loves Raymond”, “The Honeymooners”, “The Wonder Years”, etc.), NOT situations (“Sit-Coms” like “Three’s Company”, “Gilligan’s Island”, “Green Acres”… ad nauseum).
Back to “Cheers”. Tuesdays I go to the video store to pick films for the week. I like to arrive when Greg or Michelle first opens their doors. When I walk in (sometimes they see me out in my car and wave me in early) it’s sort of like walking into “Cheers”….. We like each other. We’re all here at the same time. Let’s enjoy it. Now.
So, while I browse and read reviews in my film books, we chat. We talk about business, films (naturally), and current events. On September 11th, I first learned of the attack BEFORE the second WTC building or the Pentagon was hit, or the third plane was downed by those brave passengers. Michelle hadn’t heard a word. When I got home, more had happened, of course. I called Michelle to fill her in.
People fully involved in our life – woven into the daily fabric of shared experiences for decades – are the exceptions. Most of our days are “NORM!” moments. The majority of our time is spent in “circumstantial relationships”. If it wasn’t for the JOB, APPOINTMENT, CLASSROOM, BUS, WAITING ROOM, HANG OUT, or CHANCE ENCOUNTER, we’d have very few exchanges at all. It would be one seriously solo day for most of us.
I’m here to enjoy myself while I work. If “Norm” didn’t always return to “Cheers” as his watering hole, no one would yell “NORM!!!” as he walked in. No one would learn to tolerate – even savor – “Coach’s” odd, mystical, confused comments. No one would take “Cliff” aside and advise him his obsession with finding famous “faces” in common vegetables was getting pretty weird.
Let’s enjoy our time while we work or play. We’re all here at the same time anyhow.
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.
29 January '12 by Ronn Ives, under Larger Forces at Work.
Speaks for itself.
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Individual cells of one brain
25 January '12 by Ronn Ives, under Larger Forces at Work.
It was only six weeks after 9-11.
I was standing outside watching a huge flock of Starlings. Chris, a good friend, dropped by for a visit. The flock was so large and the birds so loud he too stopped to watch and listen.
Amazing. As they would lift into the air – thousands per second – it was if they all shared a plan. They moved in organic unison. I said to Chris “It’s like they’re all individual cells of one brain…” Although considered common, I think Starlings are amazing for the way they move as a mass, and beautiful when their deep purple-blue-black iridescent feathers glow in sunlight.
Countless Starlings rose like violent black smoke – spinning, floating, and turning in the air with the coordinated timing of a Chinese Olympic half-time show. Suddenly, I noticed ONE Crow inside the flock of Starlings. It was “dancing” with them – keeping pace, moving to their moves – just him – and thousands of the much smaller black birds. “He must admire them and regret his own kind doesn’t do this,” I joked.
Down the sidewalk and between buildings, dry, fallen leaves were being caught by the winds – lifted and spun through the air in large batches – moving as the Starlings.
“I wonder… if we were high over the city… we would see humans moving in similar patterns… You know, by design, or something…” I said. Chris suspected the same. Later today, after he left, I remembered the film “Koyaanisqatsi”, by Godfrey Reggio, with music by Philip Glass. It’s a non-dialog, almost narrative-free film of images on Earth, including a lot of patterning we humans create.
Poetry in the theater, on the sidewalk, in the sky.
Take your choice.
But choose.
It’d be a shame to miss it all.
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End of Story
21 January '12 by Ronn Ives, under Close Encounters.
So, three women walk in. Grandmother, Mother, Daughter…
Nature or Nurture?
Grandma was a demanding bitch. Mom was a demanding bitch. And, going by the facial expressions of Girl, she was a bitch.
The Trinity.
Mom said “I was in before. You told me you’d give me a great deal on this mirror.”
(a: I don’t remember you, and b: I never say THAT.)
She also said “I don’t remember what price you told me, but it was good. Can you do better?”
(BETTER THAN GOOD??? DON’T ask me such LOADED questions, or I might just answer you…) Sigh…
(The price was $85. for a perfect, large, round, Art Deco wall mirror. I said $75.)
She again said “Can you do any better?”
“No.” I walked back to my desk, grumbling.
“Mother, he won’t budge on the price, do you want to get the mirror or not?”
(“Isn’t that JUST what I DID?!”)
She said “Can you get it out of the front window so we can see it better?”
“No. It’s perfectly visible from the right side of the stage or from outside through the front show windows.”
“Mother, you’ll have to look at it as we have been.”
(“Yeh, life’s really rough like that…”)
Meanwhile, Girl (c. age 20) is walking around and scowling like cooties will jump off me or god-knows-what-else, while clearly thinking one bitchy thing after another.
That’s when I begin catching Gramma walking around, blowing her nose into Kleenexes, and dropping them on my floor or sitting them on my antiques.
She asks “Do you take credit cards?”
“Yes, Visa or Master Card, but there will be a 5% fee added.”
“A FEE?”
“A fee. The fee I must pay.”
“I’ve never heard such a thing.”
“You may not have heard it, but you’ve been paying it all
along. I’m giving you the chance to avoid it.”
“Well! Do you TAKE CHECKS?”
“Yes, and there’s no fee.”
“Then I’ll pay by CHECK!”
“Fine.”
Mama steps in: “Can I give you my tax number to save on tax?”
“Yes, you can, if your license is for retail resale and I can record it for the files.”
“Okay…………..hmmm…where is it…. hmmm… oh well, never mind…”
(Yeh, right. I thought so.)
I said “The total, with tax, will be $78.75.”
Girl is wandering and snarking. Gramma says “Do you want I.D.?”
“No, I don’t need that.”
“Do you have a crate for the mirror?”
“Well, no… it’s about 75 years old. I don’t have the crate that would’ve properly held it…”
“Do you have blankets?”
“No (and even if I did, do YOU THINK I’d “loan” them to your bunch, and ever expect to see them again?”).
“Mom, we can just carry it out to the car.”
I said “Yes, you can. Do you have far to drive?”
“No, only a couple of blocks.”
I sigh…………………… My god…………
I couldn’t get them out of there fast enough, and I was SO fortunate to have friends walk in immediately after them. Why, THEY even helped me FIND all the snotty Kleenexes Gramma’d been tossing about!!
If my pals presence wasn’t enough, they were out Xmas shopping too.
I wrapped their purchases in adult diapers (dang I wish I’d thought to do that with Gramma), we chatted, shook our heads over “Close Encounters of the Butthead Kind”, and they went on home.
I felt much better.
Thank you Lisa. Thank you Ed.
None the less, after twenty years of Singles, Couples, and Trinities, I closed the brick-and-mortar store, and became exclusive to the web.
End of Story.
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A BIG QUESTION FOR YOU
17 January '12 by Ronn Ives, under Films, FILMS - 2006+, Films 2012.
What films have you seen at least THIRTY times, and, WHY?
Leave your answers here! (Many were originally posted on Facebook):
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Dave JoachimBlues Brothers……….. good movie, great music.8 hours ago · ·
1 -
Stu BechtelNemo…. love the grandbabies & seen it plenty of times.8 hours ago · · 1 -
Sonya HarmonJaws. I know, I know … but it’s not about the shark. The cinematography is gorgeous, and I love the relationship between Brody and his wife, as well as his camaraderie with Quint and Hooper. Go ahead. Judge away. LOLAlso? The Color Purple. No explanation necessary.8 hours ago · · 3 -
Pat Schoff GraggThe Wizard Of Oz. Brings back childhood memories from when we couldn’t watch it whenever we wanted, it was on once a year (signaling the start of the Christmas season). My sister, brother, and I would get soooo excited! Freshly bathed, in our pj’s, laying on the floor in front of the tv. My family was fond of Brach’s Malted Milk Balls (not the imposter, Whoppers), and as the music started we would hear mom dividing the bag into 5 bowls. Plink, plink, plink, plink, plink, pause, repeat. Goosebumps!7 hours ago · · 1 -
Eric HauseI’m with Sonya. Best adventure flick ever made.6 hours ago · · 1 -
Nancy Noll KolinskiThe Fifth Element: great writing + acting, so creative, amazing design – so much to look at!6 hours ago · · 1 -
FUTURES AntiquesI am LOVING this!! Go go go!!! Now I’ll add one of mine: “Eraserhead” by David Lynch.4 hours ago · · 1 -
FUTURES AntiquesOkay, Pat is right about “The Wizard of Oz”, and yes, I’m right there with the malted milk balls, too!4 hours ago ·
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FUTURES AntiquesLet me think… a THIRD would be… “Metropolis” by Fritz Lang.4 hours ago ·
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FUTURES AntiquesA FOURTH would be “It’s a Wonderful Life”.4 hours ago ·
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FUTURES AntiquesA FIFTH would be… “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation”.4 hours ago ·
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FUTURES AntiquesSixth, and in NO particular order by the way, “A Christmas Story”.4 hours ago · · 1
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FUTURES Antiques”Little Fugitive”.4 hours ago ·
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FUTURES AntiquesI’m working my way towards 3-0 with “Napolean Dynamite” I think…4 hours ago ·
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FUTURES Antiques”Lolita” – second version, 1997.4 hours ago ·
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FUTURES Antiques”The Last Picture Show”.4 hours ago ·
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FUTURES Antiques”Hud”.4 hours ago ·
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FUTURES Antiques”Harold and Maude”.4 hours ago ·
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Andrew RobertsGood movies are like great comfort food, evocative of time, place and memories of friends and family.3 hours ago · · 1 -
Lisa MerninAnimal House, pure stupid fun!2 hours ago · · 1 -
Lisa MerninAlso, It’s a Wonderful Life, A Christmas Story, Wizard of Oz2 hours ago ·
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Lisa MerninGroundhog Day – duh!2 hours ago ·
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Lisa MerninThe Sound of Music – yeah, a musical2 hours ago ·
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Lisa MerninThe Shawshank Redemption2 hours ago ·
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Lisa MerninPlatoon2 hours ago ·
Ronn:
Oh yes! “Animal House”!
Yes! “Groundhog Day”!
And, “The Mystery of Kaspar Hauser”.
And, “The Long, Long Trailer”.
And, “Fistful of Dollars”.
And, “Annie Hall”.
And, “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”,
And, “The Bridge on the River Kwai”,
And, “Lord of the Flies” (1963),
And, “Fail Safe”,
And, “Aguirre, the Wrath of God”,
And, “Waiting for Guffman”,
And, “Come Back Little Sheba”,
And, “The Grapes of Wrath”,
And, “Avalon”,
And, “Blow Up”,
And, “The Elephant Man”,
And, “The Life of Brian”,
And, “Anchoress”,
And, “Shane”,
And, “To Kill a Mockingbird”,
And, “Platoon”,
And, “On the Waterfront”,
And, “The Thin Red Line” (1998),
And, “Midnight Cowboy”,
And, “Anchorman – the Legend of Ron Burgandy”,
And, “Apocalypse Now”,
And, “The Miracle Worker” (1962),
And, “Dr. Strangelove”,
And, “Exotica”,
And, “The Secret of Roan Inish”,
And, “Tender Mercies”,
And, “Manhattan”,
And, “Schindler’s List”,
And, “The Last Temptation of Christ”,
And, “Lawrence of Arabia”,
And, “Edward Scissorhands”,
And, “Big Fish”,
And, “Flirting with Disaster”,
And, “Taxi Driver”,
And, “High Fidelity”,
And, “2001: A Space Odyssey”,
And, “Summer of ’42″,
And, …
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Pat Schoff GraggCool Hand Luke. Cuz Paul Newman was HOT!!!8 hours ago ·