As a kid, I looked forward to the month of May. I had two reasons to love May. First of all, it meant that summer vacation was just around the corner. Secondly, my birthday is in May.
After I graduated college, I became a teacher. So the reasons for loving May were still very much present. I didn’t relish my birthday as much as I did when I was young, but it was still fun.
After the first 13 years of teaching, I decided it was time to try something else. And by then, birthdays meant little more than that I was a year older. So without the summer break, and with birthdays becoming more annoyance than revelry, May lost its luster.
Despite the coming vacation and my birthday, springtime was never really my favorite time of year. I don’t really know why. I never did like thunderstorms very well, and there are more of them in the spring. I never did like hot weather very much and springtime is the vanguard of the heat and humidity to come.
Aside for the weather, springtime also didn’t have that wonderful feeling of hominess I got in the fall. Fall is the holiday season. As a kid, I loved Halloween. Later, I liked the beauty of the fall foliage, the pumpkins, and the whole idea of harvest. Although I was never a farmer, I looked forward to fall because it meant the fields were about to bear fruit, and a feeling of bounty was always in the air.
In addition, Thanksgiving is in the fall and it is the harbinger of that most wonderful season of year, Christmas. So with the crisp, clear skies, cooling atmosphere, colorful leaves, holidays, and a cozy, homey feeling, the autumn has always been my favorite time of year, despite the fact that it also meant that school had started again.
But even the displeasure of having to start another school year was mitigated by the fact that it was a different school year, not the same one. It meant new teachers (or new students once I became a teacher), and a whole new beginning.
Still, no matter how good the beginning, it was always nice to know the school year was winding down. And, thus, May became a favorite month, too. As a kid, it meant endless hours of playing and watching TV. As a teacher, it means no more lesson plans or bratty underachievers. It also means lots of free time.
When some people retire, the first thing they do is find themselves a part-time job. My mom is in that category. She lives to work. On the other hand, I was born to be retired. And for a teacher who chooses not to teach summer school or get a summer job, the two-and-a-half months of summer break is a good indication of what retirement might be like.
If it were not for those annoying birthdays that must come between now and the time I retire, I would wish for it to come early. In the mean time, I’ll just enjoy looking forward to May and to my summers off.
Sunday, May 20, 2007
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Using New Technology to Answer Old Questions
When I was in college I listened to a radio station that offered up a canned play list of songs that included a mix of oldies and contemporary songs, but nothing too harsh. As today, I didn’t care much for the hard-hitting rock music. Of course, by today’s standards, even the hardest rock in the 1970s was rather mild.
They played this one song quite often. I liked it, but I didn’t know what the title was or who sang it. I knew it was a bit of an oldie, but not too old. I wanted to own the single, if only I could figure out who the artist was.
In those days, Tom Pickett had a record store in Columbus, on 25th Street. He always had a nice collection of older 45s, so I decided to go in and check it out. I told the clerk about the song I was looking for, but since didn’t know the title, I sang him a couple of lines.
He immediately told me it was Linda Ronstadt. He then went to the oldies bin and pulled it out. After weeks of not knowing, I finally got my song.
Years later, more like decades, I was bothered by another song I had listened to frequently when I was a teenager. At this point, I must point out that when I was a teen, my musical taste was not main stream. It still isn’t, but back then I sort of cared. I tended to like Country Music way back before it became cool to listen to. My favorites were cross-over hits, though, mostly by the likes of Glen Campbell and Bobby Goldsboro.
The song, the memories of which were tormenting me, was by Glen Campbell. I remembered listening to it on a home-mixed 8-track tape. But I had paid someone to record it for me so I didn’t know the name of the song even then. I just knew I liked its melody.
But I was stuck with not knowing until the advent of the home computer and the Internet. A few years ago, I remembered the song again. I still didn’t know the title, and a thorough search of Amazon.com produced nothing familiar. So I went online and posted one line of the song lyrics on a message board dedicated to oldies music.
Within a few hours I had my answer. Not only did someone recognize the lyrics and reply with the name of the song, he also told me which album it was on. The problem was, the vinyl album had not been converted to CD, which is why I couldn’t find it on Amazon.
Not to fear, I just logged onto one of those song-sharing services to see if someone had converted it to digital. Someone had. I downloaded it and listened to it for the first time in about 30 years.
A few years later, the original album was finally released on CD, so I got a cleaner copy of it.
The same scenario has happened to me several times since then. And now, thanks to the Internet, I know exactly where I can find the answers to those burning questions such as, “What is the name of that song?” or “What was the other movie that guy played on?”
With sites such as the Internet Movie Database and All Music, I don’t have to wait decades to find my answers to those questions.
My computer even helps me to get my facts straight. By ALT-clicking on Linda Ronstadt’s name, a little window pops up telling me I had indeed spelled it correctly. Not only that, it shows me her picture and gives me a brief biography.
If only I could have had this much information at my fingertips when I was doing that high-school research paper….
They played this one song quite often. I liked it, but I didn’t know what the title was or who sang it. I knew it was a bit of an oldie, but not too old. I wanted to own the single, if only I could figure out who the artist was.
In those days, Tom Pickett had a record store in Columbus, on 25th Street. He always had a nice collection of older 45s, so I decided to go in and check it out. I told the clerk about the song I was looking for, but since didn’t know the title, I sang him a couple of lines.
He immediately told me it was Linda Ronstadt. He then went to the oldies bin and pulled it out. After weeks of not knowing, I finally got my song.
Years later, more like decades, I was bothered by another song I had listened to frequently when I was a teenager. At this point, I must point out that when I was a teen, my musical taste was not main stream. It still isn’t, but back then I sort of cared. I tended to like Country Music way back before it became cool to listen to. My favorites were cross-over hits, though, mostly by the likes of Glen Campbell and Bobby Goldsboro.
The song, the memories of which were tormenting me, was by Glen Campbell. I remembered listening to it on a home-mixed 8-track tape. But I had paid someone to record it for me so I didn’t know the name of the song even then. I just knew I liked its melody.
But I was stuck with not knowing until the advent of the home computer and the Internet. A few years ago, I remembered the song again. I still didn’t know the title, and a thorough search of Amazon.com produced nothing familiar. So I went online and posted one line of the song lyrics on a message board dedicated to oldies music.
Within a few hours I had my answer. Not only did someone recognize the lyrics and reply with the name of the song, he also told me which album it was on. The problem was, the vinyl album had not been converted to CD, which is why I couldn’t find it on Amazon.
Not to fear, I just logged onto one of those song-sharing services to see if someone had converted it to digital. Someone had. I downloaded it and listened to it for the first time in about 30 years.
A few years later, the original album was finally released on CD, so I got a cleaner copy of it.
The same scenario has happened to me several times since then. And now, thanks to the Internet, I know exactly where I can find the answers to those burning questions such as, “What is the name of that song?” or “What was the other movie that guy played on?”
With sites such as the Internet Movie Database and All Music, I don’t have to wait decades to find my answers to those questions.
My computer even helps me to get my facts straight. By ALT-clicking on Linda Ronstadt’s name, a little window pops up telling me I had indeed spelled it correctly. Not only that, it shows me her picture and gives me a brief biography.
If only I could have had this much information at my fingertips when I was doing that high-school research paper….
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
Waffle House Memories
Remember the Waffle House? No, I don’t mean the one with the yellow sign down by the interchange. I mean the Waffle House, the one in Franklin where my friends and I spent long hours “studying” when we were in college.
Back then, it was located in downtown Franklin. But later, it moved to an out lot near the Kroger store on U.S. 31. Dad and I used to go there to eat biscuits and gravy and drink coffee, because it was one of the few restaurants that served biscuits and gravy any time of day or night. The Hoosier Kitchen truck stop didn’t start serving it until 11:00 PM.
When we drove out of state on vacations, we would often spot Waffle House restaurants and would stop by for lunch or dinner. But it wasn’t our Waffle House. It was the one that was called Waffle & Steak in Indiana. It was a bit confusing.
I learned that the Indiana version of Waffle House was based in Indianapolis and had most of its restaurants here in this state. A few were located in Ohio, but since that other Waffle House had the naming rights in that state, our Waffle House had to be called the Waffle Iron in Ohio.
And since the Indianapolis-based restaurant chain had the Waffle House naming rights in Indiana, the other Waffle House with the yellow sign had to call itself Waffle & Steak here. Confused yet?
Well, the confusion is all but over. The little Waffle House with the yellow sign now has naming rights all over the place, including Indiana. That’s because the Indianapolis-based Waffle House sold the naming rights to the other chain and changed its own restaurants to Sunshine Café. SunQuest is the company that franchises Sunshine Cafes in Indiana.
In Indianapolis, there is only one remaining Waffle House. It is located on West Washington Street. I eat there frequently. It has good home-style food at reasonable prices. And, yes, it serves biscuits and gravy in the afternoon.
I have nothing against the other Waffle Houses, the ones with the yellow signs. I’ve eaten there and their food is good. But they’re a bit cramped, especially for a big guy. And they have no nostalgia value for me.
Thankfully, though, the owner of the old Waffle House on Washington Street has no plans to change his restaurant’s name or close it down soon. He made an agreement with the yellow-signed Waffle House that allowed him to keep the name.
He’s been in business at that location for decades and he plans to stay. He said he had the opportunity to change the name of his restaurant to Sunshine Café, but he wondered why he would want to do that. If he were going to change the name, he would just call it Kurt’s Place.
There are lots of restaurants around these days, and I think I’ve eaten at most of them. Some have fancy dishes with high prices. They have a nice atmosphere with cloth napkins and tablecloths.
And, though some of them serve quite decent food, I have found that I still prefer the meals I get at Waffle House. There’s nothing fancy about it, but the price is right. And it’s one of only a few remaining establishments that I can link back to my days in college, and remember with fondness.
Back then, it was located in downtown Franklin. But later, it moved to an out lot near the Kroger store on U.S. 31. Dad and I used to go there to eat biscuits and gravy and drink coffee, because it was one of the few restaurants that served biscuits and gravy any time of day or night. The Hoosier Kitchen truck stop didn’t start serving it until 11:00 PM.
When we drove out of state on vacations, we would often spot Waffle House restaurants and would stop by for lunch or dinner. But it wasn’t our Waffle House. It was the one that was called Waffle & Steak in Indiana. It was a bit confusing.
I learned that the Indiana version of Waffle House was based in Indianapolis and had most of its restaurants here in this state. A few were located in Ohio, but since that other Waffle House had the naming rights in that state, our Waffle House had to be called the Waffle Iron in Ohio.
And since the Indianapolis-based restaurant chain had the Waffle House naming rights in Indiana, the other Waffle House with the yellow sign had to call itself Waffle & Steak here. Confused yet?
Well, the confusion is all but over. The little Waffle House with the yellow sign now has naming rights all over the place, including Indiana. That’s because the Indianapolis-based Waffle House sold the naming rights to the other chain and changed its own restaurants to Sunshine Café. SunQuest is the company that franchises Sunshine Cafes in Indiana.
In Indianapolis, there is only one remaining Waffle House. It is located on West Washington Street. I eat there frequently. It has good home-style food at reasonable prices. And, yes, it serves biscuits and gravy in the afternoon.
I have nothing against the other Waffle Houses, the ones with the yellow signs. I’ve eaten there and their food is good. But they’re a bit cramped, especially for a big guy. And they have no nostalgia value for me.
Thankfully, though, the owner of the old Waffle House on Washington Street has no plans to change his restaurant’s name or close it down soon. He made an agreement with the yellow-signed Waffle House that allowed him to keep the name.
He’s been in business at that location for decades and he plans to stay. He said he had the opportunity to change the name of his restaurant to Sunshine Café, but he wondered why he would want to do that. If he were going to change the name, he would just call it Kurt’s Place.
There are lots of restaurants around these days, and I think I’ve eaten at most of them. Some have fancy dishes with high prices. They have a nice atmosphere with cloth napkins and tablecloths.
And, though some of them serve quite decent food, I have found that I still prefer the meals I get at Waffle House. There’s nothing fancy about it, but the price is right. And it’s one of only a few remaining establishments that I can link back to my days in college, and remember with fondness.
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