What The Holidays Mean to You

For you, the holidays are about celebration. You enjoy all the fun and fellowship that the holidays bring. You celebrate the holidays in a offbeat style. You believe the holidays are for doing whatever you feel like - and some of your "traditions" are pretty wacky. During the holidays, you feel magical. You love all of the decorations and how happy people are. You like to sit back and take it all in. You think the holidays should be decadent and indulgent. You never mind gaining a few holiday pounds... it's worth it! Your best holiday memories are of childhood foods and traditions. You secretly still wish you believed in Santa Claus.

Labels: blogthing, holiday

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I found this photo amongst my Flickr contacts. This is a poweful pic that just spoke to me. It reminds me of my own mortality but more importantly about my mother.

It also reminds me of funerals. Black American Baptist style funerals. I won't say that blacks are fascinated with death but it's probably one thing we are prepared for. Perhaps not financially or anything like that but certainly mentally blacks seem prepared for it. Or I could say there are those who don't believe they'll live a long time and they'll act the part, but not always.

Still I can express my complaints. Mainly the preaching and the organ playing. I know funerals contain those and there may not be much I can do about that. Still I think about the whole program for a funeral. At this point in time it's not very appealing. It is however a fact of life.

Labels: favorite, flickr, photograph

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When wrestling was actually worth something. A time when there were three big wrestling companies competing for viewing eyes. Then one day there was only one company and wrestling started to get stale fast.

I miss this era when the original ECW actually has national TV exposure on the network once known as TNN or The Nashville Network (and they would become The National Network and then Spike). It was a great hour of wrestling everyweek I could watch at a reliable time, they still had their own syndicated programming that aired on TV stations around the nations. Then the WWF came to TNN and ECW was forced off and not too long after WWF aired their programming on TNN, ECW was a memory.

I really miss those days!

Labels: history, TV, video, wrestling

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I've been browsing YouTube for music videos this week. Doesn't matter the genre. It could be rap, R&B, soul, funk, rock, new wave, or what have you.

I posted a couple of videos on the 1980s version of Puttin on the Ritz here earlier this year but both of those videos have been deleted from YouTube. This time I think that YouTube isn't likely to bother it so I post it now and delete those other posts that I already have here.

I always though of this song as a nice snappy song. Especially with that nice early 1980s sound (performed by this artist named Taco).

There were two version of this video I should add. This is the controversial version where the permorers here were in blackface. In another version of this video, those sequences with the performers in black face were edited out and in some shots headshots of movie legend Gary Cooper were inserted.

I decided to look up more about this song and found out that originally the lyrics were to reflect the fad of well to do New Yorkers going to black jazz clubs in Harlem. I decided to see if I can find the original lyrics of this song and excuse me if I call this Exhibit A.

Have you seen the well-to-do
Up and down Park Avenue
On that famous thoroughfare
With their noses in the air

High hats and narrow collars
White spats and fifteen dollars
Spending every dime
For a wonderful time

Now, if you're blue
And you don't know where to go to
Why don't you go where Harlem flits
Puttin' on the Ritz
Spangled Gowns upon the bevy of
High browns from down the levy
Always spits
Puttin' on the Ritz

That's where each and every lulu-belle goes
Every Thursday evening with her swell beaus
Rubbin' elbows

Come with me and we'll attend their jubilee
And see them spend
Their last two bits
Puttin' on the Ritz

- short instrumental break -

(Boys, look at that man puttin' on that Ritz)

Now, if you're blue
And you don't know where to go to
Why don't you go where Harlem flits
Puttin' on the Ritz
Spangled Gowns upon the bevy of
High browns from down the levy
All misfits
Puttin' on that certain Ritz

Come with me and we'll attend their jubilee
And see them spend
Their last two bits
Puttin' on the Ritz

Come with me and we'll attend their jubilee
And see them spend
Their last two bits
Puttin' on the Ritz

The song was later rewritten to be generally applicable to going out in the town in style.

“Puttin’ on the Ritz” Original Lyrics(1929)
Puttin' on the Ritz (Wikipedia)
Irving Berlin Lyrics and Chords Puttin on the Ritz

Labels: 1980s, lyrics, music, puttin on the ritz, taco, video

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What Your Handwriting Says About You

You are a fairly energetic person. You know how do pace yourself, and you deal well with stress. You range from very outgoing to very shy. You are a shapeshifter who is very versatile. You adapt well, and you look at things from many angles. You are balanced and grounded. You know how to get along well with others. You don't a lot of space, and you prefer to spend time with others. You are a little nosy and intrusive. You sometimes don't give people enough space. You are somewhat traditional, but you are also open to change. You listen to your head and your heart. You are a decent communicator. You eventually get your point across, but sometimes you leave things a bit ambiguous.

Labels: blogthing

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