Today is the beginning of the hurricane season. President Clinton delivered a speech in Europe where he reminding the audience that delays in opposing Hitler led to the holocaust. He did not mention his own delays because of the mess with Monica. Beth Carroll on TV called Memorial Day "the most American of all holidays." Isn't the 4th of July the most American of all holidays? Thanksgiving? The number for Louis & Clark is 783-1209. The car over to Colleen's is a navy Buick license number 5662JD.
An extremely busy day. I was up at 6am and planted all the flowers. Also unrolled the rug that was in the dining room on Crest Street. I took pictures of the rug with Sweet Pea and Honey Pot on it. I recall how as a child I played on that rug. It is 8 by 10 and too nice to dispose of. What I can use it for is the question. I called Cat's Paw and Vince said they don't rewire lamps.
Mail came very early. Haven't seen the regular mailman for ages, since he left the mail has come earlier in the day. I drove out around 1:15pm and mailed a money order to Hamilton and a letter to Jester. First I swung by the Cohn's (nobody home) and left a bag of magazines on their back doorknob. The Penniman's are putting on a new roof. There is a pest control van parked next door at #95. After putting out the mail at Louis & Clark, I headed across the street to the liquor store where I ordered a case of Harvey's Bristol Creme for $148.
Then over to Brightwood Hardware in Longmeadow and left off the lamp, then into the Big Y across the street. Inside I saw a big breasted black woman wearing a Buckingham Junior High t-shirt. Proceeding home, I was flagged down by a policeman, who said there was a problem reported about the way I was dressed. That was about 3:15pm. Sgt. Mellis was friendly enough as I explained to him that I had come to have a lamp rewired and showed him my claim check. They said someone at Big Y had complained about a person walking around with their underpants outside their pants. I recall seeing an old woman glaring at me as I walked in. Seeing how I was not improperly dressed, the cop let me go.
I called Aunt Maria and she was quite chipper, she has been feeling better the last few days. Then I left word with Belle-Rita about our upcoming plans. Called Tom and Mrs. Devine said he was not at home. I could hear the kids running around in the background. The domestic situation over at Tom's is confusing and I'll have to clarify it.
I called Eamon and he said John O'Brien of WAQY called him and said he's talked to Mark Wiernasz at TV22 but not with anybody at the Valley Advocate. Eamon's new tape is simply remarkable:
"Mayor Albano's secret diaries, written in pencil, have been found by accident at a private Albano pajama swap party hosted by Gerry Phillips in Longmeadow while David "Toots" Starr and "Twinkles" McDermott were playing Pin the Tail on the Donkey. Many beautiful people were there, Muffy, Buffy, Kinky and Biff. There was an open bar, welcomed by the news scribes because they have 18 inch pockets. Some of the Mayor's more shocking entries were, "Bloopers Foley talks funny," "Peter Negroni is a real change agent who looks better wearing a dress," and "Good thing for Bud Williams that hot air rises."
Overcast until noon.
The major managerial figures in our local media are Larry McDermott and Wayne Phaneuf of the Springfield Newspapers, Tom Vannah editor of the Valley Advocate, Carla Valentine editor of The Reminder, Kathy Tobin news director of WGGB TV40, Deborah Onslow general manager of WGGB TV57 and Mike Garraffi news director at WWLP TV22.
WFCR had a feature on the Palliative Care Unit in Hartford. Sounds like the same thing as a hospice except in a hospital setting. In the paper today, Allan Blair, president and CEO of the Economic Development Council of Western Mass, cited the Pioneer Valley's "long tradition of business excellence." WNEC has bought land abutting Evergreen Road.
I watered the flowers and then worked on the Frank Wilson papers. While doing so, I came across a Devine handout from March 2nd. I drove out at 9:30am and made a deposit at Albank on Island Pond Road. I told them their countertop calendars needed correcting as they all read Tuesday June 1st. Then I got carpet cleaner at the hardware shop.
Next I went to Stop&Shop where I bought soup, milk, bread, prune juice, orange drink, butter, margarine and a few other things that added up to $25.24. On my way back, I saw Mr. Cohn was out so I stopped and we chatted. He was planting flowers. Mr. Cohn loves flowers, and has many little clumps of different varieties arranged picturesquely around. Said he had his eye operated on recently but can still drive. His son Zachary was recently in London and thinking of leaving Prague.
The front of the Penniman's roof appears to be done, I don't know about the back. When I got home I mowed the lawn, and while doing so looked over into Colleen's backyard. The plantings have come along very nicely and it is a wonderful garden. The pool with its plantings and floating lilies is still going and I counted four goldfish.
Mail delivered at 3:15pm by a man I haven't seen before. Still no phone book. Dined on frankfurters and beans, had rice puffs in milk plus a danish for breakfast. Tom Devine called saying thanks for the invitation but he doesn't think he can make it with so much going on. He also said he hasn't heard Eamon's tape about Albano's diaries. I was surprised at one point when Tom spoke of visiting his father, whom I thought was dead but is apparently still alive.
I told Tom I haven't heard from Maureen Turner lately. He told me he sometimes hears from Mo or someone else from the Valley Advocate who contact him mostly to clarify points of local political history. He did tell me that Stephanie Kraft told him that she felt that certain passages in Unpleasant Memories of Downtown Springfield were anti-Semitic. I told him I have impeccable credentials in interacting with Jews and mentioned studying with Maurice Freedman as well as my friendship with the Cohn's. The call ended around 9:30pm.
I then decided to try calling David Starr. It was picked up by Mrs. Starr, who asked who was calling and I identified myself. Starr came to the phone and said it was a little too late to be calling, but I was instructed to "give me a buzz at my office tomorrow." And so I shall.
Hot and sticky.
On the morning news, Ryan's Drug Store in Agawam, the last of a once ten store chain, has sold out to CVS. WWLP-TV22 is promoting itself as "Your Home for the 2000 Summer Olympics." WFCR needs to raise $186,000 in four weeks. In my copy of Samuel Busey's Immigration: Its Evils and Consequences (1856), with the No-Nothing and anti-Catholic advertisements in the back, has a bookplate in it indicating it was donated to the State Normal School in Salem by A. Crosby. Lynn McCarthy works at Healthtrax in West Springfield.
Cleaned house, even the refrigerator and front steps. Mail came at 11:30am with two books from Eugene Povirk at Southpaw in Conway. I took a bath and then dined on boiled potatoes and corn with warmed up hamburger and spaghetti from the other day. Tried calling Aunt Maria but she said she was busy and didn't want to talk.
I called David Starr at the newspaper and we talked from 4:35 until 4:50pm. He was gracious and I was polite. Starr said he would look into what happened to my submission of Unpleasant Memories of Downtown Springfield to their essay contest and which they claim they never received. I also explained how the paper has lost other things I have submitted in the past.
I told Starr that a copy was anonymously sent to TV40 and probably others, which could only have originated with the copy I submitted to the paper. I mentioned how I had applied for the post of city arts guru, and suspect that someone sent the manuscript to the media so as to kill any chance I had to get the job. Starr then suggested that perhaps someone might have stolen the manuscript before the contest judges had a chance to see it.
At the end of our conversation I invited Starr and his wife to come to my home to see my poster collection, but only if he promises not to bring Fran Gagnon, telling him how she has been ungracious to me on several occasions. I told him that if he wants any refreshments he will have to bring his own because "you have more money than I do." Starr politely declined the invite, but promised to look into what happened to my manuscript and said he would get back to me. We shall see.
This evening I went to the Historical Commission meeting at City Hall for the latest updates on the Seuss sculpture project at the Quadrangle. I went in my biker jacket with a t-shirt reading "Raising Hell is My Business...And Business is Good!" As I walked into the Aldermanic Chamber, the Quadrangle lawyer gave me a sharp, suspicious look. Hearing was a problem, they really need a public address system. I am certain that no one had difficulty hearing me, I won the Hamlin Speaking Prize at Colby, named after U.S. Vice President Hannibal Hamlin.
Seuss came up late. Mrs. Gagnon, whom I have publicly criticized, was in charge, wearing a professional, navy blue dress, and was cheerful throughout the meeting. It is obvious that Gagnon has been closely involved in this project. At one point Joe Carvalho spoke, but he always has a hard to hear voice. He seemed to think the monuments will be a fabulous attraction. Near the conclusion, Gagnon asked for questions or comments from the audience, so I stood and asked whether any Bethel white granite would be used in the project. The landscaper spoke up and said Bethel granite is too light and reflective.
I then told them that they should have had a national competition to design the project that would have brought in lots of ideas and lots of publicity. I mentioned the new Seuss Landing at Universal Studios in Orlando. I conceded that the planned Seuss monuments will be the work of a skilled artist, but said they show little imagination. They are extremely academic and more in common with the art nouveau style of a century ago than is appropriate to either a figure like Seuss or these times.
I said the drawings I saw of the planned statues struck me as boring and too
tame. They lack color, chrome, motion, music, water, movement or neon. At
$6 million it is also expensive. I think something like the jungle gym
they have at Riverside would be more appropriate for a monument
to Seuss. What do you do to make every kid in New England want to come to Springfield? Bronze sculptures are not the answer.
And why is so much being done for Seuss but nothing for other local literary luminaries such as Timothy Leary, Josiah Gilbert Holland, Samuel Bowles, Richard Garvey and myself? I told them the whole project should be sent back for more imagination in the design and be expanded to honor others besides Seuss. I told them the project is a dud that will be dead upon unveiling. I then thanked the Commission, bowed, and beat it.
On the nightly news I discovered the vote was 3 to 1 in favor of four statues to be sculpted by Lark Diamond-Cates, Dr. Seuss' step-daughter. Sounds like nepotism and a land grab to me. Gagnon and Commission members Dorothy Lortie and Thomas Belton voted in favor of the project. Ronald Carle was opposed, Steve Jablonski didn't vote and Bill Boyd was absent.
Nicest day all week.
TV22 has a new slogan, "We're #1 for all News Broadcasts." There are Burger Kings located at 1219 Parker Street and 770 Boston Road. MSC Liquid Filtration Corporation is located in Enfield, Connecticut.
Today I took Belle-Rita Novak to Riverside as thanks for her dinner party. When I picked her up she was wearing a white top and greenish shorts. She did not return my books. Belle-Rita is an intelligent and friendly person who likes helping others. Her father was an insurance man for John Hancock who felt that Monarch was a badly managed company. I thought Belle-Rita went to Smith but she went to Boston University. She also took some classes at UMass in the 80's and brought up a family of two sons and a daughter. One son is gay. At one point she told me how she has given books and articles to Mayor Albano on urban food issues she feels he should read, but she has no idea whether he ever read any of it.
We got to Riverside around 10am. Once inside we immediately got on the merry-go-round. Then she wanted some french fries, so I bought two containers at $2 each. They were good but unexciting. Belle-Rita had no problem walking around other than having to stop and rest a few times. We walked around the water park, then sat under an umbrella and watched people sliding down the chutes. I also bought her four postcards showing various parts of the park. We had a good time, and afterwards I took her to the Buffet in West Springfield to eat. There she expressed concern about her dog so I agreed to take her home. I arrived back at Birchland at 3:24pm.
The mail brought info about the Springfield Woman's Conference. Called Aunt Maria and she said she is okay and doesn't need the air conditioner installed yet. Eamon called and said he had been to a fundraiser to retire the campaign debts of Righty Keough. He also recalled how former Mayor Daniel B. Brunton, who served several terms in the 50's, always had a chauffeur driven city limo.
David Starr called from 413-747-0283. He told me he had looked into the disappearance of my Unpleasant Memories essay I left with them. According to Starr, they were "only a conduit" through which entries were submitted and then delivered to the contest judges. "None of our employees ever handled them." he said. In other words, they had nothing to do with their own contest. He also said there was no evidence that anyone at the paper leaked my essay to the media. I told him I find all this highly unlikely, but thanked him for calling anyway.
A beautiful and busy day.
On TV22, Days of Our Lives comes on after 22 News at Noon. Five Star Cleaning is located at 634 Boston Road, across from Hollywood Video in Springfield. The Holyoke Community College Role Playing Club meets every Monday. I had chicken noodle soup for supper.
Doyle the Twig Painter has a letter in today's paper complaining about nearly being hit by a car while sitting and painting on the sidewalk on Boston Road. Mayoral aide Tim Reilly has announced that the $6 million expansion of Boston Road will not prevent Doyle from painting on the sidewalk as he has done for the past 28 years.
First stop was the Quadrangle, where I parked out back. Not many there for the Library Book Sale, maybe 20 standing around when I got there. There was a rectangle arrangement of tables in the middle of the green, with Contavich and others wheeling books out of trucks. The religious guy was there with his three kids. There was an immense pile of Tony Bevivino's sheet music. I recall he lived in a little house off Central and was the principal bassist with the Springfield Symphony.
Nader the Hatter came along and bought some of the sheet music, describing all the books for sale as "wonderful to behold." Nader said he bought a children's book autographed by the author and actress Cornelia Otis Skinner. Nader also told me that Nardi the architect has had a double by-pass heart operation. Then along came Melinda McIntosh wearing a cute hat and looking like a real doll. She said she got my postcard. Melinda told me she was disappointed in the sale, which had none of the royal collectibles she likes.
I arrived at the Northampton Fair grounds at 11:40am and business was good at the Crafts Fair. There seemed to be a lot of cars with Vermont plates. Admission was a whopping $8, but the show was worth it. This is only the second Northampton Crafts Fair but everything was done right. However, there were no plastic bags with Northampton Crafts Fair printed on them, a definite deficiency for a show of that caliber. There were a few food booths and the art was mostly quite good. I was there in my laced boots and orange coveralls, which caused Karen Krieger to smile and say "I like your orange!" In the end, there wasn't anything there that I couldn't live without, so I left Northampton at 2:35 without buying anything.
By that time I was exhausted, but I wanted to check out the Gay Pride event on the riverfront, where there were lots of cars parked when I arrived. Admission was $5 last year, but this time only $2. It was a pleasant event, largely organized by Just Friends. I saw two fellows dressed as Egyptians who were wonderful. I bought a hot dog with onions and mustard and left at 3:45pm.
When I got home, my shipment of books from Hamilton, including the Marines one, was leaning against the garage door. I called Belle-Rita Novak and asked if she wanted to do something on Sunday, but she said she has to babysit for her son. I then called Fred Whitney, who said his daughter was on the operating table for 11 hours, but is doing better. Whitney himself suffers from diabetes. We then discussed Eleanor Powell, the actress/dancer who came from Springfield. Finally, Eamon called and complained about all the fundraising Albano is doing, which Eamon thinks is outrageous given that the Mayor has no opponent and $300,000 already in his campaign account. Eamon claimed that Bill Foley has told him that he wants to be mayor after Albano leaves.
98 degrees, a record for this date.
I heard the first birds at 4:45am.
Serbs not pulling out so airstrikes continue. Today New Hampshire became the last state to adopt Martin Luther King Day. There was an article in the paper about the Historical Commission meeting, but it made no mention of me. The Healthtrax Fitness and Wellness Center is located in West Springfield.
Rhododendron and all sorts of roses coming out. Went to Trinity wearing tan shorts. Mayor Albano gave a fine sermon about co-operation between religion and government. At one point he said that AIDS is a big problem and needle exchange is a practical solution. He also spoke of the need to make healthcare more generally available. There were no printed copies like they do with Mrs. Goad's sermons. As usual, Albano walked straight out after he spoke and no one got to meet with him.
Then on to Longmeadow Days, where the St. Andrew's Episcopal ladies had a table selling cookbooks of the sort so many churches do (spiral bound). I asked them what happened to their tag sales. They said it was too much work. I saw a little kid with a t-shirt that read, "Football is Life." Another guy had a t-shirt reading "Seeking Homer." I asked about it and he said it's a NYC based band that plays up and down the East coast. Some of the things for sale at Lomgmeadow Days were of quality, but in general the Northampton Craft Fair was superior. Longmeadow had too much cookie-cutter, off the shelf schlock. Then I drove over to Brightwood Hardware and picked up the cloisonne lamp, which they repaired for just $13.50. I was prepared to pay $25 or $30.
Next I headed downtown and parked above the rug store at Apremont Triangle and walked into the city. The Chamber of Commerce had no free copies of Business West. I did pick up a poster for a law school seminar put on by the UMass Career Center. As I was leaving I spotted Mayor Albano standing in front of Tower Square. I walked up and shook his hand and thanked him for his speech at Trinity. He said he didn't see me there.
When I got home, I dined on a Stouffer's Hearty Pot Roast Dinner. It didn't really have a very hearty piece of meat in it - hearty on vegetables, not meat. Called Aunt Maria, she still doesn't want her air conditioner installed yet. Started reading Rick's Making the Corps, which I can already tell will be a transformative experience for me.
No rain, hazy and a little less humid.
I am an unashamed gypsy scholar with all of the good and bad connotations that has.
No peace in Serbia yet. Face it, civilization is spread very thin indeed. The light company is blaming air conditioners for a shortage of power. I say the problem is more likely people's computers which they leave on all the time. The Holyoke Mall, already the largest in New England, is planning to expand. Frederick G. Christenson and Annette Scherdecker are the bosses at Tower Square.
First Zinnia out. Made some rhubarb, apple and strawberry sauce. Dined on a Stouffer's Hearty Meat Loaf Dinner. The meat loaf meal is a little better than the roast beef. Reading in the Marines book I am learning a lot about military culture. I now realize what a sissy I was brought up to be and how bootcamp would have done me a lot of good. Also read about homosexuals and masochism in Kutchins. Tried to talk to Aunt Maria but when I called and asked, "Is there anything new today?" she shouted "No, so goodbye!" and hung up!
Mail here at 2pm along with the phone book. I called Eamon and he said he got his phone book two weeks ago. He then complained that grubs are eating up his lawn and wondered why he hasn't seen any garden toads in years. Eamon recalled how when he was in Navy bootcamp he was always disagreeing with the drill instructor and getting punished with extra push-ups. If he saw the drill instructor abusing some kid he would speak up. At the Starrett Hall Naval Library in Charleston, South Carolina he knew everybody, including Beth Field, the black lady who cleaned the chapel. Once he was invited to have breakfast at the house of his superior, R.P. Winkel. His wife was drunk and Winkel cooked them eggs and ham. Once Winkel needed some political help, so Eamon put him in touch with Silvio Conte, but nothing came of it.
Eamon then went on to tell me about a fundraiser he attended for Dominic Sarno at the John Boyle. Eamon and Jack Keough were leaning on the bar when Mayor Albano walked in. Albano wasn't there long, as usual he put in an appearance but didn't stay. As he was leaving, the Mayor passed by where Eamon and Keough were sitting and said, "Go fuck yourself!" Keough and Eamon made no reply, but a pair of women sitting nearby expressed shock at the Mayor's remark. The next day, Keough called and told Eamon that Anthony Ardolino had called him, telling Jack that Albano wanted Keough to know that the insult was not meant for him.
Sunny and cool all day.
The Carew Street School is being demolished. It was used until rather recently and is one of the better buildings in the old stock. The Master Gardner Association of Western Massachusetts has a Master Gardner Hotline at 734-2655. Maypo cereal should always be eaten with grapefruit.
The following letter from Ethel Farrington appeared in today's paper:
In your recent article on the unveiling of the bronze bust of the late Rep. Anthony Scibelli, you failed to mention the name of the talented local artist who created the memorial. He is Carl B. Sundberg of Wilbraham.
I wish Sundberg had been the one to design the Seuss memorial for the Quad. The Scibelli monument is indeed beautiful (although the turtle neck may be tighter than it would be in real life). The coloration of the patina is lovely and the smile is wonderful. However, as Springfield's Italian population in the South End continues to decline, it may eventually need to be relocated to the STCC campus or somewhere in Forest Park.
Up at 5:45am, cleaned off the front stairs, watered the flowers and did the dishes. Called the Chapin Center and Mother's old friend Madeline Waite is still there. Since Aunt Maria likes berries I decided to get her some today. Drove out at 9:12am to Angelos's and got some sweet peas plus a pint of lovely California berries for Aunt Maria. Then to Mrs. Staniski's, where a blue/grey van was out front and Carol Staniski was inside the house. Carol's personality and face are unchanged, but she has put on a lot of weight. Mrs. Staniski returned materials and gave me some Harvard things from Ann.
Next I headed to the Chapin Center, where I found Madeline sitting in her wheelchair. I gave her a copy of Mother's obituary and asked how the place is treating her. She said okay but she is bored. Her lawyer is still handling her affairs and they sold the house in Brimfield. She had some balloons attached to her chair which I asked about and she announced that today is her 87th birthday. I started to sing Happy Birthday to her and two old ladies in wheelchairs rolled up and joined in.
After I departed, I headed straight to Aunt Maria's. I found her sitting in her living room in front of a little round fan. I gave her the berries and when she asked if she should pay me for them I said of course not. Her cat is okay. At one point, Aunt Maria predicted that she would be "dead by October." She told me she had made clear to her lawyer Anthony C. Bonavita that she didn't want me to have anything to do with her funeral.
I suggested she must be worth at least six figures and she insisted she was worth a half-million "at least" in stocks and property alone. She would not respond when I asked her point blank whether she has cut me out of her will. Instead she lit into me, accusing me of wanting to steal her IBM stock and said she is going to report me. I told her to go right ahead and walked out. The less contact I have with Aunt Maria the better because of all the time I waste on her.
When I got back Kelly was washing her car. I am continuing to read about the Marines. Called Ruth but no answer. Eamon called and at one point said that Raipher Pellegrino, Angelo Puppolo, Dom Sarno and Nick Fyntrilakis are the political rising stars of their generation. TV22 News tonight said that physical exercise increases sexuality. I've discovered that to be true. Attorney Mark E. Salomone has had an ad on for years where a bunch of insurance executives are shown saying they don't want to settle the claim, but when they hear the name Salomone they instantly decide to settle. Attorneys today want to settle your case so that they can get a piece of the pie. Never do you hear of attorneys who want to litigate.
A nice day, though it got hot.
President Clinton says that "as long as the nation is run by a war criminal, the U.S. won't leave Yugoslavia." They should reply that as long as the U.S. is run by a pathological liar they won't deal with us. The Goodwill has a sign on the front saying that they are moving to 120 Parker Street, the former A&P. Reuben Telemaque is Pastor of the Agawam United Methodist Church. Morgan Square apartments reopened yesterday with tours of the renovated units.
I have lots of black raspberries coming in now. The season is still early. I called Nader and told him to come pick them if he wants some. First thing in the morning I mowed the lawn, finishing at 9:55am. Also planted the portulaca beside the other flowers. Arrived at Riverside just a few minutes before eleven, having left at 10:07. The parking lot was nearly full. I rode a second time on the Time Warp, which was less horrifying than the first time.
As I got off the ride I complemented the operators on their park and said they do more to keep kids off drugs than a dozen cops. I got to talking about the Dr. Seuss memorial and to my surprise a man in a turquoise shirt standing nearby introduced himself as Tim Black, the General Manager of the park. He said that Riverside had approached Mayor Albano and offered to donate their expertise to help creating the exhibit, but Albano never got back to them. We agreed that no one will sit on a bronze chair to read stories to children and that they would've been better off creating something interactive that the children could climb on. On my way out I saw a kid with a t-shirt on with a computer graphic on it reading "RAM is War."
I left Riverside at 1:49pm and decided to have lunch at the new Firehouse Tavern on Mill Street. It's a clean place with plenty of sunlight. There are two little party rooms, as well as fire fighter themed decorations. There are several framed black and white photos of the old South End hanging up. I told my waitress Bev about my own collection of Springfield Fire and Marine Co. memorabilia and how I told Ben Jones I would one day donate it all to Monarch, but since they have gone out of business, I asked to see the manager to ask if he would like to display some of it. However, Bev said that John the manager wasn't in. Home at 3:13pm.
Mail brought a letter misaddressed to Brian R. Woodward. I readdressed it and put it in the outgoing mail. Tonight Channel 57 did a lot of begging. The charming and sweet oldtimer Mary Alice Rogers was on, and said she has been working at the station for 19 years. Talked with Ruth tonight and told her how Aunt Maria predicted she would be dead by October. Ruth laughed and said, "I haven't heard that one yet!" Ruth told me she thinks Aunt Maria's house is worth about $200,000. Ruth also said she bought some berries at Stop&Shop for $1.50 and was surprised when I told her I got mine for $1.25 at Angelo's.
Rain, sometimes a downpour.
The news says the life expectancy in 1900 was 47 and is now 76. WFCR is having a fund drive. They said Car Talk costs $400 per week, one of their more expensive shows. At one point they announced that Dave and Peggy Starr of Longmeadow gave $500.
I have shaved off my Apache and am now an impeccable skinhead, and that is what I want to be. It is more masculine and not as queer as the purple Apache, more ambiguous. First thing I pulled down some of those climbing vines by the fence. Black-eyed Susans are starting to come out. Drove out to Freihofer's, cashed a check at Bank of Western Mass, groceries at Stop&Shop and fish and chips from Big Y. The Big Y boss Henry has been transferred to Longmeadow. Hood ice cream had a booth set up giving away free samples.
Mail here at noon and included acknowledgement of my WNEC job application. Had spanish rice and a pork chop for dinner. Left Martha Young a message for Nader the Hatter. Eamon called and I told him about the Roberta B. Gratz book Cities Back from the Edge. We talked about the Seuss monument, and agreed that a well done memorial would attract kids from hundreds of miles around, but that the current design is not it. Eamon thinks they should have had a contest for the design, which would've gotten free publicity and lots of free advice. He said that would be much more beneficial and cost effective than the present nepotistic arrangement.
Eamon then talked about Al Casella, the architect who designed the WNEC Law School and the Agawam Library, who once took Eamon to see the Gardner School, a beautiful building with a hexagon garden. Casella unsuccessfully submitted a design for the Basketball Hall of Fame that was in the form of a huge basketball with the entire museum inside it. Eamon claims it was far more beautiful than the design they chose, which Casilla tried to warn them would not look impressive from all angles and he was right.
Today was overcast and humid with a few sprinkles at noon.
George W. Bush says he's running as "a compassionate conservative" but he is more conservative than his father. I think I prefer John McCain. "Welcome to the Web for...." is the Springfield Library's service of free, special interest internet programs. I checked and Anthony C. Bonavita is at 2 Southbridge Drive, Agawam 739-2020. Josephczyk hasn't uncovered his pool yet.
I completed re-reading and cross referencing Making the Corps. It is one of the finest books I have read and I have studied it with all the care of a literary text so as to squeeze every bit of information out of it. Spotted out the window some Jehovah's Witnesses coming down the street, but they did not stop here. Drove out to Eastfield Mall around 10:30am. The new cinema complex is coming along nicely.
Next stop was Stop&Shop where I got a good deal on one day old broccoli. The person in front of me in line was wearing a Friendly's uniform and buying five loaves of bread. She told me the restaurant was running out so they sent her out to buy some more. Stopped by Tommy Mack's Carpetland at 879 Boston Road, where outside I found a nice Sealtest red crate. I can always find use for a milk crate.
The Reminder was here by noon, but the mail didn't come until 1:30pm. Dined on a new Swanson Chicken Dinner, which had a boneless chicken patty about the size of a drumstick. They are charging more but giving less. Today was the first day since Mother died that I haven't called Aunt Maria.
Called Westbank this morning and spoke with Kim and then Gary Saymaniak, who told me my Certificate of Deposit has been renewed for two years. Later I called Karen Powell and she said she hasn't seen Mo Turner in person for some time. However, Maureen did drop off a book Sports, Jobs and Taxes recently but Karen wasn't home at the time.
Beth in Dr. Reed's office called looking for Muriel Stone. I told her she had the wrong number. Eamon called and said he spoke with the Valley Advocate this morning, telling Turner that about 70% of the School Department employees live outside the city. Eamon told me he has talked with Jim Tillotson in Chicopee about Teresa Regina, who told Eamon that Regina is a go-fer who formerly taught tenth grade English. She writes all of Dr. Negroni's press releases and almost all of his other writing, which surprised me because I thought that Negroni had good writing skills.
There was a brilliant letter in the paper recently from Gregory Saulmon of South Hadley, encouraging an "Undress Code" for high school students that would require that students attend school in the nude. Meanwhile, School Committee member Beth Conway is urging that Rebecca Johnson School adopt school uniforms.
Under Mother's bedroom window today, behind the rhododendron, I found a green ball point pen from Commonwealth United Mortgage. Somebody must have been crouching there.
Sunny and cooler.
So good so far in Kosovo. I can't blame the Russians for behaving as they have, everyone else has a piece of the pie, why shouldn't they? The Pope has fallen ill in Poland, I bet he would prefer to die there. George W. Bush's wife is a Methodist. Gainor B. Davis is Director of the Vermont Historical Society. Champions "The American Sports Bar Restaurant" is located in Tower Square.
Up at 5:30am. WFCR is having a Schubert Festival and begging like crazy for support. They say that only 1 in every 12 of their listeners gives to WFCR. I drove out at 10:15am and bought the paper at Louis & Clark and had CopyCat make me more letterheads.
Then, never having been there, I drove out to Meadowbrook Farm in East Longmeadow. It is way out on the road by the Methodist Church, after the turnoff to Hampden. A nice, old farmhouse neatly maintained but the place as a whole is disappointing. Their three Quonset hut type greenhouses were crude and sloppy, nothing like at the 16 Acres Garden Center. To pick your own berries at Meadowbrook, you can't drive into the field, you have to park down by the greenhouses and walk up steps to the road and then walk way down into the field. It didn't seem worth the trouble so I left Meadowbrook without buying anything.
Then to the Taste of Springfield. I think there were fewer booths than in prior years, but there were a lot of people there having a good time. Music was playing in front of City Hall. Lots of cops. I ran into Atty. John Rice and told him I sang Happy Birthday to his client Madeline Waite. He smiled and we exchanged cards. There were freebies around, such as discount coupons for McDonald's and Dunkin Donuts. For $10 I bought a Springfield Millennium Medallion, then I went into the Main Street Subway and got a baloney deli sandwich before heading home.
The mail brought the paperwork for my Yankee Energy stock. Dined on milk and cake, then finished up the Mexican rice with hotdogs. Talked with Eamon, he's pretty mad that Teresa Regina has been promoted to Deputy Director of Teaching and Learning and Support Services at $100.000, after having just been promoted at a whopping raise several years ago to Executive Director of Special Services at $94,000.
Called Doyle the Twig Painter and he picked up. He said he has no interest in going to Riverside with me but thanked me for offering. He said he started painting when he was 10 and studied at Boston College of Art and got his MFA from Mississippi at Oxford. Doyle also served in the Army as an illustrator. His paintings are now "selling like crazy" on cruise ships, quipping at one point, "My ship has come in!" Doyle said he thinks of himself as more of a bohemian than a hippie.
Congressman Neal will provide an update on The Good Friday Agreement during a presentation at Elms College in Chicopee. I will be going. Riverside raceway is closing as they plan to upgrade the entire park. In Great Barrington, 56 acres are for sale for $3 million. David Sharken is Executive Director of the Food Bank of Western Mass in Hatfield.
Started today by writing letters, I have so many to do! Sent a card to Martha and wrote to the Southworths and Porters. A letter came today from Dr. Ross A. Gouker, Mother's optometrist, saying it was time for her check-up. I called his office on Boston Road and left a message saying, "The Doctor may be in, but the patient is out." I then called Subway downtown and got Bob and told him about the black lady Shkena who always remembers my order. He said he would pat her on the back in their newsletter. I also left word with Nader the Hatter to call me when he gets back.
There is an article in the paper by Chris Hamel about the public meeting and workshop held by the Cecil Group at City Stage Tuesday. Steven G. Cecil, the firm's principal, said that tourists alone can not be the backbone of a successful downtown "spiral upwards."
I decided to call Steve Cecil in Boston. He accepted my collect call but was eager to conclude it. After complaining that I had heard nothing about the meeting, he said that Michael Piscateli in Planning was responsible for publicizing the event. I told Cecil that there was no notice of it in the monthly business pull-out in the paper. No mention in Chamber Channels. Nothing in The Reminder (if you even call that a paper). Nobody called the Valley Advocate and I saw no posters around. I said it was a prizewinning example of a nihilistic advertising non-campaign with pre-kindergarden level marketing.
Next I called City Hall and got Piscatelli at Planning and I told him that since David Starr ignores my ideas, I had hoped to share them with the Cecil Group, but was never made aware of the meeting. Piscatelli admitted there had been only 20 people at the event, not the 40 reported by the media, but he said he hopes that future meetings will have better publicity and a bigger turnout. He did say they got a pretty diverse group and he was glad about that.
I next called Maureen Turner at the Valley Advocate (247-9305) and she was her usual friendly self. I did most of the talking and told her about my Historical Commission remarks (she liked my line about Riverside doing more to keep kids off drugs than the cops). We also talked about the Seuss statues, with Mo saying that "what's going up isn't exactly what you'd expect to honor somebody like Seuss." I asked her at one point if she was married, and she is not. Such a lovely person, the fairest of creatures, I told her to ignore any rumors she might hear that I am an anti-Semite.
Eamon called and told me he contacted the Census and they said that trends suggest that the 2000 census will show population declines in Springfield, Holyoke and Chicopee. I told him about my call to the Advocate. He expressed surprise that I would just come out and ask Maureen whether she was married, saying he would have considered it impolite. "This may be 1999," he said, "but I still follow 1950's manners."
Eamon says that Councilor Barbara Garde should not vote on the stadium project because she has a conflict of interest since her son was the Treasurer of the Springfield Baseball Corporation. Tim Ryan has already recused himself because of a conflict. Eamon then told me how he is related to Judge John Greaney through the Fitzgerald's. The judge had a devout Catholic upbringing but married a Lutheran and converted.
Eamon then complained that a page one story by John O'Connell about Nick Fyntrilakis' primary challenge was supposed to be continued on page 9, but there was no sign of it on that page or anywhere else. When Eamon hung up I called the paper and got Brenda, who admitted that they had received numerous complaints about the missing half of the story. She offered to fax me the rest of it but I told her I do not have a fax machine.
City Councilors Bill Boyle, Bill Foley and Barbara Garvey have announced that they are opposing Albano's stadium. Cherry Bombs at 95 State Street urges you to "Party on the Patio" with Ed's Grill. Diane Lederman was in charge of the listings in the Sunday Republican in 1993.
I found a tag sale at 15 Ferncliff and bought some criminal justice textbooks with the property marker of Mt. Wachusett Community College. When I got downtown, there were five school buses from Southwick and Tolland pulled up in front of the Museum of Fine Arts. While waiting for the First Church book sale to begin, I finally made friends with the tall, bearded Jewish fellow who I often see buying books. His name is Robert. Councilor Tim Ryan walked past and cheerfully greeted me. I also saw that guy from Child's Stamps Company on his way to lunch. He's a friendly soul.
I got a whole slew of Reader's Digest books at 50 cents apiece. My prize find was a college textbook, The Pageant of Greece by R.W. Livingstone (1924), that had once belonged to Commissioner Beaumont A. Herman. It was signed by him and dated 1930. I got it for $15. On the way back I stopped at Stop&Shop for milk.
I microwaved the other half of last week's fish and chips and it came out nicely. Eamon called and said he has read Devine's piece praising Fyntrilakis and doesn't agree with most of it. I got a wrong number call from Larry Plane, who wondered if there was a vegetarian alternative . I replied that we serve nothing but vegetarian and hung up. I get so many of these calls meant for Storrowtown.
Called Durham Caldwell and his voicemail message said I got 30 seconds and to please indicate the date and time I called. So I did that and then asked if giving that info cuts into my 30 seconds? I told Caldwell how I had seen his book at the Ferncliff tag sale selling for a dime.
This evening I went to Rep. Neal's speech on Ireland at Elms. I was dressed in full orange and I caught Neal staring at me from across the room. I was able to grab a poster promoting an Irish Language Study Group taught by George Bresnahan. The Congressman made a professional presentation and at one point Neal mentioned that he played three sports in high school. As I was leaving, Sister Caritas said to me, "I'm surprised you weren't afraid to come dressed in that color." I told her, "I must say that I think your comment is impertinent." To which Sister replied, "Perhaps it was." I then bowed and wished her a good evening. Home just after 9pm.
Lovely day.
The national economy is booming, but is lagging in Western Mass in general and Springfield in particular. WWLP-22 boasts of having "the top coverage for Western New England."
How much responsibility do I have for Aunt Maria? Legally, none. Morally? Depends on her level of competency. To what extent is any responsibility mitigated by her surliness?
I was planning to go to the Beer Fest n Northampton but decided to go tomorrow instead. Put out the mail first thing after dining on a steak, egg and cheese breakfast bagel I got with a coupon at the Allen Street McDonald's. That was my main meal of the day. From the Post Office I went downtown for the second day of the First Church book sale. I was early so I sat on a shady bench in Court Square and actually dozed off for almost an hour!
When I woke up I went inside where I was greeted by a tall fellow in a tank top who said he liked my earrings. I suspect he may be one of the fraternity, seemed intelligent, works for the church. The woman running the sale told me she also works as the church librarian. She said they will donate anything leftover to charity, but I failed to ask which charity.
I was amazed to find a mint set of Trollope's Barsetshire novels. I bought a copy of Gibson Willet's Inside History of the White House (1908) in mint condition with many pictures of the White House during the administration of Teddy Roosevelt. The book was at best glanced at by a former owner and never opened again. I also got a volume on Roman literature with a bookplate inside that said it was originally from the library of Hope Congregational Church and had been donated by Dr. Britton G. McCabe in December 1968.
From First Church I drove down to Northgate, where the Powell's were holding an anti-stadium rally. There was a clown, lots of balloons and a decent crowd, mostly minorities. The liquor store had a table outside with literature and petitions and were passing out Avalanche shot glasses and a green Budweiser key ring. John McCarthy said every day he feels uncertainty about how long he will be in business. Councilor W. Foley was there, Karen says he wants to be mayor very badly. I took lots of pictures and hope some come out.
Eamon called and said Tom Devine called his phone editorial twice today. As he spoke I could hear his clock clicking in the background, but only in one ear. A kind of hearing test. Eamon told me that his brother Ray the fire chief played the violin as a boy and insisted on joining the Navy at only 17 during World War II. His parents had to sign a special form permitting him to enlist. They were reluctant but relented in the end.
It is very dry.
Dyansen Gallery in Boston is putting on a Peter Max show. Brian Lees was on TV this morning talking about the Basketball Hall of Fame. I am still in a letter writing phase. I hope to get everything wrapped up by the end of the month and then I'll go mute for the summer. Bill Crum and Sons Landscaping of Hampden was working on Collen's hedge. Tiger lillies and Black-eyed Susans are coming out.
Back on June 15th the Cecil Group led a discussion at Stage West on Springfield's master plan for downtown.There was no prior mention of it in the Union-News. No insert in the Chamber Chronicles. Nothing in that not very nice little paper The Reminder. Nobody told the Valley Advocate. I saw no posters put up about it.
Everything I learned about it I got from Tommy Devine, who attended and told me that only about 20 people showed up. That was by design, the lack of promotion meant that only Chamber of Commerce types would attend. They didn't want Joe Six-pack showing up so they didn't advertise.
An article in today's paper by Fred Contrada talks about young people up in Northampton dying their hair unusual colors and a bill filed by a legislator from Plymouth who wants to ban the sale of "exotic" hair dyes in Massachusetts.
Shortly after 11:30am I drove out and headed to the fairgrounds in Northampton for the Great New England Brewers Festival. First I went to Pride in the Acres, where their Subway is still not open and they had no date for when it would. The old A&P looks all fixed up and ready for the Goodwill. The 16 Acres Library appears gutted inside with bare light bulbs hanging down.
The beer fest was an egregious rip-off. The ad in the Valley Advocate said it costs $4, but didn't mention that you had to pay $3 more for parking. Then you had to stand in line and show a picture ID to get in. When you paid the $4 they gave you a program and a plastic mug with Rock 102 on it in an ugly shade of light olive. There were a few food vendors under tents. The Advocate had a booth asking people to evaluate their paper by filling out a questionnaire. I found no postcards and very few paper coasters. I did get a couple beer newspapers, and walked around the grounds twice, buying nothing but a souvenir poster for a dollar. They had lovely t-shirts for $15, but I wasn't about to shell out that after what I'd already paid.
Nearly everyone attending was white, young and respectable looking. No one appeared to be drinking too much. You had to buy tokens for $1.25 apiece to get beer with. The tokens were wooden nickles, but they were so stained and dirty that they were worthless as collectibles. One token gets your mug a quarter filled, three tokens don't even get you a full drink! It's a total rip-off. Northampton is out to get all the money it can soak out of people. I vowed I would never go again, and left Northampton at 1:03pm.
Dined today on Maypo and a Hungry Man Salisbury Steak Dinner. I also took a Centrum vitamin tablet as I do every few days. The mail brought a note from the Jewish Community Center thanking me for the pictures of the 50th Israel Celebration, including two of Alan E. Baskin.
Ann Kennedy of R.L. Sheet Metal called asking, "Is this Storrowtown?" I called Aunt Maria and it rang nine times before she picked up. Aunt Maria was cheerful and said she went to church today. Called Fred Whitney who said he couldn't talk, but asked me to call back and tell him about Neal's Ireland speech at Elms. Belle-Rita Novak called and thanked me again for taking her to Riverside. She said she thinks I am "well mannered and very intelligent, although you dress funny."
Children are helpless because they aren't smart or articulate enough to talk back. They have to take what they get even when it may not be best for them.
My parents bought our land in Wilbraham from Esther M. Barrows on April 3, 1935. They bought an adjoining parcel in 1941. The land, known as Fernbank, is located between Maynard Road and the Chicopee River.
When Mother transferred the deed to me on September 8, 1993, she included "the ferns, trillia, ladyslippers, jacks-in-the-pulpet and skunk cabbages" on the property. I'm donating the land to Wilbraham, to be used strictly for conservation purposes, and if Peter Picknelly or anybody else is allowed to erect a hotel or a pizza parlor on it, I or my estate gets the value of the land back!
This morning I did the dishes and a few other chores such as trimming the hedges along Birchland. Golden rod appears to be crowding out the Phlox. Saw a Monarch butterfly. Kelly has a flag hanging outside her door and others on the street have patriotic decorations up. The Penniman's drove by but didn't stop or even wave. Finished at 9:15am.
At 9:30am I went to McDonald's and had a ham and egg bagel with a coupon. I then left off a bag of stuff at Whitney's back door. He has squash coming up in the garden and marigolds nicely spaced along the side of the house. Then up to Elms, where I left off something for Moriarty. He is a Holy Cross grad with a masters and doctorate from Notre Dame.
Next I headed back to the city and parked on Salem. I walked down the hill and left off an envelope for Herrala. On my way there I saw Fred Whitney's son walking along in a suit. He pretended not to see me. Stopped by the Election Commission Office but Kathy Fleury said that Deezer Sullivan wasn't around.
The Reminder came today. The mail arrived around 2pm and I got the latest catalog from that company which specializes in geology books. I'd like to get a complete set of their catalog as it would be a good bibliography of geology. I tried to call Aunt Maria but I guess she was out with Shirley.
Eamon called and said he likes Mo Turner's latest article. He then told me about the trouble he has had with his checks. Today he had to go to the bank in person to get it fixed. At one point Eamon claimed that he could have written the book on the Marines, but I doubt it. Eamon then argued that he thinks that marriage would be a bad idea for him because women change after they get married. He says he likes to come and go as he pleases and that would end if he had to deal with a wife who would try to make him "a slave." He says you can't sit around in your underwear with a wife. Eamon said that before he would consider marriage he would live with the woman for a while first. Eamon claims he would prefer "a loose woman to an uptight feminist." So much for Eamon and marriage!
Sunny, not a cloud in the sky.
The Buendos who publish the Reminder have an editorial this week entitled 25 Things You'll Need to Know After High School. Number 22 is: "Television ruins more minds than drugs." Note it well.
On All Things Considered they said that by 2008 a major problem will be thieving by computer hacking. Hillary Clinton is being called a "carpetbagger" for moving to New York to run for Senate. A sign in the window says the new Acres Goodwill will also be a postal substation. Table & Vine is located at 122 North King Street in Northampton.
Brainwashed by propaganda that posters look tacky, merchants are foolishly withdrawing their postering sites. 16 Acres Big Y had a bulletin board, but they took it down. Just a few weeks ago I remarked that the Breckwood Louis & Clark bulletin board in their entryway was slowly becoming popular as a postering site.. Then suddenly they took the board down and put up advertisements for their goods and services. Happily the Longmeadow Big Y's two bulletin boards are as lively as ever and the Storrs Library information table is always covered with notices unseen in Springfield.
Found among Mother's things today an old shopping bag from Steiger's. It has been five months since Mother died. This morning I read one of her favorite poems The Blackberry Girl from a book she got at Johnson's Bookstore. This has been an office work week and it will be an office work summer.
For breakfast I had Maypo, grapefruit and a doughnut. For supper I had a Swanson Chicken Dinner. WFCR says it needs $24,000 before next Wednesday. Today they had a Beethoven Bash featuring the Pastoral Symphony. I intentionally delayed going out because I wanted to hear everything because I've never listened to a lot of Beethoven. His passages can be hauntingly beautiful, but I prefer the regularity of Bach and Vivaldi.
Wrong number Edwin Johnson called from 786-1435. Called Mrs. Staniski and she sounds old. She said that tomorrow after she waters her plants she is going to drive down to see Ann this weekend. She then asked me about Aunt Maria and I told her how she has been a lot of trouble and intends to cut me out of her will. Mrs Staniski exclaimed, "After all you've done for her!"
Tonight I went to the stadium forum. The discussion featured Smith College Professor Andrew Zimbalist, who wrote the 1997 book Sports, Jobs and Taxes - Economics of Sports Development. He has a new sports book coming out in August called Unpaid Professionals about college sports. The organizers of the event were Springfield College sociology Professor Susan Joel and UMass Professor Todd Crossett and was held at Springfield College in Locklin Hall.
It was a good gathering. Belle-Rita N. was there in raspberry shorts and a purple top and sat next to me. Maureen Turner came along and I introduced her to Belle-Rita. I also told Maureen how Eamon liked last week's piece in the Advocate by her. Councilors Bill Foley and Tim Rooke were there, but Rooke spent most of the presentation talking with friends in the hallway. That is typical of the lack of respect city officials have for academics. It reminded me of the time Mike Albano was too busy to listen to a visiting expert from Harvard.
Eamon's relative Tux Sullivan was there. The Powells said they were happy with the event and I saw Karen at one point chatting with Maureen. Zimbalist was very good, at one point using Eamon's phrase "smoke and mirrors" to describe the stadium process. Later he mentioned urban theorist Jane Jacobs, and Belle-Rita whispered in my ear, "I love Jane Jacobs." At the end, Dr. Zimbalist, Councilor Foley and myself were among the last to leave.
A hot, unpleasantly sticky day.
When I was at the University of Wisconsin, the annual Groundhog Day Festivities were announced each year on a poster by S. Sutyak, which was always posted at ground level so it could be read by groundhogs.
Drove out at 10:07am. I paused at the Cohn's and left some stuff. There was a luxurious white car in their driveway. Got the paper out of the trash at Louis & Clark, then got some veggies at Angelo's and a few groceries at Price-Rite. The Goodwill at Breckwood is completely empty, while the new one in the Acres has a sign saying they'll have a coffee shop in some way connected to Gus & Paul.
Dined at Boston Market, formerly Boston Chicken, for the first time. I was early for lunch and there was only an elderly couple there besides myself, although a couple of workmen were just sitting down when I left. The food was okay, not great, the servings adequate, not overwhelming. I found my leg of chicken rather small. My Caesar salad had lettuce and croutons but nothing else, no onion, no tomato, no olives. There was also a small piece of cornbread. It all came to $5.24. Boston Market is charging all they can get but not delivering anything very special for it. The chicken was not very big and considering the cost it was no deal and I shall not be going back. Home at noon, where the mailman was just arriving. Took a nap.
At 3:40pm I headed downtown to the anti-Thatcher rally. Found a nice place to park on Mattoon, but when I got out of the car I could hear rain on the leaf canopy above. I got back in the car and drove down Columbus and then up in front of City Hall and the protestors. I began honking my horn, which inspired others to do the same and created quite a racket for a bit. I cut over behind Johnson's but all those places were full. At last I found a space along Dwight so I donned my jacket and paid the parking meter fee (50 cents for one measly hour).
I walked down to the demonstration and arrived at about four sharp. The demonstration was small, in fact there was only about 30 people. What they lacked in numbers they made up for in noise and colorful t-shirts, including some green John Boyle O'Reilly Club shirts. I saw Tony Cignoli standing across the street, laughing as he spoke to City Councilor Foley, who was holding an umbrella. I found an anti-British picket sign leaning against a fire hydrant and saved it for my archives. I observed the demonstrators from the fringe of the gathering for about fifteen minutes and left.
Called Ann and talked for a minute or two. I mentioned that her mother may be getting too old to drive out to see her. Called Nader the Hatter and left word to call me if he wants to go to Riverside. I have blackberries coming in, the season is early, so I told Nader to come pick some if he wants them.
Called ex-rep Whitney, who told me he was just getting back from a meeting over what the local Republicans should be doing but said there was "not much agreement." Fred says he's "76 going on 77" and he needs to cut back on some of his activities. I told him about the Beer Fest, the Northgate rally and last night's meeting at Springfield College. He seemed to be listening intently as I told him about Neal's Irish speech at Elms. At one point Whitney mentioned that Ross Perot is a Presbyterian. Later he complained that most college professors are Democrats and probably socialists.
Eamon called and said there was a close-up of me and Belle-Rita on the news last night. I told him I saw the TV stations there, but they departed early on. Eamon is annoyed that there was nothing about the stadium meeting in the paper today. He thinks David Starr is playing a bigger role in the stadium process than anyone realizes and that Mike Graney is an unqualified figurehead. Eamon says he has to go the veteran's hospital on Monday because of a "serious" blood pressure problem. I told him I was sad to hear that.
Sprinkled at 4:55pm.
Greater time flexibility could be the most important single change in education introduced by internet study. A large cause of bad grades is people not having time to prepare. Francis Gagnon was on TV talking about renovations to King Phillips stockade in Forest Park. Robert W. Kellogg's Unusual Gifts by the Hundreds was located at 32 Temple Street in Springfield in 1924.
Birchland Avenue was finally swept this morning. Up at 5:50aam and was over to Mrs. Staniski's by 6:30am. I watered her flowers, but her hose is too short and some plants had to be sprayed from a distance. Then out to the Boston Road McDonald's across from Big Y, and got a ham, cheese and egg bagel. The store has green termite traps around the outside, suggesting it isn't as immaculate as it should be. In their men's room the faucets are covered with crud, the workers there just aren't into scrubbing away dirt. Then to Stop&Shop for some Swanson dinners on special. Peeked into the new Goodwill and the clothing is all installed although the bookshelves look flimsy.
Mail not here until after 2pm but the Union-News Extra was here by noon. Dined on a hot pocket, later I had a lettuce, tomato and baloney sandwich. Called Elms and their Development Office told me Ms. Kris Gregory handles all the Irish Cultural Center donations, but she is on vacation until July 6th. Then called Mercy Hospital and got the address of Sister Mary Caritas as Providence Mother House, Five Gamelin Street, Holyoke. I called the home office of 60 Minute Photo and got Ann, who told me Bob Russell will not be in until Monday afternoon. Next I called Albank and spoke with Baliba, who said my Ludlow checks are still good for six months. I told her if I don't like Albank I will withdraw my money before my checks expire.
Eamon called and said he went to the Vets Hospital today and gave a blood sample. His doctor is a Pakistani woman whose husband is a computer engineer. Eamon has AT&T for long distance but doesn't make many calls. He hasn't heard from Nader the Hatter and thinks both he and his father are in Florida. Eamon talked a bit about Grandma Nardi who ran Nardi's Happyland Restaurant. She made extra money cashing the checks of the Westinghouse workers for a weekly fee. Her son Red, with red hair, died at age 40 of a brain tumor and she put up one of the largest monuments in St. Michael's for him. Nardi also paid the way through college for all of her grandchildren.
No end to hot days. It was 97 today, beating the record of 96 in 1966.
Men are campers and women are homebuilders. Joseph Thompson is the Director of the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art in North Adams. The Robert Baker Company, a wholesale nursery located in West Suffield, Connecticut is looking for agriculture workers for the 1999 growing season.
The heat hasn't gotten into the basement yet, it isn't bad upstairs because I have the house all closed up. Some of my plants are withering, and I don't think my raspberries are going to amount to much. We are going to be sick of summer from the start, which is sad. Listened to opera on WFCR. Drove out at 8:30am and watered Mrs. Staniski's place again and put her Sunday paper in the back entryway. Mrs. Staniski likes to go shopping early in the morning, but with Mother it was never possible.
Then to Ocean State Job Lot to look around. I bought peanuts and olive oil. Next to Stop&Shop, where I've noticed of late that Stop&Shop has better fruits and vegetables. I saw Mrs. Cerrone's sister Adele Falk and wished her a happy 4th. She didn't stop to talk. From the supermarket I headed home. Dined on a Swanson Fish & Chips Dinner today. Currently reading Thomas Plate's Crime Pays (1975). It's a good book. Most of the criminal justice books I got at 15 Ferncliff last weekend have property marks from Mount Wachusetts Community College in them.
Called Aunt Maria and spoke to her for the first time in a few weeks. She answered pleasantly and said she slept late but is going out later. I warned her it is going to be real hot. "Are you okay?" I asked. "I'm fine," she replied. Being reminded of Adele Falk at Stop&Shop today, I called her. She didn't know Mother had died and so I am sending her an obit. Eamon called and was critical of Larry McDermott's essay in today's paper, where McDermott tried to brush off Springfield's declining population by saying it is happening to cities everywhere and is not a reflection on Springfield's municipal leadership.
Overcast, 73 degrees at 6am. Very sticky.
Anyone who can't see what is going on in the world is blind. It's all about eating, sleeping, fucking and fighting. Who would want it any different?
My plants are collapsing and turning brown. Drove over to McDonald's on Allen for a Spanish omelet bagel and was surprised to see that Springfield Lawn Mower is for sale by King & Newton. My next stop was to make copies at Pride in the Acres. The sign in the window of the Goodwill says the Grand Opening will be June 30th, but no time given. Then over to Devine's where I left off a few things on his back porch.
Decided to go to the fireman's trade show over at the Big E grounds. Firemen tend to be all-America boys, jocks no doubt and more congenial than cops. Lots of fire engines on display, plus lots of booths. American Environmental Technologies of Hamden, Connecticut were passing out little American flags. Vermont Medical of Bellows Falls had little teddy bear buttons. Smokey the Bear had a trailer and was passing out free decks of playing cards. They had inscribed copies of books by Don Whitney and Mike Kernan. There were t-shirts galore and fire collectables. Franklin Mint had a booth and one booth was selling Redwing logger boots like mine. There were kiddie fire engines and even a fire hydrant with rolling eyes that scooted around. The place wasn't anywhere near as crowded as the machinery show. I saw one black person and no women at all. It was the sort of event my parents would like to have gone to, especially since the price was free. Home at 1:30pm.
Mail finally came at 3:15pm. No letters from relatives and nothing from Elms. Bevacqua at 5pm said the temperature was 93 degrees. Anne Schiavina. mother of the dead police officer, is in the news because she thinks she was ripped off on an air conditioner that was advertised in the Reminder. A woman named Louise Dees called from a "marketing firm" but when I pressed for the name of the firm she hung up the phone in my ear. Mrs. Staniski called and said, "Thank you for saving my flowere." She and Ann were in Kennebunkport but "the heat was too much."
Called Eamon at 7:52pm and he said it was raining so hard in Hungry Hill that his street was flooded. Eamon talked a little about Gino Maggis, who is the President of Chicopee Cooperative Bank and his cousin who is in the cement business. I read him the letter I wrote to Hungry Hill Magazine warning them about Dr. Negroni. He said it was "a very good letter." Eamon told me that Tom Devine called his phone editorial again today. I asked him what time Tom calls and he said generally in the late morning. Eamon wondered if Tom is working second shift somewhere and I simply replied that there are some things Tom doesn't tell. I mentioned Mrs. Schiavina being on TV complaining about her air conditioner and Eamon said she is "a real jerk." He says her son and Officer Beauregard broke all kinds of rules the night they got killed but the police will never admit it.
Somewhat cooler, a little rain at night.
The Fed raised the interest rate by a quarter of a percent and the stock market shot up 150 points. Colonel James L. Jones is the current Commandant of the Marine Corps. WFCR has the best news. Northgate Plaza shops: The Dough Show, Friendly Barber Shop, Rent-a-Center, Union Market, Northgate Discount Liquors, the Veteran's Center and the WIC nutrition program.
Up at 5am. Trash picked up at 7:05am. The goldenrod has crowded out the phlox. Did some housecleaning, cooked up some broccoli and picked some raspberries. Finished my latest Arts memo culminating in my complaint to the Anti-Defamation League and decided I would bring it over to the Federation on Dickinson. First, I mailed some stuff to Maureen and Vannah, after stopping at the Cohn's, telling them about my suspicions about David Starr. Mr. Cohn told me that he thinks Starr "is a jerk."
Drove out to the Acres and stopped by Burger King and had a 99 cent bacon-burger. I was wearing my khaki shorts today, bare legs with laced boots. As I was leaving, the manager lady came up to me and said someone complained about my shorts and she told me not to come in wearing them again. I then headed over to the Grand Opening of the relocated Goodwill. The Acres Civic Association treasurer greeted me. I took two pictures of Patty and was the first customer at their Post Office. Nolan was there behind the pastry counter. Ms. Ayakanian was there with her daughter. The Goodwill parking lot out back is now nice and smooth, a wonderful place for rollerblading.
From that event I drove over to the Jewish Federation where I gave my complaint to Bea in the presence of a woman dressed in light green. She said that Catherine Schwartz, the woman who would handle my complaint, is on vacation until July 12th. Then downtown, where I parked on Spring. A black fellow who was also walking along told me he was on his way to Christ Church to volunteer at Loaves & Fishes. Stopped at the School Department and gave a letter to Dr. Negroni's secretary Shea, then dropped letter with Atty. Berman's secretary.
Work still being done at Westfield Savings. I am wondering if the artist with the sculptures of blacks in the window of Bank of Boston/Baybank is the same one Nader told me about in Indian Orchard. Over at the SIS building, I left a friendly note for Root and picked up notices from the round table in the waiting room of the Chamber of Commerce. At the corner of Harrison and Main a woman named Rosalie stopped me and said she read about me in the Advocate and told me it was nice that I mentioned Michaelann Bewsee. She claimed they went to Cathedral together. It was past noon, so I headed over to Pizzeria Uno, where I had lunch on a half-price coupon, ordering a deep dish pizza and a mug of Budweiser for $6.25. The beer was draft, sweet and served in a frozen mug, the way it should be.
Mail was here when I got home and Mrs. Staniski sent a nice card from Maine. No Reminder this week. I called Dianne, David Starr's secretary, and told her I consider her boss to be the primary suspect as the author of The Dark Side of J. Wesley Miller. Then I called Tom Devine at 793-8129 and he picked up directly. He told me that a copy of The Dark Side had been dropped off anonymously at TV40. He didn't know if it had also been sent to the Valley Advocate, but thinks it probably was because it "appears to have been sent to all major media outlets." Tom also agreed with me that it is possible the author may be David Starr.
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