Label from my Dad’s Packard

Snack with mom at Louis’ at Land’s End

My Dad and my step-mom are coming over for Thanksgiving dinner in Brooklyn. CAPTION And by “coming over” I mean, flying here.

My mom and aunt

My great-grandmother grew up on the same block as this vaudeville theatre at the time this picture was taken. http://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47dc-cc86-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99#/?uuid=510d47dc-cc86-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99

I loved ‘Frog Bog!’ My mom and I played it together!

My original American ancestor (27 October 1887) made the news as a boogey-man in a political attack by the Temperance league on Colonel Andrew D. Baird. For more: http://bklyn.newspapers.com/image/50378225/ (Column 3)

Wedding certificate for Georg Harms and Meta née Kastens I need a miracle. I have the 1883 wedding license of my 2x great-grandparents — the first of my father’s bloodline in America. City records said the records are rather damaged and the result is below. I’m trying to make out the place of birth. It looks like: Cesck Sieke, Hau(e)r Uh, never heard of that place. I have no idea where to go with this. In later censuses both report being from Germany. Can any of you make out the place? I’ll be doing some computer pattern matching searches to try to find a winner, but was wondering if you could help.

Visiting the Lady with Dad, Sandra, and Lauren

When you surprise your mom by visiting her in the middle of the night with your sister.

When your stepdad fixes your sisters air conditioning with a Makita 18v drill, a hair dryer, and profanity and saves a Texas Xmas by doing so.

Foreword: I’ve had this post incomplete in my drafts folder for many months, but the recent passing of the Eve of the DWotD (Doo-Wop of the Damned), Ronnie Spector, on January 12^th has urged me to finally finish this one off. In memoriam.

An important part of my musical taste that intersects at horror, maudlin sentimentality, oceans of reverb, and beautiful harmonies deserves a name. I dub it the Doo-Wop of the Damned (DWotD). It’s not a common taste, really, but I was trying to remember how it formed in me, so I thought I’d write down its recipe.

I’ve also created a playlist to sample some of the music discussed here:

I was ecstatic to be hosting my mom here in NYC. This was the first time we’d been able to see each other since the pandemic threw its capsid monkey-wrench into the system of the world. We really wanted to have her visit in the “before” state of Lauren’s pregnancy so that we could celebrate the achievement together. While she was here we got to catch up, go for pub eats and ice cream on the Upper East Side and do some park walks with Byron. Mom and I We also got to go stroller shopping and fajita eating here in the neighborhood…