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Post by pippsheadache on Oct 4, 2023 13:58:01 GMT -5
I knew it was coming, so I was just irritated. My message was in Spanish, so for all I know the emergency was about a giant meteor that was about to crash into the Earth. We should be so lucky. Made me break out into laughter. Always makes Ruthie want to know who said what, and then I have to tell her where the people that said it live… And then there’s often “Is that a new guy? I don’t remember hearing about him before.”… Sometimes questions that are not the kind I can answer. “Does he have kids?” I wonder where these questions come from… Those questions come from innate wisdom, Inger. Tell Ruthie that Pipps says hello from PA and admires her capacity for dealing with the Old Inger.  |
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Post by rizzuto on Oct 4, 2023 19:27:23 GMT -5
Geez, that emergency alert scared the crap outta me. I was on a Zoom call with three other people, so it was the alert times four! Actually, five because I have two cell phones! |
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Post by rizzuto on Oct 4, 2023 19:29:47 GMT -5
Geez, that emergency alert scared the crap outta me. I knew it was coming, so I was just irritated. My message was in Spanish, so for all I know the emergency was about a giant meteor that was about to crash into the Earth. We should be so lucky. Only if it lands on Congress while in session with all those sycophantic lobbyists waiting in the rotunda. |
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Post by rizzuto on Oct 4, 2023 19:38:46 GMT -5
With nearly anything revisited, you can never step into the same river twice. Please let us know about your revelations upon completing the re-read. I'm sure my non-academic mind won't discern any revelations. Since by now I at least know who the players are and what the outcome is, I can just enjoy the beauty of the verse and let the long-haired Achaeans ply the wine-dark sea and greet the rosey-fingered dawn. I enjoyed the 80-page introduction as much as the actual epic because of its explanation of the history of the work and its importance to Greeks going back to at least the sixth century BC. It definitely has staying power. Since most things can be related to baseball, having gone through book two, I see similarities among the Greek characters to the Yankees of the Bronx Zoo era. Agamemnon is Billy Martin and Achilles is Reggie Jackson. I guess Zeus would be Steinbrenner. I'm thinking the cool-headed advisor Nestor might be Willie Randolph. Haven't come up with Thurman or Guidry yet, but give me time. One reason I'm re-visiting it is that we will be spending much of the winter in Greece, with a few weeks in Turkey as a chaser. We get at least as much guidance from great literature as from travel sites for our journeys, although of course we use those too. We both adore Greece but have never before had the chance to spend this much time there. Another incentive to retire and stay in shape. Another glass of Ouzo, if you please. I'd liken Odysseus to Bobby Murcer (I know, he wasn't part of the 76, 77, or 78 teams). Thurman would have to be Ajax, the proportional size being contained in his giant presence on the field of play. No one was more important to those championship team than Munson. Guidry could be Little Ajax. Wintering in Greece - you are truly becoming a role model for my future!  |
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Post by pippsheadache on Oct 4, 2023 19:57:03 GMT -5
I'm sure my non-academic mind won't discern any revelations. Since by now I at least know who the players are and what the outcome is, I can just enjoy the beauty of the verse and let the long-haired Achaeans ply the wine-dark sea and greet the rosey-fingered dawn. I enjoyed the 80-page introduction as much as the actual epic because of its explanation of the history of the work and its importance to Greeks going back to at least the sixth century BC. It definitely has staying power. Since most things can be related to baseball, having gone through book two, I see similarities among the Greek characters to the Yankees of the Bronx Zoo era. Agamemnon is Billy Martin and Achilles is Reggie Jackson. I guess Zeus would be Steinbrenner. I'm thinking the cool-headed advisor Nestor might be Willie Randolph. Haven't come up with Thurman or Guidry yet, but give me time. One reason I'm re-visiting it is that we will be spending much of the winter in Greece, with a few weeks in Turkey as a chaser. We get at least as much guidance from great literature as from travel sites for our journeys, although of course we use those too. We both adore Greece but have never before had the chance to spend this much time there. Another incentive to retire and stay in shape. Another glass of Ouzo, if you please. I'd liken Odysseus to Bobby Murcer (I know, he wasn't part of the 76, 77, or 78 teams). Thurman would have to be Ajax, the proportional size being contained in his giant presence on the field of play. No one was more important to those championship team than Munson. Guidry could be Little Ajax. Wintering in Greece - you are truly becoming a role model for my future! I like those analogies. Especially Guidry as Ajax Minor. I was late to the party with airbnb, but it really makes these long-term stays feasible. Even though winter is quite pleasant in Greece by PA standards, it's very much off-season there. Rents are much cheaper. Plus having kitchen facilities makes rational dining possible. We still eat out plenty, but it would get really old three times a day for two months. It's fun staying in a neighborhood and living like a local. In fact it's one of the things we most enjoy in our travels. The day after I retired in 2020 we were on a plane to Nice. We stayed in an old walk up right in the Old Town and quickly became regulars at the nearby boulangerie and wine and cheese shops. We went to the local grocery so much that we started accruing bonus points at the Monoprix. It doesn't take long to get into the lifestyle. With your interest in history and literature and life in general I do hope you get to do some extended travel. For me it's completely energizing. |
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Post by inger on Oct 5, 2023 11:27:34 GMT -5
Joyce Randolph. If you’ve ever watched “The Honeymooners” then you’ll know her as Trixie on the show is still kicking. She’ll be 99 in November…
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Post by rizzuto on Oct 5, 2023 11:57:22 GMT -5
Joyce Randolph. If you’ve ever watched “The Honeymooners” then you’ll know her as Trixie on the show is still kicking. She’ll be 99 in November… I don’t know. We’re kind of stuck with Stanton at DH. I doubt Trixie can play in the field at 99. But, as with anything, it’s worth a look. |
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Post by inger on Oct 5, 2023 11:58:04 GMT -5
Joyce Randolph. If you’ve ever watched “The Honeymooners” then you’ll know her as Trixie on the show is still kicking. She’ll be 99 in November… I don’t know. We’re kind of stuck with Stanton at DH. I doubt Trixie can play in the field at 99. But, as with anything, it’s worth a look. The original “plump lips” girl… |
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Post by anthonyd46 on Oct 9, 2023 11:00:45 GMT -5
Inger I just saw your favorite commercial on TV!!!! (What position did you play?? FIRST BASE!!!)
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Post by inger on Oct 9, 2023 13:08:51 GMT -5
Inger I just saw your favorite commercial on TV!!!! (What position did you play?? FIRST BASE!!!) Lol. I hate that commercial. I hated playing first base. The last team I played for had a horribly immobile first baseman. He actually had some sort of ling problem, so I felt bad for him, but if a ball got past him, he’d just stand there and look at the other fielders… |
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Post by desousa on Oct 9, 2023 16:02:56 GMT -5
I'm headed to Fla tomorrow for my 50 Class Reunion. I looked at the guest list and am a little disappointed. I'm down to about 5 people I really want to see. Oh well. I'll eat some brownie before I go and it will be just like high school again.
Hey pipps, I'll be eating at least a couple meals in the Cortez Village. I'll throw your name around and see if it gets me anything besides getting tossed into the water.
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Post by kaybli on Oct 9, 2023 17:17:31 GMT -5
I'm headed to Fla tomorrow for my 50 Class Reunion. I looked at the guest list and am a little disappointed. I'm down to about 5 people I really want to see. Oh well. I'll eat some brownie before I go and it will be just like high school again. Hey pipps, I'll be eating at least a couple meals in the Cortez Village. I'll throw your name around and see if it gets me anything besides getting tossed into the water. 5 people? That’s five more than I want to see from high school. 😆 I kid I kid! Have a good time! |
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Post by pippsheadache on Oct 9, 2023 17:22:09 GMT -5
I'm headed to Fla tomorrow for my 50 Class Reunion. I looked at the guest list and am a little disappointed. I'm down to about 5 people I really want to see. Oh well. I'll eat some brownie before I go and it will be just like high school again. Hey pipps, I'll be eating at least a couple meals in the Cortez Village. I'll throw your name around and see if it gets me anything besides getting tossed into the water. Congrats on going to your fiftieth. I loved ours -- of course I was co-chair of the committee, I wanted to make sure it was done right -- but I found everyone was happy to see everyone else, no more little cliques, getting big hugs from girls I could never get a date with in 1967, it was a beautiful weekend. I'll bet you will find the same. People are just glad to be above ground. Or maybe the grumps didn't bother to attend. Unless you bump into Dave and Kitty McCloskey, my name would be of no value in Cortez. Or most any other town for that matter. Give us a report on how it goes!! Best of luck Matt. |
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Post by pippsheadache on Oct 9, 2023 17:25:47 GMT -5
I'm headed to Fla tomorrow for my 50 Class Reunion. I looked at the guest list and am a little disappointed. I'm down to about 5 people I really want to see. Oh well. I'll eat some brownie before I go and it will be just like high school again. Hey pipps, I'll be eating at least a couple meals in the Cortez Village. I'll throw your name around and see if it gets me anything besides getting tossed into the water. 5 people? That’s five more than I want to see from high school. 😆 I kid I kid! Have a good time! Kaybli, you must have had some co-conspirators for your high school crimes. When I meet up with guys from my youth who were involved with me in acts of juvenile delinquency, we invariably yuck it up while acknowledging that "we shouldn't have done it" but then why do we still find it so entertaining? |
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Post by rizzuto on Oct 9, 2023 17:38:09 GMT -5
Inger I just saw your favorite commercial on TV!!!! (What position did you play?? FIRST BASE!!!) Lol. I hate that commercial. I hated playing first base. The last team I played for had a horribly immobile first baseman. He actually had some sort of ling problem, so I felt bad for him, but if a ball got past him, he’d just stand there and look at the other fielders… We are on opposite ends of the spectrum. Other than pitching, shortstop, and third base, playing first was the most fun for me. You can save your teammates if they make bad throws in four different directions, having to slide around the bag with footwork and still following the ball and making the adjustment with the glove. I especially enjoyed leaping for high throws and sweep tagging the runner on the way down. Starting double plays from first is a beautiful sequence, and the throw to second is crucial to giving the shortstop a lane to catch and return the throw without having to resort to gymnastics. It is nearly impossible to play first base and not be part of most defensive plays. There are times when outfielders do not get even a single chance in an entire game. I had enough problems with distractibility and focus. For me, playing the outfield was one step away from sitting in the stands. |
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