So, we did a thing this summer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=630UbYKavCY&t=60s 

That is the link to BenDen Productions first video. It's a short film about my big sister Linda who got killed at age 9. But it's also about racism, immigration, and forgiveness.  Watch it. And look for our ext project, a massive episodic space opera.

National Bird Night 1970

 

National Bird Night 1970 

(Acrylic, ink, and paper on 3x5' canvas)

The 1970's started off with a bang for me. We were living in the projects, that's council housing to my British friends, and poor as church mice. We got every scrap of welfare the Great Society provided, this was before massive tax cuts and right wing efforts to take welfare away from poor and working class people and give it to the rich white men in the form of corporate welfare and tax cuts. We were one of three white families in our neighborhood which was 'on the wrong side of the tracks' as the saying goes. 

The big greenish building represents the small apartment we lived in inside of the building. And when I say 'we,' I mean my mother, my mentally ill father, when he was well enough to come home, and my four siblings and I. It was a multi family building and from it we could see the big brick houses of the rich white people across the busy highway who they wanted nothing to do with poor people like us. The massive Roman Catholic church St. Monica's was also across the street. Mother took us to mass there and when we could escape the priests, we'd play football on the huge manicured lawn on the church grounds. The priests would shout at us and run us off.

The woman kissing the child in the bottom right corner represents my mom kissing my big sister, she was 9 yrs old, I was 8, Linda goodbye. We kids were going to the store to spend what little coins we managed to get from various places. The car on the left represents the car that would hit and kill my big sister as we tried to cross a busy car filled highway on our way to the little store where we bought penny candy, comic books, and cheap toys.

The girl under the street lamp represents all the girls I had crushes on and the bird looking up her dress is me, I got in to trouble for looking up a girl's dress in school. I was curious, I want to see what made them so different and alluring. The Vietnam war was raging and film of dead and wounded soldiers was on TV every night and the plane dropping the bomb represents Nixon's love of bombing and killing innocent people he didn't like. 

We had a playground behind our apartment building but all the action was playing in the street in front of our house. The kids playing on the old car on the left represents that. And the figures in the streets and in the windows represent all the neighbors who watched out for kids and for the cops, there was still left over tension from the 1967 riots and no one in our neighborhood trusted cops,

In 1970 I harbored dreams of becoming a baseball star for my hometown Detroit Tigers, so the numerals are outlined in their team colors. 

This is not a happy work since it deals with the death of my sister that I witnessed, but it is happy in that it represents the last day my mother was happy and before Linda's death crushed her and her spirit. The light behind her eyes went out and she was never the same after that day. But she carried on and did her best, she still had four kids and a husband to look after. 

Interview with Trump

 (All answers are actual Trump quotes.)

You said you could shoot someone dead and get away with it.

"No matter what you do - guns, no guns - it doesn't matter. You have people that are mentally ill. And they're gonna come through the cracks. And they're going to do things that people will not even believe are possible."

What's up with all your lies that the election was stolen?

"Our country is in serious trouble. We don't have victories any more. We used to have victories but [now] we don't have them. When was the last time anybody saw us beating, let's say, China, in a trade deal? They kill us. I beat China all the time. All the time."

Childhood discipline, where do you stand?

"When you see the other side chopping off heads, waterboarding doesn't sound very severe."

Tell me something demented about yourself.

"To be blunt, people would vote for me. They just would. Why? Maybe because I'm so good looking."

Who is your favorite Middle Eastern dictator?

"If you look at Saddam Hussein, he killed terrorists. I'm not saying he was an angel, but this guy killed terrorists."

How do you feel about Eric, your son?

"I never attacked him on his looks, and believe me, there's plenty of subject matter right there."

What have you nicknamed your tiny ball sack?

"I look very much forward to showing my financials, because they are huge."

Jesus, who you claim to believe in and even worship, laid hands on people, how do you feel about things like shaking hands? If Jesus thought it was okay, then how do you stand on it?

"The concept of shaking hands is absolutely terrible, and statistically I've been proven right."

Respond to the rumor that you're a closeted gay man like your dead fascist Red baiting AIDS riddled buddy Roy Cohn.

"All of the women on The Apprentice flirted with me - consciously or unconsciously. That's to be expected."

Denial isn't just a river in Egypt...

"She does have a very nice figure... If [Ivanka] weren't my daughter, perhaps I'd be dating her."

You're making me physically ill. You are a boorish pig fucking thin skinned idiot. I can't stand being around you anymore.

“You’re disgusting.”

You sound like my cousin John who probably voted for you.

"There are those that say they have never seen the Queen have a better time, a more animated time."

So you just called my cousin gay.

"I think the big problem this country has is being politically correct. I've been challenged by so many people and I don't, frankly, have time for total political correctness."

I'm leaving you now. Go crawl back under your rock in Mar-a-Lago. Or better yet go swimming with hungry alligators. You are a piece of shit human.

Imagine

Imagine being such a shitty thin skinned asshole that in order to cover up your shitty bullying past that you scrolled through the posts on this blog and emailed commenters to tell them what I wrote about my shitty cousin John and his shitty family was a pack of lies. A long time loyal friend of this blog and Facebook friend from Mexico admitted that my cousin sent her emails telling her that I was a liar and his family never bullied me. But then again John punched me repeatedly in the nose to make me sneeze uncontrollably because he found it funny the first time he did it. 

I look forward to shitting on his grave one day.

Adrenaline junkie of the week

She's got more guts than people half her age. Well done on the zip-lining lady.

Rest in peace

I love this picture of my girlfriends late mother. She was a beautiful woman back then and even when she passed away a few weeks ago.  The poor little thing was riddled with cancer and suffering with Alzheimer’s related dementia. I’m not ashamed to say I cried a lot when she died.  I helped take care of her for the past year and a half when it became clear that she and her husband had to have someone with them 24 hours a day.  The last thing I said to her before she died was, “I love you.”  She whispered back, “I love you too.”  Good night sweet little Mildred.  You will be missed.

The man of the hour

This is Sparky's indestructible dad.  He's about to turn 91 and despite all the things that life has thrown his way, he's still going.  He loves, in no particular order, University of TN college football, his blue hoodie jacket, biscuits and gravy, his wife of 63 years, and going for drives in the country.  He's a top notch guy.

This guy right here

I love Sparky's dad like he's my own father.  He 's been in the hospital for over two months dealing with complications from getting the toes on his left foot amputated due to diabetes.  At every turn I expected the worst but somehow he came through it all to make it back home.  For a 90 yr old man, he's pretty damn tough.

The real work begins now that he's home.  It's not going to be easy but at least he's back in familiar surroundings.

Happy father's day to you dad

From left to right, mom, dad, Aunt Gail, and Uncle Bob. 

Mom and dad are long gone but Gail and Bob are still here.  Bob's doing a lot better with all his various ailments, it was touch and go a few months (weeks?) back, but he's since rebounded.  This photo was taken the first Christmas after my sister Linda was killed.

I love how all of them are wearing white and Uncle Bob is looking mighty natty in his coat and tie.

It's not goodbye, but it might be farewell

From left to right, that's my late mom, my late father, my Aunt Gail, and her husband, my mom's brother, Uncle Bob.

Bob's had serious health issues for the past few years and he's been living with a weak heart for most all of his adult life, it's been weak enough to keep him from working since his early 30's, I think. He had a bear of a time getting the disability benefits he'd worked for but he finally got them and he and Gail have made the best of a bad situation for many years.  Now it looks like his time on earth may be drawing to a close due to his weak heart and bad kidneys.  He is and always will be a hell of a guy.

When I was a kid in Detroit, we had nothing.  We lived in the projects and got welfare, food stamps, and every other government benefit we could get.  Every month we ran out of food before we ran out of month.  Mom couldn't work due to her bad heart and because she had to take care of us five kids.  Dad worked off and on when he was well enough and out of the mental hospital, he suffered with clinical depression and schizophrenia all his adult life, so we had very little money.  Most of my mom's family didn't like my dad, especially my maternal grandfather, he was one of those old guys who thought mental illness was a scam.  But one of the few people on my mom's side of the family who did things for us was Uncle Bob.  He bought us books, took us kids to the movies, to the lake, to his bachelor pad, and out to eat on occasion.  He was a fun guy who always seemed to make sure that we had some fun and weren't left out of things.  He always bought us the best presents at Christmas time when he was working and he never treated us like we were second class citizens.  He was a warm guy and a great uncle to me when I was a kid.

We drifted apart as I got older and forged my life but thanks to his wife Gail who stood by him during every crisis, we never stayed out of touch for too long.  When the internet exploded and email became ubiquitous, she and I stayed in touch more than we ever had.  She's kept me informed of his gradual decline and even though I hate it for her and him, it's been nice to be a part of their circle.

He's not dead yet but it doesn't look good for him.  I hope he can live on forever but one thing life taught me early on is that no one is getting out of this world alive and that we can go at any time.  I may not talk to him all the time or correspond with him directly, but I'll sure miss him when he goes.  He was a giant figure to me when I was just a snotty nosed smart aleck kid who farted all the time and I'll always remember him that way.  Smiling, laughing, being nice to us kids who didn't have shit.  

Thanks for all you did Uncle Bob.  I wish you and Gail all the best for all time.

It really happened

'Adolescent crimes' (watercolor and marker on 11x17" paper).

It was a cardinal sin to drink too much orange juice while growing up in my crazy aunt's house.

Crazy huh

Sibling Day, yeah. 

I have one sibling left. We never got along and when there was reconciliation it was always due to me. The last time I tried to reconcile with him he told me he wanted to travel, I told him to travel south, he lives in Michigan, to see me and I'd show him some sights and we'd catch up. He said he wanted to travel to Europe and Africa and he did, after embezzling tens of thousands of dollars from his last employer. He never did come to see me but he did see the inside of a jail cell after he got back from his international travels. The police took him away in handcuffs when he got back to the USA. So he'd rather commit felonies, steal tens of thousands of dollars, and do prison time than see or spend time with me. 

And that in a nutshell is why I don't get along with my only living sibling, he's a douchebag, a felony committing douchebag.  

Sweet photo of the week

Evan the wonder baby looks up at his great Grandfather in the twilight of Father's Day.

Tudor? Why, I hardly know her!

Most of you regular readers of this blog know I have little use for most of my family, with the exception of a few cousins in Michigan and my Uncle Bob and his wife, so I don't get the chance to brag on or be inordinately proud of any blood relatives. Luckily Sparky has a bunch of great nieces and a nephew I can claim as mine.

I knew Sparky's niece Virginia was a special kid the first time I met her, she was not only beautiful and polite, she also graciously laughed at my lame attempts at humor when her and her siblings let me hang out with them. The second time I spent time around her I began to see just how smart she was, she read Frank McCourt's Angela's Ashes in a day and a half. When I found out she was a raging liberal who hated Bush and the wars of terror, my suspicions that she was a genius were confirmed.

Until now you've only had my word that the kid, well, she's not a kid anymore, she's a beautiful young married woman, has a brilliant mind and isn't afraid to use it. She's decided to put her brains to good use and to use her intelligence for good instead of evil. She's got a blog going which is a series of podcasts about the House of Tudor.
She breaks down books about the Tudors. She speaks about Tudor related entertainment, movies and TV shows.
And you know what? It's all interesting as hell. Maybe I'm biased, but I'm all in on this kind of stuff and Virginia does a bang up job with it. I'm a sucker for this period in history and I'll watch almost any Tudor related film and most TV shows, with the exception of the Showtime series which I find to be historically inaccurate.

If you're a history buff, or if you always wanted to know more about King Henry VIII and Elizabeth I, then check out her great podcasts on Tudor Talk.

Congratulations to

• our lovely niece Gini in Texas for finally making an honest man out of her long time boyfriend Frank. Way to go on getting married last weekend you crazy kids. And welcome to the family Frank and Angelica. We're glad to have you with us.
• the Boston Red Sox for winning the opening game of the major league baseball season. All wins over the hated Yankees are sweet and this one was especially sweet since it was opening night.
• all those reading this blog. You've chosen wisely day after day. And I thank you for doing so. Boo ya!
  

Equal time

That's Sparky's dad on the left in the coat and tie.

Daytona Beach 1953

Sparky's mom, footloose and fancy free in 1953. This photo was taken right before she got married. Click to enlarge.