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[Panni]

And one for Mahler.

[George]

I've had today's dose of Vanilla Swiss Almond ice cream over one solitary Ding Dong.  Quite yummilicious, but I must be getting ready to be over this particular kick because every time I type Swiss it comes out Swill.

I've never even heard of "Vanilla Swiss Almond ice cream."  Sounds wonderful.  Who makes it?  What brand??

[bk]

Haagen Daaz

[Panni]

every time I type Swiss it comes out Swill.

Perhaps your inner bk is crying out for help. Or broccoli.

[George]

Haagen Daaz

Ahhh...mmmm...thanks!

[Panni]

Must get back to work. It took me three attempts to log back on to HHW. Tried IE, Safari, AOL. Was told there were too many connections. Have we become just too too popular?

[Danise]

[move=up,scroll,6,transparent,100%]HAPPY, HAPPY[/move][move=DOWN,scroll,6,transparent,100%]BIRTHDAY, BIRTHDAY[/move]

[move=Right,scroll,6,transparent,100%]GUYS!!!!![/move]

[move=Left,scroll,6,transparent,100%]MANY, MANY MORE!!!![/move]

[Panni]

I looked up the poet I was speaking about, George Faludy, on the Internet to see if any of his poems were there. Here's part of a longer poem (translated from Hungarian). If you want to read the whole poem, go to

Faludy Poem

....but ignore the stupid comments under the poem.

Learn by Heart This Poem of Mine

Learn by heart this poem of mine;
books only last a little time
and this one will be borrowed, scarred,
burned by Hungarian border guards,
lost by the library, broken-backed,
its paper dried up, crisped and cracked,
worm-eaten, crumbling into dust,
or slowly brown and self-combust
when climbing Fahrenheit has got
to 451, for that's how hot
your town will be when it burns down.
Learn by heart this poem of mine.

Learn by heart this poem of mine.
Soon books will vanish and you'll find
there won't be any poets or verse
or gas for car or bus - or hearse -
no beer to cheer you till you're crocked,
the liquor stores torn down or locked,
cash only fit to throw away,
as you come closer to that day
when TV steadily transmits
death-rays instead of movie hits
and not a soul to lend a hand
and everything is at an end
but what you hold within your mind,
so find a space there for these lines
and learn by heart this poem of mine.

[Noel]

I like a scallop wrapped in bacon.  But that's not really odd.  Just two of my favorite foods - together, at last.  I like 'em that way.

And, before I read the notes, I was thinking no team beats Nichols and May.

Happy birthday to the boys.

Got a lot of writing done today, and some research-reading, too.  Some of the writing was done outside, hanging from a tree on one of those hammock-like chairs.  Stayed off the computer until about 6.

In films, I like most of the Woody Allen/Diane Keaton ouevre.  Did I spell that right?  Everybody sing: "If oeuvre I would leave you..."

[bk]

You want your nineteen year old daughter to meet the author of THAT poem?  You want your nineteen year old daughter to meet a man in his late eighties who is married to someone who is fifty something years his junior?  It is to wonder.

[Panni]

You want your nineteen year old daughter to meet the author of THAT poem?  You want your nineteen year old daughter to meet a man in his late eighties who is married to someone who is fifty something years his junior?  It is to wonder.

I want my daughter to know extraordinary people. She'll have lots of time to hang around with bores. I'm the Auntie Mame of mothers. Anyway, he's quite a funny man.

[Panni]

In his youth Faludy was quite the romantic poet. My late mother and her sister would swoon over his poems. There was a whole group of Hungarian artist emigres in Toronto who had been political prisoners together. Back in the good old days in prison, Faludy would hold secret philosophy classes at night in the cell and would recite new poems he'd written in his head. The job of his fellow prisoners was to memorize the poems so that whoever survived could bring them out into the world. I assume that's the genesis of the idea of this poem.
I'd be a fool not to want DD to meet him.

[Danise]

Evening all,

Healing vibes to DR Jane!  

[move=left,scroll,6,transparent,100%]~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~[/move]

I saw that picture of a manatee.  Can you believe that sailors once thought those were mermaids?  I've always thought those men must have been pretty desperate to think that!  LOL!  I like them and have gone down by the power plant to see them in the wild but I would NEVER mistake them for a woman.  The whiskers are a dead give away.  

Quiet day at work.  Thank goodness.  No bomb threats, fire drills or elevator malfunctions.  I could get used to that.  

That was a very bad storm last night.  Lots of trees down, roads flooded out and I heard there was a water spout in the bay.  

Weirdest food combo?  Humm.  Well, I like lemons and salt.  I used to eat them like some people eat apples.  

[George]

In his youth Faludy was quite the romantic poet. My late mother and her sister would swoon over his poems. There was a whole group of Hungarian artist emigres in Toronto who had been political prisoners together. Back in the good old days in prison, Faludy would hold secret philosophy classes at night in the cell and would recite new poems he'd written in his head. The job of his fellow prisoners was to memorize the poems so that whoever survived could bring them out into the world. I assume that's the genesis of the idea of this poem.
I'd be a fool not to want DD to meet him.

Did he get the idea from Fahrenheit 451? (not to be confused with Fahrenheit 9/11)

[bk]

You're an auntie all right.  Yes, by all means, have the darling daughter meet him.  

I'll be on my way soon, heading to the theater.

[Panni]

Did he get the idea from Fahrenheit 451? (not to be confused with Fahrenheit 9/11)

I don't think so. He was first imprisoned in the 1940's, I think. 451 was published in the early 50's  (53?).

[Panni]

You're an auntie all right.  Yes, by all means, have the darling daughter meet him.  

I can't "have" her do anything. She's a young adult (20, not 19, BTW)
I can certainly suggest and facilitate.
The very young should meet as many remarkable people as possible. I feel my inner Rosalind Russell welling up....

[Jennifer]

DR Jane did you have your dental work today?

Hope you are alright.

Good vibes ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~.

[Noel]

I liked the poem, too, Panni.  And you're correct that Farenheit 451 was published in 1953.  An earlier version of the Bradbury story, called The Fireman, was published in 1950, but I don't know if that referred to the cumbustion temperature of paper.

I'm wondering if the poem was written earlier, though.  Faludy's imprisonment would have been when?  I know so little of Hungarian history.

And Joy would get annoyed whenever I mistakenly referred to that most entertaining Michael Moore film as Farenheit 451.

[Dan (the Man)]

My current favorite poet is current US Poet Laureate Billy Collins.  A lot of people think he is the Wonder bread of poets, but I still like him.  This is one of my particular favorites (of his):

LITANY

You are the bread and the knife,
the crystal goblet and the wine.
You are the dew on the morning grass
and the burning wheel of the sun.
You are the white apron of the baker
and the marsh birds suddenly in flight.

However, you are not the wind in the orchard,
the plums on the counter,
or the house of cards.
And you are certainly not the pine-scented air.
There is just no way you are the pine-scented air.

It is possible that you are the fish under the bridge,
maybe even the pigeon on the general's head,
but you are not even close
to being the field of cornflowers at dusk.

And a quick look in the mirror will show
that you are neither the boots in the corner
nor the boat asleep in its boathouse.

It might interest you to know,
speaking of the plentiful imagery of the world,
that I am the sound of rain on the roof.

I also happen to be the shooting star,
the evening paper blowing down an alley,
and the basket of chestnuts on the kitchen table.

I am also the moon in the trees
and the blind woman's tea cup.
But don't worry, I am not the bread and the knife.
You are still the bread and the knife.
You will always be the bread and the knife,
not to mention the crystal goblet and--somehow-- the wine.

[Matt H.]

I'm not a fan of Gilbert and Sullivan (at all), so my enjoyment of THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE was purely tied up in the lively performances of Kevin Kline, George Rose, Patricia Routledge, and Tony Azito. Most especially, Kevin Kline was at his physical and sensual peak, and I'm sure he had many in the audience swooning at his derring-do. I found it difficult to keep my eyes off that magnificent chest.

Not a bad evening's entertainment at all despite suffering through that G&S score.

[Matt H.]

I have selected the DVDs for tomorrow (going to have movie company tomorrow night, so one of the choices was made for him). I'll give more details on Media Day tomorrow.

[Dan (the Man)]

On the subject of Ding Dongs vs Ring Dings, I prefer Ring Dings.  But I really prefer the old BIG Ring Dings that were about four inches in diameter and sold individually.  I also liked the Peanut Butter Ring Dings that were sold for a short while.

"Ring Ding!  Ring Ding!
Wish I had a Ring Ding!"

It wasn't a very compelling jingle.  Sung in a monotone acapella by an anonymous nine year old boy.  The finish was just as flat:

"Ring Ding!  Ring Ding!
Wish I had another Ring Ding!"

[Panni]

Dan TM - Billy Collins is no longer the Poet Laureate. He was certainly a very popular one. One of the few "star" poets today. The new Poet Laureate is Ted Kooser. And I've never read anything of his, I'm afraid.

[Panni]

I liked the poem, too, Panni.

Did you read the whole thing on the link I gave? It's very powerful.
The only arrest date I could find was 1946 (for two years in Recsk - a notorious Hungarian prison). Learn This Poem was actually written in 1980. But the memorizing of poems by fellow prisoners happened in the 40's-early 50's.
Here is another short poem, not at all dark like Learn This Poem. It was written when Faludy and his first wife, after years of persecution, were living as immigrants in London in 1961..

         62, Birbeck Road

This is the address of our little place.
Our furniture may be old-fashioned,
But we have plenty of books to read,
We are in need of nothing. We are happy
That we are alive and learning.
To be, not to possess.

[Noel]

Yes, I found the whole Faludy, though I didn't see your link.

Dan the Man, that is quite a wonderful poem, making one laugh AND cry.

Me, I've been known to actually stand on a subway platform, uttering, The apparition of these faces before me/petals on a wet black bough.

In for two bucks, in for some Pound, I say!

[Dan (the Man)]

Dan TM - Billy Collins is no longer the Poet Laureate. He was certainly a very popular one. One of the few "star" poets today. The new Poet Laureate is Ted Kooser. And I've never read anything of his, I'm afraid.

Oy.  I am out of the Poet Laureate loop.  When did we last vote on this?

[Tomovoz]

I thought the Poet Laureate was John Masefield. Things change so quickly.  Wrong country, wrong century.  I would have prefered Spike Milligan.

[Tomovoz]

Does Canada have a PL?  Rod McKuen?

[Tomovoz]

I am all alone it seems. No François today!