Rant #3,950: She's Gone

Memorial Day was pretty good for myself and my family.

We had a slight change of plans.

I had planned on having a barbecue for myself, my wife and our son, but instead, we met up with family at my sister's house, which is always fun.

I will put off our first barbecue of the season for a week, so we will still have it, but just a little later than I had planned.

This week is a big week for me, health-wise.

I have to go for what is known as a KUB--kidney, ureter and bladder--scan today, which will ascertain whether my most recent operation did what it was supposed to do.

I sure hope it did.

And then on Friday, I have to go to the urologist for a post-operation checkup, where I will further learn whether the operation was a success and what my next move for good health in that area entails.

I really hate all of this, as it seems never-ending, but it is all part of the plan to get me back to where I should be.

The past three years or so have been horrid for me health-wise, and I just need to get back to some semblance of normalcy, because I have been in something of a holding pattern for quite a while now with all these operations and procedures hopefully pointing me in the right direction.

I heard a sad bit of news this past weekend.

My friend's mother passed away about a week or so ago.

She lived a long life--nearly to 100 years of age--but finally succumbed to what ailed her.

I was told that her last few years were very poor, but she somehow persevered, and nearly hit the century mark.

She was my mom's best friend, the wife of my father's best friend, my childhood best friend's mom, and I have so many memories of her, pretty much all good.

She was like my second mother during those early years, and her passing hit me a bit hard.

During those early years, if my mother did not know where I was, she certainly did--

Your community was your parent, and that community never let you get out of line or into too much trouble.

I just know that she is in a better place now, and I hope it brings piece to my old. life-long friend and his sister, who I know have struggled with their mom's care for the past several years.

I wish them all well.

So another, real part of my childhood is gone, but the good memories of this lady will be with me for the rest of my life.

I was looking for a photo of her, but for some reason, I cannot find my bar mitzvah album.

I know that there was one photo of her in that album, with all my parents' friends at the time--many of them life-long friends who they still got together with through their 80s and beyond.

I am sure it is here, but in our move, it is probably sitting in some box of books or other things that we do not have displayed.

It will turn up one day, but right now, I simply cannot find it.

But I don't really need actual photos to remember this lady--

She will live on in my memories forever.

Rant #3,949: Remember

Happy Memorial Day to all of us!

Today, we are all out and about, having barbecues, attending ball games, and pretty much having a day off on the unofficial first day of summer.

But honestly, that is not what the holiday is about--

It is a byproduct of the holiday, because without the ultimate sacrifices of so many of our men and women through all the wars and through all the altercations we have been in, we wouldn't be having barbecues, ballgames or the day off to take it a bit easy.

Memorial Day is the day where we remember our war dead, through all the wars we have been in, and this year, it takes on an extra significance for two reasons:

1) We are currently in a war with Iran.

2) This year's holiday is right before our country's 250th anniversary celebration on July 4.

Put aside all the politics, and this is what Memorial Day 2026 is all about.

In some ways, it is a stepping stone for the bigger celebration in July, but it really does stand on its own, because without the sacrifices of so many, we wouldn't be celebrating our country's 250th birthday.

My father was in the Marines during the Korean War conflict, as was my father-in-law.

My dad never went to Korea, although he was supposed to go ... two sets of papers, one having him going, the other having him staying, were issued at the same time, and to make a long story short, he never went over there.

My father-in-law was not so lucky. He fought in Korea, was injured, but he made it out alive.

There are thousands of others who weren't so lucky.

And today, with our war efforts directed at the terrorist regime in Iran, we are still losing brave people.

That is war, I guess.

And whether you are for our experience there or against it, you have to support our war fighters who are fighting the good fight in doing what they are doing, which is ridding the world--or at least trying to--of the capacity for this terrorist nation to launch a nuclear strike against others.

And while we are barbecuing and having fun, that work goes on without stop, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.

We honor our war dead today, but let's not forget about those who are currently serving in our armed forces, whose one collective goal is to protect us from harm, so we can have days like this.

There really isn't any more to say about Memorial Day, other than during the day, take a moment and understand what the holiday actually signifies.

Think about it for a moment, and then go back to the barbecuing and the ball games.

That is exactly what those who have made the ultimate sacrifice would want you to do ...

So do it.

Rant #3,948: Love Hangover Silly Love Songs Fooled Around and Fell In Love

After more than 3,900 entries, it is nice to have something to fall back on with today's Rant.

I have not done such a Rant in quite a while, but with summer coming, I felt that it was time to bring it back.

Summer does not begin on Memorial Day, but in a society that loves to rush things, the holiday this Monday, May 25, is the unofficial beginning of summer, although in my neck of the woods, it isn't supposed to be very nice outside.

Personally, if it doesn't rain, I hope to have a barbecue for myself and my family, and that is pretty much it.

I will work that day, but I know that I probably won't have that much to do, as the government usually takes that day off.

The 25th of the month is more important to me as the day that I pay my over-priced car loan bill, so while I will be writing at least one check that day, it is, hopefully, the only time during the day that I will have to look at my checkbook, and sigh with disgust like the rest of us.

So without further ado, let's look back at the Top 10 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 for 50 years ago, the week of May 29, 1976--what we were listening to on the radio during Memorial Day 1976, which was on May 31 that year.

Coming in at #10 was "Tryin' To Get the Feeling Again" by Barry Manilow, one of his least remembered of all of his big hits during this period.

At #9 was "Sara Smile" by Daryl Hall and John Oates, one of the earliest hits from this duo, who would have many more in the years to come.

Coming in at #8 was "Shannon" by Henry Gross. This one-hit wonder was once a member of Sha Na Na.

The next two songs on the chart were themes to popular ABC television sitcoms. Coming in at #7 was "Welcome Back," the theme to "Welcome Back, Kotter," by ex-Lovin' Spoonful member John Sebastian, and "Happy Days" by Pratt and McClain, was the sixth most popular song on this chart.

"Misty Blue" by Dorothy Moore came it at #5, while "Get Up and Boogie (That's Right)" by Silver Convention charted at #4 and Elvin Bishop came in at #3 with "Fooled Around and Fell In Love."

The next two songs bounced back and forth between the two top spots for several weeks. 

This week, "Silly Love Songs" by Paul McCartney and Wings charted at #2, and topping the chart was--

"Love Hangover"--originally recorded by the 5th Dimension--by Diana Ross, spending the first of two weeks at #1.

The song by the ex-Beatle had been the #1 song a week earlier, was leapfrogged by the ex-Supremes member's tune, and finally leapfrogged Ross' tune, spending four weeks at the top spot, but on the chart covering Memorial Day, "Love Hangover" was the top single in the country.

The highest debuting single for the week was "Young Hearts Run Free" by Candi Staton, which came in at #73 on the Hot 100, reaching #20 later in June.

The biggest mover, the single that jumped the most places from last week's chart to this week's chart, was "Afternoon Delight" by the Starland Vocal Band, which moved up 22 places on the May 29 chart, from 66 to 44. It eventually supplanted "Silly Love Songs" as the #1 song in the country by mid-July.

This was an interesting chart, featuring one-hit wonders mixed with established hit makers, but whatever the case, that is what we were listening to 50 years ago during Memorial Day.

I have absolutely no idea what the top songs are today, nor do I really care, because they don't have the influence that songs 50 years ago had on all of us, whether we listened to Top 40 radio or not.

It just isn't the same today, not with streaming taking the pleasure away that we had when we went to our local record store, found these singles, and purchased them with glee.

Have a great weekend, a great Memorial Day, and I will speak to you again on Monday--which begins another interesting week for me with my maladies.

More on that next week.

Rant #3,947: Shopping From A-Z

I have been covering the shopping industry--both here and abroad--for the past 30 years or so, and whether writing or editing stories about the military retail industry or the overall shopping industry, I think I have a pretty good read at what is right and what is wrong with this industry, encompassing supermarkets, convenience stores, and the like. 

So when I get involved in something that irks me at the local supermarket ...

Well, it irks me.

Yesterday morning, we had a couple of bags of empty water bottles in our pantry, so to keep moving--that is the way I am recovering from my recent surgery--I decided to go to my local supermarket to cash the bottles in.

So that is where I was at 9 a.m. yesterday morning, putting the bottles in the recycling machines--something I have been doing religiously since this was instituted more than 40 years ago in New ¥ork State--and when done, I got my receipts and looked to cash them.

I went to the customer service area, and it was closed.

I saw the woman who usually mans the area, who was sitting near the bathroom talking and using her phone, and she told me, "You have to wait on line to cash those receipts. We are open until 10 p.m."

There was one line open with a cashier, and there were about five people ahead of me, all with large amounts of groceries in their shopping baskets.

I went to the woman again, and she reiterated, "You have to wait on line to cash those receipts," as she was talking on her phone.

"Look at the line," I said. "I am not going to wait on such a line to just cash these things."

"Well, I am sorry, the reason I am not at the customer service desk is that we don't have enough people working this morning."

(What she should have done is go to the one cashier, and tell her, "When you are done with this order, cash these receipts," which would be the common sense thing to do, and by the way, you cannot use the receipts on any of the self-checkouts, areas which are plentiful in the store.)

"Let me speak to the manager," I replied.

Once I said that, it pretty much has the same, exact response as when I tell people over the phone "I will get a lawyer and sue you," which appear to be the magic words to get some action and get people moving to do what they are supposed to do.

She went into the back, and I know she didn't speak with anyone, and then she came back out.

"There is no one here ... give me the receipts."

I handed her the receipts, she took them from me, grumbling the entire time.

She went to a register, and proceeded to give me my money, all of about $6.

"This is very bad customer service," I told her amidst her grumbling. "You don't turn a customer away for something like this. This store has the worst customer service I have ever seen."

This woman has an attitude. I am in this store with my wife a couple of times a month, and I have complained to her several times about various things, including people abusing their rights at the bottle return, where New York State law prohibits people from cashing in hundreds of bottles in one visit.

She replied, "Sir, we don't have people working here today."

"That is no excuse," I said. "All I wanted to do was to cash in two bottle receipts. That should have been done very easily by you. That is very poor customer service."

She replied, "Sir, I have been working in this business for 23 years--"

I cut her right off.

"Look, I have been covering this business for 30 years, and this is not the way to run a supermarket."

After I got my big $6 for my troubles, I decided to do some shopping ...

Minor things like seltzer and a bag of chips.

I got my stuff, went on the line again--it was not as bad now, just a few people ahead of me with only a few items in their carts--and she called me over.

"Go to line three," she said, which I did, and I came across a cashier who was about as happy as I was about the situation at hand.

Evidently, he had wanted to wipe down the scanning area as he began hus duties for the day, and this same woman who was giving me an argument about cashing in two bottle return receipts was giving him trouble by initially not allowing hime to wipe down that area.

She finally acquiesced to his request, but he was none too happy.

"This is the worst supermarket I have ever worked for," he said.

"Yes, the customer service here is really bad," I replied.

"All I wanted was some paper towel to wipe this area down ... and you are right, the customer service here is terrible--

"And it seems to be only the women who work here who have an attitude."

I didn't pursue that line of thinking, but if the woman I dealt with represented how other women who work there act to customers, maybe he was on to something.

Anyway, I checked out, wished him a good day, and I left the supermarket.

I won't tell you the name of the supermarket--only that it has three words in its name and is the biggest supermarket on Long Island related to the number of stores under its banner--but I have had some problems with it before, as a customer--

And now one of its employees is backing up what I said!

I think I need to bathe in that seltzer I bought to completely wipe off the stench of this experience.

Hubble bubble, toil and trouble!

Rant #3,946: I'm a Believer

I chose the title of this Rant not for the reasons you might think--

But more about that later.

I am feeling OK today, and each day I feel a little better, but honestly, after surgery, it is going to take a few more days to get back to myself.

That arduous task I had to do as part of my healing regimen is something that I do not have to do anymore, as I heard from the doctor yesterday, whose representative told me that I didn't have to do it anymore.

As long as I was regularly doing the final part of that task, I didn't have to do the majority of the task anymore, which made me feel better right then and there.

Yes, I'm a believer that I will eventually conquer all of these things that ail me, but it is going to take some time.

Now onto other things ...

Amidst all of the health concerns I have had over the past couple of years, I have continued to work, without any stoppage.

I have slowed down on what I can do, but I have continued to work, because, as I have said before, I am currently working for my retirement pension, so any stoppage would derail that goal--

Even though I dearly wish I didn't have to do this, and could just simply flat out retire.

But that being said, the work I do generally isn't constant, as rather than work at least an eight-hour day--usually more than that--when I worked full time, I now work anywhere from an hour to sometimes as much as eight or 10 hours a day in my remote editing/writing job.

Lately, it has been a few hours a day, and I am done. 

I don't think I could do much more with all this health stuff swirling around me, so I have cut it down quite a bit.

Anyway, what do I do when I am not working?

I don't like to sit in front of the television all day, although that is tempting.

So rather than do that, I try to keep busy.

I am all over the Internet, on Facebook, and that keeps me going.

But I just love to digitize my records, as putting them in MP3 format allows me to listen to my 10,000 records in my car as I drive from one spot--yes, including doctors' visits--to another.

I have digitized so many records over the years that my head spins even thinking about it, but it is a fun activity.

I have digitized records by acts from the (A)ssociation to the (Z)ombies, and everything in between.

Looking to digitize something in my collection, I came across this one album that I hadn't even thought about in decades, which means I hadn't played this LP on my turntable in probably about 40 years, if not more.

You might remember the LP, because you couldn't turn on the TV in the early 1970s without seeing a commercial for it.

"No. 1 Hits of the 60's" was a 52-song, four-disk set of chart-toppers from mainly the 1960s, featuring tunes from such acts as Otis Redding, Dion, The Archies and Lulu.

(No Beatles. No Rolling Stones. But lots of other really great stuff by a gaggle of the most popular 1960s pop, rock and soul acts.)

There is "all killer, no filler" in this collection, all number-one hits of that golden era of music.

It was also one of the first--and most successful--records that were marketed on television, and it sold millions of copies after it came out in 1973.

(It was so successful that it was re-released in 1975 with a slightly different cover.)

Before the Internet, this is how such records were marketed to the public, with TV ads that played day and night.

You remember that K-Tel records were sold in this way, and they sold millions of copies of records like "20 Power Hits" and "Super Bad" and "Out of Sight" during the 1970s.

"No. 1 Hits of the 60's" was not a K-Tel product, as there were scads of K-Tel imitators out there at the time.

This one was on the Tele House label, which was an arm of Roulette Records, the infamous mob-run record label whose biggest act was Tommy James and the Shondells (yes, the are on this set too).

The album sold for $8.98 in 1973, the equivalent of $56.12 in 2026 money, so I guess it was pretty pricey in terms of 53 years ago, but you got a lot of bang for your buck.

(And the 8-track tapes edition cost a bit more.)

And who starred in the fabled TV ad for this LP?

None other than Micky Dolenz, just about three years separated from the dissolution of The Monkees--who rose to the top of the charts through a similar TV marketing tool, this time using a popular NBC-TV show to market the act's music to the masses.

(And Dolenz says in the comercial that he is still one of the Monkees, which is interesting in itself.)

There is Monkees music on this set--yes, "I'm a Believer" is on there--and the commercial is kind of annoying, but you couldn't help seeing it whenever you watched TV, morning, noon or night.

I believe that my family ordered this record via the TV ad, and I think my mother must have gotten it for us, but I can't be sure.

The sleeve of the collection is a bit beat up, kept together by some tape, but incredibly, so far at least, the records play pretty well, I am happy to say.

I am sure that back in 1973, this was a real find, as it had music that we couldn't have had in totality in whatever record collection my family had, and these songs were still pretty fresh in our minds.

So that is what I am filling in the time with now, and I hope to have this entire collection digitized in due time ...

And then move on to something else to digitize.

It is nice to hear these songs again as they are presented here, and like I said, there really is no filler at all on the four disks.

It was a fun find in my collection, one that I had completely forgotten about, but once I started playing the collection, all of it came back to me--

Even that chintzy commercial.

https://youtu.be/BPHvjFAWu8k?si=k5NVfTrjFFSiOioX

Rant #3,945: I Don't Know

Having surgery isn't fun. 

I have now had a couple of surgeries related to what ails me, and while these procedures benefit me in the long run, in the short term, their aftermath is annoying and yes, a bit depressing.

Take my latest surgery, which took place on Friday.

I did it, I got through it, but the anxiety with it continues.

I pushed myself this past weekend, and even though I was not myself--and still aren't, to be honest with you--I think I did the right thing.

Sitting around is not my thing, and I didn't, to a certain extent.

This "pushing myself" is wrapped around what is continuing to ail me, and I won't get into it too deep, because it is nothing I really feel the need to talk about to anyone but my immediate family.

But the aftermath--the "afterglow" of all of this--upsets me to no end.

I have to do this procedure once a day for a few days, to flush out whatever is ailing me naturally.

I have to drink pretty much an entire bottle of water at one sitting.

Then I have to wait a half an hour.

After that half an hour is over, I have to curl up on my bed, with my legs raised up way over my body.

I do this using a succession of pillows.

I have to lay on my right side for an additional half hour in this position, which is not only annoying, but it is uncomfortable.

I pretty much am in this position with my eyes closed, and the television on, but I cannot really watch the TV because I am in such an awkward position.

After a half hour of doing this, I then have to drink what amounts to another bottle of water--

And then see what happens.

I know it is part of the procedure, but boy, is it annoying!

But I am doing it, and I don't know if it is working or not.

Otherwise, especially after drinking all of that water, I feel bloated for a good part of the day, and since I am not 100 percent anyway, it is making me feel a bit sluggish, and certainly not myself.

But like I said in the past, I will do whatever I have to do to get better, and if this is part of it, then so be it.

It is temporary, anyway, so I just have to grin and bear it for now.

It is just another brick in my load, I guess.

I still have at least one more procedure, which I believe soon will take place after I get another catscan, and then, perhaps, we will have a better read on what is ailing me.

I already know one of things that is ailing me, which I will keep to myself right now, but I am sure that I, and my doctors, will find out more as we go along this path to get me to good health.

It is a process, a kind of a long process, but I guess things could be worse ...

I guess.

2026 has been a very rough year for myself and my family, and although the first nearly half of the year has been horrid, I am hoping the second part of the year is better.

I have so much I want to do, and I can only do it with good health.

Rant #3,944: Lazy Sunday (On Friday)

I got through my latest medical procedure, or should I say, my latest operation.

I was nervous as all heck on Friday morning, but even though I might have sounded like I was nuts, I kept on singing this one, particular song out loud and in my head to help relax me.

"Lazy Sunday" by The Small Faces.

Part of the song's refrain served to calm me down.

"Close my eyes and drift away."

Here are the lyrics to the song, which was never a hit in America, but was huge in Europe nearly 60 years ago.

This came from Songfacts (https://www.songfacts.com/lyrics/small-faces/lazy-sunday).

A-wouldn't it be nice to get on with me neighbours?
But they make it very clear, they've got no room for ravers
They stop me from groovin', they bang on me wall
They doing me crust in, it's no good at all, ah
Lazy Sunday afternoon
I've got no mind to worry
I close my eyes and drift away-a
Here we all are sittin' in a rainbow
Gor blimey, hello Mrs. Jones, how's old Bert's lumbago? (he mustn't grumble)
(Tweedle-dee) I'll sing you a song with no words and no tune (twiddly-dee)
To sing in your party while you souse at the moon (oh yeah)
Lazy Sunday afternoon, I've got no mind to worry
Close my eyes and drift away-a

Root-de-doo-de-doo, a-root-de-doot-de-doy-di
A-root-de-doot-de-dum, a-ree-de-dee-de-doo-dee (doo-doo, doo-doo)
There's no one to hear me, there's nothing to say
And no one can stop me from feeling this way, yeah
Lazy Sunday afternoon
I've got no mind to worry
Close my eyes and drift away
Lazy Sunday afternoon

I've got no mind to worry 

I don't really know how this song came to mind, but I guess the refrain did it.

I was super nervous, but the anesthesiologist put me out, and I came to after about 45 minutes with apple juice and Famous Amos cookies, the latter of which I have always loved.

I was pretty woozy for the remainder of Friday into early Saturday, but I was OK, but still a bit off, by Saturday afternoon into Sunday and today.

My "Week of Hell" is over, but I have at least one more procedure to go through, probably next month.

And then, maybe my worries will be fully diagnosed, and then made better.

I think it has come down to maintenance; like you would service a car, I am going to happen to regularly service myself, to ensure that these things do not come back.

But let's not put the cart before the horse.

There is still plenty to take care of before I can claim good health.

And that is my goal.

Nothing less..

I think I am going to be OK, but let's see. 

https://youtu.be/BKJXtTLmy_s?si=85yOPzZsOZBMX-xP