Fannie Flagg, I had a crush on big time. I loved her figure but her personality and charisma made med adore. She was the mother I never had during my early elementary school years when the Match Game show was about to come to an end. In that she appeared to be nurturing, fun, loving, and full of energy. Likewise, she seemed to be understanding and pleasing. But something in schizoid mind told me that it wasn't all it seems though I wish it would be.
Now to the book "Standing in the Rainbow", I read as if she was conversing with me. There were times I wanted her to hurry up and get to the point quickly but most times, I clung to every word she said. All I could get in my head was her reading to me with me cuddled up in her lap, hoping she would lean toward the back of my head. I didn't want to get perverse with her because she always seemed to be respectful and I wanted to respond in kind. But... oh, just this once.
Anyway, what made me read the whole book instead of a few pages, was her knowledge of of the state of Missouri's history concerning the St. Louis Browns baseball team from 1944. I felt like she was there and a fan of team even though she was born and grew up in Birmingham, Alabama. Likewise, she genuinely understood characters of both men and women in fluid motion concerning their roles in society, occupation, and family. Therefore, she was able to move from church, political & social arena, and time periods while marinating the depth of the characters.
Simplicity with complicity. I thought it was cute when she added for Elvis as a friend for Minnie Oatman when she asked me to support her daughter, Betty Raye or Harry Truman endorsing Hamm Sparks. I like the story concerning Bobby Smith and he grew from a mischievous kid to a man. Sister, Anna Lee looking for Mr. Right. Tot Wooten and the hard luck life as a hairdresser with an alcoholic husband and children going nowhere. Macky and Norma Warren as the happy couple who worried alot. Beatrice, the blind boarder who could sing. Finally, Mrs. Dorothy Smith as a cook and a radio social commentator for her town while her husband was the town druggist.
The bottom line was being about getting that man no matter how strong the women were. The impression you got was women were strong due to circumstances. Only a few were naturally strong. Vice Versa too for the guys in small town America. In return, the folks were very giving to those in need like Mrs. Smith taking care of Beatrice and Betty Raye without nothing in return. But you had to get married unless you were Cecil or Mrs. Vita Green. That was the 50's and early 60's of America. Fanny definitely lived it.
However when the book goes to the 80s'and 90's, it loses its steam concerning its candor but its more of a reflection of decline in small town America concerning the economy and its values. Fanny mentions about Tot's son being incarcerated on drugs but doesn't tell the devastating effects of meth in southern Missouri during the 90's and now. You wondered about Macky's and Norma's daughter Linda who moved to San Francisco, build her own career, and adopted a Chinese girl without a father. Something seemed edited. Yeah, early in her career, she paid for her boyfriend's law school but then got divorced when she miscarried a baby. Of course, it talks about him being weak and a deadbeat. Lack of candor concerning this period.
I thought she should have stopped in the mid-70's with a reunion at the nedbut it doesn't kill the book. I think she felt obligated to write due to the promise of a young Bobby to his best friend Monroe in 1946 of both making it to the year 2000. Unfortunately, Monroe doesn't make it as he died of a massive heart-attack in the 80's. The book ends with Bobby telling his story from 1946 to the present for "Readers Digest" starting with his mother.
As for me, this is one story I would be proud to have, fiction or non-fiction. She gives those value pointers for people who are given vs. those who aren't given. For instance, Hamm Sparks had to work for what he got which got him to the govenor's office but didn't feel comfortable with people on a social level because they were given so much from their parents. Yet, Hamm was idolized from the people he envied. In short, the grass is always greener from the other side. Same way that I love Fanny Flagg and always will.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Baltimore Like Atlanta?
I don't go to Maryland that often. Yet, it feels home for me. I live in Atlanta. My sister, Kamini, who is from Dumfries, VA says Baltimore is a little bit too much like Atlanta. I don't know, I'm still looking for that harbor at Chattahoochee. LOL. Anyway, I feel comfortable there when I visit. Of course, the last time I visited Baltimore was at Paru's sister's, Julie's wedding some fifteen years back. That wedding was more relief to me than anything. For some reason, I felt scared and I wasn't even in it. But, Paru's wedding was very relaxing even though my parents told me to prim and proper like I was going to prom.
There is always a weird surprise element that occurs when you visit the Gurusamys' for anything. Let me see, the movie theater at Ocean City forcing us to see Rocky III instead of ET; then some time later at Ocean City, gas attendants giving us Super-sized cups of Coke for no reason; the weird neighbors at Timonium (Bree has to come home and eat cheese, what? and hanging clothes off the window to dry?) ; and the weird stories about personally knowing someone jumping off the Chesapeake.
This time they didn't know but before the wedding, a hotel attendant at the front desk said that Morris Day of the Time was outside. I told him that "are you kidding." I look outside and it was some old dude with a shaved head and clean shaven face. Man, I was upset, told what I saw and for him to look outside. So he gets outside the door with me and I point to the man. He said "naw, that ain't him, he is in there inside the Holiday Inn van." So, I look inside the van and sure enough, it was Morris Day with his neatly trimmed, slick back afro hair with that bushy mustache. I waived hi to him while he was surrouned by a bodyguard and a couple of fans asking for autographs. Somehow, that relaxed me and got ready for the wedding.
The wedding was plain and simple. I loved that TV screen outside the temple parking lot. Inside, it was pretty cool and formal. Lenghty but not too long. What was good about, you could go outside and not miss the wedding. Food was being served the whole time of Idli's, chappathi's, coorima, and others. I like that mango drink that the kid attendants were giving me. Then another weird thing happened. I was outside when the wedding was about to end. A puff of black smoke appeared cloud like on the wooded tree side of the temple. Behind the forest, is a neighborhood with some streets paved. Someone said, it was a car accident or something else but you could hear sirens of police, fire trucks, and a ambulance. The puff of smoke was like an omen something you see in Hindu paintings or that song, Light My Fire.
The later event was the reception. This Dr. Dude kept telling me that I can do when I was sitting at this table next to my sister Rathi's friend, Ananathi. Food was great but too uptight with old people. But the show moved well. To the Groom: "You won't see an Indian pitch for the Yankees but you may with the Orioles." Funny highlight before that was my two nephews were running around the hotel and dancing. Nephew, Loghan passed out on the chair and carrying him was funny. Velan dancing and still having energy when it was passed midnight. I come back and start dancing. Julie apologizes for playing YMCA. I said they should have played "Living After Midnight" by Judas Priest. It was a party at the reception building and at the hotel.
Another weird element, you had Redskins fans at a Baltimore suburb hotel, cheering hardcore for a pre-season game against the Patriots. I went swimming on cold at the hotel pool. Finally, on Sunday we went to this restaurant, the whole family and my sister's family. I had the seafood platter. Then I took off from the Thurgood Marshall Airport hugging my nephews, an my sister saying those words about Atlanta and Baltimore.
Thanks Dad for the hotel rooms, Yogesh for your hard work. Mom with Velan/Loghan. Rathi great job of braving the knee. Vadivan for being very supportive. Remy hope you had the great Murugan experience. I love Greenbelt, MD so much. I wrote to the mayor telling her so and she said if I come back to email her so she can tell me the places to go and when those tours starts. She also said that she was born in Atlanta.
There is always a weird surprise element that occurs when you visit the Gurusamys' for anything. Let me see, the movie theater at Ocean City forcing us to see Rocky III instead of ET; then some time later at Ocean City, gas attendants giving us Super-sized cups of Coke for no reason; the weird neighbors at Timonium (Bree has to come home and eat cheese, what? and hanging clothes off the window to dry?) ; and the weird stories about personally knowing someone jumping off the Chesapeake.
This time they didn't know but before the wedding, a hotel attendant at the front desk said that Morris Day of the Time was outside. I told him that "are you kidding." I look outside and it was some old dude with a shaved head and clean shaven face. Man, I was upset, told what I saw and for him to look outside. So he gets outside the door with me and I point to the man. He said "naw, that ain't him, he is in there inside the Holiday Inn van." So, I look inside the van and sure enough, it was Morris Day with his neatly trimmed, slick back afro hair with that bushy mustache. I waived hi to him while he was surrouned by a bodyguard and a couple of fans asking for autographs. Somehow, that relaxed me and got ready for the wedding.
The wedding was plain and simple. I loved that TV screen outside the temple parking lot. Inside, it was pretty cool and formal. Lenghty but not too long. What was good about, you could go outside and not miss the wedding. Food was being served the whole time of Idli's, chappathi's, coorima, and others. I like that mango drink that the kid attendants were giving me. Then another weird thing happened. I was outside when the wedding was about to end. A puff of black smoke appeared cloud like on the wooded tree side of the temple. Behind the forest, is a neighborhood with some streets paved. Someone said, it was a car accident or something else but you could hear sirens of police, fire trucks, and a ambulance. The puff of smoke was like an omen something you see in Hindu paintings or that song, Light My Fire.
The later event was the reception. This Dr. Dude kept telling me that I can do when I was sitting at this table next to my sister Rathi's friend, Ananathi. Food was great but too uptight with old people. But the show moved well. To the Groom: "You won't see an Indian pitch for the Yankees but you may with the Orioles." Funny highlight before that was my two nephews were running around the hotel and dancing. Nephew, Loghan passed out on the chair and carrying him was funny. Velan dancing and still having energy when it was passed midnight. I come back and start dancing. Julie apologizes for playing YMCA. I said they should have played "Living After Midnight" by Judas Priest. It was a party at the reception building and at the hotel.
Another weird element, you had Redskins fans at a Baltimore suburb hotel, cheering hardcore for a pre-season game against the Patriots. I went swimming on cold at the hotel pool. Finally, on Sunday we went to this restaurant, the whole family and my sister's family. I had the seafood platter. Then I took off from the Thurgood Marshall Airport hugging my nephews, an my sister saying those words about Atlanta and Baltimore.
Thanks Dad for the hotel rooms, Yogesh for your hard work. Mom with Velan/Loghan. Rathi great job of braving the knee. Vadivan for being very supportive. Remy hope you had the great Murugan experience. I love Greenbelt, MD so much. I wrote to the mayor telling her so and she said if I come back to email her so she can tell me the places to go and when those tours starts. She also said that she was born in Atlanta.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
What you see is what you get
One of the perks of going to broadcasting school like I did at CSB is that I got to go to basketball games when the Hornets were in town. I held the cable wire from the camera guy under the basket and during timeouts. Unlike the fans, I had to be there two or three hours before game time. The guy in charge was man named Lou. He is the middle man for everything involved Charlotte sports. You didn't want to mess up or end up being where I'm at. I did okay but mistakes were made. Anyway.
You got to see players work with coaches. I saw assistant coach Lee Rose working with Hornets player, George Zidek. It wasn't just one time. Ever game, he did this. Footwook on offense from the the catch to post moves as well feet shuffle on defense. Mostly, I remember offensive moves. Later on, Tony Delk was wearing a parachute suit with strings attached to his waist and shoulders. Lee would hold and stretch the string portion to the free throw line while Tony was jumping underneath the basket. He had to jump and land with perfect balance. If he leaned just a little bit on one side of the body or favored a shoulder, foot, hip, knee or any body part, he had to do it again.
Most of the Hornet players particular the starters would show up later on, 45 minutes before game time. The camera crew, ticker ushers, coaches, trainers, and ball boys would start appearing as well as fans who had ties to the players. They would go into their character mode, go over plays, camera angles, lighting, scripts, ifb's, commercials, player interviews, product promotion while out of breaks or during action, and makeup. Before a game is just as busy as game action. Preparation to the game is where the the real money is made. Therefore, these folks are not easy people to talk to. They can Rasheed Wallace on you in a hurry if you tick them off.
Announcers go into character mode when the camera is on and than change when the camera is off. Sometimes, they change from bad to good but mostly its good to bad. They are just as bad as players to fans when it comes to interactions. They don't want to do nothing with you and some are just assholes. Its not like the fans ask for their autographs. I know I didn't. Most times, I just said hi but they would brush off and be their prima donna self. You talk about Bill Russell not signing autographs, announcers are worse.
What you see is what get from Bill Raftery. On camera, he is very enthusiastic and hyper with all those phrases. Before I met him, I thought he was annoying. Somebody who worked too hard to please like a girl on a date. I met him off camera after he interviewed Kendall Gill for the New Jersey Nets during a game in Charlotte. I was holding cable for a camera man. Usually, we only broadcast or videotape the Charlotte Hornets team. However, something went wrong with the Nets camera or they decided that they would use the Hornets camera guy. The interview with Kendall went well, surprising, considering that Bill got on him for not hustling during that year and Kendall had some choice words but Bill spoke to him positively and patted him on the back as if to say "go get em, kid. I'm behind you."
After he finished the interview, I introduced myself told him about one of the games that he did. The game involved UNC-Charlotte during the flu or measles epidemic at a college in the Northeast where no fans showed up. He related something to Charlotte concerning the late coach, Al McGuire. Talked about Al coaching at at a small Catholic school, Belmont Abbey near Charlotte. Mentioned that Al would get New York players by placing a picture of the Duke campus on the Belmont Abbey's brochure. I made a mention of this and he looked at me, smiled and said, "Good memory" and told me that I was very knowledgeable.
He was very enthusiastic about what I had to say because of personality of wanting to make everyone happy. Unlike some announcers when the camera is off, they want to leave or move on the next segment. Mind you, I'm not saying anything but, "Hi" but like the movie "Bull Durham" where the bat boy tells Crash Davis to get a hit, he tells him to shut-up. Therefore, when you hear an announcer criticize a player for not relating to fans or giving autographs most likely the announcer is the player unless he is Bill Raftery. From Bill, "What you see is what you get."
You got to see players work with coaches. I saw assistant coach Lee Rose working with Hornets player, George Zidek. It wasn't just one time. Ever game, he did this. Footwook on offense from the the catch to post moves as well feet shuffle on defense. Mostly, I remember offensive moves. Later on, Tony Delk was wearing a parachute suit with strings attached to his waist and shoulders. Lee would hold and stretch the string portion to the free throw line while Tony was jumping underneath the basket. He had to jump and land with perfect balance. If he leaned just a little bit on one side of the body or favored a shoulder, foot, hip, knee or any body part, he had to do it again.
Most of the Hornet players particular the starters would show up later on, 45 minutes before game time. The camera crew, ticker ushers, coaches, trainers, and ball boys would start appearing as well as fans who had ties to the players. They would go into their character mode, go over plays, camera angles, lighting, scripts, ifb's, commercials, player interviews, product promotion while out of breaks or during action, and makeup. Before a game is just as busy as game action. Preparation to the game is where the the real money is made. Therefore, these folks are not easy people to talk to. They can Rasheed Wallace on you in a hurry if you tick them off.
Announcers go into character mode when the camera is on and than change when the camera is off. Sometimes, they change from bad to good but mostly its good to bad. They are just as bad as players to fans when it comes to interactions. They don't want to do nothing with you and some are just assholes. Its not like the fans ask for their autographs. I know I didn't. Most times, I just said hi but they would brush off and be their prima donna self. You talk about Bill Russell not signing autographs, announcers are worse.
What you see is what get from Bill Raftery. On camera, he is very enthusiastic and hyper with all those phrases. Before I met him, I thought he was annoying. Somebody who worked too hard to please like a girl on a date. I met him off camera after he interviewed Kendall Gill for the New Jersey Nets during a game in Charlotte. I was holding cable for a camera man. Usually, we only broadcast or videotape the Charlotte Hornets team. However, something went wrong with the Nets camera or they decided that they would use the Hornets camera guy. The interview with Kendall went well, surprising, considering that Bill got on him for not hustling during that year and Kendall had some choice words but Bill spoke to him positively and patted him on the back as if to say "go get em, kid. I'm behind you."
After he finished the interview, I introduced myself told him about one of the games that he did. The game involved UNC-Charlotte during the flu or measles epidemic at a college in the Northeast where no fans showed up. He related something to Charlotte concerning the late coach, Al McGuire. Talked about Al coaching at at a small Catholic school, Belmont Abbey near Charlotte. Mentioned that Al would get New York players by placing a picture of the Duke campus on the Belmont Abbey's brochure. I made a mention of this and he looked at me, smiled and said, "Good memory" and told me that I was very knowledgeable.
He was very enthusiastic about what I had to say because of personality of wanting to make everyone happy. Unlike some announcers when the camera is off, they want to leave or move on the next segment. Mind you, I'm not saying anything but, "Hi" but like the movie "Bull Durham" where the bat boy tells Crash Davis to get a hit, he tells him to shut-up. Therefore, when you hear an announcer criticize a player for not relating to fans or giving autographs most likely the announcer is the player unless he is Bill Raftery. From Bill, "What you see is what you get."
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