Laugh, and the world laughs with you; weep and you weep alone.

Ella Wheeler Wilcox opening lines to her poem "Solitude:, first published in 1883. I think Ms. Wilcox knew what she was talking about. The question is, just what makes us laugh? From before the days of radio comedy was king. The golden age of TV gave us shows like Your Show of Shows with Sid Ceaser and Imogena Coca; Jackie Gleason's The Honeymooners and I Love Lucy with Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz ( the most famous Cuban of all time. Sure there's Castro but I can't quote him but give me a drum and I will sing bobalu).

Movies have always looked to comedy as a genre. From the days of Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton to the Blues Brothers we go to the movies to laugh. It's still hard to find that one thing that makes you laugh. The basic is football ( baseball, basketball, hockey puck, fist, foot, stick etc. ) to the groin. Is it the misfortune of others that makes us laugh? Even comedy itself doesn't know. That's why there are different kinds of comedy. Slapstick, the heart and soul of The Three Stooges, make men laugh out loud while women just don't understand. Black or Dark comedy is hard to define. I don't think it should be considered comedy, you don't laugh out loud but merely shake your head. Black or Dark comedy isn't funny it's more humorous. Then there's the Romantic comedy, the way love should be. Boy meets girl, they fall in love, boy lies to girl, they fall out of love, boy begs forgiveness, they fall back in love. The romantic comedy also has a subsection, the Coming of Age film. The same thing but with younger actors. Satire, Parody, Deadpan, Screwball, Farce. Spoof, Lampoon, the list goes on and on. So how, with all these different types of comedy do you list the best comedy films of all time? The American Film Institute (AFI) did in the year 2000. After publishing their list of 100 movies and 100 top movie lines and 100 top American movies and the list of their lists goes on. In 2000 they gave us AFI's 100 laughs. The top 100 comedy movies, sitting at number one is the Billy Wilder classic, Some Like it Hot. Now I'm not going to tell you that this film doesn't deserve to be number one, it's a good choice, but what followed was strange, numbers 2-5 were: Tootsie, Dr. Strangelove, Annie Hall, and Duck Soup. If I was to make my list none of those four would have made the top five. As a matter of fact I think I would have to have had a five way tie for first. Animal House, Arthur, Blues Brothers, Caddyshack and Some Like it Hot. A tie for second with the Mel Brooks films, Blazing Saddles, The Producers (the original) and Young Frankenstein. Third place is Monty Python's The Holy Grail. How does my list compare with AFI's, other than Some Like it Hot, the only movie I choose to make AFI's top ten is Blazing Saddles at number six. The Holy Grail didn't make the list but their criteria was American films. So just what movie or movies do you put at the top of your list?

Happiest day of the year in Boston and apparently Pittsburgh.

Go Giants, it's now football season

This post is spinning out of control. My first thoughts were to write about Fridays. This is my last Friday off, my new bid starts tomorrow with my days off becoming Saturday and Sunday. My first conflict is only two weeks away. Jack's play runs Thursday through Saturday, Nov. 4-6. Now that I'm working Thursday and Friday, the only night I can see it is the 6th. Of course there is a concert I would liked to go on the 6th. Well that's the way things go. This was what I wanted to write about so I looked for a song about Friday's. Do you know how many songs there are about days of the week? Now the spinning starts.

This post is going to be about songs with days of the week in their titles. We'll start with Sunday, the first day of the week. Sunday, Sunday by Joni Mitchell, Pleasant Valley Sunday by the Monkees, Sunday was a Fine Day by Moby. Sunday, Bloody Sunday is about a certain Sunday and not just any ole day (yes, I'll argue with Bono. What's he know, he's only the singer, "This songs not a rebel song" my arse). Mondays have, the Mamas and the Papas, Monday, Monday, Manic Monday by the Bangles. Jimmy Buffet chimes in with Come Monday, not to be outdone by the Boontown Rats seen above. This is when the spinning got faster and faster.

Spending any time on youtube is fun. I find that I go from one thing to another and then another. It's like six degrees of separation. Don't let anyone tell you that youtube is not a drug. You get there and it holds you. How many times have people told you how they got caught up watching youtube for hours. This is how it went. I wanted to get the video for I Don't Like Mondays. I had a few to choose from. The live version from "Live Aid" plus cover bands and what not. Spinning, spinning.

After watching the Boontown Rats on "Live Aid" I had to watch U2, if you don't know or recall "Live Aid" it rocketed U2 to the top of the charts. "Live Aid"as a benefit concert held in London and The Medowlands simultaneously and aired live on TV. Phil Collins played at Wembley jumped aboard the concord jet and played again at Giants Stadium. Back to U2 during their set Bono climbed down off the stage during the song Bad, and with the help of security pulled a women to safety as she was being crushed by the crowd. Although the band couldn't see him, the TV camera stayed on him the entire time. The band kept playing, not knowing what else to do, until they saw him pop up on stage and finish the song and set.

So tell me, just how did I get from Friday's my day off to 1985 and "Live Aid"? What goes up must come down. Spinning wheel got to go 'round...

Wow, I can post youtube to the blog. (Screaming Orphans above)

Let's get right to it, great weekend. Friday night I saw The Screaming Orphans at the Glass with friends. I have heard them on cd before but that's nothing like a live show, they were brilliant. The band is made up of four sisters from Bundoran, Co. Donegal. As much as they tried to say how much fun their hometown was Emmet summed it up by saying "it's like the New Jersey of Ireland". Two of the sisters don't say a word and the other two don't shut up. Even if they didn't sing a note the show would be great just to listen to their stories. If you missed them At the Glass or at I2K in September, you still have another chance. They will be playing at the Albany Irish Cultural Center on Nov. 6.

Saturday I started to put together a photo slide show for the Saratoga Hibernians. Ten years of events over 2500 photos. I ended up using 400 photos and it runs about 30 minutes. Took me longer to put it to music. Sure anybody could just play music while the slide show is playing, I just wanted the songs to match up a bit. I had to work my itunes in ways i never had before . making some songs shorter and trying to make 12 tracks into one long track. for a first time attempt I think I did pretty good. I sent it out to about ten guys who go to most of the events and asked them to view it and send me more photos that they think should be part of it.

Sunday the Saratoga Hibernians made their yearly appearance at the National Park and Battlefield. This was the 233 anniversary of the battle of Saratoga. The victory at Saratoga is considered the turning point of the American Revolution. The battle of Saratoga has been called the most important battle of the last 1000 years in world history. The victory secured essential foreign support and recognition of the patriot's cause. At one point of the battle, Timothy Murphy, a son of Irish immigrants, shot himself into history. Murphy, serving under General Daniel Morgan, was ordered to take out British General Simon Fraser. Murphy climbed a tree, settled in with his double barreled rifle and shot Fraser from a distance of 300 yards. Fraser fell from his mount and died the next day. With his next round, Murphy shot and killed Sir Frances Clarke, aide-de-camp to General Burgoyne. Seeing the two Generals fall, the British troops started to panic and retreat, thus ending this skirmish of the battle. The US Army list Murphy as the first know sniper used by the Army. In 1913, the Saratoga Hibernians erected a monument to Murphy and all the soldiers of Irish decent. The monument is between stops four and five of the tour. Please come and join us next October for our wreath laying ceremony.

So all in all it was a very social and creative weekend.

Love is but a song we sing
Fears' the way we die
You can make the mountains ring
Or make the angels cry

Though the dove is on the wing
And you may not know why

Come on people now
Smile on your brother
Everybody get together
Try to love one another right now


This is not a political blog. Politics is something that can come between friends. We, as intelligent humans should be able to calmly, rationally debate today's issues. Yesterday on The View two of the host walked off the stage in a huff ( they were back in a minute and a huff but it was still wrong) during what should have been a discussion but became a shouting match. This is why I am taking the time to turn today's post political.

It seems to me that people today believe that if you shout the loudest you are right. The only thing you are doing is being heard over your opponent. If you don't believe that your opponent has a viable point of view, why are you debating them in the first place. Let's go back to
The View, Fox Network's Bill O'Reilly, host of The O'Reilly Factor was a guest. The discussion revolved around the building of a Muslim community center and Masque near ground zero in New York City. As the debate became heated, O'Reilly said, "Muslims killed us on 9/11" (notice the quotation marks, I checked four different news sources including Fox, and watched the clip of the show and that is exactly what he said). This is the statement that ignited the walk off. Whoopi Goldberg and Joy Behar stormed off. Behar stated on her other TV show The Joy Behar Show that she considered what O'Reilly said to be "hate speech". O'Reilly, did apologise for leaving out the word "extremest" or "terrorist" but when he got back to his own show he did not back down from what he had said, saying, he did not want to insult Muslims but was, "tired of political correctness surrounding the 9/11 attack". So for me, the biggest question in this whole matter is, why doesn't Whoopi Goldberg have her own show?(Ok, I know, the questions from this debate are easy, does O'Reilly have the right to say what he said and should Muslims have the right to build a mosque anywhere they want. The answer is as simple as black and white [ at this point I think the paper used has turned yellow but the phrase is black and white] yes, to both. Read the Constitution, the Bill of Rights is there for a reason)
This shouting is not something new in our country, a small percentage of society with loud voices getting their own way is as American as apple pie. The 18th Amendment to the Constitution, Liquor Abolished. The only amendment to be repealed. Is a perfect example of this, but it did not start there. Let's go back to the Revolution itself. Most of the colonist were happy with the Crown. Maybe happy is not the word, how about content? It's probably apathetic but the loud voices of wealthier colonist pushed and pushed until we found ourselves in a war for independence. Knowing that the same thing could happen to them, they came up with the Constitution and it's Bill of Rights. The hardest thing about being a true American is defending the Constitution. If you believe in free speech then you must defend the right of someone else to say things that you totally disagree with. If you want freedom to pursue your chosen religion you must defend someone else religion. [ grammar police, else, find me the plural possessive form of the word. The Merriam-Webster on line dictionary was of no help. I found contradicting answers so what do you think?]
So let's all stop yelling, let's start talking, let's start to respect each other's opinions and let's start being better Americans. It's not easy but nobody said it would be.
Tomorrow back to the lighter side of things, I promise.

I hear somthin' singin'

( Hooh! aah! hooh! aah!)
( Hooh! aah! hooh! aah!)

(Well don't you know)
That's the sound of the men workin' on the chain ga-a-ang
That's the sound of the men workin' on the chain gang

All day long they're singin'

(Hooh! aah! hooh! aah!)
(Hooh! aah! hooh! aah!)



Well here's a first for Saratoga Irish, a two part blog.
Today is my first day back to the salt mines since July 3rd. From what I have heard nothing has changed, hooray. One of the problems of depression is a thing called rumination, the habit of dwelling on negative thoughts, turning them over and over in your mind. Most people ruminate during their lives, especially after an upsetting event, it's perfectly natural. When rumination last for a short while it can help people see what went wrong and how to avoid it in the future. When it last for long hours, say eight hours a day, 40 hours a week, is when you are in trouble. My job has nothing but time to ruminate. We are paired up on a machine and talking to your co worked is frowned upon, strongly. I had a supervisor for a few years that would not put people together that liked each other. Her motto was, less talk, more work. She would have been a perfect character in a Dickens novel. So wish me luck and I will finish this blog after work.














Part Dux

Well it only took me four days to make it back to work, cut me some slack, one was a holiday. Saturday morning I got up and got ready for work. One of the meds the Dr. prescribed is an anti anxiety drug. I took an extra because as the time to leave approached I was getting a bit, I think the medical term is antsy. As I walked across the apartment it started to spin, whoa let me sit down, next thing I knew it was 3:30. So Saturday was shot. No excuses for Sunday, Monday was Columbus Day and well that left today. So I get in the car, put on a special cd I burned for the day and headed to work. So far so good.
I talk to a few people, put up with a few digs and I am ready to sort mail.........but are they ready for me. My boss tells me that the medical unit has not cleared me so off we go to the nurses office. The last clearance was Sept. 13, So, here I am. Wrong. I need updated paperwork. That means I go to the Dr's office tomorrow and if they fax the paperwork I will be cleared in time for Thursday, my day off. So Saturday is what I am shooting for. You have to love the PO, you didn't come in so now you can't come in. Well anyway, here's to Saturday.

The old town looks the same, as I step down from the train,
and there to meet me is my Mama and Papa.
Down the road I look and there runs Mary, hair of gold and lips like cheeries.
It's good to touch the green, green grass of home.
Yes, they'll all come to meet me, arms reaching, smiling sweetly.
It's good to touch the green, green grass of home.

People say I'm the life of the party
'Cause I tell a joke or two.
Although I might be laughin
Loud and hardy
Deep inside I'm blue

So take a good look at my face
You see my
Smile looks out of place
If you look closer it's easy to trace
The tracks of my tears


Wow, eleven months since my last posting. It's almost like confession, Bless me father it's been eleven months since my last blog. So to my avid readers ( yes, both of you) I humbly apologise. You would think that after almost a year I would have some pretty great stories to tell. Well, you would be wrong.
I am suffering from a major depressive disorder, that's the precise diagnostic label, most people just call it......... (you should have heard, dum dum dum)...depression. For those of you who have never known someone with depression, the first thought you have is, snap out of it. So much easier said then done. First of all most of you who do not know someone with depression actually do. It is very hard to tell people that you have depression because of pride, shame, lack of knowledge of depression and many other reasons. You try to tell yourself to snap out of it, don't be a baby, man up, life sucks for everybody. All this does is make it worse. Under the right medication and therapeutic lifestyle change, depression can be controlled.
Let's take a look at TLC. In my vast reading of subjects (small print on the sides of boxes) regarding most of the things we like to do. The same few items always seem to appear. For example, have you seen the commercial for green tea extra, it melts belly fat!!! the ad shows peoples midsections with big bellies. To rid yourself of this and have a flat washboard stomach all you need to do is drink a cup of tea. Easy, right? wrong, check the small print, with diet and exercise. Jarred, the Subway guy, is now going to run a marathon. Is this because of subway foot longs? If it is, sign me up for Boston next April, I can live on a diet of meatball subs and out run those Africans (they don't have Subway). Alas it's not. Exercise is an important part of human lifestyle that most of us take for granted.
So as I jog across the room to rest on the couch, I know that my exercise regiment has started.
Another part of TLC is social support, so much easier than exercise and diet. Writing this today is one step for me in the right direction. I will try to update this blog at least once a week and I am trying to get out with people more. Some of the people that I have told have been great support and I thank them. So without further adu, till next time, keep smiling.
For those of you who read this regularly, I always start with a song (com'on boy, you know you got it in ya. That was for my brother) I started looking for songs about depression yesterday and it just depressed me more. I also like to add photos, I haven't done much but I will see what I can do.