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Joseph D. McCarthy

No Mike your mind isn't fuzzy, it just needs to be processed through a wringer once and a while.

DISCLAIMER:   I don't think they would have allowed me near East North Broadway.  

And NO, although I visited East North Broadway a bit, I grew up in the (former) St. Christopher parish.  Lived on Virginia Avenue by the Kingswood School until 1964 when we moved into a place in Grandview near Summit Chase.  We were indirectly Neighbors of John Glen.

Joe

Michael McLeod

Ok.

I think we did have a McCarthy family on our block.

But obviously they were the high-end McCarthy family.

Not the felonious, drunken, institutionalized, shanty-Irish McCarthy family. 

Joseph D. McCarthy

Dear Mr. McLeod,

Before you start teaching and writing you should have spent at least a few years as a Reporter.  They are the ones who dig for the facts before doing a story.  Instead you just made assumptions.

I am Ukranian.  My Mother's parents were both born in the Ukranine and came to the states approximately 100 years ago (ERGO 50% Ukranian).  My Mother was born in Detroit, MI; as were I and my two brothers.

My Father was born in Canada, the Son of an Irish-American (New York City) Father (my grandfather) and an English-Canadian Mother.  Ergo again, I am 25% English and 25% a a former stumbling drunk low class person.

So there you scullywag.

Your's Truly,

Joe

P.S.  If we can't have fun what good is it being locked up. 

James Hamilton, M. D.

Joe, 

Excellent point! Having fun is of utmost importance when we are all pretty much staying at home. That is a good topic for us to discuss. What are we doing to have fun?

We are running out of Netflix and Hallmark movies and the sitcoms of today are insipid! I await the mail daily as if something other than mattress ads was going to arrive. It came late today and as I walked out to retrieve it I was met by three adult does playing in the snow under the watchful eye of a well antlered buck. I talked with them for a few minutes but received no intelligent answers. I looked through the New England Journal of Medicine... surprise!, more on COVID! I shoveled more snow after it stopped falling, got the walk and driveway all cleared. Sat down with some coffee, looked out and it was snowing again. Good! Something to do tomorrow!

Have fun, 

Jim 

David Mitchell

Hey Guys,

Don't forget Amazon's Disease.

It's more fun than just throwing your money away. And then you get an excuse to get out of the house when you have to take it back to your nearest Amazon return center. The guys at my local UPS Store just love seeing me every week.

Search - click once - click twice - wait on the front porch. 

Repeat.

(you would never believe how many varieties of small canvas tool bags there are - or custom made left-handed garden trowels, or egg warmers with pictures of giraffes on them - life is beautiful?) 

Michael McLeod

Joe:

My apologies.

I will now apply my well honed journalistic skill to digging up some Ukranian-themed ethnic slurs, insults, and jokes in very poor taste I can use to attack and entertain you. I could go the Canadian route but that's too easy.

Here's one for starters:

 Did you hear about the Ukrainian who wore two jackets when she painted the house? The instructions on the can said: “Put on two coats.”

Michael McLeod

I'll also have a go on Jim's suggestion that we weigh in on how we are having fun during this time of being mandated shut-ins.

I read online newspapers and magazines voraciously; watch movies on netflix and hulu on my laptop (I don't have a television in my house - haven't for years); teach a writing class on line; write stories for three local publications; have dinner every sunday with my girlfriend and her lovely, brilliant daughter; walk out into my backyard to watch the Florida sun set, tinker with my flowers and trees, and clean the pool; watch my girlfriend paint and redecorate the guest bedroom because she believed she would do a much better job than I would and she is right; go to her house every evening to massage her back and neck and console her for working long long long extra hours, pretty much 12 hour days six days a week because of how complicated it is to teach grade school children on line and she is far too dedicated to cut back on quality so she drives herself mercilessly (her Christmas tree is still up - that's how harried she is and how long the hours are); and visit with my son, who is a server at a very nice restaurant down here. Some of that is work but even the work has a fun side to it.  Basically I am staying very busy while in close contact with only three other people, all of whom are as meticulous as I am about wearing masks and keeping safe. We never go out. When I visit with my son it is outdoors and with masks on because he is in a high-contact job. Pretty sure, just judging by his symptoms, that he has already had covid; he recovered in about a week.

All this sounds more hectic than it is. I sleep late. When I awake I lie in bed just feeling -- ok this is going to sound creepy but it's not -- I lie in bed just feeling my body. Whatever that hormone is that overtakes you when you sleep, it's good shit. If you don't move and just lie there, it's a kind of a soothing high or more like a a natural sedative, which I guess in fact it is, in every square inch of your torso. A little like the buzz you get from pot, not that I remember those days very clearly. And I don't know about you but I swear I never paid any attention to this natural phenomenon when I was preoccupied with responsibilities and popping up to an alarm clock to rush off to work. I really felt a sense of discovery the first time I woke up and just lay there, not worrying about what I had to do that day but just thinking: "ooh. This is nice. Think I'll just stay here for a while. "

David Mitchell

Mike and Jim,

For fun,,,,,,,,,,I read this doggone Forum - - every - - damn - - -day! 

Man is that ever fun?

And I watch a bit of PBS - especially Masterpiece Theater  - and especially the new "All Creatures Great and Small"

I pretend to be a woodworker and fiddle with a few woodworking ideas. Moslty just spend time walking the aisles at Lowe's and Home Depot. And nights watching YouTube videos about woodworking, or cooking, or sailing, or photography. 

But Mike, if you need a break, I will be happy to come over and rub your girlfriend's back for you. I'm only about 5 hours away. 

Michael McLeod

sorry you didn't get a chance to meet her when you visited me dave. you mighta had the chance to learn a couple things you obviously missed in grade school.

Joseph D. McCarthy

Mr. McLeod,  may I give you the first warning.  My Grandfather (Irish) was a sparing partner with John L. Sullivan.   But first a little story from out west.

There was a rancher from Coloradot who had just picked up a new hired hand and were travelig in a carriage to the rancher's ranch in a snow storm.  After about a half hour the horse stumbled and went down.  The rancher quickly got down and helped the horse back on it's feet.  Then said, Thats one.  They continued on their way and after another twenty minutes the horse stumbled and fell down again.  The rancher quickly jumped down and again helped the horse to it's feet.  The hired hand heard him say that's Two to the horse before he got back in the carriage.  The hired hand thought to himself that the rancher was a terrific person for how he helped the horse.  Just as they were getting to the ranch the horse stumbled and went down.  The rancher got outof the carriage, walked to the horse.  Pulled out his gun and shot the horse; and said, that was Three.  The new hired hand looked amazed and said "why'd you do that?"  To which the rancher said "THAT'S ONE."

Joe

John Schaeufele

For fun I have been cleaning out old files and organizing things I want to keep.  Here's something I found from 8th grade graduation at OLP.  A classmate insisted that I share.  I recognize most of the names except for one character who signed as "Mave Ditchell."  Can anyone help unravel this?  Sorry I did not get more names.

David Mitchell

Busted!

Mary Clare Hummer (Bauer)

A+ handwriting, all you Peace boys. You can tell your penmanship classes were efforts in perfection. (And taught by nuns!!!) 

Clare 
 

David Barbour

Joe McCarthy, sir, did you order your Pliny the Younger yet?  If not, too late, they sold out in 5 minutes!

Maybe next year.  ( per SFGate)

DB

David Mitchell

Clare,

I don't think anybody on that list would have made it through Medical School. Once they realized you wrote legibly they'd kick you out.  

I think our Dominican Sisters used the "Palmer Method" - or was it the "Zaner-Bloser Method"?

It actually saddens me that my grandkids will never learn to "write" right. Does anybody know if that is a copout by the teachers unions or is there some other reason? 

James Hamilton, M. D.

Clare,

 The nuns did do a great job not only teaching penmanship but also the basics of sentence structure in the English language. By the way, did you notice all the upper case "D's" in those autographs were perfect and virtually identical?

 Dave,

 Those with good penmanship did get into medical school. The truth is that in many cases, mine included, med school RUINED penmanship. At least in the pre-computer and tablet days. (If needed I'll explain.)

Jim 

Michael McLeod

A customer asks, "In what aisle will I find the Ukrainian sausage?"

The clerk asks, "Are you Ukrainian?"

The guy says, "Yes I am. But if I had asked for Italian sausage, would you ask me if I was Italian? Or if I had asked for German Bratwurst, would you ask me if I was German? Or if I asked for a kosher hot dog would you ask me if I was Jewish? Or if I had asked for a Taco, would you ask if I was Mexican?"

The clerk says, "No, I probably wouldn't."

The guy says, "So why did you ask me if I’m Ukrainian?"

The clerk says, "You're in Home Depot."

John Jackson

My favorite ethnic joke:

A (choose one - Mick, Polack, Kraut, Ukrainian, etc) is walking down the street and a sketchy guy approaches him and whispers “Would you like to buy some pornography?”  To which the Mick, Polack, etc replies “Won’t do me any good – I don’t even own a pornograph!”

Michael McLeod

Reminder: It CAN be a beautiful world. 

youtube.com/watch?v=25TPetRBp5I

David Mitchell

Jim,

I know Doctors get teased a lot about their handwritting. My dad's was pretty horrendous. He would get calls from pharamacists asking if he could please explain what he had scribbled on his prescriptions. But my Uncle John's was worse, and there is an intersting story behind that.

My Uncle John was the oldest of five and went to Medical School first. (Dad and the youngest brother followed and their kid sister became a nurse). He apparently had wonderful penmanship as a younger man. In a surgery class at Ohio State he got an accidental finger prick from the instructing surgeon through his rubber glove and it became infected. It developed into some form of gangrene and he eventually lost his right (dominate) arm above the elbow. He graduated medical school but he had to learn to write with his left hand, and he was so careful and deliberate about it that his handwriting was perfect again. But as he progressed in his medical practice it gradually deteriorated to the point where it was totally unreadable. 

Perhaps you can 'splain me (us) the reason?

----------------

Some of you might have gone to my unce at his unique little house/office on Perry Street, just inside the OSU Medical School property. Dad and I could park there free, and make a much more enjoyable walk to the football stadium, with snacks and a nice bathroom when we came back after the game. My Aunt had decorated the waiting room more like somebody's comfortable living room. He kept that property until the Univesity took it under "eminent domaine" - he made out like a bandit on the final price!

Uncle John was also an Allergist, but took a year off from his practice at age 60 to study and take his "Boards" for Psychiatry. He and Dad had long known that a lot of Allergy symptoms had to do with the psychosomatic aspects of illness. When he came back he practiced either one or both, depending on what the patient requested, or what he thought the patient needed. And he was nearly overwhelmed by psychiatry refererals from other Catholic Doctors in Columbus. That's a whole 'nother story.

Perhaps a few of you from St. Agatha might recognize my Uncle John and Aunt Norma from the old church on  Northham and Andover. Here is an interesting photo of the two of them in Rome meeting with someone else you might recognize. It must have been in the early 60's. They are the two farthest on your right.

(By sheer happenstance, my mom and dad were at this man's coronation Mass insdide St. Peter's a few years earlier - 1958)

John Maxwell

Michael McLeod

Dave: I'm writing a tribute to one of the Tuskeegee Airmen - surely one of the last surviving members of that famous troupe of african american ww2 fighter pilots.

His name was Richard Hall. He wasn't actually a flyer but ground crew. I interviewed him a few years ago in his home down here and when I mentioned I was from Ohio he pointed to a photo on his wall of a training base he was stationed at for a while up here. Must have been Lockbourne but I can't be sure.

Anyway he just died at the age of 95. He lived in Winter Park, which is just a few miles from my house.

I remember him telling me about going to DC in 2007 when president bush had a big to-do about the "Red Tails," so called because of the color of their P-51s -- 332nd fighter group, found in Korea and Vietnam too. I think they flew out of a base in Italy during ww2.

Bush gave a congressional medal of honor to the ww2 vets - about 300 of them still alive at the time . Hall was in the front row for the ceremony. "I got to shake the president's hand twice - once when he walked in, once when he left," he told me. 

Hall only shook my hand once. But I was happy for the honor.

David Mitchell

Mike,

I believe the "Red Tails" were based in North Africa, and later, Italy, and escorted our bombers on some very dangerous missions. This is one of many chapters of our history that is almost completely overlooked - and ignored. 

Jack,

I can send you an old left-handed monkey wrench if that would help. You should have been a baseball pitcher. But us right-handers suffer from pretty lousy handwriting also. 

Mark Schweickart

Jack – An interesting desultory phllipic (more on this later) regarding your sinistral south-pawedness. And yes indeed, you won the bet with your closing challenge. I definitely did have to sing Jingle Bells to myself to learn that the name of the horse is "Bobtail," which made me feel rather stupid. You made me realize that after 70-some years of hearing this song, I had never thought to wonder what "...bells on Bobtail ring" meant. Annoyed and flummoxed, you forced me to summon the almighty Google to confirm this new awareness you have brought forth, only to discover, a ha! – that in fact, you may be wrong about this. It seems there is an acknowledged confusion about the use of the word "Bobtail" in Jingle Bells. It is pointed out that in verse two (a verse I don't recall ever hearing) there is another use of this word which simply refers to a type of horse – one whose tail has been cut short, or "bobtailed." Verse two goes like this:

Now the ground is white
So go it while you're young,
Take the girls tonight
And sing this sleighing song;
Just get a bob-tailed nag
Two-forty for his speed
Hitch him to an open sleigh
And crack! you'll take the lead.

Oh jingle bells ...etc.

Michael McLeod

Mark: Maybe they phrased it that way because they put the bells on its tail. But you'd have to be a horse's ass to do that.