Travel to Wisconsin:
Appleton's Art on the Street allowed me to touch base with some old friends. My friend Lenny Nagler was exhibiting at Coventry Gallery for this Friday night event. Some of his friends in this circle are also friends of mine.
A big surprise was the appearance of the somewhat reclusive Bob Levy. Bob is a long-time friend and member of The Royal Order of Toads. Since his divorce, he has been in a long-term funk. His decision to move back to the East Coast seems to bring him some peace. Bob agreed to attend a film and join us for dinner the following day. It was good to see him on the road to recovery.
The Family got it together for me on Sunday morning. I had a jolt when my 14-year-old Granddaughter, Grace, walked out of her bedroom in high heels. It seems you have to practice walking in that type of shoe. The Homecoming dance is coming up, and she was getting in shape.
My Princess Warriors are, one by one, evolving from little girls to young women. Yes, I know it's a natural transition, but does it have to happen so fast? As I looked at my baby granddaughters, Violet and Reagan, and thought, I'd better pay close attention, or I'll miss their childhood.
Sorry, Seattle. Not only did you lose the football game, but you're also not going to get Milwaukee's basketball team either.
Lenny and I braved the crowd and attended the Green Bay Packer v. Seattle Seahawks Sunday Night Game in Green Bay. The game was a perfect arc for Seattle. They started tentative and unsure. Then they got their feet underneath themselves and played respectable football. In the third quarter, they played like the Super Bowl contender they were last year. In the fourth quarter, they folded like a flimsy windshield flyer.
I don't know how much Seattle fans expected a shot at getting the Milwaukee Bucks to move it to Seattle. On my return to Milwaukee, I was with many of my friends, present in chambers, as any of Seattle's hopes were dashed by the Milwaukee City Council's decision to approve a deal that would result in The Bucks getting a new arena.
Chalk this one up to another successful blackmail job by the NBA. They have assured that millionaires and billionaires will continue to receive corporate welfare, paid for by people struggling to survive. All of this is done with the promise of economic stimulation and jobs, which we know historically never appear.
Old Friends:
In a seemingly never-ending round of coffee dates, breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and house visits, I managed to visit many of my friends in Milwaukee. Special thanks to Michelle Mooney, who not only gave me bed and board for the week but helped with some of the social scheduling. Also, a shout out to Mary Edwards and Tom Meier, who threw a nice porch party for me. I think everyone I met is on this mailing list, so let me thank you all for taking the time and spending some of it with me.
Milwaukee Film Festival
From the Black Mass to The nuns on the bus
I prolonged my stay in Wisconsin to attend part of the Milwaukee Film Festival (MFF). This event has become one of the best Film Festivals in the country. Even though I can't attend the monthly free Film Festival member events, I still count my membership as necessary.
Lenny, Helen, Bob, and I saw Black Mass, starring Johnny Depp as Whitey Bulger, the notorious Irish gang boss from Boston. You won't believe that it is Johnny Depp playing the role of the psycho gang boss with a penchant for pain and murder. Hard to watch in places, this film is a must for fans of Johnny Depp and hard-core drama.
I saw four films in Milwaukee. The most fun and stunning film I attended was complete, although digitally redone, version of Harold Lloyd's Safety Last. The silent film was accompanied by a full score played on the fabulous organ at the Oriental Theater. I have never sat through an entirely silent film. This in itself was a treat, but experiencing the artistry and seeing the beginnings of art we now take for granted was eye-opening.
The film that moved me the most was Radical Grace, a documentary about the "nuns on the bus." Recently, an organized group of nuns were being investigated by the Catholic Church. The investigation was an obvious scare tactic by the conservative members of the church, who saw the nuns as a breakaway group of rebels. Their conflict came together on the Battlefield of the Obama Affordable Care Act. The nuns supported the legislation because they saw it as an opportunity for the disadvantaged to get good healthcare. The conservatives in the church opposed it because the bill supported birth control. While the resolution was satisfying, the journey this film took us on showed the Catholic Church at one of its lowest moments, which when you think about it is a tough thing to do.
Coming Home
While in Milwaukee, Michelle Mooney introduced me to a new friend. Lloyd Campo and his wife Barbara Bryant are from New Orleans. She is currently working for the Blood Center in Milwaukee. Lloyd is an attorney and a true southern gentleman. He greeted me with a warning. I paraphrase him when I say, 'The biggest problem with southern men is they never quit talking.' Apparently, Milwaukee transplants are similar.
You know the old cliche in the southeastern states? It says that it doesn't make any difference when you die when you are bound for heaven or hell; you will change planes in Atlanta.
I was on my Milwaukee to Atlanta's leg when I found myself seated next to a fellow returning to his home in Orlando. Born and raised in Waukesha in a family of musicians, Russ Dogan left Wisconsin and literally toured the world to pursue a career in business.
Currently, he is working on hotel properties for Universal studios. More interesting to both of us at that moment, he had gone to the Green Bay Packer - Kansas City Chiefs game the night before. We chewed each other's ears off for the whole trip. Time can fly (pun intended) when you're having fun.
Appleton's Art on the Street allowed me to touch base with some old friends. My friend Lenny Nagler was exhibiting at Coventry Gallery for this Friday night event. Some of his friends in this circle are also friends of mine.
A big surprise was the appearance of the somewhat reclusive Bob Levy. Bob is a long-time friend and member of The Royal Order of Toads. Since his divorce, he has been in a long-term funk. His decision to move back to the East Coast seems to bring him some peace. Bob agreed to attend a film and join us for dinner the following day. It was good to see him on the road to recovery.
The Family got it together for me on Sunday morning. I had a jolt when my 14-year-old Granddaughter, Grace, walked out of her bedroom in high heels. It seems you have to practice walking in that type of shoe. The Homecoming dance is coming up, and she was getting in shape.
My Princess Warriors are, one by one, evolving from little girls to young women. Yes, I know it's a natural transition, but does it have to happen so fast? As I looked at my baby granddaughters, Violet and Reagan, and thought, I'd better pay close attention, or I'll miss their childhood.
Sorry, Seattle. Not only did you lose the football game, but you're also not going to get Milwaukee's basketball team either.
Lenny and I braved the crowd and attended the Green Bay Packer v. Seattle Seahawks Sunday Night Game in Green Bay. The game was a perfect arc for Seattle. They started tentative and unsure. Then they got their feet underneath themselves and played respectable football. In the third quarter, they played like the Super Bowl contender they were last year. In the fourth quarter, they folded like a flimsy windshield flyer.
I don't know how much Seattle fans expected a shot at getting the Milwaukee Bucks to move it to Seattle. On my return to Milwaukee, I was with many of my friends, present in chambers, as any of Seattle's hopes were dashed by the Milwaukee City Council's decision to approve a deal that would result in The Bucks getting a new arena.
Chalk this one up to another successful blackmail job by the NBA. They have assured that millionaires and billionaires will continue to receive corporate welfare, paid for by people struggling to survive. All of this is done with the promise of economic stimulation and jobs, which we know historically never appear.
Old Friends:
In a seemingly never-ending round of coffee dates, breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and house visits, I managed to visit many of my friends in Milwaukee. Special thanks to Michelle Mooney, who not only gave me bed and board for the week but helped with some of the social scheduling. Also, a shout out to Mary Edwards and Tom Meier, who threw a nice porch party for me. I think everyone I met is on this mailing list, so let me thank you all for taking the time and spending some of it with me.
Milwaukee Film Festival
From the Black Mass to The nuns on the bus
I prolonged my stay in Wisconsin to attend part of the Milwaukee Film Festival (MFF). This event has become one of the best Film Festivals in the country. Even though I can't attend the monthly free Film Festival member events, I still count my membership as necessary.
Lenny, Helen, Bob, and I saw Black Mass, starring Johnny Depp as Whitey Bulger, the notorious Irish gang boss from Boston. You won't believe that it is Johnny Depp playing the role of the psycho gang boss with a penchant for pain and murder. Hard to watch in places, this film is a must for fans of Johnny Depp and hard-core drama.
I saw four films in Milwaukee. The most fun and stunning film I attended was complete, although digitally redone, version of Harold Lloyd's Safety Last. The silent film was accompanied by a full score played on the fabulous organ at the Oriental Theater. I have never sat through an entirely silent film. This in itself was a treat, but experiencing the artistry and seeing the beginnings of art we now take for granted was eye-opening.
The film that moved me the most was Radical Grace, a documentary about the "nuns on the bus." Recently, an organized group of nuns were being investigated by the Catholic Church. The investigation was an obvious scare tactic by the conservative members of the church, who saw the nuns as a breakaway group of rebels. Their conflict came together on the Battlefield of the Obama Affordable Care Act. The nuns supported the legislation because they saw it as an opportunity for the disadvantaged to get good healthcare. The conservatives in the church opposed it because the bill supported birth control. While the resolution was satisfying, the journey this film took us on showed the Catholic Church at one of its lowest moments, which when you think about it is a tough thing to do.
Coming Home
While in Milwaukee, Michelle Mooney introduced me to a new friend. Lloyd Campo and his wife Barbara Bryant are from New Orleans. She is currently working for the Blood Center in Milwaukee. Lloyd is an attorney and a true southern gentleman. He greeted me with a warning. I paraphrase him when I say, 'The biggest problem with southern men is they never quit talking.' Apparently, Milwaukee transplants are similar.
You know the old cliche in the southeastern states? It says that it doesn't make any difference when you die when you are bound for heaven or hell; you will change planes in Atlanta.
I was on my Milwaukee to Atlanta's leg when I found myself seated next to a fellow returning to his home in Orlando. Born and raised in Waukesha in a family of musicians, Russ Dogan left Wisconsin and literally toured the world to pursue a career in business.
Currently, he is working on hotel properties for Universal studios. More interesting to both of us at that moment, he had gone to the Green Bay Packer - Kansas City Chiefs game the night before. We chewed each other's ears off for the whole trip. Time can fly (pun intended) when you're having fun.
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