Still thinking of the Past

Jethro Tull has a 1970’s Song or maybe the vinyl album is called “Living in the Past.”

The “Real” part of me that has done all of the self help stuff knows that my Prom theme of Seals and Croft’s song: We may Never Pass this way Again… and it really is: We WILL never pass this way again. If we do, it will be in the present or future. The time means everything.

Having a Photographic Memory sucks for old fogies. We know darn well our time of childhood is long gone. The things I do today are very much like I did when I was younger except for 1 big thing: I used to play the “Dating Game.” There are many women “Online” that see a photo, or read my bio and may want to communicate on some level. Gwen, Dr. Merkowsky’s (Dentist and dear friend. Without him I would have no teeth!) has had 3 great long relationships through Yahoo Personals, all for free. She is totally hooked up with the 3rd and so, she does not have to pay for Match.com who bought it… or at least I know it is not free anymore.

Let’s face it. I told the story of how I paid 1 time at JDate.com. I figured I have not dated even 1 Jew past High School. When I finally found out that my home town was not mostly Jewish, that it was my Mom leading me to Jewish friends that made me look incorrectly at the situation. Cinnaminson New Jersey is not where the Jews are. However, they are nearby. In Burlington County NJ there is: Moorestown and Medford. These 2 Towns Real Estate Taxes are the highest in Burlington County and many famous people live, or have lived there.

I appraised Carl Lewis, the Olympic Jumping and Track Star who came from Willingboro, NJ. That is only 15 minutes from Cinnaminson, but not as nice. He now lives in over a 1 million dollar place in Medford. It was right after the last Summer Olympics and I was supposed to be there on a Monday. Bear in mind his name has an initial in front of it: I think it is “F. Carl Lewis,” so I was tricked. On top of that, I dealt with his Groundskeeeper who was Spanish and moved with his wife who worked the inside of the home from Cali. where they met Carl. I could not make it Monday, not knowing about who’s home it was and he was not there the whole time as he was on the end of the Olympics. I came the day after they ended. I walked around the entire home and then to a special wing where I saw leather on the floor, walls and ceiling and a painting that looked like Carl Lewis naked, but being hid behind a lion, or tiger, and bears, “Oh my” from Wizzard of Oz. It may have been 1 of the 1st 2, but no bear as he was bare. I am punny.

Then I saw like a Hospital type TV above which was pointing to a bed. There I saw a man who looked exactly like Carl Lewis in his underwear in the bed. If the 2 items were removed, he would like just like the big painting. I asked: are you Carl Lewis: yes, he said and told me he just got back from the Olympics. The whole house is lived in by himself and the 2 outside and inside Spanish keepers. No one else. I thought it was cool. It was before the Presidential Election and we were talking about it and other things. I told him that I had never seen a bedroom all in leather. I also asked to take a picture with him. The Groundskeeper who was leading me around took it and then I took Carl and he and sent it to him. He was running his businesses from his bed in his underwear in an all Leather bedroom in a large home on a large lot in Medford. That is only about 15 minute ride from where he grew up in Willingboro, but a “World Away” in terms of value.

I had no idea I was going to write that. The fun thing about being me, is that I have so many true stories to tell as I have done so much and been around for so long… just saying that makes me feel old. There are many more stories which are: nostalgic. The time now, I am here. The time in the future did not happen yet, so what else can I write about, but what I have seen and done or… I could make it up. I say that there is what life hands you and then there is what you add to it that makes things harder than they already are.

I have noticed that most of the good TV and Movies are real life stories. I have spoken about how jealous I was of the woman that got Meryl Streep to play Julia Child, where the woman blogged and made the recipes 1 per day for a year from her French Cookbook. I have owned it since I made her French Onion Soup recipe when I was 12. It was actually my Mom’s book, but she never used it. I only have made the 1 recipe, but many times. Not in the past 15 years, but once or twice a year for many years. My Mom can tell you the stories of the mess I left behind or the home smelling of onions for a couple of days after.

Nostalgia. Things that have really happened and now that they are over, they can be talked about. Werner spoke of the 2 states we are in: Grandstand or Playing field. When we are in the Grandstand, we are not living our lives. We are talking about strategy, things we have done and all of the things a Sports Team would do. On the field, we are not thinking. Tom Hopkins: Keep your eye on the ball. Catching it will take care of itself.

If you notice a Pro Sports Person, they do not have time to think. This is like us. When we are living our lives, it is playing the game of life which also was a game we played: You learn about life when you play the game of “Life.” That was their commercial. Think of a tennis pro. If they take the time to think where the ball is going to be hit by the opponent, they will never get there. They are together as 1 unit. If we look at them from the Grandstand, we are evaluating them, but they are not evaluating anything, they are: Playing the game. Thoughts are not there as they would only slow up the Pro.

We are just like the Pro. If you are a salesman, when you have a sales meeting, you are in the Grandstand. When you are in front of a customer that wants a product or selling a product to someone, you are Playing the game and it is too late.

I speak Spanish and when I do, I think in Spanish. It would take too long to think in English and translate. You need to practice in that to be good. My practice came from a great Course at Temple University called: Latin American Study Semester. Speaking and getting grammar and history of Latin America and going to 2 places in Mexico, Mexico City and the Yucatan Peninsula, where many tourist locations are, but we were not there for that. Also, we were not allowed to speak any English during the trip. Only late at night did my friend and room mate speak English when day was done.

I came back thinking in Spanish when I spoke it. If I don’t know a word, in Spanish I ask: Como se dice: which means: how do you say that? I don’t have a Spanish typewriter, or I would use an upside down question mark after that. 1 last thing about Spanish. That is the only way I learned English grammar in school as in the 70’s, they were big on books and plays in English class. Structure is most important to speak the “Romance” languages like, French, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese. I took 1 year study with my friend’s Mom who was a 40 year High School French teacher and was a Native.

That is a very sad story about my friend Gene. We met my Freshman year of College in 1978. We went through a lot. We were pledging a Fraternity at Drexel. Again, a Jewish Fraternity, Tao Epsilon Phi. ZBT, another Jewish Frat. had rented Temple’s house and ruined it. So, my friend Larry asked me if I wanted to pledge at Drexel. That 1st year, for some stupid reason, I was living on Campus. Since my family home was 25 minutes away in NJ and I worked as a Disc Jockey on Weekends, during the week, I would be taking the subway late at night and it did not work out. Gene and another guy Fred were both pledging with me. Because I could not be there enough, they “Black Balled me.” Gene too. But Fred made it. He also had the best…. drugs! It was the 70’s and we were 60’s hippy “Wannabees.” The 70’s have more of a generation now that it is nostalgia. Back then, it was as it was. Dick Nixon dominated a lot of it. I was at summer camp when he resigned. I impersonated him and other famous and not famed folks. Still do.

I think I have just about cleared the room. I am known for “Beating an idea to death.” I figure, if I give enough examples, you will remember what I said. Tom Hopkins says: 6 times = 67% retention. So I don’t want my students to get a “D.” That is the reason… lie, lie aaay nooo. That is a Hebrew Pun. The Bible Jewish one, the 1st one, not to be confused by the New Test….

Ok. Done for now. Thank you, anyone who takes busy time to even read any of this. I don’t write with anyone in mind. I just know some topics are more: Today. This Nostalgia was brought on by the song “Diary” by David Gates and Bread and then Walt writing about he and his wife and my old High School friend, Susan were listening to 70’s music on SiriusXM which I lost stock money when I sold for five cents, before a wealthy man kicked in money. It is now about three dollars and change. I do not understand that considering Howard Stern just signed a new 5 year deal. He only gets over 100 million a year. When he was on AGT (America’s Got Talent) he quit because what is ten or twenty million to him? He is the only Disc Jockey besides Rush Limbaugh to make that much. But Rush is only popular with Republicans. After his NBC AGT, Howard is now popular with everyone and is in my humble opinion, the best Interviewer there is. He asks things that no other person in the World will ask. And how funny is it for those that know, or have seen his life Movie: Private Parts, that he was fired from NBC Radio in the 80’s, only to be courted by them to do the TV Show. Hey, what goes around… there was a rumor when he was fired that Mary Tyler Moore had something to do with Grant Tinker and they were at the top and had him fired from AM Radio, only for him to go to New York FM and Philly being his 1st Simulcast. Now, he is the Property of the World. I said how Sal, the Stockbroker is my only key into E Cigs, my Hobby of a lifetime.

Funny how I follow to lead. Part of you cannot teach that which you have not learned. My 1st entree into being able to write and speak about personal items came from the Dale Carnegie Course which was me following what Werner Erhard did. Not popular today and I have said why.

I am even being Nostalgic about my Masters. I took on Alan Watts, a Zen guy who was dead when I started listening and watching his videos from San Francisco TV in the early sixties. He died in 1973 when I was 13 and not thinking of Zen. This is what I mean to say that thoughts and teaching do not have to come from a live person.

I used to love Zig Ziglar and went to one of his Philly Events. He was a Southern Boy: You need a checkup from the neckup. That little Red Head of mine. You can get what you want if you help enough people get what they want. Southern Drawl. Gone. Many of the masters are gone. And why do I love FDR and WW2 so much when that was pre Dave Nostalgia?

I guess when you sum it up, anything you write or say is Nostalgia as it is over. Just like the 1st words of the 1st Bible in Genesis: In the beginning, God created the Heaven and the Earth. I ask: How is that the beginning? If you say it is, it means that someone is looking at it, even if it is just God, but he was around before that. So it maybe should say: When I created the Heaven and the Earth… and that way we understand that there is a lot more he did, but at least he is being honest. Not to say he is lying, but maybe: embellishing it a bit. Like he was hanging out with nothing to do, so he made our Universe. Other than that, looks pretty boring for him… joke.. please.

So, the walk through memory lane has come to an end. I want the prize at Medium for: The least said with the most words!