I’ve struck a nerve with my post “Bigotry can cost you a lot,” about how a German postcard seller screwed himself out of hundreds of Euro by refusing to sell to Americans. In that post I said I would’ve paid 700 Euro for the cards. Actually, I would paid that much for just the one…
The Germans were the real victims
November 4, 2023
I got a message in response to my post “Bigotry can cost you a lot,” about how a German postcard dealer refused to sell to me because I’m an American. As a result, he screwed himself out of hundreds of Euro. Regarding the Germans, most of the ones that I know who are over 50…
One size does not fit all
November 3, 2023
What I am about to write is not an attack on the Catholic Church or my maternal grandparents. My only point is that one size does not fit all. Everyone is different. Temperamentally, my mother was not a good fit with the Catholic Church. She tried to make herself be a good Catholic, but doing…
Bigotry can cost you a lot
November 3, 2023
I just tried to win two postcards of German flamethrower pioneers of World War I. It turns out the dealer blocks addresses in the US. The cards were extremely valuable for two reasons: They showed the machine-gun platoon of a flamethrower company, and they proved my theory that machine gunners in the flamethrower regiment wore…
If you want to be my friend…
November 3, 2023
The time has come to lay down the law. If you want to be my friend, don’t share your Jew-hate with me. I have one friend who’s rabidly antisemitic. That’s enough. It’s a cultural thing with him, and I don’t know how much of it is just blather and how much is real. If he…
One of the greatest actors alive
November 2, 2023
Courtney Stodden has left Doug Hutchison. I don’t know much at all about either person. When they got married, I heard excerpts on the radio of a TV interview they gave. Just for fun I Googled her and saw what she looked like before she acquired her present appearance. It’s odd that he’s aged two…
We’re seeing them for the first time
November 1, 2023
These photos? We’re seeing them for the first time. You and me both. Mom had thousands of images, but we didn’t talk much about them. Mom’s guiding principle with her children was to not “regiment.” This was a reaction to her own upbringing. Unfortunately, Mom felt that telling us things about herself and her family…
Scott Thunes plays my bass
October 31, 2023
A member of Talkbass.com sent me a message: Finally I got to see Scott Thunes live! Hi Tom Last night I was fortunate enough to see Frank Zappa’s 200 Motels being performed at the Royal Festival Hall in London - the full BBC concert orchestra plus a huge choir. Before the show, Scott, Gail Zappa,…
All parents die
October 31, 2023
Got an e-mail. What are you so upset about? All parents die. Indeed. All humans die. However, there are different ways of dying. Would you rather die in your sleep at the age of eighty-five, or would you rather be flayed alive at the age of thirty? I’m upset at the manner of my parents’…