Started 2/19 Finished 2/27 I love this title . . . It reminds me of the old television show, Murder She Wrote, but this book is so much more than the events behind Disney’s Movie, Saving Mr. Banks. Valerie Lawson took three years to write this book, and it reads like a story because she knew her character in and out. Would you believe she got to sit at P.L.’s desk a week or two after she died, and look around? OMG! Pamela’s son gave her permission. P.L. was into philosophy, magic and mysticism so Valerie broke her biography into three parts – nymph, mother, and crone. P.L. was even OK with being a crone. Me – I’m still thinking about it. The first time I read this book, it took two days, but this time it took me two months to reread it. That’s because I took time out to read all four Mary Poppins books, twice. Then I returned to reread and make notes on this one. I want to write about P.L., Mary Poppins, and what I learned about both of them. Keep your eyes open – it might be another week or two before I get to write it, but believe me, it’s worth waiting for. Pamela is MORE fascinating than Disney’s version of her. Amazon’s Description: The spellbinding stories of Mary Poppins, the quintessentially English and utterly magical nanny, have been loved by generations. She flew into the lives of the unsuspecting Banks family in a children’s book that was instantly hailed as a classic, then became a household name when Julie Andrews stepped into the title role in Walt Disney’s hugely successful and equally classic film. But the Mary Poppins in the stories was not the cheery film character. She was tart and sharp, plain and vain. She was a remarkable character. The story of Mary Poppins’ creator, as this definitive biography reveals, is equally remarkable. The fabulous English nanny was actually conceived by an Australian, Pamela Lyndon Travers, who came to London in 1924 from Queensland as a journalist. She became involved with Theosophy, traveled in the literary circles of W.B. Yeats and T.S. Eliot, and became a disciple of the famed spiritual guru, Gurdjieff. She famously clashed with Walt Disney over the adaptation of the Mary Poppins books into film. Travers, whom Disney accused of vanity for “thinking you know more about Mary Poppins than I do,” was as tart and opinionated as Julie Andrews’s big-screen Mary Poppins was cheery. Yet it was a love of mysticism and magic that shaped Travers’s life as well as the character of Mary Poppins. The clipped, strict, and ultimately mysterious nanny who emerged from her pen was the creation of someone who remained inscrutable and enigmatic to the end of her ninety-six years. Valerie Lawson’s illuminating biography provides the first full look whose personal journey is as intriguing as her beloved characters. Started 2/4 Finished 2/19 This is the 4th Mary Poppins book, but it felt like the end of the series. When I checked, Amazon carried the first four, then skipped to #7 and 8. If you want #5 and 6, you have to search for them. IN THE PARK started with an author note, like #3. This time she wanted readers to understand that Mary couldn’t come and go forever. She’d done it three times already, and that’s a magic number in fairy tales. P.L. loved mixing them into her plots. The chapters this time could be added to any one of her three earlier books, and the characters . . . many returned for encore adventures. If you don’t recognize them, I think you’ll enjoy meeting them now. The Park book has six stories, but I picked two to share. The first was the Goosegirl and the Swineherd. It’s all about how every character sees themselves as someone cooler, like a prince or princess. The only one who doesn’t . . . Mary Poppins, of course. The second has a tea party under the dandelions. That caught my attention . . . P.L. built tiny houses in Saving Mr. Banks, and said she did it as a kid. In 1952 she put them into this book. Amazon’s Description: Who else but Mary Poppins can lead the Banks children on such extraordinary adventures? Together they all meet the Goosegirl and the Swineherd, argue with talking cats on a distant planet, make the acquaintance of the folks who live under dandelions, and celebrate a birthday by dancing with their own shadows. And that’s just for starters! Started 1/22 Finished 2/4 The more Mary Poppins books I read (I’m on #3), the more I realize how very British it is. The movie reflects more of Walt Disney than P.L. Travers. Plus, readers get to travel back to Britain of 1943, almost a century ago. This one opens with an explanation about Guy Fawkes Day. In 1605 people were upset with King James I and Parliament. They came up with the Gunpowder Plot. It was discovered and stopped on November 5, 1605. Guy Fawkes was one of its leaders, and he was executed. Today Britain celebrates him in fireworks. King James – forgotten. P.L. wrote her first author’s note for this book. She explained that Guy Fawkes Day stopped in 1939 – because of World War II. You can’t have fireworks when the enemy’s dropping bombs. In 1943 when Pamela published this book, she wrote that someday, it would be celebrated again, and it has been, ever since World War II ended. Chapter 1 begins on Guy Fawkes Day. This is my favorite book, so far. Pamela pulled out all the stops. She wrote about the things she loved, like stars and folk tales. Each chapter is a gem of a story. Britain was depressed and gloomy in 1943. Guy Fawkes fireworks – banished – for four years. No end in sight. There’s nothing like a book to brighten life, for readers and writers. If you’re feeling gloomy in 2023, my suggestion – try this book. Amazon’s Description: From the moment Mary Poppins arrives at Number Seventeen Cherry-Tree Lane, everyday life at the Banks house is forever changed. This classic series tells the story of the world's most beloved nanny, who brings enchantment and excitement with her everywhere she goes. Featuring the charming original cover art by Mary Shepard, these new editions are sure to delight readers of all ages. Mary Poppins reappears just in time! According to her tape measure, Jane and Michael have grown "Worse and Worse" since she went away. But the children won't have time to be naughty with all that Mary has planned for them. A visit to Mr. Twigley’s music box-filled attic, an encounter with the Marble Boy, and a ride on Miss Calico’s enchanted candy canes are all part of an average day out with everyone's favorite nanny.
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Most people strive for perfection – the perfect wedding, the perfect vacation, the perfect you. Perfect, truly perfect is incredibly difficult to achieve. You could work your entire life, yet never reach it. I found three inspiring quotes about perfection to share with you. #1. Perfect is boring. Human is beautiful. Whoever said it, I think they’d agree these photos could illustrate their words. The first one is perfect, but it’s almost so perfect, that it’s dull and boring. The second picture draws your eye. It holds it. Look at the clothes, the body movements. They’re not perfect, but that’s what captures your eye. The second guy is being human, not a model. That’s why his photo is interesting. So, who said it? It was Tyra Banks. If you’ve never heard of her, she’s one of the world’s top models. If anyone wanted to be perfect, you’d think it’d be a model, but Tyra actually encourages young models to be themselves. To embrace what makes them special. What sets them apart, what makes them beautiful. Tyra wasn’t always successful. In middle school kids teased her about her looks. They thought of her as the ugly duckling. You know the one who became a swan? So did Tyra. Tyra started modeling at age 15. She failed repeatedly, but she didn’t quit. She was rejected by four agencies before LA Models signed her. Then she moved to Elite Model Management, one of the top agencies in the world. That would have been around 1989 when she turned 16. Tyra got involved in lots of different businesses over the years, from movies to music, television to teaching, cosmetics to writing. She continued to reinvent herself. You need to be brave to do that, ready to own your own mistakes. It’s the only way to grow. I haven’t read any of her books, but I love the title of the one she wrote with her mother in 2018. Its title . . . Perfect is Boring. I totally agree! Sources: - Quote: Daily Inspiration | Inspiring Quotes - Information: Tyra Banks - Wikipedia - Photo: By VOGUE Taiwan - 泰拉班克斯走秀摔倒才不怕:「多跌幾次」讓別人以為你是故意的!How Tyra Banks Would Handle Peter Kavinsky|拆解經典電影|Vogue Taiwan, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=95508569 #2. Love isn’t a state of perfect caring. It is an active noun like 'struggle.' Whoever said this, might agree that these two babies show the opposite sides of perfect care. The first one is so happy. Clearly her parents love her dearly. The second baby looks like she’s in the middle of a meltdown, but that doesn’t mean she’s unloved. Her parents are probably struggling to figure out what she wants. When they do, she’ll be happy and content again. So, who said it? It was Fred Rogers. You know, Mister Rogers, the one with the neighborhood? Fred didn’t have the perfect childhood, but it doesn’t mean he wasn’t loved. His parents probably struggled with how to help him. Fred was shy, introverted, and overweight as a kid. He was also stuck at home because of asthma attacks. Would you believe he was bullied? Kids can be mean. How did Fred survive it? He created his own world in his bedroom. Later bits and pieces of that world became Mister Roger’s Neighborhood. Fred focused on a child’s developing psyche. On their feelings and the way they reasoned their way through problems, especially moral and ethical ones. His show modeled civility, tolerance, sharing, and self-worth. It handled hard things like the death of a pet, sibling rivalry, new babies, moving, and divorce. These are the problems of childhood, and I’m speaking as a retired second-grade teacher. They’re also the things families struggle with. I’m glad Fred was there to give us a helping hand. Another piece of Fred’s legacy showed up nine years after his death. It was a new show created from some of his characters . . . Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood. It touches young children the same way Fred did. My grandchildren watch Daniel Tiger. They love him, and I love what he’s teaching them about feelings and reasoning. They’re the same things that Fred learned from his own experiences, then shared with his audience. #3. Perfection is overrated. Sometimes close enough is good enough. Whoever said this, might agree these photos fit their statements. The first one shows a beautiful river flowing through a city. It’s perfect now, but what if there’s too much rain, and it runs off into the river? It won’t stay perfect. Nothing does. The second one is all about how mistakes aren’t failures. Whenever you make one, you have the opportunity to learn, to improve your performance. Sometimes close enough is good enough, for now. So who said it? Have you ever gone on a scavenger hunt? I have, and I had so much fun that I put them into two of my books – LAKE FUN FOR YOU AND ME and ZOE’S SCAVENGER HUNT FUN. Why? To get families out looking around the lake and doing things together. I also started putting them into my vlogs. Have you ever watched to the end, until this slide comes up? That’s where I add in the hunt. To give kids, their parents and teachers a reason to look around my web site. Now it’s time to put it into a blog post. Button #1: This is my home page. You can get there by going to rindabeach.com, or if you’re already there, click the ‘HOME’ button. Now for the hunt . . . scan my ‘Welcome’ message. Can you find the three links that are in it? Hint – they’re in blue. Click on them, and each one will take you to one of my favorite places on the website. Enjoy! PS – the answer is below this image. The answers . . . kids, Beach Reads, and my Blog. Button #2: This is another button on my website – ‘ABOUT ME.’ I posted six paragraphs on it. The first two are Reader and Teacher, but there are four more. For the hunt . . . Can you find the other four answers? They’re posted below the image. And the answers are . . . Storyteller, German friends & family, Writer, and Animal friends. Button #3: This screenshot shows my ‘BLOG.’ I use it the most. I post a blog or two every week, and it usually takes 2 or 3 nights for me to finish one. The next thing to find . . . What’s posted now? This screenshot ISN’T the answer. I took it before I started writing about my buttons. Back then Part 3 of Technophobia was up. And the answer now . . . the first three buttons on my homepage. But if you look tomorrow night, January 30th or later, something else will be there. I wonder what it will be! Button #4: Next up, ‘BOOKS.’ It’s my only button with a drop-down menu. When you hover, the titles of my three books appear. Do you see them, under my name?! Now, time to go hunting. Can you find my Book Trailer? I have three titles, but only one trailer. Good luck! And the answer . . . NEIL ARMSTRONG’S WIND TUNNEL DREAM. Click, watch, and enjoy. Would you believe a talented high school sophomore created it? I think he did a GREAT job! Button #5: Welcome to my contact page. It’s how you reach out to me, and how I reach out to you too. The next thing to find . . . What subscription is free at rindabeach.com? The answer . . . My Newsletter! That’s where you can see my blogs, book reviews, and videos. Subscribe, and you’ll get new links every week. Button #6: ‘FOR KIDS’ came from the second story I wrote. It started as a gift for a few friends. Search and find . . . where do my friends live? The answer – Germany. Can you find it on a map? Button #7: I use ‘MY READS’ at least once a week. They’re not the books I’ve written. They’re the ones I read as a writer. Children’s books build my sense of story. They grow my writing skills. I pick the best ones to share with you, the ones that match the blog post I just finished. I already have one waiting in the wings for tomorrow. For this button – can you find the last book I shared on My Reads? It’s the one you see below, and it’s legendary. You’re searching for . . . the two animals that are part of that legend. And the answer is . . . the silver fox and the fire wolf. Check this button tomorrow, and you’ll find the book I promised yesterday . . . it’s about a different kind of search. Button #8: ‘SPEAKING’ is the last one, and it’s the end of our scavenger hunt. I hope it’s a happily ever after ending for you 😊 The last thing to find . . . how many different kinds of school and library visits can I do for you? And the final answer . . . 9! I have 9 different kinds of talks, at least I did when I put up this list.
I’ve thought of a few more since then . . . a wind tunnel demonstration and a journal writing/drawing experience. If there’s a talk that you need, but I don’t have it, ask. I’ll check to see what I can do, in person or on zoom. Tomorrow – what can you find on my reads? The link: Rinda Beach - Beach Reads - Rinda Beach Have you ever heard of technophobia? I had, but for years I thought it was a joke. It turns out it’s real. Here’s the proof – I googled ‘technophobia’ and found this dictionary entry. Part 1 – Me, the Technophobe: I’ve joked for years about being one, but I never knew it was a real thing, until I started putting this post together. My latest journey as a technophobe started last May, in 2022. My husband bought me a new computer because my old one was so bad it took 20 minutes to log on. Every single time. Really! But as a technophobe, I put up with all those minutes from May until August because I thought it was easier than navigating a new one. Finally in August I hit bottom zooming with my critique group. That’s my lifeline to other writers, to polishing my words. That’s when I finally started learning to use my new computer. Thank goodness! I have my own tech expert – my husband. He got me through most of the changes in August. They weren’t as big as I imagined. It’s true – fear is worse than the things you’re afraid of. My email changed a little. I have two different addresses. Now they show up on the same program. It’s lovely! My internet changed a lot! I had to put my favorite sites on the new internet. I also had to re-enter my password information, but my husband held my hand and got me through it, in August. The biggest thing I use is Microsoft Word, and the only thing that changed is the way I do screenshots. The new way uses the snipping tool. I didn’t want to figure it out, so I found a way to paste the snip, and I was back in business, in August. OOPS! I almost forgot, the cloud. YUCK! My husband made me learn how to use it. I didn’t want to. It took a lot of time to transfer my files to the cloud. But now that it’s done, I’m glad I made the change. Mostly because when I get the next computer, and I will, all my files will be in the cloud, waiting for me. That’s a very good thing, even if it took until September. The only thing I haven’t figured out yet . . . is Scrivener. It’s a program I used a lot six years ago, but not so much now. The biggest problem – they updated the program, and I don’t want to learn the new one. I track my blog ideas and posts on Scrivener. It was a really small change, but tracking the books I sell, that’s harder! Even on my old computer I had to copy, then paste it into Word. I just did it for the last time. Now I’ll do all my tracking on Microsoft Word. There’s still one thing I haven’t figured out . . it’s the email list for my newsletter. I’ve been going the long way around, writing my email on the new computer. I save it as a draft. Then I go on the old one. I copy and paste my Scrivener email list onto the draft. Then I click send. It’s the long way around, but eventually I’ll figure it out. Somehow, maybe tomorrow. Maybe next month ☹ Part 2 – What the Experts Say: The Cleveland Clinic says clinicians should treat technophobia like a specific phobia. That means like an irrational fear – of a situation, an object, an animal, or of an interaction. The risk from technology doesn’t match up with the real danger. Computers rarely hurt you, but being afraid could stop you from doing something that makes your life easier. When you’re forced to use technology, here are some of the symptoms you might have.
It looks like I’m a bit of a technophobe, according to the Cleveland Clinic. It is more common with older people, like me. They cited a study of age and internet use. It said . . .
If you have extreme anxiety – you might feel breathless, dizzy, faint, flushed, sweaty, or nauseous. Your heart might even beat faster. Mine doesn’t – I have milder symptoms. My Source: Technophobia: Causes, Symptoms & Treatment (clevelandclinic.org) If you have a mild case like me, VeryWellMind.com suggests a few strategies to help you cope: 1. Ask for help. I do – my husband. He’s a techie. You could ask a friend or relative for help. Kids are great at technology. 2. Take a class. I did as a teacher, and now as a writer. I took one to help me do my weekend videos. Look at your library, Y, or community college. They might have a class that’s a good fit for you. 3. Set goals. If you’re getting a tablet or cell phone, think tiny steps, like turning it on, or making a phone call, or taking pictures. Keep it simple and easy. Don’t forget to keep a coach around for back-up. If you have severe symptoms that interfere with your life, see the doctor. They can help you with fear and anxiety. 1. Cognitive Behavior Therapy will help you identify negative thoughts. Then your therapist can help you replace them with positive ones. They’ll help you cope with your fears. 2. Exposure Therapy is all about exposing you to the thing you’re afraid of. Your anxiety will slowly disappear. 3. Medications can be prescribed to work with the therapy you’re doing. They work together. My Source: Technophobia: Definition, Symptoms, Traits, Causes, Treatment (verywellmind.com) Part 3 – When Did Technophobia Start? Believe it or not, it wasn’t at the dawn of computers. Would you believe its roots are in the Industrial Revolution? That’s when machines started taking jobs from skilled tradesmen. Factory owners could hire the unskilled, for much less. Tradesmen, like weavers, started worrying about their jobs, their families. In 1675 some of them banded together to destroy the machines that were destroying them. By 1727 the financial losses made the British Parliament create a new law. Destroying machines was now a crime, worthy of the death penalty. But it didn’t stop the problem – it didn’t solve it either. In the 1800’s the weavers found a name to use, Ned Ludd. He’s the weaver’s version of Robin Hood. No one’s sure whether Ned or Robin were real, fictional, or a combination of both. The new group, the Luddites, robbed important parts from knitting frames. They stole supplies. They wanted trade rights, but they also threatened destruction. In 1812, Parliament had enough. They passed The Frame Breaking Act. The penalty – execution, or a ticket to Australia’s penal colonies. This time the destruction stopped. Do you recognize this face? It’s from a story written by Mary Shelley in 1818. The title – Frankenstein! This version is a photo taken to promote the 1935 movie, The Bride of Frankenstein. The actor – Boris Karloff. If you love horror movies, you know his name. Mary Shelley visited Europe in 1815. She traveled along the Rhine, stopping in Gernsheim, eleven miles from Frankenstein Castle. That’s where 200 years earlier an alchemist had done some experiments. It stirred her imagination. In 1816 Mary and two famous British writers, Percy Shelley and Lord Byron, decided to have a contest – to write the best horror story. Evidently Mary won, at 18. Her story is a classic. Remember the alchemist and his experiments? She mixed them together, added a monster, and brought it to life. The result – horrifying! Technophobia strikes again! BTW – women weren’t supposed to be writers so Mary’s name didn’t appear in the first edition, but it was in the second and all those that followed. That’s how technophobia started, but it hasn’t stopped. From pasteurization to evolution, electricity and the telephone. Through the discovery of uranium to nuclear bombs, leaded gas and pollution, the hole in the ozone layer and global warming. Are you feeling anxious yet? Those things make my computer worries seem small. I can’t control the future or its inventions, but I can control my computer, and eventually my address problem. Here’s to the future, to taking care of what I can, and letting the rest go. I’m a Christian, so I trust in God, and in his plans. Started 1/5 Finished 1/22 I love P.L. Travers and her work! She wrote the original Mary Poppins in 1934, and this one in 1935. Her Mary isn’t sugary sweet like Walt Disney’s. She’s more like Minerva McGonagall from Harry Potter. Strict and firm. Someone who sets limits. Mary Poppins is also wise like Albus Dumbledore, but she has a bit of a temper. When Mary returns, Jane and Michael get to go on more fantastic outings. You can read all ten, including when the kids meet Mr. Turvy. It’s a little like meeting Uncle Albert, except everyone is upside down, like they are on this book cover. Later they meet the balloon lady. She has balloons, and balloons. The magic happens when you find the right one, with your name on it. Find it, and you’ll sail up, up, and away. Mary always knows when she’ll leave . . . this time after the locket breaks. Jane and Michael never dreamed it would happen on a merry-go-round, but this one lifts into the sky and becomes a star. Amazon’s Description: By P.L. Travers, the author featured in the movie Saving Mr. Banks. From the moment Mary Poppins arrives at Number Seventeen Cherry-Tree Lane, everyday life at the Banks house is forever changed. This classic series tells the story of the world's most beloved nanny, who brings enchantment and excitement with her everywhere she goes. Featuring the charming original cover art by Mary Shepard, these new editions are sure to delight readers of all ages. Pulled down from the clouds at the end of a kite string, Mary Poppins is back. In Mary’s care, the Banks children meet the King of the Castle and the Dirty Rascal, visit the upside-down world of Mr. Turvy and his bride, Miss Topsy, and spend a breathless afternoon above the park, dangling from a clutch of balloons. Surprises are sure to pop up when Mary Poppins is around! Started 12/28 Finished 1/3 I just finished the original MARY POPPINS. Pamela Lyndon Travers saw it published back in 1934 and updated in 1997. Pamela’s MARY is different from Disney’s, and I like it better. I didn’t believe it, but I read it twice. Her character isn’t half as sweet, but kids didn’t care. Disney’s wife read it to their daughters at bedtime, and they convinced their dad to make it into a movie. It took him 20 years to convince Pamela. Pamela’s MARY is less sweet, more realistic. It’s richer, and deeper than Walt’s, like dark chocolate. Her fantasy is as imaginative as J.K. Rawlings, but different. Pamela’s is based in her childhood, on the myths and fairy tales she grew up reading in Edwardian Australia, around 1906. I wish I’d discovered Pamela’s MARY when I was a kid. I would have eaten them up. In fact, after I finish her biography, again, my next read will be Pamela’s MARY, #2. PS – if you’re curious how Pamela’s book is different from Disney’s movie, click on this link . . . Rinda Beach - Blog - Rinda Beach Amazon’s Description (From Back Cover: From the moment Mary Poppins arrives at Number Seventeen Cherry-Tree Lane, everyday life at the Banks house is forever changed. It all starts when Mary Poppins is blown by the east wind onto the doorstep of the Banks house. She becomes a most unusual nanny to Jane, Michael, and the twins. Who else but Mary Poppins can slide up banisters, pull an entire armchair out of an empty carpetbag, and make a dose of medicine taste like delicious lime-juice cordial? A day with Mary Poppins is a day of magic and make-believe come to life! This post started because I felt a call to read a picture book aboutt Dr. King’s dream. His speech was written and delivered in 1963, when I was 4 years old. I felt a mixture of happy and sad as I reread it. Happy that so much has changed since 1963, and sad because our nation feels so divided on racial lines today. Part 1 – Martin’s Dream – I can’t recite his speech, but I’m glad I returned the ebook . . . Someone already checked it out.. I went back and listend to my video-reading so I could give you an accurate summary of the details I recorded. Martin gave this speech on August 28, 1963. He said, paraphrasing, that even though we’re facing difficulties today and tomorrow, that he had a dream that was rooted in the history of our country. He dreamed that we’d rise up and live the words of our creed, that all men are created equal. Martin had a dream that the sons of Georgia, slave and slave owner could sit down together in brotherhood. That in the sweltering heat of injustice and oppression of 1960 Mississippi, that it could become a place of peace and justice. Then my favorite part, that his four little kids could grow up in a land where they’re judged by the content of their character, not on the color of their skin. The page I stopped on showed a circle of children, black and white, having fun, and they weren’t thinking about skin color. They were too busy being kids. I don’t remember the rest of the speech, but there’s a huge section about letting freedom ring, Martin named some of those places . . . from the Atlantic to the Pacific, to the great plains and so many more. I got an email today, with a quote from Dr. King. I hope it resonates with you . . . “Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. If you’d like to read the quote, and a little bit more about Martin, here’s the link: Daily Inspiration | Inspiring Quotes. Part 2 – Reaching Out For Your Dreams: One idea is to picture your dreams. What do you want to do? Next imagine the things you can do to make it come true. What steps do you need to take? This is a project I did with my second graders to honor Dr. King. It also helps them envision their dreams. It came from my friend, Rose, and it looks something like this . . . But with a picture of your dream below the clouds. Here are two models. There are more steps, but it’s a start to get kids thinking. Adults too! My first dream was to become a teacher . . . I went to college and studied teaching. I worked with kids and teachers in my methods classes. I subbed and found my way into my first job. Here's a picture of me teaching . . . My dream now – to find an agent. First I’ll listen to my critique partners to polish my work. Next I’ll submit to agents, using their guidelines. Finally I’ll track my submissions to decide when to move on, and when to send nudges. PS – I’ll also keep writing new stories. Here’s me writing . . . Part 3 – What are Your Dreams . . . And How Can You Reach Them? I shared mine in Part 2. Dreams can change and grow over time. Mine did. What are yours today? I thought back to the days when I was teaching second grade. Here are some of the dreams my students had. I picked the ones that seem to be true all these years later. My second graders loved sports, from football to dance. You could pick a sport you’re playing now, or one that pops up in the future. The most important thing – that your dream fits you, and what you want out of life. The next step, how can you grow your skills? Some things are obvious . . . like practice, joining a team, or finding a good coach, but there are many, many more. You should also think about the things you’re good at. Maybe it’s singing or playing an instrument. Maybe it’s writing or drawing. You can do them for fun, but if you’re really good, it can become your job. Then it will earn you the money for the things you want and need. How? You have your goal. Now think about how to get there. What do you need? Practice, a teacher, opportunities to play? All of these things can be part of your plan, but there are lots of other ways to make your dreams come true. Do you like to work with your hands, with real things? You can make a good living, AND you don’t need to go to college, but you still need to figure out how to get there. Do you need training, to find someplace to practice your skills? One of the best things to do before you invest in training, is to try out/volunteer in places where you can test-drive your dream. Who wants to spend time and money on something you don’t like?! Have you thought of working in medicine or in outer space? You’ll have to invest more time and money before you can get your first paycheck. I’d definitely test-drive those jobs before investing either time or money in college. It’s expensive. To figure out your plan, what kinds of things do you need to know, to be able to do, or to study before you can get accepted into that college? There are so many more hobbies and careers to get involved in. Take your time! Enjoy the journey. Try out the things you’re interested in. That way you’ll know whether you’re a good fit for them, or not. Feel free to use my goals and steps to get there. If they fail or succeed, please let me know! I love finding out when I’ve been helpful.
PS – Don’t be afraid of failing. If you don’t fit, it’s your brain’s way of saying this path isn’t right for you. Would you believe I’ve learned more from my failures than from my successes?! It’s true! This post started Christmas evening when I watched SAVING MR. BANKS. I decided to read P.L. Travers’ MARY POPPINS and to compare it to Walt Disney’s movie. Part 1 – Comparing and Contrasting – The Book and the Movie: I always read a book twice. The first time to enjoy the story. The second time, to see the details. I took longer with MARY. That’s because I took notes so I could compare the book to the movie. My big problem – remembering the movie from my childhood. I found the perfect link . . . it goes through the major scenes one by one. Link: Mary Poppins (film) - Wikipedia Summary of the Movie’s Major Scenes. PLUS How the Book Compares Scene 1 – Mary Poppins Arrives The Movie – Katie Nana quits. Jane and Michael run away, but a constable brings them home. Mr. Banks writes an advertisement for a nanny, and so do the kids. Mr. Banks rips theirs up and throws it into the fireplace The Book - The only thing that’s the same – Katie Nana quits. There was an advertisement, but Mr. Banks told his wife to write it. The other details – all from Disney. Scene 2 – Mary Poppins Gets the Job The Movie – A line of nannies arrive outside #17, but the wind sweeps them away. Mary descends from the clouds with her umbrella and the torn-up advertisement. She convinces Mr. Banks that he wants her for the job. She heads up to the nursery to clean up, armed with that spoonful of sugar. The Book – Both Mary’s flew in from the east, holding onto a carpet bag and umbrella. There was a spoon in each, but Disney used sugar. In the book each child took a spoonful from the bottle. Each one looked and tasted different . . . they were made special for Jane, Michael, and the twins. BTW – I didn’t know there were twins in the book, and we’re still in chapter 1. Scene 3 – Through the Chalk Drawing The Movie – Mary and the kids meet Bert on a walk. They admire his drawings and wind up in one. They stroll through the park, take a carousel ride, and join a horse race. It ends when a storm washes the drawing away. The Book - We made it into Chapter 2. That’s where Mary and Bert enter a chalk drawing. No kids allowed! The adults have tea, a carousel ride, but no horse race. Scene 4 – A Pair of Outings The Movie – In the first one the kids meet Bert’s Uncle Albert. He’s laughing so hard, he winds up on the ceiling. It’s so infectious that everyone else joins him for tea, jokes, and tears of laughter! Mr. Banks is annoyed by all this cheerfulness, so Mary talks him into bringing the kids to work. At bedtime she tells them about tuppence for the Bird Woman, but when Mr. Dawes tries to take their money, it starts a run on the bank. The Book – Finally, Chapter 3! There is tea on the ceiling, but it’s with Mary’s Uncle Albert. The laughing gas – it’s only there because it’s Friday AND his birthday. The kids were included, but not Bert. There’s much less drama, but so much fun! As for the Bird Woman, she comes in much later, in Chapter 7. The kids were supposed to meet their father for tea, but that didn’t happen. Instead they met the bird woman. The book is calmer, sweeter, and fun. Scene 5 – Run Aways, and Bank Trouble The Movie – Jane and Michael run away. They’re lost in the back alleys of London until Bert finds them. He’s also a chimneysweep. He and his friends escort the kids home, with a little song and dance. Mr. and Mrs. Banks return home and send the chimneysweeps away. That’s when Mr. Banks gets a call. He’s in trouble. Michael gives his father the tuppence, and Bert advises Mr. Banks to spend time with his kids before they’re grown. The Book – The kids never ran away, or even made it to the bank. This is pure Disney. Scene 6 – Mr. Banks Loses his Job The Movie – Mr. Banks is fired, and he loses it – singing, joking, and laughing. Even trying to say . . . ready . . . supercalifragilisticexpealidocious. He heads home happy, and the boss who fired him, finally gets the joke. The Book – All Disney. The bank is barely mentioned in the book. Scene 7 – The Wind Changes The Movie – When the wind changes, Mary must leave. Mr. Banks fixes the kite and takes the family out for a flight. That’s when another banker gives Mr. Banks his job, plus a promotion. Mary flies away, and Bert tells her to come back soon. The Book – It ends when Mary leaves. She told the kids she’d stay until the wind changed. They’re worried she’ll never return, but Mary leaves them with a note saying au revore. That’s French for – to meet again. PS – Mary Poppins keeps her promise and returns for another book, with more adventures. Part 2 – Mary Poppins – What Didn’t Make it into the Movie: When I started this adventure, I wondered how much of Pamela’s book made it into Disney’s movie. Now I know – bits and pieces of five chapters. Pamela’s Mary Poppins had twelve. Each one is a gem of an adventure. I picked three to share. They didn’t make the movie, but they’re so much fun! I’ll give you a quick taste of each, but Pamela took pages to tell the whole fantasy. They’re amazing! Chapter 5 features The Dancing Cow. She’s very ladylike until the night she feels the urge to dance. She can’t seem to stop – to eat, to care for her baby, or even to sleep. Her solution – she runs, I mean dances all the way to the king to ask for advice. That’s where someone finally notices a star that’s stuck on her horn. To get rid of it, she’ll have to jump over the moon. Did it work? You’ll have to read chapter 5 yourself. PS - Was she that famous cow, the one who jumped over the moon? Pamela never said 😊 Chapter 6 is titled Bad Tuesday. It starts one morning when Michael wakes up with a ball of energy inside him. It makes him say/do naughty things, to his brother and sisters. To his parents, even Mary Poppins. She sends him ahead to pick up something golden, a compass. When he hands it over, it takes them to the four corners of the globe. They meet four incredible animals before heading home. You’d think the naughty energy would disappear. Not! Michael tries to get the compass that night, but it turns into a nightmare that finally ends his bad Tuesday. Chapter 10 is titled Full Moon. Michael wants to know what happens at the zoo when there’s a full moon. That night Mary Poppins disappears, and Jane and Michael get tickets. When they arrive, the animals are roaming around, and people are locked into cages. That’s just one of the incredible things they see. The kids are sure it was a dream, until they see Mary wearing something from the zoo. Next up – after I reread P.L. Travers’ biography – I’ll post how she was like Pamela in Saving Mr. Banks, how she was like Mary Poppins, and other discoveries I make along the way. Part 1 – Watching Mr. Banks: It was Christmas evening, and I finally controlled the remote . . . everyone else was going to bed. I was searching the Disney channel for a movie, and that’s when SAVING MR. BANKS called out to me. I’d seen it before, but I picked it over the other Christmas movies. Maybe because I’d been watching them since Halloween. My husband actually stayed up and watched half of it. He’d never seen it before, but somehow it drew him in. Maybe because we both grew up with Disney. Back then we watched Walt every Sunday night. Going to his movies was a real treat. Maybe he stayed because it took us behind the scenes of the movie we loved as kids. MARY POPPINS was magical! It stirred your imagination. It took you places you could never go, like into a chalk drawing. Watching MR. BANKS was like peeling back the curtains and discovering the truth, just like Dorothy did in the Wizard of Oz. The first time I watched SAVING MR. BANKS, I focused on Mary Poppins and how her movie was born. I was fascinated! But this time, I went deeper. I noticed details I missed before. Part 2 – The Details I Caught – The Second Time Around: I was so focused the first time on how MARY POPPINS was born, that I didn’t really notice it was just one half of SAVING MR. BANKS. There are two! They take place decades apart, but Mary connects them. She makes them whole. This illustration from an Amazon review helped me picture how they connect. The first story is at the top, the one from the early 60’s. It’s about Walt Disney and Pamela Travers. I didn’t know she fought to keep Mary out of Walt’s hands. It took him over 20 years to get the rights for her book. The second story is about a girl and her father. It’s at the bottom. It took place around 1906, and it’s Pamela’s story. Of her childhood, of how much she loved her father, in spite of his flaws. Connecting Walt and Pamela – MARY POPPINS. I didn’t realize until I watched it this time, that Mary helped Pamela make sense of her childhood, by writing about it. No wonder Pamela was so protective of her. I’d do the same for any of my characters! I loved Mary Poppins when I was 5. Now I love her even more, but I’m curious. The longer I watched Mr. Banks, the more I wanted to know about the first Mary. And the real Pamela. After the movie was over, I searched for the first version of MARY POPPINS, not the picture book. That’s the movie version. I wanted Pamela’s real story, the original, the one that made Walt chase it for 20 years so he could make it into a movie. I also wanted to learn more about the real P.L. Travers. I write, so I know stories often begin with the truth. Then they’re stretched and changed to make better stories. So I ordered Pamela’s biography. I’ll let you know what I discover. The book I started tonight – MARY POPPINS. I’ll let you know what I think – how it’s like the movie version and SAVING MR. BANKS. Then, how it’s different. If you'd like to click and go, here you go . . . Rinda Beach - Blog - Rinda Beach Amazon’s Description: Saving Mr. Banks is a fascinating look at the circuitous "collaborative" process Walt Disney, his creative team, and author P.L. Travers engaged in in bringing the character Mary Poppins to life on the big screen in the early 1960s. This touching, funny film is really two stories nicely tied up in one appealing package. The first story is of P.L. Travers's childhood in Australia in the early 1900s. This story starts out idyllically enough, emphasizing her father's immense love for his children and his uncanny ability to make everything fun and exciting, but it's one that has a darker side that ends up shaping the adult that Travers eventually becomes. The other story is of the adult P.L. Travers. A proper Englishwoman completely set in her ways, she grudgingly embarks on a trip from England to Los Angeles to discuss the possibility of turning her highly successful book Mary Poppins into a Disney motion picture. Walt Disney has a vested personal interest in the project, but Travers and the Disney team clash on virtually every level and their interactions run the gamut from perplexing to infuriating and downright funny. The juxtaposition of the two stories is quite masterful, with the stories continually intertwining and each shedding light on the other to create a cohesive film that is highly engaging and emotionally poignant. The casting of Tom Hanks as Disney and Emma Thompson as Travers is inspired: they are absolutely perfect in their roles. Perhaps the most intriguing thing about this film is that Saving Mr. Banks creates a whole new perspective from which to view the beloved original Mary Poppins. (Ages 10 and older) --Tami Horiuchi 10-16-202 I bought this book back in early September. I shop whenever I’m watching an OSU football game. It’s a superstition, but it makes me feel like I’m doing my part to help the Buckeyes win. September 3rd was their opening game against Notre Dame. I probably started shopping early in the 1st quarter, when Notre Dame scored first. At half-time they led, by 3 points. OSU came back in the second half, scoring 2 touchdowns. It worked! I shopped, bought this book, and Notre Dame stopped scoring. I didn’t buy anything else, but I kept screen-shopping, just in case. I read the 1st chapter later in September, and I discovered this is an unusual book . . . Each chapter has a set of trivia questions, followed by multiple-choice answers, and the explanation for those answers. Next Game Day Saturday, October 22nd, I’ll share how I did on chapter 1, and what I learned. Amazon’s Description: Do you think you’re the ultimate superfan of the Ohio State Buckeyes? Do you have a friend who bleeds scarlet and gray? Do you want to learn about the history of your favorite Big Ten school’s football program? Even if those questions don’t apply to you, The Ultimate Ohio State Buckeyes Trivia Book is the best book for learning about the Buckeyes and their history. This trivia book is packed with interesting facts about Ohio State football from cover to cover, taking you from the playing fields of Columbus to the being drafted into the National Football League. In this book, you’ll discover the answers to such questions as:
Game Day Saturday, October 22nd - Chapter 1 - How I did, and what I learned. Chapter 1: Origins & History Time: Welcome to University Hall! It was the first building to be built on campus in 1873, It was reconstructed in 1976, a year before I became a Buckeye. I started at the Lima Branch in 1977, and I went to the Main Campus in 1979. I thought I bled scarlet and grey, but I guess, not as much as I thought . . . On the first quiz I got 5 right, out of 20. JUST FIVE! I couldn’t believe it, but, the questions were really hard. I picked three to share with you. #2 Ohio State’s first football game was played in May. True or False? True, and I got it right. It was a lucky guess! I looked up the reason behind the answer – the book didn’t explain why. The reason – They started trying to form a team in 1886, but it took until 1890. The very first OSU game was played on May 3, 1890 on the campus of Ohio Wesleyan University in Delaware, Ohio. There’s even a historical marker there to celebrate that very first game! Source: Ohio State Buckeyes football - Wikipedia #17 Michigan is the only team to beat Ohio State more than 20 times. True or False? False. I got it right, but I misunderstood the question. I thought Michigan won LESS than 20 times. I was SO wrong! The teams met the first time October 16, 1897. The team up north (Michigan) won 34 to 0. OSU and Michigan played 117 times so far. Michigan won 59 times. OSU 51, and there have been 7 ties. My favorite fact – OSU dominated this century. Michigan won in 2003, 2011, and last year, 2021. THREE TIMES! Woohoo! This year . . . yet to be played. Source: Michigan–Ohio State football rivalry - Wikipedia #18 What charm do Ohio State players receive for a win over Michigan? A. Gold “W” B. Silver jersey C. Gold buckeye D. Gold pants The answer – D! I missed it because C sounded better. Here’s how the tradition started . . . from Michigan’s early domination, from 1897 to 1933. They won 22 times. OSU 6 times, and 2 ties. In 1934 OSU hired Francis Schmidt as head coach. When the local media got a chance to ask about that team up north, Schmidt said, “They put their pants on one leg at a time, just like the rest of us.” That’s when two Columbus businessmen formed the ‘Gold Pants Club.’ They created gold lapel pins, shaped like football pants. Each player and coach on that winning team gets a gold pin, engraved with their initials, game date, and the score. The first year, 1934, Schmidt’s team won 34 – 0. OSU kept winning! They beat Michigan for the next four years. Talk about motivation! Here’s to gold pants in 2022! Source: Michigan–Ohio State football rivalry - Wikipedia Game Day Saturday, October 22nd - Chapter 2 - How I did, and what I learned. Chapter 2: The Numbers Game: I knew I was going down when I realized they were jersey numbers. I never paid attention to those. I was shocked! I got 7 right out of 20, TWO more than last week, but it was only lucky guessing. This chapter was all about name dropping, and I thought I knew a bunch. Just 14, HALF! Like Archie Griffin, the Bosa Brothers, and Eddie George. But there were 14 I didn’t know, at all, like Kirk Herbstreet, you know the football commentator. YIKES! Here’s this week’s Pick 3 – Three questions with three great answers . . . #6 Which number did the Bosa brothers wear while terrorizing opposing backfields for Ohio State? 94 96 97 98 The answer – C! I picked B, a pure guess. Their dad John wore #97 when he played for the Miami Dolphins. Joey picked up his dad’s number from 2013 – 2015. Then Nick took over the family tradition from 2016 – 2018. For six years #97 led the way. It attacked and sacked quarterbacks across the Big Ten, and beyond. #19 Ohio State’s school colors of scarlet and gray predate the football program. True False? True. One right! I can’t imagine OSU without scarlet and gray. They’ve been Buckeye colors since 1878. A team of three students picked them out. They thought it was a “pleasing combination,” and no one else used them. That first game – May 3, 1890! #20 What color are the buckeye decals given out to players during the season for big plays and consistency? Black Green White Scarlet The answer – B! I guessed C. I thought the decals were mostly white, with black outlines. No other colors, but I was wrong again, but maybe I’m remembering the old ones. Today they’re the size of a quarter, with GREEN leaves. I also thought they were a part of OSU tradition. Not! They first appeared on helmets in 1968 because the athletic trainer suggested it. Why? Ernie Biggs never explained, but everyone agreed they were the perfect motivator for college football players. After all, who wouldn’t want a helmet loaded with stickers?! I didn’t know OSU coaches used them differently. For example – Woody Hayes, the first to get the decals, handed them out for big plays, or for consistency on the field. Later Jim Tressel used them to award groups of players. Everyone got a Buckeye for a win. A pair, if it was a Big Ten win. His units on the field would get one for an explosive play. The defense got them for three-and-outs . . . That’s when the other team tried three times for a first down, failed to get it, so they had to give the ball back to the Buckeye offense. PS – #10 is one of those special numbers. It wasn’t in the book, but it belonged to Troy Smith. He won the 2006 Heisman Trophy. In 2014 OSU changed procedures. It didn’t retire his number, but it enshrined his jersey at the stadium to honor Troy’s Heisman, and good old #10 is still in circulation. Someday, someone else will wear it. Sources: Photo – By Fernando Martello, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=91173769 Information – Ohio State Buckeyes football - Wikipedia – The Ultimate Ohio State Buckeyes Trivia Book: A Collection of Amazing Trivia Quizzes and Fun Facts for Die-Hard Buckeye Fans Game Day Saturday, November 3 - Chapter 3 - How I did, and what I learned. Chapter 3: Calling the Signals: I thought I might do a little better this time – today was all about quarterbacks. They’re the commanding officer on the offensive line. I did! I jumped into double digits . . . barely . . . 11 out of 20. Still failing, but it beats a 5 or a 7 😊 I recognize all of these quarterbacks from my days as a student, until now. Except for Les Horvath. He played QB for one year. It figures . . . in 1944. I wasn’t even born yet. I recognized 11 names in today’s quiz, but there were 9 I didn’t know. The big one I forgot – Joe Germaine – the QB from 1996-1998. Go figure! Here’s my Pick 3 for this week – Three questions with three great answers . . . #1. Cardale Jones easily holds the record for most wins without a loss as an Ohio State starting quarterback, with how many victories? 9 11 13 14 The answer – B, 11 wins. I guessed 14, too high. I remember Cardale. He’s one of the most unusual quarterbacks in OSU history. He was the 3rd string QB who won the national championship. HOW? Braxton Miller and J.T. Barrett were both injured. Cardale led the Buckeyes to the Big 10 Championship, the national semifinals, AND The National Championship! It was the first year for the REAL one, with three games between the top 4 teams. Alabama, who lost, said OSU didn’t belong in the semifinals. Guess who was wrong?! Dr. Pepper even made a commercial based on the 3rd string quarterback who won the national championship. It was an incredible year for OSU, and Cardale! #22. Which of these quarterbacks did NOT win 30 games as the Buckeyes’ starter? A. J.T. Barrett B. Cornelius Greene C. Braxton Miller D. Bobby Hoying The answer – C, Braxton Miller. I got it right – I guessed! I thought the others hit 30 games. I was SO glad it wasn’t Cornelius Greene. He’s one of the first quarterbacks I remember. I’d never heard his story, until today. Maybe I was too young, too protected to hear about it. I didn’t realize he was OSU’s first black starting quarterback, and that a lot of people in 1973 didn’t like it. Cornelius got 50 letters a week from the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) and other similar groups. People even called his dorm room with death threats. It all stopped when Cornelius led the Buckeyes to a 56-7 win in the first game of the season, against Minnesota. Cornelius finished his OSU career with 2000 passing and rushing yards. He won the Chicago Tribune Silver Football as the Big 10 MVP (most valuable player). BTW – he didn’t have a chance at the Heisman. His roommate, Archie Griffin won it, in 1974 and 75. He’s still the only college player to win it, TWICE. Bam! He was a Buckeye! And so was Cornelius! #9. Dwayne Haskins is responsible for all but one of the 400-yard passing performances in Ohio State history. Who is responsible for the other one? A. Troy Smith B. J.T. Barrett C. Art Schlichter D. Cardale Jones The answer – C, Art Schlichter. I got it right – It was a good guess, but Art was a very talented player, with a back story that’s better than I thought. George Chaump was the first Buckeye coach to spot Art in high school. He showed Woody Hayes a couple reels of film, then got him to go to a game. Woody was sold, but Art was ready to sign up with Michigan. OOPS! I mean that team up North. But Woody got Art. HOW? Woody promised that he’d start as a freshman, and that the Buckeyes would open up the offense for him. That they’d even let him pass the ball. Timing is everything! Woody made that promise the day before Bo Schembechler was scheduled for a visit. When Art’s dad told him about the promise, Bo stormed out shouting that Woody would never keep it. He did. Art started as a freshman, and I was a sophomore. I couldn’t believe Woody actually started a freshman. OSU is so deep in talent. How could a freshman become the starting QB? I don’t think anyone has started another one since, until last year, with C.J. Stroud in 2021. BTW – I’d never heard of Kirk Herbstreit. Here’s his story . . . Kirk only started one year as QB, in 1992. It was nothing to write home about so he decided to take a corporate sales job with a nice salary, and matching perks. Then a Columbus radio station offered him much, much less, with no benefits. The job – to do an afternoon talk show and sideline gameday reports for the Buckeyes. Kirk took it! Two years later ESPN2 hired him to make sideline reports. The rest – is history. In 1996 he made it all the way to College Gameday. Not bad! And it beats a sales job! Game Day Saturday, November12 - Chapter 4 - How I did, and what I learned. Chapter 4: Between the Tackles: I got 11 right last week, but I slipped back to 5 again. It figures . . . this week was about running backs, records and awards. I never paid attention to those things. I watched the plays, the touchdowns, and wins. The important things! When I was looking for running backs, I found this screenshot. I recognized everyone, except Jim Otis. He started in 1967 – when I was 8. I recognized 9 players on the quiz, but I was clueless with 13. Here’s my Pick 3 for this week – Three questions, and three great answers . . . #5. Eddie George and Ezekiel Elliott are tied in the record books with the most 200-yard games for the Buckeyes, with how many? 5 4 3 2 The answer – A . . . 5 games. I guessed 4, too low. Both Eddie and Ezekiel had five games with over 200 yards, but no one dreamed Eddie could do that when he arrived. He was a BIG guy! OSU was the only school that gave Eddie a chance to run. The others thought he should be a linebacker. Everything looked good until the first game with Illinois. That’s when he fumbled, TWICE, on the 5-yard line. Fans were furious! They said he should transfer! That Eddie wasn’t running back material. Eddie persevered. Three years later he set a record against Illinois. He ended the season with 1927 yards rushing (a school record). He missed the single-season touchdown record by one. He also brought home every award a running back could win, including the Heisman Trophy. Way to go, Eddie George! #13. What was Les Horvath’s career high for rushing yards in a game, set during his Heisman-winning 1944 season? 114 yards 128 yards 141 yards 157 yards And the answer – C . . . 141 yards. I guessed too high – 157. Close doesn’t count in trivia. The funny thing about that 1944 season . . . Les wasn’t supposed to play. He retired from football in 1942 after winning the national title. He started dental school in 1943. But in 1944 the coach asked Les to come back for one last season. Why? There weren’t enough players. They were off fighting in World War II. The NCAA made players like Les eligible to play. And coach promised Les could skip practice AND fly to games, so he didn’t miss out on his dental work. Thanks to the war and the NCAA, Les rushed for 924 yards and scored 12 touchdowns. He was also OSU’s first Heisman winner, thanks to one last, unexpected season. 17. Which of these Ohio State running backs was NOT a three-time first-team All-American? A. Lew Hinchman B. Howard Cassidy C. Chic Harley D. Archie Griffin And the answer – B . . . Howard Cassidy. I guessed wrong. I was torn between Lew Hinchman and Chic Harley because I didn’t know them. I picked Lew, wrong. He was a first team All-American from 1930-1932, but he’s not well known. Everyone knows Archie Griffin. He’s the only player to win the Heisman twice, in college football history. Meet Chic Harley, the first OSU superstar. He played during the 1916 and 17 seasons, but skipped out in 1918. He enlisted as a soldier in World War 1. It ended so Chic came back in 1919 and won first team All-American again, for the third time. I didn’t know Chic was so popular that he put OSU football on the map. He was also the driving force behind building the Shoe. It used to be called the ‘House that Harley Built,’ but the important thing . . . it’s where the Buckeyes play! Last, but not least, meet Howard Cassidy. He played for the Buckeyes from 1952-1955. He played defense and offense. He was voted first team All-American in 1954 and 1955. He won the Heisman in 1955, but Howard is better known as ‘Hopalong.’ He got the nickname in his first game, freshman year. The sportswriters said, “He hopped all over the field like the performing cowboy” from the movies. His name – Hopalong Cassidy. It stuck. I was born 4 years after Howard left OSU behind, but I’ve heard of Hopalong. Sources: The Ultimate Ohio State Buckeyes Trivia Book - QB/HB Lew Hinchman (3-time All-American) | BuckeyePlanet - Ohio Stadium - Wikipedia - Howard Cassady - Wikipedia Game Day Saturday, November 12 - Chapter 5 - How I did, and what I learned. Chapter 5: Catching the Ball: I caught 5 answers, the same as last week. It figures – I’ve never been good at catching anything. And the answers I did manage to catch – the true and false kind. YIKES! As for name recognition, I knew 7 . . . but not the other 14. AND worst of all, none of the book’s answers resonated with me. So for this week’s Pick 3 – Three True & False Questions – And my research into their answers. #2. Only five Ohio State receivers have gone over 1,000 receiving yards in a season. A. True B. False The answer – A . . . True. I said false. I was sure there had to be more than 5. So here are the FIVE best receivers in OSU history . . . In 1998 David Boston made 85 catches for 1435 yards. In 1995 Terry Glenn only made 64 catches. He gained 1411 yards. In 1986 Cris Carter caught 69 passes for 1127 yards. In 2002 Michael Jenkins caught 61 passes for 1076 yards And finally in 2018 Parris Campbell joined the group with 82 catches for 1006 yards. Source: Parris Campbell Becomes Fifth Ohio State Receiver With 1,000 Yards Receiving in a Single Season | Eleven Warriors #13. No Ohio State receiver has ever won the Biletnikoff Award for the best wide receiver in the country. A. True B. False And the answer – B . . . False. I knew it! At least one Buckeye had to win. REALLY! But it turns out only ONE Buckeye did, Terry Glenn. He won in 1995, the 2nd year the award was given out, and he’s THE only finalist from OSU, ever. You have to be one of the top-three vote-getters to be a finalist. No one else broke through – not David Boston. Not Michael Jenkins. Not even Parris Campbell. It’s hard to believe with all the talented wide receivers that no other Buckeye ever got a nod. Unbelievable! Source: After Ohio State football’s Biletnikoff Award snub, can Jaxon Smith-Njigba break the drought in 2022? - cleveland.com #19. Ohio State has NOT had a receiver with 200 receiving yards in a game in the twenty-first century. A. True B. False And the answer – B . . . False. It had to be false. Surely SOME Buckeye had to have over 200 yards receiving in a game, since the year 2000. Surely! In OSU history there have only been four 200-yard receiving games, ever. SOME Buckeye did, since the year 2000 – and it was Jaxon Smith Njigba – twice, last year. That means OSU is up to six games with 200 receiving yards, but I couldn’t find the other receivers. I looked for almost an hour, sorry. My guess is that Terry Glenn had one of those games, maybe two, but I have no idea on the others. Maybe a super-fan will comment and share those answers with all of us. Source: Jaxon Smith-Njigba Breaks Rose Bowl Receiving Record as OSU Tops Utah in Thriller | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats, and Rumors | Bleacher Report Game Day Saturday, November 26 - Chapter 6 - How I did, and what I learned. Chapter 6: Trench Warfare: I pictured the trenches of World War I when I read the title, but these are on the football field. The kind that the offensive and defensive linemen fight over. Today was the first game the OSU linemen failed, especially in the 2nd half, and it was against that Team Up North, but Coach Day and his assistants will analyze and tighten those lines. Come Bowl time, they’ll be ready. I have a feeling, Michigan won’t. They won, and they feel confident. They’re in for a brawl in the National Championships, and I’m not sure that they can handle it. I thought lineman. Then uh-oh, but I got the same score as I did last week . . . not worse! I got 5 answers right again – 3 weeks in a row. I didn’t do as well on True/False, but I actually got some multiple-choice answers right. Sometimes good guesses pay off. As for name recognition, I knew 12 linemen, more than last week, but there were way more names I didn’t know . . . 26. Ouch! Here are this week’s Pick 3, but think of them as a Pick 5. The first three questions are all about the same person, and I got 2 right. Woohoo! 1. Which national award for linemen did Orlando Pace win twice during his Ohio State career? A. Rimington Trophy B. Outland Trophy C. Lombardi Award D. Maxwell Award The answer – C . . . Lombardi Award. And I got it right, a good guess! Lombardi was the only name I knew. Vince Lombardi was the legendary coach of the Green Bay Packers. 2. In what place did Orlando Pace finish in the 1996 Heisman Trophy voting? A. 3rd B. 4th C. 5th D. 6th And the answer – B . . . 4th. I guessed 3rd. Close, but close counts in horseshoes, not in trivia. 3. Orlando Pace was the only offensive lineman to win the Chicago Tribune Silver Football as Big Ten MVP from 1961 to 2020. A. True B. False And the answer – A . . . True. I guessed right. I must have misread the question because how could there only be ONE offensive lineman to win in 40 years of OSU football history? That seems SO wrong! So what made Orlando Pace so memorable? The pancake block! I’d never heard of it. It was invented just for Orlando to keep track of all the times he left a defender flat on his back, like a pancake. OSU even sent out pancake magnets to promote him in 1996. He didn’t win the Heisman, but he cleaned up on the lineman-appropriate awards, like the Outland Trophy, the Chicago Tribune Silver Football, and the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year. I do love a good pancake! I wish OSU had flattened a few more today. Maybe next year! 11. Who is the only Ohio State player to win the Bednarik Award as the nation’s best defensive player? A. Joey Bosa B. Chase Young C. A.J. Hawk D. James Laurinaitis And the answer – B . . . Chase Young. I knew all of them. They were all great players, but I guessed Chase because he was so dominant when he was a Buckeye. I think he was the most feared defensive lineman in college football, especially by the quarterback and his protectors. Chase – was a TERROR! The trivia book didn’t have a story about Chase, but they had one about A.J. Hawk. I knew he was a dominant player, but I didn’t know his teammates were upset because he didn’t get any respect on the 2005 award circuit. His teammate Bobby Carpenter told ESPN, “I’m not too sure how you can be Big 10 [Defensive] Player of the Year, a unanimous first-team All-American, and not win the Butkus, Lott, or Bednarik.” Maybe A.J. had other things on his mind, like a wedding. He was engaged to the sister of the Notre Dame quarterback that last season. BTW – they married and have four children. Congratulations, AJ! Source: All about AJ Hawk's wife Laura Hawk - TheNetline 13. Who holds the Ohio State record for most career sacks? A. Joey Bosa B. Will Smith C. Chase Young D. Mike Vrabel And the answer – D . . . Mike Vrabel. Wrong again! I picked Chase Young. He was the easy answer, even if it was wrong. I’d forgotten how good Mike was. I had three children under 8 when he was playing. Mike was a first-team All-American in 1995 and 1996. He set the single-season record for sacks and tackles (that lost the other team yardage) in both 1994 and 1995. Being good on the field doesn’t always transfer off of it. Mike was coaching linebackers the year Luke Fickell was head coach. He wanted to stay and work for Urban Meyer. He failed miserably at his interview, but Urban knew talent. He called Mike that night and offered him another one, a redo interview. Mike took it, and the rest is history. He took the job as an assistant coach with Urban and didn’t leave until 2018. That’s when he went to the NFL to become the head coach of the Tennessee Titans. Mike is good . . . he’s still there! Source: who is the coacch of the TN Titans - Search (bing.com) Game Day Saturday, December 31st - Chapter 7 - How I did, and what I learned. Chapter 7: No Air Zone: I had no idea who this chapter was about. I had to finish the questions and answers first. No Air Zone – those are the players who break up passes or make interceptions – the defensive backs. When I found the picture below, I wasn’t sure who was trying to catch the ball, and who was trying to intercept or break it up. I figured I’d do worse this time . . . no one remembers the defense, but I lucked out with a few good guesses. Eight, WOOHOO! I did about the same on name recognition. I knew 10 but failed on the other 16. Here are this week’s Pick 3. Sorry, they turned into a Pick 8. The first 3 questions are about one defensive back, and the other 5 are about another. 8. Which Ohio State defensive back is one of the namesakes for the Big Ten’s award for the best defensive back of the season? A. Shawn Springs B. Mike Doss 3. Dick LeBeau 4. Jack Tatum And the answer . . . Jack Tatum. I got it right! YAY! Good guess! I knew it wasn’t Shawn Springs. He came to OSU much later. 11. Who was Ohio State’s first first-team All-American as a defensive back? A. Jack Tatum B. Ted Provost C. Arnie Chonko D. Mike Sensibaugh I missed it! I guessed Jack, but it was Arnie. I would have NEVER guessed him . . . I didn’t know his name. 13. In which season was Jack Tatum named the national defensive player of the year and unanimous All-American? A. 1971 B. 1970 C. 1969 D. 1968 Yay! I got it right! I picked the middle answer, 1970. And Jack Tatum . . . he came to Columbus as a running back, at least that’s what Woody Hayes had planned. Then Lou Holtz took a peek. He talked Woody into turning Jack into a defensive back. Jack was fearsome. Lou put him in to challenge the other team’s top receiver. To do linebacker duty too. It worked! Jack was first team All-Big Ten for 3 straight years. Then an All-American in 1969 and 1970. He was the national defensive player in 1970. In fact the Big Ten’s defensive back of the year award is named after Jack. What a pity – he has to share it with Charles Woodson, from that Team Up North. Blech! Now that other player . . . and his 5 questions . . . He was that good! 2. Who holds the Ohio State record for most interceptions in a career? A. Shawn Springs B. Bradley Roby C. Mike Sensibaugh D. Craig Cassady I missed it! I guessed Shawn Springs, but it was Mike Sensibaugh. Shucks! 5. Who sits atop the Ohio State record book for career pass breakups? A. Bradley Roby B. Ahmed Plummer C. Antoine Winfield D. Shawn Springs Another miss! All because Shawn was the only one I knew. The answer – Bradley Roby! 7. Who was Ohio State’s second winner of the Jim Thorpe Award? A. Antoine Winfield B. Shawn Springs C. Mike Doss D. Malcolm Jenkins Again?! At least I guessed someone new, Mike Doss. The answer, Malcolm Jenkins. 8. Which Ohio State defensive back is one of the namesakes for the Big Ten’s award for the best defensive back of the season? I already put in this question/answer – Jack Tatum, but I repeated it because Shawn was one of the choices. Wow! He’s in 5 questions/answers. 10. Shawn Springs was the first defensive back to be named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year. A. True B. False The only one I got right! I picked False because I figured someone else had already made Big 10 Defensive Player of the Year. Now I know who – Jack Tatum! Shawn was born to be a Buckeye. His dad – Ron Springs, was once a running back, but Shawn almost went the wrong way. He was scheduled for a visit to that Team Up North, but he cancelled. He signed with the Buckeyes a few days later. He made a HUGE impact during his 3 years on the team, especially in 1996. That’s when he was a consensus All-American, even though he never had an interception, and he only made 39 tackles. Why? How? He broke up 15 passes – they never happened. The result – he gave the Buckeyes an edge! The End of the Season: December 31st was the last game for my Buckeyes. They lost in the run-up to the National Championships. They played #1 Georgia, and I dreaded this evening after the Michigan game, but they showed up, BIG TIME! They led twice during the game, and if they’d scored a field goal in those last 8 seconds, they would have won. AND, they deserved it! WOW! What a game, for Georgia, and for my Buckeyes! I’ll see you next year for the last five chapters of OSU Football Trivia. BAM! Here’s to those Buckeyes! Started 12/15 Finished 12/28 I started another book first but quickly changed my mind . . . I wanted something different, something Christmassy, and there’s no one better at it than Debbie Macomber. The best part – I wound up with two stories! I’ve read them before, and they’re both Hallmark’s kind of story . . . full of kindness and good cheer. (They turned three of Debbie’s Mrs. Miracle books into movies.) THE PERFECT CHRISTMAS is Cassie’s story. She’s 34 and believes finding the perfect husband is now, or never. To increase her odds, she finds a matchmaker. His fee – $30,000 . . . OUCH! But if he can’t find the most ‘suitable’ match, she’ll get her money back. But first, Cassie has 3 task to complete. You’ll have to read to find out if she makes the perfect match. CAN THIS BE CHRISTMAS asks what might happen, if you were stuck in small town New Hampshire, without food, family, or even a Christmas tree. It looks like the worst Christmas ever, until a simple act of kindness gets everyone to look beyond what was lost, to find a silver lining. This is a Debbie Macomber story, so you’re guaranteed a happy ending, even if you’re reading it in January😊 Amazon’s Description (From Back Cover): Christmas perfect? For Cassie Beaumont, it’s meeting her perfect match. Cassie, at thirty-three, wants a husband and kids, and so far, nothing’s worked. Not blind dates, not the Internet and certainly not leaving love to chance. What’s left? A professional matchmaker. He’s Simon Dodson, and he’s very choosy about the clients he takes on. Cassie finds Simon a difficult, acerbic know-it-all, and she’s astonished when he accepts her as a client. Claiming he has her perfect mate in mind, Simon assigns her three tasks to complete before she meets him. Three tasks that are all about Christmas: being a charity bell ringer, dressing up as Santa’s elf at a children’s party and preparing a traditional turkey dinner for her neighbors (whom she happens to dislike). Despite a number of comical mishaps, Cassie does it all—and she’s finally ready to meet her match. But just like the perfect Christmas gift, he turns out to be a wonderful surprise! What would the holidays be without a Christmas story from Debbie Macomber? --This text refers to an alternate kindle edition edition. This book on Kindle (from a review) contains recipes and then another book, "Can This Be Christmas?" which was a delightful surprise. It is about individuals on a train on their way home for Christmas. They had been diverted from their plane schedules because of a huge snowstorm in Maine on their way to Boston to make connections. Each is going to a different location; each has a story. Their stories and how they handle the breakdown of the tracks and spend the night in a train station makes the interesting tale. It is fascinating in both these books to discover how people grow in maturity from the disappointments of life. A very good read. Started 12/7 Finished 12/15 I bought this book for one reason – the name of the main character – Rinda! I’ve never seen my name on anything in a store. EVER! They have regular names, like Alex. When I saw Rinda in the description. I bought it! I had to! The experience – unexpected! At first I thought someone was calling me, but they weren’t. They were calling for Princess Rinda of Balinore. It took a few chapters before Rinda felt like a book character. Not me! The description also said it was inspired by an old folktale – by King Thrushbeard. I’d never heard of him before, but the Scarecrow King reminds me of another story – Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew. Both of them have women with sharp tongues, and control issues. And the theme of The Scarecrow King? Rinda learns to trust others, but more importantly – she learns to trust and value herself. Amazon’s Description: Princess Rinda of Balinore knows of only one way to get her cold father’s attention – to be an obnoxious, spoiled princess. When she finds out that the king plan to marrying her off to a far-flung nobleman, she puts on her best bratty show in front of the entire court. But Rinda’s plan backfires, and she soon finds herself married to the most ineligible man ever. Her new husband is monastery raised, poor as dirt, and a traveling minstrel. A very, very bad traveling minstrel. But Alek isn’t what he seems like on the surface, and neither is Rinda. She won’t take this marriage lying down, and schemes to find herself a new husband – a king. But as she and Alek travel together, they learn that not only are appearances deceiving, but goals can change in the blink of an eye, and love can get in the way of the strongest plans… The Scarecrow King is a romantic retelling of the King Thrushbeard fairy tale. Started 11/29 Finished 12/7 I love historical fiction when it’s well done, like this book. I’d never heard of the Armenian Genocide, and I wondered why the author picked Sandcastle Girls for its title. It’s a reference to the ones Elizabeth Endicott built as a child on the Boston shoreline. The sandcastles reappear later in the Syrian Desert. Using them helps to tell this tragedy, without traumatizing the reader. There are three main storylines running through it, but they’re easy to follow. Elizabeth is the heroine. She’s there to assist her father with his charity work. To use her nursing skills to help the Armenian refugees. Armen Petrosian escaped the genocide, and now he builds railroad lines for the Ottoman Turks. They murdered his family, but he’s willing to work for them. His hope – to find out what happened to his first wife and their infant daughter. Armen and Elizabeth’s granddaughter, Laura, discovers the answer long after her grandparents’ death, and it isn’t pretty. She spots a woman’s photo in an exhibit. Her name – Karine Petrosian. Could they be related? Laura finds out from the letters and journals her grandmother had hidden away. It’s the beginning of a journey back in time to 1915 Aleppo, Syria to learn the truth. PS – I love when posts link together. When Armen gives up on finding his wife and daughter, he joins the Anzac soldiers fighting the Turks in Egypt. If you’d like to learn more about the Anzacs, check out this link: http://www.rindabeach.com/blog/meet-the-anzacs-then-discover-who-they-were Amazon’s Description: NATIONAL BESTSELLER • From the bestselling author of The Flight Attendant, here is a sweeping historical love story that probes the depths of love, family, and secrets amid the Armenian Genocide during WWI. When Elizabeth Endicott arrives in Aleppo, Syria, she has a diploma from Mount Holyoke, a crash course in nursing, and only the most basic grasp of the Armenian language. It’s 1915, and Elizabeth has volunteered to help deliver food and medical aid to refugees of the Armenian Genocide during the First World War. There she meets Armen, a young Armenian engineer who has already lost his wife and infant daughter. After leaving Aleppo and traveling into Egypt to join the British Army, he begins to write Elizabeth letters, realizing that he has fallen in love with the wealthy young American. Years later, their American granddaughter, Laura, embarks on a journey back through her family’s history, uncovering a story of love, loss—and a wrenching secret that has been buried for generations. |
AuthorWhen I write, I can only have one voice in my head, mine. A little noise is fine. But too much, or worse yet, WORDS, and I must change rooms or pull out headphones. Then I can write on! Categories
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