MEMORIAL DAY

United States Postal Service post cards

Belleville Sons Honor Roll

Nutley Sons Honor Roll

Copyright © 2006 by Anthony Buccino, all rights reserved.

A NOD TO BOB - AT 65

Dylan rewrites!

Naively, I thought that every song and poem spewed forth from the artist's pen fully formed.

Then my girlfriend (now Aunt Tonoose) bought me the first edition of this LYRICS 1962-1985 book and there it was, an unedited copy of Subterranean Homesick Blues by Bob Dylan.

Suddenly, it was okay to write things that could be fixed up later.

Heck, I would never be Bob Dylan, (Aunt Tonoose knew that all along) but I was on MY way to wherever this writing life would take me.

On Wednesday, May 24, the artist turns 65.

His four-plus decades of music and performing have had some ups and downs, but so many of his tunes fit like an old glove.

The tunes and the verse have provided solace and inspired rage and just about everything in between.

His voice, well, you get used to it after a while.

Happy birthday, Bob ... wherever you are and whatever you're doing.

Cent anni!


Copyright © 2006 by Anthony Buccino, all rights reserved.
Content may not be used for commercial purposes without written permission.


It Was a Dark and Stormy Knight

Planet Waves
Slow Train Coming
Infidels

LYRICS: 1962-2001- by BOB DYLAN

THE ROUGH GUIDE TO BOB DYLAN - By Nigel Williamson

LYRICS 1962-1985

The Bob Dylan Encyclopedia

Chronicles, Volume 1 - by BOB DYLAN

Street Legal

VISIT TO PLATTSBURGH; NY, NOT KANSAS

Regarding the above, I got the following ...

Dear Marg,
It was great to see you! Thanks for all you're doing with Mom and Dad.
I talked to Mom and it seemed like the concert and aide coming worked out okay. I think that they need more help in there. I tried to be very candid with Mom and say that if the decision is to keep Dad home then we need to do that. We want to keep him out of the nursing home and things were definitely out of control there on Tues morning.
I would love to have you come and I think it would be good for you, you might be able to get you a buddy pass if that would be easier. Think about the following weekends or days imbetween June 30 to July22.
The weekends are starting the 31st of June, July 7th, July14th . It would be good for you to come, we could take Ryan to Santa's workshop etc. Doug says he can fill in while you're away.
Love You,
Jane

You know what bugs me, always being mistaken for Marg. I don't look like Marg, not since I grew a beard and a mustache.

As for Jane, I never did see her. Wouldn't know her if I did.

What is a "buddy pass"? It sounds cheap. And you all know how cheap I can be.

And what is "imbetween"? Is that how they write in Plattsburgh?

I wouldn't know. I've never BEEN to Plattsburgh. I did drive past Pittsburgh. And I knew someone from Pittsburg, Kansas, but I've never been there either.

And anyway, I'm not so sure it's a good idea to take Ryan to Santa's workshop in the summer. I hear the elves work topless in the sweatshops!

Maybe I'll be up when I find the 31st on my June calendar!

If I'm not there, start without me.


Copyright © 2006 by Anthony Buccino, all rights reserved.
Content may not be used for commercial purposes without written permission.

PLAY-DOH AT 50 MAKES SCENTS

PAWTUCKET, R.I.--May 1, 2006--For the first time, Hasbro, Inc. has bottled that fresh, just-out-of-the-can, "eau de PLAY-DOH" aroma into a limited-edition fragrance as part of a year-long celebration of the beloved modeling compound's 50th birthday.

Out in time for Mother's Day, the 1-ounce, spray bottle fragrance is meant for 'highly-creative people, who seek a whimsical scent reminiscent of their childhood.'

"One of PLAY-DOH compound's most notable characteristics is its scent," said Leigh Anne Cappello, vice president of marketing for the PLAY-DOH brand. "When you open a can of PLAY-DOH compound, you are instantly transported back to childhood. What better way to celebrate the 50th birthday than by bottling the scent for adults everywhere to enjoy as a reminder of their youth."

The PLAY-DOH fragrance retails for approximately $19.

The fragrance joins other special products and events meant to celebrate the PLAY-DOH brand's big year.

The festivities kicked-off in January with an instant-win promotion, where consumers were given the chance to win one $50,000 grand prize, one of 10, $2,500 first-prize awards and one of 500 gift cards valued at $50 to hasbrotoyshop.com.

Then, in February, at the American International Toy Fair in New York City, Warren Brown, host of the Food Network show Sugar Rush, "baked" a larger-than-life celebratory birthday cake, with more than 40 pounds of PLAY-DOH compound as the main ingredient.

More PLAY-DOH surprises will be announced later this year.

PLAY-DOH Through the Years

PLAY-DOH(R) brand modeling compound was invented in 1956 at Rainbow Crafts, a Cincinnati-based cleaning company. Scientists there were trying to develop wallpaper cleaner when they discovered the now iconic children's toy. Realizing the compound's play potential, the company introduced it at the American International Toy Fair in New York City in 1956.

PLAY-DOH compound was first available only in one color and size, an off-white, 1.5 pound can. Now, a half a century later, kids can explore their imaginations and express their creativity with up to 50 colors.

The formula for PLAY-DOH compound still remains a closely-guarded secret. The weight of PLAY-DOH compound manufactured since 1956 is more than 900 million pounds.
-- from the press release.

In our house we enjoyed using the shape maker to produce multi-colored imitation spaghetti. We didn't actually BUY it for Baby Tonoose, it was a gift from one of Aunt Tonoose's students who chipped in for something for the baby!

Where ARE those cans now?

Copyright © 2006 by Anthony Buccino, all rights reserved.
Content may not be used for commercial purposes without written permission.

Demeter Fragrance Library

SUDOKU SOLVING TIPS FOR YOU

I was riding home on the PATH one evening and overheard a 'numbers' guy explaining to his colleague how to solve the Sudoku number puzzle game.

"It's simple," said he numbers guy. "You just add up the numbers and eliminate the ones that it's not.

Whatever that means! I bet he can't diagram a sentence: Subject-predicate, clause, interjection, whoo hoo!


Copyright © 2006 by Anthony Buccino, all rights reserved.
Content may not be used for commercial purposes without written permission.

BLOG PHOTOGS BEWARE

This legislation may make
taking certain photographs
a 4th degree crime.

The following bill is up in Senate Law and Public Safety on Thursday, May 11

S330 (Madden/Sweeney) - Creates crime of unauthorized surveillance.

Read the proposed NJ Legislation

If you've ever been chased away from taking a photo of a building from a public walkway or street, you should know about the tip of this legislative iceberg.

Or, read it here.

WILD WEST CITY - AT FIFTY!

"The Best of the West in the Heart of the East"

Going to Wild West City,
the city that's running wild
Going to Wild West City,
bring the Mrs. and the child
Gonna' wear my hat
and twirl my gun,
go a little crazy
and have a lot of fun
at Wild West City
the city that's running wild!



Not only is this place still open, but it's open now!

Get out there, weekends from May 6 through Columbus Day (October) and daily from June 19 to Labor Day.

Now is the time to return to Wild West City - like my old pal Uncle Floyd used to sing in their commericials - is that song playing now in your head? (At least you've got the right words above - as best as we can remember them, anyway.)

What? You've never been to Wild West City ?

You don't know what it's about?

You don't have to sign up for a 13 week tour on that PBS TV show.
Take your hankering for the Old West out to Netcong, N.J., and have a fun day with the family. Dress casually, get dirty and have a great time!
You can count on some very special surprises now that Wild West City has reached 50.
Just what those surprises are, well, I can't tell you. It wouldn't be a surprise, then, would it!

I can't believe this place opened when I was an infant!
I can't believe that I never got there until I was married and took Aunt Tonoose & our daughter! (We still have that WANTED poster from the sheriff's office!)
I can't believe I haven't been back in many moons!
I can't wait to get back in the saddle - so to speak - again!
Ride a short distance in a real stage coach and all those old Westerns get a lot of new respect.
Maybe we'll see you there?
Look for me, I'll be the old guy with the S-E grin ;-) having the time of my life, again!

Copyright © 2006 by Anthony Buccino, all rights reserved.
Content may not be used for commercial purposes without written permission.
Thanks and a tip of the ten-galllon hat to the PR lady from Hacketstown who clued me in on this here 50th Anniversary.

Wild West City

Blue Shoes
El Paso - Part One
El Paso - Part Two
Fastest Draw - Part One

IT WAS A DARK AND STORMY KNIGHT ...

When I look back at all the crap I wrote in high school, it's a wonder I can write at all.

With the latest news of the young lady from Harvard including passages from other people's novels in her own book, I'm reminded of the many mangled paraphrases that work their way into every day life.

One journalism professor, the late Raymond Paul at MSU, summed up learning as "Ingest, digest, squat."

Can you hear the word Scaramouch with out asking, "can you do the fandango?"

Think back to John Dean of Watergate fame. He had been a translator and was able to recall and translate entire passages from speeches which is what made his recollections so invaluable to the Congressman Peter Rodino.

Not too long ago we picked up a few Robert Klein and George Carlin classic CDs and lo and behold, those guys took all my best lines and jumped into their time machines and put them on those old recordings. But I won't sue. I don't think they meant anything by it.

In fact, my girlfriend at the time used to say that when she read my poetry she could hear Dylan in it. I'd be the first to tell you I'm no Dylan Thomas - whoever he was.

But it wouldn't surprise me to read through my old stuff and realize similarities with observations by Aunt Erma, Dave Barry and Mike Royko. I'd like to think that it was by reference or illusion.

I remember writing a song long ago and singing it to myself on the way to school. Then one day I heard Neil Diamond singing it. How did he do that?

It's easy for me to realize any song that pops into my head was written by someone else. Unless I've just taken a song and mixed up the lyrics.

When we compiled the Honor Roll books, we mostly copied the words of others, mostly unnamed, and called ourselves editors rather than writers.

Well, as for unintentional copying. It happens.

Intentional copying, that happens too. And that's too bad. Think harder and use your own words.


Copyright © 2006 by Anthony Buccino, all rights reserved.
Content may not be used for commercial purposes without written permission.

How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got A Life : A Novel

ROBERT KLEIN Child of the ‘50’s

Robert Klein Biography

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