“Chain of Fools” was a Don Covay song made famous by Aretha Franklin in 1967.
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COVID and excess deaths
Dying Crapshooter’s Blues
“Dying Crapshooter’s Blues” is a Blind Willie McTell song. As far as I can tell, the first version is on the 1940 Library of Congress recordings. I am most familiar with the 1949 version on the great Atlanta Twelve String album.
It weighs 17.4 pounds…but it’s not a potato even though it looks like one
Covers: Mr. Moonlight
“Mr. Moonlight” is best known as a 1964 Beatles cover but the original version is from 1962 by Dr. Feelgood and the Interns. The Hollies cover was actually recorded before the Beatles one.
One of the funniest things I ever read
I don’t recall who said this. I think I saw it on Facebook years ago. It went something like this:
You know how they say your life passed before you right before you die? Do you get to see what happened when you were passed out?
What people notice about you
Two experiences from working in a large office building:
In 1989, I lost 50 pounds in six months. I went from 189 to 136. I cut out junk food (most of my diet) and beer and started exercising. (I eventually put it all back plus more.) Many people thought I was sick but were afraid to ask directly. They would say things like “I was talking to (another person) and they thought you looked sick.” I felt fine but I certainly looked too skinny. I could wear 30-inch waist pants.
Women made up most of the staff in my building. I never thought that anyone was looking at my butt but I had two women tell me that I had lost too much weight in the buns. I had an answer by the second time. I said “If you liked them, you should have said something when I had them. Don’t tell me now when they’re gone.”
I had a beard until 1999. I have had a mustache continuously since I went to Pitt in 1971. (When you’re young, you want to look older. When you’re old, you want to look younger. ) After I had the beard cut off, four people ask me when I started growing a mustache.
Covers: Beast of Burden
The Rolling Stones released Beast of Burden in 1978. Bette Midler covered it in 1984 and made a music video that included Mick Jagger.
I remember the early days of the Washington, DC Metro
I was in a training class in Washington for 11 weeks from April-July 1976. The Metro opened in March 1976. As I recall, the original part was the Red Line from Union Station to Farragut North. They had people taking your money; this was before fare cards. I thought it was great. It was much more modern than the New York subway system which I had used when I lived there until I was 10. I am sad to know that it has had many repair problems. I’ll remember it as new and shiny.
Here are links about the history of Metro:
Happy birthday, Metro! Watch Metro’s evolution since 1976 in this slideshow
The Infuriating History of How Metro Got So Bad
Building the Washington Metro – An Online Exhibit
Sad! 