Postcard Project: 1930s, Part 4

Any grammatical/spelling mistakes are copied verbatim from the postcards.

August 28, 1933
Addressed to Grandpa. Text below.

"Hi Pal - We came thru [redacted town name] yesterday about 9 a.m. I wanted to stop but I thought you wouldnt be up. We're coming home Tues. P.M. Maybe I can stop then. If not come to B.C. sometime. The sights are wonderful. See you at B.Y. convention - Alpha."

I wonder what B.Y. convention was? I find it strange that Grandpa might not have been up at 9 a.m. I'm not a morning person at all, and even I am usually up before 9. I wonder if he worked nights?

The above is one of my favorite cards of the collection. I think it's so pretty.

August 31, 1933
Addressed to Grandpa. Text below.

"Dear [redacted] - Are you going to be busy next Saturday nite? The kids are having a surprise party on Mary Stone. Could you come? I'll be home Sat. forenoon. Please call and let me know. Having a swell time. Minnie."

The card definitely says that the surprise party is "on" Mary Stone. I wonder if that was the turn of phrase back then, rather than having a party "for" someone. Curious. Also, I love how everyone in the 20s and 30s seemed to be having a "swell" time.

December 1, 1933
Addressed to Grandpa. Text below.

"Dear [redacted], Got in here on time for dinner. I like Hillsdale very much. Did some Sec. work for one of the conf. this afternoon. Kazoo took charge of devotions tonight before the main address. Dr. Franklin was good. As ever your Friend, Alice."

I neglected to mention before that "Kazoo" (which has appeared on other postcards) refers to Kalamazoo, Michigan. I suspect that Alice means that the Kazoo faction of whatever group she was with took charge of devotions, not the city itself. I gather from the postcards that Alice did some kind of traveling secretarial work for (probably) a church group.

I love the two women sitting on the steps of the building in this picture. It just seems like such a nice touch.

December 3, 1933
Addressed to Grandpa. Text below.

"Dear [redacted]: They brought me your special at 9:15 a.m. Saturday morning, during first session in the College Baptist Church. The Convention has meant much to me. Wish you & Fred could of come and injoyed our Fellowship. Have lots of business for a meeting soon. Score 1450. Alice."

Were Grandpa and Alice playing a 1930s version of "Words with Friends" with each other? Also, I bet Alice wanted Grandpa to enjoy her "fellowship." wink wink nudge nudge

July 5, 1934
Addressed to Grandpa. Text below.

"[Redacted]: Have enjoyed my trip over. Had to change trains in Detroit and stations in Cleveland. Had to wait over 2 1/2 hrs in Cleveland. Took me 15 hrs to get here. Jo & Ralph were here ahead of me and Jo's was worried because I didn't get here sooner. The Convention is great - so is Pittsburgh. Alice."

A 15-hour train trip doesn't sound particularly enjoyable to me, but whatever floats your boat, Alice.

Final Reflections on August 2013

Man, the end of August really snuck up on me and, a little unwell over the weekend, I didn’t feel like doing my monthly wrap-up. So here I am finally, a few days late.

August was a month full of some bitter, but not unexpected, disappointments. In a letter to a friend last week, I was talking about how I’d had a lot of good news/bad news situations in Aug., but when I saw it all laid out before me, it seemed like there was a lot more bad than good. When I got to thinking about it, though, I realized that all the bad stuff in my life hasn’t been particularly bad. It’s all been endurable.

I have a lot of friends currently experiencing things that seem unendurable. My heart aches for them. I’ve been thinking a lot about how we – i.e. humans – survive tragedy. A few weeks ago, I was talking to a friend who’d recently suffered his second major loss in less than a year. “I don’t know how to do this,” he said. “I don’t feel ready.” I don’t think we’re ever truly ready for life. We’ll all have to endure really bad stuff sooner or later. We get through because we have to sometimes, not necessarily because we want to.

So as I sit here, thinking back on a month that seemed to throw a lot of obstacles in my path, I realize that things really aren’t so bad. I have all the tools I need to not only get by, but to persevere. I suspect that my biggest obstacle in life is myself. I wonder how many other people feel the same way.

As for what’s been going on in Texas, I honestly haven’t been paying any attention to the local scene. The big national news was Miley Cyrus’s twerking. Just kidding. Sort of. Okay, so the actual big national news was what’s been going on in Syria and how the U.S. government wants to make things better by blowing stuff up. Personally, I feel that blowing stuff up hasn’t worked out so well for us lately, but what do I know? I’m no diplomat.

I'm going to keep wrap-up brief this month and close here. It was August 2013 and all of that existential stuff was on my mind. If you're stopping by to read, why don't you tell me what's been on yours?

Best Picture: "The French Connection," 1971

Movie Stats:

Released 1971 (USA)

American, in English (some subtitled French, a little non-translated French)

Director – William Friedkin

Stars – Gene Hackman, Roy Scheider

Plot Summary:

When NYC cops Jimmy “Popeye” Doyle (Hackman) and Buddy Russo (Scheider) stumble upon a massive drug ring, they discover that it has a French connection.

Warnings:

Violence (although the fake blood is laughable), blue language, and very brief female nudity (butt only).

Bad Stuff:

It was so dull that, at only an hour and forty minutes or so, it felt longer than several of the 3-hour-long movies I’ve seen.

The acting wasn’t especially impressive. At least, I don’t think it takes a whole lot of emoting to convey “tough-guy New York cop.” I feel like practically any grizzled guy in his 30s or 40s could’ve played Doyle or Russo.

The ending was so abrupt that I literally said out loud, “Wait, is it over?”

Good Stuff:

It was refreshing to see old-fashioned police work. There was no CSI. There were no magic leaps in logic. It was all observation, gut feeling, tough talking, ass-kicking, and blind dedication to the job. I think that’s what made people fall in love with this kind of movie to begin with.

I’m not especially enamored of action movies, but it was kind of fun to see one win Best Picture. After lots of dramas, a handful of comedies, a few musicals, and far too many period pieces, I liked that I got to turn my brain off and watch some car chases for once.

The Verdict:

I always thought I’d seen this before, but after watching it now, I realized that what I must have seen previously was the sequel (“The French Connection II”). I didn’t like the sequel, and I didn’t especially like the original either. It just wasn’t very interesting.

I get why this probably appealed to audiences at the time. I think that “gritty crime drama” was fairly new back in the early 1970s. In the ensuing 40 years, the genre has been done to death. Now, what person hasn’t grown up watching them? And these days, they involve a lot more explosions, drama, and good-looking leads. It’s no wonder that an early incarnation of the genre seems a bit ho-hum to me.

Even so, I’ve suffered through far worse in the pursuit of this project. And looking at the 90s, I can see that there is far worse yet to come. So I wouldn’t say that this movie is necessarily bad. It’s simply not remarkable. There aren’t even any great quotes that stood out to me. I don’t think you should see it unless you’re fond of this particular genre.

I give the movie 2.75 stars.

Postcard Project: 1930s, Part 3

As always, any spelling/grammatical mistakes are copied verbatim from the cards.

July 3, 1932
Addressed to Grandma. Text below.

"Just to say Hello and hoping you'll write soon how do you like it? Guess."

My guess is that this is from Grandma's friend Mary, and I'm almost positive my guess is right. This was sent to her during the brief time she lived in Virginia. Also, this card is kind of naughty, haha.

May 19, 1933
Addressed to Grandpa. Text below.

"Dear [redacted]: Could you mail me the name & address of your new President? Was over to [city name redacted] last Saturday. I saw the Parade. It was good. Was that you in the old black ford with white printing on. "WAIT UNTIL I BECOME PRESIDENT." The funniest thing he stoped in front of me & performed then turned & went back towards [city name redacted]. Your guilty! I heard something nice about Fred & not from the preacher either. Will see you at the next business meeting. Sincerely Alice M."

It amuses/baffles/vaguely annoys me that I almost never understand what any of these people are talking about on these cards. Seriously, what is going on here? I have virtually no idea, although I will say that I don't think Alice is referring to the President of the USA here. I gather from the cards that Grandpa knew Alice from church. I think she may be referring to president of the Board of Trustees at church. Or, since Grandpa was a police officer, perhaps the president of his union.

Also, I chuckled at someone from 1933 referring to any car as "old." Hadn't the car really only been a part of the American landscape for about twenty years at this point?

July 11, 1933
Addressed to Grandpa. Text below.

"Dear [nickname redacted]: I bet [location redacted] is running along smoothly by now and that most of your time is spent entertaining the girls. We've had a swell time in spite of our seasickness. The lake was terribly rough when we came over. Minnie."

Although I hardly knew him, it's hard to imagine my grandpa as a ladies' man. He seems to have been running some kind of camp this summer. I find it interesting that, rather than driving to Milwaukee back then, people took a boat across Lake Michigan.

July 21, 1933
Addressed to Grandpa. Text below.

"Dear [redacted]: Assembly is great. I must miss Piggott [?] from your church. Sorry Kelly was sick I couldn't come. There are 15 from Kazoo Asso. that I know of. Did you know Allen W. has gone to North Carolina? As Ever, Alice Moffit."

Maybe it's just Alice Moffit who never makes any sense.

July 27, 1933
Addressed to Grandpa. Text below.

"Dear [redacted] - Just arrived today. We have seen a great deal of Chicago already - not the Fair, yet. There are four other girls in the same room with me and it is a grand room. Wish you were here. We are staying until Sat. nite - Bessie."

Grandpa sure had a lot of lady friends, didn't he? None of them are my grandma. Yet.

Best Picture: "Patton," 1970

Movie Stats:

Released 1970 (USA)

American, in English (some subtitled German; minimal non-translated French)

Director – Franklin J. Schaffner

Stars – George C. Scott, Karl Malden

Plot Summary:

Showcases the exploits of George S. Patton, an American general, during his African and European campaigns of WWII. Malden co-stars as General Omar N. Bradley.

Warnings:

The battle scenes (and their aftermaths) are fairly graphic.

Bad Stuff:

I personally didn’t have any trouble following the plot, but if you didn’t pay attention during your American history class in high school, you might find it a little confusing.

The British were portrayed as a bit too incompetent – although, by all accounts, Montgomery was not, in fact, a particularly good general – and the Germans a bit too in awe of/afraid of Patton. It stretched my credulity.

Good Stuff:

It did a really good job of showing the complexities of Patton’s character. Was he likeable? Was he detestable? The answer is yes to both questions. He was a great general but a terrible politician, and in a changing world, that didn’t fly. It was nice that he was portrayed as understanding this himself, and that even though he recognized this he was incapable of changing it. Really, it was a very solid screenplay (written largely by Francis Ford Coppola).

The battle scenes were surprisingly well done.

The Verdict:

This was a very solid movie. It was a lot more engaging than I expected it to be. Scott was great as Patton. I thought he imbued the character with a lot of likeability even when he wasn’t being particularly likeable. At its core, this film is a character study, and it really exceled at its goal: bringing a controversial historical figure to relatable life at a time when people weren’t feeling all that positive about war. My only real problem is that I can’t imagine myself ever wanting to watch it again. It’s good, but not a movie that resonates for me.

For that reason, I give it 4 stars.

On Loneliness: Introduction

I’ve been thinking about writing an essay series on loneliness for a while now. Loneliness is something I’ve struggled with for as long as I can remember. It comes and it goes. Being in a relationship and/or having good friends has always been a buffer against it, although not a complete one. Sometimes, in a room full of people, I feel completely alone. Other times, I feel as though my heart could burst with joy because my life is so incredibly full of good people.

My sense of loneliness upon moving to Dallas has been both strong and persistent. Moving to new places and forming new friendships has always been difficult for me. For example, I lived in Portland for more than two years before I felt like I’d made close friends. On Maui it took over a year. Austin was an anomaly; I felt like I made an instant group of friends there. Perhaps that is what has made Dallas seem especially difficult. It’s hard to accept that I have to tap into my reserves of patience and perseverance again.

The decision to blog about it hasn’t been easy though. I’ve never been particularly eager to put my problems on blast. I feel very stoic about it all, if you will. I don’t want to trouble anyone, for goodness’ sake. I don’t want to be anyone’s burden.

But then I thought that maybe talking about it isn’t really about me in the end. Maybe it’s about giving a voice to anyone who’s ever felt lonely. Maybe I have something to say that they’d like to hear, or that they’d like other people to hear.

My other problem with blogging about it is one of organization. I have so much to say. On the other hand, I’m not sure how to say any of it, at least not in a way that’s cohesive or makes sense. So that’s why this is going to be a series, one that has clearly-defined themes for each piece. I believe that the themes will be as follows:

My Upbringing

Broken Friendships

Romance

My Personality

Modern American Society

Conclusions

I may add more themes as I proceed and explore. Consider this first piece to be the introduction or, perhaps, overture (hence the title).

I’m not sure yet where this essay journey is going to take me. Perhaps I will have an epiphany or two. Perhaps I will come up with a plan of action to eliminate loneliness from my life. Or perhaps nothing will come of it, or at least nothing more than a few words on a page.

Regardless, I'm taking the journey. This is your formal invitation to take it with me. Let's see where it goes together.