They Say It's Your Birthday...

(to quote the song)

And there are days when I admit to feeling mature beyond my years...

(perhaps not today, though)

Today, there shall be cake!

Friday Follies...

I could only WISH...for BOTH.

And here we ar at the end of what seemed to be a week that would not want to end.
It's also the LAST day of my 62nd year on this earth, for all that's worth. My, how the time does fly. But, let's not dwell.
Our Hoosierland weather has us kicking off the weekend with some really NICE conditions outside.
We're looking at mostly sunny skies, temps in the upper-70s with some mild breezes.
Can't ask for a better day...well, if it was raining $100 bills on my PATIO, I might call THAT better.
In any event, let's get this week's end off and running with a nice refreshing morning beverage, as we see what's been going on and what we can expect over the next 72 hours, shall we?
*** First out of the bakery is our "What the hell happens today, Bob?" feature:
August 21 -
---Today is (OMG - LMAO)...NATIONAL SENIOR CITIZEN'S DAY.

Not exactly "American Gothic"...

Cripes, that's JUST what I really need to make me feel MY AGE, right?
---It's also NATIONAL SPUMONI DAY

(nothing like this down in South Philly...great way to top off that cheesesteak you just had.
---And, it's BRAZILIAN BLOWOUT DAY

(this has to do with the hair on your HEAD...just so we're clear here...lol)
*** And since it's the weekend, let's see what's in store for the next two days:
August 22 -
---Saturday is NATIONAL TOOTH FAIRY DAY

(does that mean that THE ROCK will be stopping by?)
---And, it's NATIONAL PECAN TORTE DAY

(seriously, is THIS the best you can come up with?
---It's also my frigging birthday...number 63 to be exact.
(don't worry, we DO have an extinguisher handy and the FWFD is on speed-dial)
August 23 -
---Sunday is NATIONAL RIDE WITH THE WIND DAY

(I'm sure there is part of a SONG in there someplace - like the wind, with the wind, against the wind...pass the wind... whatever)
---And, it's NATIONAL SPONGE CAKE DAY

(not to be confused with SPONGEBOB)
Sorry, I'll be busy working on a chocolate one from the day before.
And there you have it, for all it's worth. Enjoy.
Moving on...
*** What say we forego all the bad crap out there (just for today)?
In it's stead, let's finish up the retrospect and have a look at some of the "odds and ends" that occurred in my birth year of 1952.

Comes in a BOTTLE?

Now, since I was rather YOUNG at the time with important things (like filling diapers for mom to wash), I don't remember that much, but, thanks to history (and those who have kept it) we can see how far we've come...or how far we've fallen, depending on your point-of-view.

================================

Here are some PREDICTIONS from 1952 for fifty years hence:
--- Cancer, tooth decay and the common cold will be conquered.
(swing and a miss)
-- -Body parts will be regenerated.
(not there quite yet)
--- The solar system will be explored.

One in a row.

--- Your personal telephone will be small enough to carry in your bag.
(and we know how GOOD that;s been)
--- Communism will not exist.

Oh, they just changed the NAME.

--- Beef will be a luxury.
(it sure isn't as CHEAP as it was)
--- Your home phone will record messages, answer simple queries and transmit images.
Nice to know we got a couple right.

Nailed THAT one down.

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In 1952, the term "P.C." stood for PRIVILEGED CHARACTER, as in a teacher's pet.
(now, it just means TWO things that usually piss ME the hell off...LOL)
"Flaked out" meant you were tired.

One flake's as good as the next.

And, if you wanted to chat, you could "split a few syllables".

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Want to see what some items USED to cost back then?
sugar - $.10 per lb

bread (loaf - $.20
coffee - $.77 lb
Swiss cheese - $.55 (lb)
butter - $.85 (lb)
haircut - $1.00
Ivory soap - $.05 (bar)
45 RPM record - $.89
hockey game - $.70
movie - $.50 (adults), $.20 (children)
water heater - $76.95
hand cream (ladies) - $.98
private college (yearly) - $900.00
airfare (NY to L.A. - round trip) - $160.00
Buick (2 door, brand new off the showroom  floor) - $2457.00

That's a LOT of metal for the money!

bicycle (completely assembled with all the bells and whistles) - $23.95

And a lot of BIKE for the money, too.

---------------------------------------

---From 1946-1952, 4.5 MILLION ILLEGAL ALIENS have entered the USA, according to the NY. Herald-Tribune.

(that's around 750,000 per YEAR...back THEN! Now, times that by 63 years = 47.25 MILLION since I was born)

-------------------------------------------

---75% of families have life insurance

---54% of families OWN a home.

---45% of families have savings accounts

------------------------------------------

Things that make you go...

---The U.S. population passes 158 MILLION (must be all those illegals)
---For the first time in our nation's history, BREAD will be "standardized", according to a guideline issued under the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act.
(yes, we had overreaching government back THEN, too)
---The number of foreign students studying in the U.S. hits an all-time high of 30,000
---The U.S..Navy is as large as all the OTHER navies of the world combined, according to the publication Jane's Fighting Ships (London).

---A rebuilt 1924 Chevrolet travels a record 168.4 miles on ONE gallon of gas, to win the annual mileage marathon.
(top THAT you hybrid-lovers)
---The average car lasts 12 years and is good for 100,000 miles
(tell that to those who STILL OWN a car from 1952).
---With more than 300 titles, COMIC BOOKS continue to be the  biggest newsstand grosser (and at TEN CENTS, that was a helluva bargain!)

---The Brooklyn Supreme Court rules that it is not slanderous to call someone a COMMUNIST.
---Last. but not least, the NY Yankees beat the Brooklyn Dodgers  for the World Series in baseball.

Don't think that was CHRIS Martin.

And them's the "CLIFF'S NOTES" regarding the year 1952.
I hope you found it enlightening and as much fun as I had researching it to bring it to you.

Sure makes a case for "WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED to THOSE days?", doesn't it?

================================

*** Last back to the garage...you get to see a lot of things by the time you get to my age, but only if you've been paying attention.

Some people go through life and miss so much, simply because they have no idea on how to focus on anything.
(many of those are already in jail, too)
My Dad used to tell me that "Life is only as hard as you make it"., and I've tried my best to NOT make it so difficult, that I could not manage it.
Sure, there are the external sources that impact on our lives, and we can't avoid those, but we can always attempt to work THROUGH such times.
I've had jobs I left out of conviction and conscience, and other jobs that left me...that's the way life works.
Whatever traits you are born with, and are nurtured by good parents and mentors as you grow up, never leave you, even if you try to hide them under a rock because of peer-pressure or whatever else comes along.
I was never one that knuckled under to that crap, at least not to the degree where I sacrificed who I was in the process.
We were all a bit rebellious in our own way, and yet never to the extent that it caused harm to ourselves or others...or reflected poorly on our families.
Call me old-fashioned...I don't care.
All I know is that whatever I was taught...stuck, like gum to the bottom of a shoe.
And, I've got a lot of folks to thank for that, as well as a certain "higher authority", who I hope I didn't piss off THAT much in the years I've been here.
God knows I'm far from perfect, and will always fall short of HIS glory, but I will never stop trying.
And perhaps that is part of the wonder of our lives - the ability to NOT give in and NOT give up, even if the odds seemed stacked against us.
In spite of whatever may come along, you have to admit that life is one helluva ride...good, bad, or indifferent, eh?
The next time we meet (here) I will be another year older, and hopefully another year wiser.
Do have yourselves a good weekend.

Be well, make a difference to someone today, and, as always...
Stay SAFE out there, America.

Thoughts On Thursday...

Okay, I think we've had enough rain for a few days, don't you?
With luck, today will not be like the day I had yesterday, of which I said to Wifey "...I better not have ANY issues".
Goes to show you always seem to get what you don't want...
More on that in a minute, but first, let's look at the forecast.
Our Hooiserland weather will have us with clearing skies, milder temps reaching only into the mid 70s, and a lot LESS humidity.
Yes, my kind of August weather.
In the meanwhile, let's all get a heaping helping of our favorite morning drink, as we look at what's been going on elsewhere...
*** First out of the ammo box is the answer to yesterday's WHO SAID THAT? quote:
"Most people spend more time going around problems than in trying to solve them."
This was spoken by HENRY FORD ( 30 July 1863 -7 April 1947).
He was a Civil War baby...just after Gettysburg...imagine that.
And here is his WIKI:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Ford

Sounds like this was written yesterday.

We can attribute a lot of technological advance in America to him and his method of operation.
Unfortunately, he was a bit of an anti-Semitic, and even published a book on it, entitled "The International Jew".
(thankfully, it was NOT a best-seller)
He once worked for Edison (what engineer didn't at that time),
Ford's story and rise to prominence in the fledgling automotive industry is the stuff of real history.
I'll leave to all of you to read up on one of the pivotal men of industry who helped shape this nation through innovation for many decades to follow.
Moving on...
*** Next, it's time for "What the hell happens today, Bob?"
August 20 -
---Today is NATIONAL LEMONADE DAY.

After life's recent "LEMONS", I think it MOST appropriate...heh.
---It's also NATIONAL RADIO DAY.

Video killed that star, if I remember the song correctly.
---And, it's CHINESE VALENTINE'S DAY/DAUGHTER DAY (7th day of the 7th lunar month). Kinda like that 7th son of a 7th son thing?

Oh, and a happy 67th birthday to Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin.
*** Next up, the dream of many a pre-teen, hormonally-charged boy in my day, Yvonne Craig died of complications from breast cancer. She was 78 years old.

She could SURE fill out that outfit.

Best remembered as BATGIRL from the 60s TV show, she had also appeared on Star Trek (TOS) as a green Orion woman (who happened to be a bit on the insane side).
Here is her WIKI:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yvonne_Craig
And her website:
https://www.yvonnecraig.com/
Never any bad press about her...hard to find people like that in Hollywood these days.
We shall miss her.
*** Next up, I had to travel to the eye doc's to get another exam and to choose my new frames.
So, I fire up my "Batmobile", and motor out to fill the tank up.
It was then I noticed that the car didn't "feel" right...seemed a bit on the sluggish side,

Well, she is getting a wee bit "mature".

By the time I got to the gas station, it felt like I didn't have THIRD GEAR.
This meant my top speed would be around 45 MPH.
On the way to the eye doctor, this became more evident...the engine would "race" as I tried to go faster than 40.
Well, I thought, this can't be good.

"NO third gear? Have ya tried re-routing the
plasma conduit circuitry through life support?"

Had a similar experience back in the day with a service van...but in that case, it was slipping out of gear, and I tried to tell my bosses that I had to get it in the shop and have it looked over.
After years of driving, you get like "Scotty" from Star Trek - you can FEEL  and know what your vehicle is SUPPOSED to do.
Well, I got stranded halfway to Princeton, NJ one morning, and had to limp back to Philly in FIRST GEAR only. And when I got home, the trans puked fluid all over my street and my company had to have it towed.
The transmission had all but cooked itself into a "well-done" state. Cost the company $1100 to fix it...and it COULD have been prevented, if they listened to me.
Anyway, I get to the doc's, get my eyes checked, and pick out frames (titanium ones at that with polarized lens coating, anti-scratch, an progressive bifocals). Total cost was around $700!!! Luckily health insurance (thanks Anthem) kicked in, so I only have to cough up around 4 Franklins (could buy another pistol for that price AND ammo...lol).
The car was still acting up when I got home (not that far a drive, thankfully), and I called to get it in the shop for service, so Monday, bright and early, I will be doing so.
Helluva birthday gift.
I thought "I" was supposed to be the recipient, and NOT my car...whatta world.
So ends another day in the life of "Bobby G's Never-ending Excellent Adventures".
It could be as simple as old fluid, or a bad modulator, because I still have the OTHER gears...we shall see and feel the hit in the old "Hip National Bank".
*** Last back to the gun range, we take you on a journey through the next installment of the year I was born.

Today, we look at some of the stuff that made our lives more interesting, as opposed to better.

 1952 SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY:

=========================

--BOAC debuts the world's first jet-powered airliner - The Comet

(later troubles with stress cracks which cause several crashes ground the entire fleet)
--The first autocode and its compiler are developed by Alick Glennie for the Manchester Mark 1 computer, considered as the first working high-level compiled programming language.
--John Forbes Nash, Jr. produces groundbreaking work in the area of real algebraic geometry.
The Bradley–Terry model in probability theory is presented.
--February 6 – A mechanical heart is used for the first time in a human patient, in the United States.

Not exactly "portable", is it?

--September 30 – The Cinerama widescreen film system, developed by Fred Waller, debuts with the movie THIS IS CINERAMA at the Broadway Theater in New York City.

Now THAT was movie-going.

--October 7 – The bar-code is patented in the United States by Norman J. Woodland and Bernard Silver, though it does not make its first appearance in an American shop until 1974.
--November 1 – Nuclear testing: Operation Ivy – The United States successfully detonates the first hydrogen device, code-named "Ivy Mike" ("m" for megaton), at Eniwetok island in the Bikini Atoll located in the Pacific Ocean.

The elements einsteinium and fermium are discovered in the fallout.
--Geoffrey Dummer proposes the integrated circuit.
( and THAT changed everything!)
--November 20 – The first successful sex reassignment surgery was performed in Copenhagen, making George Jorgensen Jr. become Christine Jorgensen.

============================

--Teflon is invented
(And people like John Gotti and Hillary Clinton were SO grateful)
--The first automatic PIN-SPOTTER is used in bowling alleys.

Sorry, Billy, you're out of a job.

--The first filter-tipped cigarette is introduced.
--The first PEZ DISPENSER is created 

They have CHANGED a lot since.

(PEZ had been out since 1927)
--GM perfects an air-conditioning system for automobiles - the cost is $500!
(and it was NOT standard equipment)
--Chrysler produces the most powerful auto engine to date - 310 BHP!

The Chrysler "Special" concept car - 1952

--B.F. Goodrich makes a tire that can sustain speeds of 100 MPH!
--Pocket "radio-pagers" make their debut for doctors.
--Sonotone introduces the first transistor hearing aid in the I.S.

say what?

--The keel is laid for the FIRST nuclear submarine - U.S.S.  Nautilus.

--A portable dictating and transcribing machine is developed by Edison, Inc.
--The first video recorder is demonstrated in Los Angeles.
--The Boeing B-52 bomber makes her maiden flight.

And they'er STILL flying.

--Maiden voyage of the luxury liner S.S. United States 

(built in the USA and held several speed records, she now resides docked in Philly)

Trying to avoid the scrapyard.

===================================
---And speaking of technology...the ONLY flying B-29 in existence is in Fort Wayne (didn't hear it fly over...damn).
Named "FIFI", she will be here through August 26. Rides cost $595 - which goes for upkeep to this aircraft.

Tours can be had for $10.
Here's a related story by Frank Gray:
http://www.journalgazette.net/news/local/frank-gray/B-29-stirs-memories-for-Ossian-veteran-8320895

I will say that I've seen the B-29 named BOCKSCAR in Dayton's museum...that's a pretty big ship, and a great piece of history.
We need such reminders from the past in order to keep us grounded in the present, lest we all become too haughty a society as we enter the future.
We need to be mindful of that, because the future is where ALL of us will spend the MOST time.
Tomorrow, I'll finish up the retrospect at 1952 with some "odds and ends" that were chronicled, so stay tuned.

Be well, make a difference to someone, and...
Stay SAFE out there, America.