St. Patrick's Day

“Nobody told me there’d be days like this
Strange days indeed.”
John Lennon

On The Drive’s “Ten at Ten” Wednesday I heard John Lennon’s “most peculiar Mama” song that Yoko had released in 1984 as part of the album “Milk and Honey.” Next was Don Henley’s “Down at the Sunset Grill” and songs by the Cars and Van Halen. A recent RS with Snooki on the cover has an excerpt from Sammy Hagar’s new book characterizing guitarist Eddie Van Halen as a complete slob and fruitcake.

In response to my remarks about Simone de Beauvoir and Nelson Algren Karren wrote: “What a passionate love affair that burned hotter in Simone than Nelson evidently.” Mentioning that Algren died alone, virtually a recluse, I wrote back: “Simone’s letters indicate that he feared the straight-laced, well-behaved “Herbert Hoover” side of him would strangle the angry, rebellious side vital, he believed, to his literary growth – kind of like Norman Mailer worrying about reverting to the nice Jewish boy his parents raised him to be.”

Paul Wyche sent me his article on reaction to the nuclear disaster in Japan, entitled “Crisis reawakens anti-nuclear resolve.” Quoting me labeling NIPSCO’s attempt to build a nuclear power plant on the shores of Lake Michigan “stupid,” he ended the article thusly: “Lane said Japan’s nuclear chaos ‘gives everybody reason for pause and exposes the folly of (blindly) trusting utility companies’”

Chicken sandwich for lunch and yogurt for supper, knowing I’ll be having popcorn and draft beer at Cressmoor Lanes. On Facebook Darcey Wade wrote: “Just want to say I am so proud of my kid! I only joined FB to play scrabble, and don't have a ton of "friends". But the only person to publish sympathy and empathy on my page for the people of Japan was my kid Brady Wade. I'll never be voted mother of the year - but so damn proud we raised someone with love and empathy.”

I rolled a 226 on the way to a 543 series as the Engineers won two of three games (the final one by four pins). Next to us a guy bowled a 279, one seven-pin (in the tenth) shy of a perfect game. He wasn’t too excited, he explained, because he’d previously had 35 of them.

Poi Dog Pondering, the Chicago band originally from Hawaii (why anyone would leave the islands for the Windy City is beyond me), has a cover version of “Win” on their new EP “Audio Love letter,” where they honor some of their favorite people and songs, such as “Uncertain Smile” by The The. I’ve never been a huge Bowie fan but respect his versatility.

In my “Ides of March 2003” issue Lisa McNeiley wrote about attending Chicago’s St. Patrick’s Day parade wearing a leprechaun hat, shanrock-shaped sunglasses, and strands of green beads. In my “2000” issue Shannon Koeppen noted that because the holiday fell on a Friday during Lent, Some parishes did not hold their traditional corn beef and cabbage diinners while others did. Bishops in Chicago and Indy granted dispensations, but Gary’s Bishop Dale Melczek refused to do so but some parish priests did.

John Davies praised my TRACES article on Vivian Carter and said he’d share it with the store manager at the Visitors Center. I told him that “Maria’s Journey” is getting great reviews and rather than nominate just Maria Arredondo for the Wall of Legends, as I did last year, I’m thinking of nominating Mexican-American Women Pioneers (“Harbor Lights,” as they have been called) that could include Maria, Sheriff Dominguez’s mother, and others.