Changes

“Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes.  Don’t resist them; that only creates sorrow.” Lao Tzu

In an email titled “Change Is Coming” bridge Newsletter editor Barbara Walczak (above) announced that she is ending her tenure after 1000 issues.  While she hopes someone will take over what seems like a herculean task, that seems unlikely. Admitting that she is “worn out,” Barbara wrote: “I have begun this labor of love 14 years ago, and I’ve come to a time when I wish to pursue interests other than concentrating so heavily on bridge.  There are so many other things to do in life.”  I responded: “Say it ain’t so!  We’re losing a vital historical source.  Let me know if you wish to deposit your photo files or other items to your collection in the Calumet Regional Archives.”

Completing Ralph Kiner’s “Baseball Forever,” I noticed the word DISCARDED on the front cover.  The culprit: Valpo Public Library, just 15 years after the book’s publication.  Kiner had harsh words for executive Branch Rickey, who broke the color line while with the Brooklyn Dodgers but did not add any African-American players to the Pirates roster during his unsuccessful five-year tenure in Pittsburgh.  After the 1952 season, during which the Pirates finished the cellar, he wanted to cut the slugger’s $90,000 salary 25% despite his having led the National League in home runs, saying, “We can finish last without you.” Rickey ended up trading Kiner to the Cubs.  Kiner admits that when a Mets broadcaster, he was known for malaprops, such as calling his press box sidekick Tim MacArthur rather than McCarver, catcher Gary Carter Gary Cooper, and sponsor American Cyanmid American Cyanide.  Oops!  He once claimed that “if Casey Stengel were alive today, he’d be spinning in his grave.”  

 Ralph Kiner and first wife, tennis star Nancy Chaffee

Thrice married, Kiner also dated actress Janet Leigh for three weeks until a jealous Tony Curtis returned from a movie set and reclaimed her.  Years later, Kiner ran into Jamie Lee Curtis, and without missing a beat she exclaimed, “Daddy!”  That night, Kiner did the math and realized that Jamie Lee was joking.  Kiner became friends with many Hollywood celebrities, including Bing Crosby and Bob Hope and like them, made his home in Rancho Mirage near Palm Springs, where my mother spent her final years.

 

On HBO Saturday I watched “The Horse Whisperer” (1998) starring irresistibly sexy Robert Redford, Kristin Scott Thomas as his love interest, and Scarlett Johansson (I was delighted to discover) as a 13-year-old who became traumatized after a riding accident that killed her best friend, caused her leg to be amputated, and severely injured her horse Pilgrim.  Later Toni and I braved the snow to dine with the Hagelbergs at Longhorn Steakhouse, finally exchanging Christmas presents after a month of being unable to find a mutually agreeable date.

Sunday I went to an Aquatorium fundraising event, the screening of “The Bridges of Toko-Ri” (1954), starring William Holden as Navy Lieutenant Harry Brubaker and classy Grace Kelly as wife Nancy.  One of the few movies dealing with the unpopular, inconclusive Korean War, it focused on a World War II bomber pilot unwillingly called back to active service despite having a wife and two daughters and a successful practice as an attorney.  For comic relief 5’2” Mickey Rooney plays a pugnacious helicopter pilot; for gravitas the veteran Frederic March was Rear Admiral George Tarrant.  In one hilarious scene the Brubakers visit a Japanese bath house, and uptight Nancy makes Harry get in the water before the kids can see him naked.  To their surprise a Japanese family arrive to use the adjacent pool; when they disrobe, Nancy shields the girls until they are in the water.  Soon the two families exchange pleasantries, with the children, unlike Nancy, unconcerned about skinny-dipping.

 Ted Williams; below, John Rudd senior yearbook picture

Beforehand, host Greg Reising explained that like the main character, many pilots, known as “dual draftees,” were called on to serve both in World War II and Korea. One of these was baseball great Ted Williams. I chatted with several familiar Millerites, including realtor Gene Ayers (who recently met with IUN student Casey King to discuss Frank-N-Stein Restaurant), Nelson Algren museum founders Sue Rutsen and George Rogge (about an April speaker's new book on photographer Art Shay), and John and Catherine Rudd, a couple I introduced myself to, who turned out to be 1976 Lew Wallace grads.  John was wearing a Wallace swim team jersey, and we discussed past Hornet basketball stars, such as Jerome Harmon, Tellis Frank, and Branden Dawson.  I told them that in 1976 IUN held its commencement ceremony in the Wallace gym.

 MJ and Kobe

In the car I learned the shocking news about basketball great Kobe Bryant, 41, dying in a helicopter crash, along with eight others, including his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, who had hoped one day to play in the WNBA and whom Kobe coached in a league he’d founded.  They were on their way to a game despite heavy fog.  A quarter century ago, Bryant had gone right into the pros from Lower Merion High School in the Philadelphia area and tried to emulate his hero Michael Jordan in the way he talked, dressed, practiced, and played through illness and injury. In a moving eulogy Jordan wrote: “I loved Kobe – he was like a little brother to me.” Some criticized the NBA for not cancelling games later that day, but players honored his memory in gestures of respect on the court and in public statements.

That evening the GRAMMY awards took place at the Staples Center, where Kobe played his entire 20-year NBA career; his jersey, number 24, stayed illuminated throughout the show.  Hostess Alicia Keys and Boys to Men sang a special tribute to Bryant’s memory.  The live performances were awesome and included a few old-timers, including Billy Ray Cyrus in a Lil Nas X number, Gwen Stefano in a duet with Blake Shelton, Tanya Tucker backed by Brandi Carlile, and Arrowsmith performing “Walk This Way” with Run-D.M.C. Lizzo, as always, was incandescent and obviously shaken by Kobe’s death.  Honoring the lifetime achievements of Chicagoan John Prine, Bonnie Raitt sang “Angel from Montgomery,” whose chorus goes like this:

Make me an angel that flies from Montgom'ry
Make me a poster of an old rodeo
Just give me one thing that I can hold on to
To believe in this living is just a hard way to go

While Vampire Weekend won a GRAMMY for best alternative album, my choice would have been Jeff Tweedy and Wilco’s latest, “Ode to Joy.” I particularly like “An Empty Corner,” which includes this verse:

Now that I’m not longed for

Wild life seems wrong

Won’t care, won’t stare

You’ve got family out there

“Everybody hides,” Tweedy sings in one of the album’s best songs, but the folky selections are surprisingly candid at times.

 Michael Griffin, George Van Til, Richard Hatcher, 2018

Assisted by Samantha Gauer, I interviewed former IUN student and Lake County surveyor George Van Til for a second time, in the Calumet Regional Archives. We covered his introduction to politics at age 23 in Highland town government and years of service as a precinct committeeman, learning lessons that facilitated his becoming county surveyor and proved useful on the way to winning 16 of the 17 times he ran for elected office.  The one loss came early in his career as a result of the last-minute entry of a spoiler candidate.  He later had the pleasure of handily defeating that person.  The 60 minutes flew by.  George considered it good preparation for his February book club appearance and motivation to resume working on an upcoming autobiography.

 

Timothy Vassar’s “Jeremiah Wasn’t Just a Bullfrog: A Story of Passion, Pursuit, Perseverance . . . and Polliwogs” contained a 1974 photo of him wearing a Mayor Hatcher Youth Foundation t-shirt with nine African-American AAU summer track and field teammates.  Vassar explained: “I was recruited out of Highland [after his sophomore year] to be part of this team and was honored to be part of an exceptional group of athletes.”  In the book he described being on the 880-yard relay team with athletes from Gary Roosevelt and West Side, track and field powerhouses coached by Willie Wilson and John Campbell:

    All of the team members were black.  Except one.  I felt like the middle layer of an Oreo cookie.  Practices were held at Gary Roosevelt in the “Midtown” section of Gary.  At that time, Gar had a reputation as a violent, crime-ridden city.  As I was warming up during the first practice, I carried my “spikes” with me.  One of my teammates, Jimmie Williams, began to jog with me and asked why I was carrying my spiked shoes.  I told him I didn’t want anyone to take them.  He told me that wasn’t a problem because “Track is sacred in Gary.” I dropped my spikes right then and never worried about them again. As the summer season progressed, our relay team of Michael Johnson, Lawrence Johnson, Robert Buckingham, and I qualified for the state championship.  As we were warming up for the event, I asked Michael, a 9.6 sprinter, what he needed from me.  He simply said, Just get me the baton.”  I did just that.  It was awesome to see Michael, Lawrence, and Robert finish out the race with a huge lead.  Lawrence went on to play football for the Cleveland Browns during the “Kardiac Kids” days.  All three of my teammates were far more talented than I was, and it was a blessing to be part of that relay team.

Jerry Davich wrote a Post-Tribune column on Brent Schroeder, 55, who during the 1980s and 1990s played with such heavy metal bands as Prisoner and Hap Hazzard. Schroeder grew up in Boone Grove idolizing KISS and AC/DC and in high school formed the band Panama Red, which learned such numbers as “Cocaine” and “Highway to Hell” and got banned from a local talent show. After working as a welder in Chicago and playing area bars, Brent took his band to Hollywood, “flirted with success” (Davich’s words), and came back to the Region to sober up and eventually form a new band Midwest Cartel.  After suffering a stroke in 2011, brent wrote a memoir titled “Heaven Became Hell.” He’s been shot by Los Angeles gang members and stabbed and hit with a broken bottle while flirting with a guy’s girlfriend. Commenting on his shaved head, Schroeder remarked: “I see guys with long hair like that, I say, ‘Hey dude, the ‘80s are over.’”  At present Schroeder is back in Boone Grove living with his 83-year-old father who, wrote Davich, “never quite understood his son’s lust for life as a brash young rock’n’roller.”

Ray Smock wrote:

  Taking notes as Trump attorneys create alternative narrative. Was amused by argument that Trump did not go to Warsaw, Poland to meet President Zelensky on Sept. 1 because he had to manage Hurricane Dorian. You will recall that Trump used a Sharpie to show the hurricane would hit Alabama and spent the next 4 days in a tweet fight with our own weather experts. He can sure manage a disaster!

Jonathyne Briggs invited me to his freshman seminar class on Chicago during the 1968 Democratic National Convention.  The reading assignment included excerpts from Norman Mailer’s “Miami and the Siege of Chicago.”  The students were soft-spoken and reticent about discussing an event that must have seemed to them like ancient history.  Briggs engaged them by relating what happened to things students were familiar with, such as recent protests over abortion and gun control, the death of Kobe Bryant, and contemporary TV programs. I mentioned that Gary was one of the few cities that avoided rioting following the assassination of Martin Luther King and that I cast my first vote in 1964 for Lyndon Johnson because he promised “no wider war.”  

Because students seemed unfamiliar with Mailer, I mentioned that beginning with a 1960 Esquire article on John Kennedy, “Superman Comes to the Supermarket,” the novelist began to concentrate on what became known as “New Journalism” that made no pretense of objectivity and that his account of the 1967 antiwar march on the Pentagon, “The Armies of the Night” was an instant classic.  I stifled a desire to read my favorite paragraph from “Armies” describing what he (and I, marching with fellow Marylanders Ray Smock, Pete Daniel, and Sam Merrill) witnessed on that memorable day:

    The trumpet sounded again. It was calling the troops. "Come here," it called from the steps of Lincoln Memorial over the two furlongs of the long reflecting pool, out to the swell of the hill at the base of Washington Monument, "come here, come here. come here. The rally is on!" And from the north and the east, from the direction of the White House and the Smithsonian and the Capitol, from Union Station and the Department of Justice the troops were coming in, the volunteers were answering the call. They came walking up in all sizes, a citizens' army not ranked yet by height, an army of both sexes in numbers almost equal, and of all ages, although most were young. Some were well-dressed, some were poor, many were conventional in appearance, as many were not. The hippies were there in great number, perambulating down the hill, many dressed like the legions of Sgt. Pepper's Band, some were gotten up like Arab sheiks, or in Park Avenue doormen's greatcoats, others like Rogers and Clark of the West, Wyatt Earp, Kit Carson, Daniel Boone in buckskin, some had grown moustaches to look like Have Gun, Will Travel-Paladin's surrogate was here!-and wild Indians with feathers, a hippie gotten up like Batman, another like Claude Rains in The Invisible Man-his face wrapped in a turban of bandages and he wore a black satin top hat. A host of these troops wore capes, beat-up khaki capes, slept on, used as blankets, towels, improvised duffel bags; or fine capes, orange linings, or luminous rose linings, the edges ragged, near a tatter, the threads ready to feather, but a musketeer's hat on their head. One hippie may have been dressed like Charlie Chaplin; Buster Keaton and W. C. Fields could have come to the ball; there were Martians and Moon-men and a knight unhorsed who stalked about in the weight of real armor. There were to be seen a hundred soldiers in Confederate gray, and maybe there were two or three hundred hippies in officer's coats of Union dark-blue. They had picked up their costumes where they could, in sur- plus stores, and Blow-your-mind shops, Digger free emporiums, and psychedelic caches of Hindu junk. There were soldiers in Foreign Legion uniforms, and tropical bush jackets, San Quentin and Chino, California striped shirt and pants, British copies of Eisenhower jackets, hippies dressed like Turkish shepherds and Roman senators, gurus, and samurai in dirty smocks. They were close to being assembled from all the intersections between history and the comic books, between legend and television, the Biblical archetypes and the movies. The sight of these troops, this army with a thousand costumes, fulfilled to the hilt our General's oldest idea of war which is that every man should dress as he pleases if he is going into battle, for that is his right, and variety never hurts the zest of the hardiest workers in every battalion. 

On the Basis of Sex

 “I ask no favor for my sex, all I ask of our brethren is that they take their feet off our necks.” Ruth Bader Ginsburg, quoting Sarah Grimké during her first oral argument before the Supreme Court

 Sarah Grimké  

Sarah Grimké (1792-1873) and sister Angelina were prominent abolitionists and feminists.  Born into a prominent South Carolina family, Sarah sympathized with slaves she grew up with and resented that her own education was inferior to her brother’s due to social norms of the day.  She moved to Philadelphia, became a Quaker, and lectured about two issues dear to her, the immorality of slavery and discrimination against women. She once wrote: “I know nothing of man’s rights, or woman’s rights; human rights are all that I recognize.”

 Ruth Bader Ginsburg portrait

 “On the Basis of Sex” follows the early career of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, one of just nine women in her 1956 Harvard Law School class. At the time, the building lacked a woman’s bathroom. Despite her academic credentials, no New York City law firm would hire her as an associate, so she began teaching at Rutgers and then Columbia Law School.  The film highlights a case Ginsburg successfully argued with her husband, a tax attorney, before the Tenth Circuit of Appeals of a man denied a tax deduction for hiring a nurse to care for his mother so he could continue working.  She wrote the brief in the 1971 Reed v. Reedcase in which the Supreme Court extended the Equal Protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to women.  In 1972 she became general counsel for the ACLU Women’s Rights Project.  Felicity Jones played Ginsburg as iron-willed, extremely intelligent, and compassionate. I loved Sam Waterston as unctuous Harvard Law School dean Erwin Griswold and Kathy Bates as veteran civil liberties activist Dorothy Kenyon.

A graduate of New York University Law School, Dorothy Kenyon (1888-1972) was an important feminist and New Deal liberal who worked with the ACLU, NAACP, and agencies offering legal services for the poor in New York City.  When Red-baiting Senator Joseph McCarthy falsely accused her of being connected to subversive organizations, Kenyon (above) called him a liar and a coward hiding behind Congressional immunity.

In “I’m Not Taking This Sitting Down” (2000) humorist Dave Barry described donning the lizard costume of the Miami Fusion soccer team mascot P.K. (for penalty kick) and learning to his chagrin the fine line between being an object of affection and ridicule. He discovered that children “love to run directly into mascots at full speed and tend to hit you” right where one would be well-advised to “wear a cup.”  Barry was at a gala where Mick Jagger made an appearance, looking “like Yoda wearing a Mick Jagger wig” and probably the only one in the room his senior.  In high school Barry’s band attempted to play Rolling Stones songs, such as “(Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” and “Under My Thumb” but could never get the chords right.  Barry wrote:

    He seemed like a pleasant enough person, as near as I could tell from watching a crowd of avant guard people trying to get as close to him as possible while pretending not to.  I considered trying to push my way in there and start up a conversation with Mick, maybe try to find out the correct chords to “Under My Thumb.”

Former student Fred McColly stopped by on the way to the Archives to drop off two new journals about working at South Lake Mall on Macy’s department store’s loading dock.  He enjoys his co-workers but fears that Amazon and other direct mail giants will soon render stores like Macy’s obsolete.  Cosmetics appears to be Macy’s most important big-profit item. For Sears, mail order pioneers who lost their way, in its last days as a department store the main sellers had been paint and kitchen appliances until new competitors undercut them.

To celebrate bridge player Joe Chin becoming an Emerald Life Master, having accumulated 7500 master points, over 70 people gathered in Gary to honor him, including nonagenarian Jennie Alsobrooks, who, in Chin’s words, “started a lunch-hour foursome at Gary West Side High and taught me bridge basics.”  Barbara Walczak, who planned the event, presented him with a 50-page illustrated book citing some of his accomplishments and tributes from former partners and opponents.  Walczak’s Newsletter reported on the death of Claire Murvihill, noting that at Claire’s request the last hour of her funeral celebration was devoted to bridge; seven full tables participated. Back playing after a two-week hiatus,  Dee Browne and I finished third out of ten couples with 58%.

Terry Brendel, in charge of the Valpo game with Charlie Halberstadt in Arizona, complimented my letter to the NWI Times complaining about Gary and its political leadership.  The editor had left out some of my supporting material, but Terry reminded me of the policy limiting letters to 250 words or less.  I did like the headline: “Positive solutions needed to Gary’s problems.”  It fit with my final sentence: “What is needed in the face of Gary’s present travail is regional cooperation and positive solutions, not ugly stereotyping by those who, in my opinion, long ago ceased wishing the city well.”

In the Banta center library was “Baseball Forever” by Ralph Kiner, my first sports hero growing up in Easton, PA.  Kiner’s father, Ralph, Sr.,  had been a steam-shovel operator in the New Mexico copper-mining town of Santa Rita who died when Ralph was just four.  Mother Beatrice moved the family to Alhambra, CA, worked as an insurance company nurse for $125 a month, and, in Kiner’s words, kept a clean house and close eye on her son, sending him to military school for a semester when he lied about his after-school activities.  Kiner played for Pittsburgh, my dad’s hometown, and led the National league in home runs a record six years in a row, twice hitting over 50.  He briefly played for the Cubs and Cleveland Indians before a bad back ended his playing career.  Chicago oldtimers fondly recall Kiner in rightfield, slow-footed HR hitter Hank Sauer in left, and Frank Baumholtz in center, expected to cover most of the outfield. Beginning in 1961, Kiner became a New York Mets announcer until his death in 2014.  

At bowling, after overhearing Jim Daubenhower and I discussing Gary, George Yetsko mentioned that he was a 1951 Lew Wallace grad (he recalled French teacher Mary Cheever’s murder, which led to women protesting crime and corruption tolerated by the Democratic machine).  Wife Marge was a Horace Mann grad.  Her grandfather, a dentist, lived in a large house with a spiral staircase that was later torn down to make way for RailCats Stadium. 

 Tim Vassar

Daubenhower brought me Timothy Vassar’s autobiography “Jeremiah Wasn’t Just a Bullfrog: A Story of Passion, Pursuit, Perseverance . . . and Polliwogs.”  Vassar, a Butler University grad, taught special education, coached track and field at Lake Central High School, and is presently Director of Student Teaching at IUN. A Highland native, Vassar attended Mildred Merkley Elementary School, a name Region humorist Jean Shepherd (whose style Vassar’s resembles) would have appreciated.  Tim father worked at the mill plus two weekend jobs to provide for his family of six.  Vassar wrote: “My Dad used to say that Northwest Indiana was one of the only places on earth where you could run your furnace and central air on the same day.  Since we didn’t have central or any other type of air conditioner, I had to take his word for it.”  

Tim Vassar played centerfield on a Highland team coached by Andy Domsic that competed in the 1970 Little League World Series in Williamsport, PA after winning state and regional tournaments.  In Williamsport Vassar noticed Taiwanese players eating with chop sticks and met Pirate great Pie Traynor and 1968 Olympic medalist Chi Chang, the first woman to run 100 yards in ten seconds flat.  Tim’s moment of glory came when he fielded a line drive on two hops and threw out a runner jogging from first to second. After defeating a German team consisting mainly of sons of American servicemen, Highland lost in the semi-finals to eventual champ New Jersey.  The town of Highland threw a parade for the returning heroes, and players rode in convertibles.  The following year, 1971, a team from Gary, led by Lloyd McClendon, reached the Little League finals, losing to Taiwan in the longest game, nine innings, in tournament history. After McClendon homered in five consecutive at-bats, opposing coaches intentionally walked him every time he came to the plate.

Princeton professor Imani Perry was the featured speaker at VU’s Martin Luther King Day celebration.  Born in Birmingham, Alabama in 1972, she is the author of six books, including “Looking for Lorraine: The Radiant and Radical Life of Lorraine Hansberry” and one on the history of the Negro National Anthem, “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” Perry’s keynote speech lamented the “Disneyification of Dr. Martin Luther King” and urged students, my grandson James, a VU freshman among them, to overcome the rancid present political climate. NWI Times correspondent Doug Ross quoted her as saying, “Hope is not an organic feel for me at this moment.  I don’t just feel it, I create it, and we all have to do that.”

Jim Spicer’s latest senior citizen joke:

  An elderly man in Louisiana had owned a large farm for several years. He had a large pond in the back. It was properly shaped for swimming, so he fixed it up nice with picnic tables, horseshoe courts, and some apple and peach trees.
    One evening the old farmer decided to go down to the pond and look it over, as he hadn't been there for a while. He grabbed a five-gallon bucket to bring back some fruit. As he neared the pond, he heard voices shouting and laughing with glee. As he came closer, he saw it was a bunch of young women skinny-dipping in his pond. He made the women aware of his presence and they all went to the deep end. One of the women shouted to him, “We're not coming out until you leave!” The old man frowned, and proving that some seniors still think fast he said, “I didn't come down here to watch you ladies swim or make you get out of the pond naked. I'm here to feed the alligator.”

Future Teachers

“The mediocre teacher tells.  The good teacher explains.  The superior teacher demonstrates.  The great teacher inspires.” William Arthur Ward

 Arielle Keller 

Airella Keller started her journal by announcing that most people called her Air, that she turned 25 in January, and that she is adopted and an only child, although the family has three dogs and a snake.  She graduated from Hammond High and has worked for Strack and Van Til for almost three years.  Here are some journal excerpts:. 

    January 10:My boyfriend of two years celebrated my birthday early because he has to work tomorrow. At his place he gave me two eye shadow sets from Too Faced, Chocolate Gold and Just Peachy Mattes.  The one smells like chocolate and the other like peaches and figs. We ate at Chilis and saw “Pitch Perfect 3,”  a good end for the series.

    January 26:While at work fixing the beer and wine shelf, I knocked a wine bottle over that went crashing to the ground.  A little later a second wine bottle slipped from my hand onto the floor.  It made me so stressed and angry, I went on break. 

    February 2:  In high school I was in Anime Club.  My mom forced me to go to the senior prom instead of an anime con (convention) I had my heart set on that was happening at the same time. I had got dumped that year by my first boyfriend of four years, which really sucked. After some time, I ended up dating this junior for like two or three months and went to prom with him.  It was held at one of the Brookfield Zoo pavilions. Supposedly peacocks walked around the area, but I did not see any since it was kind of cold that year. It was not a happy time because my date was acting like a creep.  He also smelled me a lot, which I told him more than once stop, but he kept doing it. When in the bathroom to get away from him, I walked in on a couple screwing in the handicap stall, which surprised me but gave me a laugh.  I broke up with my date a day later, which led to a three-minute voice mail of him crying and begging me to take him back.  A couple weeks later, he showed up at my house with Mountain Dew and panda snacks, hoping I’d go with him to a football game. I accepted the snacks but didn’t go with him, a bitch move, I’ll admit, but if you’re going to be creepy toward me, I’m not going to feel bad about anything I do to you.

Air with stuffed hippo and in blonde wig at anime-con

          February 3:I still watch anime and attend anime cons when I have the time and money.  Over the years I have gone to at least 15, mostly in the Chicago area but as far away as Ohio and Georgia.  There are panels, photo areas, viewing stations, and at least two or three parties, such as a soap bubble, a rave, and a masquerade ball, often with live music from Japanese or Korean musicians.  Artist alley is the place to buy pictures, key chains, bookmarkers, posters, hats, pillows, toys, stickers, pins, comic books, jewelry, and handmade items. At nearby hotels are get-togethers and purportedly sex parties that have secret codes that you need to hunt for at the con.  At the market place one can buy wigs, anime, hentai (anime porn), cute toys, anime figures, posters, J-Pop, J-Rock, K-Pop, K-Rock (Japanese and Korean music), fur suits and parts, cosplay costumes, yaoi, manga (boys love manga), clothes (like shirts, hats, sweaters, blankets), kigurumi (which are onesies), fancy swords, and anything else you could think of, including videogames, which tend to be dating simulation games in Japanese, so I am not into them that much.  I own just one, a Death Note game, but really don’t know what it is about since it’s all in Japanese. I am into yaoi. I have a large collection of the mangas and own one yaoi DVD. Yaoi comes in three kinds of manga; soft core wIth light make outs; median core, a bit heavier in the make out session and touching; and hard core, which shows everything.  I used to have a larger collection of yaoi manga then I do now. I also have some yaois in Japanese.  I am into Japanese rock groups like Gackt, Dir En Grey, the GazettE, Girugamesh, and Miyavi.  I went to anwesome Dir En Grey concert with friends at Chicago’s House of Blues when still in high school. I even got a CD signed by the whole band. I like fur suits, but I don’t have the money for a set because they cost a pretty penny. I do have a black and blue rave wolf vest that has ears on the hood and a tail. I usually go crazy purchasing items.  I like getting in big group photos of cosplayers (short for costume players representing certain characters).  I also did small cosplays like gir from Invader Zim, Gloomy Bear who eats children, and L From Death Note. I go to the raves if not too sore from all the walking. Anime viewing rooms are also fun. I pretty much do a bit of everything if I have the time.

above, Batman cosplayers; below, Payn and Creeper

    February 16:For our anniversary my boyfriend and I So, we went to David and Busters for dinner and games. I got a blue narwhal plushie from the tickets I won. Then we saw “Black Panther,” which was cool. Back at my place, my boyfriend said some sweet things and then pulled out a ring and proposed.  I said yes!.

   March 12:It’s spring break  and I didn't do much beside laze around the house, watching TV in bed and stuff on the internet. Lunch was chicken-flavored Raman with soy sauce. Dinner was strawberry-flavored mini-wheat cereal. 

  March 13:I got up before 6, made coffee and got ready for work, which I started at 8 and  lasted till 1, stocking in different areas of the store. Then I drove myself home and let the dogs out. After lunch I watched some TV with my mom - that's how we bond. We made chicken and pasta for dinner and I went to sleep around midnight.

   March 14:I spent much of the day playing Monster Hunter World.

    March 15:  I took a 34-minute shower and got to work at 7:54 for another five hours of stocking. I went on break at 9:23 and bought myself a hot pocket and green tea. I relaxed in the afternoon and hung with a friend that night in Chicago.  I had Long Island ice tea, a bit of a strawberry daiquiri, a bit of a fruity drink, a bit of a mojito, and two shots of tequila. Also, pizza. 

  March 16:I woke up with no apparent hangover and worked another five-hour shift. Stocking things onto a high shelf while standing on crates, I fell and landed on my right hand, which buckled, causing my elbow to hit the concrete.  It hurt like a son of a bitch. I ended up filling out a work injury form and talking to a nurse, who gave me an icy hot pack for my arm.  Rather than go to a hospital, like I should have, I took pain pills and kept an ice arm pack on the rest of that day. 

    March 17:  Despite my arm still hurting, I went to work. Pain pills helped me get through the day.

    March 18:My mom noticed that my elbow was a different color due to my spill. I hadn’t noticed it before.  I cracked up looking in the mirror, but  my mom wondered why I hadn’t  gone to the hospital. She made a belated St. Patty's Day meal that was very tasty, but, god, did the cabbage smell up the house.

A 24-year-old Education major who asked to go by the name of Janee’ Desire moved from Gary to Merrillville at age 13 and then to Gary’s Miller neighborhood after high school. Here are excerpts from her journal:

 March 15, 2018:Spring break is not working in my favor. Yesterday, my room flooded after a pipe burst, destroying books, school work, and clothes.  We rushed to Menards for a plastic vacuum and sucked up as much water as we could, although by the time we got home, the hallway and living room were flooded.  An insurance adjustor discovered a hole in the pipe probably caused by a gopher. Most everyone's backyard on my block has holes due to those pests.  Fortunately, the pipe will be fixed tomorrow, but meanwhile we must shut our water off.  How do 2 women and a 5-year-old survive without any water (I live with my mom, older sister, and nephew)? Well, I guess we will make do.

   March 16:The pipe hasn’t been fixed, but we have water. 

   March 17:It took nine hours, but workers fixed the pipe.According to the insurance company, it's up to us to soak the water up. I've literally been using this plastic vac for hours and the carpet still seems saturated. I cannot live like this.  Damn, spring break is almost over, and I didn’t even get a chance to enjoy it. Or catch up on assignments.  

   March 18:This the last day I can sleep in. 

   March 19:I worked all day on school assignments. I hate being such a procrastinator, but at least I finally get it done.  I make plans to get them out the way early, but time just flows by.  

   March 20:I want to be a teacher but do not know how I'm going to wake up every morning. This semester my schedule starts at 8 am and ends at 6:45 pm.  The only thing I'm looking forward to today is my counseling session.  At IUN we have access to future therapists and counselors.  My counselor since January, a graduate student, has helped me deal with issues that I face as a young black woman. Early this semester, for example, someone singled me out for being the only black person in the room.  With the help of my counselor, I was able to speak with this person privately and let known my honest feelings, which is that I am not the spokesperson for African Americans. I'm unsure if the message got through.  

   March 21: My 10-week art education course ended. The binder that contained my assignments got a grade of B. I had perfect attendance in this class, so NO WORRIES! 

   March 22:At Longfellow Elementary I observed first-grade teacher Ms. Jensen, who has great classroom management skills. For math, she has students work on tablets and with flashcards, and she goes over different math concepts with small groups at a work station. For reading, Ms. Jensen divided students into three groups based on reading levels,but downplayed how they were arranged. 

   March 23:Today is online class day.  I'm barely able to comprehend the information because we have so little contact with our instructor. 

   March 24:My mom works at St. Margaret's Hospital. Although she isn't a doctor, our family tends to think so and often come to her before seeing an actual doctor. My grandparents are in their 80s and schedule appointments at St. Margaret's, so she can be there to translate “doctor language.” My sister and I have been through so much, including our parents’ divorce. She is like my righthand. The difference we have is her hate/like of education and her temper.  Other than that, we are two different people but like one of the same.  Her son is the light of all our lives. I call him my spiritual child because he is much like me (picky eater, youngest, spoiled.) but looks like his parents. He basically runs the house. That is why went to Walmart today, because it is his favorite store plus they have all the super wings toys he could find.  

   March 25: Every Sunday the family gathers at my grandmother's house for dinner. This is like a ritual. We never go a week without seeing my grandparents. My grandfather built this house on Gary’s west side near the Tarrytown subdivision long before my mother was born.  My grandparents were originally from Missouri and Mississippi and met in Gary after they moved North for better opportunities. Locke Elementary was right up the street, and my grandfather used to take me to school and pick me up.  He continued to do that at Tolleston and West Side until my junior when I enrolled in the Gary Area Career.  He has even driven me to IUN a few times. My evening highlight will be “Real Housewives of Atlanta. ”   

Charlemagne Tha God

   March 27: My morning ritual includes watching “Breakfast Club” with Dj envy, Angela Yee, and Charlamagne Tha God. I honestly do not know how I could function in this society as a young African American without the gems and jokes they give out. They have great interviews with such artists as Young Jeezy, Gucci Mane, N.O.R.E, and Cardi B. The best part of the show is when Charlamagne gives his “Donkey of the Day” award for people who made dumb decisions.  Donald Trump (not my President) has received the DOD at least 8 times already this year. Class was too long today, or maybe I just was ready to go. I think I have the flu. Longfellow’s principal mentioned that a flu and stomach virus is going around. I think I'll  leave my counseling session early. 

   March 28: Thank god for  medication! As a child, I was diagnosed with chronic bronchitis, so any small cold could turn into the flu. Mucus builds up in the lungs and nasal cavities, which makes it hard to breathe at night, and I have trouble with catching my breath when I'm up walking around. My doctor gave me a prescription that will control my coughing and put me to sleep like a baby. Time for a nap.  

   March 29:My first-grade students are on spring break, so no field experience today. With the flu, I’ll just rest and catch up on shows.  I am currently addicted to the “Joe Budden Podcast.” He is a former rap legend who hates the industry and gives his take on media and celebrities   His predictions usually turn out to be true. He is a “Breakfast Club” fan and friends with Charlemagne Tha God. Each podcast is 2 hours, and the episode I am watching is called "Freaky Man lmao” (Imao stands for arrogant opinion). 

   March 30: Time to catch up in my online assignments.   IWith an early start, hopefully I can watch my Friday shows “Bring It” and “Marriage Boot Camp” and maybe catch up on “Drink Champs” with N.O.R.E (formerly Noreaga ) and Dj EFN as well. They interview rap legends such as Snoop Dogg, Irv Gotti, Wu tang Clan, and Ice Cube. This show is by far the most watched show on YouTube right now. 

   April 1:Before Sunday dinner, my sister and I ran an errand to but lottery tickets for my Grandmother at gas stations on Colfax and by Lake Etta. These are the only places she’ll get her "numbers” for as long as I can remember and seems to have good luck. Playing lottery and gambling are on the agenda when we have family reunions. Hmmm, I wonder what momma is cooking today.   

    April 2:I plan to stop at JERK2GO on Twenty-Fifth, by far the best place to order anything jerked for a decent price.  Or I might go to El Nortenoon Fifth Avenue, which has the best tacos. With that being said, I  may be greedy and go by both places today just to make sure I have enoughwhile watching“ Love and Hip Hop” and “Vanderpump Rules.” 

     April 3:What a day. For starters, one teacher forgot to tell us a discussion board was closing, so none of us did the assignment. Another teacher had us reschedule most of our due dates, so we are now even more behind than ever before. At least history is well organized; we are given the information needed to study for quizzes.  I had no idea I would enjoy this class so much. 

   April 4:My favorite Wednesday show is “Law and Order: Special Victims Unit.” I've literally seen every episode and still am excited about what going to happen next. This episode involved an assault victim who blamed an African-American man when one of her acquaintances had committed the crime.

   April 5:Today for field, I focused on the classroom discipline aspects of Ms. Jensen's first grade classroom.  The three rules, displayed on a poster, are to “Be Respectful, Be Responsible and Be Safe.” The teacher came up with these after getting suggestions from students and had them sign the poster.   

   April 6:Chili's, Buffalo Wild Wings, and Rico's Pizza are the best places to get hot wings. Chili's and BWW are all over, but Rico’s is harder to find.  Fortunately there is one on West Twenty-Fifth, near the THIS IS IT station where my grandmother gets her lottery tickets. Since I must do online work, I’ll go to Rico’s later since they are open until 1 am.  

    April 7:Life coach Lyanla Vanzant currently had a show on OWN (Oprah's channel) called “Fix my Life.”  My interest increases when she assists people with father issues. I haven't had a father since I was about 13. I know how important it is to have a father in your life, but in my case, it’s best for my sanity that I keep this door closed. Still there is an emptiness. My therapist told me that women generally choose to marry either someone like their father or someone she thinks her father should be.

   April 11:“Law and Order: SVU” is not on today so I'll watch “Black Ink” on VH1, about a tattoo owner and his employees. Drama, drama and more drama is what this show is about, and I'm addicted. 

   April 12:In my field today, students introduced these little caterpillars to me and let me know they are raising butterflies. I think this is great idea for students, but I don’t do insects and kept my distance. The students also informed me about a field trip to the dairy farm.  I went to one as a child, but I doubt it’s the same experience today. Maybe I should talk to Ms. Jensen about it.   

   April 13:I decided to play Fortnite, a team online game that involves shooting, which was all the description I needed. OMG, this game is just as addictive as a reality show. The only problem is that you interact with different people of all ages.  I heard students talking about it one day. I was supposed to catch up on work, but six hours later I still want to play. No matter how old I get, video games will always be a secret love of mind. 

   April 14:Today we are shopping for clothes for our May trip to Missouri to watch my little cousin graduate. Boy, time flies. I can remember when his mother came to visit. He was the first baby I ever held. I'm so happy for him. He has a great head on his shoulders, and I really hope he plans to attend college.  

   April 15:My grandmother made roast and potatoes, fried/bake chicken, and, of course, greens. Collard greens are a guaranteed side to each Sunday meal.  My grandfather has two gardens where he grows greens, peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, and have grown pretty much everything he can. He has two tractors.  He claims one is for me and one for my sister, but we haven’t driven them yet. In the summer my grandfather drives them around the neighborhood and to and from his garden. 

    April 17:I had my last counseling session, and I am so sad that it’s over. I noticed an improvement in my behavior and self-esteem. I also like how everything is confidential, well, unless you say you're going to kill someone. 

The Indiana Historical Society (IHS) is touting a talk in August by IHS coordinator of multicultural collections Nicole Martinez-LeGrand titled “Our Latino Heritage.” It is geared toward those anxious to explore ways to find out about their ancestors.  I suggested she access the Calumet Regional Archives website for information about our Latino holdings and mentioned that Steel Shavings,volume 40, contained a master index covering all previous issues. She was familiar with the Shavingsissues on Latinos Louis Vasquez as well as “Forging a Community: The Latino Experience in Northwest Indiana, 1919-1975” and other books of mine on the subject, saying, “You are held in high esteem here at the Indiana Historical Society.”  I’m flattered and tempted to attend her talk and distribute free copies of my latest Shavings to participants. I’m considering submitting a paper for the 2020 IOHA conference in Singapore on interviews I’ve conducted with Mexican-Americans Jesse Villalpando, Abe Morales, Maria Arredondo, Paulino Monterrubio, and others.  Nicole Martinez-LeGrand grew up in Northwest Indiana and her grandfather was a prominent merchant in the Indiana Harbor barrio. She’s conducting interviews concentrating on old -country roots. 

Ruthellyn Hatcher (above) and Elaine McGregsry

Barbara Walczak’s bridge Newsletterwelcomed Wednesday game newcomers Elaine McGregory and Ruthellyn Hatcher.  Elaine worked for 20 years for the Chicago Transit Authority as a Senior Claims Adjustor. This what Walczak wrote about Ruthellyn:

Ruth was born in Booneville, MO, but since 1967 has lived in Gary and that is the time she began learning to play bridge.  She is currently teaching music at Banneker Elementary School. She has 3 daughters – all lawyers – and 5 grandchildren,  She has been married for 41 years to Richard Hatcher (first black mayor of Gary).  Her hobbies are bridge, golf and traveling.

In the Chesterton game John and Karen Fieldhouse finished first with 60 percent.  Oddly, their worst hand came against Dee and me when Karen bid 4 Hearts over my 3 Spades and went down 5 doubled vulnerable for minus 1400 points due, among other things to a 5-0 split in Heart. When Helen Booth and Joel Charpentier were playing the same hands as Dee and me, they were doubled a 3 Spades and made an overtrick for 930 points.  Imagine their surprise when they discovered they lost out high board to us.

 Brenda Ann Love

Brenda Ann Love’s latest South Shore lament: “It’s ‘Let your kid scream and run around on the train’ day. Oh, and if your kid shits himself, maybe take him to the bathroom.”

I’ve got the 2011 War on Drugs CD “Slave Ambient” on heavy rotation with Flaming Lips. Jimmy Eat World, Fountains of Wayne, and The Head and the Heart.  The sound of “Slave Ambient” is much like the group’s more recent efforts.  It was produced by the independent record label Secretly Canadian from, of all places, Bloomington, Indiana.  In 2011 Adan Granduciel and band members were living in Philadelphia.  Here is a verse from “Come to the City:

Burning tires on my street
Past the roar and debris, baby
All the kids dance around it
But he lacks what he sees

At an emeritus faculty luncheon, 86-year-old John Ban asked if I’d consider giving a talk to Merrillville seniors.  I suggested  I asked IUN Chancellor Bill Lowe about the possibility of having a plaque honoring Ruth Nelson’s 70 years of service to the university, an idea passed on to me by library staff member Anne Koehler that Bill said he would look into.  In 1934, after graduating from Horace Mann, Ruth became secretary to Albert Fertsch, director of Gary College and the school-city’s adult education program.  Promoted to administrative assistant when Gary College became part of IU, she was in charge of scheduling, purchasing, payroll, and veterans affairs prior to becoming bookstore manager.  After she retired, she did volunteer work in the library for many years. 

The Cubs won an exciting game against the Diamondbacks, 7-6, scoring three runs in the bottom of the ninth on home runs by Dave Bote and Anthony Rizzo.  They also traded  for Cole Hamels, who pitched for the Phillies when they won the World Series in 2008.  He won 14 games during the season and went 4-0 in the playoffs.  His last game with Philadelphia in 2014, he hurled a no-hitter against the Cubs.