The trouble with Missouri

We had a snow and ice storm last night, unlike other states Missouri does not send out snow plows or put down deicer so every street and road is near deadly in trying to walk.  This is true unless you can afford a cab.  Public transit and walking are downright dangerous.

Yet this is where I am meant to be,

The colness of Winter

One does not realize how cold it can be, until they have to commute by walking part of the way to a destination or the whole way.

It is probably no warmer than 32 degrees today and it feels like 20.  

For me, I am fortunate.  I have a place to go to during the day and stay at night.  But here in Missouri some of the emergency shelters will not open unless it is bellow 40 degrees.

You never realize how cold 40 can be, until you walk in that temperature.

My perception of being homeless has changed 100% since I ended up in the shelter I am in.  Homeless people dress nicely, because we still are looking for work, looking for hope at turning around our lives.

It is a hard life and one that most do not choose, we end up here because we have been in mental centers and discharged, with what meds we have and the clothes we had on.

Or we run out of money and can not pay rent and end up at a shelter.

The one thing that really comes home to those who live in a shelter is how the people there are looking out for each other.  Are there some who take advantage?  Yes but this is true no matter the circumstances.

I will never be the person I was before this experience.  If anything I have become more a spiritual person and one who sees their calling to helping others.

I am walking in my brothers shoes and it is opening my eyes and my heart.

Think before you decide to pass judgement on someone on the street, they could be your son or daughter, father or mother... or you.

Where did our society go so wrong???

I sit here at a computer in the Springfield Public Library and am wondering where our society went so wrong?

I ask this because values today seem completely abandoned. people we could trust are now suspect and we struggle to do what is right when everyone, or nearly everyone who is successful is a crook in some regard.

When did mothers and Sisters become Sex Objects?  I do not know and I remember growing up that, one would never think of a friends mom in a sexual way, it just wasn't done.

But now we have teachers who become sexually involved with students, priests who violate their celibacy with children.  The list goes on.

We need to stop sexualizing everyone and everything.  Sex is a special sharing between two people who love each other deeply, not just something that people do to feel good.

Maybe it is my age, but I feel that this trend has gone way too far and needs to STOP and STOP NOW.

I am not a God and I am not a religious leader, just a Man who is tired and sad at the world we live in and would like to see common decency come back into fashion.

Boldly Going... In a new direction

It has been a lifetime since I last posted here, and I mean that literally.

For those of you who do not follow me on Facebook you are unaware that I spent a month in inpatient therapy and am now living in Springfield Missouri in a mens shelter.

This has all been life changing for me.  To live for a month in such a controlled environment is different and now I am living in an environment where I have to find work, not just dilly dally.  

Public transit is available and affordable.

I have no idea where I will end up, but I will keep you all posted as I move forward.

We had a Job to do a review

Recently I read a book on World War Two, this is nothing unusual for me since I have had a fascination with this period of history since I was six years old,

I have read many books, from biographies to books that covered events and battles of the war.  

So I  was looking forward to reading We Had A Job To Do,  Especially because the description on the cover states that this is a basic history of world war two as seen through the eyes of those who served,

When I  read that this would be through the eyes of those who served, I was excited, I expected a lot of first-hand eyewitness  accounts from the men who fought the war.

Instead I got a lot of  cut and paste quotes from the brass in most cases, a lot of history of those who went to war, what they had done before going to war and very brief and descriptions of the battles themselves.

There are errors in dates such as the Potsdam conference pre-D-Day when this conference was in 1945.  The book is written in broken segments and is extremely dry.

There is nothing that makes this a must-read book, if anything it is bland and boring,  Save your money this is not the book that you are looking for on World War Two.

***

Mondays's Music Moves Me Some of the best of Broadway 1976

Since the 1970's I have been a huge fan of Hal Linden, not just as the actor who played Barney Miller for 7 seasons, but for his talent as a singer as well.

I remember seeing him on Merve Griffin, and The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, to name a few, where he would sing as well as use his comedic wit.

Here is a special I found by accident last week, I hope you take the time to enjoy it.  

From the 1976 Tony Awards not just Hal Linden but Leslie Uggams and a few other surprising singers.  This is only part 1 of the program, perhaps I will be able to find the rest.
Enjoy this musical spectacular.

For those interested, here are the complete tony awards for 1976 not just the segment from the awards.  Enjoy and just remember the sweat, perseverance and dedication it takes to work to be a success on broadway.

This is for everyone who had that dream and found a way to make it happen.

Mondays Music Moves Me Musical Memories

When I was in high school I had the chance to be in the Chorus of a rather amazing musical called THE ME NOBODY KNOWS.  The music was written and originally performed by students in New Yorks' public school system.  It went onto to be an off Broadway hit.  The 5th Dimension did the following piece from THE ME NOBODY KNOWS in 1971

One of my favorite songs from a favorite musical, is What I did for Love from a Chorus Line, this is a very good arrangement done by a surprising individual.

Last a song made famous n=by one of Andrew Lloyd Webers  longest running plays, THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA

Hope you enjoy this musical journey