Oppenheim

Yesterday would have been the 58th birthday of an old friend of mine, who was also the father of one of my daughters. Certainly much too young to die.

I had not seen him for many years. He had lung cancer. I thought he had already quit smoking before. Apparently he did, but then he started up again.

He died on the day of the recall election, when Scott Walker won again. I remember having a funny feeling that day -- well, other than the obvious. It kept nagging at me. Something seemed wrong.

Okay, I kept saying to myself, "Of course something is wrong. Scott Walker is still governor." I trivialized it in this way. I did not realize until my daughter told me several months later.

So, I have a lot to memorialize today.

• Oppenheim.
• My dad, because it's Memorial Day, and he was a veteran, after all.
• My mom, who also died of lung cancer in 2012, just three months before Oppenheim.

My Dad

That is a picture of my dad and me. I think this photo shows on each page of my blog?

2746 Glasgow Street,
Pittsburgh, Pa., (1950?)

Here is an article I wrote about my dad, and how he introduced me to Charles Dickens.

This is one of my few pictures of him. I was not allowed to see or visit him. In this picture, I am about two years old. I don't know if I have the original anymore? I hope so.

I only had a few interactions with him in my life, after this picture was taken. This isn't even a scan. It's just a photograph of the photo. I hope to find the original someday, and scan it properly.

The last time I saw him was in 1982, when I visited him at his apartment in Queens, with my daughter, Debbie, and my son, Liam, one and three,  respectively.

Memorial Day Mass at the Cemetery

Memorial Day, 2014

I'm so happy that our bishop celebrates Mass at the Catholic cemetery each Memorial Day.

Memorial Day is not a Holy Day of Obligation. It's just a regular weekday Mass that the bishop celebrates at the cemetery on this secular holiday.

The homily was about the Spirit of Truth.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Gospel reading was from John, 15 and 16:

Jesus said to his disciples:
“When the Advocate comes whom I will send you from the Father,

Memorial Day, May 26, 2014

the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father,
he will testify to me.
And you also testify,
because you have been with me from the beginning.

“I have told you this so that you may not fall away.
They will expel you from the synagogues;
in fact, the hour is coming when everyone who kills you
will think he is offering worship to God.
They will do this because they have not known either the Father or me.
I have told you this so that when their hour comes
you may remember that I told you.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Cookies, Cake and Coffee -- All gone!

After Mass, I went looking for a ladies' room I could use. (I totally forgot about the restrooms in the chapel, right in the cemetery. DOH!) I figured I could also get a bus a few blocks away, to find a cool building, in order to get out of the heat.


There was an Einstein Brothers Bagels shop a few blocks away from the cemetery. I counted my change to make sure I had enough $$ to buy something. I never use the ladies' room in any restaurant without buying something, if I can help it. Sometimes I can't help it, but that's very rare.