It's a Marshmallow World





A New England invention!



Wow, I can't believe I haven't blogged in so long! What's up with that? It's not that there haven't been a myriad of thoughts in my head lately, it's just that I haven't felt like writing those thoughts out. Let's call it a self-imposed writer's block, okay? See, there's another great thing about blogging, there are no deadlines or obligations to meet. Yet, I feel guilty, so this post may be considered a "fluff piece".

Speaking of fluff....there should be snow floating down from the clouds very soon now. Alright, not here in Southwest Florida, but I bet my ol' hometown in Taxachusetts will see the white stuff piling up soon. The only thing I miss about snow, is the childlike wonder I would feel on the first snow of the season. Right up until my mid 30s, I would sit by the nearest window to watch in total silence as those gossamer flakes drifted down and painted everything with a soft layer of whiteness. Of course, the next day driving in the white stuff wasn't always a winter wonderland. (either was the shoveling or scraping of the iced-over windshield)

I love songs about snow, just take a look at this posts' title. I always liked the song, but didn't love it until I heard the Dino version! Oh, who's Dino you're asking? Come on, I'm talkin' 'bout the king of cool, Dean Martin! Back to what I term as seasonal music. My "seasonal" gift this year to my friend Pete up in Worcester, Massachusetts, will be an entire cd filled with winter and snow songs. He's not really into Christmas or Santa songs, so this should be something he'll enjoy.  It's the thought that counts, right? As long as it puts a smile on his face, then my work is done. :) Yup, that Christmas sharing and love is alive in my heart! (and besides, Pete's the "one that got away", so it's nice to slightly rekindle a bit of romance with him, even though we've got this danged 1,500 miles between us)

In case y'all are wondering, I'm always dreaming of a white Christmas too...even in Florida. And I assure you, this year's holiday will definitely be that magical "white Christmas", at least in my heart. So, let it snow baby...making a marshmallow world ain't easy. :)  If you're so inclined, check out Dino singing the title tune right here:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-VUKlPjwHWs

A Better Life

My mother Claire

Ahhhh, happy Friday blog readers! Today is a rather special day to yours truly. It happens to be the day to celebrate the birthday of my biological mother, Claire. In a previous post, I wrote that I was surrendered for adoption at my birth, but I had the true privilege of not just meeting my biological mother, but also forging a special relationship with her for the last 9 years of her life.

I was never mentally able to call her Mom, Mama, or anything like that. However, within the first month of knowing her, we had comical "pet" names for each other. I inherited plenty of traits from this woman. She left me with a beautiful gift for appreciating music, and I know beyond any doubt, that this gift was forged in the 9 months I spent in her womb. Ya, I know that sounds odd, even to me. Let's see if I can explain this oddity...wish me luck, lol.



Miss Doris Day



I have to rewind time a bit here and give you a glimpse of my background. You see, I grew up in a loving family who had great appreciation for music, though it was different music than what was already embedded in the little gray cells of my brain. Mom and dad enjoyed mostly instrumental styles of music and there weren't many albums by vocalists that played in our home growing up. (but I gotta add, that I love those old instrumentals, people like Mantovani, Bert Kaempfert, Percy Faith, even stuff from Mitch Miller and Ray Coniff) Now, when I was about 8 years old, I had been gifted with my first alarm clock radio. I had found a radio station which played older music. Awesome vocals came out of that clock radio by the likes of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Doris Day, Peggy Lee, Tony Bennett, and on and on. There was something in those vocals that reached inside of me and grabbed me like a ton of hot embers simply melting my heart. I never knew why, but I sure enjoyed listening to that "ancient" music. Throughout my growing up years in grade school and highschool, I never mentioned to any of my friends that I really, really loved Doris Day and that style of music. Doris was a voice from the past that older people had listened to, so I always felt alone and out of place admitting such a thing. Fast forward to the day I met my biological mother, it was May of 1990 and it happened to be one week before Mother's day. Slight bit of irony there, doncha think? After our introductions, one of the first things Claire asked me about was what style of music I listened to. I was a bit shy to answer, perhaps fearful at what everyone else present would think of me. I told her my 2 favorites were Doris Day and Johnny Mathis. Claire's eyes opened as wide as the whale's mouth that swallowed Jonah. I thought she was going to fall off the couch. And by the by, everyone else seemed floored by my "confession" too. Here's why I believe strongly that while I developed in Claire's womb, she instilled my love of certain styles of music. The entire time Claire was carrying me, she listened almost exclusively to 2 singers...Johnny Mathis and Doris Day. Yes the rumors that an unborn child can hear and feel music, are solid truth in my case. The others present, including 3 other siblings that weren't given up for adoption, had all been put to bed nightly listening to Johnny and Doris. They all loved these "singer's singers"! I wasn't alone and out of place afterall!



Johnny Mathis



I mentioned not being able to ever call Claire, mama or mom. However, when she was very sick and dying, I had visited her in the hospital. I was talking to her and she had misunderstood something I said. She thought I had called her mama. Ya know what? I never corrected her because it seemed to make her so happy to finally hear that word come from the son she had given up 36 years earlier. So today I celebrate Claire. Today I thank her for imparting a deep love and appreciation of beautiful music into my life. And today, I thank her for not only giving me life, but for giving me a better life through adoption. I love you Lala!

The Christmas Wish

"I don't know if you believe in Christmas
or if you have presents underneath a Christmas tree
but if you believe in love
that will be more than enough
for you to come and celebrate with me"

The words in quotations above are a portion of some lyrics to a song entitled "The Christmas Wish", written by Dan Wheetman. I had never heard the song until two years ago. Being the sap that I am, I cried my fool eyes out after listening to it. It touched my heart in many ways. I guess you're wondering why I'm writing about the holiday most of us celebrate on Dec. 25th. That's an easy answer, this past Saturday marked just 3 months until Christmas day. Y'all also might be wondering why those 2 famous Muppets are pictured on this post too. The version of the song I listened to was sung by Kermit the Frog. Why on Earth would a forty-something yr. old guy listen to Kermit's song and cry? Hmmm, I wish I could accurately answer that for you, and for myself. I'm sure it has to do with the fact that Kermit makes me think of my youth, a time when things just seemed a bit simpler. It also makes me think of having family to gather with and singing carols while dad played the organ. Just having us all together to share a happy occasion was something rather special. A good 95% of my family is gone now, so is my youth, and so are those seemingly simpler times. Fairly decent reasons to cry I guess.



Simpler times



If you put aside those memories of youth, and days when you were lucky enough to have family to gather with, you're left with some pretty danged beautiful lyrics that have deep meanings behind them. I fully realize that Earth will never have complete peace, or at least as long as humans are still inhabiting this planet. But, perhaps it's the simplicity of merely wishing for such peace that appeals to me and moves me to tears. My heart will always believe that Christmas is about giving of one's self, about holding love for mankind in your heart and sharing that love. I don't believe it's a cliche' to hold love in your heart all year through, or to wish for peace for man, or to wish for peace of mind either. Check out the YouTube link with Kermit. Please listen to the lyrics, the words are truly my Christmas wish. Thank you to Dan Wheetman and to Jim Henson as well. Get a box of tissues ready, then copy and paste the following. :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mTIrG3ImHI

Reefer Madness

time to make the donuts

This morning was one of those mornings. Yucky mood, too little sleep, raining, and a ravenous cat screeching in my ear to have his breakfast. (I still love the little hairball though) Yes, today would have been a great "wake & bake" day.

Gotta love it!

I say "would have" because I don't have the necessary ingredients to make that very special breakfast for myself. And that really sucks! Let me turn back the clock a bit here and explain that I was a late-bloomer to the world of cannabis. I didn't try "the devil's weed" until I was 28 yrs. old. I grew up in a family of fairly strict Catholics. And being a good Catholic boy, I didn't dare try any illegal substances. Afterall, I'd surely end up going to Hell in a handbasket, or so I was told. I was so against illegal substances, that I once broke up with a handsome, kind, and loving man over his usage of marijuana...that's how unmovable my thinking was back then. I may never have tried smoking weed if it hadn't have been for the fact that I was devastated and stressed out of my mind after my dad died. My friends and family couldn't say or do anything to console me either. Until one magical day when someone suggested I take a couple of hits off of a joint to calm me down. (a joint is a rolled piece of heaven that makes you feel calmer for awhile) Ya know what? I did feel better and I swear to this day that it also made me see things clearer. It kinda made it so I could examine my inner feelings in a calmer fashion and with much more depth. Let's just call it "herbal therapy".

Yes, I need to chill out a bit today...badly. I need to calm my brain for just a little while. A few glasses of wine really won't help, even a stiff vodka cocktail ain't gonna do the trick. I hate to add this, but y'all know I'm going to anyway. I know firsthand that alcohol is so much worse for my thought processes (and liver, and every internal organ) than smoking a simple plant that has grown on this Earth for centuries. I don't think our "maker" would have made a mistake in putting the cannabis plant here if He or She didn't have a valid use for it. I don't believe that's a cop-out explanation either.

Mmmm, I can almost smell that sweet little bit of dried ganga leaves if I close my eyes and try hard enough. Maybe some future day I'll partake in the smoking of my favorite herb, at least I hope so. Guess I'll leave y'all by saying smoke 'em if you got 'em! And please blow the smoke on down this way if you think of it. My brain will thank you. It's kinda ironic, but I just glanced at the clock and lo and behold, it's 4:20! No kidding! :) 

Anyone care for a road trip?

Don't ask, DO tell!

I might be on shaky ground here, addressing the military ban on gays serving openly in the American armed forces, but screw it! These kinds of issues really get my panties in a knot! You might think I'm a bit prejudiced because of the mere fact that I'm gay. My opinion has very little to do with my so-called sexual orientation. It does have to do with tolerance in the year 2010, as well as serving your country to protect freedoms. My post today may not say anything new, but since I live in the "land of the free", I have the right to express my views, and you the reader, have the right to agree or disagree.

Let's go back to 1692 for a minute and take a trip to a bewitching town named Salem. Yes, that Salem, the city on the North shore of Massachusetts made famous by the witch trials. As humans, I hope we all agree that those trials were absolutely ridiculous! The intolerance back then was basically unfounded fears manifesting themselves into those idiotic trials (and subsequent murders) of innocent souls. Yup, pretty ridiculous to me!
Anyway, I guess I'm talking about human rights here, not gay rights, human rights. You'd think the powers that be would be glad to have anyone sign up for the armed services these days. You'd also possibly think that those "powers" would be more than glad to have gays on the front line so they could get killed, thus eliminating the nasty gay gene while also helping to protect the American way of life. Yes, I know that last line is nasty sounding, but I went and blurted it out anyway. Today is "Peace Day" by the way, just thought I'd add that in!

Sadly, that "YOU" only applies to heterosexuals.

I'll try to bring this post to a close soon. I feel strongly, that if a gay man or woman feels the need in their patriotic, homosexual hearts to "openly" serve this great country, then they should be allowed that right. God bless America, God bless our armed forces and keep them safe, and God bless ANY American citizen who feels strongly enough to fight for the freedoms that we all hold so dear. Happy Peace Day y'all!

Book 'Em Danno!

The original series opening shot.

Kinda excited tonight to check out the new, updated, calorie-free version of Hawaii Five-O! So that gives me about 48 minutes to finish today's post. Let's get crackin'. ( love that antiquated phrase!)
My biggest excitement about the, new improved 5-O, is one of it's stars. Excuse me while I wipe some drool off my chin here. The dude I'm palpitating over is actor Alex O'Loughlin. He's f-f-f-f-fine! Enough said! LOL.  He first caught my eye on a series called "Moonlight", not to be confused with that cutesy show called "Moonlighting" starring the former Mr. Demi Moore and Cybill Shepherd.
Let's get back to Alex, did I get across that I think he's as smoldering hot as Kilauea Volcano? Yes, he can be my kuuipo any time he wants! Oh, "kuuipo" means Hawaiian sweetheart. It's also the title of a gorgeous Elvis ballad from the movie "Blue Hawaii". In danger of digressing here, so let's get going back to the subject, if I even have one.


Alex! Look ma, he can even fly!



The famous dangling lock of hair

I must confess the reason I loved the original Hawaii Five-O, was the cool theme song, and it's star Jack Lord. Jack always reminded me of the aforementioned Elvis. Okay, Jack's awesome hair-do reminded me of Elvis, lol. He had that cool flip in his hair, (that little piece of hair dangling over his forehead, that always stayed perfectly still in the middle of a Pacific hurricane). Just watch some of Elvis' 60s movies like "Girl Happy", the king's hair never flinched while he was water skiing. But then again, Elvis was Elvis. Y'all will see Elvis mentioned in a whole lotta future blogs, just sayin'!

Guess it's time to skedaddle and watch Alex hang ten on those waves.(yes, definite pun intended there folks!) Man, I'm gonna need a cold shower tonight, I just know it! So, for now, mahalo and aloha.......or should I say "Thank you, thankyouverymuch"?







Honey, let's adopt a baby!



The younger version of myself, with my adopted sister.




Happy Sunday! Yes, the so-called "day of rest" (I think that's a decidedly Catholic/Christian description of Sundays). But, I'm not exactly rested today. You see, I'm a borderline insomniac. Some nights, sleep won't visit me no matter how tired I am. It's the ages old story of your head hitting the pillow only to find that your brain refuses to shut down. Hate when that happens.
I ended up jabbering on the phone with one of my biological sisters for an almost full 4-hour period last night. I always have to use the term "biological" for certain siblings for the simple reason that I'm an adopted child (and a damned lucky one at that!). I was surrendered for adoption (a nice way of saying I was given up) at birth. Did I say I was lucky? You bet your bippy I was lucky! My biological parents couldn't and/or wouldn't deal with another child under foot. I was baby # 6, born in the 6th month, on the 6th day too. Uh oh, 3 sixes there aren't there? Yikes, not too sure if that's a good sign, or not. The supposed "number of the beast" according to some New Testament theologians, though I think there's a bit of contention whether the original number was 616 or 666, but whatever. I seem to remember some crap about the dreaded 666 having some reference to that hedonistic ruler of Rome, named Nero (the same guy "they" say fiddled while Rome burned to the ground around him). Anyway, I assure you that I'm not into any form of Satan worship, so there! Now, where did I put that fresh goat's blood to smear my naked body with? Sorry, probably not funny, but I'm kinda tired, so forgive me. <smirk>
How the heck did I get into that mess o' words regarding those nasty sixes? Oh yeah, the adoption thing. Long story short (as if!), I ended up getting adopted when I was 4 months old. My first 4 months were spent in a foster home in a picturesque town in Massachusetts, called Sherborn. I had an awesome upbringing by two very loving, self-sacrificing adoptive parents, there's that "lucky" thing I was talking about. By the way, they are my mom and dad regardless of my not sharing their biology/heritage. Nobody can ever tell me otherwise either! (on a side note, mom and dad are now deceased, but they're living in my heart until the final breath leaves my body. Excuse me for a moment, I've got something in my eye, and tears are streaming like raindrops. That emotion called "missing", just plain sucks.) Fast forward to 1989, I was 26, that's the year I decided to conduct a search for my biological roots. It took close to a year to get any information, but in March of '90 I hit paydirt. I found out the last name of my biological family, found one brother through the help of auto insurance records, wrote a long letter to him, he called me, and holy DNA batman, I had found my roots and a crapload of other siblings, my birth mother, maternal grandmother, cousins, you name it. All I had hoped to accomplish by my search was to find out the family history of what made me, me. Kinda weird growing up and wondering why I had such small hands, brown eyes, rather "vertically challenged" stature, etc., etc. Come to find out, I was Italian! No "Eye-talian" jokes please, I'm proud of my heritage even if it's not considered my "legal" heritage.
By the by, if anybody who has the misfortune of reading this blog is adopted and you're considering searching for your biological roots, I emphatically say...go for it! Just remember one important sentence, ok? Promise? Okey dokey. Remember these words..."it's not what you find, but that you found". Sleep well y'all, I know I will.

On being a "sap"

real sap buckets!

I ain't talking about the sticky stuff that flows out of Maple trees here folks, I'm talkin' about my emotional self. Yes, I'm a self-proclaimed sap. A sap for corny movies, schmaltzy music, and other crap like that. (this definitely includes what I term as romance)
I had intended to make this, my 2nd post, a little more of an introduction to me, your blog writer. But, alas, I was just cruising through several songs on YouTube. And ya know what, I had tears welling up in my eyes over a lovely song entitled "Nina Non". You see, I'm half Italian, in the biological sense (another subject to be discussed in a future post). And that song is an Italian Christmas song favorite. This particular version was sung by a somewhat under-rated vocalist by the name of Joni James. Huh, you don't know who she is? Shame on you! I guess most music listeners now-a-days don't have a clue who she is, and I don't care because I know who she is. She's one of the "girl singers" from the 40s/50s/60s. She was a darling of the jukebox age. Y'all can Google her name one of these days if you wanna know more about her. (I urge you to do so!) Anyway, her honest approach to the vocals and to the music, and of course, to the lyrics, has touched my sappy heart for many years now. I don't know her personally, but I love her, and I'd give my cogliones to just kiss her hand. (in case y'all don't know, cogliones are, umm, "man-eggs", "sperm machines", alright I'll say it...testicles). Joni's still out there, she does a handful of live concerts each year even though she's going to be 80 years old next week! (and as a side note, she's also reportedly in the studio working on a new album!!! BIG news for someone like me!)

Dang it, there I go again, digressing! So...where was I? Oh yeah, being a sap and getting teary eyed over stuff. I really can't help myself! And at this point in my life, I don't think I'll be changing much. So what? I'm a sap for things that make me emotional, things that make me think, and things that remind me of "gentler" days. I've often said the initials S.A.P. should be tattooed to my forehead, but I'd probably faint from that itty bitty needle piercing my delicate skin, lol. Don't get me wrong, I think tattoos totally rock! Ya know, body art, so to speak. My ex had 8 tattoos, my fave was a rather impish looking "devil" above his left nipple that said (appropriately)..."little devil". (He had both nips pierced too, grrrrrrrrrr, mighty HOT if you ask me!) Hmmm, maybe I should give the bum a call? LOL! Oh yeah, if you haven't guessed by now, I'm gay, just don't tell the moron Republican from Montana, ok? I have a feeling I'd be in front of a firing squad in no time! WTF like? ( I was absolutely floored by that news story today, don't they realize that homos are still allowed to vote??? I mean come on now, it's almost 2011 for crying out loud!) Yes, that'll be another blog post in the near future! Hell, I'd sign a petition to get Bill Clinton back in office in a heartbeat! (sans Miss Lewinsky's infamous blue and stained blue dress) Uh oh, I hate getting into politics, but it looks like I just went there, didn't I??



Someone should've gone to the cleaners!



Digressing, digressing! Lawdy, I really love this blogging experience more than I thought possible. A kind of enema for my brain. Ewwww, that sounds rather yucky, doesn't it? Either way, I'm enjoying being a blogger, even enjoying baring my soul, brain, thoughts, and inner sappy self! Yuppers, I'm a sap alright! I kinda started off the post today saying I wasn't continuing the introduction of myself, but ya know what? In my own odd way, I guess I have. You now know a bit more about me, don't you? (perhaps more than you ever wanted to know, lol.) It's ok to be a sap of sorts, as long as you have the smarts to never, ever, let people use you as the proverbial doormat. Been there, done that! (quite often too) I guess I've blabbered and digressed enough for one post, so I'll let y'all get back to your Saturday evenings. And it's time for me to prepare a refreshing vodka and tonic w/a twist of lime. Cheers y'all! Hope to chat again soon.....

drink up!

My very first post!

Wow, I'm so excited to have my own blog! I'm completely unsure of what I'll be posting, but I can assure you that every post will be the ramblings from my aging brain, lol.
Let's address the title of this blog, shall we? You're probably wondering what the heck a "klediment" is, right? I don't believe the word is actually in the dictionary. But I remember watching the old Tonight Show w/Johnny Carson back in the late 70s or early 80s, and June Carter Cash was the guest. She was promoting her then recent autobiography. It's title was "Among my Klediments". She explained that klediments are things you hold near and dear to your heart. That sounded good to me, so thank you June for enlightening us.

Now, regarding the "flamingo" portion of the title, let's just say that I've been fascinated with these rather odd, pink birds since I was a little kid. Ya know, back before indoor plumbing, lol. My parents had usually brought the family down to Florida during summer vacations. (yes, they packed us in the ol' station wagon and we'd drive from Massachusetts to Florida) Mom was cute, she'd make sure we (sis and I) would get a new toy every day until we got to our destination. I realize now, she only did it to keep us occupied, but it's still cute! Anywho, it was those summers in the Sunshine state that I first laid eyes on the famous pink birds. I fell in love with them, and with Florida too, yes, even in the heat of our Florida summers.

Since this is the first post on my new blog, I reckon that I should warn y'all up front that I'm likely to post just about anything that's on my mind. Afterall, it's my blog, right? Let me digress here for a few minutes and introduce myself. It's only fair. My friends call me Kenny, though I've heard many other names for myself over the years, lol. It's kinda funny, but back when I was in my late teens, I had only wanted to be called Ken, instead of Kenny. My warped brain figured it would sound more "mature". Well, lo and behold, now that I'm pushing 50, I prefer to be called Kenny, ya know, to make me feel younger. Like I said, it's the warped brain thing again. You can expect many various and sundry topics in my posts. We're talking everything and anything! (by the way, I've wanted to use the word "sundry" for years now, mission accomplished!)

Y'all can expect many posts about music and I'm talkin' 'bout just about any genre. Thus, my profile name of Music2MyEars. See, another puzzle solved! Another topic that I'll address here and there, will be Christmas. Yes, that sometimes greed ridden, commercialized season where some of us celebrate the birth of Christ. I probably won't go into the whole "religious/faith based" aspect of the holiday though. When I think of Christmas, it's usually about the season itself, and all the emotions that come with that season. Yup, we're talkin' Yuletide overload! Remember, I warned you up front, okay?

I hope to be able to post a music file or 2 now and then too. (if I can figure out how to) And another upfront statement here, if I do ever figure out how to post music, any music I post will be for demonstration purposes only. Heaven knows I don't want or need the RIAA up my ass trying to place liens on my condo or on my run-down truck either. Hell, the greedy record companies would probably place a lien on my 18 yr. old cat! Alright, that's enough of that...for now anyway.

Now, let's see, where was I? Oh yeah, trying in a very futile way to introduce myself. On second thought, I may just have to finish the intro in my next post. I don't want to give away all my secrets quite yet. Let's just say that I'm hoping this blog will be a somewhat cathartic experience for myself. I hope even more that you, the readers, might get a slight giggle or even a smile on your faces from some of the stuff I'll write about. (and I LOVE to write!) Yes folks, that was yet another warning for y'all. So, let's wrap up this mess of a first post and let's get back to our daily chores, jobs, or even watching daytime soap operas. I have tons of laundry to do anyway. I hope to see you again real soon. Don't be a stranger and y'all come back now, ya hear?