WALTZING IN THE NEW YEAR WITH THE OLD HOME SINGERS. Pt. 1

As you can plainly see from the date of this story, it is New Year’s Day. And it occurred to me in the past several hours to ‘ring in the New Year’ differently than I’d ever rung it in before.

It so happens that I recently purchased a wonderful family heirloom. A cousin made me aware of another relative who owned an Edison Amberola, (similar to a Victrola); which surprisingly enough, my grandfather owned a very long time ago, and which ultimately ‘fell into the hands’ of my great uncle. If that were not enough, the latter of the two played this early version of a record player for my mother and me over half a century ago. (Needless to say, I was still in high school at the time).

Not only was I fortunate enough to purchase the Amberola, but my great uncle’s tailor-made cabinet, and over a 100 audio cylinders came with it. 

Not ones to celebrate with alcoholic spirits or by surrounding ourselves with dozens of inebriated celebrants, like so many earlier New Year’s Eves, we…stayed home.

And like so many years prior to the one which we were now ending, I turned on the television, clicked my way through the channels, and thought to myself,

“Well now, let me see. We have Jennifer Lopez from New York City singing and dancing her way into our hearts, and wearing… the most bizarre gold ‘shimmery’ excuse for an outfit; which left little to be imagined.

And I said to myself, 

“Self, there has to be something a bit more visually moral upon which to focus this New Year’s Eve.” And I summarily turned to a channel featuring Mariah Carey in Los Angeles. 

Right there ‘in front of God and everybody’ Mariah strutted and shimmered and sang her way into some people’s hearts; albeit not my own.

(and)

Speaking aloud to no one in particular, (though my wife was seated just steps away), I exclaimed,

“Old Mariah must have bought her outfit at the same store where Jennifer Lopez shops.” (For I kid you not, their ‘lack of clothing’ was virtually identical, and they might easily have sung a duet; had they not been on opposite sides of the country).

(to be continued) 

 

By William McDonald, PhD. Excerpt from "(Mc)Donald's Daily Diary" Vol. 48. Copyright pending

If you wish to share, copy or save, please include the credit line, above 

************
If you would like to see the titles and access hundreds of my blogs from 2015 and 2016, do the following:  

Click on 2015 in the index to the right of this blog. When my December 31st blog, "The Shot Must Choose You" appears, click on the title. All my 2015 blog titles will come up in the right margin

 

Click on 2016 in the index to the right of this blog. When my December 31st blog, "Children of a Lesser God" appears, click on the title. All my 2016 blog titles will come up in the right margin