2004
Esther and Moses ...Bat and Bar Mitzvah
Blessing:
Dear Esther.. Dear Moses
We are very lucky
Many blessings. many gifts
We are here
We are with you
We are here with a wonderful Kehilla
Today you lead us
Thank you very much
Over the centuries millions of people have lived and died to keep culture for us
We live with Pam's light
Your Grandma Edie struggled every day to repair human nature's failures
Racism . Poverty . Intolerance . Injustice
May you find your own Albert Einstein. your own Rosa Parks. Bob Dylan.. Malcolm X
May you find your own Kehilla
May you discover great and ordinary people to inspire your fine instincts feelings thoughts and actions
Dear Moses .. Dear Esther
Keep on becoming your most wonderful selves
I love you ..Dad

Childhood-Story:
1940 Like it was yesterdayThey leave me at my childcare place in Arcadia for two nights.

The mother and father take baby Frankie on a weekend to Ojai.

Two strange women take my clothes off to naked and try to give me a bath.

I scream my ass off 'til they give up and turn off the lights.

Humans are born cowards.
I not only march in the procession
I carry a banner.Mark Twain

I hear:
Hello Mizou, this is Erick.An emergency meeting has been called for our team.
I won't be able to meet with you.
I apologize wholeheartedly.
Well, maybe it's a good time to try that.
Bye.

INTERNET NEWS FLASHER

Reaping What Others Sow

DANE .DENIES .USING .PETs
Performance Enhancing Technologies
see: ..BALCO.. Steroids ..AdobePhotoshop

Admitting barely-detectable-digital-addictionNikon's .D80 and Apple's iPhoto '08
"Some Of My Best Friends Are Users""You'll Damn Well Get What I Give You"
Bill .Enters Half-Way-House ..1/19/2010
Demons..Rumors..Clouds ..Hall of Fame Hopes .Damn Dim.

What's SIDESHOW ?SIDESHOW is:

I hear:
Mister Aguilera, can I go home ?

4-13-10
I hear:
That's how a lot of 'em are ...

I hear:
... now, so when you don't have one it'll be cool.

Childhood-Story:

1948 Vivid knock down.

Don't remember why.

My mom is standing in the living room yelling at me.

I rush and push her down on the floor.

She looks up sad.

I run to my bed and cry.

'Childhood' story:
The last time I saw my father

January '70 my Opening at Reese-Paley in SF

He drives from Carmel Valley drunk

Looks around

Cries

Drives home drunk.

I hear:
She had a really nice day ... walked around ...

 

Edith .Thacher .Dane
1913 - 2002
OVS-KBS-Vassar, BA Science, then:
(beloved-uncle-yale-doc-dick-preserver):
"Edith, you (woman) can't be a Doctor" !
So:
Teacher!
Primary Care Giver!
Lab Tech!
Social Activist!!
Justice Seeker Always!!!
Do Your Best - Give Back.
Thank You .Mom ..Love .Bill
And this is only the ending:
The Tell-Tale-Son:
All of a sudden Edie
decided to leave Sierra Madre.
Within three months She, Nancy, Frank and I had
found Willow Glen Villa in San Jose, sold the house,
packed her up, and physically moved everything.
It took two extra trips in my wagon to bring all her plants.
We photographed Mom's living room, (etc) so we could
carefully reconstruct her 7' x 12' display shelves -
a collection of objects: travels, gifts, oddities -
in her new, one bedroom apartment. Frank rebuilt it again
in her 'assisted living' apartment.
Then again when we moved Mom to Nancy's.
Her favorite "stuff" went with her, as it had since childhood.
'Hospice Week' at Nancy's house Mom lived in her room
surrounded with 'furnishings' which had been within
feet of her self, as far back as we could remember.Edie died very quietly right there with.
It was just getting dark June 23rd 2002

Edie's Last Days:
I take Mom to Kaiser for "Evaluation".
She moves around - reality wise - not too far out.
Her Doctor, sweet voice for seniors I gather,"Hello Mrs. Dane. Can you tell me who you are ?"
Edie, in her most cultured tone with tightened jaw,"You know perfectly well who I am, and so do I."

Edie's Last Days:
Mom has a double room at Kaiser.
Curtain, and older couple's voices, next bed over.
They've been arguing about the wife going home, etc !
Edie is in and out - stream of consciousness mumblings.
(It was always entertaining and cried out for 'sense making')
She suddenly sits shot up straight, and in loud and no uncertain terms,"For God's sake take her home.
Can't you see she wants to go home"

Edie's Last Days:
Mom has been at Kaiser for 10 days.
Today is "Decision Day". Edie has to move on.
Her Doctors must recommend her next placement.
They've tried Meds and Talk and Scans = fuzzy picture !
Her Doctors want Kaiser to pay for her to go to Rehab.
She must pass a "Mobility Exam" - Mind and Body !
In comes the 'brand new', really young, testing "Therapist".
Sweetest high voice, for elders I gather, "Good morning Edie.
Now, You have to do what I ask so you'll get that wonderful new
placement. Let's sit up. Up we go, Edie. Now let's just swing
your legs over the edge of the bed. Here we go. Try to do it all
by yourself, Edie". At this point Mom grasps her arm tight.
In a perfectly articulated, tight jawed, patrician tone,"You may try to get me to do anything you want, Dear.
It will not work. I died at ten o'clock this morning".

2010 Health Care:
Screaming - pointing - swearing - spitting into Other faces;
Fellow citizens who themselves would suffer without Medicare and
the other patched together Government Health Care they're trashing.
Never mind their bibles and 'right-to-certain-kinds-of-life' stuff.

RACE and CLASS
OUR MOST CRUCIAL BUSINESS

I hear:
Please hang on !

Childhood-Story:
1964 Not working
We have jobs at SKS Die Casting.
Black, Willie Goodjoint, 63, my casting machine leader.
Black, William Jones, 25, factory custodian.
White, Bill Dane, 25, grunt n gofer.
We eat lunch and talk together for 3 months.
Brown-bag sitting on 4th Street.
Luckily, Willie keeps his job.
William and I are laid off.
We visit each other's apartments twice.
In downtown Oakland with a wife and two daughters.
In Richmond with a wife and a painting space.
We're both smart enough. . We use our words.
We can feel what's coming. . We're not super-stars.