When I first got into management in the grocery industry, I was placed in an area of Los Angeles that, to say the least, was a bit on the diverse side of things. Well, diverse isn’t really correct, I was one of maybe three or four whites that were working in the district. I knew nobody and had no one to commiserate with about any issues that would normally arise in the grocery business.
On my first day I got a phone call from another Assistant Manager from a store that was close by. Keith introduced himself and offered his assistance in anyway he could help. It was very nice of him and I started depending on him immediately. I would call Keith at the drop of a hat asking about anything I had any questions about. If I needed product, Keith would supply it from his store. If I needed directions to a meeting or to another store, Keith would get me the info I needed. He truly helped me find my way in an area I knew nothing about. Keith and I would go to lunch when we could and sometimes dinner if we were working late. He became a friend and we seemed to get along real well. Keith was about a year younger than I and we had a good amount in common.
When I was transferred to a store in Redondo Beach, Keith was transferred to a store in Torrance that was close by. Shelly, my wife at the time, started working in the area and got to know Keith as well and we would sometimes all meet for lunch and just have a nice time together. We all got along real well. When Shelly and I moved to northern California I stayed in touch with Keith and would meet with him whenever I could while visiting down south and would often talk to him via phone from whatever store I was working at in the northern part of the state.
When I left Vons I didn’t talk to Keith as much as before and after my divorce I had lunch with him once and then moved out of state. I haven’t talked to Keith in almost five years. Shelly let me know that he left the company and I hadn’t heard anything about him since then.
Shelly sent me a text message the other morning telling me that Keith had a massive stroke in his sleep and that he had no brain activity. They were taking him off life support, she thought, that day. Keith was 47 years old and had a 15-year-old daughter. I know this piece doesn’t have any kind of flow and it may not be one of my better pieces grammar wise but I just wanted to get a quick message out to all of you.
My friend died the other day and I don’t think I ever told him how much he helped me during a major transitional time in my life. Once again, someone has slipped through the cracks of my existence without getting the proper credit he deserved from, in this instance, me. So the message I want to give to all of you is the same as I’ve said before and I don’t want any of you to forget it: Thank you for being who you all are. You have all done more for me than I could ever put in words and I will be forever grateful for every moment I have had the immense pleasure of knowing each and every one of you. I can’t stand the idea that Keith never knew how important he was to me at a very critical stage of my life and I don’t ever want to make that mistake again.
Friday, September 18, 2009
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Four Lads Who Shook The World
I went to You Tube a little while ago to search for a song/video to post on my Facebook page. See, today marks the release of the entire “Beatles” collection in a re-mastered digital format. Supposed to be incredible sound so I know it’s something I will try to add to my collection on a piece by piece basis. Anyway, I found it incredibly difficult to pick one that would be the perfect song to put on my page. Not because it wouldn’t be the right song, it’s much simpler than that.
See, every time I would pick a song and would be listening to it, I would have another song pop into my head. The Beatles recorded 214 songs between the years 1962 and 1970 and I’m thinking that you and I probably not only like but also know the words to well over 95% of them. They were and still are the most popular musical act in the history of popular music. There will be a number of people who may argue with me on that last point and I will defend my stance to my last breath. I say that for a few different reasons, the first, and most compelling, is that they simply changed the world we live in.
Pretty heavy statement, I know, but let’s just think about it for a second. In the mid sixties, long hair on men became popular. Who do you think made that happen? Fashion changed dramatically in that decade. The Beatles were at the forefront of this change. The Beatles started releasing promotional videos of their songs in the mid sixties, 15 years before anyone ever heard of MTV. Remember how you used to love listening to an album and reading the lyrics that were included with the album? Well, guess who was the first to ever do that? Bottom line, ask anyone over 30 who John Paul George and Ringo are and they’ll tell you. Turn that around and ask anyone over 30 to name all four Beatles, they’ll be able to tell you that too.
Musically they were much more than just a pop band. The Beatles were the first band to use electric keyboards and synthesizers in their music. The writing team of Lennon and McCartney were, without question, the greatest songwriting team in popular music history. The songs still stand on their own to this day. Let’s talk about those songs for a bit. Well, that’s where this whole piece started, where does one begin with a catalogue like theirs?
Do you just look at their beginning? You certainly couldn’t go wrong with songs like: I Saw Her Standing There, Please, Please Me and Love Me Do. All nice, clean pop ditties that we all know, all released in the U.S. in 1964. In the same year, just to show you how much the song writing matured, they also released songs such as: No Reply, I’m A Loser and If I Fell. The latter two incredibly deep songs for a band thought to be just a fad that would wear out their welcome at any time. They also filmed “A Hard Days Night” and released the soundtrack during the same year.
The following year the movie “Help” was released. Some of the songs on in the film included: Ticket To Ride, You’re Gonna Lose That Girl and You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away along with the title track. So far, all songs that everyone, including your parents, knows by heart. At this point if the band never released anything else in their careers they would still be remembered for the impact they had on popular culture along with the music. We all know they were just beginning. Keep in mind that the group basically invented the album. By that I mean that, until The Beatles, albums contained one hit and filler, songs that really weren’t worthwhile and few even listened to. The Beatles, on the other hand could have released most every song they recorded as a single. There simply weren’t any bad songs.1965 also brought the release of my personal favorite album of theirs, Rubber Soul. There isn’t one song on the album that I don’t absolutely adore. I’ll only list a few, I’ve Just Seen A Face, You Won’t See Me, It’s Only Love and In My Life. All outstanding songs that still can hold their own to this day.
To save some time I’m going to skip 1966 and go straight to the album that other albums would be measured against for years. Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Simply a masterpiece. If I need to list any of the songs on this album, well, you just don’t know music. Two songs that were recorded during the time of this album, yet not released on any album until after the band broke up, were Strawberry Fields and Penny Lane. They were released as a single with one being on the flip side of the other. Think about that, two of the most popular songs in music were released as a single together. They did this a number of times in their day. Truly giving fans real value for their money.
I could go through each album released by The Beatles and give a solid argument of how amazing the band was. I won’t because I find it hard to believe that there could be any argument to the contrary. You can take any music recorded by any popular artist since The Beatles and find their influence. You can’t say that about any other artist. In Liverpool, where the band came from, is a monument. It’s a statue of the group with the inscription, “Four lads who shook the world”. How can anyone deny that.
See, every time I would pick a song and would be listening to it, I would have another song pop into my head. The Beatles recorded 214 songs between the years 1962 and 1970 and I’m thinking that you and I probably not only like but also know the words to well over 95% of them. They were and still are the most popular musical act in the history of popular music. There will be a number of people who may argue with me on that last point and I will defend my stance to my last breath. I say that for a few different reasons, the first, and most compelling, is that they simply changed the world we live in.
Pretty heavy statement, I know, but let’s just think about it for a second. In the mid sixties, long hair on men became popular. Who do you think made that happen? Fashion changed dramatically in that decade. The Beatles were at the forefront of this change. The Beatles started releasing promotional videos of their songs in the mid sixties, 15 years before anyone ever heard of MTV. Remember how you used to love listening to an album and reading the lyrics that were included with the album? Well, guess who was the first to ever do that? Bottom line, ask anyone over 30 who John Paul George and Ringo are and they’ll tell you. Turn that around and ask anyone over 30 to name all four Beatles, they’ll be able to tell you that too.
Musically they were much more than just a pop band. The Beatles were the first band to use electric keyboards and synthesizers in their music. The writing team of Lennon and McCartney were, without question, the greatest songwriting team in popular music history. The songs still stand on their own to this day. Let’s talk about those songs for a bit. Well, that’s where this whole piece started, where does one begin with a catalogue like theirs?
Do you just look at their beginning? You certainly couldn’t go wrong with songs like: I Saw Her Standing There, Please, Please Me and Love Me Do. All nice, clean pop ditties that we all know, all released in the U.S. in 1964. In the same year, just to show you how much the song writing matured, they also released songs such as: No Reply, I’m A Loser and If I Fell. The latter two incredibly deep songs for a band thought to be just a fad that would wear out their welcome at any time. They also filmed “A Hard Days Night” and released the soundtrack during the same year.
The following year the movie “Help” was released. Some of the songs on in the film included: Ticket To Ride, You’re Gonna Lose That Girl and You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away along with the title track. So far, all songs that everyone, including your parents, knows by heart. At this point if the band never released anything else in their careers they would still be remembered for the impact they had on popular culture along with the music. We all know they were just beginning. Keep in mind that the group basically invented the album. By that I mean that, until The Beatles, albums contained one hit and filler, songs that really weren’t worthwhile and few even listened to. The Beatles, on the other hand could have released most every song they recorded as a single. There simply weren’t any bad songs.1965 also brought the release of my personal favorite album of theirs, Rubber Soul. There isn’t one song on the album that I don’t absolutely adore. I’ll only list a few, I’ve Just Seen A Face, You Won’t See Me, It’s Only Love and In My Life. All outstanding songs that still can hold their own to this day.
To save some time I’m going to skip 1966 and go straight to the album that other albums would be measured against for years. Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Simply a masterpiece. If I need to list any of the songs on this album, well, you just don’t know music. Two songs that were recorded during the time of this album, yet not released on any album until after the band broke up, were Strawberry Fields and Penny Lane. They were released as a single with one being on the flip side of the other. Think about that, two of the most popular songs in music were released as a single together. They did this a number of times in their day. Truly giving fans real value for their money.
I could go through each album released by The Beatles and give a solid argument of how amazing the band was. I won’t because I find it hard to believe that there could be any argument to the contrary. You can take any music recorded by any popular artist since The Beatles and find their influence. You can’t say that about any other artist. In Liverpool, where the band came from, is a monument. It’s a statue of the group with the inscription, “Four lads who shook the world”. How can anyone deny that.
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Making A Real Nice Groove In The Chair
I’ve really got to do something about this malaise I’ve been friendly with for the last couple weeks. All I’ve been doing, besides working, is sitting around the house and eating way more food than I should. I talk myself into thinking that I’m justified in my lack of leaving my chair but I know I’m just kidding myself. I’ve got a three-day weekend that I’m in the middle of and the only time I left the house yesterday was to go grocery shopping.
There were a few options open to me yesterday. There’s a jazz festival going on downtown and some big art shindig over in Pontiac that’s supposed to be a good time. I made sure to stay non-committal in my plans until well past the time anyone I would have gone out with had already left for the evening. I do that a lot, always have. Of course I’ve consistently convinced myself that I was too busy and that the day just got away from me, while the reality is always there and I know I’ve avoided the making of any plans on purpose. Yesterday’s excuse was that I wanted to watch football on the first real day of the college season. If there weren’t any football on I would have found another reason to ensure my not enjoying myself.
A friend of mine that lives on one of the lakes around here is having a beach party at his place this weekend. Normally I’d have spent the last week or so trying to talk myself out of going and would have probably ended up going anyway. When the invite came last week I looked at the guest list and immediately knew there was no way I’d be able to go. I sent the RSVP back with a maybe but, again, I knew I was just fooling myself. There were too many people going that I didn’t know and the comfort level would not have been anything near acceptable for me.
So I do this to myself and then feel this incredible jealousy when I see or hear of the good time anyone is having. How weird is that? I used to do that as a kid too. Friends would have something they wanted to do and I’d find a way out of it and then feel actual anger over the idea that they were enjoying themselves. Where’s the logic there? I turn down the opportunity to have a good time and get upset that others are having fun. You know, it’s one thing to make yourself crazy about the dumbest things, it’s quite another to do it on purpose. As I’ve stated before, sometimes it’s such a chore.
There are so many instances throughout my life where I’ve avoided the whole prospect of having fun only to regret it later. I don’t know if regret is the right word, well yeah, I guess it is. I’ll end up beating myself up over what seems to be the fear of my own shadow yet I simply refuse to get out of the sun, if you know what I mean. Well, the sun’s supposed to be out today and I’ll see what I can do about having a laugh or two with friends. All right, I’ll make a few calls. Ok, maybe I’ll just think about it…
There were a few options open to me yesterday. There’s a jazz festival going on downtown and some big art shindig over in Pontiac that’s supposed to be a good time. I made sure to stay non-committal in my plans until well past the time anyone I would have gone out with had already left for the evening. I do that a lot, always have. Of course I’ve consistently convinced myself that I was too busy and that the day just got away from me, while the reality is always there and I know I’ve avoided the making of any plans on purpose. Yesterday’s excuse was that I wanted to watch football on the first real day of the college season. If there weren’t any football on I would have found another reason to ensure my not enjoying myself.
A friend of mine that lives on one of the lakes around here is having a beach party at his place this weekend. Normally I’d have spent the last week or so trying to talk myself out of going and would have probably ended up going anyway. When the invite came last week I looked at the guest list and immediately knew there was no way I’d be able to go. I sent the RSVP back with a maybe but, again, I knew I was just fooling myself. There were too many people going that I didn’t know and the comfort level would not have been anything near acceptable for me.
So I do this to myself and then feel this incredible jealousy when I see or hear of the good time anyone is having. How weird is that? I used to do that as a kid too. Friends would have something they wanted to do and I’d find a way out of it and then feel actual anger over the idea that they were enjoying themselves. Where’s the logic there? I turn down the opportunity to have a good time and get upset that others are having fun. You know, it’s one thing to make yourself crazy about the dumbest things, it’s quite another to do it on purpose. As I’ve stated before, sometimes it’s such a chore.
There are so many instances throughout my life where I’ve avoided the whole prospect of having fun only to regret it later. I don’t know if regret is the right word, well yeah, I guess it is. I’ll end up beating myself up over what seems to be the fear of my own shadow yet I simply refuse to get out of the sun, if you know what I mean. Well, the sun’s supposed to be out today and I’ll see what I can do about having a laugh or two with friends. All right, I’ll make a few calls. Ok, maybe I’ll just think about it…
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