The Original Boy Band (child of the 70's)

My earliest sense of American pop culture is from the mid-1970's.  Horrible orange and green colors, ugly bell bottom pants and unappealing geometric patterns.  And excitement about the Motown group The Jackson 5, including the youngest boy Michael - an incredibly talented singer and dancer.  I was also aware of the Osmonds, but in Philadelphia they weren't such a big deal (except maybe for the Donny & Marie TV show).

From my point of view, The Jackson 5 are the original, classic boy band.  They had their own special magic, and kids in Philadelphia were fascinated with them - I think, in part, because they were successful black performers.  Michael Jackson went on to be an amazing musician and riveting dancer, but had a troubled adult life and passed away almost 15 years ago.  Earlier this year his older brother Tito died.  Following Tito's death, I enjoyed watching You Tube videos of many performances.  Here's one of the best ones, from 1969 when Michael was 11 years old:

From your childhood, I have fond memories of coming to pick you boys up at Cookie Corner where Mrs. Brenner or Miss Tossi (later Mrs. Tabone) played pop music during free play.  Here's a great song from a 90's boy band, NSYNC.  I love the theatrical opening, with guys dropping down to the stage on "puppet strings".

Year-End Updates

Guys, it's time to catch up on your "doing's" as 2024 is winding down.  It was a busy, mostly happy year.

Alex - First of all, today is your Birthday!!  28 years!  As each birthday comes along (yours and mine), I wonder how so much time could have passed so quickly.  Below are your hospital, newborn picture and a cute photo from the summer of 1997 in the yard at Grandma's house.  You were an adorable baby, kind of elf-like.

In other news...  you got 2 AZEK employee turkeys this year.  So Aunt Pam roasted one for Thanksgiving, then Steve & I cooked the other (stored in your freezer) for Christmas.  You always keep busy at work, and are now enjoying a long weekend off through New Year's.  This fall, you thoughtfully tied dry flies for Noel and Larson to fish with next year.  The treadmill in our front hallway was moved to your dining/exercise room.  I'm happy you're using it, and that we have more space in our entry way.  Also, Steve re-attached the screendoor to your back door - so it closes properly.  AND the leak down the sewer pipe into your basement has stopped, after a suggestion from one of your friends to turn off the water to your 2nd floor toilet.  Woo Hoo !!  The plumbing problem up there can be fixed later.  Thank goodness, no more catching water under the sewer pipe then filling a bucket to dump upstairs (or worse, mopping up water on the basement floor).

Rob - Life transitions are not always easy, and after moving to Syracuse you missed especially Oren a lot.  But in September you got off to a decent start, including time Lake Skaneateles with Ellen, Dave & George and an SU football game.  Below is Ellen's 2024 Christmas card.  Unfortunately, you are not a football fan and told me the seats were so high that you felt nauseous plus it was far too loud.  Now you know!  Once I went to a University of Pennsylvania vs. Yale game with Grandad, that was kind of fun - similar to a high school football game.  Then later while Uncle Jason was at Penn State, Dad and I went to a football game with him at State College.  We sat shoulder-to-shoulder in the bleachers, which I did not enjoy.  But it was quite an experience, I'm glad I went once and expect will never do it again.  

Soon we discovered that your 2008 Nissan Altima had a fatal (transmission) problem.  This was after spending $1,400 on repairs in August - so it would be ready for a stint in Syracuse 😠  So Rob, you borrowed my car for a month or so.  Upon asking what kind of newer car you wanted, your reply was "a sedan".  LoL!  We are super, incredibly lucky that Steve loves car shopping.  He tracked down several potential vehicles doing on-line searches at local dealers, and we picked a newer Buick at Gaughan Auto in Taylor.  It's a 2015 Buick Verano with about 77,000 miles.  Quite comfortable, has a rear-view camera and handles well.  

Unfortunately...  you got sick before your fall break.  Your nasty virus turned into pneumonia when you got home, diagnosed on your 2nd visit to Urgent Care in 3 days.  To make things worse, you had a mild (but very uncomfortable rash) allergic reaction to one of the antibiotics prescribed to treat it. You spent a week at home, also missed 7 days of classes.  Of course, Steve and I both got sick within the next week.  Steve had pneumonia while I had bronchitis.  It's quite miserable, you need to avoid the Syracuse Pestilence !!  In better news, Rob you slowly got better and caught up on class work for 4 out of 5 courses. The last one, a Calculus class did not work out (video files from recorded lectures were corrupted), so you'll re-take it in the spring.  You told me your favorite school activity was making paper in the lab, and you love being in control of your own daily routine.  I'm happy that you get along well with your room mates, particularly Ben.  I'm very grateful to Ellen for being your mentor. 

Grimm - Well, in late September we adopted another kitty from St Cats & Dogs in Scranton.  Our goal was to pick a less-adoptible cat, and we ended up with a "teenager" 10-month old tuxedo cat.  Grimm, his shelter name, was shy at the shelter but is a bundle of energy here.  Do not try picking him up!  Alex's room was set up as a kitty haven for isolating then beginning to socialize with his older buddy Oren.  Grimm loves playing with Oren, who is getting more exercise than usual, and will miss him terribly when Oren moves to Rob's apartment in Syracuse.  We're thankful Grimm's not interested in climbing the Christmas tree.  Here are a couple recent shots.

What's next ?  I will write a separate post about holiday/birthday times together and Rob's Mediterranean cruise.