Wednesday, November 26, 2003
Wow, a week between blogs, I must be slipping! Actually, lots of things happening and I'll hold off on political comment this visit.
The projects I am associated with are all proceeding at full steam; namely the Bellingham (Mass) Class of 1973 reunion, Habitat for Humanity's Triple-Build home project (moved a 20 ton house on Monday, though not by myself, went to Montreal to see a friend sing in a concert, and saw my son's grades climb a bit!
For the reunion, our 30th, we have a great crew that is really dedicated to providing the best experience for our class. We graduated somewhere around 190 people back in 1973, and have attained an attendance of around 65 class members to each reunion. Our goal is to "up" the coolness factor and get at least two-thirds of the class back for a great party. As the reunion coordinator on Classmates.com, one of the ways we keep in touch with members of the class, I was able to codify the statistics of where the folks live now. I found that a surprising amount still live in Bellingham, and that possibly 75% live within 100 miles of Bellingham. So I am confident that we will have a lot more people there, and that we will have the best time ever!!! (And using imperative marketing talk like that should influence the class!)
Southstation.org has a link that explains Habitat for Humanity's mission, and I'm proud to be associated with this group of people, all of whom are dedicated to wiping out sub-standard housing in America and the world. What I do is communications, that is, public relations and the web site that we post. Another blog over there is detailing the workings of the building project each week.
I was asked by a Canadian friend why we celebrate Thanksgiving in the US on a Thursday, and I admitted that I didn't know exactly why, so I looked it up. Now, can someone in Canada tell me why their Thanksgiving is in October, the same day as our Columbus day?
Since it's Thursday, music on the turntable is Priscilla Paris, "Priscilla Loves Billy." You might not know Paris' name right away, but she was one of the Paris Sisters, the triple-sister group that breathed "I Love How You Love Me" back in 1961. I have an import CD of the group that chronicles the rise and fall of the sisters, Priscilla, Sherrell, and Albeth Paris. It was Priscilla that softly cooed the song that hit number one, but although many people would think of them as a one-hit group, they actually had many hits. In their early days, the girls' sound was much bigger and more adult, as they sang close harmony songs in the 50s, sounding like the Andrews Sisters (who they met when they sang at the same venue the older Sisters were at) or the McGuire sisters. It was an association with Phil Spector (who was famous for his song with the Teddy Bears, "To Know Him Is To Love Him," and is in big trouble now) who saw a similar opportunity with the Paris Sisters. Their first single for Phil's label Gregmark was "Be My Boy," which drips with Priscilla's sincere, almost whispering voice. That single is still one of my favorites. But back to "Priscilla Loves Billy." That should have been labled "Billie," as it was Billie Holiday that Priscilla was singing the songs of. She has a voice that can grow from that cooing softness to a confident big voice, and she does pretty well with the Holiday material. All of the Paris Sister's music is out of print now, and shows up occasionally on eBay.
I'll close with a wish for a Happy Thanksgiving to all my friends and gentle readers. Be blessed as you give thanks.
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The projects I am associated with are all proceeding at full steam; namely the Bellingham (Mass) Class of 1973 reunion, Habitat for Humanity's Triple-Build home project (moved a 20 ton house on Monday, though not by myself, went to Montreal to see a friend sing in a concert, and saw my son's grades climb a bit!
For the reunion, our 30th, we have a great crew that is really dedicated to providing the best experience for our class. We graduated somewhere around 190 people back in 1973, and have attained an attendance of around 65 class members to each reunion. Our goal is to "up" the coolness factor and get at least two-thirds of the class back for a great party. As the reunion coordinator on Classmates.com, one of the ways we keep in touch with members of the class, I was able to codify the statistics of where the folks live now. I found that a surprising amount still live in Bellingham, and that possibly 75% live within 100 miles of Bellingham. So I am confident that we will have a lot more people there, and that we will have the best time ever!!! (And using imperative marketing talk like that should influence the class!)
Southstation.org has a link that explains Habitat for Humanity's mission, and I'm proud to be associated with this group of people, all of whom are dedicated to wiping out sub-standard housing in America and the world. What I do is communications, that is, public relations and the web site that we post. Another blog over there is detailing the workings of the building project each week.
I was asked by a Canadian friend why we celebrate Thanksgiving in the US on a Thursday, and I admitted that I didn't know exactly why, so I looked it up. Now, can someone in Canada tell me why their Thanksgiving is in October, the same day as our Columbus day?
Since it's Thursday, music on the turntable is Priscilla Paris, "Priscilla Loves Billy." You might not know Paris' name right away, but she was one of the Paris Sisters, the triple-sister group that breathed "I Love How You Love Me" back in 1961. I have an import CD of the group that chronicles the rise and fall of the sisters, Priscilla, Sherrell, and Albeth Paris. It was Priscilla that softly cooed the song that hit number one, but although many people would think of them as a one-hit group, they actually had many hits. In their early days, the girls' sound was much bigger and more adult, as they sang close harmony songs in the 50s, sounding like the Andrews Sisters (who they met when they sang at the same venue the older Sisters were at) or the McGuire sisters. It was an association with Phil Spector (who was famous for his song with the Teddy Bears, "To Know Him Is To Love Him," and is in big trouble now) who saw a similar opportunity with the Paris Sisters. Their first single for Phil's label Gregmark was "Be My Boy," which drips with Priscilla's sincere, almost whispering voice. That single is still one of my favorites. But back to "Priscilla Loves Billy." That should have been labled "Billie," as it was Billie Holiday that Priscilla was singing the songs of. She has a voice that can grow from that cooing softness to a confident big voice, and she does pretty well with the Holiday material. All of the Paris Sister's music is out of print now, and shows up occasionally on eBay.
I'll close with a wish for a Happy Thanksgiving to all my friends and gentle readers. Be blessed as you give thanks.
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