Monday Moanin'

Randomness & Nostalgia 

On Monday's I try to meander on the blog, alá former Detroit Free Press writer Bob Talbert whose collection of great writing was published in Good Moanin': The Best of Bob Talbert. I grew up reading his column sometimes but I do appreciate the randomness of it. You have to remember, I was the fourth grader who couldn't start his day without reading the paper, usually three of them.

Joe Falls

I used to also enjoy Joe Falls' random column in the Detroit News, as well. He would sometimes mention my Uncle John and Grandpa, which was always a highlight. I thought it was so cool to see them mentioned in Falls' Sunday column. I like nostalgia. I like random.

Bob Talbert

When I was a kid, my favorite baseball player(s) were Mark Fidrych, Alan Trammell, and Kirk Gibson. They were all Detroit Tigers players and had a great impact on the team in the late '70s and through the '80s and into the '90s. They all impacted my development as a baseball fan. Fidrych took over Michigan 40 years ago, and as a four-year-old that had an impact on me.

My favorite movie when I was a kid was Star Wars. It had an impact on me that I didn't even realize until many years later: it's a story — a well–constructed story. In fact, the original trilogy tells a fun story. I think the story has been mixed up over the years but that's okay. Star Wars is still a favorite.

TV shows that I have always enjoyed include the original Batman, Brady Bunch, CHiPs, The Dukes of Hazzard, and the Hardy Boys. Only the Brady Bunch doesn't seem to fit. Later I enjoyed Family Ties, as well.

You already know that I love to read and the earliest "chapter" books I tackled were — yeah, you guessed it — The Hardy Boys series. Nostalgia and randomness. Randomness and nostalgia.