November 11 is a Special Day

Happy Birthday

Kurt Vonnegut!

My favorite author would have been celebrating a birthday today.  Sadly, he passed away back in April 2007.  He’s sorely missed.  I once had the honor of meeting him at a writer’s festival in Boston in October 1995.  He did a lecture about writing and then the next day he taught a writing class.  He was brilliant!

Kurt was also a World War II veteran, which leads me to say:

Happy Veterans Day!

Honor our military guys and gals, everyone!

Outside In Song of the Week

Happy Birthday

Johnny Rivers

The 1960s singer/musician celebrated his birthday on Saturday, November 7. I’ve seen him in concert several times over the years. He puts on a great show. I recommend on going to see him in person. He’s a nice guy too.

Mountain of Love by Johnny Rivers

Baron-Cohen Op-Eds in NY Times

Simon Baron-Cohen, the director of the Autism Research Center in Cambridge, England, writes his opinion editorial in The New York Times regarding the possible removal of Asperger’s Syndrome from the new DSM-V, scheduled to be published in 2012.  He is against what the committee of experts are suggesting on putting Asperger’s as part of classic autism under the heading of Autism Spectrum Disorder in the proposed new Diagnostic and Statistical Manual.  He wants more research done to determine whether Asperger’s is identical to autism or distinct from autism.

His editorial is called “The Short Life of a Diagnosis.”

Check it out: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/10/opinion/10baron-cohen.html

Herman’s Birthday

Happy Birthday

Peter Noone

The frontman of Herman’s Hermits celebrated a birthday back on November 5.  Many happy returns, Peter!  In addition to being a singer, Peter is also an actor.  He’s done musicals and appeared on television shows.

I’m Into Something Good by Peter Noone with a little help from Leslie Nielson

RIP Carl Ballantine of McHale’s Navy

Comedy magician/actor Carl Ballantine has died at age 92 of age-related causes last week. His biggest role was on McHale’s Navy as Lester Gruber. Very talented man. He appeared as a guest star in a lot of sitcoms after McHale’s Navy ended. He also did commercials and voiced cartoons.

A big part of my childhood gone because I watched on McHale’s Navy when I was growing up. RIP Carl!

The Great Ballantine on The Cosby Show

A scene from McHale’s Navy

Seeing Gary Puckett and Davy Jones At Mohegan Sun

I drove to Mohegan Sun in Connecticut twice in one week.  Last Sunday night, I saw Gary Puckett and the Union Gap perform at the Wolf’s Den theater in the middle of the Earth Casino last Sunday night from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm.  It’s been a few years since I’ve seen Gary in concert.  The last time he was in Boston was 2003.  Over the past few years, he’s been performing at Mohegan Sun, but I just didn’t have the opportunity to go down there until now.  It was great seeing him again.  He looks great!!!!

I had the tough task last Sunday night of driving back to Boston from Connecticut.  It was very exhausting driving up I-395 North in the dark.  Parts of the highway have no street lights whatsoever.  I had to stop at a rest area and drink some coffee just to wake up my body.  The total darkness around my car was making me sleepy.  Fortunately, driving on the Mass Pike (Route 90) to Boston wasn’t bad because it’s well lighted and I’m used to driving on it at night.  I felt very tired at work the next day though

Last night, I went down by car to Mohegan Sun again to see Davy Jones in concert from 8:00 pm to 9:30 pm.  He did a great show too.  I sat with Scott, Steve, Joanne, Nancy, and Cary.  We had a great time!  Davy did Monkees songs, his solo stuff, and a song from the Broadway show Oliver! (he was the original Artful Dodger) called “Consider Yourself”.

Afterwards, Scott, Steve, Joanne, and I had a late night dinner at Mohegan Sun in their new food court.  Scott told me about his friend in Los Angeles who also has Asperger’s Syndrome like me.  He really appreciates his friendship despite his quirks.  Scott does not like the fact that other people don’t like his LA friend with AS when his friendship has been a pleasure to him for many years.  Like me, Scott has known him for many years before his friend got his diagnosis.

After dinner, I drove to a Holiday Inn just off of I-395 North in Plainville, CT.  It was a very comfortable hotel room.  I drove back home this morning.  Driving back for CT in the morning was better than at night.

Father Defends Bullied Daughter with AS

A father complained to a school board in Tennessee about the bullying towards his daughter with Asperger’s Syndrome at the middle school she attends. The situation has gotten so bad that she has talked twice about suicide.

The school officials are planning to put together a “positive peer group” to help the girl with her social skills and how to handle bullying situations. Also, the students who have bullied her have been disciplined.

These actions are the result of the girl’s parents approaching the school administrators and officials about the bullying. The parents were especially upset that the surveillance video that showed the girl being punched in the face was destroyed in a fire.

I wish my parents made complaints to the school board when I was bullied at school. It would have been a lot more helpful than their just saying to me: “Just ignore them.” I would have less emotional scars today.

Asperger’s On The Way Out?

The American Psychiatric Association is considering removing Asperger’s Syndrome from the new DSM-V which scheduled to be published in 2012.  The plan is to include it as part of the autism spectrum disorder diagnosis or simply designated it as mild autism in the new DSM (Diagnostic and Statistcal Manual of Mental Disorders).  Asperger’s appeared for the very first time in the DSM-IV edition which was published in 1994.  Since then, Asperger’s has become well known around the world.

The proposed changes is to create awareness of the differences of severity in autism, instead of having it or not, in the new DSM.  Everyone is going to have a chance to weigh in on the proposed changes in January when the American Psychiatric Association posts the proposal of the autism diagnostic criteria on their website and invite comments from the public.

I like to keep Asperger’s as a separate category because there are differences in severity in Asperger’s as well.

Outside In Song of the Week

Happy Halloween, Everyone!

What’s the best scary song out there that features Vincent Price doing a rap on it?

Thriller by Michael Jackson

Love those dancing zombies!

My Favorite SCTV Actor

Happy Birthday

John Candy

(October 31, 1950-March 4, 1994)

My favorite Second City Television actor would have been 59 years old.  When I was growing up, I watched him on SCTV and in the movies.  I love Trains, Planes, And Automobiles, which John did with Steve Martin that was directed by the late John Hughes.  A true classic movie!

It totally broke my heart when I heard he died.

A scene from Planes, Trains, And Automobiles

5 Neat Guys skit from Second City Television