Dick Summer Connection

2 New Year’s Eve suggestions: 1- If you’re alone tonight, give a listen to www.dicksummer.com/podcast. The ending might help. 2- One of the great moments in movie history is the ending of an old movie called “When Harry Met Sally.” It’s about a guy who realizes he wants to spend the rest of his life with a girl on New Year’s Eve. The movie runs an hour and 36 minutes. I’m going to start it at 10:24, and have a glass of bubbly ready with my Lady Wonder Wench at midnight. Try it. You’ll like it. Happy New Year.

Most of the time on our podcasts we have a segment called “Dick’s Details.” It’s a bunch of interesting but un-important stuff for you to stuff in one ear so you can squeeze the important stuff that’s making you nuts out the other ear, and you can grab a grin. One item from a recent “Dick’s Details” seems appropriate here. “Most babies in the United States are born in September.” It’s appropriate here because that kind of answers the age old question, “What are you doing New Year’s Eve.” Happy New Year from Big Louie His Own Bad Self, My Lady Wonder Wench, our son Dave who puts the podcasts up where they belong, and me. 

Lady Wonder Wench just got back from driving to the supermarket. She tends to be outspoken about many of her driving experiences…and her driving ambitions. Here’s what she says:

All right, people, let’s get two things straight, shall we? 1- As far as I know, EVERY SINGLE CAR ON THE ROAD TODAY has what is called a headlight dimmer.  That means, when you approach another vehicle on the road (ANY road) after dark, d-i-m your @#%% lights.  Trust me, it is a whole lot safer when you do. 2- If you have a dream, a real to-die-for dream, then do something about it.  Really, truly. When I was in high school (besides wanting to date the handsomest boy in the class) I wanted to write and to own a horse.  And I have gotten both: the horse 12 different times and published twice.  So far. I won $10 from a university magazine (no, I don’t remember what I spent it on) and got to see my book, with MY NAME on the spine, in book-stores.  Talk about walking with your chest puffed out. So don’t go around bemoaning the fact that you “never got to . . . ”.  Instead, put the I-phone down and get cracking on those dreams.  It is not too late; it is never too late. I know the smart lady who said those words.  Keep them in your heart.

You can see Lady Wonder Wench’s book at www.dicksummer.com 

r.com 

Looks like another calendar is about to drop off the wall. We’re really into the two thousands now. No turning back. One of the stories I remember best from all the way back in 1999 was how everybody was scared that our computers wouldn’t be able to handle the year 2000. Bill Clinton was impeached in 1999, and Wayne Gretzy retired…and Boris Yeltzen did too. That was the year Putin took over in Russia. And there was a nasty war going on in Kosovo. We’re pretty far along in the 2000s now… and we’re adding a new number now, a big, glistening 16. Starting a brand New Year…a brand new chapter in the story of our lives. What kind of an ending will this chapter have for you? What will happen to you? Big Louie says, “Better yet, what will you make happen?” And he also says, “You never know when something wonderful is going to happen.” He’s always saying that. Check out today’s podcast. If you don’t know about Big Louie yet, please look up my book Staying Happy Healthy And Hot on Amazon.com. You wouldn’t know it from the newscasts, but there’s plenty of good stuff happening in the world. 

I’ve been writing this blog and doing the podcast that goes with it, sitting here in my big, comfortable, manly, black leather poppa chair in my living room for quite a while now. Not long enough to call it a “once upon a time time,” but it started a long time ago. You think about things like that when a New Year pops up on the calendar. “Once upon a time.” To lots of people it was a long ago “once upon a time” that the numbers on our years started with a one instead of a two. When you think “What’s today’s date?” do you sometimes still come up with a 19 something? I think most of us in the Louie Louie Generation stumble on that one once in a while. The last time it really was a 1900 something was 1999 of course, which was the year today’s high school 16 year old new driver kids were born. How did you get along all the way back then without your smart phone, or your car GPS, or your email, your texting, or your Netflix? Did you like your video tape recorder, and your fax machine, and how hard was it to learn to use Windows 98? Big Louie says, “What are you going to make happen in this new year?” 

Here’s a suggestion.

I hope your Christmas was as good as it was for my Lady Wonder Wench and me.  The biggest gift we gave each other was simply being together. There has been a lot of egg nog under the bridge since that first one back in the snowy Boston park called, “The Common.” This wasn’t a big time present kind of Christmas. But it was very good. She got me an ancient radio called a Crystal set. No electricity. And it won’t bring in a radio station around here because we live pretty far from a strong signal, and that’s what it takes to pick up a radio station on a Crystal set. But it picked up a very powerful Santa Signal. Santa brought me a Crystal set when I was around 6 years old, and it started me on what turned out to be a wonderful career… being a voice on the radio. I got her a gold stamped leather bound book with some of the great love quotations of the world…including the Billy Chrystal New Year’s Eve line at the end of When Harry Met Sally. We spent lots of time on the phone with relatives and other friends. And we spent the end of last night,  just sitting on the couch together watching our Christmas tree glow in that magical warmth that Christmas trees have, when they seem to sense that they’re in homes where there are two people watching…and loving that they’re still in love. I hope your Christmas was as good as it was for my Lady Wonder Wench and me.

MERRY CHRISTMAS from Barbara (my Lady Wonder Wench) and me. Nice time last night with Bradley Jay on WBZ. If you have the time/inclination, here’s an air check. 

Lots of love. Barb and Dick

A number of folks have asked about my hour with Bradley Jay at 10 PM on WBZ Radio tonight. WBZ is 1030 on the AM dial, and it streams at  http://player.radio.com/listen/station/wbz-newsradio-1030

Thanks folks.

We’re a go for tonight at 10 PM on WBZ. 1030 on the air,  http://player.radio.com/listen/station/wbz-newsradio-1030 on your computer. Looking forward to it. Great late Christmas note from Proud Podcast Person Dan: 

I just got confirmation. Bradley Jay has invited me to be on his WBZ Radio show tomorrow night at 10 PM. If you’re interested the stream is at www.cbsboston.com there are a couple of obvious clicks to take you to the radio and listen live sections. WBZ has a hell of an on air signal at 1030 on the AM dial. This is going to be like old times.