Memoir of a Real Life Archives - Page 6 of 24

Life (With Strings Attached)

By Chris Carosa on October 17, 2023

Sitting in the balcony at the First Presbyterian Church on North Main Street in Honeoye Falls, I couldn’t help but wonder. It was Ray Milne’s funeral service. He was an amazing man. Long ago, during my term of public service, he offered sound and wise advice. He was a man many could look to as a community role model. I only wish I could accomplish half of what he did.

But that’s not what I was wondering about. The setting itself took me back. When I first moved back to Mendon in the late 1980s, I joined many civic groups, hoping to discover what I could offer my adopted hometown. Several of those groups convened in the meeting rooms of the church.

That was a time long ago. I started thinking about all the people I knew back then. Some of them were in that church celebrating Ray’s life. Most of them were celebrating with Ray.

The solemn but sweet music coming from the organ helped place me in the mood to Continue Reading “Life (With Strings Attached)”

Posted in Gray Matter Musings, Memoir of a Real Life, The Compleat Carosa Commentaries Tagged A Tune A Day, Beatles, Beatles Medley, Beethoven, Breeze-Easy Method for Strings, Carnival of Venice, Curley, eleveth grade, First Presbyterian Church, Gates Chili, Herman Dilmore, Honeoye Falls, Larry, Miss Avalon, orchestra, Pop Goes the Weasel, Ray Milne, Red River Valley, Santa Lucia, Song of the Volga Boatmen, Suzuki, third grade, Three Stooges, violin, Volga Boat Song, Woodlawn

Jack Kemp: All American

By Chris Carosa on September 19, 2023

A lot of people were much closer to Jack Kemp than I, but a lot more people did not know him as well as I did. Only a few remaining Americans can say what I can: “I was there at the beginning.”

Jack Kemp, who passed away in 2009, emerged on the national scene not in the political arena passing historic legislation, but on the gridiron field and into passing history. He was forged in a time when most Americans believed in and followed the Boy Scout Law. He played among those people, he lived among those people, and, eventually, he came to represent those people. I know. I was one of them.

Friends, conservatives, liberals, and countrymen, I write not to rebury Jack Kemp, but to Continue Reading “Jack Kemp: All American”

Posted in Gray Matter Musings, Memoir of a Real Life, The Compleat Carosa Commentaries Tagged 1964 Topps Football, Allentown, Bethlehem Steel Plant, Billy Joel, Buffalo Bills, Chubb Fellow, E Pluribus Unum, Jack Kemp, New Haven, Ronald Reagan, Shining City on a hill, Woodlawn Elementary, Woodlawn Intermediate, Yale

Bring Back Dodgeball! Why ‘Too Big To Fail’ Failed

By Chris Carosa on September 5, 2023

“Whatza matter you, big toe?” Danny incomprehensibly teased, egging me to wing the ball at him. His flaming red hair and daring blue eyes proved a compelling target. Danny wasn’t stupid—but neither was I. As all fourth graders knew, Danny caught every ball thrown his way. And in Dodgeball, that means you’re out, he wins. The cool lake breeze evaporated the sweat from my forehead as the sun beat abnormally hot that spring day on the elementary school playground. With the recess bell moments away, I made my decision quickly.

Using the deft eye of a future quarterback, my face feigned throwing the ball into Danny’s broad chest and stocky arms. He bought the ruse and, as I cocked my arm back, I could see his biceps tense. Kids usually thought if they threw the ball hard enough right at him, Danny wouldn’t catch it. Danny always caught it. With a snap release, I flicked the ball directly at… his feet!

Stymied by the misdirection, Danny froze. The ball bounced harmlessly off his shoe. The bell rang. I had won.

* * * * *

Six years later, on the hardwood deck of the high school gym, I found myself in Danny’s Continue Reading “Bring Back Dodgeball! Why ‘Too Big To Fail’ Failed”

Posted in Gray Matter Musings, Memoir of a Real Life, The Compleat Carosa Commentaries Tagged 2008/2009 recession, Daniel Patrick Moynihan, Danny, defining deviancy down, Dodgeball, dumbing down of America, fourth grade, Gates-Chili High School, great recession, Madoff, participation trophy, Ponzi Scheme, self-esteem, success, tenth grade, too big to fail, winning, Woodlawn Intermediate

What Did You Learn From Oppenheimer?

By Chris Carosa on August 29, 2023

When you’re a hammer, everything looks like a nail. When you’re a physics and astronomy major swimming in a sea of humanities majors, everything looks like an atom.

Or, quite possibly, a planet.

I guess it depends if you’re talking to someone who just got out of a micro-economics course or a macro-economics course.

Here’s the thing about majoring in physics in astronomy. Back when I did it, it was considered a double major. In reality, given the amount of required math courses, it was really a triple major. Only the folks in New Haven didn’t officially recognize triple majors.

The point, however, is that your schedule doesn’t have a lot of room for much of anything else.

Now, here comes the twist. On top of all those courses required for the physics and Continue Reading “What Did You Learn From Oppenheimer?”

Posted in Memoir of a Real Life, Movie Reviews, The Compleat Carosa Commentaries Tagged A-bomb, astronomy, atomic, Churchill, Liberal Arts, Los Alamos, Manhattan Project, Oppenheimer, Physics, Plato, Potsdam, Pythagoras, quadrivium, Richard Feynman, Scarecrow, Stalin, Truman, White Sands, Wizard of Oz

CONFIDENTIAL MEMORANDUM TO PRESIDENT TRUMAN – 17JULY 1945

By Chris Carosa on August 27, 2023

N.B.: In Spring of 1981, as part of an assignment for History 111B – The American Nation, 1865-Present, the following paper was submitted as though it was written by a scientific liaison to President Truman at the July 1945 Potsdam Conference. Naturally, to keep within the time frame, the preceding character had many limitations. Scientists, even important ones like Oppenheimer, had no inkling of the military situation and were not informed of the diplomatic situation.¹⁴ For this reason, the character does not discuss the political ramifications of outdoing the Soviets because he would not know of the oncoming break in relations. Every attempt was made to draft this hypothetical report in the manner which a science writer in July of 1945 would have written it. This was done by diving into various science-oriented and news-oriented periodicals during that period. Please remember, the language of this fictitious report may seem naïve, ignorant, or even offensive by today’s standards, but it reflects what was known and thought on July 17, 1945.

CONFIDENTIAL

* * * * * SECURITY 1 PRIORITY * * * * *

MEMORANDUM TO PRESIDENT TRUMAN

SUBJECT:Continue Reading “CONFIDENTIAL MEMORANDUM TO PRESIDENT TRUMAN – 17JULY 1945”

Posted in Memoir of a Real Life Tagged atomic bomb, Byrnes, Einstein, Eisenhower, fission, Forrestal, Grew, Hans Bethe, History 111B, James Chadwick, League of Nations, Lesley Groves, Lewis Strauss, Manhattan Project, Niels Bohr, Oppenheimer, Potsdam, Truman, Yale

When I Learned I Was A Writer

By Chris Carosa on August 22, 2023

Previous: Why I Started To Write

Yes, I hated English class. All the way from Middle School through College. That didn’t mean I didn’t like to write. As demonstrated by my 10^th grade novel, I treated writing as a form of teenage rebellion. Teenagers must rebel, and it’s a lot safer using a pen than some other tool.

Truth be told, I wrote constantly, especially when I wasn’t supposed to. I even used English class as an excuse to write. It’s called “free writing” or “stream of consciousness writing.” It’s the kind of nonsense writing that fills journals.

In December of my senior year in high school, my father gave me an appointment book. It wasn’t as fancy as the ones they have now. His company (Hartford Insurance) printed them up for their employees. My father must have had an Continue Reading “When I Learned I Was A Writer”

Posted in Great Writing Tips, Memoir of a Real Life, The Compleat Carosa Commentaries

Why I Started To Write

By Chris Carosa on August 15, 2023

I’ve seen this quote all over the news lately. Funny thing, but I remember the quote and not the news story that prompted its use. The quote is from Ernest Hemingway’s 1926 novel The Sun Also Rises. In it, Bill asks how Mike went bankrupt. Mike responds with the now literary meme, “Two ways. Gradually and then suddenly.”

It turns out this “gradually then suddenly” concept applies to a lot more than bankruptcy. Think about how the Roman Empire fell. This applies both to the OG empire centered in Continue Reading “Why I Started To Write”

Posted in Memoir of a Real Life, The Compleat Carosa Commentaries Tagged Armageddon, chain reaction, critical mass, English class, Erie County Fair Museum, Ernest Hemingway, first grade, freshman year, Herbie the Helicopter, high school, I think I can, Joseph Conrad, Kirk, Mary Lee, Miss Jackson, Mr. Clauss, Mr. Harvey, Mr. Polito, nuclear fission, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Spock, Star Trek, The Enemy Within, The Secret Sharer, The Sun Also Rises

The Never-Ending Apple Wars of Summer

By Chris Carosa on August 8, 2023

The dynamics between the kids on Abbott Parkway were complex. There was always this “boys against girls” thing.

It started in school. By fourth grade, it got to where boys intercepted notes girls tried to pass to one another. Sometimes the boys would read them. Sometimes the boys would pass them to our teacher, Miss Powell. Miss Powell didn’t take too kindly to note passing.

This tension spilled over to the neighborhood. Several girls from our grade played on the Continue Reading “The Never-Ending Apple Wars of Summer”

Posted in Memoir of a Real Life, The Compleat Carosa Commentaries Tagged Abbott Parkway, Angelo, Apple Wars, Babsie, Cindy, Dad, Debbie, fourth grade, grandpa, Johnny, Karen, Kenny, Markie, Miss Powell, peach tree, Shari

Simple Summer Mornings In The Years B.C. (‘Before Chili’)

By Chris Carosa on August 1, 2023

If the summers of Dortmund Circle were filled with sports of all sorts, flingable fruit filled the summers of Abbott Parkway. That wasn’t the only difference.

While nearly all the kids my age on Dortmund Circle were boys, girls dominated the peerage on Abbott Parkway. There were a lot more kids on Abbott Parkway, in part because the street was twice as long. That length also changed our venues of play.

On Dortmund Circle, all us guys lived within a few houses of each other. Our playing fields (mostly the street and our driveways) lay right outside our doors. Given its substantial length and the location of most of the kids, Abbott Parkway presented a different avenue to fun.Continue Reading “Simple Summer Mornings In The Years B.C. (‘Before Chili’)”

Posted in Memoir of a Real Life, The Compleat Carosa Commentaries Tagged 3-d Football Card, Abbott Parkway, Angelo, bikes, Cops and Robbers, Cowboys and Indians, Dave Thomas, Dick Butkus, Dortmund Circle, grandpa's house, Highland Parkway, Kellogg's, Kellogg's Corn Flakes, Kenny, Kirk, Life cereal, Markie, Mary Lee, McCoy, mom, Quake, Quisp, Raisin Bran, Rocketship 7, Spock, Star Trek, Trix

The (Too) Short Season Of Fun In The Sun

By Chris Carosa on July 25, 2023

Do you remember what you did during summer vacation? Note how I refer to it as summer “vacation” and not summer “break.” There’s a reason for this.

Summer “break” connotes that time between spring and fall semesters during college. You usually have a summer job or some sort of internship. Summer “break” entails a break from the routine. You travel from your college either back home or to whatever city you end up working or interning in.

While a break from schoolwork, it’s not a break from work. After all, you do have to pay for college somehow.

Now, a summer “vacation” means something totally different. It evokes memories of a Continue Reading “The (Too) Short Season Of Fun In The Sun”

Posted in Memoir of a Real Life, The Compleat Carosa Commentaries Tagged 300, baseball, Basketball, Dortmund Circle, football, summer, summer vacation