To Sir with Love
RIP Hollywood legend Sidney Poitier, 94. His family was from the Bahamas. He was born in Miami while his parents were on a weekend visit, selling produce grown on their farm. That granted their son U.S. citizenship, although he would grow up on the island. Born two months premature, he was not expected to survive. Fortunately for the world, he did. At 15 he was sent to Miami to live with his brother’s large family. At 16 he moved to NYC, where he supported himself washing dishes. Legend has it he slept on rooftops and at bus stations. He joined the American Negro Theater but was rejected by audiences because of his accent, which he soon eradicated. He began earning parts in Broadway productions. Hollywood noticed. His breakout role came in The Defiant Ones (1958), which earned him the first of his two Oscar nominations. He won for Lilies of the Field (1963), although he was better in two 1967 productions: To Sir, with Love and In the Heat of the Night, roles that elevated him to icon. In all there are 55 titles under his name at IMDb in the category of Actor. He also directed nine films, the most notable Stir Crazy (1980), starring Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder. In an interesting bit of trivia — he speaks Russian fluently. He is the father of six. Here’s a quote attributed to him: “I decided in my life that I would do nothing that did not reflect positively on my father’s life.” He was the personification of class and decency. Thank you, sir.
England’s Maisie Jackson, 22, an art history student, has an interesting passion. She does paintings on the edges of book pages, dubbed “fore-edge painting.” She posts on TikTok. Here’s are examples:
I’ve completed the reading of the first proof copy of Curious Sicilian. I didn’t spot many errors. I made brief additions, boosting the word count by about 100. It’s up to 43,100. Minus the stuff on the introductory pages and the About the Author at the end, my guess is it’s a two-two-and-a-half-hour read. I’m very happy with it, although I wish I’d come up with a couple of more pieces. The 14-point font is easy on the eyes. I hope I haven’t rushed through it, missed errors.
The snow storm moved in and out quickly, dropping at least four inches. The sun was shining as I walked to the old Hyundai, shovel and cleaning brush in hand. I decided to open the floating book shop in abbreviated form. The first half of the session was a snap, the second was tough, brutal by closing time, as the wind kicked up and clouds dominated. Here are before and after pics of the area. My car is behind the SUV:
Local porter Robert donated a Titanic DVD documentary, which The Quiet Man jumped on, and five books on America’s national parks, one of which Ira bought, needing reading matter for his medical appointment; and a young mom out having fun in the snow with her little guy purchased Between Women: Friendship, Desire, and Marriage in Victorian England by Sharon Marcus, Mastering the Art of Soviet Cooking: A Memoir of Food and Longing by Anya Von Bremzen, and Braving the Wilderness: The Quest for True Belonging and the Courage to Stand Alone by Brené Brown. My thanks to all.
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