Button Sunday

Today is National Chinese Takeout Day.


This button available on Redbubble.

Here are a few takeout/restaurant buttons (most from my personal collection).


Vintage Burger King button.


Vintage McDonald’s button.


Popcorn used to be my takeout snack from Target, but they don’t have machines anymore.


I don’t remember what restaurant advertised with this button or campaign. Maybe Lynne does. Same applies to this one. Maybe the Omelet Shoppe?


Vintage Arby’s button. Ironic, since I never ate their roast beef sandwiches.


Guessing somebody grabbed this button for me back when the peach shake was introduced by Chick-fil-A in 1995.


Vintage button from Morrison’s Cafeteria chain, which originated in Alabama, expanded throughout the Southeast, and now is closed down. Though I eventually overcame a childhood fear of cafeterias and ate at Morrison’s, Picadilly, and Luby’s, these days meals I don’t cook are only takeout, not dine-out, for me. And the single item that still comes home to me on a regular basis is liquid…

Do you have a favorite kind of takeout or a favorite Chinese takeout menu item? My default is cashew chicken, though I’ve been known to choose sweet and sour chicken, too.

Now and then

Love the newly released Beatles song and video “Now and Then” as well as the video of how it came to be made partially thanks to new technology that Peter Jackson worked with when he updated the Let It Be movie with his The Beatles: Get Back film. Tom was kind enough to watch that with me last year (has it been that long?), putting up with my bouts of tears and occasional commentary during, as well as prolonged reminiscing afterward.

It’s been fun sharing online comments about the new song with a few people who are either musicians or love music, in general, and love the Beatles in particular. The Beatles weren’t around for my whole life, but I was around for their many incarnations. It’s truly a gift from those Liverpool lads to have them visually and musically provide the world another song. We can thank Yoko for sharing the tapes for the two songs with all four Beatles released in the 1990s, then to her and Peter Jackson for this third one.

Good job, Paul and Ringo and, posthumously, John and George. Beatles4ever still sounds true–and the love you made is still felt around the world.

Why?


Tom and I got our early voting done. Some people ask why, and if for no other reason, it’s a continued effort against cynicism. I might be a skeptic, but I hope never to be a cynic. Maybe the choice to hope is part of that.

A Google search on the difference between cynicism and skepticism:

While both skepticism and cynicism involve questioning assumptions and evaluating evidence, there are key differences between the two mindsets. Skeptics are open to new ideas and are willing to be convinced by evidence, while cynics tend to be closed-minded and mistrustful.

Hump Day Humor

A few things I’ve snagged from friends I follow on Instagram. I can’t always attest that I’m aligned with the original sources, because I don’t follow them. But these amused me, wherever they came from.

The horror!

On behalf of my French or French-speaking characters.

Mickey knows what he did.

I related way too well to this.

This is like the quicksand on shows I saw as a kid, but this one was more a part of adolescence.

ETA: Found another one (very) early Thursday morning.

Tiny Tuesday!

This morning, I was checking to see if I had a couple of miniature charms. As I opened and shut some two dozen plastic containers, I realized craft organization works best when you don’t make a mystery of it. Out came the label maker! (And on the way, I better organized as well as purged a few things that found their way into my supplies and that I’m sure I’ll never use.)

No more wasting time on searches!

And I did find miniature charms that worked for what I wanted.

Love and peace, and if trick or treating is part of your evening, have a fun, safe night!

Mood: Monday

I previously published a photo of an oil painting on canvas, titled Allées de peupliers à Moret-sur-Loing, painted in 1888 by French artist Alfred Sisley.

Alfred Sisley was born on this date, October 30, in Paris, France, in 1839.

Interesting fact from Wikipedia: This painting was rediscovered in a private house in Kölblöd, Bavaria, Germany, in 1949 after being bought on the black market or seized by Hermann Brandl. It was returned to France on 3 June that year and assigned to the Louvre two years later by the Office des Biens et Intérêts Privés.

It was then stolen from the Louvre in 1978 but recovered the following year, before being stolen again in 2007 from the store of the Musée des beaux-arts de Nice, then recovered again in 2008. It is now in the Musée d’Orsay in Paris. (ed note: We hope!)

Done

Finished it last night.

As I’ve tried to record for other mass shootings, I believe the victims should be seen as more than simply names connected to another atrocity. According to WMTW and The Associated Press, the identified victims in the Lewiston, Maine, mass shooting include:

Ronald G. Morin, 55, described as an upbeat, happy person who was always full of jokes and loved his family, was among the eight men killed at Schemengees Bar & Grille. He was employed by Coca Cola and prided himself on never missing a day of work. His obituary notes that his wife, children, and dog Remy were his entire world.

Peyton Brewer Ross, 40, worked as a pipefitter and loved cornhole, wrestling, comic book heroes, and helping others. From his brother: “He was a character. He just made people laugh. It was the way he was able to tell stories. You could hear the story, it could be 100 times, but each time he told it there was something else that you could pull out of it.”

Joshua A. Seal, 36, was among several members of the deaf and hard of hearing community in Lewiston who regularly went to Schemengees Bar & Grille to play cornhole. On Wednesday, he was participating in a cornhole tournament for the deaf, along with Steve Vozzella, Bryan MacFarlane, and Billy Brackett, who were also killed. He leaves behind a wife and four children. He was the Director of Interpreting Services at Pine Tree Society in Scarborough and a Certified Deaf Interpreter. He interpreted for several press conferences, including the Covid pandemic briefings. He loved to travel and enjoyed outdoor sports.

Bryan M. MacFarlane, 41, was playing in the cornhole tournament for the deaf when he was killed. A commercial truck driver who grew up in Maine, he moved back to the state to be closer to his mother. His sister described him as an outdoorsy man who loved camping, fishing, and riding his motorcycle. He also loved spending time with deaf friends and with his dog, M&M, who was named after his favorite candy and regularly joined him on the road.

Joseph Lawrence Walker, 57, a manager at Schemengees Bar and Grille, died at the scene of the shooting. According to police, Walker’s last moments were heroic as he tried to stop the gunman with a butcher knife to protect others. He was shot to death in the attempt.

Arthur Fred Strout, 42, was playing pool at Schemengees Bar and Grill with his father. They’d planned to leave together, but Arthur stayed behind when his father left. A friend said he was a generous person with an infectious, silly laugh. Described by his wife as a Christmas person who would start decorating at Halloween, he leaves behind a blended family of five children.

Maxx A. Hathaway, 35, spent Wednesday night playing pool at Schemengees Bar & Grille with his pregnant wife Brenda. By the time the shooter burst into the restaurant, Hathaway was there alone. His sister described him as “a goofy, down to earth person” who “loved to joke around and always had an uplifting attitude no matter what was going on.” When they were young, he was always willing to play dolls with their younger sister. His third child is due in about a month.

Stephen M. Vozzella, 45, was playing in Schemengees Bar & Grille’s cornhole tournament for the deaf when he was killed. An active member of the New England Deaf Cornhole community, he’d won several victories in the sport. He was the father of two and a letter carrier for the USPS.

Thomas Ryan Conrad, 34, was the manager of the bowling alley and tried with several other men to take down the shooter when he entered the building. An Army veteran, his service included tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. He returned to Maine to be closer to his daughter, and friends say he died a hero, rushing the shooter to protect the children in the bowling alley.

Michael R. Desiauriers II, 51, was also killed at the bowling alley while trying to stop the gunman. His ex-wife, who’d known him since elementary school, described him as “an amazing man. An amazing father. An amazing provider.” Michael’s girlfriend, who was with him at the bowling alley, told her that Michael had tried to fight back and urged his girlfriend to hide behind the ball rack before he lunged at the attacker.

Jason Adam Walker, 51, another man killed at the bowling alley while helping Desiauriers take down the gunman after they ensured their families were under cover and safe. He enjoyed vegetable gardening, creating educational YouTube videos, preserving seed and harvest, making homemade sausage with his best friend Michael Deslauriers and baking sourdough bread. He leaves behind a wife and two sons.

Tricia C. Asselin, 53, an accomplished athlete, a mother, and a volunteer, was bowling with her sister at Just-In-Time Recreation, where she worked. A friend described her as “the type of person who would have done anything for children and anybody. If she liked you, she made you feel like you were in her inner circle.”

William A. Young, 44, described as a man who was dedicated to his family and always trying to be “a funny guy,” was with his son at the bowling alley for Youth League Night when he was killed.

Aaron Young, 14, son of Bill Young, was an avid bowler killed with his father on Youth League Night.

Robert E. Violette, 76, a dedicated volunteer coach for a youth bowling league, was killed at Just-in-Time while trying to save the lives of those around him. He was described as always having a smile and always willing to coach both kids and adults with bowling tips.

Lucille M. Violette, 73, wife of Bob Violette, was killed at the bowling alley with her husband. She was an employee of Lewiston Public Schools, dedicated to her position as a secretary in the business office for 52 years. A favorite story she told was of proposing to Bob after they met because she didn’t want to take a chance of losing him. She became a mother of three sons and a grandmother of six.

William Frank Brackett, 48, was killed at Schemengees Bar and Grille while playing in the cornhole tournament alongside Joshua Seal, Steve Vozzella, and Bryan MacFarlane. Described as a shy, kind guy and a natural-born athlete with a passion for all sports, he leaves behind a wife and young daughter.

Keith D. Macneir, 64, killed at Schemengees, was a Floridian who traveled to Maine to spend his 64th birthday with his son. A friend described him as “the friendliest and kindest guy in any room, whose loss will leave a huge hole in the lives of many, many people.”