It’s allergy season in Western NY and I have a stuffed up head with a dry cough. Over the years I’ve used Claritin and Allegra (antihistamines) with some success. But last year, when I was visiting my son in Albuquerque, New Mexico and I had an allergy attack, I tried Zyrtec-D. Friends of my mine with severe allergies recommended it to me. And, sure enough, after a couple doses, the worst of the allergy symptoms dissipated. I’m taking Zyrtec-D now and I’m starting to feel better. A Zyrtec-D tablet works 12 hours and I’ve had few side-effects. If you get an allergy attack, you might want to give Zyrtec-D a try.

With all the gyrations in the Stock Market lately, I thought I’d try to achieve a little sanity and perspective by reading Jason DeSena Trennert’s memoir, My Side of Wall Street. Trennert has worked on Wall Street for over 30 years. He’s seen it all: ups and downs. Currently, Trennert is chairman of Strategas Research Partners. If you want an insider’s view of Wall Street, this slim book will give you that. What I liked was Tennert’s appendices where he recommends great books and movies. Check out Tennert’s picks:
GREAT WALL STREET BOOKS:
The Money Game by Adam Smith
Free to Choose by Milton & Rose Friedman
Where Are the Customers’ Yachts? by Fred Schwed
Once in Golconda by John Brooks
Manias, Panics, and Crashes by Charles Kindleberger

GREAT INVESTMENT BOOKS WORTH READING IN TIME OF FINANCIAL CRISIS:
The Forgotten Man by Amity Shlaes
The Lords of Finance by Liaquat Ahamed
The Mystery of Capital by Hernando de Soto
The Panic of 1907 by Robert Bruner & Sean Carr
Pictures of the Socialistic Future by Eugene Richter
This Time is Different by Kenneth Rogoff & Carmen Reinhart
When Money Dies by Adam Fergusson

WALL STREET MOVIES WORTH WATCHING CLOSELY:
Other People’s Money
Rogue Trader
Working Girl
Margin Call
Wall Street

Today is the First Day of classes at my College. I’ve been teaching for over 30 years yet the excitement of meeting students for the first time still is a thrill. Many of my students are older (our average student’s age is 26). Some have lost their jobs and are returning to College for retraining. Some students are recovering from broken marriages, divorces, and failed relationships. Whatever their motivation, many of the students I meet today desperately want to learn how to be successful after experiencing its opposite. And I will try my best to help show them how to make Better Decisions with the New Knowledge I present each class.

I’ve been reading Richard Schickel’s movie reviews for decades. Schickel is the movie reviewer at TIME magazine. I’ve always found Schickel’s reviews to be even-handed and perceptive. in Keepers, Schickel reminisces about his long career watching movies and picks films that he thinks are the greatest. As you would expect, Schickel’s choices are quirky. He considers Disney’s Pinocchio to be a masterpiece. Schickel loves King Kong. He thinks Henry Fonda is the best actor of Hollywood’s Golden Age. Schickel’s favorite movie is Fargo. His favorite movie star is Errol Flynn. There are plenty of insights gained over a long career of sitting in the dark and watching movies. You’ll want to go back and watch many of the films Schickel writes about in Keepers. GRADE: A
TABLE OF CONTENTS.
Notes Toward the Definition of an Obsession
Speaking of Silence
Exceptions
Ironies
The System
Men with Movie Cameras
A Studio’s Way
“The Son of a Gun Is Nothing but a Tailor”
A Touch of Lubitsch
Two Cheers for Mr. Muckle
Shrieks, Freaks, Geeks
What’s Funny About That?
Greatness
Ornaments of the Age
“Up This Hero Goes”
Getting Serious
Masterpieces
Don’t You Know There’s a War On?
Children of Paradise
Crime Waves
Why We Fight
Muse of Fire
Here’s Looking at You, Kid
The Best Years
Fasten Your Seat Belts
Don’t Unfasten Those Seat Belts Yet
Mixed Baggage
To Live
Bergman
At Last
The Criminal Life
Clint
Belle de Jour
The Apu Trilogy
Fellini
Strange Loves
Getting Started, or, I Thought You’d Never Ask
The Wrath of God
Or Is It His Silence?
Marty
Earning It, or, Spielberg’s Way
Clint Again
Tarnished Gold
Kubrick Again
The Force Is with Us
Losing It
“No Animals Were Harmed…”
We’ve Got to End Somewhere
That Wonderful Year
1987
Acknowledgments
Index.

I know it’s hard to believe but Bob Dylan’s classic Highway 61 Revisited is 50 years old today. It was released on August 30, 1965. This is the first rock album I ever bought. I played it until the grooves wore out. A couple months later, Bob Dylan and The Band arrived in Buffalo, NY at Kleinhans Music Hall (where the Buffalo Philharmonic plays) and this was my first rock concert. Dylan played his acoustic guitar for the first half of the concert singing songs like “Blowing In the Wind” and “Mr. Tambourine Man.” After the Intermission, trouble started.

Dylan came out with The Band and started to play “Like a Rolling Stone.” Some of the audience booed. A guy with a cow-bell caused a scene. But, working Security for this concert was a local contingent of the Hell’s Angels motorcycle gang. They left their front row seats and settled the angry elements of the crowd down. Fast. The concert proceeded without incident and it was magical. Do you have any Bob Dylan memories?
TRACK LIST:
Side one
1. “Like a Rolling Stone” 6:13
2. “Tombstone Blues” 6:00
3. “It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry” 4:09
4. “From a Buick 6” 3:19
5. “Ballad of a Thin Man” 5:58
Side two
1. “Queen Jane Approximately” 5:31
2. “Highway 61 Revisited” 3:30
3. “Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues” 5:32
4. “Desolation Row” 11:21

You’ll hear a hint of Dolly Parton’s voice in Lindi Ortega’s singing and that’s a Good Thing. I enjoyed this CD full of love songs. It’s been years since I’ve heard a cover of the Bee Gee’s “To Love Someone” but Lindi Ortega gives the song a nice spin. She has an edge, too. Just listen to “I Ain’t The Girl.” I can’t wait to hear Lindi Ortega’s next album! GRADE: B+
TRACK LIST:
1.”Ashes” (Linda Ortega, James Robertson) 4:35
2.”Faded Gloryville” (Ortega) 3:12
3.”Tell It Like It Is” (Ortega) 3:46
4.”Someday Soon” (Ortega, John Paul White) 3:36
5.”To Love Somebody” (Barry Gibb, Robin Gibb) 3:27
6.”When You Ain’t Home” (Ortega, Brice Long) 3:41
7.”Run-Down Neighborhood” (Ortega, Bruce Wallace) 3:07
8.”I Ain’t The Girl” (Ortega) 3:25
9.”Run Amuck” (Ortega, Tofer Brown) 4:19
10.”Half Moon” (Ortega, Dan Brigham, Trent Dabbs) 3:22

A few weeks ago, I reviewed McBain’s Ladies, a compilation of scenes from McBain’s 87th Precinct series. You can read that review here. Jeff Meyerson commented that there was a sequel, McBain’s Ladies, Too. I never knew about the sequel so I tracked it down online. And, I’m so glad I did! McBain’s Ladies, Too includes a snarky “Introduction” by Ed McBain. He explains why McBain’s Ladies didn’t have an “Introduction” (McBain didn’t think the book needed one). But various reviewers made comments about McBain’s Ladies (some suggesting McBain knew nothing about women). McBain’s response is clever and enlightening. It shows another side of McBain that I hadn’t seen before. If you’re a fan of Ed McBain’s work, I highly recommend that you read the “Introduction.” The rest of the book is vintage 87th Precinct.

Jackie DeShannon had hits with Liberty Records in the Sixties like “Put A Little Love In Your Heart” and “When You Walk in the Room.” Later, she wrote the hit “Bette Davis Eyes.” But in between, Jackie DeShannon signed a contract with Atlantic Records in 1972 and wrote songs with Van Morrison. Those Atlantic recordings are now available on this recent release. If you’re a fan of Jackie DeShannon, this is a must-buy. If you’re looking for some vintage music from the Seventies, this CD is worth a listen. GRADE: B+
TRACK LIST:
1. When I’m Gone
2. Drift Away
3. All The Love That’s In You
4. Speak Out To Me
5. Hydra
6. Your Old Lady’s Leaving
7. Grand Canyon Blues
8. Sweet Soul Singer (Unreleased)
9. Good Old Song (Unreleased)
10. Easy Evil (Unreleased)
11. If You Like My Music (Unreleased)
12. Free The People (Unreleased)
13. Spare Me A Little of Your Love (Unreleased)
14. Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright (Unreleased)
15. Sweet Sixteen
16. Flamingos Fly
17. Santa Fe
18. The Wonder Of You

This has been the Summer of Repairs for us. First, it was our Sears Craftsman lawn mower (10-years-old) that needed a new wheel. Then our garage door opener died (18-years-old). We decided to replace the garage door (28-years-old) with a new, insulated garage door. Now, we’re dealing with a broken dryer. Our Maytag dryer (13=years-old) started making squeaking noises. Diane told me she sensed a “burning smell,” too. So we had the dryer fix-it guy come out. He said the motor needed replacing. We said, okay.

The next day, the dryer guy showed up and after about 5 minutes he announced, “They sent me the wrong dryer motor.” So now we’re playing the Waiting Game. Have you had any repairs done this Summer? What kind of experience did you have?

DC Comics is attempting to attract a younger audience with these animated features. Batman Unlimited: Monster Mayhem is the sequel to Batman Unlimited: Animal Instincts that I reviewed here. In this episode, the Joker with the help of Scarecrow, Clayface, Silver Banshee and Solomon Grundy terrorize Gotham City. I’m convinced that these animated films “orientate” new audience to the DC Universe and introduce characters (mostly villains) to the new viewers. If you’re a fan of Batman, you’ll enjoy this. GRADE: B