First Line of a Novel (Entry 11 of 11)

We conclude this series with the first line of Frank Baum's classic novel "The Wizard of Oz:"


"Dorothy lived in the midst of the great Kansas praries, with Uncle Henry, who was a farmer and Aunt Em, who was the farmer's wife.

True Confessions (10 of 11)_ The Camel Days

As I was walking on campus today, I held my nose with two fingers as I walked right past a smoker.

It's a bit ironic since I used to be a smoker myself!

For a brief while in 1989, I did actually indulge in this very bad habit.

My cigarette of choice was mostly Camels.

The habit formed purely from peer pressure. In the summer of 1989, I traveled to my father's country Turkey for the usual summer trek.

While there, my friend Muzzafer and his gang of friends would all smoke. After a while, it seemed socially appropriate to fit in and smoke with them.

I actually brought a whole carton of Maltepe-brand Turkish cigarettes from Ataturk International Airport in Istanbul which I brought with me to Roanoke, Va.

I would smoke these cigarettes and share them with friends who smoked when I attended Virginia Western Community College in Roanoke.

The story of how I quit smoking is perhaps the more interesting one though. A few years later, when I was attending Radford University, my friend Bahadir and I went to a bar in downtown Roanoke.

Though we were both smoking Camels, we told a couple of attractive women who saw us that we weren't really smokers. They didn't buy it. I quit smoking after that.

Alas, I now live in an area along the Virginia-North Carolina border where many people still smoke regularly.

Celebrity Birthdays- Penelope Cruz is 35

Today is the collective birthday for three very attractive Hollywood actresses. Oscar-winning Penelope Cruz turns 35 today.

Jessica Alba is 28.

And, Bridgette Moyhahan turns 38.

Quote of the Week_ Pablo Neruda

This week's quote of the month comes from the late poet Pablo Neruda. It is in honor of National Poetry Month.

Neruda is a favorite of my friend, modern dancer Nejla Yatkin who is currently performing a show in Istanbul, Turkey.

Her web site is http://ny2dance.com

Here is the quote:

"Love is so short, forgetting is so long."

Silly Photo to Fill Space

I usually add commentary with my 'silly photos to fill space,' but this time, I think I'll just let you deal with the visuals.

Old Cinemas_The Victoria Theatre in San Francisco

San Francisco may be one of the very few zip codes in America where I might actually be a Republican (that is certainly not the case in rural North Carolina where I reside!).

Of course, a place like San Francisco has many unique cultural attractions, and from what I've read The Victoria Theatre seems to fit that proverbial bill.

The theatre began as a vaudeville house when it was built in 1908. The Victoria began to show films in the 1930s, and it later became a burlesque house in the 1960s (pictured here).

The Victoria was closed in 1976, and it reopened a few years later.

Currently, the cinema is showing the independent film "Rolling," which is about an underground warehouse party in Los Angeles where a teacher, a drug dealer, a lawyer and a high school senior look for their next thrill.

The Victoria, located in the Mission District, seats 480 people. It was also featured in the 1973 Walter Matthau film "The Laughing Policeman."

It is located at:

2961 16th Street
San Francisco, Calif.
(415) 863-7576.

Know Your Mayors (7 of 12)-John W. Hickenlooper

Today we go to the Mile High City as we continue to profile twelve mayors of American cities. If I am so inclined, we may profile international city mayors at some juncture later this year.


Mayor John W. Hickenlooper of Denver, Col., was born in Narbeth, Pa., on Feb. 7, 1952. He is a graduate of Wesleyan University. His wife Helen Thorpe writes for magazines such as "The New Yorker."

Hickenlooper is a real estate developer who owns several restaurants in the LoDo section of Denver. And, he is one of the founders of the original Wyakoop brewing Company microbrewery.

The mayor's post in Denver is a non-partisan job, but Hickenlooper is believed to be a Democrat and he helped the city land the Democratic National Convention where Barack Obama made his historical speech last year.

Hickenlooper is a member of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns, and he was named as one of the top five big city mayors in America by "Time" magazine.