Category Archives: People

Doug — always a star in my eyes

People, Television, , , , , , ,

Remember Doug? My friend and hairstylist? Did I mention in that earlier post that Doug is also a singer-songwriter? Nope? Well, my mistake. Doug’s a darn good singer-songwriter.

Country Doug

He’s also a great sport and recently began to enter contests. Not counting hair-related contests, he has entered at least three contests in the past couple of years, all involving music. The first was a challenge to write a new tune for the Choc Full o’ Nuts jingle. He wrote a few and made it to the finals with at least one of them. (I’ll check other computers to see if I have a copy).

Not long after that, Doug entered an American Idol contest to come up with an original song for that show. He wrote and sang Dream Come True for that contest.

Most recently Doug entered to become a contestant on Nashville Star — country & western’s answer to American Idol. His email about his experience had the whole family in stitches. Doug seemed to have had a lot of fun at the audition:

“Friday March 14, Westin Grand Hotel in DC, near GWU. Open call. I arrive at 11:30 am and enter a line 2 blocks long. I have long, straightened hair, and a redneck bandanna. In a sea of cowboy hats and boots, I am the only bandanna-guy…

…I decided that if I was fortunate enough to make the call-back,I would slip quietly through the door, not calling attention to myself. Or so I thought. When you were in the next group of five waiting to audition, they had you sit down in a little row of seats, with bright lights and cameras on you (all day extensive footage was being filmed). I had a metal tuning fork, and would tap my head with it, then hold it to my ear to get my note….

…I was the last of the three, and heard the cheers as the other two made their entrances. Now it was my turn, and the staff wanted a BIG entrance. “Ready? OK, IT’S YOUR TIME! GO! GO!!!” So I leapt through the door, and with no idea what to do, found myself pumping my arms in the air, and shouting “SHAZAAM!!” at the top of my lungs…. and you could have heard a pin drop. No one other than the camera man was expecting a third person through the door!!! So my entrance caused people to turn my way, and the camera was put in my face with me laughing like crazy and feeling like a huge idiot. The interviewer said, “Tell us about that tuning fork. You must really want to sing on key”. And with no hesitation, I blurted out, “No, that’s not for singing, I just like to smack myself in the head sometimes. It keeps me in line”.”

Well, Doug didn’t make the cut, but he did make the Nashville Star TV commercial and part of his audition is on YouTube (see below). He’s also in the sideshow on the Nashville Star website. He’s the one in the black bandanna, just to the right of the Nashville Star logo. Click the image to enlarge it. Or click here to see the image with Doug highlighted.

Grandpa’s email

Dreams, Musings, People
Grandpa with blackberry

So, last night, amid the stupid dreams (my brother with an Afro, me wearing ugly dresses, cryptic messages containing images of rabbits drawn in moss on the side of a building) I dreamed my Grandpa Green, who died when I was 16, and I went grocery shopping and he pulled out a Blackberry. I said, “Grandpa, I didn’t know you had email.” and he replied that he’d had it for a while. Then I remarked that if I had known, I would have sent him emails — that we could have been exchanging emails all along. He agreed that that would have been good.

I’ve been thinking about the email I’d send my grandfather.

Dear Grandpa,

How have you been? It’s been a long time — not counting the grocery shopping last night; where did you go anyway? I looked for you after we checked out and you were gone. Good thing I had your email address.

I’ve missed you — I think of you often, especially when I’m grateful that my kids like to read. I owe it to you, in a way, because I often saw you reading and research now indicates that when children see adults they love and admire reading, they will become readers too. So your love of reading fostered my love of reading, and that, in turn, helped my kids love to read.

I know you know this, but I’m really sorry that I didn’t go golfing with you a second time that last summer I was in Chetek with you and Grandma. I thought I should spend time with Grandma — Mom said she’d get lonely when you were golfing– and at the time I thought I had all the time in the world to spend with you two, but then you got sick and never went golfing again. You’d think that, because of that incident I’d have taken up golf, but I haven’t.

You may know this already — I don’t know how much tabs you keep on the living — but I became a teacher, moved away from Elgin in the early 1980’s, then got married in 1985. Grandma was there, so she probably told you all of this. We moved to the Washington, DC area after we got married. In 1991 we had Clare — you’d love her. She’s artistic and loves to read. She’s very sweet and beautiful. She’s taller than me, but slender like I was. In 1993 we had Andrew. He was quite a handful for several years — but always smart and personable. He’s quite a charmer and funny and no longer quite a handful. You’d really get a kick out of him. I think your sense of humor and his are very similar.

You’d really like Dean – my husband. He’s a wonderful father and understanding husband. He’s smart, like you, and pretty even tempered (to off-set my volatile one). He works for the government — like you did, so you also have that in common.

Well, speaking of work, I need to begin my work day, but wanted to thank you for coming by and shopping with me last night. I’m so pleased that you have email, so now we can communicate.

Love to Grandma, Uncle Dick and Uncle Bud. If you see anyone from my dad’s family, tell them hi from me — Uncle Don and Aunt Pat, especially.

Hugs and kisses,

Your Loving granddaughter,

Dona

PS I’d be grateful if you’d check out my new blog and tell me who all those ancestors are.

Civil War Ancestor

People, Photographs

I’ve sometimes wondered if anyone in my family fought in the Civil War. I found out, today, that at least one did: His name was Henry Thiede and he was my Grandmother Green’s grandfather, on her mother’s side.

Henry Thiede — my great great grandfather (mother’s mother’s mother’s father)

Doesn’t he look like he would have fought in the Civil War? Or one of those Biblical wars even. I’ve written more about it on a new blog I began today called Old Photographs
 Henry’s story is here.