Kaitlyn's Reading Salon

January 22, 2019
Good morning dearest readers. Today’s On This Date items are from 1506 and 1973, Your Hit Parade chronicles the #1 songs from this date in 1972 and today Philosophy 101 is about the benefits of keeping quiet.

THE DAILY ALMANAC
On This Date:
In  1506 – The first elements of the Swiss Guard, 150 strong, arrive at the Vatican to serve Pope Julius II, who had requested the mercenaries, though the papal/Swiss alliance actually went back to 15th century when the Swiss were used in wars, though sometimes their alliances varied. For their part, Swiss males of the era were willing to serve as mercenaries because the Swiss cantons were rather overpopulated, and soldiering for others offered as good a way as any to make a buck or two and they still serve the papacy today and recruits must still be Swiss Roman Catholics, between 19 and 30-years-old.

In 1973 – The US Supreme Court issues the landmark Roe v Wade ruling which legalized abortion in the US. The decision overturned a Texas law that had made it a crime to aid a woman in having an abortion. Writing for the majority, Justice Harry Blackmun said, in part, the “right of privacy…is broad enough to encompass a woman’s decision whether or not to terminate her pregnancy”. The vote was 7-2, with justices Byron White and William Rehnquist dissenting.

Your Hit Parade
#1 songs on this date in 1972:
Hot 100 – American Pie – Don McLean (2nd of four weeks)
Soul Chart – Let’s Stay Together…Al Green (3rd of nine weeks)
Country Chart – Carolyn…Merle Haggard (2nd of three weeks)
Album Chart – American Pie…Don McLean (1st of seven weeks)
– Chart data courtesy of Billboard.

Numbers Racket
10,625: the continuous number of days the US has been at war.
21.952: the number of dollars, in trillions, of America’s national debt. – Source: usdebtclock.org
654: days until 2020 election.

Philosophy 101
No risk attends the rewards that silence brings.
Augustus

It’s OK to keep quiet. OK, but not always easy. It’s the way the world is built: someone says this and we feel we must say that, which usually leads to that someone saying more things that we usually feel requires a response and it never ends. This is completely in step with human nature.

We must overcome ourselves, however. In fact, it might seem we spend an awful lot of time overcoming ourselves and, indeed, we do. So much of our instincts are geared for survival and self-preservation and are not always useful for getting along with others.

There are rewards for keeping quiet. The self-control and restraint showed brings a wonderful dividend of peace and leads to increased patience. It also keeps others on their toes, wondering what you are thinking. This is one of the privileges of wisdom, a benefit the years provide those willing to heed it: knowledge is power, including knowledge we reserve for ourselves.

It is rare when you will regret keeping quiet. You can always talk, One words are issued, however, they cannot be taken back.

Have a good day, and many thanks for reading.
xoxoxo
Kaitlyn

January 21, 2019
Good morning dearest readers.

We hope you were able to see some of the lunar eclipse last night. Natural phenomena like that do a good job of putting us humans in our place. In a good way.

Today we have our usual tidbits on what our fellow humans were up to on this date in years, centuries, past. A thought from Ham On Rye by Charles Bukowski concerning ambition is featured in Philosophy 101. 

THE DAILY ALMANAC
On This Date:
In 1789 – What is generally considered to be the first American novel – The Power of Sympathy: or, The Triumph of Nature by William Hill Brown – is published. It deals, in part, with the hilarity that ensues when a man seduces his sister-in-law. It was published in Boston and originally cost nine shillings.

In 2017 – On the first full day of Donald Trump’s presidency, the Women’s March takes place in various cities in the US and around the world. Organizers would later claim 673 marches took place worldwide, including one in Antarctica. It remains the largest protest in America history.

Your Hit Parade
#1 songs on this date in 1984:
Hot 100 – Owner of a Lonely Heart – Yes (1st of two weeks)
Soul Chart – Joanna…Kool & the Gang (2nd of two weeks)
Country Chart – In My Eyes…John Conlee (only week)
Album Chart – Thriller…Michael Jackson (25th of 37 non-consecutive weeks)
– Chart data courtesy of Billboard.

Numbers Racket
10,624: the continuous number of days the US has been at war.
21.951: the number of dollars, in trillions, of America’s national debt. – Source: usdebtclock.org
655: days until 2020 election.

Philosophy 101
What did he do?
He made counterfeit dimes.
Dimes? Jesus Christ, what kind of ambition is that?
Charles Bukowski
Ham On Rye

You’ve got to have ambition in this life: it’s how things get done. If your only goal on this planet is to mark time, that is all you will do.

Be careful, though, because ambition does not serve everyone the same way. There are different types of ambition: there is ambition fueled by outside influences and there is the ambition that comes from deep inside. Only the second leads to any long-term happiness.

If your ambition is based solely on what you see around you, on the wealthy, trim and seemingly successful people we are force-fed on a daily basis, then you will probably be disappointed in your life. Not everyone on this planet is cut out to be rich and famous and pity those that are because wealth and fame are two awesome, demanding masters.

On the other hand, if you’re ambition stems from something deep inside you, well, that is ambition worth listening to. Nature gave all us assorted talents at birth and those that get on in this world are those that spend their time maximizing those talents. When you do this you are on your path and putting nature and circumstance to work for you. You might live down the ages or you may not. Either way, it will be the life you were meant to live, life’s great prize.

Have a good day, and many thanks for reading.
xoxoxo
Kaitlyn

January 20, 2019
Good morning dearest readers. A thousand apologies for being away the past two days. Winter attacked Kaitlyn World Headquarters with a vengeance that demanded more attention than we really wanted to give, but nobody forces us to live here.

Today we have the usual tidbits from what our fellow humans have been up to over the centuries, plus Philosophy 101 talks about having the patience to see our jouries through to the very end.

THE DAILY ALMANAC
On This Date:
In 1649 – Proving it’s not always so great to be the king, King Charles I of England goes on trial on charges of treason and other high crimes. The charges had been rejected by the House of Lords and no standing English court would try the king, so the House of Commons legislated its own court, known as the High Court of Justice. For his part, Charles I claimed no court had jurisdiction over a monarch, though that didn’t stop the court from finding Charles I guilty. He would be executed later in the year.

In 1929 – The movie In Old Arizona, the first full-length talking movie filmed outdoors is released. The film received a then-record five Academy Award nominations, including one for Best Picture, and won one of them, Warner Baxter winning the Best Actor award.

Your Hit Parade
#1 songs on this date in 1968:
Hot 100 – Judy in Disguise (With Glasses) – John Fred & His Playboy Band (1st of two weeks)
Soul Chart – Chain of Fools…Aretha Franklin (1st of four weeks)
Country Chart – Sing Me Back Home…Merel Haggard (1st of two weeks)
Album Chart – The Magical Mystery Tour…The Beatles (4th of eight weeks)
– Chart data courtesy of Billboard.

Numbers Racket
10,623: the continuous number of days the US has been at war.
21.949: the number of dollars, in trillions, of America’s national debt. – Source: usdebtclock.org
656: days until 2020 election.

Philosophy 101
It is more important to know where you are going than to get there quickly. Do not mistake activity for achievement.
Mabel Newcomer (1891-1983)

There are three elements to success in any endeavor – wisdom, courage and patience – and two of the three are mentioned in today’s quote. First, we must know where we are going in this life. If we don’t, we are merely marking time on this planet instead of making our time serve us, an old line that is common amongst those doing time. This is where wisdom comes in: we must have looked deep inside ourselves to determine the life we were meant to live. We must then have the courage to go and live that life.

None of these elements, however, will do us any good without the patience to see our journey through to the very end. There is no rush in this life and most of us will have the benefit of many years on this planet: we have the time to persevere through both the initial successes and reverses, through the doubts and the naysayers, past the obstacles that attend any great effort.

When we take advantage of this time, when we show the patience to be on our path every day, we will never be in danger of spinning our wheels, of mistaking activity for achievement.

Have a good day, and many thanks for reading.
xoxoxo
Kaitlyn

January 17, 2019

Something To Know
Good morning dearest readers. Today we have some rather dull On This Date action for you, plus the top songs from today in 1976 and Winston Churchill is featured in Philosophy 101.

Almanac
On This Date:
In 1898 – For reasons someone thought good, the US takes possession of Wake Island. Located about halfway between Hawaii – which the US had also recently annexed – and the Phillipines – where the US was always butting in anyway – it was thought Wake Island would make a good telegraph cable station and a good place to refuel Navy ships. Today, Wake Island remains a US possession, administered by the Air Force, of all things, which runs an air field there. There is not a permanent population, though there are about 100 Air Force and civilian contractors there at any one time.

In 1950 – What History refers to as the Great Brinks Robbery occurs at a Brinks branch in Boston, with thieves stealing about $2.775 million, roughly $29 million in today’s dollars. All eleven members of the gang were eventually arrested, though only about $58,000 was ever recovered.

Your Hit Parade
#1 songs on this date in 1976:
Hot 100 – I Write the Songs – Barry Manilow (only week)
Soul Chart – Wake Up Everybody (Part 1)…Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes (1st of two weeks)
Country Chart – Convoy…C.W. McCall (5th of six weeks)
Album Chart – Gratitude…Earth, Wind & Fire (1st of three weeks)
– Chart data courtesy of Billboard.

Numbers Racket
10,621: the continuous number of days the US has been at war.
$21.945: the number of dollars, in trillions, of America’s national debt. – Source: usdebtclock.org
658: days until 2020 election.

Philosophy 101
A very little luck might have carried me to the highest of all prizes or have ended the game.
Winston Churchill
Letter to his mother, 1897

Very little is accomplished in this life without luck, both good and bad. Yes, we talk a lot here about following your heart and trusting your instincts and we must do that, because our hearts tell us where to go and our instincts tell us how to get there. This is the ultimate Pro Tip for those that get on in this life.

However, just because we are on our path doesn’t mean we are going to accomplish everything we mean to do. There are an awful lot of people on this planet and they are all leading random lives and we have to deal with our share of them. This means that sometimes what we do and do not accomplish is out of our hands. That’s OK. It’s the way the world is built.

Today’s quote comes from a letter Churchill wrote when he was a young man at war in South Africa and it brilliantly illustrates the vagaries of life: some luck either way and Churchill might have been a war hero or been killed. We avoid the shifting tides of fate, as much as we can, by making our own luck and we do that by having the wisdom to know the life we were meant to live, the courage to go and live that life and patience to see it through to the very end. As Churchill’s life shows, you live the life you were meant to live, complete with its attendant successes and even more failures, and what is meant to happen in your life usually does.

Have a good day, and many thanks for reading.
Kaitlyn

January 16, 2019

Something To Know
Good morning dearest readers. We’re glad you stopped by. Today we visit with Don Quixote and our Constitution, plus we have the top songs from this date in 1961, plus Cervantes also has our Philosophy 101 entry.

Here are some things you may find interesting:

Almanac
On This Date:
In 1605 – Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes is published in Madrid. It’s commercial and critical success was universal from the start and today is regarded as one of the foundations of western letters and it remains the second most translated book ever, behind the Bible. A quote from this book serves as our Philosophy 101 entry for today. See below.

In 1919 – The Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution is ratified, when Nebraska becomes the 36th of the 48 states to ratify the amendment. It would take effect a year later. The amendment didn’t actually prohibit the drinking of booze, it merely prohibited its sale, importation, manufacture and distribution. It was repealed in 1933.

Your Hit Parade
#1 songs on this date in 1961:
Hot 100 – Wonderland by Night – Bert Kaempfert (2nd of three weeks)
Soul Chart – Shop Around…The Miracles (1st of eight weeks)
Country Chart – North To Alaska…Johnny Horton (2nd of five weeks)
Album Chart (Mono) – Wonderland by Night…Bert Kaempfert (1st of five non-consecutive weeks)
Album Chart (Stereo) – G.I. Blues…Elvis Presley…(3rd of three weeks)
– Chart data courtesy of Billboard.

Numbers Racket
10,620: the continuous number of days the US has been at war.
$21.942: the number of dollars, in trillions, of America’s national debt. – Source: usdebtclock.org
659: days until 2020 election.

Philosophy 101
Fortune is guiding our affairs better than we ourselves could have wished.
Miguel de Cervantes
Don Quixote

One of the great lesson life offers, and it usually offered only after the passing of some years, is that there is seldom any value in forcing things. The more we try to manipulate matters, the more we are frustrated. When we try exercise maximum control over people over situations is usually, rather ironically, when lose all control.

We have found that our favorite attainments have come after we have surrendered to doing what we were meant to do with our lives, when we started taking advantage of what nature and circumstance put in front of us, when we start living from the inside out. The 24 hours each of us has every day became a mandate instead of an obligation.

What has your experience been? When things have gone your way, was it because you micro-managed every aspect of the evolution, or was it because you let nature and circumstance do their work? Did you have to force matters, or did you find things worked themselves out when you merely let them?

Have a good day, and many thanks for reading.
Kaitlyn

January 15, 2019

MORNING BRIEFING

Here are some things you may find interesting to know:

Almanac
In 1559 – The coronation of Elizabeth I as Queen of England is held in Westminster Abbey.  She had succeeded Mary I the prior November and would reign for 44 years, a period known to history as the Elizabethan Era. She was the daughter of Henry VIII and his second wife Anne Boleyn.

In 1889 – The Coca-Cola Company – then known as the Pemberton Medicine Company after its founder – is incorporated. Today Coke products are served the world over, with us Earthlings consuming over 1.8 billion Coke products every day. The formula remains a closely guarded secret, though the story about only two executives each having access to half the formula appears to be false.

Your Hit Parade
#1 songs on this date in 1977:
Hot 100 – You Make Me Feel Like Dancing…Leo Sayer (only week)
Soul Chart – I Wish…Stevie Wonder (1st of five weeks)
Country Chart – You Never Miss a Real Good Thing (Till He Says Goodbye)…Crystal Gayle (only week)
Album Chart – Hotel California…The Eagles (1st of eight non-consecutive weeks)
– Chart data courtesy of Billboard.

Numbers Racket
10,619: the continuous number of days the US has been at war.
$21.941: the number of dollars, in trillions, of America’s national debt. – Source: usdebtclock.org
660: days until 2020 election.

Philosophy 101
…she was saved by the native shrewdness that goes hand in hand with personal ambition.
Ursula Curtiss
Letter of Intent

One of the nice things Mother Nature does for us is she gives us a knack for things that interest us. Our search for these things is seldom arduous or unrewarded. If we listen, our hearts will tell us where to go and our instincts will tell us how to get there. All we have to do is listen to them. When we do this we will discover the native shrewdness that goes hand in hand with ambition that Ms Curtiss writes about.

Now, be careful about ambition: blind lust for money or power doesn’t do anyone any good. Ambition directed at getting the most out of the talents we were born with, however, is always richly rewarded, however. It is life’s great prize and one of the few journeys us humans take that really matters.

Bearing that in mind, what are you ambitious for in 2019?

Have a good day, and many thanks for reading.
Kaitlyn

January 14, 2019
Dearest Readers,

Our government shutdown is over three weeks old and is now the longest such shutdown in American history. We here at Morning Coffee are not surprised by this and you shouldn’t be, either.  Two years ago we elected a petulant and vindictive man as president and this past November we reelected 90 percent of a partisan, fractured and bickering Congress. This wasn’t a bulletin, either because our country right now is also a partisan, fractured and bickering mess; a government and its people are merely a reflection of each other.

We elected everyone there. Republicans can blame Democrats and Democrats can blame Republicans but the real blame belongs with us: we declined to demand better this past Election Day.

MORNING BRIEFING

Here are some things you may find interesting to know:

Almanac
In 1943 – President Franklin Roosevelt completes the first airplane trip by a US president, completing a three-day journey from Miami to Casablanca, Morroco to meet with British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. Roosevelt flew a commercial Boeing 314 flying boat and the flight was made in three legs: Miami to Trinidad, Trinidad to Brazil and Brazil to Africa.

In 1952 – The Today television program debuts on NBC, with Dave Garroway as host. The show was originally two hours long, though today the weekday edition is four hours long. Still on the air 66 years later, it is the fifth longest running TV show in American history and is the longest running morning show. This morning’s broadcast was the show’s 17,636th episode.

Your Hit Parade
#1 songs on this date in 1984:
Hot 100 – Say, Say, Say…Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson (6th and final week)
Soul Chart – Joanna…Kool & the Gang (1st of two weeks)
Country Chart – Slow Burn…T.G. Sheppard (1st and only week)
Album Chart – Thriller…Michael Jackson (24th of 37 non-consecutive weeks)
– Chart data courtesy of Billboard.

Numbers Racket
10,618: the continuous number of days the US has been at war.
$21.938: the number of dollars, in trillions, of America’s national debt. – Source: usdebtclock.org
661: days until 2020 election.

Philosophy 101
She was as easily and automatically contented by herself as a pussycat…
Sinclair Lewis
Arrowsmith

Being content with ourselves is one of life’s great prizes. This isn’t always easy. Each day there are 70 times seven things to distract us from our path. When we spend our time grasping at things that are out of our control we are living life from the outside in. Mindlessly responding to external forces does not do anyone any good and distracts us from our quest to get in touch with ourselves.

Those that get on in this world are content with themselves. They live life from the inside out, answering to their heart, which tells them where to go, and following their instincts, which tell them how to get there.

Every day we are given 24 hours – the only commodity each of us is issued in equal measure – to either kill or put to work for us, and every day the choice is ours. What we get out of this life depends on the choice we make.

We are choosing to write and make our time serve us today. What are you choosing to do?

Have a good day, and many thanks for reading.
Kaitlyn

January 13, 2019
Dearest Readers,

We’ve started in on our latest novel Katy and Markie: Love and Lust. This is the third consecutive year we’ve started a book – under one of our pen names – in January and in the previous two cases everything was done in twelve months. We’re not entirely sure that will be the case here, but we’re not entirely sure it won’t be either.

Writing a book should completely consume a writer. If it doesn’t – if it’s not your first thought waking up and your last before falling asleep – it’s probably not worth writing. It’s a great feeling, that consumption being one of the best parts of being a writer, showing you are completely in tune with the journey you want to take yourself, your characters and your readers on.

This book is being started somewhere in the middle. We’re not entirely sure where, probably between a quarter and a third of the way through. We don’t always do this, but before the New Year some inspiration hit us and we made some notes and we are fleshing those notes out right now. After that, we can start at the beginning.

For those of you waiting to dive in and start your first novel, don’t wait! Dive in and do it! There is no time like the present. We were once afraid of getting started on our first novel, too. It’s perfectly normal. 

MORNING BRIEFING
Here are some things you may find interesting to know:

Almanac
In 1435 – A papal bull issued by Pope Eugene IV forbids the enslavement of natives found on the Canary Islands, if they convert to Catholicism. Eugene IV’s time a pope was tumultuous and he is on record as saying he regretted ever leaving his monastery. He was pope from 1431-47 and he remains the last pope to take the regnal name Eugene. His birth name was Gabriele.

In 1968 – Country singer Johnny Cash performs two shows at Folsom State Prison in California. The resulting 15-song live album, Folsom Prison Blues, represented a comeback for Cash, whose career had been going nowhere for a few years. It went to #1 on Billboard’s country album chart and #15 on the national album chart.

Your Hit Parade
#1 songs on this date in 1962:
Hot 100 – The Twist…Chubby Checker (1st of two weeks for this chart run and second of three weeks total. Had previously hit #1 in 1960, the only song to hit #1 in separate chart runs)
Soul Chart – Unchain My Heart…Ray Charles (2nd of two weeks)
Country Chart – Walk On By…Leroy Van Dyke (12th of 19 weeks)
Album Chart (Mono) – Blue Hawaii…Elvis Presley (5th of 17 weeks)
Album Chart (Stereo) – Holiday Sing Along with Mitch…Mitch Miller (1st and only week)
– Chart data courtesy of Billboard.

Numbers Racket
10,617: the continuous number of days the US has been at war.
$21.935: the number of dollars, in trillions, of America’s national debt. – Source: usdebtclock.org
662: days until 2020 election.

Philosophy 101
Those authors are successful who do not write down to others, but make their own taste and judgment their audience…If it is enough that I please myself with writing, then I am sure of an audience.
Henry David Thoreau
Diary – March 24, 1842

This is very good advice for a writer and while Thoreau doesn’t mention it by name, he is referring to writer’s block, an altogether common and dreary problem facing anyone who has ever had to write anything, be it a novel or a report for work.

We’ve always thought writer’s block stemmed from the misconception that no one will be interested in reading what you wrote. Once we got over that, it became easy to say what feel needs to be said every time we sit down to ply this trade. If someone likes it, great. If not, that’s all right, too. I wrote what was on my mind and what more does a writer want? Everything good thing that stems from writing – personal satisfaction, readers, money – comes from this, comes from reaching inside and writing from the heart every time out. Anyone who writes for any other reason is not writing, but merely typing.

Have a good day, and many thanks for reading.
Kaitlyn

January 8, 2019
Dearest Readers,

Good morning friends. What coffee do you enjoy while reading this feature? We’ve long enjoyed a mellow breakfast blend for morning routine though it should be noted we keep rather odd hours and, as likely as not, morning routine happens in the late afternoon.

Whatever you enjoy, even if it’s tea, we’re grateful you’re reading this.

MORNING BRIEFING
Here are some things you may find interesting to know:

Almanac
In 1297 – The Grimaldi Family is established as rulers of Monaco, a position they still hold, when Francois Grimaldi, disguised as a monk, knocks on the door of the fortress on the Rock of Monaco. Francois could not be bothered to reproduce and his reign was later taken over by a cousin.

In 1790 – President George Washington delivers the first State of the Union message in New York City. At 1,089 words, it remains the shortest State of the Union speech ever. Washington had taken office on April 30, 1789.

Your Hit Parade
#1 songs on this date in 1983:
Hot 100 – Maneater…Hall and Oates (4th and final week)
Soul Chart – Sexual Healing…Marvin Gaye (10th and final week)
Country Chart – Can’t Even Get The Blues…Reba McEntire (1st and only week)
Album Chart – Business as Usual…Men at Work (9th of 15 weeks)
– Chart data courtesy of Billboard.

Numbers Racket
10,612: the continuous number of days the US has been at war.
$21.920: the number of dollars, in trillions, of America’s national debt. – Source: usdebtclock.org
666: days until 2020 election.

Philosophy 101
Corruption was in the mores of the times and in the nature of man. – Will Durant, The Story of Civilization: The Reformation

Some things are universal, and some of us humans being corruptible has been true since time immemorial. Corruption, like every other obstacle to our path, is something we must fight every day.

Now, for our purposes, corruption doesn’t necessarily mean taking bribes or running a numbers racket. It means anything that distracts us from making our time serve us. It could be anything: the snow needs to be shoveled, the kids taken to practice, that show you’ve DVR’d is demanding attention.

We must attend to our self-cultivation, to our path, to the life we were meant to live every day. Not some days and not others, not some weeks and not others. Every day. Till we die. This is the only way to insure we will live the life we were meant to live.

Missing one day on our path is hard, but after that it gets progressively easier and before anyone knows anything we have squandered months, years and even decades off our path, living a life we were not meant to live, life’s great tragedy. Being on our path every day sounds daunting at first, and perhaps it is, but after a while it becomes second nature and we do it as a matter of course. All we need is the wisdom to know the life we were meant to live, the courage to go and live and the patience to see our path through to the very end. When we have those three things, the life we were meant to live will present itself every day.

Have a good day, and many thanks for reading.
Kaitlyn

But even if President Trump was a private citizen again by Monday, our country would still be divided. Trump was nominated for president by fractured GOP that is surprising some by still hanging around, was elected by a partisan and fractured electorate and it was a partisan and fractured America that showed up at the polls this past November.

That is not going to change anytime soon, unfortunately. Our loss, because we deserve better, but we are not going to receive better until we start demanding it at the ballot box.

In 1999 – The impeachment trial of President Bill Clinton begins in the United States Senate. Accused of one article of obstruction of justice and another of perjury in his carrying on with Monica Lewinski. Clinton was acquitted of both articles on February 12.

Have a good day, and many thanks for reading.
Kaitlyn