Notes on Our Noto/Martynowski/Petz/Shock Family History

Back in the early 1970s, Grandma Lillian Martynowski, my mother's mother, whose maiden name was Lillian Petz, once told me that, when she was a little girl, her own mother's mother had told her that when she had been a little girl there were still Indians, Native Americans, that is, living on the outskirts of the city of Chicago.

I was amazed to hear her say that, as I had somehow assumed that all of my immigrant forbears had arrived in the New World around the same time as my father's Sicilian family, in the early Twentieth Century. I'm guessing, now, that the Petz clan, which my grandmother mentioned was from the Alsace region of Germany, the native land of the Alsatian, or German Shepherd dogs, came to North America as part of the Hessian army of mercenary soldiers that helped England's King George in his futile attempt to retain control of the American colonies. I've not yet heard any word of how they came to be in the Chicago area.

It is interesting that this is also how my wife's father's German ancestors, the Shocks, came to be on this side of the Atlantic. Carla Shock, my mother-in-law, has a copy of a genealogy that tells of three brothers travelling down the Ohio River on a raft, with one, my father-in-law's forbear, getting off around Evansville, Indiana.

125 mph...

... in a friend's 1999 Porsche Carrera Cabriolet! My personal land speed record for this millenium, or, actually, since hitting 145 mph with my brother back in 1971. And that in third gear. Sheesh.

I've learned that "It never hurts to ask." I've gotten to drive a 1985 Porsche 911 that was set up for autocrossing with real stiff shocks, springs, and neoprene suspension bushings, a similarly cool old Toyota MR2, a BMW M Coupe (with the big three liter engine from the M3, and big rear tires under some mean fender flares), a recent, brand new BMW 330ci, a five year old BMW 740, a bright red 1999 BMW M3 convertible, and now, this. Life is sweet.

No Corvette, Ferrari, or Lamborghini owner has given me the keys yet, but you never know.

Peas,

out.

Chris.

(P.S. The picture is actually a 2009 Porsche, but it was too easy to find this one at Porsche.com for me to look any further.)

Intelligent design?

After receiving frequent forwards from a buddy, I finally went and subscribed to the daily quotes at gratefulness.org for myself, and was happily surprised to find that today's quotation is by Mary Catherine Bateson, "Of any stopping place in life, it is good to ask whether it will be a good place from which to go on as well as a good place to remain."

Bateson is the daughter of Margaret Mead and Gregory Bateson, and G.B. was one of the mentors of Stewart Brand, founder and editor of the Whole Earth Catalog, the Last Edition of which turned out to be a life changing document for me. An interesting chain of events. Intelligent design? I don't like the weaponized way in which that phrase is being used in my culture, but...

Video: The Auditioner

The Auditioner from Kate on Vimeo.

Siskel & Ebert at the Jugular

Roger Ebert has posted a beautiful essay at his blog, Roger Ebert's Journal. He talks about his physical journey from fat man to cancer man, weaving in the thread of his relationship with Gene Siskel through those same years and changes. There are photos throughout, and two closing videos. Don't miss any of it.

Ya gotta love that 80s music!

I sure do!

A slice of life in the VloggerHood

Subtle? Who knows.

Stuff from all over. Combined artfully. Me like.

Rocketboom, "O RLY? Know Your Meme"

Whole lotta fun goin' on. YMMV, but it was worth three minutes and thirty-two seconds of my time.

Late 1960s Volkswagen Beetle

Nola and I owned a 1967 Volkswagen from 1974 through 1980, and loved it dearly, though the experience was a lot like driving an overgrown riding lawnmower. 

I saw the driver of this one waiting for his lady in the parking lot of Your Dekalb Farmers Market, and couldn't resist. 

Roger Zelazny, "The Agnostic's Prayer"

My son posted a status update on his facebook page, saying that he was "praying to the test gods," which reminded me of "The Agnostic's Prayer," written by Roger Zelazny, published in his novel, "Creatures of Light and Darkness," back in 1969.

"Insofar as I may be heard by anything, which may or may not care what I say, I ask, if it matters, that you be forgiven for anything you may have done or failed to do which requires forgiveness. Conversely, if not forgiveness but something else may be required to insure any possible benefit for which you may be eligible after the destruction of your body, I ask that this, whatever it may be, be granted or withheld, as the case may be, in such a manner as to insure your receiving said benefit. I ask this in my capacity as your elected intermediary between yourself and that which may not be yourself, but which may have an interest in the matter of your receiving as much as it is possible for you to receive of this thing, and which may in some way be influenced by this ceremony. Amen."