However ... A Message For Cyndi Lauper

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If 

Cyndi Lauper 

wants to improve

her dulcimer skills,

I recommend

listening

to

this video 

© Paul Oliverio © 

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Cyndi Lauper on 9/11

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Cyndi Lauper

playing 

dulcimer

at the 

9/11

Memorial

was 

a perfect companion

for 

the recital

of

the Victim's

names 

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Third Read Is The Charm

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 The first read of

Moll Flanders

is

the only one 

to be graded:

 

It was assigned

at the end of

sophomore year

at

Bishop Reilly

but

that conflicted with

three most disturbing words:

 

REQUIRED SUMMER READING

and

—of course—

I did not read it

 

Instead 

I read

the Cliff Notes

—cover-to-cover—

and 

my sister Lynda

read 

select Cliff Notes

to me

while I was on

the Rocky Point beach

and

my eyes were closed

 

My grade was

  B+

_______________

_________

 

The second read 

was fifteen years ago

and a page of

30 select quotes

is

still on file

somewhere

in my office

 

How much 

of

the book

did I actually remember?

 

Virtually nil

because

 

© 

If forgetting

was an art,

I'd be Van Gogh

then forget

where my ear was

and cut off

my toe

©  

_______________

_________

 

The third read

was last month:

I read it 

very slowly

and 

carefully:

 

By far,

it was the most

satisfying read

I am convinced

that

in the history

of novels

written

in the 

English language,

no more than

9 or 11

of them

have been 

more plagiarized

than 

MOLL FLANDERS 

 

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PhotoVerio #1077: Outside My Gate

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 © Oliverio ©

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PhotoVerio #1075: Outsode My Window

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© Oliverio ©

________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

Once Again ... Quoting MARK TWAIN

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MARK TWAIN

________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

9 Or 11 ... Continues Here

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There comes a time

when you're

at the end

of your tether 

__________________

__________

 

 

9 of the last 11 days,

I 

have listened

to

IT'S A SHAME

by

MONIE LOVE 

 

 

The song

moves me

in ways

I 

didn't think

existed

but

the shock value

herein

is

no one

within

911 feet

of

my residence

has a lower tolerance

of

rap music

than does

Oliverio

__________________

__________

I hope he likes

sad songs,

he's gonna 

hum one

 

 

 

Video

may have

deleteable

advert 

 

________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

PhotoVerio #1074: Party Animal

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© Oliverio ©

________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

How I Lost A Valuable "Friend"

______________________________________________________________________________________________

 

 

He

 is 

a Long Beach resident 

who taught Math

at the same school

as me

 

He

helped me become

a proud

Starbucks 

junkie

[and a constant reader] 

 

We 

jogged/walked

at least

500 miles

 

 

Discussing 

almost as many

books/authors

 

He 

retired 

fifteen years

after I did 

_____________

________

 

 

We will call 

this "friend" 

X

and the student

who told the story

was 

Y

________

_____

 

X

was 

teaching something

about

congruent triangles

but 

found it impossible

to make the students 

understand it 

 

Y

was a former student 

of Oliverio

whose friend

Z

was in that class 

 

 

Z 

suggested a 

"shortcut"

learned 

from Oliverio

 

The entire class 

applauded

louldly

________

_____ 

 

X

has managed

to avoid 

Oliverio

ever since

  

______________________________________________________________________________________________

 

Neither STOP SIGN Nor SARTRE SEQUEL

________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

 

***

© Oliverio ©

________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

Birds Of Paradise On Sunny Goodge Street

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***

© PhotoVerio #1073.5

 

 

With 

deleteable 

advert  

________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

Formerly Known As Jefferon High School In Los Angeles

________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

 

Never

—in its treasured history—

was there  a  student

more beautiful

than 

DOROTHY DANDRIDGE

She passed away 61 years ago, this week 

 

 

The school

is presently known as

BOONDOGGLE

High School

where a select few

are getting wealthier

with every breath

but

student math scores

are less than

ten percent 

 

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Twenty-Three Mormons ... Add Your Own Visual

________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

 

23 Mormons

in 

a 

large parking lot

 

were flexing 

their 

door-knocking skills

on random

car windows

 

Often,

profanity 

—or semi-naked teenagers–

greeted

this nuisance squad

 

But

one of the 

Mormon leaders

had overdosed

on

Milk of Magnesia

 

Instead of

"Repent," 

 

  this Mormon 

 told people to 

"Repaint"

:::

"Repaint"

 :::

"Repaint"

_________

_____ 

 

The following week,

HOME DEPOT

offered  Mormons

a 

20 Percent discount 

_____________

_______

 

© Oliverio © 

________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

9 or 11

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The solemn recital

naming each 

World Trade Center

casualty

is 

that extremely rare event

in 

USA history

that 

is

undeniably

beautiful

 

But

that would not 

be the case

if

the annual event

were produced by 

the Disney Company

 

because 

then

:::

all the names 

 recited

would sound 

Goofy 

 

© Oliverio ©

 

 

To 

Be 

Continued 

________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

My Last Taste Of Marajuana

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*** 

 

 

9/11

is 

the only day 

in history

to be 

remembered

as

a fraction

 

Tomorrow

is

also 

the 25th Anniversary

of the first day

of

World War Three

______________

_______

 

Twenty-five years ago

today

[September 10, 2001] 

I

said goodbye

to getting

high

on 

chemical

substance

with the rare

exception

of

consuming 

Patron

or

one of its

alcoholic

companions

 

Stupidly

or

stupider,

we refuse

to acknowledge

the 

Third World War

because

it defies 

the formatting

of 

its  

2 

predecessors

 

Al Queda

—the engineers of 9/11—

is 

much too 

funny sounding

of a name

to engineer

a World War

but that is exactly 

what they did

+

they got cousins 

by the dozens 

 

 

 

HOWEVER

one of my 

lifelong friends

who 

made a gazillion dollars

as a landscaper 

now 

grows it

in 

Upstate New York

and 

I would love to sample 

his wares

BUT

aside from being

madly in love

with 

Mr. Marajuana

[a/k/a Bill Maher]

Mrs. CarPeo

despises

everything 

it represents

and I am terrified

of

how 

I'd react to her

by going

puff puff

in 2026 

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