Matt's blog--the diary of a guy who worked a gazillion jobs!

Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth

2006-06-04T19:35:00.000-07:00

A damn good, timely movie!

http://www.stopglobalwarming.org/default.asp

My take on the movies

2005-12-09T17:27:00.000-08:00

I like rating movies and writing reviews on Amazon and eBay! Here's a list of some ratings I gave movies on a site called "The Internet Movie Database." Just use this link to get there from here! SMILE http://www.imdb.com/mymovies/list?l=7549414

The Ruby Red Slippers -- Stolen!

2005-08-31T14:24:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday night someone broke into The Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, MN, where I was two months ago, and stole the very pair of the ruby red slippers shown just below! They were used for closeups according to Ken, a friend I met at the Judy festival. I am surprised that more Judy fans didn't make posts on the Yahoo! groups about this; I for one did to register my disgust at the crime. I bet the shoes aren't recovered; it may have been a job done by someone who knew how to circumvent the alarm system since the theft wasn't discovered until the next morning by a museum staff member. I think it makes the museum staff look like idiots that they didn't have a security camera there--the police chief openly admits that there's not much evidence for them to go on. Some society we live in, huh?

2005-08-28T09:29:00.000-07:00

The entrance to The Sawmill Inn. I would recommend it to any one going to the Judy festival or just wanting a restful retreat away from it all. The food is very good--and everyone raves about the pop-overs served at dinner! SMILE

2005-08-28T09:28:00.000-07:00

This is me and Margaret Pelligrini, the "sleepyhead" Munchkin. She's a very nice lady--but she likes her coffee first before too many pictures get taken! hehehe

2005-08-28T09:26:00.000-07:00

This is one of the ACTUAL pairs of the Ruby Red Slippers Judy wore. I'm not sure if this pair was used for the close-ups of the shoes or dancing or what; but they are genuine.

2005-08-28T09:25:00.000-07:00

Me at the side of Judy's childhood home, from the rear. The home is only two doors down from The Sawmill Inn where I was staying.

2005-08-28T09:23:00.000-07:00

This picture was taken at the "kick-off" to the Judy festival. And, man, was it HOT that day! It's very sweet. This is Clarence the Munchkin soldier with his wife to his immediate left; the Coronor (Meinhart Raabe), and Margaret Pelligrini, who played a "sleepy head" Munchkin in Munchkin land. You also see their great granddaughter! Late at night I could hear them out in the hallway ( their rooms were adjacent to mine) saying "I can see you!" playfully to each other. The voices sounded like the Munchkins sounded, even today after all these years.

2005-08-28T09:19:00.000-07:00

This is the actual carriage used to transport Judy Garland, Ray Bolger, Bert Lahr and Jack Haley (not to forget Toto the dog) after their first arrival at Oz. It was used by none other than Abraham Lincoln during his presidency and bears his name on one side of it! The carriage found its way to MGM many years after Lincoln's death.

2005-08-28T09:16:00.000-07:00

This was taken just before the Judy festival began. This is me and Clarence, a guy who played a Munchkin soldier in Munchkinland. He says the secret to staying well at his age--87-- is to "keep moving." I think he's right!

The Judy Garland Festival

2005-08-28T09:07:00.000-07:00

This past June I went to the Judy Garland festival in Grand Rapids, MN. It was a beautiful trip getting there; I flew into the Twin Cities and from there drove through the fantastic countryside about 275 miles northwest to Grand Rapids. It was nothing like New York City, guys--the skies were actually blue! The water was blue! The air was fresh and didn't smell like the sewer pipes near the subway had broken--once again! I stayed at The Sawmill Inn which is a wonderful retreat even if you have no other reason to go to Grand Rapids, MN. Here come some pictures of the festival!

2005-04-25T06:12:00.000-07:00

This is me and an old friend, Johnny Ramone, from Roslyn, New Mexico. He's the best!

An attempt at a more colorful blog!

2005-04-23T13:04:00.001-07:00

I decided to add some photos recently to show people and things that mean a lot to me. This is my way of sharing what's important to me and about me on my blog. I always get permission from friends to post their pictures. Tomorrow I am going to Middletown to see my Dad. Both his hips are bothering him a bit--which is disconcerting especially since one hip was replaced by a very competent doctor just last May! That shouldn't be happening in that replaced hip! I can easily understand the other, original hip bothering him as he is 88 and people get arthritis all the time. Mortality is a tough issue for us all to deal with. I know I will be extremely upset when my Dad passes away but I also believe in myself as a survivor and I know I will make it through.

2005-04-23T13:04:00.000-07:00

My Dad, March 2005

2005-04-23T13:03:00.000-07:00

This is me and my friend Martin from a job I worked a few years back. He's a sweetheart of a guy and a good friend. March, 2005

2005-04-23T13:02:00.000-07:00

I LOVE cars! This is a 1964 Lincoln Continental near an apple orchard in upstate New York. I doubt this is the original color of the car.

2005-04-23T13:00:00.000-07:00

This is a picture of Macy's Annual Flower Show in Manhattan, NY. March, 2005

2005-04-23T12:59:00.000-07:00

Me and a high school buddy who has been a great friend of mine since 1979. This was taken at a restuarant in NYC, March, 2005

2005-04-23T12:57:00.000-07:00

This is a picture of Liza Minnelli after her performance at Westbury Music Fair on Friday night, February 18, 2005. Liz is in the red coat wearing a black scarf. Man, were her bodyguards afraid she'd catch pneumonia, God forbid! (She didn't.) She only gave about 10 autographs that night as it was bitterly cold--I got the last one! GRIN

2005-04-23T12:55:00.000-07:00

Judy Garland's crypt at Ferncliff Cemetery in Hartsdale, New York. Just was and is one of the greatest entertainers ever in the history of the United States! I have a lot of her stuff.

My newest creation! A Yahoo! group for Ella Fitzgerald!

2005-03-28T18:53:00.000-08:00

Click to join ellafitzgeraldfirstladyofsong

2005-03-24T06:16:00.000-08:00

Me and my Dad at New York City's Shea Stadium, July 2001

Another great web site for Bloggers!

2005-03-23T16:17:00.000-08:00

http://www.blogexplosion.com/

A good website for Bloggers!

2005-03-23T16:09:00.000-08:00

Terri Schiavo and the Living Will

2005-03-22T17:42:00.000-08:00

The sad case of Terri Schiavo really aches me. I feel terrible that without her feeding tube she is literally starving to death. What WERE her wishes? Is her husband right when he claims that she would have wanted to die? Are her parents correct when they claim that she would have wanted to live on in her condition? I just don't know. Please, everyone who reads this, get yourselves a LIVING WILL!!! This can be provided by a lawyer or maybe there are other places to get one; that I am not sure of. A living will is a short document that states whether or not you wish to be kept alive by machines or feeding tubes in the event that doctors conclude you will be in some sort of persistive vegetative state. Don't skip this step when making your will, guys! It can save a lot of heartache and grief for your loved ones should God forbid something happen to you. I have one saying I would not want to be kept alive if I were essentially a permanent vegetable. It's easy for a lawyer to draw one up; they probably have a form on their computer and they or their secretary just fills in the blanks specific to your situation and then you sign it. Terri's case is strong evidence that a living will is a good thing to have especially if you strong feelings about life/death and/or you have children. Get one!

My Amazon reviews are getting more attention!

2005-03-19T22:25:00.000-08:00

A little over a year ago I started writing reviews of products on Amazon.com. Lately people from several different fields have been contacting me in response to my reviews and offering input, praise and other comments. I thought maybe you might want to read some of my reviews and judge for yourself! I hope that my reviews can be a help to you if deciding what CD or DVD to get someone as a present--who knows, maybe that someone is yourself you're about to treat! GRIN Anyway, to find my most recent review, go to the Amazon main page at www.amazon.com and in the upper left hand corner there will be a "search" feature with a scroll box. Click on the down arrow and then up comes a list of choices; then you'll see "DVD." Pick that one, then tab to the white field immediately below on the same Amazon main page and enter The Classical Musicals Collection-Broadway to Hollywood; then hit enter or click on GO! The product description page comes up and if you scroll down you should see my review. Hope you like it and please read my other reviews! Obviously, you don't have to do this; but any positive votes at the end of my reviews would be gratefully appreaciated! Please let me know how you make out, Matthew Sherwin

An interesting thought from my buddy John

2005-03-10T12:10:00.000-08:00

I was on the phone yesterday with my friend John from Staten Island and he pointed out to me that the poles on the ferry are just about exactly where the Twin Towers would have been in the picture were they still standing! An interesting thought. John, you're a very observant guy! GRIN

2005-02-26T19:33:00.000-08:00

This is me on the Staten Island Ferry, May 2003

Making up and cleaning up the mess

2005-02-18T12:09:00.000-08:00

Well, I got through the test and after a few days I am just about feeling back to normal. I did not like that doctor one bit. The whole thing isn't supposed to be that painful! I'm using another doctor next time. As for my friend Fortune, we made up. As I suspected, she was never in the hospital; instead she was having a personal crisis with her son. My father is going to be harder to reconcile with. He knew I was desperate for someone to accompany me to the doctor's for the colonoscopy; the medical team reserves the right not to do the test unless you arrive with some one to take you home. I begged him to come with me; he knows all this, that I was alone, and still he refused to help me. What's worse is he doesn't think he did someone wrong. He feels I was wrong to be so angry with him. I just hope you guys don't have my experience. If the shoe had been on the other foot and I had refused to take him for the test he would have killed me--and he would have been right. (Thank God the doctor took me for the test even though I was there alone.) Anyway, on a brighter note, I am going to see Liza Minnelli in concert with Ben Vereen tonight at Westbury Music Fair on Long Island (NY)! I am so excited. She is talented but not as much as her mom was. Well guys, that's it for now; please take care and get tested for anything you might need to be tested for--it's painful but the peace of mind and prevention is highly worth it!

Please learn from my experience, guys!

2005-02-15T18:11:00.000-08:00

Hello friends! Unfortunately, the test was a disaster. My friend--now ex-friend Fortune--cancelled out to take me at the last minute and I was very concerned that the office wouldn't give me the colonoscopy without someone to take me home. Then my father refused twice to take me for the test knowing all this! I have a rotten father who beat me with his belt strap countless times when I was young so this is nothing new. I am refusing to tell him the results of the test. The test hurt LIKE HELL (which is NOT supposed to happen) and they are doing biopsies. They are hoping the whole thing is just stress but I have to call about the tests they are running. They think I may have siliac disease but it's probably stress. I am furious at the doctor for putting me to sleep during the procedure--he had promised he wouldn't. (The doctor's version is that I was not staying still enough when I was awake so he had to put me under--but, conveniently, the doctor added that the drugs also created an amnesia so of course conveniently I wouldn't ever have remembered that. Yeah, sure. I am posting this so you learn to choose doctors more carefully than I did. Please ask the doctor who gives you the referral, as well as the doctor who will do the procedure, what exactly will happen. If ever anyone wants to talk before they have their first colonoscopy I will be happy to help you as best as I can!

The "C" word

2005-02-14T18:52:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow morning I'm having a real thrill: my first colonoscopy. I'm 42 and the doctors think I have colitis. But that's not actually the real purpose of this post. I'm writing to encourage everyone who reads this to ask their doctors if they need a colonoscopy. This is an important test (however unpleasant and incovenient it may be) that can literally save lives. A colonoscopy on my father saved his life when they discovered he had colon and liver cancer. The surgical team was able to save his life just in time. Moreover, even though they say the test is really unpleasant, I can think of worse. My doctor gave me a laxative that only required a single day of "prepping" myself for the test. Today I could only drink clear liquids; I took the laxative this evening and it worked fine. Yeah, yeah, you have the runs, but it beats cancer! Get the test if you need it! It could have saved the life of the mother of a friend of mine. She didn't get tested; and then it was just too late. She lost her life to cancer. Well, that's it! Wish me luck tomorrow morning and please think about this post!

The Harold Arlen Celebration at The Blue Note

2005-01-29T11:02:00.000-08:00

The Arlen concert last night was mesmerizing! I especially enjoyed the singular talents of a lady I had never heard of before: Ms. Paula West. She needs to blow off The Blue Note and go out to Hollywood to make a much deserved million dollars per MINUTE! Ann Hampton Callaway, Andy Bey and another lady sang but they paled in comparison to Paula. The jazz musicians were superlative and performed flawlessly. My friend Jim and I had excellent seats just one row back from the stage. I could have reached out and touched all the performers except the piano player who was a bit further away! GRIN The concert continues tonight and tomorrow night just in case anyone's interested. There's also a Carnegie Hall celebration on February 14; this is the day before what would have been Harold Arlen's 100th birthday.
It was also great to see Jim; I never saw him looking better in the 16 years I've known him. We hadn't seen each other in a while and he looked like he was really enjoying life. I think his girlfriend is good for him! GRIN
Thanks for everyone's comments about this new blog of mine. Unfortunately the way this web site sets things up I would have to download and use something called ActiveX to upload a picture of myself. I am so sorry but my Windows XP software indicated to me that this was not a good idea. There's a picture of me at my Yahoo! home page. My Yahoo! handle is nynavelman. Sorry again for the inconvenience. Please take care and be well, guys! --Matt

Harold Arlen tomorrow night

2005-01-27T20:06:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow night at The Blue Note in Manhattan I am going to a Harold Arlen celebration. His name is very much unknown although many people do in fact know his classic works. Arlen wrote the music for The Wizard of Oz, as well as "I've Got The World On A String," "Blues In The Night," "Let's Fall In Love," "Stormy Weather," "That Old Black Magic," "Ac-cent-tchu-ate The Positive," "Come Rain Or Come Shine," "It's Only A Paper Moon," "One For My Baby (And One More For The Road," "The Man That Got Away," and countless other songs. Judy Garland, Barbra Streisand and Lena Horne sung many, many songs he worked on. Try Ella Fitzgerald Sings The Harold Arlen Song Book CD set for an excellent introduction to his superb brilliance. We were lucky to have Arlen; he passed away in 1986 and is buried at Ferncliff Cemetery in Hartsdale, New York.

My first blog post

2005-01-26T21:26:00.000-08:00

This seems to be an interesting way for people like myself to share things about their lives. As a gay New Yorker I have received several emails and ICQ messages from gay people the world over asking me how to handle their sexuality in parts of the world where homosexuality is not allowed. I tell them that I believe that God loves all his children and that in God's eyes we are all equal. I hope this helps them; I don't always hear back but I feel I've done my best. Any polite suggestions? Let me know! Thanks, Matt