Where's Armand?

The Tourist, in Venice

Armand would have loved The Tourist, a movie starring Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp. We know that Johnny Depp was one of Armand's all-time favorite actors:

• Johnny Depp See Armand (at 20) and Depp.
• Casting Another Armand and Johnny Depp, side by side photo.

We also know that Armand has been to Venice, many times.

 

The critics are panning the movie, saying that there was no chemistry between Depp and Jolie. That would be the least of my cares since Johnny Depp does something to my chemistry. I think Armand would have understood that.

 

 

Tour Venice, virtually.
Photo:The Tourist Trailer

 

Writing Christmas Letters

This is the time of year that Armand would write his Christmas letters and I'm pretty proud of a 2007 post featuring a sampling of Armand's letters to friends. He took a sentence or two to apologize for his "prepolished missives" but they are true to his conversational voice and different from his diary speech. Enjoy again, Writing Christmas Letters.

Celebrating Another Birthday

Armand was born on November 30, 1914 and he would have been 96 years old this year. From his diary, we can get a glimpse what life was like for him in 1950:

My birthday no. 36. Well, Mother and Wallace arrived Wednesday, November 22, several hours late by plane. Geefer got hysterics laughing at my beard (now gone, along with moustache as of last Saturday). Also surprised over new car.

Thursday we all drove over for a pleasant turkey dinner at M's mother's in Fairmont. Turkey only fair but everything else scrumptious. Friday it started to snow, and snow, and snow. By Sunday it had hit 32" and several more inches have fallen since then. In all, a record snow for this region, nothing like it for years if at all. Drifts by our house up nearly to 5 feet.

I went to town in boots most every day and for days or so used my old snowshoes up on hill in lieu of shoveling interminable masses of snow. Cold Friday and Saturday went down to 6 or 7 above.

Since Geefer and Wallace didn't even have rubbers, they couldn't move. A train (not plane) finally got through to Connellsville Monday evening, G. & W. on it, but, since our car snowed in in garage, and no taxis running, I finally had to get 2 guys in a four wheel drive Jeep plow up the half cleared, one track Grand Street. Geefer in her Hudson Seal looked cute in the Jeep.

Streets finally fairly well cleared by now, at least the main ones. Classes postponed until today and only 50% or so attendance even yet today, since many students pretty much marooned in Charleston, etc.

We all had a fine visit notwithstanding. Friday we showed my Kodachromes, and for several nights had a nice fire in fireplace. No presents of much fanfare for my birthday today. The car must suffice.

Similar post:  Past Birthdays.


Photo: Blizzard in Pittsburgh, PA, November 1950, Synthstuff

The Walker

The Armand Diaries, November 1954.

I had a birthday, my 40th, November 30. I retired officially as walking champion, unbeaten in 1940 - 1954 stretch in Morgantown, during which time I took on consciously or not on their part and bested, any and all walkers I found, at all opportunities.

Once I didn't catch Abel of law school, but not a really fair try and since then (day or so later) and again and again, have outdone him. Now on, I race when I feel like it - no title at stake!

Photo: Mail Online

At the Corner

From the Armand Diaries, July 13, 1948. Note: Geefer is Armand's mother and Mary is his wife:

Philosophy Corner. We're all in such a hell of a rush to succeed and amount to something, climb in our rank in society. Yet, all it means is growing old. We feel good if someone in our department, e.g. retires, for it puts us up a notch, but also, it puts us one notch more toward our own retirement, a time when people can say of us, "Why doesn't the old fogey quit, he's been dead for years."

As my great grandmother said, "Don't always wish it were tomorrow, or next month. Don't wish your life away, dearie." It doesn't make it later, or make you rise faster, but it's a bad mental attitude, as Geefer says, and, I say, a pointless one to boot.

Most of the arguing people do, most of the points they bring up when they discuss problems isn't arguing at all, at least in so far as they are bringing any logic to bear on the problem. What they are doing is follow certain basic tenets of their faith and apply them more or less logically and faithfully to specific situations. It would save time and money if they were to have printed up a list of their answers to a set of basic problems:

1. do you believe in free will - freedom of individual to react of his own volition in a desired way in a given situation;
2. do you think "a bad man can write a good book", i.e. connection of personality with ideas a man advocates;
3. do you believe a balanced life is necessary, or can one make a full life out of aesthetic side alone;
4. is a personal code of ethics and religion enough, or must one follow a standard set for society;
5. are you left or right, etc., etc., etc.

This would show why Geefer says she hates Marx (read: "Marxism") because he was so evil, ditto Luther, Calvin, et al, - see #2. Why Mary said today: "It's not my fault, I'm the way I'm made" - see #1; etc. Then, if, as often, a person could see he didn't always follow the same basic belief in each instance, that you hate "new" art, but made fun of old, "worn out chestnuts" of popular music - "why don't they quit playing that old stuff and get some new ones" - as Geefer did the other night - he could see that he really wasn't arguing or rising logic at all. He could reexamine his beliefs, form a clearer philosophy, separate beliefs from emotions, or purely irrational tastes and likes and dislikes, stop using "new", "old", "sweet", "sour", etc. as criterions for judgement in matters of taste, when, as bases for judgement they are mainly special pleading.

One could then say; e.g., "In general, I prefer the ancient and accepted, to the new and untried, the hallowed to the unconsecrated, the romantic and far away, the refined and aristocratic, etc. though I accept modern scientific cleanliness and creature comforts, which I love. I am for the aesthetic life, for personal morality and religion, not a code for the multitudes. I'm far right in politics, though not an absolutist in all that implies."

Geefer might profess this credo, with enlargements and reservations. Just to say it out loud would do her good.

 

Cartoon via Grand Memories

Speaking of Languages

In 1947, while visiting Haiti, Armand commented on the languages he heard and spoke:

August 31, 1947.
Languages you hear are French, good, fine, fair; Spanish and English, somewhat; and the universal Creole patois, part Spanish, French, corrupted (all verbs have one form, one tense I believe) and bits of native dialects and English.

September 1, 1947. Speaking of languages, most days here I speak French, Spanish and English in town. Our madame, Yvonne Bourgain, is sure clean. Uses D.D.T. for bugs. Says the hotel is owned by old widow of the (or a) former president. Present one - whom we saw drive by "in state" yesterday, from a distance - lived here in her pension for a long time when he was a depute.

They beg here worse than in Mexico. Boys, men, women, girls, old people, well dressed or not, will simply look at you and say in English, "Give me ten cents," etc. And yet they're dignified in ways. Most always wear a necktie - tight around neck and coat, in all this heat.

Later: The Madame and her co-manager, M. Lafontant, asked us to drive up to Petionville with them where her sister is opening a new cabaret and restaurant, quite a swell place. They're so hospitable here and so is Senor Manzana. He and I talk Spanish and compare notes on differences in English, Spanish in various countries, etc. Swell evening.



Image: The World in Your Hands

He was a hugger!

 

 

Pictured here, Armand stopped by Kona Yoga to give us our share of hugs during his last trip to Kona. Like his handshake, his hugs were strong and sincere.

He may have been the original Free Hugs man, as this is how he ended one of his Christmas letters:

Hugs (and where appropriate, kisses).*


* Where's Armand, "Writing Christmas Letters", December 17, 2007.

 

Game Town

Armand would definitely be cheering for the news that his dear home of Morgantown, West Virginia has been named one of the top college football towns by Budget Travel:

Game-day tradition: About 60,000 people trek into Milan Puskar Stadium for every home game-temporarily making it the biggest city in the state. Since 1972, the marching band has played John Denver's "Take Me Home, Country Roads" before every game-and should the Mountaineers prevail, fans stick around to sing it again, even louder.
Get your tickets: wvugame.com, from $45.

You may remember that Armand sold tickets at the WVU games. Back in November, 1947, he made an average of $10.00 a game:

"6.00 for selling, plus complimentary tickets that I sell, and lunch".

Which makes you wonder what the price of a ticket was back then.

 
Photo: Alumni.WVU.edu

Touring Armand's Brain

This is a photo I used in one of the first Where's Armand articles I wrote, titled "Why I'm Chasing a 92 Year Old Man". This was taken in August 2004, three months shy of his 90th birthday and it quickly came to mind when I watched a documentary about some amazingly fit seniors in Japan. Although, like Armand, some of the people featured in the movie may have passed away since it first aired, they were all mentally and physically productive well into their 90s and 100s.

As the documentary opens, you'll see 102 year-old Ryohei Omiya jogging along a country road as he trains for a marathon. What you'll discover later in the show is that there was a time in his mid-80s that he was unable to walk and suffered from depression. The film literally looks into the the brains of these vibrant elders to show the importance of exercise: physical and mental. There's no mention of their diet, but you can easily gather that they don't expect to die soon (one man begins learning Chinese in his 90s) and their routines are healthy.

What can we learn from these "super seniors" and their healthy brains? Health writer, Jean Carper, did some extensive research upon finding that she has the ApoE4 gene that predisposes her to Alzheimer's disease and compiled her results in a new book. Some of her 100 Simple Things You Can Do to Prevent Alzheimer's and Age-Related Memory Loss, are similar to the actions of the super seniors. I see several Armand traits and actions, and would love to explore them in his diaries for future articles.


For now, enjoy:

1. The Brain Tour, a set of interactive slides that will give you a quick lesson on the anatomy of the brain and the effects of Alzheimer's disease.
2. The Art of Aging. The documentary is a Google video that's a little over 50 minutes and you can enlarge the screen size by double clicking the picture.
3. Read more about Jean Carper's book or purchase it (available for Kindle too) from Amazon.

Out of Mexico, Three Shakes

Did Armand and Mary make it out of Mexico ahead of the gas strikes?
Let's check the Armand Diaries:

Friday, September 6, 1946:

Las Palmas Court again at Laredo. Uneventful trip to here, except that gas is getting harder to get. Sold our 20 liter can ("bote" to you) (cost 10 pesos) plus 1.25 peso funnel to Monterey gas station guy for 5 p. - all it was worth. The U.S. customs asked us to bring in all of our stuff for checking, compromised on suitcases, thank the Lord.

Had a fair dinner at noon at Sanborn's in Monterey; the roast lamb was the toughest, oldest mutton imaginable. For supper here, after car oiled and greased, we had sandwiches and milk shakes and cupcakes. I had three milk shakes and Mary but one. They're getting very tiny these days.

Now come slightly over 8,000 miles in the Ford on this trip.

 Photo: Spud Drive-in