Everett Jenkins Birthday Blog

  I attended the Celebration of Life for Len Miller who died on March 4, 2023. The service was held on May 15, 2023 at the UC Irvine Barkley Theatre and included a program. The following are some of the excerpts from the program which have tended to haunt me since the ceremony just two days ago.  First, "Len's life was enhanced by many enduring friendships. He met his lifelong best friend and basketball icon, Denny Crum, during fraternity rush at UCLA.  Len and Denny were fierce competitors, often teaming up to challenge other fraternity brothers to contests about who could get the highest grade on a test or in a class. They remained close and loyal friends for the rest of Len's life, taking great pride and pleasure in each other's successes including being present when the other won each of his NCAA titles. They also enjoyed competing against each other: there was no round of golf, fishing trip, or poker game played without their friendly rivalry.  Their running dia...

  I watched "In the Mood for Love" this morning on HBO Max In the Mood for Love - Wikipedia and found it to be an exquisite film about unrequited love.  After my last post, I reconsidered Citizen Kane and reinstated it as my No. 1 Greatest Movie of All Time.  It's impact and cultural significance is simply too immense to place it anywhere else but at No. 1.  So, Tokyo Story is now my No. 2 film but, based on my viewing of In the Mood for Love, I must admit that these two movies are now tied. Accordingly, my evolving list of the 100 Greatest Movies now reads as follows:  1. Citizen Kane 2. Tokyo Story and In the Mood for Love 4. Vertigo 5. Jeanne Dielman, 23 Qual du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles Next up is 2001: A Space Odyssey, 2001: A Space Odyssey (film) - Wikipedia a movie I have not seen in over 40 years.  I shall be curious to see how the movie holds up especially in light of the recent controversy surrounding the rapid advancement of AI and the implication...

Growing up in the 1950s and the 1960s, I loved seeing Errol Flynn in his Robin Hood movie and any movie showing the Three Musketeers. However, the heroes in those movies were always white and black folks were nowhere to be seen. It was not until the 1990s that I became aware of the fact that the Three Musketeers  The Three Musketeers - Wikipedia were the creation of Alexandre Dumas, a person of African descent  , Alexandre Dumas - Wikipedia and that the swashbuckling adventures of the dashing D'Artagnan were based, in part, on the real life adventures of Alexander Dumas' father, General Thomas Alexandre Dumas  Thomas-Alexandre Dumas - Wikipedia In learning about the career of Thomas-Alexandre Dumas, I also learned about an even more famous contemporary of the elder Dumas, Joseph Bologne, the Chevalier de Saint Georges  Chevalier de Saint-Georges - Wikipedia I am nearing 70 now and the days of romanticizing about the Three Musketeers now seem like fond, but dimming, m...

In my slow march through history, every once in a while, I stumble upon a life story that simply is stunning to behold.  Such is the case of the life story of Elza Soares Elza Soares - Wikipedia the woman who overcame being made a bride at the age of 12 and a widow with five children at the age of 21 to become a celebrated singer who, in 1999, was deemed to be the Voice of the Millennium by the BBC Elza Soares, the voice of the millenium (pan-african-music.com) Until yesterday, I had never heard of Elza Soares.  But now, I want to read more Elza Soares, 91, Who Pushed the Boundaries of Brazilian Music, Dies - The New York Times (nytimes.com) and even more importantly I want hear more Elza Soares - O Neguinho e a Senhorinha (Clipe) - 1965 - YouTube Elza Soares - Chega De Saudade 1971 - YouTube Elza Soares - Malandro / TVE 1981 - YouTube Elza Soares - Mulher do Fim do Mundo (Clipe Oficial) - YouTube Malandro (ao vivo) - Elza Soares+Baby do Brasil+Orquestra Jazz Sinfônica (2018) ...

Those who receive my yearly Season's Greetings Cards or my rather frequent emails will recall the influence that Len Miller had in the less than one year that I had him as a coach during my first year (my sophomore year) at Victor Valley Senior High School.  Today, while reading the Los Angeles Times, I happened upon this obituary: https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/latimes/name/len-miller-obituary?id=51824012 I will always cherish the moments I spent with Coach in February of 2022 at his house in Las Vegas. It was a special time.  God willing, I will be in Irvine on May 15, 2023.  It too will be a special time. Peace, Everett "Skip" Jenkins Fairfield, California  May 7, 2023 P.S.  This what I wrote on Coach's Memory Page: In 2022, I had a number of reunions. The second memorable reunion came on February 20, at the Aliante Golf Course in Las Vegas.  On that day, my girlfriend, Ping, and I played golf with one of my high school track and cross country team...

  88888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888 Alphabetical Index 2022 9/11 Remembrance Day  A00067 A Day with Bernadette, A Few Moments with Moses the Ethiopian A00063 A Day with Bernadette ... and the Lady  A00144 A Most Profound Thich Nhat Hanh Memorial  A00113 A Poker Game in Heaven  A00155 A Return to Allensworth: From a Field of Weeds to a Field of Dreams  A00149 A Return to Monserrat and a "Miraculous" Introduction to the Black Madonna  A00145 A Side Trip to Dublin and an Exploration of Black Irish Roots  A00146 A Surprising Connection to Our American Soul  A00148 Abdul Qadeer Khan, Father of Pakistan's Nuclear Program  A00003 Ahmad Jamal, R. I. P.  A00147 All the Beauty and the Bloodshed and All That Breathes  A00131 April 2022 Must Watch TV: Benjamin Franklin: A Film by Ken Burns  A00036 Art Laboe, R. I. P.  A00078 Barrett Strong, R. I. P.  A00117 Bill Russell, High...

  In response to my email concerning my unexpected reaction to visiting the Grotto of Massabielle at Lourdes, a friend of mine suggested that I read the book titled  Awe: The Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life  by Dacher Keltner.  https://www.amazon.com/Awe-Science-Everyday-Wonder-Transform/dp/1984879685/ref=sr_1_2?crid=1NJI4COVZJQEL&keywords=awe+dacher+keltner&qid=1683204343&sprefix=awe+%2Caps%2C261&sr=8-2 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dacher_Keltner I purchased the book and began reading it this week.  Based upon what I have experienced, and what I have read, I believe that  Awe  is a book that should be read by all. Accordingly, for me,  Awe: The Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life  shall be my Book of the Month for the Month of May 2023.  You are welcome to read along with me and experience the everyday wonders that abound. Peace, Everett "Skip" Jenkins Fairfield, C...

  Last week I drove down Highway 99 to Fresno. Not far past Fresno, I took the Highway 43 turnoff to go to the town of Allensworth.   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allensworth,_California I was last in Allensworth some twenty-five years ago when it was little more than a historical marker in front of a field where there was once the town of Allensworth.  I returned to Allensworth because recent Los Angeles Times stories noted that times have changed https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-02-20/california-first-black-town-allensworth-looks-to-historic-past-to-build-a-better-future And indeed, the Allensworth that I saw last Monday, April 24, had changed.  Where there were once only weeds, there were now houses and other buildings that had been fully reconstructed and refurbished in the style of the early 1900s.  This Allensworth seemed to be a fully functioning town again except that it was uninhabited.  Today, it is a State Park maintained by th...