"The New Brunswick Massacre of 9/10/47"

Ed Smith, Chief of Staff
Assemblyman Michael Doherty (Future Senator) 
Displaying the B. Bruce Anderson Memorial Flag
On His Desk - February, 2008

"The New Brunswick Massacre of 9/10/47"
By Ed Smith
The following article appeared in the Community News - PO BOX 557, Woodbine, NJ 08720 - in the week of October 30, 1997.

 50 years ago a quiet seizure of power took place at Rutgers University, in the State of New Jersey. While families looked to the future, trying to forget the fresh and horrible memories of the war, politics were not the big subject of the moment. The armies for the different competing branches of government were still vying for power, waging their century old legal war. The official winner, on September 15, 1948, was to be the judicial Branch.

The victims were to be the people of the State of New ]ersey, doomed to live in a state totally under the control of the Supreme Court. In fact, in 1950, the Supreme Court decided that its rulemaking power was exclusive, displacing any legislation on practice and procedure in the courts (Winberry v. Salisbury).

Read the Rest of the Article Here

"Free James Titus" in the Warren Reporter

An image of James Titus,
who was convicted of the
1866 (sic) murder of Tillie Smith
in Hackettstown.

Independence Township man leads charge to have Hackettstown man convicted of Tillie Smith murder pardoned -- nearly 150 years later
By Warren Reporter
December 06, 2009, 4:04PM


Story Written By Todd Petty

Regardless of whether you believe in ghosts, Hackettstown residents have been aware of the presence of Tillie Smith for well over a century. Murdered in 1866 (sic), Tillie’s name still elicits an impassioned reaction from local residents – it is a part of their dialogue, a part of their folklore, and a part of their history.

However, pieces of the story may still remain unwritten — there remains a specter of doubt regarding the involvement of James Titus, the man who was found guilty and sentenced to prison for seventeen years for Tillie’s murder.

One resident in particular from Independence Township, Erik Anderson, is determined to close the case once and for all. Anderson is working to have Titus pardoned for a crime that he does not believe that Titus ever committed.

“If you look at the case and if you read the trial documents, it’s really obvious that there is a ton of reasonable doubt,” Anderson said.

More at NJ.com.

More at FreeJamesTitus.BlogSpot.Com.

More on  Twitter, Myspace and Facebook, too.

View From The Throne Of Funny Faces

The Throne of Funny Faces
July 19, 2009

The Throne of Funny Faces is located on top of Schooley's Mountain.
The view from the top of Schooley's Mountain looks like this:


 
Schooley's Mountain is the highest populated mountain in
New Jersey.

Schooley's Mountain is at the northern tip of the Piedmont Plateau.



The Piedmont province is a physiographic province
 of the larger Appalachian division.
It extends all the way down to Alabama.

The Territory of Funny Faces is not that big,
but it is damn good to be King of this Mountain.

The B. Bruce Anderson Memorial Flag in Palmer Park is at the bottom of the north side of the Mountain.

*******

R.I.P. Jamie Smith

The Little Prince of Funny Faces

The Little Prince of Funny Faces
Originally uploaded by Erik B. Anderson

"Little fellow, this has nothing to do with the fox?"

"Why?"

"Because we're going to die of thirst."

The little prince didn't follow my reasoning, and answered me, "It's good to have had a friend, even if you're going to die. Myself, I'm very glad to have had a fox for a friend."

He doesn't realize the danger, I said to myself. He's never hungry or thirsty. A little sunlight is enough for him... But the little prince looked at me and answered my thought. "I'm thirsty, too...Let's find a well..."

I made an exasperated gesture. It is absurd looking for a well, at random, in the vastness of the desert. But even so, we started walking.

-Antoine De Saint Exupery: The Little Prince, Chapter 24

Elminah Slave Castle - Ghana, 1995

“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.”

-Mark Twain

*******

*******

*******

*******

*******

*******

*******

*******

*******

*******

*******

 

*******

*******

There is an Oxymoron in the N.J. Criminal Code

Yes, that's right folks, an oxymoron in the New Jersey Criminal Code. Posted below is what you call an "optional law":

2C:4-5. Psychiatric or Psychological Examination of Defendant With Respect to Fitness to Proceed.

a. Whenever there is reason to doubt the defendant's fitness to proceed, the court may on motion by the prosecutor, the defendant or on its own motion, appoint at least one qualified psychiatrist or licensed psychologist to examine and report upon the mental condition of the defendant.� The psychiatrist or licensed psychologist so appointed shall be either:

(1) From a list agreed to by the court, the prosecutor and the defendant; or

(2) Agreed to by the court, prosecutor and defendant.

Alternatively, the court may order examination of a defendant for fitness to proceed by the Department of Human Services.The department shall provide or arrange for examination of the defendant at a jail, prison or psychiatric hospital. However, to ensure that a defendant is not unnecessarily hospitalized for the purpose of the examination, a defendant shall not be admitted to a State psychiatric hospital for an examination regarding his fitness to proceed unless a qualified psychiatrist or licensed psychologist designated by the commissioner determines that hospitalization is clinically necessary to perform the examination. Whenever the qualified psychiatrist or licensed psychologist determines that hospitalization is clinically necessary to perform the examination, the court shall order the defendant to be committed to the custody of the Commissioner of Human Services for placement in a State psychiatric hospital designated for that purpose for a period not exceeding 30 days.

A qualified psychiatrist or licensed psychologist retained by the defendant or by the prosecutor shall, if requested, be permitted to examine a defendant who has been admitted to a State psychiatric hospital.

b. The report of the examination shall include at least the following: (1) a description of the nature of the examination; (2) a diagnosis of the mental condition of the defendant; (3) an opinion as to the defendant's capacity to understand the proceedings against him and to assist in his own defense. The person or persons conducting the examination may ask questions respecting the crime charged when such questions are necessary to enable formation of an opinion as to a relevant issue, however, the evidentiary character of any inculpatory statement shall be limited expressly to the question of competency and shall not be admissible on the issue of guilt.

c. If the examination cannot be conducted by reason of the unwillingness of the defendant to participate therein, the report shall so state and shall include, if possible, an opinion as to whether such unwillingness of the defendant was the result of mental incompetence. Upon the filing of such a report, the court may permit examination without cooperation, may appoint a different psychiatrist or licensed psychologist, or may commit the defendant for observation for a period not exceeding 30 days except on good cause shown, or exclude or limit testimony by the defense psychiatrist or licensed psychologist.

d. The report of the examination shall be sent by the psychiatrist or licensed psychologist to the court, the prosecutor and counsel for the defendant.

L.1978, c.95; amended 1979, c.178, s.13A; 1997, c.77, s.1; 1998, c.111, s.1.

By using the word may instead of must in the above law, the legislature of New Jersey has made this law unenforcable. This should concern everyone.

Please write to your legislators and tell them to read US Supreme Court cases Drope v. Missouri, 420 U.S. 162 (1975); Pate v. Robinson, 383 U.S. 375 (1966); and, Porter v. McKaskle, 466 U.S. 984 (1984) before any more tragedies happen.

"It is well settled that, if evidence available to a trial judge raises a bona fide doubt regarding a defendant's ability to understand and participate in the proceedings against him, the judge has an obligation to order an examination to assess his competency, even if the defendant does not request such an exam."
-Justices Marshall & Kennedy's Opinion
Porter v. McKaskle

Not so, apparently. Not so in New Jersey.

Like I said, this should concern everyone.

Please repost this information far and wide. This issue needs as much attention as possible.


Doing something about it, like writing to a NJ Legislator about it, or perhaps running for a seat in the assembly or the senate yourself would be greatly appreciated, too.
Warm Regards,

Erik B. Anderson
The King of Funny Faces
Independence Township, New Jersey
Established 1782

Erik Worked for the Chester County Historical Society

CCHS Promo - w. Erik's hand in it
Originally uploaded by Erik B. Anderson

I was a Public Relations Intern, a Museum Tour Guide, a Receptionist and a Library Attendant for about six months at the Chester County Historical Society for about six months in 1996.

I really enjoyed it.

I solicited bids from web developers to create CCHS's very first "web site". I also made a lot of phone calls, updated press contact info and I like to say I "got my hand in" the pamphlet (right). You can see my 21 year old hand pointing to one of the exhibits in the picture in the middle.

The Chester County Historical Society is located on North High Street in West Chester, Pennsylvania. There are two main buildings. One of them used ot be an Opera House built by Thomas U. Walter, the architect of the United States Capitol Dome. He built six other structures in West Chester in the 19th Century. They are all very impressive.

Here are some other facts about the history of Chester County:

• Bayard Rustin was born in West Chester. He was the man who introduced Martin Luther King, Jr. to Gandhi's ideas. They recently named the High School after him. Parents complained because he was gay and he was a communist. He was a great author (I recommend Down the Line) and organizer of the civil rights march in 1963.

• Frederick Douglass spoke publicly for the last time at West Chester University, where I was a sociology student while I worked at the museum.

• The Battle of the Brandywine, which was called the "bloodiest battle of the Revolution", was fought not far from West Chester.

• Chester County was known as the "Mushroom Capital of the World." There was a whole exhibit about the mushroom industry when I was there.

They have a library with a vast genealogical archive. They have a children's playroom and a vast auditorium where speakers often come to talk.

If you can go visit, I think it would be worthwhile.

Warm Regards,

Erik B. Anderson
The King of Funny Faces
Independence Township, New Jersey
Established 1782

Write to the King of Funny Faces

There are two addresses here:



Hate mail goes to the address on the left. No bullets, please.

Fan mail goes to the one in the middle.

Warm Regards,

Erik B. Anderson
The King of Funny Faces
Independence Township, New Jersey
Established 1782

Erik Visited Kwame Nkrumah's Tomb

Accra, Ghana, July 1995 - I went to Ghana with a group of college students and professors from West Chester and Temple Universities. The first place we went to was the Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum and Memorial Park.

It is designed to look like a tree stump to signify "The Big Tree Has Fallen." Big Tree is an affectionate term that Ghanaians use to call their leader.

Kwame Nkrumah was the first president of The Republic of Ghana, which is the first African country to obtain independence from one of it's European colonists in 1957. He wrote a lot of books about the struggle for independence. He used many of Mahatma Gandhi's techniques. Mostly forgotten in many parts of the West now, he was almost as influential as Martin Luther King, Jr. in the 1950's and 1960's. It was a great honor to visit his mausoleum on the first day of our trip.

I would like to thank Dr. Nelson Keith of West Chester University, who was our Big Tree. I also want to thank my Nye Bro, Dr. Padmore E. Agbemebiese, the Chief of the Abor Village in the Volta Region of Ghana, for taking us there.

That whole trip was profoundly influential on me in my formative years. I promise to post more blogs about the Slave Castles, Mensah Village and other events in Kumasi, Accra, the Volta Region and elsewhere around Ghana.

Warm Regards,

Erik B. Anderson
The King of Funny Faces
Independence Township, New Jersey
Established 1782

THE FREE JAMES TITUS MOVEMENT HAS BEGUN

PRESS RELEASE

From The Desk of: Erik B. Anderson                                                Contact: Erik - 908-979-3493

THE FREE JAMES TITUS MOVEMENT HAS BEGUN

November 7, 2009 - Erik B. Anderson, a resident of Independence Township (NJ), today asked Governor Jon Corzine to pardon James Titus, the man found guilty of the 1886 rape and murder of Tillie Smith in Hackettstown. In the book In Defence of Her Honor: The Tillie Smith Murder Case by Denis Sullivan, it is written:

A careful reading of the trial transcript supports the argument that Titus' guilt was never established beyond reasonable doubt. The state never proved that rape had been committed at the time and place alleged, let alone that Titus had committed it. (Chapter Eight; Page 124)
In his letter to the Governor,

Mr. Anderson wrote:

James Titus was a small, frail, young man. His father committed suicide when he was only fifteen. He was prone to what we would call panic attacks today….He was terrified. They were going to hang him! He was able to stay alive by signing a confession, but in exchange he had to serve nineteen years doing hard labor at the New Jersey State Prison. The Reverend who said a prayer at the “last public rite that will ever be offered to poor Tillie Smith” at the Union Cemetery, after it was all over, said: “We regret, O God, to-day that there has been so much leniency shown the murderer in this case (NY Times, Nov. 24, 1887).”

Reverends are supposed to be compassionate! That one wasn’t. Please be compassionate, President Governor Corzine!

The Free James Titus Movement is something that has been building up inside Mr. Anderson for a long time. “It’s just bizarre that whenever I hear anyone talk about Tillie Smith, they get real quiet and tell uncomfortable jokes. This is a rape and murder we’re talking about, not a Halloween legend. I’m tired of living in so-called Weird New Jersey,” he says. Expect an online presence: a petition, a blog, a MySpace page, a Facebook group and more. “A Pardon is something that should happen. It is plain as day that there was reasonable doubt. The fact it occurred over 120 years ago makes it even more imperative that a Pardon happen as soon as possible. The real killer is still out there. Why would anyone want to stop this?”

Every American Citizen Has A Moral Obligation To Circulate Petitions, Write Letters, And Do What They Can To Free James Titus.


http://freejamestitus.blogspot.com/        *       http://myspace.com/freejamestitushttp://twitter.com/freejamestitus

*********************

Erik B. Anderson is a performing artist, a scholar and a concerned citizen. In 1996, he worked as an intern at the Chester County Historical Society Museum and Library when he was a Sociology major at West Chester University (PA). He won a debate with William F. Buckley, Jr. that same year. His other achievements include: visiting slave castles in Ghana in 1995; managing a Campaign Office in Hackettstown for Congressional Candidate Anne Wolfe in 2004; and, helping True Crime author Ann Rule (The Stranger Beside Me: The True Inside Story of Serial Killer Ted Bundy) in 2002.

#30#

Traffic is a Serious Problem in Hackettstown

Hackettstown sits at the bottom of Schooley's Mountain.  The Musconetcong river turns west towards Philipsburg where the Golden Skillet, which is one of the last privately owned Fast Food restaurants in New Jersey. It's a classic. In fact, it was my father's favorite restaurant, but it also would be nice if we could knock it down and build a road over where it is, so that we could reduce traffic on Mountain Avenue making it not the most dangerous road in New Jersey anymore. Here's a letter I am proud of that I wrote to the Warren Reporter about this issue.


Click on picture to read Erik's letter.


I didn't choose the title "Shame on state". I wasn't trying to blast them. It is just a difficult situation.

Most of the bypass would affect Washington Township (Morris County) but most of the benefit would go to the Town of Hackettstown, so, if the Highlands Council were to permit, it's very much Washington Township's decision to do it or not. But, as you know, in Northwest New Jersey, everybody watches Fox News and listens to Rush Limbaugh (at least all the elected officials do), so there is a slim chance in hell that.

Also, this fight is not even a problem because the Highlands Council has designated all of Washington Township (Morris County) a protected territory, so they aren't developing anything on the other side of the Musconetcong. The Highlands Act and the Highlands Council is very controversial in Northwest New Jersey. Most of the rest of the state gets it's water from up here, and the residents up here don't like it.

Just google "Highlands Act NJ" or "Highlands Council NJ" and you'll see what I mean.

Here are just a few resources you can look at to find out more, if you want:

-New Jersey Highlands Council (Official Website)
-New Jersey Highlands Council - Master Plan
-Environmental Controversy, New Jersey Style: The Highlands Council and the NJ DEP - NJ.com Blog
-Lower affordable-housing quotas by Highlands Council might entice towns to follow its plan - Hunterdon County Democrat
-Landowners looking to take Highlands lawsuit to New Jersey Supreme Court - Express-Times
and the most recent news from my Township:

-Independence Township rejects state Highlands law mandate- Express-Times, Nov. 14, 2009

So I hope that makes you aware of what is perhaps the most pressing issue in Northwest New Jersey. It's all inter-related. If you think of something you can do to help, like go to a meeting and speak out, or write a letter, please do it. We need all the help we can get.

Warm Regards,

Erik B. Anderson
Independence Township, New Jersey
Established 1782

Hackettstown Needs More Trains

I do not condone graffiti or vandalism, but I do sympathize with this criminal's message:



Someone wrote "We need more trains!" on the NJ Transit train schedule at the Hackettstown Station.

It also says, "Get more people living here." There is a diagram of a house and a train station. In between the house there is the phras "f'ing done", which is an abbreviated version of a vulgar word commonly used to vent frustration when someone is overwhelmed. Under the house, it says:

"Do you know what 2500 gls of diesel fuel cost?
National Average: $6, 528.50"
Call 908-889-2424
if you have any questions."

The King of Funny Faces' blog does not make any claim that the facts cited in this graffiti are accurate. The number is a Fanwood exchange. I have no idea if it is a home number or a business. I hope it is the number to the firm that did the study that determined the diessel fuel cost. I wouldn't know what to say if I called, really. It might be the vandalizer, so I am nervous about interfering with a police investigation.

It's true. There are only three trains in the morning and three trains in the evening that come to Hackettstownk, which is the end of the Morris-Sussex line. Here is an article I read a few weeks ago about the new Mt. Arlington train station on the Morris-Essex line. It is only about a year old, and it only gets an average of about 80 passengers a day. It's going to be a long time, before it makes a profit. But, again, with only six trains coming through a day, no wonder it only gets a few passengers.

I am not the only person around here who is for more mass transit. This letter to the editor is titled We need more mass transit.

I hope you get my point. Finally, here is a video I made just after I took the picture of the graffiti above. There were three people to my left, and the rest of the car was empty. Riding the train can be fun, especially if you've got an iPod playing Iggy Pop songs like I often do:



Warm Regards,

Erik B. Anderson
The King of Funny Faces
Independence Township, New Jersey
Established 1782

REVIEW: Oedipus The King - Pax Amicus Theatre - Nov. 8, 2009

- Oedipus the King -

Pax Amicus Theatre, Budd Lake, NJ - Sunday, Nov. 8, 2009 - 2PM

The King of Funny Faces' Review

Cross-posted here.

************

"This is the best production of Oedipus that has ever been done."

Stan Barber didn't mind saying so, after his own production today of Oedipus the King at Pax Amicus Castle Theatre in Budd Lake, New Jersey. He has been leading the Theatre Group there for 39 seasons. Then he said, "I'm sorry" with a smirk and a shrug of his shoulder like Mohammed Ali. In other words, Stan Barber is prepared to defend that claim if anyone out there - anyone in the whole world - were to try to take him to task for saying it.

I haven't seen any other performances of Oedipus the King, so I can't verify the autheniticity of his claim for sure, but it is certainly the best one I have ever seen. It definitely sets a very high standard that any company that tries to perform it again in my presence is going to have to contend with.

The performance was dark and scary and well done, like a good tragedy should. I remember thinking that the way the actors moved and spoke were remarkable long before I heard Mr. Barber make his claim. The characters literally jumped out at the audience. The closing of the first Act was positively haunting. The chorus seemed to literally float out over the audience and evaporate when the lights went dark.

The dialogue in the play, from a 1984 translation from the Ancient Greek by Don Taylor XIII, was equally impressive.

"Scorns! Hurricanes! Let them come!"

          "It must go on! I must know the truth!"

and, in a softer voice that is even more chilling:

"Why should I take pilgimages...to any holy place..if the gods' warnings provoke laughter, and no thought of what comes after?"

In the beginning of the play,  Oedipus (Jordan Feltner), a member of the royal family of neighboring Corinth who married the Queen of Thebes after her husband was murdered (ostensibly by bandits and thieves) is determined to find out who killed the previous king. It remains a mystery how Oedipus has been unaware of the circumstances of his predecessors' murder for so long, but what is known is that he is determined to find out the truth. He is prepared to grant mercy on the perpetrator if he shows himself, but none if he tries to hide. A prophet accuses him of the murder in an early scene and then the madness begins. Oedipus' uncle/brother-in-law Creon (Daniel Kisala) was as wise as a character can get. He defended himself admirably against the King's unreasonable accusations. He is the true hero of the play, and the second-most highly developed character. Jocasta (Cynthia Enfield) is listed second on the playbill, but her character is not as highly developed as Creon.

Jocasta is not qa wicked queen who seduced her own son. All the characters in the play are sympathetic. Oedipus is truly not an evil man, even though he is a mass murderer. He is a well-meaning king and father who saved the citizens of Thebes  (his "children") by solving the Riddle of the Sphinx. But, like many great men, he was driven insane by circumstances completely beyond his control. Jocasta's declaration that her Son/Husband is a doomed man when she sends him into exile is not a personal attack, or an insult intended to hurt the man. It is just a fact: something that needs to be said. And that is what makes it genuinely more horrifying than any of the torture-porn movies that are produced in the cinema these days.

Sophocles' Oedipus the King is a tragedy in the truest sense. The story of the doomed king of Thebes, who was prophesised to kill his own father and then fall in love with and marry his mother. It has been a classic since it came out 2420 years ago. It inspired an entire psychoanalytic theory. If it has stayed alive for 2420 years, it will probably influences the world forever. It is essential viewing for anyone with an interest in psychology, psychoanalysis, psychiatry, ancient history and tragedy.

There is still three more performances in Budd Lake. Catch them if you can.

 Monday, November 16 - 10 pm

I am very pleased that this production was a success at Pax Amicus, which has been the local Community Theatre in my area since before I was born. I have a picture of me outside the Castle Theater (which anyone can see from the road if they look across Budd Lake from Route 46) greeting an actor in an animal costume in the late 1970's. I have been looking for it...when I find it, I will be sure to update this blog again and post at least a link to it.

Someday, I would be very happy to be able to audition (and get a part) at this theatre.  You know I will post about that, too. I have been critical of Pax Amicus in the past. I feel bad now. I feel like I was close-minded and boneheaded, but I know now that was not a sensible way to proceed.

Long live Pax Amicus Castle Theatre! Long Live Stan Barber! Long Live Jordan Feltner, Cynthia Enfield and Daniel Kisala! Long live everyone involved with this production!

Warm Regards,

Erik B. Anderson
The King of Funny Faces
Independence Township, New Jersey
Established 1782

The King of Funny Faces with the Royal Family of Thebes

From bottom left: Creon, Jocasta, The K.o.F.F. and Oedipus the King

Erik Got A Ruling from The American Heritage Dictionary Usage Panel

June 1, 2009

Erik B. Anderson
Hackettstown, NJ 07840

Mary Huot
c/o Huoghton Mifflin Company
222 Berkeley St.
Boston, MA 02116

Dear Ms. Huot:

I am doing some research for my autobiography and I need your help.I need to know if the word "ironically" is used incorrectly in the three short articles I am including in this letter.

An article on Wikipedia says:

The American Heritage Dictionary’s usage panel found it unacceptable to use the word ironic to describe mere unfortunate coincidences or surprising disappointments that "suggest no particular lessons about human vanity or folly."

This is my argument:

1. The fact that James Titus was wrongly convicted of rape and murder, served 19 years in prison and lived in Hackettstown for almost 50 years is a "surprising disappointment."

2. The fact that the scene of the crime burned down on Halloween night, 1899, is another "surprising coincidence." [The HackettstownHistory.com article "Fall Into Halloween" is no longer online].

and

3. The fact that Marilyn Manson torched his drummer's drum kit on the night before the last show of the tour in the winter of 1995 is...well it's not a coincidence or a surprise knowing what I know about the last night of the tour that ended in December 11, 1995, but it most certainly does not suggest( any particular lessons about human vanity or folly.

So, the word ironically is used incorrectly in each of these documents, and the reasons for these events have not been adequately explained. I believe the real answers to these questions are very important indeed.

Can you confirm if I have used the correct argument to determine that it is incorrect usage already? Is there a formal process to request a "ruling"?

I cannot ask Webster's, because the third definition of irony in Webster's New World College Dictionary: Fourth Edition (page 755) calls it: "a combination of circumstances or a result that that is the opposite of what is or might be expected or considered appropriate [an irony that the firehouse burned]."

I appreciate the fact that you are there. This is very important to me on a personal level. Is there anything more that I can do?

Sincerely,



Erik B. Anderson
Independence Township, New Jersey
Established 1782


************

Click on image to read letter.

Erik's Early Childhood

Erik Blaine Anderson
by Mary Wilkin (Grandma)

The first child of Kay and Bruce Anderson, the first grandchild of Marion Anderson and Mary Wilkin, Erik was born prematurely on June 9, 1975 in Morristown Memorial Hospital. The excitement of his birth turned to anxiety as Kay had a convulsion in the hospital and was diagnosed as having toxemia. No one knows what cause this condition but the baby must be delivered immediately. A Caesarian operation was performed and the 5 lb. 4 oz. boy was put in an incubator. He was only 3 weeks early. His mother, however, was kept highly sedated with only her husband being allowed to see her. He was only 3 weeks early. His mother, however, was kept highly sedated with only her husband being allowed to see her. After a couple of days Kay was allowed to see her baby but not to hold him. We later learned that this was because they thought she might have another seizure and drop the child. Her dream of nursing the baby was denied, but the family of 3 eventually returned to their home at Quakerchurch Rd. in Randolph, N.J. with a healthy, thriving son.






Erik was the joy of the family. Round face, big brown eyes and chubby, rosy cheeks make him a delight to look at or hold. He was content in his swing or on the floor on the bright quilt his Aunt Joan (Wilkin) had made for him. Both Grandmas visited often and took frequent pictures of his various stages of development. Baby-sitting was their pleasure.

Erik sat up alone at 8 months, walked alone at 15 months. His first method of walking was his monster stride. He would put both arms straight out in front of him for balance and cross a room. In his high chair he would pick up Cheerios one by one from the tray while waiting for the rest of the meal. When the food arrived, he stuffed his face putting more in his mouth before he had swallowed the first bite. Kay frequently said "Manners don't count until you're 3."





Climbing out of the crib or playpen was a trick he learned from another toddler in Vermont where the family had visited in August '77. Skipping naps began about the same time at 2 years and 2 months. A month later on a long car trip to Cape Cod, Erik could identify most letters on a sign. When one was pointed out to him he would say, "That's an S or that's a C." While the car was stopped at one crossroad he said, "That's S-T-O-P --- Pots." Indoors adults would point to letters in the headlines and he would name each letter. Once his Daddy pointed to a quotation mark. Erik looked at the beginning and end quotes and said, "That's two sixes and two nines."

At home Erik knew how to turn on the radio for Grandma when she couldn't figure it out. He almost locked Grandma out of the car when she was scraping snow off the windows and he was inside pushing buttons. His first set of blocks he threw but he soon learned to build towers and knock them down. When no blocks were available at a time instead of knocking them down. After learning to make choo-choo trains of blocks Erik made choo-choos of any three items he encountered on a table or the floor.

In November 1977, Erik showed his imagination in a restaurant when he took a drinking straw and held it like a pencil and said, "I'm writing." Next he put the straw across his upper lip and said, "It's a mustache." When he held it above his eyes, he claimed, "It's eyebrows." Finally, he tried to twirl it like a baton.





Erik seemed unusually interested in words. When examining a humidifier in Grandma's house he asked what it was for and how it worked. Still puzzled when he peered inside, he asked, "Did my Daddy light the fire in the humidifier?" Once he said, "When I get covered with dirt, I'm dirty. When I spill my milk, I'm milky. When I play in the sandbox, I get sandy. When I roll on the lawn do I get lawny?" Another time he asked his mother if she razed her legs with a razor. As he got older he decided that a boy who plays soccer is a soccerist.

In the months before his brother was born, Erik knew that the baby was in his mother's tummy. He heard the heartbeat on the stethoscope in the doctor's office. When Kay came home with the new baby, Erik was given a boy doll that was anatomically correct. He would hug the doll and say, "I love my brudder."





At age 4, Erik loved to get presents. He was very particular about picking up the wrappings and putting them in the wastebasket. One gift, a Hop-it, frustrated him because he couldn't get the coordination to put both feet on it and walk as on low stilts. A fishing net he enjoyed because he could catch frogs in it. At this age, he was able to converse and relate details of his recent trip to Magic Mountain. His voice was often very loud. He had to be reminded to use his "inside voice" in the house.





For Hallowe'en of 1979 Erik dressed as the HULK and frightened his little brother. In toy stores, Erik was attracted to all games and toys that are related to monsters. At home he loved television but was very considerate about early morning sound. When he had Darlene, a teenager, for a babysitter he was so considerate he didn't wake her until it was too late for his ride to nursery school.

When his parents were due to arrive home from their trip, I suggested we write a Welcome Home sign for them. Instead he cut out a picture for them and wanted to write it himself saying, "Hello Mommy and Dad" not Daddy.

For one trip to say overnight at my house, Erik packed his own bag which he called his Brucecase. He remembered to pack everything except his pajamas. It was about this time that he declared that he did not want to be kissed. Grandma Anderson said she was going to kiss him anyway. Grandma Wilkin started blowing kisses to him.

Poetry Colloquium at Centenary College - VIDEOS

New Century Poetics: A Poetry Colloquium at Centenary College of New Jersey.
October 19 & 20, 2009.

Featuring Poet Mark Doty, winner of the National Book Award.

http://www.centenarycollege.edu/cms/en/gates-ferry-lectures/

It was a great time. I especially enjoyed sitting at the "grown-up table" with Basil King, Michael Heller, Burt Kimmelman, Mark Weiss, Paul Sohar and Mark Lamoreux. I regret that the memory in my camera ran out before Paul Sohar read his poem, which was the best of the night.

I'm sorry that I couldn't keep myself from breathing at inconvenient times during the reading and that my hands were very shaky. I'm not a professional videographer.

If you enjoyed these videos, please let me know:



Basil King is a painter/poet, born in England before World War II and living in Brooklyn since 1968. He attended Black Mountain College as a teenager and completed apprenticeship as an abstract expressionist in San Francisco and New York. For the past three decades he has taken his art “from the abstract to the figure, from the figure to the abstract.” His books include Mirage: a poem in 22 sections, Warp Spasm, Identity, 77 Beasts/Basil King’s Beastiary, Talisman#36/37, In the Field Where Daffodils Grow, Short Stories.

More...




Burt Kimmelman has published five collections of poetry – Musaics, First Lif, The Pond at Cape May Point, Somehow, and There Are Word; his volume of poems titled As If Free is forthcoming in 2009. For over a decade he was Senior Editor of Poetry New York: A Journal of Poetry and Translation. He is a professor of English at New Jersey Institute of Technology and the author of two book-length literary studies: The "Winter Mind": William Bronk and American Letters and The Poetics of Authorship in the Later Middle Ages: The Emergence of the Modern Literary Persona, as well as scores of essays on medieval, modern, and contemporary poetry.

More...




Jared Harel's poems have been published or are forthcoming in such literary journals as the New York Quarterly, California Quarterly, Barrow Street, Notre Dame Review, The Portland Review, and Rattle. He was recently awarded First Runner-up in the 2009 BOA Editions “A. Poulin Jr. Book Prize.” A graduate of Cornell’s MFA program, he currently lives in Astoria, Queens and teaches creative writing and composition at Centenary College.

More...



Mark Weiss has published six books of poetry, most recently As Landscape. He edited, with Harry Polkinhorn, the bilingual Anthology Across the Line: The Poetry of Baja California. His translations include Stet: Selected Poems of José Kozer; The San Antonio Notebook, by Javier Manríquez; and Gaspar Orozco's Notes from the Land of Z. The Whole Island: Six Decades of Cuban Poetry is due from UC Press November 1st. He lives at the edge of Manhattan's only forest.

More...



BJ Ward's books include Gravediggers Birthday and Landing in New Jersey with Soft Hands, both published by North Atlantic Books. His work has been featured on National Public Radio, New Jersey Network, and the web site, Poetry Daily, as well as in publications such as Poetry, TriQuarterly, and The Literary Review. He has been awarded a Pushcart Prize and two Distinguished Artist Fellowships from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts. He teaches at Warren County Community College.

Poem Name: Thanksgiving

More: http://www.bjward.net/



Michael Heller has published eight volumes of poetry, most recently Eschaton. His critical work includes a collection of essays on George Oppen and a mixed-genre meditation on the work of the painter Max Beckmann. His poetry and criticism have appeared in numerous magazines and anthologies. His many honors include the Alice Fay Di Castagnola Prize of the Poetry Society of America, a New York Foundation on the Arts Fellowship and awards from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Fund for Poetry.

More: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Heller_(poet)

*******

I have more videos, of Carlos Hernandez Pena and a few others that I haven't uploaded yet. If and when I get permission from these poets, I will upload their videos.

Warm Regards,

Erik B. Anderson
The King of Funny Faces
Independence Township, New Jersey
Established 1782

Erik Hung Out With Tom Hayden

In the Fall of 2003, Tom Hayden spoke at West Chester University as part of a book tour. His autobiography, Rebel, was being reissued. He spoke about a lot of things. Being there with Martin Luther King, Jr., organizing a number of Demonstrations in Chicago in 1968, starting the Peace Corps, how he was supporting Howard Dean for President. After his speech was over, I introduced myself, saying I was the President of the College Democrats and here are my friends. He was so relieved. It was not a big crowd that night, and he didn't want to go back to his hotel, so we hung out in Asplundh Hall for about two hours.



He talked about how he liked the show 24, and where he was on 9/11 (in a hospital bed recovering from heart surgery). I told him I actually owned the book he wrote about Zapatistas and I was dumbstruck because I didn't even know he was the author. Then, much like I did when I talked to Ann Rule, I could feel my heart drop to the floor with a thud when I told him I didn't even read it, that it was at the bottom of a box somewhere in my storage shed. He comforted me, though. He said, "It's okay. That's where books are supposed to go!" I was taken aback, but I was still ashamed. I showed him a trick with a 20 dollar bill that he had never shown anybody. I pretty much shocked the room when I made the 20 dollar bill look like an airplane.

Tom Hayden was just fun to hang out with. He was a lot different than William F. Buckley, Jr., who was a total jerk to me in that same building seven years before. I wish Tom Hayden could have had as big an audience as Buckley did. What's funny is: I don't remember talking about the protest I organized there with Tom. Maybe I was too scared. It was a dark period in my life. I'll never make that mistake again.

I hope I can see him again someday. He's still very active today. Check out his own biography.

Erik Met Kofi Awoonor - Poet, UN Ambassador

Formerly known as George Awoonor-Williams, Prof. Kofi Awoonor is one of the most celebrated Ghanaian and African writers. A poet, novelist and critic, Awoonor was born in 1935 and educated at the University of Ghana, the University of London, and the State University of New York at Stony Brook, where he bagged a Ph.D. in English and Comparative Literature.

Former Chair of the Department of Comparative Literature at SUNY Stony Brook, and Head, Department of English and Dean of the Faculty of Arts at the University of Cape Coast, South Africa, he has served as Ghana’s ambassador to Brazil and Cuba and Ghana's representative at the United Nations. He was awarded the National Book Council Award for poetry in 1979.

MORE: Wikipedia

MORE: "What, then, is the way forward?"

"The words of FDR have never rung more true." -Dave Ramsey

Dave Ramsey

Host of a nationally syndicated radio program discussing personal finance topics. Strongly emphasizes reducing, avoiding, and eliminating debt.

He also writes books, holds seminars and has a show on the Fox Business Channel.

Find out more about Dave. Your life might bet better.

http://www.daveramsey.com/

Show compassion for troubled person - LTTE

Letter to the Editor - Express-Times Newspaper  - Tuesday, October 13, 2009

I've been thinking a lot about the man who was arrested for taking a bath in public in Belvidere. He had been living in his car outside the Warren County Courthouse for several months after he lost his house. Finally, The Express-Times reported he had had enough and tried to get the filth off of himself in public because he thought he had nowhere else to go.

I met this man over the summer, just a few weeks before the incident. So I read the article with interest. He had a sign on his car window that said he was running for Warren County surrogate because he didn't like the way Susan Dickey had handled his case after the last of his parents died. He had a genuine tin-foil helmet in his backseat.

I am not writing to continue the ridicule that this man has surely received since his face appeared on the front page of the paper under the headline, "Naked man arrested." I am sorry if this letter has that effect on him. The real intent of this letter is to encourage readers to be more compassionate to him. I certainly hope his accusations are false, but if some of them are true, I hope the officials who made the mistakes will read this and do their jobs in an exemplary manner in the future. With the economy going the way it is going, one thing is certain: We are going to encounter more cases such as this.

ERIK B. ANDERSON
Independence Township

The King Pushes Envelopes

Lucinda Williams Set List

The Fillmore at Irving Auditorium,
15th and Irving, NYC - April 5, 2009
"The Cool Crowd Comes Out on Monday Night"

First Set - Highlighting the Album "World Without Tears"

1. People Talking
2. Overtime
3. Fruits Of My Labor
4. Sweet Side
5. Rescue
6. Are You All Right?
7. Come On
8. Unsuffer Me
9. Everything Has Changed
10. West
11. Well, Well, Well
12. Real Love
13. Tears of Joy
14. Honeybee
15. Plan to Marry

I found a nice spot to dance in the back. Every song was played beautifully.

Sadly, I did not stay for the second set.

Erik's First Newspaper Story - August 18, 1996

Daily Local News - Chester County, PA

Click on Picture to Read Article

This is a follow-up to the previous blog post:

WFB, Jr. - April 1996: "This is the reason America will never get anywhere."

The Western Ancient Forest Campaign is now known as the American Lands Alliance.

Here is more about my time at the Chester County Historical Society.

He fought the good fight, he kept the faith.

Erik B. Anderson - Belvidere Cemetery, May 21, 2009

On November 8, 2008, after the Belvidere War Memorial Veteran's Day Ceremony, I saw a small house for sale about 100 yards from this great tomb. I inquired about buying it, even though I was not employed and my income was just a disability check. I also inquired about the story of who was buried at this place. Unfortunately, the house was sold when I returned in December, but I did get this letter:



I think it's pretty cool. Don't you?

Warren County is full of forgotten history.

Warm Regards,

Erik B. Anderson
Independence Township, New Jersey
Established 1782

Erik Read's ShakespeareNJ's Gareth Saxe Star-Ledger Interview - Critically

Read this review with the actor playing Hamlet at the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey.
True to himself: Gareth Saxe tackles Shakespeare's most difficult role
by Peter Filichia/For The Star-Ledger

I posted what I wrote below in the comments section of the Star-Ledger.com and also under the link to the article that The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey posted on their Facebook site.

***

It is offensive that this actor plays Hamlet like he is feigning madness. How is the Tragedy of Hamlet not a tragedy of inaction?

Hamlet was the lawful heir to his throne. That was the action that should have been taken before the play started. It was interfered with by Hamlet's incestuous mother and his incestuous uncle. Then it was interfered with by the wretched rash intruding fool Lord Polonius who told his mother that he is mad because he is mad. They are the ones who decided he is mad. Madness is not a medical disease. It is a social position. It allows the one who is labeled mad to be marginalized and removed from his or her proper role in society. In Hamlet's case, his proper role in society was to be King. The few characters who did not interfere directly were Polonius, Marcellus, Rosencrants and Guildenstern, but they took no action. This play is certainly a tragedy of inaction.

I highly recommend that Gareth Saxe read Notes of a Native Son by James Baldwin and The Politics of Experience by R.D. Laing before he goes onstage again and gets more reviews like the one like the one on CentralJersey.com that says he looked like he was poring over his notes and then got interrupted by the "obligatory" to be or not to be speech, in which he is questioning whether to kill himself or to take action to end a sea of troubles.

Get mad, sir! Get mad! Get really mad! Remember the old rule, acting is not pretending. Acting is taking action. I'm not sure, but I think Sandy Meisner said that.

I say again. Get fuming mad! Froth at the mouth if you have to! You're playing Hamlet, for God's sake!

Warm Regards,

Erik B. Anderson
The King of Funny Faces
Independence Township, New Jersey
Established 1782

More about Erik:
http://thetragedyoferik.blogspot.com/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIR2nUcsiRw

This is not Erik's best performance, but it will have to do for now.

This blog is cross-posted on MySpace.

Eastern Sociological Society - Philadelphia, PA - April 1st, 1995

I presented a paper to the Eastern Sociological Society in 1995.


***


Click on image for easier reading.


I showed how the music of John Zorn can be used as a lens to understand different postmodern theories, including Baudrillard's Game Theory, Jameson's Theory of the Pastiche and Gergen's Saturated Society theory, multi-media theories, and other things I can't quite remember right now.

I was 19 years old. It was fun, but I couldn't really appreciate it. I was filled with self-loathing, as usual. I thought I was a failure, for some reason. I'm not sure why. I got a lot of praise. I wish my father had been more enthusiastic, though. His criticism stung as we were walking away from the hotel. His criticism always stung.

I will try to write more comprehensively about it later. Stay tuned for updates.

Warm Regards,

Erik B. Anderson
The King of Funny Faces
Independence Township, New Jersey
Established 1782

The King Helped "the best True Crime writer of all time" in 2002.

After I did what I could for Ms. Rule, I told her that I had read one of her books. When she asked me what I thought, I began to cry because I hadn't been able to finish it. She told me I should "finish it!"

I'm happy to say that I did finally finish The Stranger Beside Me in June. It's a difficult book to read, but definitely worth it. Her thesis statement is based on Hamlet's To Be or Not to Be, which as you know, is my favorite scene to act out.

Warm Regards,

Erik B. Anderson
The King of Funny Faces
Independence Township, New Jersey
Established 1782

Žižek’s showing off again

Žižek’s showing off again
By Erik B. Anderson


This piece in the London Review of Books was like most of Slavoj Žižek’s work. It is Žižek showing off again, an exercise in how smart Žižek is, how much he knows about other people's ideas. He obviously takes great delight in what he knows about, but it's a hodge-podge of other people's ideas put together. Does Žižek have a fundamental idea of his own? If so, I haven't found it. His work is a pastiche in the Jamesonian sense. I myself am guilty of putting together other people's ideas, so I don't think I'm better than him. I just don't know what his point is, other than being an ambassador to the world for Lacanian Psychoanalysis and Leftist Marxism with his zeal and his obvious energy for writing and publishing non-stop, all day, every day. He does a lot of good for this world, I think. He makes me want to read all about Agamben, Badiou, Berlosconi and Hitchcock, but I also think he's over-compensating for something: Namely, the lack of any fundamental idea of his own from which to grow and flourish.

If he would focus on his own idea like it were a garden, he could relax a bit and watch it grow - stop and smell the flowers, and all. But instead, he hops from garden to garden to garden all the way around the world, yanking at a weed here, watering some dry ground there...giving a little advice to the owner of the garden. He reminds me of my mother, who cannot sit still. Since my father died, she has moved to Mexico, taken cruises to Alaska, Hawaii, all over South America and the Caribbean, spent a lot of time in Guatemala...gone on road trips around the state of Baja California and the Western United States, celebrated her birthday in New York City and Williamsburg, Virginia...gone to London, Ireland, Spain and Beijing...and those are just the places she has told me about. I stopped talking to her about all those places because she just makes me sad. She doesn't seem to get anything out of those experiences.

Besides visiting my mother in Mexico, I have only been out of the country three times, myself: to Hong Kong when I was twelve; to Ghana when I was twenty-one, and to Jamaica when I was twenty-eight. Each time was a very powerful experience which became part of who I am. I probably wouldn't mind dying in any of those three places because what I got from my visit there was so monumental. But my mother just buys a T-shirt, or a piece of art, and then can't wait to get to the next party spot. I feel like Žižek is similar, except he does it with ideas. He likes to extol the virtues of the Psychoanalysts and the Leninists, but would he put his life, or his livelihood, on the line for any of those ideas? I just don’t know. As critical of Postmodernism as he says he is, he just can’t shake the ironic detachment that makes him want to ramble from Ahmadinejad and Berlosconi to Ronald Reagan and Kung Fu Panda, ultimately arriving at Agamben. These are all excellent points, but what is their effect? It doesn’t make this reader stand up and compose a stirring tribute that would surely get him nominated for the Nobel Prize. It makes me want to exclaim, “Cool! Let’s Hang Out!” in a very immature way. Watching a movie with Slavoj Žižek would be one of the highlights of my life, I would do that in a second if the oportunity presented itself. But, would I want him with me when the shit hits the proverbial fan? I'm not certain.

I hope I'm wrong. I used to collect Žižek’s books compulsively. At one point, I had almost twenty of them. So I have an idea what I'm talking about, but I didn’t read a single one past the first chapter. . Unfortunately, the only thing of his that I actually enjoyed was the first chapter of The Sublime Object of Ideology. That's the only thing I remember. It's the only thing worth memorializing, in my opinion. I just stopped reading his stuff because so much of it was exhausting and too dense. Maybe some of his books are substantial, but when I read any of his other books and articles, I always find myself just looking at signposts directing me to Freud or David Lynch or Kung Fu Panda. I am grateful for it, don't get me wrong. But, I enjoy reading more substantial writers like Andre Green, James Baldwin or R.D. Laing – Ann Rule, Dennis Lehane or Doris Kearns Goodwin -- Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, William Shakespeare or Thomas Mann. My time on this planet is short, and there is much to read. Žižek’s on my radar, for sure, but what he writes is just clutter compared to these writers.

I honestly hope that Žižek never stops writing. My life changed after I discovered him in 2001. I saw him speak just a few days after my father died in 2003. He shines lights on subjects that no one else in the world would consider looking at; using colors that no one else in the world would consider using. He is quite remarkable, and he is definitely making a name for himself in the annals of human history. He will be remembered by many people, which can't be said for most people in this world. He is an excellent cultural critic. I wish I could be published as widely as him, but I feel sorry for him that he can't just take his time and write a few good pieces. I wish he would stop writing with so much ferocious intensity. His method has turned into his madness. He should write something truly awesome, something that would change the world or make it stop entirely. Then...THEN..well, wouldn't we all like to do something like that?

Stop showing off, Slavoj, and show us something!

Looking For Something To Worship?

Here are some ideas:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7MRvaaCqHs

EBA vs. WFB, Jr.: "This is the reason America will never get anywhere."

When he was but a prince, The King of Funny Faces asked William F. Buckley, Jr. a question when he came to speak at West Chester University, April 1996:  "What is your stand on the "Timber Salvage Rider?"

The father of modern conservatism rolled his eyes, and a room full of two-hundred rich white people with nice watches and BMW's shouted at the King of Funny Faces. They screamed "Go home!" "Why don't you get out of here!" and worse. The King was scared.

When William F. Buckley, Jr. spoke, he said, "The world is a giant ashtray we put things into..." and then gestured as if to extinguish as cigarette out on the podium.


Click on image to read full article.

Then he said something about, "I question the juvenile nature of people who treat all animals as pets," but the Timber Salvage Rider wasn't about animals, it was about trees.


Click on image to read the full article.

That summer, the King of Funny Faces spent two weeks (one in June and one in July) aggressively lobbying over 200 Congressional offices to repeal the Timber Salvage Rider with a group of activists from all over the country (mostly the Pacific Northwest) led by Former Congressman Jim Jontz of Indiana. The head of the Forest Service gave the King of Funny Faces a dirty look at a Congressional hearing at which only one dissenting voice against the Timber Salvage Rider spoke, and he sat right next to the Secretary of Agriculture in his conference room in the Department of Agriculture Building.

It was a good time, but it was bittersweet. Not only did the King of Funny Faces find out that his cat died on the last day of his first trip to D.C. We ended up losing the vote by the closest margin possible, two votes! The final tally was 211-209. It was a very sad time for us, and for the trees and wildlife that depend on the trees in areas that now look like this.

# # #

Erik B. Anderson: Early Childhood

Erik B. Anderson
by Mary Wilkin (Grandma)

The first child of Kay and Bruce Anderson, the first grandchild of Marion Anderson and Mary Wilkin, Erik was born prematurely on June 9, 1975 in Morristown Memorial Hospital. The excitement of his birth turned to anxiety as Kay had a convulsion in the hospital and was diagnosed as having toxemia. No one knows what cause this condition but the baby must be delivered immediately. A Caesarian operation was performed and the 5 lb. 4 oz. boy was put in an incubator. He was only 3 weeks early. His mother, however, was kept highly sedated with only her husband being allowed to see her. He was only 3 weeks early. His mother, however, was kept highly sedated with only her husband being allowed to see her. After a couple of days Kay was allowed to see her baby but not to hold him. We later learned that this was because they thought she might have another seizure and drop the child. Her dream of nursing the baby was denied, but the family of 3 eventually returned to their home at Quakerchurch Rd. in Randolph, N.J. with a healthy, thriving son.




Erik was the joy of the family. Round face, big brown eyes and chubby, rosy cheeks make him a delight to look at or hold. He was content in his swing or on the floor on the bright quilt his Aunt Joan (Wilkin) had made for him. Both Grandmas visited often and took frequent pictures of his various stages of development. Baby-sitting was their pleasure.

Erik sat up alone at 8 months, walked alone at 15 months. His first method of walking was his monster stride. He would put both arms straight out in front of him for balance and cross a room. In his high chair he would pick up Cheerios one by one from the tray while waiting for the rest of the meal. When the food arrived, he stuffed his face putting more in his mouth before he had swallowed the first bite. Kay frequently said "Manners don't count until you're 3."

Climbing out of the crib or playpen was a trick he learned from another toddler in Vermont where the family had visited in August '77. Skipping naps began about the same time at 2 years and 2 months. A month later on a long car trip to Cape Cod, Erik could identify most letters on a sign. When one was pointed out to him he would say, "That's an S or that's a C." While the car was stopped at one crossroad he said, "That's S-T-O-P --- Pots." Indoors adults would point to letters in the headlines and he would name each letter. Once his Daddy pointed to a quotation mark. Erik looked at the beginning and end quotes and said, "That's two sixes and two nines."

At home Erik knew how to turn on the radio for Grandma when she couldn't figure it out. He almost locked Grandma out of the car when she was scraping snow off the windows and he was inside pushing buttons. His first set of blocks he threw but he soon learned to build towers and knock them down. When no blocks were available at a time instead of knocking them down. After learning to make choo-choo trains of blocks Erik made choo-choos of any three items he encountered on a table or the floor.

In November 1977, Erik showed his imagination in a restaurant when he took a drinking straw and held it like a pencil and said, "I'm writing." Next he put the straw across his upper lip and said, "It's a mustache." When he held it above his eyes, he claimed, "It's eyebrows." Finally, he tried to twirl it like a baton.

Erik seemed unusually interested in words. When examining a humidifier in Grandma's house he asked what it was for and how it worked. Still puzzled when he peered inside, he asked, "Did my Daddy light the fire in the humidifier?" Once he said, "When I get covered with dirt, I'm dirty. When I spill my milk, I'm milky. When I play in the sandbox, I get sandy. When I roll on the lawn do I get lawny?" Another time he asked his mother if she razed her legs with a razor. As he got older he decided that a boy who plays soccer is a soccerist.

In the months before his brother was born, Erik knew that the baby was in his mother's tummy. He heard the heartbeat on the stethoscope in the doctor's office. When Kay came home with the new baby, Erik was given a boy doll that was anatomically correct. He would hug the doll and say, "I love my brudder."

At age 4, Erik loved to get presents. He was very particular about picking up the wrappings and putting them in the wastebasket. One gift, a Hop-it, frustrated him because he couldn't get the coordination to put both feet on it and walk as on low stilts. A fishing net he enjoyed because he could catch frogs in it. At this age, he was able to converse and relate details of his recent trip to Magic Mountain. His voice was often very loud. He had to be reminded to use his "inside voice" in the house.

For Hallowe'en of 1979 Erik dressed as the HULK and frightened his little brother. In toy stores, Erik was attracted to all games and toys that are related to monsters. At home he loved television but was very considerate about early morning sound. When he had Darlene, a teenager, for a babysitter he was so considerate he didn't wake her until it was too late for his ride to nursery school.

When his parents were due to arrive home from their trip, I suggested we write a Welcome Home sign for them. Instead he cut out a picture for them and wanted to write it himself saying, "Hello Mommy and Dad" not Daddy.

For one trip to say overnight at my house, Erik packed his own bag which he called his Brucecase. He remembered to pack everything except his pajamas. It was about this time that he declared that he did not want to be kissed. Grandma Anderson said she was going to kiss him anyway. Grandma Wilkin started blowing kisses to him.

That's A Name!

The King of Funny Faces has a blog!

Check here later for more posts.