Randolph Mase&#8217;s Weblog

My Novels:

Death on Broadway

Death Beneath the Streets

Death in Central Park

Death at The Cloisters

Death Inside Diamond Head (under construction)

Nathan Hale

Happy Mother’s Day!

May 10, 2020

Each year, we celebrate Mother’s Day here in the United States (and Canada as well) on the second Sunday in May. But do you know the history of this holiday? Actually, it depends on the country. For example, the United Kingdom’s version called Mothering Sunday actually started in the 16^th century, and occurs on the fourth Sunday in Lent. In South Korea, they celebrate Parents’ Day each year on May 8 (did you also know that we also have a Parents’ Day here in the US, signed into law in 1994 by President Clinton and observed on the fourth Sunday of July?). The Mother’s Day as we celebrate it in the US today was officially recognized in 1914 after years of effort by activist Anna Jarvis. And it’s observed by about 70 countries around the world. Although it is highly commercialized today (lots and lots of cards and flowers and meals), the original intent was to honor our mothers, living or not. This photo is my mother, taken shortly before I was born. To all mothers out there, I hope your special day is indeed special.

Randolph Mase, Fiction Writer

My Novels:

Death on Broadway

Death Beneath the Streets

Death in Central Park

Death at The Cloisters

Death Inside Diamond Head (under construction)

Nathan Hale

Posted in Observations on the Strange and Unexpected and on Life Itself | 2 Comments »

Enjoy Cinco de Mayo!

May 5, 2020

I think we’ve all heard of Cinco de Mayo, and probably associate it with Margaritas and dinner specials at Don Pablo, and that it means “5^th of May.” But you may not know the origin of the holiday (which, by the way, is apparently a minor holiday in Mexico, but celebrated widely in the U.S.), so I did some research.

The day actually commemorates the Mexican Army’s 1862 victory over France at the Battle of Puebla during the Franco-Mexican War. France had sent troops to Mexico over a defaulted loan, and the two armies clashed at Puebla, with the French finally retreating after the day-long battle. Although it was more of a symbolic than strategic victory for Mexico, it did bolster the resistance, resulting in France’s departure 6 years later.

Don’t give up on it this year to avoid social gatherings! Make mock Margaritas for the younglings and have a virtual happy hour with friends and family using Zoom, Facetime, or some other platform. And you won’t even have to drive home!

Randolph Mase, Fiction Writer

My Novels:

Death on Broadway

Death Beneath the Streets

Death in Central Park

Death at The Cloisters

Death Inside Diamond Head (under construction)

Nathan Hale

Posted in Observations on the Strange and Unexpected and on Life Itself | Leave a Comment »

Virtual NYC

April 28, 2020

Do you want to experience New York City but you don’t want to go out, or you want to observe social distancing guidelines, or both? Then this is for you – nycgo.com has compiled a list activities that you can do from the comfort of your living room. Activities include a virtual walk-through of a Lincoln Center exhibit, stand-up comedy shows, tour of the American Museum of Natural History, and a 360 view of the Guggenheim. Just go to https://www.nycgo.com/articles/social-distancing-things-to-do-nyc?cid=NYCEM_TINYCVisitor_20200326. Enjoy!

Randolph Mase, Fiction Writer

My Novels:

Death on Broadway

Death Beneath the Streets

Death in Central Park

Death at The Cloisters

Death Inside Diamond Head (under construction)

Nathan Hale

Questions to How Well Do You Know New York?

April 20, 2020

Here are the questions to the Jeopardy! answers in the category “Short Runs on Broadway” I posted a couple of weeks ago:

Based on a Stephen King novel, this ’88 musical featured a high school dance to remember but closed after only 5 performances. – What is “Carrie?”
Shuttered after only 6 shows, “Into the Light” is about a physicist seeking the truth about this fabled burial cloth of Jesus. – What is the Shroud of Turin?
A sequel to this musical. “Bring Back Birdie” closed after 4 shows but still earned Chita Rivera a Tony nomination. – What is “Bye Bye Birdie?”
“Bobbi Boland,” meant to be a star vehicle for this late Charlie’s Angel, never opened, closing after 7 previews. – Who is Farrah Fawcett?
“LaStrada,” based on this director’s film, starred a young Bernadette Peters & said arrividerci after one show. – Who is Federico Fellini?

I surprised myself by getting all of them correct; how did you do?

Randolph Mase, Fiction Writer

My Novels:

Death on Broadway

Death Beneath the Streets

Death in Central Park

Death at The Cloisters

Death Inside Diamond Head (under construction)

Nathan Hale

New York City’s Easter Parade

April 12, 2020

As you may suspect, this year’s Easter parade, one of the most famous in the world, has been cancelled because of COVID-19 concerns. It is normally held every year on Easter Sunday, and is known as a showcase for new clothes and bonnets; hence the popular song by Irving Berlin, “Easter Parade.” The photo above is of Fifth Avenue during the parade in 1900. But don’t despair! The Fifth Avenue Association has announced a virtual parade this year. To participate, “post an Instagram story or a static post to their feed, tagging @Fifth.Avenue.NYC and using the special hashtag #EasterOnFifth.” The Association will then showcase the best photos on their website (https://fifthavenue.nyc/) on Tuesday. Happy Easter!

Randolph Mase, Fiction Writer

My Novels:

Death on Broadway

Death Beneath the Streets

Death in Central Park

Death at The Cloisters

Death Inside Diamond Head (under construction)

Nathan Hale

How Well Do You Know Broadway?

April 6, 2020

One of the categories on a recent Jeopardy! episode was “Short Runs on Broadway.” Here are the answers; just come up with the correct question for each. I’ll give those questions in a future post:

Based on a Stephen King novel, this ’88 musical featured a high school dance to remember but closed after only 5 performances.
Shuttered after only 6 shows, “Into the Light” is about a physicist seeking the truth about this fabled burial cloth of Jesus.
A sequel to this musical. “Bring Back Birdie” closed after 4 shows but still earned Chita Rivera a Tony nomination.
“Bobbi Boland,” meant to be a star vehicle for this late Charlie’s Angel, never opened, closing after 7 previews.
“LaStrada,” based on this director’s film, starred a young Bernadette Peters & said arrividerci after one show.

Randolph Mase, Fiction Writer

My Novels:

Death on Broadway

Death Beneath the Streets

Death in Central Park

Death at The Cloisters

Death Inside Diamond Head (under construction)

Nathan Hale

It’s April Fool’s Day

April 1, 2020

But I’m not going to write something to fool you or pull any pranks. Maybe.

I have seen some good ones, though. Years ago when I lived in Reading, Pennsylvania, I was a faithful listener of the Mike and Dave Morning Show on WRFY radio. On this particular day, I turned on the radio in my car on the way to work, only to find that the late morning DJ was hosting the early show. I heard no mention of the change for several minutes. Finally, an announcement came on air that Mike and Dave were no longer employed by the station. Now, they (particularly Dave) had a reputation of pushing the airwave envelope – not to the point of being shock jocks, but pushing it nevertheless – so their termination did not surprise me. But it really disappointed me. In fact, I was really in a funk the rest of the day. The next morning, I heard their familiar voices on the radio. And then it occurred to me that the day before was April 1! I called them and let them know that they “got” me. They just laughed and said that was the point. So go ahead and play your pranks, and maybe leave a comment abut the funniest April Fool’s prank you’ve seen!

Randolph Mase, Fiction Writer

My Novels:

Death on Broadway

Death Beneath the Streets

Death in Central Park

Death at The Cloisters

Death Inside Diamond Head (under construction)

Nathan Hale

Posted in Observations on the Strange and Unexpected and on Life Itself | Leave a Comment »

Questions to How Well Do You Know Broadway?

March 25, 2020

Here are the questions to the Jeopardy! answers in the category “A Broadway Cast of Characters” I posted a few weeks ago:

Pumbaa, Nala, Zazu. – What “The Lion King?”
Marius, young Eponine, Madame Thenardier. – What is “Les Misèrables?”
The Pigeon sisters (not enough? Okay…). Felix & Oscar. – What is “The Odd Couple?”
In a musical: Henry Higgins, Alfred P. Doolittle. – What is “My Fair Lady?”
Brick, Big Mama, Gooper. – What is “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof?”

I again got four of them correct; how did you do?

Randolph Mase, Fiction Writer

My Novels:

Death on Broadway

Death Beneath the Streets

Death in Central Park

Death at The Cloisters

Death Inside Diamond Head (under construction)

Nathan Hale

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

March 17, 2020

This seems to be an appropriate time to write about St. Patrick’s Day, so I will. Today is the national holiday of Ireland, and celebrates the life of Saint Patrick, a Christian missionary who lived in the 4^th and 5^th centuries. It began as a religious holiday, and became a public holiday in 1903. The first St. Patrick’s Day Parade was held in Boston in 1737, but the longest-running and largest parade is in New York, which has run every year since 1762, and today would have attracted two million spectators and 150,000 marchers. However, this year’s parade has been postponed due to coronavirus activity. As you know, green is the color of choice, with a river dyed green in Chicago, a canal in Indianapolis, and fountains in Savannah. Even those not of Irish ancestry participate in the festivities (in fact, I’ve gone to several “St. Paddy’s Day” parties in the past few years, and I’ve got only one connection – McCracken – and that name hails from Northern Ireland). So regardless of your background, enjoy!

Randolph Mase, Fiction Writer