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

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

The Day of the Dead

November 1, 2019

We have yet another holiday…in Mexico this time.

In the past few years, I’ve learned a lot about Halloween. I also learned a lot about November 2, known in some cultures as All Souls Day. In Mexico, it’s a holiday called The Day of the Dead. According to a friend of mine in Mexico City, the day celebrates our relatives that have passed away, so that we do remember them. In fact, it’s part of the Mexican culture to laugh in front of Death today, and the photo above is one of an office decoration that my friend sent to me. He said the most famous celebration in Mexico today is in Michoacán State, at Janitzio and nearby Patzcuaro Lake, with many people attending the ceremony at night. You can read more about it, and see more photos, at http://www.mexicoinsmallbytes.com/november.html.

However you do it, it’s very worthwhile to remember and celebrate our ancestors…

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 »

Happy Halloween!

October 31, 2019

At this time every year, many of us have acquired our stash of candy and anxiously await the arrival of all those children seeking treats, including my grandsons Evan and Noah (shown in this photo of my daughter Jen’s family costumes this year – if you don’t recognize them, search for a 2004 movie with Ben Stiller and Vince Vaughn). I don’t know about you, but I never gave much more thought to Halloween, until I watched a program on The History Channel about the history of this day. And that prompted me to do some research about Halloween and its traditions. For example, in the 8^th Century, Pope Gregory III declared November 1 as All Hallows (Saints) Day, and the evening before became known as All Hallows Evening, later shortened to Halloween (actually Hallowe’en). And I also learned the history of some of the other traditions associated with the holiday:

Trick or Treating. The Celts left food and sweets around for the evil spirits to take and leave. Years later, in medieval times, poor people would go from door to door, begging for food in return for offering prayers for the dead on All Souls Day, November 2.

The Jack-o’-Lantern. Years ago, many Irish and Scottish people would carve a face into a turnip and place a lighted candle inside to honor the dead on All Souls Day. There is also the legend of Irishman Stingy Jack who tricked the devil into climbing a tree. To avenge this, the devil placed a curse on Jack – he was forced to wander the earth with the only light he had: a candle inside of a hollowed turnip. Thus the name.

The Wearing of Costumes. The Celts also believed that at summer’s end (the same time as Halloween), spirits passed by. Of course, the spirits of ancestors were invited into the home, while evil spirits needed to be warded off. To do this, the Celts wore costumes and masks to disguise themselves as evil spirits, thus escaping harm. And of course, today, we see the full range, from the simple to the elaborate and bizarre.

So enjoy the day, but remember the traditions…

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?

October 22, 2019

Here are the questions to the Jeopardy! answers in the category “Broadway Musicals by Character” I posted a couple of weeks ago:

Fraulein Schneider & The Master of Ceremonies. – What is “Cabaret?”
Velma Kelly & her lawyer Billy Flynn. – What is “Chicago?”
Laurey, Curly, Jud Fry. – What is “Oklahoma?”
Danny, Sandy, Rizzo. – What is “Network?”
Max Von Mayerling, Norma Desmond. – What is “Sunset Boulevard?”

I got three of them correct, which is my typical result for Broadway musicals. 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

Is Columbus Day a Forgotten Holiday?

October 14, 2019

It’s interesting that when I was going to school or working, I viewed holidays simply as another day off. Now that I’m doing neither, I find myself trying to learn more about each holiday. Take today – Columbus Day – as an example. Before it was moved to the second Monday in October, Columbus Day was always celebrated on October 12. I always assumed that it marked the birth of Christopher Columbus, but it actually marks the date when he arrived in the Americas. Although it is a federal holiday here in the U.S., only 26 of our states also recognize it as a holiday. In fact, in my last three jobs I worked in a state which still recognizes it as a holiday, yet we did not get the day off.

On this day, let’s taker the time to remember Mr. Columbus and take the time to discover more about the meaning of the day. It’s interesting stuff!

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 »

How Well Do You Know Broadway?

October 5, 2019

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

Fraulein Schneider & The Master of Ceremonies.
Velma Kelly & her lawyer Billy Flynn.
Laurey, Curly, Jud Fry.
Danny, Sandy, Rizzo.
Max Von Mayerling, Norma Desmond.

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 Broadway?

September 26, 2019

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

Adrienne Barbeau played Rizzo in this ‘70s musical set 2 decades earlier. – What is “Grease?”
In 1900 Sarah Bernhardt played this Shakespeare guy; in 2018 Janet McTeer played Sarah playing this Shakespeare guy. – Who is Hamlet?
Jesse Mueller & Joshua Henry sang “If I Loved You” in the 2018 revival of this musical. – What is “Carousel?”
Bryan Cranston was mad as hell as Howard Beale in the stage version of this 1976 film. – What is “Network?”
58 years after she was on Broadway with partner Mike Nichols, this comic actress starred in “The Waverly Gallery.” – Who is Elaine May?

I got two of them correct, which is typical for Broadway musicals. 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

The Catacombs of St. Patrick’s Cathedral

September 18, 2019

Many people don’t know that the original St. Patrick’s Cathedral in lower Manhattan is still an active church, with masses and other rituals conducted. And very few people know that there are catacombs beneath the cathedral whose residents include John Kelly, an adviser to President Lincoln; the Delmonico family, founders of the oldest surviving restaurant in New York; and General Thomas Eckert, a Civil War veteran.

For more details and to book a candlelight tour of the catacombs visit https://tommysnewyork.com/catacombs/. Enjoy! Thanks Jack.

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 Things To Do In New York City | Leave a Comment »

How Well Do You Know Broadway?

September 10, 2019

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

Adrienne Barbeau played Rizzo in this ‘70s musical set 2 decades earlier.
In 1900 Sarah Bernhardt played this Shakespeare guy; in 2018 Janet McTeer played Sarah playing this Shakespeare guy.
Jesse Mueller & Joshua Henry sang “If I Loved You” in the 2018 revival of this musical.
Bryan Cranston was mad as hell as Howard Beale in the stage version of this 1976 film.
58 years after she was on Broadway with partner Mike Nichols, this comic actress starred in “The Waverly Gallery.”

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

Enjoy Labor Day!

September 2, 2019

Each year, we celebrate Labor Day here in the United States on the first Monday in September (many other countries celebrate the May 1 Labour Day, but of course we are different), and many of us mourn it as the unofficial end of summer, yet celebrating it as the unofficial start of football season. But do you know the history of this holiday? It actually originated in Canada when a parade supporting the Trade Union Act was held in Toronto in 1872. Ten years later, American labor leader Peter McGuire saw the parade in Toronto and was inspired to organize a similar parade in New York City on September 5, 1882, becoming the first Labor Day here. After the bloody Pullman strike of 1894, President Cleveland and Congress hurriedly passed a bill making Labor Day a national holiday. This year, there’s the West Indian Day Parade in Brooklyn until 6:00 this evening. Get full details at https://www.timeout.com/newyork/west-indian-american-day-carnival-new-york. Enjoy!

Randolph Mase, Fiction Writer