“Autumn Leaves”

The falling leaves drift by my window

The autumn leaves of red and gold

I see your lips, the summer kisses

The sun-burned hands I used to hold

Since you went away, the days grow long

And soon I’ll hear old winter’s song

But I miss you most of all, my darling

When autumn leaves start to fall

(Per Wikipedia) “Autumn Leaves” is a popular song turned jazz standard based on the French song “Les Feuilles mortes” (“The Dead Leaves”). It was composed by Hungarian-born Joseph Kosma in 1945 with French lyrics by Jacques Prévert. English lyrics were written by Johnny Mercer. He was a founding partner at Capitol Records and he chose Jo Stafford to make the first English recording in 1950. Roger Williams‘ instrumental version was #1 on the US Billboard charts in 1955. Other versions were sung by Bing Crosby, Steve Allen, Nat King Cole, Doris Day, and Frank Sinatra to name just a few. It has been recorded by over a thousand jazz musicians including Artie Shaw, Stan Getz, Erroll Garner, Duke Ellington, Cannonball Adderley, Miles Davis, Vince Guaraldi, Bill Evans, Ben Webster, and John Coltrane.

“COVID Classic”

How times change. For our oral boards back in the day, we would have waxed eloquent about these peripheral airspace opacities by invoking eosinophilic pneumonia, cryptogenic organizing pneumonia, Churg-Strauss syndrome, sarcoidosis, and Amiodarone lung (or other drug toxicity). The kids today would be like, “Oh, man, that’s COVID.” Seems like they’ve taken all the fun out of medicine.

“Life’s EXACTA Box”

Have you noticed that churches are using more clever and casual hooks to fill their lonely pews?

Here are my two:

  1. Play your own damn ball. Don’t worry about what others are doing.
  2. Fuck keeping score. In the end, all numbers are essentially meaningless.
The above sign was front of the (Episcopal) Church of the Ascension and Saint Agnes in Washington, DC (August 2023). The double-door is an interesting design choice echoed in the windows. I might have added a sign above each door, one for SINNERS and the other SAINTS.
The sign’s reverse show’s that midway between Easter and Christmas is church “silly season” with an all-new Vaudeville Vespers.