Sunday, September 1st, 1974

We couldn't go to King's Island due to morning rains. This afternoon we went out to Joan's instead. Everyone was crazy about all my pictures.Wish I'd taken my camera. Rachel looked photogenic as always.

We stopped to shop on the way home and Mom bought me Joni's FREE MAN IN PARIS and PAUL BABY SINGS.

Doug came down this evening and brought his Evel posters and the record album. We played my own Evel record and I got that  Evel newspaper. A real Evel kind of day.

I stayed up a little late to watch some of the Labor Day telethon.

NOTES: See previous post for how my thoughts on Evel Knievel have changed since these hero worship days. It was all marketing but who knew that then?

Joan is my first cousin, Rachel's mother.

Joni was Joni Mitchell and this was the first of her records I ever got.


PAUL BABY SINGS was a regional novelty single that tied in with THE PAUL DIXON SHOW, the long-running talk/variety/comedy show in Cincinnati and the Mid-West that David Letterman has always credited as an influence. I still have it. In the hip parlance of the late sixties, the balding but be-wigged, middle-aged former newsman had become known as Paul Baby. His locally bestselling autobiography was called PAUL BABY, a follow-up book was called LETTERS TO PAUL BABY and thus this record, PAUL BABY SINGS. Side one was a serious version of a song he was known for on his show. (He wasn't a great singer but pretty good). The flip side was basically Paul and his two female sidekicks from his show just goofing around on a take with the machine still running. Much fun!

Saturday, August 31st, 1974

I got up to see nothing in particular but I watched the Red Baron cartoon.

This morning at King Kwik I got SPORTS ILLUSTRATED with a  beautiful Evel Knievel cover. On TV, I watched his last jump on videotape from two weeks ago. I hope he makes it. I'm certain that if anyone can, he will. Doug told me the other day there's an Evel Knievel newspaper out. Fifty cents.

I went over the river and got at Fountain all the new books and all the ones I missed last week except the Marvel Calendar. That girl was there all by herself. I had to pay her and I realized that she isn't really as attractive as I'd been thinking. And yet...after I left that feeling came back again.

Later this afternoon, I went with Terry to that store I found up at 20th. I got most of the books that I had picked out. They were right where I had left them Thursday.

Then we met Dad in Cincinnati and saw CALIFORNIA SPLIT. I was right. It was better than HOMEBODIES but they could've done more with the ending.

Some girl at the bus terminal eyed me as she walked past. Then she put her lips together all puckered like she was kissing. Wonder what that was all about. Weird.

I saw THE AVCO HOUR OF STARS but Phil Donahue wasn't in it. Oh, well. At leas, I saw the Fair again.

I'm praying that this school year will be different. Everything around me is different The setting, most of the people. The other day I saw a guy and a gal kissing in school! In the hall! And all the girls are so much prettier and grown up. Only the guys (most of them) remain slobs. But I'm passed by, of course. Perhaps I'm being spared for some greater purpose. I hope it can top what I'm missing now.

NOTES: Slowly I would come to the realization that it wasn't Evel himself I liked but George Hamilton's portrayal of him from the 1971 movie! Evel turned out to be not only a schmuck but possibly more than a little crazy...and not in a good way. 

Friday, August 30th, 1974

A pretty good day at school. Dennis wasn't mad. Both book deals fell through but I picked up another at the same price. Also got a five dollar science book. I only need a few more now but I have to find them by Monday!

Mr. Clay, my Spanish teacher, although obviously a great fella but he speaks Spanish at 360,000 words per minute! Oh, well. Maybe I can get used to it. I hope so. Couldn't understand a word he said!

Evel Knievel's famous quote was that his death would be glorious. I've got an idea on how to make mine so, too. It's too far-fetched to ever come true but if I could convince people to send me on a mission in space! I would head toward Mars but then keep on going, sending back pics and info up until my inevitable death. Impossible. But maybe I can at least write a story about it.

I saw BORN INNOCENT advertised! It'll be on NBC in two weeks. Starring Linda Blair! Oh, it should be marvelous!

NOTES: Don't think I ever did write that Mars story. Too bad. A rogue astronaut.

Mr. Clay really was (and is) a great guy. About ten years back I ran into him at the Supermarket and was shocked to see he looked just the same while I was now a middle-aged fat guy. I later saw him often as a patron when I worked at the Public Library and still later would see him from time to time shopping in local bookstores. Somewhere, a portrait of him is aging because the last time I saw him--maybe 4 years ago now, he was still not. 

Thursday, August 29th, 1974

School was terrific today except I've still got no books. I do have a deal to get a history book.

I did have a big fight with Dennis in gym. I accidentally tore his folder so he took my Spanish book and made me promise to give him 12 more folders if he gave it back. Of course I won't but I had to get the book. I had Spanish next period. Hope I can get around him tomorrow.

After school, I walked all the way home even though it was another rainy day so I could stop at that store with comics. I used my bus fare to buy a TV GUIDE there.

NOTES: Like I said yesterday, Dennis was a troublemaker. Not sure how he could ransom my Spanish book if, as I stated first, I had no books yet.

I can't for the life of me remember what that store was with comics along the way to school. That was the only thing that could have made me walk it, though. Readers of my earlier, later journal blog will recall that the school was approximately 25 blocks from my house. A looong walk. By contrast, we now live about ten minutes away and my son takes the bus daily both ways.

Wednesday, August 28th, 1974

School days are here again. I called Doug at 7 and told his Mom I'd meet him before 8:15. At 7:35, I left to catch the 7:45 bus. I met Dennis Pine at the bus stop. Uptown, Sherri and her sister Sharon got on. As we went along Madison, more and more people I knew boarded. We got off at 25th Street and Dennis walked with me back to 24th to find Doug's new house. It was raining a little. Doug's mother said he and his sister were already gone. Dennis and I walked up stairs to what my Mom says used to be called Holmesdale Court. We saw Alex Wallace and Dennis asked him about things. He pointed us to our rooms and even named my teacher. I saw Kenny and Roger. Once inside the Senor Building, I saw George. I remembered he was supposed to be in my home room so I followed him to it. In my opinion, it was a better room than most. They all seem to have good views. Kathy, Cindy and Caroline all spoke to me for the first time in months. I've got a lot of classes with no one I know in them. Finally saw Doug. He's in one of my classes. Everyone was pretty nice today. Hope it doesn't wear off. I have gym tomorrow and Tuesday. I got lost only once but for quite a long time! I'm also worried about my Spanish class. I haven't gotten my books yet. Coming home it was storming badly so I stayed a wile at Doug's. Then all four of us (Me, Doug, his Mom and his sister) came downtown. Already I'm nervous again about tomorrow.

After I got home, I read Batman comics all afternoon to the rhythm of the rain.

I now have 96 pics of Linda!

I may see PUFNSTUF at The Penthouse this weekend.

Terry failed last year! I didn't know that!

On the way home this afternoon, I think I saw a store that sold old comics. Hopefully I can check it out Saturday, too.

NOTES: I didn't catch PUFNSTUF until a later TV airing. 

Terry had moved to the next county so wasn't attending Holmes. Eventually, he dropped out but got his GED long before we got our diplomas.

None of those mentioned above--other than Doug--were particularly close friends. Not even sure who Cindy and Alex were. Dennis was a guy I'd come up through grade school with--a trouble-prone youth with whom I had occasionally traded old comic books. Got a lot of THOR from him. 

I was nervous and excited. Having been founded in 1853, Holmes was (and presumably still is) both the oldest and the largest high school in Kentucky. Since my old school had 7th, 8th and 9th grades, I was entering the new school not as a Freshman but as a Sophomore. The next three years were filled with promise at that point. Unfortunately, they were far from my best years and my up-util-then exemplary school work would suffer for it. 

Tuesday, August 27th, 1974

IT! Last time! I swear!

Last day before school. I'm basically prepared except that I got up at 4:30 this morning and I'll need to get up early tomorrow, too. Boy, am i nervous! All those people I haven't seen in years. Could be a lot of those people who hate me there, too. I 'll get through it. I just hope I can do it quick--adjust that is. That place is 5 times bigger than CJH! WOW! I miss the old school already.

CARNAL KNOWLEDGE is back in theaters but I doubt I'll ever see it. I don't know much about it anyway but I do like Ann-Margret and Arthur Garfunkel.

After months of nothing, I finally finished my Avengers vs Defenders notebook.

We got to work very early tonight but I didn't get finished 'til 7:30. I was in no hurry to get to tomorrow.

NOTES: Never did see CARNAL KNOWLEDGE. Doesn't look good to me even now.

I took the Avengers vs Defenders notebook apart at some point. I still have the comics with the binder holes in them, though.

Boy, was I nervous. The school, as I discussed last year on my 1976 blog, is huge! It's a high school but it's on a large campus with three major buildings and a number of smaller ones, two parking lots, two athletic fields. It's huge! Now that my son attends the same school, they have even MORE buildings! We got won out just walking around to meet his new teachers last week! 

The interesting thing was when we ran into my own 10th grade geometry teacher--who I was about to meet on the next day here in 1974. He is STILL there!

The reason I was worried about seeing people I hadn't seen in years was that many of the students I attended grade school with had moved to other parts of the city and attended other junior high schools. Holmes, however, was the ONLY high school in the city limits so many of them would be back in my classes.

Monday, August 26th, 1974

I watched three shows from the Ohio State Fair this morning including one with Seals and Crofts.

Watched Ellen Burstyn on a GUNSMOKE episode. Also saw a very, very old episode of HOGAN'S HEROES.

We gota  new gas meter put in.

I wrote the Dreamville letter but still haven't rewritten the others.

Today, I began preparations for school. Tomorrow night I bathe, wash my hair, brush my teeth--the works. Might even get my new eye test tomorrow.

NOTES:The HOGAN'S HEROES episode couldn't have been all THAT old as it hadn't even been a decade since that series had originally premiered!

When I was a kid, we went to all the local school and church carnivals and such. I guess I just liked the atmosphere. The rides made me sick and I wasn't big on cotton candy. Never went to an actual county or state fair, though. The Ohio State one got extensive coverage every year, though, so I often watched it for hours. 

Seals and Crofts were a then popular vocal duo, sort of a mellower and less political Simon and Garfunkel. I never bought one of their albums but I picked up all their hit singles for a while.