Thursday, August 23, 2007

See You Later Dad. William J. Parducci (August 7, 1910-August 17, 2007)



After a long battle with Alzheimer's my father passed away on Friday morning August 17,2007.
I was on my way to see him when he died. In fact I got the call just before I reached the first security check point at LAX.
My father was a great man. A true genius who always took an interest in those around him. He was a Vaudevillian, a Musician, a Bandleader, a painter (oils) a Chess Master, Boat builder, Mountain climber and a Design Engineer.(Among many accomplishments, he worked for Tucker and was on the Jet engine team during World War II) He was a devoted Husband(married to my Mom for 62 years) and father of five sons. (He had his first son at the age of 38 and his last at the age of 55.)
Over the past few years my father's amazing mind began to shut down.This happened right after the sudden loss of his first born son (My brother Bill-Four or five years ago I stood on the lawn of my boyhood home while my father tried to stave off memory-loss by reciting multiplication tables.He used his mind constantly and was acutely aware when it started to fail him.)
He always had several books going at once and a chessboard set up by his chair.
One of my favorite things to do was to make him laugh. My father had a great laugh. Inevitably what worked best was repetition. I would keep repeating some inane voice or stupid remark until he started to shake with laughter and lean forward guffaw tears streaming down his face and swat me lightly on the shoulder.
I have my father's chess board now, it rests on my coffee table in the livingroom. I have an old pair of his glasses, a mechanical pencil and his violin. I have a handful of photos too. At the end of the day though these things though symbols of a life well-lived are all simply trinkets. What's not a trinket is the love my father had for me and all of us.
I miss you Dad.
See You Later.
Your Son Paul

PS: The top photo is my father at the drafting table in the 40's, the other one is my dad on stage in 1929

Saturday, August 11, 2007

Turkish Remake of The Exorcist

Look at this.
Later,
Paul Parducci

Sunday, August 05, 2007

What's the Deal with Ouija Boards?





 With the new horror movie "Ouija" out I thought I'd revitalize this post I did on this creepy parlor activity.
One of my earliest memories concerning a Ouija Board is my Mom warning me never to use one. She owned one as a teenager and while using it to communicate with a favorite cousin who had been killed in the war, had a very unpleasant and terrifying experience. After that she threw it away never to even touch one again.

As for myself, after reading extensively about this purported communication device, my advice is to stay away. A better source of answers is a good encyclopedia or your Aunt Martha (Your living Aunt Martha that is.)
Here is a blog dedicated to them.
And the Web Ouija.

OK, even after my Mother's warnings and my own promise to never touch one myself, while writing this post I had a nearly overwhelming urge to try it.(Read: "nearly" I didn't do it.) I guess there will always be a desire deep inside for extra-earthly, extra-here and now information.
Good Luck All!
Later,

Wednesday, August 01, 2007

EGO, Self Will, God's Will- What's the Deal?


The older I get the more I realize that what the spiritual masters of virtually every faith have said is true. The Human Ego is the root of all misery.
Here are some insightful links regarding what many believe to be the false self.
From Deoxy
From LiveReal
According to Freud
Dr. John W. Gilmore's piece in SelfGrowth
Michael S. Hoffman's piece on Ego Death
Later,
Paul Parducci