Happy Sunday! I’m pleased to share that my poem, “The Cigarette Girl,” has been published today on Masticadores USA. I want to thank Barbara Harris Leonhard for publishing it. Please visit Masticadores USA and check it out! Thank you!
The Cigarette Girl
by Dawn Pisturino
An unlit cigarette dangled carelessly from her mouth.
Dark eyes glowed with ecstasy
As pointed fingernails dug furiously into her palm.
The Miracle of the Bells (1948) is a little-known movie that my husband and I always watch at Christmas. It is not a Christmas-themed movie, although there is a touching Christmas sequence in the movie featuring Philip Ahn (best known as Master Kan in the 1972 TV series Kung Fu) as a Chinese restaurant owner.
The movie centers around a poor Polish-American girl named Olga Treskovna (Alida Valli), who aspires to be a great Hollywood actress. Press agent Bill Dunnigan (Fred MacMurray) befriends her and helps her land her dream role as Joan of Arc in Marcus Harris’ production of Joan of Arc. Unbeknownst to everyone, Olga suffers from anthracosis and tuberculosis from inhaling coal dust. She grows weaker and sicker and dies the day after the final shooting of the film. When Harris (Lee J. Cobb) decides to shelve the film, Dunnigan objects and fights to save Olga’s legacy.
Olga’s body is shipped to Coal Town, Pennsylvania, where she grew up with her family. Despite having little money, Dunnigan devises ways to hold a huge public funeral to honor her memory and pressure Harris to release the film. Dunnigan meets Father Paul (Frank Sinatra), the priest at St. Michael’s Church, and they work together to overcome obstacles and inspire the people of Coal Town to honor Olga’s memory and return to their faith.
Surprising events occur that bolster the townspeople’s faith and bring a positive and meaningful climax to the movie. Valli gives a phenomenal performance as the tragically doomed actress. The entire movie, although sad in many ways, projects a feeling of HOPE.
I highly recommend this film if you are looking for something warm-hearted and uplifting.
Dawn Pisturino
December 6, 2023
Copyright 2023 Dawn Pisturino. All Rights Reserved.
I saw this photo on Unsplash and broke into a huge smile. This big, fat turkey is what most people relate to when it comes to Thanksgiving. Food, food, and more food! Drink, drink, and more drink! Most of us feel as stuffed as this gobbler by the end of the day.
But, hey! Thanksgiving comes but once a year! In the USA, it will be celebrated on Thursday, November 23rd. Friends and family will gather together to feast and give thanks. Some people will go to church. Others will stay home and sleep. People who don’t want to cook will take advantage of sumptuous dinners at local restaurants. Others will plan weeks in advance to prepare the perfect meal. Some people will volunteer their time and resources to homeless shelters. Many people will spend Thanksgiving alone.
When I thought about what Thanksgiving means to me this year, I decided that the foremost thing on my mind is the people who have come and gone. I read recently on Facebook that one more relative had passed away. It made me sad because I began to think of all the other elderly relatives who might not be around next year. My Christmas card list grows smaller with each holiday season. I’m grateful for all of the friends, co-workers, and lovers I’ve known and all of my social media friends. Most of all, I thank God every day for my loving husband and daughter.
My husband had a left total knee replacement on November 13th, which has kept me busy. I’m genuinely grateful for the miracle of modern technology that has made this procedure so much safer and easier to recover from than the clumsier surgeries of the past. I’m grateful to Jo, the home health RN, and Julia and Andrea, the home physical therapists, for their encouragement and support. My husband has benefited immensely from their visits.
Lastly, I’m grateful for our dog, Max, and our two cats, Isis and Buttons, who bring joy and sunshine into our lives. Whenever I feel unhappy and stressed, they seem to know just what to do to cheer me up. I could not have gotten through some life events without them.
May God bless you and keep you healthy, prosperous, and safe throughout this holiday season.
Warm wishes,
Dawn Pisturino
November 22, 2023
Copyright 2023 Dawn Pisturino. All Rights Reserved.
I didn’t want to post this because it would offend some people, but I can’t sit back and watch hysterical Americans – mostly uninformed young people – make fools of themselves by supporting HAMAS and calling for the genocide of the Jewish people.
If you support HAMAS, you are supporting terrorism, whether you understand that or not. HAMAS is no different than ISIS, Al Qaeda, the Taliban, Hezbollah, or any other Islamic terrorist group. The goal of all of these groups is to establish a worldwide Islamic caliphate (theocracy), eliminate non-Muslims who refuse to convert, and rule the world. If that sounds fun and romantic to you, I suggest you move to Iran or Afghanistan and experience it first-hand. Too many Americans believe the propaganda and neglect to do their homework. I have talked to Muslims who support the caliphate and believe me, the level of hatred they expound is terrifying. If you think the world is messed up now, just imagine what it would be like under those circumstances. Believe me, you would not survive or want to live under those conditions. Americans have no clue what goes on in other countries and don’t appreciate what they have here. If you hate America, please leave. We will easily survive without you. America is the last bastion of individual freedom in the world, and that is quickly eroding because of people who don’t appreciate how blessed they are to live in the USA. Do you see millions of people trying to invade any other country? Of course not. Our borders are flooded by illegals because these people want a better life than the one they have back home. Supporting any person, group, political party, or organization that wants to undermine and destroy America is an act of complete insanity. And insane people belong in padded cells where they can’t hurt themselves or other people.
Israel is a country that is under attack on all sides by people who hate it. Every day that it survives is a day to celebrate. Israelis just want to survive and live their lives. They are not trying to rule the world and impose their beliefs on others.
It’s also important to note that some Arabs and Arab countries helped the Nazis slaughter Jews during World War II. This alone should be a big RED FLAG to people who ignore history. And, do you see any country in the Middle East offering to take in the Palestinians? Of course not, because they don’t want HAMAS or any other terrorist group in their own countries. And Palestinians are not innocent bystanders. It’s a badge of honor when a Palestinian son or daughter becomes a jihadist and dies a martyr. So, spare me your crocodile tears and misguided support of HAMAS.
PEACE is a luxury the world can’t afford right now. There are too many bad people trying to run the world and destroy all of us. It’s impossible to negotiate with or appease terrorists, just like it was impossible to do that with Hitler and the Nazis. Ultimately, everyone dies when evil isn’t confronted and defeated. Satan destroys his own.
Sorry if I offended you, but c’est la vie. We can’t tolerate this crap anymore. It’s too important.
Dawn Pisturino
November 17, 2023
Copyright 2023 Dawn Pisturino. All Rights Reserved.
One of the more delightful sequences in The Wizard of Oz (1939) is Dorothy’s visit to Munchkinland. The shy but cheery little Munchkins welcome her in celebration and song. After all, it was her house that killed the Wicked Witch of the East! The coroner confirms the witch’s death with these famous words: she is “not only merely dead” but “most sincerely dead” and presents an official Death Certificate to the mayor. Dorothy receives gifts from the Lullabye League and the Lollipop Guild. When Good Witch Glinda, the Witch of the North, arrives, she advises Dorothy to follow the Yellow Brick Road to the Emerald City.
The Munchkins were portrayed by adults with dwarfism and average-sized children. The characters have been beloved by adults and children for 84 years. “Munchkin” has become a term of endearment for small children. Dunkin’ Donuts even has Munchkin donut holes.
On November 20, 2007, a star dedicated to the Munchkins was placed on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The last Munchkin to survive, Jerry Maren, died on May 24, 2018, at the age of 99.
And, of course, we cannot forget the famous song, “Ding Dong the Witch is Dead,” which has become a Halloween staple.
[NOTE: Please note that I will mostly be blogging on Wednesdays for a while as I finish up some exterior and interior painting projects before the cold, windy weather sets in. I will continue to visit other bloggers’ sites.]
Cheers!
Dawn Pisturino
September 27, 2023
Copyright 2023 Dawn Pisturino. All Rights Reserved.
One of the ethical issues that came up frequently in our behavioral health unit was the issue of autonomy (Greek: self-law). If somebody wanted to die, did they have the right to die? Specifically, several older people on our unit underwent dialysis three times a week. They got tired of it, quit going, and decided they wanted to die. People interpreted this as a suicidal gesture, forcing them to be admitted involuntarily to our behavioral health unit.
The question arose: Did these people have the mental capacity to make this decision? One woman had a history of psychosis. Was she mentally competent to decide to quit dialysis? After her evaluation, the psychiatrist determined that the woman was not mentally competent to make this decision. The woman was held in our unit under Title 36 (involuntary commitment with all legal rights temporarily suspended) and forced to go to dialysis. Her daughter became her legal guardian, so the woman lost all legal rights to quit going to dialysis. The woman was unhappy with her life. Other people forced her to undergo a medical treatment she did not want.
Most of the nurses on the unit believed the woman had the right to quit dialysis if she no longer wanted it. Using the reasoning appropriate to Kohlberg’s Stages 5 and 6 of moral development, the psychiatrist was following the ethical code of her profession – do no harm – and protecting her professional license. The people who sent the patient to our unit were concerned about her well-being and did what they felt was right. The nurses advocated for the patient’s civil rights – autonomy and self-determination. Even if the patient had a history of psychosis, she had a right to stop treatment that was making her life unhappy. On the medical floor, if a patient deemed mentally competent decides to quit dialysis and die, nobody questions it. Their rights are not legally taken away because they chose to die. They designate themselves a “Do Not Resuscitate,” put their affairs in order, and let Mother Nature take its course. It’s a moral dilemma, dependent on the law, mental health vs. medical rights, and personal moral judgment.
If you were in this situation, what would you choose? What are your thoughts?
Dawn Pisturino
September 14, 2023
Copyright 2023 Dawn Pisturino. All Rights Reserved.
The temperature was 65 degrees this morning, a sure sign that Fall is almost here. We had a big rainstorm on Friday night and much cooler temperatures over Labor Day weekend. I can’t stand the humidity; however, even that is starting to dissipate with the hot temperatures.
I’m in the process of putting up all of my autumn/Halloween decorations. I already started watching horror movies from my DVD collection. I LOVE HALLOWEEN! I do not attach any religious importance to Halloween except its Celtic roots. It was always just a fun holiday when I was a kid – a bridge between the active days of summer, when we were always outdoors, and the confining days of winter, when we spent so much time indoors. Halloween represented autumn and its wonderful attributes of apple cider, apple pie, crisp, ripe apples, pumpkins, pumpkin pie, autumn squash, fresh donuts, and the vibrant colors of autumn leaves. Raking the leaves, jumping in the piles, and burning the leaves was hard work but so much fun! I still remember the smell of burning leaves. We had a huge maple tree in our backyard in Indiana that turned scarlet every year. When we moved to California when I was nine, it was never the same.
I’m not looking forward to another cold, windy winter with record-breaking freezing temperatures, but I will savor every day of autumn. It’s my favorite time of year.
Happy September!
[NOTE: I’ve been recovering from a minor surgical procedure and fell behind in responding to comments and visiting other people’s blogs. I’m slowly catching up. And some of your comments ended up in my spam folder. Thank you for your patience and understanding.]
Dawn Pisturino
September 6, 2023
Copyright 2023 Dawn Pisturino. All Rights Reserved.
My husband has worked in cardrooms and casinos since age 21. His father owned harness horses that ran in the buggy races at Santa Anita and Bay Meadows racetracks. For many years, my husband worked as a Pit Boss for a well-known casino and befriended old-time craps dealers who worked in Las Vegas when it was owned by the Mafia. His father was a gambler and Teamster who worked as a young man for the Italian Mob in San Jose, CA. My husband is no stranger to gambling. He knows just about everything there is to know about running a casino.
This is his take on casinos and life in general:
Only three things can happen when you pass through the doors of a casino: win, lose, and break even. Players are bound by the House rules. When they leave, everyone knows where they stand.
No matter how much players win, they want more. Most people, however, lose their money to the House. Casinos are built on losers. They depend on winning small amounts of cash from every player.
According to my husband, life is the same. A newborn comes into the world not knowing the rules, but only three things can happen: win, lose, or break even. Unlike a casino, however, people set their own values and rules. Life is far more complicated than a casino.
In a casino, money is the winning factor. In life, money may or may not make someone a winner.
Sam Walton, founder of Wal-Mart, considered himself a winner. But on his deathbed, his last words were, “I blew it.” In the end, Walton’s vast wealth had not brought him happiness.
If someone dies happy, they’re a winner, no matter who they were or how much money they earned. After all, whether it happens in a casino or real life, all winning streaks eventually end.
(In a casino, it’s better to be lucky than the best person.)
(In life, it’s better to be your best and make your own luck.)
Thanks for visiting!
Dawn Pisturino
August 7, 2023
Copyright 2023 Dawn Pisturino. All Rights Reserved.
(Jeff Bridges as “The Dude” in The Big Lebowski (1998))
A few years ago, I worked in Flagstaff with young behavioral health technicians who were also students at Northern Arizona University. Since I was their supervisor, I got to know them pretty well. They all began obsessing over the movie, The Big Lebowski, starring Jeff Bridges. Since this was an old movie, I couldn’t understand their fascination. I went home and re-watched the movie and still couldn’t understand it. I asked them why they were so fixated on this film the next day.
“We’re all losers,” one of them said.
“What are you talking about,” I answered in disbelief. “You’re all bright, intelligent, and have good futures ahead of you. You’re great with the patients and do an excellent job.”
I never did find out why these kids thought of themselves as “losers” because they never offered any specifics, but at least they stopped talking about it. “The Dude” is a funny, eccentric, pathetic character that’s fun to laugh at — but never used as a role model. It disturbed me that these great kids would call themselves “losers” and identify with a real loser, albeit a fictional character in a movie.
The quickest way to undermine your success is to label yourself LOSER.
Don’t do it!
Dawn Pisturino
June 12, 2023
Copyright 2023 Dawn Pisturino. All Rights Reserved.
When the Broadway musical, Ain’t Misbehavin’, came to the Warfield Theatre in San Francisco in 1980, my then-jazz pianist husband and I had to see it. Today, the name Fats Waller is rarely heard. But in 1980, San Francisco boasted a number of hopping improvisational jazz clubs where the musical styles of greats like Charlie Parker, Oscar Peterson, and Fats Waller were very much alive and well.
Waller (1904-1943) studied piano with James P. Johnson, who developed the Harlem stride school of jazz piano. This style employed a wider range of scale in the left hand, smoother dynamics, and left more room for improvisation than its forerunner, ragtime. Fats Waller became a master of stride jazz and his sense of comedy and playfulness secured his legacy as a popular comedic entertainer. His radio program showcased his comedic talents throughout the 1930s. Later, he went to Hollywood and played in the 1943 film, Stormy Weather, with co-star Lena Horne. In the same year, he became the first African-American to compose the music for a Broadway musical, Early to Bed.
Two well-known jazz standards composed by Waller are “Honeysuckle Rose” and “Ain’t Misbehavin’.” He reportedly copyrighted over 400 songs, but he often sold songs to other performers and allowed them to take full credit.
Mobster Al Capone was so taken by Fats Waller that four of his hoods kidnapped the well-known pianist in 1926 and forced him to perform at Capone’s birthday party.
One of my favorite Waller songs is “Your Feet’s Too Big” because it’s funny and set to a catchy tune. It truly captures the pianist/composer’s delightful sense of humor.
(Your Feet’s Too Big by Fats Waller)
Dawn Pisturino
June 7, 2023
Copyright 2023 Dawn Pisturino. All Rights Reserved.
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