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WSSlover

(95 posts)
Wed Feb 27, 2019, 10:18 PM Feb 2019

Introduction from a new poster here on DU:

To whom it may concern:

Hi. I'm a new poster here on DU. I'm a single woman in her late 60's, who lives in a large artists' community, in a blue-collar city just outside Boston, Ma, and who's artistically, musically, and physically inclined, as well.

I'm a silversmith, a knitter, a Tae Kwon Doist, and a huge fan of movies, especially older classic ones. West Side Story (the 1961 film version) is my all time favorite movie, hands down, however.

I also wish to say that I'm a liberal whose ideology was tempered by a good dose of realism, when Boston's Federal Court-mandated, large-scale, cross-city school busing edict (which came as a result of years of extreme recalcitrance by an opportunistic, politics-and-patronage-ridden, and racist all-white Boston School Committee that refused to knuckle down and comply with the Racial imbalance law at every turn) took the city of Boston by storm, beginning in the mid-1970's, a storm that lasted for over a decade (i. e. well into the 1980's).

Although I realized that, I never thought that the remedy that the courts were compelled to implement was the best way to go about it, but it was the best that could be done at the time, given the circumstances that many people were dealing with, if one gets the drift.

I also like to walk, listen to rock-n-roll, and I own an adorable pet female Congo African Grey Parrot, now 9 years old (who I purchased when she was a 2.5 month-old baby) named Aziza, who I adore the heck out of.

Anyway, I look forward to corresponding with everybody here more and soon.

91 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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Introduction from a new poster here on DU: (Original Post) WSSlover Feb 2019 OP
Welcome to DU. eom guillaumeb Feb 2019 #1
Welcome to du uppityperson Feb 2019 #2
Thank you, uppityperson. WSSlover Feb 2019 #32
Welcome. GeorgeGist Feb 2019 #3
Hi, GeorgeGist! WSSlover Feb 2019 #50
Boston, a beautiful and wonderful city!!! Welcome!!! RKP5637 Feb 2019 #4
Thank you for the welcome, RKP5637! WSSlover Feb 2019 #49
Welcome to DU! Aristus Feb 2019 #5
Welcome to DU! Ohiogal Feb 2019 #6
Thanks, Ohiogal! WSSlover Feb 2019 #36
Welcome - a good time to join during the never ending winter of 2019 rurallib Feb 2019 #7
Hi there! That's Cool!! WSSlover Feb 2019 #22
They are a little over a year in - maybe 18 months rurallib Feb 2019 #84
Welcome AJT Feb 2019 #8
Thanks so much!! WSSlover Feb 2019 #23
You mentioned West Side Story.... AJT Feb 2019 #25
I've been reading/hearing about Spielberg's upcoming re-boot of WSS WSSlover Feb 2019 #27
Welcome! MLAA Feb 2019 #9
Thank you very much for welcoming me, MLAA! WSSlover Feb 2019 #14
Welcome.. Tikki Feb 2019 #10
Thank you so much for the welcome, Tikki! WSSlover Feb 2019 #15
Welcome and what a nice intro you presented! CurtEastPoint Feb 2019 #11
Hi, CurtEastPoint! WSSlover Feb 2019 #16
Welcome watoos Feb 2019 #12
Thanks , wattoos. WSSlover Feb 2019 #18
Welcome to DU,.. I grew up in the suburbs of Boston,.. a lovely area. magicarpet Feb 2019 #13
Hi, magicarpet WSSlover Feb 2019 #21
Welcome aboard! volstork Feb 2019 #17
Thanks, volstork. WSSlover Feb 2019 #24
Welcome to DU! beveeheart Feb 2019 #19
Hey there, beveeheart!! WSSlover Feb 2019 #26
Hello and welcome blm Feb 2019 #20
Hi there, bim WSSlover Feb 2019 #29
Welcome to DU. jrthin Feb 2019 #28
Thank you, jrthin! WSSlover Feb 2019 #30
Welcome from a former long time MA resident. CentralMass Feb 2019 #31
Thank you, CentralMass! WSSlover Feb 2019 #45
Hey there! Among other similarities I've got a Grey too. nolabear Feb 2019 #33
Hi, nolabear! WSSlover Feb 2019 #39
Welcome. iluvtennis Feb 2019 #34
Hi there, iluvtennis! WSSlover Feb 2019 #54
Welcome to DU. Mr.Bill Feb 2019 #35
Thank you, Mr. Bill. WSSlover Feb 2019 #43
Welcome aboard the USS Democratic Underground. Haggis for Breakfast Feb 2019 #37
Thank you, thank you, Haggis for Breakfast! WSSlover Feb 2019 #40
Hello and welcome! jls4561 Feb 2019 #38
Hey there, jls4561! WSSlover Feb 2019 #41
Welcome from a West Coaster. Great intro! alwaysinasnit Feb 2019 #42
Awwww....thank you too, alwaysinsnit! WSSlover Feb 2019 #52
Welcome! Hamlette Feb 2019 #44
Hi, Hamlette! WSSlover Feb 2019 #47
Welcome to DU WSSlover. c-rational Feb 2019 #46
Thank you, c-rational!! WSSlover Feb 2019 #48
Welcome! Heartstrings Feb 2019 #51
Thank you too, Heartstrings! WSSlover Feb 2019 #53
Welcome to the jungle, WSSlover! MontanaMama Feb 2019 #55
Welcome! Central Mass here... sazemisery Feb 2019 #56
60+ too seta1950 Feb 2019 #57
Welcome! summer_in_TX Feb 2019 #58
Welcome aboard. A lot of really smart people post here. argyl Feb 2019 #59
Nice to meet you. IrishEyes Feb 2019 #60
... Anon-C Feb 2019 #61
Welcome WWSlover fNord Feb 2019 #62
Hello neighbor. edbermac Feb 2019 #63
Welcome to DU! steve2470 Feb 2019 #64
Welcome to DU, WSSlover. ❤ nt littlemissmartypants Feb 2019 #65
Welcome WSSlover SkatmanRoth Feb 2019 #66
Grew up watching Rita Moreno on Electric Company ArizonaLib Feb 2019 #67
Welcome - Can't improve on Natalie Wood or Rita Moreno Number9Dream Feb 2019 #68
Welcome! SallyHemmings Feb 2019 #69
You sound like the kind of person I'd like to meet. panader0 Feb 2019 #70
Welcome to DU! DFW Feb 2019 #71
From The purple Lone Star State BlueTexasMan Feb 2019 #72
Welcome to DU! ploppy Feb 2019 #73
Welcome underground proud patriot Feb 2019 #74
Welcome from just 12 miles north of Boston along 128. Fla Dem Feb 2019 #75
Welcome to DU!!!! redstatebluegirl Feb 2019 #76
Welcome to DU ashling Feb 2019 #77
working on a pair of selbu mittens janterry Feb 2019 #78
Welcome to DU! Raster Feb 2019 #79
Definitely a much better place with you here. You sound open and fearless. IADEMO2004 Feb 2019 #80
Welcome, WSSlover ailsagirl Feb 2019 #81
Welcome to DU WSSlover & Aziza! Niagara Feb 2019 #82
cool intro and welcome! samnsara Feb 2019 #83
Welcome home. byronius Feb 2019 #85
Welcome to DU! You're going to love it here! CottonBear Mar 2019 #86
Welcome! I've got a friend who walks her African Grey daily - akraven Mar 2019 #87
Welcome aboard. This place is a balm for the liberal spirit, and a hoot to boot 3catwoman3 Mar 2019 #88
Welcome to DU! CaptainTruth Mar 2019 #89
Welcome to DU neighbor! smirkymonkey Mar 2019 #90
Welcome! MissMillie Mar 2019 #91

WSSlover

(95 posts)
49. Thank you for the welcome, RKP5637!
Thu Feb 28, 2019, 12:14 AM
Feb 2019

Yes! Boston is a beautiful and wonderful city, which is one reason that I'm glad that I stuck around. Since I've never had a family that's tied me down, I could've gone anywhere I wanted after finishing art school in the early 1980's, but I opted to stick around here of my own volition, and am more than glad of it!

rurallib

(62,416 posts)
7. Welcome - a good time to join during the never ending winter of 2019
Wed Feb 27, 2019, 10:29 PM
Feb 2019

listen to some music and talk some politics among friends. Sounds good.
My daughter and grandson are Tae Kwon Do-ers also.

WSSlover

(95 posts)
22. Hi there! That's Cool!!
Wed Feb 27, 2019, 11:21 PM
Feb 2019

Thanks, rurallib. Listening to music and talking some politics with friends is cool. Glad to hear that your daughter and grandson are Tae Kwon Do-ers, as well. How long have they been taking TKD, and how far advanced in rank are they? A curious, inquiring mind wants to know.

rurallib

(62,416 posts)
84. They are a little over a year in - maybe 18 months
Thu Feb 28, 2019, 10:13 PM
Feb 2019

grandson just got upgraded to purple I think. Mom started a little later and is a belt behind. I get confused by all the belts and stripes.

He is 8 3/4 so he is doing very well.

AJT

(5,240 posts)
25. You mentioned West Side Story....
Wed Feb 27, 2019, 11:26 PM
Feb 2019

Get ready for the 21st-century edition of the Jets vs. the Sharks. Steven Spielberg is officially remaking West Side Story, the classic romantic musical about rival gangs in New York City. The script will be written by Tony winner (and Lincoln screenwriter) Tony Kushner; the cast, however, is still to be determined.

WSSlover

(95 posts)
27. I've been reading/hearing about Spielberg's upcoming re-boot of WSS
Wed Feb 27, 2019, 11:34 PM
Feb 2019
Get ready for the 21st-century edition of the Jets vs. the Sharks. Steven Spielberg is officially remaking West Side Story, the classic romantic musical about rival gangs in New York City. The script will be written by Tony winner (and Lincoln screenwriter) Tony Kushner; the cast, however, is still to be determined.


and I have to admit to one thing: At the risk of sounding somewhat old-fashioned, and like sort of a stick-in-the-mud, I'm not real keen on the idea of such a beautifully dynamic and powerful movie-musical as West Side Story being re-made, by anybody, including Steven Spielberg. I have seen some of the cast members, and they don't seem to have much charm or believability to them.

Re-makes of these older classic films have generally come out badly, and have not lasted long in the movie theatres. Some films are best kept as they are, and, for a number of reasons that would take up too much space and time here on DU, West Side Story is one of them. I apologize for being sort of a stick-in-the-mud about this, but I had to state how I felt. Thank you for listening.

WSSlover

(95 posts)
14. Thank you very much for welcoming me, MLAA!
Wed Feb 27, 2019, 11:07 PM
Feb 2019

I'm a devout fan of the original 1961 film version of West Side Story. it's my all time favorite movie, hands down, and I never get tired of seeing it over and over again!

WSSlover

(95 posts)
16. Hi, CurtEastPoint!
Wed Feb 27, 2019, 11:09 PM
Feb 2019
Welcome and what a nice intro you presented!


Thank you so much for welcoming me to DU, and for your compliment!

WSSlover

(95 posts)
18. Thanks , wattoos.
Wed Feb 27, 2019, 11:11 PM
Feb 2019
When things get frustrating in politics DU helps.


I can feel that already! Thanks for the welcome!

WSSlover

(95 posts)
21. Hi, magicarpet
Wed Feb 27, 2019, 11:15 PM
Feb 2019
Welcome to DU,.. I grew up in the suburbs of Boston,.. a lovely area.
View profile


Thank you, magicarpet. I, too, grew up in a Boston suburb. I could've gone anywhere I wanted to go after I finished art school in the early 1980's, but I opted to stick around the Boston area and was adamantly determined to continue to live in the city, which I'm more than glad of having done.

What suburb of Boston did you grow up in, btw? Where are you living now? A curious, inquiring mind wants to know.

WSSlover

(95 posts)
24. Thanks, volstork.
Wed Feb 27, 2019, 11:26 PM
Feb 2019
Cool that you have an African Grey-- I think they are gorgeous.


African Grey Parrots are gorgeous--plus they're extremely intelligent, as well. Aziza's funny--she makes me laugh, and she makes all kinds of neat sounds! Gee, I love her!

nolabear

(41,983 posts)
33. Hey there! Among other similarities I've got a Grey too.
Wed Feb 27, 2019, 11:43 PM
Feb 2019

Her name’s Pidge. She’s seventeen and as you know a complete crackup.

I’m in Seattle but a Gulf Coast and New Orleans gal from childhood and young adulthood. Now I’m a retired therapist and a writer.

Good to meet you. Hope you like the place.

WSSlover

(95 posts)
39. Hi, nolabear!
Wed Feb 27, 2019, 11:50 PM
Feb 2019

Thank you for telling me about your 17-year-old African Grey Parrot, Pidge, and about your life and places of residence! That's such a cute name! African Grey parrots are a riot. Aziza, who just turned 9 years old at the beginning of February, is also a laugh-inducing bird.

Good to meet you too, nolabear. So you grew up in New Orleans and moved to Seattle for retirement and writing? Wow! That sounds cool!

I think I'm liking this place already! Thanks for welcoming me aboard!!

Haggis for Breakfast

(6,831 posts)
37. Welcome aboard the USS Democratic Underground.
Wed Feb 27, 2019, 11:45 PM
Feb 2019

We are the ship in the center of the hurricane that is in the WH. We list to the port side here. Glad to have you on board.

WSSlover

(95 posts)
40. Thank you, thank you, Haggis for Breakfast!
Wed Feb 27, 2019, 11:52 PM
Feb 2019
We are the ship in the center of the hurricane that is in the WH. We list to the port side here. Glad to have you on board.



Glad to be here on board, and to be with you all!

Hamlette

(15,412 posts)
44. Welcome!
Wed Feb 27, 2019, 11:56 PM
Feb 2019

have you read Common Ground by Anthony Lukas? It's a very interesting take on that decade's bussing issue. Made me recognize what a complex problem it is.

WSSlover

(95 posts)
47. Hi, Hamlette!
Thu Feb 28, 2019, 12:06 AM
Feb 2019

Thank you for welcoming me to DU!

Yes, I did read Common Ground: A Turbulent Decade in the Lives of Three American Families, by J. Anthony Lukas--a good many times more than once! It's an excellent book, and my favorite book, to boot!

I always knew what a complicated problem that the mandatory school busing issue was, but Common Ground, and some other books that I've read on the subject, plus actually coming into contact with people who were either Boston public school students at the time of the busing, or parents whose kids were bused to different schools at that time, also gave me some insight as to how complex mandatory school busing during that decade was.

MontanaMama

(23,317 posts)
55. Welcome to the jungle, WSSlover!
Thu Feb 28, 2019, 12:27 AM
Feb 2019

Happy to have you. Say hello to Aziza....aren’t birds amazing? My kiddo has a Canary Winged BeeBee parrot named Kiwi. We got him when he was 3 month old and he turns 2 next month. That little dude runs our household....he owns the dogs and he owns me. Big personality to be sure.

argyl

(3,064 posts)
59. Welcome aboard. A lot of really smart people post here.
Thu Feb 28, 2019, 12:49 AM
Feb 2019

And it's truly a Democratic forum. As in herding cats. As it should be.

As a music lover you may want to check out the Music Appreciation group. Go to the Entertainment Forum and you'll see MA.

IrishEyes

(3,275 posts)
60. Nice to meet you.
Thu Feb 28, 2019, 12:58 AM
Feb 2019

I'm a knitter as well. I'm pretty new at it but I have made a couple of things. I've been a liberal democrat since birth. I enjoy classic black and white films. I love West Side Story. I met the amazing Rita Moreno a few years ago.

edbermac

(15,939 posts)
63. Hello neighbor.
Thu Feb 28, 2019, 02:28 AM
Feb 2019

Sadly remember the Southie busing very well. Very ugly time in Boston. Classic film lover here too.

steve2470

(37,457 posts)
64. Welcome to DU!
Thu Feb 28, 2019, 02:48 AM
Feb 2019

I hope you enjoy your time here, especially the Lounge. I've been here over 14 years and it's a good place.

ArizonaLib

(1,242 posts)
67. Grew up watching Rita Moreno on Electric Company
Thu Feb 28, 2019, 08:37 AM
Feb 2019

after school in grade school. My favorite skit was when she was the movie director and would inadvertently smack Morgan Freeman's fingers with her riding crop. Didn't know about WSS until I was an adult. Didn't realize it was the same Rita Moreno until much much later (yes, embarrassingly later). I am slow out of the gate with that kind of stuff (for example, it wasn't until my late 40's that I did the math that my parents were married 6 months before I was born - I was the last to do that math in a family with 2 younger sisters). Talk about such a good childhood, it never mattered to me.

I love the DU - hope you will too!

DFW

(54,396 posts)
71. Welcome to DU!
Thu Feb 28, 2019, 11:46 AM
Feb 2019

My family loves Boston! We have been going to Cape Cod for down time for over 30 years now, and when we land in the States, we usually land in Boston.

We have a good friend who is a goldsmith/silversmith, but she lives in her home town of Stockholm. I am a musician from WAY back (as in 50 years), even played at the Nameless in Cambridge once upon a time.

You should find a lot of common ground with people here--maybe even some political common ground, although the primary bloodletting seems to have started early season, so beware of a LOT of people who just KNOW that they are right and everyone else are wrong

BlueTexasMan

(165 posts)
72. From The purple Lone Star State
Thu Feb 28, 2019, 02:18 PM
Feb 2019

Howdy mam! Welcome to this special group. I'm a retired builder and my padna is an NP. Our pets are three American Gascognes. I write and play music now and work on completing our house (a work in progress).
Would love to see some of your silver work. Got any photos anywhere?

Fla Dem

(23,677 posts)
75. Welcome from just 12 miles north of Boston along 128.
Thu Feb 28, 2019, 03:12 PM
Feb 2019

Last edited Thu Feb 28, 2019, 07:28 PM - Edit history (1)

Commuted over the Mystic River Bridge for 20 years to the Prudential Center. Still miss Boston. Most of my family still in the area.

Enjoy your time in DU. Pretty friendly crowd here. Can get a bit cannibalistic during election periods. This year may be better. The Lounge is always a great place to relax and have fun or learn something new. Also many other great forums for you to explore. All listed on left hand of the page.


GO SOX! Let's have another Double Championship Year!!!

 

janterry

(4,429 posts)
78. working on a pair of selbu mittens
Thu Feb 28, 2019, 03:30 PM
Feb 2019

right now .

Love Boston (went to college and grad school there).

We live up in Vermont.

3catwoman3

(24,000 posts)
88. Welcome aboard. This place is a balm for the liberal spirit, and a hoot to boot
Fri Mar 1, 2019, 11:21 PM
Mar 2019

I was fascinated videos of Alex the Parrot that his human, Dr. Irene Pepperberg, used to post. So intriguing. One of my cousins has a parrot of some kind, and that bird can mimic my cousin's hearty laugh with such precision that I can't tell the difference.

I think you'll love it here.

Glad to meet you (from a 67 yr old married nurse practitioner cat lover)

 

smirkymonkey

(63,221 posts)
90. Welcome to DU neighbor!
Mon Mar 4, 2019, 03:46 PM
Mar 2019

I have lived in Boston for a total of about 15 years (with a stint in San Francisco and NYC in between), back now about 7 years. Even though I am a native New Yorker, I feel like a Bostonian now since I have lived here so long.

Look forward to hearing more from you!

MissMillie

(38,559 posts)
91. Welcome!
Mon Mar 4, 2019, 08:26 PM
Mar 2019

I'm from MA too.

Don't forget to check out the crafts forum (show off your knitting!) and the pets group (show off Aziza!).

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