Andy Williams - RIP

As I watch icons of my youth pass, I am reminded not of events, or people, or my life from that time. Instead, feelings once real, then lost and forgotten, return as if they were inside of me all of these years. They are my friends. My best friends.

"Moon River" is a song composed by Johnny Mercer (lyrics) and Henry Mancini (music) in 1961, for whom it won that year's Academy Award for Best Original Song. It was originally sung in the movie "Breakfast at Tiffany's" by Audrey Hepburn, and has since been covered by many other artists. The song also won the 1962 Grammy Award for Record of the Year.

It became the theme song for Andy Williams, who first recorded it in 1961 and performed it at the Academy Awards ceremonies in 1962. Williams's version was disliked by Cadence Records president Archie Bleyer, who believed it had little or no appeal to teenagers. Andy Williams's version never charted, except as an LP track, which he recorded for Columbia in a hit album of 1962.

Williams said he never tired of singing "Moon River," whose melody he considered "beautiful" and whose lyrics he called "timeless."

My iPhone; My Best Friend

My constant companion, it goes with me everywhere. I have just never had a friend like this, a confidant so loyal, so dependable, so caring and close.

It will sit on my lap as we drive around town. Sometimes I will let it hang out the window so it can feel in the wind on its screen. It loves that. But I must be careful because like all iPhones, it's always looking out for other iPhones, beeping and chiming and just lighting up every time they meet.

I remember when I flew out to South Carolina, they made me put it in a container to go through the x-ray at airport security. I told it just to be still, close its eyes and don't let out a peep. It came through intact, joyful and oh, so happy to be back in my pocket.

I used to take it on dates and it always seemed to know just when to get me off the hook at awkward moments. Yes, there is an App for that. It loved the beach, taking so many photos and so excited by the sunsets, it was just drained by the time we got home.

In the morning, it always knows just when to wake me for work and if I have to be away from my computer, it always keeps the time for me, updates the markets, watches out for severe weather and get this, will turn itself into a flash light when the lights go out, or if I need to put a key into a lock in the dark.

In the quiet moments of the night, it will play my favorite love songs, or tune me into a radio broadcast from around the world, making sure I know all that there is to know so I can me ready for anything, anywhere. It will take me shopping, finding me the best deals and the newest gadgets to make my life easier. In the woods, it shows me true North, making sure I am never lost. It shows me the way to anywhere I want to go and even will let me watch my beloved Detroit Red Wings' games, even when its just sitting there on my lap while I drive.

No matter how much it is watching out for me, it always has time for a game, either with just the two of us or with virtually anyone else in the world. It's always there, always looking out for me, always putting me first.

Oh how I wish my parents could have met it. They would so happy, so proud that I had found such a wonderful partner for my life.

A

So Poignant, So Sad

You can see it on his face, in his eyes;
You can hear it in his words,
Written so long ago;
You feel the sadness of a generation;
You mourn a President dead in Dallas;
The blood soaked years of Vietnam;
This unconscionable crime;
We share his pain;
The held-back tears;
We stand with him.
So poignant,
So sad.