Sweet Seventy
I Am I Am I Am, Palapa Restaurant, Diana Ross & The Supremes, Tyson Walker, Bouncy Ball
Welcome to my weekly newsletter. I hope you enjoy the picks and pics.
Fave Five 25: Sweet Seventy. Death Defier (I Am, I Am, I Am), Spicy Shrimp (Palapa Restaurant), Motown Marvels (Diana Ross & The Supremes), Diminutive Dunker (Tyson Walker), and a Bouncy Ball.
This is the 25th issue of Fave Five and comes at the start of a very special week for me: Sunday is my 70th birthday. I will celebrate with my entire family in Santa Barbara this week. Roger and his family arrive tomorrow from Maryland, David and Claudia drive up from LA on Wednesday, and Kathy follows on Thursday, joining Tracy and her family, Barb, and me.
I have a special birthday request for my readers. I would like to double the number of subscribers and can use your help. Please forward this issue to any of your friends and family members who love reading, dining, music, sports, or humor, and recommend that they subscribe. Thanks a lot for helping me in this. As you know, there is no cost to subscribe to Fave Five, but I would like to share the newsletter with everyone who might enjoy it.
March Madness continues this week with the Sweet Sixteen. My dream Final Four is mostly busted, but my Spartans survived and advanced with wins over USC and Marquette. They will play Kansas State in New York on Thursday, and I will be watching here in California. Go Green!
Book Best Bet
I Am, I Am, I Am: Seventeen Brushes with Death by Maggie O'Farrell
This is the second book by Maggie O’Farrell that I brought with me to California; This Must Be the Place was the first. Her memoir is startling; it’s hard to grasp all that she has endured to become such a successful wife, mother, and author. Her stories are gripping; they made me very sad about what she has been through, but very happy about how she has prevailed.
I cried at the end of the final chapter about her daughter’s struggles with anaphylaxis and eczema when I read these two passages:
You will find reservoirs of strength you didn’t know you had. You will find friends who say, of course she can come over, I’ll vacuum and clean and wipe the house in preparation, I’ll scrub the tables, I’ll make eggless cookies, I’ll do anything at all, tell me what to do. You will be bowled over by kindness more times than you will be felled by callousness.
You have to tell yourself to be sensible, unemotional, when you encounter these terrestrial angels, not to embrace them with alarming intensity, not to thank them repeatedly. Keep it light, you warn yourself, when you see a teacher who insisted that your child be accepted for a place, despite the extra work this entails; the pharmacist who took one look at her and authorized an order for protective dermatological bodysuits, even though the GP deemed them too expensive. A woman in a department-store changing room who said nothing when blood soaked through your child’s clothes to leave stains on the seat. An allergy nurse who is willing to write letters for you, to lobby schools and education authorities for you, to come with open arms to the door of the ambulance when your child arrives in the throes of anaphylaxis.
From Amazon: On seventeen occasions, award-winning novelist Maggie O’Farrell has stared death in the face—and lived to tell the tale. In this astonishing memoir, the New York Times bestselling author of Hamnet shares the near-death experiences that have punctuated and defined her life.
The childhood illness that left her bedridden for a year, which she was not expected to survive. A teenage yearning to escape that nearly ended in disaster. An encounter with a disturbed man on a remote path. And, most terrifying of all, an ongoing, daily struggle to protect her daughter from a condition that leaves her unimaginably vulnerable to life’s myriad dangers.
Here, O’Farrell stiches together these discrete encounters to tell the story of her entire life. In taut prose that vibrates with electricity and restrained emotion, she captures the perils running just beneath the surface, and illuminates the preciousness, beauty, and mysteries of life itself.
Restaurant Recommendation
Palapa Restaurant 4123 State St, Santa Barbara, CA 93110
This is the Mexican restaurant closest to where we are staying in Santa Barbara, but we hadn’t tried it yet. I just found out that they are one of the few places here with Taco Tuesday deals, so we should have come earlier, but we dined there last night.
Barb had the Flautas Plato with red rice and grilled veggies. She was very pleased with her order.
I had Camerones a la Mexicana (spicy ranchera salsa) with cilantro rice and a side salad with chipotle ranch dressing. The shrimp were large and perfectly butterflied and cooked. The ranchera salsa, cilantro rice, and chipotle ranch dressing were delicious.
From the restaurant site: Serving delicious authentic Mexican food since 2004, the Palapa family prides themselves on fresh food, great customer service, and a clean and healthy atmosphere. With a dine-in area, a covered patio, and a takeout window, our customers can enjoy their meal right here with us or take it with them and enjoy at the comfort of their home.
Santa Barbara’s Authentic Mexican Restaurant. Seafood dishes, Menudo, Chorizo, Happy Hour, Mariachi Band, and more! Santa Barbara best Mexican Food! Serving traditional made from scratch chicken, cheese, and pork tamales. Taco Tuesday every Tuesday! Enjoy a delicious taco filled with your favorite meat for only $2.50: Steak, Grilled Chicken, Chile Verde, Al Pastor, Adobada, Carnitas, or Chorizo.
Marvelous Musicians
Diana Ross and I share a birthday: March 26. When I turn 70 on Sunday, she will turn 79. When I started listening to Top 40 radio in 1967, the first Supremes songs I heard were "Love Is Here and Now You're Gone," "The Happening," and "Reflections." I later discovered all of their other great Number 1 hits.
From Wikipedia: The Supremes were an American female singing group and a premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s. Founded as The Primettes in Detroit, Michigan in 1959, the Supremes were the most commercially successful of Motown's acts and are America's most successful vocal group with 12 number one singles on the Billboard Hot 100. Most of these hits were written and produced by Motown's main songwriting and production team, Holland–Dozier–Holland. At their peak in the mid-1960s, the Supremes rivaled the Beatles in worldwide popularity, and their success made it possible for future African American R&B and soul musicians to find mainstream success.
Florence Ballard (June 30, 1943-February 22, 1976), Mary Wilson (born March 6, 1944), Diana Ross (born March 26, 1944), and Betty McGlown (June 30, 1941-January 12, 2008), the original group, are all from the Brewster-Douglass public housing project in Detroit. They formed the Primettes as the sister act to the Primes (with Paul Williams and Eddie Kendricks, who went on to form the Temptations). Barbara Martin (June 16, 1943-March 4, 2020) replaced McGlown in 1960, and the group signed with Motown the following year as The Supremes. Martin left the act in early 1962, and Ross, Ballard, and Wilson carried on as a trio.
During the mid-1960s, the Supremes achieved mainstream success with Ross as lead singer and Holland-Dozier-Holland as its songwriting and production team. In 1967, Motown president Berry Gordy renamed the group Diana Ross & the Supremes, and replaced Ballard with Cindy Birdsong (born December 15, 1939). In 1970, Ross left to pursue a solo career and was replaced by Jean Terrell (born November 26, 1944) and the group reverted to being The Supremes again.
Stop In The Name Of Love
Love Child
My Playlist
Sports Star
Tyson is a senior guard for the Michigan State University men’s basketball team. I love watching him play. He is a great scorer, shooter, and defender.
Tyson transferred to MSU from Northeastern University following his sophomore season. As a junior, on February 26, 2022 against Purdue, he hit the winning three pointer with 1.4 seconds left.
He led the Spartans in scoring in his senior season with 14.8 points per game. Yesterday he led them in a huge win over Marquette with 23 points, 2 assists, 2 rebounds, 1 steal, 0 turnovers. and 7 of 8 free throws. The highlight of the game was his first career dunk after a steal that sealed the deal.
Tyson played basketball for Christ the King Regional High School in Queens, New York. As a senior, he led his team to a 22–5 record. Now he returns home to New York when the Spartans play Thursday at Madison Square Garden.
Tom Izzo told Tyson Walker he wants two things when they are in New York this week: “I want a cab ride, and one of those big slices of pizza!”
Tyson Walker returns from Michigan State NCAA Tournament win to find car towed by police
The Michigan State guard helped lead his Spartans to the Sweet 16 thanks to his performances against USC and Marquette, but on campus, it's just Tyson ... walker.
Despite pouring in 23 points on Sunday to send his team to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament, Walker's return to East Lansing left a little to be desired. The senior Spartan's car was towed by campus police. It appears the local police show their appreciation in mysterious ways, but thankfully for Walker, his NIL deal should be able to cover those expenses.
Tyson Walker's Fearless Play in MSU's March Madness Upset of Marquette Hyped by Fans
Call it the Tyson Walker takeover game. The Michigan State guard was superb down the stretch during Sunday's 69-60 upset win over No. 2 Marquette, scoring 17 points in the second half and nine points in the final three minutes and seven seconds, leading the seventh seed into the Sweet 16.
This game was all about Walker coming up huge when his team needed a bucket, and college basketball Twitter was loving the performance.
Tyson Walker’s second half dunk was first of his career
Tyson Walker said postgame that his second-half dunk was the first he's pulled off in his career in-game — much to the surprise of coach Tom Izzo. Walker: "I ain't never dunked in a game." Izzo: "Never dunked?" Walker: "Nah, but I went for it."
Michigan State vs. Marquette highlights
MSU Upsets No. 4 Purdue on Tyson Walker’s Game Winner (2022)
Picture Pun
He asked if he could bounce an idea off me.
