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01/03/2005 Archived Entry: "Olympus Crumbles"

The last of the great Greek/Roman gods has passed away. There are no gods left on the mountain. This would also be the title of the book of my father's life if I ever wrote it.

"Zeus, Hermes, Hera, Aphrodite, You were right. Athena, You were right. The time is past, there is no room for gods..... " Star Trek-Who Mourns for Adonis

Today is New Years Eve. At 6:08 am my father passed away. He was the last of the greater pantheon of mythological gods. You probably never read a story about him in the mythological books. There were no temples built 2000 years ago to him. He didn't cast lightning bolts down from the sky on masses, well maybe only once or twice.

Like many of the gods of ancient history, he wasn't a perfect character. He was a highly flawed god. He ate foods that weren't good for him, smoked way too much, drank more than he should, and lived life to the fullest.

He was married three times. When he wasn't married he had girlfriends all over the world. My father loved women.

My father was born in 1921 in Brooklyn, NY. . He was poor before the market crashed and poor after it. He was raised by his grandmother because his mother died young and his father was in the service or on the wrong side of an alcohol bottle. My father would get up and go to work at the Fulton St. fish market. My father came to hate fish and never ate it after working there. He was kicked out of Catholic school in 6th grade for passing out drunk in class. His best friend growing up was a hasidic Jew. His neighbors were the poor of the American melting pot. Polish neighbors on the floor below, Italians on the floor above, and Irish across the street. There were more nationalities all over the neighborhood. My father never had a bigoted bone in his body, if he did his grandmother would have beat it out of him.

My fathers life was tough but not brutal. He worked most of it. He wasn't college educated but he was incredibly smart and worldly wise. He pissed off the political establishment and pissed on the politicians who were too stupid to deserve their job. He questioned god's representatives on earth and condemned them to heck for stupid answers to explain life and the universe. He believed in God but didn't always like him and definitely didn't agree with him on everything. My father often said he was going to hell so he didn't have to make new friends. He said this probably to keep god on his toes.

My father worked hard and well, he was well respected in his industry.Through his work he meet and made friends that lasted a lifetime.
His work sent him all over the world. He made friends with the poor and with kings. He associated with nobility and knew way too many people in organized crime. He hated John Wayne for avoiding the draft and loved Frank Sinatra for his singing ability.

My father joined the army before WWII and left when they tried to send him to vietnam. He made a career with the Telecommunications Industry. But he often worked a second job early in his career. He had been a bartender in California and a blackjack dealer in Las Vegas and many others.My father was never afraid to work hard.

Moses and God use to argue a lot. The sceneario I picture is that dad goes up to heaven, Peter is at the gates reviewing my father's life. Peter's jaw drops in utter disgust upon reviewing my father's life. "You have go to be kidding if you think you are coming in here. You broke all 7 of the major sins with no apologies and no regrets. You mocked God and all he stood for. You questioned everything and accepted nothing on faith. You can't seriously expect to get in here." My father casually sitting back and taking it easy says, " If I get in great, if not no biggie. There is a party wherever I go." The angel Gabriel with a horn in hand comes up to the gates and talks to Peter. Peter looks astonished and says "If it is what he wants. Then so be it." Gabriell looks at my father and says "You still like Jazz?" My father smiles walks over and taps Peter gently on the shoulder and says " Don't worry, I always knew there was nothing you could do to stop me." My father follows Gabriel to a nice open patio area where a couple of chairs surrond a small round glass table. God is sitting in one of the chairs. On the table is a bottle of Cognac with a couple of snifters. Next to the Cognac is pot of coffee with some coffee mugs. A pack of cigarettes sits next to the coffee. God motions to the chair and says, " Have a seat." My father sits down next to God and the two of them spend the evening discussing life and the universe and all the rest of it, pointing of several of the flaws in God's ultimate plan as Gabriel plays smooth Jazz in the background.