November Birthdays

Since it's November, time to say Happy Birthday

Billy Idol

-Birth name: William Michael Albert Broad

-DOB: 11/30/1955

-Where: Stanmore, United Kingdom

-He was on Casablanca Records, the same label as Kiss, but left that management due to issues with management

Tommy Thayer

-Birth name: Thomas Cunningham Thayer

-DOB: 11/7/1960

-Where: Portland, Oregon

-Was previously in the band Black 'N' Blue

Rick Allen

-Birth name: Richard John Cyril Allen

-DOB: 11/1/1963

-Where: Sheffield, England

-He came up with the idea of playing drums with one arm after recovering in the hospital from his injury

Roger Glover

-DOB: 11/30/1945

-Where: Brecon, United Kingdom

-When he first joined Deep Purple, he was often the hapless victim of pranks by the band's guitarist, Ritchie Blackmore

DJ Ashba

-Birth name: Daren Jay Ashba

-DOB: 11/10/1972

-Where: Monticello, Indiana

-Played guitar for Guns 'N' Roses before joining the band Sixx A.M.

Frankie Banali

-DOB: 11/14/1951

-Where: Queens, New York

-DOD: 8/20/2020

-Where: Los Angeles, California

-He was the last member of the original lineup who retained the rights to the band name

Rudy Sarzo

-Birth name: Rodolfo Maximiliano Sarzo Lavielle Grande Ruiz Payret y Chaumont

-DOB: 11/18/1950

-Where: Havana, Cuba

-He played bass with four of the biggest names in hard rock and metal: Whitesnake, Dio, Angel, Quiet Riot

Steven Van Zandt

-Birth name: Steven Lento

-DOB: 11/22/1950

-Where: Winthrop, Massachusetts

-His famous head scarves, that he is always wearing, come from the fact that when he was a teenager, he was in a car crash and his head went through the windshield. He got a massive scar going down the center of his scalp and since then, the hair doesn't grow in right. He covered his head in scarves because of the scar on his head

Richie Faulkner Opting Out of Playing Alongside Judas Priest at Rock Induction Concert

Richie Faulkner, the guitarist who took over for KK Downing in Judas Priest, is kindly offering to step aside as the Metal Gods play a concert in honor of their induction into the Rock Hall of Fame

In an interview with Metal Rules, Faulkner stated "From my point of view, I offered to opt out. I didn't need to be there. The guys wanted me there as part of the band. I'm part of the band in 2022. They wanted me there, even though I wasn't inducted. So that was really nice of them, and from my point of view, I was just happy to be there supporting them and being a part of the band in 2022. So it was a great night."

Faulkner describes himself as "a huge Judas Priest fan". So "to be part of a three guitar attack team, which Priest has never done before, as far as I'm aware...it was an experience. If it was a one time experience or whether it was something for the future, who knows? But even if it was a one time experience, it was just something to relish and just to remember forever, really. It was fantastic."

In a separate interview, front man Rob Halford praised Faulkner's ability to move forward, despite health issues plaguing him. "He's a miracle man." Halford stated, before continuing that Faulkner "needed to be there because originally he said 'I don't think I should be on stage.' I said 'Richie, you have to be on stage. It's important. I can't properly express the words - it's a feeling for me. I feel you need to be on stage with us' and so did everybody else. Everybody felt that way." He continued, by saying "it was important that he was on stage and showing people the wonders of survivability and the great things that the medical profession and healing and health world can do, and [with] the Lord's divine intervention, all of these things kept Richie with us. I said 'Richie, you need to be on that stage, especially if I do some hair whipping with K.K.' They do their hair whip!"

The Fifth Avenue Story Society by Rachel Hauck

Recently released, this book is very good. I just finished this book last night before I went to bed.

Summary

-Five complete strangers- Coral Winthrop, John Wilder, Lexa Wilder, Ed Marshall and Charles "Chuck" Mays- all receive an invitation to the mysterious Fifth Avenue Story Society, which meets every Monday night in the Bower conference room. No one knows who sent out the invitations, but curiosity brings them together. They keep returning every Monday night and as time goes on, the five people start to develop feelings and trust in each other. They all are as different as can be imagined. They all come from different backgrounds, walks of life, each with their own problems. But, together in this society, they feel they can unwind and release their emotions and speak their minds freely.

-There's Coral Winthrop, the CEO of CCW Cosmetics, who's wondering why her company is failing and realizes there is someone embezzling money. Charles "Chuck" Mays is a divorcee with two kids trying to get custody of them. John Wilder is an assistant professor of English at NYU still reeling from the death of his brother and the revelation that one of his literary idols, Gordon Phipps Roth, is a fraud, that he claimed credit for stories written by a woman named Birdie Ainsworth. Lexa Wilder is an assistant at an up-and-coming fast food joint whose CEO, Zane Breas, is determined to keep her underemployed and his assistant forever. Finally, there's Ed Marshall, a 78 year old widower who works as the superintendent for the co-op he lives in. He's trying to write the greatest love story ever told- the story of his wife Esmerelda, aka Esmie and him, while trying to accept the fact that, in the end, Esmie had changed and thus, fallen out of love with him

TJ Powar Has Something to Prove by Jesmeen Kaur Deo

This book, along with Sari, Not Sari, came out at the local library during Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. It took a little longer to get this book because there were so many holds on it to read it.

Summary

-Tejinder Powar, aka "TJ" is on her Vancouver, British Columbia's high school debate team. So is her cousin Simran Sahiba. One day, a horribly mean meme showing a hair Simran, with heavy body hair and unibrow, makes it way around, causing nothing but pain for Simran. TJ is also part of the meme, but listed as the pretty counterpart to her cousin. One night, after a romantic encounter with her boyfriend goes horribly wrong, TJ decides to try something. She is going to forego her waxing and shaving and see if people still care about her, even though she has the same heavy body hair issue as her cousin. And despite the fact that her classmates are unused to seeing her like that, a fellow debate team member can't seem to stay away from her. He's almost attracted to her naturally beautiful, but hairy body.

Sari, Not Sari by Sonya Singh

This book, along with TJ Powar Has Something to Prove, had come out during Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month at the local library. I like it because it's interesting to read about the Indian culture in this book. It's really funny in some parts because of the characters in the book being open about their culture and speaking their mind. I laughed out loud a few times. Not only that, I work for a doctor's office where the majority of the doctors employed there are of this particularly interesting culture. I often hear them talking about holidays like Diwali, which is a big tradition in Indian culture. It celebrates Lakshmi, the Hindu goddess of light and prosperity

Summary

-Manny Dogma is a CEO of a company called Breakup Inc. She helps couples manage breakups. She helps couples get the courage to go back out and try dating again or help manage the backlash of dating. She gives dating advice and helps make sure that there's no bad results of a breakup. One day, an assistant of hers tells her that there is a particularly annoying client in her office, waiting. This client, Sammy Patel, has been coming in, non stop, to ask for a favor. That favor being he needs a date for a cousin's wedding. And his idea of that "date" is Manny. Meanwhile, Manny is dealing with the backlash of a magazine showing her several shades fairer than her normal beautiful brown skin. Her assistant suggests going with Sammy to his cousin's wedding to ger her mind off the magazine. He also makes her a deal-if she goes with him to his cousin's wedding, he will teach her all about Indian culture, her heritage. He will teach her to properly wear a sari. He will teach her to dance Bollywood style. She finally relents and goes with him to the wedding and eventually, falls for Sammy.