October 24, 1973 (Letter from Leslie)

Happy birthday -- season's greetings!

I got your letter today and since I was going to send the card, I thought I would write a few lines to go along with i.

First a recipe for peanut butter:  I got it from The Old Farmer's Almanac in an article entitled "Peanut Butter and Jelly Recipes (and bread, too)".  So -- peanut butter:  to make 2 cups you will need 2 1/2 cups roasted (in or out of the shell), shelled peanuts.  If you shell them yourself, you will have to blanch them before use:  Blanch the nuts by placing them for a minute or so in boiling water, which will  loosen the skins for easy removal.  This step, of course, is not necessary if you use salted party peanuts, or dry roasted peanuts.  Grind the nuts to a meal in a grinder or electric blender.  If you use a blender, use grate speed first, then the "chop" speed.  Keep the cover on tightly, and do not grind more than 3/4 cups nuts at once or you will clog the blades.  Place the nut meal in a bowl and beat in 1/4 cup of water and 4-5 tablespoons peanut oil until the butter is smooth.  Salt to taste (1-2 teaspoons).  store in a closed jar in the refrigerator.

Now onto your letter.  I think the pictures on the folded blue paper are classy and have no comment on the trademark.  Thanks for the goodies on Blue Oyster Cult -- I'd love to see them again as I would appreciate them so much more now.

It does sound interesting about the para-professionals.  That's been a big point all along in librarianship -- is it really a profession?  What kind of status does it have?  What should we strive for?  Today the feeling of being an undergraduate swept over me -- that is school is bullshit and maybe I will learn something on the job.  Of course Albany's scope is supposedly theoretical so that we will have the background and will apply it to actual problems.   Yesterday I took the midterm to my Info Processing course -- ugh -- thought some of the questions were picky and how 'bout "What are two important facts about the following/"  Nobody in the two classes that have taken it are very happy.  At least there were no T/F question -- ID were brief answer questions.

Now onto records:  I bought Isley Brothers 3+3 and it's iffy -- the pressing is bad and I had to take one record back (something I hate doing) and that was annoying.  There are a few good numbers -- after "That Lady" I like "If You Were There" the best.  Also bought 3 records for 1 cent each - yeah.  I couldn't believe it.  One Ambergris has a huge chicken head in color on it and it stinks.  Another Soulful Strut by Young-Holt Unlimited is very uninspired -- at least the 1st side is -- hold on while I turn it over.  Well the other side is not much better.  The third album -- Rasputin's Stash is a nice surprise and the overall quality is better than that of the Isley's.



Tonight I went to K-mart to buy a soap container and saw 1 3/$1,00 pile and bought 4 records.  One -- Crazy World of Arthur Brown I have but bought for Mom.  Another Lacewing I've never heard of it but it reminded me a little of early Jefferson Airplane.  A likable album that will be played occasionally.  Another one by Fusion called Bordertown which I just put on which the 1st song sounded like country-rock.  So does the 2nd -- seems to move along.  Lots of slide guitar.  The other album is a group called Black Pearl -- I've seen the album before, but know nothing about it.

I've only heard LaBelle backing up Laura Nyro on It's Gonna Take a Miracle and thought they were classy.  I'm sorry your thought Blackbyrd was that bad.  Of course I heard it when I was stoned, which always colors music positive, but even so I did not think it was that bad.  The draggiest # was the 2nd song on the 1st side (I think, it's a real long song) but the rest of it had me rocking in my chair.  As for liner notes -- I haven't seen any album for quite awhile that had anything that passed for a liner note, so I'm dismissing that comment.  Anyway a difference in likes/dislikes is to be expected at least once in awhile.



I'd like to hear Pet Sounds sometimes.  The 2nd side of Fusion 2nd song, "Time of the Ostrick Head" is moving right along jazzy with a solo sax.  The last song 2nd side, "Ereous" is jazzy, too with lots of solo sax.  Will describe the other album later.

Funny about that liver.  I liked the peanut better and jelly so much on the sprouted wheat bread (love the bread) that I'm eating it quite a bit at home.  The steamed vegetables sound good.  I used to make my own spaghetti sauce in Buffalo from scratch -- it's quite easy -- and it does taste great -- everybody who makes it, makes theirs a little different than somebody else's.  Loved making a big batch and then cooking fresh spaghetti to go along with the sauce each time I ate.

Back to records for a minute -- my parastatic record preener has been acting up and instead or removing static it is making my records snap, crackle, and pop.

Well sweetie, tomorrow I'm going to Atlantic City and have to be in Albany at 6am which means 4am here so I have time to get myself together and I have to get my stuff together tonight.  I bought a pair of plaid corduroy baggies and black highheeled rubber soled clunkies to go with them. Even so they were so long, Nana had to shorten them for me.  Glad to hear the beard is doing well, I just love to run my fingers through your hair (all over your body ha ha).  Take care of yourself.

February 12, 1973 (Letter from Leslie)

Greetings.  Things are going okay with me -- a few ups and downs but up right now especially after coming home and finding your letter.

Quite a bit has happened and I don't know where to start, so I guess I'll just start rambling and see what happens.  Christmas vacation was okay, I didn't do anything at all -- I just vegetated and didn't see hardly anybody and wasn't overly worried about it.  The realization that I would no longer be living with Carol  and that this whole part of my life was coming to an end put me into a state of shock.  I really understand what you were talking about last semester with your being here, but not the people you associate Buffalo with.

It's nice being back in the apartment, even so.  Right now I am tired of living with my parents and look forward to going away to school and eventually supporting myself.  (Right now I have Blue Oyster Cult playing -- really like the album so I had to buy it for myself.)  Classes are okay -- I'm registered for German 2145, Woman in Contemporary Society, and am still trying to get Pop Radio.  I've been attending that class, taught by Jim Santella, but haven't been recognized by SARA yet.  So I'm taking 12 credits and have an incomplete to make up (ick!).

I've been doing quite a bit of smoking -- at least twice a weekend for the last 3 weekends.  It is escapism and I am enjoying it, but I'm also having the high carry over into the next day so I should start disciplining myself.

I got back by GRE scores -- I'm not very happy, they are kind mediocre, but there is nothing I can do about it.  I received 500 on the verbal and 570 on the quantitative.  Enclosed is a list of testing centers in Pennsylvania.

Just talked to my mom on the phone -- she's going to NYC tomorrow and then she and Aunt Olga are going to Majorca (off the coast of Spain) on the 14th for an eight day adventure.  Hope she has a good time.  Dad is not very happy about it, but he will survive.

I've been playing a lot of basketball -- I'm not a starter, but that is a fact of life.  I only got upset once at not playing in a game at all last Saturday and have since re-arranged my head so that will not happen again (my being upset).  February is basketball month and most of my evenings have been busy and three Saturdays in a row have B.B.  Every once in awhile it h its me that this is my last season andn that soon I will be a college graduate.

I wrote down a whole list of movies that I have seen that I wanted to mention to you -- so here they are by title with no comments:  Child's Play, Jules and Jim, Gimme Shelter, Diary of a Mad Housewife, Five Easy Pieces, The Virgin and the Gypsy, The Best of Everything.

In regards to library science I am applying to 4 schools -- none of them have everything at this time.  The schools are Rutgers University in New Brunswick, Simmons College, University of Denver, and Albany State.  Wish I had a secretary.

I'm going to end now -- there's all kinds of little things but I can't remember them all.  Plus I should be getting some sleep.  I went to find you a happy Valentine's day card tonight but was not successful.  I guess the day will be past when you get this letter, but I have thought of you and hope you have a very good day.  I am very glad to hear from you and I look forward to seeing you again.  Do you wanna dance?  Take care of yourself -- good luck on your job.

P.S.  Wow this letter is a skeleton compared to all of the things that have been happening, but it is a start.  I'm sorry California didn't work out the way you had planned but things have a away of working themselves out -- hopefully always for the good.

Also enclosed is a smile for you from me -- please take care!