Welcome to the ElvisBlog Archives

After 17 years and over 1000 posts, ElvisBlog will no longer be a functioning blog. It is now a static site with no new posts, but the old ones remain as an extensive archive.

New visitors will be able to explore these as a reference source or just enjoy a lot of interesting reading about Elvis. Comments can still be made, and I will read them all, but they cannot be posted or replied to.

Unfortunately, there will be nothing new for all you long-time readers of ElvisBlog, unless you go back into the archives, too.  I have had extensive contact with many of you through emails, comments, and the sales of my book and Elvis collectibles.  You made all the work this blog required feel worthwhile.  I thank you.

 

Phil Arnold, Original ElvisBlogmeister, now retired.

philarnold@charter.net

Happy Birthday Elvis

MERRY CHRISTMAS !!

 

Merry Christmas to all Elvis fans from:

 

Phil Arnold, Original ElvisBlogmeister and soon to be retired Elvis blogger

A Long Overdue Message

It has been quite a while since I wrote about my personal situation. Thankfully, I have struggled back from several physical side effects caused by the incredible stress of caring for my dying wife. I have sold my house in South Carolina, disposed of almost everything in there, and moved in with my daughter and son-in-law in North Carolina. I am very happy here, and it is the right place for me to be at this point in my life (I turned 80 in June).

I will be in contact soon with the owner of my blog platform. I do not intend to add any new posts after my current contract ends in January.  If it can be done, I would prefer ElvisBlog becomes a static site where people can still read the 17-years worth of posts on it.  I can pay to renew my URL each year, because that doesn’t cost very much. But, I don’t want to keep paying the annual renewal charge for the blog platform, which is much higher.  We’ll see what I can work out.

Here is something you may find interesting. Back in 2018, when I was posting weekly, ElvisBlog had between 8,400 and 8,700 user visits per month. This past September with no posts, there were 11,500 user visits.  My blog has become something of an Elvis reference source. There are posts on just about every imaginable Elvis topic, and searches on Google keep ranking them high and bringing lots of folks to the site.

I will end this on a lighter note.  Perhaps you remember the fun I had several years in the past with articles on “Crummy Elvis Shit.”  I just Googled it, and ElvisBlog is still #1.

If this message evokes any comments, please send them on.  But remember, I cannot post them or reply (a partial step toward the static site).  I still like reading them, though.

Thanks,

Your friendly ElvisBlogmeister,

Phil Arnold

Gone But Not Forgotten

ELVIS – We Miss You

Are You Ready For An Elvis Movie Marathon

For years cable channel Turner Classic Movies has featured a marathon of Elvis films. This year, TCM will do it again starting at 6AM on Monday, August 1. Here is the complete schedule.  Have a great time watching as many as you can,

 

6AM       This Is Elvis

8AM       The Trouble With Girls

10AM      Speedway

12:00      Double Trouble

2PM       Elvis on Tour

4PM       Kissin’ Cousins

6PM       Girl Happy

8PM       Viva Las Vegas

10PM     Elvis: That’s The Way It Is

12PM     It Happened at The World’s Fair

2AM      Spinout

4AM       Live A Little, Love A Little

 

Well, its a pretty good selection.  TCM must not have the rights to Jailhouse Rock or Blue Hawaii, because these two personal favorites never seem to show up in their Elvis marathons.  I will probably start watching at 4PM with Kissin’ Cousins, followed by Girl Happy at 6PM and Viva Las Vegas at 8PM. That will take me right up to bedtime.

Hopefully, this post will alert a lot of folks who weren’t aware of the Elvis movie marathon.  I hope you all enjoy as many Elvis movies as you can.

 

 

Elvis Is Everywhere

I’ve said it many times on ElvisBlog — Elvis is everywhere! And I’ve posted many blogs that validate that thought.

Here I am in the kitchen of my best friend, Curtis Piper. I am standing in front of his refrigerator, and you can see Elvis performing.  The screen is built into the door. You can program many different things on it, but Curtis always puts on Elvis YouTube videos when I am visiting.  So, Elvis is everywhere…. even on refrigerators.

My friend Curtis’ has just published a new new novel, The Shogun’s Gold—Solving a Historical Mystery. He manages to slip in an Elvis reference here, too. Curtis is a retired Foreign Service Officer. He speaks Japanese, having spent two years at a Japanese university. He has the perfect background to write this story.

One exciting scene in The Shogun’s Gold takes place in Shinjuku, Tokyo’s famous entertainment quarter, where there are said to be over 5,000 bars per square mile.

It is also a big hang-out for cosplayers, short for “costume players.” Anime characters inspire many cosplayers, but in Shinjuku, you can find superman, Dracula, demons, etc. And this is where Elvis pops up.

Two criminals, intent on murder, are stalking Jason Tanaka, one of the featured characters. Tanaka and his niece Terry escape by renting outfits in a cosplayer costume shop. Terry dresses up as Raggedy Ann, and Jason disguises himself in an Elvis jumpsuit.

Another exciting scene occurs with GODZILLA, a “life-size” figure that leers over the top of a high-rise hotel. It is one of Shinjuku’s main attractions.

The Shogun’s Gold highlights fascinating information about the Japanese language, customs, and traditions. I found the plot quite riveting, one populated with several intriguing characters. Curtis did a great job with this novel.

For more information on my friend’s book, use this link to Amazon:

I Finally Saw The New Elvis Movie

A number of you have mentioned on Comments that you were interested in what I thought of ELVIS starring  Austin Butler and Tom Hanks.  Well, I watched it yesterday, and I was impressed big time.  There have been a number of actors portraying Elvis in movies over the last 40 years, but Austin Butler was the best. He was totally believable as Elvis.

And Tom Hanks did a masterful job as Col. Parker.  I loved the glitz, the dazzling energy, and just the grand theatrically of it all.  The music was outstanding.

Movie reviews have never been my thing, but I did check out some on the internet. The worst was from RogerEbert.com who gave it 1-1/2 stars out of five. Audience ratings were quite a different thing.  One site reported 4.6 out of 5, and another had it at 9.4 out of 10.  Put me in the latter camp.

Here are some random thoughts on the movie:

I never knew Elvis went through such turmoil in 1956.  But I guess a movie needs conflict to be successful.

I had never heard of the New Elvis stuff.  They probably took a little theatrical license on that.

I noticed liberal use of the affectionate nickname Satnin. Elvis to Gladys, Elvis to Priscilla, Priscilla to Elvis.

There was no mention of Bob Neal who was Elvis’ manager before Col. Parker came into the picture. There was precious little about Scotty, Bill, and DJ.

I thought the guy doing Little Richard was great.

Did you notice that during one of the transitional scenes the background music was rap?

One thing I like to do when watching a movie about Elvis is to look for little things they have wrong.  There were a few, but after the fact, I can remember only three. They showed Vernon with a mustache right from the start in the 50s. He didn’t have one until the later years.

Maybe I missed it, but I don’t remember seeing anything about Milton Berle. After all, it was Elvis’ second appearance on his show that caused all the ruckus about Elvis being such a bad influence on teenagers.

The film chronicled Elvis’ multi-year performances at the International Hotel. However, even though it changed ownership and became the Las Vegas Hilton in 1971, they still continued to show exterior shots with the International name. I don’t know why they did that.

A couple of you sent me your review of ELVIS.  I’d like to share one with you.

I had the privilege of seeing the Elvis movie last night, and I am now Austin Butler’s #1 fan. I did not see any acting; however, I did witness a spiritual take over. Kudos to all responsible for this extraordinary film. Simply put, Austin drove his performance in a LAMBORGHINI on a smooth rode faster than the speed of light with E. P. as his copilot. Thank you  Austin for your hard work in your transformation, and thank you  for your massive generosity, you gave Elvis fans and movie lovers around the world THE best gift!

Thank You for Your Comments

I am moved by the comments some of you sent in since my post last night.  And I figured out a way I could acknowledge them.  Using the cut-and-paste method, I transferred them one by one to this new post. A few have had minor editing, and only the first names of the senders are given.  They are in the same sequence that they came in. I thank you all very much.        Phil Arnold

 

Kathleen:  Prayers for you and Beverly. This was a wonderful tribute to your love.  Hope you begin to recover your strength as it is comforting to think of you on that bedroom deck.
So, maybe you will let us know what you think of the new Elvis movie.

Scott:  Hi Phil, I’m so sorry for your loss. Beverly has made Heaven a little more Heavenly.
May God bless and comfort you.

Bob:  God Bless you. Your wife and family. Caregiving is never easy. Especially for loved ones. Now take care of yourself.

Margie:  Your wonderful wife was very fortunate to have such a loving husband. May your many memories bring you comfort. I have been a caregiver and I know the toll it takes. Now is the time to take care of you.

Denny:  Sorry for your loss. Sounds extremely overwhelming but you made it through.
God bless

Molly:  God bless you and Bev. You took wonderful care of her–and she of you.

Wesley:  My sincere condolences, Phil. Touching memories.
I’m really glad you’re pulling it through and feel strong enough again to post.
So post away, and we’d be all better. Cheers

Marion:  God bless your beautiful wife, Beverly, i am so sorry. Time will heal, but it will never be the same.

Tracy:  Happy to see You Back Phil!!! Sending You deep felt Condolences along with Prayers. Your Beautiful Wife Beverly sounded like she was a Lovely, Kind and Caring Lady. I Pray that You will continue to get better and healthier which each and every day! Sending You Many Blessings!
Your Friend in Canada. Tracy

Barbara:  Phil I’m one of your followers have enjoyed the journey reading about Elvis thank you foryour time and compassion you’ve put into this .
I’m so sorry to about your beloved Bev it’s a terrible thing to lose the love of your life your best friend.  I know your pain. I’ll be praying for you in the days ahead. I pray God holds you close during this difficult time !
Sincerely Barbara

Miriam:  Hi Phil.  I am so sorry to hear of your loss & the health problems brought on by stress. Not everyone would have “hung in there” as long as you have. It takes a very special person to devote your life to your Bev …. you sound like a very special person. Bev was very fortunate to have you in her life & I hope you thank God for being there for her. Take care of yourself.
With deepest sympathy, Miriam

Christian:  Sorry to hear about the loss of your wife. as somebody that has followed your blog for years now, i am sending you love and prayers. Please take care of yourself and get well.

Mimma:  I think it is by far the best post I have ever read! Yours is a refined writing, poignant but also lovable and smiling to read, smiles and tears but always a great love and deep meaning of life. We Italians are more tearful and desperate when we lose someone we love. I embrace you and I wish you to always keep your hope of paradise and the possibility that in eternal life everyone can find the people they love. I believe it.

Tisa:  What a beautiful story, I admire your strength and courage also Bev’s! I too am a caregiver of my husband he is a quadriplegic with a few twists and turns. It is really tough sometimes, hard to know what to do in the next crisis( which always comes when your not looking!) but the up moments certainly are worth it! My thoughts and prayers are with you as you navigate these new waters. Bless you my friend,  Tisa

Sandra:  Phil, My sincere condolences on the passing of your wife, Beverly. Prayers for your return to good health. Sincerely, Sandy

Ronald:  God blessed you with those 50 plus years with Bev and you two had a beautiful, loving marriage.
May the peace of the Lord be with you.

Frank:  My sincere condolences for your loss.
I cannot imagine a life without the love of my life, my wife Irene, and every day
– I thank God for our time together.
I realize like you, that life is not perfect, and we argue as friends do in life. So I quite understand the dumb shit comment.
But I also know that as we age, we keep losing people close to us., and it gets harder and harder to acknowledge our loss. Sometimes it gets hard to breathe – when that happens. Especially when the loss is your life partner. THAT cannot be replaced.
I can only hope at some point you will be able to take a deep breath and realize that you have something few of us ever get to experience in life – Profound love. You have great memories to look back upon, and I personally believe that you will be seeing her when it is time for you to take your final breath. I do not think Bev would like you to be sick because she is gone, and that she would want you to keep your strength and spirits up, especially in her memory.
I wrote a poem many years ago, and two lines from that poem give me consolation during times like these
“Now and then I look back upon my memories of the past…
And I realize that memories are the only things that last”
Keep your spirits up, and, hopefully, we will get to chat in the near future.

It’s Been Too Long Without A New Post

A few of you readers have emailed to ask why it has been three months since I last posted on ElvisBlog.  I used to be so regular – posting something every week, but two life issues have changed that. My wife of 49 years, Beverly, died on April 16.

Even before then, there just wasn’t enough time (or the spirit) to work on ElvisBlog while caring for my wife in her final months.  She had a long slow decline over several years and she lingered in a nearly comatose state at the end. It was a merciful death

I had a Celebration of Life for Beverly here at our home. I told everybody a lot of Beverly Stories.  The text for my talk is the only thing I had written in months.  I’m going to post it here, and hopefully you will get a sense of how much I loved Beverly.  Or you could scroll past it and find out what is going on with me and my health Issues

Beverly R Arnold June 28, 1943 — April 16, 2022

 

Beverly Stories

For her Celebration of Life

In Beverly’s obituary, I talked about her favorites and passions. But I saved a big special one to talk about today — a lot.  We loved our little deck off the bedroom where we sat together almost every afternoon, weather permitting.  Sitting on our deck glider chairs, we looked out at an incredibly beautiful panorama.  We’ve had our bedroom deck for twenty years, and every year, I planted more bushes and flowers in every open space we could see, to make it even prettier for Bev.  And she loved the results.

Bev and I considered the bedroom deck as our special place.  A quiet, peaceful, beautiful spot.  The solitude and comradery was perfect for both of us to let the problems of the day just ooze away and recharge our batteries.  We always talked while we sat there, but sometimes we drifted off into silence.  It didn’t matter to either of us, because we were still there together, still connected.

Now, I sit out on our special place alone, and that’s not as bad as it sounds. Every afternoon since her death, I have talked out loud to Beverly.  And it’s not because I’m sure she can hear me in Heaven.  Even if she can’t, these conversations have been very comforting and are helping my healing process.  Part of the time when I talk with Bev I do it looking up at the blue sky and fluffy white clouds.  I feel very close to her when I do that.  I also have talked to my mom a couple times while looking up toward heaven.

Mom died in 2006, and her service was held at Devenger Road Presbyterian Church.  My brother and I were scheduled to speak, and I went first.  I had written out my speech, and practiced it, and even made 3×5 cards with reminder notes.  Well, somehow I skipped one of the cards, or maybe I just had a nervous brain fart.  Whatever, I made the mistake of not thanking Bev for taking care of my mother for seven years.  When my brother thanked Beverly later, I knew I was in a whole lot of trouble.

As soon as the service was over, I apologized profusely to Bev, and she was really hurt.  I apologized so many times over the next few days.  Years later, it would come up again once in a while, but Bev handed it by just giving me a zinger about being a total dumbshit.

Several months ago, my dear friend, Marci Migacz, asked if there were any unresolved issues between Bev and me.  She said if there were, we should address them and get them settled right away. So, I explained that thought to Bev and asked about the time at Mom’s funeral.  Was she still feeling the hurt?  Had she truly forgiven me? I was so relieved when she told me everything was okay.  She said it had happened so long ago, and I didn’t need to worry about it anymore.

So now, here at Beverly’s celebration, I want to speak to both of these wonderful ladies while I look up toward Heaven.  Mom, thanks for being such a great mom.  Thanks for being Bev’s buddie and teaching her all those crafts. You two spent a lot of happy times together.

And Bev, thank you for taking care of Mom for seven years. I can’t say enough how much I appreciate you being there for my mother. You did a superb job. Thanks for bringing her into your heart.  And thanks for forgiving me.

Since last June, Bev had a wonderful hospice nurse looking out for her named Cyndi Galloway.  Cyndi has been the best.  She really cared for Bev, and they were like girlfriends. Cindy taught me to do many things correctly, and answered dozens of questions.  Thank you, Cyndi.

In March, when Beverly could no longer walk to the bathroom, Cyndi brought us a wheelchair, and it helped so much. But it had a special value. Bev asked for a wheelchair ride three times in her final weeks.  I was so proud of her to still want to have some fun, even as bad off as she was.  Of course I became her travel guide.  We stopped right here in the atrium facing the plants.  I knew stuff about most of them, so I gave her a running commentary. Then I took her down this hall to the first window, and she could see her favorite J&P rose, a pink one named Beverly.  That cheered her up.  Next time, I took her down the other hall to the end of the house, and we parked at the long window facing down to what we call the park. There’s a super view from there, and lots to talk about. The last trip had the most views – front door, the sun room, and the kitchen door. Bev was so close to the end, but she still had that spunk I’ve loved so much.  Pretty amazing.

Bev not only had a wonderful Hospice nurse, she also had a wonderful caregiver from Comfort Keepers.  You couldn’t ask for anyone better than Lisa Worley.  She brightened so many days for Bev, and she handled the tough stuff like a champ. When she and “Miss Bev” told each other, “I love you,” they really meant it.  On top of everything else, Lisa sang to Bev, and she’s a good singer.  We were so fortunate to have Lisa.  Thank you, thank you, Lisa.

Beverly and I got married in September 1972, so we didn’t quite make it to the 50th wedding anniversary.  That’s okay.  We had 50 years counting dating time.  Most of you have some knowledge of Bev’s more recent health issues, but here’s an interesting fact from our early days.  About a year into our marriage, Beverly had a run of four visits to the hospital within 12 months: carpal tunnel, perianal warts, appendectomy, and hysterectomy.  But we were young and Bev was tough, and we got through it together.  And it’s been like that ever since.

In 2008, Bev needed to have an operation to replace her ascending aorta (the one coming right out of the heart) with a man-made device. The operation was successful, but Bev had a lengthy recovery. At that point, I took over the cooking duties, never thinking that it would be a lifelong thing. When she got healthy, I asked her when she would get back to cooking. I was sternly told, “Hey, I cooked for you for 35 years. Now, it’s your turn.” But I still had hope.

Then a year later, Bev had her second open heart surgery to replace her aortic arch.  That one goes to the brain, eyes, ears, mouth, etc.  The surgery was so tricky that no doctor in Greenville would touch it.  But we got hooked up with Dr. Hasim Saffi in Houston.  He was world-renowned.  Important people from lots of countries flew in to get his services, but we got on the list surprisingly quick.  The replacement surgery went fine, but Bev developed respiratory problems and had to go to rehab.  We were in Houston for a month.  When we got home, I knew I would be doing all the cooking forever. That realization was etched in stone a year later when Bev had her descending aorta replaced.

There were no new surgeries for several years, and I kept on cooking. And I got pretty good.  However, I had to learn all new cooking when Bev found out she was gluten intolerant.  That was challenging, for sure, but we worked it out and found meals we could both like okay.

Then that ended five years later when Beverly’ esophagus started to decline, dropping to 15% efficiency. It wasn’t taking food down to her stomach.  The only way she could live was by tube feeding.  So, I learned a new way to provide her meals.

So many people have told me I did a great job caring for Beverly, but I always thought it was what any loving husband would do.  Beverly and I have always been a team, and we always took care of each other. I gave her my love and caring willingly.  It probably helped prolong her life.  I wish I could have done more.

Bev was 4’9” tall, and I often called her my Little Sweetie.  I miss her so much.  I miss my Little Sweetie.

Bye, Bev.  I love you.

 

 

And here’s the story on me:

 

You have probable read that caregiving can cause a lot of stress for the caregiver.  This was certainly the case for me.  Even though we had two visits a week from the hospice nurse and sixteen hours a week from the Comfort Keepers caregiver, that left many hours when I was doing everything myself.  I basically moved my life into the bedroom and the little attached office.  The only time I could leave the house was when the caregiver was there. 

I ate my meals in the bedroom.  There were a lot of microwave dinners, because they were quick and easy.  But my appetite started to wane, and I lost some weight. This was my first clue that I was feeling stress.  Beverly’s decline during her last three months piled on more stress, and her last three weeks caused even heavier stress. I started having abdominal pain.

After her death, I took care of her obituary.  I made the cremation arrangements and secured her ashes. I made up the invitation list for her Celebration of Life, and sent out the invitations.  Getting the house and grounds ready for the celebration was time consuming, and all of this just continued the stress.

Two days after the celebration, I had such abdominal pain that I called the doctor. She got me in next day and immediately set up a CT Scan for the following day.

So here’s my list of problems.  I lost 25 pounds, I have diverticulosis and diverticulitis.  And the doctor has prescribed medicine for my stomach and my depression.  However, she maintained all along that it was stress causing the abdominal pain.

Time has proven her right. over the past 6 weeks the pain has subsided from 7 on the pain scale to about 1.  So, I feel like I can get back to ElvisBlog again. There are still many old posts that are worth another look. Maybe I’ll get motivated to write a new one. I have dozens of Elvis CDs I’d like to find a new home for.

Let me remind you that you can send comments and I can read them, but I can’t post them or reply.  Still, I would like to hear from you.

Thanks for reading this long post.

 

Phil Arnold