CHARLIE NADLER
508-687-9239
I was at the Portuguese American Club the other night when an old classmate tapped your guest columnist on the shoulder. She told me that she and her friends, while on their way to the PA Club, were vacillating on whether or not they were going to have a noteworthy night out on the town. “Sure, there will be all the usual suspects,” she told her friends, “but won’t it be cool to see people who we never do, like the Charlie Nadlers and the Sam Reeces?”
I was flattered that I was being regarded as a VIP of sorts, especially since where I live now in Los Angeles I am a VRP (Very Replaceable Person). But on the same note, it got me thinking. Is it better to live far, far away with the guarantee that each return will involve some sort of figurative red carpet, or to be on “the rock” often enough to be a familiar sight but one who, at will, gets to enjoy such a special place? I do not know about you, but to me this is an easy decision. Actually wait, I do know about you, because you are reading this paper! You cannot argue with me, as you are guilty by subscription.
With the pressure of new year’s resolutions on the horizon, I must take a moment to reflect on 2008, a year that for many Vineyarders, including myself, has been one of the tougher ones in recent memory. We have lost loved ones, jobs, investments and worst of all, maybe even a little hope.
However, I cannot stress enough how lucky I feel to be in Oak Bluffs this holiday season, if even for just a handful of days, because I still see the countless smiles and intricate holiday decorations that signal to me that I am in a tight-knit town that possesses the ability to get through all hardships as they present themselves.
On the bright side, isn’t it a huge relief that Oak Bluffs never decided to become a force to reckon with in the auto or banking industries? It seems that we have historically made the right business decisions in comparison to most of the country, and this was reinforced at the PA Club when I heard from a commercial fisherman peer that the scalloping season has gone very well this year. While many Islanders obviously do not directly prosper (at least financially) from the scallop trade, small victories such as these instill an Obama-esque hope in me that has unfortunately been an uncommon feeling for the majority of 2008. Nonetheless, it has arrived in the nick of time.
Welcome, 2009! The people of Oak Bluffs expect and deserve the best from you. We have a huge crush on you and might even love you. We support you and strongly believe that you are anything but a run of the mill year. However, if you do not deliver, you will be banished to Nantucket forever. Sear that onto your soul, 2009. And if you fail and make even one attempt to drink away your sorrows on that island, you will be relocated to Vineyard Haven, drinking cola with 2008. I think I’ve made myself clear.
Before I hand you off for the latest town updates from my knowledgeable mother, I would just like to close with an answer to the most common question I get from my old Oak Bluffs elementary and Martha’s Vineyard Regional High friends: How is Los Angeles?
Who cares how Los Angeles is? Los Angeles is a means to an end; that end being a local subscription to the Vineyard Gazette. When I am back to visit, I only care about how you are. It may sound weird, but I really just look forward to the day where you tap me on the shoulder to ask me to move aside so you can order your beer.
Now, lots of updates from the Oak Bluffs Public Library:
On Thursday, Jan. 8 at 6 p.m., a recently released movie will be shown on a large projection screen. As you may already know, the library is prevented from naming the movie in print, but here’s the Trivial Pursuit part: The film stars Colin First in a father/son drama, and it’s rated PG-13. Popcorn and beverages will be served.
The first of a new computer course offered by the library will take place on Tuesday, Jan. 20, from 6 to 7:30 p.m., on Basic Computer Skills. This is strictly for beginners, so anyone who knows what a gigabite is need not show up.
A new lecture series will be launched at the library entitled Illumination for Lifelong Learners. The first spotlight topic will be Saving Money & Financial Assistance (how very cool and timely is that?), and the very first class under this heading is Saving Money by Going Green, to be presented by the Better Business Bureau on Jan. 28 and 29.
For more information on any of these three programs, call 508-693-9433.
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