




9) Random question: What's the perfect way to spend a lazy afternoon?

Hey, y'all! Happy Saturday.
Once again, we're on the downside of the month, which is so strange to me. The months and years are now just going by so fast. My son will be 20 years old in four days! Incredible.
If you'd like to join in with us today, make sure you link up here and visit some or all of the other participants. I'm trying to do at least a few before I get into my volunteer work lately, but it's been hoppin', so I haven't managed much. That, too, is on my Annual Bucket List (to fix)!
And here we go:
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Hey ho, ho hey! You, there! What are you doing here, in my tiny corner of the Interwebs? Whatever it is that's brought you here, I'm glad you've arrived. Sit a minute, read, and I'll get you a wee cup of tea.
I hope you've had a good week. It's been a rough one for me, since painfully dislocating my right shoulder, but I'm muddling through it. That's the only word that fits. In the meantime, I've been having lots of colorful, strange dreams that disappear the moment I awake, so I'm just repeatedly left with this feeling of, "Whoa! What was that?"
Anyway. Link up here if you're playing along with us today!
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Saturday 9: Pass Me By (1965)
Hey everyone. I'm in a low-key kind of mood today, so I don't have a lot of preliminary verbiage for you. I can say this: it has been a WEEK!!! Full of thingssss. So I'm glad today is a bit more restful, even if again it means I'm the last one to this party.
Today's S9 is going to be about "Wagon Wheel" and its performer, Darius Rucker... yes, formerly known as Hootie from the Blowfish fame. He was a cutie then, he's a cutie now, and Hootie will always be a cutie. Link up here if you want to play along this week or visit the other entrants.
And away we go:
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Saturday 9: Wagon Wheel (2013)
Hi everyone, hi, here I am, here I am (she said, breathlessly running in)! I know, I'm a day late and a dollar short.
Skip if you don't want to read a medical complaint. {I did something to my entire upper half the other day. Thursday. I'm sitting on the edge of my bed, and I turn, and reach at the same time, in apparently just the wrong way, and throw my entire pectoral girdle out of alignment. You know, I have Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, which affects the collagen and other structural elements of the body. So whereas you or most other people might general have organized, intact scaffolding that makes nice, organized building blocks for the body to build on and move around, my my scaffolding ... is like trying to nail Jell-o to the wall. Anyway, from my right fingers and thumb, up my wrist all the way to my shoulder, throughout my clavicle and rib cage, encompassing both shoulders, down the left arm, and to all five left fingertips, there has been a complete or at least partial dislocation of just about everything in there. The pain has been intense. It still is. I'm amazed I can type this today, because I could barely use my right hand yesterday. I think I'm making progress, but I also know that for the past three days, I should've gone to the Emergency Room and haven't. Eh, well.}
We've had an eventful week besides, mostly with the kids and not a lot I can talk about here, so that's a shame. Ha! If you want to join in with yesterday's (why not? The more the merrier! Better late than never!) Saturday 9, link up here. As for me, I'm jumping in:
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Saturday 9 -- Mahler: Symphony No. 8 (1968)
Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.
1) Mahler's No. 8 is sometimes referred to as "Symphony of a Thousand" because it was scored for a large orchestra and choral force. Do you often listen to classical music?
I sometimes do. Not enough to really know what I'm talking about. My favorite is Beethoven's 9th. To me, it's an absolute gift to the world, the masterpiece among masterpieces. I cry sometimes when I listen to it, knowing he wrote it and re-rewrote it and re-wrote it until it was perfect, which it was, even though he couldn't hear it. And then he died. I'm so moved by it.
2) This piece has solos for each of the main vocal ranges: soprano, alto, tenor, bass. Do you know which range your voice is in?
I'm a first soprano.
3) Historians tell us Mahler kept fit by swimming and riding his bike along the Alpine trails. What's your favorite form of exercise?
I can't do a lot these days, but when I can, I prefer to do to yoga. If it's summer, I like to try to get to the beach as much as I can.
4) Mahler could be difficult to work with because when it came to his music, he was a stickler over even the most minor details and wouldn't give an inch. Would you rather work as part of a team or on your own?
Not gonna lie, I would much rather work on my own, unless I had an amazing partner who was always on the same wavelength as me. Like Hubs.
5) This week's featured artist, Leonard Bernstein, said his father didn't want him to pursue music. Instead the elder Bernstein wanted his son to either join the family business (a beauty supply company) or become a rabbi. Did your family try to influence your choice of career?
My father did, even though he's complained bitterly about his father doing that to him for his entire life. He's still doing that, at age 80! I wanted to go into genetics when I was in college, and I was talking on the phone to my dad about it one day, and he gave me a stern warning about it basically being against our his religion cult, and I took it seriously enough not to further pursue genetics. I'm still a bit disappointed that I didn't go into genetics, but it's okay because I did get what I wanted: a loving family.
6) Bernstein's best-known work is West Side Story. Without looking it up, can you name a song from this beloved Broadway classic?
I cannot.
7) Born in Lawrence, MA, Bernstein "went home" when he performed with the Boston Symphony Orchestra at Tanglewood in Lenox, MA. Tanglewood has played host to a variety of musical artists. In 2022, Ringo Starr, Bonnie Raitt, and James Taylor all performed there (with James Taylor scheduled to return this summer, as well). What's the first concert you ever attended?
I can't remember if it was Whitney Houston or Bon Jovi that came first. Both were around the same time period. I do remember that Whitney was supposed to be at the Great New York State Fair, but she got rained out and wasn't going to take the chance with her voice (it was an outside venue), so her concert was rescheduled, and we went to that one as a family of six. For Jon Bongiovi and crew, it was just the four of us girls, probably when I was much too young to be learning what a "contact high" was - and getting one.
8) In 1968, when Bernstein released this album, a sitcom called Mayberry R.F.D. premiered. It was a spin off of the highly successful Andy Griffith Show, which ran from 1960 to 1968 and is still broadcast and streamed today. Were you an Andy Griffith Show fan?
Ehh, I guess. I don't seek it out, but if it's on at 3 AM and I'm alone in a hospital bed and can't sleep, it's a good way to pass the time. I'm not an anti-fan, I just dont' seek it out.
9) Random question: When people ask for your advice, what do they usually ask you about?
Usually it's either knitting or crochet, or parenting, especially of LGBTQ kiddos. Other stuff sometimes, but mostly that. Oh, and if they're one of my kids, then doing their taxes.
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Probably no one will read this, but if you did, thanks for stopping by and have a delightful week!
Fin.
Hey, everyone! I hope you're all having a good weekend. Right now, it is an exceedingly rainy Friday here on Maryland's Eastern Shore. Not necessarily great for our "anniversary B" date night tonight, but maybe good for the outside plants. I suppose we're seeing the oncoming hints of spring, which I will not ever complain about.
♥ Today is also my mommy's birthday. Happy birthday, Mama. If she hadn't died suddenly at 33 years old in 1984, then she would maybe be 72 today. I miss her every day of my life. ♥
Well, I'm going to get into it with Elton about Saturday Night. Wanna play? Link up here, too. Let's roll.
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Saturday 9: Saturday Night's Alright (1973)
Ladies and gents and everyone who identifies as both, neither, or something entirely else: welcome back! I love this song, as sung by Chaka Kahn in Waiting to Exhale. I like Old Blue Eyes' version of it, too, but I haven't heard it as much. I'll give it a listen in a moment, as should you.
Do you have Valentine's Day plans this year? Galentine's Day? Something else? All is fair. Rob and I are going out for dinner on the 17th for our "anniversary B," instead of on V-day, but it's still up in the air where we're going. I think we have reservations at three different places!
Time to get into the nitty-gritty here. Link up here if you're playing along this weekend. Let's go:
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Saturday 9: My Funny Valentine (1953)
Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.
1) In this song, Frank sings that his lover is his favorite work of art. Tell us about a piece of artwork you can see from where you're sitting now. (Yes, that crayon drawing by your 5-year-old nephew counts.)
I'd have to say it's this faux-mantel 8-foot beam I asked Hubs to put up in my office this year for our stockings. We do Christmas in here, and we had nowhere to put our stocking last year, so I wanted to change that. He did a great job hanging it, and it's a lovely piece of wood. Plus now I can hang different, fun pom-pom garlands and put other stuff on top when it's not Christmas. That's my story, and I'm stickin' to it.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/FiaUetCtS-4
Oh! Art! I have tons of my kid's art right here in this computer. There's a little animation of it at that link on YouTube, which for some reason I can't embed here. Have a look if you'd like.
2) He asks her to not change her hair. When will you next find yourself in the stylist's chair?
I do not know. My hair currently does not grow. Like hardly at all. The fact I could get it in this little tiny ponytail blows my everlovin' mind.
3) Sinatra is often photographed in hats because he began losing his hair while in his 30s. He wore a "rug" for TV, concert and film appearances but really didn't like it, considering the toupee merely part of his work attire. What do you wear when you wish to appear professional?
What do you mean, like "hospital chic," here? That's about the extent of my professional development these days. Hey wait, these hospital gowns are on to something... off to search.
4) Sinatra is best known for his singing and won an Oscar for his acting. But not many people know he liked to paint until his widow sold his paintings at auction. Do you have a secret talent?
I don't know if I have any secret talents worth selling at auction! I'm good with fiber and paper arts, and I try my hand at photography, but I do these for my own enjoyment -- and if someone else appreciates them, too, hey, great, fantastic. Bully for me, but I wasn't going for that.
5) As a kid, he was a paperboy in his hometown of Hoboken, NJ. Tell us about one of your early jobs.
When I was 15, I got a job at the small grocery store across from my dad's office building. I loved working there, I found, because the customers really brought out the hidden extroverted side of me. One of my customers, whose name I no longer remember, was a legitimate lumberjack, and he wore the requisite get-up every time I saw him, as above. (Lots of red plain flannel shirts. Lots of Carhartt overalls and hats. Gigantic-ass beard.) He had a big smile, shiny blue eye, a heart of gold, and a soft spot for me. If I was working when he came in, he'd always come through my line. I loved him. Granted, I was 15-16-17 and he was probably triple my age when I started here, so this wasn't that kind of "I loved him." I just really enjoyed him as a customer. He was so sad when he found out I was graduating high school and moving away. He went right over and bought a bunch of lottery tickets and stuffed them into my hands, gave me a hug, and left with little good-bye. Makes me wonder if he was a little teary. I probably was.
I wonder if I had the heart to tell him I wasn't old enough for those tickets.
This is the last Saturday 9 before ♥ Valentine's Day ♥ and so this morning we shall focus on the upcoming holiday.
6) The holiday is also known as The Feast of St. Valentine. Do you have a special meal planned for Tuesday?
No, not really. We generally do little for each other for V-day and celebrate our "Anniversary B" three days later on the 17th, as I said in my intro.
7) The phrase "wear your heart on your sleeve" began in medieval times. On Valentine's Day, men would celebrate the holiday by displaying their lady love's name on their sleeves. If you were going to adopt this custom, whose name would you wear?
You mean this fool? That would be hubs, mugging into my phone's camera, which was open when he came 'round. Goon.
8) Women buy and send more Valentines than men do. Who received the last greeting card you sent?
I really can't remember. I'm on the Paper Hugs Team at Mama Dragons, a wonderful organization serving the mamas of LGBTQIA youth, and I send so many cards I'd be hard-pressed to try and remember the last one I sent. Someone who was having a birthday, that's what I can say.
9) Sweethearts, those candy hearts with sayings like "BE MINE" stamped on them, began as throat lozenges. Are you fan of these little candies?
I'll eat them... if there's nothing else to eat. They're way better than candy corn, that's for damn sure. Come at me, bro!
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Well that was fun. Somehow on YouTube I've moved on from Frankie, gone through a bunch of old Michael Jackson songs, and now I've got Freddie Mercury and the boys crooning "Bohemian Rhapsody" at me. Not a bad way to end a post and go gently into that good night. (Well, it's 5 AM, about time I tried to catch at least 23 winks.) Take care, y'all, and enjoy your weekends!
Fin.
Happy Saturday, friends, neighbors, and kids of all ages! I'm getting a lah-haaaate start today. I've battled daily migraines for more than my entire adult life, save for a couple of years around when I had my youngest kiddo, and this last week has brought some of the worst in a long while. Seriously bad. But anyway, whatever; I'm here now, the woman of the hour, and you can all sit down and stop clapping now. Seriously, it's embarrassing.
I jest, I kid, I joke, I josh.
I hope you've all had ridiculously wonderful weeks well worth the wait! And now let's jump into the reason we're all here. Link up here if you're joining us this weekend. Away we go:
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Saturday 9: Beautiful (2005)
Hello, my lovelies. It's another Saturday morning, and this time we have Judy Garland singing a tune I have not heard before. I'm going into YouTube momentarily to rectify that. You should, too.
Meanwhile, I have had a busy week, medically speaking. Monday had me at a new cardiologist (I liked him, and now I'm wearing a Holter monitor); Tuesday I visited my pain management specialist, who was in rare spirits; Wednesday I missed my primary care appointment out of exhaustion (it's tough being a spoonie, I tell ya); Thursday, I tore something horribly in my right shoulder; and Friday, I saw my psychiatrist, and I scheduled surgery on my left shoulder. And behold, it was good.
It's a thrilling social life I lead. Apart from that nonsense, we have S9. Please link up here if you're joining us today! Let's do it.
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Saturday 9: On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe (1946)
Hello, people! I hope you are well.
Okay, I am excited, because "Kiss" by Prince is one of my all-time favorite songs and performances. I love it so much, so I'm thrilled to be doing this week's questionnaire on it.
Are you joining us? If not, you should, and link up here, too. Let's go!
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Saturday 9: Kiss (1986)
Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.
1) In this week's song, Prince insists there's no particular sign he's more compatible with. Do you take astrology seriously?
No, not at all. I mean, I am a virgo and fit a LOT of the virgo profile, but a lot not. I find it to be fluff, just for fun, and sometimes nonsense. No offense to anyone; my beliefs are often treated the same way and, well, that's life.
2) He tells his prospective lover there's no need to be flirty. Are you a good flirt?
Sometimes yes, and sometimes I'd be a complete dumbass and say the stupidest stuff.
3) He refers to the nighttime soap opera Dynasty. Were you a fan?
I didn't really watch Dynasty, but I did watch Falcon Crest sometimes. Mainly because Lorenzo Lamas was so damn cute.
4) "Kiss" was recorded at Sunset Sound Recorders in Hollywood. Built by Walt Disney Studio, it's the studio where the soundtracks to Mary Poppins and 101 Dalmatians were recorded. When you think of Disney movies, what's the first song that comes to mind?
I first thought of "Kiss the Girl" from The Little Mermaid. I love this song - and the video (and the movie)!
5) Prince said he was "obsessed" with Mozart and read everything he could find about the master. Do you often read biographies? If yes, who was the last one about?
I do not read a lot of them, actually. This one, by Ellen, is probably the last one I read - more than 20 years ago!
6) He loved snacking while watching a movie in the theater and would mix Goobers (chocolate-covered peanuts) with his popcorn. When you go to the movies, do you visit the concession counter?
Often, yes, if I've got the spare Ben Franklin. I usually get a giant Diet Coke, a gigantic tub of popcorn for the kids, and I really like to get Sno-Caps at the movies.
7) In 1986, when this song was popular, Peewee's Playhouse premiered. While ostensibly for children, this show had many, many adult viewers. Do you ever watch kids' shows today?
Not currently, but I did a lot when my kids wer a lot younger. My favorite was (and still is) Disney's "Phineas and Ferb," which had so many clever lines and jokes in it.
8) Also in 1986, Sears shoppers were painting their interior walls with "Country Clover," a pale beige with a hint of pink. What color is the room you're in right now?
Like most of the house, it's white. White, white, white. Progress moves slowly.
9) Random question: Do you enjoy pressing the pedal to the metal and driving fast?
I do, and the line of speeding tickets in my wake proves it. Autobahn, here I come!
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Well, folks, that's the end. Hope you all have a great week coming up. kisses
Fin.
If you ever read Huff Post, you might already be familiar with this, but if not, I'm going to share with you:
Each Saturday, they run a list of the "Funniest Tweets From Women," and I usually get a kick out of a good many of those. I've often posted my list on Facebook, but as I'm posting less and less there, I'm going to reclaim this blahg as my main space and put them here instead. This is just a list of my favorites from their list, so I'll also link you to their list each week. Enjoy!
<>< <>< <>< <>< <><
From @omgskr: "My mom’s 60-something friend was set up with a 67-year-old guy who is 'not looking for anything serious' in case you think that ever ends"
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As a mom, this one from @muna_mire absolutely killssss me: "I went on a hike with my mother and when she saw a chipmunk eating an acorn she shook her head and said 'he’s making a big mess'"
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@brittymigs offers: "No piece of comedy is as funny as your friend accidentally saying a word a little bit wrong" - and is that not the truest thing ever?! Truer still if it's your husband, I'd venture to say.
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This one from @missmayn isn't actually funny, per se, but I agree with it so much I'm adding it here: "it's actually crazy we figured out how to grow real diamonds that are cheaper and better quality than the real thing and so many people are still like, no thanks the suffering is what makes it special." Tsk tsk, people.
<>< <>< <>< <>< <><
@feederofcats tweeted: "just saw a kid in petsmart with his hands and face pressed against an adoptable cat's glass cage telling the cat they need to "form a plan" because his mom said no and whispering his full home address to the cat. i think the kids will be alright" melt
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@sleepyem1 has an idea I can totally get down with: "fuck wine tasting is soup tasting a thing??? trying loads of soups with fresh bread??? please??? anyone else???" - Right?!!!
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@KellyOhlert, a romance author, tells us, "Grandma: I checked your book out from the library, but I wrinkled it a little bit before I returned it, so people would know it's popular. I'm retiring from marketing. Grandma is taking over." I giggled profusely.
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Welp, that's my favorites for the week. Did you see any that particularly tickled you?
Have a good one.
Fin.
Hello, guys and gals! It's Friday, the 13th of January, which means we're doing a spooky, freaky, scary post. Or no, we're just doing "Hurting Each Other" by The Carpenters, siblings Karen and - "hey guys? Does the brother have a name, too?" - Richard. I don't believe I'd heard this song before, but I'm listening to it and many other new-to-me Carpenters songs right now and loving them. Thanks, Samantha.
Hope y'all have had a great week. Mine's been interesting, but maybe I'll actually do some separate posts later. ::cough:: yeah,right ::cough::
So, link up here if you're joining us this weekend. Please do! And off we go.
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Saturday 9: Hurting Each Other (1972)
Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.
1) This week's song was written by Gary Geld and Peter Udell, who also wrote 1962's "Sealed with a Kiss." What was in the last envelope you sealed?
It was a Paper Hug, of which team I am a member in the Mama Dragons. MDs is a wonderful organization that does so much good for mamas of LGBTQ+ youth, and I'm proud to do my part to help. You can learn more about them here, if you'd like.
2) In "Hurting Each Other," Karen Carpenter sings she wishes she and her lover could stop making each other cry. Have you most recently shed a tear in the last week, the last month, or longer ago than that?
It was today, actually. My 17-year-old youngest child and I went to Walgreens to get our flu and the latest COVID booster shots. Not too terribly long ago and yet it was also forever and two states of domicile ago, this child required half a dozen people to hold them down in order to get their routine vaccines that were due then, and I was ushered out of the room as I almost fainted while they screamed, "STOP! STOP! PLEASE, YOU'RE TRYING TO KILL ME! YOU'RE KILLING ME, STOP, YOU'RE TRYING TO KILL ME!" over the varicella vax or whatever. Today, they didn't even need to hold my hand, and after I casually mentioned this and thought about it, I started welling up right away and had to look away. What a mom; I'm ridiculous!
3) One of the Carpenters' first records was a cover of the Beatles' "Ticket to Ride." Both Karen and Richard were huge fans and nervous about how the Beatles would react to their version. They were thrilled to learn that Paul McCartney responded by saying Karen had "one of the best female voices in the world." Tell us some news you received recently that brightened your day.
This may not seem like so much, but, I've been getting Rob a monthly subscription to Bespoke Post since November 2020, and I personally choose which box he gets and often select add-ons for it. Since we're in the cold months now, I thought I'd be cute - last October 2022, that is - and bring the heat. For Christmas, I gave him a silver candle try with matching silver tools: snuffer, wick trimmer, and wick dipper. I gave him a silver electric lighter, as well as a nice set of "masculine" candles. These items, above, were supposed to come for him in his October box, and I was going to steal them before he saw them, to add to the "heat" theme I was running. But it didn't come in October, or November, or December. There was some issue with my account and our bank, so it's not on them, but I finally got word at the end of December that this Bespoke Post package was on its way. Whew! The large gray cement-y looking thing is a personal, portable fireplace. The yellowish thing he set on top is a burner for incense cones, though they refunded me for the cones after I bought them because they were sold out, instead of substituting for one of the other brands they carry. And the hexagonal thing is a cup for wooden matches with a striker on the side. Heat. Get it?
4) Karen died in 1983, but her musical partner and big brother Richard is still with us. He has said he grew up a big fan Top 40 radio, listening every morning as he got ready for school and every afternoon while doing homework. When you were a kid, did you like to study with music or the TV on? Or would you prefer quiet?
Well I'll be, I'm just like Richard Carpenter. I would study with either the TV on, or the radio (and often it was Casey Kasem's Top 40, also!), and kick ass in school. So I don't want to see any naysaying amongst the lot of ya! Did you naysay? Go back and edit!
5) Karen and Richard spent their teen years in Downey, California. It has the distinction of being home to the nation's oldest, still-operating McDonald's. It's been on the same site on Lakewood Blvd. since 1953. Tell us about a business in your neighborhood that seems to have always been right there, in that spot.
I mean, we've only been right here, in this spot, for 16 months. So I don't rightly know. But there is this crab shack kind of place that looks like it might fit the bill. It isn't open year-round and is sort of an open-when-they-want sort of place, so we've never been in there, but we're extremely curious. Maybe next time they open we can have a stop in.
6) The siblings may have had a squeaky clean public image, but Richard did have a brush with the law while in Downey. The Carpenter family lived for a time in an apartment complex, and one of their neighbors -- a policeman -- objected to Richard "banging on the piano" at all hours. When did you most recently interact with an officer of the law?
It was in April 2021, when I was taking Noah, the afore-mentioned 17yo, out of town to the nearest Uno's for their first taste of that delicious deep dish pizza. I was getting eager - I mean, that CRUST is pure magic! - and, as usual, I have a lead foot. And so I got the blue and red lights behind me eventually, but I managed to talk my way out of it andstill have a special birthday dinner with and for Noah.
7) In 1972, when this song was popular, Mark Spitz was America's premier Olympian, winning seven Gold Medals. A poster of Spitz wearing his red, white and blue swim trunks and all seven medals was a top seller. Can you recall a poster that decorated your bedroom wall when you were a kid?
Nooo, not a single one! I would never have been allowed to put up a poster! My dad would have KILLED me if I'd "ruined" the walls. I was lucky that I was allowed to hang up a calendar!
8) Also in 1972, Liza Minnelli was encouraging us to "come to the cabaret." Without looking it up, do you know who Liza's famous parents were?
Well, I know Mom was Judy Garland, of course, but I can't think who her dad was. Is? Did she even have a dad, or did Judy reproduce by budding, like a hydra? Shoot, now I've got to look it up:
All right, apparently he was Vincente Minnelli. Nope, I didn't know that, never would've known him. Liza looks a lot like him. She looks like both of them, though.
9) Random question: Are you a better student or teacher?
I think, in the right circumstances, I am a good teacher. But for the most part, I am a much better student. Sorry, kids.
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That's it. That's the end. There's no more. I know. I'll miss you too. But it's okay. I'll be back and hopefully, so will you. I've got to go work on the budget some and dig myself out from under all these crazy receipts. Be good, be well, be kind.
Fin.
Welcome one, and welcome all, to the carnage carnival that is my life blahg. Sit right down and buckle up, because away. we. go! We've got another Tom Jones song on tap for you today, and even though it's not "It's Not Unusual," my mind is still doing The Carlton anyway.
So that's always fun.
I don't have much else to report in this particular post, so we're going to jump right into in. Be sure and link up here if you're joining us this week!
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This story still has me cracking up, y'all.
Yesterday, Chloë had to be to work at a certain time, and since I hadn't heard from her - which was unusual for us - by an hour before then, which would be when she would normally leave to get there, I called her. And woke her up. Oops!
She asked if I could please give her a ride to work, and since she's got some severe plantar fasciitis happening, of course I obliged.
Since Rob was at the emergency room with our youngest offspring, and Jack was at school, I quickly got into some "going out" clothes, grabbed my keys, phone, and purse, and headed out solo. I never, ever, drive alone these days. Separate story.
Anyway, it wasn't long before I realized I was DWDC - Driving Without Diet Coke. This was an impairment to my cognitive function, or at least my physical one, because my damn hand kept reaching for the damn bottle that wasn't there. And since I am in a constant state of dehydration (no, honestly, literally, diagnosed-ly), it quickly becomes a very. big. problem.
I grabbed Chloë, and we headed to her job, a very well-known fast food joint. Along the way, I forget why specifically, I was telling her about when I was full-time mystery shopping, that I was always required to check the quality of the sodas to make sure they had the proper combination of flavoring and carbonation. That was true up and down the line, from fine dining all the way down to fast food, whenever I was required to have a soda. And then we were talking about the restaurants having to switch their CO2 tanks and everything, if the sodas started to come out flat. We had this whole conversation.
So we were bemused when we pulled up to her place of work and tried to park when, all of a sudden, we were suddenly almost backed into by the truck carrying tank after tank of CO2 for their fountain drinks. Of course everything always happens that way, right? You talk about something, or hear it for the first time, or whatever, and suddenly it's everywhere.
So Chloë said she would go in and get me a Diet Coke, after we took note of the CO2 truck... and came out a minute later holding a cup, a straw, and a doubting look on her face. She told me, "Okay, before you drink this, let me just tell you that they're messing around with the carbonation at the fountains in there, and something just isn't right, so they've got tons of 2-Liter bottles of Coke and Diet Coke and everything, and that's what they're pouring the drinks from."
I laughed. "That's from a 2-Liter bottle of Diet Coke?"
"Yes. Oh, and the guy pouring it just dumped it in, instead of pouring it slowly, so I don't know about the carbonation here, either."
I reassured her, "It's okay, I'm sure it's fine."
Then I took the cup and had a big gulp, because I was enormously thirsty. And it was flat as could be. Never had flatter. If the expression on my face hadn't already told her so, I confirmed it with my words. And then Chloë tasted it for herself and agreed.
She had to be to work in just a few minutes, so when she asked me what I wanted to do, did I want a new one, I started fretting aloud: "Oh, mannnn! I don't know! Um, um, um, I don't want to make you late, but it's really... but I do appreciate it, but it's ahhh, WHAT WOULD JESUS DO?"
And this child shot right back, "Well, honestly, I think Jesus would just suck it up."
I died laughing inside, pounded the steering wheel with my forehead, and choked out, "Oh no, she just told me to suck it up!" I kept giggling as she attempted a retraction.
"No, it's fine. I'm grateful. I'll be grateful. Go to work."
And she did.
And I drank the whole thing. Scout's honor.
Fin.
P.S. Rob disagreed when I told him later. He said Jesus would just have stuck his finger in the coke and carbonated it himself.
Hi everyone! Y'all ready for Christmas? We're almost there. Just a few things left to get, a few ornaments left to put up. I'm not sure we'll have any food that day, but we'll survive. Ha!
This weekend's offering is all about "The Christmas Song" from Ricky Nelson - yes, he of "Ozzie & Harriet" fame. I love this song; it's one of my favorite Christmas carols. What about you?
Link up here if you're joining us this weekend.
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Saturday 9: The Christmas Song (1964)
Howdy-ho, neighbors! This weekend's post focuses on this song, Just Because, by Elvis Presley. This is significant to me because I grew up with a dad who absolutely idolized the man (and, I'm sure, still does) and could do a mean impression of him as well. My dad could sing well, could do the moves, and even had some of the requisite attire to make the whole thing convincing. Of course, I've heard every Elvis song ever, 50,000 times over, backward and forward... right?
I had not ever heard this song before.
So, my friends, link up here if you want to join us this weekend. Read on for my answers. Thank you, Crazy Sam, for dusting this one off for me (okay, us)! Let's hit it:
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Saturday 9: Just Because (1956)
Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.
1) In this week's song, Elvis complains that his girl has confused him with Santa Claus. This time of year, Santa is prominent. Did you more recently hear Santa referred to in a song, see him in a holiday decoration or ad, watch him in a film or TV show, or maybe even met him in person, ringing a bell or asking kids if they have been naughty or nice?
Yes, we've been listening to a lot of Christmas carols lately as we work through the activities in our Advent calendar. Santa features prominently in these, of course.
2) Finally Elvis just can't take it anymore and breaks up with her, just because. Is there anyone in your life who has a way of pressing your buttons and getting on your nerves?
That's probably true for everyone, I'm guessing.
3) "Just Because" is one of the last songs Elvis recorded at Sun Studio in Memphis. TripAdvisor recommends a Sun Studio tour as one of the top things to do in Memphis. Have you ever been to Memphis? If yes, what did you do?
I've only ever driven through Memphis, and also Nashville, and also half a dozen times Chattanooga. I have stayed in Gatlinburg. Memphis would be an interesting trip, though.
4) Elvis left Sun for RCA, a much bigger record label. As part of the deal, RCA negotiated for the rights to all his unreleased Sun songs. "Just Because" is one of them, and it was included on Elvis' first RCA album. Have you gotten a good deal on anything lately?
I get a good deal on just about everything. Like the SodaStream I got for Chloë for Christmas, I paid nowhere near full price, nor did I pay full price for the flavors for it, nor will I ever! And she'll be so thrilled to have it, so win-win!
5) In 1956, when "Just Because" was released, non-stick cookware was first introduced. Do you have any Teflon in your kitchen right now?
No way in hell!
6) Elvis thought peacocks were beautiful and commissioned stained glass peacock panels for his living room. Do you have any stained glass in your home?
No, but I certainly do wish! It's so beautiful.
7) He tried to keep peacocks at Graceland. One of the birds saw its reflection in Elvis' gold Cadillac and started pecking, ruining the car's expensive paint job. Elvis donated the peacocks to the Memphis Zoo. Have you ever had a bird as a pet?
Well not exactly pets, but we used to keep chickens when we lived in Idaho for the eggs, and the five of us each had "our" specific chickens that we felt we belonged to and were particularly attached to. I loved those chickens. Here, we're not allowed to have any because of our HOA rules, even though the town would allow three, which makes me want to be a scofflaw and keep ducks. They don't say anything about ducks.
8) Elvis decorated the long Graceland driveway for the holidays with blue lights. His father teased that with the airport nearby, pilots might confuse their driveway with a runway. What airport is nearest your home?
I believe the nearest major airport is Baltimore International, although we have tons of regional ones between there and here.
9) When Elvis was alive, he kept the holiday lights up until January 9, the day after his birthday. That tradition continues at Graceland today. Conventional etiquette tells us Christmas decorations should go up the day after Thanksgiving and come down before January 6 (the 12th day of Christmas). Do you think it's ever too early, or too late, for Christmas decorations?
Well, for stores and other commercial enterprises, yeah, I kinda think there is a limit for too-early/too-late. But for private families and people, I think, who gives a rat's behind? Let people do what makes them happy! So what if Joe Schmoe at the end of the block likes to keep his lights up until the end of March and put them up again after Halloween? What's it to me? I don't pay his light bill and it's honestly kind of pretty. I'm of more of a laissez-faire kind of mind about that for private citizens.
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Welp, that's all folks! Back to wrapping presents with Chloë, my eldest! Seems like the job will never be done, but that's not a complaint! I'm grateful for the abundance, always grateful.
Have a wonderful week on purpose, everybody! ♥
Fin.