MelaniePenelope

Saturday 9: Do You Want To Dance?

Hello, hello! Welcome to Crazytown. Since the last time I "saw" you, my husband, son, and our pets (kind of a zoo) have arrived in Ocean City. Househunting is still very much under way, but we've found a few favorites. Meanwhile, our realtor is still working on priming and prepping our house in Idaho for sale, which should go live this coming week. I. Cannot. Wait!

Let's get into Sat 9. Link up here if you're playing along today!

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Saturday 9: Do You Want to Dance? (1972)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

This week, we're inspired by The Divine Miss M's plea for a definitive answer. Here are nine random "yes or no" questions. Naturally you're welcome to elaborate, but if you want to zip through with a "Y" or an "N," that's fine, too.

 

1) Do you check your cellphone first thing in the morning?

 

 

Yes, I usually do. I always have a million notifications.

 

2) Are there dirty dishes in your sink right now?

 

 

There are five of us. Someone's always eating or just getting done eating. Like the laundry, the dishes are never fully done.

3) Have you laughed yet today?

 

 

Yep. I'm watching the appropriately-named Shameless on Netflix, and it causes me to erupt in all kinds of laughter and shock. Sometimes both at the same time.

4) Have you written a check in the last week?

 

 

No. That's so 20^th century; I hardly ever write a check anymore.

5) If you met someone who shared all your strengths and weaknesses, would you like him/her?

 

 

I doubt it. I don't know anyone with the amount of neuroses I have, and I'm glad... And that's just for starters!

6) Is a bride ever too old to have a big wedding?

 

 

No? Yes? How should I know? Hubs and I happily eloped, and while it's sometimes fun to daydream about a big wedding I might have had, then I add up the bills of that wedding and am seriously glad we chose elopement all over again.

7) Do you put potato chips in your sandwich to make it crunchy?

 

 

Yes, but while I have been known to do so, I can't remember the last time I ate an actual sandwich.

8) Have you ever taken a nude photo of someone (not a baby)?

 

 

Now we're talking 21^st century. Yes, of course I have. Ha!

9) On Monday, will you be playing Bud and Mimi's cool new meme, Monday Madness? (Our last shameless plug, I promise.)

 

 

I cannot commit to that. I might? I will try if I remember, but remembering is a weak point for me these days.

 

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Well that was fun, y'all! Thanks, Crazy Sam. ♥ Back to Shameless for me, while I contemplate Team O's next move. Over and out!

 

Fin.

Hey there, guys and dolls. I'm still shacking up with my lady children (wait, that sounds wrong) in a fine hotel in Ocean City, Maryland, while our guys are still back in Idaho finishing up the packing and the minor repairs.

We have been suddenly hit with all the feels missing our menfolk and furfolk this week. Maybe it's because Chloë's 19th birthday was on Monday and my birthday was on Tuesday, but we really just needed those guys this week something awful. Rob is hoping to get on the road very soon and let the realtor handle things from there. Fingers are tightly crossed!

I have mad love for Whitney Houston, so I'm glad to see that she's the start of S9 this week. Link up here to join in the fray!

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Saturday 9: So Emotional (1987)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) Whitney sings that she keeps her lover's photo beside her bed. What's on your bedside table?

Well, it's kind of a mess right now, since Chloë and I are sharing the hotel night table. We've got the hotel phone, my ubiquitous Diet Coke can and a toothpick (I'm never without), some Tree Hut Sugarlips lip scrub, both my Versace prescription glasses and my toric contact lenses for some reason, my noise-cancelling headphones, our UV sanitation bag/box/thingy, facial cleansing wipes, travel-size deodorant, cocoa butter lotion from Alba Botanica... you get the picture, right?

2) She's getting frustrated, waiting for the phone to ring. If your phone were to ring right now, who would you expect to be on the other end?

At this stage of my life, it would probably be either a doctor's nurse or a doctor's billing department.

3) The video was filmed at Stabler Arena in Bethlehem, PA. It seats 6,200. As the nation reopens from Covid-19, would you feel comfortable sitting knee-to-knee with a stranger in an arena like this?

Not a snowball's chance in hell!

4) This week's featured artist, Whitney Houston, appeared on the daytime drama As The World Turns. She played herself, performing with Jermaine Jackson at the Miss Cinderella contest in the fictional town of Oakdale. Have you ever been hooked on a soap opera?

Yeah, back in my youth my older sisters watched plenty of soaps, so if I wanted to watch TV, that's what I watched, too. And when no one else was home, I was "required" to watch and then update them when they got home.

5) Whitney had a sweet tooth, and her favorite breakfast cereal was Fruity Pebbles. Do you often eat cereal for lunch or dinner?

I very rarely eat cereal at all anymore, even though I love it. My GI tract rejects it entirely. My favorite cereal is Frosted Mini Wheats, and I miss them!

6) At Whitney's wedding to Bobby Brown, her bridesmaids all wore lavender dresses and the groomsmen had custom made alligator shoes. Have you ever "stood up" for a friend or relative? If so, do you remember what you wore?

I wore a little pastel pink dress when my dad married my stepmother. I forget what I wore when my sister got married. (Sorry, Sis!!) and I wore a silver gown for my best friend Lisa's wedding. I remember the bosom area had to be let out, because I was breastfeeding 9-month-old Chloë at the time.

7) In 1987, the year this song was popular, Cher won the Oscar for Moonstruck. Her most famous line was, "Snap out of it!" When you think of Cher, do you first think of her movies, her TV show, or her music?

When I think of Cher, my first thoughts go immediately to her music in the 80s and 90s - and the costumes that went with it!

8) Michael Douglas won the Oscar that year for Wall Street. His most famous line was, "Greed is good." His character goes on to say that, "Greed in all its forms -- greed for life, for money, for love, for knowledge -- has marked the upward surge of all mankind." Do you agree?

No, absolutely not.

9) Random question: When you woke up this morning, were you ready to get out of bed? Or do you wish you could have snoozed for a bit longer?

No, I was glad to finally wake up today. Chloë had been trying to wake me up for a while, and I was stuck in night terror the entire time. Guess I gotta up the PTSD meds tonight to keep that from happening again. #OverIt!

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It's weird, because I haven't even been awake all that long, and yet I'm already exhausted. Really had wanted to go to the beach today! We'll see. Take care, folks.

Fin.

Saturday 9: Work Hard, Play Harder

Hello, my friends! I hope this Labor Day weekend finds you well and planning some kind of fun and enjoyment. The girls and I plan to go look at someof the houses we have saved on our list, among other things. Can't wait!

As of now, we're in a hotel in Ocean City, Maryland, so tonight we visited the singular house in OC that we had saved to our list.

Y'all. It is a mansion surrounded by other mansions. It is beautiful.

Could we afford it? Yes, definitely. Could we fit in there? That's a whole 'nother ball of wax.

Plus, my oldest kiddo, Chloë, is turning 19 on Monday, so I'm sure we'll have special fun for that day as well.

As for the present, let's dive into S9, shall we? Link up here to play along this weekend!

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Saturday 9: Work Hard, Play Harder (2009)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) We're celebrating the last holiday of summer by going country. Who is your favorite country music artist?

 

 

Not a huge country fan, but one band I do love are The Chicks. Listening to their 2020 song "Gastlighter" again right now.

2) Gretchen Wilson sings that on Tuesdays, she gets up before dawn. This morning, did you awaken on your own, or did you need an alarm clock?

 

 

Oh no. I didn't wake up this morning, period. I'm  such a night owl. My younger daughter, 15-year-old Sophia, woke me up at around 1 pm to take my "morning" meds. Oops.

3) She tells us that she doesn't waste her time on manicures or spay tans. How about you? Have you recently spent any money at the salon?

 

 

Oh no, definitely not. Although my daughters may go do some fun spa things for Chloë's birthday if I can find somewhere observing safe enough protocols.

4) She sings that she's the first to clock in at work. Have you ever worked a job that required you to punch a time clock?

 

Oh yes, many a time clock in my history.

 

5) Gretchen Wilson says she is a big fan of McDonald's and tries to eat there once a day when she's on tour. In terms of sales, America's 3 most popular fast-food lunch destinations are McDonald's, Starbucks and Subway. If you could choose a gift card to one of those three, which would you select?

 

 

All three of us girls say Starbucks would be most welcome right now.

6) Gretchen has endorsed Redneck Riviera Whiskey. What's your favorite adult beverage?

 

 

I like a pretty, well-built mai tai or rum runner with fresh, elaborate garnishes. Piña colada made right is also a good one for me, margarita, strawberry daiquiri, any kind of delicious fruity mixed drinks. Doesn't even matter now that I'm allergic to alcohol and can't drink a lick anymore!

Since this Monday is Labor Day, the holiday established to celebrate the American worker … 
 

7) Approx. 10% of Americans are self employed. Have you ever been your own boss?

 

 

I spent many years evaluating businesses as an indepedent contractor for various companies, essentially being my own boss and having an EIN. I also audited and merchandised some as well, then. Additionally, I owned myt own cake and dessert baking business.

8) According to Monster.com, 50% of workers have left a job to get away from a boss. Are you one of the 50%?

 

 

I don't think so...? I have left a job to get away from another employee, but I don't think I've ever run away from my boss before.

9) Farmers feel the impact of extreme weather events. Have you ever had a job that required you to be outdoors most of the time?

 

 

(Note: This is not my picture, and I do not own the rights to this photo. Also, I don't know who this woman is, but here's a PSA: you should, never, ever, ever pick up the sea animals when you are SCUBA diving, snorkeling, or the like. Look, but don't touch! Many are very fragile, though they may seem hardy enough to handle. Your body chemistry could ruin theirs, for one thing... /PSA)

 

I've had several mostly-outside jobs. When I worked and did my Fisheries internship at Mote Marine Lab, I was out on the water a lot.  The catering job I worked at during that same period was often outside on the beach. And when I moved back to Miami, I worked at a Keys dive shop that required a lot of time out in or near the water. I'm sure there are more, but that's what's coming to me off the top of my head.

 

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So now it's 5:10 PM on Saturday, and I completely forgot to come finish the last two questions earlier today. OOPS!

 

The girls and I looked at that Ocean City house last night that I thought we were going to rule out, but we have most definitely ruled it in. Also, we visited the house that was at the top of my list a little while ago, and we have most definitely ruled that one out. Surprise, suprise!

 

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and are safe from COVID-19, natural disasters, and being a Trump supporter. Hee.

 

Fin.