MelaniePenelope

Saturday 9: My Sharona

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Hello, and welcome to my domain. I'm glad you're here!

I'm much later here than I had intended to be, but that's probably because Chloë was over into the wee hours last night, and she, Noah, and I were playing Song Quiz with Alexa on our Echo Pop. If I recall correctly, last night we had pretty miserable scores but still lots of fun.

If you're new here, you should join us! Link up here if you choose to do the questionnaire. I hope you will!

Let's go:

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Saturday 9: My Sharona (1979)

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

 

1) The Knack's lead singer Doug Fieger wrote this song for his girlfriend, Sharona Alperin. That's Sharona on the record sleeve shown here. Who took the most recent photo of you?

 

 

Probably me! I hate having my picture taken, so I'm usually pretty careful about how it's done. (And I don't do the duckface - everyone stop duck-facing, already!!)

 

2) Today Sharona Alperin is a realtor in Southern California. (The photo on her website is more demure than the record sleeve.) She specializes in high-end properties. Have you ever attended an open house, not because you were interested in purchasing the property but because you were curious about the inside?

 

I haven't, no, but I know that it's "a thing." Or that people go just for the fancy hors d'oeuvres.

 

3) Doug Fieger's brother is Geoffrey Fieger, a prominent attorney in Detroit. Have you ever consulted a lawyer?

 

Oh, yes. We've had to several times. Mostly property claims stuff, though. Nothing too exciting for somebody else.

 

4) The Knack's record producer was Jimmy Miller, who also worked with The Rolling Stones. What's your favorite Rolling Stones song?

 

 

I had to go through my head (and YouTube a little bit), but I think I've decided on "You Can't Always Get What You Want." It's pretty dope, as is this video. You should give it a look, if you haven't already.

 

5) In 1994, more than a decade after its initial release, "My Sharona" became popular with a new audience because it was included on the soundtrack of the movie Reality Bites. What's the most recent movie you watched?

 

 

We're in the middle of an Adam Sandler & Jennifer Aniston movie right now on Netflix, so I don't know if I can say "watched," but it's been a few days since we had to pause. Nevertheless, that movie is: Just Go With It. It's a good one; I'm enjoying it, except the little girl in it is as annoying as hell.

 

6) President George W. Bush said he loved listening to "My Sharona" on his headphones while riding his bike. Do you often have music on when you exercise?

 

No. When I exercise, it's usually under direct supervision of my physical therapist, being raised and lowered in a chair into the pool to work, and then if there's music on when I'm in the pool, I wouldn't be able to hear her at all.

 
7) In 1979, when this song was popular, the CBS TV show Alice was a hit. It was about a widowed mom who made ends meet working in a diner. Have you ever worked at a restaurant?

 

 

No, not exactly. While I did my internship at Mote Marine Lab, I moonlighted in events catering at the upscale beach & tennis resort The Colony on Longboat Key off of Sarasota, Florida. Sadly, it is no longer, but I had a ball working there. 

 

8) Also in 1979, the Voyager spacecraft sent back photos of Jupiter and its rings. Without looking it up, can you name all the planets in our solar system?

 

Sure thing. Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune (and the dwarf planet, sniff, sniff, Pluto). No problem!

9) Random question: If you could erase your most painful day from your memory, would you do it?

 

ABSO-FRIGGING-LUTELY. Easily the worst ten. Maybe a hundred. Hell, I might go for a full 10 years if you let me.

 

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Well, I hope you all are having a super day. I plan on it, too!  Oh, and I liked Alice, too. Only since I'm a Melanie, I got a lot of "Mellll, kiss my grits!" from my older sister. Didn't mind too much.

 

Fin.

 

Saturday 9: Diana

Hello, everybody! I missed you last week. I would've done it early, but I've been so tired lately. Saturday, Hubs and I were out all day at the Ocean City Taco Festival, which was, in our opinion, kinda mediocre. Would we go again? Probably. Should they change a bunch of things? Definitely. However, the point was going out and doing something fun together, and to that end, we met the goal.

I hope you are all doing well. If you're new around here, WHY would you start with me?! And link up here to join the fracas.

Let's do this again, right now. okay?

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Saturday 9: Diana (1957)

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

1) Legend has it that Paul Anka wrote this song about his favorite babysitter. In your younger days, did you make a little extra money as a sitter?

 

Oh definitely, yes. And I had my "favorites" too, from the kids I watched. Crazy now that those kids are all well grown and off on their own, too!

 

2) Paul sings he doesn't care what "they" say about his love for an older girl. Have you ever had a romantic relationship that your friends or family didn't approve of?

 

Absolutely. For instance, I have had several interracial relationships that got me in hot water. The first one, I tried to keep under wraps. My stepmother found out about it and that I was planning on going with him to my Senior Ball. She told my dad, who said he wouldn't send me to college if I went anywhere with him. So I didn't go to the Senior Ball... even though we stayed together and eventually got engaged (which ran its course, but not before I wrote my award-winning poem based on our time together). I don't know why I didn't retort to my dad that he wasn't sending me so much as my grades and test scores were sending me.

3) Paul was once a choirboy, singing with the St. Elias Antiochian Orthodox Cathedral choir in Ontario. Have you ever performed with your church choir?

 

 

I wish. My church didn't have a choir. And when I was an adult and got out of that cult, yes cult, and joined something a bit healthier and mainstream-ier with Hubs, I wasn't brave enough to try to join. Ehh, bygones.

4) When Paul was 15, he left Ontario to find fame and fortune in New York. He had $100 in his pocket, a gift from his uncle. Tell us about someone in your life who who believed in you and encouraged you.

 

 

In high school, my Spanish teacher was Señora O. (She is now Doctora O., yay!!) We often wrote in journals and had other stuff going on, and she really could see and read both the lines and between the lines and understood that some pretty bad stuff was going on at home. What with her brilliance as an educator, her intuitiveness as my teacher, and her gentleness as sort of a motherly influence I needed in my life, Señora really made me feel like what I was doing - going on to college, continuing to practice my Spanish, moving on with my life, etc. - were worthwhile and not a waste of time. That I was worthwhile and not a waste of time. I love her, and I'm proud to call Dra. O. my friend today.

5) Paul seldom gets credit for one of his most familiar compositions: the theme to The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. Since Johnny retired in 1992, The Tonight Show has been hosted by Jay Leno, Conan O'Brien, and Jimmy Fallon. Which of these Tonight Show hosts is your favorite?

 

 

I'd long since had enough of Jay Leno before he retired. I loved O'Brien on his show and might have loved him on The Tonight Show if he'd really been granted the time to be there! But I think Jimmy Fallon's really "got it." He's doing it right and I'm happy with him staying as long as he likes.

6) In 1978, Paul Anka hired Las Vegas' first female bartender for his restaurant, Jubilation. Where did you most recently dine out?

 

 

Haa, I'm going to have to say the Taco Fest. (This was one of Rob's.) Otherwise, it's been quite a while since we've been out to eat, unless you want to count hitting up the ol' Taco Bell for a couple of chalupas. (Not the same day!)

 

7) In 1957, when "Diana" was a hit, Wham-O began producing Frisbees. The toy was a massive success, even outselling the hula hoop. Do you enjoy tossing a Frisbee?

 

 

Yeah, I enjoy tossing a Frisbee... Now, catching a Frisbee really isn't my speed. Not so good at that.

8) Also in 1957, the book Peyton Place was made into a blockbuster film. Book lovers often say that, no matter what, the movie is never as good as the book. Do you think that's true?

 

 

Generally, yes! I'm sure I've ranted and raved somewhere here before about Jodi Picoult's book My Sister's Keeper and the number the movie did on that. UGHHH. Contrarily, I adored the Hunger Games movie trilogy and couldn't be bothered to slog through the books, which I found tedious. So I'd say about 98% of the time, yes, I agree.

9) Random question: This Saturday, the treat's on Sam. Will you have buttered popcorn, caramel corn or cheese popcorn?

 

Thank you, Sam. I will have buttered, please. On the rare occasion, cheese.

 

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Well, Hubs is off to Annapolis today to get a part for his truck, one kid might be going with him, I've got to take the other to work later, and that leaves me, taking a bath, painting my nails, and reading one of our Japan travel guides. And then probably getting distracted by 37 things at once. You all have a lovely weekend!

 

Fin.