MelaniePenelope

Saturday 9: Drive To You

Howdy-hey, pardners. I'm excited about this week's offerings featuring one of my favorite artists from way back, Jewel! I've been listening to Jewel for over 25 years, since my college years. My BFF introduced us. Are you a fan?

I took a long nap this afternoon/evening and now I'm worried about being able to sleep tonight. But I have to, because the Maryland Folk Festival is this weekend, all weekend, and I don't want to miss a drop! With that said, link up here if you're playing along this weekend, and I'm going to jump right in!

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Saturday 9: Drive to You (2006)

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

1) In this song, Jewel sings that she can't sleep and is staring at the ceiling. Did you fall asleep easily last night?

Yes, and no. I couldn't stay asleep. I woke up at least three times, and finally, on the last time, I went out to my office to work on some Cricut projects. Hopefully I didn't wake any of the others.

2) She concludes that the only thing to do is drive to her lover's side. Last time you got behind the wheel, where were you headed?

I'm pretty sure I went to pick up Chloë, our eldest, and bring her to work or bring her to our house from work.

3) Jewel grew up in Alaska. Have you ever visited our largest state?

Not yet. My husband really wants to go, so I can see us going in the future sometime.

4) She once performed at the Sydney Opera House, which is more than 7,300 miles away from Anchorage. There are no direct commercial flights between those two cities. Given your choice, would you rather spend less on travel but have to change flights, or spend more and fly non-stop to your destination?

Given the choice, I would always save money and have multiple flights.

5) Actor Sean Penn developed a crush on Jewel after seeing her perform on TV and attended many of her concerts during her 1995 tour. What's the best concert you ever saw?

There have been lots of cool concerts, but seeing Blue Man Group was absolutely one of the most memorable.

6) She married Ty Murray, a successful rodeo cowboy. Have you ever attended a rodeo?

Not a chance. Animal welfare reasons top the list of why not.

7) In 2006, the year "Drive to You" was released, Al Lewis died. He was best known as Grandpa on The Munsters. It's time for you to declare where you stand on this issue: do you prefer The Munsters or The Addams Family?

I think The Munsters take the edge for me, just a wee bit. I just got a bigger kick out of them.

8) 2006 was a very good one for tennis pro Roger Federer. He reached the finals in all four Grand Slam tournaments, and won three. What's the last game you won? (Yes, Wordle counts.)

I've been really into the game Connections from The New York Times. It's fun, it's quick, it's challenging. Very fun.

9) Random question: Using one word, how would you describe 2024 so far?

FLYING! I can't believe I've started my Christmas shopping already! That's wild. It was just literally Christmas 6½ minutes ago, I swear. Insane. This year is FLYING by. Amirite?

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Y'all take care and have a wonderful weekend!

Fin.

Saturday 9: Minute By Minute

Hello, my friends! Here it is, 9:30 AM on Saturday. I had planned on playing Friday afternoon, but the day got away from me. The day always gets away from me! Does that happen to you often, too?

By the way, I was listening to the main song just now, on YouTube as directed, and then went into more Doobie Brothers songs, and apparently one chonky porky Tapioca puppy didn't appreciate my choice in music. Too bad, Sis! Do you see that side-eye? LOL.

Make sure you're linking up here if you're playing with us this weekend! It's a blast, you'll love it.

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Saturday 9: Minute by Minute (1979)

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

1) It's easier to keep track of the minutes if your timepiece has a second hand. As you answer these questions, are you wearing a watch or can you see a clock that has a second hand?

I don't wear a watch, because I usually get ridiculous contact dermatitis whenever my skin and an object get wet and are held together for a length time, ie., from handwashing. I couldn't wear my wedding rings for a long time. So I mostly look at my phone. Sometimes I'll ask Alexa. The clock on my shelf needs new batteries. I do have a dive watch exactly like the picture, good ol' Seiko, but I don't do a lot of SCUBA diving these days. I should just get it out and wear it sometimes anyways.

2) In this song, Michael McDonald admits he knows his girl has lied to him. Do you suspect any one of your friends/family has fibbed to you recently?

I do suspect it. And I suspect it - such a big lie of major importance - so strongly that I have unfriended, unfollowed, blocked, booted, and otherwise abandoned our friendship in every available way that I can think of thus far.

3) McDonald's big break came in 1973 when he joined Steely Dan's touring band. What do you consider your first professional success?

Well, that's hard to say, since I left marine science academia so long ago and became "Mom." Hm, so first professional success there? Oh, I don't know. I got it - all three kids said "mama" before "dada," even though the latter is easier and therefore usually first to be said. Hee.

4) In 1975 he joined The Doobie Brothers. He was originally supposed to be a temporary replacement for Tom Johnston, but he ended up working with the band uninterrupted for seven years. Tell us about something that's happened to you that turned out better than you anticipated.

(can't get the other one to load)

We recently took in my friend's two bigger dogs - and, briefly, my friend - while she searches for new digs for herself. Rob jokingly wants to rename the dogs "chaos" and "mayhem," but they're sweet, and even our autistic son who was all "hell no" about them coming is having a blast bonding with them. So it's going okay, thankfully.

5) In 1986 he guest starred on an episode of The Young and The Restless. Have you ever been hooked on a daytime drama?

When I was a kid I watched whatever my older sisters watched, so yeah. The main one was Guiding Light. IYKYK

6) Michael and wife Amy raised their family near Nashville, where they had their own pond and a garden they lovingly tended. Do you enjoy yard work?

NO! I spent too many of my childhood days picking up rotten apples (we lived on an old orchard that had been divvied up) and leaves and pine cones and pine straws (shoving them all into plastic trash bags, no less, which of course I now would never do and am horrified I had to), weeding like nobody's business - still don't hate dandelions like my dad does - tending to the veggie garden and occasionally the flowers, pruning, etc. Which is fine and all, but that doesn't mean I liked it! We're hoping soon to break ground in our backyard for a fruit/veggie/flower garden (gotta think of those pollinators), so I'm hoping to turn this black thumb green. Still testing it out on the succulents indoors.

7) In 1979, when "Minute by Minute" was popular, movie star John Wayne died. In 2004, the US Postal Service honored him with a stamp. What was in the last envelope you stamped and dropped in a mailbox?

It was actually a postcard for Postcrossing, with $1.65 in all different denominations of stamps, bound for China. I have international stamps, but some people request different ones than those and now I'm well equipped. It may have been one of the popular Blue Cat cards by Irina Zeniuk; I send out a lot of those.

8) In 1979, the most popular new car was the Oldsmobile Cutlass. Ads promised drivers the Cutlass could make it easy to get in and out of tight parking spots. Are you good at parallel parking?

Umm... In theory I am. I mean, I get the concepts. I'm just really horrible at driving in reverse and also at judging my proximity to the curb. Now that I have three - no, four? - back-up cameras on my spaceship, that does make it a lot easier. However, I hardly ever have to do it, since they don't make a lot of "handicapable" people park that way.

9) Random question: Did you know your great-grandparents?

No, of all the grands and greats, I only knew my mother's parents, and they have been gone for a number of years now. Here are the kids heading back from when we went up to New Jersey for my grandpa's funeral, stopping to eat Carvel ice cream. This was Grandpa's favorite treat, before he was told no more ice cream! and switched to TCBY, so we had to stop and have some Carvel in a hat tip to that dear, departed gent, the finest in the world. Grandma had died roughly a decade earlier and also loved Carvel. ♥ I loved and miss them so incredibly much.

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Fin.