



9) Random question: Thinking of your past romantic involvements, were you truly in love with one of them, some of them, or all of them?
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)
Hey, y'all! Can you even believe that half the year is gone now? I cannot. I think this whole last year of my last baby's childhood, I'm going to be trying to snatch the days back like money flying in the wind.
Typically, Independence Day is my favorite holiday. But, like I read recently online (I know, I know), I think every American woman and girl should take a knee whenever the national anthem is played right now. So sad. I still like those fireworks though, can't lie.
I'm supposed to be working on my grocery list right now, but until Hubs comes back to check my printer's paper jam for me, I'm doing this, haha. Join us over here at Saturday 9 to get in on the action.
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☼
Hi, everyone! How are you doing? I hope all are well.
Guess what? After nearly two years of living on Maryland's Eastern Shore, I was finally able to get not just to the beach, but down to the water yesterday! I had my husband and my daughter's assistance, along with that of my new four-footed cane that I bought specifically for the sand, and took rests when I needed to. And then Hubs found this information about free beach wheelchairs posted:
So I probably got up to my knees or so. I would've gone much farther (let's face it, I would've let it envelop me and pull me all the way back to my mermaid family, haha), but the water was too cold for Rob and I wouldn't have wanted to make him have to rescue me in it! So other than being exhausted after, I was elated!
Anyway, let's do it:
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Saturday 9: Let Me Love You Tonight (1980)
Hey, friends. I hope you are doing well. We're in something like our 9th week of hotel-living, and I can tell you, we are so over it!!!
But, the sale of our Idaho house is going well, and we should be closing at the end of the month. I'm thrilled it was picked up so quickly. Now, I just hope we can find a new one here in Maryland (or possibly Delaware) at such a great pace!
Link up here if you're playing along with us this week!
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Yes. For my kid's art supplies for a great class she was taking, of the Masters. (Hat tip to Sam.) Otherwise... it hasn't always gone well. I'm out of that game.
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Hope you all have a pretty decent weekend! I'm hoping we get to look at a couple houses and maybe take a day trip somewhere. Where will the road take you...?
Fin.
Hey there, guys and dolls! Welcome back to SSA. I've missed you! I'm hoping that by the end of November, we'll finally be in our forever home here on Maryland's Eastern Shore.
And I'm hoping that it will finally feel like home, not just our house.
Ya dig?
Keep your fingers crossed for us, you fine folks, will you?
As I'm sending good vibes to all of you as we work through fires and storms and COVID-19 and head into winter... <sigh>
Link up here to play along this weekend!
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Stolen from various web sites...
1) Can you cry under water?
I'm not sure I could. Underwater = my happiest happy place.
2) What is the fattest thing you’ve ever done?
Admittedly, I don't entirely understand the intent of this question, but...
Oh, I definitely have a sweet tooth, so I have had trouble cutting out the sweets since they became a big problem for me. The worst is when any of us have a birthday. Rob likes a plain, unfrosted chocolate cake for his birthdays, but most of the rest of us like Carvel ice cream cakes for ours. Since Chloë's birthday is the 7th of September, and mine is the 8th, we often have... kind of a lot of it. I get sick on it every time, but does it stop me??
3) If you’re going to be arrested, what do you want your crime to be?
I've never been arrested, but I admit, I've sort of half-jokingly put it on my Bucket List. If it happens, I want it to be for some kind of protest, whether it be political or, preferably, an environmental cause.
4) When they say dog food is “new and improved” who tastes it?
Well, first of all, I've always had issues with that phrase, "new and improved." If it's new, then what could have been improved upon if it didn't exist before? If it's improved, then it's something old they made better, so how could it be new?
Anyway. I figure, if they're going to find out if dog food is better, they'd better ask the experts: dogs!
5) What’s the ugliest thing you’ve ever seen?
My stepmother was always sarcastic, always sneering, in this unique way that I've only ever seen one other person in my life do. Very much like Cinderella's evil stepmother, here. It was an awful expression that could drain the blood from my face in an instant, because I knew that whatever was coming next would be worse than whatever led up to that point. I don't miss that b**ch.
6.) Why doesn’t glue stick to its bottle?
So there you go!
7) What historical event do you wish you’d witnessed?
Oh my gosh, there are so many things I could have thought of, but the first one I thought of was the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta when Kerry Strug did her vault with a broken ankle. That whole Dream Team was amazing. I would love, love, love to attend the Olympics some day!
8) Who has had the best influence on your life?
I've thunk hard on it, and I keep returning to the one inevitable answer: my husband. No one else in this world has made me look inside myself and really try to be better for someone else and not just for my own sake.
9) Would you rather go into space or to Antarctica?
Space! Although I'd always accept a trip anywhere, almost anytime - pandemics excluded.
10) Would you rather sleep with no pillow or no blankets?
I'd rather live without the pillow. I don't care how hot I am, I need to have certain portions of me covered with a blanket - and I can always use part of it for a pillow!
11) What's your favorite rain memory?
Oh, whenever it rained in the summers in Virginia Beach, when Sophia was two, three, four, five years old... we would go out and jump in the puddles! That little bitty was so excited and happy when she was jumping up and down in those puddles. She was just the the picture of pure joy.
12) If you were elected president, what is the first thing you would do?
First thing I would do is declare a moratorium on fossil fuels. No more coal mines, fracking, oil drilling, none of that. Our reliance on fossil fuels has long overstayed its welcome, and it's killing all of us. That shit's got to end.
13) If you had $3 to spend in the dollar store, what would you buy?
If I have an occasion like a birthday, the supplies there can't be beat for a buck! Ribbons, tissue paper, gift bag? Done!
14) What’s the most annoying sound in the world?
I can't stand to hear other people chewing and smacking their lips while they're eating. I have to tell my son to stop doing it constantly. Drives me crazy!
15) What natural disaster scares you the most?
Fire. We had a fire in the house I grew up in, and I still have scars on my legs from that. I've lived through that, tropical storms and hurricanes, tornadoes and earthquakes, a supertyphoon... but nothing scares me like fire. I don't want to die that way.
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On that pleasant thought...! I've got some work to do for this nonprofit project I'm working on, and then make a list for some shopping. Maybe I'll even get some knitting accomplished. Not necessarily in that order.
Cheers to all of you and let's hope no one's in any natural disasters today!
Fin.
What's going on, my friends? Anything exciting and new with you?
Here, we have decided to sell the "perfect" dream house and move back to the city. Frankly, it's me. I can't take it out here in the sticks. Small town = small minds. I've always known that, yet I thought I could "handle it." I couldn't. So, our house is officially going up for sale. On the one hand, I hate it, because I absolutely love this house. On the other hand, every time we go into Boise, I get a little giddy inside about coming back, so I know it's the right thing to do.
So let's love us some boat, shall we?
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Saturday 9: The Love Boat (1977)
Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.
1) The Love Boat ran from 1977 to 1987. It was in the Top 10 for seven of those 10 seasons. Are you familiar with the show? Were you a fan?
I was young then. I remember it was on, and I remember watching it. I remember very few details from the show, though.
2) Every week, viewers followed The Pacific Princess as she set sail to a glamorous destination. Have you ever taken a cruise? If so, where did you go?
I have, and I absolutely love cruising. So far I've done these:
3) Gavin MacLeod played Captain Steubing. Born Allan See, he came up with the stage name by combining the first name of a fictional character he admired, and the last name of a teacher who influenced him. Using his formula, give yourself a stage name. For example, Sam would be Hermione Hart (Hermione from Harry Potter; Hart for her Kindergarten teacher).
Alrighty, I'll be Katniss O'Toole.
4) After the series ended, Fred Grandy (aka "Gopher") went on to become a Congressman from Iowa and then CEO of Goodwill Industries. If you had a bag of gently-used items to donate, where would you take them?
We would absolutely take them to ReStyle thrift shop in Boise, which benefits animal shelters and humans alike. We've donated many times there, and we've shopped many times as well.
5) Ted Lange is best known for his role as the ship's bartender, Isaac. But he began his career performing the classics, and appeared at Colorado Shakespearean Festival and London's Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. Let's class up this joint. Give us a little Shakespeare.
My favorite has always been "A Midsummer Night's Dream," and my favorite character was Puck, that mischievous sprite. I'll say it simply: "Lord, what fools these mortals be!"
6) Bernie Kopell played the ship's doctor, Adam Bricker. Kopell first appeared on TV in 1961 and was a regular on Get Smart and That Girl, and he's still acting today. But Love Boat was, by far, his favorite role. Working on the show was "absolute heaven" because he was paid to travel the world and meet his acting idols, like Oscar winners Greer Garson, Joan Fontaine and Eva Marie Saint, who appeared on the show. When you think of the best job you have ever had, what made it so good: the pay, the location, the people you met, or the work itself?
I probably have a definite favorite, but I can't pinpoint it at this moment. I'm extremely shy and introverted until I get to know people, but somehow working in customer service turns me rapidly extroverted, and I love talking to and helping customers. So I think an amalgamation of my customer-oriented jobs would be my "favorite" at the moment. I worked in an ice cream parlor, Larry's Scoop Shop, on St. Pete Beach before I entered graduate school. I think all of the above - the pay, the people, the job itself, and definitely the location - were pretty sweet at this job. I met José Canseco - which I keep forgetting whenever we have one of those "most famous" questions - and, by the way, he was a real asshole and a non-tipper.
7) Lauren Tewes played Cruise Director Julie McCoy. Today she lives in Seattle, appearing in local theater and -- between acting assignments -- working as a chef for a catering service. Have you hosted dinner for more than 8 people? If yes, do you remember what you served?
No, I haven't. I'm not really "host"material; I get too flippin' nervous. I really am a pile of neuroses. But I did work in catering - often in a tuxedo, sometimes on a ship - at Longboat Key's now-demolished The Colony Beach & Tennis Resort. It was very high-end and fancy back in the '90s, and then sometime between my working there and my going back years later to show the fam, I found it had been abandoned. But that was a great job, with lots of fancy foods for fancy people.
8) For the first nine seasons, the theme was sung by Jack Jones. The Grammy-winning singer says one of his career highlights playing Sky Masterson onstage in Guys and Dolls. In his late 50s at the time, had had to go outside his comfort zone, dancing and acting as well as singing before a live audience. Tell us about something new you tried recently.
Really? Are people doing new things right now? I'll be interested to find out. About the only new thing for me was getting an infusion of the latest-and-greatest migraine biologic, Vyepti, on Wednesday. My doctor has great hopes for this for me. So far, I'm not thrilled.
9) Random question -- Which would you rather receive as a gift: one $500 wristwatch, or five $100 wristwatches?
You know, I really had to think about this. I don't ever wear a watch, except for this Seiko dive watch I bought secondhand for twenty bucks back in 1998, after I became a SCUBA diver. It runs on my own motion, so of course, it still runs. So I thought, well, would I like to give five people a decent watch, or would I like to give one person a pretty nice watch? In the end, I decided that one person would appreciate his or her watch a bit more than the five people would combined, and for me, that meant fewer precious resources being used and possibly wasted if those watches don't get worn. So I'll take one if I may gift it, please.
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All right, folks. Don't have too much fun quarantined in your bunkers, now. I've gotten some new wool, so I am hoping to get a bit of knitting done this weekend - but don't hold me to it.
Fin.
Hey there, Thieves! Welcome back! I couldn't get my post up at all late Saturday afternoon or in the evening because the plague that are migraine headaches, but better late than never, right?
Link up here to play along this week!
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1 If you could be a Muppet, which would you be?
I think Hubs and I jointly would be Statler and Waldorf, the two old guys who sit and make dumb jokes about everything around us, cracking ourselves up. I'd be whichever one was cuter!
2 Why is a chicken crossing the road in the first place??
Well, as anyone who has ever kept chickens, as we have, can tell you, these are not the most brilliant animals on the planet. Also as anyone who has been to Key West even once - let alone multiple times - as I have, can tell you, they will go wherever they want to go, often in a hurry, including the middle of the road. So as for why? Clearly, the answer is: because.
3 What's your favorite muscle?
Well, that depends. In babies? I like the glutes. In a guy? I like arms - big biceps!
4 Cheerios or Rice Krispies?
I love Rice Krispies. I do not enjoy Cheerios; they smell like baby diarrhea to me. Blechhhh!
5 Is summer ever going to get here?
I mean, between intense climate change and the coronavirus, what are we really going to do with it? I think Earth deserves to take its time on this one.
6 Have you ever had a utility turned off by mistake or some other reason besides weather or nonpayment?
No, and like this fortune, that is oddly specific.
7 What was your "last day" of something?
Hm, let's see. September 6th, 2019, was my last day of not being a parent to an adult child! (This one, that is - I never told Chloë she could grow up!)
8 If you had to be trapped in a TV show for a month, which one would you choose?
I'd love to be stuck on The Big Bang Theory! At least I'd feel like I was where I belonged.
9 Did you have any type of class trip, band trip, etc., in high school? Where did you go, what did you do?
I know there were others, but my favorite class trip was our 9th grade one to Darien Lake, in New York. We did a fundraiser, and I raised the second most, so I got a bonus from that, too!
10 Do your feet smell?
No; they do not have a nose.
11 Do you know how to french braid?
Yes, and I can both French-braid and Dutch-braid on my own hair, too. I really want to learn to do the fishtail braid, though!
12 Two guys are walking down the street. One drops his hat and reaches down to pick it up, the other kicks him in the ass. Do you laugh?
That depends; am I "the other"? If not, then hopefully involuntarily at least, but I'm sure I would snort!
13 You wake up one morning and dogs are meowing and cats are barking - what are fish, elephants and crocodiles doing?
Have we run out of "real" questions, then?
14 You are going to your high school reunion. What award are you going to win?
Hammiest family!
15 You find yourself stranded on a deserted island. Soon you find a laptop with a lifelong battery & internet connection, then you find a cave with an endless supply of food and a spring of fresh water. A cruise ship comes along to save you - do you get on it?
If I get to take that laptop with me and it's not during the days of COVID, then heck, yes!
16 How many shortcuts do you have on your desktop?
Five. But in my defense, it's a new laptop.
17 I offer you a pie... the most delicious pie you have ever seen. You either have to eat the entire thing in one sitting or allow me to slam it into your face, which do you choose?
I guess I'm getting a pie in the face, because I'm working with that gastric pouch on the right!
18 Are you a pen stealer?
Not usually! My pens are all the different colors of the rainbow. Everyone else? Blue or black. ::snooze::
19 A dude from China comes up and offers you German chocolate cake, French fries and a Boston cream pie... what color is your car?
Black, and her name is Phoenix. But a little birdie told me I might be getting a new car this year, so... I'm game!
20 Sometimes you just have to tap your foot to your favorite song - which TV series season finale are you watching?
Modern Family is still in the DVR, waiting for me!
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All right, y'all. I've got to get ready for the week ahead. Have a good one!
Fin.
Welcome back! Look who's being a team player and coming back two whole days in a row? You're welcome, you're welcome. Shucks.
1 If you could spend a day in someone else’s shoes who would it be and why?
Hmm. Maybe Jennifer Aniston? I don't know. I mean, look at her - rockin' body, gorgeous otherwise, rich and famous, influential, talented... what's not to love? (But she doesn't have a two decade-long marriage and a passel of amazing kids, so in the end I'd rather be me!)
2 Which celebrity gets on your nerves the most, and why?
Easily these two. Do I really need to explain that?
3 If you were going to bury a time capsule, what would you put in it?
Today's newspaper, a letter to my future self, artifacts that represent me and that represent our Idaho town, and pictures of all of us including our pets.
4 What is your saddest memory?
It's a tie between being a bereaved child when my mama died, and a bereaved mum when my son died.
5 Would you rather be in your pajamas or a suit all day?
You didn't say what kind of suit!
6 What’s the strangest place you’ve ever gone potty?
On those reefs somewhere, around the Dry Tortugas, I was doing a reef study when I suddenly got hit with a violently upset stomach. I was snorkling at the time. Ugh.
7 How old were you went you had your first kiss?
Five. Back of the school bus. His name was Matthew Buffalo.
8 Do you have any strange or unique phobias?
Mustard. It's so scary.
9 If you could bring back one toy from your childhood, what would it be?
I loved my Pound Puppies!!
10 If you could be any Disney villain, which would you be?
I'd be Ursula from Little Mermaid. At least she got to live in the sea!
11 If your life was a novel, what would the title be?#
Actually, it is a work in progress - I have the first chapter done! But I'm not yet ready to divulge the name.
12 What do you need more of in your life?
Adventure!
13 What are your top 3 quotes?
I'm a big fan of Abe Lincoln.
4 What do you want people to remember about you?
I'm an empath. I care and care and care some more.
15 What’s the biggest mistake you’ve made?
I gave away far too much of my power for far too many years. Now I am learning that it's okay for me to take it back.
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♥ Happy Father's Day to all you dads out there! I've gotta spend some time lovin' on the one who made me a mom! ♥
Fin.
Heyyyyy, err'body! My last post was a little over a month ago, as I took some time off for health and Christmas preparations. But I have missed you guys, and it's good to be back in the fray.
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I hope you've all enjoyed your respective holidays with your friends and loved ones,if you've celebrated!
Now, link up here to play along today!
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Saturday 9: Cold as Ice (1977)
Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.
Our last Saturday 9 of 2019. Thank you for another great year, everyone! {And thank you, Sam!}
1) Look back on 2019 and share a happy moment.
Well... amongst many other wonderful happenings, we adopted a new kitten!
2) As 2019 ends, are you making any New Year's resolutions for 2020?
Oh, yeah. I didn't think I'd even make it to see 2020 for a while, there, but now that I'm still here, it's time to decorate this big ol' new house of ours! I definitely want to start with the master bedroom. Here is our design inspo, from HGTV; both Rob and I love this!
3) Tell us about an obstacle or challenge you faced in 2019.
It's been a tough year for me, health-wise. I thought we might finally catch a break when my neurologist in Boise referred me to the Johns Hopkins Lyme Disease Research Center in Baltimore, but they turned me down. That was pretty crushing. But I've been picking myself and trying to carry on. I'm in a wheelchair whenever I leave the house pretty much full-time now, and I sleep about 900 hours a day. My immune system has pretty much revolted and shut down, and I have allergic reactions about a dozen times a day. But like I said, it's time to rally. I'm not done here yet.
4) Is it "cold as ice" outside where you are today?
Nah. My WTForecast app has us at a balmy 26ºF right now!
5) Foreigner is this week's featured artist. The band formed in New York City. If you were to travel to New York City, what would you be sure to see?
Oh, for sure, the girls and I would have to go see Hamilton on Broadway - and then try hard to see Lin Manuel Miranda backstage! That would be amazing!
6) The band went by the name Trigger. They changed it because their prospective record label was already auditioning a different group named Trigger. They settled on Foreigner because half the members were foreign -- from England. If you received a free, round-trip airline ticket to any foreign country, where would you go?
Well, you know, I've always been torn between wanting to go to Australia and Japan. Right now with the fires burning Down Under, and the way the government is not handling it at all, I can't decide between not wanting to go and running straight to Tokyo, or making like Greta Thunberg and diving in to help and make a big fuss. Now that I think about it, yeah. Australia. There are koalas on fire to rescue!
7) In 1977, when this song was popular, Star Wars was breaking all box office records. The Spy Who Loved Me, a James Bond movie, was also a 1977 hit. Which film series do you prefer: Star Wars or James Bond?
Hmm. Well, I have some serious catching up to do on both series, but I think Star Wars has to take this one!
8) In 1977, Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak incorporated Apple. Are you answering these 9 questions on an Apple product (PC, laptop, pad or phone)?
Nah, hope I don't disappoint. Current situation: The monitor is HP, the CPU is Dell, and the keyboard is Logitech... it works.
9) Random question: What was the last thing you thought of as you dozed off last night?
Well, this, actually. What Rob is doing is reading the letter representing the last Christmas present given this year. I saved the best for last for once! In the letter, I am telling him that I am finally taking him on a cruise to see Alaska, where he's always wanted to visit, because I want to make sure I get to see the joy in him doing that before my time runs out. So now time is running out in another way - I've got serious plans to make for that trip!
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I hope y'all are doing well! Thanks for having me back!
Fin.
Welcome, welcome, kids of all ages!
Thanks for all the well wishes about my eardrum rupturing Friday. It definitely wasn't fun, but I've had problems with that ear since we came up from 0' above sea level in Miami to ~2500' above sea level in Boise over two years ago. That ear just did not want to make the trip! The constant Val Salvo maneuver is my life now. When I do it now, the air screams out of that hole in my eardrum so loudly that Rob and the kids can hear, too. It's weird.
Anyway!
Link up here if you want to play along with the rest of us this weekend.
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Swap-Bot asked people to post questions they would like to answer. Bev copied them all and put together this brief selection.
What do you enjoy about summer?
I like the carefree, mostly-unscheduled nature of it, the freedom, the warmth, everything. It seems like the most "come as you are" season of the year.
Do you like snow? Why?
I haaaaate snow. I grew up in Syracuse, New York, the lake-effect snow capitol of the world. I've done my time! If that isn't 'nuff said, then also, it means I'll be c-c-c-cold, and being cold causes me intense pain nowadays. Then there's the blackish-brown crap that gets all over everything after the street cleaners come through the place. That's three reasons, but I could go on.
What do you think about dogs?
I am a dog lover, through and through. (But then, I love all animals!)
Have you ever gotten lost?
Oh, I'm the genius who perpetually gets lost outside her own driveway - especially if she tries to "wing it" and turns off Google Maps to get there. I have no sense of direction!!
What are your favorite type of socks?
This is gonna sound like I'm joking, but I promise you I'm not: Most of my socks are hospital socks. I have texture issues, and the socks from the hospital don't bug those at all. In fact, my friend Gwyn sent me a boatload of her husband's old hospital socks upon hearing this, and I love her for it! I always keep my hospital socks when I've been there.
What is your favorite style of shoes?
Crocs.
I used to wear these Crocs Cypress heels a lot, but I can't wear heels anymore now that falling is a constant risk for me.
Now I wear almost exclusively Crocs, but it's more like these Patricia sandals, which I have in several colors. I had to give my Navy ones (above) to Sophia, though, because they stretch out over time and were no longer snug enough on my size 5½ feet.
What would you name your boat if you had one?
It would be the Sweet Pea. Didn't even have to think about that one.
What common misconception do you hate to hear repeated as fact?
I worked on the concept of "novice theory" for my graduate thesis, especially as it pertains to the Theory of Evolution. Note the caps on the latter presentation of the word, versus the former. And that's the crux of it: Most people don't understand the concept of Scientific Theory vs. the theories we bandy about day-to-day, in our normal, non-scientific lives, and suppose are correct. That of Evolution is well-founded in example after example, able to be observed by the human eye in a short time period, and is well-replicated inside and outside the lab. This is true whether it agrees with our own ideas of what religion should dictate or not. Sorry if you don't like it, Joe Schmo, but that's just the way it is.
What was the last shop you went into and what did you buy?
I've been a couponer since birth. My mother taught me. After she died, my sister Stacey would cut all the coupons, and I would sort them into their respective categories. I continued doing that as I went to college, and on into adulthood. Now, things have gone high-tech, and I could teach Mom a thing or two! Chloë is a girl after my own heart: she loves to save a buck and cringes when she sees someone needlessly paying full price. I love to give away our haul to battered women's shelters, the families at the Ronald McDonald House, etc. So we thought we'd take $150 and see what we could get from Walgreens, Rite Aid, and CVS. I'm not sure which one was the last one we went into, but we ended up with well over $1,000 worth of merchandise.
What's your favourite thing to do to pass the time?
Back in the day, I easily could've said "read." Now, I don't know... waste time online? When I was pregnant with Chloë, my aim was to spend the time, having hyperemesis gravidarum, catching up on the classics. Except, I stumbled across Sidney Sheldon works in the library and read all of those books instead. Quite a different thing! Since motherhood, I haven't exactly given myself permission to sit and read. I really need to re-learn how to allow myself that.
What is a way to die that scares you the most?
I would not like to suffocate or drown. The thought terrifies me.
Travel or homebody?
Oh, I may be trapped in my body, but my body is not one to be trapped in Idaho. Plenty of World left for me to see!!
Have you ever gone to a Bingo hall?
I have not.
What is the longest plane trip you have taken?
Listen, you've never flown long-haul until you've moved from Panama City, Florida, to Guam whilst pregnant with twins, with a one-year-old child. And then flown back four months later... 🙄
Do you text more or call more? Why?
I much prefer to text over calling. I have severe phone anxiety. So do several other members of my family. It's a thing. If you don't have have it, lucky you, but please don't let that diminish your capacity to understand that others do. (I'm a "yes" to all, btw.)
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Well, on that cheerful note, I'll say buh-bye! LOL Tonight, after all, is the Matador dinner with Hubs, finally, after I felt like shit all day Saturday. Tequila!
Fin.
Welcome back. I am stuffed! I just finished half a small plate of popcorn shrimp, which Chloë made, and shortly before that, a banana that I did not share with Paco (my 5-year-old Chihuahua), much to his chagrin. I had a tofu stir-fry that Rob made for dinner, and then Jack and I went out for more soy sauce (for the leftovers), some school clothes for him, and some other stuff. Upon our return, we ate ice cream cones (I had a chocolate-dipped cone with Talenti pistachio gelato - such an indulgence!). And I had two chocolate croissants from Walmart, which I bought on impulse when I saw them; they're just like smaller versions of the ones Panera used to sell before replacing them with some crappy new thing that I hate. Anyway, my point is, I feel like I have not stopped eating since I got up today.
Sunday Stealing time. Link up here if you're playing along today! So, full belly, dry diaper, here we go:
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Have you read anything by C.S. Lewis?
Yes. For my college graduation gift, my BFF Lisa gave me his book Mere Christianity. When I read it, it was a complete 180º from where I was, still heavily stuck in the cult in which I was raised (Christian Science, which I now realize is completely evil). I had epiphany after epiphany whilst reading it, and it was an awakening for me. I think I shall read it again; once I unpack it and find it! And we listened to the audiobooks of the Narnia series when the children were younger and we took lots of road trips.
What is your favorite movie with Jack Nicholson?
Oh, God. That's a tough one; has he had any roles I don't like?! I think As Good As It Gets, since that's one of my favorite movies of all time anyway.
What rhymes with 'orange'?
Welp, there you go!
Have you ever swallowed an object by accident?
I'm no Tarrare. I can't think of a single weird thing, save for the occasional piece of eggshell.
Is your eyesight 20/20?
Nooooo way. It's about 20/200. I'm very near-sighted, like my mother was.
Have you ever had insomnia?
I have chronic insomnia; I've been like this my entire life.
Does it bother you when people touch you?
Oh yes. Currently, I suffer from at least numbers 2, 3, 4, and 6 above. Sucks!!
Is it better to get too much or too little sleep?
I don't function well on too little sleep. I'd much rather have too much.
What gets your adrenaline pumping?
Fear. You know, I grew up in constant terror, and now I don't know how to turn that off. I don't know how to relax. I honestly have no clue how one does it. So my heart rate is consistently at 100 beats per minute, or more.
Do you ever talk about yourself in the third person?
I talk to myself in second and third person quite frequently. I personally think I'm hilarious, and I always tell my husband, when he's falling asleep and I'm still chattering away, that he's "missing all the gems."
What's your favorite radio station? What kind of music do they play?
I don't even know. I listen to a variety of things, although I don't like talk radio and never listen to NPR. I listen to a lot of pop, some classic rock, Bob FM when I don't know what I want to hear, etc. I'm all over the map. I just want it to be something I can sing to; I'm not a huge fan of a lot of instrumentals.
Do you believe there is anyplace still undiscovered in all the world?
I was actually thinking about this earlier today!! I was thinking that there must be some places where people can't get to, and I took joy in that until I realized that if we don't know about it, where it is, what it looks like, and its properties... how will we humans know how to save it when we wreck it?
Ever caught a fish?
Yes. As a marine biologist, I've caught plenty. Once, when I was aboard one of the scientific vessels, a lot of the crew and my fellow scientists and students were fishing off the back of the ship, for dinner. Someone caught a large male dolphin (the fish, aka mahi mahi), which everyone but us vegans and vegetarians wanted to eat. They let this majestic creature flop around on deck, struggling to breathe, until they started stopping it in the brain to kill it and put it out of its misery. It was a horiffic scene - and so many of them were laughing about it still being alive! It is a terrible memory of mine. On one of our first dates, I told my husband that story. He hasn't eaten mahi mahi in my presence in the 18 years since!
Were you ever in the first row of a concert?
No. But one of the closest experiences was being within Fergie at a Black Eyed Peas concert in Virginia about ten years ago. She was within reach of me and the two girls I'd taken with me after I won the tickets from a radio show. I was so pumped!
Do you have any autographs?
Just... somewhere around here, I have an autograph on the Miami Herald column by Dave Barry. He came into the Publix in Coral Gables, at which I worked for a few years while in college. I was a huge fan, since my early childhood when he was published in the Syracuse Herald-Journal on Sundays. He was in the store with his wife Michelle. I saw him and ran and grabbed a Sunday paper, found his column, and started very timidly stalking him around the store, aisle by aisle. Finally, Michelle Barry noticed me and said to Dave, "I think this girl is trying to talk to you." He turned around and signed my paper. I was gushing effusively the entire time, like an idiot. He came in many times after that. One time, he bought about 20 Publix gift certificates for full turkey dinners at Thanksgiving time from me, for some of the junior staffers I'd guess.
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That was fun. Lots of good memories. Except for the fish one. Hey, don't do that. Be a good person this week. Spread kindness!
Fin.
Hey, hey! Welcome back. It's late here; 7:28 PM as I speak, but I've been in bed all day. I'm not feeling too well today. My doc is afraid I'm developing pneumonia, which has hounded me for the last four years or so. She wanted me to go straight to the hospital Thursday to get a chest x-ray and labs, but I have not listened to her because... well, I don't have time to be sick. I figure, if I don't go, they can't diagnose me, and they can't then stick me in a hospital bed. Sounds smart to me! ;)
This week's song is the theme from the 80s sitcom, Who's the Boss? I used to love that show, and the whole cast. I'm excited to see that one! Link up here if you want to play along with the rest of us this weekend.
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Saturday 9: Brand New Life (The Theme from Who's the Boss) (1984)
Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.
1) Who's the Boss? is a sitcom that ran from 1984 to 1992. Were you a fan?
Oh, yes. It was one of my favorite shows. I still love all of those actors, especially Alyssa Milano. I always thought she was so gorgeous, and I still do. And I admire her for her role in the Me Too movement.
2) This week's song was composed by the show's producers, two men not known as songwriters. Have you ever tried your hand at songwriting?
Yes, I have. From 6th grade to the present, one of my best friends' father is a musician who has been famous in mostly the state of New York for decades (Todd Hobin), and he had a recording studio at their house. In our junior year of high school, Shana - a renowned musician in her own right, having shared the stage with Trans Siberian Orchestra, Josh Groban, Michael Bublé, Regina Carter, Jake Shimabakuro - wrote the music and I wrote the lyrics for a song for one of our group's good friends who was moving away. Mr. Hobin was going to let all of us girls record it in his studio. I ended up getting grounded for that entire year of school for a ridiculous reason, and couldn't go to the recording session, but I still remember how it goes!
3) The lyrics tell us that, as we go through life, it's not uncommon to "lose a dream or two." Do you agree? Have you ever had to give up on a dream?
Sure. I'd always had the goal of being a famous marine biologist. I got my double-bachelor's degree in Biology and in Marine Science from the University of Miami, and then took a year off to study for my GRE (I'd graduated in three years, so I hadn't had time to prepare), do an internship at Mote Marine Lab in Sarasota, and figure out my options. During college, I'd solidified my plans and became a pioneer of the Elasmobranch Club on campus, having decided to study shark behavior. I decided I wanted to go to the University of South Florida for my Ph.D. (skipping the offers to work on my Master's or Ph.D. there at U.M.), so I could join the lab of the world-famous shark expert, Dr. Philip J. Motta. That's the only lab to which I applied (so like me!), and I got in! This was huge; my fellow marine biologist friends were excited for me. After, three semesters, though, I decided this wasn't the plan for me. I wanted to be married and have a family, and I knew that a high number of scientists who spent a half a year, every year, at sea got divorced; that was not something I wanted. At the same time I was once again weighing my options, I'd met my husband of over 18 years. We eloped two months later, and a few weeks later, I found out I was already pregnant with Chloë. I haven't been an active marine biologist ever since, although I admit I miss it tremendously.
4) Who's the Boss? was about a highly-paid executive who hires a housekeeper. In the 1980s, it was unusual because the exec was a woman and the housekeeper was a man. Do you believe a man can be as good at housework as a woman?
I have no reason to believe otherwise. My husband, who is cooking a double stir-fry right now (tofu for my daughter's girlfriend and me, and chicken for everyone else), and the sicker I've become, the more he's helped around the house and helped guide the kids in their chores. All three - girls and boy - are expected to do the same chores, swapping on a monthly basis, so there is none of that "woman's place," "man's role" nonsense going on here!
5) Though the show's star, Tony Danza, graduated from University of Dubuque and was prepared to be a teacher, he got sidetracked. Back in New York, he boxed and tended bar and fell into acting. He finally did teach in 2010, taking over a 10th grade English class. How many different occupations have you held?
Let's see. Babysitter. Cashier. Author. Alumni Relations Associate. Marine Biologist. Legal Secretary. Stay-Home Mom. Hoping to reclaim "author" again! (That photo is one one the proofs from my college yearbook!)
6) On the show, his daughter was played by Alyssa Milano. When she was a teenager, she rebelled against the show's producers by cutting off her long hair and wearing a pixie style. Were you a rebellious teen?
Not even remotely. Maybe more so, now?
7) "The Boss" was Judith Light, who had been known to TV audiences from her work on One Life to Live. She met Robert Desiderio on the set of the soap opera and they have been married more than 34 years. Tell us where one of your romances got started.
When I was in 10th grade, Shana got me to join her for the beginning of the ECOS club in our school, which met at the Junior High. It was there that I met Ben, who was also interested in all things environmental. We started dating November 15th of that year, 1991, and stayed together about a year and a half. We remain friends; that's him at his recent wedding, in the boutonnierre. He's still a Central New York guy.
8) The show -- rebroadcast with subtitles -- was a hit in Italy, where it was known as Casalingo Superpiù (Super Housekeeper). Say something to us in Italian.
La torre pendente di Pisa è molto più corta di quanto mi aspettassi!
9) Random question -- Have you more recently watched the sun rise or set?
Defintely the sun setting, including last night. Here are a few recents; we've seen lots of rainbows lately!
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All right. Tofu's ready. I mean, stir-fry. Off to family dinner! Ciao, bellas.
Fin.
Hey, there! Wheeeewwwwww, I'm exhausted.
Rob, Chloë and I spent all day Saturday driving up to get Sophia from camp and then, upon returning to the Boise area, running a billion errands. On our way back to Mountain Home, we stopped and picked up Sophia's girlfriend, another S, who is spending the rest of the weekend with us. I took a nap as soon as we got home, ain't gonna lie, and woke up with an extreme migraine. At the ER, I got pumped full of meds and barely remember anything after that. It's going on 2 PM now; I just woke up. I hope all of you had a more relaxing day than did I on Saturday!
Let's jump in, m'kay? Link up here if you'd like to play along with the rest of us thieves!
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Questions from The Book of Questions
"Some people are born storytellers. Other people struggle to hold your attention.
"The difference between a boring story and an interesting one usually boils down to three things: emotions, embellishment, and authenticity.
"Boring stories go in a linear fashion. Poor storytellers repeat every fact and detail with no particular emphasis on one element or the other. They tend to focus on getting every single inane detail exactly right.
"The 'one boring fact after another' technique is a favorite of literalists, who typically tell less than stellar stories.
"Great storytellers, on the other hand, provide interpretation. They help you understand what the story means by drawing your attention to the most interesting parts, which sometimes requires a bit of exaggeration.
"Mark Twain once said, 'Never let the truth get in the way of a good story.'
"[I] not only tell stories, [I] embellish them."
Heya, folks! Welcome back to my corner of Ye Olde Interwebs. Glad to have you back. This week, we're playing a fun round of Would You Rather with Bev over at SunSt. ;) Link up here if you'd like to play along with us this week!
Would you rather be able to detect any lie you hear or get away with any lie you tell?
Well, hmm. Both would be most useful. ;) I think, as a wife and mother, I'd have to say I'd rather be able to detect any lie I hear. I mean, I know each member of my family's "tells" pretty well, but there are those times...
Would you rather be a hopeless romantic or a hopeless unromantic?
Oh, I'm a hopeless romantic, and I rather like it that way.
Would you rather have too many friends or too few?
Um, why would I chose to have too few friends?
Would you rather have no taste buds or be blind?
Easy: no taste buds. I have already significantly lost my sense of taste & smell, and while boring sometimes, it's not the end of the world. But I literally like to live my life in living color, and all the visual beauty in the world would be so... I'd be devastated if I lost that.
Would you rather never hear music again or lose the ability to read?
Ooh, that's a tough one. I can't decide. Would I have the ability to re-learn how to read? Hm. If not, then please do one to me and don't tell me which; it'll hurt either way.
Would you rather find true love or be rich?
If I didn't have true love, I'd never consider myself to be rich. One contributes to happiness; the other contributes to convenience.
Would you rather be the richest person or the smartest?
I'm pretty fond of being intelligent. Being rich is overrated.
Would you rather create history or delete it?
I'd much rather create history, especially if it's good stuff. Even bad stuff shouldn't be deleted from history, because well,... Winston Churchill.
Would you rather create a great piece of art and not get credit or get credit for a piece of art you didn’t create?
I would never want to get credit for something I didn't do, good or bad. That would make me feel rotten. I'd much rather have a secret sort of joy over creating something beautiful that others admired, knowing I gave them something special.
Would you rather age from the neck up, or from the neck down.
Hands down, neck down!
Would you rather see the world but live in poverty or stay in one place and live rich?
I'd travel and travel and travel until I dropped.
Would you rather become famous or powerful?
I'd never want to risk being drunk with power, so I hope I'd be famous for something wonderful!
Would you rather be a creative person or a technical person?
I like being a creative. There's always something brewing.
Would you rather get a paper cut whenever you touch paper or bite your tongue whenever you eat something?
I do bite my tongue constantly already, and while it's painful, I guess it wouldn't be any more painful to keep doing it. On the other hand, paper cuts are the worst!!
Would you rather wake up in the morning looking like a giraffe or a kangaroo?
Does it matter? It's just a silly question. ;)
Would you rather speak “whale” or read babies’ minds?
I can already do both. Both worthy abilities under the right circumstances...
Would you rather eat pizza every day or never eat pizza again?
Hey, now, don't take pizza away from this New Yorker! It didn't say I could only eat pizza, or how much pizza I had to eat, so eating a little a day is much preferable to never eating it again. (P.S. This pizza is what I ate in Dubrovnik, Croatia, while on our Mediterranean cruise in 2008. Such good times!)
Would you rather stay forever at your current age or be 10 years younger?
Ten times out of ten, I'd want to be a decade younger than I am right now. Getting older is for the birds! Especially now that my health has taken a sharp detour south for the past four years. Hit the rewind button, please!
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Thanks for the fun meme, Bev! Y'all have a good week! Hopefully I'll be here on time next week for S9 & SS. I have to take my daughters to Boise Pride on Friday & Saturday.
Cheers!
Fin.
Hi everyone, and welcome! Yay, a song and an artist I actually know! (Often I don't, but Sam's questions are always thought-provoking for me, which is why I love to join regardless. Thanks, Sam!) Link up here if you want to play along with the rest of us this week!
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Saturday 9: If I Could Turn Back Time (1989)
Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.
1) The official video for this song was filmed on board the battleship USS Missouri. When is the last time you were on a boat or ship?
Oh, gosh, it's been a while. Far too long for this sea-going girl; I'm turning into quite the landlubber! It would have to be February 2015, when I was on assignment at the Miami International Boat Show. Lots of nice boats there! We wouldn't mind owning one...
2) This song was written by Diane Warren. Ms. Warren has written love songs recorded by Celine Dion, Toni Braxton, LeAnn Rimes and more, yet she's never married and has really only had one serious romantic relationship. She acknowledges this makes her an unusual spokeswoman for the glory and pain of love. When you have a relationship problem, who do you go to for advice?
I'm going through a lot in my psyche right now, so generally I turn to my outstanding therapist.
3) In this song, Cher wishes she could turn back time and have a different conversation with a former lover, changing what she said to him. Here at Saturday 9, we're not so ambitious with our time travel. We're only going back to yesterday. Is there anything you'd do differently?
Not really. We were quintuply-booked yesterday and even with only one car and two drivers, we managed to get it all done! The one thing I'd change is that I'd insist more strongly that our two fish, Poppy and Sage, get their tanks clean. That will happen today, dadgummit.
4) In 1966, Cher and her then-husband Sonny sang at a private birthday party for Jacqueline Kennedy. At first, Cher didn't want to do it, thinking that performing to a small gathering would be awkward. But it turned out to be a wonderful opportunity for her. That night, she met Diana Vreeland, the editor of Vogue. Vreeland liked Cher's look so much she set up a photo shoot. Cher, who always loved experimenting with hair and makeup, enjoyed the shoot immensely. Tell us about a social gathering where you had an unexpectedly good time.
I was really nervous to go to my last high school reunion. Drinking more than I probably should have helped, but everyone was so nice, and generally we treated each other as adults, not sophomorically. It was great!
5) At that same party, Cher said she was surprised by how big Jackie's hands were. Do you like your hands?
Sure, they're all right. (I'm modeling that navy blue druzy ring from Rocksbox in that recent photo.) I have the smallest hands in my house! And I tie 17-year-old Chloë for the smallest feet in the house. I wish I could say that about the rest of me! But alas...
6) One night, before a performance in Detroit, Cher saw a little furry something under one of her tour buses. It was a kitten that that she named Mr. Big, hoping he would grow into the name. He did, and the tomcat was her constant companion for four years until he died of a congenital heart ailment. She has said that she will "never not miss him." Is there a furry companion who has a special place in your memories?
Oh gosh, yes, definitely. Countless furry babies have come in and out of my life, and I miss them all. This one is Tinkerbell, our mama kitty who got out of the house before her spay appointment and ended up needing my help as her kitty-doula (!!) to birth her kittens. We nicknamed them the Seven Dwarves. Tinkerbell was the best, sweetest cat, and I miss her every day. After Rob retired from the Navy and we moved to Miami, we both had trouble finding work, and then almost immediately had that brain tumor drama start. This took two years out of our lives and he's still not recovered; meanwhile, we lost our Virginia Beach house to foreclosure, and several cars were repossessed. It was a tough time in our lives, but the most heartbreaking was having to rehome Tinky-winks and a couple other kitties we had. We just had too many mouths to feed and not enough money to do it at that time, and it was an awful decision that I wish I could change every single day.
7) Cher recently appeared in Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again. It's the second movie based on the music of ABBA. What's your favorite ABBA song?
It's cliché, but it's gotta be "Dancing Queen."
8) In 1989 - the year this song was popular - Mattel released a series of special "Scarlett O'Hara" Barbie dolls to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Gone with the Wind. Did you enjoy the classic movie? Have you read the book?
I did like the movie, but I have not read the book. Judging by my current reading happens, I probably never will.
9) Random question - Check your spam folder and tell us one of the subject lines.
Nothing too interesting, honestly. This is the best I can do: One subject line read, "Please, Melanie." A short scroll down, another subject line was, "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"
I don't know what I did for them, but uh... you're welcome?
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Check me out, it's still only Friday morning at 0630, and I'm done with my Saturday 9 post. I'm nothing if not inconsistent!
Have a good weekend, folks.
Fin.
First of all, I have not heard of this song before, and I'm kind of out of the loop as far as entertainment news goes, so I had no idea Lana Del Ray was on the soundtrack for The Great Gatsby!! Very cool. It had already piqued my interest, so I think I'll definitely have to read, and then see, it now. Woot!
{The formatting is so weird for Typepad sometimes. Apologies in advance for anything confusing to read!}
Link up here if you want to play along today. Seems like it should be a fun one!
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Saturday 9: Young and Beautiful (2013)
Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.
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1) Lana Del Rey wrote this song for the soundtrack of The Great Gatsby. She wanted it to reflect the feelings of Daisy Buchanan. Have you read The Great Gatsby?
Admittedly, I have not. It's on my must-read list, though. I don't know why I haven't gotten around to it. Maybe because raising three kids has left me too busy to even read a magazine? But one day I will.
2) In the 1970s, Robert Redford portrayed Jay Gatsby. In the 2013 version, Leonardo di Caprio played the part. In real life, both "Gatsbys" have helped raise funds for the NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council). Are you careful about recycling and conserving water/electricity?
Oh, goodness, yes! Very much so. I'm teaching the kids more about the environment and ecology this year in our homeschool, and of course, there are always intersections with each topic and the concepts of conservation, preservation, the five Rs:
Although the "R"s do vary considerably from site to site. Most say "Refuse - Reduce - Reuse - Recycle - Rot," but you probably get the point. I am an absolute stickler for reducing waste and for recycling like a maniac. If I find a recyclable item thrown away in the garbage can, I go a little berserk about it. But it's extremely important to me that the kids learn to be the guardians and shepherds of the world they are inheriting, not its destroyers. I think they are learning well. We play a fish game every few months that dramatically explores and explains the concept of conservation. It's really interesting; let me know if you want the (free) link to it!
3) Lana admits that she dropped out of college because she simply could not get the required math credits. When confronted with basic addition, subtraction, multiplication or division, do you do it in your head? Reach for pencil and paper? Or do you take advantage of the calculator that's on your desktop or phone?
I can most certainly do that all in my head, but sometimes I write down the multiplication or division when it gets out to several place values - but only if I'm too tired to guestimate by rounding. Occasionally I'll use the calculator, but that's very rare and usually only when I am in a hurry and MUST have the exact right answer. Short answer? It depends.
4) She enjoys Kurt Cobain, Eminem, Elvis and Sinatra. Which of those four gentlemen did you listen to most recently?
Oh, gosh. I've honestly listened to all four of them recently, but I do think that Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" was the very last song of one of these fellas that I heard on the radio. Aaaaand... now I'm gonna have that in my head all day!
5) Speaking of Sinatras, she has described her high maintenance look -- big hair, long nails, elaborate eye makeup, full lips -- as "Gangster Nancy Sinatra." How long does it take you, on an average day, to prepare to face the world?
Well, again, that depends. I used to mandate (to myself) that I had to take a shower, do my hair, do my makeup, and generally have matching (and hopefully cute) clothing on before I left the house. Nowadays, NONE of that applies! I'm lucky to get 3 or 4 showers or baths a week (because of my myriad illnesses), and then I usually just comb out my hair and let it air-dry. If I put on makeup, it's minimal; usually just mascara will suffice for me these days:
However, the other night 13-year-old Sophia wanted to play with my (expensive, fancy, high-quality) make-up, so I let her. But she wanted to give ME a makeover. Needless to say, I did not leave the house after this one:
I think I'm pretty much guaranteed not to be America's Next Top Model!
6) She's a big soccer fan, and her favorite team is Liverpool FC. Here in the US, college basketball fans are currently obsessed with March Madness. What's the last sporting event that you watched?
I don't really watch sports, per se, but when my Hurricanes are playing (particularly football, basketball, and sometimes baseball), I try to stop and at least pay attention to the scores. I don't have a whole lot of interest in most mainstream team sports; my family and I are not particularly athletic! On the other hand, my beautiful niece Karen, above, is a superstar when it comes to soccer and track! She's now in her freshman year playing on the team at SUNY Fredonia; I don't know if she continues with track, however. She's smart and beautiful, to boot! Her younger sister, Hanna, is just the same.
7) Her younger sister, Caroline, studied photography and is responsible for some of Lana's publicity pictures. Have you ever gotten a job because of a relative?
Nope; I got all of my jobs based on my own merits. Unless you count a babysitting job here and there because an older sister wasn't available; I don't.
8) In 2013, when this song came out, Pope Francis became the first pope from a Latin American country. Latin America generally includes Mexico, most of Central and South America, and in the Caribbean, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico. What's the farthest south that you've ever traveled?
This was a tough one for me; I actually had to check the latitude of two places in particular:
When we lived on Guam, part of Micronesia and close to the countries of the Philippines, Japan, Korea, Australia, etc., from October 2002-February 2003, we were about 13ºN of the equator. A lot of the tiny island is beautiful, with its clear blue lagoons (the picture above is where we first stayed before getting into base housing, in Tumon Bay near the capital), waterfalls, and lush green foliage everywhere. Some wasn't, but mostly I feel like I would have had a much more delightful time if I wasn't enormously pregnant with a high-risk twin pregnancy! Hot, damp, huge... not a good combination! 😏
[By the way, shout out to those aforementioned twins: yesterday was Jack and Robby's 16th birthday!]
However, even closer to the equator, at around 9ºN of the equator, I was on a Princess Cruise with some of my family as we went through the Panama Canal! That was a special memory, definitely.
I have yet to make it south of the equator. What the hell; I guess I'd better live at least another 42 years so I can do all this traveling that's happening in my mind!
9) Random question -- What button would you prefer your life to have: rewind, fast forward or a pause?
So that's, like, a completely impossible question for me to answer honestly! I'm in a three-way deadlock with those choices; 33.3333% of the time (mostly my childhood) I would gladly have taken the fast-forward button. Another 33.3333% of the time, I would hit rewind so I could go back and have my babies be actual babies again and not these big-ass teenagers I can't get used to just yet! (My youngest may be turning 14 next month, but I still sit and oooh and ahh in the baby clothing and shoe departments at various stores!) And now that I have so many chronic illnesses which contribute to a massive amount of brain fog, I'd hit that pause button constantly to give myself a chance to pick my words carefully while others don't try to supply them for me. It's so hard to form a cohesive thought sometimes, so I'd need that for the final third of the time!
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Phew! That took me a lot longer than I anticipated! Not Sam's or anyone's fault, really. Between birthday "doings" with Jack last night, my computer giving me the blue screen of death not once but twice in the middle of it, and finding myself getting busy with 1700 other things, it's a wonder I finished at all! But that's not to say I didn't enjoy it - I always do! Crazy Sam, you write some great questions. Sometimes I ponder whether I'd ever be good at this duty if you were to step down, and I always come to the same conclusion: Nope. I could not measure up.
Hope y'all have a great weekend, and I'm delighted to finally be able to wish you all a very happy SPRING!
Howdy, folks! I missed the super amazing fun times this past weekend because I'm having a bunch of anaphylactic episodes due to what my immunologist termed a "full-blown autoimmune assault." So that's fun. I did an undercover assignment for several hours with my younger daughter, Sophia, and reacted there. And everywhere, pretty much. It's not awesome - especially because I missed you guys!
So I'm trying to get these two in under the radar. While eating delicious fruit salad. And watching a marathon of Bob's Burgers with Sophie, Jack, and Hubs. Funny stuff. Do you watch it? Why not?!!
Here goes Saturday 9:
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Hey, guys! It's been a hectic couple of weeks since I (think I) last posted, so I've missed y'all. I'm just going to jump into it today, before the busyness picks up again, lest I miss out. Link up here if you'd like to join us today!
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Hey, pals! So did I tell you my girls and I have started a new premium, eco-conscious candle company?
Well, here's a sneak preview of some of our offerings, but like I think I mentioned in Saturday 9 yesterday. we are so not yet ready to launch. The girls and I are sitting around now, assembling wicks, containers, carefully measuring wax and taking its temperature, etc. Mostly the girls are doing that part while I supervise, make the labels, source bee-friendly, wildflower seed-impregnated, plantable paper for the business cards we intend to order, and trying to figure out how to set up our various platforms. We have a Facebook page, our own website, and an Etsy shop, but so far I just haven't made a lot of progress on those. Lots more to do!
Therefore, I feel fully justified in taking a break to do Sunday Stealing right now. Ha! So link up here if you'd like to join us this week!
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Hey, y'all. Welcome back. My youngest, Sophia, and I drove 5 hours down to Salt Lake City from Boise yesterday (and back at night), for an appointment with my ME/CFS specialist, and on the way back we were treated with the most glorious sunset I have ever seen in my entire life. We were in awe the entire time, I still am. It was breathtaking.
Link up here if you want to play along this weekend!
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Hi kids! Welcome back! I had grand intentions this weekend of doing both Saturday 9 and Sunday Stealing on time, if not early. But then I got this awful migraine, and Hubs has been plowing me with nauseating migraine medicine, medicine to control that nausea, and Benadryl to round out the cocktail. The result? Five naps this weekend. Doesn't much make for promptness! But I'm here now, and that's what counts.
Link up here if you want to play along this weekend!
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Welcome back, Guys and Dolls! I'm glad you made it. Link up here if you want to play along today; otherwise, let's jump right in:
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You’re in a tattoo parlor about to get inked. What are you getting done?
I'd get something like this: a Phoenix rising not from ashes per se, but from water. This tattoo would have multiple meanings for me, having survived so many traumas and also having water as such a significant impact on that survival.
2 - If you could be any character, from any literary work, who would you choose to be?
I'm rather Puckish myself, so I think I'd opt to be Puck from Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. Oh, the fun I'd have!
3 - You’re given $10,000…under one condition: you cannot keep the money for yourself. Who would you give it to?
I think I'd give it to the Environmental Defense Fund, a cause near and dear to my heart. They're looking out for all of us.
4 - If you had to go back in time and change one thing, what would it be?
Instead of posting something sad about saving my mom or my son, I'm going to go a different route with this one: I went to the University of Miami for my undergrad degree, though I only received a half-ride there. FIT offered me a full, 100% paid ride to get my bachelor's degree there, but I went for the prestige (among other things) of going to U Miami. In hindsight, I'd like to think I'd opt for the more sensible option and go to FIT.
5 - If you had to delete one year of your life completely, which would it be?
I don't think I would choose to do that. There are times I wish I could do an Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind type dealy on my brain, but ultimately, it's every experience, good and bad, that has shaped the person I am right now. And am still becoming, moment by moment. I don't really want to lose any one year of that.
6 - You’re an Action Movie Hero. What’s your weapon of choice and the line you scream when defeating your arch enemy?
My whole thing is non-violence, so my weapon of choice would be LOVE. And while I would not want to scream it, exactly, I would shout, "Love is love is love!" while defeating my arch-enemy: hatred.
7 - What is the first curse word that comes to mind?
8 - Would you rather be stranded on a desert island with someone you love for ten years or someone you hate for a month? Explain why.
I've always said I'd live anywhere, at any time - for any length of time - with Rob and our family. A deserted island would be no sweat, because Hubs is so handy, he'd have that fixed up for us in no time. I've already lived for ten years with someone I hated - or rather, who hated me - and wouldn't want to spend another minute on that!
9 - 5 things within touching distance:
The first "thing" is my puppy-dog, Paco, our teeny-weeny 5-lb Chihuahua. He never leaves my side. If I get up to go to the bathroom, Paco comes with me and acts like he hasn't seen me in years. Same story when we get back to the couch. His memory is non-existent, but his heart is huge!
The second thing is this awesome Chamorro-made bowl made from local wood, which we bought when we realized we were going to be leaving Guam soon. It was always our goal to travel the world and pick up artifacts from each place along the way, so this was one of the things we bought in Guam. I love it. And that base? All from one interlocking carving of one piece of wood. So cool.
For number three, I have this Young Living Thieves dental floss, which came in my Young Living travel toiletries set. Except it doesn't live in the set right now, it lives in the table next to me, ever since I lost a filling and have to floss like 8 billion times a day. I've gone through SO MUCH floss since that happened, and this is the best. I'm relieved to finally be getting into the dentist's office this week!
The fourth thing is this small bottle of Kiehl's Creme de Corps (lotion). Now that I'm no longer representing - or using - Jafra, I'm branching out and trying new things. I got a hot deal on a bag of mini Kiehl's toiletries, and I love everything I've tried so far. Including this lotion. So thick and creamy!
And finally, I have this tube of Tom's of Maine Coconut Lavender deodorant. I'm test-driving it for a Tom's campaign, and so far I really like it. It works well, and I really enjoy the scent. So when I'm on ahem day three of no shower (hey, when you're dizzy and falling and hitting your head every day, the necessity of a shower becomes more of a luxury. Don't judge), it seems to really hold up well.
10 - What are you supposed to be doing right now?
At current writing, I have 852 unread emails - not counting the 29 in my gmail account - and I'm betting at least one of them is important to be read. So that's where I'll go next... maybe... probably.
11 - Currently wanting to see anyone?
Well, technically you didn't say it had to be a person, so I'll say I'm really looking forward to meeting our new chicks come mid-September! I've ordered 15 Rare Breeds (of their choosing) and 5 standard White Rocks, all double-vaccinated against Marek's Disease and Coccidiosis, and they gave us one free Rarest of the Rare chick to boot. I can't wait to see our little hatchlings and figure out what breed everyone is! Squeeee!
12 - Would you go against your moral code for money?
I would like to say that I would not. As tough as times can get sometimes, I feel like my ethical code is something on which I cannot waiver.
13 - What’s more important to you: strength of the body or strength of the mind?
I've never had strength of body, but I've always prided myself on my strength of mind. The Biblical Proverb says that "pride goeth before the fall," and now that I feel like I'm losing my mind, my memory, and stuff... this is my fall. It's very humbling. And defeating. :'(
14 - How important you think education is?
I find it's critically important. Hubs, who did not go past high school, and I, who went to graduate school, have long been in this education vs. experience debate. The answer? (at least in my opinion) They both matter. You cannot fully know a thing until you have formally studied it in whatever type of study it requires, but you can also not fully know a thing until you have used it, manipulated it in your hands, and seen hands-on what it's about.
So my answer to this question, now that I have a high-school Senior who wants to go to college next year, is that education is crucial.
15 - If you were the president, what would you do?
I would focus on the environment. This current administration is not only not focusing on our global ecology, but it is doing things that are damaging to it. We cannot continue to ensure the survival of our species if we continue in this direction. If I were President, I would make it my number one priority.
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So that was fun. I'm late because I fell asleep while doing it Saturday night and didn't wake up until, like, almost 2 PM today. So I hope I get some visitors nevertheless!
Thanks for stopping by!
Fin.
P.S. I'd really like to plug my artist daughter Sophie's GoFundMe fundraiser. We got a new donor yesterday, and I'm not sure from where, but every single dollar helps. Sophie possesses innate artistic talent, and I know she will do well with this Masters Art education. Here it is:
https://www.gofundme.com/ArtEducationSupplies
Howdy! Welcome back, neighbors. ;) I'm so MAD at myself for getting hardly any blogging done when there has been plenty about which to blog, but... life and illness keep getting in the way. But not this time! I'm here to have fun and hope you'll stick around awhile...
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Saturday 9: High Noon (1952)
Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.
1) What will you be (or were you) doing at high noon on Saturday?
Well, there are choices! First, I haven't slept tonight, so I may actually be taking a snooze. Hoping that doesn't happen. Second, the weekly Farmer's Market meets downtown from 0900-1300, so I'm hoping to visit it for a little while to see who has what, even if I don't buy anything. There's a grilling event at Cabela's that we'll probably skip since Jack has to work at McDonald's tomorrow. And finally, the Boise HempFest is from 1000-2200 Saturday, and I'd love to check it out!
2) In this song, Tex Ritter sings he doesn't know what fate awaits him. How strong is your sense of intuition? Tell us about a time you knew what would happen before it occurred.
My sense of intuition is strong when I listen to it, and not my constant worries about everything. When I first met my husband online, quite by accident, I thought to myself, "I'm going to marry that man." And two months later, we did just that!
3) This song was the theme of a hit movie western by the same name. It starred Gary Cooper as a small-town sheriff. When did you last interact with a member of law enforcement?
Two months ago-ish. I have a lead foot when I'm driving. I had to go an hour away to another town for an oil change mystery shop. When I reached the town, I was still driving interstate speeds and not small town speed. Oops. An officer pulled me over and gently, politely asked me to please slow down in town, informing me of the speed limit and when and where it changed throughout my route. He was kind and not at all like all the rogue officers portrayed in the news lately. He then let me go. I thanked him and then sped off - just kidding!
4) Grace Kelly co-starred as the "fair-haired beauty" mentioned in this song. Four years later, she gave up films to become Her Serene Highness, Princess Grace of Monaco. Which job seems like more fun -- movie star or royal?
I think I'd enjoy the royal life more, maybe. It seems like there's an awful lot of protocol to learn! Maybe being an island princess would be right for me... Yeah, Princess Melania.
5) Though he cultivated a "just plain folk" persona, this week's featured artist, Tex Ritter, was really cosmopolitan and highly educated, earning a degree in economics from the University of Texas before going on to study pre-law at Northwestern. Do you think the "real you" is consistent with the image you convey?
I think I'm pretty honest about who I am. I'm an open book; I just can't hide the real me.
6) Tex Ritter was the father of Emmy-winning comedic actor, John Ritter. John is remembered fondly as the voice of Clifford, the Big Red Dog. Clifford appeals to children because he is "gentle, friendly, loyal, lovable and clumsy." Do any of those adjectives apply to you?
I would like to think they all do, but like all folks, I stumble sometimes and am not always all of those things. But those are definitely attributes I strive to portray.
7) Tex is also the grandfather of Jason Ritter, star of ABC-TV's Kevin (Probably) Saves the World. If you followed one of your grandparents into their line of work, what would you be doing?
I used to go to my grandpa's work with him, when he had to go in after hours for this or that, and admire all the giant factory equipment there. He was an industrial laundry facility installer. I didn't really understand it then, but now I know that he was so strong because of his job. That man was like steel! But sweet as they come.
8) In 1952, the year "High Noon" was popular, Stopette, the first antiperspirant deodorant spray, was introduced. Do you use a deodorant spray, stick or roll on?
I use Young Living Mountain Mint (stick) Deodorant, because it's aluminum-free and therefore less dangerous to me and mine. It's not perfect (ie, the stick part starts falling out towards the end of the stick, which is annoying), but it works and is safe, lol.
9) Random question: What's something you have always wanted to own, but never have?
Oh, it's still a pipe dream of ours to buy a boat and live aboard twelve months of the year. We're in our 40s now; it could still happen, right?
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It's 0747 now; I started about five or six hours ago and kept falling asleep and walking up to do bits of blog before falling asleep again. Weird night, but fun post. Thanks, Sam! And thank you to all of you who have stopped by!
Fin.
Oops, I almost totally forgot about Saturday 9! :O The horror! Anyway, here I am at 8:30 PM, so all is well. ;)
Let's begin. Link up here if you're playing along today!
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Is There Life Out There? (1992)
Unfamiliar with this week's song. Hear it here.
1) This song is about a woman who married at 20. It's estimated that the average American groom is 2.5 years older than his bride. Why do you suppose that is?
Because men at any age are super-immature, maybe? I don't know. My husband is just a nudge over four years my senior, and he acts like he's 12 years old most of the time.
2) A 2014 study shows the bigger the age gap in a marriage, the more likely the couple is to divorce. What do you think is the reason for most divorces?
They say it's usually money. I guess that might be true. Hubs and I, on the other hand, argue plenty - plenty! - but never about money. I don't know why; we just never do.
3) Reba's second marriage recently ended. Statistics show that second marriages are more likely than first marriages to wind up in divorce. Why do you suppose that is?
I really don't know, but maybe it's because people seem to have this pre-conceived notion that there is someone (or someones) out there who are just perfect for them. And that will never be the case, although I personally hold that there are tons of good matches out there for everyone, and you either marry the right guy who comes along at the right time, or the first one, or ... you don't. My dad is currently looking for (I think) his seventh wife right now. Goodness knows how many engagement rings that man has purchased. Plenty.
4) This week's featured artist, Reba McEntire, was discovered when she sang The National Anthem at an Oklahoma City rodeo. Have you ever been to the rodeo?
Nope, and you will never, ever, ever catch me at one. Not ever. It's on my anti-Bucket List. (And along that same line, my kids have never been taken to the circus, either.)
5) Reba dropped out of Southeastern Oklahoma State University to go to Nashville and pursue a recording career. In that way, she's like the woman she sings about in this week's song. "She's done what she should, should she do what she dares?" Do you ever regret a risk or opportunity you didn't take?
Certainly. I have taken a lot of risks in my life, and I walked away from my Ph.D. program to marry Hubs. I miss shark research a ton, and I often get pangs of regret for not sticking with it. I think I did the right thing, but my heart and soul are always there in the ocean.
6) Reba's heroine is "dying to try something foolish, do something crazy, or just get away." Does that sound like you? What would you do, just for yourself, if time and money were no object?
I would cruise around the world for the rest of my life. God, I wish I could! In my mind, I'm always traveling. (That ship, the ms Zuiderdam, is the actual ship Hubs and I were on for our Mediterranean cruise in 2008. So beautiful.)
7) Reba recently became a spokesperson for Kentucky Fried Chicken. Whose chicken do you eat most often: Popeye's, Church's, Chick-fil-A or KFC?
I prefer KFC, but I can't eat chicken now. Maybe that will change after my surgery. (Which is scheduled for March 20th, btw, and I'll be in the hospital over a week. Which of you is going to come visit me and hold my hand? I admit: I'm scared.)
8) In 2001, Reba starred in her own sitcom. On the show, her character is first an administrative assistant and then a real estate agent. Have you ever tried your hand at either of those occupations? If not, which do you think you would be a better fit for you?
I could never be a successful realtor, because I don't "ask for the sale" when I'm in any kind of sales position. I'm horrible at it; I don't have it in me. I would be an excellent administrative assistant, though, because I'm good at making plans and schedules and organizing things. I have sort of been that before, but not with that title.
9) Random question: Which of these super powers would you rather have -- extraordinary strength or invisibility?
I don't care about strength, except the inner kind. But being invisible would be very useful in many circumstances, so I choose that one!
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That's it, and I'm done before 2100. Thanks for stopping by!
Fin.
So it's late for this posting, I understand. 10:45 PM Mountain Standard Time, to be exact. But I can explain: I spent several wee hours this morning in the hospital again, which then caused me to sleep the day away. After that, I tried to participate, but the Typepad platform was down. Finally, it's back, so here I am. I'm sure you relished that story. Anyway, link up here if you'd like to participate this weekend, and then let's go:
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