MelaniePenelope

Saturday 9: Ordinary People

John Legend: "Ordinary People"

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Hello, hello, y'all. I very nearly missed this week's questionnaire, but I pulled myself up to get it done. We've all been doing this for so long "together," and I don't want to lose that.

Happy Spring, Northern Hemisphereans! I'm so delighted. #understatement

Not much really happened here this week that I can think of; that is a good thing! Two weeks ago, my lithium levels were way too low, and I was planning on jumping off the nearest tall building. Now that the doctor has raised my dosage, I feel so, so, so much better. It was almost overnight! And I'm so thankful, so grateful to still be here.

Let's get it done. (P.S. I was just about to post this, and then my Chrome died, closing all my windows and not returning all the content I had here. So I'm aggravated now. GAH!)

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ORDINARY PEOPLE (2005)

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

1) In this song, John Legend sings that both he and his girl have "room to grow." What about you? In what areas would you like to improve?

Well, hard to do being here in a small hotel room (for yet another two months! Ugh!), but when we move into our new home I really want to make it a point to get out of bed and at least circulate with the family downstairs, every day. I'm in bed so much, some days I don't see anyone but Hubs. And the dogs are getting entirely too used to cozying up with  me all day. Something's gotta change, and I want to make the effort. I do not want the pain and fatigue from Lyme dictate what I do for the rest of my days.

2) He sings that when he hangs up in anger, she calls him back. Are you quicker to anger, or quicker to forgive?

Both! And quick to apologize, too. If someone apologizes to me, it's done, it's over.

3) "Ordinary People" was John Legend's first big hit. He originally wrote it for The Black Eyed Peas, but -- happily for him -- recorded it himself. Have you ever purchased a gift for someone else but then decided to keep it yourself?

Really? I love the Peas but I can't see them doing this song justice. As for me, I don't think I've ever done that, but I for sure have wished I had enough  money at that moment for a second one. Several times!

4) Ordinary People is also the title of an acclaimed novel by Judith Guest and an Oscar-winning film. Are you familiar with either the movie or the book?

Of course, I definitely knew the movie - my mother was a huge fan of Barbra Streisand. I remember that just a couple of months before she died, she took 7-year-old me and 8-year-old  Stacey (my big sister) to the movies to see Yentl. It's one of my last memories with my mom, so I cherish and love Barbra for it, too. As for the book, I don't think I had heard of it, but now it's on my "want to read" list on Goodreads. Thanks!

5) John is married to Chrissy Teigen, who gained fame as a Sports Illustrated swimsuit model. When is the last time you dove in? Were you in a pool, lake, river or sea?

 Atlantic Ocean in August and September when we first got here to Maryland from Idaho, but it was a while before that that I actually got in and swam. In the summer of 2017, I swam with the fam at the Boise reservoir. It was a good day, and we had fun, but then I came down with this horrid bacterial infection that left me wishing for death. I hadn't heard of that particular critter before; I guess it was a big enough deal for the county epidemiologist to call me up and interview me over the phone. Guess I lost my nerve after that!

6) John unexpectedly proposed to Chrissy on vacation, but he was afraid airport security would ruin the surprise when they went through his carry on very thoroughly. He worried she would see the ring box and he'd have to drop down to one knee right there at the airport! Tell us about one of your flights: your first, your most recent or your most memorable.

It was just really odd flying back here to the East Coast this past summer. The jets were sparsely populated instead of overcrowded, and there was no food or drink service, and we were all constantly reminded to pull up our masks here or that way or whatever. It was tense and scary on the one hand, but also just another adventure arrow to stick in our quivers, I guess.

7) John is currently a coach on The Voice. The other coaches are Nick Jonas, Kelly Clarkson and Blake Shelton. Of those four singers, which is your favorite? 

Gotta go with my girl Kelly! I was nursing my first newborn Chloë when Kelly competed on and won the first season of American Idol.

8) In 2005, when this song was popular, Johnny Carson died. After he retired from The Tonight Show in 1993, he traveled extensively and discovered he especially enjoyed photographic safaris in Africa. If time and money were no object, where would you go on vacation?

I'd have all the money and the time, you say?! Well sure, I'd visit all the continents in turn, thoroughly and passionately. But I wouldn't stop there. I'd say hello to Moon and then head outward for a glimpse of Mars before I hovered out around my favorite planet, Jupiter. I'll end this story of mine there, though, since it's too far-fetched even for me.

9) Random question -- In your typical day, what's the longest you usually go without saying a word to another person: all day, a few hours, an hour, or five minutes?

Right now, maybe about an hour, possibly two hours. But I've always got this little guy and his chonky sister to talk to!

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All right, phew, I made it and hopefully will save it in time in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1...

Enjoy your Spring beginning, y'all!

Fin.

Sunday Stealing: ID Questions

Hey, you guys! You came back! Wanna hear something crazy? I had what, in these uncertain times of my health going from bad to worse regularly, I would consider a pretty decent day Saturday. I spent a couple of hours just {yes, I know} browsing Bed, Bath & Beyond with Chloë, getting absolutely nothing, and then getting a few "deals and steals" at Walgreens after that (hey, six free toothpastes ain't a bad haul, for starters), and she and I just get along famously when we're out and about together like that. And that set the tone for the remainder of my day, with multiple laughing-'til-I-cried experiences with the rest of the family after that. Yeah, I'm not talking about my physical difficulties, but that's because regardless of those, if I have a good outward day, I can ignore that stuff for a while. So I did. :)

But anyway.

I'm happy you're here for Sunday Stealing (I almost wrote "Saturday Sunday," because they're enmeshed in my brain). Link up here if you're playing along today!

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1: Three Fears ~

a: nightmares (last night's was about scary dancing pandas - weird!); b: dying before my children are grown; and, c: of my dogs running out into traffic

2: Three things I love ~

a: Chloë, who will be 17 in under three weeks;

b: Jack, 15; and,

c: Sophia, who is 13 going on 19!

3: Four turns on ~

four?!! Hmm...

a: Rob, obviously, who (since we're giving away ages here) will be 46 on the 30^th;

b: good yarn; in this case, it's Madeline Tosh merino wool in "Light Turquoise";

c: Singing to good music turned up loud in the car with the windows down; and,

d: Pure happiness and joy

4: Four turns off ~

a: Smoking;

b: Child abuse;

c: sloooooow drivers; and,

d: careless people who litter - & its effects on wildlife

5: My best friend ~

I am fortunate enough to have two, both of whom I met in 6^th grade and went all through the rest of middle, junior, and high school with: Lisa Joy & Shana Marie, both of whom I love with all my heart and definitely don't feel like I deserve!

{Photo of Lisa & me in a photo booth at CocoWalk, in Coconut Grove, Florida, during Lisa's Spring Break, circa April 1997}

6: My favorite book ~

I haven't read nearly all of these book by Jodi Picoult, but I have read My Sister's Keeper, The Tenth Circle, Nineteen Minutes, and Songs of the Humpback Whale (maybe others??), and I feel like all of them plus any more of her oeuvre that I'm going to read are my favorites, so can I make it her entire body of work?!

7: My best first date ~ 

Well, obviously I think, I would have to say that was my first date with Rob! In mid-November 2000, he came down to St. Petersburg, FL, from Panama City Beach, FL, to meet me in person after an odd first acquaintanceship (is that a word?!) online. We went to a Chinese take-out/eat-in restaurant for lunch and spent a long, long time there getting to know each other. We were the only customers who were dining in, so the staff were paying us a lot of curious attention, but I don't think either of us cared. Fast-forward to a year later, and we were already married and parents of a tiny baby, Chloë Raine - with three more to soon follow! Yup, I think there was romance in my vegetable lo mein...

8: How tall am I ~

At 5'1½", I think I'm short enough. However, my tiny little pixie girl, Chloë Rainebow, is maxed out at 4'9½" and is super cute to boot!

9: What do I miss ~ 

Now that Chloë nearing 17 and in her senior year of high school, Jack has a job, and Sophie towers over me at 5'4" with no end in sight, I've been missing their younger years something fierce lately!

10: What time was I born ~

Oh, I don't know, on time I guess?? ;) Since my DOB is 9/8/76, though, I like to joke that I was also born at 5:43:21 PM!

11: Favorite color ~

Something like this would be my idea color palette, with the middle color being my favoritest fave

12: Do I have a crush ~

Honestly? This may sound corny but after almost 18 years together, seeing Rob persevere through prostate cancer and numerous serious complications in recent months has me crushing on him all over again. Weird circumstance, but I love him with my whole heart and entire soul, and that's that.

13: Favorite quote ~

I'm really not good at remembering quotes and jokes and whatnot, but I've always remembered this one from Dirty Dancing!

14: Favorite place ~

Gosh, I'm getting really cheesy again, but it's wherever my family members are. So right now, that's Idaho. (And P.S. If I had a spare $30, I'd totally be getting myself this State of Idaho cutting board. Love it!)

15: Favorite food ~

New York-style pizzeria pizza - yummo!

16: Do I use sarcasm?

What do you think?

17: What am I listening to right now?

I'm watching a new-to-me rerun of Fixer Upper, a show I just starting getting into, like, yesterday.

18: First thing I notice in a new person ~

Whether they just smile with their mouths, or if it reaches their eyes to show it's genuine

19: Eye color ~

They used to be dark brown, but as I'm getting older, they're getting lighter brown with a ring of green around each iris

20: Hair color ~ 

See above; it's auburn, but I'm getting ready to dye it darker brown probably later this week.

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That was a super fun meme! Thanks for the great thievery, Bev! And thanks to y'all for reading along with me!

Fin.

Saturday 9: Love Is All Around

Welcome back! I nearly forgot it was Saturday!

Link up here if you want to play along today.

Without further ado, let's begin:

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Saturday 9: Love Is All Around (1970)

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

1) This week's song is the theme from The Mary Tyler Moore Show, a sitcom that originally aired from 1970 to 1977. Were you a fan?

I'm sorry, I don't really think I've ever watched it. (I was born in 1976.)

2) The song tells us that Mary Richards can turn the world on with her smile. Yet the real-life Mary Tyler Moore said she was uncomfortable with her "wide mouth." If you could improve on one of your facial features, which would you choose?

I really don't have much of a lower jaw; I feel like I have no chin! In fact, I used to say that I married my husband for his strong jaw, and he married me for my flat ears.

3) We also hear that Mary can "take a nothing day and suddenly make it all seem worthwhile." What do you think makes a day "a nothing day?"

A day for me would be a day in which I get absolutely nothing accomplished. I like to be constantly busy and really don't know how to relax. [With ME/CFS (if that is in fact my diagnosis, and it's looking more and more like it should be), this makes life challenging.]

4) Mary works in the newsroom at WJM. Her desk is neat as a pin. Are you neat? Or do you lean to the sloppy side?

In 7th grade, my English teacher, Mrs. Trainham, talked to us about there being some people who are boxes, and some people who are squiggles - without defining either. She then asked us to sit for a minute and think about the question, "Are you a box or a squiggle?" before going around the class to say which we thought we were and why. I decided then that I'm neither, but I've yet to determine whether I'm a boxy squiggle or a squiggly box. Does that answer the question?

5) Mary's best friend, Rhoda, worked as a window dresser at Hempel's department store. What department store did you most recently shop at? What did you buy?

The other day, a box from Kohl's showed up. I did not remember ordering from Kohl's. We opened it. There were clothes for Sophia, Chloë, and me (not a lot, just one or two things each). I did not remember ordering these clothes. Chloë thought she remembered one item, so I let her try it on, and it fit. So did a dress. Sophia fit the two pairs of joggers, and I figured the cardigan must be for me since I've been wanting one lately. It's becoming quite disconcerting lately how often I can't remember things like this that you'd think I would!

6) Mary Richards lived in Minneapolis. What city is nearest to where you are right now?

Boise, where I live, is the largest city in Idaho. (It pales in comparison to the other cities in or near which I've lived: New York City and Syracuse in New York; Aiken in South Carolina;  all over Miami, St. Petersburg, Tampa, and Panama City Beach in Florida; Virginia Beach in Virginia...  the one place that's smaller is Yigo, on Guam!) I think of it more as a large town than a small city.

7) Originally the part of Mary Richards was written as a divorcée, but in 1970, there were no TV shows that centered around a divorced woman. Think about the women in your life. Are most of them married, divorced, single or widowed?

I would have to say that most of them are married.

8) The MTM production company logo featured a mewing kitten. The cat was found in a Minneapolis shelter, and, after her sequence was shot, she was adopted by a crew member who named her Mimsie. What's the name of the last cat -- or dog or hamster or rabbit -- that you petted?

This beautiful, big Maine Coon, Pepper, who belongs to Chloë.

9) Random question -- Would you rather have a job that kept you seated on your fanny or standing on your feet?

Well, if you had asked me that 20 - or even five! - years ago, I'd have said my feet. The good days now are ones that I'm even upright.

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Now I have to go figure out why I'm starving, watching Food Network, and it's still two days until payday - and thus grocery day! Not smart! I'm watching back-to-back-to-back-to-back Cake Wars on my DVR, and my chief complaints are that: 1. From owning my own cake business back in Virginia Beach, I've long since figured out that many elements of this show have got to be staged; and 2.  I'm irritated by the number of people from all over who say "ah-mond" instead of pronouncing the L in almond. Whyyyy?

Thanks for stopping by!

Fin.

Saturday 9: Gidget

 

Howdy, folks! Welcome back.

This has been another whirlwind week for medical appointments, including a sojourn for my husband and me, our three teenagers, and our two doggos down to Salt Lake City, Utah, on Monday and back to Boise on Tuesday, with appointments and both days. I don't yet have a solidified diagnosis for what we've termed "Succubus," which has plagued me/us for the past 38 months, but it looks like it will be ME/CFS: Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. The doc there said this would explain why I've been so much sicker and worn out than the Fibromyalgia diagnosis would suggest, although I probably do have some of that, too. Fun, fun. I don't feel any better physically, but it's a huge weight off my shoulders just to have been listened to for once!

The movie Unrest describes precisely what I've been going through; you should watch it if you think you or someone you know might have ME/CFS. It's available all over the interwebs.

♥ Anyway, I'm telling you that because I know some of you have cared from distances far and farther, and I appreciate you so much. ♥ 

So let's get started! Link up here if you want to play along today!

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Saturday 9: Gidget (1965)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.
 
1) Gidget was a sitcom that ran only one season. Have you ever seen it?

I actually have seen it, though in repeats, but I did not realize it was only one season!

2) Gidget is a high school student who is more interested in surfing and boys than in the books. When you were Gidget's age, was your top priority getting good grades? Or were you more involved in the social side of student life?

Well, obviously I'm much younger here, haha. My mom's writing (how I cherish that!) on the back says I'm six years old in 1982; 1st grade. Anyway, in high school, I was definitely far more interested in my studies, although I had a really good social life, too. I was a smart nerd with lots of friends - and boyfriends. ;)

3) Gidget's father was nearly always unflappable when it came to his daughter's high-spirited shenanigans. Who is the coolest, calmest person you know?

That would be my 13-year-old daughter, Sophie. She definitely doesn't get that from me! She may look more like me, but she's her daddy inside; our daughter Chloë is exactly the opposite. Jack is ... somewhere in the middle. 

4) Gidget spends as much time as she can at the beach, hanging out with her best friend Larue. Fair-skinned Larue doesn't share Gidget's passion for surfing and prefers to stay on the beach blanket, wearing a floppy hat that protects her from the sun. Are you a sun worshipper? Or, like Larue, are you careful about your exposure to the sun?

Oh, no way I'm a sun worshipper. I may be a water-baby - I've always grown up in and around the surf - but I have had one horrid sunburn after another in this life. I'll probably have skin cancer some day. Sophie is the only person in our family who tans instead of burns. So weird!
 
5) Gidget, the quintessential California girl, was created by Freidrich Kohner, an Austrian-born screenwriter. Can you think of another Austrian import?

Isn't Arnold Schwarzenegger from Austria?
 
6) Howard Greenfield and Jack Keller wrote this week's Gidget theme. They also wrote the 1960 hit song, "Everybody's Somebody's Fool." When is the last time you felt foolish?

Oh, I absolutely do something I feel foolish about every single day. Every. Day.
 
7) This is the show that introduced Sally Field. She went on to win two Oscars and four Emmy Awards. When you think of Sally, what role comes to mind?

Oh, gosh. There are so many good ones, aren't there? Forest Gump, Steel Magnolias... but it's actually her role as family matriarch Nora Walker in the TV series Brothers & Sisters, which ran from 2006-2011, that I think of first. I don't know why.

8) Today Gidget is a grandmother. Sally reports that her grandchildren especially enjoy "sleepovers at Granny's." Where were you the last time you spent the night away from home? 

We stayed at an airbnb home for the first time this past week when we were in Salt Lake. It may have been the last time. Oh, my gosh, it was an EPIC fail. Have y'all ever done it?

9) Random question -- Describe your perfect lazy afternoon. 

Relaxing in a hammock near the seashore with a book, a tropical cocktail of some kind, and my family all nearby GETTING ALONG. Now that they're all teenagers, that "getting along" part has become more difficult to manage! Hormones, y'all. 

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I suppose I should attempt Sunday Stealing now. Y'know, since I missed it because of packing and planning for our trip. Missed y'all!

Fin.