Saturday 9 x3

(Link in meme-roll)
Mr. Boombastic (1995)
Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) This song is a rather shameless come-on by an accomplished ladies' man. Do you enjoy flirting?

Flirting is fun. Yes, I enjoy it, though it's almost entirely "window shopping" these days, except when I'm flirting with Beast.

2) Shaggy sings that he's like a turtle coming out of his shell. Do you think turtles, snakes and lizards make good pets? Or would you prefer a companion animal that has fur or feathers?

I'd prefer a furry pet, but since I'm allergic to almost all furry things, it looks like any future pets will not have any. I have a friend who owns a tortoise that she adores. Kind of thinking about that. Or nothing.

3) He also sings that if you don't feel like driving, you should hand him the keys. Are you comfortable letting others drive your car?

Last week, I would've probably said no, but as we are down to one car now, Beast is driving mine and ... yeah, it's bugging me a little.

4) He tries to woo the girl with the promise of a bubble bath. Do you enjoy relaxing in the tub? Or do you view baths and showers as simply part of your hygiene routine, like brushing your teeth?

I love baths, but I don't get time to soak very often anymore. Showers, though, are strictly business. Clean and out.

5) Born Orville Burrell, Shaggy took his stage name from his shaggy hair. Using your hair as inspiration, what would your stage name be?

Lately, the best adjective would be "sweaty."

6) Sam admits she hadn't thought about this 20+ year old song in years, until she heard it on a Chase Bank commercial. According to the Federal Reserve Bank, checkwriting dropped more than 50% between 2000 and 2010. Who received the last check you wrote?

It was our last (as in final) cleaning service appointment a few weeks ago. I don't pay most of the bills, and I never carry the checkbook.

7) Which would you prefer to receive in a birthday card: a $25 check or a $20 Target gift card?

Check. There's no longer a Target very nearby.

8) Sam's mother refuses to pay bills online. All the news stories about data breaches scare her. Have you ever been hacked? If so, did it take long to get the situation resolved?

Yes, we've had our credit card hacked a couple of times, but nothing worse than that. Fortunately, the bank caught it immediately. Yay, for credit security checks.

9) In 1995, when this song was popular, Michael Jordan "unretired" and returned to the Chicago Bulls. Tell us about a decision you made that you wish you could undo.

Some incredibly stupid things I've said to people over the years would be nice to "take back."

+ + + + + + + + + +

September in the Rain (1956)
Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) This song refers to "leaves of brown." Can you see any leaves outside your window? What color are they?

We're still rockin' the green in our yard. There are trees down the road from us that are turning, though. One is almost completely red.

2) It also mentions whispered words of love. What did you say last time you lowered your voice?

Pretty sure I told Beast I love him quietly a few minutes ago. He's got a very upset stomach today and is feeling yucky.

3) Clearly this song is about a treasured romantic memory that took place in autumn. Think about your favorite romantic memory. In what season did it take place?

We've had some very good vacations in the fall over the years. Probably something to do with our birthdays both being in November... 😏

4) This week's featured artist, Julie London, was famous as a singer and actress. Less prominent in her bio is her appearance as a "pin up girl" in Esquire magazine when she was just 17. What's in your resume that you'd prefer to de-emphasize or gloss over?

About the only thing I'd leave off would be my stint as a paper carrier when I was a SAHM with Sparky when he was little.

5) Julie recorded more than 30 albums and was named "most popular female vocalist" by Billboard magazine in 1956. If you could see any entertainer -- male or female -- in concert, who would you choose?

Of all time? It would be fascinating to watch Elvis perform c. 1957-58.

6) She became well-known to another generation when she appeared in the 1970s TV show Emergency! The younger actors credited her for keeping everything calm on the set. Who has a calming influence on you?

Beast.
Yeah, I know. Too easy.

7) Her Emergency! costar was her husband, Bobby Troup, and the show was produced by her ex-husband, Jack Webb. Do you have an ex that you're on very good terms with?

Nope. My exes have been out of my life for over 30 years. It would be really awkward to talk to most of them.

8) Julie was a chain-smoker since she was a teenager and in the 1950s recorded a jingle for Marlboro cigarettes. Yet in the 1970s, when she saw Bobby Troup's health negatively effected by smoking, she pressed him to quit. Tell us about a time you found yourself in a "do as I say, not as I do" situation.

I'm currently trying get Beast to understand that he needs to schedule his glucose his checks and do them, but I'm not doing mine. OTOH, my situation is way less dire than his. So far.

9) Random question: You have won an all-expenses paid trip to an exclusive resort in the Hawaii. When you get there, you discover that the private beach is bathing suit optional. Do you swim nude?

I don't swim. At all. So, no.

+ + + + + + + + + +

One Night in Bangkok (1984)
Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) This song is from the play Chess. It's been said that the most successful players are fluid in their thinking. Do you consider yourself flexible or set in your ways?

Depends. In some ways, I'm super flexible about things. In other ways, I'm very much not. I'm trying to work through why some changes irk me when others are practically unnoticed.

2) Nigel Short, a real-life chess grandmaster, used to wear a t-shirt that said, "He who cares, wins." Do you always play to win? Or do you play board/card games or sports for the fun of it?

I want to win! I try to keep myself from being horrible--some other family members are far worse about winning than I am!--but sometimes I just get angry about bad luck.

3) The singer is in Bangkok for an important tournament. He maintains that he doesn't mind missing the sights and dismisses Bangkok is just another "crowded, polluted stinking town." Do you find big cities exciting? Or do you think of them as noisy and dirty?

I like visiting cities. I love London, and San Diego, and even parts of Chicago and Athens and Rome. But I would never want to live in one all the time.

4) Air pollution has reached serious levels Bangkok. Do you suffer from allergies, asthma or another condition that could be aggravated by pollution?

Yup. Thank goodness I'm not interested in Thailand!

5) To reduce traffic, commuters travel through Bangkok on ferries that make regularly scheduled trips up and down the Chao Phraya River. When was your last boat ride?

Hmm. It's been awhile. With the lack of swimming ability comes what I consider to be a healthy fear of falling out of a boat. So I rarely get onboard.

6) Round trip airfare between ATL and BKK is $1750. If we gave you a travel voucher for that dollar amount, how would you spend it?

Well, I wouldn't go to Bangkok, that's for sure! It's tempting to consider Tierra del Fuego.

7) The Holiday Inn Express in Bangkok has a McDonald's onsite. When you go somewhere new, do you find it comforting to be surrounded by what's familiar? Or would you prefer to try new things?

We did eat in McDonald's near Heathrow earlier this month when we first got to England, but after that we stayed strictly away from American 'cuisine.' Generally, I'll try local favorites; it doesn't always work out but I often discover things I subsequently love!

8) One of Bangkok's most popular restaurants is DID, which stands for Dine in Dark. The dining room at DID is 100% light free -- cell phones must be stored in the lobby to avoid distracting from the experience -- so customers eat their four course meal without seeing it. This heightens the diner's sense of taste and smell. When you prepare a meal, do you put a great deal of care into its presentation?

Nope. And I am not at all interested in eating in the dark, either.

9) Random question: Think about your last professionally prepared meal. Did you dine in, carry out, or have it delivered?

We ate lunch out on Thursday. At Taco Bell. 👍