Sunday Stealing

(Link in meme-roll)

Stolen from Pinterest

1. Your favorite part of the day

I like that time just around sunset (or sunrise). The light is beautiful at that time.

2. Something you know a lot about

MARC coding. 

And how to deal with medical BS, not including insurance BS.

3. An important person in your life

Let's go with the 2 years I was "unemployed" staying home with Sparky when they were a wee one. It was not a fun period of my life in most respects, but I did enjoy being around a cute kid.

4. Your favorite recipe

Mac n cheese (from my mom, memorized ages ago)

Boil water and dump in a couple of cups of (dry) noodles.

Melt 3 T butter and 3 T flour together in another pan over medium heat. Once combined, add 1 tsp beef bouillon crystals. Combine and slowly add 1-2 cups of milk, turning temperature down a bit. Stir constantly while adding and keep stirring till thickened. Turn off heat. Add at least 2 cups of chunks cheese, preferably sharp cheddar, but whatever. Don't use shreds. Stir till melted. 

Drain noodles and pour into pan, then pour cheese mixture over top. Bake in oven for 30 minutes at 350-ish.

Can cut up hotdogs or sausages and add to cheese mixture if desired.

5. An event that turned out differently than planned

My entire freakin' life! It's why I've given up any semblance of planning.

6. How you procrastinate

Well, this.😉 Reading. Surfing around social media.

7. The best type of surprise

The kind that involves child kisses or hugs.

8. Music that helps you relax

Ambient sound, apparently also known as "spa music."

9. A thing your life has in excess

Sitting in my living room.

10. A book you want to read.

The 14th book (of 366 books on it) on my To-Read list in GoodReads is The Diver's Clothes Lie Empty (Vendela Vida). However, having said that, I don't really keep these in any order. I just snag what looks good. There are SO MANY BOOKS!

11. A person you’re always happy to see.

Sparky

12. What time do you go to sleep?

I'm in bed by 9 usually, but sleep...meh, whenever I can't hold up the book or the phone anymore. This could be 9:15 or 1 a.m.

13. A word to describe the past year.

Stasis.

14. Your favorite household chore

I actually don't mind doing dishes or cleaning toilets. Well, cleaning MY OWN toilets.

15. One thing you’d like to see

The Valley of the Kings in Egypt. Never gonna happen at this rate. 

Saturday 9

(Link in meme-roll)

Hotel California (1977)

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

 

1) In this song, Don Henley called the hotel's front desk and asked, "Please bring me my wine." He was told they haven't had wine since 1969. When did you last have a glass of wine?

Oh, gosh. It's been a good while. Wine gives me headaches so I don't drink much of it anymore.

2) The lyrics refer to wine as a "spirit." That is incorrect. Wines are fermented, not distilled, and have a lower alcohol content than spirits. When "Hotel California" was popular, listeners who were into wine called radio stations to let them know about the mistake. Are you a wine aficionado? Are any of your friends or family knowledgeable about wine?

I'm not. I work with someone I call a "wino" as a joke, and a lot of other people I know are really into it, but it's just not something I care that much about. Having alcoholics in the family kinda takes the shine off that whole thing.

3) In the song, Henley sings about looking for the door that will take him "back to the place I was before." Don says that refers to a loss of innocence and a longing for a simpler time. When you think about "the good old days," where does your mind wander to?

The mountains, always the mountains, climbing around with my little terrier dog with me, alone for hours. Now, as an adult, I think back on that and wonder if my parents were ever worried.

4) With five #1 singles, six #1 albums, and six Grammy awards, it's generally agreed that the Eagles were one of the most popular groups of the 1970s. Which decade produced most of your favorite songs?

Probably the decade(s) that run from about 1974 to about 1990.

5) The Eagles were formed in 1971 when four of them happened to find themselves hired to play back up for Linda Ronstadt. The men found they really hit off and wanted to keep working together when the gig with Linda was up. Tell us about how you met someone important in your life.

I met my husband when he came up to my dorm room to flirt with and annoy my roommate on whom he had a crush. She fully ignored him, and I felt sorry for him being ignored. Fast forward almost 3 years, during which we were not really on great speaking terms at times, and we were engaged and planning a wedding while trying to finish our senior year of college.

6) The Eagles are still on the road*, filling big arenas for their Long Goodbye tour. One explanation for their enduring popularity is that their music spans genres. They scored hits on the rock, pop and country charts. Other popular categories of music include classical, gospel, jazz, Latin, reggae, New Age, and rap. Which do you listen to most often? Which did you listen to most recently?

I mostly listen to (old?) (classic?) pop with a lot of other stuff mixed in. I do love Eagles' music and all their individual careers as well. I also listen to classical and world music, with some show tunes and a few of each of the above list.

7) In 1976, when "Hotel California" was topping the charts, the trend in home decor was vibrant. Intense copper, bright pink and vivid avocado were among the popular colors for bath towels, mats and shower curtains that year. If we were to peek into your 2024 bathroom(s), what colors would we find?

My main (i.e. master) bathroom is fully seashore based: lots of different blues, a framed print of a lighthouse being hit by a big wave, a sandy-beach-themed shower curtain, dark blue towels and rugs. And oak cabinets. I love that room--kind of pining for another soak in the tub again tonight. It's fookin' cold outside!

8) Handbags were big in 1976. Not just in popularity but in size. Purses routinely had compartments on the inside and pockets on the outside. When you leave the house, do you travel light? Or do you prefer to carry a lot with you?

I have a canvas lunch bag that I use as a "purse" meaning it has in it my book, my baggie of emergency drugs (ibuprofen, Benadryl, etc.), wristguards, chapstick, snack...etc. depending on the day. My wallet is never in there, and my phone ends up in there when I forget to put it in my pocket. I don't carry it with me like a purse wherever I go; it mostly stays in the car.

9) Random question -- How different is your life today than it was a year ago: (a) a lot; (b) a little); (c) not at all?

Not much different. A lot snowier today. I'm sorer all the time these days.

_______________

 * Well, most of them. One is gone, sadly.

Friday 5

(Link in meme-roll)

Stolen 5

1. What do you drink in the morning?

Diet soda/pop, usually diet Coke or diet Dr. Pepper.

2. What was the last song you heard?

I'm not even sure. It might be something from Hamilton, maybe "What Did I Miss?" when I couldn't get my bluetooth in the car to find my phone. CDs for the win!

3. What are your feelings about ghosts?

I don't really have feelings about them. I don't disbelieve in their existence but I have never seen any proof myself.

4. How do you feel about camping?

If it doesn't involve a mattress and indoor plumbing I'm 100% agin it.\

5. What are your thoughts on showers vs. baths?

Showers are good for quick summer rinses, baths are better for soaking in winter. Speaking of which, a bath is my next 'job' before bed.

Thursday Thirteen

(Link in meme-roll)

Things On My Shopping List (a.k.a. my Instacart cart)

1. Bagels. I need to start eating breakfast at home again. McDonald's is getting expensive!
2. Cream cheese. See above.
3. Gouda cheese cubes (and other flavors because CHEEEEESE!!)
4. Bob Evans mashed potatoes. 
5. Veggie dip. I have a pile of veggies that need dipping.
6. Potato chips. I have a pile of chip dip that needs using.
7. Drumsticks. The ice cream kind. For my sweet tooth.
8. Dill Bites. I just discovered these: little packets of sliced dill pickles in juice. PERFECT snack size. No sugar. My endocrinologist might even approve.
9. Turkey sausage snack sticks. See above re approval.
10. Peanut butter + honey. Because that's my go-to sandwich and I'm nearly out of both ingredients.
11. Wheat bread. The heavy, seedy kind. Best for afore-mentioned sandwich.
12. Wheat Thins. I'm tired of Ritz.
13. Two cases of diet Coke, because Aldi's doesn't sell Dr. Peppr.