Saturday 9

(Link in meme-roll)
It's Not Unusual (1965)
Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Check here.

1) In this song, Tom sings that "it's not unusual to go out at any time." Will you be "out and about" this weekend?

I'm going grocery shopping tonight. I've found that after dinner on Saturdays is dead quiet--though the shelves are often a little sparse. Otherwise, I don't think we're doing anything much. Church tomorrow, of course. My overall plan this weekend is recalibrating from a L O N G stretch of work (in the building 12 straight days for at least 2 hours each day) that flamed out about midway leaving me emotionally wrecked for much of the past week.

2) Before his music career took off, Tom supported himself and his young family by working as a vacuum cleaner salesman. Could the room you're in right now benefit from a thorough cleaning with a vacuum?

Welllll....it's got hardwood floors, so...I could sweep, I suppose, but it's not that awful.

3) You can purchase a verified Tom Jones autograph on eBay for $299 (or the best offer). When you were growing up, did you collect signatures and sayings from your friends? (Autograph book? Yearbook? Cast?)

The only "autograph books" I have are my junior high and high school yearbooks. I do not collect people's signatures--I expect more than that in a yearbook--because I'm not all that interested in meeting (and proving I've met) Famous People.

4) At the height of his popularity, female fans would throw their panties onstage at Tom Jones. Sam can't imagine doing this, and not just because she's not that crazy about Tom Jones. She'd be embarrassed because her underwear drawer could use a serious refresh. If you could choose one new article of clothing to add to your wardrobe today, what would it be?

I need some new work slacks/pants. And some new sandals: summer will eventually arrive!

5) "Tom Jones" is also the name of character in a famous 18th century novel. Tell us about a character from a book you wish you were friends with in real life.

I've always, ALWAYS!, wanted to be friends with Laura Ingalls. We would have had such fun!

6) When this song was popular in March 1965, Sarah Jessica Parker of Sex and the City fame was born. Do you share your birthday with anyone famous?

According to Wikipedia, a well-known-in-Japan actor was born the same day as me. I've never heard of him but then I don't think I've ever seen a movie about the yakuza which is apparently what he specializes in.
Oh, and Bahá'u'lláh was born--several centuries before me--on that day too.

7) Also in 1965, when this song was a hit, Americans were riveted by the Gemini space program and children all over the country wanted to be astronauts. Think back to your childhood: When you were in first or second grade, what did you want to be when you grew up?

A grocery store checker. Or a teacher. Or a clerk of courts like my mom. Or...the world was really my oyster then, no?

8) Fifty years ago, the most popular headache reliever was aspirin, and you could buy a bottle of 200 tablets for just $1. Do you have any aspirin in your medicine chest right now?

I do, right next to the acetaminophen and the ibuprofen bottles.
Speaking of aspirin, though, when I was young (maybe 5?) I once dug out the bottle of chewable baby aspirin from our medicine cabinet and finished it off. My mom about flipped her lid--there was some family history about aspirin, as well as non-clotting situations--when she found the empty bottle and I ended up in hysterics with my dad holding me upside down over the bathtub so I'd breathe (and probably, it occurs to me now, in case and in hopes that I threw up). I couldn't have chewed up that many, since there were no long-term effects, but I certainly learned that baby aspirin IS NOT candy!

9) Random question: You've just entered a public restroom. Would you rather find a paper towel dispenser or hot air hand dryer?

I prefer towels. The dryers are loud and slow and I just am not a fan. Plus, in those bathrooms with actual doors, I sometimes don't want to touch that handle without a towel in my hand.