Saturday 9

(Link in meme-roll)
That's What Friends Are For (1985)
Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) This week's song is performed by an all-star quartet: Dionne Warwick, Elton John, Gladys Knight and Stevie Wonder. You have your choice: which of these four would you most like to see in concert?

I've seen Elton John, and I would again. Maybe Stevie Wonder. I don't like Dionne Warwick at all and I don't even know if Gladys Knight is performing anymore. Back in the day, I'd totally see her and the Pips at their peak!

2) Dionne Warwick was Whitney Houston's cousin. Name a Whitney Houston song.

"I Wanna Dance With Somebody"

3) Gladys Knight owns a chain of chicken and waffle restaurants around Atlanta. When you have waffles, what do you top them with? (Powdered sugar? Butter? Syrup? Fruit?)

Butter and syrup. Yummmm.

4) Elton John has turned his bad eyesight into a hobby, claiming that over the years he has purchased well over than 200,000 pairs of glasses. Do you wear glasses? If so, how many prescription pairs do you own?

I have worn glasses since 3rd grade. I currently have one pair of backup glasses and my Transitions everyday glasses.

5) Stevie Wonder has a scar on his nose from a 1973 car crash. Have you ever been in a car accident?

Yes. Not a ton, but more than 5, I think.

6) Burt Bacharach and Carole Bayer Sager were married when they wrote this. Do you know a husband and wife who work together?

I do. One of my coworkers owns a carwash with her husband (and family) and she does the accounting for it.

7) This song celebrates friendship through good times and bad. Tell us about a happy time you recently shared with someone close to you.

I set up a friend (Kel) with one of her oldest childhood friends this week. She recognized one of my friends as the sister of her friend, and I stuck the two of them together in a chat ... and voila! It's especially nice to do that since Kel lost another long-time friend last week to cancer.

8) Now share a time when you were there for a friend through a tough time.

I'm still dragging Beast through some issues. I don't really want to get into it here, but addiction, back surgery, shoulder pain and general emotional shit are involved.

9) Random question: When is the last time you were out of breath?

I was moving tables for a meeting last night and ended up panting and sweaty. Excellent way to start a meeting...

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You're Beautiful (2005)
Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) The first line is of this song is, "My life is brilliant." Using one word, describe your life.

Busy.

2) This is about a chance encounter between strangers in a crowd, specifically the subway. What "crowded place" were you most recently in?

I was at a rather huge airport a week ago right now.

3) Near the very end of this song, James Blunt sings, "It's time to face the truth." Do you believe you face things head on? Or do you tend to deny or put off the unpleasant?

I always go in headlong. OK, maybe not "always" but I tend to prefer facing things immediately than stew about it.

4) James Blunt went to an all-boys school. Some educators recommend single-sex classrooms because they maintain girls just naturally approach subjects like math and science differently than boys do. Do you agree?

No, I don't agree that separate can be equal. But I get the temptation to justify it.

5) Blunt put his father in charge of his finances. Income taxes are top of mind for many of us this time of year. Do you do your own taxes? Or do you go to an accountant or tax preparation service?

We hired out this time, but normally Beast does them. I do not touch them.

6) In 2005, the year this song was a hit, the sitcom How I Met Your Mother was also popular. Do you know how your parents met?

I do: they went on a blind date set up by friends who eventually married and for whom Dad built a twin to the house in which I grew up.

7) 2005 is also the year Tom Cruise famously jumped on a sofa. Do you remember where he did this?

On Oprah's show. Which I fortunately missed, live.

8) 2005 was also the year YouTube really took off. What's the last video you watched?

It was something on CNN, actually.

9) Random question ... Which of these high profile jobs would you enjoy more: head of General Motors, CEO of Apple or president of the New York Yankees?

I'd rather continue do my unnoticed job in technical services and a small- to medium-sized library. I've no interest in running anything at all.

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Little Red Corvette
From the archives.
In memory of Prince (1958-2016)

1) The subject of this song is frankly sexual. Do you blush easily?

Yes. Yes I do.

2) Prince was his real first name (Prince Rogers, to be exact). Growing up, his relatives called him "Skipper." Do you have any nicknames within your family?

We aren't a family that did nicknames. I'm the youngest; that's bad enough.

3) Prince said he was "obsessed" with Mozart and read whatever he can find about the composer. What's the last book you read?

I'm still plugging through The Name of the Rose and a few others.

4) Between Prince and The Beach Boys, the Corvette is a much sung-about car. Tell us about your vehicle.

I drive a 2012 Ford Edge that Beast had as a company car for its first 2 years and I inherited it when he got his new one last year. Actually, maybe it's a 2013.

5) In the 1980s, when Prince was popular, MTV could turn a song into a hit. In 2016, where do you hear new music?

On Spotify. I read a ton of suggestions in Entertainment Weekly.

6) In 1982, when "Little Red Corvette" ruled the airwaves, Braniff Airways shocked the travel industry and threw passengers into chaos by declaring bankruptcy. When did you last fly? Did your trip go smoothly?

I was on a plane last Saturday. It was a good flight.

7) 1982 is also the year Disney opened Epcot. Have you ever been to a Disney park?

I have. I'd like to go back to Epcot--it's the one part of Disney that I really wanted to see while we were there and ended up bailing on because I had a horrible sore throat/cold.

8) 1982 is the year Cheers premiered. The sitcom was set in a bar where "everybody knows your name." Tell us about your favorite local bar or restaurant.

There are several restaurants in the area that we adore. I'm not naming them, since that would sort of defeat the purpose of anonymity.

9) The 1980s were considered a highpoint in professional tennis, with Jimmy Connors and John McEnroe dominating the sport. Do you play tennis?

I used to. I certainly could not manage it anymore: too fat and out of shape, and my knees are not in good shape.