Saturday 9

(Link in meme-roll)
Money for Nothing (1985)
Unfamiliar with this week's song. Hear it here.1) Sweatbands are prominent in this very 1980s video. What's the last thing you wore on your head?

I almost always have a ponytail or braid or something like that, so rubber bands and hairpins are involved every day.

2) The lyrics are from the point of view of a man who delivers and installs appliances. What's the biggest purchase you've made lately? Was it big in size or expense?

I been spending $10,000/month on nursing care for awhile. Does that count? [Not lately--I'm cashed out.]

3) The delivery man of the song imagines the worst thing that happens to a musician is a blister on his little finger or thumb. Do you have any minor aches or pains bedeviling you as you answer these questions?

I have a skin tag on my thigh that is driving me ever-so-slowly into insanity. I am using a home kit, but if it doesn't kill it in the next couple of days, I guess I'll have to have a doctor remove it.

4) The term "dire straits" describes a troubling situation that's difficult to extricate oneself from. When's the last time you found yourself in dire straits?

If I look at the big picture of my life, every damn fucking day.
Fortunately, I'm a pretty good ostrich.

5) There's a dinosaur called masiakasaurus knopfleri. It's a prehistoric, predatory lizard, and the paleontologists who discovered it were big Dire Straits fans, so they named it after lead singer/guitarist Mark Knopfler. Do you find dinosaurs fascinating, terrifying, or both?

I think they are a amazing, like all other living things. I don't send a lot of time thinking about them, though.

6) Prior to his music career, Knopfler was a junior reporter, covering the entertainment beat for the Yorkshire Evening Post. Do you believe you would make a better musician or journalist?

I like regular paychecks, so I'll go with journalist, at least old-school journalist. So many journalism people are un- or under=employed these days though, and a lot of them are working freelance, which isn't very steady.

7) In 1985, when this song was popular, rib eye steak was $3.89/pound. Today it's more than twice that. Do you have any beef in your freezer right now?

I might have some ground beef. I'm not sure. I've been using BlueApron* for about a year and they don't use a lot of beef--or at least I haven't been choosing a lot of beef dishes.

8) In 1985, Michael Jordan won the NBA Rookie of the Year award after his first season with the Chicago Bulls. It was the beginning of a career that made him a hero and a household name. Who do you think today's young people look up to?

Hopefully, people like the MSHS survivors, Malala, and LeBron but I really don't know. Even my kid doesn't tell me this stuff anymore. He's been reading Goethe, which is great and worrisome.

9) Random question: Friends take you to dinner for your birthday. The menu you're handed doesn't have any prices on it. Do you try to estimate the costs and choose what you guess is the least expensive entree? Or do you figure that since your friends want you to have a good time, you should order whatever you want?

I probably wouldn't get lobster, but I also wouldn't be aiming at soup or hamburgers either.

_______
*If you want to try it out, hit me up: I have a bunch of "free to a friend" things. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO ORDER EVERY WEEK!