Saturday 9 (x3)

(Link in meme-roll)

June 19

I Fall in Love Too Easily (1945) 

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

1) In this song, Dinah Shore admits that her impetuous romances don't work out. Do you consider yourself impulsive?

I'm very impulsive. I plan and plan and it goes out the window as soon as my feet touch the ground. Used to drive Beasty nuts.

2) The songwriting team of Sammy Cahn and Jule Styne composed this in a single evening. Since the song is rather short Sammy considered adding another verse, but Jule thought better of it, saying, "No. That's it." Are you more like Sammy and keep revising, tinkering and tweaking? Or, like Jule, do you find it easy to leave well enough alone?

I like finishing projects, because I'm very bad at maintaining my focus to actually do so regularly. I just lose interest. I tend to get lost in the details and drift off into chaos.

3) The song was introduced in Anchors Aweigh, a movie about two sailors who find love during a two-day leave in New York. Have you ever enjoyed a romance while on holiday?

If I bring my husband, then yes. Otherwise, no. This is not why I'm on holiday. 

4) Though Frank Sinatra sang the song in the movie, Dinah's version was also popular. Her record sales in the 1940s were boosted by concerts, radio appearances and performances for the troops. What singer who is no longer with us do you wish you could have seen in concert?

I would have like to have seen why people got so freakin' WIRED at "The Rite of Spring" the first time Shostakovich performed it.

5) Dinah was shy with new people, but discovered as a high school cheerleader that she was good in front of a crowd. Give us one of your high school cheers.

"Ice cold beer!
Makes you wanna cheer!
Ice cold Duck!
Makes you wanna ...

Lean to the left, lean to the right, stand up, sit down, fight fight fight!"

6) She loved golf and was so good at it, she became the first woman admitted as a member to the prestigious Hillcrest Country Club in Los Angeles. What's your best sport? 

At this point I am an EXCELLENT spectator of (American) football.

7) Dinah found her greatest success in television. She was so popular for so long that she was able to afford a luxury home, built to her specifications, in Palm Springs. Leonardo DiCaprio now owns it. Do you know who lived in your home before you moved in?

My house was a farm field before it we moved into it. 

8) In 1945, when this song was popular, Abbott and Costello appeared in the movie The Naughty Nineties, which featured their famous "Who's On First" routine. Do you know it?

Never fails to crack me up, even though I can recite most of the beginning with them. 

9) Random question – Fill in the blank: After all these years, I still ____________.

...don't know what to do with myself most of the time.

June 26

Saturday 9: Consider Me Gone (2009)

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

 

1) In this song, poor Reba McEntire confronts a lover who makes her feel like she's not good enough. Let's go in a more positive direction: Who in your life makes you feel happy and secure?

My friends, Sparky, my therapist.... 

2) Reba hopes her lover will look back on her as someone who used to make him laugh. Who did you most recently laugh with?

Sparky, by default, since I haven't seen anyone else to speak of since Thursday. 
Last Sunday, I cry-laughed with Sue and Jen over manatees on the kitchen floor. 

3) She was director James Cameron's first choice to play Molly Brown in the 1997 blockbuster Titanic, but she had to turn down the role because she was committed to a concert tour. Think of the last invitation you received. Did you say yes or no?

I mostly say no. I don't like social events at all.

4) Reba comes from a rodeo family: both her father and grandfather were champion steer ropers and her mother was a barrel racer. Have you ever been to a rodeo?

I have. Loved it. Would go again in a heartbeat, but they're scarce on the ground 'round here.

5) She loves game nights with family and friends because she says she's "a competitive person." When you play friendly board or card games, do you always play to win?

Depends on the ages and emotional state of those I'm playing against. Mostly, though, yes, I play to win. If we're playing poker, I'm playing to take it all home.

6) Reba wears tall boots all the time, even in summer, and has more than 100 pairs. Do you often wear boots?

Not anymore. Most don't fit around my calves. 

7) In 2009, when this song was popular, Mark Zuckerberg tried unsuccessfully to buy Twitter. Elon Musk acquired it in 2022 and renamed it X. Do you often post to Twitter/X?

I literally never look at it anymore having fully migrated first to Mastodon and then to BlueSky. In fact I got a notification that my X account may have been hacked. Big shock. Oh well. 

8) Back in 2009, DuPont announced that silver and black were the most popular vehicle colors, accounting for half the cars the world over. What color is your ride?

Dark blue, currently. When it's clean, it's a pretty medium blue. 

9) Random question: Have you ever had a job that required you to wear a hairnet?

I've had jobs that required me to pull my hair up under a hat, but that's it. I had to wear hairnets in band to keep my hair completely up during marching performances though.

July 4

Lady Liberty (2018)

... because it's 4th of July weekend.

Hear Barbra Streisand sing it here. 

1) This song is a Valentine to the Statue of Liberty. Have you ever visited Lady Liberty?

Nope. It's literally the only reason--besides seeing my BIL--I'd ever bother to visit NYC.

2) When you combine the lady herself and her pedestal, she stands 22 stories high. What's the tallest building you've ever been in?

John Hancock building in Chicago. 

3) Her crown represents universal liberty with seven spikes for the seven seas. Without looking it up, can you name the seven seas?

Atlantic, Pacific, Arctic, Indian, Mediterranean, Caribbean, and the other one.😜

4) The song was written by Desmond Child, a Cuban-American from Gainesville, home of the University of Florida. In 1965, a team of UF scientists invented Gatorade. Do you have any Gatorade in your home right now?

I don't think so. Sparky drinks it sometimes, but I think she's on a Ghost kick this weekend.

5) While best known for his work with KISS, Bon Jovi and Cher, Desmond Child was nominated for an Emmy for his work on the Muppets 2003 holiday special. This morning, as we enjoy summer, what's the first Christmas carol that pops into your head?

"Chestnuts roasting on an open fiiiiirrrre..."

6) Desmond wrote this song specifically for Barbra Streisand. Watching her record it was a dream come true and he found himself standing very close to her as she sang. When he asked if he was "hovering," she suggested it might be better if he gave her a little more space. Does it bother you when someone stands very close or reads over your shoulder?

Yes. Like my mother, I can't remember how to type well if you're reading over my shoulder. Back off!

7) Fireworks were introduced to celebrate the 4th because they represent the "rockets red glare and bombs bursting in air." When did you most recently sing "The Star Spangled Banner?"

I can't remember. Not recently. I didn't put out the flag today either, and won't until we start funding social programs again.

8) John Adams predicted the 4th would be observed with "pomp and parades." Does your community have a parade in honor of the day?

The one I live in had a parade. We accidentally drove the route this morning on the way to shoe shopping and had to remember NOT to drive home that way, mid-parade. 
The community in which I work does NOT. It's extremely weird; everyplace else I've ever lived has done up on the Fourth.

9) Celebrity chef Rachael Ray says she considers mini-hamburgers, or "sliders," the All-American food. What will/did you dine on this 4th of July? 

We had Popeyes for lunch and I'm currently eating pretzels and cheese. I'll probably grab something more substantial, but I haven't felt at all like eating for a few days. It's meds.