Saturday 9

(Link in meme-roll)

Since U Been Gone (2005)

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

 

1) In this song, Kelly Clarkson is dissatisfied with her relationship and she's moving on. What's something you've moved on from lately? It could be anything from a romance to the laundry detergent you've been using for years.

I stopped being so concerned with tidying up the house before the cleaning crew arrives. Eventually, I'll have things sorted more completely, but right now there are boxes and stacks of Beast's things everywhere that I can't face.

2) She sings that she can now breathe. Studies have shown that July can be a good month for allergy sufferers because trees and grasses are no longer pollinating. How are your eyes, ears, nose and throat this morning?

I'm allergic to corn pollen so as soon as the spring BS settles down, the corn starts its thing and I'm miserable pretty much till the first hard freeze. I live in the world's largest corn field. 

3) Kelly complains that their romance reminds her of a "stupid love song." Let's be more positive: what love song do you associate with positive memories?

I heard Walking on Sunshine for the first time in eons this week and it reminded me of Beasty and I in college when we spent our summers writing writing writing letters to each other.

4) While Kelly's first love is music, she's established herself as a TV personality. In addition to her daytime talk show, she's been a judge on The Voice and hosted an awards show. Have you ever been on TV?

Yes, as a member of a marching band in the Tournament of Roses Parade in 1980.
And never again.
Which is more than fine with me.

5) She has confessed a weakness for Doritos. Would we find salty snacks in your kitchen right now?

I've got a partially-emptied bag of popcorn chips right next to me right now, and a barrel of pretzel rods nearby (thanks, Beast for getting me addicted to these!), and I think there's another bag of something in the snack drawer in the kitchen. I really need to clean that out... [the drawer, not the 'bag of something']

6) Kelly has found her weight the source of public debate. Are you like Kelly, whose weight fluctuates? Or does it stay stable?

I used to be the skinniest kid in the universe. Then I got pregnant at 29 and now weigh 60 lbs. more than just before Sparky was born. Oh well. 

7) In 2005, when this song was popular, a motorist made news in Texas when he was ticketed for driving over 200 mph in a 75 mph zone. Have you ever been pulled over by the police?

Of course I have, but nothing like this. There's a village nearby that used to be a notorious speed trap and they got me once for doing 50 in a 40 zone.
Within the last year a cop pulled me for not fully stopping at the stop sign by the train station on my way home. Warning.
Then there was the time just after Beast moved into Nursing Home from Hell that I got stopped because my license plate was expired. I was within the month and the cop told me to just go get it fixed after I told him where I had just been.
Oh, and back in my young-and-dumb days I was accosted outside my mom's workplace for blowing through a four-way stop by a daycare. The cop read me out, asked why I was parked where I was and when I told him I was picking up my mom he demanded her name, after which he shooed me away with a stern warning. Oh, did I mention my mom worked at the County Courthouse? And he was very familiar with her? He followed me into the building to check my story.
After Beast got popped for a DUI, I was stopped because the car's license was on the state's auto-reader alert. Once he realized I was not Beast, he let me carry on. I offered him an Arby's curly fry in thanks.

8) Also in 2005, Tom Cruise had a pop culture moment when he famously jumped on a sofa. Do you remember where he did this?

I did not see it live, but it was on Oprah. Probably a moment he wishes he could delete from his memory banks... He's a ridiculous man.

9) Random question: Tell us about a photo you wish you'd taken, but didn't.

I have a terrible photo of my dad with Sparky as a baby about a month before Dad passed away. It was the only time they were together and he was doing his patented "soda pop" trick to Sparky's glee. Unfortunately, the sun was behind him and so it's completely washed out. I wish I'd've taken more pics with the two of them, since Sparky is the first kid (5 kids, 9th grandchild) in his lineage to get the auburn hair he had as a young man. 

Well shit now I'm all weepy over my dad...30 years later.

Saturday 9

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I Will See You in C-U-B-A (2010)

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

This song was chosen in honor of Father's Day.

 

1) In this week's song, Lucie Arnaz encourages us to hop a ship and join her in Cuba. Is your passport up to date?

Weirdly, we were talking about this at work on Thursday. I think my passport is due to expire in 2027. Or maybe next year. I should probably check. One of the many things I should do.

2) She sings that Cuba is a great place to enjoy wine and Panatelas. Do you like the smell of a good cigar?

I actually do. A GOOD cigar, outside, or the smell on a winter coat is very homey. A bad cigar is grounds for murder. 

3) Lucie said her Latin Roots CD represents "the rhythms of my soul" and is a tribute to her father, Desi Arnaz. Cuban-born Desi starred on Broadway and in nightclubs but was best known for co-starring in and producing the 1950s sitcom, I Love Lucy. When you think of I Love Lucy, what's the first thing that comes to mind?

Lucy's crying -- 'waaaah waaah' -- which is an interesting commentary on what we used to think was funny.

4) While Lucie's parents – Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball – are famous for their TV work, Tony-nominated Lucie has found her greatest success on the stage. She inherited their love of performing, saying, “My parents were always happiest when they were working.” What have you inherited from one or both your parents? (It could be anything from your work ethic to your eye color.)

My dad's side of the family has Very Strong Genes: three of the five kids look just like him physically. Since all three of those kids are/were girls, that's not necessarily great. My brother looks like Mom's side, more and more as he ages. 
To be slightly deeper, we were all instilled with a desire to be the best at whatever we did, which is good...until it becomes neurotic.

5) Though "Ricky Riccardo" often mangled English on I Love Lucy, Desi's English was very good. Lucille Ball admired his facility with languages and encouraged him to speak Spanish to their children so that they would be bilingual. When you were growing up, did your family speak any language other than English?  

Some would argue we barely spoke English! My parents were all about speaking properly (I remember being scolded for saying "liberry" when I was quite young), but their pronunciation was decidedly questionable ("warsh", "piz-za" (z's, no 'ts' sound -- sounds like the city in Italy). 

6) Desi Arnaz often performed "I Will See You in C-U-B-A." Is there a song that reminds you of your father?

There are two: "Mairzy Doats" and "The Hokey-Pokey." I teased my dad whenever he complained about my "loud noise" (i.e. music) by singing "Mairzy Doats" all the way through. He also had a whole routine he did around "Bill Grogan's Goat." 
He's currently furious (I can hear him yelling from heaven!) that I'm not naming any hymns, so I'll throw in "How Great Thou Art" and "Joy to the World." 

7) After Lucie's parents divorced, Lucille Ball remarried and Lucie got a stepfather, Gary Morton. Lucie appreciated how positive Gary always was about Desi. Decades later, when she married a man who already had children, Lucie said she better understood what a tough role stepparent can be. Did you have a stepparent? Are you a stepparent? 

I have no step-parents, nor am I one. I am, however, quite proud of being "Mom #2" for a multitude of kids I knew when I was teaching Sunday School, running Youth Group, babysitting, working with. I love all 'my' kids. As I get a little older, I find it interesting how many of these kids (now adults) have come to me to vent about their 'actual' parents, or at least for advice on how to deal with them. 

8) As a single dad, Desi lived south of Los Angeles in Del Mar. Lucie and her brother, Desi Jr., spent school vacations there, going to the race track, bowling, and fishing with their dad. Share a happy memory from one of your school vacations (Christmas, Spring Break, or Summer).

It's been a long time since my childhood, and while it was not a perfectly, endlessly wonderful one, distance (and comparison) has made it look damn good. I loved jumping rope and playing jacks and creating little neighborhoods for my brother's toy cars to park in; vacations were endless and stressful and occasionally even fun.

9) Father's Day began in Washington state. In the early 1900s, Spokane resident Sonora Smart Dodd listened to her minister deliver a sermon celebrating Mother's Day and devoted herself to similarly honoring fathers. A century later, more money is still spent annually on Mother's Day. Why do you suppose that nationally we still make more of a fuss over Mother's Day than Father's Day?

School is in session for Mother's Day, not so for Father's Day. Also, so many of my peers in school had divorced parents making it harder to get buy-in from both parents to support each other that I think dads have gotten short shrift. I'm not a Man's Rights person, but I do think the patriarchy has a lot to answer for in this area, in the 'erasing' of fathers as important and the glorification (but no support for) mothers.

Sunday Stealing (x2)

(Link in meme-roll)

10 Questions with Nigel

1. What's your life's motto?

I don't know that I have a motto. The most frequent life advice I give is "Don't be a dick" but I don't know that that's a motto. Lately, it feels like I should be following the "Fight for your own stuff" but I hate that too.

2. Where were you living 13 years ago?

Right here. Different furniture, same house. Apparently, I had just finished entering all my reading history into GoodReads (at least the previous 20 years' worth), and have since added 2500 books. A  LOT of those are from childhood and generally before I started actively keeping track.

3. Is anyone jealous of you?

How in the world would I know? Right now, I very much doubt anyone wants to be in my shoes. I certainly don't.

4. Where were you when you heard about the 9/11 terror attacks?

Beast called me at church where I was doing some volunteer work, alone in the building, to tell me to go home and turn on the news. The first building fell while I was on the way--I had newsradio on--and I nearly got T-boned by someone else racing home. Then our new pastor and wife came over because they didn't have their TV (cable, blah blah) set up and we all gaped, and Pastor's Wife kept saying she needed to go to the grocery store to 'stock up.'

5. Do you consider yourself kind?

I try. Beast told me one time that he thought I was, and I treasure that comment.

6. Can you change your car's oil?

I mean, I probably could, but there's no way I'm starting this project at age 61 when Bob does it just fine and checks out all the other important things while he's in there.

7. What's the last thing you heard about your first love?

My actual IRL "first love" or my first crush? lol David Cassidy has been dead for 8 years, and my first boyfriend ... I haven't checked facebook recently. I'm friends with his brother though, so I presume I'd hear if something happened to 'boyfriend.'

8. Have you ever been burned by love?

Are we comparing scars? I won't win any contests, but I have been in therapy for a decade-and-a-half. 

9. What was the last thing you paid for with cash?

What is this 'cash' concept of which you speak?? 
Actually, I always pay the cleaning crew at the house in cash, so Thursday.

10. Do you hug your friends?

If they want me to. I always want to hug people, but one of my coworkers has become EXTREMELY germophobic and touch-phobic, so I try to keep my hands strictly to myself around her. Otherwise, I tend to tap people's shoulders or forearms for their attention if I don't want to verbally interrupt them. So yeah. I got two hugs in 5 minutes from people at work Friday.

Friday 5

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Zihuatanejo

1. What could use a good shining?

My windows. I noticed this morning that they are in need of washing (among other things).

2. When have you recently had to stand in a slow-moving line?

Probably at a store somewhere. I don't go in to shop very often, and avoid crowds wherever possible.

3. What was your favorite childhood counting-out game to determine who was it?

"Eeny meeny minie mo, catch a tiger by his toe..." which I later found out was just barely not horrifyingly racist. There was also "One potato, two potato, three potato, four..." which I think is still relatively ok to use.

4. Is anything feeling thinner these days?

I feel thinner--my pants keep sliding down--but the scales say different. My patience is also pretty thin these days, along with my attention-span.

5. What do you know about Maine?

I know it's beautiful, has wonderful food, interesting people, good hiking, and a LOT of trees. I hear the coast is nice, but I go to the center when I go.

Sunday Stealing

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Back to Bed

1. Let's say your alarm wakes you up with music. What would be the worst song to hear first thing in the morning?

When I was in college, there were a few weeks that they played the Pointer Sisters version of "Jump" every morning just as the clock radio came on. It certainly got us up and out of the room fast! 

2. How many pillows do you sleep with?

I sleep with one, but there are four on my bed, along with two beanie babies, an Ikea snake puppet that's about 4' long and a 2' tall Ikea octopus. The latter is my sentry, but the others are all under the covers with me.

3. What size mattress do you sleep on?

I sleep on a ridiculous king-size bed, split top. It's super-comfy, but far too big. On the other hand, I currently--along with the octopus--have two laundry baskets and a box of CPAP parts on the 'empty' side.

4. Do you always sleep on the same side of the bed?

I do. I need to swap sides one of these days. I try to do that periodically just for funsies.

5. Do you make your bed every day?

I don't even change my bed as often as I really ought to anymore. The only time I pull the covers up in the daytime is if I'm taking a nap on top of them.

6. Do you keep water on your bedside table?

I do not. I will spill it, and I will also never change it so it gets gross. I almost always have to get up in the night to pee, so I grab a slurp of water after washing my hands. 

7. How often do you change your sheets?

Up until the last few years, I changed them weekly, like clockwork. Now I change them when I start to feel disgusting getting into bed, usually 2 weeks-ish.

8. What's under your bed?

A great deal of dust. Maybe a pen. Or a sock.

9. Do you sleep in total darkness or do you like to have a light on?

Light doesn't bother me at all while I sleep. I can't see without my glasses so light doesn't matter anyway, so the hall light, on the timer, goes off and comes on as it is programmed and I ignore it completely.

10. What do you remember about your childhood bedroom?

I had two, one when I was really little and then I moved 'next door' when my brother moved downstairs as a teen. That room was the originally master bedroom so it was good-sized in the corner with a cross-breeze. The little bedroom had a weird-shaped closet to account for the curved hallway, and it always confused me (object permanence and architectural design being beyond me as a toddler). It seems to me I had Jesus in Gethsemane praying on the wall over my bed in there. Also, I seem to remember it being pink. I demanded GOLD (yellow) in the new bedroom when I moved and still don't like pink much. 

Saturday 9

(Link in meme-roll)

Mama Liked the Roses (1970)

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

1) In this song, Elvis tells us his mother loved tending the roses in the garden. Do you have a green thumb?

I do not. I have been entrusted with four five thriving containers of plants recently and so far I seem to have only managed to destroy one plant in one of them. There's another that's not looking real healthy but I think that's just temporary. 
My mother, however, could make lumber sprout green shoots just about. We had a jungle of plants in our living room and, yes, dozens of rosebushes in the yard. To this day, the scent of roses reminds me of my childhood yard and Mom (she didn't wear perfume). 

2) Mama would put the roses in a vase in the living room. Do you have cut flowers in your home right now?

Nope. They all got tossed last week. I have a bunch of empty vases I don't know what to do with. I mean, actually, I need to take them back to the florist that's on my way to work, possibly along with several others from previous floral tributes.

3) Elvis sings that he found Mama's rose petals pressed in the family Bible. Have you ever pressed petals in a book? If yes, what occasion were you commemorating?

I have! I pressed my high school graduation corsage in my diary! I should dig that out and see how they're doing 45 years on.

4) OK, so now we know Mama liked roses. What about you? Would you prefer white, pink, yellow or red roses?

I do not care about the color. I do care if they actually smell good. No smell-less roses allowed, so (ergo) none from flower shops. It's hard to find roses with scent these days....

5) Elvis' own mother, Gladys Presley, had a major impact on pop culture. When her son was 11, he asked for either a rifle or a bicycle for his birthday. She deemed the rifle too dangerous and the bike too expensive, and so he chose a guitar instead. The rest is history. Tell us about a special birthday gift from your youth.

I don't remember any specific birthday gift. My parents were ultra-practical, so it was mostly clothes or office supplies (stationery, books, etc.). I think I got a necklace one year?  

6) Abraham Lincoln credited his stepmother, Sarah, for her lasting influence on his life, saying she ignited his love of reading and learning. Tell us about a woman -- mother, stepmother, grandmother, aunt, Godmother, teacher, neighbor -- who changed your life for the better.

Good Lord there are dozens from with to choose! So many good teachers, and so many older-than-me relatives, several younger-than-me relatives, and friends.... I'm going to talk about Venus--yes, her real name--who was in her 60s when I met her and VERY non-Venus-like. She was a smart, no-nonsense, loving Texas native here in the upper Midwest who never met a stranger. I once asked her when she was going to retire from all her post-retirement activities; she basically told me she'd retire when the people she was feeding, helping, "doing for," no longer needed to be fed or helped. Shut me right up. She was fearless, kind, blunt. She always seemed to fill up the room while probably being only about 5'2" tall.

7) Mother's Day is almost upon us. According to the National Restaurant Association, we like to eat out on this holiday, with revenue up more than 80% on Mother's Day weekend. When did you last dine at a restaurant? Was it a special occasion?

I eat breakfast at Wendy's fairly often (drive-thru), but the last sit-down place I think I ate was the new tenant in the City's Last Boondoggle--a lengthy story I'll maybe talk about someday--which was delicious. Sparky's feeding me tomorrow too, at a (pseudo) Irish Pub.

8) Candles are a big seller for Mother's Day, too. What's your favorite candle scent?

I like clean smells, less perfume-y. Pine is good. Sandalwood is good. Gardenia is very much not good.

9) Sam is celebrating Mother's Day with her mother's favorite, Hershey Bars. Would you prefer classic milk chocolate, dark chocolate or chocolate with almonds?

I'm not that fussy, but I really don't care for dark chocolate. Actually, I am a little fussy: I like European chocolate over American. I got a big nasty mouthful of something American recently that really did a strong vomit taste, which kinda killed that brand for me.

Wednesday Hodgepodge

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1. Let's compare this May to last May. What's changed? What remains very much the same? 

Well, I don't remember anything specific about last May beyond being happy to have survived another winter and planning my first summer vacation in 6+ years. I'm currently planning a trip for September to scatter Beast's ashes and I'm very glad to have survived this most recent winter. It was a rough one, emotionally, not weather-wise. 

2. What's something you may do this month? 

I have an appointment for a follow-up EKG later on, my brother's coming for a visit around that time, and Sparky and I are meeting Larry the Lawyer next week to start getting this estate stuff figured out. While Del is here, we'll probably go try to visit my nephews about an hour northeast of here. Oh, and Mother's Day. I also need to get my new glasses made.

3. Mother's Day is approaching (in the US of A)...in what way(s) are you like your mother? 

In far too many ways, which was problematic when I was a kid. Luckily, I figured this out fairly young and came to terms with it years ago. We are both stubborn, prone to arguing, with a lot of suppressed anger. I like to think these days that I've mellowed. I know she did, but it took several strokes which I'd prefer to skip if possible.

4. Did you have a favorite book as a child? What was it and why was it a favorite. 

I read and reread the Little House books like my personal Bible. I also loved Encyclopedia Brown. My favorite early childhood book was shaped like a barn and had a half dozen mini-books inside about the animals that live in barns, all with covers shaped like stall or pen doors. It would be weird to see that again.

5. Are you more of a tortoise or a hare? Explain. 

These days I'm full-tilt tortoise physically. Emotionally, I'm still pretty much haring around though.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

I had raccoons, or maybe baby skunks, on my porch roof this morning around 2:30 a.m. They woke me up banging around playing about 4 feet from my head. I eventually opened a window and one of them came over, spotted me, froze, and then I saw that one and one other scootle past the window and back down the tree they climbed to get up there. I wasn't mad, but I also wanted to go back to sleep. 

Sunday Stealing

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Time Travel

What were you doing ...

1. Twenty years ago?

Judging by my ancient blog--yes, I was blogging 20 years ago!--things were interesting. Lots of library gossip, feelings about work (the concept of being behind at that point is very quaint these days), shopping with my only Shopping Friend (miss those days--this was a Restoration Hardware trip), and Words of the Day. 

2. Ten years ago? 

Again, going by what the blog (different one) says, we were heading into Empty-Nesthood. Sparky had just graduated from college and was headed off to his first (ill-fated) job and middle-school projects' judging was going on. I really miss those. Sparky is currently desperate to have ANY other job than the one she currently has, so that hasn't changed as much as I would hope. My job had started to implode due to my new (then) boss listening to people bitching about me, and others. Beast was about a year out from losing his job, and about 3/5s of the way into moving into a vodka bottle.

3. Five years ago?

Beast was at the Bad Place, we were in mid-lockdown, he was on the verge of his hunger strike leading to Round One with hospice (also, first local hospice--they were great), and I was not blogging. I was using a different site for medical updates on Beast. It took another 10 months to get him out of that horrible place, but he at least did start eating once hospice got me into the building for the first time in 3 months. I was getting through the workdays trying my best to put on my Game Face at work and repressing the urge to punch people on a daily basis--not all of whom were patrons.

4. One year ago?

We were living the dream at the Good Place: Beast was in another (mid-cratering into volcanic chaos) hospice program, working on jigsaws puzzles, eating everything on his plate, drinking diet Pepsi and eating Oreos as much as possible. Sparky hated her job. I hated my boss. Same boss the past 10 years, still throwing out my 'sharp tongue' as a complaint.

5. Yesterday? 

Beast has been dead for 37 days, the funeral flowers are mostly dead (the plants are hanging in), Sparky is still working the same place she was 9 years ago and hating it, I'm still working at the same place for the same boss and not particularly happy about it. In fact, I left work 90 minutes early, again, yesterday because I can't deal with people at all. Even the cute little kids were not ameliorating the direness--and I was scheduled in the children's room 5 hours (made it through 4). A coworker suggested I look into FMLA for a few weeks. I'm considering it. We meet with the attorney to get the estate stuff sorted next Monday. Happy Mother's Day!

Bonus! What will you do tomorrow?

I would really like to take a nap on the front porch. And get the last two weeks' worth of laundry folded up. I'm completely out of work trousers, which these days are nurses' scrubs because holyshitPOCKETS!! I will also probably listen to the rest of Sinisterhood catchup eps (currently listening to April 11), and/or some of the months and months of Patreon updates for other pods I support. Maybe I'll even shower and get dressed: it's currently 2:15 and I haven't done either today.

Wednesday Hodgepodge

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Volume 600

1. My very first edition of The Wednesday Hodgepodge was published on November 10, 2010 (linked here if you're curious). Tell us something about your life from that era. 

Well, now that I've reread the post closest to that date from my previous blog--not the meme-blog--it looks like I was in mid Sandwich-Generation with a teen in the house and a father-in-law at the hospital for the day. I was negotiating Thanksgiving plans and frankly pissed with Katharine and Marie. Looking back, I wasn't being as bitchy as I felt then, just setting boundaries. The email I quoted that I sent to them could have been summed up by, "I've already planned for Thanksgiving at my house. If you can't make it over here, I'll be sorry not to see you." I think I remember caving in to their wishes, God help me!
Also, by the way, I hadn't found Wednesday Hodgepodge yet in 2010.

2. What's a song you love that relates to time in some way? 

The only thing that comes to mind at the mo is "Time After Time" by Cyndi Lauper. It made me cry in the 80s. It would probably make me cry if I listened to it today.

3. May is nearly upon us. When did you last need to yell 'MAY DAY-MAY DAY!!'? 

Yesterday? At my therapist? Right before she whipped out her "note from the doctor" paperwork and informed me that I'm off work till Saturday. I'm ok with that. Frankly, I am fully ready to hand over complete control of my life to anyone else. Not permanently, just for a month or so.

4. How do you feel about food trucks? Is this a dining experience you enjoy?  Do you have a favorite What's something you've ordered from a food truck? 

I don't go anywhere there are crowds of people, so food trucks have never made my list of places to eat. I eat at the Fair, but otherwise I eat at drive-thrus or sit-down places only.

5. We're bidding farewell to April...what are three adjectives you might use to describe the month you're leaving behind. 

Frantic, flaky, funereal.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

As noted above I'm on forced 'vacation' from work for a few days after admitting to the doc that I'm not doing well. I honestly could not possible care less about anything going on at work (my idiot boss and a freaky public masterbating vlogger haven't even creased my brain at all--whatever, guys, just keep me out of it) despite needing to do evaluations for my folks and all the other BS that goes on there. If I could just go in and catalog for 8 straight hours a day for a week, I would be the happiest Cat on the planet.

Friday Five

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A-M-Z

Hello, and welcome to this week’s Friday 5! Please copy these questions to your webspace. Answer the questions there; then leave a comment below so we’ll all know where to check out your responses. Please don’t forget to link us from your website! 

1. What’s better in its middle than in its edges, beginnings, or ends? 

Pie. 

2. Why is a sunrise better than a sunset? 

I can see them from the comfort of my bed. 😁

3. What’s better in retrospect than when you experienced it? 

Missed flights and other adventures while traveling, having little kids living with you, and (quite often) childhood.

4. What songs have wonderful endings?  

"The Naughty Lady of Shady Lane" (Ames Bros.) always cracks me up, even though I know the ending. So does "Everything About You" (Ugly Kid Joe) for entirely different reasons. 

5. What was the first thing you unwrapped in 2021?

The first thing I opened this year was a can of diet Coke, followed by a new package of (Gouda) cheese. I don't think I've, technically, 'unwrapped' anything at all. Wait! No! I opened all my pill bottles this morning to fill the weekly sorter! My life is super-interesting, no? 

Sunday Stealing

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Thought Provoking Questions
These are questions suggested by Markandangel

If you could instill one piece of advice in a newborn baby’s mind, what advice would you give?

Hell no! I'll be taking advice from this source, not polluting it with my stupidity!

What is the most desirable trait another person can possess?

Self-awareness.

What are you most grateful for?

Small moments of joy and painlessness.

Is stealing to feed a starving child wrong?

Nope.

What do you want most?

Peace.

Are you more worried about doing things right, or doing the right things?

I tend toward doing things right as often as possible; I need to pay more attention to doing the right things regardless of perfectibility.

What has life taught you recently?

Just cutting back on food intake or eating healthier food doesn't cause weight loss. So frustrating.

What is the one thing you would most like to change about the world?

I would really like people to spend more time listening with an open mind.

Where do you find inspiration?

Kids and animals, some weather (e.g. thunderstorms) and sleep.

Can you describe your life in a six word sentence?

"Just take it as it comes."

If we learn from our mistakes, why are we always so afraid to make a mistake?

Because pride. Ego, if you prefer.

What impact do you want to leave on the world?

Aside from kindness, I'd actually like to leave as little impact as possible. Call me nuts.

What is the most defining moment of your life thus far?

Life continues after tragedy, and there are ALWAYS things to be learned, often from surprising people and events.

In the haste of your daily life, what are you not seeing?

Realistically, if I'm not seeing it, I'm, uh, ... not seeing it.
To answer the implicit question, I'm often very unaware of how set in my ways I am.

If life is so short, why do we do so many things we don’t like and like so many things we don’t do?

"I don’t understand myself at all, for I really want to do what is right, but I can’t. I do what I don’t want to—what I hate. I know perfectly well that what I am doing is wrong, and my bad conscience proves that I agree with these laws I am breaking. But I can’t help myself because I’m no longer doing it.... When I want to do good, I don’t; and when I try not to do wrong, I do it anyway." (Romans 7:15-17a, 19 (NLB))

Paul had one answer for that. I tend to agree with him in the abstract sense: because it feels better to do the wrong thing often. Or it is or seems easier.

What lifts your spirits when life gets you down?

Music. Sleep. Venting to a trusted person.

Have you ever regretted something you did not say or do?

Only every motherlovin' day! Good God, this is my life. "Regrets, I have a few..."

Has your greatest fear ever come true?

Ayup. Usually with a twist because God's a funny guy.

Why do we think of others the most when they’re gone?

I don't really think I do; I am fairly certain I think about my Mom now as often as I did when she was still around. However, I think we all like to think about past times of our lives that seem much easier than today. I also strong distrust this rosy view of the past. My life wasn't appreciably "better" in my 20s, though some things were easier. Other things were pretty awful and I'd never want to do it again.

What is your most beloved childhood memory?

I've been thinking a lot lately about playing jacks (metal ones!) on the sidewalk in front on my house. We had a driveway pad that was very smooth so my hand didn't get all torn up scooping. I loved jacks....

Friday 5

(Link in meme-roll)
Telltale Tales

1. What’s a story you really like from your country’s (or ethnicity’s) folklore?

Wow. I'm not really in love with any of the stories about women in this country/my ethnicity. I guess I do have some good feelings around the Three Little Pigs, possibly because of my sister singing along with Barbra Streisand with her song about it.

2. What movie version of a fairy tale do you especially like?

I can't think of any. Does Aladdin count?

3. Some fables tell the story of how something came to be (for example, Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People’s Ears). What’s a fable you especially like in this vein?

I love this book! I love all the Anansi stories, too.

4. Some fables have a moral attached to the end (for example, The Boy Who Cried Wolf). What fable in this vein is especially applicable to your life?

Good Lord, Sleeping Beauty rings a lot of bells for me. Sigh.

5. If you got together with your high-school friends, what’s a story they might retell about you?

Probably nothing very exciting. A select few know about the time I backed my mom's car (Toyota Corolla) directly into a T-bird parked behind me, which belonged to the boyfriend of a neighbor of ours (and we were on the other side of town). The whole situation was ludicrous.

Saturday 9

(Link in meme-roll)
Heartbreak Hotel (1956)
Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) Elvis checked in to the hotel at the end of Lonely Street. Where was the last hotel or motel you stayed at?

It was last year, near a State Park where I spent a getaway weekend by myself. Irony Street.

2) He sings that Heartbreak Hotel is always crowded. The fear of crowds is so prevalent that it has four names (enochlophobia, ochlophobia, demophobia and agoraphobia). Are you comfortable in a crowd?

I'm rarely actively fearful in a crowd, but I don't like being in a mass of people just because people act weirder in a crowd than they do individually. I don't want to get mixed up in any of that negative, dangerous weirdness. Plus, I just hate waiting (I'm so American), and where there are crowds there are lines.

3) The desk clerk at Heartbreak Hotel is dressed black. Do you often wear all black?

Often enough, though that is mostly by accident. I just have a lot of dark-colored clothes, especially in the winter. My new coat, though, is bright blue. I love it.

4) The song was written by Mae Boren Axton, who said it was inspired by the story of an anonymous young man's suicide in a hotel. She said she read in The Miami Herald that the John Doe left behind a note that said, "I walk a lonely street." What's the last note you handwrote? (Hopefully it was more upbeat.)

I wrote some notes yesterday during my meeting with the facility director where Beast is living. I write notes every day. Most of them are to me, and end up in the recycling bin eventually.

5) When Elvis was 11, his parents bought him a guitar. He had asked for a rifle, but his mama convinced him a guitar was a better idea. Tell us about a time one of your parents was right about something.

My parents were, of course, as all parents are, usually right about the important stuff. My mom told me once she'd "never liked" one of my high school friends, and in some ways she was right. On the other hand, she thought another friend was wonderful, and he was my source for all things drug- and alcohol-related, so she wasn't quite on point (on fleek? I don't understand how this is supposed to work) on that one.

6) Not long before "Heartbreak Hotel" was recorded, Elvis' father recommended he give up the guitar and become a truck driver. Tell us about a time one of your parents was wrong about something.

Ooops, I jumped the gun there. I'll just say that I can't think of too many instances of my Dad being wrong; he stuck to the Big Advice, like loving people and trying hard to do right by them. This shouldn't be read that he was perfect by any means! He also injured himself badly in the eye during a safety meeting on his worksite when I was 10.

7) There are many stories about Elvis' manager, Col. Tom Parker. One anecdote, about his career before Elvis, has the Colonel painting sparrows yellow so he could sell them as canaries. Have you ever been ripped off?

Oh yeah, a few times over 54 years.

8) Speaking of birds, Elvis once owned a peacock. It damaged his cars, so he gave it to the Memphis Zoo. In earlier days, it might have been dinner, for peacock was considered a medieval delicacy. What's the last poultry you prepared?

I bought a barrel of KFC last weekend and ate it all week. The last time I cooked it? Months. Literally. I haven't cooked much in the last few months, except reheating things and/or making soup or spaghetti.

9) Random question: You and a friend have dinner at a restaurant. Your friend left her wallet at home, so you pick up the entire tab of $62, including tip. A few weeks later, you two meet for lunch and when the bill comes, she puts down half. Do you remind her that she still owes you $31 from the last time you dined together?

If she's a good friend, I'm pretty sure this discussion would have already happened, and the only comment I'd make now is raised eyebrows. In fact, I'd like to think that I'd put on my coat and wave bye, but I doubt I'd have the nerve. But we certainly would have separate checks if (big if there) we ever had a meal together henceforward.

Sunday Stealing

(Link in meme-roll)
Friday Questions

1. Have you ever tried to learn (or re-learn) a foreign language as an adult? Which one? What worked for you?

I have a minor in Spanish, but I've really had to relearn how to speak it properly as an adult. I definitely still hear it better than I say it.

2. Do you donate blood? Do you know your blood type?

I'm O+ (boring), and I can't donate anymore. Too much bad ju-ju in my body these days.

3. Have you ever been in a play or musical?

As a tiny child, yes, once. I've been in the orchestra of a couple of musicals.

4. Do you use certain text or ring tones for specific people? Who gets their own? Or do you just use the default on your phone?

Oh yeah. My extended family has been designated the Darth Vader Theme. Beast is a U2 song--wow, that's a bummer, since it's doubtful he'll ever call me again--Sparky is "Crazy Train" from Ozzy, and I've got the doctors and other people like that set up with their own sound. I'm really pathetic, to be honest. Oh, and a small number of best friends have their own ring too.

5. When did you get your first digital camera? Do you still shoot on actual film, or all digital now?

I think we bought our digital camera towards the end of the 90s. It might still be around here somewhere, too.

6. What do you think someone else would say the most daring thing you’ve done is?

Oh, I don't know. People would undoubtedly say different things about this.

7. Do you talk with your hands?

Yes. Bigtime.

8. Do you have a lucky number? What is it, and what is the story behind it?

Not really. I like 3.

9. What kind of milk did you drink, growing up? And now?

2% as a kid, sometimes mixed with powdered milk (yuck). We 'graduated' to skim by the time I was a teen. Now I rarely have milk in the house.

10. What is your favorite kind of pie?

Fruit with a nice light crust.

11. Are you a note taker?

Yup. And a doodler.

12. Do you have an eclectic mug collection, or is your stuff all matchy matchy?

We have a shit-ton of coffee mugs which are basically never used since I don't drink coffee at all, and Beast can't drink coffee--and isn't at home anyway. I need to clean the house out, starting some time later than today.

13. Do you have a junk drawer in your house/garage/at work/wherever?

At home, yes. I guess I do at work too, come to think of it.

14. What is the longest amount of time you’ve worked at one job – and what was/is it?

I've been employed at my current workplace for just about exactly 22 years.

15. How old were you when you took your first commercial flight? To where did you fly?

We flew Denver to Milwaukee when I was a small child. I remember because it was my brother's first flight too and I remember him looking out the window as we landed. I was probably 4.

Saturday 9

(Link in meme-roll)
It's Just Another New Year's Eve (1977)
Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.
Welcome to the last Saturday 9 of 2017! Thanks for a great year, everyone.

1) In this song, Barry Manilow declares New Year's Eve is "just another night." How do you feel about 12/31? Is it a special occasion or just another night?

Just another night of massive amounts of fireworks being set off in the middle of the night. I'm excited about the Tournament of Roses Parade on New Year's Day, but this year especially tomorrow is just nothing. Someone gave me a bottle of sparkling grape juice. Maybe I'll pop that open. woo . hoo

2) Barry sings that in the past year, "we've made mistakes." What in 2017 do you wish you could do over?

Oh jeeeeeez. This is why I don't do regrets; this YEAR is why I gave up regrets and do-overs decades ago. If I knew last year this time what was coming, I'm pretty sure things wouldn't have panned out at all the way they did. ... It might have been worse, I guess. {somehow}

3) He also sings of happy nights with friends. Tell us about a really good time you had in the past year.

Uhm. There were flashes of fun, some seriously hysterical laughs, and good times with kids. I didn't have a vacation, and my home-life essentially sucked. I'm learning a lot about myself--some of it's even good stuff--but over all, I don't remember "a really good time" this year. Maybe my discovery of podcasts?

4) The song references growing wiser, as well as older. What's something you learned or discovered in 2017?

I have always thought I was a tough chick, despite outside appearances. Now I know I am, and I'm not here to waste my time on anyone else's bullshit. I'm not going to stop anyone's bullshit, but I'm also not going to spend any time on it if I can stop myself. Also, some of the worst bullshit is that of people closest to me, or so I thought.

5) What do you wish you had spent more time doing during 2017?

Reading. Taking care of myself. Throwing things away.

6) What was the smartest thing you did all this past year?

Called for help. Often.

7) As this year comes to a close, what are you most grateful for?

Friends. Holy crap, I am so fortunate to have an amazing group of friends. Also, my niece has stepped up hard this year, and my brother has been a surprisingly helpful presence for me too.

8) When this week's featured artist, Barry Manilow, was a jingle writer, he wrote the famous "You deserve a break today at McDonald's" song. When's the last time you visited the Golden Arches?

Uhm. Tuesday, I think? For breakfast?

9) Random question: In high school, were you more popular with the boys or the girls?

I wasn't popular at all. I had a tight circle of (mostly) girls that I hung with. I was terrified of guys.

Friday 5

(Link in meme-roll)
One is Silver; the Other Gold
I pretty much never ask year-end questions at year’s end, but I like these. So let’s do it. I love year-end reflection!

1. Who made you laugh most in 2017?

   Most often, I'm sure it was Beast. Most deeply, I have to kind of give this to the podcasts I've found in the last few months: The Dollop and My Favorite Murder, among others.

2. What’s something you learned or discovered in 2017?

   How to listen to podcasts (thank you, Spotify); how to 'listen' to my phone in the car (see "podcasts). More importantly, I got a big smackdown on thinking I have any of the big stuff in life under anything close to control.

3. In what way was 2017 better than 2016?

   I quite honestly cannot think of even one improvement, personal or national, this year. It's been hell.

4. What was your most pleasing purchase in 2017?

   About the only thing we've bought of value this year was medical care. I have a couple of new articles of clothing that I like, but I can't think of anything important and life-changing other than medical stuff. OK, I was pretty impressed with myself for buying, loading, and using water-softener salt all alone. 🙌

5. When in 2017 were you pleasantly surprised?

   I have unbelievably amazing friends. I mean, I knew this, but the settling out of who's reliable and who isn't there is interesting, and mostly positive.

Friday 5

(Link in meme-roll)
Thanks a LOT

1. What would you sarcastically like to thank your local government for?

   "Thank you for not giving me access to the lake I pay taxes to take care of."

2. What would you sarcastically like to thank your body for?

   "Thanks for falling apart right on schedule."

3. What would you sarcastically like to thank your neighbors for?

   "Thanks for the fireworks at random times ALL THE DAMNED YEAR!"

4. What would you sarcastically like to thank the internet for?

   "Thanks for keeping me informed of all the truthiness."

5. What would you sarcastically like to thank November for?

   "Thanks for the truly miserable weather."

+ + + + + + + + + + + + + +

Lady Bird
Five questions inspired by the new Greta Gerwig film Lady Bird, which I recommend.

1. What was moving out of your parents’ home like?

   After I graduated from college, I went home for about three weeks, packed up my life (??) and when I left in June it was to get married. It was weird, looking back from here.

2. What makes popular kids in high school popular, and how were you like or unlike them?

   I don't have a clue where the "popular" comes from. It seems to be some combination of looks, smarts (not necessarily academics), and protection of some kind. I was not in the cool crowd.

3. When you were in high school, where in the neighborhood did schoolmates hang out?

   In my neighborhood, there were no other kids. Seriously, two blocks in either direction there were a grand total of 10 people under 20. However, we had a local mall that was at that time the biggest in the world (yay us) and most kids hung out there.

4. What was learning to drive like?

   My dad was pretty good about it. Mom was psycho. My driver's ed teacher was creepy and useless. I didn't get my license till about 6 months after I turned 16.

5. What were your most difficult and least difficult subjects in high school?

   I intentionally didn't take hard science classes, because those would have been hard. Otherwise, gym was probably my worst class. I was good in literally every other class, really enjoyed myself.

Friday 5 x5

(Link in meme-roll)
More (and more) Questions About Buildings and Food

1. What’s the best layered food?

   Dirt cake is right up there....

2. What’s the best rolled food?

   I like those little salami/cheese/tortilla things.

3. What’s the most recent cuisine you’ve tried for the first time from an ethnicity not your own?

   Uhm...I can't think of any new ethnic food I've eaten. I've been pretty narrowly focused on fast- or cheap food.

4. What’s a food that scares you?

   Live octopus, still moving. Thank you, "Amazing Race."

5. What’s something you eat solely because it’s good for you?

   Yogurt.

+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + October 6 through 10
Yeah. Another set of questions about my least favorite month!

1. The first week of October is National Customer Service Week in the United States and Kenya. Where have you received especially good customer service?

   My health insurance company has been so amazing and helpful though the past couple of months. So have all the medical people, but that's technically not customer service I guess.

2. The second Saturday in October was National Tree-Planting Day in Mongolia. When did you last do anything resembling tree-planting?

   I watered plants sometime recently....

3. October 4 was World Animal Day (the feast day of Francis of Assisi, the Patron Saint of Animals). What’s an obscure animal you know a thing or two about?

   Echidnas are cool.

4. October 6 was National Poetry Day in Ireland and the United Kingdom. What’s a line of poetry that springs to mind now that you’re thinking about poetry?

   "When lilacs last in the dooryard bloom'd..."

5. What’s in your pocket?

   Chapstick.

+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + Functions

1. What are you holding your breath in anticipation of?

   I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving, probably a little bit more than I should by rights.

2. What most recently gave you goosebumps?

   Something on the way to see Beast the other day made chills go up my spine. I can't remember what it was, just where I was.

3. What’s giving you that pain in the neck?

   Sleeping in chairs.

4. What’s making your heart ache?

   Everything is hard right now.

5. What are you yawning at?

   Life. I'm exhausted, and the news I got yesterday about Beast returning home needing 24/7 attention didn't exactly help.

+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + Space

1. Of all the spaces in your residence, which is most powerfully your space?

   This corner of the couch, and the bathtub. The latter of which is calling to me rather stridently.

2. What’s the most spacious space in your everyday life?

   Sleep.

3. What’s a good song about space?

   The only one I can think of is "Major Tom."

4. What’s under your bed?

   Dust. Lots of it. I was down there a couple of nights ago picking up something that rolled under: yuck!

5. What are your thoughts on typing one or two spaces after sentences?

   I've been retrained to use just one space, but it's been hard.

+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + Makin’ It

1. What skill seems like it would be really fun to learn?

   I bought a kit for making friendship bracelets today. That's about my level of fun and skill right now.

2. Which of the winter Olympic sports would you love to compete in?

   I'm pretty sure my only skill here is curling, and only if I don't have to have skates on.

3. What fun craft did you make when you were a kid, in school or at camp or somewhere else?

   I loved making plaster molds and painting them.

4. If everyone in the world is the best in the world at some very specific thing, what are you most likely the best at?

   Procrastinating important things and then running around like a crazy person to get them done at the last minute.

5. What’s something you own that was handmade by someone you know?

   The knitted blanket I took a nap under this afternoon was made by one of my college roommates.

Saturday 9

(Link in meme-roll)
Turn Me Loose (1959)
Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) In this song, Fabian sings he has change in his pocket. Every evening, Sam puts her change in the piggy bank on her kitchen counter. Do you do anything special with your coins? Or do they just jingle/jangle in your wallet or pocket until you spend them?

Pennies either go in my cup-holder in the car or into a penny jar by the register if there is one. Everything else just lives in my wallet till it's spent.

2) Fabian got his start because his neighbor in Philadelphia owned a record label and thought 14-year-old Fabian had the looks to be a teen idol. Tell us about a time recently when you were in the right place at the right time.

The last few weeks have seen that happen a few times, though not necessarily ME being in the right place. Certain others have been though.

3) His record label paid Fabian $30 week to study singing after school. What jobs/chores did you have when you were in high school? Did they prepare you for your eventual career?

I worked for about a year and a half at my local public library shelving books, and since you can still occasionally find me shelving books in a library, I'd say it totally did prepare me. Chores? Nothing much, just keeping out of trouble.

4) In 1959 he appeared on the cover of now-defunct magazines like Teen Screen and Dig. Who and what did you read about when you were a teenager?

I read Tiger Beat and Teen Beat. Still have a ton of those photos in a scrapbook too!

5) In the 1960s he moved from singing to acting. In 1965 he appeared in Ten Little Indians, a screen adaptation of an Agatha Christie mystery. Have you ever read an Agatha Christie book?

I'm pretty sure I've read ALL of her books, most of them more than once.

6) In 1973, in an attempt to jumpstart his career, he appeared nude in Playgirl magazine. By the time it hit the newsstands, he regretted it. Tell us about a time you were very embarrassed.

I think I gave up embarrassment for Lent a decade or so back.

7) In 1959, when this song was popular, most women wore nylons on a daily basis and the average price per pair was $1. What socks or leg wear -- if any -- do you have on right now?

Naked feet, naked feet! :) And my toesies are a little chilly, but I'm not a big fan of sox. And I'm wearing roll-up trousers that aren't rolled up on my legs.

8) 1959 also saw the premiere of The Twilight Zone on CBS. 58 years later, you can still see the show in reruns. Are you a fan?

I mean, I'll watch it if it's on, but I don't seek it out.

9) Random Question: While we're talking about TV ... Sam finds it disturbing that her brother claims he's seen every episode of Bad Blood, a show devoted to family members who have murdered their relatives. Do you enjoy "true crime" reality shows?

I like some of them. Some of them I like despite the wooden voice-overs and bad acting, but some of them are good. This one sounds a little exploitative.

Saturday 9 x 2

(Link in meme-roll)
Don't Talk to Strangers (1982)
Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) When did you recently have a conversation with a complete stranger? What did you two discuss?

I've been having most of my IRL conversations this week with strangers. We mostly discuss Beast, him being the Center of Everyone's Current Attention at the moment.

2) In the video for this song, a woman is having a "hot" conversation on a corded, rotary dial phone in her bedroom. Do you have a landline? If so, do you have an extension in your bedroom?

I do have a landline still, with long-distance coverage. And there is an extension in the bedroom, which has a curly cord on it! No rotary dials in the house, more's the pity.

3) This week's artist, Rick Springfield, says he wrote this song when he was worried that his girlfriend (now his wife) would cheat on him when he was touring. Would you describe yourself as suspicious or trusting?

I'm far far far far more trusting than I should be. And yet wholly unsurprised by shitty behavior when it happens.

4) He became a daytime heartthrob as Dr. Noah Drake on General Hospital. Do you think it would be cool to have a really attractive doctor? Or would it make you uncomfortable?

I have had a gorgeous doctor. I currently have a doctor who is just absolutely adorable (he used to be gorgeous and then he hit middle age). It makes going to the doctor fun, seriously. However, these were/are both generalists. It would be AWFUL having an attractive gynie. That's where I draw the line! lol

5) He's discussed how sad he was when, as a boy, he had to leave his dog Elvis behind when the family left Australia. While you were growing up, did your family often move?

My parents lived in the house my dad built in 1946/7 until 1994, a year after Sparky was born. Same house for all the kids in my family, same house for 47 years of their 53-year-marriage.

6) In 1982, when this song was popular, Italy won the World Cup. Do you ever watch soccer?

I do, but very occasionally. I love to listen to the commentary in either foreign languages or in "British" because it's quite a lot different from American sportscasts during which THEY NEVER STOP TALKING! I love occasional silence and focus in watching sports.

7) "Smiley," the first emoticon, was introduced in 1982. Do you use emoticons in your communication? Or do you avoid them?

I use them more than I should. I'm such a girl!

8) The Vietnam Memorial was dedicated in Washington, DC, in 1982. Do you know any veterans of that conflict? If so, tell us about him or her.

One of my best friends' second husband was a pilot of a helo on the day Saigon evacuated. He's the least-obvious veteran I've ever known. He's also the only person I know well who was in Vietnam. A lot of my brother's classmates were drafted; he avoided it by going to college (and having bad eyesight). I have never asked how many people from his class died there. It might be worth asking.

9) Random Question: Your friends are throwing a birthday "roast" in your honor. Which one quality of yours are you sure will be singled out for laughs?

My OCD, detail-orientation will surely be raised.

Da Doo Ron Ron (1977)
Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) This song begins by stating that he met her on a Monday and his heart stood still. How did your past week start? It may be a lot to expect you to report that you met someone who made your heart stand still, but did anything noteworthy occur?

A lot of things have my heart super-active this week in various respects, but not because I met someone. "Noteworthy"? Yeah, a week ago last night, Beast was airlifted to a trauma hospital with severe head injuries from a fall sometime in the afternoon down the steps in our house. He is still not participating in what the rest of us agree is reality. I've spent at least 5 hours every day since then sitting in his hospital room.

2) While making hit records, Shaun Cassidy also starred as Joe Hardy on the Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries. The Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew books have been popular with generations of American kids. Were you a fan?

Oh My God!! I read most of the books, and I watched that show obsessively for the first couple of years. I was In Love with Parker Stevenson, and I have the album this very song is on! Yes, the LP album, played over and over and over on my parents' stereo in the living room. If I had been aware of the sound eyeballs rolling in parental heads made, I'd have never heard a note of the record. But they let me listen.

3) Shaun went to Beverly Hills High School. Over the decades, BHHS has had many good football teams. Do you remember what sports your school excelled at?

Absolutely none that I'm aware of. We suuuuuucked at football, and I ignored all the other sports except wrestling, which I think we were ok in (you'd think I'd know--I was a regular volunteer at meets!). THE BAND however, was the best band in the metro area for years and years.

4) Shaun followed his older half-brother, David Cassidy, into TV/records/teen stardom. Do you have siblings? If yes, what career paths did they follow?

[Aside: David Cassidy was my very first heartthrob. I was, uh, 7? when I fell in love with him.] Marie managed and set up daycares and otherwise worked in childcare her whole career. Oh, she taught for a few years too. Ellen taught middle school and then temped and got her master's degree in business before she died. Jean taught--in Africa--and then got her master's degree in library science and worked in the equivalent of a high school library till she got too ill to work. Mind you, all three of my sisters HAD TO QUIT WORK when they had kids, although maybe it was less of a thing for Jean because she got at least a year of leave after a baby's birth before she had to go back. Socialized medicine dontcha know. The other two, though: women didn't work back then while pregnant or when they have a husband and kids. My brother, Del, was an airport firefighter for most of his career till he became management and then retired a few years ago. He currently works at Lowe's where he just follows directions and makes no decisions whatsoever at work. It sounds lovely.

5) His middle name is Paul, after his maternal grandfather. Tell us something about one of your grandparents.

They all had RIDICULOUS names! When we were looking for baby names for Sparky, it was horrific what our options were for family names. I mean we had to reuse Beast's first name--it's a family tradition--but had free rein on the middle name. Dear God the options! Clarence, Albert, Grover, and the French version of Adolf. Jeebus God!! All we needed was Ernie and Oscar and we'd've had a TV show!

6) Shaun's mother, actress Shirley Jones, reports that he was more than 3 weeks late and born by Cesarean. Have you heard family legends about your arrival into the world?

I was a week late. Mom drank a whole bottle of cod liver oil (or was it castor oil?) so I'd just finally appear! And then when labor did start, apparently everyone in town who was pregnant also went into labor. Mom talked about nearly giving birth to me in the hall because there was a line for the delivery room (remember this was the dark ages of putting Mom to sleep and not letting Dad in the room). I had two friends in high school whose moms were in the hospital giving birth at the same time as my mom was having me. Oh, and she had to beg to stay an extra night because she didn't want to go home to face two teens, a ten-year-old and a baby. I'm surprised she didn't hop a train and ride the rails. It would have been easier in some respects!!

7) "Da Doo Ron Ron" was originally recorded by The Crystals. Can you think of another song that has been a hit by more than one artist?

A lot of the Motown hits from the 60s have been redone (often by white people) since then. The originals are almost always better, although I've a soft spot for Phil Collins' version of "You Can't Hurry Love."

8) In 1977, when this version of "Da Doo Ron Ron" was popular, Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak incorporated Apple. Are you Mac or Android?

I am SO Android it's painful! I don't even own an iPod; never have!

9) Random Question: You're exhausted. You collapse into bed and are about to drift into slumber when you hear the drip-drip-drip of the bathroom faucet. Would you kick off the covers and go turn it off? Or would you stay in bed, letting it drip until morning?

Hmm, specifically dripping? I would totally go shut it off. I grew up conserving water. Lots of other things, though--squeaky fans, vents clicking, loud music across the street--I'd stick the earplugs in and go right to sleep.