From Janis Ian's Facebook Page

I yanked these suggestions/questions off of Janis Ian's Facebook page. Janis Ian is a singer/songwriter and is most famous for the song At Seventeen. I am not sure why I started following her Facebook page - maybe it come up as a suggestion. At any rate, she offered up these questions, so I thought I'd answer them here.

- Lightest movie you’ve ever seen - anything on Hallmark.

- Darkest movie you’ve ever seen - The Exorcist

- Movie you wish you’d never seen - Something that had Adam Sandler in it, Zohan the Magnificent or something like that. 

- Favorite book by an author dead more than 100 years - Black Beauty, by Anna Sewell

- Favorite book by an author dead more than 1,000 years - Oedipus Rex, by Sophocles

- Favorite book to fall asleep by - Whatever I happen to be reading at the time.

- Clothing choice you wish you’d never made (post photo if possible) - I can't think of anything as an adult, but when I was younger my mother certainly picked out some rather odd-looking clothing for me.

- First person you ever fell in love with after watching them in a movie - Legolas in Lord of the Rings, played by Orlando Bloom. Oddly, I haven't liked him in anything else.

- Choice of occupation if you didn’t have to earn money doing it - Video game player.

- Last time you insulted someone (and made sure they knew it) - Gosh, it was years ago. I'd been accused by this crazy woman in town of ignoring her at another town (I never even saw her), and she made a big deal out of it in front of a lot of people at a meeting. So the next time I saw her in town, I looked straight at her, made sure she saw me, then turned my nose up to the sky and walked right past her. Then I turned around and yelled, "And that's how I ignore somebody!"

- Last time you wished you’d insulted someone (ditto) - The other day in the grocery store. I didn't, of course.

- Your idea of absolute contentment - Reading a good book in a clean house, with supper already prepared or eaten, and no chores pressing, with a nice glass of water and no one to bother me.

- Your idea of the worst vacation ever - Well, the one we had in 1989 was pretty bad. The hotel had no electricity and was running off a generator, so there was no air conditioning. It was hot as hell. The hotel across the street had electricity. So we asked for a refund so we could go across the street. When we asked for a refund, I threatened to sue, and the guy gave us back our deposit.

- Museum experience you most disliked - I can't say that I've ever disliked a museum. The only time I have problems in museums is if they smell musty or moldy.

- Least favorite painter - I don't know that I have one.

- Least favorite composer - I don't know the answer to this one, either. I am not a fan of certain types of music, so I suppose whoever is making that.

- Questionnaire you wish you'd never begun - Well, not this one. This was pretty easy. But I have done long self-tests for things like Myers-Briggs that went on and on. Some of those I wish I hadn't started.

Avoidance Behavior

 Q. What is something important you've been avoiding? Why are you putting it off? How would you feel if you took care of it?

A. I have put off calling to schedule my mammogram. I have put it off because of Covid-19. I was hoping I might get the vaccine before I had this done. I also have been dealing with a stomach ulcer, and I can only deal with one thing at a time right now. 

If I schedule the appointment and go ahead and get it taken care of, then I will have it off my mind. Maybe I could schedule it for April, and I would have my Covid shot by then. I'm in the under 65 but high risk group, so I think I'm up next.

Bent on Destruction

This box contains my journals. I kept journals from 1985 until about 2003. Then I stopped. I occasionally write something to get it off my chest, but I no longer write daily. It's a good thing, or I would have more to shred.

Yes, I am shredding these. I'm trying to clear out things so that when I pass away, there won't be so much to deal with. Ridding myself and my heirs of these journals was high on my to-do list, and this week, they are being destroyed.

I have noted that I certainly learned to write whilst writing these journals. A lot of them are from creative writing courses - nothing salvageable in them, but I certainly did a lot of writing. (The entire lot of journals, if I sat them side by side, would be about as much as a set of old-fashioned printed encyclopedias.)

Good riddance.

****

What do you need today? What is one way you can give yourself some extra care today?

I need to stop thinking. My brain is on fast forward and I'm having a difficult time turning it off today. I could go read a book. That would give me something else to think about.

Who is someone you admire? Why?

I admire my mother-in-law. She has accepted the pandemic with aplomb, although I know she's much more of a people-person than I am and staying in has been difficult for her. She did a decent job of raising her son - he knows how to fold his t-shirts, for one thing (he actually folds them better than I do). She has aged gracefully and well.

How do you want to feel today? Do you feel that way? What can you do that would help you feel that way?

This seems a lot like the first question in these journal prompts. I would like to feel well. I do not feel well. I am still having stomach issues and have doctors' appointments over the next weeks. Hopefully we can get things settled down.

February Journal Prompts. Join up at Kwizgiver's. 

Prompts Again

What are you proud of yourself for today? Why?

I am proud of myself today for getting dressed! I am not in my nightgown nor in my robe. I have had a shower, cleaned the toilet, made my husband's tea, washed a load of clothes, made the bed, and taken photos of the ice on the trees. Hurray for not being a total sloth and sitting in front of the computer!

Additionally, my brain is thinking about writing. This is a good thing. Yesterday I cleaned out a box of old papers and ran across several of the long pieces I had to write for college. A few of them could be reworked and maybe sent out to a journal or some other place that publishes in-depth, thoughtful articles.

So there's that. And it's just a little after 11 a.m.!

What are the most important characteristics in a friend? Do you have those qualities?

Not every friend has the same characteristics, and I wouldn't dare try to categorize what makes a person a good friend. Some people are good friends because they are loyal. Some are good friends because they're thoughtful. Some are helpful. Others are sounding boards. Some you enjoy discussing certain topics with, like books. Some are the people you call in an emergency. I hope I have some of those qualities and somebody somewhere considers me a good friend.

My Embarrassment

I am embarrassed to tell anyone this, but . . . I curse.

Like a sailor on a sinking boat.

My grandmother washed my mouth out with soap a few times when I was younger, and my father nearly knocked me to the ground once when I was a teenager and I said, "Fuck" in front of him, but I curse a lot.

I try to keep it in check when I'm in public or dealing with someone I don't know well, but let me have a deep conversation with a close friend, or my husband (who also curses), and there is no stopping the bad words.

My mother cursed, too, as does my father and my brother, so I come by this honestly. When one is raised hearing such words all the time, one becomes immune to any impropriety therein.

Besides, it doesn't hurt anything. Some people are offended by certain words, but the "F" word is the one I use the most. After coming across that particular word in court cases in my local county whilst doing research, I realized that once upon time, this word was not a bad word. The word dates back to 1310, where it has been found in English court manuscripts. And I can attest that in the late 1700s and early 1800s, it was used in court cases for divorce proceedings. "Flying fuck" originally meant having sex on horseback and was first used around 1800. (I found that interesting when I was looking this up.) The word was outlawed in print in England in 1875, so I guess it was a usable word up until about that time. We became more prim in our language, I suppose. It became a cuss word in its own right in the 1940s. 

The last time I really cursed was on January 6 as I watched the seditionists attempting their coup at the U.S. Capitol. Then I cursed mightily, loudly, and for a long time.

February Journal Prompts. Join up at Kwizgiver's. 

The Daily Mundane

The first thing when I get up in the morning, after taking care of necessary toiletries, is turn on my computer.

If I stay off of Facebook and Twitter, and simply read the New York Times or play my city-building video game, then this is not bad time. If I go to Facebook or Twitter, my mood can quickly turn sour, particularly if I read comments. People really are stupid and I'm afraid it's catching. I'm also afraid it will be the ruin of the country.

So if I stay away from the stupid, I have a better morning. Better to move straight to the video game and deal with strategy than to try to read commentary.

The last thing I do every day is go to bed and play Jeopardy! while my husband massages my stomach where I have the perpetual knot of pain in my abdomen. We average 7 out of 12 questions correct, which I think is a horrible record, but given that it's bedtime and my brain is trying to shut down and not think, perhaps it is not so bad.

It is nice that my husband will rub my poor tummy every night to try to help me stretch out the scar tissue that has infiltrated my abdominal cavity. And ending the day trying to remember facts is a good brain workout.

I do wish they'd change the host from Alex Trebeck, though, because he has passed away and I don't like hearing him announce the play anymore.

February Journal Prompts. Join up at Kwizgiver's. 

More Prompts

13. What is something you loved doing when you were younger, but don't do anymore? Why did you stop doing it?

I used to love riding my bicycle, especially in the summer when we stayed with my grandmother in Salem. We'd whizz around the block, constantly making a loop. There was a funky little forest service station at the end of the block, and they'd planted pine trees there. We turned that into a road course, racing our bicycles around the trees and along the paths that we'd swept up so the pine needles wouldn't wreck us.

We weren't supposed to ride our bicycles across Apperson Drive, nor we were supposed to ride them beyond the "haunted" house down the lane. As we grew older, though, we were allowed to ride them all the way into the City of Salem, where we could stop in at Newberry's for a toy, go to Brooks-Byrd Pharmacy for a snow-cone, and window shop at Ridenhour Music Store. My older uncle had to be along with us, though, for those rides, and since he was four years older than the rest of us, they didn't happen very often. At that age, four years is a lifetime.

I stopped riding bicycles because I learned to drive and received my driver's license. When you live in a rural area, bicycles are limiting. Cars give you a pass all the way to hell and back.

14. How do you show others love? What do others do that make you feel loved?

I learned a lot when I read the book, The Five Love Languages, by Gary Chapman. The 5 ways to show love, according to him, are physical contact, words of affirmation, acts of service, quality time, and receiving gifts. I show love to others in all of these ways, but mostly through time, offering words of affirmation, and giving gifts. It really hurts me when people don't want to receive gifts from me, but I generally honor their request. My husband is big on physical contact and acts of service.

15. What is something other people think is fun that you would never do? Why not? What would happen if you did it?

I don't find parties fun, in general. Some parties are ok if alcohol is not involved, but there is little worse than being sober while everyone else is drunk and thinking they are hilarious when they're just idiots. Generally, I wouldn't have a good time and someone would call me a stick in the mud or some such, which is a good reason not to go to parties.

Envious? Moi?

Q. Who makes you feel envious? What do they have/what are they doing that makes you feel that way? What do you think that means?

This feels like a loaded question, but I will take a stab at it. I am envious of Melissa Etheridge because she can play the guitar like it's a part of her. Watching her hands slide up and down the neck, her fingers easily finding the frets and the notes, without even looking - ah. It's beautiful to watch someone caress a guitar like that. 

It takes hours and hours of practice to know how to do that, time I did not devote to my instrument, so my envy is because I know deep down that the reason I can't play like that is because some part of me doesn't want to. But my goodness, she is a joy to watch when she performs.

I am also envious of Janet Evanovich. She writes the Stephanie Plum books. I saw a show on her, and she said she works 60 hours a week. She published and became famous because she works hard at it. I worked hard at my writing, but it was news reporting, and that does not make one rich or famous, especially when one writes for local publications and doesn't seek out better opportunities. I settled for the small potatoes and did not go looking for the meat.

Now that I have time, I am not working on long form writing. I still write articles occasionally and I write in my blog. But I can't bring myself to commit to something long.

If I examine both of these, I think it means that I want to be good at things without putting in the hard work first. I want to be a great guitar player without the practice, and I want to be writing best-selling novels without having written non-selling crap first.

Of course, the hard work must come first. I put in hard work on other things I want, so I can only assume that while I am envious of these two, the things they do are not really things I wish to accomplish, for whatever reason.

February Journal Prompts. Join up at Kwizgiver's. 

Trying, Energized, and Tired

Two things I have always wanted to try are not at all related.

One is a climb to McAfee's Knob. It's on the Appalachian Trail and not far from me. It is, however, a six mile trek. I do well to make it around the grocery store. So unless I become more physically active, I don't see this happening.

The other is to have an office not in my house, a place of my very own. I took over one of the rooms that was to have been a bedroom when we had children, but since we were denied that opportunity, the rooms turned into other uses.

The small room had always been my office, because I freelanced even when I was working. I was also in school and needed a place to study.

In 1994, when I was having migraines for three days every two weeks and could not feasibly be employed, I started freelancing full time. The larger bedroom became my office. It has been my office now for 25 years. While it is easy to throw in a load of laundry, it is also a distraction.

This is particularly true now that my husband has retired and is home more. The fact that he is in the house makes me anxious after spending so much time alone here.

So I have always wanted an office of my own. A place to go and work. Logically and monetarily, it doesn't make sense, though.

****

I feel most energized when I am writing on an article. This is particularly true if I know I'm breaking a story - the first to get the news out there. Tracking down leads, doing quick interviews, putting it all together, double-checking facts - it's a breathtaking undertaking. I did it well when I was doing it and I still enjoy the little I am doing. I'm not sure why I can't find this same enthusiasm for my own projects.

****

I feel most tired when I am at odds with myself. This is not the happy tired of having worked in the garden, or the happy tired of having cleaned something. This is the despair kind of tired that makes one wonder why one exists in the first place. That's a very tiring question to which there seems to be no answer.

These are the February Journal Prompts. Join up at Kwizgiver's.

 

That Time of Day

My favorite time of day varies depending on the time of year, and what is going on.

Lately, I have treasured moments after I've just woke. I am still snug in the bed, warm, with my husband beside me. Nothing is hurting because I haven't moved. It feels safe and pleasant.

Other times I appreciate the hour are those when I speak to my friends. I enjoy our talks.

Then there are those days when the sun is slipping in and out amongst the clouds, casting shadows and a certain brilliance of light that simply begs for a photograph. I love staking out a scene and then waiting for the rays to fall in the right place, so that I can catch whatever it is I am seeking. Maybe a spider's web or a shadow that looks intriguing when the light hits a log a certain way.

This is the February 5 prompt.

Join up at Kwizgiver's.

February 4 Prompt

If you had a theme song, what would it be?

Unwritten By Natasha Beddingfield

   

I am unwritten 

Can't read my mind, I'm undefined 

I'm just beginning 

The pen's in my hand, ending unplanned 

 Staring at the blank page before you 

Open up the dirty window 

Let the sun illuminate the words that you could not find 

Reaching for something in the distance 

So close you can almost taste it 

Release your inhibitions 

 Feel the rain on your skin 

No one else can feel it for you 

Only you can let it in 

No one else, no one else 

Can speak the words on your lips 

Drench yourself in words unspoken 

Live your life with arms wide open 

Today is where your book begins 

The rest is still unwritten (uh, yeah) 

I break tradition 

Sometimes my tries, are outside the lines yeah, yeah 

We've been conditioned 

To not make mistakes, but I can't live that way oh, oh 

Staring at the blank page before you 

Open up the dirty window 

Let the sun illuminate the words that you could not find 

Reaching for something in the distance 

So close you can almost taste it 

Release your inhibitions 

Feel the rain on your skin 

No one else can feel it for you 

Only you can let it in 

No one else, no one else 

Can speak the words on your lips 

Drench yourself in words unspoken 

Live your life with arms wide open 

Today is where your book begins 

Feel the rain on your skin 

No one else can feel it for you 

Only you can let it in 

No one else, no one else 

Can speak the words on your lips 

Drench yourself in words unspoken 

Live your life with arms wide open 

Today is where your book begins 

The rest is still unwritten 

Staring at the blank page before you 

Open up the dirty window 

Let the sun illuminate the words that you could not find 

Reaching for something in the distance 

So close you can almost taste it 

Release your inhibitions 

Feel the rain on your skin 

No one else can feel it for you 

Only you can let it in 

No one else, no one else 

Can speak the words on your lips 

Drench yourself in words unspoken 

Live your life with arms wide open 

Today is where your book begins 

Feel the rain on your skin 

No one else can feel it for you 

Only you can let it in 

No one else, no one else 

Can speak the words on your lips 

Drench yourself in words unspoken 

Live your life with arms wide open 

Today is where your book begins 

The rest is still unwritten 

The rest is still unwritten 

 The rest is still unwritten 

Oh, yeah, yeah

February Prompts

I am always late on these monthly prompt things. I like to do them - they're good questions. I am borrowing the questions for February from my blogging friend Kwizgiver.

I will play catch up here, since I'm three days into the month.

1. What was the highlight of the last month?

A. Last month was a new year. Yay! I finished up most everything I needed to do for the taxes. Yay! Other than that, it was rather like 2020 - I was home most of the time because of the Covid-19 virus. The vaccines came out, but I have not yet received the shot. It may be some time before I have that opportunity.

2. What are you looking forward to this month?

A. I would like to get my vaccine shot. I hope the weather warms up and the greenish tint that heralds the arrival of spring becomes apparent.

3. What is a common misconception people have about you? What do you wish they knew?

A. I have long suspected many folks think I'm "uppity" when I'm really just introverted and shy. 

Monday Madness Meme

The Hodgepodge Meme
 
1. You are at a party in a very bad mood. There is an obnoxious guest with a camera snapping pictures of everyone in sight. Do you allow the photographs or ask them to stop?

A. Everyone has a camera these days on their phone. If the guest is "in your face about it," I might ask him or her to stop, but honestly in today's world, it is a given that someone is taking pictures at any event. Actually, if I were in a bad mood I wouldn't even be at the party, or I would leave.

2. Wedding, Cufflinks, Black And White, Bow Tie, Tuxedo You are on your way to a formal affair and running late. You are the guest speaker at this event and everyone is waiting for you. A police officer pulls you over for speeding. Do you make up a wild excuse or truthfully tell him where you are going and try to talk your way out of the citation? Tell us your tall tale!

A. I would tell the truth and accept whatever decision the police officer made. I might even cry a little while I was explaining the situation because I'd already be stressed. But if I was speeding, I was speeding.

3. When you drive down memory lane for the last two years of your life and look in the rear-view mirror, do you see a happy journey or a bumpy ride?

A. I see the Dismal Swamp.

4. Who makes you laugh when no one else can?

A. My husband or a few of my friends. Also, incredibly, asking Alexa to fart makes me laugh even if I feel like I will never laugh again. Why do farts make people laugh?

5. What are your superpowers?

A. Well, I know that Alexa can fart. But my real superpower is being able to get to the end of a problem without going through all the steps. From A to Z, as it were, regardless of situation. This was a problem in Algebra, especially when my teacher insisted on seeing each step, because just "knowing" the answer was XYZ was not good enough. This has been a helpful superpower at times, especially in meetings when I could see where the outcome would be. I have also learned that, like Cassandra in mythology, no one listens when you know the answer. Even when I can see it plainly. It's like the time my car broke down on the interstate. I walked to the nearest phone (which happened to be at a truck weigh station) and called my husband. I told him the alternator was bad. What does he do? He brings a battery. So three days later the car dies on the interstate again (because that is all the charge the battery would hold). This time he brings an alternator. I can see as soon as he takes it out of the box that is the wrong alternator. What does he do? He tries to put the alternator on. I have learned to just stand there and let people figure out what I have already figured out a long time ago, because they don't listen when you tell them otherwise. It is a curse, really. I mean, I knew four years ago how 2020 was going to be (except for the pandemic, I didn't predict that), but what was the point in telling anyone? Nobody listens.

6. What is the last thing you memorized?

A. A passcode.

7. Tell us something you once took that you wish you could give back?

A. I don't know of anything I have taken that I've wanted or needed to give back, since I don't steal. I may have taken up someone's time and they grew bored and I didn't know it, and I'd like to give them their time back if that was the case, but that is not possible.

8. The iPhone just gave birth to the next generation of phones. What would you name them?  The i_____?

A. The iWorld.

9.  How much mystery should be in a relationship? Is it a good thing or not?

A. Each relationship is different. Some people like mystery, some people don't. As for whether or not it is a good thing, it depends on the mystery. Keeping a surprise party secret is one thing, keeping an adulterous affair secret is something else entirely.

10. What is your weekend blogging routine?

A. I do Saturday 9 on Fridays, I do Sunday Stealing on Saturday (usually). On Sunday night I generally don't have time to do anything for Monday, although I will write up something if it comes to me.

_____________
Monday Madness Meme is a new meme. Join in if you like. You can link up here.

August Happiness Challenge Day 14

Looking around this morning for something that's made me happy. I'll go with what I hope was a decent recording of a guitar instrumental that I will post next Tuesday if it really came out okay.

Also, the above makes me happy. After 37 years, my husband is finally reading. Old people covered in blankies reading books. What more does one need?

Each day in August you are to post about something that makes *you* happy. Pretty simple. And, it doesn't even have to be every day if you don't want it to be. It's a great way to remind ourselves that there are positive things going on in our lives, our communities, and the world.

Hosted (?) by The Gal Herself 

Forty Questions

I stole this from my brother's Facebook page.

1. Do you put ketchup on a hot dog? My hot dogs are adorned with ketchup and relish. That's it.

2. Choice of soda? I haven't had a soda in well over a year, but I like a good A&W Root Beer when I do partake.

3. Do you own a gun? Yes. I know how to use it, too.

4. Can you swim? I can swim but I haven't in a very long time.

5. Hot dogs or burgers? Hot Dogs.

6. Favorite type of food? Chocolate, which is why I'm overweight and have banned chocolate from my diet.

7. Do you believe in ghosts? Yes. I have seen them in different places, including an old house in West Virginia where a great-aunt and uncle lived, the courthouse in Craig County, and in a field outside of Fincastle.

8. What do you drink in the morning? Water and a cup of decaffeinated English Breakfast Tea.

9. Can you do 100 push-ups? Probably in a 100 days.

10. Summer, Winter, Spring or Fall? I like Autumn and Spring the best.

11. Your favorite hobby? Reading, writing, and playing music.

12. Tattoos? No tattoos, but I have a lot of scars.

13. Do you wear glasses? Yes.

14. Do you have a phobia? I am not fond of snakes. I also don't like elevators.

15. Do you have a nickname? Yes, but I do not use it. Some family members still use it but I do not, and I delete references to it on Facebook when I catch them.

 

16. Three favorite adult drinks? I don't drink "adult" drinks. I drink only water, tea, and occasionally cranberry juice.

17. Biggest downfall? Procrastination.

18. Rain or Snow? Snow if it is the kind that looks nice for a couple of hours and then vanishes. Otherwise, rain, preferably in the form of a good thunderstorm.

19. Can you change a tire? I can.

20. Favorite flower? Iris. It was my mother's favorite, too.

21. Can you drive a stick? It has been a long time, but I might remember.

22. Ever gone skydiving? No, and have no plans to do so.

23. Kids? I like them. They are good with ketchup, like hot dogs. (I lean left and folks on the right think we eat kids, so there you go. It's a joke and sarcasm, for those who can't tell the difference.)

24. Favorite color? Blue.

 

26. Can you whistle? Yes. I can do the Macarena, too.

27. Where were you born? In a hospital early in the morning.

 

28. Siblings? I have a wonderful brother. Wouldn't trade him for anything. 

29. Surgeries? Multiple.

30. Shower or bath? Shower.

31. Last song you heard? Hallelujah, sung by K. D. Lang

32. Broken bones? Right wrist, left ankle.

33. How many TVs are in your house? Two, not counting the P.C.

34. Worst pain? Worst physical pain was abdominal surgery. Worst mental pain will go unmentioned.

35. Do you like to sing? I do. I don't sing as well as I used too, and my asthma has me taking breaths at inappropriate places sometimes, but I still sing.

36. Are your parents still alive? My father is still alive. My mother died in 2000.

37. Do you like camping? No.

38. What do you enjoy binge watching on Netflix? I don't have Netflix.

39. Pumpkin or pecan pie? Pecan pie.

40. Someone who will play along? This question isn't really applicable since it is on my blog, but if someone else wants to steal it, be my guest.

The May Song Quiz

Joining up with Kwizgiver for the last of the song list.

A song that:

• makes me think about life would be American Pie, by Don McLean.
• has many meanings to me would be Nowhere to Go, by Melissa Etheridge.
• has a person's name in the title would be Aubrey, by Bread.
• moves me forward would be Unwritten, by Natasha Bedingfield.
• I think everybody should listen to is Where Have All the Flowers Gone, by Peter, Paul, and Mary.
• is by a band I wish was still together is Money for Nothing, by Dire Straits
• I like by an artist no longer living is We've Only Just Begun, by the Carpenters.
• makes me want to fall in love is Killing Me Softly With His Song, by Roberta Flack
• breaks my heart is Seasons in the Sun, by Terry Jacks.
• is by an artist whose voice I love is I Will Always Love You, by Whitney Houston.
• I remember from my childhood is Coat of Many Colors, by Dolly Parton.
• reminds me of myself is All By Myself, by Eric Carmen.
• I love to sing loudly is Band on the Run, by Paul McCartney & Wings.

Song Quiz #2

Obviously, I am incapable of answering a single question every day, but I think it's ok to bunch them up.

A good song to drive to is Radar Love, by Golden Earring. Listen to that beat, man. How could anyone listen to this song when they're behind the wheel and not move around in the seat?

A song about drugs and alcohol would be White Rabbit, by Jefferson Airplane. One pill makes you larger, and one pill makes you small. And the ones that mother gives you don't do anything at all. Classic, simply classic. How could that be anything but a drug song?


One pill makes you larger, and one pill makes you small
And the ones that mother gives you, don't do anything at all
Go ask Alice, when she's ten feet tall
And if you go chasing rabbits, and you know you're going to fall
Tell 'em a hookah-smoking caterpillar has given you the call
And call Alice, when she was just small
When the men on the chessboard get up and tell you where to go
And you've just had some kind of mushroom, and your mind is moving low
Go ask Alice, I think she'll know
When logic and proportion have fallen sloppy dead
And the white knight is talking backwards
And the red queen's off with her head
Remember what the dormouse said
Feed your head, feed your head

Link up with Kwizgiver and her May music meme.

Song Quiz

I meant to link up with Kwizgiver and her May music meme, but I am late. Here it is May 6 and I haven't done the first one.

So I shall do 6 in a row here and try to catch up.

A song I like with a color in it is Song Sung Blue by Neil Diamond. Actually, one of my AOL user names comes from this song.

A song I like with a number in the title is 99 Red Balloons by Nena. It's an anti-war song. Did you know that? It's about a bunch of balloons that go up and set off an alert. A pilot goes to check it out and shoots at them. The neighboring nations go berserk and "the war machine springs to life." All over 99 red balloons. It's a great allegory for the folly of war.

A song that reminds me of summertime is Black Velvet, by Alannah Myles. "Mississippi in the middle of a dry spell . . . Momma's dancin' with baby on her shoulder, the sun is sittin' like molasses in the sky." Those are great lyrics.

A song that reminds me of someone I'd rather forget is Live and Let Die, which was originally by Paul McCartney, I think. This version is by Guns & Roses.

A song that needs to be played loud is I Can't Get No Satisfaction by the Rolling Stones. The older I get, the less the words seem to apply to life, but the beat and music is as classic rock and roll as you can get. I mean, I can name that song in the first two notes.

A song that makes me want to dance is Stayin' Alive by the Bee Gees. Yes, I am a disco nerd. I can't even sit still in my chair when I hear that song.

Birthday Doings

The question is: what did I do on my most recent birthday?

And the answer is: nothing much. My friends took me to lunch, one at a time. That makes the birthday last the entire month, more or less. I always enjoy time with the people I care about.

I have a birthday coming up in June, if anyone wants to make it memorable. Ha.

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Linking up with the April challenge from Kwizgiver. April 29 done!

Interesting

One of the words I tend to use too much is "interesting."

That describes pretty much everything. It describes something you're telling me that I think is interesting or intriguing. It also is what I say when I think someone is telling me something that reveals stupidity. It is my non-committal response to anything I don't particularly want to give an opinion on.

Of course, if you want me to be less serious, there is my general response to potatoes.

"'Taters? What's 'taters, precious? Eh? What's 'taters?"

"You know, po-ta-toes. Boil 'em smash 'em stick 'em in a stew."

Those are lines only Lord of the Rings fans will get.


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Linking up with the April challenge from Kwizgiver. April 28 done! (The prompt was: Word or phrase you use constantly.)