Saturday 9: Turn Me Loose

Saturday 9: 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?

A. We collect them. I have a little fireman bear who is a bank, and we put the coins in there. When he is full we take them to the bank and deposit them in the savings account I have set aside for my next vehicle.

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.

A. Well, I was along for the ride. My husband and I took a trip back in the summer to Richmond, which is about a 2.5 hour drive. Along the way we passed this tractor for sale, and it was exactly what my husband wanted. It was barely used - less than 6 hours on it, which is nothing on a tractor (that's like getting a new car with 22 miles on it because it's been test-driven on the highway). It was also about $15,000 less than a new one. So we bought it then and there. Well, we had to go to the bank and stuff, but basically we made the deal that day.

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?

A. I was in a rock and roll band, I baby sat, and I worked for my father in his company occasionally. None of them prepared me for the rest of my life, really. I stopped playing music except for myself, I never had children, and I hate office work.

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?

A. I read my mother's magazines, like True Story and Reader's Digest. I don't recall reading the teen magazines much.

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?

A. Yes, I had to read several for one of my masters' courses at college.

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.

A. When I discovered that someone who was supposedly cleaning my house wasn't. I did not find this out until I hired a new person, who pointed out to me this massive mound of dust and cobwebs behind the TV. I like my house to be clean and neat, and this was very embarrassing for me. This has been some years ago.

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?

A. I have on some Hanes crew socks. They were cheap and frankly I do not like them.

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?

A. I am. I stay up late sometimes to watch it on METV. Some of those episodes stay with you for a very long time.

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?

A. No, I do not enjoy them and I generally refuse to watch them. Isn't it bad enough just turning on the news in the morning?

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I encourage you to visit other participants in Saturday 9 posts and leave a comment. Because there are no rules, it is your choice. Saturday 9 players hate rules. We love memes, however.

Havest Moon Set

Thursday Thirteen #520

Today I thought I'd give you a glimpse into a day in the life of my husband when he is on duty as a battalion chief for the fire department of the nearest city. He oversees one-half of the department when he is there.

My battalion chief

1. Have breakfast and coffee while catching the morning weather forecast on local television, and then drive down to the mailbox (it's 1/4 mile away) for the morning paper.

2. Read the comics (best part of the paper, he says), the sports page, and the headline news if it is not too depressing.

3. Then he showers, dresses for work, kisses me goodbye, and heads to the firehouse.

4. Once there, he receives the previous day's report from the person he is relieving. He checks his email for important correspondence.

5. He must check the training schedule for all personnel and then arrange for the people and/or entire companies to attend the training.

6. He checks a daily roster of people on vacation and those who have not reported in due to illness, and then reassigns people to other stations to fill in.

7. At this time he also checks in with station captains for problems that might need his attention.

8. He fills out and completes a daily activities report as the day goes along.

9. He attends staff meeetings to receive any new information or plans to be implemented department wide and receive other information regarding personnel or other items.

10. He visits each station to discuss problems or relay new information to employees.

11. He spends the rest of the day in scheduled training and/or answering alarms. An alarm could be anything from checking out a false alarm initiated by a phone call or an alarm system to incident command for a motor vehicle accident, a natural disaster, or a multi-alarm fire.

12. Around 10 p.m., he tries to go to bed and hopes he doesn't have to get up to answer any alarms that may come in.

13. He finishes his shift at 7 a.m. the next morning.

Here he is as a young firefighter.

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Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here if you want to read other Thursday Thirteens and/or play along. I've been playing for a while and this is my 520th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday.

I Heard the News Today, Oh Boy - 2017

I heard the news today, oh boy.
Gunman in the streets,
people running around in sheets.
Nothing made me laugh
Death and destruction in my path.

They marched the streets in Charlottesville.
In Las Vegas an old white guy set out to kill.
People running everywhere
Trying hard just to get out of there.
Politicians sent their "thoughts and prayers."

I heard the news today, oh boy.
Statues pulled down from their bases
Angry smirks on unfriendly faces.
People of color, and rightly so,
kneeling on astro-turf before the show.

The guy in the White House could only tweet
evil words of fear that had no beat.
No song to cover all this hate.
All the lawyers want to litigate.
No time to change the world, it's much too late.

I heard the news today, oh boy.
Hurricanes wiped out cities and small towns
When people cried, the White House tore them down.
Watching women's rights decline
Makes the Handmaid's Tale seem just sublime.

People dying every day
mass shootings now a news mainstay.
The only country here on the earth
where guns are worshipped more than any birth.
Tells me how little life is really worth.

I heard the news today, oh boy.
Spittle flying from the mouths
of angry white men from the south.
Seems they've had enough of me
and every woman who denied their blow-job fantasies.

People safely locked at home
groceries brought to them now by wordless drone.
Hell's here now, we've let it win
no need to die for our own sin.
Maybe time to try again?

I heard the news today, oh boy.
I could only turn away
I have nothing left to say.
No way I can help, I'll just cry
And wonder how many more today will die.

Sunday Stealing: Creepy Crawlies

Sunday Stealing


1. You are walking down the road and you look down. There is a bug. Do you step on it?

A.  Probably not. It is outside where it belongs and not bothering me.

2. What is one fantasy that you want to come true more than any other?

A. I'd like to see peaceful, powerful aliens come along and straighten us out before humanity totally destroys itself.

3. Someone knocks on your door. Do you look out the window to see who it is before you open it? Do you open it regardless of who it is?

A. I look to see who it is before I open it. I do not always open it.

4. Have you ever eaten Play Doh?

A. Not within recent memory.

5. What was your favorite Saturday morning cartoon as a child and why?

A. I liked the more "real life" things like Land of the Lost and H.R. Puffenstuff, in part because it was easier for me to identify with real people, and because they were fantasies that played into my imagination.

6. Are you a “people watcher”?

A. Yes. They are very insect-like you know, always busy scurrying about, head to their phones, not looking up. Some are ants, some are grasshoppers. Some are magnificent butterflies. Some are worker bees. Some are stink bugs.

7. I have a bowl of fruit. There are apples, oranges & pears. You help yourself to one - which one do you choose?

A. Apple.

8. What is your biggest pet peeve in the blogging world?

A. Scam ads in the comment section.

9. What is one religion that you could just never see yourself joining?

A. Southern Baptist. I go to Baptist church services sometimes, but it is a very militant and non-inclusive version of Christianity and I would not join the religion. It's for white males and Republicans, and I am neither. I was baptized in the Church of the Brethren, which is a more pacifist religion.

10. What word do you use far too often?

A. Interesting.

11. How long do you spend in the shower?

A. About 5 minutes, but I shower twice a day.

12. If you were to write a personal ad about yourself, what would it say?

A. Am I like, for sale or what? I don't understand the question.

13. Your favorite flavor of soup is . . . ?

A. Chicken with rice.

14. You are sitting on a bench in the park and a bug walks in front of your feet…. do you squash him?  (I am assuming this is a different bug from question #1)

A. Again, the poor bug is not hurting me. It's not in my house flying into my lights or puking on my curtains. The little critter can crawl on off to whatever hole it likes.

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I encourage you to visit other participants in Sunday Stealing posts and leave a comment. Cheers to all us thieves who love memes, however we come by them. Today I am celebrating my 200th Sunday Stealing!

Saturday 9: Little Woman

Saturday 9: Little Woman (1969)

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

(Just for the record, I am nobody's "little woman.")

1) This song contains many weather references (clouds, rainbows, sunshine, rain). How's the sky where you are today?

A. It's a beautiful day, though dry, as we are officially in a drought. The sky is a lovely blue with occasional clouds. The leaves are turning brown and dropping fast in a slight breeze. They are crinkling beneath my feet when I walk outside. We are already feeding hay to the cattle, something that normally doesn't start until early November.

2) Bobby Sherman sings that when he's alone, he imagines his "Little Woman" is right there beside him. Do you often daydream?

A. I am a consummate daydreamer and have been for as long as I can remember. I can spend a lot of time staring out the window lost in my own thoughts.

3) Bobby had a very bright smile. Do you ever use whiteners on your teeth?

A. I have on occasion. They help a little, but my pearly whites are not pearly. They are rather like a Grateful Dead song: they have a touch of gray to them.

4) He was beloved for his shiny hair. If we were to peek in your bathroom, how many haircare products would we find?

A. Two shampoos and one hair conditioner bottle in the shower. A comb and two hairbrushes on the bathroom vanity.

5) After high school, Bobby attended Pierce, a community college in the west San Fernando Valley. For culinary students, Pierce offers courses in canning -- specifically apples and peaches. If we were to peek into your pantry, would we find canned fruits?

A. Yes, you would. Mostly the mixed fruit kind, with cherries. Fruit cocktail, my grandmother called it.

6) As an actor, one of Bobby's earliest performances was on the TV show Honey West. That series revolved around a female "private eye" adept at martial arts. Do you have any self-defense moves (that don't involve a weapon)?

A. I took a self-defense class in the 1990s, and I learned to stomp on the person's foot, jab them with your elbow, kick them in the groin, and run like hell.

7) In 1966, Bobby did this rather energetic commercial for milk. Do you often enjoy a glass of milk?

A. I do not drink milk. I don't know if I am "allergic" per se, but it creates a lot of secretions in my lungs and adversely affects my asthma.

8) When his show business career waned, he became a paramedic. Have you ever called 911?

A. No. We live in the sticks and frankly it is faster to hustle somebody into the car and drive like a maniac into the city with them bleeding in the back seat. If one is thinking clearly, then it is best to call 911 and ask to have an ambulance meet you somewhere en route, if possible.

9) Random Question: Which book do you think you could learn more from -- The Joy of Sex or The Joy of Cooking?

A. The Joy of Cooking. I'm old, fat, and been married for 34 years. I can't cook still (though we aren't starving). I won't comment on the other.

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I encourage you to visit other participants in Saturday 9 posts and leave a comment. Because there are no rules, it is your choice. Saturday 9 players hate rules. We love memes, however.  (Celebrating my 200th Saturday 9 today.)

An Unusual Kiss

Thursday Thirteen

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Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here if you want to read other Thursday Thirteens and/or play along. I've been playing for a while and this is my 519th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday.

Caught in a Trap

Siri v. Alexa

I broke down and purchased a smartphone. I bought an older model iPhone, called an iPhone SE, which is basically the iPhone 5 with iPhone 6 guts. It is small, which I prefer. It also didn't cost $1,000. I put a case on it that has Rivendell from Lord of the Rings on the back, and my ringtone is the One Ring theme from the Lord of the Rings movie.

I've had it about two weeks. I don't know how long it takes the personal assistant, Siri, to figure me out but she is pretty bland. Oh, my brother came over and showed me a few tricks but she has the personality of, well, a computerized piece of equipment.

I've been using Amazon's Alexa on my Kindle HD for about a year now. Alexa has personality. She makes me laugh.

Did Alexa seem mechanical to me at first? Honestly, I don't remember. Maybe someone can tell me if Siri will be less mechanical and become more personable as time goes on.

Anyway, this morning's greeting is a great example of the difference in these two "personal assistants."

To Siri, I say, "Good morning." She says, "Good morning," though the typing says "Good morning, Anita." She doesn't add my name. Sometimes she says, "Good morning to you too!" and that is a bit cheery. I don't know why she doesn't say my name, though. Maybe "Anita" is too hard? (OK, I just asked her how to pronounce my name and she doesn't know how. So I am teaching her while I type this. It is taking forever and she keeps saying "Uh oh, there's a problem. Can you try again?")

Moving on.

I say, "Good morning" to Alexa. She says "Good morning" and gives me a fact of the day. This morning she says, "Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird. It's a plane. It's National Comic Book Day! Evil doers beware! I've been working on my one-two punch. Kerpow! Whammo! If you want some more heroics, say 'pretend you're a superhero,' and get ready for some action-packed fun."

That made me laugh. And then I asked her, "pretend you're a superhero," and she told me a short story that ended "and that was that," which also made me laugh.

My brother showed me a trick with Siri. He said to sing, "I see a little silhouette of a man" (from Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody) into the phone, which I did. Siri then repeated some of the remaining verses, except she substituted "I'm just a poor assistant" for "I'm just a poor boy" in the lines. She spoke all the way to "no no no no no" in the song, repeating the "no" however many times. Fun, yes.

(Ten minutes later and Siri is still thinking about how to say my name.)

So, let's sing that line of Bohemian Rhapsody to Alexa. She says, "I'd give that one a go, but I think Freddie Mercury is the only one who can do that song justice. Although a thousand karaoke fans may disagree."

That makes me laugh, too.

Siri still cannot say my name. She's "still thinking."

Sigh.

I'll revisit this issue again in a few months. Maybe by then Siri will know who I am. Or I will have figured her out.

Whichever.

I told my husband that if Amazon had offered a Fire Phone, I'd have bought it. Well, they did, about 7 years ago, and apparently it was a flop. I'm surprised, but they didn't have Alexa then and the Kindle Fires keep getting better and better as touchpad devices. Maybe they will try again on the phone. I suppose I could always do a trade if Siri still doesn't know my name.

(Tips on using Siri welcome in the comments.)

Sunday Stealing: Fashion Show

Sunday Stealing: Fashion Show

1. Name a way to win your heart.

A. Offer me intriguing and interesting conversation about nearly any topic, and I will be your friend for as long as you'll have me.

2. Name something you feel strongly about.

A. I feel strongly about proper grammar usage and complete sentences. (I rewrote the sentences for this meme because they did not have subject/verbs.)

3. What is the title of a book you love?

A. The Lord of the Rings. (Does this surprise anyone?)

4. List five pet peeves.

A. (1) Parking lots with handicapped parking that place the cart return far away from that area. If we could walk that far, we wouldn't need the handicapped placard.
(2) The little flippy thing covering the mute button on my new cellphone case that won't stay where it belongs.
(3) People who talk on their cellphones during checkout at a store. You are not that important.
(4) The lack of clerks and assistance in department stores.
(5) The fact that I cannot find the laundry detergent I like in my local stores.  

5. What have you eaten today?

A. I just got up. I've had tea.

6. How important do you think education is?

A. Education is the most important thing in the world, because without education you can't talk, speak, feed yourself, etc. Everything about being human comes from being educated in some form or another. You wouldn't know religion without learning. Without education, we're just a lump of meat.

7. List five people you find attractive.

A. (1) Orlando Bloom (only as Legolas in Lord of the Rings, though).
(2) Viggo Mortenson (again, only as Aragorn in same movie).
(3) My husband.
(4) Some guy named Jessie in the Lumosity brain games for the memory game in the restaurant. I may not remember the other faces, but I always remember his. 
(5) Neil DeGrasse Tyson (for his brains, he is an intelligent man. And he is not bad looking, either.).

8. What did you wear today?

A. I have on my nightgown and my robe, at the moment. When we decide what, if anything, we are doing today, then I will know whether to put on sweats or decent pants.

9.  Tell us something you always think “what if” about.

A. What if an asteroid were to strike the planet and eliminate most of humanity, and we had to start over again? What if magic really exists? What if we can cure cancer but they don't because there is so much more money in simply treating it? What if there is life on other planets? What if the answer to the meaning of everything really is 42?

10. What is something you’re proud of?

A. My college diplomas, all three of them.

11. Is there something you lust after?

A. I did want a smart phone but I have one now, so there really isn't much on my list. I could use a new set of sheets for the bed. That's exciting, isn't it?

12. List a word/phrase that makes you laugh.

A. Geronimo. I know that's probably not a P.C. word these days, but it brings back childhood memories not only of playing cowboys and Indians with my brother and young uncles, but also of Geronimo the Indian doll in the Johnny West series, things I learned in school, and of jumping in leaves (or jumping in general).

13. What is a quote you try to live by?

A. I have two:

Not all those who wander are lost. - J. R. R. Tolkien

Levavi Oculos (I will lift my eyes.) (I will lift up mine eyes to the hills, from whence cometh my help. - Psalm 121).

14. What is something you like about yourself?  What is something you dislike?

A. I like that I'm fairly intelligent and have a somewhat sardonic and sarcastic wit. I don't like that I am overweight.

15. Tell us about a problem that you have had recently.

A. I attempted to use my health insurance plan's telemedicine. However, it didn't work properly and my credit card was charged the full visit and not the co-pay. The telemedicine place said my husband's employer had opted out of the telemedicine (even though they were advertising it to us and suggesting we use it), but the insurance company said that was incorrect. Turns out that the telemedicine place can't tell the difference between a city and county. The county with the same name opted out; the city didn't. My husband's employer is the city. I am still trying to clear this up so we can use the telemedicine system.


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I encourage you to visit other participants in Sunday Stealing posts and leave a comment. Cheers to all us thieves who love memes, however we come by them.

Saturday 9: Da Doo Ron Ron

Saturday 9: 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. My Monday started with cleaning the house. Whee. That was about the only noteworthy thing that happened. Well, my throat started hurting again, but who wants to hear about that?

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?

A. Oh yes. I read both series.

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

A. Football and girls volleyball, at the time I was in school. I don't know what sports they play well, now.

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?

A. I have a brother. He is the President of my father's company. He knows many people and is in charge of many lives and overseeing many things.

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

A. My maternal grandfather often came across as very gruff, but he also had a playful streak. We were constantly being told to stay out of his workroom (he repaired TVs on the weekends) but he also ran races with us, gave us quarters to mow the yard, and once sat out on the back stoop with me while we watched a lightning storm across the way.

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?

A. Yes. I was told that when I was placed in my mother's arms, I stretched and squirmed and pushed her away, and she knew immediately that I did not love her. Make of that what you will. Also, someone said I had cute little ears.

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. I probably could have before you asked. :-) Now I have to think about it. Ok. Crimson and Clover was recorded by the Shondells and then Joan Jett.

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?

A. I went from DOS to Windows and have always used Windows. I am now the proud owner of an iPhone, however. Maybe the times they are a'changin'.

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?

A. I cannot sleep with any kind of noise, so I would have to rise and turn the thing off. If it was a drip I could not fix, I'd place towel under it to halt the noise.


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I encourage you to visit other participants in Saturday 9 posts and leave a comment. Because there are no rules, it is your choice. Saturday 9 players hate rules. We love memes, however.

Thursday Thirteen

Ruined Book Titles

1. Heaves of Grass (Leaves of Grass)

2. Mall of the Wild (Call of the Wild)

3. Hairy Potter and the Odor of the Phoenix (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix)

4. Lord of the Fries (Lord of the Flies)

5. The Handmaid's Kale (The Handmaid's Tale)

6. Of Lice and Men (Of Mice and Men)

7. Gone with the wine (Gone with the Wind)

8. Animal Harm (Animal Farm)

9. Bravo New World (Brave New World)

10. Anne of Green Tables (Anne of Green Gables)

11. Art of the Heel (Art of the Deal)

12. Lord of the Rinks (Lord of the Rings)

13. The Hunger Dames (The Hunger Games)

Extra:
The Drapes of Wrath (The Grapes of Wrath)
Little Mouse in the Big Woods (Little House in the Big Woods)
Little Louse on the Prairie (Little House on the Prairie)
The Lizard of Oz (The Wizard of Oz)

_________

 

Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here if you want to read other Thursday Thirteens and/or play along. I've been playing for a while and this is my 518th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday.