Starting my last break before school resumes by taking a side trip to Daytona Beach to watch the Cubs play against the Hammerheads - and win, 3 to zip! "Go Gnats!" Oops! "Go, Cubs!"
Sunday, July 31, 2011
lazing on a Sunday afternoon
Starting my last break before school resumes by taking a side trip to Daytona Beach to watch the Cubs play against the Hammerheads - and win, 3 to zip! "Go Gnats!" Oops! "Go, Cubs!"
Saturday, July 30, 2011
you can't go home again
Here's the trouble with time travel: in order to get what you want, you have to DO what you DID. Past choices are the path followed to today, like it or not. Any change in those past choices will affect your present day. Your high school sweetie turns out to be a hound dog, so you choose to NOT sleep with him on your birthday and NOT get knocked up? Congratulations on the loss of the future daughter, and subsequent son, who you love so dearly.
I watched "Peggy Sue Got Married" this afternoon, in lieu of going to a local cinema. Partly I chose to stay home because I didn't want to go into the tire-melting heat of the summer day. But that wasn't the only factor. I've had this movie beside my computer for several days now - maybe even more than a week! - so I could see Nicholas Cage sing.
Mama and I had gone to see the movie when it first came out in 1986, while I was still attending college here. We had both loved it and loved seeing Nicholas Cage and Kathleen Turner. So, I bought the movie when it was released on VHS and she and I watched it again. Then I purchased it -for a final time?- when I was switching over to the dvd format, so we could watch it any time we wanted.
Why the sudden desire to see Cage's performance again? Well, one of my favorite songs on Tom Jones' "the lead and how to swing it" is titled "A Girl Like You". The beat is hypnotic and sensual and rhythmic... well, you get my drift, right? Coupled with that singular Welsh voice, the song makes for great company. I had a copy of the cd quite a few years back, but it was lost along the way; perhaps it was borrowed and never returned? I only know that when one of my friends posted some lyrical phrases from one of Sir Tom's songs, I simply HAD to have that cd once more. The folks at eBay were kind enough to allow me to 'win" it.
Meanwhile, as I was waiting for my "prize" to arrive, I started searching youTube on the off chance that the song had ever had a video... and it did!!! Not by Mr. Jones, no indeed. That would have been quite the find! But, no. Instead, I found several DIFFERENT songs by that title, songs which were good but not THE song. Then, success! I found the actual video by the original group, The Wolfgang Press, a group who so impressed Mr. Jones that he had asked them to write, for him, another song for that same album (cd). They complied, giving him "Show Me", another strong single, to me at least. I don't know that any of the songs ever made it to the radio.
So, what's the connection to the movie??? Well, the lead singer reminded me of Nicholas Cage. Just superficially, mind. Right height, right build, right smoky eyes and smokier voice. Oh, yeah. And I remembered that Cage had sung a couple of songs in the movie, so I wanted to compare, see how well I was remembering. I was SO off! In the movie, his voice was such a kid's voice through much of it, not yet having mellowed with time, smoke, and drink until his later years... but his singing voice was just fine. There was something about the way he looked while singing, while holding the microphone, and THAT was what had triggered the memory while watching the music video.
I watched "Peggy Sue Got Married" this afternoon, in lieu of going to a local cinema. Partly I chose to stay home because I didn't want to go into the tire-melting heat of the summer day. But that wasn't the only factor. I've had this movie beside my computer for several days now - maybe even more than a week! - so I could see Nicholas Cage sing.
Mama and I had gone to see the movie when it first came out in 1986, while I was still attending college here. We had both loved it and loved seeing Nicholas Cage and Kathleen Turner. So, I bought the movie when it was released on VHS and she and I watched it again. Then I purchased it -for a final time?- when I was switching over to the dvd format, so we could watch it any time we wanted.
Why the sudden desire to see Cage's performance again? Well, one of my favorite songs on Tom Jones' "the lead and how to swing it" is titled "A Girl Like You". The beat is hypnotic and sensual and rhythmic... well, you get my drift, right? Coupled with that singular Welsh voice, the song makes for great company. I had a copy of the cd quite a few years back, but it was lost along the way; perhaps it was borrowed and never returned? I only know that when one of my friends posted some lyrical phrases from one of Sir Tom's songs, I simply HAD to have that cd once more. The folks at eBay were kind enough to allow me to 'win" it.
Meanwhile, as I was waiting for my "prize" to arrive, I started searching youTube on the off chance that the song had ever had a video... and it did!!! Not by Mr. Jones, no indeed. That would have been quite the find! But, no. Instead, I found several DIFFERENT songs by that title, songs which were good but not THE song. Then, success! I found the actual video by the original group, The Wolfgang Press, a group who so impressed Mr. Jones that he had asked them to write, for him, another song for that same album (cd). They complied, giving him "Show Me", another strong single, to me at least. I don't know that any of the songs ever made it to the radio.
So, what's the connection to the movie??? Well, the lead singer reminded me of Nicholas Cage. Just superficially, mind. Right height, right build, right smoky eyes and smokier voice. Oh, yeah. And I remembered that Cage had sung a couple of songs in the movie, so I wanted to compare, see how well I was remembering. I was SO off! In the movie, his voice was such a kid's voice through much of it, not yet having mellowed with time, smoke, and drink until his later years... but his singing voice was just fine. There was something about the way he looked while singing, while holding the microphone, and THAT was what had triggered the memory while watching the music video.
Sunday, July 24, 2011
time, time, time is on my side
Yes, it is! I've been cleaning house for several years now, with the help of eBay and craigslist. I've discovered there are plenty of folks worldwide willing to take possession of things I no longer want or need. Some things get snapped up the first time proffered. Others languish for a few months, dropping off the list only to be reposted again and again.
Why the disparity? Why doesn't everything put forth get readily grabbed up by another? Well, it's all a matter of timing. I post an item I no longer need. Someone looks for an item they want. The trick is having the two events coincide. And that, dear, is QUITE the trick.
In many regards, selling online is akin to fishing. You drop your line in the deep blue, trolling a tasty-looking morsel through the cool water, and you wait. Elsewhere in the sunlit sea, a fish rides the currents in search of a seafood dinner. If you are patient, the fish might eventually swim nigh and spot your offering. If you are patient, YOU are awarded the seafood dinner. Yum!
So, I try to be patient. Some items I post try this patience mightily, making me despair that I will not find a new home for them. Then... surprise! Someone in Oregon or the Netherlands or even Australia has eagerly accepted them! That, to me, is part of the fun - being able to travel vicariously to other parts of this lovely Earth. Very nice.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
choices
Choices come with baggage
they do not come alone.
You think it's just for the moment,
but they always follow you home.
Have a drink too many
and get behind the wheel
You put yourself and others in harm's way
no one else gave you that raw deal.
Have sex with someone special
but a condom is a bother.
Then the sheriff's at your door
and someone is calling you father.
And that may be the best it brings
but the surprise may be another -
if the baggage is full of AIDS
it could kill you, brother.
Yes, choices come with baggage,
so give them careful thought.
The choice you make this moment
might later make you distraught.
Choices come with baggage
so be mindful of your next,
for it may bring you naught but woe
and steal your self-respect.
---- This is a work in progress, in preparation for the Spitfire Slam coming up on the 30th of this month. I had considered sharing "hotdogs 4 breakfast", written a year after Daddy's death. Or maybe even the untitled poem included in the next day's post. But the one here just wrote itself as I was on my way to dinner with my stepmom and my paternal aunt. I actually had to pull over at one point so I could physically write down the words engraving themselves on my brain. Wild.
they do not come alone.
You think it's just for the moment,
but they always follow you home.
Have a drink too many
and get behind the wheel
You put yourself and others in harm's way
no one else gave you that raw deal.
Have sex with someone special
but a condom is a bother.
Then the sheriff's at your door
and someone is calling you father.
And that may be the best it brings
but the surprise may be another -
if the baggage is full of AIDS
it could kill you, brother.
Yes, choices come with baggage,
so give them careful thought.
The choice you make this moment
might later make you distraught.
Choices come with baggage
so be mindful of your next,
for it may bring you naught but woe
and steal your self-respect.
---- This is a work in progress, in preparation for the Spitfire Slam coming up on the 30th of this month. I had considered sharing "hotdogs 4 breakfast", written a year after Daddy's death. Or maybe even the untitled poem included in the next day's post. But the one here just wrote itself as I was on my way to dinner with my stepmom and my paternal aunt. I actually had to pull over at one point so I could physically write down the words engraving themselves on my brain. Wild.
Sunday, July 10, 2011
postscript
Timing is everything. This morning, on the only news program I watch, Tom Jones was featured. They even showed concert clips of him doing all three of the songs mentioned in my last post! He's 71 now, so Mother Pat would have been 70 in March.
His look is different now and seems to have changed shortly after we saw his show. He's allowed himself to show his age, gray hair, gray beard, and it becomes him. I still think HE is a "sex bomb" and I'd still like to see him in concert again. Tom has a new album - oops! I mean, CD - out and the songs are quite different, with several old traditional standards and folk tunes. I had seen him at the MGM Grand, one of the cornerstones in Las Vegas, and apparently he still performs there. Maybe I can plan a trip to coincide with his in the next year or two.
Although the sound of the new songs is more serious, this isn't the first time he's delved into vastly different material. He did the same in 1994 when he released "the lead and how to swing it", one of my favorites. Take a listen. THIS is what being mid-fifties is all about for me. He was 54 in this video, recorded at the House of Blues in Los Angeles in 1994. I'm 53 now, still vital, still dancing, still.
Thanks to the tomjonesintl.com site for the video and the information! I had wondered about the title of the album and I like it even more now, knowing it was a tribute to Sir Tom's dad. Now, if I could only find a video for one of my favorites on the CD, "A Girl Like You". That would be so fine! Meanwhile, the original by Wolfgang Press will do nicely.
His look is different now and seems to have changed shortly after we saw his show. He's allowed himself to show his age, gray hair, gray beard, and it becomes him. I still think HE is a "sex bomb" and I'd still like to see him in concert again. Tom has a new album - oops! I mean, CD - out and the songs are quite different, with several old traditional standards and folk tunes. I had seen him at the MGM Grand, one of the cornerstones in Las Vegas, and apparently he still performs there. Maybe I can plan a trip to coincide with his in the next year or two.
Although the sound of the new songs is more serious, this isn't the first time he's delved into vastly different material. He did the same in 1994 when he released "the lead and how to swing it", one of my favorites. Take a listen. THIS is what being mid-fifties is all about for me. He was 54 in this video, recorded at the House of Blues in Los Angeles in 1994. I'm 53 now, still vital, still dancing, still.
Thanks to the tomjonesintl.com site for the video and the information! I had wondered about the title of the album and I like it even more now, knowing it was a tribute to Sir Tom's dad. Now, if I could only find a video for one of my favorites on the CD, "A Girl Like You". That would be so fine! Meanwhile, the original by Wolfgang Press will do nicely.
Saturday, July 9, 2011
it's not unusual
‘Doc, I can’t stop singing ‘The Green, Green Grass of Home.’ ‘That sounds like Tom Jones Syndrome.’ ‘Is it common?’ 'Well, ‘It’s Not Unusual.’ =)
The above joke was posted on a friend's facebook page and made me smile. As I replied to her, "OMG, Tom Jones is soooo fabulous!! When I saw him in Las Vegas in 2007, he sang "Sex Bomb" to ME! Yes, he did! (swoon!)"
Seriously, he DID! I had bought the tickets in December of 2006 and snagged front-row tickets for my husband and my mother-in-law for his show. Incredible! Even more so, the concert was on Mother Pat's 66th birthday and I knew she was going to love the show at least as much as I would. THAT was very important to me. You see, the trip to Las Vegas was a last hurrah with her, as she had Stage 4 colon cancer and was doing very poorly. We had no idea just how poor her health was until we saw her. She had become considerably weaker since the Christmas visit and would actually die a month after the trip.
The trip to Las Vegas was one she had been trying to get us to take with her for years. She had retired early and had nothing but time, whereas we both worked and were lucky to get two weeks of paid vacation a year. To go to Las Vegas would take at least most of a week, leaving us little time for anything else. So, going to gamble with Mother Pat kept getting pushed to the bottom of the list. A real shame, in hindsight. She truly enjoyed the place, as do I, and she knew how to get around and where to find the best, and cheapest, entertainment.
I think the next time I go there, I'll have to find a place where her name can become part of the city.
The above joke was posted on a friend's facebook page and made me smile. As I replied to her, "OMG, Tom Jones is soooo fabulous!! When I saw him in Las Vegas in 2007, he sang "Sex Bomb" to ME! Yes, he did! (swoon!)"
Seriously, he DID! I had bought the tickets in December of 2006 and snagged front-row tickets for my husband and my mother-in-law for his show. Incredible! Even more so, the concert was on Mother Pat's 66th birthday and I knew she was going to love the show at least as much as I would. THAT was very important to me. You see, the trip to Las Vegas was a last hurrah with her, as she had Stage 4 colon cancer and was doing very poorly. We had no idea just how poor her health was until we saw her. She had become considerably weaker since the Christmas visit and would actually die a month after the trip.
The trip to Las Vegas was one she had been trying to get us to take with her for years. She had retired early and had nothing but time, whereas we both worked and were lucky to get two weeks of paid vacation a year. To go to Las Vegas would take at least most of a week, leaving us little time for anything else. So, going to gamble with Mother Pat kept getting pushed to the bottom of the list. A real shame, in hindsight. She truly enjoyed the place, as do I, and she knew how to get around and where to find the best, and cheapest, entertainment.
I think the next time I go there, I'll have to find a place where her name can become part of the city.
Saturday, July 2, 2011
fortune cookie says...
"You're not afraid of storms, for you're learning to sail your ship."
Seriously. That was the message received with lunch today.
I was dining with my middle brother on this beautiful, blue-sky, hot summer day. I had chosen this restaurant because it's one of my favorites and we happened to be right there, as we had first gone to the drivers license office. Asian Buffet always has a wide assortment of sushi rolls and nigiri sushi, as well as some dim sum and other goodies, and more traditional fare, too.
He was enjoying the cheesy mussels - he had seven! - and I was getting my fill of several different types of sushi rolls. I tried twice to let him taste, but he couldn't get past the taste of the algae, so that was that.
We had a good lunch together, getting caught up with happenings in each other's lives, eating good food, taking our time. After all, it was a fine Saturday of a holiday weekend and we had no agenda at hand. Very nice lunch and good conversation. Then my fortune came and it read like it was meant JUST for me.
Mind, when the check came with the two fortune cookies on the tray, I had touched the cookie closest to me to move it so I could read the total on the bill. Having confirmed the total was correct, I had placed the cookie back on the tray. I then waited for him to select which cookie he wanted and, when he had not chosen for several minutes, I went ahead and picked up the cookie I had returned to the tray.
That cookie was clearly meant for me. Am I not learning to sail my own ship? Yes, I may be foundering from time to time, but 'tis my own ship and mine alone. If it runs aground occasionally, so be it. I'll make the most of the delay as I wait for a high tide to lift me up and away again. Then I'll be catching the breeze in my sails and searching for that next bright star to steer her by.
Lovely image, that. How did the fortune cookie know?
Seriously. That was the message received with lunch today.
I was dining with my middle brother on this beautiful, blue-sky, hot summer day. I had chosen this restaurant because it's one of my favorites and we happened to be right there, as we had first gone to the drivers license office. Asian Buffet always has a wide assortment of sushi rolls and nigiri sushi, as well as some dim sum and other goodies, and more traditional fare, too.
He was enjoying the cheesy mussels - he had seven! - and I was getting my fill of several different types of sushi rolls. I tried twice to let him taste, but he couldn't get past the taste of the algae, so that was that.
We had a good lunch together, getting caught up with happenings in each other's lives, eating good food, taking our time. After all, it was a fine Saturday of a holiday weekend and we had no agenda at hand. Very nice lunch and good conversation. Then my fortune came and it read like it was meant JUST for me.
Mind, when the check came with the two fortune cookies on the tray, I had touched the cookie closest to me to move it so I could read the total on the bill. Having confirmed the total was correct, I had placed the cookie back on the tray. I then waited for him to select which cookie he wanted and, when he had not chosen for several minutes, I went ahead and picked up the cookie I had returned to the tray.
That cookie was clearly meant for me. Am I not learning to sail my own ship? Yes, I may be foundering from time to time, but 'tis my own ship and mine alone. If it runs aground occasionally, so be it. I'll make the most of the delay as I wait for a high tide to lift me up and away again. Then I'll be catching the breeze in my sails and searching for that next bright star to steer her by.
Lovely image, that. How did the fortune cookie know?
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