Sugar and Spice

Did you ever have one of those mornings where you are still between sleep/dreaming and being awake?

That was how I started my day today.

A friend of mine (check out blog here: http://yvonneyaar.blogspot.com/) and I were to meet at one of the local flea markets at 9:00 AM this morning.

I had some really weird dreams last night. I don't remember the details or actually it would be hard for me to write them down because they are so fragmented, but at one part of my dream I read an e-mail from my friend saying she couldn't make it to the flea market because she had to have a medical procedure at 5:00 AM.

No worries - I'll go it alone (and then some other weird stuff happened in the dream)

M usually leaves the house around 6:30 AM and she gives me a kiss goodbye and I drift back to sleep.

So I drifted and then I woke up...or thought I woke up and looked at my alarm clock and it said 9:30!!!

I sprang up in a panic because I was going to be late in meeting my friend. I clumped down the stairs - sometimes it takes a while for my ankles to loosen up so I really don't walk...just kind of clump and grabbed my cell phone to call her and at the same time I was trying to open up my e-mail to see if I really read that she had a medical procedure this morning or if it was part of a dream.

Her phone rang a few times and her voice mail picked up and I looked down at the clock on my computer and it said: 7:10 AM.

I hung up the phone and didn't leave a message - embarrassed.

My e-mail finally came up and there was NOTHING about a medical procedure anywhere and in fact she sent me an e-mail last night to confirm the 9:00 AM meeting.

Talk about confused!!!

It wasn't 9:30 it was only 7:10. I wasn't late at all and just sat in front of my computer trying to figure out where I was.

Oy!

Actually what did happen was that my friend had really weird dreams too and she overslept and she was late!

(que in Twighlight theme now)

SO - for today's song I thought I would post something that kind of gives you a glimpse of my spaced out frame of mind this morning!




Love the trippy ink blotty things in the background!

Far out!

Peace all!

Have a great weekend!

Sugar and Spice

TGIF all!

I went to my counselor yesterday. It was a good session. She's sharp and is not afraid to call you to task. She's the first counselor that I've ever had that has done that. Usually I can use my wit and charm to disarm them and skirt around the heavier issues in my life. Not with this one. She watches every move you make, every rise or fall in your voice. Any change in position and notices when you are avoiding something.

That is what they are trained to do obviously and some people are better at it than others. She's excellent!

She noticed that a lot of the things that I do are for other people (hello co-dependence) and asked me what was I going to do for myself after this session.

"Go home and take a nap?!" said the coy and sly little me.

She just shook her head.

"Um, go home and walk the dogs?!"

"Much better!"

I've been trying to get my ass moving to exercise and lose weight and I just have been extremely lazy about it. One week I will be great - eat right, work out in the yard, take the dogs for nice long walks and then the following week I'm eating crap, lying about the house, surfing the web and feeling like a blob.

I'm sabotaging my own self.

We have a white board in our kitchen and I write all of the things/chores that I am trying to accomplish while I'm unemployed. I've managed to get a lot of things done so far. I also ask M to write things that she needs me to do as a reminder because I'll just plain forget.

This morning on my list of things to do M wrote: 1 task for Sharon 6/5/09. What is she doing for herself today? and added a little smiley face to it.

I loved it!

So the two things that I want to do for myself today is read the book I've started. It's a good rainy day and perfect for book reading and give myself 30 minutes on the treadmill. I need to get moving and if I start a little it will help me a lot.

There is a play list I have on my iPod that I've made just for walking on the treadmill. There are slower songs in the beginning and then the songs increase in tempo as I go along.

The last song I usually play is Trouble by P!nk. I can usually jog through the entire song and I feel pretty pumped up afterwards.

I freakin' love her. She scares me a little but I really like her music.

So for this weeks spicy song I give you P!nk and maybe if you crank it up a little it will get you moving too!



Happy Weekend all!

Peace!

Sugar and Spice

Ooops - sorry I'm late folks.

It was one of those days of endless errands so I was away from the computer most of the day.

The first thing on my "to-do" list was to get a hair cut. I've been doing the hair color thing for about 2 years now. Getting the expensive color and cut. Now that I'm unemployed I've decided to go back to my basic hair cut and to let the color grow out. Since I wear my hair relatively short it doesn't take long to get rid of the color and WOW is my hair white! And you know what? I kind of like it!

So the white stays and I'll save a few bucks too!

I finished all of my errands relatively early and decided - heck...I think a nap is needed!

And so it was - a wonderful 2 hour veg out time. I don't think I slept, but it felt good to do nothing for a little while.

M reminded me that there was one thing I forgot to do today and that was my "Sugar and Spice" post for the week.

She helped me with this week's selection because I wasn't coming up with a good "spicy" song. She suggested "Conflict" by Disturbed first. Um...no. Not my cup o' tea. It just sounds like a lot of screaming and banging.

We went back and forth and we finally agreed to a classic Aerosmith hit.

M's been a fan of Aerosmith for a long time and actually talked me into going to one of their concerts. I have to admit I am not a fan, but seeing them play live gave me a whole new appreciation for the band. That Steve Tyler is a maniac and M thinks that Joe Perry is HOT! (personally I don't get it, but hey - whatever)

SO for this week's SPICE song we have picked Crazy by Aerosmith.

Have a happy and Safe Memorial weekend all and please don't forget those who have served and have sacrificed their lives for our country.



Peace!

Sugar and Spice

Happy Friday for all who get the next two days off to relax and enjoy. I hope you have nice weather predicted.

Yesterday I had all of these things flying around in my head that I was going to share with you for this post, but today all of those thoughts are gone.

Vanished! POOF!

I need to start writing stuff down.

As I am typing I am listening to the racket that a pair of starlings are making. They've decided to build their nest in my vent again. They weren't here last year thankfully, but they are back now! Time to get out the ladder and shoo them away. Unfortunately I've become rather shaky on high ladders as I've gotten older. Maybe it's because if I fall now, I'll probably get hurt as opposed to when I was younger I would have just cursed a little, rubbed it off and gotten back up there. Getting hurt really didn't enter my mind as much.

Middle age - blech.

I did some more work around the yard this week. One of my rain barrels sprung a bit of a leak so I had to fix that, I got some planting done and I'm working on building a raised garden bed. My veggie garden is going to be a bit late this year unfortunately.

Yesterday while I was tooling around the yard a group of neighborhood kids whizzed by on various means of transport. One was on a bike, another on a razor skooter, then a lil' dude on a skate board and the last guy was whizzing along on those sneakers with the little wheel in the back of them - roller shoes.

Those are pretty cool I have to admit. If I was a kid I'd be wanting me a pair of those.

Instead we had these:



Later I graduated to these:


(add a pair of striped knee socks and you were a totally hip and happening kind of chick)

Fun times! Scraped knees and elbows - no helmets or pads, just put them on and ZOOM we were on our way! Well maybe not so much in the metal skates - they just kind of did a "scuff, scuff, rool - scuff, scuff, roll" kind of thing.

The skating rinks were big back then too - roller disco! (That's a whole other subject for a whole new series!)

Watching these kids zipping around got me thinking of a particular song and it's been stuck in my head so now I have to let it loose and get into your brains instead of mine!

Brand New Key - by Melanie
(Does anyone remember her?)

She had this shrilly, squeaky kind of voice that kind of went right back to that nerve in the back of your neck and your shoulders would skrunch up and winced - but you probably sang along too. (Yeah...you did, admit it)

So let's pay tribute to the past and remember our first pair of metal skates and looking for that freakin' key that you needed to adjust the things so that they would stay on your feet. We could never find that key when we needed it!

Happy Weekend all!



Peace!

Just a few things...

before I go!

M and I are flying out to Chicago tomorrow to see my son "S" graduate from Loyola University! Yikes - this is one of those - I feel so proud and so old at the same time! (I'm only 45 though)

We're looking forward to the trip - it's been a while since we've gone away just the two of us. My son has promised to be our tour guide on Thursday and Friday and then on Saturday I think we'll roam around ourselves for a bit. We hope to meet up with Deb from the Middle Girl blog on Saturday if we can. It's always nice to meet a fellow blogger! The weather is supposed to be so-so, but that's ok. With all the rain we've been getting this spring I've developed web feet and gills so it shouldn't bother me.

I haven't had much time to do any work around the yard this week because of the soggy weather but I've been keeping myself busy by taking lots of naps and trying to plan a trip to the UK for sometime in June. That's my new project.

SOooooo, since I won't be around for the weekend I thought I would leave you with some odd picture of things around my house. These aren't really my artsy pictures that I have but more of the mundane, the odd and the fascinating variety. Or at least I thought so.

First up is this little gem I found in one of my bushes while I was cleaning up the leaves:



It's a Praying Mantis egg sack! I've been watching it closely and it still hasn't hatched yet, but soon hundreds of these little guys and gals will be roaming my gardens eating aphids and spiders. Very cool bugs!

Next up: Two lazy squirrels.



This guy was hanging out on a really hot day last week. It was about 90 degrees and he just looked tired and hot and was trying to just take a break from running around.



Same branch a few days later in the rain and there were two squirrels huddled together. I thought it was adorable how the first one is all tucked in.

Here is one of my completed projects:



My rain barrels! I didn't paint them just left them their industrial blue color but maybe next year I will get the chance. I finished these on Wednesday - and by Saturday afternoon each 55 gallon drum was filled. That is just from a few days of light rain! I was amazed how quickly they filled up. This should keep my house plants and gardens happy for a while!

Last up is an object of questionable nature and if anyone can tell me what it is I will be truly thankful:





It's a blob of some sort. I don't know if it's a fungus or what? It was in my neighbor's cedar tree and I kept seeing this bright orange blob so I investigated. It is quite slimy in nature and sticky so perhaps it's a sack of sap - I really don't know.

Anyone have a clue?

Last but not least I thought I would leave you with this weeks Sugar and Spice selection.

The spicy songs are a bit harder for me to come up with because I'm not really a "spicy" kind of girl, but since I reference Axl Rose in my last music post I thought it only fitting to leave you with him this week.

What a loon this guy is, but they knew how to rock!



I know it's only Wednesday - but have a good weekend all!

Peace!

P.S. The orange blog is Cedar-Apple Rust! (thank you Google)

Sugar and Spice

Hey ho - Happy Friday all!

Another nice weekend is forecasted for the weekend here in the Northeast. We are supposed to get temps in the 80's That's a little warm for me, but the humidity is low so I can cope with it!

I'm off to run some errands for the day but didn't want to leave you without this weeks song.

If you were a big hair ban fan of the 80's you may like this one. I am not, but I thought the song was fitting for the theme that I'm going with here.

The song is a bit more spicy than sugar, but it has sugar in the title. I think one of the famous lines of the song goes something like this: "I'm hot, sticky sweet, from my head down to my feet! Yeah!"

Can any one guess before peeking?

It's Def Leppard's Pour Some Sugar on Me. The idea of the song was actually taken from the song "Sugar, Sugar" by the Archies, but it's a bit more sexual than their song I think!

The interesting thing about Def Leppard is that the drummer Rick Allen lost his arm in a car accident so only plays the drum with one arm. I give him a lot of credit for that - he kept doing what he loves to do despite his loss.

Turn up the volume and rock on all!



"You got the peaches, I got the cream
Sweet to taste, saccharine
'Cos I'm hot, say what, sticky sweet
From my head, my head, to my feet"

That ought to get the blood pumping for your weekend!


Peace!

Sugar and Spice

Happy Friday all!

We've have 2 days of glorious sunshine here on the east coast. It's been a cold, wet, windy, raw spring this year. I'm not going to complain too much because the rain has been watering my plants and filling up little lakes and ponds in the area that have become so low in the few past years.

The rainy days give me time to get some things done inside that need to be done and the warm sunny days I have been outside working in the yard.

It's all good.

Today's Sugar and Spice song has been stuck in my head for over a week already and so perhaps if I post it here I will get it out and push it on to all of you!

Originally the song came from a musical that made it's debut back in 1967. I was but a wee lass at the time so I don't remember it, but there were plenty of song from the musical that made it to the radio. Among them were: Aquarius, Donna and of course Hair.

But the song that has been stuck in my head for over a week now is Good Morning Starshine!

Oliver climbed the charts to #3 here in the states with his cover of Starshine in 1969 and with lyrics like:

Gliddy glub gloopy
Nibby nabby noopy
La la la lo lo

You can see why!

You can also see the effects of the drugs people where taking when they wrote that song!

I have this mental picture of some guy in a beanbag chair, trippin' out on LSD muttering:

Sabba sibby sabba
Nooby abba nabba
Le le lo lo

Someone in the background saying: "wow, that is like totally cool man. I think that would make a great song."

Far out!

For your spring time ear worm and sugar sweet song of the week I give you: Good Morning Starshine by Oliver (the video kind of sucks so just listen)



Happy weekend all and I hope where ever you are you are getting a nice taste of spring!

Peace, love and all that good stuff!

Sugar and spice

I am going to post this tonight because tomorrow I won't have time.

Me, M, Neetzy and the Semi-Conductor are going to Philly to see the Cezanne exhibit and have lunch. It should be fun!

The song I picked out for this week is on the "spice" side of things.

When I first heard it on the radio I was like: "What the fa is that?"

I didn't like it, but unfortunately it has a way of becoming an earworm very quickly. The group quickly rose to the top of the charts and then fell apart just as quickly. Now most of them are more famous for their shennanigans after stardom.

Believe me when I say that this isn't normally a song I would pick for this blog, but it fits the category well so I just couldn't resist. And - you gotta admit, you can't help but "slam it to the left and then shake it to the right" when you here it!

hee, hee, hee!

Unfortunately YouTube has blocked the embedding feature so you'll have to click on the link below to hear the song.

If you dare!

Shazza's Spicy song of the week! <-----Click here!

Happy Passover/Easter/Weekend all!

Sugar and spice

...and everything nice.

We all know that isn't true. Especially these days.

Unemployment here in the US is the highest it's been since 1983!

I'm so glad I'm doing my part. Actually I think I was jobless in 1983 for a while.

I hate being left out.

Me and my unemployed self have been taking a lot of naps, doing odd jobs here and there and watching a lot of political shows for some silly reason. Mostly because I like the personalities, not really because I'm interested in politics.

Rachel Maddow - cute and smart and funny and willing to challenge the people who come on her show. What a gal!

Keith Olbermann - I like him - I don't always agree with him, but his long standing feud with Bill-O is very entertaining.

I tried to watch a sitcom last night: In the Motherhood thinking it would be just as funny as the MSN short episodes - but it wasn't. It was kind of stupid. Luckily my Dad called me in the middle of the show and saved me from myself!

This is why I don't watch regular TV. News maybe, History Channel, Discovery Channel and Tuesday night is The Biggest Loser night here, but that's about it. (Everyone cries on this show)

This is the life of an unemployed woman - she actually tried to watch a sitcom.

I NEED A JOB!

(heh, heh) Not really - I'm kind of enjoying the down time and I've had a few good leads on some jobs so I'm not in panic mode yet. It will happen.

Today I thought I would start a new musical Friday post and this was inspired by driving along on a beautiful spring day listening to one of those radio stations that play a variety of music and promises a "no repeat work day". I like it because they play a lot of "older" music - stuff I grew up with and they smather in some newer stuff and then mix it around.

So the song: Sugar, Sugar by the Archies came on and I was transported back to those wonderful Saturday mornings as a kid laying in my pajamas eating breakfast cereal downstairs (which we were not allowed to do but Mom worked early on Saturdays and Dad slept in so we got away with it) and watching Saturday morning cartoons. The Archies was one that I liked: Archie, Jughead, Veronica, Betty and Reggie.

I had a "thing" for Veronica! ;)

Such sweet innocent times. I often think that a lot of kids these days aren't as innocent as we were because they are exposed to so much more. Oh well, times change.

So for my new series I will select some "Sugar" songs: songs so sweet they will make your teeth hurt and I will select some "Spice" songs: maybe not so sweet, maybe a little anger in there! Just a little something to get you started off on your weekend!

TGIF everyone - here is "Sugar, Sugar" by The Archies!

Put on a Happy Face

Whenever I'm feeling a bit stressed or depressed nothing cheers me up like a musical!

The other night I needed a little musical therapy. At first I thought about popping in Mama Mia!

It's happy, and silly, and energetic.

When you're feeling down and low you don't want to watch something like Les Miserables. It's a great show don't get me wrong, but it's kind of depressing.

Scanning through my DVD's I found just what I needed.

Something with dancing, and singing and a bit of drama, through in some silliness and viola:

A Chorus Line!

Some of you may not be a fan, but I loved that show.

The first time I saw it was with Mom and Dad again at the Walnut Street Theatre in Philly.

I don't know what I was expecting, but I was nearly jumping in my seat with the music and the dancing and the singing.

Then they started singing about growing up: "Hello 12, hello 13, hello Love" I was about 13 at the time I think, so I could relate.

But then they started talking about "getting hard" and "Tits'!!!

When you are 13 sitting in with your Mom and Dad and someone starts talking about hard on's and tits - it's really embarrassing!

My Mom and Dad tried their very best not to laugh and treat me like an adult.

But then came the song: Dance 10, Looks 3

If you don't know it, check it out:



I nearly crawled under my seat with embarrassment!

Somehow though I managed to make it through the rest of the show trying to play it cool like I was all grown up. That is until my Dad started teasing me about it!

Ugh...parents.

I bought the album and memorized the lyrics (especially the dirty words) and I think at that phase in my life I wanted to be a Broadway dancer.

I did take ballet when I was around 6 or 7 years old, but I had a very embarrassing moment which haunts me til this day.

Our dance instructor with a very severe woman whose name I can't remember because I've blocked it out of my mind. She used to make us sit facing a wall with our legs apart and push our butt towards the wall.

Oy! The pain! I was never a flexible person so I thought I was being split in two!

That wasn't the embarrassing part though.

She wouldn't let us talk during our lesson.

I had to pee.

Really bad.

I raised my hand to ask for permission and she purposely ignored me. I tried and tried to hold it but when your 6 or 7 and your jumping around in a cold room...it's hard.

Really hard.

SO...I pee'd on the floor in front of all my friends.

To this day I have "shy kidneys".

Anyway - I digress.

The movie version is not nearly as good as the state production but it still makes me smile and I still know most of the lyrics to the songs.

So I sat and watched the movie and sang along and drank a little wine and when it got to final chorus I belted it out:

ONE - singular sensation every little steps she takes
ONE - thrilling combination, every move that she makes

One smile and suddenly nobody else will do
You know you'll never be lonely
With you-know-who
One moment in her presence
And you can forget the rest,
For the girl is second best to none, son.
Ooooh!
Sigh!
Give her your attention
Do
I
really have to mention,
she's the one?


I feel a little better now!

Random

For someone who has a blog called: Random thoughts, it occurred to me I haven't had a post about that in a while.

So...here it goes:

I saw 2 news casts today about "phenoms". One was a kid who broke the worlds record at Guitar Hero http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1093048082342&saved

And the other was a 1st grader named Brett Sodetz who is a golf prodigy: http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=4776658n

My thoughts, and this is probably really mean, but who cares?

Maybe the kids parents obviously, but is this really newsworthy or is this just the "the real news is so freakin' depressing let's throw a little something else in there" story?

Alright - let me confess, I put my dinner on hold just so I could watch BOTH of these stories so obviously I care.

Guitar Hero befuddles me. I have never played it only because I'm not that big on video games anymore and I've never had the opportunity, but people who HAVE played it say it is awesome.

I played a little guitar when I was younger and, believe it or not, I actually taught lessons to kids who were just learning. (Mel Bay's Modern Guitar Method #1). FOR MONEY!

Really!

I think my son has my guitar somewhere. It's a Suzuki 3S and that's all I remember about it. I just remember when I was trying out guitars to buy I just loved the sound that came out and that is what made me buy it. I put a down payment on it and the owner of the music store let me teach little kids Med Bay's beginner book for $6 an hour. $5 for paying off my guitar and $1 to me.

Those were the days when you could make arrangements like that.

Maybe I'll take it up again someday.

Doubt it though.

The guitar is still my most very favorite instrument and a good Spanish Guitar can still make me weak in the knees.



God, look at those fingers!!!(That's how I learned by the way - classical style)

Dive you up to that challenge? ;)

Ok...never mind!

Let's go on to the next subject - the mini golfer Brett Sodetz. Did you see the swing on that kid?

He's in 1st Grade!

1st GRADE!

Geez, the only thing I was good at in 1st grade was coloring in the lines.

Damn

Well, I know it's not really "news" but I am a sucker for those feel good stories every time.

If I were the parents of those kids I'd be sending the link to those videos to everyone I know!

Don't quit your day job!

Ahhhhhhhhh it's Sunday afternoon. M and I are chillin'. She's watching the Eagles vs. the Cardinals game and interjecting at the appropriate moments while I blog away.

I'm not much of a sports fan. The only football game I really watch is the Super Bowl and then it is my tradition to pick the opposite team that M is routing for just to annoy her. Honestly, I could care less.

At the moment though, the Cardinals are kicking the (B)Eagles tail feathers.

I was in a cooking mood today. M came up with the idea of beef stew for dinner, so that is simmering in the crock pot. It smells wonderful!

Then there is the smell of freshly made date-nut bread cooling on the counter that is making my stomach growl. This is my first time making it so I hope it's as good as it smells.

I grilled up some chicken breasts too so that I can bring some of it up with me to my little cozy home away from home. I just find it's easier to pre-cook food for the week then having to attempt to cook on an electric stove. It also helps me stick to my diet too because I can control the portions better.

So - now with all the cooking done I finally have some time to catch up on my blogs that I've missed very much and post on my own blog as well.

The "Don't quit your day job" series is a bit behind, but I think with this weeks selection you will see why I put it off until the last minute.

Sometimes I just don't understand why actors/actresses who become popular because of a movie or TV series attempt to cross over into other forms of entertainment that they just have no right to try.

Maybe it's the ego trip they are on. They actually BELIEVE that they can sing.

Hey - when I'm alone in my car I think I can sing too, but I wouldn't even try to sing in front of people for fear I would do some damage to they physical and psychological well being.

My pic for the week is a man who while in his "prime" starred as the pastel wearing undercover cop Sonny Crocket in the TV series Miami Vice.

His bio states that he is an actor, singer, songwriter, director and producer. They also mention he was in a "psychedelic rock band called Horses". Maybe it was the "psychedelic" drugs he took that made him believe he could sing.

Believe it or not this song actually made it to #5 on Billboard's list.

I'm still trying to figure out why.

Later he actually went on to record a duo with Barbra Streisand - gag me with a spoon.

So here is your audio atrocity for the week: Don Johnson singing "Heartbeat".



oy.

Peace all, have a good week and I'll see you on Friday!

Don't Quit Your Day Job

Especially in this economy!

From the "what the hell was thinking" category of life I hope this weeks musical torture leaves you all with the same ear bleeding, headache inducing, brain hemorrhage pain that I've had to endure this week.

It's been an interesting time I gotta tell ya!

The first two "weeks" of my job weren't really too exciting. I started on Dec. 22nd. Right before Christmas. Everyone was in holiday mode, many people were out of the office. I kind of cruised along and just sat around observing.

This week has been a bit more intense. I've been trying to get the feel of the "flow" of the office. Getting to know the personalities a bit more and WHOA BABY are there some personalities here!

There is the scary blond, childlike yet grown up version of the Children of the Damned woman who sits with her head set on and swivels back and forth in her chair while her eyes dash wildly from side to side. She totally freaks me out. Don't let her sweet outside appearance fool you, she's a total looney tune.

Next up is the conservative looking, talks way too much woman with multiple animal pictures all over her cubicle (none of them hers) constantly wiping her mouse with a Clorox Wipe up and wringing her hands. I wanted to just sneeze in her general direction to see what she would do.

My "office mates" are like Yin and Yang. One is as quiet as a mouse and doesn't speak a word and the other is an American Flag waving, country music playin', John McCain worshipping, sailor mouthed gal who has the biggest freakin' chip on her shoulder and couldn't find happiness if it came in a processed frozen food container.

I've had a headache all week and I think it's because of the country music. I am surrounded by country music lovers.

They ain't kidding when they call Pennsylvania - Pennsyltucky.

I feel like I'm in a totally different world.

I keep telling myself that it's only temporary and once this training is over you can work from home and not have to bother with this anymore.

It's only temporary.

Just a temporary thing.

You can DO this!

Oh...and the drama going on in the office. Holy Crap!

I hate office drama. It drives me insane.

It is very hard not to get sucked up into it though, but I am trying.

Then I got a freakin' cold on top of it all. Nothing like feeling like crap, listening to crap and watching crap going on all around you.

It's a fucking crap fest over there.

:::breathe Shazza...just breathe::::

:::inhale:::

:::exhale:::

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...much better.

Oh...did I mention that I'm staying in a little apartment during the week that has no Internet and no TV?

Ok, well the TV I can live without, but no Internet? Oy vey!

This past week I've had enough to do after work that it didn't really bother me too much. I spent Monday night at Target to buy a few things for my little home away from home. I came down with a nasty cold Tuesday night. I had dinner with my ex-roommate that never was on Wednesday , and I watched Hellboy on DVD on Thursday..

I kept myself busy.

Next week we have a "sales meeting" from Monday through Wednesday so hopefully that will keep me entertained most of the time.

After that though...I'll probably read a lot, maybe watch a few DVD's (feel free to recommend anything) and sleep when I can.

And I can get NPR on the radio which is mildy soothing for some reason.

For now I'm back home with M and the boys!

Life is good!

The cold has pretty much left the body except for an annoying and occasional cough and an unfortunate snore that M has to deal with, but she's coping!

This week I thought I would treat you to another reason why some actors should never try to sing.

Mr. David Soul

Some folks remember him as "Hutch" from the fairly popular 70's TV show: Starsky and Hutch.

There is a part in this song that his voice just reaches a "shrill" quality to it that I think is kind of unnaturally for a man, unless you are one of the Bee Gees. It's kind of like nails on a chalk board.

Now I know there are some actors who are true entertainers who can sing, act and dance, but I don't think David Soul is one of them.



Enjoy the rest of the weekend all. I'll be back next week!

Peace!

Merry Christmas

I think I used this one last year, but it is my very favorite Christmas song!

Wishing you all the peace and joy the Holidays bring and a very Happy and Healthy New Year!

Love,

Sharon and Margie

Christmas Eve

Here is another one of my favorite Holiday songs:

I remember watching this when it orginally aired on TV and thinking: "Wow, what an odd pair but very cool at the same time."

Who would ever have thought you would see Bing Crosby and David Bowie on the same stage together?

Sadly Bing Crosby died one month after recording this song and it has gone on to be a timeless classic.




Peace everyone

Room service

I am staying at a hotel tonight so I don't have to commute the 96 miles to get to the new job.

Dive - I salute you. I don't know how you do it man. The only thing you have got going is that you can fall asleep on the train and drool on one of your fellow passengers. If I fall asleep at the wheel (and I think I've done it a few times) you'll be reading about it on the evening news!!!

The hotel is in Bethlehem, PA. Kind of fitting dontcha think?

Christmas time?

Bethlehem?

Get it?

Ahhhhhhhhhhhh nevermind.

What can I tell you about Bethlehem, PA. Nothing really. I've never been here before today and what I've seen so far is just a small glimmer of Route 22 and I don't think it's Bethlehem's best side!

I can copy and paste this information from Wikipedia though:

The Christmas Star
On December 7, 1937, at a grand ceremony, Mrs. Marion Brown Grace pulled a large switch to light the new Christmas street lights and a large wooden star. Mrs. Grace was the daughter of a former South Bethlehem burgess, Charles F. Brown and wife of Eugene Grace, President of Bethlehem Steel Corporation. Hundreds of Bethlehem’s leading citizens attended the ceremony and thousands more listened to the speeches and musical performances on the radio. The switch for the lights was located in the ballroom of the Hotel Bethlehem. This was the first year that Mayor Robert Pfeifle and the Bethlehem Chamber of Commerce adopted the nickname "Christmas City, USA" for Bethlehem. Donations from the community were raised for the street decorations. The Bethlehem Globe-Times underwrote the expense of the large wooden star on the top of South Mountain, at a cost of $460.


The star of Bethlehem viewed from Main Street at night The star was attached to two wooden poles and was smaller than the current star. The star was created with four wooden planks, overlapped to create an eight point star. The dimensions were 60’ high, 51’ wide lit by 150 bulbs, 50 watts each. The installation of the star was done by PP&L and Bethlehem Water Department. The star was erected on the top of South Mountain, on property owned by the Water Department, located in Lower Saucon Township. The lighting ceremony, in the Hotel Bethlehem, was an appropriate location. This was the site of the first building in Bethlehem, a two room log house. On Christmas Eve in 1741, the original settlers were conducting their evening worship in this building. As their benefactor, Count Zinzendorf, observed the farm animals that shared the space and listened to the words of the hymn they sang, “Not Jerusalem, But Lowly Bethlehem.” he proclaimed the name of the settlement to be Bethlehem. The people gathered at the 1937 ceremony also heard those same words when the Bach Choir, under the direction of Dr. T. Edgar Shields, sang the old German hymn “Jesu, Rufe Mich (Jesus, Call Thou Me),” by Adam Drese. Malcolm Gross, the Mayor of Allentown, Joseph Morrison, Easton’s Chief Executive, Bethlehem School administrators, and prominent church officials were also there to celebrate. In 1939 the wooden star was replaced with a star made of Bethlehem steel, at a cost of $5000. It had eight rays with the main horizontal ray extended eighty-one feet and the main vertical ray was fifty-three feet long. In 1967, the star was redesigned, and Plexiglas was installed to protect the 250 light bulbs, 50 watts each. It was installed on the old steel frame which was ninety-one feet high and twenty-five feet wide at the base with a depth of five feet, set in concrete. In the summer of 2006, the city attended to some much needed repairs of the base. Rust was scraped off the steel base then it was primed and painted at a cost of $25,000. This is the star we see today. The star is surrounded by a 9-foot chain link fence topped with razor wire. A crew of municipal electricians changes the bulbs every two years. It can be a dangerous job so the crew wears safety gear and they avoid bad weather. Beginning in the mid-'90s, the star was lit from 4:30 p.m. until midnight, every day of the year. This schedule continues today. However during World War II, from 1941 to 1945, none of the Christmas decorations in Bethlehem were lit. At the time, Bethlehem officials explained that the lit star made "too good of an air raid target" and “during the global strife it didn't seem right for the lights to be all lit up when our boys were out in the darkness fighting for us." When lit, the star can be seen from as far as Wind Gap, 20 miles away. The star has become an important symbol for Bethlehem. Blue-and-white signs surround the city and direct tourists to "Follow the Star to Bethlehem.

So, there you have it.

My Dad tells me he vaguely recalls taking a car ride down here when he was a wee lad to see the big star.

I am at the Best Western and I have to tell you it's a really nice place to stay! The rooms are clean, the staff is friendly and I've had one of THE best dinners I've had in a long time. It was chicken something and something. Grilled chicken with mozzarella cheese and grilled vegetables and a bit of balsamic and some kind of potato something or other (because you know an Irish lass needs her potatoes).

It was DAMN tasty.

AND - they gave me 20% off the bill because they didn't have the wine I wanted.

How freakin' cool is that?

So hear I am...in a hotel room,

all by myself,

blogging about some little town in butt-fuck Pennsylvania

eating and drinking all by my little lonesome.




How freakin' sad is that?

ugh.

:::sigh:::

Whatever...it's Christmas! It's Happy Happy Joy Joy!!! Both of my kids will be here on Christmas morning and we'll have a nice big breakfast and then good ol' semi-conductor will be here for Christmas Dinner and then somewhere on the weekend I'll meet with Neetzy and her family and we'll have a gay ol' time!

Wooooo Hooooo!

(fuckin' holidays)

Back to the favorite Holiday songs for 2008. I'm going a little off script because this isn't really a favorite of mine, but sitting here in a hotel room by myself I thought it to be the better pick. (can you tell I'm feeling a bit lonely tonight?)

I'm popping my ambien and inserting my earplugs and heading off to laa laa land and I will leave you with this!

Happy Freakin' Holidays Y'all!



Peace!

First Day

It was good. Kind of boring. A lot of folks are out on account of the holidays, but I absorbed enough.

I'm really too tired to post much today so I'll just leave you with another one of my favorite holiday songs.

This song deserves a better intro, but I really am exhausted.

Just enjoy!

Happy Chanukah

M and I drove all around North Eastern Pennsylvania today looking at sublets for me for the month of January while I train at the new job. I could commute, but I really don't want to and when you way out the gas, tolls and wear and tear on my car it almost comes out to be the same amount of money.

The first place we visited was a house that was about 300 years old. Beautiful stone on the outside, gorgeous exposed beams on the inside and a fireplace that just invites you to site by with a good book. I would be renting the whole 3rd floor. Have my own bathroom and just share the common areas: living room, kitchen. The woman that lives there is an artist/writer just a few years older than I am and has two border collie mixed dogs and a cat.

Loved it!

The second place is a converted garage made into a small apartment. Very cozy, all the modern accouterments. Nice.

It was very nice. Really.

But I think I was sold on the old house from the minute I walked in. It was just gorgeous.

There was a third one we had scheduled to see as well but it was $400 more and further away. So I called them and told them we weren't interested.

M sold me on the idea of commuting this week or at least tomorrow and see how it goes. It would be about a 2 hour drive one way, but only for 3 days and then I can stay over for the following week. This gives me some time to pack, kind of get settled into the job first and then work my way into sharing a residence with a complete stranger. (she gave off a friendly vibe though)

It will be very weird to be with out M for 4 days a week. (I'll come home for "conjugal" visits!) We've spent time apart when I've traveled before, but this is for such a long period of time. I'll miss her but she's already decided that while I'm away she'll get caught up on the horror movies she wants to see that I won't watch!

ugh...I just had a moment of complete exhaustion come over me so I am going to end this post.

Not without wishing a very Happy Hanukkah to all of those of the Jewish faith.

Shalom!

I'm tired

I actually slept until 9:30 this morning.

That has to be a new record for me. I can't remember the last time I've slept that late and it was WONDERFUL!

Today I hope will be a lazy day, but already my mind is racing with all of the things I should be doing.

I should clean up my office.

I should make Christmas cookies.

I should take my film to be developed.

I should clean off the pool table that has become the repository of crap that I haven't felt like putting away.

I should go out and buy a new mailbox since the stoned pizza delivery boy last night took it out and then totally denied it. jerk

Eh, maybe later.

Right now I'm trying to figure out which song to post next. Looking at my list of songs I realized that most of them are just "holiday" songs and don't really say anything about "Christmas". Not that there is anything wrong with that I suppose, but Christmastime is very symboloic.

Throw away the marketing and the BIG sales offered by all of the retailers, the blow up Nativity sets on your neighbors lawns next to the blow up Santa on a Harely and all of the houses that are decorated with way too many flashing blinking lights and it's like the very end of the Dr. Suess Book: "How the Grinch Stole Christmas".

“PoohPooh to the Whos!” he was grinchishly humming.
“They’re finding out now that no Christmas is coming!”
“They’re just waking up! I know just what they’ll do!”
“Their mouths will hang open a minute or two,
Then the Whos down in Whoville will all cry BooHoo!”
“That’s a noise,” grinned the Grinch, “That I simply MUST hear!”

So he paused. And the Grinch put his hand to his ear.
And he did hear a sound rising over the snow.
It started in low. Then it started to grow.
But the sound wasn’t sad! Why, this sound sounded merry!
It couldn’t be so! But it WAS merry! VERY!
He stared down at Whoville! The Grinch popped his eyes!
Then he shook! What he saw was a shocking surprise!
Every Who down in Whoville, the tall and the small,Was singing!
Without any presents at all!

He HADN’T stopped Christmas from coming! IT CAME!
Somehow or other, it came just the same!
And the Grinch, with his grinch-feet ice-cold in the snow,
Stood puzzling and puzzling: “How could it be so?”
“It came with out ribbons! It came without tags!”
“It came without packages, boxes or bags!”
And he puzzled three hours, till his puzzler was sore.
Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before!
“Maybe Christmas,” he thought, “doesn’t come from a store.”
“Maybe Christmas…perhaps…means a little bit more!”

And what happened then? Well…in Whoville they say,
That the Grinch’s small heart Grew three sizes that day!
And the minute his heart didn’t feel quite so tight,
He whizzed with his load through the bright morning light,
And he brought back the toys! And the food for the feast!
And he, HE HIMSELF! The Grinch carved the roast beast!

Whatever your beliefs, Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Agnostic, Atheist or just plain ol' grumpy and miserable there is something about this time of the year that changes your heart just a little.

At least it does mine anyway.

I don't like the commercialism, I'm not a religious person, but I like the spirit of this time of year. Even if you're worried about the financial mess the whole world is in or if you can't buy your kids that gift they really wanted because you just got laid off, there is still this glimmer of hope in people you just don't really see any other time of the year.

So I was thinking about one of the last times I attended church for Christmas. A woman named Dorothy was a sort of seregate "Grandmother" to a small group of us who were all of the same age. Young, starting new families and we all helped each other along. Dorothy would invite us all to her home for dinner occasionally and we would have her in our homes as well. She had her own family, but many of them have moved far away and her husband passed away and I think she just was one of those people that loved to be around young people. It kept her young as well.

She was a Christian woman, but not a regular church goer. Christmas and Easter like many people who feel that they need to make some kind of appearance.

Everyone knew her and she knew everyone. One of those warm hearted people.

She sat next to me during a Christmas day service we attended. This was when I was very active in the Methodist church. Much to the chagrin of my Irish Catholic parents. the church played a very important part in my life back then.

Anyway, one of the songs for the service that day was "Go Tell it On the Mountain". I was a bit puzzled, I just never thought of it as a Christmas song. Spiritual song, but not a Christmas song. Then I read the lyrics:

"Go tell it on the mountain. Go tell it on the mountain. Go tell it on the mountain that Jesus Christ was born."

Well duh, that makes sense!

Just as the organ fired up the intro Dorothy turned to me and said that this was one of her favorite songs.

Standing next to me singing out of the top of her lungs was one of the few times I got tearful in church. She wasn't the best singer in the world, but she sang it with all her heart and soul and with the most beautiful peaceful smile on her face.

I sang louder that day than I think I ever did any other time in church.

That is one of those moments that I reflect upon during the holidays. That feeling of being connected to other people for some reason. All wishing each other peace and health and happiness. That is what this time of year means to me.

Looking around on You Tube for a version of this song I finally found one that I thought is the way that the song should be sang. It's an Afro-American Spiritual that is sung slowly and with all it's meaning put behind it. Plain and simple - just listen to the words and enjoy it!

Go Tell it On the Mountain by Mahalia Jackson

Last day!

Ta da!

It's my official last day here. It is bittersweet. I will miss the people that I've worked with and have gotten to know over the past 2 years.

Super Sales Admin guy - the other side of my brain who I could not have done without.

Gentle Patrick - Tall, handsome and as gentle as a lamb with a fondness for wheat pita!?!

Mr. Greene - Smart and witty and is exploring the world right now. Good for him.

The Big Cheese - I will miss his impromptu visits to my office to talk about politics, kids, the economy or whatever else is on his mind at the time. He has to be the most approachable Presidents of a company I have ever met.

The Chief, Cook and Bottle washer - every office has one. The Office Manager Supreme. She amazes me in so many ways. She raised two smart successful girls on her own. She battled breast cancer, lost two very important people in her life within 2 months of each other: Her Aunt and her Mother who she watched wither away to nothing with dementia. This woman is absolutely amazing and I hope we stay in touch.

MDW - my boss, mentor, friend. She gave me a chance here and I hope I didn't disappoint her too much.

Auntie Mame - She still cracks me up with her humor and is off on a very tough journey ahead. She's as tough as Texas itself though and I know she'll pull through OK.

Our California Gal - Little Miss Sunshine. Always smiling and happy. We were each others sounding boards here when things got a little hairy. You always need someone to bitch to and let them bitch back once in a while. It's office therapy.

There are others of course. Our UK friends, although most have left the company and gone on to greener pastures. Our editorial staff and those hard working production people who have made some miracles happen.

Over all a great group of people.

I've learned a lot. A lot about the publishing industry, a lot about the Academic Library world, a lot about myself and I feel like I am moving on at the best possible moment.

Enough of the mushy stuff and on to the next song on the countdown.

I went out for drinks with an old friend and her new girlfriend last night. It was good to see her and catch up. They are engaged! New Jersey allows for same sex Civil Unions. They looked very happy, very much in love....very young but so damn adorable you just want to squeeze them!

Whenever I hear this song I always think of Dan. Christmas is her favorite time of the year and she is always singing holiday songs. You don't really get too annoyed with her because she is just a really beautiful person inside and out. One of those people who just makes you smile.

So, this song goes out to Dan and her future wife and I wish them both lots of love, health and happiness together!

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year by Andy Williams