Day Ten--Stalker

Anyone who has ever lived with, or been owned by one, knows that the very definition of the word stalker is 'cat.'  I have spent endless hours through the years watching cats stalk whatever they find fascinating at the time:  flies, birds, chipmunks, little pieces of lint on the floor.  Sadly, our cat is no longer inclined to stalk anything.  At her age (20 in April), she just wants to sleep, drink water, and eat--and that's okay with me.  When she goes to 'cat heaven,' she'll have all eternity to stalk whatever she wants.

***ADDED BONUS!  Here is the ultimate 'stalker song.'

Cross THAT Off Of The List

I don't know how many people actually have written 'bucket lists,' but I am one who HASN'T done so.  Of course, as I get older, there are things I want to do before I die, but nothing so important that I need to actually MAKE it happen.  I have seen Eric Clapton in concert, so that is one thing that's off of MY imaginary list.  I still have 'see a Red Wings game in person,' and 'see my Baby Boy PLAY a game in person,' on my list, but other than that, not much else.  I think most of my list would consist of  'things everyone should experience once in their life'--such as 'see the Mall of America' and 'go to Las Vegas for a couple of days.'  THAT list would be much, much longer--but, STILL not anything earth shattering.  One thing that everyone should experience at least once in their life, happened to me on Friday--and it didn't only happen ONCE, but TWICE!  I met, talked to, and shook hands with TWO famous people!  What fun!  So now for the story.

 As I mentioned a few months ago, Air Supply was going to be in concert less than an hour away from where we live.  For the past few days, The Oldest has been so excited by this that I don't know if she slept at all.  On Thursday evening, she made it to our house for a little shopping and relaxing before we had to get ready and go to the concert on Friday.  I *almost* think she was too excited to miss her family and I had to calm her down a few times because she was a bit over the top in anticipation.  (I didn't want her to get her hopes up TOO high and then have them dashed and squashed!)  Completely in line with the way she lives her life, we managed to get to the concert and slide into our seats about thirty seconds after it started.  And she was overwhelmed!  Not only was this a concert featuring the FIRST band she ever LOVED--and still does, by the way--but it was the first concert she had ever been to!  Everything HAD to go perfectly for her not to have her heart crushed, to say the least.

The concert was great.  We sang along with ALL of the songs and The Oldest was GLOWING when Graham Russell stopped and waited for her to take his picture.  (This was during the portion of the show where they came down into the audience and shook hands with the fans.  Unfortunately, we were in the middle of the row and couldn't get to the guys.)  For an hour and a half, my daughter was as happy as she has ever been.

When all was said and done, we asked one of the ushers if there was any chance of a 'meet and greet' with the band.  She told us that they would be out in 20 minutes at the ticket office window and would sign autographs and talk with fans.  About this time, I though The Oldest was going to BURST with happiness.  As we stood in line, the anticipation for her just grew and grew.  FINALLY, it was OUR time to say 'hi' to the guys.  C went to Graham Russell, had him sign his name, and shook hands with him.  She told him "Air Supply was the FIRST band I EVER loved--and you were my favorite!."  While continuing to hold her hand, he put his other hand on top on hers, looked into her eyes, and asked, "Am I STILL your favorite?"  (QUITE a showman.  ;))  And she just melted.  I shook hands with him, chit-chatted for a few seconds, and moved on to shake hands with Russell Hitchcock.  He looked at the tattoo on the back of my hand, ran his finger over it, and looked at me questioningly.  I told him it was my 10-year anniversary tat of not smoking.  He then showed me HIS tat on the back of his hand and said, "This is for 5 years of...nothing."  And he laughed.  We then went on and compared and discussed our arm tattoos.  To say it was surreal to be talking tattoos with a famous person, is putting it mildly.  ;D  But they were absolutely great, friendly, funny, and all-around nice.  My daughter is STILL flying high from the experience.

While this was on the top-10 greatest days of all time list for my daughter--she HAS given birth 7 times, so I think THOSE days top this ;)--it also was one of MY favorite days ever.  To see someone you love SO happy just makes the world seem like a good place--even if only for a short time.



***Afterwards, The Oldest commented on my conversation with Russell Hitchcock.  She said, "What was THAT all about with the tattoos?  You two talked like a couple of old Navy buddies!"  :D**

"Oh, What A Night..."

Yes, I went there with the title of this post.  ;)  Anyway, we saw "Jersey Boys, The Story of Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons" on Friday night.  O.M.G.  It was a little bit of a play, a little bit of a concert, all rolled into one.  The performances were incredible.  Joseph Leo Bwarie sang the part of Frankie Valli and was simply awesome--his voice is amazing!  The entire cast seemed to really enjoy what they were doing and the energy reached us all the way in the balcony!

So, this play is (obviously) about the musical group The Four Seasons.  It began around the time Valli sang with the group for the first time and brought us through their induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.  Most of the show centered around their rise and break-up, with the very end focusing on the change to Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons.  While the storyline was very interesting, it was the music that made the play for me.  I still find myself singing one of the songs at odd times during the day or night--they had some memorable hits, for sure.

All performances at the venue where we were, prohibit any form of electronic recording device or cameras.  Fine, no problem if that's the policy.  But, I never imagined there was a ban on taking pictures of the empty stage BEFORE the play began--but there is.  I decided to take a pic with my phone and as I was trying for a second one, an usher practically had a stroke yelling at me that "pictures are prohibited!!!"  You could have sworn that I was trying to copy government secrets, for crying out loud.  And I'm sorry, but using the excuse that cameras, etc, "may interfere with wireless technology" is very lame as a reason for prohibiting the use of electronic devices.  Just give the REAL reasons:  A GOOD REASON--they can be a HUGE distraction for the audience and actors;  A CRAPPY REASON--it keeps the theater/production company/etc, from being able to make a crapload of money by selling overpriced items to the public; pictures, etc.  But, I DID manage to get a decent pic of the empty stage:

The entire play was done on a very minimalist stage--not many props at all.

At this particular venue where we see plays, we have noticed that 'drinks'--and we're usually talking alcoholic here--cannot be brought into the theater itself.  (Water bottles--without their caps, I believe--are allowed in the theater.)  So, before the play and during intermission, you will find people milling about, trying to finish their beverages before the doors are closed and they are not allowed entrance to what they paid to see.  On Friday, we noticed something different:  cups with lids.

 

We weren't sure WHAT these were for, but because they were on the wine tables, next to the wine glasses, we thought (and were correct) that they could be used to bring wine into the theater.  Now, we were happy that we were able to enjoy adult beverages of our own choosing while seeing the performance, but the glasses really left a lot to be desired.  First, the lids on the cups that we bought are blue.  And the wine that was in them was a pale yellow.  Imagine this for a second and you can see how much like doctor's office specimen cups these resembled.  Yeah.  The best thing about these is that we can bring them back the next time we go to the theater and have them refilled--and we don't have to purchase the cups again.  YAY!  (Of course, we STILL have to pay for what we want put IN them.)

I'm already planning on what we will be seeing in the future. The theater has announced some of their performances for next season and there are quite a few that should be interesting:  West Side Story, Mary Poppins, Rain (Beatles tribute band), Les Miserables, Million Dollar Quartet (about the one-time recording session that brought together Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Elvis Presley.)  Now, to get K to commit to how many of these we will see...

 

Surreal

I am the one who played MC5's "Kick Out the Jams" on the school PA system.  As soon as we got FM stations, I left AM top-40 far behind.  I just saw Alice Cooper in concert.  Eric Clapton is my rock god.  I have music by Cream, Iron Butterfly, Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin.  So, could someone please explain to me why, on 22 July, I will be sitting in row 8, center section, at an Air Supply concert?

A couple of weeks ago it came to my attention that Air Supply will be doing two concerts close by here.  The Oldest was THE biggest fan when she was quite young.  I KNEW I had to offer to take her to the concert and she gladly accepted.  So, we will be seeing Air Supply the end of July.  I still can't believe I'm saying that.  ;)  While I'm not a huge fan, I can handle their music in small doses.  I mean, it's not like it's country and western, right?  I will know most, if not all, of the songs, as we owned all of their albums at one time.  And even if I were to absolutely LOATHE the concert, seeing The Oldest's face will be worth whatever I have to go through for two hours.  I think this will be my happiest concert because a person I love will be ecstatic.  I can't wait.

Just Catching Up

I put out all of my bird feeders the other day and have gotten so many more birds showing up since then.  I still have the chickadees and finches, but the juncos have now moved into the yard and the starlings are making their presence known.  The blue jays continue to strip the corn cobs in record time.  I don't know what I will feed them later in the year when the corn is finished--I guess I will have to buy cracked corn to keep them happy.  (I LOVE seeing the blue of the jays in the middle of the winter--the color stands out so beautifully on a sunny winter day.)  And today I had a cardinal at one of the feeders!  I haven't seen any of them for quite a few years--at least, not up close.  We have had a family of cardinals living in the area for years, but this is the first time in a long time since one has come in our yard.  I am really looking forward to seeing what birds we get throughout the winter.

(NOT the one that was at my feeder.  ;))

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And speaking of winter:  We had our first snow the other day.   I don't know if it was MEASURABLE, but it certainly was snow.  A couple of times during the day, I saw snow in the air.  I was beginning to wonder what was going on, as we hardly ever have our first snow AFTER Halloween--so, I was worried it wasn't going to happen on time this year.

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Our Youngest and her husband are in the beginning stages of house shopping.  She is a bit stressed and worried--thoughts I remember so well when we decided to buy this place.  I tried my hardest to reassure her that all will be well. And I truly believe it, as they are going into this with such a realistic perspective.  They have decided just how much they can afford, where they want to live (with regards to taxes, etc), and just about every other aspect that needs to be looked at.  I guess they have impressed the realtor and financial person they are talking to--not everyone goes into house buying with so much thought and preparation.  I certainly hope all goes well for them.

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The youngest granddaughter was weighed last week--or was it the week before?  Anyway, she has already gained over two pounds since being born--she is now 6lbs 6oz.  Things are going quite well, thank goodness.

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 I really am re-discovering some old music these days.  I guess it started with my getting the Robert Palmer anthology and the re-issue of John Lennon's Power to the People.  I find myself listening to music much more than watching TV--which is a bit of a change from the past few years.  I just get so tired of watching the same old tired re-runs that are on during the day or late at night.  I think I will be happy when Conan comes back on the air--at least it will be something different to watch at 11:00.

Anyway, while I was listening to the Lennon CD, it occurred to me that I think he did his best work after The Beatles broke up.  The CD is just full of great songs:  Woman, Power to the People, Instant Karma, Imagine, Mind Games--as I said, some of his best work.  And personally, I think McCartney did lousy work after the break up.  I mean really, Silly Love Songs and Ebony and Ivory!?!?  The only reason Wings was a success was because he rode his Beatles fame.  (Okay, just my own opinion--but it's my blog, so I can have that.  ;))

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While I try very hard not to think about it, we do have only about two months before Christmas.  So, I guess I need to get started on some gifts that I plan to make.  Last night I went into the sewing room to straighten up--a task made a lot easier to do now that I have a TV in there to watch games, I might add.  Anyway, while I was looking through the absolute mess that I had going in there, I found some material that I had bought for the purpose of making gifts.  One thing that I'm planning on making are bowl and cake pan covers--you know, like the thin plastic ones you can buy, only reusable.  I made the patterns tonight, but will have to buy more material, as some of the pieces I bought already aren't nearly big enough for what I'm doing.  I guess this gives me a reason to go to Jo-Ann's the next time we do a road trip.  :)

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Not much planned for this coming week.  K is working night shift for the beginning of the week and might do a few overtime shifts later.  We don't have any appointments coming up--unlike the last two weeks--so all I have to look forward to are the games on Thursday and Saturday.  And that I can handle--a fairly lazy week.

What Could Have Been

In January 1969, George Harrison quit the Beatles--for five days.  John Lennon had this reaction:  "If he doesn't come back by Tuesday, we get Eric Clapton."

The preceding was a bit of trivia that I found in the newest mental_floss magazine--and all I can say is WOW!!!  Just how would this have changed music as we know it, if this had happened?!

Of course, the Beatles would have changed considerably.  While Harrison was an amazing guitarist--he doesn't get the praise for his abilities that he should--having Clapton in the Beatles could have changed their sound substantially.  Could you imagine all of the guitar riffs in Beatles' songs?  Would the Beatles have taken a turn at being like Cream?  Would we have had some of the beautiful ballads like 'Yesterday' if they had a genius guitarist like Clapton?  So many possibilities from what was.

You also have to wonder how long would the Beatles have stayed together.  Just how much of a 'voice' did Harrison have in the group and would Clapton have had more or less?  And how would Clapton have developed his talent in such a group?  From what it seems, Lennon and McCartney had their creative battles--and both had quite the big egos.  Ringo and George were the 'quiet' members of the group and were overlooked and stayed in the background more than they probably should have.  It wasn't till the Beatles broke up that the two of them actually were able to shine.  Clapton always wanted to be the one in the background and had to be encouraged to come to the forefront and do any amount of singing--so, would he have received this type of encouragement if he had been a Beatle?

Then, of course, you have the music from AFTER the Beatles broke up.  Would it still have come to pass?  Would Harrison have become as big a star on his own?  And don't forget everything Clapton did that might have not happened:  the Yardbirds, Cream, Blind Faith,  Derek & the Dominoes, etc.  Would Clapton have made his way to becoming one of the 'elder statesmen' of rock if he had been with the Beatles?  Could he have sustained his career all these years, as he has?

It is amazing to think about the possibilities of what could have been if one little decision had or had not been made.  The same is true in our own lives:  what if I had/had not gone to the party that night;  what if I had/had not met that person;  what if I had/had not made that wrong turn?  It most definitely boggles the mind to think about!  And this could keep you awake for days, if you let it!  ;)

Theatre of Death

Alice Cooper's newest tour is called the 'Theatre of Death.'  Despite the name, it is quite tame compared to what we get to see on TV all of the time.  As far as the music and a stage show goes, it WAS a great deal of fun.  It is amazing to think that 'Alice Cooper' is 62 years old--he certainly doesn't look like it onstage.

Here are some pictures that I took during the show.  I took many, many pics, but for one reason or another, most of them didn't come out.  Part of the no-good pics was the fact that I had many tall people standing in front of me and the other reason was the flashing stage lights.  But, I got enough for memories.

We were sitting in row 17--and it didn't seem quite as far from the stage as the picture shows.

And then, the lights went down, a bell rang, the curtain raised, and Alice came out singing 'School's Out.'  The crowd went wild!

Here we have the obligatory picture of Alice in the guillotine.

This is probably the best picture I got of Alice.

Alice singing with is head in a noose.

And after being 'hung.'

The band playing during one of the costume changes.

And one of the last songs before the encore.

For 90+ minutes, the band played/Alice sang, the crowd was on its feet and cheering, and I slowly lost all ability to hear clearly.  (It took me about a half hour afterwards before I could hear close to normal.  I know, I lost some of my hearing, but I don't do this very often--and it WAS worth it.  ;))  While I loved the Eagles concert we last went to, THIS one was much, much more fun.

And, for a little more...some info I learned while getting ready for the concert:

--'Alice Cooper' was the name of the original band...

...but, when Vincent Furnier--the lead singer--went onto a solo career, he took the name for himself.  As compensation for using the name, he pays the original band members a yearly royalty fee.  While no number has been disclosed, each member gets enough money to live quite comfortably.

--Alice Cooper's wife filed for divorce in 1983...

...but after reconciling, they have remained together.  They married in 1976 and have three children.

--Alice Cooper practically drank himself to death and was hospitalized twice for his alcoholism...

...but quit drinking for good in 1983.  He has since helped and counseled many musicians with drug and alcohol problems.  He has been recognized and awarded for the help he has given to others with addictions.

--To compensate for his not drinking, Alice took up the game of golf...

...and plays the game six days a week.  Some have said he is good enough to be a pro.

--This last tour was 'banned in Finland'...

...well, in one venue in one city, that is.  The owner of the building didn't like some of the images, violence, or words to some of the songs, so he wouldn't allow the concert to go on.  Cooper had no problem with the decision--he felt it was the owner's right to decide who should perform in his building.  While I'm not sure if the show was rescheduled elsewhere in Finland last year, he WILL be appearing in the country during this leg of the tour.

--His music is of the 'shock-rock,' 'hard-rock,' 'heavy-metal' genres...

...and has nothing to do with Satanism or any Satanic symbolism.  The themes to his shows/music are along the horror, murder, insanity, and moralistic lines.

--Alice stays far away from politics...

...and has spoken against musicians who give opinions on politics and publicly support politicians.  His philosophy is that politics should not mix with rock music.

--And, finally, Alice Cooper is a born-again Christian...

...REALLY!  While he has shied away from discussing his religious beliefs, in recent years he has become a bit more vocal about them.  He stays clear of what he calls 'celebrity Christianity' and says,   "It's really easy to focus on Alice Cooper and not on Christ. I'm a rock singer. I'm nothing more than that. I'm not a philosopher. I consider myself low on the totem pole of knowledgeable Christians".  "So, don't look for answers from me".  When asked how a shock-rocker could be a Christian, he said, "Drinking beer is easy. Trashing your hotel room is easy. But being a Christian, that's a tough call. That's real rebellion!"  He has a charity that is in the process of raising money for a Christian-based teen center to be built in Arizona, where he lives.


If nothing else, 'Alice Cooper' is quite a complex and interesting person.

Name That Tune

Does anyone remember the show Name That Tune?  It was a game show where the contestants tried to name songs with the least amount of notes played.  (If you're really interested, here is the Wikipedia article where you can read all about it.)  I never watched the show very often, but I do remember thinking that I wouldn't be any good at it.  However, there ARE a number of songs I COULD name in a minimum amount of notes.  Crank up the sound and enjoy some of them:

The Mamas and Papas--such a wonderful sound.  And Monday, Monday is recognizable from the very first note.

 

 

Procol Harem came on the scene with a song for all times.  Annie Lennox redid this one later--and did a very fine job of it.  Here we have A Whiter Shade of Pale.

 

 

Anyone who has seen Risky Business will recognize this one:  Bob Seger's Old Time Rock 'N' Roll.

 

 

 

And here we have some hard rock by Deep Purple.  One of my favorite albums was Machine Head from 1972--and this is where Smoke on the Water was found.

 

 

This next song can still get me up on my feet, ready to move!  From my very young years, we have Question Mark and the Mysterians with 96 Tears.

 

 

And does anyone EVER think I can post anything about music and not include Eric Clapton?  I really don't think I have to hear more than one or two notes of this song and I could identify it.  And here is Layla.

 

 

I know there probably are a lot of songs that can fit in the 'I know what song that is from the first few notes' category and these just are a few of them.  What are some others?

National Duran Duran Appreciation Day

After reading burg's comment on my 'Celebrate' post, I had to make sure that today we celebrate the BAND that is/was Duran Duran and not the character from 'Barbarella.' And it seems as if it IS the band we celebrate today. So, with that in mind, I give you 'Hungry Like A Wolf.' And here is where you can find links to many more of their songs. Sing it out!

Trojans, Babies, Amy, and Hockey

A small amount of excitement here. (Now, that is a relative term, I know!) A couple of days ago the desktop started with some strange pop-ups and through a LOT of research, I came to the conclusion that it is infected with a backdoor Trojan. I spent HOURS yesterday trying to get rid of the problem, but I ended up taking it in to be fixed. See, I know enough about computers to be dangerous. I ALSO know enough to NOT do anything I am not absolutely sure about, hence the passing of the repairs on to someone else. From what I could find out, it seems as if the spyware took up residence in the registry, and I will NOT touch the registry--too much can go very, very wrong. I'm hoping the repairs won't take longer than a day or two--if I have my druthers, I will be picking it up tomorrow. I won't hold my breath. THEN I will have to have someone come over to look at my network--I don't believe it is secure. If I learned one thing from this whole deal, it is this: I need to be able to do EVERYTHING, including banking, on my laptop. Right now, I don't dare.

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A sent me a text message on my phone yesterday to let me know her pregnancy test came out negative. Once again, she shut down and didn't want to talk--her prerogative, I know. She DID text me this afternoon--just small 'talk'--so I am hoping she is taking this as well as can be expected. I can't be sure what her state of mind is until I actually talk to her, so...

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I am really impressed by Amy Winehouse--I got her CD 'Back to Black' and am absolutely amazed by her voice. It is just too bad that she is such a train wreck! Hopefully she will get her life back in order--her talent is too big to go to waste.

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I calmed down about the Wings by the game on Sunday. While they didn't win, at least they played a whole lot better than they had been. Then last night, they were back to form--they beat Colorado 4-0! It certainly was a joy to watch. Baby Boy FINALLY got a goal--Z got two goals and Datsyuk got three assists! Hallelujah! The bad part is what REALLY got the spark going: Lidstrom got bashed into the boards and had to leave the game. They say he hurt his knee, but by the way he had to be helped off of the ice, I wouldn't be surprised if it is much worse. Maybe this time they are telling the actual truth and not trying to make things sound better than they are. Now they are down three D-men--not a good situation at all. But, there still is plenty of time till the playoffs, so...

So I Am Back

Just because the NHL was on break, that didn't mean I had to be on break also! And I never meant to be away this long, but I have been going through a funky time of it. Nothing that I can put my finger on, just one of those periods that I go through at times. Oh, well, such is my life. And life goes on.

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Today we had temps in the forties. I'm not sure if we broke any records, but it still was nice to have the January thaw. But, of course, this is not lasting very long. Tomorrow should still be on the warm side with temps in the mid to upper 30s, but then we are getting an arctic cold front coming through and temps should drop 30 degrees for Wednesday. Such fun. Looks like we will be getting snow, also. Not surprising--this is winter after all.

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K is prepping himself for his colonoscopy tomorrow. While this doesn't inconvenience me at all--well, except for the fact I have to bring him to the hospital and spend the day there--I do find it very difficult to eat meals while he can't. I hate to make anything that he might want because he has been on liquids all day and can't eat anything but clear liquids for the rest of the night. I know how hard it is whenever I have to do fasting for lab work and I don't want to make it any harder for him than it is. I have to figure out something for tomorrow night--hopefully he will be able to eat dinner.

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We did our road trip on Friday and came home Saturday. We mainly went to help our friend celebrate her Saturday birthday, so the visit was nice. There wasn't all that much shopping that needed to be done, so we didn't even go to many of our usual stores. That was all well and good--I just needed a bit of a break and this was a nice one. The only thing that really tainted our trip was K's phone call from work. He was forced to get back into town early as he had to work overtime on Saturday. He was scheduled to work 6AM to 6PM on Sunday, but he was forced to go in at midnight on Saturday--an 18 hour shift after having to drive home from out of town. The only way he could have avoided the overtime is if I wouldn't have answered the phone--but I just answered without looking at the caller ID. I really was mad at myself for that one. He's done 18s before, but I felt bad that this one was because of my mistake.

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I watched the All-Star activities on Saturday and Sunday and wasn't overly impressed. In a way I could see what they were trying to do, but the execution of it wasn't quite as great as the concept. Maybe with a little tweaking, things could become better. As for the All-Star game, it didn't do much for me. It was very hard for me to keep the players sorted out and the announcers didn't help all that much--and I watched CBC and NOT Versus! Maybe it was just me, I don't know. I don't really enjoy the way the All-Star game is played--it is just end-to-end skating and a lot of scoring. I enjoy the subtleties of a real game and the hits--something that wasn't allowed in Sunday's game. While I understand WHY there is no hitting in the game, it just isn't REAL hockey to me. The high-scoring game is what the league wants in order to try to get non-fans interested, but it doesn't appeal to me--I would rather see a well-played game that ends in a 2-1 score.

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Even though half of the season's games were played a week before the All-Star break, this was the unofficial end of the first half. Things will really start to heat up now through April--and, of course, REALLY get going once the play-offs start. Rumors are really beginning as to the trades that might be made--and it will only be getting worse till 26 February when the trade deadline is. Will really be interesting to see who goes where and how this will impact the play-offs. And to add to things, Selanne has just announced he is going to make his come-back with the Ducks for the last half of the season. I guess the Ducks just MIGHT come close to what they were last year. I REALLY don't need to see Detroit and Anaheim meet in the play-offs again!

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And Jimmy Page says that Led Zepplin just might go on tour later this year. While there isn't anything officially in the works, the tour might happen some time after September when all the band members will be free from other obligations. Might be interesting to see, except for the fact that the years haven't been too kind to Robert Plant. He is kind of scary these days.

Robert Plant: early years



Robert Plant: today

A Couple of Videos

A few days ago I posted some pictures of that very beautiful boy, Paolo Nutini, and happened to mention he also sings. I DID go out and get his CD as soon as I could and I am loving every minute of it! While I don't think there is one song on it that I don't like, here are a couple that are on the top of my favorites list. Enjoy!








He has got an absolutely amazing voice--can't wait till he comes out with a new CD.

This and That...Again

I have mentioned how I am really enjoying the music channels I am able to listen to on the new computer room TV. Well, I have come to one conclusion after listening for a while: The 70s had some VERY BAD music! And I'm not just talking about disco. {shudder} A very bad decade for music, indeed.

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I haven't talked to C since Thursday evening. Does this make me a bad mother/grandmother? To defend myself, I feel as if she can use every moment possible to rest before she has to go home and take care of her household, so I will leave her alone for now. We really don't feel the need to run there immediately to see the new baby--again, they need their rest. Also, we'll see the baby soon enough, either in pictures or in person. I know what it is like there when a person is in the hospital and I don't want to be part of it. The last time The Mother was in the hospital, we were still speaking and I went up there to take care of The Father and her when she came home. She almost died because of a superbug--my internist said she was VERY lucky to be alive--and her hospital room was packed with visitors constantly! The Brother and his family wouldn't leave her alone for one minute--just what a very sick person needs while fighting for their life in the hospital! I just couldn't take being around that, so we will wait for a while to go there.

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Of course, there is another reason why we haven't made the trip: K is working overtime. He is supposed to be on his week off, but is working instead. He worked 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM on Saturday and went in at 3:00 AM Sunday and will be home around 4:00 PM. I'll be lucky if he manages to eat dinner without falling asleep in his food! He will be off on Monday--doctor appointment--and will work on Tuesday and Wednesday and get back to his normal work schedule on Thursday. Whatever works for him, I guess.

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I saw my GYN on Wednesday and all is well. Everything is staying the same, which means I will continue the HRT. He said the last study he read shows that women in my situation are REALLY benefiting from the hormones, so I will continue taking them. Women who have had hysterectomies at an early age AND started on estrogens immediately are living an average of 2-3 years longer, so that is a good thing. Also, the estrogens seem to be helping the arteries stay 'clean'--another good thing in my case.

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So, we are halfway through the hockey season and the Wings have their best record in franchise history! Of the first 41 games, they won 30--and they added another win today. They continue to be way ahead of any other team in the league and there are a lot of people--even some who NEVER give the Wings any love--who are saying they will probably win the Cup this year. We will just have to wait and see.

Z is still putting up points in every game--it is almost as if he wasn't off. Datsyuk still makes it look easy to do what he does and Baby Boy is still getting HIS points every game, so things are really good. Homer and Maltby will be back on Tuesday, so all is coming together. If they can beat Chicago on Sunday, then we will KNOW that all is right with the world.

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By now, most everyone knows that Britney had a breakdown and was taken to the hospital. What you may NOT know is that Dr. Phil--that idiot--went to the hospital to talk to her. And she DIDN'T ask him to be there! The stories are a bit conflicted, but it certainly seems as if he did this just for the publicity for himself. It would have been one thing if he went in and out without trying to attract any attention, but he made a statement to the press! This is what he said:

"My meeting with Britney and some of her family members this morning in her room at Cedars leaves me convinced more than ever that she is in dire need of both medical and psychological intervention. I am very concerned for her," McGraw said in a statement to "Entertainment Tonight."

Now, am I wrong in thinking that he violated her privacy? I certainly know I would be pissed if someone went public with a statement like that about ME! The New York Daily News story is here and the TMZ story is here. That is, if you feel the need...

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I am starting to expand my musical tastes just a little bit here with the digital music channels I have. One evening I was listening to the channel called 'Adult Alternative' and heard a song that wasn't bad. This, of course caused me to track down info on the singer and what CDs are available, etc. His name is Paolo Nutini--he is a Scottish singer, 19, and he absolutely blows me away! I can't WAIT to get the CD. And it really doesn't hurt that he is so absolutely BEAUTIFUL! (I know, I'm going straight to hell! :)) See if you don't agree.





My stars, a LOT of girls--women, too, probably--will be having VERY inappropriate dreams starring him!

Tonight

Went grocery and various needs shopping tonight. Several things came to mind for me to blog about, so here goes.

First of all, it was the perfect night outside--at least in my opinion. The temp was 42 degrees, there was no wind, and the sky was completely clear. The stars were so bright it seemed as if you could just reach out and touch them--just gorgeous. As I have said often, I really like the weather when it is on the cool side and tonight was just fine for me.

I shop at WalMart for a lot of my non-grocery essentials. I know this is a sore subject for a lot of people, but there really are very few choices here. We have Target and Shopko, but really, no other stores that carry the same things as Wally World does--so I shop there. And it is open 24 hours a day, so it is so very convenient for me. HOWEVER, I may just have to stop going there after tonight--they were playing Christmas carols over the sound system in the store!!!!!! Excuse me, but didn't we JUST have Halloween? Talk about rushing the season. I was upset enough seeing the Christmas displays in all of the stores, but THIS...ENOUGH!!!!!!

Again tonight, I almost got run over by a kid wearing those STUPIDASS Heelys! You know, the sneakers with the roller skates in them. I am really getting pissed off--almost every time I go to the store recently, there are kids skating around, not paying attention to anything but what they want--not enjoyable, at all. I don't understand why the parents don't watch them better.

Talking about kids, there was the most annoying kid in the world at the grocery store. Now, I get annoyed and upset when people have little ones in stores that are screaming their heads off because of tiredness, but this kid was something else. First off, he WASN'T crying--actually he seemed to be in an okay mood. So, what was the problem, you may ask? It is this: I have NEVER heard a kid so loud in my entire life! Believe me, he even had my oldest beat! I knew exactly where he and the parents were at every moment, because he never stop talking--or yelling, take your pick. And it wasn't enough that he was loud, but he knew basically one word, MOM. And he didn't stop saying it--just kept repeating "MOM, MOM, MOM, MOM, MOM" for what seemed like hours. I never was so happy to be able to hear the Musak play as I was when--I assume, because I stopped hearing 'MOM'--they left the store. Gave me a whopper of a headache.

Tonight I bought the new Eagles' CD and am listening to it now. Classic Eagles--and it is very good. I can't wait to find out where they will be performing during the tour next year--we WILL be going if they make a swing close enough to us. But, then, K said we might just make the trip to Vegas if we have to, to see them. FUN!!

And speaking of Vegas, I forgot to write about the strangest thing I saw while we were there. On Thursday, as we were getting back to our hotel in order to get ready for the show that night, we met a group of young men coming out as we were going in. Now, I wouldn't have paid much attention to them, except for one of the young men--and you COULDN'T ignore him if you wanted to. He was probably in the 6' range and slender. He was wearing a football helmet. Also, he had on a number-shirt cut off above his naval. And he had on an extremely short tutu. On his legs he had neon-pink fishnet stockings and on his feet he wore cowboy boots. I'm assuming--and hoping--that they were having a bachelor party and he was the bachelor. What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas, right? Unless someone happens to blog about it, that is! :)

Slightly Creepy Songs

Sometimes we find a song that is really quite good, but after thinking about it for a while, we realize it is just plain creepy. I found a few that fit in this category.

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Every Step You Take by The Police

I LOVE this song--have since it first came out. On first listen, it seems like a beautiful love song. Here is a man so very in love with a woman--so in love that he can't think of anything else but her. Then you really HEAR the lyrics and begin to understand that this is a demented individual!

"Every single day and every word you say

Every game you play, every night you stay

I'll be watchin' you"

Yeah, a little creepy. The words of a stalker, for sure. Good song as long as you don't think too much about it! :)

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Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen by Neil Sedaka

This is a fun, catchy song to sing along to. Nothing really wrong with the words, until you see Sedaka singing them during his 'come-back' phase. This was in the mid-1970s when he was about 36 years old. Listening to a 36-year-old man singing these words is more than a little creepy:

"Tonight's the night I've waited for

Because you're not a baby anymore

You've turned into the prettiest girl I've ever seen

Happy birthday sweet sixteen"

SEEING him sing the song brings the point home even more! (Don't know how old he was in this video, but DEFINITELY too old to be singing to a 16-year-old! The audio and video are not in synch in this clip, but I couldn't find a better one.)

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You're Sixteen by Ringo Starr

I like Ringo and like his songs. Once again, very catchy, pop tunes--good to sing along to. BUT, he DEFINITELY was too old to be singing this song to a 16-year-old! EWWWWWWWW!!!! Please, a man of 33 (his age when he recorded this) should NOT be singing lyrics such as this--especially when they are aimed at someone so young:

"You're my baby, you're my pet

We fell in love on the night we met

You touched my hand, my heart went pop

Ooh, when we kissed I could not stop"

Sorry, but this, too, just screams 'pedophilia' to me!

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Those are my top picks for 'creepy songs.' If anyone has any others, put them in the comment section!

Saturday

Famous people born on this day who
are actually older than me:

Sally Struthers
Jim Davis
Rick Wright
Bill Bradley

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The Crossroads Guitar Festival is going on at Toyota Park in Illinois today. Of course, I managed to forget and didn't start listening to the live broadcast until a couple of hours ago, but I DID get to see BB King! It doesn't get any better than that. At the age of 81 and he still can play. I would love to see him in concert--we really should have gone to see him when we were in Niagara Falls last year, but... I guess at his age we better hurry and do it or we will miss our chance.

Unfortunately, John Mayer came on right after BB--I'm really not a big Mayer fan. However, I have seen Robert Cray, Robert Randolph, as well as others--and I will hang in there till Clapton does his next (?) set. I want to see Doyle Bramhall II, Derek Trucks, and Jeff Becks, but am not sure if they played yet. I will just have to keep watching. I'm a happy camper!

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I'm really having a hard time these days: NO news from the Red Wings on ANYTHING! NOTHING to feed my addiction! And I have 52 days to go before the first pre-season game...one I can't even be sure of being able to see. Oh, misery...no wonder I love the blues! ;)

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Looks like we might have someone living with us for a while. K's nephew's son has one more class to take at our local university so that he can graduate and we were asked to put him up for the fall semester. I REALLY have been leaning toward saying 'no,' but K is all for it. My two biggest problems with this: 1) we only have ONE bathroom and 2) we really have become set in our ways, we enjoy the empty-nest thing an awful lot. I LOVE the fact that I can walk around my house NAKED if I want--not that I EVER do it, of course--and not have to worry about other people. The grand-nephew is a very good kid, nice, doesn't get into trouble, etc. He will get into town on Mondays and leave to go home on Thursdays, so it isn't like he will be here ALL of the time, still... And this will be from the end of August through the middle of December--not a real long time. I just hate change so damn much! :) Oh, well, I will have to put on my big girl panties and deal with it.

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And just in case someone wasn't too sure, here is a 'before' and 'after' video of some celebrities--just to prove they weren't all that different from the rest of us before the surgeon got hold of them. Some were better BEFORE the surgery!

Awesome

Jack Bruce has said that he has agreed to get together with Eric Clapton and Ginger Baker to do one or more concerts later this year. Cream together again--how awesome is that! Even K looked interested. I don't think I would have much of a problem getting him to go to the concert, but I doubt if they will be anywhere close to us. And that is if they even decide to do an extended tour. To go to a Cream concert would be almost as exciting for me as the Clapton concert was. I can't even imagine how amazing the night would be. Dreams that might come true?

While My Guitar Gently Weeps

Here is the original version--the one I will download as soon as it becomes available! I was very surprised that I found it.

Hallelujah

Jeff Buckley sang 'Hallelujah' live on French TV in 1995--that is where this video is from. In 1997 he drowned at the age of 30. Tragic.

Desire

The only videos I could find for this song were fan-tribute vids for the show House, MD--the show where I first heard this song. Sorry. At least the entire song is played in this video, unlike others.