Squee!

Four words:

I met Gordon Lightfoot!!!!!


THUD!



And here's a photo from the end of the show, I've only got 20 pictures out of my 100 + on flickr right now because there's been no time to post them. The ones I have there still need tweaking but I can fix them on the site.



Go here to see them. I'll review the concert later, when I'm more awake. We didn't get back from the show until about 1 a.m.

Yikes!

So I'm a sleepy girl this morning, albeit a very happy girl.

Lightfoot Day!

Just a few more hours and I'll be on my way to see Mr. Gordon Meredith Lightfoot in concert at the Mountaineer, from 9 rows dead center.

Can I get a woot please?

I figure today will be full of good food, gambling and great music.

What more can a girl ask for?

Not much really? I mean I could ask for a good looking man to be next to me, but all the ones I dig, are married/attached/gay, so I might as well return to the don't care at all about having someone philosophy.

So if you don't mind, I'll be focusing my attention today on some fun and the good music of a guy that's only a few years younger than my mom.

Eep.

And yes, I'll be taking the Carefree Highway to the Mountaineer!

Imagine Whirled Peace

Can I just say, "OMG this is some good ice cream? It really is. Carmel and sweet cream ice cream with chocolate peace signs and toffee bits. It really doesn't get much better than this.

I don't usually scream for ice cream. I definitely don't scream for it when a pint costs $3.50. I only scream for stuff from Cold Stone Creamery, but Ben & Jerry's has really done it again with this one.

Yummo! as Rachael Ray would obnoxiously say. It's delish!

I think if everyone had a few cartons of this in their freezers there might actually be hope for world peace, because we'd all be too busy having ice cream-gasms to argue with one another.

Tomorrow!

Tomorrow at 7:30 I'll be at the Mountaineer listening to the lovely voice of Gordon Lightfoot! Squee!

I can't wait.

I really can't wait because I took a vacation day tomorrow so I could enjoy the whole day. (And so I could get an extra hour or two of sleep!)

This is probably going to be my only piece of excitement this year, other than a weekend jaunt to my brother's house in August. There's simply no money. None. At least not the kind needed to make trips 200 + miles from home.

~big sigh~

So when I seem jealous because other people are going places, it will simply be because I am. I haven't had a vacation since 2006 and I'm heartily sick of the Mon Valley.

So I guess I'll take tomorrow for what its worth a day out and good concert and probably the only away from home outing I'll get all year.

I'm still trying to figure out if buying a new car will be worth the debt next year.

But really must focus on Gordon Lightfoot, he's the bright spot in the grey dismal clouded summer I'm going to have. So for him and his concert, I say, SQUEE!

Random 10 - Week 158

From Music Memoirs, because I seldom remember to play this meme from my site.


10 songs that sum up your weekend...or were on your weekend playlist...and one picture that relates back. (oh, and if you feel like it, tell us why you picked the songs you did)

The music comes from a variety of sources this weekend, mix cds, restaurant radio etc, so be prepared for some weirdness.

1. Oasis - Wonderwall
2. Elvis Costello - Everyday I Write The Book
3. Alanis Morrissette - Underneath
(Funny story about this one: I commented on how I thought this song was awful when she sang it on Graham Norton this weekend and my mother said she thought she sounded like a cat before it threw up!)
4. Erasure - I Love Saturday
5. Nick Lowe - Let's Stay In And Make Love
6. Gordon Lightfoot - Race Among The Ruins
7. The Beatles - Love Me Do
8. Bonnie Tyler - Total Eclipse Of The Heart
9. Olivia Newton-John - Xanadu
10. I Nine - Seven Days Of Lonely

And now for the picture: A posing peacock!

To The Preppy Rebel On The Girlie Motorcycle

Dear Clueless Motorcycle Dude,

You looked really cool in your baggy jeans and striped preppy shirt with your candy striped boxer shorts pulled halfway up your chest, Steve Urkle style! Way cool dude!

The undershirt you had on looked super too. I mean this was definite badass biker dude attire. I'm sure all the guys riding real motorcycles (Harleys) would have been jealous.

I have to say I'm amused that you noticed us giggling at you. However its a shame you thought we were giggling like school girls because you were oh so cool. No we were laughing at how ridiculous you looked. Popping wheelies on the highway didn't make you look any better, in fact, it made you look like a total idiot, plus you could have killed yourself.

Moron!

Next time, dress like a biker and drive responsibly.

Sincerely,

The Mistress Of The Dark

I Haven't Decided

Which season I hate more, summer or winter. I'm a spring/fall girl really, even though we don't seem to get much of either of those anymore. It's either really cold or really hot.

Reasons Why I Hate Summer
1. Gas prices that don't allow me to go anywhere, because I have other bills to pay.
2. The heat when I don't have central air or any air conditioning other than a fan.
3. Shorts, don't look good in them. I don't like to bare flesh at all.
4. Bathing suits...ARGH!
5. Vacations: I don't think I'm getting one again this year for the reason listed in number 1. I miss Atlantic City so badly and I'm hating/being jealous of everyone that's gone away or will be going somewhere this year.
6. The car that has no working air.

Reasons Why I Hate Winter
1. Snow and driving in it.
2. Temperatures that sometimes sink below zero. Brrrr.
3. Not having running water at work. Yeah, guess whose office has a port-o-potty.
4. Unpredictable weather, so I seldom make plans to do much after the second week of December.
5. Shoveling coal (yes, we still have a coal furnace)

I Feel Like I'm Throwing Her Away

I was going through some of papers and things at grandma's yesterday. This is the hardest thing I've ever done in my life, and I don't like it one bit. I don't know what to keep or what to throw away and I feel like I'm throwing my grandma away. However odd some of the things I'm finding are, they meant something to her, they were part of her life. I hate having to decide what parts should be kept and what should be tossed.

I wish I didn't have to do this, but I know there's no one else that will and no one else that is able to help me with the task at hand.

Ultimately every trip down to her house across the street ends in tears, some that I let other people see, others that only me and the empty house know about.

I'm learning so much more about my grandmother now that she's gone and that just makes it harder. I'm learning even more about my grandfather, and that makes it really sad, since he died 7 years before I was born. I'm becoming jealous of my other two siblings because they know both of my mom's parents and my brother knew both of my dad's.

All my life, my only grandparent was my mom's mom. I went through periods where I didn't go to see her much even though she was across the street, but I never stopped loving her. I've been told that was part of the growing process and I am normal, but I still feel like there's so much time I wasted.

In the last three years, we've become closer, because I took over laundry duties and I always stopped down to check on her to make sure she was ok, or if she needed anything from the store.

I guess my hormones and emotions are all in a tizzy, but right now I'm full of tears because I miss her more than I can even express. I know I acted annoyed sometimes when I had to go down to her house each day or when I had to drag laundry and nom noms for grandma, but I was never annoyed with her, it was just the task. I loved her so much and I feel like I'm throwing her away right now. I want my grandma. I want to hold my little Kewpie doll grandma again.

Top 5 On Friday - Week 178

From Music Memoirs

Top 5 songs that make the day go by a lot easier.

Oingo Boingo - Ain't This The Life
This song is just so great and typical of early Boingo. It makes life more fun when I hear it which isn't often anymore as I haven't been on a Boingo listening spree in ages.

Elvis Costello - Everyday I Write The Book
I love the fun EC songs. This one always makes the day go easier when I hear it. It brightens my day when I hear it out somewhere. I once heard it at Chi-chi's when I was having a period of not listening to Elvis.


Erasure - Don't Say Your Love Is Killing Me
I have some pretty weird things associated with this song, but its still one of my favorites to make any day easier. Its bouncy and happy and it can almost make me forget how shitty a day has been.

Murray Gold - Doctor Who Theme
There's a reason this one is here, if I'm hearing this song, I'm about to have a blissful one hour (or more) of watching David Tennant on the telly. Yay! My guess is tonight I'll be hearing this tune at about 9 o'clock!

The Wallflowers - Feels Like Summer Again
I love Jakob Dylan. He has a solo album coming out soon too, if not already. This song is one of my favorites, along with Sleepwalker.

I probably should put these 5 tracks on a loop so I hear them everyday, but most of the time its by chance that I do. (Well except the Doctor Who Theme)

I'm Fearing A Setback

In the fund for a new car at the beginning of the year. Besides what I'm probably going to have to deal with as far as grandma's house, I think my computer may be hitting its last legs.

I'm so not happy about this. I don't have that kind of extra money lying around. I wanted to get glasses last month, as its been 2 years since I've been to the eye doctor. That had to be put off because of other bills and whatnot that I've had to pay and other things I've needed to purchase since April 26th, the worst day of my life so far.

I don't know how we're going to get through this, with attorney fees, what its going to cost to put the house for sale, the cost in taxes for inheritance and afterwards oh and not to mention the taxes that are still due on the property this year.

ARGH!

I'm in a total panic right now and I'm really really cranky. OK, not cranky, ANGRY, at the world. I've been biting people's heads off and arguing with them for no real reason, except that I'm spoiling for a fight.

I can only hope these feelings go away soon, and I can only hope that the computer doesn't decide to freak out on me or I will go totally batshit insane and right now it probably wouldn't take much to push me over the edge.

Franken Mix!

I made another one of these for a music community I'm in. The link to download will be in the comments

Artist: Various Artists
Album: Hello Frankie Baby! (87 MB)
Genre: Pop, Country, Classic Rock
Similar Artists: Erasure, Dolly Parton, Keri Noble
Tracklisting:
1. from the last CD you purchased - Terri Clark - Emotional Girl
2. labeled blues or "the blues" - Elvis Costello & The Attractions - Sour Milk Cow Blues
3. that gets you going in the morning - Erasure - I Love Saturday
4. that's romantic - Nick Lowe - Lets Stay In And Make Love
5. that's one of the first you remember hearing - The Beatles - I'll Follow The Sun
6. you discovered from a film - Olivia Newton-John - Xanadu
7. from your favorite band or artist - The Moody Blues - Your Wildest Dreams
8. from a band or artist that you don't really like except for this song - The Libertines - What Katie Did
9. that's a lullabye - Keri Noble - Lullabye
10. that makes you laugh - Danny Elfman - It Only Makes Me Laugh
11. that's a really good cover version - Over The Rhine - Ruby TUesday
12. that reminds you of school days - Roxette - Joyride
13. from an artist that you are embarrassed to admit you like - Boyzone - Daydream Believer
14. that's FUNKY! - Billie Myers - It All Comes Down To You
15. for those quiet rainy nights - Cast In Bronze - Serendipity
16. that no matter when you hear it, it makes you feel good - Tommy James - Hold The Fire
17. with the word "Look" in the title - The Monkees - Look OUt (Here Comes Tomorrow)
18. from a member of the Dead Rocker's Society - George Harrison - Teardrops
19. that is your favorite from Elvis - Elvis Presley - Kentucky Rain
20. randomly, that you feel fits - Gary Puckett & The Union Gap - Dreams Of The Everyday Housewife
21. by or about Johnny Cash/that gives you that old country feeling - Dolly Parton - Better Git To Livin'

I'm Disappointed

There was a time when I thought there was hope for our country, after last night I have lost it. No I am not nor will I ever be an Obama supporter. I'm sick of being told I'm a racist when I state that I do not like the man.

I supported Hillary. I don't support the DNC one iota and will never again say I'll vote a straight party just for the good of the democrats. I believe the people in charge of the party are a bunch of sexist pigs that fear having a Clinton in the White House again. It's funny, the Clinton's seem to know what they were doing with gov't when they were in office for 8 years....well besides a sex scandal or two.

Either way, I'm not keen on either candidate that will sit on the ticket in November, so much so that I may just sit at home, because I doubt my vote matters. It sure as hell didn't in 2000 or 2004.

Maybe I'm just a bitter, jaded person, clinging to my guns and religion now, but I do know this, neither contender seems qualified for the job they are seeking and sadly do we need 4 with an option of 8 years of someone that's inexperienced, and that goes for both candidates.

Tuesday Tunes - Week 35

From Music Memoirs:

Pick an album that you consider a favorite but isn't by your favorite band. (I'll know if some of you cheat!)
I can't cheat, I made up the meme. So you know there will be no Costello or Moody Blues or Hayward etc posted here.

Over The Rhine - The Trumpet Child


Tell us why you like the album.
Over The Rhine cross so many genres in one album, I think that's what I like the most about them. You get that alt-country vibe, like Hem as well as a bit of a jazzy fell and sometimes pop. The lyrics are wonderful too. It's good relaxing music

What is your favorite track from the album and your least favorite track.

Favorite Track: If A Song Could Be President
Oh man if it were the case, I wouldn't have the issue I have with election. Suffice to say I'm voting for the party I said I'd never vote for again this year, I'm sure, since the media has decided on the nominee for the party that's ripped to shreds, because we'd rather have a plastic, phony idiot as the nom than someone that has a clue. Oops, did I spew political nonsense again? Sorry

Least Favorite Track: I Don't Wanna Waste Your Time
I guess everyone is entitled to a potboiler of a song. It's not a bad song, but there's so much better on this album. It's worth a listen though, I seldom skip over it.

What caused you to buy this album or download?
I bought it because I fell in love with the band's Christmas album Snow Angels. The Trumpet Child was their most recent recording. A friend had sent me a download of this one when I told them how much I loved the Christmas record, so I it wasn't a disappointment when I paid my $14.00 for it.

Do you own any other albums by this artist or is this just a one off?

I own several but no all of the Over The Rhine catalog, that will be rectified over the year I hope.

These are the albums I own on CD:

Snow Angels


Drunkard's Prayer


Discount Fireworks


Now you should all check out something by Over The Rhine.

What Kind Of Flower Is This?

The Sweet Williams have taken over most of our yard, but then there's this strange flower that cropped up between the Williams and the rose bush.



The first one I spied was pulled because it looked like a week, but for some reason I left another to grow and now its blooming!

I wish I knew what it was, because I know I didn't plant it and I've never seen anything like it before.

When Will This Nightmare End

April 26th started a nightmare that I never wanted to deal with. I have so much to worry about now. There were always little things. Now I'm worried about will the house sell. How will I be able to pay the taxes on it. What's it going to do to my taxes next year. How much is the attorney going to cost us for the work on the estate because the change in the will did nothing to make the process easier.

My little head can't comprehend this. It's making me crazy.

We still have to get stuff out of the house but there's no one to help. It's all on me and that's becoming very frustrating and depressing because inevitably I end up crying because she's not there. Everyone thinks I should have stopped crying by now, but I can't. She may have been 101 but I wasn't expecting her to go. She was vibrant and so full of life until the very end. How can I have expected anything to happen? She was supposed to live forever. Damn it, that's what we all wanted. Grandma was eternal. She was the rock this family was built on.

I'm losing it, whatever "it" is and I don't know if I'll ever get it back. Not to worry though, it's not my sanity that's going, I never had that to begin with.

Lazy Days

Do you ever feel like doing absolutely nothing? I know that's how I feel today. I just don't want to deal with anything. My paycheck didn't come in the mail so I'm without money today because either our payroll service or the USPS fucked up royally.

I just want to be left alone today. Totally and blissfully alone. I don't want to do anything I don't have to do. I just want to veg and I want to keep my aggravation levels down.

Is that too much to ask?

It probably is, because any time when I have plans to do absolutely nothing I have to do something and that something is usually something most obnoxious.

So if the world will kindly leave me alone for 24 hours I might return to whatever "Normal" I might usually be, if not I can't guarantee I won't be a super cranky bitch tomorrow, and that just wouldn't be a very nice thing, now would it?

Top 5 On Friday - Week 177

From Music Memoirs


Top 5 songs about work or are work related


Fountains Of Wayne - Bright Future In Sales
FOW are good at songs about bad bosses and work.

Jimmy Buffett & Alan Jackson - It's 5 O'Clock Somewhere

I wish it were 5 o'clock already, this has been a horrible week and I need to be home and away from the world right now.

Elvis Costello - Soul For Hire
This one is about attorneys, since the title doesn't give it away.


The Vogues - Five O'Clock World
I know this one was one of my weekend songs a few weeks ago but lets just say it's at the top of the working songs list too!

Duran Duran - Skin Trade
Most everyone is working for the Skin Trade in one way or another!

PS the ultimate work song is Take This Job & Shove It!

The Rock That I'll Be Hiding Under

The only joy that I got out of my day yesterday came late. Yay Pens for finally winning a game of the Stanley Cup Finals. I was beginning to wonder if they'd forgotten how to play hockey on the short trip from Pittsburgh to Detroit.

Thank God they didn't. I think I would have cried if they did, and lord knows I was doing enough crying yesterday without needing a sports team to add to my hysteria.

It all started out with my keys hiding from me in the morning, then a file disappeared at work when it was just needed, then a health issue that got me worried. Oye. I discovered that I can in no way afford health care for myself at least good health care. Highmark for a single person is about $300 a month.

That depressed me. I'm still trying to figure out how my gram managed to only pay $286 every three months. It must be a special deal for seniors through Highmark.

~big sigh~

Yesterday was just a horrid day, probably one of the worst I've had since April 26, which right now I consider the worst day of my life.

Oh and today's shaping up to be such fun. I have to meet with someone at Sacred Heart Cemetery for something or other. PAH! And next Thursday I have to meet with the attorney to get things sorted out with the Estate.

Can I please just sleep a week or two so I can get my life back. I've already lost my perky and most of my sanity, I want to hold on to what little is left of me for the time being.

Is that too much to ask?

Thank God For Fishy

I can't believe I'm actually thankful for that dork, but if it weren't for him I'd not be seeing Gordon Lightfoot in 2 weeks. For some reason, even though I have the tickets already and the date is printed on them, I've been saying the day of the concert is a week later than it actually is.

The concert is on June 11th not June 18th.

Both dates are Wednesdays, but I have no idea why my mind wrapped around the 18th as the date of the concert. If it weren't for the fact that The Pickle is giving away tickets next week and they had to do a really bad commercial to tell us about it (sorry Fishy, the commercial sucks) I wouldn't have been in Chester, WV on the right day.

Now all I have to do is get my boss to let me have that Wednesday off. I'm not concerned about getting no sleep the night after the concert. I'm more concerned with getting there, as the Mountaineer is about an hour and a half away from my house, and the show is at 7:30 and well I get off work at 4. So you can see that there would be little time to get there and get lost, as I'm apt to do when hunting down places I haven't been that often.

Fingers crossed for me that I can get that day.

I can't wait to see Gordon!

Tuesday Tunes: Week 34

From Music Memoirs

Another word association week. Remember name the first song/artist/album etc that you think of when you see these 10 words.

Country: When I hear country I automatically think of Dolly Parton.
Patriotic: Neil Diamond - America
Summer: The Lovin' Spoonful - Summer In The City
Heat: Glenn Frey - The Heat Is On
Fun: B-52's - Funplex

Beach: The First Class - Beach Baby
Surf: The Surfaris - Wipe Out
Park: Freddie Boom Boom Canon - Palisades Park
Live: The Grass Roots - Lets Live For Today
South: Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers - Southern Accents


What would be your picks?

Welcome Summer!

Well yesterday officially started summer, even though it really doesn't start til mid-June. Tell that to the weather we had yesterday. It was in the mid-80s and quite possibly sweltering. The kind of weather that makes sleeping very uncomfortable when you haven't broken out the fans.

Wow where did the heat come from? Last week we could barely get into the 60s! It's like the weather knows when we get to Memorial Day.

Now I'm ready for the beach or the amusement park or something other than sitting around the house. It's time! It's been a long, cold, lonely winter as George Harrison so nicely put it.

I'm ready for some fun and sun and water and sand or at least a nice deck chair. The only problem is that with the coming of Memorial Day we also have gas prices at the $4.00 mark.

Way to put a cramp in all the places I want to go!

Thank you major oil companies. I appreciate you frelling up my summer before it even begins.

I have a funny feeling that this summer its going to be me and my damn computer again.

PAH!

Sometimes My Zen Tortures Me

I'm a total weakling. I could barely run today on the elliptical today. A woman that had at least 30 years on me was running better than I was.

ARGH!

Then to make matters worse, my mp3 player decides to be sadistic.

It starts firing off songs from a Fleetwood Mac Best Of that I transferred to it in a moment of madness.

What song does it spew at me?

MONDAY MORNING!

The dreaded Lindsey Buckingham song that I hate with a passion and the song that gets stuck in my head every damn time I hear it.

GAH!

Over 5000 songs on that player and it picks that one. Then to add insult to injury, two songs after that one, it plays TUSK!

The two most awful, pathetic, vile songs every written by Lindsey. I still wonder what kind of drugs he was taking when he wrote Tusk. I mean they had to be really good ones if he thought that song was good.

And I'm not usually a Mac basher. I really like good Fleetwood Mac. I only bash them when I hear these two songs or when I hear that they are considering letting Sheryl Crow into the band.

BLERGH!

Usually I only get the one song on Monday, care of the Pickle DJ, Fishy, when I'm so disposed to listen to the first half of his morning show, which isn't that often anymore. (And we all know which of those two songs he plays every damn MONDAY (FUCKING) MORNING.

AHEM.

Yeah, so needless to say, I'm going to be removing that album from my Zen.

The Memorial Day Concert

Did any of you watch the PBS special last night? Idina Menzel aka the Wicked Witch from Wicked was on as was Sarah Brightman and Gladys Knight, oh and some horrid country singer.

Everyone but the redneck country singer looked spectacular. Well maybe not Sarah, who looked like she was wearing an extremely expensive night gown and forgot to wash her hair, but that's OK she's Sarah Brightman and she can get away with it.

Idina made me laugh hysterically. She makes such funny faces when she sings. Idina has lips like Julia Roberts, which means she can make a mighty mean duck face with her lips and she did several times during her two songs. Her mama should warn her that her face might freeze that way if she does that too often!

I was trying to figure out what songs most of the ladies were doing but the only ones familiar to me was Sarah's Agnues Dei from her ex's Requiem and Gladys' lovely rendition of Let There Be Peace On Earth. My mom seemed to know the first song Idina did, but her second was a terribly boring original composition that made me positive that she should stick to Broadway and not songwriting.

I'm not exactly sure why I gravitated to this show, except my mom had it on and I was bored and I kept walking by the living room. Still it was most amusing, in a bizarre kinda way.

Doing Something Different

In the musical arena I enjoy listening to different bands but I also seem to prefer to listen to them grouped at one time. I'll listen to The Moody Blues for a whole day or Gordon Lightfoot. Mixing things up usually only happens when I'm in the car. But yesterday something changed.

What changed? The planets are still in alignment, Obama still sadly looks like he'll be the democratic nominee, my car is still a run down piece of poo.

Nope nothing changed in the grand scheme of things.

But it did.

Yesterday I went to Best Buy and came home with a 320 GB External Hard Drive. I spent a few hours last night transferring files over. I was surprised that I only have about 45 GBs of music. Hmmm maybe I should get that 80 GB Zune or Zen. Nah! I'm happy with my little mp3 players though I would like to get the 2 GB Zen Stone that is just so darn cute it's insane!

But back to the subject at hand. I moved all my music last night and I cleaned up my winamp playlist and then reloaded all the songs and then I hit play, allowing my winamp to play any song it felt like playing.

It's been quite a weird night for music.

I didn't know The Mamas and The Papas did a version of My Girl. Actually I didn't know I had a copy of it on my hard drive!

It's a happy music day for me!

Computer Geekery!

My high speed USBs arrived and are installed! Can I get a woot? And can we applaud the nephew that installed them with much difficulty, especially as the metal casing that needed to come off near the slots in my computer just didn't want to comply to his or my wishes?

So I will buying an external hard drive for all my necessary and some unnecessary music.

I'm so excited about that too. All my music in one place! I may spontaneously combust! And I'll have the ability to move my music about so much faster too! Woo hoo!

That's so wonderful, because we all know that music is what keeps me going. Well that and my computer!

This weekend is shaping up to be pure musical bliss. I'll be broke when I'm done, but I'll be in bliss, so that can't be too bad, right?

Top 5 On Friday - Week 176

From Music Memoirs

Top Five things you want to tell/ask your favorite musician/band.

OK, so I'm sitting down to have a chat with Mr. Elvis Costello.

1. Mr. Costello, would you please do an album with your wife, not in the help produce or arrange kind of way. I mean in the two of you writing songs and recording and singing together kind of way. That would have awesome written all over it. On Diana Krall's The Girl In The Other Room, you can hear Elvis' influence all over it. I can only imagine and wonder how wonderful it would be if he were to lend a vocal or two to some of those tracks. Ah I would expire from the gloriousness!

2. Please rerecord Heart Shaped Bruise. I love Emmylou Harris, but that song wasn't really meant to be a duet and it sounded so wonderful in the years prior when you did it live. While you're at it, how about doing a version of There's A Story In Your Voice, sans Lucinda Williams.

3. Stop with the whoring of yourself out to companies like Lexus. That's really sad and pathetic. I don't care that you have the twins to put through college. You and Diana are better than that.

4. Why did you sell yourself out and become friends with the likes of Elton John? Elton is an extremely talented man, but he's also a nasty one. Since when did you become the type that wants to mingle with the rock n' roll elite? I mean besides Paul McCartney, and who wouldn't want to hop nob with him?

5. Write songs with Nick Lowe. In fact, he's another artist to collaborate with. Perhaps you, Nick and Diana could get together and get your snark on and come up with some really good tunes. Ah what a beautiful album cover that would be.

Thursday Thirteen

13 reasons that I should try getting to bed a little earlier.

1. I might not pour astringent into my hand instead of my facial cleanser, simply because the bottles look exactly alike, except the astringent is lighter.

2. I might not have to run around like a chicken with its head cut off in the 7 o'clock hour, because I'm trying to do stuff that I should have done earlier, but wasn't quite awake enough to do yet.

3. I might stop turning off the alarm when it comes on at 5:40 a.m. Thus resulting in weird dreams about a DJ. Yikes. The worst part is Pickle refuses to come through on my clock radio, I'm getting 99.3 The Laurel Highlands Rock Station and I don't know why!

4. I might stop yawning throughout my day.

5. I might be able to check my dailies list in the morning again. I miss being able to get through my list before work.

6. My bed may get made before I crawl back into it.

7. I may actually get 8 hours of sleep on a day other than Saturday.

8. Laundry may get done during the week, rather than Sunday night.

9. I'd be able to put out clothes for the gym thus eliminating the need to come home to change before going. Oh wait, the skinny wenches are there at 4 maybe it's a mental thing.

10. Those mix CDs I've promised people? They'd get burned and sent.

11. Maybe my perky would return. I miss my perky so very much.

12. I'd be able to think of more entertaining topics for a Thursday Thirteen.

13. Zzzzzzzzzz.

New Janet Evanovich

There's nothing I like more than a new Janet Evanovich novel, so you can only imagine my delight when I went to the BOMC website and saw that she had a book coming out on June 17th.

Woo hoo!

Granted her books aren't deep thoughtful reading material, but I don't usually like to read that sort of thing. I read to be entertained for the most part and Janet's books entertain me just fine. Even the books that can be considered potboilers bring a smile and a laugh for me.

So yes, this is going to be one book that will get pushed to the top of my reading list.

Getting It Done

Well I finally bucked up yesterday and ordered the PCI card for my computer that will upgrade the USB ports from 1.0 to 2.0.

Why is it that I can easily drop money on clothes that I only wear to work or to the gym, (Not much difference there really, as I work in an office trailer and every day is casual Friday) but on stuff that would actually make my life easier, I dilly dally around with purchasing?

Everything would be moving much faster if I had those 2.0 USB ports and since I'm not in a position to buy a new computer yet. I may however buy an external hard drive so that everything will be freed up on this computer for the time being.

Ah that would be wonderful. The secret would be to not buy the external that has 1 TB because I really don't need that kind of space yet. I need a 250 or 350 GB. That would house all my music and all my photos with ease. Of course, I haven't purchased that yet either. There are other things for the house that are higher on my priority list, like an area rug for the computer room that's had a bare floor for 2 years now and a new tv stand because my old one fell prey to a young kitten testing his claws. Oops.

I hope to get that part done next month or the month after. One can hope right? As long as I don't go on a huge CD buying spree, I should be ok.

Tuesday Tunes - Week 33

From Music Memoirs

This week is word association week and it's all in colors! I'll give you a color and you tell me the first song/artist/album that comes to mind when you see it.

Pink: Psychedelic Furs - Pretty In Pink
Purple: Marillion - Lavender
Blue: The Moody Blues - Blue World
White: Elvis Costello & The Attractions - White Knuckles
Gold: David Bowie - Golden Years
Silver: Roxette - Silver Blue
Green: Elvis Costello & The Attractions - Green Shirt
Yellow: Donovan - Mellow Yellow
Red: Cheap Trick - Kiss Me Red
Brown: The Beatles - Old Brown Shoe

Why Is It

~ That when you start to do something a million and one other things happen and you just can't get what you started finished?

~ That when you clean out closets/drawers/cabinets and toss things that when you go to put things back, there's less space? (Anyone that reads my blog knows that this is a mystery of life that I think really needs solved)

~ That bra straps spend most of their time falling down my arm.

~ That one event can throw off a schedule forever. I'm really not into blogging in the morning anymore. I may start posting at the end of the day, which is when I'm going to be visiting my daily list.

~ Just when you think you have your inbox cleaned out, there are about 10 other emails that you have to save. Grrr.

~ Boys cannot or perhaps its will not flush after peeing. Can I get a resounding eww to that please?

~ Just when the debt monkey is almost off your back, something happens and boom you're lugging that monkey around again! Damn those monkeys!

~ When you want to talk to someone, they aren't around or are too busy.

~ When I think the tears might have dried up, there are more to shed.

~ That when I think of Grandma, I can't see her as the vibrant loving woman I hugged every day. Why can't I get that other image out of my head? Why? WHY? WHY!! Dammit, I want it to go away. Please make it go away.

Random 10 - Week 155

From Music Memoirs

10 songs that sum up your weekend...or were on your weekend playlist...and one picture that relates back. (oh, and if you feel like it, tell us why you picked the songs you did)

Lots of weird music going on this weekend, a bit of everything.

Rob Thomas - Little Wonder
The Byrds - Feel A Whole Lot Better
Gordon Lightfoot - Carefree Highway

These three were from a mix CD that I've been trying, rather unsuccessfully to play in my car lately. My CD player has scratched it up quite nicely, damn and blast.

George Harrison - The Art Of Dying
George Harrison - All Things Must Pass

I decide to put George on random yesterday and what does my winamp do? It finds all the songs that will depress me.

Hem - The Pills Stopped Working
Martina McBride - I Never Promised You A Rose Garden
Over The Rhine - Suitcase
Erasure - Spiraling
Colbie Calliat - Kiss The Girl

These are other artists that I was listening to over the past few days, as you can see, it was a very random weekend for music, from classic rock to country and just about everything in between.

And my photo was taken on Saturday afternoon. It's a rainbow!

Tag! I'm It

Sol has tagged me with my own six word memoir. The rules are: -Write your own six word memoir or epitaph; -Post it on your blog and include a visual illustration if you want; -Link to the person who tagged you in your post; -Tag at least 5 more blogs; -Leave a comment on the tagged blogs with an invitation to play. My memoir is:

Hmmm. This is funny as I delivered a short eulogy for my gram at the chapel at the cemetery where she has her final resting place, because gram always asked me what I'd say about her when she was gone and I hoped I'd never have to say anything because gram was going to live forever and a day.

What would I say about me though? That's hard. Harder then the few minutes I condensed what was important about gram, which was quite simple: She Loved Us More. Me, I'm a different story.

I know myself though. I'm greedy. I want things I can't have. I dream a lot. I love few, but I love well when I do.

Perhaps these words: A Loving Dreamer Who Wanted More

I won't do the tagging business but if you want to play along, go for it and then let me know so I can come and read your answers.

The Moody Blues - The One

This song from Strange Times has baffled me from the first moment I heard it. It's a John Lodge track and I'm wondering who he was thinking of when he wrote it. As far as I know there's been no mention of the inspiration for this track written about anywhere on the web. Of course, when it comes to Lodgey, they only want to bitch about Words You Say and discuss Isn't Life Strange or ask him about Nights In White Satin, which as any good fan knows, he didn't freakin' write!

Have a listen:



It's funny, as I listen to it now it makes me think of Pattie Boyd and her horrid biography, Wonderful Tonight/Today (depending on your country). Of course its not about her. At least I don't think it is, because I don't think Pattie's ever fallen from grace.

This song does make me wonder though, and heaven forbid any DJ or other interviewer ask them questions about newer material. That would just be appalling, because as we all know music made by classic artists after their hey days are through, just isn't worth a mention.

ARGH!

Top 5 On Friday - Week 175

From Music Memoirs

Top 5 "Night" songs or songs that relate to the night or evening.

I'm pretty sure I did this topic once before, but lordy I need help in the Top 5 topics area. It's hard to be fresh and original after 3 years of memes. Looks hopefully for new suggestions.

1. Dubstar - Stars
I love this electronic britpop band. This was one of their first singles from their Debut CD Disgraceful. Loved it!

2. George Harrison - Here Comes The Moon
The sequel to Here Comes The Sun and what would night be without the moon?

3. Elvis Costello & The Attractions - Night Time
He only operates at night time. Mmmm. I can deal with that.

4. Erasure - Man In The Moon
One of my favorite seldom listened to anymore bands. This is a sweet song from the I Say I Say I Say album.

5. Justin Hayward - Night Flight
Cheesy 80s Justin is my favorite Justin, except for the hair.

Mmmm I Need More Fridays

No not the day of the week, especially as I'm one of the few people that hate Friday as much as I do Monday, for work related craziness, but the restaurant. I love the sangria at Fridays. It's a really lovely combination of juice and fruit and alcohol, and after dealing with opening an estate, alcohol was definitely needed.

Truthfully for the last few weeks I could have used a whole pitcher of sangria. Maybe I would have got more than a brief interlude of the warm fuzzies. I couldn't afford to have more than that though. Not enough money, nor anyone to drive me home.

One good thing did come out of yesterday though, besides the yummy sangria, the waitress carded me. Woot! It's always nice to get carded when you are nearly 34. It made me feel really good.

But back to Fridays. They have something that really appeals to the dessert lover in me. Dessert Minis! I don't like to get regular desserts when I go to eat alone, since I'm always watching my damn waistline which seems to prefer to expand rather than shrink. The dessert minis are served in a glass just a tad bit bigger than a shot glass. Just enough sweet to make me feel like I've had dessert. The rocky road was really yummy too.

So yeah, I think I could use a few more Fridays right now.

I'm Pissed

Last week I found I could upgrade my DSL connection speed at no cost. Basically because my connection was slower than a snail as it was. My area still isn't in the FIOS type speed but I could get a pretty fast connection. So I talked to support at Earthlink and they said it would be 3 to 5 days and we'd have the upgrade and my account would remain at the same rate.

It's over a week and we're still at the same speed. I'm getting aggravated.

When I started out with Earthlink I had a bad experience and I wanted to drop them, but there weren't many broadband servers in the area at the time that were reasonable. Now there are many but I don't want the hassle of the switch.

Every time I've had to do something with a switch I've lost internet for days and getting a new provider up and running on the lines never goes through as quickly as they say.

Grrrr.

I just wonder why their chat support can't help you with anything?

Oh yeah, they are probably in India and they don't know a damn thing about anything at all.

~head desk~

I just want the connection speed that I'm paying for. And if my connection keeps crapping out there's going to be hell to pay. It's been 3 days of this and still no sign of any change. No I lie it's been 5 days.

Tuesday Tunes - Week 32

From Music Memoirs

What's the newest song you are currently into?
My favorite song from Elvis Costello's Momofuku is Go Away. Recent songs I love, Dolly Parton's Better Git To Livin', Madonna's Miles Away which I hope will be a single as it sounds more like her than the rest of Hard Candy.


What older artists have you recently discovered?
I'm really getting into Ron Sexsmith as a result of seeing Nick Lowe. I don't know that he is considered an older artist but he has been around since I graduated high school, and that was *gasp* 16 years ago.

What do you think of "reunion tours" or "revival tours"?
In some ways they are awesome. I love to see bands that I might have missed the first time around. However I'd like these things better if they were a way for the artists to put out new material rather than touring to churn out the same old songs over and over and over again.


What new releases are on your wish list?
Too many to mention. I still need Sarah Brightman's Symphony, B-52's Funplex among the list of 115 + albums on my amazon wishlist. Oh and have I mentioned I still don't own the reissue of Jesus of Cool? Huh? Oh and there was a Julia Fordham CD out in the past 6 months that I need to get too. ARGH!

Calvary Cemetary

It took most of the night to sort through my mess but I did get the pictures uploaded as you might have been able to tell.

Here's one shot from the batch.



If you want to see the rest click here.

Calvary is a very small cemetery in Charleroi, located on a rather nasty windy hill. When the sun is shining the cemetery looks just like any other. But add some wind and a cloudy sky and I'm betting just about anyone can get a chill or two from looking at some of the old stones. Come to think of it, if you really wanted to give someone the creeps take them there and play some Midnight Syndicate soundscapes and they'll probably run down the hill so fast that they'll remind you of the roadrunner!

Random 10 - Week 154

From Music Memoirs


10 songs that sum up your weekend...or were on your weekend playlist...and one picture that relates back. (oh, and if you feel like it, tell us why you picked the songs you did)

A lot of time was spent in my brother's car this weekend so it was his choice of tunes

Terri Clark - Emotional Girl
(She's one of my favorite country singers and this song like Girls Lie Too is a hoot)

Chicago - If You Leave Me Now

Bernie Barlow - Sexy

Keri Noble - I Won't

Nick Lowe - Ragin' Eyes
(I want to have ragin' eyes!)

Diana Krall - Narrow Daylight
(My favorite song by any artist)

Joan Osborne - These Arms Of Mine
(A cover of the Otis Redding classic)

Keri Noble - Butterfly
(One of my favorite tracks from her debut album)

Thompson Twins - King For A Day
(Tripping on the 80s)

Art Garfunkel - Bright Eyes
(Saddest song ever)

And now for the photo...from Calvary Cemetery



I'll post the link to the rest once they finish uploading.

Lots Done, Except Sleep

I didn't get to bed last night until almost midnight and now I feel like I've been hit by a bus. However I got rid of a lot of stuff between my parents' house and gram's house yesterday, so that would be considered progress. Right?

That's not to say there's still not loads of stuff to do and somehow the 5.5 hours of sleep I got last night is going to make getting lots more done an impossibility. I'm one of those people that need at 7 hours of sleep or I can't function.

At least I didn't have nightmares of that creepy cemetery I visited yesterday. My brother and I went to Calvary Cemetery in Charleroi to find the graves of our great grandparents on my mother's father's side of the family.

It took much doing and this cemetery is old. And when I say old I mean, this is not one of those places that I'd want to be after dark on a cold windy night. I must remind myself to post the pictures we took on my flickr page. Yesterday was just blustery and dreary looking enough to give the place a real haunted feel to it. (And it didn't need any further assistance at that)

I think I would rather just go back to bed right now, but there's no time for that. The day must be started. I'm just not sure what I'm going to do with this day, except maybe nod off ever 10 minutes. Zzzzzzzzz

Happy Mother's Day

To the 2 women that have loved me more.

Mom: You've put up with so much from me, school, relationships, jobs. You've criticized for all the right reasons. Sometimes I listened, sometimes I didn't. But no matter what you always loved me. You always were there with a hug and kiss and a shoulder when I needed it. A huge heart, so full of love. You've taught me how to love and you gave me my faith. I hope there are many more mother's days to celebrate together.

Grandma: Always a dollar to spare. Always a hug and a kiss. Always a word of advise that I didn't want to hear, but always you. Always a smell of Olay and Rose Milk hand cream. Always a smile. Always a lady. Always a sparkle in your eye. Someone to share my smutty novels with. What am I going to do without you? Love you so much more than you could imagine, grandma.



And now a few of grandma and a little grandbaby that looks suspiciously like me from some Christmases in the 70s.

I Believe

~ In the power of friendship to heal all hurts.

~ That there is something higher watching over us.

~ That out of every bad thing something good will come.

~ That music can calm and relax.

~ That books are the key to opening the mind.

~ That a hug is the best thing to cure depression.

~ That love may not conquer all but it sure helps to.

~ That sometimes you need to sit in a quiet church.

~ That tears need to be shed to heal your soul.

~ That an idle mind is a wasted one.

~ In the simple things to bring the most smiles.

Top 5 On Friday - Week 174

From Music Memoirs

Top 5 songs that remind you of your mother.

1. Paul Stookey - The Wedding Song (There Is Love)
This is one of my mother's favorite songs.

2. Michael Ball - Love Changes Everything
Mom loves musical theater. This is one of her favorites by Andrew Lloyd Webber.

3. Oingo Boingo - Insects
This is a hilarious song that I used to listen to quite a bit, and mom knew the lyrics.

Insects make me scream and shout...they don't know what life's about!

4. Michael Crawford - On Eagle's Wings
This was a favorite hymn that was used quite a bit in our parish. We also used it for Grandma's funeral mass. (I don't have this track on my computer right now, but check back later and I might)

5. Les Miserables -Master Of The House
Another favorite of my mom and dad from musical theater. They like the funny stuff sometimes. I'll have a version of this posted later today, because if you haven't heard the song you should.

Dear Lady In The Mini Van

Because this needs to be said.

Dear Lady in the Minivan,

The fashion police are a few steps behind you. They will arrest you for crimes against humanity for wearing a camouflage peasant skirt and a floral blouse. Most likely they will put you away for a long time, letting you out of the house only when dressed by a responsible adult.

It will be a shame too, because the world needs to be able to laugh that hard.

Especially since you had a rainbow print handbag too!

I don't think I've laughed that hard in months. Thank you for that.

Please find someone to dress you from now on. I almost wrecked the car as a result of my laughter.

Sincerely,

A rather amused Mistress Of The Dark

I'm So Behind On Things

I have the last 3 weeks of Doctor Who to watch. I just haven't been into staring at the telly too much. Actually I haven't really wanted to stare at the computer much lately. I'm like that Bacharach and David song, I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself.

I was going through pictures and what not. I need a lot of time for scanning soon. Gosh the stuff that there still is to go through. At least I've been walking, which is good. I've been to the gym once this week and I've gone to the walking path twice and walked 2 miles. It's helped a bit.

I just wish I could fall back into my normal routine, only that normal routine included grandma. At 6:30 I always want to go down to the house. In the mornings when I leave for work I always look to her window to see if the blind is up or down. That was her signal to us so we'd know if she was awake or not.

How set in my ways am I really? Very it seems.

Having her gone just makes things the world not seem right.

I think it's going to take quite a while before I catch up with the world around me.

Momofuku

That's the title of the new Elvis Costello album and its pretty much the most exciting thing about it. I love the title because it sounds like a curse word. Now when people anger me I'll just tell them to momofuku!

Other than the odd title that pays homage to the creator of ramen noodles, the album isn't much to write home about. It's not bad. It's not incredible. That alone leaves me feeling a bit let down. I wanted something to really get excited about, especially as Elvis has gone back to doing rock, which he had left for the last 3 albums. That's not to say there aren't some great tracks here, what I'm saying is that none of them have the power to really grab you. There's no Monkey To Man or 45 or Alibi.

Go Away is far and away my favorite track on the album, with Stella Hurt and Harry Worth coming in close behind. Turpentine is another decent one.

Do we want to go into the worst? My Three Sons, makes me want to toss my cookies. Well at least there's mention of the first son that most people don't know exists. After all, it's not as though Diana Krall, lovely though she is, is his first wife. I believe her number in the marital scheme of EC's life is 3.

I'm not sure if this is one of those albums that will eventually grow on me so that I'll play it constantly or one that will sit on the shelf. I'm disappointed as I find myself being in just about every new album I've bought lately, with my tried and true loves.

I suppose in a world where the quality of music is so low this is quite a great album, but from someone that expects truly great things from Elvis it falls a bit short. But hey, it's nowhere near as awful as Madonna's Hard Candy, so that's a plus. Sadly this album won't see the top of the charts, even though it's by far the superior album.

Tuesday Tunes - Week 31

From Music Memoirs

Word associations again! Remember answer with the first band/artist/song/album etc that you think of when you see these 10 words:

Rocking: Rocking Horse Road - Elvis Costello
Bird: Ringneck Loon - Gordon Lightfoot
Art: Art Garfunkel!
Mountain: River Deep, Mountain High - Erasure
Road: Highway - The Moody Blues
Animal: Martha My Dear - The Beatles
Car: What Car? - Cliff Richard
Walk: Keri Noble - Watch Me Walk
Cloud: Stuck Inside A Cloud - George Harrison
Wilderness: The Wilderness Years - Nick Lowe

Walking Is Relaxing

I love going to the walking path in Monessen. It makes me feel a hundred times better than going to the gym even if I'm only there a half hour, mostly because you see normal people there and not those 5 lb wonder wenches.

I can't help it but being around those little chickies makes me really violent. I want to drag them by their hair to the Wendy's up the street and feed them Baconators. At the walking path there are normal people who seem to get lost when they go to Jack's or rather they last there a month or so and get very self conscious of the skinny wenches and quit going.

I really must be strong, because I've gone on a semi-regular basis for over a year now. I miss Curves in Charleroi. It was so much nicer on the sanity.

Which brings me back to walking. Just me, the mp3 player and my thoughts. Perhaps not the best combination of things, but it felt good. 2 miles, which is much less than I usually walk but still it was better than nothing. If I had gone alone I can usually walk for about 5 miles, but then again, there were other things that needed doing last night too, so even a little exercise was good.

Today come hell or high water I'm going to the gym. It's nowhere near as relaxing or even as good for the nerves as walking but I pay for it, so I better use it. After all, I need to get rid of my excess aggression, and where better to do that than the place with those skinny chickies that annoy the hell out of me, right?

Random 10 - Week 153

From Music Memoirs


10 songs that sum up your weekend...or were on your weekend playlist...and one picture that relates back. (oh, and if you feel like it, tell us why you picked the songs you did)

I had a very obnoxious mixtape playing in the car on my way to Uniontown yesterday. Here are some of the tracks:

Tommy James - Hold The Fire
Paul Stookey - The Wedding Song
Edison Lighthouse - Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes)
Billy Joel - Rosalinda's Eyes
Tommy James - Love Words
The Spinners - Cupid
The Bangles - Where Were You When I Needed You
Gordon Lightfoot - Alberta Bound

Now some non-mixtape tracks

Nick Lowe - Live Fast, Love Hard, Die Young
Elvis Costello & The Attractions - Battered Old Bird

Now for the picture: A little something growing in our yard.

More Shopping

I'm totally lethal at Rue 21. I spent another $40 + at that store today. Sadly the capris I went there for will have to be returned, but I'm sure I'll be able to find something else there. I bought 2 dresses for $5 a piece a couple t-shirts and a pair of exercise sweat capris.

I also bought a lovely body wash/lotion/spray set at Bath & Body Works. I'm addicted to that store too. I love pretty smelling stuff and I don't have one perfume I prefer to another. I tend to pick my scents according to my mood. Today I fell in love with Blushing Cherry Blossom.

Shopping was a bit therapeutic. At least when I was spending money that I didn't have I could keep my mind off the sadness. That's something. Right?

Going to Sonic helped too. There's something about Cherry Limeade that really soothes the soul. Tater Tots do the same, especially if they are covered in cheese. Mmmm. Oh and the grilled chicken wrap was pretty good too.

Now I really have to get some of my older clothes cleared out of the closet to make room for the new stuff. That's never fun, but here's hoping that keeping busy keeps the tears from flowing as freely, because the constant feeling that I'm about to break down is not fun.

Still Exhausted

I'm trying so hard to get back to normal, but nothing I seem to do is working. I had to do laundry and since I'm used to using the ringer washer, I headed down to grandma's to use her machine.

The whole time I was doing the laundry I thought I could smell flowers. It wasn't the laundry detergent or the fabric softener. My guess is grandma was there watching over me and the nephew who was helping to make sure that we didn't squish our fingers in the washer or break her ancient but oh so much better than the modern machine.

It feels so strange to be there without her.

Its even stranger to be going through her things. It doesn't feel right. I hate to think that someday someone else will be living in her house and that the familiar will become strange, but there's no way that I could afford to keep the house for our family. All the other grandchildren have homes of their own. I don't know what I'd do if I ever wasn't in my own home with my parents. I've been here so long.

All the thinking and moving stuff around is tiring. I fell asleep last night with my glasses on before I had finished doing what I was doing. I had just laid down to rest for a minute and I had gone out for 3 hours.

I just need to start getting things sorted out. I don't know when that's going to happen though. There's still too much to do.

Top Five On Friday - Week 173

From Music Memoirs

Top 5 songs that get you ready for the end of the day/weekend

The Vogues - 5 O'clock World
It's a 5 o'clock world when the whistle blows. No one owns a piece of my time.


The Moody Blues - Here Comes The Weekend
This is a Lodgey creation that's so cheesy it's unbelievable.

Jimmy Buffett - Another Saturday Night
Ok, this is a Sam Cooke tune, but it's Jimmy's version that I remember and love. Sadly it's also the story of my life. Another Saturday night and I ain't got nobody.

Erasure - I Love Saturday
I love any day that isn't Monday or Friday. Those are the two worst days of my week. Right now, Saturdays are on my bad side too though.

Roxette - Here Comes The Weekend
This is another cheesy tune, but Roxette, rocks in that 80s pop kinda way. This song is so fun too.

*all downloads available for a limited time only. Snag em while you can.

Vintage Photos

I can't think much right now, so I thought I'd share a link to some vintage photos of my family that I've been scanning. Clicky here to see them.

This one is of my grandmother and the grandfather that I didn't get the chance to know, as he died in 1967. I hope she's telling him all about me right now.

They were quite a lovely couple, weren't they?

She loved him so much. I don't remember her talking about him to me much, but in drawers I found cards she gave to him for birthdays and a card he gave her. Such sweetness, such love.

They spent 41 years apart. Now they are together again.

~sigh~

I know I'm selfish but I want her with me.

Thursday Thirteen

Thirteen things I'll always remember about my grandma.

1. Her love of reading. She always said she learned something from anything she read, including the smutty novels we both share a passion for.

2. Her sweet tooth. She loved brownies and cookies and cake. If we made anything and I didn't take her some, she'd get in a snit.

3. How she'd never let me put clothes through the ringer on the washing machine because she thought I'd get my finger stuck.

4. Her braids. Grandma had very long hair pulled into a intricate braid in the back. Her hair was so beautiful.

5. Her shopping lists. Always terribly spelled, but there was always the same stuff on them, cream of mushroom soup, tomato soup, pot pies, chicken tv dinners, rollin oats cereal and pierogies!

6. Her love of bunnies. If you saw her face when a bunny hopped through her yard, you would know pure joy. Her eyes would light up and the 100 + year old face would become a child's.

7. Her stubbornness. You could never win an argument with grandma. She could be wrong but she would still win!

8. Her love of clothes, mine in particular. When we'd do laundry she'd always say when I got tired of something she'd take it. Her closets are full of my cast offs. And though I'm nearly 34 and she was 101 she looked pretty in my things.

9. Her wubby blanket that was always wrapped around her shoulders. She was always cold. Now I'm sure wherever she's at the warm sun is shining on her and keeping her warm.

10. The barrel she had for my mother. She always put money for her in it, for things we sent her.

11. Her beef noodle soup. No one made it like grandma. It is one of my favorite soups.

12. Playing Candy Land at the top of the stairs with her...or building a puzzle from one of the many that were in her house from my other two siblings.

13. How whenever we'd tell her we loved her she'd say, "I love you more."

Grandma, I hope you know how much we love you wherever you are

Will It Ever Be Normal Again?

Not that I know what normal is, none of my family has ever been normal, but I want the comfort of the "regular" once more, and I don't think that's going to happen any time soon.

I want to be able to go to sleep at a normal time without the feeling of exhaustion falling over me. I want to be able to stop at all the blogs I read. I want to stop feeling like I'm on the brink of crying. I know that might be a long way off, but I know grandma wouldn't want us to keep crying.

I also know that she probably kept what eventually took her from us to herself so as not to make my mother worried or any of us that loved her so. I'm cursing those privacy acts on our medical conditions.

If anyone wants to know about our finances it seems they can find out but if it's medical nothing. That makes me want to scream!

But I will return to normalcy soon, once everything starts to calm down and I get more and more in order. Forgive me if I don't stop by everyday for awhile. My mind is such a jumble. But I haven't forgotten any of you. I will try to stop by everyone on my friends/daily list to say hello to you tonight.

Much love to all of you wonderful cyberfriends.

Thank You

I just want to thank all of you that have stopped by here with well wishes for my family. It's much appreciated. It's good to know that you have friends in times like this, whether they be "real" friends or the cyber variety.

If I could I would hug you all because I'd like to return some of the love that I've felt from your comments back to you.

Thank you so much. Your words mean a lot to my family and me.

Remembering Grandma

In the last three days I've discovered hundreds of photos of my grandmother from her younger days. One day I'll share them, when I've had time to scan them and upload them to flickr.

My grandmother kept every card that was ever sent to her. There were and are boxes and boxes of birthday and Christmas and Valentine's day cards. I found pictures galore which filled me with great glee.

Grandma never shared these pictures with us and they left me with so many questions that I would love to have answers too. There are pictures of her on the beach in OH in the late 20's/early 30's.

And the photos revealed her spunky nature and the beautiful heart that she had. My grandmother had the most beautiful smile and a special twinkle to her eyes that I'll never forget.

To know her was to love her and if she loved you she would do anything for you. She was a wonderful woman who saw so much in her lifetime, more than most people can see; countless presidents, two world wars, many conflicts, the depression. She is the last one of her family to pass, there is only a sister-in-law left from her siblings and she was the oldest.

101 years is a long time, but not long enough. It's never long enough. I'm just glad that I told her I love you nearly every day and that she knew that.

This is a photo of a kind and gentle soul with a heart of 14 Karat Gold.



Grandma, I miss you. I love you. My heart is in two, knowing that I'll never laugh with you, wash clothes with you, do you shopping or take you to your meetings. I'll never hear you call yoo hoo again. I'll never hug or kiss you. I'll never lift you off the couch into a hug when I bring you your mail.

So little time spent, but so much love. I have no more words other than, I was in non way ready for goodbye.

Pray For My Family

My grandmother passed away this morning/early afternoon. As many of you know, she was 101 years old, and though that is very old, she was in good health, so this was very unexpected.

She woke up feeling a bit nauseated, but everyone had sinus problems so my mom told her to stay upstairs and sleep.

We took my mom to have her hair done because she was so desperately hoping to teach her last CCD class. Instead we'll be at the undertakers at 10 am. When she got home, she didn't want to call gram because she thought she might be sleeping, but my nephews were going to do her lawn. After 30 rings, she sent me down.

I won't go any further. I can't go any further. It's too much right now.

I probably won't be around for the next few days. I need to be with my family and sort out things.

Pray for us. For those of you that know me well and want to send flowers or something, please email me or if you know my cell number call and I'll let you know more. We're going to need a lot of help right now.

Grandma...I love you and I'll miss you terribly. My days won't be the same without you.

Too Hot: Head's Spinning

I know it's going to cool down in the next few days but today I'm just so fuzzy as a result of temperatures that are in the upper 70's.

I don't know if its pollen or whatnot that's making me lightheaded and out of sorts. I just want to stay in bed. I have managed to keep away from Belle Vernon today, which is a good thing. That has kept me out of trouble, but it's also helped put me out of sorts.

Why is it that Fishy being out and about with the station had to be the week of the Nick Lowe concert and it's somehow taken away from it?

See, I'd rather get a Fishy hug right now.

I'm weird. I know.

I should have let this go a long long time ago.

Remind me that seeing Nick Lowe is really awesome and seeing Fishy isn't and that I need to get my priorities straight. Right now they are slightly crocked.

I think I need to get out more with real people.

~sigh~

If only my head weren't so fuzzy right now.

Top 5 On Friday - Week 172

From Music Memoirs:


Top 5 Albums from 5 Consecutive Years (forward or backwards, starting with the year you were born, the year you graduated from high school, or whatever)

The hard part is picking a date. I'll go with my high school graduation which was 1992.

1992 - Annie Lennox - Diva



1993 - Duran Duran - The Wedding Album



1994 - Erasure - I Say, I Say, I Say



1995 - Adam Ant - Wonderful



1996 - Elvis Costello & The Attractions - All This Useless Beauty



These are 5 of my favorite albums too, especially the Costello and Erasure!

Thursday Thirteen

Thirteen things I need to do before the Nick Lowe concert on Sunday night.

1. Make sure I have enough gas to get to Pittsburgh. Oh and Bernie gets 21 mpg city. I filled up yesterday, so hopefully I won't hit half a take by Sunday. If I do, I'll cry, cos it was $40.01. Yikes!

2. Find something really cute to wear that won't make me look like a moo cow.

3. Convince my hair to look normal and not like a bird's nest.

4. Figure out where the parking garage is that's closer to the Byham Theater, rather than the Benedum so I don't have to walk 4 city blocks on Sunday evening.

5. Charge the camera batteries. (Just in case)

6. Buy a spare battery for the Easyshare.

7. Decide where to eat before the concert.

8. Find something that Nick can sign (Just in case)

9. Practice my concert singing. (You know...screaming)

10. Get enough sleep over the weekend to survive a really late night on Sunday.

11. Make sure there's money for a t-shirt and program or something similar.

12. Good walking shoes that are cute since I probably won't find that other parking garage.

13. Get hug from a cute old guy in the music industry.

Trying To Behave

My favorite Fishy is going to be in the area on Saturday. I'm going to do my best to make sure that I stay in the house all morning. He's doing a station thingie at Tractor Supply in Belle Vernon, which is right up the road from my gym.

ARGH!

And there's going to be a petting zoo!

Double argh!

I've told myself it's best not to go. After all, I don't need anything at Tractor Supply. (Well except maybe a Pickled Herring or two and I'm pretty sure there's only one...and that one has a wife that would pop me one if I tried to commandeer her husband) I don't think that trying to feed a Fish to a goat at the petting zoo counts as something I need at Tractor Supply, right?

~sigh~

Why is it that the only guy I've liked in the last 8 years has to be married? Damn and blast. It's the story of my life. Just about all the guys I've liked/crused on/whatever in the last few years have all been married.

So I'm going to convince myself that staying home on Saturday is the best thing to do, perhaps not for my fragile sanity, but in the long run for my well being. Though I have to say I have a huge hankering for a Fishy hug. They are the nicest things.

Happy Hump Day

Wednesday already? Damn! Where is the time going? Obviously speeding on by and leaving me in the dust because I chose to sit up and watch the PA election results.

Go Hillary, is about all I can say.

I'm glad that part of the election is over because I don't think I could take any more of the phone calls etc. It gets annoying. Plus my decision was made and my parents voted absentee because of health, so our families votes were cast over a week ago, except for mine, which I did promptly at 7 a.m. yesterday.

I feel like I'm going over the hump with Itchy too. Today she is seeming perkier and she's eaten a bit more too, which is good. Each day we have her is one we didn't expect to have so that's all I can ask for.

She ate some yesterday and this morning. So that's a plus. Fingers crossed that she'll hold out awhile longer.

Not much going on in my life right now, just waiting for Sunday's Nick Lowe concert, which will be the highlight of this rather dull month. My dad is having his echocardiogram on Friday which may lead to May being a horrid month, because the doctor is leaning towards a pacemaker for him as well. ARGH!

So I'll just concentrate on Sunday being good and hope for the best, right? Because, really, that's all I can do.

Tuesday Tunes - Week 30

From Music Memoirs

What's the worst song you've heard in the past week?
Madonna - Spanish Lesson from her new album Hard Candy! Good god it's awful. Most of the album is wretched, mostly do to Timbaland making her sound just like everything he's ever produced, which is CRAP!


Have you ever bought an album thinking you'd love it, only to hate it? What was it?
Yes, and I've bought an album knowing that I'd hate it but because I've loved the artist.

The first album that comes to mind: Elvis Costello - North



I have to say that I don't hate it as much as I used to. I still think the songs would have been better suited for his wife or at the time his soon to be wife, Diana Krall.


Are there any artists that you used to like but wish would just go away now?
Two come to mind; Duran Duran and Madonna. Both of them seem to have forgotten how to make a good record. Both used to be favorite pop tarts of mine. Duran Duran did do Astronaut, so at least there's that, but Red Carpet Massacre was just vile. As for Madonna her last good album was Music. That's 2 albums back. Both need to do some quality work soon or get out of the business.

I'm not saying that either of them produce deep thoughtful music, but they do fun pop music that makes the world go round. It's a shame they don't make good music anymore.

Just A Quiet Day...

I won't be making my usual rounds today. Not because it's election day, but because my Itchy has taken the turn for the worse. I know I've had 3 good months with her that I probably shouldn't have had, but for whatever reason a higher power granted us.

Her time is coming to a close and I want to give her as much love as I can while she's still with us.

I can only leave any cat lovers with this message. If you have a cat, a female cat. Get her fixed! It will be worth the $140. Having a female cat spayed within the first year of her life decreases the risk of several lift threatening diseases of which breast cancer is one.

Had I known that, Itchy would have been fixed when we got her, but she was a sickly kitty then and we didn't want to put her through it, since she's never left the house since she came into our lives.

~ sigh ~

Itchy, I love you little girl. I'm not ready for you to go yet.

Monday Morning I Sure Feel Fine

I don't even have to turn on Pickle on Monday Mornings anymore to get that song stuck in my head. It magically appears there every flipping Monday when my eyes open. I would seriously like to take Lindsey Buckingham and throttle him for that.

No.

I'd like to take that DJ from 99.3 WPKL and throttle him, because its his little Monday Morning joke to the world. The world should rebel against him for that. It's truly one of Lindsey's worst songs ever. Have I mentioned that before? I think I have. The song sucks! And yet it finds its way into my head as often as possible just to annoy me. Yummy Yummy Yummy didn't even do that.

Songs get stuck in my head enough without any help from idiots on the radio. I've seriously got to find an alternative to radio at work. It only serves to make me angry. Heck the media in general fills me with rage. If its not a commercial bastardizing some old song, it's a political ad, designed to make me not want to vote in the November election. Oh and if I get another call from the Obama campaign I think I'm going to scream. It's a shame they can't hear what I say whenever I pick up those calls.

GAH!

I think I lost track of what I was originally griping about. Now where is that Fleetwood Mac song? I think it's the lesser of the evils today. Monday morning I sure feel fine...Friday I've got traveling on my mind.

New Who

I'm in love with Series 4 of Doctor Who. I've watched the Christmas special and the first two episodes with the third sitting on my computer waiting to be watched today.

Catherine Tate has to be the best companion the show has seen since the late 70s early 80s. She doesn't take any shit from the Doctor and praise be, she isn't lusting after him. I love it when she calls him Martian Boy or Spaceman too!

Oh and The Voyage of The Damned with Kylie Minogue was fantastic as well. Had they not killed Kylie off she would have made a good companion. You just had to love her, plus she wasn't clinging and obnoxious like a certain other blonde that they cast on the show and who will be reappearing in this season. cough. cough. Rose. God I hate that character.

I look forward to watching Planet Of The Ood. Those weird creatures were one of my favorite aliens on the show, next to those warped Daleks! I love the Daleks! Exterminate! Exterminate! I have a few things they could exterminate!

Oh and have I mentioned lately that David Tennant is probably the hottest thing on the planet? Mmmm. Lovely. The show is really quite pretty to watch, which is a bonus for me, because I find so little prettiness on US telly.

Today I Want To Be Lazy

I had such plans for this weekend, but I can't see many of them coming to fruition. I have no motivation at all. None.

I was bit by the lazy bug HARD!

Reading looks like the most strenuous activity I might engage in.

~sigh~

At least next weekend is the Nick Lowe concert! I'm so excited about that! Though I'm really looking forward to a weekend where I can do something outside. But right now I don't have the gas money to do much of anything.

~shakes fist at the oil companies~

It's not fair that a trip thats about 50 miles is automatically budgeted at $70 just for gas.

I'm not middle class. I'm in the category known as the working poor. I have to be very careful of what I spend etc. I can't just up and go somewhere and not think about how much I'll spend on gas. Which means at $3.50 a gallon, I'm going to be a cranky girl sitting at home a lot.

Just convince me that I'm just being lazy and not because a trip anywhere will break the bank, m'kay?

Top 5 On Friday - Week 171

From Music Memoirs

Top 5 breakup songs

1. Herman's Hermits - I Can Take Or Leave Your Lovin
(Ouch Peter! Seriously this is a great song!)

2. Ann Margaret - I Ain't Gonna Be Your Fool No More
(Remember the Flintstone epi with this song? Yup! This is a great song too.)

3. Elvis Costello - Getting Mighty Crowded
(EC does the Motown sound really well for a white boy from the UK. This is one of my favorite songs)

4. Keri Noble - Watch Me Walk
(This song is great played loud while driving too!)

5. Gary Puckett & The Union Gap - By The Time I Get To Phoenix
(This song is almost to bittersweet to be a breakup song)

The Concert Gods

They've been smiling on me suddenly in a strange fashion for artists that I wouldn't expect to see. I've got decent seats for Gordon Lightfoot's show in June, Nick Lowe's show in a little over a week and it's possible I may see Peter Noone twice and even The Buckinghams again.

Wow!

I don't think I've had that kind of concert going year in quite awhile. And there's still a chance I might see Over The Rhine. Their show at Diesel in Pittsburgh was rescheduled and I think there are still tickets available. It's $20! I might be able to wing that without a problem! I'm playing it by ear for that one, since it's only about a week and a half before the Lightfoot show.

What might surprise or shock or amuse most people is that I don't really enjoy concerts. I hate all the bullshit that goes along with them. The pat downs before entering a venue, the wanker fans that are almost always drunk or are just wankers, the astronomical cost of anything at the venue from parking to a glass of diet soda.

I've had so many miserable experiences at shows that the great ones are often eclipsed. That's mainly because Pittsburgh has the 7 Layers Of Concert Hell for venues and security at all of them are wankers to the highest degree. It's no wonder most of my good experiences occurred in other states.

~sigh~

But at least the concert gods are being kind and smiling on me this year. Kinda!

Ever Have One Of Those Days?

Yesterday was one for me. Between my boss showing up at 3 o'clock with a butt load of stuff to annoy me with, having to get the cat to the vet for shots and dealing with a weird letter for my grandma about her home owner's insurance policy, yesterday was vile.

Oddly the getting the cat to the vet was the easiest part of my day. Oogie took his shot in the bum just fine and came home and slept the night away. Good kitty! Its the next cat that I fear taking. My Bootsie is not a social kitty and she's a huge kitty. Thank goodness I have a few months to prepare for her going. It will be a challenge.

The letter was what really sent me into fits of panic. You just don't want to read that a 101 year old lady's home owner's policy is canceled. Again I send up a silent prayer of thanks that it wasn't, but that's one letter that you don't ignore. I had to call and check. Which prompted them to have to call my grandmother to check and make sure they could talk to me, because I'm just a granddaughter etc.

I could really see my 101 year old grandmother trying to deal with an automated system on a rotary phone.

~head desk~

At least all was well. However, I think after the last bit, I've lost a few years off my life.