It's Wednesday....

And as I said yesterday, I've given up hunks for lent. (except for PH, cos well...he's special, but don't tell him that. He might get a swelled head)

I won't give up listening to the hunks though, because some wonderful friend of mine emailed me both brand new Justin Hayward tracks that came from a very expensive Soundtrack that's out in Europe.

The first song is called Celtic Heart. It's sappy Justin at his best. I think I've played it about 20 times already. I can't help it. It's gorgeous. The other song, Earth & Sky is just as beautiful.

These are the kinds of things that bring me intense joy.

And while I'm on the subject of joy, huge huggles to my Chicago mum. (who I hope gets her Cheer up CD soon) Bath and Body Works gift cards are one of my favorite things. They also give me an excuse to go to the mall. Yay!

The one thing that doesn't bring me joy about today...it's Ash Wednesday...and being that good little catholic girl..I have to fast and abstain.

That means that every fast food place will play commericals advertising big ole hamburgers today to taunt me. (Even if I had no intention of eating the hamburger) Maybe this will be a good thing though, maybe I'll lose those last 5 lbs.

Oh and now in more sad news...yesterday at about 7:30 we get a call from my brother. His first wife's sister, who is only 50, had an aneurysm and was in a coma. As of this morning, she's off life support and it's just a matter of time.

I didn't know her well, but I'm just so shaken by it. Plus I have no idea how I can offer any comfort to my brother's first wife, who is my godmother, though I think she forgets that now.

That's the one thing about divorce that bugs me. How do you shut off love for the other people and just close the door?

~sigh~

I guess I'll never understand that.

I'm "It"

I've always wanted to be an "it" girl.

Rules: Each player of this game starts off with ten weird things or habits or little known facts about yourself. People who get tagged must write in a blog of their own ten weird things or habits or little known facts as well as state this rule clearly. At the end you must choose six people to be tagged and list their names.

10 Weird Things About Me

1. When I like a band or an artist I have to acquire everything in their catalog. Right now I'm still working on Gary Puckett, Charlotte Martin, Grey Eye Glances, & Tommy James...and if Nick Lowe would ever reissue some of his stuff...

~sigh~

2. One drink in a big glass and I'm toast. The Purple Haze at The Hard Rock made me loopy in about half a big glass.

3. I didn't learn how to drive until I was 18....and then it wasn't an easy process.

4. I generally hate dessert...with one fatal exception: tiramisu.

5. Some people wake up to coffee, I wake up to Coca-cola and if I don't have that, I'm a bitch for the rest of the day.

6. I have never owned a new car, and I'm sad about that.

7. I seldom leave the house without makeup. I feel naked without at least lipstick and blush. It's one of those "I need to feel pretty" things.

8. I have a tendency to express my feelings openly, however embarrassing it may be for myself later. A lot of time it results in my having a size 8 foot in my mouth.

9. I still dance around when my favorite songs come on the radio or when my winamp plays them.

10. I don't trust people that don't like animals. I have 2 dogs and 3 cats (though the one dog isn't really ours but my sisters) When my Misty died in December it was like losing a child, same with Buddah in Nov. It was murder to me, losing two animals within 6 weeks of each other.

And now...6 people that are "it"

Cheryl, Bananas, Crse, Karen, Russ, and big sis.

Tomorrow Starts Lent

Oh lordy...all the "fish" jokes that could start going around. OK, they've already gone around in my household. Thankfully PH has heard none of them...yet. I'm not brave enough to tell him any, because...well they would be terribly suggestive, especially since I'm a semi-good little catholic girl.

Which brings me to the thing that gets asked of me every year at this time. What, are you giving up for Lent?

I hate that question.

If I say a food, well, it just seems like I'm using it as an excuse to diet. I'm already trying to do that. I have about 5 lbs to go to hit 125 again.

MOTD repeats..."stop shoveling food in your gaping piehole and the 5 lbs will go away, damn it."

This year I gave it careful consideration. I'm giving up the hunks for lent. Well, all but one...If that isn't sacrifice I don't know what is.

~sigh~

I would also like to give up this cold I seem to have caught, but it seems to have other ideas.

Blech and Other Stuff

~ I think I've coughed up more hairballs than a cat today. Not fun. I feel slightly better today than I have in the last few days. I still have that little piece of lung left that I haven't coughed up. Yay!

~ PH continues to baffle me. And I think his email hates me. Somehow my day doesn't seem to be quite right if I don't have at least one real communication with him. It's the little things in life that bring me joy.

~ I hope the Nyquil works a little longer tonight. I had no fun dreams and I was wide awake between 3 or 3:30 this morning. That's just not right. No one but PH should have to be awake at that hour.

~ I'm going to make another attempt at exercise. Between the cold and other things being on my mind, I've gotten off my schedule. I need to work back up to my hour workout soon. Today will not be it.

~ Oh and to the sweetie that played Sweet Cherry Wine this morning....

cyber smootchies.

~ My car gets inspected tomorrow. Fingers crossed Bernie doesn't cost me too much.

I've Created A Pickle Monster

I've mentioned my father has found an old tape deck and radio, haven't I? Have I mentioned how delighted he is that he found 99.3 and got it to come on in the kitchen?

He's estactic.

Now I know where my "easily amused" gene came from.

So now my dad sits in the kitchen with Pickle on. Plus he gets all gleeful when Petula Clark comes on. I've been informed my dad really likes Petula. And he keeps the radio on until my mother goes insane from Oldies Radio.

It's probably a good thing dad doesn't know about my little crush on PH. That could be strange. Come to think of it, I'm not sure even PH knows I have a little crush on him.

One thing for sure...every morning, you can hear The Pickle in "stereo" in my house.

Need To Rant

Will someone please have some pity on the sick girl? Anyone?

This would be the rant where the sick girl wants to talk to some form of human life only to find that all her friends aren't available. The best part is that one such friend said she would call this weekend.

I'm living in a powder keg right now. And if I don't vent/rant to someone pretty soon, I'm going to explode. Grey matter will be everywhere. What little brain I have will be all over my computer.

Isn't that a nice visual?

Sorry.

Oh and my cell phone is broke. Not broke in the "it doesn't work" sort of way, but broke in the way that the flip part of the phone is cracked. So for those of you that have my cell...please don't use it. Call my regular line. This piece of crap cell has to last until April 18. (Fat chance of that happening) This cheap ass, doesn't want to have to pay for a new phone, when I'm due one that's semi-free. And erm, if you don't have the regular line....email me and I'll give it to you, assuming you want to listen to a girl with a voice much like Carol Channing or Bloo from Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends

Wait, I'm not done. The Oogietard decided to jump on the monitor, sending the phone flying off my desk today. Praise be, that it didn't break any further than it is already.

I just hope some poor unsuspecting human doesn't ask me how my weekend was. I don't want to hurt anyone and I think that's the question that might blow my gasket.

I Want A Hug & A Lap & Something Alcoholic

The first person to get me all three of those has my undying love.

And while under the influence of Nyquil, yet again....I made a mix CD

It's called:

~drumroll please~

A Glass for me... And a glass for me



This is the tracklist

1. Elvis Costello - Mouth Almighty (Because I find I shoot my mouth off once or twice nightly)
2. Tommy James - Ordinary Girl (Tommy wrote a song that bested Nowhere Man)
3. Justin Hayward - Sometimes Less Is More (This song is my mantra right now)
4. The Beatles - Nowhere Man (Sitting in my nowhere land...making all my nowhere plans for nobody. Thanks John!)
5. Oingo Boingo - Try To Believe (Read the lyrics and you'll understand)
6. The Moody Blues - Question (Alternate Version) (Best Moodies lyrics and someone knows my favorite song of Jus' from the core 7 era)
7. Charlotte Martin - Your Armor (Trying to wear down someone's armor is not easy)
8. Erasure - In The Name Of The Heart (Just call me darlin', M'kay?)
9. George Harrison - Cloud 9 (I'll see you there on Cloud 9)
10. Gordon Lightfoot - Inspiration Lady (This is the most beautiful song ever and I'll get sappy if I go on, so I won't)
11. Nick Lowe - Cruel To Be Kind (I tease the ones I love the most)
12. Donnie Iris - Little Black Dress (I still don't know if I give good leg yet)
13. Billie Myers - Am I Here Yet (Return To Sender) (I just have good memories of a fun work week associated with this song and Cleveland OH)
14. Billy Joel - You May Be Right (And I may be crazy. No wait. I think I am crazy)
15. Paul McCartney - Figure Of Eight (I run in figures of 8 all the damn time)
16. Traveling Wilburys - Handle With Care (The title speaks for itself)
17. Duran Duran - Want You More (Gratuitous Duran Duran song)
18. Jimmy Buffett - Fins (Never you mind why I picked this song)
19. Rob Thomas - Lonely No More (This is another cathartic song for me)
20. Diana Krall - Narrow Daylight (This song was written about her mom. I've attached similar feelings to it too. I can hear Elvis' influence in the songwriting too. It's one of my all time favorite songs)

Sunday Is My Funday

Ok, I'm going to see Music and Lyrics, with or without the nephew. I need to see this movie. Assuming this snow squall goes away. Because if it doesn't, I'll have to listen to my mother guilt trip me into staying home. It's much easier to just stay at home then lose an ear to her worrying that I can't drive in snow.

Right now, I need some eye candy and whatnot. Hugh Grant is always good for the eyes. However he's not my first choice of things to stare at right now. But that's neither here nor there. Any movie would make me happy, even a bad one. I need out of the house again. If I don't get out of the house, I'm opening a bottle of Arbor Mist and watching Yellow Submarine.

Mind you I shouldn't be going anywhere as I feel like I've been hit by a small bus. I can barely string together two coherent sentences. So that makes the prospect of watching Beatle movies much more appealing.

I'm also making another mix...This one is a "Me" mix. Significant songs in my life, etc. Or at least significant stuff right now. Stuff that's best played while speeding down I-70 to Wash, PA singing at the top of my lungs. (off key is the only way to go)

I don't think I've made this many mix CDs in ages. And for those of you interested this is the tracklisting for my Chicago Mom's mix. I hope she likes it.

Maybe I should go back to bed for a bit and see if I can get my brain cells to flow a bit better than they are now.

PAH!

~ I'm ready to start throwing it all away.. Ok not the CDs they are my life source, if they were gone, I'm fairly certain I would perish. This girl cannot live on Pickle alone, especially on the weekends. But the rest of the crap I'm ready to toss...Ok, not my books either...but the rest of it. I've got 2 bags of clothes ready for Goodwill.

~ I made a mix CD for my Chicago Mom. It's called Come On, Get Happy.

This is the picture I found for the front cover



The mix went a little heavy on Jimmy Buffett, but if Jimmy can't make you happy, well I think a mere mix CD won't do the trick. Here's hoping a dose of Jimmy works. I hate to see my Chicago mom sad.

~ I just found the shirt I wore to the Peter Noone concert in Oct. I'm now trying to figure out how I wore a bra with the damn thing. Someday I'll wear it again, assuming we ever get warm weather again.

Worse still, I found the shirt I wore to the Costello show in July of '05. Way to look slutty, MOTD. I love it when I get courageous with my wardrobe. I usually look back and go, what the hell was I thinking but in the case of the Costello concert, I'm safe to say I was skinny, tan and with a gorgeous haircut and well, for once in my life I have to say, I looked like a hottie.

~ I've still got Yummy Yummy Yummy in my head. When Ohio Express ends up high on my Audioscrobbler Top 10..I'm going to slap PH upside the head. (Gently of course)


~ Elfmany Hotness



Pardon me while I drool..a little...OK, a lot. And damn the credits for rolling. I could drool on Mr. Elfman for ages.

The Further Adventures Of The Mistress Of The Dark On Nyquil

Oh yes, besides the old "Open Mouth, Insert Foot" deal that the come down from Nyquil produces

~ Note to self never do what seems like a good idea when Nyquil hasn't worn off.

Nyquil produces "DREAMS"

However not of the "good" variety. I've noticed that my dreams even conspire against me.

I've been in a Nyquil induced coma and a "sick" coma for the last 12 hours off and on...I have to say even a weird dream is better than nothing.

I dreamt I was at a Tommy James concert. That's all well and good, I fell asleep somewhere around my theme song last night, so that makes sense. I was in the first 3 rows dead center. (Something that's only happened to me once) Of course the zoom camera isn't with me and I'm trying to get pictures, only I can't. And I remember wanting to show the pictures to PH.

~ Note to self no more Tommy James before bed.

Oh and here's the silly part, Tommy was opening for The Moody Blues.

Boy was that a dream. I woke up before the Moodies took to the stage however, which just adds to the suckyness of the dream.

I think I need to lay off the Nyquil for awhile and just suffer through my cold.

Top 5 On Friday - Week 111

Hey! I did the topic this week. Are you proud?

So from Music Memoirs

Top 5 Sexy Lyrics....and tell us why you find em' sexy

Oingo Boingo - Pictures Of You

Pictures of you
It's just pictures of you, through the bedroom door
With that sly little grin, says you want it some more
But there's people around, and they don't look so nice
Tell me why don't they move, this has happened before
This has happened before
It's just pictures of you
In darkness

Danny Elfman is the king of make me shiver lyrics.

Oingo Boingo - Elevator Man

Friction and harmony - who's gonna ride with me
I'm the elevator man

Who's going down who's comin with me
Who wants to take a chance
On a piece of abstract reality
It's only just a dance
Won't you come and ride with the elevator man
Who's goin down yeah - movin slow without a sound

Not only would I strip to this song...but I'd get all hot and bothered by it at the same time.

Elvis Costello - Little Triggers

Little triggers that you pull with your tongue.
Little triggers. I don't wanna be hung up, strung up,
when you don't call up.
Little sniggers on your lips.
Little triggers in your grip.
Little triggers. My hand on your hip.

Is it getting warm in here? I think the lyrics speak for themselves.

Elvis Costello - I'm Not Angry

I got you talking with your hands, got you smiling with your legs.

This line always heats me up. This is one of my favorite E.C. songs too.

But I've saved the best for last

The Moody Blues - Deep

Every time I hear the sound of the rain
Beating on my roof again
I want to taste your love
And I want to go deep
Deep
I want to go deep
Deep
I want to go deep

Every time I lift my eyes to the sky
Something in my heart asks why
I want to know the truth
And I want to go deep
Deep
I want to go deep

Like the footprints
Disappearing from the sand
I try to catch the thought
It slips right through my hand
And as the darkness
Throws it's cloak upon the ground
I start to run to you
I've got to take you down
I want to go deep
Deep
I want to go deep
Deep
I want to go deep

Every time I feel I'm loosing my way
The power of your love remains
I want to touch your love
An' I want to go deep
Deep
I want to go deep
Deep
I want to go deep
Deep
I want to go deep

MOTD is on the floor, screaming take me I'm yours. How could this song not be sexy?

And This Is How My Morning Went

OK...let me just go on from the Yummy X 3 incident to about now. But let me first say that when I take Nyquil I should not be allowed to operate machinery or phones. It's safer that way.

1. I go downstairs to get my morning can of Coke and my mom, who is listening to Pickle, because my dad has found an old radio and has in fact become a "Pickle Monster", heard the little shout out.

Mom: "Was that you he was talking about?"

MOTD: Grinning stupidly "I think so. And my ears are bleeding and no I didn't have anything to do with it."

So I set out to create a payback. However the Nyquil was against me....that combined with MOTD's nerves that are always on edge when she tries to do something stupid involving PH; made me into Lord Goddess Queen Of The Dorkalopes once more.

2. It's Friday Free For All so I was armed with a good request...however...all the Coca-cola in the world hasn't cleared my fuzzy head. So when I called in...enter...silly teenage girl voice. Worse still...at some point this morning...I decided to try my hand at flirting again.

I think I failed miserably again.

PH however got a laugh out of my pain...so I guess that's bonus points for him.

So around 9:30 when my request got played, The Moody Blues so I could grin stupidly...Mom says: "You know he probably thinks you're a tard"

MOTD: "Quite possibly."

Of course...when I gave him my phone number for the contest...I sealed my dorkalope-ness and told him he should put it in his pocket.

Yeah. Me on Nyquil is a bad thing. I should not be allowed to operate a phone when I'm on Nyquil. I probably shouldn't be allowed to be on a computer either for that matter.

So for the record the score is now

MOTD: 9 (I scored points for trying)
PH: 76 (He scored for messing with my head, and turning me into The Queen of the Dorkalopes again)

I'm Cold ....Sick...And Giggling

PH is smoking something or had something really good in his coffee this morning. Something really good.

Because someone thought it would be amusing to play Yummy Yummy Yummy and send it out to ....yours truly.

Well that woke me from my Nyquil induced haze.

However I'm going to be on such a strange high for the rest of the day that I can probably exist without meds.

Though there is one thing I'd like to inform the public at large...and to one person especially:

Friends don't let other friends play Yummy Yummy Yummy, even if they are paid to.

This public service announcement was sponsored by The Mistress Of The Dark's bleeding ears.

Is It Friday Yet?

A little randomosity for you.

~ It's good to see humor in things, it really is. I'm making a mix CD for my Chicago Mom...and she demanded that I put The Damned's The Turkey Song on the mix. I haven't been through this band's mp3 folder in awhile....so when I opened it...I found a long since forgotten song. And the title of that song....

Are you sure you want to know?

I thought you did.

FISH!

Oh lordy I forgot that one. It's such a stinkbomb of a song too, compared to some of their other stuff...but for obvious reasons I listened and fell out of my chair laughing.

I hope PH hasn't heard that one.

~ Only a burgh boy could come up with the line "You give good leg" and then put it in a song that is now stuck in the big jukebox in my head. C'mon in Mr. Iris...There's room. Sure, bring luggage.

Now it has me wondering, "Do I give good leg in my little black dress?"

Hmmmm.

~ Everything is breaking right now. My cell phone is on its last legs and my new every two won't kick in until April 18. Fuck! My phone isn't going to last that long. It needs a bandaid! I'd try to get my line transferred to the old phone but my battery didn't want to charge so I got the new phone...ARGH! I'm doomed.

~ Where's my refund check! I need it now! I needed it yesterday. It's my money! I want it now!

~ I need Nyquil. NOW! My dad had a cold the end of last week. Guess who has it now?

~ Oh and for those of you that want to know YES, I do want cheese with my whine.

Thursday Thirteen

Thirteen things that are making me a bit crazy right now.

1. The weather! That damn rodent that predicted an early spring better confer with a higher power, because so far there's no sign of good weather for another damn week. ARGH!

2. My Saturday plans have gone awry. I'm going to whine now. I don't want to stay in my house all weekend. Someone have pity on me!

3. Ok...I don't know why it crept in my winamp playlist but Ohio Express' Yummy cubed reared it's ugly head to torment me. I listened to it a bit more closely this time however...cos this song is such a freaking train wreck that you kinda have to do that, just because you can't believe any person could write this kinda monstrosity.

So I googled lyrics...and well

Yummy, Yummy, Yummy, I got love in my tummy
And I feel like a-lovin you
Love, you're such a sweet thing
Good enough to eat thing
And it's just a-what I'm gonna do

Well...erm..eh...I guess the song is kinda about what I thought it was about. Yeah. Oye! I will never listen to it in quite the same way. However my ears will still bleed when I hear it.

And I wonder what kind of drugs whoever wrote that song was on at the time. Must've been some good stuff. Yikes!

3. My mother is starting to get the list together for my grandmother's birthday party on March 10. After all, you can't let an occasion like a 100th b-day go by. However the family that's coming for the party happens to be posh. That means I have to be on my best behavior. That's no fun at all.

4. Waiting for my refund check. ARGH! I lost 2 days of work this week because of the snow. (No pay for those) I need that check NOW!

5. Discovering I have no clean jeans to wear to work. I'm such a tard, and I should have done 2 loads of laundry the other day. Have I mentioned I hate doing laundry?

6. Trying to learn something only to have the person teaching you take over. I'm still trying to get my cooking skills perfected. I'm getting there. No one's been sent to the hospital after my dinners, but I'm damn sick of mom trying to take over half way.

7. The whole family living under one roof. 6 more days damn it! I can not wait. Then life will return to almost normal, which is about as good as it can get. (Someone save me, I don't think I can last that long)

8. Those damn Target commericals that are making a mockery of The Beatles Hello, Goodbye. Hello Good Buy. That's not funny. It is damn annoying.

9. Losing my online mom's phone number. ARGH! I had something I wanted to tell her and I went through all my IM archives and couldn't find it anywhere. With my luck, the fucktard will be in all day and I won't get to talk to her until 4 o'clock.

10. My computer chair deciding that now is a good time to fall apart. Yay one more trip to Walmart. Just what I needed.

11. Cleaning only to have what was cleaned wrecked by the extra people in the house. I would just like to add, that someone else better be cleaning the damn bathroom next week.

12. Insomnia. Where has this come from? I haven't been able to sleep until midnight for the last 3 nights and I've been wide awake at the most insane hours.

13. Here's something that's making me crazy that will make PH giggle.

There are 4 radios in our second floor...all set to 99.3, my mum's clock radio, my clock radio, the radio in my CD player and the one on my stereo. I wake up to Pickle at 5:30 (the asscrack of dawn). At least I used to wake up to Pickle. It seems my clock radio is possessed. When my alarm goes off...I get a few moments of Pickle and then it fades...and turns into 99.3 The Laurel Highlands Rock Station.

ARGH!

In Altoona!

Rock smashes pickle. That's just a little fyi.

It's even worse when the alarm goes off and it's already decided to be The Laurel Highlands Rock Station.

I don't ever want to wake up to Axl Rose or The Black Crowes. I can stand waking up to Def Leppard...but not those. And this only happens on my clock radio. The 3 other radios all play The Pickle.

~shakes head~

Go ahead laugh, but it makes me suffer.

OK, I Take Back Whatever I Said About Valentine's Day

Let's recap this day so that I can pinch myself at a later date.

~ Snow Day! No work. Yay! Oh wait...no pay next week. Boo! But still I got to sit home and play! Yay!

~ PH made me giggle several times this morning. OK, PH made me grin like a cheshire cat this morning.

~ Grandma gave me $20 for cleaning her sidewalk. Oh, money for playing in the snow. Me shoveling is quite a sight. Snow on top of ice on a sidewalk that's on a decent grade and I'm going from top to bottom. The shovel and I slid many times. And the amount of times I landed on my butt? 0. Amazing. So I got paid for having fun. Yay!

~ Got on the evil scale of doom and guess what? 129. Oh lordy. I've just shared my weight again. Must remember to stop that. I think it has to do with my being keyed up and whatnot the last few days. I've kinda forgotten to eat. I really want to lose about 10 lbs so I have a 5 lb reserve for any vacationing. When I go to Atlantic City I need that reserve so the bathing suit fits through the whole trip. Yikes...shared too much again.

~ I got my Rachael Sage CD from LaLa today. Yay! More CDs. Boo! Running out of room for them.

~ Played my Tommy James CD until the nephew threatend me with death. ~grins evilly~ The nephew is also my godson, and well, I live to annoy him, because it's so much fun. (And so easy)

Really it was a good day. I gave up on the usual trappings of the day a long time ago. I want none of that. I never want flowers or any other false displays of affection. I've had enough of that. Today was nice. Very nice indeed. I can only think of one or two things that would have made it better....but I'm content with the way it's turned out...and now I'm going to find my warm jammies and fuzzy slippers and curl up somewhere with a good CD and a book.

Valentine's Day Hunks

I wouldn't want a Wednesday to go by without the hunks...but today the hunks are special...these are my hunks. Try to ignore that really weird looking girl that seemed to be in all these pics.

First up the hunk I've met on more than one occasion.



Mr. Elvis Costello. The Queen of the Dorkalopes looks very happy here, but how could she not when standing next to that kind of gorgeousness.



This is me with Graeme Edge, Bernie Barlow and Norda Mullen of Camp Moody Blues at the Westin in Cincy. And my posse is with me. (The posse being big sis and my good friend Cheryl)



Loved the dress from this picture...hate how I look. That's Eddie Izzard for those of you that don't know. And erm...he's wearing more makeup than I am. Yikes!



I hate hate hate this picture. But that is the look of pure joy on my face and John's hand was on my then ample backside.

Oh and I've forgotten the Improv cutie, Brad Sherwood.



I got to put my hand on his butt legitimately! Woot! Love this picture.


Oh and I generally don't talk to people through my blog...but I have one more song for PH.

The Monkees - P.O. Box 9847

Now I'll sit back and wait for the cyberslap that's due me for that one. And PH knows to what I'm referring to.

Don't make me yell at you!

Happy Valentine's Day

I think it was said best by the character Cameron on House. Valentine's Day is for couples. For the rest of us it's Wednesday.

Damn I wish I would have thought of that.

I'm in the Happy Wednesday category, but since I'm Queen of the Dorkalopes I have to do one dorkalope thing.

So for my friend who will probably be canonized for putting up with my emails for the last few months...I have a special Valentine's Day present.

George Harrison - I Don't Want To Do It

George Harrison - Abandoned Love

(These two are from 12 Arnold Grove)

Elvis Costello - You've Got To Hide Your Love Away
(One of the best Beatles covers ever)

Elvis Costello - Puppet Girl
(This is one of the Wendy James Demos. I think it made a b-side of one of the Brutal Youth singles)

~right now said friend is going...please don't post Radio Sweetheart~

All right, I won't. But I'll pout about it. Cos it has that cuteness factor that makes you go Awwwwww, right before you reach for the barf bag.

Elvis Costello - Basement Kiss
(Another Wendy James demo)

There are more from that demos disc...but these are my favorites.

And now for something completely different...

Duran Duran - Magic Bus
(This one might fall under the stinkbomb category, but considering what made the final cut of Thank You, this is a blessing)

Duran Duran - Bedroom Toys (Agterhuis smoking weed mix)
(Don't know if you have Astronaut, but this song is the best comic relief and I rather like this mix. Plus the subject matter is just..well....how to put it...amusing)

Bernie Barlow - Down By The Sea

Keri Noble - Talk To Me

Humor me on these two, m'kay. The first one is a cover of a Men At Work tune and damn if I can not find a copy of the original song, so I guess someone will have to tell me later if Bernie murdered it.

Oh and since it is Valentine's Day I come with candy.



(just because I'm a dorkalope and I couldn't resist making one of these while I was waiting for the laundry to finish)

And yes, I got a bit overzealous as usual.

~Looks sheepishly to the floor~

Enjoy your present. And it wouldn't hurt to let me know which ones you liked...hated or wanted to beat me over the head with a stick for making you listen to.

Happy Valentine's Day!

xoxoxo
The Mistress Of The Dark

PS...there should be an ecard coming your way...but I'm falling asleep at the keyboard right now...

Because I Needed A Laugh

Yay for Greg Proops!







And The Creature From Essex! Squee! Have I mentioned I met Eddie Izzard when he was in Pittsburgh on the Sexie! Tour?

Oh Hell

I think I have foot in mouth disease bad. Actually I just want to crawl under a rock and hide.

By now you've seen the comment left by my Fishy. Ok, he's not my Fishy....that's just a small pipe dream I have, because I think I've probably scared the crap out of the man.

Damn and blast. Why can't I keep my big mouth shut. Why? Why? Why?

And why am I typing this? Because I'm a glutton for punishment.

I also feel like a great booby. (As Gaston Leroux wrote in The Phantom Of The Opera) See, after all the ranting the other day, I thought, maybe I've been a huge pest of the most obnoxious variety. So I thought to myself, maybe I should just lay low for a day or two. See I felt like I was being a gigantic fucktard, so I thought it best not to email him yesterday.

Mayhem thus ensues, because I took a few small words wrong and because sometimes I don't quite see the bright side of life.

Now I don't quite know what to do, shy of saying I don't bite. Honest! Unless of course I'm asked and then it's gently. (Probably shouldn't have typed that, but hey...if I'm going to dig a hole, it might as well be a deep hole so I could dive right in when necessary.)

But for all it's worth...


Click here to get your own player.



I'd send hugs, but erm....I don't want to invade his space...or rather his cyberspace.

Suffice to say, I feel like the Lord Goddess Queen of the Dorkalopes now..I'm ready to lead my mighty herd of dorkalopes across the dorkalope plain.

Love Is All You Need

For those of you that need help saying I ♥ you to that special someone, here are a few songs that could help you out, actually here are 24 of them. If you download them all, it might make a good mix CD. I didn't check the times though, so it very likely goes over 80 minutes, but hey, that's what mp3 players are for!

01. Tommy James - Love Words
(All the love's in your words if you say them right....)

I'm waiting for my dance. My toes can handle it. Honest. I've also noticed that this song hasn't been played on Pickle in awhile. ~sigh~ Of course it wouldn't be a good idea for me to go all dreamy eyed when I'm working, so it's probably a good thing.

02. Gordon Lightfoot - Inspiration Lady
(Jill's choice would be Beautiful, but this song is perfect in my eyes. No song is more beautiful than this.)

03. Diana Krall - From This Moment On
(This version of the Cole Porter classic is a wonderfully perky way to get a point across)

04. Elvis Costello - I Want You
(This is probably the most angsty love-ish type song ever written. Done live, it's breathtaking and makes me very jealous of Diana Krall)

05. Oingo Boingo - Stay
(Danny Elfman's voice = sex. N'uff said)

06. The Moody Blues - All That Is Real Is You
(Justin Hayward says love in the most beautiful and simple ways.)

07. Justin Hayward - Sometimes Less Is More
(Another one of the best songs ever written. It's really a necessity to hear this one. I'd dance to it too.)

08. Paul McCartney - Maybe I'm Amazed
(If this doesn't say I love you, I don't know what else does)

09. John Lennon - Love
(I think the title speaks for itself. The Dream Academy did a gorgeous cover of this song as well)

10. Midge Ure - Sweet N' Sensitive Thing
(Midge Ure is one of the best songwriters from the 80's. This song is from the album Pure, which went unnoticed...Almost any song from this album could melt the coldest heart)

I build my world around you...dreamed of a life beside you. I lay my heart upon the ground. My sweet n' sensitive thing

11. Siouxsie & The Banshees - The Last Beat Of My Heart
(Yes, I've gone all 80's goth here on you. Siouxsie shouldn't be neglected. This song is a live version from Twice Upon A Time, which if I remember correctly came from Lalapalooza)

12. Three Dog Night - An Old Fashioned Love Song
(Have I ever requested this one? I can't remember. But oddly this is the 2nd song by TDN to get stuck in my head. It's a great tune. But this is another band that doesn't have many stinkbombs in their catalog)

13. Ann Wilson & Robin Zander - Surrender To Me
(Anyone remember this song from the Tequila Sunrise soundtrack besides me? An unlikely duet that turned out rather well.)

14. Cliff Richard - I Will Not Be A Mistake
(This is off one of Cliff's more recent albums. Cliff doesn't get the recognition he deserves. Yes, he does pop music but he has a fine voice. This song gives me shivers)

15. Nick Lowe - Let's Stay In And Make Love
(Nick Lowe has the best idea. I can't argue with him one iota.)

16. Michael Crawford - Unexpected Song
(Mr. Crawford, aka The Phantom Of The Opera, does a beautiful version of this song from Andrew Lloyd Webber's Song And Dance. Michael has one of the most beautiful voices in music. This is another song that could melt the hardest heart. My dance card allows the man of my choice 3 dances....this is the third)

17. George Harrison - Beautiful Girl
(Yeah, Yeah, Yeah George wrote Something and yes, it's gorgeous, but I'm partial to this song I'm pretty sure he wrote about Olivia.)

18. Duran Duran - Come Undone
(This is just a sexy song, no ifs ands or buts about it)

19. Paul Stookey - The Wedding Song
(Beautiful is the only way I can describe this song)

20. Dean Martin - Ain't That A Kick In The Head
(I bow to Dino's infinite greatness. I believe this song was originally heard on Oceans 11)

21. Sarah McLachlan - Possession
(Another totally sexy song.)

My body aches to breathe your breath, you're words keep me alive

22. Caroline Lavelle - A Case Of You
(Joni Mitchell's most covered song, I swear. There's something haunting about this version though above all others, including Diana Krall's version which I love as well)

23. Adam Ant - Beautiful Dream
(I'm confusing love and sex right now, but don't we all do that every now and then? Although I'd like to imagine Adam as he was in the early 90's, SEXY as opposed to right now, which is anti-sexy)

24. Erasure - Tenderest Moments
(Gorgeous. I'd be Andy Bell's Valentine, but I'm not his type. Damn and blast)

Random 10 - Week 92

From the ladies @ 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'm tempted to say my whole weekend was all about the Tommy James Hold The Fire CD again. I just can't get enough of it. I recommend it to everyone that is a fan of that wonderful brand of pop music that only came from the 1960's

Tommy James - Ordinary Girl (Move over Nowhere Man, this is fast becoming my new theme song)

Tommy James - Hold The Fire (Sung at the top of my lungs while driving down I-70 is a wonderful thing)

Tommy James - Love Words (If I could have a slow dance with the man of my choice...and you can guess who that would be...this would be the song. And I don't care if my choice would trod on my toes either)

Keri Noble - Talk To Me

Come and talk to me
What are you waiting for
'Cuz I can see you passing every day and I'm always wanting more
Come and talk to me
What are you gonna do
'Cuz I can't seem to get the nerve to get off my own ass
And come and talk to you

I think Keri has summed things up nicely for me.

Gordon Lightfoot - Cotton Jenny
Gordon Lightfoot - Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald
Gordon Lightfoot - Alberta Bound]
Gordon Lightfoot - Hangdog Hotel Room
(Has it been mentioned that Gordon Lightfoot brings me joy)

Tom Jones - You Can Leave Your Hat On
(I love the cheesy goodness that is Tom Jones)

Rosie Thomas - Much Farther To Go
(She's kinda Sarah McLachlan-ish. I love this song)

Now for the picture....If you look out the window by my computer desk, this is what you'd see. (However I walked up the hill a block to take this one. 10x Zoom is a wonderful thing considering this is the I-70 bridge and I live closer to the Monessen Bridge)

There's Nothing To Fear...Except

Failure. Some people may say fear itself, and I'm apt to agree with that too, but failure really gets me quaking in my boots. It's the major reason why I've never sent those novels I wrote anywhere. It's that fear of rejection. It ties my stomach up in knots.

Photography? I hate the idea of sending something of mine away never to be seen again. Mind you I could get other prints made, but it's the fear of my photo sitting around and then getting tossed away like a piece of garbage.

And yes, fear has kept me from just spitting out the words that might put me out of my misery in yet another situation. I just can't do it. Those words won't even come out of my mouth. (Yes, I'm being vague, but I won't even put them out to be read in the off chance that person would stop by) I think I was more coherent in speaking to Graeme Edge (before he bought all the amaretto sours) than I am when I talk to this person. My voice gets all shaky and I miraculously turn soprano. Lordy it's not a pretty picture. It's even worse when I later hear myself on the air sounding like a lovestruck teenager. BLECH! It makes me want to slap myself. With a crowbar. And yet I continuously put myself through hell. Cos I apparently like the pain!

Someday I'll overcome the fear, but I doubt it's going to happen anytime soon.

It's A Mini Me!

I think it's pretty scary when one of those little Yahoo avatar dolls looks pretty much dead on like I do. Hell, the damn thing even has a cat that resembles Oogie.

But since I decided to post my mini me (so to speak) I thought I'd share a few random factoids (I like that word) about myself. Perhaps it will clear up some things for some people.

~ cough, cough. hack cough, cough ~

1. I have a grandmother that's going to be 100 on March 10th. I do a good portion of her shopping, as well as the laundry with her once a week. Everyday I check in on her, get her mail and her newspaper and make sure all is well. Grandma lives across the street from us.

2. Mom is 73 and dad is 80. I was an afterthought child. The youngest of 3 children, which were spread out. My brother is 54 and my sister is 45. I'm 32. I stay at home with them, because mom has a bad heart condition and my dad can only do so much. My brother lives in OH and my sister has a family of her own, so that responsibility falls on my shoulders.

3. I have a bachelor's degree in Business Administration and I sometimes wonder if it was worth the paper it was printed on. I graduated with honors from California University Of PA aka CUP or if you are from the area, I graduated from 13th Grade. A vast majority of the students from the area end up there. PAH!

4. My CD collection is more important to me than my car. I think my collection is worth more than my car too, but that doesn't take much as my car is an embarrassment to all vehicles on the road.

5. My first musical memories are of watching The Monkees and The Beatles cartoons. My favorite Beatles song will forever be I'll Follow The Sun. I commandeered my brother's copy of Beatles '65 and I still have it. What's really funny is that George Harrison is my favorite Beatle, not Paul McCartney. (He's 2nd)

6. My happiest memories involve music: Meeting John Lodge and Graeme Edge of The Moody Blues (getting a bit drunk with Graeme Edge too), meeting Elvis Costello (He gives good hugs), and meeting Peter Noone. (There are other celebs I've met but these made me happiest) Hmm, I recall meeting someone else at that Peter Noone show but...nevermind.

7. My two hobbies are writing and photography. I've written countless stories including 2 finished novels that I'm too scared to do anything with. The fear of rejection is something I've yet to overcome. My digital camera is my best friend.

8. Atlantic City, Erie, Cincinnati and Lancaster/Philly (suburbs) are places that I would rather be right now. Great photo ops in all these places too. The funny part about my loving Atlantic City is that I don't really gamble. I do however like to shop, walk the Boardwalk and eat funnel cake, assuming the seagulls don't steal it first.

9. I miss Metropol and Rosebud more than I care to admit. I saw some great shows at these two clubs and Metropol had 80's night on Saturdays. It was great fun and a wonderful excuse to dress erm...up, yeh, dress up and then go to Eat N' Park for the Midnight Buffett!

10. I'm a reformed spoiled brat, OK a quasi reformed spoiled brat. I still like to have my way, but now I know when to toe the line so to speak. I also know that you can't always get what you want, however badly you want it. I also think that sucks.

Ah The Joys Of Shopping

There's nothing that can't be cured by a good trip to the mall. But really it was a good day. I got my grandmother's shopping done before noon. My mix cd was made by noon and I had plastic in my wallet.

What? Don't yell, I didn't spend that much. I have a theory. If I'm using credit I will only charge something that I can pay off in one month or two. I charged a blissful $100 bucks.

4 little words: Free gift at Lancome!

So now I'm in the possession of a new concealer and foundation and some spiffy makeup. I also have a sexy little DKNY shirt and a black and white sweater that's really darling. (Pretend you hear a snobbish voice saying that please)

My mix CD kicked boot-tay, however my car CD player hates Tommy James with a passion that cannot be described. Have I mentioned I hate everything about Bernie the Beretta? I did a rather horrid thing with my mix...I did blocks of songs rather than my usual piecing together of tracks. So my mix is 3 Tommy James songs, 2 Grass Roots songs, 4 Three Dog Night songs, 2 songs by The Bangles (don't ask), many songs by Gordon Lightfoot and a few carelessly added songs by a few other artists.

There is nothing more cathartic than singing Hold The Fire at the top of your lungs while driving 70 mph down I-70 to Washington, thanking the lord that the state police weren't out to see you speeding.

The second most cathartic thing was drinking a wonderfully mind-numbing Italian Margarita at Garfield's in the mall. Yummy. Two things that there can't be enough of in life, amaretto and tequilla! Mind you this was the first drinky poo I've had in yonks that wasn't a wine cooler.

Life feels so much better right now, and I can ignore the fact that we're supposed to get a buttload of snow tomorrow night. Yuck! Or rather Fuck!

For Those Of You Keeping Score

Well all's fair they say, right? And I've been tallying up the score. I think I'm falling behind.

Andrea: 6
Fish: 46

I'm really far behind.

Apparently I failed Flirting 101 in high school, and if I didn't he did. Somehow I think it was me though. I remember high school vividly and I wish I could forget it. Blech! Anyone that says those are the best years of your life are lying to ya. Truth be told the last 5 years of my life, though they've not been a financial picnic, have been pretty damn good.

But I digress.

I scored on the make the guy blush category at least twice. I think. Though perhaps that 101 was more in the annoy the guy category, I'm not sure.

However I think most of those 46 points came with a few small words.

How do you have time for all this?

Ouch! That hurt.

The Mistress of the Dark takes a hit and she's down. Not for the count however, because she's still not sure how to take those words. I've taken them out of context but still they rankle. Cos I'm not sure if those were an insult or a "wow you are so cool, how can you be so creative and still think I'm the cutest thing since puppies and kitties."

Suffice to say the only way a person will know how I have time for all of this

~cough cough....HACK....cough cough~

would be to know a bit more about me...and The Mistress of the Dark doesn't feel the need to share more than she's done.

And on that note, I'm going to burn a mix CD and go shopping. Because the only things that make me feel good when I'm down are music and shopping!

Frozen

The Monongahela River is beautifully frozen, and fool that I am I had to get pictures of it. Since my little hamlet of Charleroi on Mon doesn't have any good spots for picture taking I went to Monongahela to snap my pictures.

I was thrilled to see a rivergull (Hey, the sea is about 7 hours away and Lake Erie's about 3...so these are river gulls cos I said so!)



The river was gorgeous and it was damn amusing to watch the gulls and ducks walking on the ice. (While I stood shivering with my nephew)



I was quite pleased to catch the gull in flight in this one. It turned out quite nice.


Here's a wide shot with the Monongahela Bridge in the background.



After we finished taking these shots I drove to Mingo Creek Park. (Yes, Jill, there are covered bridge pictures) I witnessed a rather large hawk making short work of a ....erm...FISH! Got a little teary eyed there. I have some gorgeous shots around the Henry and Ebeneezer Bridges which I'll post at the photoblog later. Right now I just want to thaw out.

I've Got Plans For Next Weekend!

Holy hell! I'm actually getting out and about with a friend next weekend! That's unbelievable! The way it looks I'm going to see Dreamgirls because I'm curious and I'm going to dinner with my friend Karen, who I catsit for.

Yay!

Assuming that it doesn't snow or the deep freeze doesn't settle back in.

But I haven't got to the funny part yet. I told my mum about this. Cos lately I've not been the happiest camper at home for some pretty obvious reasons, and I thought she'd be happy for me.

This is what she said, "Now you have something to look forward too."

Said in that motherly tone of voice that means, "Now you don't have to go anywhere this weekend, except where I need you to go."

Honestly I'm not bitching about my mom, well, not too much. I have a wonderful relationship with her. I count her as one of my best friends, but sometimes I think she just doesn't understand my need to be out and about. Its probably because of her inability to get out and about much. And yes, that's kept me home alot. It's also given me alot of guilt when I go away on the weekends.

But let me tell you, I'm getting in Bernie the Beretta and driving tomorrow.

I Hate Fridays

I know that's a terribly odd thing to say, but I do. I always feel let down by Fridays, especially in the winter. I always expect to get more done or do more things and then my own laziness or the weather conspires against me.

My Saturday is going to be used up with doing things around the house. All my favorites, laundry, bill paying, cleaning. PAH! I'm going through my closets and getting rid of clothes, though not like I did in the Top 5. I also need to get to Walmart to get a few things.

The Mon River is frozen and I need to find a way to get pictures. It's really gorgeous. I wish I could drive to the city because there aren't many good spots in town to snap shots of it in town. ~sigh~

I think what I need, regardless of the cold is to take a good long drive with a good mix CD blaring. (I don't do Pickle on the weekends) I don't think I even want anyone with me. I just want to be alone so I can sing at the top of my lungs.

I think making that going for a drive mix is going to be a top priority. Getting gas in the Beretta too. (If I plan on actually getting anywhere)

Wish me luck at accomplishing this. I've said I was getting out of the house for the last few weeks and I haven't gone anywhere yet.

Top 5 On Friday - Week 110 Valentine's Day Edition

This meme is brought to you by and a

Top 5 songs to do a sexy valentine's striptease for your lova.

Methinks a certain "Fishy" has an ornery streak that I didn't know about. Mind you that's not a bad thing. Since this post got me all wound up, I think I'm going to dedicate this Top 5 to Fish.

Hey, I don't take my clothes off for just any old fish, you know.

It's been pretty cold I hope I can take it all off in just 5 songs. Hmmm your place or mine? Ok, dim the lights please.

1. Tom Jones - Sex Bomb
Sexbomb sexbomb you're my sexbomb
And you can give it to me when I need to be turned on

Some people start off slow...but not me. Excuse me, darlin' but isn't a bit warm in here? Silk blouses can get so suffocating sometimes, don't you think? I hope you don't mind if I divest myself of it.


2. Elvis Costello & The Attractions - Inch By Inch
Inch by inch
Inch by inch
As pulses race
I long to see that look upon your face

I just don't understand how it can be so warm when it's not even above freezing. This little black skirt has to go. It's just getting in the way anyhow.

~Gives the skirt a kick across the floor~

Now where was I...Oh my. I wonder where I got the red undies. I didn't know I had them.

~ Does a slinky catlike dance around my poor unsuspecting victim~

3. Oingo Boingo - Elevator Man
Who's going down who's comin with me
Who wants to take a chance
On a piece of abstract reality
It's only just a dance

Hmmm seems things have picked up again. And why is it still so warm in here.

~Reaches back and unclasps the bra~

Much better. Swings the bra and tosses it into the air so that it falls on the victims head. Perfect shot!

~evil grin~

4. Joe Cocker - You Can Leave Your Hat On or if you prefer, Tom Jones - You Can Leave Your Hat On
Baby, take off your coat...real slow
Baby, take off your shoes...here, I'll take your shoes
Baby, take off your dress
Yes, yes, yes
You can leave your hat on

Oh good, that means I can kick off these stupid heels.

Sends the shoes flying across the room one at a time.

~ Turns around and shakes tush~

5. Marvin Gaye - Let's Get It On
Gonna get it on
Beggin' you, baby, I want to get it on
You don't have to worry that it's wrong
If the spirit moves you, let me groove you good

Eep! Its just these little red panties left! Yikes!

~glances back~

Double yikes it's a thong! Why did I bother!

Ah hell....off they go.

Now I'm nekkid...and it's cold. So who's going to keep me warm? Oh and damn, I'm a cheap easy one aren't I? Nekkid already and I didn't even get an ameretto sour or a margarita out of the deal. That's wrong!

Oh and one bonus song for a little nekkid romping.

Hot Chocolate - You Sexy Thing
(Cos I've got my groove on)

Oh and since this is the Valentine's Edition of my meme, I bring you my favorite "love song"

Tommy James - Love Words
(This song makes me melt)

Thursday Thirteen

Thirteen reasons why I hate Valentine's Day

1. All those damn commericals for Match.com and EWhoremony. Am I the only one out there that feels online dating is nothing more than legal prostitution?

2. Christmas is over and we have to have yet another holiday that encourages the consumption of chocolate. ARGH! Will someone please hide the raspberry Hershey kisses please?

3. If you're single you feel like a freak on this day.

4. I have to listen to my sister bitch about how diamonds are a horrible gift everytime a Kay Jeweler's commerical or a Diamonds are Forever commerical comes on. Personally if anyone wants to give me a diamond I will not turn it down. My ring size is 6 thank you very much and I prefer white gold.

5. All those horrid sappy love songs that you can't seem to get away from drive me mad. If Celine's heart doesn't stop going on, I think I'm going to go all Van Gogh. Oh and Silly Love Songs is one of McCartney's worst.

6. Too much pink.

7. No one's taking me anywhere to have lambic beer in a champagne glass dipped in chocolate. I cannot stress this enough.

8. All the ads in the newspaper for dinners for two and weekend retreats. Damn it, I want to retreat! I just want to get out of my house!

9. All I hear around this time of year is how there's someone for everyone. PAH! Well if there is, just where in the hell is he? Huh? Huh? I start asking this question back: Where's My Everything? <------ click to download this wonderful song by Nick Lowe.

10. I become more and more obsessed with my looks. (This ultimately makes me a cranky girl at times)

11. I begin to ponder why life is never like those romance novels I read to keep myself from dying of boredom.

12. The word love sends me into fits of rage.

13. My theme song changes from The Beatles Nowhere Man to Oingo Boingo's Skin <---- click to download the most beautiful song ever.

My Camera Is Threatening To Move Out

I just looked at my photoblog and I realized that I haven't taken any new pictures worth noting since well before Christmas when I went to Phipps Conservatory.

It's no wonder I've got a memo from my EasyShare camera today.

Dear Mistress Of The Dark

If you don't use me soon, I'm packing up and moving somewhere where I'll be less lonely and utilized to the fullness of my potential.

Bored and uselessly yours,

EasyShare Z740

PS

Taking pictures of cats isn't quite what I'm talking about either.

Damn. I think my camera is serious this time. I know it threatened me last year, but I do believe I used it more last year than this year.

I guess if it does run away I'll have to buy the 12x Zoom model with my refund.

Hunks To Keep Me Warm

Any of these hunks can keep me warm and do you want to know why? I thought you did, so I'll tell you.

Danny Elfman can keep me warm because:

1. He's such a scrawny thing, he probably needs someone to keep him warm, so we'd be killing two birds with one stone.

2. He likes animals so he can bring them along when trying to get warm.

3. Anyone that wrote a song called "Did It There" has to know some amusing ways to keep warm, right?

4. Friction and harmony usually generate body heat, right? (Now who's going ride with the Elevator Man)

Greg Proops can keep me warm because:

1. He's my honey bunny Pookie bear even though he's out of sight and mind these days.

2. Look at him! He wants a cuddle!

3. How can you resist that face?

Elvis Costello can keep me warm because:

1. He's always been in my top 5 list of hump day hunks and I wouldn't want him to feel left out.

2. He's the second best hugger in the whole world.

3. He's ususally bundled up so if he can't keep me warm I can steal his scarf or ugly jacket.

4. Eventually cuddling Diana Krall will bore him. (I wish!)

5. Geeks are the best cuddlers.

6. The lyrics to the song Inch By Inch should be enough...if not toss in I Want You and he can cuddle me anytime he needs a cuddle or anything else for that matter.

Fish can keep me warm because:

1. Why the hell not!

2. Just look at that face, he's begging for a cuddle.

3. He's probably as cold as I am right now.

4. He's probably the only "Fish" that could keep me warm. Well maybe that Fish that used to sing for Marillion, but this Fish is much much easier on the eyes.

Things That Made The Mistress Of The Dark Happy

There were a few things that made me grin like a fool today. It's always good to have something make you grin that way, right?

* A hit to my blog from a zoominternet account in California, PA. (I wonder who that person could be? I wonder if he can't respond to emails because of his stitched up pinky finger)

* My song of the moment being played around 8:45 a.m. Everyone should hear Tommy James - Hold The Fire. It's such a great catchy tune. It made me dance around the office.

* The way a certain person kept saying "lovers" today when mentioning the name of the current contest running. Oye I think I fell out of my chair once from laughing.

* Getting my package from Yves-Rocher! Yay! Fun skin stuff to make me beautiful. Don't laugh! Plus free gifts!

* Realizing that by April I'll have some extra money to start putting aside for VACATION! (read: ATLANTIC CITY!)

* Hearing Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald this afternoon on the radio. Yay! Pickle made me smile again.

Fish Fodder - Owie Update

Ok, if any of you were concerned about Fishy's injury...well would you believe 4 stitches.

Holy hell.

I still want to know how he managed that? It baffles me. I was opening my Soup In Hand yesterday trying to figure out how he did it. The index finger I can see. The thumb even, but the pinky?

Fishy that takes talent and for that I applaud you!

4 stitches?!

~shakes head~

That's just un-freaking-believable.

~Just remember we pick on those we love the most~

Really...he needs someone to kiss his boo boo and make it better. I volunteer, of course, cos I always champion the underdog..or the underfish.

I just hope his cat doesn't have a hankering for "pickled herring" when he gets home from work or he'll have more than 4 stiches tomorrow morning.

Must Get Warm Now

I will stop bitching about the cold when the temperatures are higher than my age. I will be happy when the temperatures are about as high as my mum's age.

I think my fingers are numb.

Brrrrrr.

At night when I go to bed with all my blankets I'm fine. I'm toasty warm. But when I wake up in the morning that's another story.

Two words: ice cube.

Even the dog can't keep me warm at 5:30 a.m.

The only thing that the cold does is make me get dressed a helluva lot faster. There's no way in hell I'm taking my time putting on clothes. The least amount of time spent nekkid, the better.

Going outside is even worse. I have gloves...they don't work. My fingers are nearly frozen when I get to work. I wish I could find my furry black hat, but it's disappeared. This is the only drawback I've encountered to having short hair. When it's -19 outside it's hard on the ears. Thank god for the Nanuck of the North uglier than sin coat I have, that luckily has a hood.

Oh and have I mentioned the heater in my car is pretty much non-existent? I'm not even allowed to mention it at home anymore. It's one of the few things I'm not going to fix on the car from hell either, because I'm hoping that at some point this year another rustbucket takes Bernie's place. Yeah right.

Now could someone pass a blanket please, I'm frozen.

Random 10 - Week 91

From the ladies @

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)

Firstly I was giving my new Tommy James CD a lot of lovin' this weekend.

Tommy James - Hold The Fire
Tommy James - Love Words
Tommy James - Lupe and Joe

I discovered one new artist.

Rosie Thomas - I Play Music

I felt guilty that I never really paid much attention to this artist

The Clarks - Wait A Minute

I felt guilty downloading this song

Donnie Iris - Ah! Leah!

* The last two are products of da 'burgh

Charlotte Martin - Pills
(this song is hilarious)

Olivia Newton-John & John Travolta - You're The One That I Want
(Erm, I'm not sure myself)

Billy Joel - Rosalinda's Eyes
(One of my favorite tunes..used on my February mix as well as Charlotte Martin's Pills)

Ricky Nelson - I'm Walkin'
(I'm getting his best of from LaLa! Yay!)

Robin Zander - Boy (I'm So In Love With You)
(This song is a duet with Christina Amphlett of the Divinyls)

As for the photo

This was the prettiest thing I looked at all week (Anthony Stewart Head for those of you that don't know)

Fish Fodder - Owie!

I'm usually vaguely amused when Fishy tells some story throughout his shift. Today I found myself wincing in pain and tearing up.

It seems my poor "radio sweetheart" was the victim of a renegade cat food can.

Owie!

Anyone that's ever sliced a finger on a can of pet food (cat or dog) knows that really hurts, and if you do a good job of it, much blood is shed. From the information my little Fishy imparted that was the case.

Yikes!

He's threatened his cat with dry food from now on. Poor kitty.

Mind you, this was fodder that I couldn't resist, so I sent him an email. I doubt anyone with a sliced pinky will respond though. I did however refrain from offering to kiss his boo boo and make it better, though as you may have guessed, it was quite difficult not too.

I just hope if his kitty starts getting dry food it won't stage a kitty rebellion. Kitties that are ticked off about their food can be nastier than a finger sliced by a cat food can.

Where's The Heat?

It's so cold. Very Very Cold. My Fish-icle reported that it is -3 outside with a windchill of -20. Oh hell. Why don't real people have 2 hour delays? Why? Why? Why?

I refuse to take off my sleep sockies right now. They are the only thing keeping me even a little warm right now.

Where is this early spring that the damn groundhog predicted? Seriously, I'm going to go all nutso on the groundhog. I demand my spring and I demand it now. I demand unseasonably warm. I demand to feel the effects of global warming right f-ing now!

And again why can't I have a 2 hour delay? Hell in this cold I want an 8 hour repreive!

It's too cold to step outside the door. To be perfectly honest at -3 it's too damn cold to be anywhere but under the covers with a dog at my feet and a cat sleeping on my back.

Now if someone could convince my boss that a frozen secretary is not a good thing I'd be a very happy camper, however that's not going to happen so I'm going to have to somehow thaw myself out so I can refreeze myself and go to work. Blech!

Countdown To Valentine's Day = Countdown To Crankiness

Some people hate Christmas, personally I hate Valentine's Day. I can only remember 2 gifts that I've ever received on this holiday...a bouquet of...get this CARNATIONS and a Debbie Gibson cassette. Oh yeah! It doesn't get much better than this. Dead people flowers and bad pop music. Mind you the Electric Youth cassette came from the year it was released, so I have an excuse, I think.

So in 10 days, expect to see a rather cranky girl that's pondering why there has to be a holiday that celebrates love. That's all well and good when you have a significant other or a f-toy etc that will do your bidding, but in my lifetime I've not encountered one of these things.

Grrrr.

That's so damn wrong.

Where's my Choxie? Where's my dessert at a restaurant that serves lambic beer in champagne glasses dipped in chocolate? (Oh wait I know where that's at..Brulee at the Tropicana!) Where's my night of mind-numbing sex? Huh? Where's that? Huh? I want to know where that is?

The only thing that Valentine's Day is good for is making Anti-Valentine's Day Mix CDs and maybe yet another mix full of songs about unrequited love. PAH!

And in honor of one of my upcoming mix cds: The Smiths - Please Please Let Me Get What I Want

Musings On Robert Plant

Today I sent this CD off to a fellow LaLa-er. Not to worry though, I have another copy.
I know most people consider this to be one of Plant's worst discs. It's very 80's. But I defy you to find many artists that didn't sound 80's in the 80's. The Moody Blues sure as hell did on most of their albums. Blue World sounded very New Wave to me. In fact, I thought it sounded kinda Duran Duran-ish. I won't even mention the fact that Mr. Hayward seemed to be wearing an outfit similar to one worn my Mr. Simon Le Bon in the video. So if Robert went 80's on us on Now and Zen, so be it. The album produced some great singles.

If it weren't for Heaven Knows, I probably never would have paid any attention to Robert Plant, and then there was the very catchy Tall Cool One, which is still one of my favorite (forgotten) songs. After all how can a pervy girl like me not like the lyric "With one hand loose I am to satisfy"? The most beautiful song on the album is by far Ship Of Fools. It's just a really gorgeous tune that shouldn't be missed. Plant covered all bases on this album, there are rockers, ballad and stange songs. What more could you ask for really? And if the tone of the 80's rubbed off on him, so be it. It's still a solid album in my eyes and well worth the listen. I hope the LaLa-er getting it enjoys it.

February

In my infinite boredom today, when I wasn't considering screaming at people or running away to some far off place where my family isn't, I put together February's Mix. This mix is comprised of songs by artists I'm currently obsessing over.

If you missed the January mix...click here.

Charlotte Martin - Pills
Paul Stookey - Wedding Song
Tommy James - Hold The Fire
Edison Lighthouse - Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes)
Gordon Lightfoot - Alberta Bound
Simon & Garfunkel - I Am A Rock
Tracey Ullman - They Don't Know
Billy Joel - Rosalinda's Eyes
Ricky Nelson - Garden Party
Simon & Garfunkel - Homeward Bound
Tommy James - Love Words
Midge Ure - Light In Your Eyes
Cyndi Lauper - Hat Full Of Stars
Cliff Richard - Living Doll
Tremblers - Green Shirt
The Spinners - Cupid
The Bangles - Where Were You When I Needed You
Gordon Lightfoot - High & Dry
The Mamas & The Papas - Creeque Alley
Elvis Costello & Allen Toussaint - Nearer To You
The Grass Roots - Two Divided By Love
Keri Noble - I Won't
Buddy Holly - Everyday

If you want a copy of this mix or if you want any of the songs on this mix, give me a shout and I'll see what I can do.

The LaLa Gods Have Smiled On Me

Finally! I've got a steal from LaLa! At least I hope I have, because if it's not, I will be so very sad.

What have I acquired?



Deluxe Edition, babies! And the price? $1.75!

And for those of you that don't know...the only reason why I want these stupid discs..

Mike's Number One (Bonus Track)
Question (Alternate Version) (Bonus Track)
Minstrel's Song (Original Mix) (Bonus Track)
It's Up To You (Original Mix) (Bonus Track)
Don't You Feel Small (Original Mix) (Bonus Track)
Dawning Is The Day (Full Original Mix) (Bonus Track)

* Tracks in bold rock to infinity and beyond.

One word, if my fellow LaLa-er delivers....SQUEE!

Hold The Fire

It's wonderful to see a great 60's artist still recording new music. Tommy James who is famous for songs like Mony Mony and I Think We're Alone Now, is not to be discounted as another dinosaur rocker. Hold The Fire is full of great songs that are reminiscent of his early days while sounding fresh. So far the album has seen 3 singles released, Lupe & Joe, Love Words and Hold The Fire. All three are worthy of being hits.

Included on this disc is the wonderfully catchy I Love Christmas, which is truly a holiday classic and the beautiful reworking of his classic Sweet Cherry Wine. Sweet Cherry Wine is slowed down in this new incarnation, but that doesn't take away from the beauty or the message in the song. The message Tommy sent all those years ago is just as strong today as ever.

Oh, yeah, yesterday my friends were marching out to war.
Oh, yeah, listen, now, you hear them marching any more?
No, we ain't gonna fight.
Only God has the right to decide who's to live and die.
He gave us sweet cherry wine, so very fine.
Drink it right down, pass it all around;
So stimulating, so intoxicating;
Sweet cherry wine.

This album is what "classic rock" is all about. It's pop. It's entertaining. It's good. The songs will stick in your head. It's quite likely that you'll sing one or two of them as you walk down the street, in some cases you may even sing them in your sleep.

If you have $10 dollars burning a hole in your pocket, send the money to Tommy and get yourself an excellent CD that will keep you smiling for days on end.

Top 5 On Friday - Week 109

From the ladies @

Top 5 songs that you consider "stinkbombs" (Bonus points for you if you don't use songs by any pop tart or boyband)

1. Ohio Express - Yummy Yummy Yummy

ARGH! This song is so awful. And would someone please tell me how you get love in your tummy? No wait, I don't want to know. Oh and props to a DJ for not playing this damn song lately. Don't ask why I have it on my hard drive. (But feel free to download it so you can feel my pain)

2. Madonna - Hung Up
I wanted to like Maddy's last album so badly, but sampling ABBA and just really bad dance tracks couldn't inspire even a little bit of interest from me. I think "stinkbomb" is probably a nice way to describe this horrible song.

3. Barry Manilow - Mandy
Ok, maybe it's not a total stinkbomb, but when I'm singing it around the house or work acapella without Barry doing backup...trust me it's bad.

Oh Mandy.....you came and you gave without taking...but I sent you away...Oh Mandy.

No...It's a stinkbomb.

4. Meatloaf - I'd Do Anything For Love But I Won't Do That
Overplayed, horrid, vile, disgusting...The Loaf is so much better than this. Did I mention the video is pathetic too? And before I leave this song, just what is it that he won't do for love. I want to know damn it! Tell us, Loafy boy!

5. HOT ROD LINCOLN
I don't know who did this musical atrocity but it makes me cringe every damn time I hear it. It needs to go away. It needs to never come back. And people need to stop requesting this piece of poop so that I don't have to hear it on 99.3 WPKL The Pickle ever again.

Randomosity On A Thursday Night

~ I miss my Misty. Just when I think I've put some of the sadness away, I find a picture or something and I find myself engulfed in a flood of tears.

Even worse, I want to find another kitty that has similar markings as she did. No, I'm not trying to replace her. Misty was irreplacable, but she was such a beautiful cat.

~sigh~

I don't know, maybe I just needed a good cry.

~ I got my Tommy James - Hold The Fire CD today. Damn . The album rocks though. I love that it's new material, with the exception of a beautiful remake of Sweet Cherry Wine, that Fish should play. There's not a stinkbomb to be found on this disc. Thankfully I only spent 9 bucks on this one. Because of The Pickle, my CD want list has grown in leaps and bounds. ARGH!

~ Speaking of a certain DJ, I can't get that damn Peanut Butter Jelly Time clip from American Idol out of my head. ARGH!

Save me from this



I wish I could think of a suitable punishment for inflicting this on the world.

~ I've decided, I'm going out to eat one day this weekend if it kills me. I don't even care if I have to eat alone, I'm going. I need to get away from my family before I crack.

~ Is tomorrow really Friday? Praise be to God! Must sleep! Must sleep past 5:30!

~ The forcast for the weekend is vile. The temperature both days is going to be under 25 degrees. Yuck. I prefer my temperatures to be higher than my age. Actually I'd like them to be right around my mother's age, which is 73.

Thursday Thirteen

Thirteen things that I want really badly right now.

1. Warm weather to come back: I'm so not enjoying this blast of winter that doesn't seem to want to go away.

2. My Pink 30 GB Zen Vision that doesn't seem to be available anywhere right now.

3. A Kodak Easyshare Camera with 12x zoom, because the 10x zoom I have right now isn't enough for me.

4. An emachine with a flat panel monitor that my cat couldn't park his big ole butt on.

5. That lavender Dodge Neon that's been sitting on the lot in Belle Vernon for $1800 (as long as it runs, doesn't leak water through the roof and isn't falling apart)

6. The money to pay for all of this with.

7. A date with the object of my most lustful thoughts.

8. Any of the facials at the Spa @ The Mountaineer.

9. Good seats to that concert that's coming in Oct to the State Theater in Uniontown. (Mmmm The Grass Roots...Mmmmm Rob Grill)

10. My hair to grow into this cut



Only I don't want to look like Paula Abdul....ewww.

11. A chance to visit Atlantic City this year. I MISS THE OCEAN AND THE PRETTY LIGHTS!

12. The Moody Blues to play a decent venue where I can snap all the photos my little heart desires.

13. Some really bad songs to get out of my head. Stinkbomb songs! ARGH