Have A Laugh....On Me

This is me getting doused by a 20 foot wave, created by the Pittsburgh Plunge at Kennywood Park.

It's quite possibly the funniest and worst picture ever taken of me. My nephew thought it would be funny to get a picture of me looking like a drowned rat, when I, in my infinite stupidity, decided to stand on the walkway, where the boats come down.

Let's just say it wasn't quite warm enough to be standing there or riding the Plunge that day, but idiot that I am, I did both.

So if you are feeling up for a fright, click on the picture to enlarge. I, however, will not be held responsible if you want to poke your eyes out with a rusty melon baller after viewing my less than beautiful self.

Top 5 On Friday - Week 131

From "me" @ Music Memoirs

Top 5 albums that are at least 20 years old. (There's a stipulation however...all 5 albums cannot be by the same artist/band)

1. Elvis Costello & The Attractions - Blood And Chocolate


(click to buy @ amazon)

This one just makes the cut. It came out in 1986. It's quite possibly my absolute favorite Elvis Costello CD. No joke, not a bad song on this one. It's worth it just to hear Battered Old Bird, Crimes Of Paris and Blue Chair.

2. The Moody Blues - Seventh Sojourn


(click to buy @ amazon)

At the beginning of my Moodies love, this was the first album I found on vinyl. I played it to death. I don't know that the album is still alive even though it was only purchased a few years back.

3. George Harrison - George Harrison


(click to buy @ amazon)

Unspoiled George Harrison. So many pretty songs on this one, and all untouched by Jeff Lynne's evil hands! Yay!

4. Tom Petty - Damn The Torpedoes


(click to buy @ amazon)

If you own one Heartbreakers album, this one really should be it. Early Petty, again unspoiled by Jeff Lynne. (Are you sensing a pattern here? I hate Jeff Lynne)

5. Duran Duran - Seven & The Ragged Tiger


(click to buy @ amazon)

Take off the instrumental and this is a perfect album. I've been a fan of Duran Duran for years, but I'm hard pressed to be able to tell you that there's a completely good album by the band. There's usually one stink bomb per record. I can ignore an instrumental, so this one wins as my top album, followed by Notorious.

You may be asking yourself, why has The Mistress Of The Dark not used The Beatles in her post. It's quite simple. The Beatles are too much of a given, so I chose to go with other bands.

It's Murder! Two Rooms: Celebrating The Songs Of Elton John & Bernie Taupin

I bought this Elton John/Bernie Taupin covers disc ages ago, and today I sent it on to some poor soul on LaLa.com that wanted to toss away $1.75.

I ripped it to my hard drive before sending it on, because I hadn't listened to it in ages, and with good reason. It's vile. I don't even know where to begin.

The worst tracks:

Tina Turner - The Bitch Is Back
(She does this one so much better live. The album version is an abomination)

Sinead (Shinehead) O'Connor - Sacrifice
(You don't do things like this to my favorite Elton John track. Make her shut it!)

Jon Bon Jovi - Levon
(I hate this by default. I hate Jon Boy. Everything he sings sounds the freaking same, and this is a damn good Elton song.)

The WTF tracks:

Rod Stewart - Your Song
(It's not bad....it's not good...I hope you don't mind if I put down in words that Rod should stop singing other people's songs...and start recording some stuff of his own.)

Wilson Phillips - Daniel
(The verdict is still out on this one. It's possibly good)

Kate Bush - Rocket Man
(So weird that its good. But it just doesn't suit Kate's voice and the arrangement is truly a WTF!)

The Good (And I'm hard pressed to find any)

The Who - Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting
(OK, by default, I love Roger Daltry....but this is a song that is suited for The Who...but can I please look at Roger...rather than listen?)

Hall & Oates - Philadelphia Freedom
(Oddly a nice interpretation of a song I truly hate)

Phil Collins - Burn Down The Mission
(Phil does covers well. I actually prefer his cover of True Colors to Cyndi Lauper's original)

The Most Pitiful
The Beach Boys - Crocodile Rock
(I HATE THE BEACH BOYS! This is a bigger abomination than Tina's cover of The Bitch Is Back. It's much much worse than their cover of the Mama's and the Papa's California Dreamin' from the 80's)

The rest of the album isn't even worth mentioning. Don't waste your money on this. Seriously! Don't do it!

The Duets CD is a much easier listen, as Elton is sharing vocals, rather than having his songs killed by artists that are so much better than this. (with the exception of Jon Boy)

Thursday Thirteen

13 things I wish I had never done

1. Chosen to go to California University Of PA. I should have just gone to Douglas School of Business and got an Associates. My Bachelor's Degree isn't worth the paper its printed on to me. Plus I would have stayed out of much trouble.

2. The Moody Blues in Cincy...that should never have happened.

3. No one know that I had a crush on a certain finned person, including the finned one. Oh wait...I said I'd forget about those few months. Yeah right, like you can forget that kind of stupidity.

4. The Herman's Hermits concert. If I hadn't discovered that Peter was playing Uniontown, I never would have listened to The Pickle..and problem 3 would be erased entirely.

5. Retail..never would have worked in a store for even a week let alone years.

6. I would somehow not have become addicted to my computer.

7. I wouldn't have gone to Atlantic City...because then I wouldn't have to miss it.

8. I never would have gone to a costume party in the fall of 1992.

9. My shadow..I'd never have become afraid of it.

10. I'd not have spent so much on stuff that matters so very little.

11. I wouldn't let myself fall so easily and so many times.

12. I'd put myself first instead of family, which may sound callous, but so many of my life decisions were based on other people and not me.

13. I'd not have vented so quickly about things that upset me, because things that are said are damn hard to be forgiven for, even though I was the wronged party.

Happy Fourth Of July

Celebrate safely!

That said, go consume all the hot dogs, hamburgers, soda and beer that you can without exploding or passing out!

Take Me Back Tuesday - Week 130

From this lady @ Music Memoirs


What type of music do you find to be the best to sleep to?
Perhaps the next question is the better one. When I'm sleepy I can conk out to just about anything. Though I have to say, if I have any preferences they would be artists like Grey Eye Glances, Julia Fordham, The Moody Blues, and my special Elvis Costello sleep mix CD.

Is there any kind of music that you absolutely can't fall asleep to?
Not really if you go by genre etc. I think I've fallen asleep to Def Leppard and Poison a few times. (Scary, I know) What usually keeps me awake are those songs that make me think. Not about topics, mind you, but about situations and people. I have a lot of songs that will do that, so I have to make sure they don't make it on a mix CD that I'll play at night when I'm about to go to bed, or I'll be up all night, fretting over something I can't do a damn thing about.

If anyone artist could sing you to sleep who would it be and what would they sing to you?
Ah..so many voices...so many songs...so many answers that would have nothing to do with them singing me to sleep, but rather getting into bed with me after they were done with their song.

I wouldn't mind Elvis Costello showing up to sing Long Journey Home to me. That would be truly Heavenly.



He cold also sing anything from this CD



because it would be a given to put me straight to sleep.

The Birthday In Review...

It took 33 years, but finally I had a relatively "stress free" birthday. Rejoice with me.

Here are some highlights....photos to follow when I'm not dead on my feet from my birthday activities.

~ Teased the DJ a bit...and was most obnoxious in reminding him what day it was.

~ Said Pickle DJ wished me a happy b-day on the air and teased me about something I did. I realize now that if I do ever run into Fish...a cat fight may ensue. I wonder which one of us would win?

~ Said Pickle DJ probably thinks I'm an attention whore...when really an email saying "Happy Birthday Andrea" would have made my day too. However he will never know that. Ah well.

~ Kennywood rocks on Mondays. The lines are short. The employees aren't as rude. All is good.

~ The new ride, Cosmic Chaos, kicks butt...or in my case gut. The ride holds you in at the stomach...I think I left mine there last night.

~ Riding the Pittsburgh Plunge when it's not quite 80 degrees, is not very smart. Riding it twice is just plain stupid. I'm officially stupid. However it was quite amusing to walk around the park like a drowned rat.

~ The Wave Swinger is still my favorite ride.

~ No one makes fries quite like the Potato Patch. They are best served drenched in gravy and cheese.

~ I got fireworks for my birthday!

~ I rode every coaster except Phantom's Revenge, which my stomach doesn't like much.

~ Heard my favorite Julia Fordham song at the park "Hope Prayer And Time." I did my best not to sing too loudly.

All in all, it was a fantastic day. I don't think I've had a b-day I've enjoyed as much.

So You Say It's Your Birthday

Actually I do, and right now I'm feeling reflective....which in most cases is a bad thing....

I went to Erie in July for the first time in over 10 years.....



Saw Lucy The Elephant for the first time in Margate, NJ




Finally got the gorgeous night shot of the horses at Ceasars....



Played with a llama or two.



Saw Peter Noone in concert.



Helped Grandma celebrate 100 years in March of 07



Now for the sad bits....

Lost two of my beloved kitties in the space of 7 weeks.





However around the end of March I did bring Bootsie to her new forever home.



There was lots more that went on...but these were the most memorable things that went on in my life in the past year.

33 Years Of Song

This mix is made up of one song that's a favorite of mine for each year I've been torturing people with my existence! Muhahaha.

Each artist is represented only one time.

1974: Gordon Lightfoot - Carefree Highway
1975: Justin Hayward & John Lodge - This Morning
1976: Cliff Richard - Miss You Nights
1977: Fleetwood Mac - The Chain
1978: Nick Lowe - Little Hitler
1979: ABBA - Chiquitita
1980: Olivia Newton-John - Xanadu
1981: Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers - Insider
1982: Elvis Costello & The Attractions - Man Out Of Time
1983: Spandau Ballet - True
1984: Ultravox - Dancing With Tears In My Eyes
1985: Paul Young - Everything Must Change
1986: The Moody Blues - Your Wildest Dreams
1987: George Harrison - Fish On The Sand
1988: Cheap Trick - Never Had A Lot To Lose
1989: Jimmy Somerville - Read My Lips
1990: Oingo Boingo - Out Of Control
1991: Erasure - Waiting For The Day
1992: Lindsey Buckingham - Countdown
1993: Sarah Brightman - Once In A Lifetime
1994: Jimmy Buffett - Vampires, Mummies and the Holy Ghost
1995: Siouxsie & The Banshees - Fall From Grace
1996: The Wallflowers - 6th Avenue Heartache
1997: Paul McCartney - The World Tonight
1998: Grey Eye Glances - One Day Soon
1999: David Bowie - Thursday's Child
2000: Duran Duran - Mars Meets Venus
2001: Stereophonics - Have A Nice Day
2002: Emm Gryner - East Coast Angel
2003: Bernie Barlow - Sexy
2004: Keri Noble - Look At Me
2005: Rob Thomas - Ever The Same
2006: Diana Krall - The Boulevard Of Broken Dreams
2007: Fountains Of Wayne - Traffic and Weather

Yes, that's comes out to 34 songs, but are you complaining?

A b-day present from me to you

Plagued By Dreams

I had the most bizarre dream last night. It's bizarre because I can only remember a small fraction of it. Usually when I remember dreams I wake up and remember the whole thing, like its a small film that my head created, usually to taunt me when I wake up.

I dreamed that I was getting into my car somewhere and for whatever reason I had facial mask on. WTF! This is weirder than those showing up in school without clothes on dreams.

But wait, it gets better.

As I'm getting into my car...I spy someone else getting into their vehicle, someone I wouldn't want to see me with anything on my face, to be perfectly honest. Actually, someone I wouldn't want to see me with a zit or anything else for that matter.

ARGH!

I don't want to have these kinds of weird dreams. I don't know if I even spoke to this person in the dream. I having a feeling I tried to. I'm sure I didn't succeed, because I know that if I were face to face with this person there would be no words. I would just stand there like a dumby and if I managed to say anything it would squeak out and I would look like a bigger fool than I am.

NO MORE DREAMS, DAMN IT!

I can't take them, they mess with my day and they depress me.

Peacocks

My brother, his two youngest daughters, my youngest nephew and I piled into the car and went to the Critter Country Animal Park in Smithton, PA.

It's a really great cheap place to go for a few hours, if you love animals. And as I'm sure most of you know, I love animals.

Today I was treated to a wonderful sight. All of the male peacocks were in full flirting mode. (Shame they were flirting with the chickens instead of the peahens)

Here are a few of my photos of the glorious birds.

Decisions Decisions Decisions

It's amazing what a $25 Amazon Gift Certificate can do for a girl's brain. My amazon wish list is enormous, which is why I can't seem to make up my mind what I want.

There's at least half a dozen Gordon Lightfoot CDs I need...erm...want. My Paul McCartney CD collection has so many gaps it's frightening. I still need 3 George Harrison CDs. As for Ringo, I only have most of his recent stuff. I'm the opposite when it comes to vinyl. Not to mention the countless other artists I love. My musical taste is across the board and it's borderline scary at times, just as anyone that I've ever sent a mix CD to. Heck ask Fish, he's had 2 from me. I think I've scared the daylights out of him.

The worst part of my dilemma is I'm a bargain shopper. I like to get more bang from my buck, so I check the prices at other online sources so I know which place has the best deal.

LaLa.com has good deals at their store. That makes it hard for me to buy most of the Gordon Lightfoot stuff on my list. They are well over a dollar cheaper than Amazon. ARGH!

I wish I could make up my mind on which CDs are the most important to my collection right now. Oh and damn it. There are still several Tom Petty discs that I need to complete my collection.

~Head Exploding In Frustration~

If only the wish list were smaller, the decision might not be so damn difficult.

Top 5 On Friday - Week 130

From "me" @ Music Memoirs


Top 5 "Musical" prized possessions...rare cd...autographs, instruments etc.

1. My autographed copy of Elvis Costello's King Of America CD that he signed at the last Pittsburgh concert for me.


That's me showing more cleavage than I ever have in my entire life, EC and the above mentioned CD. And Wow, I was tan.

2. I have a Japanese 2 disc set that has all the Duran Duran EPs from the 80's. Way before they did the Singles Box Sets. I paid a pretty penny for it and I love it.

3. George Harrison's When We Was Fab on CD single from Europe. I wish it was Got My Mind Set On You because then there would be a legitimate copy of Lay His Head in my possession, but sadly no. Still I love that single...and sing with me. Fab! Long time ago when we was fab.

4. The tour book from Paul McCartney's Flowers In The Dirt Tour, which thankfully came through Pittsburgh . It has the most gorgeous pictures. I think I still have my ticket stub from that show too.

5. My Polaroid from the Peter Noone show last year.




Bonus:

If you could give your Meme Mistress one musical thing for her b-day on Monday what would it be?
Hmmm what to give myself for one day. I would give myself Fishy's job for the 4 hours he's on the air. The Real Dill Pickle Morning Show would never be the same again...and well...he might not have a job when I finished...but it would be one helluva interesting morning show. Hell, I'd be nice...he can have his show...but he'd just have a morning show partner for the day.

Thursday Thirteen

13 things I'd like for my b-day on Monday

1. No rain
2. The temperatures to be warm enough to be comfortable at Idlewild Park but not so chilly that we couldn't go to Soak Zone.
3. My to shrink.
4. A certain friend to remember and actually say happy b-day. (And not on the air. A simple happy b-day in an email would do the trick...but crazy email girl is probably just dreaming about that)
5. All the food at Idlewild to be calorie free for 24 hours, so that I can eat as many potato patch fries as I can.
6. NO CAKE!
7. A good hair day.
8. An external hard drive for my computer so that I could just move all my music files to that and have the regular hard drive free of all clutter.
9. The Pickle to play Yummy Yummy Yummy, because I miss that horribly bad song. I think everyone who reads my page should email Fishy and tell him to play that song for me. I'll even provide you with his email.
10. For some of the clutter in my house to magically disappear without me having to spend hours sorting through it.
11. The money fairy to visit so I can do all the stuff I want to do this summer without guilt.
12. The car to survive the day without issue.
13. Me to survive the day without breaking down in tears or trying to commit a crime.

One Word: ARGH

Just about everyone that knows me, knows that I get up at the buttcrack of dawn, ie. 5:30 a.m. Most days that's not an issue. I crawl out of bed and plod into my computer room and putter around until I'm sufficiently awake enough to enter the land of the living.

Today was different.

My dog, Purrbee, decided that he was going for a walk. By HIMSELF!

I hate this time of year.

Purrbee has allergies and when the heat and the fleas act up, well so does he. He's like the cartoon Simon...he goes over the garden wall, or fence as the case may be. He did that this morning and me in my jammies and bare feet are running around my neighborhood looking for the dog.

Thank god he was in the neighbors yard. But let me tell you it was a bitch to get him back. When he escapes, he ignores everyone and just wanders. It's like he's possessed by some strange force. My nephew caught him, but I had to carry him up the hill. AT 5:30 IN THE DAMN MORNING!

I have a feeling that this is going to be a bad day. If you need me, I'll be under the covers by the fan, m'kay?

Take Me Back Tuesday - Week 129

From "me" @ Music Memoirs

Are there any bands that you've seen live that didn't impress you, or that sounded better on CD?
I don't think there were any artists that didn't impress me in anyway. I will say that Davy Jones does sound better on record then live on some tracks, particularly Daydream Believer. That song has always been a let down for me when I've heard it in concert, because it's such a favorite of mine.


Live albums? Love em or hate em? Why?
Hate em! Unless they are a bootleg, live CDs just suck. They filter out the good parts most of the time and I really don't want to listen to a concert that I didn't attend. Bootleg recordings are different, because all the little nuances stay in. Plus I like having copies of shows that I was at.

Mtv started the "Unplugged" concept...do you have any favorites and what are your feelings on the "Unplugged" series.
I loved Duran Duran's Unplugged as well as R.E.M.'s and a few others, but it was a concept that got old very quickly. Just like VH-1's storytellers, too much of a good thing can be bad. Oh and Unplugged Layla is the most vile thing I ever heard in my life. Eric Clapton should be ashamed.


What is your favorite live act?
Hands down, Elvis Costello. I shouldn't think that would surprise anyone, right?

Things Are Shaping Up

A few things that are making me smile today.

~ I've got next Monday off work. Yay! 3 day weekend with a bonus day off in the middle for the 4th! Woot!

~ So far the weather for next Monday is looking good. The temps should be in the upper 70's to low 80's. Not sure how that will be for swimming, but it will be great amusement park weather.

~ My new Nick Lowe should be here tomorrow. (I've had a copy for a few weeks now so it really doesn't matter on that one, except I want my actual copy)


(click to buy @ amazon) And you should dammit!

I wish those other 2 discs I ordered would get here too. Grrrr! I want my music.

~ Managed to exercise yesterday even though its Monday which = lots of skinny wenches at the gym day. I deserve a pat on the back for not trying to convince them that THEY CAN HAS CHEEZEBURGER!

~ All the flowers are finally planted! It didn't help matters that I had to buy more, because the Iris' take up so much space at the beginning of the season and now have been cut down. Any excuse to buy more flowers, I know.

Birthday Music Project

Every year I try to come up with some mix CD project to share on my b-day. I have less than a week now to complete one, and I don't have any ideas that will work.

I thought I could do a Beatley project, but unfortunately the guys didn't have albums out in all of the past 33 years. Lazy bums! They skipped 1985 entirely.

Julie suggested making a mix of songs at the top of the chart for each of my 33 years. Unfortunately my ears couldn't stand that. Have you looked at the charts? Yikes!

So I'm thinking doing my usual mix. My favorite songs from each year starting in 1974 and ending in 2007. (Thank you Paul McCartney and Nick Lowe for releasing great albums this year)

However if anyone has any unique suggestions...feel free to let me know while I still have the time.

It's That Time Of The Year Again

In exactly 1 week I'll be 33. God, I don't even like typing that. 33. BAH! I feel old. I also feel like those 33 years I've lived have been a total waste.

I always seem to go through a myriad of emotions in the last weeks of June. This year it's been worse then ever. I think I've reached a new record for crying. Not a good thing, but then again, its that time of year, so I should be used to it, but I'm not.

Though this year I'm going to escape most of my family for my b-day. There will be no cake, no ice cream, no people singing happy b-day to me. I fully plan to be out of my house and in my old clunker of a car and on my way to Idlewild Park by 9:30 on Monday morning next week.

I would have chosen Kennywood, but I would have met with too much opposition from the parent of the 15 year old that I'm taking with me. Everyone would have wanted to go, but most couldn't, and well, I'm trying to avoid being with the whole family. That's the point of this. If I wanted it to be a normal b-day, I would have gone to work, listened to The Pickle and sighed from 8 - 10 and continued with my regular activities for the rest of the day.

I don't want to do that this year. I want to do something that's fun and Idlewild has always been fun for me. Hopefully that will make for a happy day next week. I'd say that I can't wait...but frankly I can. Next Monday doesn't have to get here for another 3 years for all I care.

Random 10 - Week 111

One of my many music memes 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've been an emotional basket case this weekend most of the songs reflect that just a bit.

Midge Ure - Lied
(I'd like to sing this one at someone...never mind who...and this song is fast becoming a weekend staple for me.)

George Harrison - Teardrops
(I have my share of crying buckets full of teardrops)

The Beatles - Eight Days A Week
(Watched some Beatles Cartoons this weekend too)

Paul McCartney - No More Lonely Nights
(singing this one at the top of my lungs)

Justin Hayward - Sometimes Less Is More
(I love this song. I hate how it makes me feel)

Rob Thomas - Little Wonders
(I heard this song in Lerner's while shopping this weekend. Have I mentioned how much I love love love it?)

George Harrison - Shanghai Surprise
(Another one that has a line or two I'd like to sing to someone. It's such a cheesy, bad song...but I love it so much)

The Moody Blues - Lovely To See You
(This song has a nasty habit of getting stuck in my head)

Gary Puckett - Woman Woman
(Have you got Cheetos on your mind?)

The Moody Blues - Island
(Gosh I love this song)

And now for the picture