Saturday 9- I Left My Heart in San Francisco

 

I Left My Heart in San Francisco

Saturday 9: I Left My Heart in San Francisco (1962)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) This song is a valentine to the city of San Francisco. Songwriters George Cory and Douglas Cross moved to New York to find fame and fortune and found themselves homesick for the city by the bay. Have you ever been homesick? Or, in the parlance of the song, where have you left your heart?  One time when we were on vacation we were staying in a bigger city and there was a lot of violence happening when we were there.  We live in the country, so it is quiet.  I was ready to come home during that trip.  I like to feel safe.

2) Cory and Cross were buddies with Ralph Sharon, a piano player who often worked with Tony Bennett. Ralph brought the song to Tony and the results were very happy for all involved. Have you more recently done, or been on the receiving end of, a favor?  I am going to say I have been on the receiving end.  I did make some copies of some of my lesson plans for next week for the other pre-k teacher Friday, but we help each other all of the time.  

 
3) The lyrics compare San Francisco to Paris, Rome and Manhattan. Have you visited those cities?  nope, none of them.  I would love to visit all of them.

4) This week's artist, Tony Bennett, sang professionally for the last time in August. He retired after performing at Radio City Music Hall with Lady Gaga. Their musical collaboration dates back to when they both performed at President Obama's inauguration. Though 60 years apart in age, they became fast friends based on their shared love of jazz. Do you find that most of your friends are older than you, younger than you, or within 5 years of you?  I think my closest friends are within 5 years...we just have more in common.  

5) While Lady Gaga grew up listening to Tony Bennett, as a young man Tony recalled listening to Bing Crosby, Judy Garland and Joe Venuti. Which singers did you enjoy during your teen years?  When I was a teen, I did not really have favorite singers and I just listened to a lot of different music.

6) While he's famous for singing about San Francisco, Tony is a proud son of New York. Born in Queens, he chose to end his career at Radio City Music Hall and was excited to perform "New York State of Mind" with Billy Joel at Shea Stadium in 2008. Do you have a favorite Billy Joel song?  Billy Joel is so talented and I like a lot of his songs, but I always really enjoy Piano Man.

 
7) Tony Bennett and Frank Sinatra may have been competitors but they shared mutual admiration. Sinatra called Bennett "the best singer in the business," and Bennett did a Sinatra homage album called Perfectly Frank. Think of people you have worked with over the years. Tell us about someone who has impressed you, and why.  My friend Lori always impresses me. She is a great teacher, but she is such a great person.  She never has a bad thing to say about anyone.  I just enjoy her company.  I have never met anyone quite like her.

8) The 1970s were a difficult period for Tony. During the days of disco and Studio 54, he said singing new songs made him feel like his mother, a talented seamstress, when she was forced to make a cheap dress. OK, so Tony doesn't like disco! Is there a genre of music you just don't care for?  I do not like death metal...if you want to call that music.  It makes me feel anxious.  I hate that feeling.

9) Random question: Imagine you're the passenger in a long car ride. Are you more likely to be calm or fidgety?  totally calm.  I like a good car ride.

Update on Molly:  Last weekend was really hard and I thought more than once we were going to have to put her to sleep or she was just going to pass on her own.  It was bad.  Saturday night the vet hospital called us and she was still not eating and was not showing any signs of getting better.  Josh went to visit her and she perked up some.  The next morning the vet hospital called and Molly had eaten a little overnight, so we brought her home Sunday morning.  Sunday was a hard day.  Karl and I watched her all day and took care of her.  Josh watched her overnight since he typically stays up late.  Monday she ate a little better and each day she has shown improvement.  The first thing I did though when she came home was gave her less of the anti-seizure medicine.  I plan to take her off the day pill this weekend and monitor her.  Then is she does ok I would like to try to get her off of that early next week.  She has one more anti-biotic and some pills left for her liver function.  She really is so much better.  I was worried early in the week, but I feel so much better now.  Thank-you for your prayers and good thoughts.  I was super worried about Josh.  Molly is his dog...Josh is her person.  It was awful thinking she was fine one day and possibly going to die the next.  It was hard.  He is ok though.  I have told him more than once he is the reason she is alive.  Thank-you all for asking about her.  I was just so worried about her.  This was taken a day or so ago by Josh.  She looks so much better.  She was sleeping all day just last weekend and her eyes all glazed over.  You can see in this picture her front legs were shaved for her IV's.  

Sunday Stealing- Not Quite 5000 Questions

  

 1. Who do you take for granted?  I appreciate everyone, but I will say my husband.  He is

the best about doing a lot around the house to help me out.

2. Short, knee, or ankle skirts? (if a man, have you ever worn kilts?)  I do not really

wear skirts anymore, but if I did they would be ankle.  I wore short skirts when

I was in college.  That was when the denim mini shirts were in style.

3. Do you wear a hat?  Sometimes I wear baseball caps, usually on hat day

at school.

4. Who's your favorite cartoon character?  I love them all...not really, but I do

not really know if I have a favorite.

5. Does break dancing impress you?  I don't care about it anymore, but I was 

probably impressed with it in the 80's.

6. Are you a miracle?  Everyone is a miracle....even me.

7. Have you ever eaten tofu?  I don't think so.

8. Does the moon have an effect on your mood?  I am sure it does.

9. Many people will say that the Harry Potter books are pure fluff with no

literary value. Do you agree?  I have not read Harry Potter.

10. What are you doing next Wednesday?  Hopefully working.  I missed a

couple of days of work with my dog Molly this past week.

11. Why do so many people think Elvis is still alive?  My mom says he isn't

in his grave because his middle name is spelled wrong on his gravestone. 

Well, she said that a long time ago.  I think she believes he is dead now.

12. Are your hands cold?  not as I am typing this.

13. Have you ever given blood?  no, sadly I have not.

14. What SCI-fi books do you read?  I do not read sci-fi, I find it a bit

difficult to read.  I love the movies though.  My mind just cannot see those

characters and I struggle with it.  I am told it takes practice.  My husband

LOVES sci-fi.

15. Have you ever belonged to a sorority or a fraternity?  no, I skipped that, it

was not a big deal at my college.  I think it would have been fun at a different 

college though.

Saturday 9- Jose Cuervo

 

Jose Cuervo

Saturday 9: Jose Cuervo (1983)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here. 

 

1) In this song, Shelly West sings that she woke up late on a sunny morning. How's the weather in your part of the world?   It is sunny and in the 90's.

2) She wonders if she started any fights while under the influence. Who's the last person you quarreled with?  Probably my husband, I do not get in many arguments.
 
3) OK, margaritas for everyone! Shelly sings that she likes hers with salt. What's your order? Classic or strawberry? Salt or sugar on the rim?  I do not like Tequila, so pass for me.

4) Jose Cuervo was a real person. He was one of the first to put tequila in bottles instead of barrels. Since bottles are easier to ship, it was a good decision. Tell us about a recent choice you're glad you made.  My dog Molly ate a black walnut or part of one that had fallen in our yard...they are toxic to dogs, so she has been in the vet hospital for 2 days, they are flushing her little system and hopefully she will make it.  She had several seizures, which have stopped now and her temperature is back to normal, but she was really bad off there at first.  She still is not doing great.  The best decision we made was getting her to a vet relatively quickly.  If you think of her, send her some positive thoughts and prayers.  I would appreciate it.   She is not out of the woods yet.  Molly is the black/white and brown dog...part corgi part blue heeler.

5) This week's featured artist, Shelly West, decided upon a career in music while still very young. She went on the road and sang backup for her mom, country music legend Dottie West, when she was still in her teens. When Sam was in her teens, she really didn't give her professional future that much thought. How about you? Did you already have career ambitions when you were in your teens?  no, I am so envious of people that know exactly what they want to do.  I wanted to be a medical technologist for a while when I first went to college, but I changed my mind.

 
6) In 1983, the year this song was popular, Sally Ride became the first American woman in space. Do you ever fantasize about being an astronaut?  I was always interested in space and learned all I could, but I never wanted to be an astronaut.

7) Also in 1983, quarterback Aaron Rodgers was born. The NFL season is just kicking off. Do you have high hopes for your team this year?  I always have high hopes for my KC Chiefs!  I am so excited the season is here.

8) In 1983, Motorola introduced the first cell phone. Do you have an easy time adapting to new technology?  I think I do.  I can typically figure it out myself.

9) Think of the last potato chip you had. Was it plain, sea salt, barbecue, sour cream and onion ...?  I think it was BBQ.

Saturday 9- A Hard Day's Night

 

A Hard Day's Night

A HARD DAY'S NIGHT (1964)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) John Lennon sings that he's been working like a dog. What's the hardest job you've ever had? What made it so difficult?  I am going to say teaching.  You are in charge of putting together lessons to help kids learn and if they do not learn, you must find different ways to teach them.  I have always worked in special education, but this year I am in regular education (pre-K).  The kids are learning so fast.  I am very impressed with them.  Then there are kiddos that have problems at home and you fill a lot of time teaching them how to handle pressure and stress.  I actually love teaching that the most.  So my work is harder, but I love this job the most.  This is the sign hanging on the ceiling by my classroom door.  I still haven't taken pictures of my classroom all finished, but I will.  I need to share it with you.

2) Despite the hard work, he likes his life and asks, "So why on earth should I moan?" What's the last thing you complained about? Who were you talking to?  Our Principal changed our schedule on us last minute the other day and it threw my whole class off (the kids).  They had a bad day.  The next day we were back to normal.  The kids did better.  I talked to the other pre-k teacher about the kids and how they were struggling.  She said her kids were too.  Anyway, it is worked out now.

3) John was raised by his Aunt Mimi. She meant well when she told the teen-aged John, "The guitar's all right, but you'll never make a living out of it." What's the worst advice you've ever received?  I can't remember. 

4) This week's song was cowritten and also sung with Paul McCartney. Paul's father was more supportive of the lads' show business aspirations than Aunt Mimi was, but he still worried that his son wouldn't be able fully support himself as a musician. To please his dad, 17-year-old Paul worked over the Christmas holiday season as the "second man" on a delivery truck. Paul would be the one to hop off the truck and drop off the packages while the driver could keep the motor running and the heat on. Where was the last package you received from? (Extra points if you share what was in it.)  It was a package from Lakeshore Learning and it was a chart for our daily schedule in the classroom.  This is what it looks like.  This helps visual learners.  I have 4 year olds.

5) After Christmas was over, Dad insisted Paul get a full-time, year-around job. He ended up at a factory, winding heavy coils to be used in electric motors. He hated the work but enjoyed the lunch hours, eating jam sandwiches and, weather permitting, kicking a soccer ball around the yard with his coworkers. What's for lunch at your house today?  We can have ham or turkey sandwiches or if we want something hot, we can have burritos.

6) In early March 1961, the Beatles accepted a booking to play lunch hour gigs at Liverpool's Cavern Club, and so February 28, after less than two full months, Paul said goodbye to factory work. What's the shortest you ever stayed at a job?  I had a job where I worked with adults with mental handicaps.  I did this line of work for years, over 10 years, but I worked for this one company only a year or so before I went back to the first company I had started with.  I quit doing that when I  got married.  I was working 3-11PM and my hours were so different than Karl's.  The answer to the question though is one year.  I am usually a dedicated employee.

7) Enough about these Brits! Labor Day was introduced to celebrate the achievements of the American worker. How many different employers have you had? Over the years, I have had close to 10 .  I jumped around companies as mentioned before and moved out of state briefly.  I have been in education for 16 years now.  I got a late start.

8) This weekend may offer a golden opportunity for napping and sleeping in. Do you snore?  I think so.  I didn't when I was younger, but I have gained weight and my head tucks down and it makes it hard to breathe right.  Karl says it is not a normal snore though.

9) Labor Day traditionally marks the beginning of the new school year. When she was a kid, Samantha was crazy for her brand new box of 96 Crayola Crayons. It even had a sharpener in the back! What do you remember about preparing to go back to school? If you're an educator, let us know how you get the classroom ready for the kids.  I don't remember preparing to go back to school.  I think my mom just bought everything and sent it with me.  I remember clothes shopping though.  I hated shopping then too.  Preparing to go back to school as an educator is a lot of work.  I was creating a brand new classroom this year, so it took weeks to get ready (we are expanding our early childhood department.  I am still putting things together.  I still need to have the janitors hang my curtains.  I am hoping next year will be so much faster and smoother.  

Tuesday 4 Meme- You...

 

You...
It's time again for Tuesday 4 in memory of Toni Taddeo, our founder.


Let's talk about you this week.

1. How are you unique or different from your friends or family? How
typical are you?  I am the person in the family that is not very social.

My family and Karl's family are all so very social and love to get 

together.  I am the person that is the first a out the door to go home.

2. How do you spend your spare time? books, hobbies, visiting, tv etc.

reading.


3. What was high school like for you?  It was good.  I was not a super 

popular kid, but I was a varsity cheerleader and I had a football 

player boyfriend.  My dad was a favorite teacher at the school, so 

everyone was nice to me because of him.  He was a football coach too.

4. This question has multiple parts:
a. Handbag: designer style or any will do?  I am not into handbags and 

purses.  I have a big teacher bag I carry most of the time.  I can fit a

lot of stuff into it.

b. Pajamas or night gown?  Pajamas

c. Shoes: sturdy or pretty ?  comfortable.  I wear mostly tennis shoes or 

mocs from L.L. Bean.  I guess these are considered sturdy?

d.home decor: classic, modern, farm house style, traditional?  I will say

farmhouse.  I think our house looks very country.  We do live in the country.


e. Movies: feel good, drama, romance, action?  I like a variety.  It mostly depends 

on my mood.

Saturday 9- Friends in Low Places

 

Friends in Low Places

SATURDAY 9: FRIENDS IN LOW PLACES (1990)

Unfamiliar with this week's song? Hear it here.

1) In this song, Garth Brooks tells us he wore boots to a black-tie affair. When did you most recently get dressed up? What did you wear?  I do not get really dressed up anymore, but I did dress up a bit for Open House.  I wore the jumpsuit I wore to my nephew's wedding.  

2) The lyrics refer to The Oasis, which was a real bar in Concordia, Kansas. What's the name of the last bar or restaurant where you ordered a beverage? (Yes, Dunkin' counts.)  I ate lunch with my co-worker Wende.  She also teaches Pre-K.  We ate at a Mexican restaurant called El Lago and I ordered a Dr. Pepper there.

3) Garth was having a stellar 2021. He kicked the year off by performing "Amazing Grace" at President Biden's inauguration in January, and then over the summer he received the prestigious Kennedy Center Honor. Now that we're past the halfway mark, how's your year going?  It is going really well.  I am already hearing of cases of covid at the school though, so here we go.  My husband (Karl), his parents just had covid, but are totally fine now.  They did not get sick, just a small cough.

 

4) But earlier this month, Garth cancelled the remaining August and September dates of his big concert tour. He's provided refunds for the 350,000 tickets that were sold. How do you tend to react when plans change? Are you easily annoyed, or do you roll with it?  I roll with whatever is going on.   That has come with age and covid making me spread myself so thin and do all kind of different things last year has shown me I can roll with the changes.

5) Before he sang about having friends in low places, Garth hung around in some. When he was as a struggling performer, he supported himself as a bouncer. What's the most physically taxing job you've ever had?  Probably the job I have now teaching pre-k.  I dance and play with the kids everyday.  It is tiring, but good tiring.  My knee hurts though.  I need to stop jumping up and down as we dance.  Hahahaha.  It is only physically taxing to me because I am old.  It was not hard at all when I was younger.

 

6) According to the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America), Garth surpassed The Beatles as the top-selling recording artist of the last 30 years. Who do you listen to more often: Garth or the Beatles?  Garth, but I love the Beatles too.  I just do not own any of their music.  I do own Garth's.

7) Garth and singer Trisha Yearwood have been happily married for 15 years now. Trisha says that as much as she loves her husband, his whistling drives her crazy. Come clean: what's your most annoying habit?  I HATE that I laugh nervously so much...like I say something and laugh.  It is awkward.  I think my other bad habits would not bother others.

8) In 1990, when this song was a hit, Soviet President Gorbachev traveled first to Ottawa to meet Prime Minister Mulroney and then to Washington DC to meet President Bush. Do you have any travel plans? We want to hear about them, even if you aren't meeting any politicians or heads of state.  I do not have any travel plans at this time.

9) Random question: Your dear friend spends weeks planning a party. After just 30 minutes, you find yourself having a terrible time. Would you leave at the earliest (polite) opportunity? Or would you stay till the bitter end out of loyalty?  Ok, please don't judge me,  but I hate parties.  I loved them when I was young, but not anymore.  Now, if my dear friend was having a party, I would likely stay to help clean-up, but I would WANT to leave. 

Sunday Stealing- Sad and Sleepy

 

Sad and Sleepy

 

 

1. Has anyone ever made fun of your taste in music?  Oh yes!  My son Josh

hates the 80's music I listen to.  He rather enjoys 60's and 70's music.

2. Do you have pop-tarts in your house right now?  no

3. Does someone owe you over twenty dollars?  no

4. When was the last time you burned any part of your body?  I think I got a 

little sunburned in the Spring on my face.

5. What kind of booze did you last take shots of?  I don't even remember. 

It was when I was in college.

6. If you could see any musician live, front row, who would you choose?  I have

only been to a few concerts.  It just isn't something I find myself wanting to

do.  I will say Garth Brooks though.  He is so talented.

7. If I gave you ten dollars, what would you spend it on?  Probably food.

8. Does / did either of your parents serve in the military?  no, but they both had

siblings that did.  My dad's brother was killed in  Vietnam and my mom's

brother served in the army.

9. Do you like sour candy?  not really

10. What do you do to stay awake when you’re tired?  If I am that tired I go to bed, 

but if it is a case where I have to stay awake I would probably drink something

with some caffeine.

11.Do you wear your shoes around the house?  Yes, I always have shoes

on so I am ready to go if I need to be.  I know that is weird. 

12. Is there ever a time that you enjoy cold showers?  no, I do not mind a 

warm/cool shower after a hot day of being outside, but not cold.

13. Are you good at filling silence in awkward situations?  Not at all, I make

things more awkward trying to fill the silence.

14. Any TV shows you sit down weekly to watch?  not right now.  I have been 

watching baseball and football is in pre-season, but I heard Yellowstone is 

starting back up November 7th.  I cannot wait.  I enjoy tv shows.  I have

several I watch when they are on.

15. Are you one to sneak food into movie theaters?  no, I like to get popcorn and

a drink at the theater.  It is just part of the experience for me.