I'm the Only One
Saturday 9: I'm the Only One (1993)
1) Melissa Etheridge sings this song as though her heart is breaking. What's your favorite love song? Is it about falling in love, being in love, or losing love? I don't really have favorite love songs, but I will go with Unchained Melody by The Righteous Brothers. It would fall in the being in love category.
2) "I'm the Only One" is a favorite song of American Idol contestants, having been performed four different times. If we were to have a Saturday 9 karaoke night, what song would you do? I would need to do a duet. I am way too shy for a solo karaoke. My voice does not have a lot of range and I am an alto, so not sure what song would be good for me to sing. I can harmonize though.
3) A rocker at heart, Melissa Etheridge began her career in her teen years, playing with local country groups. Which do you enjoy more: country or rock? rock, but I enjoy both.
4) In 1985, Melissa sent a demo to Olivia Records, hoping for a record deal. She was rejected. Her debut CD was released in 1988 on the Island label and went gold. Tell us about a time you bounced back from professional adversity. There is only one job I even cared about leaving. It was the teaching job I had before my current job. I was an early childhood special education teacher for an education cooperative. We serviced special education kids from small districts and many of the kids with autism around the coop (we serviced several counties) were sent to me. I taught at the school here where I live. I had worked for this place for 10 years and they asked me to switch schools. This is not like...we want you to change buildings within our district, this was we want you to travel an hour away to teach in another county. They asked people to do this all of the time. I said no and I quit. I had never been without a job and my heart was broken. I often wondered if I made a mistake. It was a very hard time for me. I accepted a job at my current district a few months later, but for a while I was really depressed and unsure. I now know how toxic that job was because the place I work for now is amazing and the people I work with are phenomenal. They are great teachers to learn from and they are good friends too. I feel like God put me in the first job to keep me close to Josh and later moved me so I could be truly happy. It all worked out. I have been with my district now for 7 years.
5) In her personal life, Melissa has faced major challenges, including breast cancer and the death of her son. She credits music with helping her heal emotionally. What gives you strength? God gives me strength and so much more.
6) Melissa is a vegetarian, so her diet emphasizes plant-based foods like fruits, grains, nuts and vegetables. What was your most recent meal? Would it qualify as vegetarian? Josh wanted McDonald's. I had the fish sandwich, but ugh....I am not sure why he wanted McDonalds.
7) In 1993, the year this song was popular, a massive storm dropped a record 56" of snow in Mount Le Conte, TN. Have you done much shoveling this winter? Not too much. We have only had two snows and I shoveled for both of them. It was not hard. I only shovel the sidewalk and the porch. Our driveway is gravel, so we do not shovel it. Snow melts fast here in Missouri.
8) One of the most popular movies of 1993 was A Few Good Men, starring Tom Cruise, Demi Moore and Jack Nicholson, who famously said, "You can't handle the truth!" What's the most recent movie you watched? We are watching Frozen at the end of the day at school on my Disney Plus account. I love to hear the kids sing the songs.
9) Random question: Dessert is on us! Describe your perfect ice cream sundae. I love turtle sundaes and turtle concretes. It is hot fudge and caramel on vanilla ice cream with whipped cream and a cherry on top.
I would not solo either! I think I remember you sharing about your job issue. I am glad it all worked out for you in the end. I have never had ice cream with pecans. I think I will need to try it. Enjoy your weekend Lor!
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, that sundae looks awesome!
ReplyDeleteIt's scary to be without a job. You love teaching, so I'm not surprised you landed another job in your profession, but that doesn't mitigate the discomfort and uncertainty you went through. I'm glad you made it to where you are now.
I'm like Josh. Sometimes I just want McDonald's!
Isn't it amazing how much lighter you feel when you get out of a toxic work situation, especially if you didn't realize it was bad? I get to see one Frozen movie or another several times a week as they are my granddaughter's absolute favorites. I lean toward the second one because I LOVE Kristoff's 80's style power ballad, Into the Woods. I'm no fan of McDonald's but if they ever bring back their full menu I'm okay with the wraps and the salads. Everything else is a hard pass. Have a great weekend, Lori!
ReplyDelete#6 I haven't been to a McDonalds in ages, I like Burger King better.
ReplyDeleteI have been on jury duty a couple of times, if it wasn't for COVID I wouldn't mind being on another jury as long as it was a civil case.
Like Diana, above, I don't do McDonald's very often. If I do, it is for breakfast. I like Burger King or Checkers better if I need to do fast food. If you read my blog you will see that our ice cream likes are about the same and I had a job at a school that I quit, too. Have a good weekend, Lori!! xo
ReplyDeleteYeah, trying to shovel snow off gravel … when they first bought it, my parents’ house had a gravel driveway. After several major snowstorms, they paved the driveway.
ReplyDeleteWe plow the driveway with a tractor but my husband doesn't go all the way down into the gravel, which generally means I can't get the car out for a while. We have a steep incline on the driveway. I never eat at McDonald's. I am glad you like your job now.
ReplyDeleteI love Unchained Melody. What a classic.
ReplyDeleteI would duet with you! :) I'm an alto but I have a couple octave range so we could do something together.
ReplyDeleteThat sundae sounds delicious.
Glad you don't have jury duty! Covid is just crazy around here, too, we had so many teachers and staff out last week that we students went remote but teachers taught from empty classrooms.
It is so bad. Stay safe. Many schools here are going to stay virtual for a while. We were given our PD day on Monday off to work from home due to so much illness. We are still in person as of now anyway.
DeleteI would love to do a duet with you!
Your work story is so inspiring on two levels. First what you went through and how well sticking to your guns worked out. Secondly, I had a little experience with teaching special needs kids. It was not for me. You are a special person to be able to do it. Thank you for your service.
ReplyDeleteI would eat that sundae. Yumm!
ReplyDeleteThere are a lot of toxic environments and so much politic stuff going on in school districts that it's shocking. But there you have it. Sort of endemic... I'm really glad you were able to find a place that appreciates you and where you can help children to learn in a better environment. I think you are right to feel the way you did about your experience. Sometimes reasons are hard to discover, but they are always there. I think you are right about divine reasons.. *nods*