Saturday 9: I'm the Only One

 

I'm the Only One

Saturday 9: I'm the Only One (1993)

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

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.

If you visited last weekend.  I told you guys I was summoned for jury duty.  I was texted and e-mailed by the county, and I also called the jury line to make sure, but the case was settled, and I do not have to go on Monday.  I am glad.  Covid is awful here.  Many more schools closed down this week here and our school has a lot of staff out this week and we had a snow day Thursday, but so far, we are able to stay in session.  Our nurse is out this week.  This is terrible.  Then I hear how upset people are because they have no childcare.  I do not think anyone wants to be sick, but they are.  I pray every day for God to protect us from covid.

Sunday Stealing- LEP

  

                                 

1. Do you buy things when you want them or wait for sales? I typically 

wait for sales.  Many of the items I purchase will go on sale a few times 

and at least two times a year.  Unless I run out of something.  I pick a sale. 

I try to plan.

2. Do you think time moves slowly or quickly?  Just depends.  Sometimes 

time goes by so fast.  Usually when we have a lot going on or if I am off work.

It can go slow when I am in some meetings.

3. How often do you spend time alone?  Rarely.  I am ok with that though.

4. What’s something that has changed in the last month?  Here, I think schools

all have plans for having to shut down.  We never had to close last year and

neither did many of the schools here in Missouri, but we have had several to

close last week close to our district.

5. What’s the best part of your job, profession?  Being around kids.  They are

so sweet.

6. How many pens do you have?  I don't even know.  A lot.

7. What are your healthiest habits?  I wash my hands and sanitize them a lot.

8.. Do you have a favorite postage stamp?  I don't guess I have one.  I have

never thought about this.  I do enjoy Christmas stamps.

9. Who did you talk to the most this week?  My assistant Jamie, she is with me 

in my classroom much of the day.

10. What’s on your bedside table?  My alarm clock, tv remote, Vick's

and Neosporin

.
11. How often do you try something new?  Not that often.  Sometimes the school

throws a curve and we have to change plans, but we are used to that by now. 

OH!  I have been summoned to jury duty again.  That is new.  That is in a 

couple of weeks.

12. What are some of your grocery list staples?  We butcher our own meat, so

vegetables, milk and eggs, pepsi, root beer, bread and snacks.

13. Do you have a favorite poet?  not really

14. What interesting fact do you know?  I think a lot of things are interesting. 

I am super interested in history of the U.S.  That is why I love historical fiction

so much.  I like reading about things that are not so well known or have been

covered up.

15. Do you fold laundry right away or do it later?  right away.

Saturday 9: Bobby's Girl

 

Bobby's Girl

Saturday 9: Bobby's Girl (1962)

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

1) In this song, Marcie Blane confesses she sits at home, hoping Bobby will call her. Do you owe anyone a phone call or email?  no, I get right back to people if I miss their calls or emails.

2) We know Marcie wants to be Bobby's Girl. Let's play the Google Game and find out what you want. Go to your favorite search engine, keystroke your name and "wants," and then search. (For example: "Samantha wants" led us to a math problem that begins: "Samantha wants to purchase a new dress ... " Crazy Sam was tempted to read on because her wardrobe could use sprucing up.) What does Google tell us you want?  Lori wants to distribute 35 peaches (also a math question).

3) This hit record was an accident. Marcie Blaine had just graduated from high school and had a few days before she had to take off for her summer job as a camp counselor. A friend asked her to record a couple songs he'd written, just so he could play them for record labels and song publishers. Her friend was hoping somehow an established star would hear the songs, record them and make one of them a hit. Instead, a producer at Seville Records said he wanted not just the songs but especially the unknown girl who was singing them, and Marcie became a recording artist. Tell us about a favor you're very glad you did for a friend.  I just wrote a letter of recommendation for a friend.  I really hope it helps her get a new job.

4) By the time summer was over, and Marcie's gig as a counselor was done, she was #3 on the charts. Her record stayed in the "Hot 100" for 19 weeks and, for the second half of 1962, she was the top-selling female singer in the US. What female singer do you listen to most often?  I don't listen to specific singers.  I usually just listen to what is on the radio.  My son would be able to answer this question.

5) After "Bobby's Girl" took off, she recorded it in German for the European market. Only she didn't speak German, so she sang it phonetically. Can you sing any songs in a language other than English?  I can sing a few Christmas carols in French, our French class in high school sang Christmas carols in French in high school in the halls.  I have also sung Latin in choir.  I have probably sung things in other languages also being in several choirs in my life.  I just can't remember.

6) Seville rushed Marcie into the studio to make more records. None of them charted higher than #68, and Marcie wasn't having fun. After a year of being a rock 'n roller, she enrolled at Queens College in New York City. What's the most recent class you took?  I am currently doing a professional development course for my job called Leters.  It is how to teach reading to kids, and it is the equivalent of a master's class.  I will be paid for having taken it once I am finished at the end of the school year.

7) In 1962, when this song was popular, the most popular baby names were Michael and Lisa. Are there any Michaels or Lisas in your life?  There is a Michael in the Kindergarten class next door to me.

8) Also in 1962, Marlene White, the first African American flight attendant for a major US airline, appeared on the cover of Jet magazine. What's the last magazine you flipped through? Was it in print or online?  I have magazines in my classroom I have on my bookshelf for kids to look at or even cut up at the art center.  It would be those that I have flipped through.

9) Random Question: After enjoying a long, relaxing weekend, do you find yourself more or less productive on Monday morning?  I work at a school that has a 4-day school week, so Monday I am not very productive, but on Tuesday, I am very productive, and I stay that way the rest of the week.  I have a lot to fit in in 4 days.

Tuesday 4 Meme- True Crime and Mystery

 

                True Crime and Mystery

 Welcome to Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4 where we try to give you topics to discuss each week. Hopefully it helps with your blogging, gives a bit of fun and helps you meet new friends.

This week we are talking about true crime and mystery.  I think this week's question might need some thinking cap time!

1. Was there a notorious crime in the news that caught your attention or interest? Did you follow that case to it's conclusion?  If there was no solution, do you pay attention to news about the case long after? (for instance the Lindbergh kidnapping case.. Patty Hearst, etc., )  I always wondered what happened to JonBenet Ramsey.  I don't really pay attention to the case anymore, just why someone would want to kill her?  There are a lot of cases like that I just do not understand.  Click the picture to read the latest:

2.Does the mystery genre of literature and movies interest you?  Does any one book ,series or movie stand out for you?  I love mystery movies and I love Agatha Christie books and movies, but I am not typically a fan of reading mysteries.  I like a psychological thriller, but not a mystery.

3.  Ever play Clue or any one of the new mystery games available?  Do you enjoy solving mysteries or puzzles?  I have played Clue.  I enjoyed that when I was young.

4. Some towns are known for mysteries that took place there.  Do you have something like that in your town or state?  If not.. how about telling us about something that has always puzzled you!  There are a couple of cases from close to my house that had me wondering.  The biggest case was of the Springfield Three.  The two girls had just graduated high school in 1992 and went missing along with the mom of one of the girls.  It is a huge case here and they have no idea where the girls are.  It is believed they are dead, but they have not found them.  I had just graduated college when they went missing, so I think that is why I remember the case so much.  They weren't that much younger than me.  They had many leads but were never able to quite figure out who was responsible.  I do keep up with the cases close to my home.  You can click on the picture to learn more.

Saturday 9: Moody Blue

 

Moody Blue

Saturday 9: Moody Blue (1977)

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

1) This song was recorded in the special studio Elvis had built in the Jungle Room of Graceland. During the pandemic, have you made like Elvis and worked from home?   No, we were only out when the whole country was shut down here in Missouri, then it was summer and we were off, but we went right back to school in person August 2020 and have been back all this time.

2) Elvis sings that his girl is completely unpredictable. Which quality to you find more attractive: spontaneity or dependability?  dependability

3) He only performed the song once in concert. In February 1977, shortly after the record was released, Elvis sang "Moody Blue" live in Charlotte, NC, but had to rely on lyric sheet. Crazy Sam can sympathize because she seems to forget passwords as soon as she sets them. Do you often struggle with your memory?  no, not really. Not yet.  Hahahaha  Has anyone found anything to work for memory?  Prevagen?  I know I will struggle eventually.

4) "Moody Blue" was the final hit of Elvis' lifetime, only getting to #31 in the US but reaching #3 in the UK. What's your favorite Elvis song?  My mom is a huge Elvis fan and saw him in concert just before he died.  I was raised listening to Elvis, so I really like everything he sings, and his voice was like butter, but the song that brings me to tears every.single.time is "How Great Thou Art".  He sings it so powerfully.  Josh got my mom an Elvis CD to play in her car for Christmas.  She loved it.

5) We're focusing on Elvis this week because January 8 would be his 87th birthday. He enjoyed celebrating his birthday by renting the Memphis movie theater and watching the latest movie with an invited group of friends. What's your favorite way to celebrate your birthday?  We used to go out to eat, but the past year or two we just did take out, so basically a nice meal.

6) For his 11th birthday, young Elvis asked for a rifle or a bicycle. His mother deemed the gun too dangerous and the bike too expensive and instead gave her son his first guitar. Tell us about a memorable birthday from your youth.  I only remember a couple of birthday parties.  When I turned 9, my mom put together a surprise party for me and had several of my school friends over for a sleepover.  It was fun.  That was also the year I got my big bike.

7) Elvis loved horses and kept them in the stable at Graceland. His favorite was a palomino named Rising Sun. To honor both horse and rider, Elvis' daughter has always kept a palomino in the stable whose name includes "sun." The current resident is Tuscan Sun. Known as "Tucky," he's lived at Graceland for more than 20 years now and is a favorite of Alene Alexander, who maintains the stable and reports he has "attitude and knows he's prettier than everybody else." Tell us about an animal who holds a place in your heart.  Mandy holds a very special place in my heart and she too knew she was prettier than everybody else.  She was such a great companion and if I did not feel good, she knew it and would lay beside me.  She always knew just what I needed.  She passed away November 8, 2019.  She was 12 1/2 years old.

8) Throughout his life, Elvis had trouble sleeping. As a preteen, he was a sleepwalker. As an adult, he battled insomnia. Is sleep an issue for you?  Sometimes it is and it has gotten worse these past few years, but typically I sleep well.  I just have some nights where I struggle.

9) Random question: Do you wear your shoes in the house?  Yes, my feet get cold if I do not have shoes and socks on, so I just always have them on.  I am always ready to go that way.  I have not always been that way with my shoes, but I started it somewhere down the road and it is just part of my routine now when I wake up.

Tuesday 4 Meme- Linens and Things

 

Linens and Things.. January White Sales

 

Each week we offer 4 questions for you to ponder, think over, blog about or ignore if you like!  We keep up the tradition begun by Toni Taddeo!

Here are this week's..... all about January  Linens.

1. White month is in January when towels, sheets and household goods go on sale.  Do you replace old sheets and towels each year?  If not when?  I replace them as needed.  I just replaced several towels and a set of sheets, so I am not planning to buy anything new.

2. How many sets of sheets and towels do you feel a household need and how often should they be changed on the bed and on the bathroom towel rack?  That is probably different for each household as far as how many are needed.  I keep two sets for each bed.  I change our sheets every Sunday on all beds.  The towels get replaced every other day or so.

3. Do you think the January sales are a bit too close to Christmas when people have spent their money? If you do, what month would be an ideal time to replace linens and things in the home?  I always like a sale no matter when it is.

4. There is something so lovely about a linen closet with beautifully folded sheets, towels and blankets. Some place lavender in the closets for a relaxing beautiful scent.   What do you do to make your linens nice? Fabric softener? Lavender? Special folds? Or is your linen closet in serious need of some tender loving care right now?  I use fabric softener and also those Downy crystals in my wash.  Everything is folded nicely and put into categories of towels, hand towel, bath towels, wash cloths, etc.

Sunday Stealing- The End of the Year

 

The End of the Year

                                   

 1. Something that made you cry this year?  Remember when Molly was poisoned

by the Black walnut in September?  I cried a lot those couple of days not knowing if

she was going to make it.  She did though.  This picture was taken when she was recovering.

2. Something you want to do again next year?  Nothing different is coming to

mind that was new that I did this year, so I will go with getting together with

family, go out to eat and read.  I love to read.

3. Talk about a new friend you made this year.  There are several new people

that I am working with this year.  I met a new friend named Debbie.  She is 

around my age and we just get along so well.  I am enjoying having her as a

new friend.  We laugh a lot and it is just nice having someone my age to talk 

to that understands things I go through.

4. How was your birthday this year?  It was during that time Molly was sick, so

not great, but not awful either.

5. Favorite book you read this year?  Well, People We Meet on Vacation by 

Emily Henry made me laugh a lot, but I think I will go with The Four Winds

by Kristin Hannah.  It is an amazing historical fiction book written during

the great depression and the Dust Bowl.  It is about a family in Texas and 

what happens to them during this time.  It was so good.  These were both

5 star reads for me though.  Click on the picture if you would like to read

the review at Goodreads.

6. What’s a bad habit you picked up this year?  I cannot think of any new ones

from this year.  I have plenty though.

7. Post a picture from the beginning of the year.  I have several meme

pictures, so this was the first actual picture.  It was taken February 4th, 2021.

These are co-workers from the elementary that I worked with last year.  I

believe it was twin day.  I am on the right in the back.  

8. Post a picture from the end of the year.  This picture is of me and my son 

Josh taken during my husband's family Christmas dinner.  It was at the

restaurant Josh works at and we were playing Bingo...Karl's Aunt Shirley

is behind us calling out Bingo numbers. 

This picture was taken December 5th, 2021.

9. A memorable meal this year?  Probably the one I had in the picture above.

I love Mexican food.  I had the burrito grande and it was wonderful.  I also

had homemade banana cheesecake and it was so delicious.  It was a lot of

fun with family, and it was a good meal too.

10. What are you excited about for next year?  I do not have anything planned

that I am excited about yet.   I guess I am excited to get back to work and

have more fun with my kids and co-workers.

11. What’s something you learned this year?  Patience and perseverance.

12. What’s something new about your place of residence (room, home, 

or general location) now vs the start of the year?  We got a new microwave 

Friday and it is super nice.  The town we live in is getting a new bakery, it

is being built now.  OH!  That can be my thing I am excited about for next year.

I cannot wait to go spend some time at this bakery.  It is close enough I can

walk to it.  It is next to my beauty salon.

13. Favorite place you visited this year?  I go to work, doctor and occasionally 

eat out.  I do visit my mom every Friday.  I will say her house.  It is

comfortable and nice to get to visit with her.

14. Did you keep any New Year’s Resolutions?  I did not make any.

15. Will you make New Year's Resolutions for 2022?  no

Bev, these questions were a lot of fun.  Thank-you!  Happy New Year!