I let my music take me where my heart wants to go

This morning at work I listed to AOL Radio and they had a category of "Songwriters" to listen to. I was in love. I was immediately brought back to my childhood. No these were not songs from the 80s. They were songs that I listened to in the car while my parents were driving. It was either cassettes of their favorites or K-Earth or Arrow 93.1. I always thought my parents had great taste in music. I thank them for my love of Elton John, The Eagles, and Chicago among others. Sitting in my office this morning I was transformed back in time to sitting in the backseat of the car humming along to songs that I had no idea of their meaning. When I listen to them I can now truly appreciate what my parents loved about them.

So this a play list of some of the songs that I heard this morning plus some others that I loved but that I forgot I loved. Let's just say that my love affair with Cat Steven's "The Wind" has been reignited.


I listen to the wind
To the wind of my soul
Where I'll end up well I think,
Only God really knows
I've sat upon the setting sun
But never, never never never
I never wanted water once
No, never, never, never

I listen to my words but
They fall far below
I let my music take me where
My heart wants to go
I swam upon the devil's lake
But never, never never never
I'll never make the same mistake



Also, am I the only girl that dreams that Billy Joel is talking about me when he is singing "Always a Woman"?

She can kill with a smile, she can wound with her eyes
She can ruin your faith with her casual lies
And she only reveals what she wants you to see
She hides like a child, but she's always a woman to me

She can lead you to love, she can take you or leave you
She can ask for the truth, but she'll never believe
And she'll take what you give her as long it's free
Yeah, She steals like a thief, but she's always a woman to me
She can wait if she wants, she's ahead of her time
Ohhh... and she never gives out
And she never gives in, she just changes her mind

And she'll promise you more than the garden of Eden
Then she'll carelessly cut you and laugh while you're bleeding
But she’ll bring out the best and the worst you can be
Blame it all on yourself 'cause she's always a woman to me

She's frequently kind and she's suddenly cruel
She can do as she pleases, she's nobody's fool
And she can't be convicted, she's earned her degree
And the most she will do is throw shadows at you,
But she's always a woman to me


Please take a trip down memory lane with me.

White People Getting Down

I defy you to watch this and not laugh especially at the 3:45 mark. It's great, I could watch this all day.



Here is their enjoyable appearance on "The Today Show".

I love this. All weddings should incorporate a good dance down the aisle.

Lazy Blogging

I am blogging in bed.

Rodger bought a laptop this morning.

This is definitely the way to blog.

Too bad I really don't have much to say right now.

But it will come in handy when we go to Maui so I can share the trip with everyone. Taking the blog on vacation. At least it flies for free.

That's it.

Just wanted to share my excitement about blogging in bed.

Barefoot with no keys

I locked myself out again. Rodger was with me this time but he didn't bring his keys. It was kind of like the "Friends" episode where Monica says "got the keys" and both Rachel and her think the other one has them. It was kind of like that except that we both thought I had them and when we got home I realized they weren't in my purse.

I made the embarrassing walk to the land lady's (there has to be a better term for this person) apartment and asked to borrow my key. She is the nicest lady, she even took care of Sushi while I was in Palm Springs, but I think she is getting tired of this routine. This is third or fourth time I have asked her for a key. She handed me a key and said "I hope this works because it's the only one I have". It had the number 33 on it which is not my apartment number. Not surprisingly it didn't work.

Next we drove to my parents house to get a key. On the way over though my bottle of Dr. Pepper exploded all over my jeans. Nice and sticky. Got to love that. I got the key and we made our way back.

Finally we are in the nice air conditioned living room and I look for my phone, nope not in my purse. Really, why would it be? Must be in my car. If you don't feel bad for me let me add that there are three flights of stairs from the garage to my apartment. After the 3rd time up or down the stairs I started to use the elevator. I decide that if I am going down to the garage I might as well take the trash with me. In order to get to the trash bins from the garage you have to go out a door, which I was never given a key for. Until very recently it didn't matter because one of the roll up garage doors was always open. No,not tonight. Why would it be? So if I want to get back into the garage after dumping my trash (including a big bag of cat litter) I need to keep this door open. I decide the only thing I can do is prop it open with one of my sandals. This next part is still making me a little sick to my stomach. I had to walk across the concrete trash area with one barefoot to throw my trash away. If you don't feel bad for me let me add that some of my neighbors have a hard time getting their trash in the actual bins. My trash is thrown away and I have my phone but now I think a Tetanus shot may be in order.

I'd like to say this type of situation is a rare occurrence, but it's actually pretty commonplace for me. Will I learn to double check for my keys? I will try. I really will. Organization is a never ending goal for me.

Does my disorganization/scatterbrainedness annoy you? Sometimes, like tonight, I really annoy myself.

Now I am going to shower and SCRUB my feet and enjoy what is left of my Dr Pepper.

In other apartment news a new neighbor moved in. Very nice lady. She is trying to figure out how to bring a piano up to the third floor. I am kind of hoping that if she does get it up here that A) I am home to see it because that will be quite the sight I am sure and B) she invites me over and teaches me how to play and just like Phil Connors I will pick it up in no time.

My Sufficient Other

Rodger and I are frequent shoppers at Pavilions. Very frequent. I think I am there four or five times a week and Rodger is usually with me two to three of those times. We go so often that if Rodger isn't with me my favorite check stand clerk will ask where my significant other is. I am pretty sure the workers at Pavilions think we live out of an ice chest.

Tonight I went over there to get some cat food (I had a coupon) and a french loaf (sometimes I like to have bread and butter for dinner). Later, when I told Rodger I made a trip to the store he asked if the clerk asked where "my sufficient other" was. Sufficient/Significant, they both work.

And here he is doing some hem work. Just one thing that makes him sufficient and significant.

RODGER IS A BIG BABY AND MADE ME DELETE THE PICTURE, SO YOU CAN JUST IMAGINE HIM SEWING.


One thing among many.

Achy Breaky Feet

My feet hurt. This happens every summer. I wear un-supportive flip-flops and my feet ache and then my ankles hurt.

It has to be the sandals, I can't think of what else it would be. Since the summer started there have been nights where I can't fall asleep because my ankles and feet are just aching. This happened last night, and it was bad enough that I got out of bed and filled my bath tub with a little water and soaked my feet in Epson Salt. It helped. The strange thing about this is that my wrists hurt some times as well. Could this be arthritis? Could my joints be swelling from the heat? Have I mentioned how hot it has been lately?

Last night while soaking my feet I decided that it was time to get a new pair of supportive sandals. I can't bring myself to were my Nike tennis shoes out and about during the summer. They don't go with anything I wear in the summer and it is too hot to wear socks and shoes. Today I got a new pair of Rainbow sandals. The ones I have now are old and dirty, and most recently crunchy from dipping them in the pool in Palm Springs. I love Rainbows because they will form to the arch of my feet and be much more comfortable. They were $45.00 ($54.00 with tax, hello 10% sales tax) which seems like a ridiculous amount to spend on flip-flops but they will last a long time and I just need my feet not to hurt.

I am hoping by this time next week that thanks to my new sandals my feet and ankles will be ache-free.

The weekend that Vickie started calling Rodger "Nut"

Last weekend was a hot one and by hot I mean extremely warm. But what else would you expect from a trip to Palm Springs in the middle of the summer. Luckily, we all wanted the heat, well more like we wanted the sun.

My parents were down there all week and Rodger and I met up with them Friday night and then Paul and Vickie arrived Saturday morning. I didn't take many pictures (which is why I had to post the picture above even though Vickie's eyes are closed and the other two pictures I stole off of Vickie's facebook) so you will have to take my word that it was a great time. Rodger and I even got upgraded to a main floor patio/pool room (without even asking). Maybe they remembered my wasp bite incident from last year. I know I haven't forgotten about it and made a point of bringing it up at least once every hour while we were there.

Lots of sunning, swimming, relaxing, and eating. There was Shakey's Bunch a Lunch (for some of us), and my parents treated us all to a nice dinner at PF Changs. I won $15 at the casino. Not too bad considering I only put a $1 in the penny machine. There was a game of Yatzee and I had quite possibly the worst game in my life. But it was fun. Lots of laughing and a very odd comment by Paul that Vickie will probably never get over. I may never either. And I am pretty sure everyone else has blocked it out by now.






I can never get enough of swimming and the sun and, of course, the occasional nap in a nice cool room. I love taking a good nap after spending time in the sun and water. Well let's be honest I love taking a nap any time. But naps in an air conditioned room really rank high up there.

The weekend also included Rodger and I listening to Michael Jackson non-stop every time we were in the car. I perfected my "Billie Jean" car dance moves, and our love for "You are Not Alone" and "Man in the Mirror" grew to immeasurable proportions. There are certain parts of "Man in the Mirror" that we just listened to over and over. And then, of course, there is the reenactment of "Rush Hour 2" when listening to "Don't Stop 'til You Get Enough". You have to do it when you are listening to this song in the car. It's a must. At least for us anyway. By the way, did you hear that Michael Jackson died? I haven't hardly seen or heard anything about it.

Side note: While MJ's passing is sad it did spawn one of the greatest repeatable lines ever. "There wasn't nuttin strange about yo Daddy!" Thank you Al Sharpton. I repeated that line every 2.5 seconds in Palm Springs and also at Rodger's command since then.

It was a great weekend.

Palm Springs rocks my world.

Vince and Peggy Plus Seven

My aunt and uncle have seven cats. That's right seven, five of which are kittens.

Last summer my aunt decided to do a good deed and take care of some kittens that were born in her backyard. She would put food and water out for them and look out for their general well being. A couple of months ago one of those kittens had four kittens of her own but my aunt was unsure where they born. Vince and Peggy decided to get a new kitten as a couple of their older cats had passed away in the past year. The irony of them buying a kitten while four of them were someplace unknown in their backyard makes me laugh. A couple of weeks ago they decided to bring all of the kittens inside.

They already had two grown cats bringing their grand total to SEVEN cats, which I actually don't think is that bad. I believe that at one point when my sister moved home with Moe and Stan that my parents had seven cats. (They have four now.)

These are some of the "Gerlach Seven". Sadly I am missing a picture of big sweet Sophie and one of the kittens, Lorenzo.



Joey



Jackie Gerlachie



Big Rusty, he and I have a love-hate relationship. I love him, he hates me.





Kramer and Johnny (if I was clever enough I am sure that I could make a very funny LOL Cats picture out of this). Poor Kramer, he had a virus that did this to him.

So this is them. Mainly I just wanted my mom to see the pictures I took of them last night but thought others might enjoy them as well. They are extremely cute. I think there could be a reality show on Animal Planet about them and I could be the quirky cousin that comes over to play with them and, of course, to steal avocados.

31 Years

Today my parents celebrate 31 years of wedded bliss.




This picture doesn't have anything to do with their wedding. But I thought it was really cute, you know young parents, first baby, lots of love.

And it also illustrates the fact that there are too few pictures of just my parents and it I couldn't find a wedding photo. Shouldn't one of those be framed in the house?

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad! Thanks for being a good example for married life.

For a funny story (at least in Vickie's opinion) about my anniversary gift to them go here- http://totallymajor.blogspot.com/

Ah hey ma ma ma ma

This song always reminds me of the Fourth of July. Gives me a feeling of small town nostalgia.

According to Wikipedia, "the lyrics are references to Tanworth-in-Arden (England) native Nick Drake, who died of an antidepressant overdose in 1974. The Dream Academy intended the song as a tribute to Drake."

So there you go, but music has always been more about the way it made me feel rather than the actual meaning. Sometimes these two are the same, clearly in this case it is not.

"Life In A Northern Town "


A Salvation Army band played
And the children drank lemonade
And the morning lasted all day, all day
And through an open window came
Like Sinatra in a younger day
Pushing the town away, away

Ah-heya ma ma ma, into the night-ahh
Hey ma ma ma, hey-ay-ay-ay, ah
Life in a northern town
Ah hey ma ma ma ma

They sat on the stony ground
And he took a cigarette out
And everyone else came down to listen
It was the winter 1963
It felt like the world would freeze
With John F. Kennedy and the Beatles, yeah, yeah

Ah-heya ma ma ma, into the night-ahh
Hey ma ma ma, hey-ay-ay-ay, ah
Life in a northern town
Ah hey ma ma ma ma

Ah-heya ma ma ma, into the night-ahh
Hey ma ma ma, hey-ay-ay-ay, ah
They shut the factory down
Ah hey ma ma ma ma

The evening had turned to rain
Watched the water roll down the drain
As we followed him down... to the station
And he would never wave goodbye
You could see it written in his eyes
As the train pulled out of sight, right by

Ah-heya ma ma ma, into the night-ahh
Heya ma ma ma, hey-ay-ay-ay, ah
Life in a northern town
Ah-hey ma ma ma, take it easy on yourself
Ah-heya ma ma ma, into the night-ahh
Heya ma ma ma, hey-ay-ay-ay, ah
Life in a northern town
Ah hey ma ma ma ma
Ah-heya ma ma ma, into the night-ahh
Heya ma ma ma, hey-ay-ay-ay, ah
Life in a northern town
Ah hey ma ma ma ma
Ah-heya ma ma ma, into the night-ahh
Hey ma ma ma, hey-ay-ay-ay, ah
Life in a northern town
Ah hey ma ma ma ma

I particularly like this version by Sugarland, Little Big Town, and Jake Owen. Have a listen.

Enjoy all of your Independence Day celebrations!

A place to eat our meals

Thanks to Rhona I now have a table for my apartment, (for those keeping count this is the second piece of essential furniture that the Harrisons have provided). It was one of the last pieces of furniture that I needed for the place and it fits perfectly.

This is our first dinner at the table.





I think it's going to work out very well.

Thanks Rhona for the great deal!