AZQCueU2 ~ Society

Yay, a new game from the Blokey Guy!

The theme is Society and Rory quoted from someone whose last name begins with A.

“Unlike a drop of water which loses its identity when it joins the ocean, man does not lose his being in the society in which he lives. Man’s life is independent. He is born not for the development of the society alone, but for the development of his self too.” ~ Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar

Now I will quote from someone whose last name begins with B.

“The paradox of education is precisely this – that as one begins to become conscious one begins to examine the society in which he is being educated.” ~ James Baldwin

I now pass the baton to Angie of King Ben’s Grandma. Please continue the game with a quote on Society from someone whose last name begins with C, and follow the linking rules on Rory’s post too.

Thanks! 😀

Karry-no-key

I did karaoke once. That was enough, for me, and for everyone else’s aural health. I think I had conjured up a romantic idea of the experience from movies such as 27 Dresses and How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. Supposedly, you can impulsively grab a microphone and start belting out a song without any preparation, and even if you don’t have a great voice and are somewhat off-key, you’ll still sound okay and look adorable. 😍

Wrong! You have to start with a decent voice, know the song, especially when to start and stop, and have a sense of music generally. Which I do not. Otherwise you’re just filling the room with a cacophony of noise. It’s not fun for me to remember how awful I must have been. 😖

Though they don’t even know, I accept the gratitude of all future ears I won’t harass with my terrible “singing.” 🎶😜🎶

Shades of Pink

Nancy has chosen one of my favorite colors for this week’s theme. So, without further ado…

Counting on Me?

Happy Caturday, everyone! Gatsby here. Rawry tricked Mommy by telling her to name a topic quickly and she picked maff… so now she has to answer all these number questions! Lolmeow! I’m not helping her because it’s time for my nap 💤 byeee…

The Topic Today Is – Counting on You!

I am an odd number. Take away one letter and I become even. What number am I?

– Seven! 🤣

Using only addition, how do you add eight 8’s and get the number 1000?

– 888 + 88 + 8 + 8 + 8 = 1000

Sally is 54 years old and her mother is 80, how many years ago was Sally’s mother three times her age?

– 26 year difference, so 39/13, which is 41 years ago

At a party, everyone shook hands with everybody else. There were 66 handshakes. How many people were at the party?

– 12

It’s dark. You have ten grey socks and ten blue socks you want to put into pairs. All socks are exactly the same except for their colour. How many socks would you need to take with you to ensure you had at least a pair?

– 11

My grandson is about as many days as my daugher in weeks, and my grandson is as many months as I am in years. My grandson, my daughter and I together are 120 years. Can you tell me my age in years ?

– No 😜

2 Fathers and two sons go out hunting, each manage to down a bird and yet only three birds come home with them – how come?

– Two shot the same bird 😢

Provide two quotes that are about numbers please.

– “Two can live as cheaply as one.”

– “Three’s a crowd.”

Provide the title of one song that is exclusively about quantities.

– “If I Were A Rich Man”

Add me to myself and multiply by 4. Divide me by 8 and you will have me once more. What number am I?

– 2

How many 9’s are there between 1 and 100?

– 20 in whole numbers

Four years ago, Jenny was twice as old as Robert. Four years from now, Robert will be 3/4 of Jenny’s. How old is Jenny?

– Oops forgot this one! Jenny is 12.

Why did six cry?

– BECAUSE 7 8 9!!!!!

Which number Apollo mission was the spaceflight that landed the first two men on the Moon?

– Dunno and not cheating

Who were the actors that starred in Apollo 13 and what year was it released?

– Dunno and not cheating

Can you name 10 films with numbers in their titles?

– Four Weddings and A Funeral; 10 Things I Hate About You; Three Men and A Baby; Three Men and A Little Lady; Five Easy Pieces; The Twelve Chairs; Second Best; 27 Dresses; Life of Pi; Twelve Angry Men

A Baker’s dozen is how many?

– 13 yummy things 🍪

How many sculpted lions by Sir Edwin Landseer sit at the base of Trafalgar Square?

– Dunno and not cheating

What is ‘nine tenths of the law’?

– Possession

The Crazy 88 feature in which film?

– Dunno and not cheating

Who was the 35th President of the United States?

– JFK?

Rory says to link here.

Borrow the Lyrics Challenge ~ Tupelo Honey

I’ve been tagged by Rory of a Guy Called Bloke for a fun new game. 😀🎶🎉

Rules (as copied from the creator):

1. You need to choose a verse from a song and use it in an original poem or story.
2. You must include the name of the song and the singer at the end or beginning.
3. You need to challenge someone else and invent ONE rule they need to follow.
4. You must credit the person who started this challenge (a.k.a. PJ) and the person who challenged you.
5. You must include the rules of this challenge.

Rory’s extra rule is “free thought.”

My song is the beautiful “Tupelo Honey” by Van Morrison, and here is a gorgeous video for you, with lyrics on screen:

Tupelo Honey

Fred threw the final bag onto the boat. It wasn’t all the tea in China, but it was a lot, and he’d reached the weight limit. Each burlap sack contained paper bags full of tea leaves, all bought for a fair price, in various shops along the coast. He planned to sail alone, to maximize the amount of tea he could bring, but at the last minute he’d hired a small crew member who could communicate in English.

“Where are we going?” Liane asked.

“Welp, first we sail right around all seven oceans.”

Liane gaped at him. “You’re shitting me. In this boat? I quit!”

“Okay, okay.” Fred tried to calm her down. He really didn’t know much about sailing. “Maybe we skip the Arctic.”

“It’ll be monsoon season in India soon.” She rolled her eyes.

“Fine,” Fred said. “We won’t go there either. Can we do five seas? That’s close enough.”

“Close enough for what?” Liane checked the rigging.

“To drop all this tea straight into the deep blue sea.”

Liane stood up straight and glared at him like a furious five foot tornado. “Why the fuck would you want to waste all this tea?”

“Because she’s as sweet as Tupelo honey.”

“Who? And what’s Tupelo?”

Fred sighed. “Just this girl who broke my heart back in college. I’ve never gotten over her. She was very sweet. And Tupelo is a city in Kansas. Supposedly the best honey comes from Tupelo. Not that I’ve ever actually had any.”

“Hang on,” Liane said. “How sweet can she be if she broke your heart? What did she do?”

“She dumped me for a rock star.” Fred’s eyes filled with tears at the memory. “I was only ever going to be a boring poetry teacher.”

“We need teachers here,” Liane said. “She sounds like a twat.”

Fred took a deep breath. “That doesn’t matter now. The important thing is to keep my vow about the tea. I always told her she was worth all the tea in China. And she was as sweet as–”

“Tupelo honey.” Liane rolled her eyes. “I get it. But hey. How about instead of doing this dumbass tea-dumping thing, we open a poetry and tea shop? My aunt has a small space we could lease. And by we I mean you. I know how to make tea though. You’ll be in charge of the poetry.”

“Hmm,” Fred pondered. “A new road to freedom?”

~*~

Okay then! I tag Jim Adams. Jim, please follow the numbered rules above with this additional instruction: use any song with the word “kiss” in it. Have fun!

~*~

PS: I see Tupelo is in Mississippi. Whatever!

An Award! 🌸

Lovely Linda has lavished me with a Liebster! Thank you so much, Linda! 💖

First, I’m to present 11 facts about myself. Yes, the dreaded 11… why 11? I don’t know. But there’s nothing to be done about it. Off we go.

1. I’m a single mom of two fabulous adult daughters, and I do take a lot of credit for the fact that they’re both wonderful people.

2. I’ve worked for the same company for 18 years.

3. I’ve been married and divorced twice.

4. I was born in Sleepy Hollow, NY, but I never saw the Headless Horseman.

5. I lived in Chicago, IL for several years, and it was freezing. 🥶

6. I tried to find my soul mate after my last divorce, but nothing worked out, so now I just write all the time.

7. I’ve self-published 6 books of poetry and fiction as Paula Light. 😀

8. One of them will be available in audio shortly.

9. I’ve also self-published 2 romance novels and several short erotica stories as Anna Fondant. 🔥

10. Someone is narrating my first romance novel right now, so it should be available as an audiobook soon.

11. I have a bazillion more novels, novellas, short stories, and collections planned out to write, edit, and self-publish before I die. 🙃

Okay then. Now I’m supposed to answer some specific questions. Guess how many there are? Eleven again. Yeppers.

1. How important is Wi-Fi for you? Is warm running water or wireless internet more important?

This looks suspiciously like two questions to me. Can I get a ruling? Wi-Fi is very important, but obviously warm running water is more important. I don’t want to be boiling pots of water on the stove to wash my hair in the sink. Annoying! 😠

2. Name your favourite blogger (any genre).

Whoever gives me compliments is my fave.

3. If you have to pick a place to settle down forever, where would it be and why?

I’d like to be, under the sea, in an octopus’s garden, in the shade… 🐙

4. What is one silly moment you’ve had that you’d like to share?

I went to CVS yesterday for eyedrops and saw they were having a greeting card sale. I got so excited by the cute cards I forgot my vow to quit buying cards because they’re a waste and I picked out three. Then I forgot to notice if the cashier gave me the third one for free like the sale said. This morning I checked my receipt and of course she charged me for all of them.

5. What is your favourite trait about yourself?

I’m so good at sticking to resolutions. 😜

6. What is your favourite time of day?

Lunch!

7. Tell us your favourite food/cuisine.

Seafood with pasta. I guess that’s Italian.

8. Name three destinations you would like to visit once in your lifetime.

Yellowstone, Taos, Boston. 🚊

9. If you could change something in the world, what would it be?

Get rid of parasites. So gross.

10. What are you most passionate about?

Writing.

11. What is so special about your blog?

It reflects my creativity and my life; it’s not a regurgitation of headlines or clichés. I try to offer fresh and interesting content to keep readers amused. I hope I succeed, at least sometimes.

And… that’s all she wrote! 🙃

Espresso Cupcakes

Shout-out to Jim, for letting me know about a new (to me) series of prompts from a fun and interesting looking blog. Thanks Jim!

If I have ever tasted an espresso cupcake, it has not been recorded in a blog, at least not one with archives.

Could one of these be espresso?

That second one looks a bit suspicious. But I just don’t know. I think they were bought and nommed up in Berkeley, so they might have been any weird thing.

I would definitely try an espresso cupcake, especially with vanilla buttercream frosting. Mmm! I love coffee flavors. Love coffee ice cream, with hot fudge or chocolate syrup or just plain. I used to pour Baileys over it, but I’ve given up alcohol. God, that was good!

Coffee cake isn’t coffee-flavored though. Isn’t that confusing? You’re just supposed to eat it with coffee (or tea). I used to love Starbucks coffee cake, before they removed half the crumbs to make it “healthier.” Pro tip: it’s still not healthy, but now it’s not yummy either.

Back to cupcakes. Sprinkles has a Cuban Coffee cupcake, available Wednesday and Sunday. That sounds pretty darn close to espresso and I may just have to try it now.

For science! 😀

321 Quote Me ~ Hope

1. The lovely Di tagged me to participate in this challenge today. Thank you! 💖

2. I’m now to post two quotes on the topic of hope…

Okay then! Hope you weren’t expecting any cheery stuff from me. You should know me better than that by now. 🔥

3. I’m supposed to tag three bloggers, but idk who did the hopey quotes yet, so if you haven’t, consider yourself hereby tagged.

Song Lyric Sunday ~ Dog

Jim gives us a zodiac theme this week and I chose dog… “Me and You and a Dog Named Boo.” This song was written in 1971 by Roland Kent Lavoie, better known as Lobo, for his album Introducing Lobo.

I remember to this day
The bright red Georgia clay
And how it stuck to the tires
After the summer rain
Will power made that old car go
A woman’s mind told me that so
Oh how I wish
We were back on the road again

Me and you and a dog named boo
Travelin’ and livin’ off the land
Me and you and a dog named boo
How I love being a free man

I can still recall
The wheat fields of St. Paul
And the morning we got caught
Robbing from an old hen
Old McDonald he made us work
But then he paid us for what it was worth
Another tank of gas
And back on the road again

I’ll never forget the day
We motored stately into big L.A.
The lights of the city put settlin’
Down in my brain
Though it’s only been a month or so
That old car’s buggin’ us to go
We’ve gotta get away and get back on
The road again

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Posted in Fun, Music

Tagged aminals, nature, psychology, retro, travel