Happy Thanksgiving week for those who celebrate. Di @ Pensitivity101 has a freshly baked set of questions for the Share Your World series. Here we go!
1. As a child, did you prefer to watch TV, play games outside on a nice day, or read?
Read or watch TV. I’ve never been an outdoors person, except for riding my bike (alone) on nice days. I guess it was sometimes fun to play in the snow or pretend our NJ backyard was a pirate ship, but even so as a child I watched tons of TV and read loads of books. Kinda the same as now, except blogging has taken the place of all that TV.
Speaking of TV, I began my Christmas season romcom watching this weekend, and the first movie I chose was awful. It was titled Surviving Christmas (2004) and starred Ben Affleck and Christina Applegate. Dumbest movie I’ve seen in a long time with the only bright spot being James Gandolfini playing his grumpy, sarcastic Tony Soprano self, but even that wasn’t enough to save this dreck.
2. What would you rather do now, read a book, watch a movie at home, dine out with friends, or go down the pub?
I enjoy all these things except for the pub.
3. Are you fashion conscious?
Welp, I am conscious that I am not the least bit fashionable. Part of the reason is money ~ my clothes seem to last forever, so why waste money buying new stuff? But it’s also because unless it’s boiling out I am always cold, so I wear a frumpy grandma sweater over everything, which pretty much ruins the look of any outfit. Up until a few years ago, I did have a whole bunch of cute shoes, but they hit the bin after my back started hurting 24/7 and now I have the grandma footwear going on as well.
4. Do you wear slippers, clogs or go barefoot indoors?
I had otter slippers, but they fell apart. What do you think of the kitty ones above? I need some because it’s getting so cold!
As always, I am very grateful for my health, family, friends, kitty, and job. And big thanks to all my readers!
You will be thrilled to know that I can once again drink coffee, even first thing in the morning. So happy! I just finished my cup and am ready to tackle the new set of questions from Rory @ Earthly Comforts.
1. What ways are you adopting to save on energy bills?
I am more careful to turn off unnecessary lights and I’ve been doing laundry at the times our rates are lowest. Also, since I finished bingeing Downton Abbey I haven’t been watching much TV. I think our bill decreased a bit, but it’s hard to tell because this month they gave us a random credit. Luckily, I live in Coastal SoCal, so I don’t need the heat or the AC very often.
2. Are there too many TV channels today offering too much content choice and do you struggle to find something to watch – discuss.
I never was a huge TV fan in the first place after my teens and MTV years, so I’m not “struggling” more now than at any other time to find good shows and movies. As I’ve mentioned, I prefer to watch a complete movie rather than start another series, and yes it can be difficult to find one that appeals to me. There have been a lot of horror and sci-fi offerings lately, but those aren’t really my thing, and the romcoms all look so dumb, though I’ll probably cave and watch some Christmas ones. The last movie I watched was Stephen King’s Mr. Harrigan’s Phone, and I doubt I’ll find something else as good anytime soon. If you have any good recommendations for a drama or suspense movie, feel free to drop the title in my comments. I get Prime, Netflix, and HBO. Comedy is great too, but I don’t want to get trapped in a series!
3. How often do you read, watch, or listen to the news on the average week?
I check the news several times per day, usually via the Google aggregate, and I click to read anything of interest ~ usually stuff like a mountain lion on someone’s deck or a bear in a pool or a gator on a golf course… you get the idea. I try to keep up with political news and top stories, but it’s all so horrible and depressing that I can take only a few minutes at a time. I never watch news on TV or listen to it on the radio.
4. What would you say are five important life skills people should know?
basic personal hygiene
vacuuming, dusting, bathroom cleaning, etc.
cooking simple things like eggs
money management/budgeting
how to spot propaganda and scams
5. When at school how often did you complete your set homework?
I always did all my homework on time plus any extra credit. I was a total nerd!
6. What don’t men understand about women and what do women want men to really know about them?
Everything/nothing.
7. What do people want from life?
A cupcake, a kitty, and 10 million dollars. Or is that just me?
8. What is your most comfortable pair of shoes and why?
My black Life Stride memory foam old lady shoes because they are soft and low-heeled, plus they go with most things.
9. If your favourited colour wasn’t available what would be the next colour you choose to wear on your head?
The rare times I wear anything on my head it’s for a special occasion, so whatever it is has to match my outfit. I recently wore a gold fascinator to a wedding and I also have a cute straw hat that goes with everything summery.
10. What are your Top 3 worst smells or scents?
tar
smoke
perfume/cologne
11. If you could spend a whole day in Disneyland with anyone – living or dead who would it be and why?
Probably someone living because they’d be less smelly than a dead person.
12. Are you a Halloweener and if so how and why and if not, why not?
I love all festive occasions and opportunities to dress to a theme or at least do my nails to celebrate. Halloween is one of the best holidays because there are no family obligations/commitments and we can just do as we please. Generally, though, I haven’t been doing much of anything for Halloween except fancy nail polish, but that could change. Or not…
13. What job did you want to have when you were a child growing up and more importantly did it ever appear as an opportunity in any shape once as an adult?
I don’t remember giving this much thought, but at a certain point I thought it would be cool to be a research scientist, until I found out how much I hated advanced chemistry. So boring. And no, it never came up again as any sort of opportunity.
Some call it blue; some call it green– It undulates in between. Mermaid’s treasure, waterfall, Synergy upon your wall. Intuition, misty teal, So beautiful, it’s unreal. Paint chip names say hello: Fairy tale and calypso, Robin’s egg, cerulean sky… A sweater or a butterfly, Jewelry, cupcakes, seaside art– Turquoise always soothes my heart.
Lauren continues the Throwback Thursday series by asking about our conformity way back when.
1. What were the words you would have used to describe something cool or popular?
I was between the groovy generation and the awesome kids, so everything good was “cool.” That’s it.
2. How about those things that were uncool?
Uncool obviously. Or they “sucked.”
3. What were the hairstyles of the day?
Long and straight, long and permed, short and cute, and of course the whole “Farrah” phenomenon.
If boys did anything special with their hair, I have no idea what it was.
4. Did they have a name everyone used to reference them?
Officially, we were late boomers, but we never called ourselves that. Guys and girls were the terms. And for the record, I don’t get fussed if someone calls me a girl, even now. That’s a weird hill to die on, imo.
5. What were the styles of the time?
Everyone wore jeans and tee shirts.
6. What word would you have used to describe something distasteful?
Gross!
7. What about peers you were not fond of or were not part of your tribe?
First, I wasn’t in a tribe ~ I had a small group of friends and at times only one or none. Second, I would likely have been considered an outcast if anyone had bothered thinking about me at all. But I didn’t pine away to be part of the in-crowd, since it was obvious they were all connected via sports, which I hated.
8. Any phrases you remember that were used (or overused)?
Warning: long rambling post coming up all about clothes and girly things.
Lauren continues the Throwback Thursday series by asking about our formal attire for special occasions back in the day. None of the events she mentions apply to me though. When I was growing up, there were no invites to weddings, funerals, bar/bat mitzvahs, etc., happening in my immediate family. My mother wanted nothing to do with her Ohio peeps for many years, and she had good reasons for that, and my father’s New York family was very small. He was an only child (as am I), and his cousins mostly had one or no children. Besides that, my dad was always more interested in making new friends rather than keeping up with distant relatives. No one ever asked me to prom, except one aborted attempt that fell apart before it became an official invitation.
I enjoy special occasions now though, maybe even more than the average person because I missed out when young. In particular, the dress-up aspect enthralls me and I get very excited about any themes. Whenever I’m invited to a formal event, part of the fun is choosing/buying something dressy and/or themed to wear… also there is usually a fancy dessert. One of my friends is getting married in early October and I’ve already bought a swirly skirt to go with my gold glittery top. Her colors are within the fall palette, so I think I will blend in well.
I recently got all sparkly for a dinner and karaoke night with friends in San Diego. It was an absolute blast! The fascinator (little hat) I’m wearing will be perfect with my gold October outfit too… I just have to decide about shoes… or maybe sparkly boots.
This isn’t to say we never got dressed up when I was little. Though we didn’t really celebrate Easter, my mom always bought pretty new spring outfits for us, as pictured below. My dad always wore a sports-jacket when we went to dinner and often a tie as well. But this was East Coast style back then ~ jeans were for playing outdoors, and my parents didn’t think we should wear them to a restaurant. My mom went even further and believed that “a lady” shouldn’t go out in public without having her hair nicely styled and a face full of makeup. She criticized me frequently for failing to curl my hair and wear lipstick when I was a teenager and beyond.
We weren’t salon people either, just cheap haircuts once in a while. I don’t recall my mom ever getting her hair “done.” She did it herself and I do my own as well. I had it fancied up once at a salon for a wedding ~ it was very long and hard for me to work with, but that was an exception. Mani/pedis were definitely not a thing for us, nor massage, nor any related indulgences. We weren’t wealthy! My mom polished her own nails, and I do mine once a week or so too. I enjoy wearing nail polish, and have a million colors, even though I hardly wear makeup.
I did have a manicure once, with fake french tips and the whole deal. It was a disaster! The funny feeling at the end of my fingers interfered with my writing inspiration, which travels directly from my brain to the keys apparently. Nothing comes between me and my Calvins words. But worst of all is when they removed them, which was an incredibly painful process. I know that’s not normal, but I have extra-sensitive fingers. Luckily, I enjoy doing my nails myself.
Maggie continues the Throwback Thursday series today with some questions about changes in our lives, both large and small.
1. Think about your first haircut. Were you the kid that cut your own hair? Did you go to a salon or did your parents cut your hair? Did your parents save a lock of your hair?
I have no memory of a first haircut. Probably my mom did it, and no locks were saved as far as I know. I do remember my mom giving me a home perm at some point, at my request, and it was awful. Around age 12 I went to a salon for the trendy “pageboy” cut, which didn’t resemble any of the cute ones in the magazines. Sometimes I cut my own bangs. My hair has always been fine and soft, which meant it feels nice to touch, but it never holds a style well, even with a gallon of spray. Perms helped coarsen it up, for a while, but they simply didn’t flatter my face. What really helps is going grey ~ my hair has more body now!
2. How about shaving? Fathers often teach their sons to shave. Most girls I know, decided for themselves when to shave their legs and their underarms. Some cultures do not shave at all.
I began shaving my legs/underarms daily as soon as I noticed hair there, maybe around age 10 or so. It was no big deal, as I used an electric razor for a long time, so there were no ouchies.
3. Did you alter your clothes? Cut jeans into cut-offs? Cut the sleeves off t-shirts? Wear graphic tees? Tie-dyes? Sew patches on your jeans?
I did most of that and was really into embroidery for a while. Patches were great too. I didn’t do homemade tie-dye until later, with my own daughters, and that was fun, though the end products were not as pretty as the ones in the stores.
4. Was there a time you remember challenging the authority in your household. Do you remember the first time you found your voice?
Probably at age 11 when I decided I didn’t want to be fat like my parents and changed my eating habits. They didn’t care… until later when I’d gone too far. I remember once as an older teen I decided to “run away” because I wasn’t getting along with my mom. I went into Chicago for a day with a friend and then came home, realizing I had no choice. Later, a boy and I planned to run away together, but I chickened out. I’m not sure why I couldn’t stand my mom when I was a teenager, but I got over it, of course, and loved her very much later in life. I think it was just a need to separate myself from her and create my own identity because she was too much “in my face” when I was younger. I tried not to do that with my girls or nag them about their appearance and whatnot, but I don’t actually know how they perceived me.
5. What about piercings? Girls getting their ears pierced was a rite of passage for girls. Then boys started getting one ear pierced. As time passed, piercings became more mainstream and accepted.
I got my ears pierced at a doctor’s office around age 12. It wasn’t a big deal or a rite of passage, just a thing I wanted to do and my mom took me.
6. Did you walk on the wild side? Smoking? Drinking? Did your parents know?
Yes to all. But it didn’t seem wild in the 1970s when lots of people smoked. Teens drinking alcohol wasn’t such a huge deal as it is now. My parents liked me to “be wild” at home, so I wouldn’t get into trouble with the car, so honestly it wasn’t even fun. I mean, you don’t exactly feel like a rebel when your dad is mixing you a drink.
7. What about tattoos? Did you get a tattoo while still living at home? Did your parents approve?
No tattoos ever. It has nothing to do with my parents; I just don’t like tats. Sometimes they look cool on other people, but I’ve never had the desire to get one, unless it’s a snake wrapped around my stomach, which I’m told will hurt too much, never mind costing a fortune.
8. What about language? Was swearing allowed in your family? Did you use the same language around your friends as you did at home with your family?
Swearing was not only allowed but highly encouraged! I used the same language with both friends and family, though I toned it down after I began working. Nowadays, I mostly only swear when I’m alone, since I can’t at work or in front of my grands, and some friends dislike swearing. In our house, forbidden words consisted of racial and ethnic slurs, which I still feel are much worse than any exclamations of f*ck or sh!t, but I try to be sensitive to others, usually.
9. Think back to high school. Girls, did you iron your hair? Did you color your hair? (using Sun-in counts!) Guys, did you grow a beard or moustache? Did you grow your hair long? Feel free to share a photo of yourself back in the day.
I used Sun-In as a teenager. Later, I opted for professional highlights, and once I went red, which was an exciting look but too hard to maintain. After my husband split in 2009, I went darker for a couple years, at the new boyfriend’s request, but it wasn’t really me. Here is a collage of me from ages 4-14.
10. Many people think our authentic self is the person we were as young children. Are you still inherently the same person you were as a child or have you changed your personality and demeanor along the way?
I’m pretty much the same as I was as a child… introverted, awkward around people, often prefer to be alone, love to read and dabble in writing, enticed by arts and crafts, drawn to vivid colors, glitter, and sweets, get obsessed with new things then drop them cold, etc. I’ve switched from dogs to cats though.
It’s a happy coincidence for me that the Weekly Prompt is clean up. I just bought one of those contraptions from Amazon to attach to my vacuum in order to get all the lint out of my dryer’s trap (more than just the stuff you grab off the filter). This is supposed to help prevent a fire. As a bonus, the doodad says it also works on refrigerator coils. I am very excited to spend the holiday weekend doing these and other housekeeping chores… I’m certainly in no mood to celebrate the demise of our democracy.
I’ve been slowly decluttering my wardrobe of pieces that no longer fit my lifestyle ~ anything too tight, short, or “sexy,” along with uncomfy shoes. I already dumped all my dangly earrings that I was not able to convert to posts, as they’re too heavy for my fragile earlobes. I’m planning to further downsize my book collection as well. What am I saving them for? I never reread these oldies, for there are way too many new books to try. I’ll give some to friends and donate others to the library.
As I’ve mentioned, I cleaned up this blog last year and began anew April 1. It was a tedious process ~ but worth it. Deleting duplicates and unused pics from my media library was another huge task, but it paid off, and now I have tons of storage space. I do periodically repost poetry and other moldy tidbits that still appeal to me, but long gone are the rants about dating life/ sites, since I no longer date. What a huge declutter that was! I reclaimed so much time, energy, and money that I had been wasting on a pointless endeavor.
Also, I’m pretty rigorous about watching my follow list and getting rid of bloggers who annoy me in one way or another ~ one of the recent ones had a blog that gave you a scam error message when clicked. I know most of you don’t bother checking out followers, but I think it’s important. I’m also not going to interact with people online who denigrate gays, reproductive choice, Democrats, atheists, etc., or who espouse any kind of racism. I don’t need that kind of dirt in my reader.
Finally, I need to clean up my habits and focus on fresh food and exercise. My blood pressure is up for a variety of reasons, but I think I can control it myself. I should take a daily walk, for starters, and get better sleep too. Goodbye cheap, salty, processed meals… hello pricey fruit!
Dr. Tanya continues her #5Things series by asking about the stuff we no longer buy due to the pandemic. Welp, in the last several years my purchasing habits have indeed changed, but not because of Covid-19. Read on…
1. Hair coloring. The last time I got my hair colored at the salon was in 2018, before my eldest daughter’s wedding. It’s slowly turned pretty grey since then ~ I estimate about 25% grey. I used to think it was very important to cover the grey because of dating, but now I don’t date, so I save all the money I would have spent on color or highlights at the salon. I get only basic haircuts now.
2. Sexy clothes and shoes. Same deal. I used to think it was necessary to have cute skirts, tight tops, and high heels in my closet in case I met Mr. Right, but I don’t have to worry about that anymore, and the sexy stuff is long gone. My clothes these days are comfy-frumpy, and my shoes are old-lady style to minimize back pain.
3. Costumes. I used to enjoy wearing funny and/or sexy costumes whenever there was a themed event, but I’ve thrown all that stuff in the trash. It was mostly uncomfortable in any case, and these days I’m more inclined to wear a fun sweater to celebrate a theme rather than a costume and makeup.
4. Makeup! Yep, nowadays I may wear lip gloss or lipstick, but that’s about it. No more fussing with my eyes to impress some dumb guy. Actually, I don’t know if any men really care about eye makeup ~ you always hear them say they like the “natural look,” though some women work hard to look natural. My eyes have become too sensitive for makeup lately anyway, so it’s a win-win.
5. Dating site memberships, gah. Due to the erroneous belief that “you get what you pay for,” I subscribed to sites several times, as opposed to hanging out on the free ones, in hopes of meeting men who weren’t lying, cheating, unemployed, illiterate, cat-hating psychos. Wrong! The same scumbags lurk on the pay sites too.
Giving up dating has been a blessing for my wallet. Men complain about having to pay for dinner, but they have no clue how much we spend to look good for them, while they show up for every date in jeans and a slobbo tee shirt. Bleh!
Please refrain from giving me any advice. I haven’t dated in over 5 years and am much happier without all that drama. As the song says…
Especially if you’re Oddjob. Seriously, no need to take your hat off on my account, Mr. O. Although Tony Soprano might have had something to say about it, if anyone remembers that classic restaurant scene. It’s simply uncouth to wear a hat whilst eating spaghetti next to a mob boss and he is not going to put up with such boorish behavior. In the old days, men wore cool hats… not baseball caps so much, but nice hats that went with suits and sports jackets, like in Mad Men. My dad had hats… I remember once he and my mom had a terrible argument and he was about to walk out but stopped to get his hat. It was a habit, and even if you’re upset, you don’t forget your hat. Anyway, I told him not to go (I was 6 years old) and he didn’t. Yep, it was just like that song “Daddy, Don’t You Walk So Fast,” except he hadn’t left yet. After that, I always felt it was my responsibility to defuse their fights and make things right. I became expert at sensing their moods ~ some people say that’s what creates an empath, but I never call myself one. I’m not that good at figuring out other people’s moods if they aren’t obvious. Mostly, I’d rather not even know. Knowing conveys a vague sense of guilt and cloaks me in a “do something,” even if the problem has nothing to do with me. I’m not talking about joy or any kind of happy emotions, but bad/sad moods.
Anyway, hats. They are nifty. I should wear mine more often.
Alrighty then. After a month of focusing on the Eagles, I’m back aboard the Song Lyric Sunday train. This week I chose Gwen Stefani’s “Wind It Up” for the keywords pants and shirt. Thanks, Jim, for choosing my theme! One of the cool things about this song is she mashes it up with “The Lonely Goatherd” from The Sound of Music, which is so much fun. I really encourage you to listen to it. The video below references other songs/scenes from TSOM, so if you’re familiar with the film/play, you may be able to spot them if you pay attention.
Gwen wrote this song with Pharrell Williams for her 2005 Harajuku Lovers Tour (Rodgers & Hammerstein are also credited as writers for the Goatherd section). DJ Jeremy Healy created the mashup. Gwen loved it so much she cried (according to Wikipedia) because TSOM is her favorite movie. After the tour, she recorded the song for her 2006 album The Sweet Escape, which was her second solo studio album. “Wind It Up” did not go over well with the critics, and they were especially negative on the yodeling. But people loved the song regardless, and it ended up at No. 6 on Billboard Hot 100, staying on the chart for 18 weeks. It did well in dance clubs and in Europe and Australia also.
High on the hills with the lonely goatherd Lay-od-lay-od-lay-he-hoo He yodelled back with the girl and goatherd Lay-od-lay-od-low
Wind it up Wind it up Wind it up Yodellay, yodallay, yodel-low (yeah)
This is the key that makes us wind up When the beat comes on, the girls all line up And the boys all look, but no, they can’t touch But the girls want to know why boys like us so much They like way we dance, they like the way we work They like the way that L.A.M.B. is going ‘cross my shirt They like the way my pants, it compliments my shape (she’s crazy, right?) They like the way we react every time we hear the
Every time the bass bangs, realize it calls your name Let the beat wind you up, and don’t stop ’til your time is up (Get in line now)
Light Motifs II 