“You Really Got Me…”

Tags

All Day and All of the Night, British Invasion, Concerts, humor, Lola, Low Budget Tour, Mad Men, Music, New York, Rock 'n Roll, The Kinks, You Really Got Me

M U S I C   M O N D A Y

I thought for this music monday I would share a true story from my wild youth. I may have alluded to this experience in a previous post but I’d like, this time, to fill in a few more of the details. For those of you who watched Mad Men last night you’ll remember that the episode closed with a popular song from The Kinks, “You Really Got Me.” This is what triggered my idea for today’s post.

It was the summer of 1979. I was 17 years old. My boyfriend, Doug Schmidt, was a huge fan of The Kinks and had indoctrinated me from the start of our relationship with every song, album, and moment of Kinks history, etc. as boyfriends often do. It didn’t surprise me when he showed up at my house one afternoon with two concert tickets to see the “Low Budget” Tour (that was the actual name of the album). The Kinks would be playing in a small venue in Poughkeepsie, New York — only about an hour away.

Here’s some important information you should know about my concert going practices. Having grown up in New York I attended MANY concerts as a teenager. I thought I was  a pro. Even though I was a teenager, I had it in my head that wearing something other than jeans and a tee shirt, say, a skirt or dress and heels, would create the illusion that I was more sophisticated, and not your average screaming, jumping concert goer. My master plan for any concert event, always included multiple attempts to get close to the stage. To enjoy the concert from the front row and possibly make eye contact with a band member, well, that would be the big prize. My son assures me that most kids feel this way. I’m pretty sure I liked the challenge. Also, keep in mind that with heels on I’m over 6′. Some girls hate being tall; I always viewed it as advantageous, especially in these situations.

Fast forward to the concert hall. It was a very small venue. It almost felt like a high school auditorium. Much to my delight our seats were fairly close to the stage — I’m guessing in the vicinity of row 10? Not bad but still, the question remained, could we somehow maneuver our way to the front? In these situations, timing is everything. We waited for the lights to dim and the show to start before we made our move. Eventually we reached the edge of the stage, sure, maybe I stepped on some people’s toes or intimidated them with my determination and height but no matter, we got there!

THEN IT HAPPENED…

As I was studying Dave Davies, brother of lead singer, Ray Davies, play the guitar he looked up and made eye contact with me! Oh Wow! I was completely entranced. He actually looked at me! I’m not sure which song they were playing when the eye contact  happened, but it didn’t matter because the next sequence of events would prove to be the pinnacle of my concert going career. The band started playing, “You Really Got Me” — one of my favorite Kinks songs.  The audience was going crazy. The next thing I knew, Dave Davies crossed the stage bent down in front of me and KISSED ME!!! He got up and returned back to where he had been standing only to walk back, bend down and kiss me a second time!!!!!! It was pure fantasy. As Doug Schmidt as my witness, these events did occur. Now when I hear, “You Really Got Me”, I’m transported back to that moment in time.

Did I get asked back stage. YES. Did I go? NO! I’m not a groupie! Sheesh!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCbl8cgUkEM&feature=fvst

Something to think about…

Tags

comedy, complaints, First world problems, Ghetto, humor, Laptops, Pringles, snacks, texting

Just a little something for your amusement…

My Spotless Mind…

Tags

Air conditioning, Dancing, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, films, Hairstyles, humor, Ignorance, Larry Crowne, make-up, Memory loss, Roadkill, Rolls Royce, Things that disturb, trains, Vintage cars, weddings

Everyone who knows me quickly learns that I have a terrible memory, both short term and long term. I have what I call, “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.” No, I didn’t pay a team of Doctors to erase my memories nor do I take drugs. It’s just the way God made me. Being unable to remember things keeps me happy as a clam — at least for the most part. You know what they say, “Ignorance is bliss,” and “What you don’t know won’t hurt you,” etc. I’d say my brain is like a self-cleaning oven – after I use it, everything gets cleaned out. It’s actually sort of refreshing.

There are a few things though that have managed to slip in, unbeknownst to me. I’d love more than anything, to get rid of them. Maybe if I write a post about them I’ll diminish their strength and impact?

• My daughter’s wedding. Now before you think badly of me, let me explain. I’d like to rid myself of the memory of the little details that went awry. For instance, we rented a beautiful white vintage Rolls Royce to take us to the wedding. I thought it would be great for pictures, etc. Unfortunately it was never explained to me by the rental service, that the air conditioning would be vintage as well — and by this I mean there was none. That’s right, either we would have to roll down the windows and risk destroying our beautiful hair styles in the wind tunnel vortex of death or sit in the car and melt the make-up off our faces. Hmm…. Lily chose windows up. We melted. Actually, she did surprisingly well, I melted. It didn’t help that on the way we were stopped by a sloooow moving freight train. When we arrived I looked as if I had already danced the night away. 

• Road Kill. Here in Illinois we have an inordinate amount of roadkill. Why? I don’t know. Of course being the animal lover that I am, I always try to avert my eyes. (This  is not always easy since driving usually requires that you look at the road and watch what you’re doing.) Still, somehow I manage to see it. These disturbing images have been seared into my memory. My brain has some how taken all the dead carcasses that I’ve seen, and morphed them into one generic super road kill. It’s very disturbing.

• Larry Crowne. Was there a scene in this film with particularly disturbing images? No. I’m speaking of the movie in its entirety. My brain couldn’t process the level of ‘badness’ that this movie was and so it haunts me. Throw in an image of Tom Hanks in that ridiculous weenie bike helmet and I’m at the brink — I rue the day my son brought that DVD home for laughs. It was only sad. I will never be able to watch Tom Hanks again without remembering Larry Crowne.

Well, that’s all I can remember for now! I guess less got in my brain than I realized. That’s a relief.

Just out of curiosity… If you could permanently remove trauma or negative memories from your brain by taking a pill, would you?

Here’s a picture of Lily and Paul at the wedding. I think I did a pretty good job of it, and by “it” I mean, Lily, of course.

My Mixed Tape…

Tags

cat stevens, David Bowie, favorite songs, Glen Campbell, Jethro Tull, Joni Mitchell, Mixed tapes, Music Humor, Patti Smith, Petula Clark, Road rage, Sonny and Cher, the beatles, The Mamas and the Papas, The Monkees, The Turtles

M U S I C    M O N D A Y 

For those of you keeping track, I missed last week’s Music Monday because someone by the name of Brian Westbye stole my idea. That’s right, he’s the kind of guy that can’t come up with his own stuff so he takes from other people. Some of you who know him might defend him by saying that he’s gifted, truly prolific, original, an amazing writer, etc. Blah, blah, blah. I just know that I couldn’t go ahead with my intended post because I didn’t want him to feel inferior — you know, it would be natural to compare. Since my writing has a “special” quality that his lacks, I thought it best to let him have the post.

So today I give you Lisa’s Mixed Tape. This is an extremely eclectic bunch of songs if ever there was a bunch of eclectic songs. (See, this is precisely the kind of sentence that Brian could never come up with. I’m just saying.) This is just a very small sample of some of my treasured music — songs I like to play in the car when I’m driving around and getting road rage. Just kidding!

Do you have some favorite songs that always make it onto your mixes?

LISA’S MIX

• Gentle On My Mind – Glen Campbell
• Elenore – The Turtles
• Sunshine Superman – Donovan
• Helter Skelter – The Beatles
• Sitting – Cat Stevens
• Changes – David Bowie
• Carey – Joni Mitchell
• I got you Babe – Sonny and Cher
• She’s got you High – Mumm-Ra
• I’m a Believer – The Monkees
• Dear Prudence – The Beatles
• Mother Goose – Jethro Tull
• Shake My Tree – Coverdale/Page
• California Dreamin – The Mamas and the Papas
• Midnight Confessions – The Grass Roots
• All Over You – Live
• Because the Night – Patti Smith
• I’ll Be There – Jackson Five
• My Love – Petula Clark
• Solsbury Hill – Peter Gabriel

Film reviews — Well, sort of…

Tags

Battleship, Brave, Critics, Dark Shadows, Disney, entertainment, Film Review, humor, Michael Fassbender, Pixar, Prometheus, Ridley Scott, Snow White and the Huntsman, The Dictator, What to expect when you're expecting

F I L M    R E V I E W   F R I D A Y 

It’s another dismal weekend for movies. Am I desperate enough for popcorn that I would go see Tim Burton’s “Dark Shadows” or does that look incredibly lame and unfunny? I’ll definitely avoid, “What to Expect When You’re Expecting” — Why? Because I expect to be completely underwhelmed. I’ll also skip “The Dictator” for obvious reasons, the first being that it looks sooo bad. (What the heck happened to poor Ben Kingsley? He used to be a respectable actor. Sigh.) “Battleship” looks dreadful and “Girl In Progress” got slammed by the critics.

If any of you venture out to see these films, (I won’t judge you), and find that they actually do have entertainment value, please report back and I will amend my statements.

COMING SOON — FILMS TO LOOK FORWARD TO…

Snow White and the Huntsman – From what I can tell of the trailer, this looks VERY well done.

I don’t love Kristin Stewart that much. Is it wrong of me to root for the evil witch?

Brave – Pixar’s newest offering will surely be a lot of fun. This is the summer for girls who rock a bow and arrow. I love it! Anyway, I’m a sucker for Disney and Pixar.

Prometheus – Ooh, This looks scary good and it’s got Michael Fassbender in it — so basically nothing can stop me. (…although he is sporting artificial blonde hair which is a bit of a bummer.) I usually don’t like Science fiction as a genre, but Ridley Scott is a great director so it should be exciting.

For those of you who would like to watch something this weekend that has heart and soul I would suggest asking Free Penny Press for her recommendations. (See her May 14th entry Monday Movie picks) She’s a purist when it comes to film (she’s a strict independent and foreign film person – she doesn’t venture out to bad movies for popcorn like I do!) and has chosen several interesting Independent films for our viewing pleasure. Check her out. 

My Strange Addictions…

Tags

Addictions, All My Children, ancestry.com, Beaches, Beanie babies, Designer clothes, Desserts, humor, Pine Valley, Pinterest, Pokemon, Scotland

I thought I would use today’s post to purge the debilitating shame that I’ve been carrying around with me. You see friends, I’m an addict. You heard me, AN ADDICT. I seek relief from my day to day stresses in the world of Pinterest and Ancestry.com. I’ve been strung out “pinning” and uncovering hints, not for days, not weeks, but months. I’m caught in a shame spiral of internet intrigue. Please don’t judge me – it’s okay to hate me because I’m beautiful. What? I’m just saying, I don’t mind that… but don’t judge me on my addiction.

THE WORLD OF PINTEREST

If you’re not familiar with Pinterest, enter at your own risk. Pinterest is a world of fanciful clothes, scrumptious foods, exotic vacation spots, and so much more.

Temptation, thy name is Pinterest. I have 33 “Boards” and 3,628 “Pins.” You do the math. (I transpose my numbers so, I literally can’t do the math.) I’m what you would call a junkie. Where else can a gal attend her wedding on a beautiful beach, dressed in a designer gown, eating decadent desserts, while the hottest guy around whisks her off to live in a castle in Scotland? — Only in the fantasy land of Pinterest. Just the other day I pinned a picture of a conservatory and the caption; “I need this conservatory.” Disturbing? Yes. Do I really NEED a conservatory? Don’t make me answer that.

 I SEE DEAD PEOPLE

Ancestry.com is like Beanie Babies or Pokemon for me. I’ve gotta “catch ‘em all.” And by, “Catch ‘em all,” I mean, round up and unearth my dead relatives. (Sadly, some of my relatives actually look like Pokemon – Jigglypuff, etc.) I’m sure they appreciate all my efforts to dig into and poke around their very mortal lives. Well, someone has to make sense of the mess they left behind, so it might as well be me. I try to imagine them smiling down on me from heaven saying, “Good work Lisa!” Then again, sometimes I’m interrupted by a vision of them shaking their fist at me, scowling and screaming, “Mind your own business!” Crazy, Ancestors! I guess they forget they’re dead, and I’m not?

At the end of the day my ancestors actually cancel each other out. I’ve got them fighting on both sides of the Civil War and both sides of the Revolutionary War. I’d say that’s a wash. I’ve got Quakers, Protestants, Catholics, Mormons and Jews. I’d say that’s a wash, too. Some lines are rich and royal and some lines are poor and beleaguered. I confess, I love them all. I love every story. I’m addicted to turning those family tree leaves over and piecing the clues together — the same way I was addicted to Pine Valley and the characters on “All My Children.”

Hey, you don’t suppose there’s away to combine Pinterest with Ancestry.com, you know, in an effort to spend less time on the computer? I could have whole new Board categories; Ancestors who changed their names and identities, Hottie Ancestors, Criminal Ancestors, etc. No? Maybe I just need to get out more…

Lisa’s Weekend Movie Reviews…

Tags

Bill Nighy, Captain America, Edgar Allen Poe, Emily Blunt, Film, Hulk, humor, India, Iron Man, John Cusack, Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Movie review, popcorn, Super Heroes, The Avengers, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, The Five year engagement, The Raven, Thor, Tom Wilkinson

F I L M    R E V I E W    F R I D A Y

THE FIVE YEAR ENGAGEMENT

This is a very mildly entertaining movie that could have been made slightly better if they had cut 25 minutes from it. There are some scenes that simply don’t work and are almost painful to watch. (When comedy fails – it can be excruciating.) Emily Blunt is very likable and watchable, but the story never really becomes interesting. There are moments of light comedy sprinkled throughout but not enough to make this movie entertaining. When, as an audience, you find yourself not caring what happens to the main characters, you know there’s a problem. Such is the case with “The Five Year Engagement.”  It felt like I was in the theater for five years! Ugh. GRADE C

THE AVENGERS

This is going to be a short review because as I see it, you’re either a fan of super heroes or you’re not. If you’re a fan, then you know all or most of the story lines behind each character and the movie will be entertaining. If you’re not a follower of Thor, Iron Man, Captain America, Hulk, etc., then you might feel slightly lost and confused, in which case, you’ll be bored. If this is the year that you want to get into super heroes then I would suggest either watching all of the movies leading up to The Avengers OR you can very easily go to Google and familiarize yourself with the story lines. I enjoy my super heroes, I’m not gonna lie. What’s not to like about Thor, the hunky Norse God of Thunder or Captain America with his cute 1940′s ideals? GRADE A- (only if you’re a fan.)

 THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL

(Judi Dench, Bill Nighy, Maggie Smith, Tom Wilkinson, Dev Patel) 

You can’t help but like this movie — The cast is amazing, the acting is top notch, and the location is completely cinematic. “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel” follows a group of British retirees, each with a slightly depressing back story, to exotic India. They arrive to find that the hotel is not as it appears in the brochure — it’s a barely functioning structure, a shell of its former self. (Perhaps a metaphor for who they’ve become over time?) This strange and exotic place forces them to see things differently and their lives are transformed by the shared experience. Everything gets wrapped up by the end of the film in a most satisfying way. (okay, it’s slightly predictable)

Does the story have some flaws? Yes. Was the audience 99% elderly? Yes. Did I care? No, because I could get out of the theatre much more quickly and beat everyone to the parking lot. : )

This is a sweet story, mild and comforting. One reviewer called it “Eat, Gray, Love.” haha! If nothing else you’ll enjoy it for the superb cast. TAKE MOM!! Grade B+

THE RAVEN

My husband, daughter and I walked out of this after about 30 minutes in. Whoa! Was it excruciating! Edgar Allen Poe, played by John Cusack, is unrecognizable. He’s portrayed as being an arrogant, narcissistic, big mouth. They’ve tried to make him feel contemporary and the end result is that it’s just painful — so much so, that we decided to cut our losses and leave. It’s too bad, I really wanted to like this. (I’m a fan of Edgar Allen Poe. I’m quite certain that he would’ve hated this film.) GRADE F

If any of you stayed for the entire film I’d be curious to know if it got better. I’m guessing it didn’t. ‘Rotten Tomatoes’ gave it a 21% which falls in the range of what I call, deadly films. Luckily, we were able to finish our delicious popcorn, so all was not lost.

Canadian Fine Dining…

Tags

Canada, Candid Camera, dining, humor, menus, ravioli, Restaurants, scallops, waiters

Whiny Wednesday On Thursday 

Several posts back I revealed that in my youth I tried my hand at waiting tables, found I was overwhelmed easily and walked out, leaving a family of four to wonder what had happened to their waitress and their food. Obviously, I have total respect for anyone who can skillfully and artfully manage this very stressful job. Having said that, I now feel free to make fun of those who have not mastered the fine art of waiting tables.

Recently on my trip to Victoria I encountered a style of table management I was not familiar with.

James, The Overly Enthusiastic Waiter

We were a hungry group of four, my husband, daughter and my son in law, out for a delicious meal and great conversation. What we didn’t expect was that our waiter would be part of that conversation. First he went into excruciating detail about how the meal would unfold, how he would keep our glasses full, how the appetizers would arrive hot and delicious, and how we would enjoy the main entrees that would follow. It was slightly odd, because obviously we had eaten out before and were familiar with how restaurants worked, but then I thought, “Well, he’s nice and seems to be taking his job seriously…” But as the evening progressed it became quite clear that ‘he was the guest who wouldn’t leave.’ When he took our main entree order it went something like this…

Lily: “I’ll have the Butternut Squash Ravioli.”

Waiter: “Wonderful. Nurturing comfort food. Delicious Roma tomatoes, goat cheese, with a hint of fresh basil and a smattering of spicy glazed pecans. Delightful.” Takes her menu.

Lily: (Thinking) “What the…?”

Paul: “I’m gonna try the Pan Seared Scallops”

Waiter: “Mmm… Perfect. Mixed braised Bok Choy, ripe red peppers in a pleasing yellow Indian curry sauce, served over a very pleasant basil cilantro Jasmine rice. Wonderful.”

Paul: Suppressing a laugh (Thinking) “Really…?”

My Husband: “I’d like the Red Curry Chicken Bowl.”

Waiter: “Ahh, yes. Good choice. Bursting with flavors. Thai red curry, coconut cream, jasmine rice and delicately steamed Asian greens. You’ll adore this.”

My Husband: (Looks around, smiling.) “Are we on Candid Camera?”

And so the ordering continued in that fashion. The waiter showed so much enthusiasm and knowledge of each item ordered that he practically ruined our appetites. I actually felt full after his food monologues. This may be the way they do things in Canada but in the states we’re not so patient sophisticated. We go to restaurants to eat, not to watch our waiters perform.

Here’s the kicker, the appetizers arrived at the same time as the entrees!!!! It was pretty funny given that we had just been told in detail how the meal would progress. We had to laugh. Not only that, but he never came back to refill our drinks! All those spices and nothing to quench our thirst!

In the end, James apologized. He appeared to be sincerely sorry for raising our expectations, promising us the moon and then disappointing us with a sub-par dinner. At least he didn’t walk out and quit his job like I had done so many years ago. Good effort James, good effort.

What kind of waiter style do you prefer?

A Visit to the Dentist…

Tags

Anxiety, Christmas, Dentists, doctors, double chin, Fish Tanks, humor, Insurance, loose skin, Nostalgia, Novocain, Photos, Radar, Vacuum

T I M E   T R A V E L   T U E S D A Y

For the past few weeks I’ve been getting email reminders that it’s time for my 6 month dental exam and cleaning. One thing that I have grown to hate as I’ve gotten older is bodily maintenance. I really miss those days when I could go forever  longer periods of time without visiting the doctor or dentist. My physical health and well being was not even a blip on my youthful radar. (Honestly, back then I didn’t even know what radar was.) As far as I was concerned, if it wasn’t broke, I didn’t need to fix it. Now, everything is in disrepair and my radar looks like a jagged line on a heart beat monitor — lots and lots of blips.

THE DENTIST

There are a few things that I miss about the OLD DENTISTRY that I grew up with. Believe it or not, I miss the swishing and spitting into the little bowl on the side of the chair. It was very basic and easy to coordinate. Nowadays, they water your mouth and suction it simultaneously. It makes me feel like I’m drowning. When they finally decide to remove the pools of water that have accumulated in the pockets of my mouth, the suction proves too much for me. My lips and everything that’s not anchored down gets vacuumed into the device. This is followed by some giggles and raised eye brows behind the white mask. (Oh good, I was hoping I could provide some comic relief for the dental hygienist!)  ”I’m sorry that my mouth is not coordinated or smart enough to avoid the vacuum of death. If you give me back the paper cup of olde, I’ll swish and spit for you like a champion.” — Of course, I say this on the inside. 

I also miss the prizes at the end of the appointment. My current Dentist still offers them but I have to pretend I’m not interested, even though I really do want a superball : (

Gas or novocain? How ’bout both? I like to know that there’s not a chance in hell that I will experience any “discomfort.” The idea that someone could go without either of these boggles my mind. (Granted, my mind is not hard to boggle, but still…)

The one thing I do enjoy, with regard to today’s state of the art dentistry, is the picture that they take of you while you’re reclining in the chair. I guess they send those photos to the insurance company for identification purposes, but I would actually like to have them in a bound book of sorts. I quite enjoy them. The angle is extremely flattering. Any loose skin, double chin, etc. falls to the wayside, revealing my face as God intended it. If only we could simulate that experience and have our family Christmas pictures taken from a camera mounted on the ceiling… just an idea.

Some things that will never change:

• The heavy handed Dentist
• The asking of deep and complex questions when your mouth is full of foreign objects
• Fish tanks and Highlights magazine
• That Dentist office smell
• Anxiety and “discomfort”
• Promising that you’ll floss daily

“What’s your opinion of what’s happening in the world?” “Tell me in depth exactly what you do.” How’s every single person, dog, fish, in your family?”

So You Want To Be A Rock ‘N’ Roll Star…

Tags

cat stevens, Charlie watts, George Harrison, humor, Jack White, Music, Paul McCartney, That Girl

M U S I C     M O N D A Y 

Today’s post asks you to really use your imagination. If you love music as much as I do, perhaps you’ve given some thought as to what you might name your band if you ever had one. What instrument would you play? Would you be lead vocals? Lastly, if you could hand-pick famous band members, who would be in your band? Nothing is off limits — you could choose musicians that have died. We’ll bring them back for this little exercise.

I know these will be difficult questions for most of you — probably not for Guapola or John Philips since I’m pretty sure they think about this stuff often, and by often, I mean daily. I thought it might be fun to suspend reality, just for a moment, and pretend to have real musical abilities/talent. I feel like it’s safe to assume that we all, at one time or another, held a hairbrush or spoon to simulate a microphone and performed our favorite songs in our bedrooms, doors probably locked. Some of you may have done this just last week, like I did… haha!

If you’ve been in a band, please share those details, I’d love to hear about them. I think we all would, right?

So without further ado, I’ll start.

The name of my band would be That Girl. I came up with the name when I remembered that I wanted to be Ann Marie (Marlo Thomas) from the TV show “That Girl” when I was young. (Minus her boyfriend Donald — I never really liked his hair.) I think it’s catchy and sort of retro-y.

• Guitar – Jack White, George Harrison
• Bass – Paul McCartney
• Drums – Charlie Watts
• Vocals – Naturally I’ll choose myself
• Backing Vocals – Cat Stevens

Obviously my choices are pretty awesome. Simply, my band would be amazing. Here are a few of my band members…