Saturday 9

Nevertheless (I'm in Love with You)

Welcome to Saturday 9. What we've committed to our readers is that we will post 9 questions every Saturday. Sometimes the post will have a theme, and at other times the questions will be totally unrelated. Those weeks we do "random questions," so-to-speak. We encourage you to visit other participants posts and leave a comment. Because we don't have any rules, it is your choice. We hate rules. We love memes, however, and here is today's meme!

Saturday 9: Nevertheless (I'm in Love with You) 1969

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

1) In this song, Liza Minnelli acknowledges that she may be "taking a terrible chance." Have you done anything risky lately?
No.  My life is pretty boring these days.

2) In 1969, when Liza recorded this song, she was 23 and her career was really beginning to take off. She was a sought-after guest on TV talk and variety shows and received her first Oscar nomination. Give us a quick overview of your life at 23.
I was married and had given birth to our first child.

3) Also in 1969, the first Gap store was opened in San Francisco. What have you recently added to your wardrobe? If yes, where did you buy it?
A t-shirt that says "San Francisco -- It's where it all began" (because I was born and raised in San Francisco).  I found it on line.

4) Liza says she always has apple juice in her refrigerator. What's something you're certain to have in your frig?
butter, mayonnaise, eggs, milk, salad dressings...

5) Liza's favorite card game is poker. What's yours?
It's called Five Crowns.  I used to play it all the time with my mother and cousins.

6) Though Liza recorded the song in 1969, "Nevertheless (I'm in Love with You)" was written way back in 1931. It has been recorded more than 50 times by artists as diverse as Bing Crosby, Andy Gibb and Bob Dylan. Before today, had you heard it?
I believe so.

7) "Nevertheless (I'm in Love with You)" is credited to Bert Kalmer and his partner, Harry Ruby. Another one of their hits was "Who's Sorry Now?" Do you owe anyone an apology?
Can't think of anybody,

8) Together they also wrote "Hooray for Captain Spaulding," sung onscreen by Groucho Marx in the movie Animal Crackers. There were five Marx Brothers in all. How many can you name?

Groucho, Harpo, Zeppo and 2 more

9) Random question: Do you believe talking to plants helps them grow?
I had a violet plant that I  talked to until it bloomed, then I stopped talking and it died. Could be just coincidence!

 

The Olympics begin

I spent most of the day today watching the Olympics opening ceremonies.  I have all sorts of feelings about it, but the finale, Celine Dion singing Edith Piaf's song, "Hymn to Love" had me in tears. From what I've read on line, a lot of other people have had the same reaction.  Dion has been struggling with "Stiff Person Syndrome" for a few years and has had to stop performing.  I watched a documentary about it and it was so sad, but she said she was learning to sing again, and this performance certainly proved that she has her voice back again.  It was amazing.

I won't say the ceremonies themselves were amazing.  There were great things.  The arrival of all the teams is always great, and the view of them in boats floating down the Seine was great fun, but the boats were all too far apart and it took forever for all the boats to make the 4 miles to the Eiffel Tower.  

In the slow spots there was entertainment.  Starting with Lady Gaga singing in French with lots of pink feather fans.  I read later that the thing was recorded, so I'm not sure why they showed it.  There were can can dancers, ballet dancers, a strange fashion show, and musical numbers by people I never heard of.  I just wanted to see the athletes, not a can can at the edge of the river!

In all of this, it was pouring rain the entire time.  One guy played a solo on a grand piano that was covered with water, and you could see the rain coming down on it.  It was amazing how little everyone on screen seemed to notice that it was raining.

There was also a weird guy carrying a torch across all the roofs of Paris that seemed really stupid, but the final carrying of the torch was amazing, as it kept being passed from one Olympic star to another, including a guy who was now 100 years old and in a wheelchair.

I'm glad I watched it, but I sure had problems with it. But it was probably worth it just for the Celine Dion song.

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Homelessness

I had a great Swap Bot to fill today.  I've been frustrated at having so many wonderful new postcards, and nobody to send them to.  This swap is called "Piles of Postcards" and you are to send a postcard to ten partners.  What fun!  I read the bios of each of my 10 partners and was able to find the perfect postcard for each of them.  I had such a good time filling out and mailing those postcards.

I'm reading about the governor issuing an order to remove all tents, etc. from the homeless and that it will be against the law to sleep outside if you are homeless.

I've heard this before.  Please tell me where homeless people are supposed to sleep if they have no home?  The governor says they are going to build homeless shelters.  Swell.  But what do they do between now and the time the shelters are built?  Do they just sleep outside anyway, be arrested, and taken to jail where they will have a bed?

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A surprise gift

The new attack by someone in the Trump clan is that Harris doesn't have children because she had so many abortions her uterus is ruined.  Where in the world did THAT come from?  They are just making things up to make her sound bad.  Good lord...why in the world would anybody want to run for public office?

What a surprise to get a big box delivered to me this afternoon.  I was trying to remember what I had ordered from Amazon and then when I opened it there was this great cookie jar inside, which was sent to me by a Facebook friend.  I love it.  I have an excuse to make cookies (Marta has requested shortbread).  

When I looked at the paper inside the box again, I saw it had been ordered May 24 and I asked her if she had really ordered it on May 24.  She said she had and that they told her they were all out and gave her a full refund...and then when they got them back in, sent it to me anyway, so she didn't have to pay for it.  A gift for both of us!

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Sad

 I am so disappointed today.  I had plans to meet my friend for lunch today and was really looking forward to it.  I almost never get out and I haven't seen her in about 6 months.  But she texted last night that she can't make it and changed the date to 2 weeks from now.  The worst thing about this is that she and I have been talking politics at these lunches for over 20 years and by the time we finally have our lunch (assuming she doesn't change the date again, which she frequently does), Kamala Harris' nomination will be old news and I really wanted to talk with her about it.

It's interesting watching the Trump organization go after Harris.  The latest I heard is that she can't be an effective president because she has no children (her step children don't count)

The "birtherism" topic has come up too.  She can't be a presidential candidate because her parents were  both foreign students who didn't get citizenship at the time of her birth.  But she was born in a hospital in Oakland, which makes her automatically an American citizen.

Trump wants the upcoming debate NOT to be hosted by CNN, but by FOX instead.  Gee...I wonder why...

And there is some talk of something that happened when she was attorney general in San Francisco.  The hint is that she did something illegal.  Does the Trump organization really want to discuss illegalities with the 34 times convicted felon and an attorney?  Pretty stupid if they do!

See...these are the things I would love to discuss with my friend, but they will be old hat in 3 weeks.

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More Postcards and Biden

 I found a set of dog and cat postcards on Amazon this week.  Just what I don't need is more postcards, but it said there were only 8 sets left and I had a feeling that this was not the kind of postcard that would be refilled when they are gone.  So I bought them.  I just love them.  But it's like all my other postcards I've purchased recently...who am I going to send one to?  I did send a cat one to my friend Gerry.  I figure in a convalescent hospital she can use all the fun she can get...and she likes cats.  But now I'm waiting to hear from SwapBot or Postcrossing that it's time to send a postcard so I can send one to someone else.

So today was an historical day -- Biden has dropped out of the race.  It's certainly interesting listening to Republicans and Democrats talk about his presidency.  I listened to a podcast of Jon Stewart interviewing Bill O'Reilly, who feels Biden has been the absolute worst president in history (he didn't even mention Nixon).  Now today I'm listening to all the Democrats talk about how Biden has been one of the best presidents in history.  I really, really want to live another 50 year so I can read the history books in 2075.

It is assumed (by the Democrats I've heard today) that Kamala Harris will run and that she is certain to beat Trump.  Can you imagine how Trump would feel is he was defeated by a black woman??  I have to admit that is a debate I'd love to hear, if she is chosen.

From Mary Trump:

We cannot kid ourselves about what the response from Donald and other Republicans will be. They have had their entire election strategy ripped out of their hands.

They were prepared and only prepared to run against President Biden. Many, many, many of their tactics must be thrown out the window. Right now, Donald Trump is the oldest person ever to seek the presidency. Kamala Harris is young and energetic, extremely intelligent and extremely capable. None of those descriptions applies to the Republican candidate.

They will stop at nothing to tear her down.

They will use racist attacks.

They will use misogynistic attacks.

Nothing is beneath these people. So, we need to be prepared for that. We need to be prepared to fight back.

I know we can do this. We can do this together. And we'll be together every step of the way

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Sunday Stealing

 Welcome to Sunday Stealing. This feature originated and published on WTIT: The Blog. Here we will steal all types of questions from every corner of the blogosphere. Our promise to you is that we will work hard to find the most interesting and intelligent questions. Cheers to all of us thieves.

Stolen from League of Extraordinary Pen Pals

1.  What would you put in a time capsule?
A newspaper (by the time the capsule is opened, newspapers probably won't exist any more), a CD of Lawsuit music, a junk journal, and one of my "message" t-shirts.

2.  What’s something you’re really good at?
Writing.

3.  What part of society would you like to change?
I'd like to change the minds of the MAGA people.

4.  What have you eaten in the past 24 hours?
Not much.  Yogurt, 2 mandarin oranges, and some crackers

5.  What is an unusual fact about you?
I went to a reception and sat at a table with Carol Channing.

6.  Do you collect anything?
Stickers and post cards

7.  Have you played sports?
no.

8.  What is your favorite blog?
The blogs I read regularly are the ones who participate in Saturday 9 and Sunday Stealing.

9.  Ketchup vs. mustard?
It depends on what, but probably ketchup

10.  Do you believe in ghosts or aliens?
Yes, I believe in the possibility, though I have had no experience.

11.  The last movie you saw in a theater.
It was so long ago, I can't remember

12.  The silliest thing you have done this week.
I bought a gift for a stranger because I read her wish list on Amazon and it was so amazing, I just couldn't help myself.

13.  Have you ever done anything illegal?
Yes.  I have driven too fast and as a grammar school kid I stole penny chocolates from our corner grocer.

14.  What would you wish for right now?
The ability to wish myself to certain places without having to be driven.

15.  What shoes do you wear the most of?
Birkenstocks

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