Saturday 9

 Posting this early, since we will be leaving to go to Santa Barbara on Friday, leaving our daughter-in-law home to take care of the dog.

The Star Spangled Banner

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: The Star Spangled Banner (1991)

... because Thursday was the 4th of July and we're still celebrating!

Unfamiliar with this Whitney's rendition? Hear it here.

1) Whitney Houston originally performed this in front of over 73,000 at the 1991 Super Bowl. What's the biggest crowd you have ever been in?
Probably 63,000 at the football games at UC Berkeley.

2) Whitney's version of The National Anthem was released 10 years later, after 9/11, and the proceeds went to support New York's first responders. It was her last Top Ten single. What's your favorite Whitney Houston song?
"I will always love you."

3) Whitney's friends recall she loved lavender -- both the color and the scent. What's your favorite color? What's your favorite scent?
Red is my favorite color.  I don't have a perfumy favorite, but my favorite scent might be either freshly brewed coffee, or baking bread.

4) Whitney had a sweet tooth and loved Fruity Pebbles. If you reached for a snack right now, would it be sweet or salty?
Salty.  I just had some crackers with peanut butter.

5) Whitney's grave marker bears the words, "I Will Always Love You," so clearly her family is proud of her best-selling recording. How would you like to be remembered?
I would like my grave marker to read "Funny the World."

6) Going back to 1991, when this recording was first popular, consumers who had a cell phones likely had flip phones. Technology has come a long way, hasn't it? What did you most recently use your cell phone for? (Calling, texting, looking something up, taking a photo, posting on your blog or social media ...)
I just had a call from my sister-in-law about our plans for the weekend.

7) In 1777, Colonists celebrated July 4 with the firing of cannons and muskets, followed by a public reading of the Declaration of Independence. What did your neighborhood to to celebrate the 4th of July?
There is a park a few blocks away that has a big gathering, with fireworks after dark.  As it is going to be 107 degrees this afternoon, I don't have a clue how many people will come out (writing this noon-ish on the 4th)

8) The Revolutionary War still raged during that summer of 1777. General George Washington allowed his soldiers to celebrate with a double ration of rum on July 4. Do you know anyone who is serving in the military this 4th of July?
No.  I think the only person I knew in the military recently has retired.

9) Celebrity chef Rachael Ray says she considers mini-hamburgers, or "sliders," the All-American food. What will/did you dine on to celebrate the 4th of July? 
(I don't know.  It's lunch time as I write this and I don't know what my son is going to fix)

Sunday Stealing

 Posting this early because we won't be home over the weekend, leaving the house to our daughter-in-law while we go to Santa Barbara to celebrate Tom's 54th birthday.

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 SwapBot

1. What's your favorite animal?   Domestic: dog;  Wild: elephant

2. What's your favorite book?  "East of Eden"

3. What's your favorite color?  Red

4. What's your favorite dessert?   Cheesecake

5. What's your favorite drink?   Water

6. What's your favorite food?   Dungeness crab

7. What's your favorite hobby?  writing letters, making junk journals.

8. What's your favorite movie?  "A Star Is Born" (1954, with Judy Garland)

9. What's your favorite restaurant?  The Dead Fish in Concord (they have great crab)

10. What's your favorite sandwich?  Fresh tomato on white bread with mayonnaise

11. What's your favorite season?  Fall (summer is over!)

12. What's your favorite series?   It was The West Wing

13. What's your favorite snack?  crackers with cheese

14. What's your favorite sport to watch?  Diving

15. What's your favorite thing to have for breakfast?  English muffins and fruit

   

  

Hot!

 

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God Save the King

 Rudy Giulanni was disbarred in New York state today.

Steve Bannon began his 4 month sentence in a federal prison in Danbury Connecticut yesterday.

It seems that everybody who has worked for Trump in all of his criminal activities has been punished.  Except for one person.

And HE was just granted immunity from everything he did as president.

Interestingly, when the conservative judges who were appointed to the Supreme Court were interviewed, none of them admitted they would give immunity to a president. Neil Gorsuch told Sen. Patrick Leahy "No man is above the law."

Bret Kavanaugh also told the Senate that "no one is above the law"  He also said that "the question of self pardons is something I have never analyzed."

Amy Coney Barrett agreed, but when asked about presidential pardons said, "that question may or may hot arise, but that is one that calls for legal analysis of what the scope of the pardon power is.

In Samuel Alito's confirmation hearing he told the senate that "no president, Democratic or Republican, no president is above the law, as neither are you, nor I, nor anyone in this room."  He also added that during Watergate it was "the responsibility of the judiciary to holdfast" in forcing President Nixon to abide by subpoenas.

In 2005, Chief Justice Roberts said "I believe that no one is above the law under our system, and that includes the president."

Apparently Clarence Thomas was not asked about presidential immunity.

If Trump is reelected, he will use his newly given immunity to get back at everybody he is angry with.  And we are helpless to do anything about it. 

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New Glasses

I went to the eye doctor this week.  Ned came with me.

The nice thing about having Ned with me when I go to anything is that he knows I like having photos to post and sits with phone and takes pictures.

I usually go to the eye doctor once a year, but because of COVID, I hadn't been in 2 or 3 years and I knew I was ready for new glasses.  The doctor said there wasn't a great change, but he did say I needed slightly stronger glasses.

We also decided that I don't really use the trifocal lens in my glasses (though as I write this, I am using the trifocal lens!) so I'm only getting bifocals this time.  The woman making the arrangements said that I could have a larger bifocal which will be nice for all the reading I do.

I have had wire rimmed glasses for over 10 years.  I think I have had new glasses replaced three time and always get the wire rimmed glasses, so I decided this time to go with darker glasses.

Ned helped me try on black glasses (and I took a selfie so I could then put on my regular glasses to see what they looked like.

With the help of the woman who arranges for the glasses to be made, we chose a pair of blueish glasses that I really like.

They will be here in 2-3 weeks and I'm eager to try them.

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The Lamplighters

I got this note from The Lamplighters in email today/  It's from the guy who is now the head of the company and is about an upcoming performance:  Lamplighters in the cast include Jonathan Spencer as the insanely jealous Mr. Ford; Max Ary (our next Frederic in Pirates), Wayne Wong, and Michael Desnoyers as rival suitors of Anne Page;  Jayne Diliberto in the ensemble as a town gossip (and Anne Page cover).  Cast also includes Steve Kahn and Marcelle Dronkers as Mr. & Mrs. Page; Abigail Bush as their daughter Anne; Leora Gilgur, Ian Harris and Michael Villareal in the ensemble, 2024 Hurst Artist Kenneth Kellogg as Sir John Falstaff; and 2024 Reznikoff Artist Rena Harms as Mrs. Ford.  Robby Stafford conducts a 10-piece orchestra from the piano, and I stand at the back of the room as stage director. 

In that paragraph I know only one person, Jonathan Spencer...I don't really even know the guy who wrote the letter.  And the Lamplighters was a huge part of my life for many years.  Walt and I started going to shows before we were married.  We ushered for many shows and when Gilbert Russak, my favorite patter man, was in the show, we ushered for several performances of the same show.  The performers always joined the audience for cookies after the show and you got a chance to talk with them, but I was too shy and I don't think I spoke with any of them, but I loved being around them.

Then came my opportunity to volunteer with two other women to record the 25 year history of the company.  Our work, which took two years, involved many interviews and I did start to talk with the performers I had enjoyed for so many years.

When the book was published, I was offered the chance to volunteer to help put all of the card catalog onto their new computer and when I finished that, I just stayed around and volunteered for many years.  Walt always teased me that I waited until we moved 80 miles away before I started volunteering in San Francisco.

During those years, I made many close friends, and Gilbert Russak became one of my best friends.  I saw every show the company did and many we saw more than once.  (Since Gilbert & Sullivan only wrote 14 operettas, only 12 of which are usually performed, that's a LOT of Gilbert & Sullivan).

I remember one year when Ann MacNab, the co-founder of the company, who had been gone for many years, and Georgia Prugh, my favorite leading lady, who also had not performed in many years, came with me to a show.  We were having the downstairs meet with the actors after the show and I couldn't understand how these two women, for whom the company had been so important, didn't seem to be interested in what was going on at all.  Both of them remained friends of mine, but they never came to another performance. (Except for Ann, who was honored by the company with her co-founder, Orva Hoskinson at a performance).

Now I understand their disinterest.  The Lamplighters was my whole life for so many years and I read that opening paragraph and I can't get the least bit interested.  In the 1960s, we went to shows to see them for the first time and we started to see performers whom we liked.  Then I got involved and I went to shows to see how my friends were performing.  Now I know almost nobody in the company and it would be like starting over again and I haven't the least interest.  I did it.  It was wonderful.  And it's over.

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PHOTO OF THE DAY

Georgia Prugh and Gilbert Russak
Yeomen of the Guard

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