Saturday 9

Saturday 9: American Pie (1971)

1) In the lyrics, Don McLean refers to having once been a paper boy. When you were a kid, what job or household chores did you do for spending money? I babysat local kids for $1/hour, $1.50/hour after midnight. It's still the best job I ever had. The wee ones always went to bed early, so I got paid to watch TV and eat potato chips.



2) Them good old boys were drinking whiskey and rye. What's the last drink you ordered?
An airmail -- rum, honey, lime and a touch of sparkling wine. 

3) He drove to the levee but it was dry. When is the last time it rained where you are? This afternoon. And yesterday. And probably tomorrow. I'd complain about it, except then I remember all the news stories I heard about drought when I was in LA. The rain really is our friend!

4) When McLean was working on the song, he wrote the lyrics out in long hand. It took him 16 pages of lined notebook paper. Today it's a laptop/smartphone/tablet world, and Sam can't remember the last time she hand wrote anything longer than a sign on her front door that read, "Bell broken. Plz knock." What about you? What's the last thing you wrote with pen or pencil? I take notes in longhand all the time in meetings, scribbling all over any handouts I'm given.
 
5) McLean's most recent CD is called "Addicted to Black," in reference to Olivia in The Twelfth Night. Quick! Without looking it up, name another character from Shakespeare. Petruchio. I've always thought he was hot, and never more charming than when he was played by David Addison on Moonlighting. This clip makes me want to dig out those DVDs and have a Blue Moon binge.



6) Don was born in New Rochelle, New York, which was named one of The Best Walking Cities in America by the American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA). What about your neighborhood? Is it easily walkable? Very.

7) In 1971, the year this song was popular, Walt Disney World officially opened. Have you ever been to DisneyLand or Disney World? Yes. I'd love to go back, to either one.

8) Also in 1971, Mattel introduced Malibu Barbie. This doll was a "sun-loving California girl" and had a distinct tan. Have you ever used a tanning bed? Not in 20 years.

9) American Pie is also the name of a 1999 movie. Have you seen it? Not the whole thing. Just seems like such a guy movie.

Ah!

It's 6:00 on Friday and I'm already done with the grocery shopping and laundry.

For all I complain about my job -- and, boy, could I* -- summer Fridays is a benefit I dearly love. The office officially closes at 1:00. Sometimes I slip out even earlier, since people start drifting out at noon and no one plans meetings for Fridays. I stayed a little later today, talking to Long Tall Sally (formerly known as The New Girl, but since a newer team member starts on Monday, she needs a new nom de blog). But still, I was back here by 2:30.

And now, when I wake up tomorrow, there's nothing I need to do. No errands, no appointments. I can't tell you how deluxe that feels.

*I'm looking at you, Christine!

Hooked

I can't get enough of this story. It's so jaw-droppingly dramatic I can barely believe it's real.

More than a week ago, two very bad men broke out of a maximum security prison. Using power tools to cut through a steel wall. The cheeky bastards even left a Post-It note for their erstwhile captors that said, "Have a nice day." And then they crawled through a series of tunnels until they emerged on the outside ... through a manhole cover. C'mon now, tell me this doesn't sound like a 1980s action movie.

Except John McLane was a very good man

The thing of it is, once they emerged from the manhole cover, their plan fell apart. Because their ride didn't show up. So they've been scraping by -- probably in the rural area right outside the prison. In the rain. Possibly eating out of garbage cans.

Now today a 51-year-old woman who worked in the prison tailor shop has been arraigned for helping the two very bad men. Because one of the men made her feel "special," she somehow managed to provide them with hacksaw blades and lighted goggles. On the day of the break, she checked herself into a hospital because of "extreme nerves." Law enforcement suspects she was supposed to be waiting for them when they came up through the manhole cover, but she got extreme cold feet.

Her name is Joyce Mitchell. I swear I knew what she'd look like before they released her photo. Though I was surprised to learn that she has a husband instead of a house full of cats.

While I'm riveted, and am casting the movie in my head, I do pray this comes to a peaceful resolution. I especially hope no hostages are taken pr law enforcement officers injured when these two very bad men are inevitably apprehended.