Saturday 9

Shake It Off (2014)

Unfamiliar with this week's song. Hear it here.
(BTW, I can't believe this song is five years old already. I know it's a cliche, but "my, how time flies!")
 
1) This song makes Crazy Sam want to dance. What song inspires you to get on your feet? This answer won't surprise Kwizgiver. She gave me a very merry shoutout earlier this week.



2) Paul McCartney met Taylor Swift at the SNL 40 Anniversary special and told her he really enjoys playing and singing this song. What's the last song you sang along with? Well, before I started chair dancing and singing with the above clip ("Ba de ah de ah de ahhhhhh!"), it was "Shake It Off."

3) The lyrics tell us Swift "shakes off" nasty gossip and unfair criticism. What about you? Do you worry about what others think of you? More than I should. I ought to make like Taylor and just accept that haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate. That's not my responsibility, and there's nothing I can do about it.

4) Her parents are big music fans, and were going to name their baby (boy or girl) "Taylor" after their favorite artist, James Taylor. Can you think of a singer that your mom and/or dad really enjoyed? My mother loved Engelbert Humperdinck. When I lived at home, I found him virtually unlistenable. Now, when I happen upon him, I still cringe but then I smile because he makes me think of her.


5) She grew up on an 11-acre Christmas tree farm. Do you get a fresh tree every year, or do you have an artificial tree, or do you not put up a tree at all? I tend to go out of town at Christmastime, visiting my friends Henry and Reg in Key West, so I don't put a tree up. I do try to make my hotel room look Christmas-y. These three make their way into my suitcase each year.

That's a teeny-tiny Nativity in a Bottle

6) Taylor Swift is 5'10". According to the CDC, the average American woman is 5'4" while men are, on average, 5'9". Are you taller or shorter than average? My State ID says I'm 5'2. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

7) She enjoys good, old fashioned mysteries, especially those by Agatha Christie. Are you currently reading a book for pleasure? I always am. Right now it's Little Gloria, Happy at Last about the Gloria Vanderbilt custody trial in the 1930s. The second-hand paperback I have is almost 40 years old and in very bad shape. Too bad, because the story is so compelling. I'd love to be able to pass it on when I'm finished, but, even though I've got it encased in a leather book cover, I'm afraid it's just about done for.
 
8) Her brother Austin is a freelance photographer who took the official pictures for her 2008 concert tour. Who took the last photo of you? My friend John. We went to the Chicago History Museum for his birthday in August, and he snapped me on the restored original el car on exhibit. It's funny because in July, I went with my friend Joanna and she took a picture of me on the 19th century steam engine. My enthusiasm for trains is obvious!

9) Random question: What's your go-to comfy outfit? My pjs -- aka an oversized t-shirt. I change into it every evening as soon as I get home.