Saturday 9

Saturday 9: You Make Me Feel Brand New (1974)
 
Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

Welcome to the first Saturday 9 of 2019!

1) As 2019 kicks off, what are your hopes for the brand new year? I want to remember to be grateful. I spend so much time wondering and worrying about what should be or what was that I lose sight and forget my blessings.

2) Just because an item isn't brand new doesn't mean it isn't valuable. Have you scored any fabulous finds at a second hand store or website? I found this belted, hooded trench. It retailed for $178 at Nordstrom (of course, mine isn't new) and I only paid $14. Yea! I didn't get to wear it much this past autumn because the weather went from summer to winter without much fall. But spring will be here, and this beautifully crafted coat is waiting.

3) This song is sung by The Stylistics, a group from Philadelphia. Have you ever been to Philly? Yes. I was in a long-distance love affair and spent a great deal of time there. I love some of the Welsh town names: Bala Cynwyd, Bryn Mawr, Narberth.

4) This song was co-written by Thom Bell, a Philadelphia-based musician/producer who was born in Kingston, Jamaica. The average daily temp in Kingston in January is 87º. Do you have plans to get away this winter and go somewhere warm? I just got back from somewhere warm. I spent Christmas in Key West.

5) The Stylistics took their choreography very seriously. As you can see from the video, they even carefully synchronized their hand movements. Do you use your hands much when you talk? Not too much. I do gesture at my computer screen, though. When a page takes too long to load, I find myself encouraging it to speed up.

6) The lyrics tell us that the singer is grateful for a friend who will walk with him along a path that "sometimes bends." Looking back on 2018, tell us about a time that life's path took a bend you didn't quite expect. Since my friend Henry's accident, all of us who love him have been traveling a long, confusing and unexpected path. He is recovering from traumatic brain injury and isn't always quite himself. We long to have him back! But it's going to take time.

7) In 1974, when this song was popular, Chicago's Sears Tower opened and was for years the world's tallest building. Its elevators can carry you to the 103rd floor in approximately a minute. When were you last on an elevator? I hurt my foot, so I take elevators whenever I can. Thank goodness we have one right in my condo building.

8) Also in 1974, the 55 mph speed limit was imposed nationwide. When you drive, are you careful to stay within the speed limit? Or do you have a led foot? I don't drive.

9) Random question -- It's time to pose for your Saturday 9 yearbook picture. Will you show us your right profile, your left profile, or will you look directly into the camera? Oh, please, NO profile! Let's not highlight my plethora of chins. I'd prefer to look directly into the camera.