Saturday 9

 Cheeseburger in Paradise (1978)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here. (This is my favorite Buffett song, quintessential Jimmy.)

1) In this song, Jimmy briefly attempts a healthier diet, which included sunflower seeds, carrot juice, zucchini and bulgur wheat. Do you pay attention to your daily consumption of vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber, etc.? I have a history of gut trouble, so I try to make more fiber-wise choices. I also have to look out for oxalate content because of my predispositition to kidney stones. As an old broad, I just can't eat like I did in my 20s.

2) Jimmy sings that he'd like french fries with his burger. Do you prefer to dip your fries or drizzle the ketchup over them? I dip.

3) Which cheese would make yours a cheeseburger in paradise: American, cheddar, Swiss, bleu, Muenster, or Monterrey Jack? I like the visual of yellow cheese on my burger, so I'll have cheddar or American, please.

 
4) Buffett fans call themselves Parrotheads. Concert attire for a well-dressed Parrothead often includes a Hawaiian shirt and a foam fin hat. What will you be wearing tonight? I'm doing this Friday night, but I can predict what I'll be wearing Saturday night: my pjs. I've got a busy week coming up and am keeping my Saturday and Sunday clear for chores and lazing about.

 

5) For someone with such an easygoing and laidback vibe, Jimmy is a very busy man. His business ventures include liquors, restaurants and hotels. He's also published eight books. All this in addition to making music! On a scale of 1 to 10 -- with 1 being lazy and 10 being highly motivated -- how would you rate yourself this morning? 1. But that's only because I don't think the scale registers negative numbers. I'm a slug.

 

6) Jimmy has some very famous fans. Paul McCartney asked him to play at one of his parties, and Barack Obama invited him to perform at a fundraiser. If you could invite anyone -- anyone at all! -- to play at your party, who would you ask? Sir Paul would be nice, certainly. Strumming and singing and telling stories. Sigh. That would be a dream come true for me.

7) Jimmy was born on Christmas Day. Does your birthday fall on a major holiday? If yes, do you mind "sharing" your special day? My birthday often falls on Thanksgiving. When I was a kid and through my 20s, I hated it. But now it just seems convenient.

8) In 1978, the year this song was popular, the Susan B. Anthony Dollar was first minted. The initial design was not a hit with the public because vending machines could not accept it. What's the last thing you bought from a vending machine? I used a $20 in the self-pay kiosk at Target. I had to wait forever for the machine to spit out my $12.22 in change. I don't think many customers use cash in those kiosks ... and now I know why.

9) Random question -- If today's your birthday, your zodiac sign is Virgo. When did you last check your horoscope? I used to check it every morning on the train as I read the paper while riding the rails to work. But now that I'm retired, I don't check it all anymore.