Saturday 9

 

Saturday 9: 5-10-15-20 (1970)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) In this week's song, The Presidents sing about a long married, very happy couple. Who is the longest married couple you know? Who is the happiest? Are they the same couple? Married about 35 years, I think my friends Mindy and Alan are both longest married/happiest. They have weathered quite a few storms -- her infertility, unemployment, a son with learning disabilities, the death of their parents, now Alan's own health crises. Mindy once told me that she didn't think anyone who wasn't her or her husband could understand what's gone into the life they've built together.

2) The lyrics ask repeatedly: "Aren't we happy?" Are you feeling happy today? Why or why not? At this particular moment on Friday evening I'm feeling a little meh. My gut is bothering me, the Cubs lost today, my favorite-most ballplayer Anthony Rizzo is in a slump, and I've got this week's movie group movie, The Day the Earth Stood Still, on. Sci-fi tends to leave me cold, but I'm watching it because our moderator, Will, is so enthusiastic about it. Tomorrow, when my tummy settles down and the Cubs take on the Reds again and Rizz gets his swing back and I can watch a mystery or musical or melodrama, I'll be happy.

3) This happy couple enjoys watching children at play. Is there a park, playground or schoolyard near you? I live next door to a children's home/daycare center, and their playground is under my living room window. I love listening to them play, and I often check down on them to see if I need a sweater or jacket when I go out.

4) This song reminds Crazy Sam of when she used to recite the multiplication tables. Think back to your school days. Was math one of your favorite subjects? No.

5) The Presidents seems like a good name for a band formed in Washington DC. What would be an appropriate name for a band from your hometown? Here's an idea: get a band with a powerful horn section and have them play jazz/rock and the occasional power ballad. Call them Chicago and you just might have something there.

6) DC trivia: The street names are letters, but J was skipped. That's because in the 1700s, the way many wrote their alphabet, "J" looked like "I" and so "J" was passed over to avoid confusion. Tell us something we may not know about your hometown (or state). O'Hare Airport is one of the world's busiest airports and its code is ORD. That's because back in the olden days, it was known as Orchard Airport because it was kinda in the middle of nowhere. It was renamed for Butch O'Hare, the fighter pilot who became the Navy's first Medal of Honor recipient in WWII.

7) In 1970, when this song was on the Billboard chart, The Mary Tyler Moore Show premiered on CBS. The theme song said Mary could "turn the world on with her smile," yet in real life, MTM was self-conscious about her "wide mouth." Are you comfortable looking at photos of yourself? More now than in the past. I used to be very hard on myself. I recently came upon some photos of myself in my 20s and 30s and saw I really had it going on. I wish I had enjoyed my youthful good looks when I had them. I have to stop being my own harshest critic.

8) Also in 1970, Dinah Shore became one of the first women to host her own national daytime talk show. Today, Kelly Clarkson, Drew Barrymore, Tamron Hall, Jennifer Hudson and Kelly Ripa all have their own shows, and The Talk and The View are both hosted by women. Who is your favorite talk show host? I can't say because I don't really watch any of them. I like Kelly Clarkson's singing, though.

9) Random question -- Would you rather have a job that has you on your feet all day, or one that has you parked in a chair? Being on my feet at the card shop is kinda tough on my heel spurs, but I find it's better for my back than sitting all day. So I guess it's kind of a wash.