Saturday 9

 
Saturday 9: Thank You (2000)

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

1) This week's song begins with Dido complaining about her day, but then she sees a photo of a loved one that reminds her "it's not so bad." What was the most recent photo you took? We had Thanksgiving dinner at Cooper's Hawk Winery and they have a nice mixed drink menu. This is my Dark Chocolate (vodka, dark chocolate liqueur, and Bailey's).

2) She admits that between a hangover and her finances, she's got a headache. What's your go-to headache remedy? Advil (ibuprofen).

3) Though her given name is Florian, her family started calling her Dido when she was very young, so she considers it her "real" name. Which is not to say she likes it. She said being christened one name but called another was confusing when she was a little girl. Plus, since neither Florian nor Dido are common monikers, she didn't appreciate the way her names made her stand out at school. "I used to wish I'd been named Claire," she says. Do you like your name? Do you feel it suits you? Not especially. I think it lacks gravitas and sounds eternally girlish. I wish I'd been named Margaret or Elizabeth ... names that come with a variety of diminutives.

4) In 2000, the year this week's song was on the charts, AOL merged with media giant Time Warner. In 2022 it was estimated 70% of us check our personal (not business) email daily. That's down from 74% in 2020. How often do you check your email? Several times a day. More often than I check my texts. When I'm home, my cell is either charging on the kitchen counter or languishing in my purse, while my laptop is always out and usually on.

5) "Thank You" is this week's song because November 28 was Thanksgiving. What are you thankful for this year? The gift of optimism. This has been a painful year for me and the losses weigh heavily, but I'm grateful that I have the God-given capacity to face forward and find joy in every day.

6) At the first Thanksgiving, there were no forks. Pilgrims ate with spoons and knives. How many forks were at your Thursday place setting? Two. One for the meal and one for dessert. Of course, that's because we were at a restaurant. At home, I don't do the multiple fork thing.

7) It's estimated that nearly 50 million pumpkin pies are baked for Thanksgiving. Was it on your Thursday menu? Not pumpkin pie. But the wonderful people at Eli's created a pumpkin praline cheesecake for the season.

You can order Eli's for yourself here

8) A recent poll revealed that we are a divided country, with cranberry sauce being named both most and least favorite Thanksgiving side dish. Where are you on this controversy? I give it a thumbs up.

9) The day after Thanksgiving is known as Black Friday, the unofficial start of the holiday shopping season and sales. Walmart, Best Buy and Target all advertise heavily on Black Friday. If you could have a $100 gift card from one of those stores, which would you choose? What would you buy? Normally I would say Target, because it's my grocery store and well, more than a week's worth of free food would be nice. However Best Buy sells cordless stick vacuums and, with two cats, I find these light and quiet appliances life changing. (I scored a Black and Decker at kohls.com and between the sales price and a credit cardholder discount, it was just $98.99. Yay, me!)

I can't wait for it to arrive