Saturday 9

 
Saturday 9: Blame It on the Bossa Nova (1963)

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

1) This week's song tells the story of a girl who found love at a dance. Share a happy memory from a party, prom or dance you attended. The first thing that popped into my head was a surprise party I threw in high school. Ann's birthday was November 1. I told her I was having a Halloween party and asked her to please come in costume. I'll always remember Ann's surprised and delighted face -- covered in clown makeup, complete with red nose -- when she realized the party was really for her, and that she was the only one in costume. I bet it's something she still remembers fondly to this day.

2) This record was a big hit for Eydie Gorme, which surprised her. When she first heard the song, she disliked it and had to be convinced to her record it. Tell us about a pleasant surprise you had recently. My tax refund came earlier than I expected. Direct deposited cash is always pleasant.

3) "Blame It on the Bossa Nova" is about love at first sight on the dance floor. Eydie's husband Steve Lawrence maintained he fell in love with her the first time he heard her sing. Have you ever felt a sudden, powerful attraction to someone? If yes, did you act on it? Yes and yes.

4) While this was a solo success for Eydie, she was also known for recording and performing with Steve Lawrence. He was just 22 and she was 29 when they married. Eydie admitted she was self-conscious about the difference in their ages. Do you think age matters in a romantic relationship? I suppose. But I don't think 7 years is big enough to have a real impact.

5) Eydie was fluent in Spanish, which enabled her to pay for her classes at City College by working as an interpreter. Tell us about one of your early jobs. I loved babysitting. It was great. The kids went to bed before 9:00 and then I got paid to drink pop, eat potato chips and watch old movies on TV.

6) In 1963, when this song was popular, The Rambler was Motor Trend's car of the year. It was a 9-passenger station wagon, perfect for families. What do you remember about your childhood family car? It was a red Lincoln Continental. My dad loved that car so much and was quite proud of it. I didn't give it much thought at all, except that it looked like a big boat, which made it easy to find in parking lots.

The municipal flag of Berne features a bear

7) Also in 1963, President Kennedy made a state trip to Ireland. Have you visited the land of your ancestors? Yes, I did. My paternal grandfather was from Berne, Germany, and I visited it during my one and only trip to Europe. Berne was impressive, but I didn't feel any great attachment to it. Perhaps because Grandpa was so patriotic and always referred to Germany as "the place we left."

8) The pilot for Gilligan's Island was filmed in 1963. Were you a fan of the show? Nope. But I can still sing the theme. "Sit right back and you'll hear a tale, a tale of a fateful trip ..."

9) Random question: Crunchy, smooth or organic peanut butter? Just not organic. I hate that oil at the top of the jar. Shudder.

 
 

Three Nice Things about Myself -- Day 1

My blogging buddy, Kwizgiver, wrote a post on Tuesday that really resonated with me. She detailed how self-care helped her helped her prevail during a (ridiculously) tough month. Her tips were very wise and so doable! So she has inspired me to take one and integrate it into my own life.

Since I can be a pretty harsh self-critic, this is the one I chose. I hope I can do this every day during March. By then it should be a habit, right?

Three nice things about myself -- March 1:

1) My checkbook is balanced. This means I identified the adult things I don't like -- math and attention to detail -- and did them anyway because if I don't take care of me, no one will.

2) My passion is infectious. Sometimes when I geek out about things I love, I worry that I'm too much, but I recently got feedback that's not the case. My friend Gregory gave me four big beautiful coffee table books about The Golden Age of Hollywood because he knows how much I love old movies. Then he texted me about Ms. Fisher's Modern Murder Mysteries, a PBS series set in the 1960s, a time I have great affection for. So I guess my enthusiasm can be kinda charming.

3) I put in the time. My friend Elaine is going through some shit. She wants to unretire and find another full-time job in her chosen career, and it's hard. She has added a second cat to her household and it's not going as she expected. I've been here for her as a sounding board regarding her career and a source of information about being a cat mom.

Worry, worry, worry

I do this to myself, you know. This tension, this stress. I worry about things that may happen but may not.

For example, about a month ago, Gregory invited me to lunch. He's sorting through his books and came upon some big, beautiful coffee table tomes about Hollywood he thought I would like, and he wanted me to have them before I go to the TCM Classic Film Festival in April. Sounds simple, right? And nice.

But I turned it into "a thing." I worried myself mad because in the 40+ years we've known one another, Gregory and I have never been alone together. For all the Thanksgiving dinners and summer lunches and birthday parties we've enjoyed together, we have always been part of a group. 

So what was up? Why did he really want to see me? Would we get along?

We met yesterday. I had a burger, he had clam chowder. The books are beautiful. We never ran out of things to talk about.

Why did I waste all that time worrying?

Then there's the mess with the condo board. Our building is in violation. We have the wrong smoke detectors. Some light bulbs in the hallways are out. There are cracks in the pillars in the parking lot. Etc., etc., etc. Jeremy in "Code Enforcement" sent the SECOND NOTICE to me. Just me. There are three of us on the Board but mine is the only name on the letter. I'm not even president!

I completely freaked out. 

Then I realized that 1) I cannot be solely responsible, since we have a management company and there are two other board members and 2) I never received a first notice. Neither did the management company. So that may buy us time in rectifying these situations.

Breathe, Gal, breathe.

Besides, it's Friday evening. Nothing of consequence is going to happen this weekend. I've texted the Board president (haven't heard back) and emailed everyone involved on our end, asking for ideas about next steps. I've done what I can do.

I have to try to let it all go, at least till Monday.