Best Concert Ever!

I am late to the Pink Floyd party, but the important thing is I got here. When I was growing up my brothers listened to their music. But since I had heard that it was 'head' music, I knew that meant you listened to it while you were smoking pot. Since I said no to drugs, I wouldn't listen to the music because I didn't want to be a drug addict. Yeah, I know! So fast forward 40 years, and I was finally mature enough to know I could listen to the music and not get hooked on drugs 😎 

It was actually Clancy that got me listening to them a few years ago. It turned out that Roger Waters was going to be performing in Albany and he really wanted to go. Tickets were going on sale prior to his payday,  so he said he'd buy my ticket to go if I got the tickets when they went on sale, and he'd pay be back. I had heard a few songs by this time and agreed. Why not go to a free concert that he was so excited about? Of course, I was naïve and thought it was going to be a brother / sister bonding experience: right up until he said we needed 4 tickets so his best friend and his girlfriend could go. Sigh...whatever. But since he was paying for the tickets, I said I'd get limo guy to drive us.

Prior to the show, I felt I needed to familiarize myself with their music, since I had only heard a few songs. So I proceeded to listen to every album I could find on YouTube. And what do you know? I didn't become addicted to drugs, ha ha! Listening to their music is a surreal experience: it takes you somewhere else and immerses you in the sound. Plus, the musicality was amazing! I was looking forward to the show.

I had gotten us really good seats at the MVP Arena. I wasn't too sure of what I'd be seeing at this show, but I was prepared to like it anyway. 

This show absolutely blew my mind. Hands down the best concert I've ever been to. It was soooo good, and unlike any other show I had seen. I wish the videos I had taken weren't too large to load here because it had to be seen to be believed! When I take pictures or videos, it's never more than like 30 seconds because I want to live the experience, not view it through a lens. The special effects were the best I'd seen at a live show. There was one part where I got so caught up: I actually believed that this town was coming from the ceiling! (yeah yeah: I'm naïve with childlike wonder. I do have videos and pictures on my Facebook though) It's so hard to explain, but if you get a chance check out Pink Floyd live concerts on YouTube, even though that is just a taste of what it's actually like. And I promise you: you won't get hooked on drugs if you listen!

I'm just sorry I'll never get to see Pink Floyd live: only either David Gilmour or Roger Waters since they had a horrible break up years ago. But their musical genius will live on, and on. 

 

Thanks for Stopping By!

 Many of you know that every so often, I get a "visit" from someone who has passed on. Are they visits or dreams? Either way, it's become old hat to me now. So I'll tell you who recently showed up.

I must have had this dream early Saturday morning. In the dream my girls and I were living in a house we had moved out of in 1996. The girls were grown though, and Brie had company over. It was a young woman named Sarai and her young boyfriend. They have never been to our house before, but I digress. Someone knocked on the door and I asked Kitty who it was. She replied, "It's Uncle Dick."

Uncle Dick died 11.24.2023, exactly 2 months after Marie, his sister, died. But I still went to the door to find him in the front yard. "Um...hello there!" I said. "Hello! I was hoping you could help me with something." "Sure Uncle Dick, what do you need?" "Well, I've been trying to order these magazines but I'm having a real problem." I thought, 'of course you're having a problem because you're dead' but I only said, "Of course I'll order the magazines for you."

Then he came on the porch and came inside. I must say: he looked great! Big white teeth and smiling broadly: he looked to be about 50 (he was 88 when he died). "Then can you do me one more favor?" "Of course Uncle Dick." "I need three kinds of grapefruit. Can you get them for me?" "Um...sure." "Okay, three of each if you don't mind." I was trying to think of three kinds of grapefruit but said, "Sure, I'll get you nine grapefruit, three of each kind." "Thank you!" Then he was gone and I woke up.

I don't remember Uncle Dick eating any grapefruit, so I figured they were probably for Marie. She's a slick one!

This morning was part 2. In this dream, I was at work (but for some reason it always seems to be Financial Aid, and not the department I currently work in!). Apparently we were going to have a prom for the employees and I was in charge of it. So I was handling the arrangements and then discovered that no one had bought a ticket, and the last day was in three days! So I feverishly sent out emails to get some sales, but then had to go. Brie asked me where I was going and I said I had to pick someone up from work.

I drive up to this white building and park in the lot. I could see the window where this person worked. Then my sister Robin showed up in the window and I waved. She didn't wave back. I waved again, but again no response. Finally I yelled out the window, "Are you coming or not?" She yelled back, "Oh, I couldn't see that it was you! Coming!" Then of course I woke up.

I have a couple of thoughts about why this keeps happening. One reason could be unfinished business, which is kind of hard to finish when people pass on. And trust me: there is definitely unfinished business between me, Marie and Robin. But sadly, at this point it will remain that way.

Another reason could just be because I miss them, and this is how I stay connected. And at the end of the day: this isn't so bad. So Robin and Uncle Dick: thanks for stopping by! 

Behind the Music - Gimme Shelter

Right now the school cafeteria is closed until the Spring semester starts and the students come back. This means that if you want lunch, you'd better bring it from home or plan to go pick something up. It's an inconvenience but after five years, I'm used to it.

So today I went to Hannaford to pick up some soup. I also got 4 chicken wings because...well, they're chicken wings. Paid and then walked to my car. I turned it on, and one of my favorite songs was just beginning. It was "Gimme Shelter" by the Stones.

I took a couple of minutes to groove in my car before heading back to work. As I was driving and enjoying the song I thought, 'I wonder who the black woman is that sings with Mick on this song? I'll have to google it when I get back to work.'  When the song ended, the dj answered that question for me like he had peeked into my head:

"Mick Jagger with some help from Merry Clayton on 'Gimme Shelter'. When he was recording the track, they called then 20-year-old Merry Clayton, woke her up at 2 a.m. and asked her to come to the studio. She showed up with rollers in her hair, in her pajamas, and four months pregnant; yet they laid that track in record time!" And as you know: she sounded fantastic! Being a woman of color myself, I know exactly what kind of rollers she was sleeping in, haha! But the sad news is that she suffered a miscarriage the very next day, losing her baby girl. So she outshone Mick on that song, but what a price she paid for those searing vocals and place in rock history.

As for a little more info on her: she was (and still is!) a successful gospel singer. She was also a successful backup singer for artists such as Bobby Darin, Ray Charles, Billy Preston, Ringo Starr, Carole King, Joe Cocker, Lynryd Skynyrd, Coldplay and many others. 

Merry was involved in a terrible car crash in 2014, that resulted in both of her legs being amputated below the knee. But you can't keep a good woman down! She overcame this and continued with her music career. She is a walking, talking, singing miracle. She released her last album, Beautiful Scars, in April 2021 but she's still going strong.

I do a little singing myself (church) but you know I always try to hit her notes when that song comes on. And I fail every time! But it's all good as in my head I sound just like her 😉 So that's what I learned today about one of my favorite songs. Oh, and the song itself is about the Vietnam War. Give it a listen!

I Really Wanted To Go!

 This happened when I was in the 6th grade, but I think about it almost every Christmas!

Mary Beth was a new student at school and was in my class. She was friendly, but we weren't what you would call good friends. She was nice and didn't live that far from me, but our paths didn't cross outside of school.

One day in December, I heard that she was having a party. It sounded like it was going to be so much fun! However, I wasn't invited. That was totally unacceptable in my book! How was I going to get on that list?

I thought about it for a couple of days, and then had an idea. My church was having a Christmas service with refreshments afterwards. I'd invite Mary Beth, and then maybe she would reciprocate!

The next day in school I invited her, said we would pick her up and it would be fun! She accepted, but didn't mention her party. Bummer!

Regardless, she came with me and my family that Sunday evening, and we both enjoyed it. Especially the snacks and goodies afterwards! Then we took her home.

She thanked us as she was getting out of the car. She was halfway out the door when she turned back. "Rita, I'm having a party next Friday night. Would you like to come?" I'm thinking 'Is a bean green?' but calmly said, "Thanks, that sounds like fun!" "Great! See you in school!"

Mission accomplished! I was so happy. And the party was just as much fun as I thought it would be. We all brought gifts for the grab bag. Me and another girl planned to snag our own, and we did, ha ha! Hey: mine was a set of my favorite candy bars at the time so I really wanted them! 😋 Delicious!

After the party, Mary Beth and I became really good friends. Of course once you hit high school dynamics change. But we still considered ourselves friends. Even now, we've seen each other a handful of times over the years. I've never told her this story but she reads the blog pretty often so...now she knows what kick-started our friendship!

Happy New Year!

A Different Thanksgiving

It was a very quiet Thanksgiving, yet the silence was deafening. For some reason I kept going to the window and looking out, as though I was expecting someone. But I knew no one was coming. I wasn't even sure who I was looking for. Dad died in 2004, Robin in 2015 and Marie in September. Carl lives in Texas, Keith doesn't celebrate holidays and Clancy was spending the day with his ex-girlfriend.

 Yet I still made an almost 12 pound turkey (the smallest I could find), homemade gravy and the seasoned collard greens. Kitty made the rest of the meal, including the homemade mashed potatoes, corn, crescent rolls, strawberry cheesecake and sweet potato pie. I said the blessing and then we sat at the table to eat.

Nothing tasted like Thanksgiving to me. I ate very little because the food just didn't seem right, even though it was the same as it ever was. I finally realized it wasn't the food: it was me. I wasn't the same as I ever was. Even with my daughters there, I felt alone. I was too much in my head. I was remembering the last time Marie had Thanksgiving dinner with us when she lived with us, and how much she enjoyed the food and how happy she was. I remembered taking her on a drive one evening to see all of the houses decorated for Christmas, and how she loved the lights. Yep: I was missing her.

I believe it will be a different Christmas as well, but hopefully without the melancholy. I invited Clancy and Theresa over for Christmas Eve. Brie is going to go southern on us for Christmas dinner. I think that will help. Both of my daughters are phenomenal cooks, and with something non-traditional I think I'll be better about it. Time will certainly tell.

Why I Chew Cinnamon Gum

When I was a teenager, my best friends and I reached that age where we needed real information on men. So where could we get said information? That's right: Cosmopolitan magazine!

For those of you who may not know: Cosmo was/is a women's magazine for the 18-34 age bracket. Their description says, "People who are cosmopolitan have an air of glamour surrounding them, a sense that they've seen a lot of the world and are sophisticated and at ease with all different kinds of people". So what in the world were a group of 15-17 year-olds doing with this magazine? We were hoping to pick up some tips on getting boys and dating!

As the youngest of our group of friends, I had no business having anything to do with this magazine. I didn't date, had failed sex ed as a freshman and was just naïve in general. But I wanted to be like my friends so I oohed and ahhed over the articles like I had a clue what they were talking about. However, since they were way more experienced than I was, my friends had more than an inkling!

So as a 15-year-old, the only things that really caught my eye were some of the fashions (not that I was mature enough to wear what those ladies were barely wearing!) and I liked the makeup tips (not that I wore makeup!). But the best thing was at the end of the magazine they always had a short story that I would always read voraciously since I fancied myself quite the writer even at that tender young age. As a matter of fact, I thought about contacting Cosmo to see if they would consider serializing one of my books and running a chapter or two a month so I could be rich and famous! Granted, I couldn't quite write anything remotely resembling the sex scenes that were in the magazine (still can't!) but I was willing to give it a whirl. Yep, we see how that turned out, ha ha. But hope springs eternal!

After all of this time, I'm going to tell you what my main takeaway was from years of poring over Cosmo until I finally stopped reading it maybe 15 years ago. One of the articles was about what would make you unforgettable to a man. It included the 3 scents men can't resist: musk (as a teen I bought some Jovan Spring Musk cologne), vanilla (not my favorite scent so that wasn't going to work) and cinnamon. Bingo! To this day I still only chew cinnamon gum and use cinnamon Altoids.  Yet surprisingly I'm still not married. Thanks a lot Cosmo! No wonder I stopped reading you 😕 But at least my breath is always amazingly fresh 😉

First in the Garbage

Halloween was just over a week ago, and I always wonder: why do people give out yucky candy?

Of course one kid's yuck is another kid's yum, but some bad candies are just universal. Here is my Top 10 list of worst candies, in no particular order except for number one. Do you agree?

10. Necco wafers. Is it chalk? Is it plaster? Is it a Tums? Nope, because those items taste better! It's kind of dusty, and the colors have nothing to do with any kind of flavor and they're hard. Why do you hate children?

9. Circus peanuts. They are neither peanuts nor something you'd find at the circus. It's like stale, hard orange marshmallow in the shape of a peanut, and it squeaks when you're finally able to bite into it. Does anyone really eat those?

8. Good and Plenty. Plenty? Yes. Good? H to the no. I believe they get their flavor from licorice extract, or black licorice and that is not a good flavor. Why would anyone give that to a kid? 

7. Milk Duds. It's all in the name. Dud. It doesn't even try to taste like real chocolate and it majorly sticks to your teeth. No time for that!

6. Butter Mints. My mother loved these. They are those really soft pillow-shaped mints that like dissolved in your mouth. I remember when my brothers were in Boy Scouts, they sold tins of these 'pillow' mints as a fundraiser. My mother always bought more than one tin and would enjoy every single one of those mints. Ugh. Have at it Marie!

5. Tootsie Rolls. Goes along with Milk Duds. It's the Yoo-Hoo of candy. It isn't really chocolate, sticks to your teeth and it's a lot of work for very minimal, if any, satisfaction. It's like what you would eat if you were allergic to chocolate.

4. Raisinets. Just stop.

3. Black licorice. First of all, if you eat too much of it, it can cause life-threatening health complications. Besides that: it tastes gross.

2. Sugar Daddy. It tries to look like a lollipop because it has a stick, but it will take your teeth out if you bite it. It kind of tries to look like chocolate, but it's caramel. It's good if you're trying to lose a filling, because you will.

1. Candy Corn. There is absolutely nothing tasty about this. The colors do not equate to flavors. They are nothing but calories and sugar. The only good thing about this is you can invert them, stick them onto your teeth and call them fangs. You know you did this as a kid! At least that way you didn't have to eat them!

These are the candy types that end up in the garbage first. With that being said: what's on your list?