Tag: entertainment

I know Tuesday is over in my time zone, but this was my planned Tuesday post so you get what you get.

First, what happened to TJL’s Tuesdays With Rexford? After MGH scared me with a photo of that Killer Beast everyone calls “Joey” in some attempt to make him seem harmless, I think I deserved a Rex photo. Though I’ll bet Tim wouldn’t have told you that Rex has salmon skin breath.

Second, “they” say change is good. I decided to test that theory. When I got up Tuesday morning, I did what everyone with a bladder that’s turned 35 a few times does. As I struggled with the toilet paper in my half-awake state, I finally figured out that it was a new roll and had to be pulled apart, but Tom had put it on UNDER instead of OVER. “This is JUST WRONG,” I muttered. Then I thought that I should learn to be more flexible, so I left it as it was. All day long, it made me twitch to know the toilet paper was under. Finally, Tuesday night, I bragged to Tom that I’d stayed strong. The toilet paper was still hanging under. Whereupon he said, “Then I’M changing it. I didn’t know I put it on that way, and it’s JUST WRONG.” This is why marriages endure.

Also Tuesday, I exchanged several e-mails with Tom’s mother. She was sharing details of a trip she’s taking soon, and she mentioned that her parents are partially paying for this vacation. Since her father died in 1963 and her mother died in 1981, naturally I was all, ¿por qué (it was Cinco de Mayo, after all). As it turns out, a relative told her that her name was on a “missing money” list in her home state. It seems her parents had those old nickel-a-month insurance policies to benefit each of their kids if the parents died, and after all these years, Tom’s mother claimed her money and got a check. How cool is that?

On a whim, I entered my name into the national missing money data base and got nothing. Tom, on the other hand, will be getting a check for almost TWENTY DOLLARS that a business apparently overcharged him in the past. He said he’ll use this windfall to see the new Star Trek movie. It’ll take every penny, as I found out the last time I treated myself to a movie (Confessions of a Shopaholic–cute; love the books, but should’ve waited for the DVD. But I was hot that night and needed a diversion in a cool theater). Date night must really hit the wallets of teenagers’ parents. Yikes!

Finally, I leave you with this list I found called “Bad Songs By Good Bands.” Feel free to comment with outrage or applause.

20. “Rapture,” Blondie
19. “Who Are You?” The Who
18. “Stand,” R.E.M.
17. “November Rain,” Guns N’ Roses
16. “Beverly Hills,” Weezer
15. “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing,” Aerosmith
14. “Just Can’t Get Enough,” Depeche Mode
13. “Rape Me,” Nirvana
12. “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover,” Paul Simon
11. “Bullet With Butterfly Wings,” Smashing Pumpkins
10. “Roses,” Outkast
9. “I’ll Be You,” The Replacements
8. “Beth,” Kiss
7. “Brass Monkey,” Beastie Boys
6. “Discotheque,” U2
5. “Dancing in the Dark,” Bruce Springsteen
4. “American Life,” Madonna
3. “Kokomo,” Beach Boys
2. “Radio Ga Ga,” Queen
1. “Should I Stay or Should I Go,” The Clash

Forever I’ve been intending to do a post about Facebook and the surreal nature of connecting with people from the past. This is not that post. This is a post which proves that you really can find anything on the Internet.

For some reason, I was remembering a 45-record giveaway from Lays Potato Chips. Or some potato chip company; maybe it wasn’t Frito-Lay. HOWEVER, I remember Debby and I putting the 45 on the record player back when we were sweet young things, then she, our mother, and I stared at each other open-mouthed. One of us finally said, WHAT THE HELL IS THAT? Then we laughed until we cried, and it became, forever after, our standard of crazy ass music.

What the hell that was was the Legendary Stardust Cowboy, and damn if he doesn’t have a Wikipedia entry, a web site, a MySpace account, and YouTube clips. Because I adore all of you who read here, I won’t link you to any of that, even though David Bowie HIMSELF says he took the name for Ziggy Stardust from the obscure Legendary Stardust Cowboy. The Ledge, as he’s called, reminds me that just as is true of writers, there’s always somebody who’ll like what you do. You just have to find your audience.

Today, we are bombing The Compound residences for fleas. Tim dropped the hounds at the “spa” for a day of grooming on his way to cater to the whims of Boss Lady Hanley. I set up a temporary office in the garage while Tom set off the flea bombs. Then he picked up some breakfast for me on his way to work. Benefit of being in the garage: I’m enjoying the lulling sound of the dryer while I wash all the dog bedding. I have my coffee, my green tea, my computer, and a Julie Smith mystery. Later, I may walk to Starbucks because the air is nice and cool.

Not a bad life, I think. I hope the Ledge is having a good day, too.