The Lola Shuffle - The "Summer Colds Suck" Edition

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UGH! I'm miserable...not so sick that I can't function but sick enough to not want to.

So, let's just shuffle and get on with it...(sniffle)

1. Instead - Madeleine Peyroux
2. A Girl Like You - The Smithereens
3. Piano Man - Billy Joel
4. Bye Bye Baby - Bay City Rollers (OK, this made me smile)
5. Rock This Town - Brian Setzer Orchestra
6. Nah! - Shania Twain
7. Memories Are Made of This - Dean Martin
8. Penny Lover - Lionel Richie
9. We Will Rock You - Queen
10. Let Her Cry - Hootie & The Blowfish

Have a great weekend, stay healthy and stay cool...

'Toon Tuesday

Question - When is a Cheetah a Chimp?

^ ^ above is a reasonable facsimile of what I was trying to draw ^ ^

Answer - When I have to draw one while playing Pictionary after imbibing in three "double" Appletinis.

See, it was my turn to draw and I swear I saw "chimpanzee", alas it was actually "cheetah". There were three couples and we were playing guys against girls, so when we were drawing, the boys got to look at the card. I kept hearing Hubby saying "is she drawing the right thing?" and I thought he was just making fun of my drawing skills.

Now I had the girls saying "monkey" but we couldn't quite make the leap to "chimpanzee". They didn't seem to grasp the *obvious* - I had drawn several trees and had the chimp jumping from one to another.

Of course there's also the matter that I don't really know what a chimp looks like. I think Tarzan's friend...OHMYGOD - ***LIGHT BULB MOMENT***! I just realized why I saw "cheetah" and thought "chimpanzee" - Tarzan's chimp was named Cheeta! DUH!

Seriously, I just realized this while I was writing it. I feel so much better now.

And don't "get all up in my grill" that a chimp isn't a monkey or doesn't look like my drawing - nothing I draw looks like what it's supposed to - that's my style. Yeah, that's it...it's a style called "hyper-unrealism" and I am its founder.

The Lola Shuffle - The "Summer in the City" Edition

Up top there is the icon on my Google Desktop for the weather in Miami today. The high is expected to be 92 and the low 76 with the humidity at 77% - but it feels way more humid than that - it's your glasses get fogged up when you walk outside humid. Actually it feels like you can chew the air. I'm not complaining, I've lived here for 41 years - this is the way it's supposed to be, and I think the humidity helps our skin look younger, particularly those of us of swarthy Mediterranean stock.

So yeah, it's summer in Miami and it's hot and humid.

Aren't you glad you took the time to read my Blog today?

So the always cool Lola, will now shuffle us up some tunes to help us forget it's muggy and yucky and ugh.

1. Jesse - Carly Simon
2. San Zarabanada - Willy Chirino
3. Quiet Times - Dido
4. Weekend in New England - Barry Manilow
5. The Way You Look Tonight - Rod Stewart (Is it just me or are Barry Manilow and Rod Stewart morphing into the same person? They look a lot alike now.)
6. My Interpretation - Mika
7. Lovin' Touchin' Squeezin' - Journey
8. Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough - Michael Jackson
9. Swing - Trace Adkins
10. I Could Fall in Love With You - Erasure

Everyone stay cool and enjoy your summer weekend!

'Toon Tuesday

We'll Miss You Lucky

Today a dear friend of the family is being put to rest after a very long, very difficult, very cruel bout with MS and other conditions. He's actually a friend of Hubby's family - I got him when I got married. Lucky and his wife are my in-laws' "bestest" friends and they immediately adopted me. I've considered them family ever since.

How to describe Lucky?

Let's start with Lucky - the man of music. He was a school music teacher for many years, directed children's musicals, was a talented organist, piano player, accordionist, etc. As a child he even performed on the Ted Mack Amateur Hour! He had a beautiful singing voice and was a great choir conductor. He was very generous with these talents - be it in his church where he held several organist/choir director/choir participant positions in various churches - sometimes even those of a different faith than his, in community activites with kids, etc. In fact since my in-laws are the organist and choir director at the church where we got married, they obviously needed stand-ins the day of our wedding - so my uncle took over organist duties for my MIL and Lucky directed the choir in my FIL's stead.

Then there's Lucky the collector. His obit mentions that he collected coins and trains, but there was so much more. Before they moved from their old home to an adult community, Lucky and Trudi's house was a treasure trove of cool stuff! Everywhere you looked there was something interesting, be it a picture, or a knick-knack. I would love asking Lucky about something I saw because you could tell he loved telling the story that accompanied the object. And for your entertainment while you were in their guest bathroom, they even had a Merlin that still worked!

Next, Lucky the man who loved to laugh and make people laugh. I have never been a laugh-out-loud person, I mean I laugh a lot but usually chuckle or whatever, but with Lucky there were times when I would laugh so hard I would cry. They and my in-laws started playing a game they call The Dictionary Game which is very similar to today's Balderdash - only they've been playing it for over 30 years - where one player looks up a word in the dictionary and everyone has to write a definition for it while the looker-upper copies the actual definition, then everyone has to guess which is the correct definition. Well, I imagine that 30+ years ago they started out with good intentions and they actually kept score, etc. But as the years went by it morphed into who can write the weirdest or funniest definitions so everyone else will crack up and nobody even bothers to keep score anymore. A classic example of typical game play: the word is motmot - one of the definitions given (I think by Lucky) was something like "a traditional instrument played on backwards day at the Indian reservation". OK, maybe you have to be there, but this is pee-in-your-pants funny stuff - and mind you this happens with everyone being stone-cold sober. It didn't matter if Lucky was writing a definition, performing a dramatic interpretation of others people's definitions or just laughing that giggle/chortle laugh of his - it was physically impossible to not crack up.

His disease was long and difficult with many complications and truly debilitating conditions - but Lucky kept going and most of the time he did it with his humor at full throttle. Even when everyone knew he was in pain or uncomfortable or exhausted, you always got the big Lucky twinkly-eyed ear to ear smile.

And finally there's Lucky the family man. Lucky was blessed to have Trudi, an amazing woman, as his wife. When I grow up I want to be just like her. When they were together, even through the bad times during his illness, you just knew Lucky adored Trudi. I saw them as the mythical perfect couple who finished each other's sentences, knew what the other was thinking and who seemed to thoroughly enjoy each other's company. I'm sure there were difficult times as there are in any marriage, but their love was - and will always be - solid. As Lucky's condition deteriorated Trudi was steadfast in her commitment and devotion to taking care of him. But even throughout the illness, when he was able, they shared fantastic vacations - a riverboat cruise along the Mississippi, trips to Europe, all kinds of cool stuff.

And he had his daughter Heidi. Like Heidi, I was blessed to be the only daughter of an extraordinarily loving and supportive father. Lucky would have done anything for Heidi, she was the proverbial apple of his eye. I know exactly what she's going through now and my heart aches for her. When you have that kind of relationship with your father and then he's gone, regardless of all the love and support you still have, it's like your center suddenly shifts and everything is askew. That feeling will pass, but I know Heidi will miss Lucky every day and I also know he'll always be with her.

There's some wonderful music being played in heaven - maybe on an accordion, or a piano or an organ, it doesn't really matter. What matters is the spirit of the musician - a spirit full of love, laughter, strength and faith. Heaven is indeed "lucky" to have Lucky now, just as we were all lucky to have him as long as we did.

I love you Lucky, and I miss that I won't see you over the holidays this year. Thank you for being my friend.

The Lola Shuffle on Wednesday - "The 'Toon Tuesday" Edition

I've lapsed on my Blogging. I don't know why - maybe it's the heat. It is definitely summer time in Miami. Maybe it's because I'm now playing yet *another* online game Second Life. It's not a game really, I'm not sure what the official name for the genre is - but it's been quite an experience. Maybe I'll blog about it some day, in the meantime, I've added a few links to Blogs by "friends" in Second Life to my side bar under "Life in Second Life" if you want to check it out.

I've also been helping a friend with her Blog where she talks about a student trip to Paris that she's chaperoning. And I've written a couple of restaurant reviews on a food Blog to which I contribute. So you see, I've been blogging, just not here.

So today - Wednesday - I'm posting the entries for last Friday's Lola Shuffle and yesterday's 'Toon Tuesday.

OK Lola...time to catch up with ourselves!

1. 's Wonderful - Sarah Vaughn
2. Rags to Riches - Tony Bennett
3. Running on Empty - Jackson Browne
4. Spirits in the Material World - The Police
5. The Lily of the West - The Chieftains with Mark Knopfler
6. Margaritaville - Jimmy Buffett (a summer classic! Don't start Dixie!)
7. Freewill- Rush
8. Can't Buy Me Love - The Beatles
9. Knowing Me, Knowing You - ABBA
10. This Side - Nickel Creek

Wow! That was eclectic even for Lola!

Hopefully I'll be a good Blogger and retunr to some semblance of a routine.

Ack! 46! Happy Birthday to Me...

Look! There I am! You know those pictures they take of babies when they're just born? The ones where it's virtually impossible for anyone to look good because OMG you were either just plucked out of a nice, warm, dark, quiet space into a bright, loud, cold room - or you had to go through the trauma of being pushed out of your little home and go through all sorts of unpleasant areas. And then what do they do? They take your picture! A picture that will endure throughout your life. Pretty sucky IMO.

Well, anyway, I don't think they were taking those pictures waaaay back in 1963, but if they were I never saw one of me. So, the picture I posted above is among the earlier pictures I've found.

And then there's this one:

...but I didn't want you to think I was grumpy. :)

So yeah, 46. I was talking to a friend of mine who turns 46 next month and we agreed that it's weird, but somehow 45 seems older than 46! Maybe because it's a milestone number but it sounds kind of matronly. So does 43, but not 41. See this is what happens when I start thinking about numbers. Not good.

I think I'm getting an iPhone for my birthday. Hubby and I are going shopping for it this weekend. Really the only reason I want one is because I'm guessing it'll sync up easily to my iTunes *and* because I want a Smart Phone so I can get that application where you can hold the phone up to the radio and it'll tell you the name of the song and who's singing. That is so cool. Oh, and maybe I can access Facebook from work - that'll be productive.

We're also planning to go for a nice dinner Saturday night. Yay! We're going to go to Flemings - the steakhouse. It'll be nice to get dressed up and go on a fancy date with Hubby.

I'll let you know how it goes...:)

'Toon Tuesday

The Lola Shuffle The "Happy Birthday Mami" Edition

Mami would have been 86 years old today. She's been on my mind since Mother's Day and I miss her.

I find myself quoting her - "Like my mother used to say...". She always had a funny, very typical Cuban - specifically *Havana* saying for everything. And the she'd have the ones in English which were either translations from Spanish or that she had made up. My husband keeps saying we should compile them - they crack him up.

I use them often, just one of many intangible things she left me, just one of the many things that make me like her...part of her legacy.

Lola shuffle something up from the "Beba Playlist"

1. Makin' Whoopee - Ella Fitzgerald
2. Stranger in Paradise -Tony Bennett
3. Babalu - Desi Arnaz
4. Learnin' the Blues - Frank Sinatra
5. You Always Hurt the Ones You Love - The Mills Brothers
6. Como Fue - Beny More
7. Tradicion - Gloria Estefan
8. Standing on the Corner - Dean Martin
9. Mister Don't Touch the Banana - Willy Chirino
10. My Way - Frank Sinatra (LOL!)

So Mami, have a Happy Birthday...and as you used to say: "don't do anything I wouldn't do, but if you do - take pictures!"

I love you Mami, and I miss you.