A Little Catching Up

Before I start, here's an explanation about the image. I Googled in search of an image that would represent "playing catch up". Everything that came up involved seemingly not old enough to drink young adults drinking beer and/or liquor. Apparenty it is some sort of drinking game - I remain clueless. (sigh)

OK, so on to why I've been a dork and not Blogged in too long. No good reason at all. I have written a semi-longish draft about a serious subject, alas, I got over the righteous indignation that triggered it, so I may or may not come back to it.

Sooooo...what else? Well I've been dealilng with health stuff - I've been having constant body aches and general malaise for a long time now, so I finally decided to talk to the doctor. We're exploring several possibilities - none are serious thankfully. The leading contender seems to be vitamin deficiency.

One thing we did determine is that I have tendonitis on my mouse finger (right index finger) so today the doctor injected cortisone right into the tendon. Hey! Guess what! That HURTS LIKE HELL! She said it would be numb or tingly or painful for a few hours. Right now it is numb *and* painful, which I didn't think was possible, but surprise - it is!

Yes - I am typing through the pain - *that* is how devoted I am to you. Stop laughing.

Oh! And I fell on Monday. I actually fell...on the floor...hitting the ground. I hurtish my ankle. I am not amused. I got really pissed off. It was completely stupid. As I was telling my friends, if I had fallen while saving a child from on-coming traffic, or skiing, or parachuting, that's one thing - but really, walking into the kitchen to get some water before I went to work? No - that's just stupid.

So I'm kinda in a crappy mood. And sore. And my finger hurts. BAH!

Hopefully Lola will shuffle up something good for us tomorrow.

Pandora Pandemonium - The "I'm Blue - But Not the Pretty Melancholy Blue - the Pissed Off Bitchy Blue" Edition

1. Night Ride Home - Joni Mitchell - I had never heard this song, it's lovely.
2. Sweet Dreams - Beyonce - Great song...I challenge you to listen to this and not bop your head. Go ahead, try. It's impossible.
3. Fernando - ABBA - Love this song! I love how they pronounce "Fernando" correctly and don't roll their Rs where they don't have to. ABBA just rocks. So, this is about the Mexican Revolution, right? BAH! This is a live version - I'm not usually a fan of live versions, like right now I don't need to hear some random audience singing. Just sayin' .
4. My First Kiss - 3Oh!3 *featuring Ke$ha*- Ha! Ke$ha sings it with them - so you know it's quality! I've never heard this but they're the ones who sang the demented "Helen Keller" song which I was mildly obsessed with a while ago. I looked up the lyrics, they're surprisingly not offensive, much.
5. La Unica - Juanes - I love this guy's voice, and he's often got that whole scrawny needs a sandwich and a shower thing going for him...
6. Como La Cigarra - Mercedes Sosa- Oooh Mercedes Sosa! I hadn't heard her in forever...such an amazing voice. One of the few well known indigenous looking Argentinians. She had enormous influence in Latin America - a much missed voice. I think I'll pull her CD out tonight,she's good for my head.
7. Can't Take My Eyes Off You - Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons - What can I say? A classic, beautifully sung, never gets old.
8. Duele el Amor - Aleks Syntek - See, here's why Pandora is all kinds of awesome. I have no idea who this is but I like it. It's in Spanish. The girl sounds like the girl that used to be with La Oreja de Van Gogh. Wait here while I do a quick Google. OK I'm back. Here's the scoop - he's Mexican, and the girls he's singing with is Ana Torroja from Spanish group Mecano, not the one I thought. Good song.
9. Dynamite - Taio Cruz - ohmygod I love this song! I mean come on! When a song starts "I came to dance-dance-dance-dance. I hit the floor cause that's my plans plans plans plans. I'm wearing all my favorite brands brands brands brands. Give me some space for both my hands hands hands hands." He repeats the important parts FOUR times, that's how you know it's important. And then of course the life lesson of the song: "Cause it goes on and on and on, and it goes on and on and on. Yeah. I throw my hands up in the air sometimes, saying ay-oh, gotta let go." Ay-oh indeed Taio, ay-oh indeed.
10. Money's Too Tight to Mention - Simply Red - Meh. This is from the album "Simply Red: Greatest Hits". I didn't know they had greatest hitS, I thought they only had one hit - singular. You know the one, that one...wait while I Google again...ok right "Holding Back the Years". So while Googling I read that this song is a cover of a soul standard. I'm not feeling it with them - although a dig at Reagonomics is always appreciated :)

That's it for Pandora this week, next week Lola will be back - I think I'll alternate them to keep it fresh.

Have a great weekend and as Taio says, "Light it up like it's dynamite!" Ay-oh.

The Lola Shuffle - The "DANGER - I Have Access to a Free Frequent Flier Round-Trip Ticket to Europe and a Passport" Edition

I'm about ready to take a cab to MIA walk up to the American Airlines ticket counter and buy a ticket to the next plane to anywhere in Europe. Seriously.

I don't want to be in charge of things, handle things or plan things. No. I don't want to talk to the nice case manager from the home health care company who is being harassed by the thugs who call themselves my health insurance company. I don't want to think about when the frickin' frackin' car will be ready to get out of the repair shop or how much it's going to cost or if the mechanic was able to get a used part for the car seat that isn't working right. I don't want to think about how to distribute my 401K, which by the way will no longer be matched by my employer because the economy is f'd up. I don't want to think about how Hubby will endure the plane ride to his sister's wedding at the end of March.

I just don't.

Instead I want to listen to what Lola has shuffled up - because see, *she's* in charge of that - I have nothing at all to do with what comes up. So, go on Lola, shuffle away please. I'll just lay here under my desk rocking in the fetal position while sucking my thumb.

1. Maybe Baby - Buddy Holly
2. That's the Way of the World - Earth, Wind & Fire
3. Swing - Trace Adkins
4. This Old House - Brian Setzer Orchestra
5. Jungle Love - Steve Miller Band
6. Time - Hootie and the Blow Fish
7. Life in the Fast Lane - The Eagles
8. Everlasting Love - Gloria Estefan
9. Unwritten - Natasha Bedingfield
10. I Never Promised You a Rose Garden - Martina McBride

Have a great weekend - maybe I'll see you at the airport!

The Lola Shuffle - The "Crappy End to a Crappy Week Edition"

Harumph.

I'm in a mood. YUCK.

Anyway, do your thing Lola...

1. The Fool on the Hill - The Beatles
2. I Don't Love You Much - Guy Clark (I heard this song in a commercial and loved it - what a beautiful song)
3. Mr Jones - Counting Crows
4. Bridge Over Troubled Waters - Paul Simon (I prefer the Simon and Garfunkel version - I miss Garfunkel's voice in this version)
5. Sorry Seems To be The Hardest Word - Elton John
6. Party for Two - Shania Twain and Mark McGrath (Uh...no)
7. More Than a Woman - Bee Gees
8. The Girl From Yesterday - The Eagles (pretty)
9. Hung Up - Madonna
10. Keep On the Sunny Side - The White from the "Brother Where Art Thou?" soundtrack - (Lola is being a smart-azz - don't you test me Lola!)

This week needs to be over. Now.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend - just ignore the thunder cloud over my head.

The Lola Shuffle - The "I STILL Don't Feel Well" Edition

I might as well just tell you up front, I am in a crabby mood this morning. I just am, sorry. So if you - justifiably so - don't want to deal with my bitching and moaning, as Dionne Warwick sang: just walk on by.

Why am I in a crabby mood? OK, since you asked so nicely I'll tell you.

• As the cartoon above (by Jim Morin, the Miami Herald's Pulitzer award winning cartoonist) depicts - I am appalled that Rupert F'n Murdoch will now control what many - at least until now - considered to be *the* non-plus-ultra financial paper of record. I know I shouldn't let this stuff get to me, but it does. I can't help it.
• This cold I've got. Enough is enough. I've complied, I've cooperated: I stayed home sleeping and resting for a total of 4 days, I've been taking my cold pills regularly, I've been a good cold patient. Now, like an annoying visiting relative, the damned thing won't go away! I've been sick since last frickin' frackin' Saturday - tomorrow is Saturday again and I still have this damned cold! GO AWAY!
• This morning when Hubby was dropping me off at work, a Bio-hazard Waste collection man who was picking up the garbage from the medical building across from my office, tossed a big wad of tissue in the middle of the street. Just like that - toss! When I got out of the car I semi-shouted across the street that he shouldn't throw garbage in the street like that. He looked at me like I had grown antlers, but he picked up the tissue and threw it in his truck. I waved and said thank you. He looked confused. Dumbazz!
• And lastly, but certainly the most serious. You remember my cousin Patty who was diagnosed with breast cancer in January and had the double-mastectomy and just finished her (hopefully) final chemo treatment? Well, yesterday her mother - my godmother - was told that a tumor that had grown around her removed last week thyroid gland was cancerous! What the hell? The prognosis however is good, and according to her the doctor said that in a few weeks she'll take one radiation pill and that should be the end of it. I am very close to my godmother and this news felt like a punch in the gut. Hopefully the prognosis is correct and the family can finally catch a break.

Anyway - despite my crappy mood Lola shuffles on...

1. Round Here - Counting Crows
2. Passionate Kisses - Mary Chapin Carpenter
3. She's Always a Woman - Billy Joel
4. Just a Girl - No Doubt (nice combo with the previous song)
5. Come Dancing - The Kinks (OK this song makes me smile)
6. If I Ever Lose My Faith - Sting (appropriate)
7. Cry! Cry! Cry! - Johnny Cash (God love him, Johnny almost always makes your problems seem trivial because so many of his songs are so damned tragic)
8. Juanita - Shania Twain (Don't snicker. This is actually a really good song, very woman empowering)
9. Smile - Lily Allen (deliciously bitchy - I'm liking this little girl)
10. Baby Can I Hold You - Tracy Chapman (phenomenal voice)

Not bad Lola...rock on.

Have a great weekend everyone! I'll certainly try to do the same.