Theme song

Have you ever thought about your personal theme song? If someone made a sitcom or a variety show of your life, what song would be used to introduce the show? Better yet, pretend you are a public speaker or an athlete and a song is played every time you are introduced. What would that song be? (I'm told baseball players have personal theme songs that are played when they step up to bat. This information is strictly second-hand, though. Baseball is probably my least favorite sport -- oops. That's not right. Boxing is my least favorite. So that makes baseball second least favorite. Let's start that sentence over again, shall we? Ready? ... Baseball is one of my least favorite sports (ta da!) so don't expect to see me at the Yards doing reconaissance any time soon. To avoid a trip to the ball park I will gladly accept second-hand knowledge of this phenomenon. Hint.)

In an effort to identify such a tune I have spent an inordinate amount of time this morning browsing through the iTunes library looking for a my personal theme song. I've searched classical and classic rock, jazz and new age, pop and country, folk, vocal, even holiday, and so far nothing is jumping up and down saying "Ooo! Pick me! Pick me!" But here are some early front runners:

You Ain't Seen Nothin Yet - Bachman-Turner Overdrive
Celebration - Kool & the Gang
Until I See You Again - Jim Brickman
Santorini - Yanni (the live version because you've gotta have applause at the end!)
Still Believing - Mary Black
Summon the Heroes - John Williams (it's my cell phone ring, after all)
If I Had a Million Dollars - I'd be rich!
It's a Miracle - Barry Manilow (Ugh. But oh-so-groovy!)
Theme from Mission Impossible
Best Years of Our Lives - from Shrek
Playin' with My Friends - Tony Bennett

and Mel C. suggested Walkin' On Sunshine. Aww! That was sweet. (She got Too Marvelous For Words in return.)

Are you seeing the same common denominator with all those tunes? Catchy beat and fun? (Well, the Jim Brickman borders on sentimental and not as fun, but it's still light and has a steady beat. Kinda.) Any other ideas for Jess' theme song? I'll keep digging over here and will post updates. I'll also try to find links to these songs so you can hear them for yourself. In the meantime, think about your own personal theme song and let me know what it is.

Tonight the super Trouper lights are gonna blind me ... but I won't feel blue, 'cause somewhere in the crowd there's YOU!

One ear, or two?

The following is an actual conversation. The names have not been changed to protect the ones who think they are innocent but really aren't.

ME: Yo. The ears are small. Do you want one ear or two?

TURKEY: Huh?

ME: One ear or two?

TURKEY: What?

ME: (demonstrating) Ears! One ear, or two?!



He took two.

An open letter

Dear AARP:

Yesterday I reached the milestone age of 77. I played bowling, baseball and boxing while talking on the phone and making dinner AND giving my kid instructions. It was a whirlwind 10 minutes. But apparently the Wii doesn't take multi tasking in to account so my Mii is now 77. That's right -- my electronic age is seventy seven years old. 77! (It's really not so bad. After all, I still LOOK 40.)

I would like to apply for AARP membership based on my Wii age. I mean, my kid already asks what the dinosaurs were like so why not get the full benefits, right? That AARP card will score me discounts galore! And hello to the "55 or better" communitites! Ooo, there's social security and pensions too! Your website also mentions advocacy and I need all the help I can get. Yes indeedy. Sign me up!

I await your response with the Wii-mote safely put away and promise not to try to improve my electronic age. Pinky swear.

Your Wii-challenged new member,
Jess

Memorial Day 2009

Photos by Alexis Hernandez.

Pink and the turkey

Yes, the kid is really THAT tall! This candid was taken by a friend who was in town for the weekend. It was a laughter-filled few days. Thanks for the fun and the photo, Alexis!

Mr. February in May

Turkey-lurkey was honored as Student of the Month this week. Woo hoo! It was actually a delayed award - turns out he was Mr. February but there was a backlog at the school so the awards ceremony didn't happen until May. No matter. He's still Mr. February and has the certificates, coupons and Chick-Fil-A freebies to show for it. Here he is with his "congratulate me for being Student of the Month" magnet:



Wait. That gray t-shirt does not compute with his normal red, white or black. Huh? Funny you should notice. That is actually his school-issued gym uniform. See, I arrived at school for the ceremony and chatted with other kids, parents and the administrators and teachers gathered in the cafeteria. The ceremony was beginning so we found seats. Still no Drew. I raised my hand (it was school, after all) and asked if someone could get Drew from class because he obviously forgot about being Student of the Month. That's right -- he FORGOT about receiving an award! There was a stifled laugh from the assembled group and Mr. Teacher left to find Drew after giving me dirty looks for not knowing his schedule.

When he finally arrived we all knew he had been pulled out of gym class. Sweaty and sporting his stinky, school-issued uniform, Drew appeared with a sheepish grin and a wave. Did I say the uniform was stinky? Yep. S-T-I-N-K-Y! Pee-yew! At least the clothing was not a prerequisite for receiving his award and it didn't seem to phase his friends, either. Here is Mr. February with Mr. March:


(I sense a Nerds of NCHS calendar in the offing. No?)

Mr. March has agreed to tease Drew mercilessly on being so forgetful and then receiving his award in his gym uniform. Being the impish parent that I am, there will be lots of teasing here, too. Lots!

Congratulations on being Mr. February, Drew!

Number 36

There's a blog I read on a daily basis by author Deanna Raybourn. I got hooked on her books last year and then found the blog. It's just so cool. Her style is warm and personal, lyrical even, peppered with erudite words but never stuffy. And gosh, it appears that she writes effortlessly. (Hmm. Maybe that's why she's paid to write. Do ya' think?) But the coolest part is that she posts nearly every day. Yeppers, 6 days a week! A blog entry every so often is hard enough, daily is a miracle. I'm officially in awe.

Some months ago, DR posted a simple link to another blog that caught my eye. That link was downloaded and has since found a nice home on my desktop. I visit every so often along with a bottle of wine. (OK. Maybe not wine during the day. More like a mango melon Lifewater. Yum.) This particular link-turned-downloaded-pdf is a creative manifesto, a check list of how to infuse one's life/business/activities with creativity. Check it out here.

Now, I consider myself a fairly creative person but sometimes one just needs a boost. Right? Like yesterday when I found myself staring at this blog in a quandary on what to post next. Nothing seemed relevant; nothing seemed to resonate. Until ... cue the William Tell Overture ... creative manifesto to the rescue! Much more than a simple booster seat for creativity, this is a handbook for desk jockeys and computer geeks alike, a guidebook for recent graduates trying to find their way in the work place, a compass for entrepreneurs, and a reminder that coloring with crayons is sometimes the best medicine. For me, it reinforced the path to #36.

Oh, and it will be available in bookstores everywhere this summer. Read on, turkeys!