My how music has changed.

On the day I was born, the number one song was Ray Charles' I Can't Stop Lovin' You.

 

Now there's nothing wrong with this song but it's really not my taste.

In less than two years, the music world would be turned upside down by the Beatles and things would never be the same again.

The reality is that until about 1968, I only knew about Elvis and the Beatles.

The first song I really remember was Sugar, Sugar by the Archies. 

Ironically, this was the number one song in England the day my husband was born.

Thankfully, my tastes improved after that.

Thanks to my uncle, I developed a taste for Motown, The Carpenters, and oddball music like this one:

May There Always Be Sunshine, a Russian children's song that was on an album of international songs my mother gave me. I still remember the Russian words.

In high school, I was into disco. You had to choose a side: disco or rock.  My brother was in the Kiss Army and I was an ABBA queen.

 

With the advent of MTV, I was seriously hooked on music. Duran Duran, The Human League, The Police, basically anything out of Europe like these:

Berlin- The Metro

The Lightning Seeds- Life of Riley

By the 1990's, I had was still into European pop and a newly found love of classical music.

Enigma - Sadeness I

Tommaso Albinoni - Adagio in G (in Gallipoli)

Theme from Schindler's List - John Williams/Itzak Perlman

Ace of Base - Beautiful Life

But I was discovering an edgier side; an angrier side

Gangsta's Paradise- Coolio

Alanis Morrisette- You Oughta Know

The end of the 90s brought a whole new world of music into my life: real English pop and rock that didn't make it across the pond thanks to a certain Englishman

Robbie Williams - Millennium

Now, in my forties, my musical taste is all over the place from the songs I grew up with to rap, hip hop, pop, rock, country, classical, and more.

Timbaland - Carryout

I'll end this musical memory walk with two of my absolute favorites

John Lennon's Imagine and Green Day's cover of John's Lennon's Working Class Hero

A New Year, A New Age

Well, it's 2012. In just under 6 months, I'll be fifty years old.
I was surprised that I was a bit emotional last night when I rang in the new year with my husband.
I was teary-eyed as the ball dropped in Times Square and I'm not quite sure why.
I'm not sure if it was simply because it was a new year or because it is the year that I turn 50.
I do know that I get emotional because there were two times in my life when I cheated death so there is a feeling of being happy just to be here.


Here's looking forward to a better, healthier, happier year.
Happy 2012!

Christmas Now and Then

As Christmas draws near, I can't help but reflect on how Christmas has changed over the years.
The first Christmas I really remember was when I was four.  I got a copper-colored kitchen set from my parents for Christmas.  There is a picture of me playing with this kitchen set. I still have my pajamas on and my hair is in rollers.


One memorable Christmas was the year I really wanted the pink ballerina doll

She came with her own pink record and she spun around if you pushed the middle of her crown.

I was thrilled to death when I opened her up on Christmas day. I played with her for hours.

Suzy Homemaker toys weren't far behind.

Suzy Homemaker Toys

I think my mother was trying to turn me into the perfect little homemaker. I had the oven, dishwasher, and clothes washer/dryer.  That oven was the best. Making mini cakes was just great.

Malibu Barbie became my obsession. Like every other little girl of the early 70s, the suntanned goddess that is Malibu Barbie was our dream girl. She lived the good life: surfing, playing on the beach, driving around in her convertible, and living in California, the place we all dreamed of living.

The Barbie camper came along a few years later. Although not as cool as my brother's action figure camper, it was nonetheless cool.  Barbie was a serious camper on the sunny beaches and cool forests of the California coast aka my bed.

Probably one of most unusual gifts I received was a massive New England saltbox dollhouse.  It was one of those dollhouses meant for decorating not playing with. My mother and I painted it blue-grey on the outside and spent the next few years purchased miniature furniture for this house.  It was massive but quite beautiful.

Christmas seemed like such a magical time back then even after I learned that Santa wasn't a real person.

As an adult, Christmas is still magical but not in the same way that it was as a child.  Now, I look forward to spending time with my husband and enjoying the peace and serenity of a day off with no errands and no housecleaning duties.

I look forward to this Christmas, the last one before I turn 50.

Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah!

Do you remember your crushes?

This morning, I was watching television and saw a Michael Jackson video which made me think about my crushes.


Like every other girl in the early 1970's, I was head over heels in love with David Cassidy.
I faithfully watched the Partridge Family every week just to sigh over David.

Sure, I know he was a pretty boy but when you're 10, this is what hot looks like.

Around the same time, I was watching the Rookies, a police drama.

One of the new cops became crush # 2 - Michael Ontkean

I would rush home from Brownies to have my hour with him...sigh.

Then, I went through my "jock" period.

Dwight Stones

I actually hijacked a copy of this magazine from the library for quite a long time.

Eric Heiden

What girl watching the 1980 Winter Olympics didn't have a crush on him?

And of course, Jim Craig from the 1980 Olympic Hockey Team

Actually I had a crush on almost the entire team lol

Then came Patrik Sundstrom, who was probably my most serious crush.

And there you have them.  My crushes up to age 19.

Of course, I have crushes now. I still love athletes more than actors and singers.

Do you remember yours?

A quick bucket list

Like anyone who is getting older, I've started making that infamous bucket list.
Of course the list could really be a mile long but I've tried to be realistic about the things that I could do.
So here is my bucket list so far in random order:

• Visiting Australia, New Zealand, The Netherlands, and all the other places that I've dreamed about since i was old enough to look at an atlas.
• Finally learning a second language - I can speak French at a tourist level so I guess I'm on my way.
• Taking a class at a world-class university like Harvard.
• Writing a book. It doesn't matter what it's about, I would just like to walk into a bookstore and see my book on the shelf.
• Being able to hold a tiger cub. I love the majesty of tigers.
• Singing in public. I've sung in choirs and at karaoke but I've never sung by myself.
• Doing community theatre. I'm not sure how good I'd be but I'd like to try.
• Visiting the last states and provinces in the US and Canada so I can say I've been to all 50 states plus Puerto Rico and all 10 provinces and 3 territories.
• Finally discovering a real hobby besides playing Facebook games

It's not a complete list of course but a realistic one. I could put running a marathon on that list but I know that has about a 1% chance of happening.

So what's on your bucket list?

May 17, 2003

I finally got my bachelor's degree in Elementary Education at age 40!

Who's Turning 50 in 2012

With my 50th birthday coming up, I wondered who else was turning 50 next year.

Here's a short list of who will be turning 50 with me:

• Daphne Zuniga - Princess Vespa from Spaceballs - October 28
• Nia Vardalos -My Big Fat Greek Wedding - September 24
• Janine Turner - Maggie from Northern Exposure - December 6
• Aida Turturo - Janice from The Sopranos - September 25
• Ally Sheedy - The Breakfast Club - June 13
• Laura San Giacomo - Sex, Lies, and Videotapes - November 14
• Kelly Preston - Battlefield Earth, From Dusk to Dawn - October 13
• Cheri Oteri - Saturday Night Live - September 19
• Joan Osbourne - One of Us  - July 8
• Rosie O'Donnell - March 21
• Kristy McNichols - Family - September 11
• Star Jones - The View - March 24
• Felicity Huffman  - Desperate Housewives - December 9
• Gina Gershon - Showgirls - June 9
• Genie Francis - Laura Spencer on General Hospital - May 26
• Jodie Foster - Silence of the Lambs - November 19
• Deborah Foreman - Valley Girls - October 12
• Joan Cusack - Grosse Point Blank, Toys - October 11
• Paula Abdul - American Idol - June 19

So you may have noticed I only listed women.

The reason is that turning 50 is different for women that men. Society tells us that women are old at 50 while men, like Jon Bon Jovi, Tom Colicchio, and Cary Elwes, simply become mature and handsome.

Of course many women look fantastic at 50 but society has a different message for women; you're old now.

If we date younger men, we're cougars but men can date much younger women and the worst they're called is  dirty old man.

I want to turn 50 on my own terms. Sure I'm going to continue to dye my hair and wear make up. But I'm also going to acknowledge that have some grey hair and wrinkles now and that's ok.

I want to be happy turning fifty, not feel old.

This is me at about age 1-1/2. Gotta love the hair net and chubby knees!

Texting for Seniors

You have to have a sense of humor about aging.  I'm not a texting fanatic but if you're a senior and you enjoy texting, here are some abbreviations for you. Enjoy!


ATD - At the Doctor's

BFF - Best Friends Funeral

BTW - Bring the Wheelchair

BYOT - Bring Your Own Teeth

CBM - Covered by Medicare

CUATSC - See You at the Senior Center

FWIW - Forgot Where I Was

FYI - Found Your Insulin

GGPBL - Gotta Go, Pacemaker Battery Low

GHA - Got Heartburn Again

HGBM - Had Good Bowel Movement

IMHO - Is My Hearing-Aid On?

LMDO - Laughing My Dentures Out

LOL - Living on Lipitor

LWO - Lawrence Welk's On

OMSG - Oh My! Sorry, Gas

ROFL...CGU - Rolling on the Floor Laughing...Can't get Up!

WAITT - Who Am I Talking To?

WTFA - Wet the Furniture Again

WTP - Where's the Prunes

WWNO - Walker Wheels Need Oil

GGLKI - Gotta Go, Laxative Kicking in!

DTAF - Don't Trust A Fart