Small Talk: The Impala

[catrox14]

57 minutes ago, SueB said:

 It's so very easy to just drift on day to day.

Thank you! Yeah, I think I was drifting day to day for a long time now and that is not a good place and I just didn't really see it. I dunno it's weird.

[rue721]

2 hours ago, catrox14 said:

And I've had so much change thrust upon me over the past few years that maybe I just want to gird myself for whatever comes next.

That sounds really difficult. I can't understand what you've gone through, but that feeling is pretty familiar.

I think when you're going through hell, you know you've got to keep your head down and just do whatever you have to to keep going. But then you finally get out, and that's when you discover that you've been shattered into pieces in the process. Then you can't hold yourself together anymore and collapse -- and have to rebuild, I guess. And when you're sitting there still mostly shattered and trying to rebuild...that's a vulnerable place.

But I'm sure that if you keep plugging away, your life will become more of what you want, little by little, and one day you'll look back and be amazed at what you've accomplished.

1 hour ago, SueB said:

@rue721 - it's a little rough in that kind of an office if you aren't feeling your best. I hope they don't hassle you on the "challenge", I'd say something like --
oh, I pay more attention to "off-scale victories", like how I fit in my clothes or keeping myself healthy.  I did the challenge for good tips, not specific pounds. " The tyranny of the scale is horrible.  And don't let them force people to 'weigh in', you never know who has a REAL issue with it -- even if they don't look overweight.  If they've had problems in their past, it can be an emotionally charged situation.

Oh no worries, I'm already much blunter than that about it!

Hell will freeze over before I even call it a victory that I've changed my looks or have "triumphed" over my human need to eat. It's probably not the "right" reaction, but I feel SO much resentment toward anyone telling me I should look a certain way or even that I should curb my appetite. ["Anyone" is not a veiled reference to you or anybody here, though, @SueB!]. Like everybody, I have the right to exist as a human being, with human needs and appetites and all, regardless of how decorative I happen to be. I'm not just a pretty little object, created for other people's pleasure, I'm a person, so I'm going to be hungry and EAT, I'm going to need or even just really want things sometimes, I'm going to be ugly sometimes, I'm not always going to be undemanding or pleasing. And apparently, I'm very prickly about that! ;)

That's not to take anything away from someone who wants to change their body in some way or accomplish something with it and then achieves their goals. Those goals are generally so difficult and require so much (long term) discipline and commitment -- I admire that. I just hate the attitude that a person should deprive or diminish themselves in order to be considered "acceptable."

Also, I'm incredulous at the thought of doing a weight-loss challenge through work anyway, because I work specifically so I DON'T starve! ;)

But of course, I'm not a fool, so when I say that I'm "blunt," I basically just mean that I've told my boss from jump that I'm not participating and am not down with the idea of doing a workplace weight-loss challenge in general. Which she has ignored because I am the friendly neighborhood healthy eater, etc, and my eating habits are now "proof" in her mind that I'm participating despite me saying repeatedly that I'm not. LOL. Well, what can ya do? I mean, I do try to keep my militance to a minimum at the office. ;)

1 hour ago, SueB said:

It's so very easy to just drift on day to day.

 

57 minutes ago, catrox14 said:

Thank you! Yeah, I think I was drifting day to day for a long time now and that is not a good place and I just didn't really see it. I dunno it's weird.

What do you mean by drifting from day to day?

[SueB]

2 hours ago, rue721 said:

That sounds really difficult. I can't understand what you've gone through, but that feeling is pretty familiar.

I think when you're going through hell, you know you've got to keep your head down and just do whatever you have to to keep going. But then you finally get out, and that's when you discover that you've been shattered into pieces in the process. Then you can't hold yourself together anymore and collapse -- and have to rebuild, I guess. And when you're sitting there still mostly shattered and trying to rebuild...that's a vulnerable place.

But I'm sure that if you keep plugging away, your life will become more of what you want, little by little, and one day you'll look back and be amazed at what you've accomplished.

Oh no worries, I'm already much blunter than that about it!

Hell will freeze over before I even call it a victory that I've changed my looks or have "triumphed" over my human need to eat. It's probably not the "right" reaction, but I feel SO much resentment toward anyone telling me I should look a certain way or even that I should curb my appetite. ["Anyone" is not a veiled reference to you or anybody here, though, @SueB!]. Like everybody, I have the right to exist as a human being, with human needs and appetites and all, regardless of how decorative I happen to be. I'm not just a pretty little object, created for other people's pleasure, I'm a person, so I'm going to be hungry and EAT, I'm going to need or even just really want things sometimes, I'm going to be ugly sometimes, I'm not always going to be undemanding or pleasing. And apparently, I'm very prickly about that! ;)

That's not to take anything away from someone who wants to change their body in some way or accomplish something with it and then achieves their goals. Those goals are generally so difficult and require so much (long term) discipline and commitment -- I admire that. I just hate the attitude that a person should deprive or diminish themselves in order to be considered "acceptable."

Also, I'm incredulous at the thought of doing a weight-loss challenge through work anyway, because I work specifically so I DON'T starve! ;)

But of course, I'm not a fool, so when I say that I'm "blunt," I basically just mean that I've told my boss from jump that I'm not participating and am not down with the idea of doing a workplace weight-loss challenge in general. Which she has ignored because I am the friendly neighborhood healthy eater, etc, and my eating habits are now "proof" in her mind that I'm participating despite me saying repeatedly that I'm not. LOL. Well, what can ya do? I mean, I do try to keep my militance to a minimum at the office. ;)

 

What do you mean by drifting from day to day?

Bravo for your healthy approach towards food!  Sounds like you've got a boss who doesn't understand what a bad idea public challenges like this can be.  With over 60% of Americans overweight, it's become much more than eating better for a few weeks.  A simple office challenge is surface-only and could put the wrong kind of pressure on people (which it sounds like you understand and the boss does not).

Drifting day to day... means you've got plenty of things going on but you are ignoring the big picture of where you are at and potentially not addressing long term issues that ultimately need to be handled.  "Blink" and two years have gone by and you still haven't *insert icky can of emotional worms that you don't want to look at but really should*.  The hubbub of daily life keeps you going.  I'll give a personal example:  CENTURIES ago (okay, about 33 years ago), I found myself living in LA with a great roommate and a HIGHLY stressful job.  She too was overworked and stressed.  We'd both come home after 12 hr days and veg.  And weekends? We'd either be back at work or catching up on sleep.  Neither of us had had a date since moving to LA and it had been 7 months.  I'm not sure WHAT made us sit down and talk about it but we finally addressed the elephant in our little apartment living room -- we were living for the mission.  We had zero social life because we were too tired and overwhelmed with responsibilities to even get up the energy to go to a freakin' movie.  So, my roommate and I made a deal, we'd start coming up with social activities to do EVERY weekend.  We'd get a mulligan once a month if we needed it, but we desperately needed to start having a real "life".  And honestly, it worked.  We were both young enough to change course and make adjustments.  That's easy in your early 20's.  It's about three orders of magnitude harder as you move forward.  But the FIRST step is to stop drifting day to day and to take stock -- am I where I want to be and doing what I want to do?  If not, what do I need to change?  

Edited April 1, 2017 by SueB

[rue721]

15 hours ago, SueB said:

A simple office challenge is surface-only and could put the wrong kind of pressure on people (which it sounds like you understand and the boss does not).

Oh no, it is EXPLICITLY a group crash diet so that we look cute if/when we go to Vegas in a few months. I'm serious about this place being like a sorority. It's a little bit of a pressure cooker because there are only five of us, and we're all women. The company president straight up jokes that she's Regina from Mean Girls.

But I actually do like it there, for the most part. It's like a sorority in the good ways, too. It's a tight-knit group, and they're fun. I'm just weirdly possessive and ultra-serious when it comes to my food in particular ;)

15 hours ago, SueB said:

But the FIRST step is to stop drifting day to day and to take stock -- am I where I want to be and doing what I want to do?  If not, what do I need to change?  

Oh, that's interesting. I sort of do that, by keeping a written priority list and using it as a guide. For the most part it works, but I also tend to pile too much stuff on there and end up lost in the weeds. How do you take stock? Do you still do it?

What needs to be part of your life for you to be a successful or "respectable" person? Those are the kinds of things I get lost in the weeds about. Everything is pretty clear-cut at the top of the priority list, where things like "family" and "friends" and "work" are. But then you get further down to stuff like "community" and "using your creativity" and it's like, what should you be doing for that? And what's non-essential? What dreams or duties do you give up on and triage out, and which ones HAVE to stay?

Also, it seems difficult to on the one hand take stock and try to load up your plate but on the other hand stop putting so much pressure on yourself. I mean, taking stock IS putting pressure on yourself, isn't it?

[catrox14]

56 minutes ago, rue721 said:

Also, it seems difficult to on the one hand take stock and try to load up your plate but on the other hand stop putting so much pressure on yourself. I mean, taking stock IS putting pressure on yourself, isn't it?

I agree. I think the key is not trying to kitchen sink everything in one's life.

After my mom suffered her first stroke, I was under intense pressure from my sister to relocate immediately and move with my mom until she passed (even though she lives in the same area as my mom and I was 1600 miles away). It tore me up because I didn't feel right about making that kind of major, potentially permanent decision when it was unclear if my mom would survive the first month or the next 3 months. I was okay with going there and staying for an extended time (6 months for the first stroke) but I was being guilt tripped everyday and I kind of allowed it because I wasn't on my own turf, you know? I'd ask my mom if she'd be cool with me moving in and she wasn't having any of it.Mind you, I wasn't working during all of that either because I couldn't do both and I had to go into my retirement to keep myself afloat. 

But I just keep swimming and when I finally got back home, that's when I fell apart. I started having panic and anxiety attacks. Those subsided once I was able to get into a new routine but I was still in the care and worry  for my mom headspace which was a whole other level of thing. And my sister was still haranguing me about moving and I couldn't sort out what was best for me and for my mom and everyone else,

I felt like I had to decide ALL THE THINGS at the same time. It was overwhelming and soul crushing and utterly  self-defeating. 

I'm hoping now I can start breaking ALL the things into SOME of the things and manage them as best I can.

[ahrtee]

1 hour ago, rue721 said:

What needs to be part of your life for you to be a successful or "respectable" person? Those are the kinds of things I get lost in the weeds about. Everything is pretty clear-cut at the top of the priority list, where things like "family" and "friends" and "work" are. But then you get further down to stuff like "community" and "using your creativity" and it's like, what should you be doing for that? And what's non-essential? What dreams or duties do you give up on and triage out, and which ones HAVE to stay?

Also, it seems difficult to on the one hand take stock and try to load up your plate but on the other hand stop putting so much pressure on yourself. I mean, taking stock IS putting pressure on yourself, isn't it?

I'm hardly the poster child for "happily ever after" but one thing I do know is that "successful" and "respectable" are only in your own mind.  If you try to judge your success based on what other people think, you'll make yourself crazy.  So...people can give up a "successful" career that will make them a fortune in order to become a teacher (or a librarian!) or something that makes them *happy*, though it won't buy them the big mansion on the hill.  I don't do well with high-power, high-pressure jobs, but I know others who love it and get bored if things are too slow.  I need quiet times and tend to stay home a lot, but my sister loves parties and loud concerts and being in the center of things.  So you have to decide what's right for you, and what makes you happy, and work from there.  

Taking stock isn't (or shouldn't be) loading up your plate, but paring it down to essentials, so you can cut away the stuff that doesn't work for you and focus on what you really want.  Then you figure out how to go about getting that.  

Also, remember that priorities change--over the big picture and especially day to day, and some days one thing (like sitting on a beach doing nothing or scrubbing your floors!) will take priority over everything else, even if they don't lead to bigger and better things.  

@catrox14, the hardest thing I've found is to manage your own life during and after a major life-changing event like yours.  You spend so much time reacting that you don't get to think and plan, much less figure out what's best, and family pressures are the absolute worst because you add guilt on top of everything else.  

I did the same thing with my mom's illness and death (and that tends to be my MO):  when in an emergency, I go into survival mode and do whatever needs to be done strictly based on logic, but when it's over all the emotions I suppressed come roaring out and I fall apart.  And the longer I spent suppressing them, the worse the reaction is.  I wish I could give an easy answer on how to get past it, but I'm still working on it myself.  For me--routine helps.  Remembering things that I used to enjoy (and haven't been doing for a long time) helps.  It doesn't mean I can do them yet, but I can remember having fun.  Then you can start planning for the future--but don't put pressure on yourself to do anything until you're ready.  Baby steps, and allow yourself to go backwards sometimes.  And don't get mad at yourself, no matter what.  

[SueB]

2 hours ago, rue721 said:

How do you take stock? Do you still do it?

Good question.  I DO take stock but it's mostly in prayer moments (I'm a pray-er).  If I was to write it down, I'd run screaming into the night as the perfectionist in me would struggle with adding minutia and my "wise mind" knows to not do that.

I'll just say, I'm a work in progress. I am BEYOND blessed with much of my life.  But that's both the surface-level AND the really important family (kids in particular) level.  At the self-actualization level, I'm like a car that has 7 good cylinders and one in really bad shape.  And the really bad cylinder means the car, in total, has issues.  Which I'm working on.  Complicated. I'd need more wine.  

[AwesomO4000]

1 hour ago, ahrtee said:

...and family pressures are the absolute worst because you add guilt on top of everything else.

Deep breaths, deep breaths.

My mom will be coming back in a couple of weeks. I'm not ready. I like my freedom and my time to myself, but that can be tough when family dynamics raise their sometimes ugly heads. I'm a night person and an adult. Sometimes I get annoyed when mom comes upstairs to say "You're still up? Don't you have to go to work tomorrow?" The answer in my head is different than the one I give, because yes, yes I do have work tomorrow, but I don't work until the afternoon, when I go to sleep very tired, I don't have nightmares, and my work helps to pay all the bills and much of the food we/you eat. But I can't say that, because... mom... and family and I'd feel guilty. Also my mom is one of those people who seems to enjoy a crisis or likes to make things more complicated than they are. I am not one of those people, so biting my tongue and avoiding some conflicts is just a good idea. I mean I will argue/debate if I feel it's needed, but some things are just not worth it. I call it arguing smart(ly?). (Like picking your battles.) My mom has a way of getting me sometimes to argue over the stupidest things, though. But what can you do? Family, and she needs a place to live.

I think maybe I need to rethink things, because normally I'm good with where I am in life, and I want to continue feeling that way and not let my mom harsh that squee*. Hmmm. You guys are giving me stuff to think about on a Sunday afternoon.

* As they used to say. I'm not currently up on what the expression should be now.

[7kstar]

1 hour ago, AwesomO4000 said:

My mom has a way of getting me sometimes to argue over the stupidest things, though. But what can you do? Family, and she needs a place to live.

Oh do I know how that goes.  But when my parents lived with me as an adult it was a short time.  I could hold my tongue.  If she was moving in permanently we would have to have a sit down and one thing I would say, Is I'm adult and you're not to tell me what to do.  I'm a night owl and will do what I choose to do.  Just as you have choices about what you choose to do. 

I'm lucky for as long as both of my parents are alive, she won't be moving in with me, yet.   But that day could come.  I'm trying to look ahead so I can figure out what my options are so I won't go in a direction that doesn't work.

4 hours ago, catrox14 said:

I felt like I had to decide ALL THE THINGS at the same time. It was overwhelming and soul crushing and utterly  self-defeating. 

I'm hoping now I can start breaking ALL the things into SOME of the things and manage them as best I can.

That is what made it so hard, you were reacting and under pressure so be gentle with yourself.  You did THE BEST YOU COULD at the time.  I've worked to create boundaries with my family but sometimes I just react and go back into the old bad patterns.  So when you take a step backwards, realize you've just found the next layer of the onion and time to regroup and move in the correct direction.

22 hours ago, SueB said:

What do you mean by drifting from day to day?

Man is this so easy to do especially when you don't feel good.  I'm trying to find that risk taker that seems to have disappeared.  To be clear, I'm in the driver seat for my weight challenge even though I'm participating in a small group.  So for me this is the first step.  If I don't think I look good, it's hard to move to the next challenge. 

Sometimes I tell the kids, we're in the same place...trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up.  I wish it was easier to be a creative person and make a livable wage.  But I'm trying to do more than just work, sleep and work.  Taking some baby vacations is a start in the right direction.  Dating would be the next challenge but that another whole bag of worms that I'm not sure I'm ready for.  If I can start making a plan and actually sticking with it, that would be a huge step.  One day at a time.  :)

[Demented Daisy]

If you have teenagers, or kids who will be teenagers someday, I highly recommend 13 Reasons Why on Netflix.  It's not easy to watch.  Hell, at moments it's almost impossible.  But it's important.

[Mick Lady]

On ‎4‎/‎1‎/‎2017 at 10:43 AM, 7kstar said:

I had the school nurse ask me point blank, why are you so fat?

Okay, I'm really drunk right now, but 7kstar? I would have punched her in the face. Honestly, I don't know you personally, but you come across as one in a million. Screw 'em if they can't see that. Their loss!

No, I changed my mind. They don't deserve to be your friend. But I am, and proud of it!

[rue721]

On 4/2/2017 at 5:03 PM, 7kstar said:

Dating would be the next challenge but that another whole bag of worms that I'm not sure I'm ready for.

For what it's worth, I think you should totally just go for it!

After I had a really bad relationship end a few years ago, I was VERY wary about dating again. Just had no interest, was really skittish, etc. But a couple friends and I all made New Year's resolutions last year (for 2016) to put up profiles on OK Cupid and see what happened. Well, I ended up in a couple pretty good relationships from that :) The second (most recent) relationship ended around New Year's this year, unfortunately. But I have to say, the guys I met online were generally more gentlemanly and more put together than the guys I ended up with the old fashioned way. It's not a wasteland :) In fact, it's a pretty low-key and fun experience.

Don't wait until you're "perfect" before you put yourself out there! I promise you're good enough now :)

Anyway, last weekend, I FINALLY decided to put up a profile again. Because again, I shy away from dating so much if I'm left to my own devices, but joining a site pretty much forces you to get out there. And the guys are really pretty friendly, too. They're on there for the same reason you are, after all. It's all the height of modern convenience ;)

So this morning, I got a notification for what is basically an in-person matchmaking event that the dating site is hosting (it's Match.com). Usually I ignore stuff like that (because walking into a meat market like that sounds really nerve-wracking!!), but this one is for a ghost tour/pub crawl. There was only one ticket left, so I snatched it up on my drive in to work ;) I feel like it's totally wild to go to a matchmaking event like that! Kind of nervous, really. But the event itself sounds pretty fun, so...

This weekend, I'm going to a Radiohead jazz concert, a matchmaking ghost tour, and to a "museum" that is apparently all ~outsider art~ and in which literally every object in the museum is for sale. It kind of just happened, but looking at my weekend plans all together like that makes me wonder about my personality lol. What a group of odd events.

Edited April 6, 2017 by rue721

[SueB]

My niece had really good luck with 'It's Just Lunch."  In fact, I think you are going to find that on-line, for those in their 20's, does NOT have the stigma it has for those older.  It's their primary go-to rather than or at least a close second to "work connection".  

I will also say, my New Year's resolution way back in 1985 is why I'm married 31 years later.  Just the decision to put myself out there and be "open".  I THOUGHT I was open before.  But when I started looking for ways to make my "be social" resolution (which was not totally romance related) every weekend, I found I was more 'game' for things outside my comfort zone. By that I mean going to movies with people I barely knew, going to a bar concert with a friend, etc...  It made me more approachable.  

And that made all the difference.  

Edited April 6, 2017 by SueB

[rue721]

On 4/6/2017 at 1:16 PM, SueB said:

My niece had really good luck with 'It's Just Lunch."

I want to take you up on the recommendation for It's Just Lunch, but I'm waffling.

Pros: 

• @SueB recommends
• I like lunch!
• It's good to go straight to meeting in person, instead of doing the profile thing. My profiles are always crappy, and it's difficult to get a feel for someone before meeting in person anyway.
• Ratings on BBB are high (5 stars, all good reviews)

Cons:

• Apparently, very expensive? I've been hearing (second-hand) that it's $1,000~?!
• Yelp reviews are very low. 1.5 stars.

Did your niece go to It's Just Lunch DC? I hear they're franchises, so maybe the one here isn't very good, but the one in her city was?

And OK, I went to that matchmaking ghost tour last night. It was a total bust in terms of actually meeting any guys there who I would want to see again. But it was pretty fun just as a "get drunk and walk around hearing ghost stories" kind of thing.

So, this is funny, though. Another girl and I are at the last bar after the tour ends, just hanging out, and asking the guide about other ghost stories and stuff that we had heard before about the town. The guide starts talking about this couple, Mr. Rathbone and his fiancee, who were in Abraham Lincoln's box at Ford's theater the night Lincoln was assassinated. Apparently, Rathbone totally lost it afterward. He married the fiancee, they had kids -- and, in an attempt to get Rathbone state-of-the-art mental health care, they eventually moved the whole family to Germany. In the end, I guess the mental health care didn't work, because Rathbone stabbed his wife 37 times in what they claim was a PTSD flashback, and then he killed himself, too. The couple was buried in Germany. And after that, people here in DC started complaining about hearing a man sobbing at the house where Lincoln was taken after being shot. Everyone figured the sobbing man was Rathbone's ghost. OK, years and years and decades go by, and Germany is urbanizing, and needs to build on the massive Victorian cemetery where Mr & Mrs Rathbone are buried. The Rathbones' descendants give the go-ahead to destroy the Rathbones' bodies, because they are ashamed of that whole saga in their family history anyway. And once the bodies are destroyed, the sobbing in DC stops for good. The guide is like, "yes, it is just like in Supernatural. Sam and Dean salting and burning bodies? That's a real thing." I'm like, wow, that begs SO MANY questions.

But what was funny is the guide KEPT bringing up Supernatural. I finally was like, OK, I know what you're talking about, I watch that show, too.

Oh but another time that it came up was when this other girl was talking about a costume shop she went to here in town. She was like, it's so spooky. There are masks EVERYWHERE, the only person there is a guy with a hunchback and this other guy he orders around, the whole place is a mess and smells like old people...and she's only found open it this one time. There was a TON of stuff there, like it had been there forever, but every time she's gone back, it's been closed and looks shut up in a way like it NEVER opens. I was like, OK, now I know what I'm doing tomorrow. Because my first thought was, how can you hear about the Brigadoon of costume shops and not go?! The girl was like, I didn't buy anything, because the place was so weird. I was like, OMG that's WHY I would buy something. How can you pass up a gotta-be-haunted boa or something?! The guide was like, there was a Supernatural episode about something like that that, too! I was like, yeah, but this costume shop sounds even better than the crummy antique store on that show. Supposed to go to a museum today, but might be stopping by this costume shop instead, I dunno. So I guess my point is, if anybody needs a haunted and/or cursed costume, or even just a haunted and/or cursed theatrical accessory, let me know, I can pick one up for you while I'm there?!

Another thing I learned on this tour is that there is apparently a cryptozoology & paranormal society here, and it's overrun by the Bigfoot contingent. There is also a ghost contingent, but they are merely tolerated by the cryptozoologists. LOL. I like the bar where they meet, so I feel like I might end up crashing one of their meetings at some point, too. Maybe I'll bring the haunted/cursed boa I plan on picking up this afternoon, we'll see. I'm honestly not even trying to take the piss. I'm very intrigued that Bigfoot would even be of interest to anybody living in an urban area like this. I mean really, there could be hundreds of Bigfoots and they'd still never show up HERE. Although I guess what with their ever-decreasing habitat, you never can tell.

[DittyDotDot]

Guys, I fell into a bit of a YouTube rabbit hole today watching short films. This one made me smile a ridiculous amount and thought it needed to be shared here: 

[auntvi]

So here I sit in a bed & breakfast in a 500 yr old farm, in the mountains of Austria, and I just bought and watched ep 17 on Amazon on my iPad. Our world is a fucking mess but it's also amazing!

There was too much going on in the ep, which I should expect this late in the season I guess. I did enjoy it, except for the scene with Mary and Ketch. 

[SueB]

@rue721 She lives in Atlanta.  But it did work for her.  

[Mick Lady]

On ‎4‎/‎9‎/‎2017 at 11:36 AM, DittyDotDot said:

Guys, I fell into a bit of a YouTube rabbit hole today watching short films. This one made me smile a ridiculous amount and thought it needed to be shared here: 

Oh TripleD! Thank you so much for this! What a wonderful film, I loved it! Thank you, thank you again for posting this! It made my day, and I'm sharing it all over the place!

I've gotta do something about my use of exclamation points!

[DittyDotDot]

19 minutes ago, Mick Lady said:

Oh TripleD! Thank you so much for this! What a wonderful film, I loved it! Thank you, thank you again for posting this! It made my day, and I'm sharing it all over the place!

I've gotta do something about my use of exclamation points!

I'm glad you enjoyed it. Post It on! ;)

ETA: I wouldn't worry about the exclamation points, it shows enthusiasm. And, enthusiasm is never a bad thing.

Edited April 11, 2017 by DittyDotDot

[Mick Lady]

Heh! Had to share this. We did a bunch of yardwork today, and a friend of ours (Hayward) came over to help. After the work was done, we grilled some steaks. Mick asked how Hayward wanted his done, (even though he already knew), and Hayward said: "So rare a good Vet could revive it!"

I'm still laughing!

[SueB]

8 hours ago, Mick Lady said:

Heh! Had to share this. We did a bunch of yardwork today, and a friend of ours (Hayward) came over to help. After the work was done, we grilled some steaks. Mick asked how Hayward wanted his done, (even though he already knew), and Hayward said: "So rare a good Vet could revive it!"

I'm still laughing!

Next time he's over ask if he wants his steak "just walked the cow through the kitchen" rare.  

[catrox14]

Crying...LOLOLOL

[Mick Lady]

On ‎4‎/‎11‎/‎2017 at 2:37 PM, DittyDotDot said:

I'm glad you enjoyed it. Post It on! ;)

ETA: I wouldn't worry about the exclamation points, it shows enthusiasm. And, enthusiasm is never a bad thing.

Hey Triple D, some years ago you mentioned you "have a very weird and irrational attachment to Def Leppard."  I've was dying to know then, and just reread that thread. Now my curiosity is back again! Care to expand?

Edited April 13, 2017 by Mick Lady

[trxr4kids]

51 minutes ago, Mick Lady said:

Hey Triple D, some years ago you mentioned you "have a very weird and irrational attachment to Def Leppard."  I've was dying to know then, and just reread that thread. Now my curiosity is back again! Care to expand?

Oh, inquiring minds want to know...... please....pleease....puhleease.....

[DittyDotDot]

2 hours ago, Mick Lady said:

Hey Triple D, some years ago you mentioned you "have a very weird and irrational attachment to Def Leppard."  I've was dying to know then, and just reread that thread. Now my curiosity is back again! Care to expand?

Did I say irrational? Well, that wasn't a very good word to use. Basically, Def Leppard's "Pyromania" album is the first actual album of music I owned. Here's the story (sorry to bore those of you who don't care):

This story takes place in the early '80s around Christmastime.

When I was 9 or 10 years old, my older siblings convinced me to ask my grandparents for a Walkman for Christmas. (For those of you too young to know what I'm talking about, a Walkman was a small portable cassette tape player; basically iPods for cavemen.)

My parents were divorced and my dad's parents lived a couple states away and we only saw them about once a year. So they would always ask us what we wanted and my mom would approve a list of three or four things she deemed appropriate. This was not an item that had been approved by my mother due to it being a pricey item back then; especially for a 9-year-old. I didn't even really know what a Walkman was but my siblings did and wanted one something fierce. They had it figured if I asked they wouldn't get in trouble with mom and, if my grandparents did indeed send me a Walkman, I would have no use for it so they'd just use themselves. But the joke was on them because I found a use for it quickly.

Anyway, my grandparents did send me a Walkman and a couple tapes of hokey spiritual music to get me started. My mother immediately knew who had put me up to asking for it since I didn't own any cassette tapes, nor had I shown an interest in wanting a Walkman previously. After she finished lecturing my siblings on duping me into doing things, she offered to buy me my first tape.

We lived in the middle of nowhere, so when we went to "town" the next time--probably almost a month after Christmas--my mother was really busy and asked my sister to go with me while she ran some other errands. Being the youngest who always just listened to whatever someone else picked and never really paid attention to what it was--and and only being 9 or 10 years old--I had no idea who was who or what was what with music.

My sister kept trying to get me to buy something she liked--knowing her, it was probably Iron Maiden or something like that. However, being stubborn, and not wanting to get duped again, I wouldn't even listen to her suggestions but instead chose something she didn't know much about--Def Leppard's "Pyromania." Looking back now, it was most likely the cover art because I had no idea who they were at the time nor had I had an opportunity to listen to any of the songs before I bought it.

I'll never forget the look on my mom's face when, after we got back in the car to head home, she asked me if she could listen to what I'd bought. My mom has never been up on the musical scene and mostly listened to old country, so she was not at all prepared for what she heard. After her first look of confusion and possibly disgust, she just nodded her head and politely said, "Oh...hmmm...you picked this out...all by yourself?" while glaring at my sister in the rear view mirror. I get such a kick out thinking of my mom's shock over me buying "heavy metal" because I kinda think of Def Leppard as somewhat vanilla now.

Anyway, I banged my head to that cassette over and over again thinking I was really cool at the time. So, whenever I hear any of those songs it immediately snaps me back to 1983 and being a dorky 4th grader who chose her first album simply by what wasn't recommended to her. ;)

 

Edited April 13, 2017 by DittyDotDot

[Mick Lady]

Oh TripleD, that is one cool story! I can relate having five older brothers, and I can totally relate!

Now I'm gonna go listen to that album!

Thank you so much for sharing that memory with us! It's always really cool to read these stories from everyone here, and one of my favorite parts of being on,(what Mick calls) PreWoP!

Did your Mom get into Def Leppard? ;)!

[rue721]

@DittyDotDot awesome story!

Anybody else got a first album to share? I'd be curious about what everyone's was!

[DittyDotDot]

5 minutes ago, Mick Lady said:

Did your Mom get into Def Leppard? ;)!

Oh hell no! She's still old country. 

[Mick Lady]

3 hours ago, rue721 said:

@DittyDotDot awesome story!

Anybody else got a first album to share? I'd be curious about what everyone's was!

With deep embarrassment, I will admit, *deep breath* mine was The Osmond Brothers. There, I said it.

But to try to justify it, I was 10 and had a major crush on Donny Osmond. I was 10 guys! 10! I bought it on vinyl! I'm old...

My brothers straightened me out right quick and in a hurry! Turned me on to The Stones and Zeppelin. The first CD I bought, was Kansas, "Point Of No Return" I was replacing my collection.

Edited April 14, 2017 by Mick Lady
my first CD

[rue721]

I never had any spending money as a kid, so I was a little late getting my first albums. Finally got my first CDs (and Discman!) in 10th grade (age 14 or 15).

I immediately went wild at the record store and bought not one but two CDs, neither of which were by bands that I was actually especially into at the time. No idea why I didn't actually get the albums I had been thirsting for, in retrospect. Over-excitement, I guess! I probably just got whatever my friends suggested, natch ;) But regardless, I STILL know all the songs on the albums I did get by heart, because when you have two CDs, you are going to listen to each and every song on both of those CDs A LOT. ;)

Staind

Sum 41

The album I REALLY REALLY REALLY wanted from 8th grade on was this one, though (SO excited when I finally got it years later!):

[AwesomO4000]

4 hours ago, rue721 said:

Anybody else got a first album to share? I'd be curious about what everyone's was!

I know exactly what my first album was. And it was an album, too, because I had a record player. It was my first turntable that was mine. Before that I used to listen to the record player in the living room - these were large console type things where you would lift a lid and inside would be the turntable and the speakers were part of the unit - and the records were my mom's, so I grew up on the Beatles, Paul McCartney and Wings, Simon and Grafunkle, The 5th Dimension, and novelty records. I was 13 when I got that first album - probably with my babysitting money - so my music preferences were fairly well-developed. I also already appreciated the benefits of "greatest hits" and "compilations." (Even though I did grow up in the era of concept albums.)

So my first album was "ELO's Greatest Hits." Even though it did not include "Do Ya," it had many of my other favorite ELO songs. And one song I wasn't very familiar with actually became my favorite - "Mr Blue Sky." ("Can't Get It Out of My Head" was my second favorite.) Many years later, I finally got the CD, and I still listen to it on a regular basis. ELO later had a bunch more good songs after that album - though I have mixed feelings about the Xanadu era - and one of these days I should look to see if they had a second greatest hits album.

(Mick Lady might get the nostalgia connection... All but the first two chapters of my SPN fanfic are named using lyrics from the album.)

[Diane]

My first was Oiliva Newton John, my favorite was Kiss the one with Beth on it. My first concert was John Denver and it's one of the best I have ever been too. @Mick Lady I had the biggest crush on Donnie Osmond, Shaun and David Cassidy, oh and Andy Gibb. So not ashamed.  I also loved my parents 8 track tapes of Jim Croce, Simon and Garfunkel and Harry Chapin.

[Mick Lady]

Good Chuck Rue721! How young are you?!

Thank you Diane! I'm happy to know I'm not the only Donny lover! My girlfriends loved David Cassidy, and we had fights about who was cuter!

Good times!

[SueB]

Not sure which was first:

-Bobby Sherman: Here Comes Bobby (my sister's album but I wore it out)

- The Partridge Family:Up To Date

- Bachman Turner Overdrive: Not Fragile

- 'Southern Fried Rock' -one of those K-tel albums - the first one with the egg on the front. 

[auntvi]

Oh man, I'm old! My first album was Meet The Beatles, which I played on my portable record player. A few years later I ruined that record player by playing Revolution 9 backwards over and over. "I buried Paul."

[DittyDotDot]

8 hours ago, Mick Lady said:

With deep embarrassment, I will admit, *deep breath* mine was The Osmond Brothers. There, I said it.

But to try to justify it, I was 10 and had a major crush on Donny Osmond. I was 10 guys! 10! I bought it on vinyl! I'm old...

My brothers straightened me out right quick and in a hurry! Turned me on to The Stones and Zeppelin. The first CD I bought, was Kansas, "Point Of No Return" I was replacing my collection.

That is so cute!

It's funny, I never developed a star crush as a kid. We didn't watch much TV as I had horses to ride and such. I always feel like I missed out on an important rite of passage when people talk about their childhood crushes. 

8 hours ago, rue721 said:

The album I REALLY REALLY REALLY wanted from 8th grade on was this one, though (SO excited when I finally got it years later!):

I always forget you're just a whipper snapper in comparison. ;)

Matchbox 20 was one of my first CDs. I was fresh out of college and joined one of those music mail-in club deals--do these still exist? It was one of those I didn't pick, but ended up keeping. I was their target audience because I almost always forgot to mail back the CDs they sent me. Got a lot of stuff I would've never picked out myself, though, and helped aid my eclectic taste in music. I still have that CD today, even though the only CD player is in my car.

6 hours ago, AwesomO4000 said:

So my first album was "ELO's Greatest Hits." Even though it did not include "Do Ya," it had many of my other favorite ELO songs. And one song I wasn't very familiar with actually became my favorite - "Mr Blue Sky." ("Can't Get It Out of My Head" was my second favorite.) Many years later, I finally got the CD, and I still listen to it on a regular basis. ELO later had a bunch more good songs after that album - though I have mixed feelings about the Xanadu era - and one of these days I should look to see if they had a second greatest hits album.

ELO! That's awesome AwesomO! And just because I can--and because I too love the song--here's a video assist for you: 

 

5 hours ago, Diane said:

My first was Oiliva Newton John, my favorite was Kiss the one with Beth on it. My first concert was John Denver and it's one of the best I have ever been too. @Mick Lady I had the biggest crush on Donnie Osmond, Shaun and David Cassidy, oh and Andy Gibb. So not ashamed.  I also loved my parents 8 track tapes of Jim Croce, Simon and Garfunkel and Harry Chapin.

I remember 8-tracks! My mom probably still has a bunch of them sitting around her house somewhere. She never gets rid of anything. ;)

[ahrtee]

4 hours ago, auntvi said:

Oh man, I'm old! My first album was Meet The Beatles, which I played on my portable record player. A few years later I ruined that record player by playing Revolution 9 backwards over and over. "I buried Paul."

We're the same era!  My first was Introducing the Beatles, which I still have, still in its original shrink wrap, and still (I just went and looked) with the price sticker--$1.99.  My record player wouldn't run backwards, even when I tried to move the turntable by hand.

[rue721]

@ahrtee Still in its shrink wrap?!!

[DittyDotDot]

4 minutes ago, ahrtee said:

We're the same era!  My first was Introducing the Beatles, which I still have, still in its original shrink wrap, and still (I just went and looked) with the price sticker--$1.99.  My record player wouldn't run backwards, even when I tried to move the turntable by hand.

Since you couldn't have the fun back then, I give you some now... ;)

[ahrtee]

Just now, rue721 said:

@ahrtee Still in its shrink wrap?!!

Well, with an opening in one side of the plastic so I could get the album out :)

[auntvi]

18 minutes ago, ahrtee said:

My first was Introducing the Beatles, which I still have, still in its original shrink wrap, and still (I just went and looked) with the price sticker--$1.99.

That's great that you still have it - in its shrink wrap even! I sold or gave away all my LPs a few moves ago, and I only miss them when I think about it. :(

[ahrtee]

12 minutes ago, auntvi said:

That's great that you still have it - in its shrink wrap even! I sold or gave away all my LPs a few moves ago, and I only miss them when I think about it. :(

I sold a batch of LPs at yard sales over the past few years, but kept all the Beatles and Stones (and a few odd ones that just had sentimental value.)  I keep hoping that someday they'll be valuable enough to pay for my nursing home... :)

Edited April 14, 2017 by ahrtee

[rue721]

OK, hmmmm this MAY require the creation of a mixtape.

[bearcatfan]

My 1st album was the Saturday Night Fever Soundtrack. A friend had the Donny Osmund album though so I remember listening to that over her house.

I use to sneak into my brother's room and steal his Sgt. Pepper album and listen to it when he wasn't home. He is 10 years older than me so he wasn't home a lot. I found that after seeing the Sgt. Pepper movie with Peter Frampton and the Bee Gees and wanted to hear the original versions of the songs. I liked those better for the most part but have a fondness for the Aerosmith "Come Together."

As far as childhood crushes, I always liked the other guy. While all of my friends went gaga over Shaun Cassidy, I liked Parker Stevenson. Something about his eyes.

10 hours ago, ahrtee said:

I sold a batch of LPs at yard sales over the past few years, but kept all the Beatles and Stones (and a few odd ones that just had sentimental value.)  I keep hoping that someday they'll be valuable enough to pay for my nursing home... :)

My husband bought an old record player and I still had several of my old albums including Prince's "1999" and "Purple Rain." Interestingly, no Def Leppard or Journey as those are my favorites. I must have bought all of those on cassette.

[AwesomO4000]

17 hours ago, DittyDotDot said:

ELO! That's awesome AwesomO! And just because I can--and because I too love the song--here's a video assist for you: 

Ooh, thank you! I hadn't seen that video before.

So here's one for you:

It starts out a little shaky, but I think the end is maybe worth it? Or I could just be a total dork, because I loved this show so very, very much. It always amazed me how the singers were able to do these songs using only voices where I often didn't even notice that there weren't any real instruments.

And if you enjoyed that, check out the Queen medley - one of my favorite performances from the show. Even though Pentatonix won - and went on to be pretty well known - the Dartmouth Aires were my favorites. Ah, screw it... here it is. I promise it's worth it. This is the long version, because I like the introductory part that shows just how tough this can be to get right.

[rue721]

So, you guys probably don't remember, but last week I mentioned hearing about a weird costume shop? My friend and I were finally able to stop in this afternoon. Wow, the girl who told me about it WAY undersold how weird it was. Too tired to tell the whole story right now -- about to fall into bed -- but wow. I am fine with weird but that place was WEIIIIIIIIIRD. The long and short of it, though, is that there was this one papermache half-mask I almost got (purely based on its creepy factor), but the damn thing was $30. So I have no haunted objects to report bringing home. Maybe next time.

[SueB]

Happy Easter to those celebrating.

Hope it was a good Passover for those who just completed.

And happy 'fill in the blank' for those celebrating something else or not at all. 

[Mick Lady]

Happy Easter! I hope this day finds all of you well and happy! Love you guys!

15 hours ago, rue721 said:

So, you guys probably don't remember, but last week I mentioned hearing about a weird costume shop? My friend and I were finally able to stop in this afternoon. Wow, the girl who told me about it WAY undersold how weird it was. Too tired to tell the whole story right now -- about to fall into bed -- but wow. I am fine with weird but that place was WEIIIIIIIIIRD. The long and short of it, though, is that there was this one papermache half-mask I almost got (purely based on its creepy factor), but the damn thing was $30. So I have no haunted objects to report bringing home. Maybe next time.

Please Rue, post later. I'm dying to hear this!

[Wayward Son]

I finally gave in and rejoined tumblr so I could compile the gifs I needed for my Mishappreciation post! The things I'll do for Misha / Cas haha

[Diane]

Happy Easter or Happy Sunday! Hope everyone has a good day!!!