If you're wondering about title of this post I will tell you that it was inspired by "He Hit Me (And it Felt Like a Kiss)," the controversial song by the Crystals that was banned by radio stations for allegedly condoning domestic violence on women.I suppose it seemed like a good idea at the time, but we've come a long way, baby since the days when songs for teenagers that were essentially tutorials on the acceptable rules of dating, gave a free pass to bad boys (aka "rebels") to smack their girlfriends around, ostensibly as a way of demonstrating their love.
Hey, leader of the pack...get a clue!
On a much cheerier note I am very proud to announce that
I have been blogger tagged by my dear friend Belle Unruh at
Tales From a Loser Who is Sometimes a Winner.
award from my dear English friend Thisisme who lives in South Hams, Devon. This lady is as fine a person as you'll ever encounter - goodness and decency personified - and it seems like we've been friends since childhood. Please visit and support Thisisme's delightfully entertaining blog Southhamsdarling.
it Forward award is a way for us to thank our fellow bloggers for helping us to further our blogs and gain followers. The rules are simple. Thank and share your "linky love" with the person who gave you the award, then pay it forward and give "linky love" to five other bloggers. Since Belle's tag game requires me to link to 8 other bloggers, I'd like to reduce the confusion by tagging those 8 and giving them the Pay it Forward award as well. Sound like a plan?
Alright, let's get down to business. Here are
the loaded questions that I am bound by
law to answer as Belle's tagee:
Do you think you are hot?
I don't just think I'm hot...I KNOW I'm hot! Here in Florida
it's 95 in the Shady and my a/c isn't working!
Upload a picture or wallpaper that you are
using at the moment.
For years the image below has been my desktop background because it inspires me. It's a screenshot from William Wyler's epic motion picture The Best Years of Our Lives.
The film, released in postwar year 1946, featured Harold Russell, a U.S. serviceman-turned-actor who, in reality, had lost both of his hands in a training exercise. Russell portrayed Homer, a coming home solider riddled with doubt, shame and fear, believing that without hands he was no longer man enough to be worthy of Wilma, the fiancee he left waiting for him. The role of Wilma was played by one of my favorite actresses, Cathy O'Donnell, and the intimate scene in which Wilma confronts Homer's disability is among the most gripping and poignant ever captured on film. Please, dear readers, urge your children and grandchildren to overcome the phobia that many of them have about watching black and white movies. Best Years gives today's young people a glimpse of the values that older generations are trying so hard to preserve. The Best Years of Our Lives is a character study that teaches all of us what love really is and what sacrifice really means.
When was the last time you ate chicken?
Excuse me? Getting kinda personal here, aren't we? Suddenly I feel nekked! That's a secret that I intend to take to the grave. Therefore, I respectfully refuse to answer that question pursuant to my rights as defined by the 5th Amendment which may be invoked on the grounds that any answer I give might tend to incriminate me.
Okay, that was my "funny" answer. My real answer is as follows: I honestly can't remember exactly when I last ate chicken because I rarely remember what I had for lunch or dinner the day before. If I had my way I would never eat meat again. I eat meat for one reason only: because I am under doctor's orders to do so to correct chronic borderline anemia.
What songs have you listened to lately?
Sam Phillips:
"Private Storm"
"Raised on Promises"
"Holding On to the Earth"
"Same Rain"
"Same Changes"
"I Need Love"
Agnetha Faltskog:
"Once Burned, Twice Shy"
"Stand By My Side"
"Click Track"
"Turn the World Around"
"I Won't Let You Go" (extended version)
"Fly Like an Eagle"
"Last Time"
"I Stand Alone"
"If You Need Somebody Tonight"
What were you thinking while doing this?
Running through my mind were the Animals song lyrics:
Oh lord, please don't let me be misunderstood.
Do you have any nicknames?
Yes, I am often referred to as "your highness," "your lordship," "your royal majesty" and "The Real Slim Shady."
See there again, those were my "funny" answers. Can you detect a pattern emerging here? All kidding aside, in college
I was called "TEA" because my initials spell that word. Now that I have become ecologically minded and have drastically reduced my carbon footprint I am known as green TEA!
If any of my newer friends are puzzled now and wondering why my initials aren't SDK, you can find an explanation here.
Now it is my solemn sworn duty to tag
8 other blogger friends and answer
even more perplexing questions!
1. Cindy at Cindy Ellison
2. Amber at Amber Blue Bird
3. Leanne Elizabeth Manning at Ramble On
4. Ashton King at Journalistic Musings
5. Joan at Anything Fits a Naked Man
6. Lauren at Someone Like You
7. Emma at Ol' Green Eyes
8. Kelly-marie at A Harem of Peacocks
Who is listed number one?
CINDY
Here is an outstanding individual, one who deserves special recognition! Cindy Ellison and her husband Clint recently moved from the Dallas area of Texas back east to scenic Tennessee near Cindy's hometown. Cindy is as sharp as they come and I can honestly say that I like everything about her. She is a charming and extremely intelligent woman, a gifted artist, e-commerce merchant, antiques collector, decorator, a talented writer and a wise, witty and downright wonderful human being. Cindy is the complete package - everything that I look for in a blogger and a friend. She does what few people have the time, energy and dedication to do. She faithfully supports the blogs of people who support hers. You can always tell by her comments that she actually takes time to read and think before writing and submitting. Cindy radiates warmth and sincerity. On her own site Cindy is a gracious host who gives personalized attention. I call it service after the sale. She "listens" to you and answers you by writing intelligent replies to your comments. Cindy Ellison is a tremendous asset to the blogging world and to the world in general.
Say something about number 5.
JOAN
Joan is another new arrival to Tennessee. For many years Joan was practically my neighbor down here in Orlando, FL before moving to my hometown of York and most recently to the Nashville area. Joan is a former actress currently working in the tourist industry. She is a gifted writer, an intelligent, articulate woman who explores a wide range of topics on her blog. Joan is courageous. She faces life's challenges with the tenacity of a champion boxer glaring at the opponent during weigh-in. Joan also exhibits a marvelous sense of humor in her writing which I greatly appreciate. I find myself closely alligned with Joan on the important issues that she tackles on her blog. Opposites might attract but it's always great to find a kindred spirit, someone with whom you feel especially comfortable communicating, someone you recognize as "one of us" rather than "one of them." That's me and Joan. I like her. I respect her. The world could use a few more like her!
How did you get to know number 3?
LEANNE
The brainy and beautiful Leanne Elizabeth Manning is a law student in Liverpool, England. Leanne loves Led Zeppelin and her blog is named after one of the band's early songs. She is also a huge Beatles fan and she and I met on the 30th anniversary of John Lennon's death. As I recall I stumbled upon Leanne's blog early last December while doing research and fact checking for my John Lennon tribute and discovered that Leanne had a comprehensive two-part post about the man, the music and the legend on her own site. Leanne is barely 21 years of age and yet she instantly accepted me as a friend, no questions asked. In a world filled with suspicion and deception Leanne's willingness to trust and welcome me into her world speaks volumes about her character. Leanne possesses maturity and wisdom far beyond her years. I relate to her as easily as I would to another baby boomer. Leanne gets it. She eagerly embraces all that was good about the past. Simply put, Leanne is part of the solution and I am absolutely thrilled to count her among my very best friends!
How about number 4?
ASHTON
Ashton King is a television news producer in southeastern Alabama. I discovered Ashton when I noticed her comment on another blog stating that television news is her entire world. As a former news producer myself I saw an obvious opportunity to share war stories with somebody who can relate to what I experienced in the business. The rewards have been many. Ashton is an intelligent young woman who has proven that she has the right stuff to meet the challenges and pressures of television news, something that very few people have the organizational skills, flexibility, timing and temperament to do. Ashton is a strong, opinionated young woman who never hesitates to express herself. I was ecstatic to discover that Ashton has a fondness for music of the boomer years. That gives her something to enjoy on my blog. Ashton and I have bridged the generation gap and found an abundance of common ground. We are learning a great deal from each other and
I treasure our blossoming friendship!
Leave a message for number 6.
LAUREN
To Lauren, my dear young student friend in Ohio, a dedicated vintager, thrifter, preservationist of romance, innocence and virtue, the reincarnation of Audrey Hepburn: I have a special homework assignment for you: Please watch the 2010 movie Secretariat and observe actress Diane Lane in her portrayal of "Penny" Chenery Tweedy, the real-life housewife who risked everything to foster the greatest champion racehorse in history. I want you to model that woman's calm demeanor, her confident smile, her determination to follow her dream,
to meet adversity head-on, to go for it and win. Step into that picture, Lauren, and be all that you can be! Why not you?...why not now? The world desperately needs more fine young people, dear friend...someone like you!
You are a child of the universe.
No less than the trees and the stars,
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
No doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.
Leave a lovey-dovey message for number 2.
AMBER
To Amber Blue Bird: If they ever remake Empty Nest, you could take over the role originally played by Kristy McNichol.
To Oliver: Love means never having to say you're sorry for piddling on the rug.
Amber is a native Texan who now lives in Connecticut with her husband and her dog Oliver who got his name from Ryan O'Neal's character in Love Story, one of Amber's favorite movies. Amber found me first. She noticed one of my comments on a mutual friend's blog and posted a playful comment in reference to me. I love playful people and recognized Amber's poke as an invitation to check out her blog. I knew immediately that Amber was friend material. My instincts were correct. Amber quickly became one of my favorite people in the whole world. Amber gets me and I get her. There's no working at it. The connection is just there and it has been from day one. It can honestly be said that we are birds of a feather. A sense of humor is just one of the things that Amber and I share. Similar tastes in music would be another. Yet, maintaining a sense of humor is especially important to both of us. In a world filled with ranting and bringing people down, lifting them up by means of humor is becoming a lost art, but it's one that Amber has mastered. Amber has an eye for fashion and an ear for music. Her head's on straight and her heart's in the right place. I am weak in the knees for Amber Blue Bird! I am proud to know her and elated to have her as my friend!
Do number 7 and 8 have similarities?
EMMA AND KELLY-MARIE
Emma and Kelly-marie are two lovely young women living in the British Isles. Emma, who lives in Dublin, Ireland, is a university grad in the fashion industry. Kelly-marie, an art and design grad, is a visual merchandiser living in London.
In a blogosphere filled with fashonistas who prefer to operate a girls only club, these two dear blog friends have welcomed me into their lives. I am truly grateful. Emma and Kelly-marie share my fascination with Twin Peaks. Both women are avid vintagers. Both are old souls with a keen sense of history. Both are dedicated followers of fashion and connoisseurs of the arts. Both maintain busy social calendars, out and about in town and country experiencing culture in all its forms. They post reviews and pictorial essays on everything from fine dining to plays, movies, band concerts, art exhibits, fashion shows and vintage shopping expeditions. Emma and Kelly-marie recognized something special in me and I in them. It is that spark of recognition that I yearn for and cherish so very much when I find it. Emma and Kelly-marie are two of their generation's finest. They are outstanding citizens of the world and I am blessed to have them as friends!
HEY!...ALL YOU DELL RATS
ON THE ABOVE LIST......
TAG...YOU'RE IT!!!
Have a Shady Day!
