I am really looking forward to tomorrow. It’s a pretty big day.
As I write this, my daughter Ella is heading to bed as a three year old, but will wake up as a four year old. Over the past week, my Facebook memories have been loaded with posts from 4 years ago wondering when she was going to make her debut into the world. I feel like it truly was yesterday that she was born.
This afternoon, Sam took her to the party store to pick out her “theme.” She wanted Barbie stuff. We have Barbie plates, napkins, banners, and table cloths. Nana was requested to make a Barbie cake for her birthday. Sam sent me a photo of it – truly amazing!
She is going to love it!!!
We are going to spend the day at the museum, go to Nana’s for cake and ice cream and finally, we are heading to the Daddy/Daughter Dance.
When she found out the dance was on her birthday, she was super excited. I am, too! She has a beautiful dress with light pastel colors on it.
I have a light blue dress shirt and I think I have a pink tie somewhere.
Last year we had such fun. The theme is Candyland. I can’t wait to spend the evening with my baby girl!
It doesn’t seem possible that she is turning four! My wife had me sign her up for T-ball tonight. Looks like I’m going to be taking some time off to be at those games this summer!
I was sad to wake up today to see that Toby Keith lost his battle with cancer. He was only 62. He was one of those country artists who had continued success while others who came up around the same time faded from the radio. He always seemed to be able to come out with the right song (even the ones I didn’t care for).
Because of my years in country radio, I met him a couple times. The first time was at a Country Radio Seminar. This was a big conference with discussion panels, new artist shows, artist showcases and such. It was a such a cool experience.
One night I was standing in a huge room with a bunch of record and radio people. There may or may not have been some artist show going on in the background, I don’t recall. I had gone to the bar (one of the many throughout the hotel) and grabbed a drink. I remember turning around and Toby was standing right there in front of me. I introduced myself and he shook my hand. His hand engulfed mine! We talked about his music, our station and fishing. He was pleasant and humble and I remember him saying “let me know if I can ever do anything for you guys.”
I had the chance to do phone interviews with him a couple more times, but there was one time I will always remember. This probably happened at another Country Radio Seminar. I was in the bathroom and standing at the urinal. The door slammed open and in walks Hank Williams Jr, Toby Keith and Kid Rock. Hank walks up to my left, slaps me on the should and says hello as he uses the urinal next to me. Toby stands at the urinal to my right and Kid Rock is at the urinal next to Toby. I remember thinking, “What do I do in this situation?! I certainly can’t shake their hands!”
The talk of an upcoming tour made it sound like Toby was getting better, but as I have learned of the years – with cancer, you never know. He spoke of his faith as his source of strength through the battle. In one interview I watched he said something about how people tend to lean on their faith in the bad times, and the health issues made him realize just how important faith was at ALL times. I agree.
In a recent appearance he sang a song called Don’t Let the Old Man In. I have a feeling it will get a lot of airplay in the days ahead.
Like many who have gone before him – he lives on through his music.
One of my followers mentioned a few weeks ago that I needed to post more musical posts. I’m hoping to revive Tune Tuesday with a classic.
I remember I used to hear Frank Sinatra talking about “saloon songs” and “torch songs.” This one would be considered a torch song. By definition, a torch song is “a sentimental love song, typically one in which the singer laments an unrequited or lost love, either where one party is oblivious to the existence of the other, where one party has moved on, or where a romantic affair has affected the relationship.” The term comes from the phrase “to carry a torch for someone.”
Arthur Hamilton published Cry Me a River in 1953. He said “I had never heard the phrase. I just liked the combination of words… Instead of ‘Eat your heart out’ or ‘I’ll get even with you,’ it sounded like a good, smart retort to somebody who had hurt your feelings or broken your heart.” The song was originally written for Ella Fitzgerald to sing in the movie “Pete Kelly’s Blues.”
According to Hamilton, he and singer Julie London had been high school classmates, and she contacted him on behalf of her husband, Jack Webb, who was the film’s director and was looking for new songs for its soundtrack. When the song was dropped from the movie soundtrack, Julie London released it in 1955 when she was at Liberty Records.
Julie’s version is a stripped down jazz version with a guitar and bass accompaniment. Her vocal is simple and beautiful. I will share her version here, but it is not her version that I like the best.
The version that I absolutely love is by Michael Buble’. I love the fact that he has brought back so many of the great standards and shared them with today’s audiences. His cover of Cry Me a River can be found on his Crazy Love album from 2009. It is the opening cut on the album and it gets your attention immediately!
He actually wrote the opening music of his version. It has been described as “James Bond-like” and that actually fits. I could hear it being used over the opening credits of a Bond movie. This arrangement paired with Michael’s vocal blow me away every time! Give it a listen!
Cry Me a River
Now, you say you’re lonely You cried the whole night through Well, you can cry me a river Cry me a river I cried a river over you
And, now, you say you’re sorry For being so untrue Well, you can cry me a river Cry me a river I cried a river over you
You drove me Nearly out of my head While you never shed a tear, babe Remember? I remember all that you said You told me love was too plebeian Told me you were through with me
And now you say you love me Well, just to prove that you do Why don’t you cry me a river? Cry me a river ‘Cause I cried a river over you Over you
You say you love me, but you lie
Now, you say you love me Well, just to prove that you do Come on and cry me a river Oh, cry me a river I cried a river over you I cried a river Over you
In all the years I worked in radio I was star struck quite a few times. This weekend, I got to witness first hand my daughter being star struck and it was worth every second.
Laila Lockhart Kraner, the star of Gabby’s Dollhouse, did a meet and greet at a local furniture store this weekend and I took Ella and her cousin. She’d been counting down “how many sleeps” since I told her about it. Sunday was the big day!
She could hardly contain herself when she woke up. She was ready to go almost immediately. Sam had bought her a Gabby shirt to wear for the day, and she couldn’t wait to put it on. ”Gabby is going to love it,” she told me.
I left a bit early, figuring that it was probably going to be a bit crazy. When we pulled in, there were people waiting in their cars. It was about 10:15am and the event was supposed to start at 11. As soon as I put the car in park, Ella wanted to get out and wait at the door. Thank goodness it was like 50 degrees and sunny!
Turns out, we were the first in line. Other parents followed suit and lined up behind us. Ella kept staring inside the place, hoping to get a glimpse of Gabby. I was grateful that they opened the doors early. We were given a number (we were #2, despite being first in line) and that would be how we got to go to meet her.
They had the place decorated with lots of cardboard cut outs and such.
There were snacks and plenty of things to do. We went right into the balloon art line, where my niece got a unicorn and Ella got a dog.
They had a DJ there playing music and he was the one who would call our number. There were SO many people. Ella wasn’t quite sure what to do. It wasn’t long and they announced that Gabby was coming out to meet everyone and they played her theme song. I pointed her out to Ella as she came out and she was just in awe! They walked her over to a couch where she would be posing for pictures. Ella stood there and just watched her – star struck!
Soon after, they called out a range of numbers and it was time to line up to meet her! I snapped pictures with my phone, but my niece wanted me to take one with her phone, too. When they got up on the couch, Gabby said hello to her and I think she thought she was dreaming!
I fumbled with my niece’s phone and figured out the camera and asked if we could do one more picture, and she said “Sure!”
I guess that one is a little better.
I thanked Gabby for giving the girls the chance to meet her and we went off to get faces painted. Gabby has lots of cats on the show, so Ella had to get a cat.
Both girls asked where the play place was. I laughed and said there wasn’t one. So they decided to play “Hide from Keith” and they were all over the place! LOL I told them I knew there was a play place at the McDonald’s down the road and we went and grabbed lunch. At the play place, we ran into many other Gabby fans who were wearing cat ears and had faces painted. They played and had a blast.
When we left my niece said, “Uncle Keith, since we were both so well behaved, maybe you could take us to that Target and we could look at toys.” Needless to say, we went to Target, but I had to rope them both in when they began asking for $150 dollar Barbie houses and other stuff that was super expensive. They both picked a Barbie doll and we headed home.
My mother-in-law was at the house watching Andrew and was going to take my niece home with her when we got back. Ella was having such a fun time, she cried when she heard she was leaving. So I told her she could stay and I would take her home later that evening.
On the ride back home, Ella and Andrew both fell asleep in the car. None of us had dinner yet, so I drove through somewhere and we went home and ate. We stayed up a bit later than normal, so the food could settle a bit and after reading books, brushing teeth and saying prayers, we were off to sleep.
It was a fun and exhausting day, and I hope that Ella will remember it for a very long time. I know I will.
This title kept showing up as a “must read” by my friends. It also started showing up as a recommendation on Goodreads. Then I heard it was a movie with Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro and I figured it was time to check it out.
This book was fascinating, sad, and eye opening. I was completely unfamiliar with this story. David Grann, who wrote The Wager (which I really enjoyed), does a great job of presenting this true story almost as a “mystery.”
Here is the Goodreads synopsis:
A twisting, haunting true-life murder mystery about one of the most monstrous crimes in American history.
In the 1920s, the richest people per capita in the world were members of the Osage Indian Nation in Oklahoma. After oil was discovered beneath their land, the Osage rode in chauffeured automobiles, built mansions, and sent their children to study in Europe.
Then, one by one, they began to be killed off. One Osage woman, Mollie Burkhart, watched as her family was murdered. Her older sister was shot. Her mother was then slowly poisoned. And it was just the beginning, as more Osage began to die under mysterious circumstances.
In this last remnant of the Wild West—where oilmen like J. P. Getty made their fortunes and where desperadoes such as Al Spencer, “the Phantom Terror,” roamed – virtually anyone who dared to investigate the killings were themselves murdered. As the death toll surpassed more than twenty-four Osage, the newly created F.B.I. took up the case, in what became one of the organization’s first major homicide investigations. But the bureau was then notoriously corrupt and initially bungled the case. Eventually the young director, J. Edgar Hoover, turned to a former Texas Ranger named Tom White to try unravel the mystery. White put together an undercover team, including one of the only Native American agents in the bureau. They infiltrated the region, struggling to adopt the latest modern techniques of detection. Together with the Osage they began to expose one of the most sinister conspiracies in American history.
InKillers of the Flower Moon, David Grann revisits a shocking series of crimes in which dozens of people were murdered in cold blood. The book is a masterpiece of narrative nonfiction, as each step in the investigation reveals a series of sinister secrets and reversals. But more than that, it is a searing indictment of the callousness and prejudice toward Native Americans that allowed the murderers to operate with impunity for so long. Killers of the Flower Moon is utterly riveting, but also emotionally devastating.
It was a very good read. If you love history or Historical Non-fiction, you will enjoy this one!
I’ve read mixed reviews on the movie, so I’m on the fence about watching it.
It is Groundhog Day. The above critter is not a groundhog, I realize. Perhaps, I should have posted an appropriate groundhog picture? Hold on a sec ….
…. Ok, I’m back. I have one.
You’re welcome.
The kids each got to enjoy a special day today. Andrew got to spend the day at Nana’s house and Ella got to go shopping with mommy. They both had lots to tell me about their day when they called me tonight. Both Sam and her mom said that each kid is very different when they are alone. They obviously missed each other. Tonight at bedtime, Sam sent me this:
I don’t know what is funnier – the sunglasses, the fact that Ella is reading my Columbo book, or that Andrew is staring at a blank page! LOL
Our pup is growing so much. She is like a Moose! I turned on the TV the other day and was laying on the couch. She was laying on the floor next to me. I was scrolling my phone when all of a sudden she jumped up on the couch and on me. She obviously needed attention.
I am not a tattoo guy. I’ve never really felt the need to get one. I have heard that once you get one, you tend to get more. There are plenty of tattoo horror stories. People get one with a name of a lover and then they break up and stuff like that. I saw something online the other day that just made me shake my head.
I have posted about the excitement I had over the Detroit Lions season this year. I had hoped that they would win the Championship game and go on to the Super Bowl. Some people chose them to win it all. I really can’t imagine being so confident that I would go and get the following tattoo:
One can only hope that they can change that year to 2025!
Coming Soon:
I’m excited for the next round of Turntable Talk, which is going to be about great movie soundtracks. Which movie soundtrack would you pick as your favorite?
I’m also taking part in the 10th Annual Favorite TV Show Episode in March. It is hosted again by Terry of A Shroud of Thoughts. I’m going with one from a show I have written about before, but worth being featured again.
We had an 8 year-old patient in the sleep lab when I got to work today. He finished his overnight study and was in the middle of his day study. The day study (called an MSLT) consists of a series of 5 naps – 1 every 90-120 minutes. Once the nap is over, the patient has to stay awake until the next nap.
Now, for an 8 year-old patient, this can really be difficult. They are basically in their room that whole time. Yes, they will have breakfast and lunch in between a couple naps, but it’s not like they can go outside to play. We encourage parents to bring books, video games, tablets, or things that will keep the patient busy (and awake).
When I got to work, the kid had just finished his next to last nap. He was sitting on the bed watching a tablet or a phone. Through the speaker, I could hear the theme song to one of the great classic TV shows.
Yep. He was watching I Love Lucy! My co-worker said that he had been watching it all day! He was laughing and totally engaged in it. I thought this was fantastic!
A good show is a good show! I think about all the old shows I watched growing up because my dad introduced me to them. The Honeymooners, F-Troop, Get Smart, The Munsters, Batman, and the Jack Benny Show were all “must see” TV to me as a kid. I loved when I was home sick from school because they always played the Dick Van Dyke Show on the station out of Canada. Some of those shows were 10-20 years old by the time I was watching them – and my exposure to those shows set the bar for anything else I watched very high.
“This kid has great taste in TV shows,” I thought to myself. Kudos to him not getting sucked in to the garbage that most kids are watching today. I couldn’t help but wonder if he also liked old music or old movies. I bet he is a Three Stooges fan! I guess I kind of saw a bit of myself in this kid.
When people ask me if I watch certain shows on television, I have to remind them that I have toddlers at home. The shows I watch are the ones the kids watch: Bluey, Miss Rachel, Work It Out Wombats, Fireman Sam, and my daughter’s favorite, Gabby’s Dollhouse.
On the show, the main character is played by a gal named Laila Lockhart Kraner. She wears some magic ears on her head that allows her to shrink down and interact with the various cats in her dollhouse.
My wife sent me a thing last week that said that Laila is coming to some furniture store near us. You could sign up to win VIP meet and greets, which I did. I also reserved a spot to go to the event this Sunday. I know there will be games, snacks, face painting and “Gabby” herself. When I told Ella about it, she was SO excited! She keeps asking how many more “sleeps” till we meet her.
My co-worker asked me tonight if I had plans for the weekend. I wish I could describe the look on his face when I told him I was going to meet Gabby from Gabby’s Dollhouse! LOL! All I know is that I hope my daughter has a great time!
“He is into everything!”
My youngest son, Andrew, is someone that you need to watch every second of the day. He is just so fast. The other day, I was loading the dishwasher. He walked up to me and wanted to help. When I looked at him, I asked him what was in his hair. It looked like maybe he poured water on it. Nope. In the 5 minutes I turned my back, he got into my wife’s shampoo and kept putting it in his hair. He had enough shampoo in his hair to wash his, Ella’s, the dog, and you!
Tonight, while Sam was loading the dishwasher, he went into the laundry room and opened up the washer. It had completed its cycle and our sheets were waiting in there to be put in the dryer. What did Andrew do? He saw our container of Oxiclean.
He sees us add this to certain loads of laundry BEFORE we wash them. So, he felt that it was totally ok to add some (i.e. A LOT) to the sheets that were in there. Sam had to rewash the sheets and hope that too much Oxiclean was not going to be a problem.
Recently, my father-in-law was over and he needed a saw to cut something. I went and got mine out of the garage. Because it was raining, I set it up on the shelf by the washer and dryer. I figured it would be out of the way and I would put it back when I got a second. Well, guess who found it and tried it on his finger? Yep. Andrew!
But wait! There’s more!
Sam took the dog outside to go to the bathroom. In the 3-4 minutes that she was outside, Andrew was at it again. When she walked in, she saw him on a kitchen chair pushed up to the counter. On the counter, he had taken the piece that holds a coffee filter out and put a filter in it. He then scooped a tremendous amount of coffee into the filter. He had actually turned the pot on to brew. Thankfully, there was no water in it, so he didn’t brew any. Of course, we will be sweeping up coffee grounds from the counter, the floor, and a few other places for the next week!
(That’s NOT Andrew, but you get the idea!)
Highlight of the Week
Despite the snow we got this week, the temperatures have been on the mild side. It was nice for all of us to get out and walk the neighborhood. We still bundled up as it was breezy, but it was great to get out and show Daisy the neighborhood.
I was up late last night. Naturally I watched the NFC Championship game rooting for the Lions. The first half they looked like a Super Bowl team! I’m not sure what happened at half time, but it wasn’t pretty. To be up by 17 points and then lose, well, it hurt.
Almost immediately, social media began to slam them. I was surprised. This team had done things that they haven’t done in decades. One loss and people were done. It’s insane. I wrote on Facebook today:
I am proud to be a Lions Fan. I think it took all of 5 minutes after the game for the fairweather fans to begin their “Same Old Lions” posts. Do me a favor – find another team to get behind. This is by far the most exciting and memorable season I have had the chance to watch. This is NOT the “same old Lions” – far from it.
What a turnaround for this team! They gave us more to celebrate this season than the last 30! I am proud of this team and the names that have become household names over the past few weeks! I am excited for next season!
Everyone jumped on Coach Dan Campbell who went for some big plays on 4th down that didn’t happen. ”He should have ….” Ok, but had Reynolds actually CAUGHT the ball, no one would have been dissing on the coach. We got to where we were because of those big chances! Reynolds missed a couple catches, Gibbs fumbled, Goff missed a few targets. It all added up and San Fran took advantage of it.
Someone wrote that the game was “a reminder that you are exactly where you are meant to be right now. The goal isn’t always to get the trophy, the goal is to be better than you were before. Winning is wonderful, winning against yourself is a blessing.” They went on to say, “I hope you made yourself proud. There is such a deeper meaning to this season than the Super Bowl.”
THAT is so true.
What a year! I’ve never been embarrassed to be a Lions fan, and I am so proud of the fantastic season I got to experience.
Today is National Spouses Day! I don’t need a “holiday” to celebrate my wife. As a matter of fact, yesterday I brought her flowers because I wanted to.
I have been blessed to have been married to my wife for almost 6 years. I love her and am still in love with her. As with most relationships, there are always rough spots. It is during those times that is is important to remember why you fell in love with each other at the start. What I have found is that when I begin to list all the reasons I love her, it only reminds me of what she means to me.
I love her eyes. They still sparkle and I love looking into them.
I love her smile and her laughter. They are contagious.
I love that she still makes me laugh, even if it is at my expense.
I love that she is such an amazing mother to Ella and Andrew. Her love for them is constant. I love seeing just how much they love her!
I love that her hands fit perfectly in mine.
I love that she is “in the know” about everything. She is a walking day planner. She remembers things that I forget! I can always count on her to keep our family on track.
I love that she has always been supportive of me and encouraged me to do things out of my comfort zone.
I love that she has always strived to be her best, whether it be her education, career, or just “mom.”
I love that she will sit and watch football (or things like Columbo or the First 48) with me.
I love that she is not afraid to say what is on her mind.
I love that she shares good books with me.
I love her patience with me and all of the other craziness in our house.
I love her kisses and her hugs. I always feel safe in her arms.
I love that she is the center of our family and keeps us all in balance.
I love those rare occasions when we get a date day/night together.
I love that she doesn’t see just how beautiful she is, even though I am always telling her.
I love her voice.
I love all the wonderful things we have shared together and look forward to the things we will do together in the future.
I love going on walks in the neighborhood with her.
I love that she has made me a better person.
I love that she believes that sometimes cereal or ice cream are ok for dinner.
I love watching her play with our kids.
I love video chats with her and the kids while I am at work.
I love that I get to be her hero when there is a spider that needs to get squashed.
I love her because she loves God and believes in the power of prayer.
I love her compassion for others.
I love her because she took a very broken guy like me and completes me.
I love that any time there is a decision to be made, we do it together.
I love her because I am still amazed that a woman like her would choose a guy like me. She is so much better than me.
I love her because she is everything to me.
I love her because I could continue to list 100+ more things I love about her!
Happy Spouses Day, Sam! I love you mostly because – You are YOU!
Various Ramblings of a Nostalgic Italian 