A Tribute to His Bob-Ness

If you know anything at all about me, you know I am a Bob Dylan fan.

I have been a Bob Dylan fan since there was such a thing to be.

When I was a teenager, I wanted to be Bob Dylan. I wrote a term paper comparing His Bob-ness’s lyrics to those of Paul Simon.

I have actually read–multiple times–Tarantula. I still quote it regularly. And yes, it’s well-loved. (See the red electrical tape on the spine?)

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Yes, I still have the Milton Glaser poster, although it it battered from being hung in so many apartments. Unframed. With thumbtacks. Shoot me now.

On one of our early dates, TV Stevie asked me what my favorite Dylan album was. “Blood on the Tracks,” I replied. “Mine, too,” he said. Turns out the man had every single Dylan album, plus a lot of bootleg stuff. (Remember, music wasn’t as accessible back then as it is now. The bootleg stuff? Was really bootlegged.) I’ve been joking for over 25 years that I married TV Stevie for his Dylan collection.

The first concert to which we took the chromos was Bob Dylan (and Willie Nelson) at Doubleday Field in Cooperstown, NY.  X-Chromo does a fabulous Dylan imitation.

A current co-worker once said, “Everyone back then was a Beatles or Rolling Stone fan.” “Hello?” I said. “Not me. His Bob-ness was my musical mecca.” Co-worker laughed and conceded the point.

I have a mix of songs I call “Dylan Says It Best” that I listen to when I’m angry or upset. If the situation is right, I sing along as loud as I can. I don’t have to worry about being on key.

Imagine my utter delight when I learned His Bob-ness won the Nobel Prize for Literature. I have been saying for years that he is a lyrical genius. Guess I’m not the only one who thinks that.

So, just for fun, I’m resurrecting a post from April 2014.

Using only song names from ONE ARTIST, cleverly answer these questions.  Try not to repeat a song title. It’s a lot harder than you think!
Pick your Artist: Bob Dylan
Are you a Male or a Female: JUST LIKE A WOMAN
Describe Yourself: ONLY A PAWN IN THEIR GAME
How do you feel: FOREVER YOUNG
Describe where you currently live: GIRL FROM THE NORTH COUNTRY
If you could go anywhere, where would you go: BLACK DIAMOND BAY
Your Favorite form of Transportation: BLOWING IN THE WIND or LIKE A ROLLING STONE
Your Best Friend is: ABSOLUTELY SWEET MARIE
You and your best friends are: RAINY DAY WOMEN
What’s the weather like: A HARD RAIN’S GONNA FALL or HURRICANE
Favorite Time of Day: MEET ME IN THE MORNING
If your life was a TV show, what would it be called: WHEN I PAINT MY MASTERPIECE
What is life to you: I SHALL BE FREE
Your last relationship: MR. TAMBOURINE MAN
Your fear: MONEY BLUES
What is the best advice you have to give: DON’T THINK TWICE, IT’S ALL RIGHT
Thought for the day: ONE MORE CUP OF COFFEE
How I would like to die: KNOCKING ON HEAVEN’S DOOR
My soul’s present condition: BEYOND THE HORIZON
My motto: THE TIMES, THEY ARE A CHANGING

 

 

 

 

 

National Dictionary Day.

Celebrating dictionaries!

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All kinds of dictionaries!

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And yes, I can look that up in my Funk & Wagnall.

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But one thing I’ve never understood: when I used to ask how to spell something, teachers/parents would say, “Look it up in the dictionary.” Hello? How am I supposed to look up something I can’ spell?

The Organized Writer Pt 4

One of my RWA chapter mates asked me how I can come up with blogs on a regular basis. I needed to think about it. But I did come up with a true answer.

I spent 30 years in local television, the last couple of them writing news promos. Daily. Looking for the unique angle to make our newscasts stand out over the others in town.  My brain is wired to think of the little hooks.

I have also adapted the calendar (Excel spreadsheet) I used when scheduling sweeps story promos (rating period special news series). I now use the calendar to keep track of my blogs.

It’s all about adapting existing skill sets to current needs.

Ten Things You May Not Know About Me

  1. I don’t drink soft drinks (soda pop). I once tried to force myself to like them when I was young, ignorant, and trying to fit into a new job, but no go.
  2. I have green eyes. According to my nephew, this (along with my blood type) makes me prime alien abduction material. Cue The Byrds.
  3. I’ve never been to Disney World or Disneyland.
  4. I don’t watch television. Once in a while, I’ll binge watch DVDs of TV series with my husband, but I don’t sit down to watch anything just for something to do. And I never have.
  5. One of my favorite classical music pieces is Schwanda the Bagpiper: Polka & Fugue.
  6. I used to have a horse. And a pony.
  7. I gave up drinking coffee about 8 years ago.
  8. I tell people I’m allergic to eggs because they gross me out to the point of gagging if I even smell them.
  9. I subscribe to the Aquatic Theory of Evolution.
  10. I  have never had strep throat, and I’ve had the flu only twice.

Nat’l Do Something Nice Day

Today is National Do Something Nice Day.

I try to do something nice every day. I try to post uplifting things on social media. I try to be pleasant to everyone I encounter.

But doing something nice isn’t just about doing for others.

Sometimes you have to do “nice” for yourself.

Whether it’s going for a leisurely walk in the neighborhood after a busy day at the office or curling up in a blanket on the sofa with a cup of tea and a good book on a rainy afternoon (with some mellow jazz drifting in the background), everyone deserves a nice moment every once in a while.

If something nice doesn’t come your way, reach out for it.