Today’s Music: Stanley Jordan – Stairway To Heaven
Note on Today’s Music: First time I saw this guy do a solo show at Birdland, I sat there staring for the whole set. I have never before or since seen anyone do anything quite like what he does. I hope you enjoy the song.
The calendar, as it does every week, has brought us around, once again, to Friday. But it sure took it’s sweet time getting here. Work was all sorts of fun (for a definition of fun that means not fun at all), but we in the US get a 3 day weekend, so that’s something…
Plus there were some great posts on other blogs! Jennifer Worrell took me to a very odd ballet recital. Barking in the Dark put up a great piece about the evils of smartphones
A Frank Angle wrote a political commentary that was more rational than most of the political discourse out there now.
And Whitelady in the Hood posted a poignant moving entry that made me think about the world we live in vs the world I want to live in.
You guys made the week, by turns, funny, considered and poignant. As did all the rest of you, always giving me a great way to spend time when I can get out there.
Thanks so much for all your posts this week!
But you guys want to know what happened last week. The poll asked Where should we go in the space shuttle? (you know, if we happened to get our hands on one). Y’all had some great answers! (As always, my comments are in italics)
to moonbase alpha
(Simulators?We don’t need no stinkin simulators. We have a Space Shuttle!)
to the writing room for Jon Stewart’s Daily Show ~whatimeant2say
(Wow, when you want to go to another world, you don't mess around!)
to another galaxy far away & look for friends who are funny like us! Benzeknees
(Are there such people outside of wordpress? (and blogspot?)(and disqus?)(and…))
Star Trekkin, across the universe. Snaap, Ginger
(And then we could sing about it! Oh, wait, it's been done…)
Second star to the right, and straight on till morning! (BAM! I just won.) Lilly @pathoflillys.com
(Congratulations! Was your prize a ticking alligator?)
back to our birthdays, so we can live life a second time (Stacy Lyn)
(Maybe half life – after the teen years.)
definitely into space so we can play in zero gravity. Michelle at Motley News
(YEAH!!! Wait a minute – are we talking about playing the same kind of games, Michelle?)
Fly me to the Moon! (Lilly @pathoflillys.com)
(Well, we’re already planning on playing among the stars… ;))
home
(Home is where you hang your hat. Or park your space shuttle. hehehe)
get a Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster – John Phillips
(I’ve got a lemon slice if you’ve got a gold brick!)
to look for the big dipper
(Is that where they’re serving Pan Galactic Gargle Blasteers)
I call shotgun, but only if there is Romulan ale. Red.
(No Romulan Ale, Red. But the drink we do have is…um…It's green)
To find the poor folks “Lost In Space,” especially that robot. We need WARNINGS
(Actually surprised we haven't seen him yet. Seriously, for a while, that robot turned up everywhere…)
The lost in space comment was mine — Elyse 54.5
(DANGER! DANGER! REPEAT COMMENTER, WILL ROBINSON!!!)
to find Jimmy Buffett. Didn’t he go into space with Mr. Spaceman?
(If by Space you mean "fell off a stage", then yes, I believe he did.)
[insert Great Space Coaster lyrics]
([Insert plea to make it stop])
Planet Batpoop lindav
(I don’t guano go there…)
“To infinity and beyond!” Quirky
(Only if we get real lasers and not just blinky lights!)
To visit Pluto. I bet he’s kinda bummed about not being a planet anymore 😦 Lily in Canada
(Wait, you mean bummed about not being a puppy anymore, right? Oh, that Pluto. nevermind.)
I’ve never been to me…. Joehoover
(What?!? But you is such a wonderful place to go!)
Fly it where the sun don’t shine.
(Ok, but will they know what to do with a spaceship in Nebraska?)
To a 7 eleven for a big gulp…zannyro@yahoo
(I think you just want to show off our ride in the parking lot, zannyro. Or is that just me?)
to the pharmacy first for my motion sickness b/c it will be a helluva ride (AFA)
(I bet NASA left some killer drugs on board for just that purpose, frank!)
snap snap going Home!
(Dig it, Man! Ka-tshhh)
…via Dagobah. Because the force is strong in us! (Kanerva)
(Wise in the ways of space travel routing, you are)
Drive over Jersey Shore so we can throw water bombs on Snooki KJ
(WE HAVE A WINNER!!!)
Like I said, some great answers. Congratulations to KJ for this weeks winning answer! And while only one person picked BRRRRAAAAAIIINNNSSS!!!!!! (thanks, Asplenia!), the most popular of the offered choices was to Uranus. Because we’re 12 years old. So that’s funny.. Just further proof of how much you guys rock!
This weekend marks the unofficial start of summer in the US. And for decades, Coca Cola has been telling us they should be identified with summer. Well, maybe they aren’t because they just don’t have the right flavor.
This week we put the question to you: What is the right flavor?
Answer as often as you like. If you do a write in, leave a way to recognize who you are, and I’ll link back to you next week.
But do it by 2359 EST on 31 May, because that’s when the poll closes!
And to put you in a summer frame of mind, I leave with, yes, the trailer for that summer classic, Beach Blanket Bingo!
Have a great week all!
Another great mash up! Have a great weekend too!
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Thanks Susie, and right back at ya!
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Sand, sun…ahh the beach. Something I don’t see unless on vacation. I shall be venturing forth into beachland this summer…can’t wait! Thanks for the vid to remind me. I need to stock up on sunscreen…
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Buy lots and lots of sunscreen, kayjai – then you have to force yourself to go out and play just to justify the expense! 😀
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Excellent opening song choice. I saw Stanley Jordan do a solo show back in the 80s and he was AMAZING! I love his version of Bolero, too.
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Jaw droppingly good, sandylikeabeach.
As with all other things, your taste in music is impeccable!
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I’m all about the three day weekend, but it means little when you’re self-employed. Is the Birdland you mention THE Birdland? C. Parker’s Birdland? Awesome!
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Yup, it was that Birdland, Smak (well, he second iteration of it – the original closed in 65).
Another venue/show on that scale of cool was Les Paul at the Iridium (before they moved the club and then he died).
Are you a jazz fan?
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Well, calling myself a “fan” would probably imply a much broader knowledge of the genre than I actually possess. I became acquainted with jazz through jazz choir in high school, although I find I don’t prefer to listen to vocal jazz. I quite like Thelonius Monk, and Miles Davis was sort of my intro to the genre. I guess I know a lot of the big names, but doesn’t go deeper than that.
I know Les Paul, though–who doesn’t? That would have been sweet! I’ve seen a lot of great bands, but the only artist I have seen that I think is of that stature historically is Johnny Cash. Maybe Bowie, although I don’t have the same affection for him.
I didn’t know that there had been two Birdlands. Honestly, as with so much about jazz, I know only the barest details about the legendary club.
I take it you’re a fan? I know you play music–do you play jazz? It was hard as hell to sing–I wouldn’t even begin to guess how difficult it would be to play.
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I don;t know near as much about it as I’d like to. But some things, like Charlie Parkers Favorite Things, or anything by Monk, or even Louis Armstrongs Wonderful World move me more than I can describe. And I think Jazz has a whole emotional palette that just doesn’t exist in rock and roll, that anyone who plays jazz with passion unlocks.
I’m a hack guitarist (not me being humble – I’m slightly better than beginner), mostly on simple chord progressions. the only way I could hit a jazz chord shape is if I missed the one I saw going for
At one point in his set, Les Paul hit an open G chord (a simple chord). He muted the guitar, His eyes popped open, and he winked at the crowd, saying “An open G chord? In a jazz club? Don’t tell anyone – they’ll throw me out on the street!”
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What A Wonderful World is a sublime song–really gorgeous. I think liking or not liking that song is a good litmus test for whether or not a person has a soul.
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That litmus test is a really good idea…
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I’m all worn out from laughing! And I watched the Beach Blanket Bingo
trailer to the end..something I almost never do…
It’s official, I nominate your blog for the BEST BLOG EVER!!!! Award…
No money is involved so don’t get excited.
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Wait – I can make money doing this?
Oh, never mind.
Fortunately, getting to hang out with the coolest people is reward enough!
Thanks Zannyro!
(and I just figured out where your online handle came from)
(sigh)
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oooooooohh, you’re a sharp one you are! heehee
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oooooooohh, you’re a sharp one you are! heehee
And I think you could DEFINITELY make money doing this…wait a minute….then I would have to pay to read your wit and wisdom….I’ve got 5 bucks,,,is that enough?
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Your money is no good here. (unless you’re buying a round! 😉 )
How about this – I hit it big, we come up with a whole bunch of silly exploits, then you write the “unauthorized” expose and we split the profits with the blog crowd and retire!
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I’M IN !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Should we keep the exploits in the U.S. or go cause mayhem all over the world…we could drive the space shuttle…no one would notice us that way.
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Hold on – what happens in your part of the world that no one would notice us if we came up in a space shuttle?!? I’m in NYC, and even here, we’d get at least a raised eyebrow.
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Guapo, I’m very flattered that you would mention me! Have a great Memorial Weekend!
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Like all your posts, I thought it was very well done, whitelady. It didn’t seem fair to not share it with the world.
Hope your weekend is fun and relaxing!
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I actually met a guy named Moondoggie one time, but that wasn’t him. This guy I met was selling coke in the bathroom of a bar.
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Ha, pretty sure I’ve been in that bar, Dan…
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Wow … what a great post! From the awesome beginning tune, through last week’s poll and comments, and ending with one of the beach movies of my youth (Cheers to Eric von Zipper) … Classic … and to end the week having you mention my post. in the words of Meg Ryan, YES YES YES! Have a safe holiday weekend.
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Sorry, what kind of sandwich were you eating while reading, Frank?
As I said over there, I thought your post was the most rational political commentary I’ve read in too long. Hope everyone reads it, and may all your dance steps fall right into place!
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You got me to pause a sec on the sandwich question … but then … LOL .. muffaletta.
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Wrong Again! Jeez Louise! Confident this week – summer has arrived in hte UK to! Enjoy the weekend and thanks for the chortle!
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Glad you liked it, GfB! but for there to be a “right” answer, it means someone around here has to know what they’re doing. And I’m pretty sure that’s not the case…
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Now that I think about it, Pluto might have been slightly frigid. I would love to throw water bombs at Snooki. You better get that rocket assembled quickly.
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Hey, what if we throw Snooki at Pluto, Lily! We could probably get a lot of people to give us a lot of money to do that!
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My answer is actually a choice!! I know of a terrific green drink…Antifreeze. No, not Prestone. Midori, 90 proof vodka and peach Schnapps…equal parts.
Goes down smoothly and tastes fab. Be careful though. It is a creeper. When you stand up, you know your ass is drunk, and your feet are soon to follow.
Happy Foolishness, Guap.
Red.
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To what I’m sure will be the surprise of many, I’ve never actually drank anti-freeze. Which is not to say it hasn’t occurred to me, Red…
I always preferred my liquor undiluted. In short glasses…
thanks Red, have a fun weekend!
(and I’m trusting you caught the “green” reference 😉 )
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You well know I did 😉
Red.
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Oh how I love Friday Foolishness! You’re like the Walter Winchell of WordPress (in a good way)! I’m typing and Im listening to Annette and I’m totally in party mode thanks to our host extrodinaire, El Guapo! And your banner was a genius idea!! You single-handedly make earth a better place and I love you for it! 😀
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Thanks Linda, but I have to say it’s a group effort. I mean, look at all the cool people we know around here!
If you tell me you’re dancing in your chair, my day will be complete! 🙂
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You are like the editor of the BlogLand Gazette
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Thanks, Hobs. I think you just insulted every real editor out there!
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I’m curious as to what all the other “other” entries were. All the above, in one can! Have a great weekend now! 🙂
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really? You’d go with the all in one can? You will now be known as Asplenia of the Iron Stomach.
You too – have fun out there!
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Have a great time this weekend, Guap!
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Thanks Elyse! You too!
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Happy Memorial Day weekend. I vote for Bacon just because it’s BACON.
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A great weekend to you too, Heather!
And the Coca Cola R&D people thank you for input. And are appalled.
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Your ‘poignant’ link isn’t working.
I love reading everybody’s answers, lol. And yeah, throwing water bombs at Snooki does sound like a fabulous idea. When do we leave?
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Thanks so much for the heads up, Lilly – I updated the link.
I think we should leave as soon as we can get the innocent bystanders out of the way.
Wait – is anyone around Snooki innocent?
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I’ve seen that show once. Long enough to learn a new word, ‘guido’ but I would say um-no.
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Guido is more than just a word, Lilly. Or a hairstyle. Or an IROC-Z.
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Hi,
Great answers from everyone again, and from what I read a long weekend for you, that sounds great, and warmer weather, you can’t ask for more than that. Enjoy. 😀
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Thanks, Magsx2! hope your weekend is fun and that autumn isn’t falling too hard over there!
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I am freezing, it just on 7 am, and I have that many layers of clothes on and of course my cup of coffee, and I am seriously thinking about putting the heater on. 😀
At the moment it is 12 degrees celsius or 53.6 degrees fahrenheit, and the top today is only going to be 20 C or 68 F. Brrrrrrrr.
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53.6 F? that’s an early spring day here! And 68 is beautiful weather in NYC this time of year.
Hope you find a way to stay warm and comfy, Magsx2!
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Oh my God – Benzeknees! What a great name, I love it! And yes, Friday did take its sweet time getting here. Thankfully it happened. I’m just home from the gym, and now it’s time for me to vegetate with a beer. Somehow, I don’t think it’ll be long before I fall asleep. Life on the edge…….Have a great weekend, Guap!
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Hey, even us wild folk need some recovery time, Brit!
Benzeknees has a great blog too.
Hope your weekend is fun!
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Jeez EG, it took me thirty minutes to scroll down past all of your comments :-)..great blogger that you are.. Thanks for the blog links (read “White lady in the hood’s post.. very eye-awakening)
Loving your Friday posts for sure.. have a GREAT weekend !!!!
Oh, and I voted too..
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Thanks FPP, – you too!
And loved your answer! That’s actually a very popular choice!
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How do you think of such hilarious answers to your polls! i wish they used you, El Guapo, instead of whatever boring people they do use ‘Who would you vote for today? Are taxes too high?. COME ON – give us something FUN! (I mean those bloody polling companies, not YOU).
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Thanks Beautiful! Actually, my best inspiration is my deadline.
And while I think it would be great if the pollsters adopted my style for their polls, I shudder at the candidates we’d get.
Well, maybe not. Couldn’t be any worse! 😉
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Of topic, but thought of you as soon as I saw this daredevil. Here’s another thing for you to-do list.
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Fantastic! I saw this, Frank, possibly on Magsx2 blog?
I was going to use it, but you can’t see the actual landing.
Still, I’d love to learn to do this!
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I don’t know where I’d go with the space shuttle. I guess it depends on how low gas prices go between now and the Fourth. But if this Stanley Jordan can be piped in for the ride? I’m thinking I want to go long and far. Yes indeed.
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We’ll be good as long as we can get that baby up to 88 miles an hour, Cayman. then the Mr Fusion will kick in and we can go wherever we want!
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Doesn’t the space shuttle just shuttle? Back and forth to the big space station?
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Well, that’s what it usually does, Bumba. but we’re thinking outside the… box? circle? bounds of sanity? here!
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OK. But from the space station you could hop an express train to…Zanzibar, or another planet, maybe a nearby Milky Way star, or maybe you’d prefer a Snickers?
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The train might be fun, but perhaps a slow boat to China?
And I think you might get a kick out of this on Hotspur’s site
https://edwardhotspur.wordpress.com/2011/12/15/photographic-proof-of-life-on-mars/
I get the feeling you’ll fit right in around here Bumba!
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Re Hotspur: I LOL ed, and it caused me to ……snicker again!
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I can’t believe wordpress disconnected me from the El Guapo party! I didn’t get any email alerts. I went from getting 300 (I will never hit that follow-up email button again! EVER!) to 0. Very strange. Anyway, I’m back and ready to enjoy a good dose of Friday Foolishness once again. Hope you’re having a great weekend! Party on.
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It is never a party without you, Lisa!
And a great weekend to you too!
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Thanks, Guapo, you certainly know how to make a girl feel good. : )
It’s 95 degrees here in Chicago. Time to duck into a cool theater and hide out for a couple hours. Hope you’re enjoying your weekend!
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I stopped by the other day I got stumped by the poll question. I seem to alway screw up the poll don’t ask me why. I enjoyed both videos. The first one reminds me of how feeling the notes looks pretty amazing. The second video shear fun. Hope you had a good weekend.
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That’s your problem right there, Starla – these polls are definitely not for thinking about.
And all of your answers have been delightful so far!
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Tell you what: You guys all go to space in your shuttle, and I’ll go to…
CYBERSPACE!
(Insert techno music here)
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Gah – techno.
Sorry, verystrangeplace, but weren’t we clear? I mean…space shuttle! Woohoo!
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Play in zero gravity sounds fun to me. ^0^ Also, I’d like to meet some friendly robots (other than those in Lost in Space). 😀
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I would love to play in zero gravity, ristinw! But watch out for those robots – next thing you know, your toaster will be coming after you!
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I loved your ‘the tears of my enemies’ in your poll. I clicked that one! 🙂
I didn’t know it was mental awareness month. WordPress is great for just exactly that – learning.
Beaut post, Guapola 🙂
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Thanks WordsFallFromMyEyes! Surprisingly, Tears is only tied for second. but lots of people go for the write in.
The problem here with Mental Health Awareness Month is that almost no one know about it. More is the pity, and you’re absolutely right about WordPress – you meet the coolest people here! 😉
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You so impress me with your ability to travel around the sphere.
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We’re all just here for the WHOOOOSH!!!, Lorre
hehehe
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I’m babbling! Baby! *grins* I just wanted to check in and say hey. Hey.
Miss you and everyone but am watching, sporadically … hope you are doing good!
XO LITFL
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A pleasure to see you when/where ever it is, LITFL!
Doing alright, and hope you’re enjoying a warm lazy autumn!
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It’s officially winter now – you wanna see the frost outside this morning. We’re at -2 here and it’s 9.15am lol.. But that means a beautiful day once it thaws. So I aint really complaining. And today will be spent doing as little as possible IN aforementioned sunshine *grins* Oh and contemplating trouble etc for tomorrow of course 😉
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WAIT! I’d like to retract my vote. I entered “Cupcakes,” but I should have said, “Pop-Tart-flavored Cupcakes” or “Cupcake-Flavored Pop-Tarts.” I don’t know what came over me.
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How could you leave pop-tarts out???
I’ll make sure it’s added!
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