It’s official – summer is here! I’m going back for this one – I remember listening to this all the time as a kid. And I always LOVED all the soulful voices with their unique characters. The easy breezy intro, gorgeous harmonies, and soulful shout outs all make Hot Fun in the Summertime a perfect mood booster tune!
I have a confession. I’ve always wanted to sing with a big band. I’m no Ella [gross understatement], but how fun would that be? Strutting around in a fancy dress, dancing with a kick ass horn section, and singing with wild abandon.
Where were you in 1993? Well, I became a mother on June 6th, so today is Michael’s 18th birthday! It was a beautiful day – and everyone was in town because I was scheduled to be induced on June 7th. The contractions started, and being me, I ran several errands, returned a borrowed vacuum cleaner, returned my graded papers to Cal Poly, and scrubbed the baseboards. My dad got to my house early afternoon, and Pat (Michael’s dad), dad and I hung out on the patio. They contemplated ordering a pizza – I passed on that offer. Finally, the time came to go to the hospital, and it was just like that episode in “I Love Lucy” where Ethel, Fred, and Ricky ran around like crazy people and nearly forgot Lucy. After a somewhat eventful labor and delivery, Michael was born at 11:33 pm.
Michael and I share a love for music, so it only seems fitting to do a musical flash back to 1993.
We had this very sweet song from Janet Jackson. Her album was SUPER HOT in 1993.
The Bodyguard was huge and topped the charts most of the year.
Eric Clapton’s classic MTV Unplugged came out. This was the beginning of the Unplugged era – and we were all blown away by the acoustic versions of the old classics (Layla).
Finally, the Number 1 song on June 6, 1993 was “Can’t Help Falling In Love” by UB40.
So fitting for your welcome to the world! Happy Birthday Michael – I love you!
On a gloomy December afternoon, Michelle (@ragemichelle) and I crossed paths in the twitter stream. She was sick in the body. I was sick in the head. We were two peas in a pod and it was WONDERFUL to not be alone in our grumpiness! We swore. We mocked ourselves. We griped. And we giggled… a lot. I joined her rage on her What I Learned from Fox Muldar post where she confessed watching 30 or so X-File episodes and fretting about not working out. I related to her plight. Of course, she had an excuse; she was sick! Me? I’m too lazy to put on my shoes. I confessed being a reluctant exerciser. Continue reading →
Back in the day – before adjusting to my new empty nest and my low back injury – I was becoming pretty darn strong! I was working out with Sonjia regularly and doing a variety of full body, compound, high rep workouts. I LOVED getting stronger! I LOVED being able to work out longer at higher heart rates! She tricked me one time and had me do Cindy’s (5 assisted pull ups, 10 pushups, 15 bodyweight squats for 20 minutes). I remember the first time it was HARD! I had to take several breaks and my muscles were tired! Little did I know that it was a benchmark routine – one that let’s us gauge our progress over time. And yes, within a month my Cindy improved! I can’t do pull ups at home (sigh), but I finally figured out how to do a Cindy at our local playground and it was a great 20 minute workout! Continue reading →
What can I say? I want to dance in Havana! Enjoy this beautiful, meditative piece from the Buena Vista Social Club as you ease into this Music Monday. And yes, this is just my pace for an exercise warm up 😀
I’m my father’s daughter. We have never been the healthy ones of our family. Like him, my tendencies are to watch too much Law and Order, skip breakfast, indulge in sweets, and eat fritos with creamy dips. Me? Well I ended up in the hospital due to chronic dehydration and basically felt crappy all the time. Him? He got the pre-diabetes and cholesterol talk from his doctor and felt crappy all the time. So here we are, in a similar place, wanting to be a bit healthier and feel better by adopting new habits. [Side Note: My sis and mom have always been healthy. I didn’t get those genes. LOL] Continue reading →
I’ve got a thing for fruit and nuts with protein in a main dish – I just think it’s super tasty. This healthy chicken salad is one of my favorite combos on the planet. I buy the nuts chopped and chicken cooked (sometimes even cut up already). Although a knife is required for the onions and fruit, it requires minimal technique. Don’t be too lazy chopping the onion though – having the pieces be too big can kinda ruin this one. (Trust me on that one….) Enjoy this healthy chicken salad on some spinach. Use it in a wrap. Or eat it straight out of the bowl (my personal favorite). I typically eat the whole batch in a day cuz it is good-good-good! Continue reading →
I shuffled across this tune while walking to work, and BAM! I used to dance to this song, so I certainly listened to it many times. But I’ve never HEARD it like I did yesterday morning. I’ve listened to it over and over and have made Slow Down by India Arie my theme song for the week (day? month? forever?).
“Slow down baby, you’re going too fast…”
“Take some time to clear your space, chaos isn’t good for your health….”
“Sometimes you gotta be still before you get ahead….”
Do yourself a favor – slow down long enough to soak up this amazing poem with her brilliant phrasing, rhythm, and melody.
The Heart & Humor of Being Human 