Saturday 9 is all right

All Right

Welcome to Saturday 9. What we've committed to our readers is that we will post 9 questions every Saturday. Sometimes the post will have a theme, and at other times the questions will be totally unrelated. Those weeks we do "random questions," so-to-speak. We encourage you to visit other participants posts and leave a comment. Because we don't have any rules, it is your choice. We hate rules. We love memes, however, and here is today's meme!

Saturday 9: All Right (1983)
 
Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) This song has an optimistic message about love: "It gets tough sometimes, but you can give it one more try ..." Do you tend to take an optimistic look at life?

Yes, I do tend to be an optimist, even in trying times.  It has become very difficult of late, though.

I will try to emulate this week's artist.  Here's a recent quote:


“Unfortunately as a consequence of COVID-19 other problems were caused. At present I am suffering from intense muscle weakness and a temporary paralysis of my legs — I am unable to walk. However, physicians have assured me that I will recover,” he said. “I have already begun physical therapy and am optimistic about improving.”

Christopher Cross


2) In this song, Christopher Cross sings, "Time and time again I see people so unsure like me ..." Tell us about a recent time when your confidence could have used a boost.

I just started a new job. I 'm working from home and I don't know any of my coworkers. I"m not getting any real feedback from my team leader.  It's disconcerting.

3) The Doobie Bros.' Michael McDonald plays on this record. Do you have a favorite Doobie Bros. song?

4) Though no longer making hits, Christopher Cross still has loyal fans who attend his concerts. Time permitting, he spends time after each show signing autographs. Have you ever asked a celebrity for his/her autograph?

Come to Drew's house and you will see many framed posters on the walls.  Every time we see a Broadway show, Drew will buy the poster for that show. If you're paying attention, you'll notice that several of his posters  have been signed by the cast of the show -- the posters are auctioned off when the cast is raising money for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids.  You'll notice a few signed Playbills with the posters-- that means we stood at the stage door after the show to wait for the star.

You will also find autographs from several Mets players.  In 1987 I stood on line at a bookstore in lower Manhattan to buy Lenny Dystra's book and have him autograph it.   You'll also find Rusty Staub's autograph -- we stood on line at Citi Field to get that one.

You will also find an autographed copy of John Cleese's book, the one he promoted in 2015.  Drew and I saw him at NYU in an event billed as "An Evening With John Cleese."  We had VIP tickets, which meant we also got a meet-and-greet with Cleese and signed copies of his book.

Yes, I am short, and yes, he is very, very tall.

There are a lot of other items in this house that have been autographed by celebrities, too many to mention...


5) Christopher Cross' dad was an Army doctor stationed at Walter Reed Army Hospital in Washington, DC. With all the museums and monuments, our nation's capital could be a great place for a kid to grow up ... except sometimes we take the advantages of our hometown for granted. Tell us about a nearby museum, park, theater, etc., you'll visit again when this period of crisis is over and it's agreed that it's safe to do so.

Oh, there are so many places I want to go! I'm a Long Islander, living in the suburbs of NYC, and if I listed everything, we'd be here for a week....

So let me just tell you about one place:  Jones Beach State Park.

Jones Island is a sand bar, a barrier beach along the south shore of Long Island.  At the western end of the island you will find Jones Beach State Park, the crown jewel of New York's state park system.  6.5 miles of beach front on the Atlantic, a bathhouse that features a salt water pool, playgrounds, picnic areas, tennis courts, softball diamonds, shuffleboard, a band shell, a fishing pier, and nature center,  even a sit-down restaurant as well as concession stands.  I love to go in the off season and take a walk along the boardwalk.

The bath houses feature Art Deco architecture.  The famed water tower was built to resemble the bell tower of  St. Mark's Basilica in Venice.

And the Jones Beach Theater is a  wonderful concert venue.  I've seen Jimmy Buffett, the Rascals, John Fogerty, Stevie Nicks, Neil Diamond  ...many, many great performances...

I should also mention it's the site of the annual Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk.

And at Christmastime they do a Holiday Light Show.

Here are some photos I took at the park at various times:

6) In 1983, when "All Right" was popular, Flashdance was a hit in movie theaters and on the radio. What's the most recent movie you watched? Most recent song you heard on the radio?

The song?  I was in my car, and I heard music by Styx, Blondie and the Stones.  The movie?  We watched Frozen 2 on Disney + 


7) Also in 1983, America West Airlines took off, flying between Las Vegas and Phoenix. They went nationwide in 2005 after they merged with US Airways. In 2013, they merged again, this time with American Airlines. Do you collect miles in an airline loyalty program?

Sort of.  I enrolled in True Blue with Jet Blue, but I don't travel often enough to earn miles.


8) Super Mario Bros. debuted in 1983. Can you name gaming's most famous siblings?

Sorry, that wasn't one of my games.  


9) Random question -- Under hypnosis, you discover you lived three past lives. In the first, you were wealthy beyond your wildest imaginings, thanks to a loveless marriage. In the second, you were a star on the roller derby circuit who had earned the nickname "Smasher." In the third, you were a brilliant mathematician who worked your way through school as an exotic dancer. Which of these would you find most shocking?

None of those are me in my present incarnation.  The most shocking, I think, is that I was a brilliant mathematician.  I am not good at math.