Saturday 9

 

Answer the Phone

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: Answer the Phone (2001)

Unfamiliar with this week's song? Hear it here.

1) This song likens a relationship to a roller coaster ride. When did you most recently visit an amusement park?

We went to Disney World in Florida in 2019.  

2) Lead singer Mark McGrath reasons that his girl should answer the phone because he knows she's home. That was decades ago, when most homes still had landlines. Where were you when you took your last call? Were you at home?  It was a business call yesterday.  But yes, I was at h9me — it eas a work from home day.


3) He remembers the glow of her face when he gave her a rose. Have you recently given or received a gift of flowers or a plant?

No.

4) Sugar Ray's debut CD was called Lemonade and Brownies. Crazy Sam admits she'd prefer milk with her brownie. What about you? Does the combination of lemonade and brownies sound good to you?

I’d prefer milk with my (gluten free) brownie.

5) In 2005, Mark McGrath was a guest judge on American Idol. At one time, Idol was the dominant singing competition show. Today, in addition to American Idol, viewers can also watch The Voice and America's Got Talent. Are you a fan of any or all of these shows?

I stopped watching Idol years ago, but I do watch The Voice and AGT.

6) Sugar Ray is a famous name in boxing circles. Sugar Ray Robinson and  Sugar Ray Leonard were both world championships. Are you a boxing fan?

No.

7) In 2001, when this song was popular, the Leaning Tower of Pisa reopened to the public after more than a decade of renovations. Have you ever been to Italy? If yes, where did you go? If not, is a trip to Italy on your wish list?

I’ve never been, but I’d like to go.

A story about my parents.  My father grew up in Brooklyn, NY, a borough of NYC,  He was drafted into the Army during WW II.  His best friend in the Army was a guy named Manny, who was from the Bronx, another NYC borough. My dad and Manny were eventually sent to Italy.  We have photos of both men in uniform in front of the Tower of Pisa.

After the war my dad spent a lot of time with Manny’s  family in the Bronx.  And that’s when he met Manny’s cousin, the woman he would eventually marry, the woman who would be my mother.

My parents were married in March 1959.  They had a short honeymoon in the Catskills, and then returned to their teaching jobs in NYC.  They planned a vacation in Europe for the summer of 1959, my father especially wanted to take my mother to Italy.  But the trip never happened.  In those days, pregnant women did not take trips overseas.  I was born in February 1960, eleven months after they married.

Did I say “never”?  My father retired in 1989, and the first thing he planned was a trip to Italy.  And he made sure to take my mom to Pisa, and had her pose in front of the tower, in the same spot where ge and Manny stood decades earlier.

8) Also in 2001, Liverpool's Speke Airport was renamed John Lennon Airport. Liverpool's is the first airport in the United Kingdom to be named after an individual. Tell us about something in your hometown that is named after someone.

Come with me to Huntington, NY.  The Town of Huntington is one of ten towns in Suffolk County, New York. Founded in 1653, it is located on the north shore of Long Island in northwestern Suffolk County, with Long Island Sound to its north and Nassau County adjacent to the west. Huntington is part of the New York metropolitan area.

There are many communities within the Town of Huntington, including Cold Spring Harbor, Northport, Centerport, Elwood, Melville, Dix Hills …

Many, many famous people were either born here, grew up here, or became residents of Huntington.  

I’ll just mention one. 

Harry Chapin made his home in Huntington Bay.  He was very active in bringing the arts to the local community.  (His widow Sandy still sits on the board of the Huntington Arts Council.)  He’d frequently grace the small outdoor stage in Heckscher Park .  It’s now named for him.

Let’s listen to his biggest hit —

9) Random Question: Is the screen on your cell phone cracked?

No.

Thanks so much for joining us again at Saturday: 9. As always, feel free to come back, see who has participated and comment on their posts. In fact sometimes, if you want to read & comment on everyone's responses, you might want to check back again tomorrow. But it is not a rule. We haven’t any rules here. Join us on next Saturday for another version of Saturday: 9, "Just A Silly Meme on a Saturday!" Enjoy your weekend!