Saturday 9

 

Blame It on the Bossa Nova

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 to answer the questions, however, and here is today's questions!

Saturday 9: Blame It on the Bossa Nova (1963)

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

Funny you should mention Eydie.  She’s sort of a relative.  My late mother-in-law always said that she and Eydie were cousins.  Eydie was a Sephardic Jew, as was my mother-in-law, so I have no reason to doubt the connection,  so I guess you can say my kids are related to Eydie,   Eydie and Neil Sedaka were cousins, but I’m not sure if Neil was related to my mother-in-law.  

1) This week's song tells the story of a girl who found love at a dance. Share a happy memory from a party, prom or dance you attended. 

First thing that came to mind was my younger daughter Becca’s bat mitzvah, September 17, 2005.  In February 2005 I was diagnosed with stage 3 uterine cancer.  I went through hell — surgery, radiation therapy and then chemotherapy.  Finished chemo just a few weeks before the bat mitzvah.  

Of course I k’velled at the bat mitzvah, I took pride in my beautiful, accomplished daughter, same as I did for my older daughter Jen.  But there was also a feeling of relief , of triumph, that I had survived.

One thing I remember.  I thought I was done with treatment after the surgery and radiation, and was surprised when my doctor decided to do chemo.  I was afraid of the side effects chemo would have.  I said “But my daughter’s bat mitzvah…”

And he replied “We’re doing chemo because I want you here for her wedding.”

She’s getting married in July …

2) This record was a big hit for Eydie Gorme, which surprised her. When she first heard the song, she disliked it and had to be convinced to her record it. Tell us about a pleasant surprise you had recently.

I love my car.  I drive a 2013 Prius C.  Great car.  I recently had it repaired — it needed a new battery.  Hybrid batteries last about 10 years and are very expensive to replace.  But the car has only 66,000 miles on it and the cost of repair was well worth it.

The pleasant surprise?  The cost of the repair was $900 less than what the mechanic quoted,

3) "Blame It on the Bossa Nova" is about love at first sight on the dance floor. Eydie's husband Steve Lawrence maintained he fell in love with her the first time he heard her sing. Have you ever felt a sudden, powerful attraction to someone? If yes, did you act on it?  

Hmmm… let me think about that,

4) While this was a solo success for Eydie, she was also known for recording and performing with Steve Lawrence. He was just 22 and she was 29 when they married. Eydie admitted she was self-conscious about the difference in their ages. Do you think age matters in a romantic relationship?  

To some extent, yes.  Relationships are based on shared goals and interests.  People of different ages often have different goals, different interests, different lifestyles.  Can people of different ages share interests?  Of course.  

5) Eydie was fluent in Spanish, which enabled her to pay for her classes at City College by working as an interpreter. Tell us about one of your early jobs.

One summer I worked at a cosmetics factory.  We packaged lipstick, eyeshadow, perfume …college students were hired every summer because that’s when the company made its fall collection and its Christmas line.  We got employee discounts on the products.

6) In 1963, when this song was popular, The Rambler was Motor Trend's car of the year. It was a 9-passenger station wagon, perfect for families. What do you remember about your childhood family car? 

My father drove a station wagon, my mother drove a sedan.  One of the reasons we had the station wagon was because of my father’s summer job.

My father was a teacher, later an assistant principal.  During the summer he’d work at a day camp.  He’d use the station wagon to transport campers to and from the camp.  He got rid of the station wagon when he stopped working at the camp.

Nowadays you can’t use private cars to transport students or campers, you have to use buses. 

7) Also in 1963, President Kennedy made a state trip to Ireland. Have you visited the land of your ancestors? 

I am Jewish, of Eastern European descent. My paternal grandparents came to the US from Ukraine.  My maternal grandfather came from a city that was then  part of Russia but is now part of Poland, my maternal grandmother came from a village that was part of Austria but is now part of Poland. 

I have not visited Ukraine or Poland.  Maybe someday.  But higher on my list of priorities is Israel, the ancestral home of the Jewish people.

8) The pilot for Gilligan's Island was filmed in 1963. Were you a fan of the show?

  Just because I know all the words to the theme song doesn’t mean anything …yeah, I liked the show …

9) Random question: Crunchy, smooth or organic peanut butter?  

Crunchy or smooth, I like them both.  I don’t think I’ve ever tried organic.
  

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!