Billy Idol - Eyes Without A Face (Official Music Video)

 Ok, here's a twist on the approaching weekend.  This weekend I'm going to Reno, Nevada to see Billy Idol at Grand Sierra Resort.  When I told my kids where we were going for the weekend their response was, "What?  You're going to Reno to see Billy Eillish?"

Talk about a generation gap.

The next conversation with my kids was about driving up to Reno in the snow.  Are you kidding me?  I took my drivers test on my 16th birthday during a Minnesota blizzard -  WITHOUT SNOW TIRES NOR CHAINS.  I always found it hilarious how Californians freak out about a few inches of snow on the road and think the world is ending.  Sigh.  Another conversation for another time.  

Let's get back to Billy Idol at the Grand Sierra Resort.  

The Grand Sierra Resort used to be Bally's back in the 1980's and then it was MGM and now it's the Grand Sierra.  It's all a blur.  Point is, the Reno is the location is where my husband and I got married 36 years ago -- regardless of the name changes to the resorts and casinos...Reno was where we got married (don't judge the velvet Elvis in the background).

Here we are....36 years later....going to a concert neither one of us had on our radar a month ago.  We've been married for over a third of a century.  We almost did not make it.  We were on the verge of divorce about 10 years ago.  That's another story all unto itself that does not belong in this blog.  Let's just say that there is not anything that we have not already been through.  Nothing could shock either one of us.  Been there.  Done that.  Throw in whatever marital crisis you could imagine.  We are still standing. 

Yes, Billy Idol is something from the 1980's.  Still, his show is sold out almost 40 years past his prime.  Will I be disappointed in the performance?  At this point I don't care.  It's all about the experience and having a little bit of fun.

Years ago, my late brother-in-law would tell me that the song "Eyes Without a Face" reminded him of me.  I never understood why and he never fully explained.  My guess was that I observe and take a lot in without saying anything.  

So, back to the original point of this blog.....HAPPY ANNIVERSARY   to my hubby.  We are going back to Reno where we got married exactly 36 years ago to have a good time.  Maybe this trip we can afford a proper wedding reception party.  NOT.  Billy Idol will be more than white-trash enough. 

 

LV: My African Dance Partner

LV was a lady in my African dance class. She was black as night and she was married to a white guy with blond hair and blue eyes. Her children were an interesting mix. Some of her kids looked like one would expect like her, but with a lighter skin tone that reflected her husband’s Caucasian ancestry. However, her youngest boy had blond hair and blue eyes like the father. She would often joke that people in the grocery store would not believe that she was the biological mother.  

LV was a faithful participant at dance class with me. We would go to LS's dance class regularly. We would always stand next to each other and feed off each other’s energy.  There were no assigned positions on the floor at class, but LV and I always commanded the same spots, and everybody else in class respected it.  LV could move and dance like a sistah, and she would joke with me that I could move pretty good......kind of..... for a white girl. LOL.  We were the salt and pepper of the dance class. We had so much fun together. Sometimes after class she would break down some dance moves for me that I could not quite catch in the moment. 

LV was sassy, fun, always wore fashionable clothing, and just a all around fun person to be around.  There was an instance where we had a sub for African dance class.  It was a black guy.  LV was all excited at first thinking this guy would have soul and rhythm.  He had neither.  After class in the parking lot, as we would often park our cars next to each other if spaces allowed, she was lamenting that she never saw a black guy with such a lack of soul - and he had NO rhythm.  Whaaaaaaaaaa?  A black man with no SOuL??????  WTF?????

Sadly, LV got cancer and died about six years ago. I miss her a lot. When I walk by her house, as she was a neighbor of mine, I still see her car in the driveway with that familiar personalized license plate. It's obvious that it's not driven a lot. 

 For whatever reason, I was thinking about her tonight while I was driving home from the office. I spoke to her out loud while I was driving home about all the fun memories I had with her, and how much I cherished our time together and thanked her for the dance classes, plus all the fun and giggles. I told her she could come visit me anytime.

It was at that very moment. My motion detector for the house went off on my phone that there was motion at my front door. I didn’t really think anything of it as sometimes a leaf blowing in the wind or something will set it off. However, when I pulled up into the driveway I saw this huge, black crow looking at me from my front porch. 

My heart stopped as I knew it was LV.

I said to the huge, black crow, "Hello LV it’s good to see you. I see you’re still black. I told you I wanted a visit and here you are.  I'm so glad you're here."

 I then chuckled to myself. The crow then flew up to the light post. I thought the whole scenario was kind of a funny, little coincidence. I then turned around to speak more to LV the crow, but the crow was gone. It was not flying away. It was not in a nearby tree.  It was gone. It disappeared into thin air.  I don’t know how it could have disappeared that quickly.  It was only a fraction of a nanosecond that I averted my eyes.

In honor of LV, here is a song of 1970's funk that both of us related to.  I miss you, LV.  Thanks for the visit today.  I always blow you a kiss when I walk past your house and see your car that is still in the driveway.  I think your daughter is driving it from time to time. 

My Mom....DATING????????

 My father died on Christmas Day 2021.  I'm glad my sister lives practically next door, as she is also a widow.  My mom called me yesterday about an antique trunk that she wants to get out of the house asking if I wanted it.  I would guess it to be something from the 1850's and it's really cool, but I'm also in the mode of less-is-more by shedding material objects.  Maybe the Minnesota Historical Society would want it?  

During the phone call my mother casually mentioned that she has a dialogue going with the widower down the street.  They call each other to see if they received the newspaper.  It's an excuse to talk to each other.  I could not believe my ears when she said she was going to invite Mr. Widower down for lemonade.....but she does NOT have a crush on him.  

Come on, mom.  I don't buy that for a second.

I grew up with Mr. Widower's kids.  One of his son's graduated high school the same year I did.  When I was younger and in grade school my older brother teased me relentlessly about that neighbor boy and how he had a crush on me.  It brought me to tears!  

Mr. Widower's deceased wife, Snoopy, was the nosiest of neighbors.  Snoopy had her nose in everybody's business.  She was not a pleasant person and she exuded angry energy.  One of my best friends, JLB, lived next door to Mr. Widower and Snoopy.  When we were teenagers I remember Snoopy hiding under the fishing boat in the yard trying to spy on what we were doing.  We caught her at it, and we gave her the name Devo Spyglass (yes, I'm going back to the 1980's).  

It's strange for me to know my mother has an interest in a man who is not my father.  I know that's my baggage to unpack.  I'm glad mom still has it goin' on at age 80.  That's also my baggage to unpack.  I will NOT impede nor say anything as she has a right to be happy and live her life. 

I've Been Scolded By A Fox

 Check out what our ring camera captured the other night.  I usually leave kibble out for the animals.  The other night I forgot and the fox expressed his displeasure by pooping in the empty bowl and then hopping up on the ledge to tell me to kiss-his-@ss.  

I laughed so hard I cried.

https://ring.com/share/a70bcaf4-83cd-4994-84fa-8f98f44eff0b

Murder by Moose Antler: So Minnesotan

I'm not sure what to write.  A Grand Marais (pronounced mah-RAY) Minnesota man was beaten with a shovel and finished off with a moose antler after the perpetrator thought the victim was stalking children with the intent of sexually offending them.  Granted, the victim did serve time back in 1979 for being a pedophile.  However, the perpetrator did enter into the victim's home and never caught the victim actively abusing kids.  I'm not defending pedophiles.  I'm going to wager that it will be discovered that the victim had a possession of child pornography.  

 

Grand Marais is way up north past Duluth on Lake Superior in the Arrowhead Region of Minnesota.  Winters are long, perhaps too long.   Cabin fever is real and insanity ensues after being cooped up for months on end.  

 

(side rant):  Grand Marais is near Chippewa City.   I'm surprised they have not changed the name as it's deemed offensive and racist.  But is it?  Having a city named after a tribe could be an viewed as an honor.  Point is somebody is going to be offended no matter what.  

Cook County resident Levi Axtell charged with murder of Grand Marais man

Joe Friedrichs | March 10, 2023

Cook County resident Levi Axtell was charged with murder today following the death of a Grand Marais man earlier this week.

Axtell, 27, is currently being held in the Cook County Jail in Grand Marais, local sources confirmed with WTIP. He is being held on probable cause of murder in the second degree. The jail roster report from Cook County officials says the murder was not premeditated.

The arraignment that took place today is connected to the March 8 death of Lawrence Scully, a Grand Marais man with a checkered past who ran for mayor in 2014. Scully was found dead Wednesday afternoon following a violent altercation at his home.

Axtell told local authorities he beat Scully with a shovel and “finished him off” with a large moose antler. He explained to local authorities he hit Scully 15-20 times with the shovel before using the moose antler as a weapon. Axtell was covered in blood when he turned himself in at the local law enforcement center.

Axtell and Scully have a history of legal wrangling, including issues related to the safety of children, according to numerous media reports that have surfaced since the altercation that took place late Wednesday afternoon. Court filings shared with WTIP from Cook County officials show that Axtell sought a protective order against Scully on behalf of his then 22-month-old daughter in April 2018.

Axtell told Cook County authorities that he’d known Scully for a long time, and believed him to have sexually offended against children in the past. Axtell said he had observed Scully parked in his vehicle at locations where children were present and believed he would reoffend.

Scully was a notorious personality in Grand Marais. He ran for mayor in 2014, though during the campaign many called into question his past behavior as a convicted sexual predator.

It was Axtell who notified local law enforcement Wednesday afternoon following the violent incident that took place at Scully’s home at 109 East 5th St. in Grand Marais. Upon arrival, deputies located Scully suffering from multiple areas of trauma to the head. He died from the injuries, according to the Cook County Sheriff’s Office.

Axtell was arraigned via Zoom on the day he was charged, and bail was set in the amount of $1 million. Pending his next appearance in the courtroom on April 10, Axtell will be held in the custody of the Cook County Sheriff.

 

 

 

 

The Moment You Realize...

....there will be people who come and go in your life.  I hold a special place in my heart for people who touched my life regardless if I speak to them everyday or not.   Thank you for being part of my life.  I've learned so much from you. 

The Muppet Show Swedish Chef Compilation - Part 1

This reminds me of my late brother-in-law who was a proud member of Swedes in Minnesota (or whatever the real name was).  Get your lefse and ludefisk on! 

The Call(s)

A couple days ago I got an unexpected phone call from one of my son's friends from high school/junior college.  She called to invite me to her outdoor wedding that will be held at Stafford Lake in May with a Tolkein Lord of the Rings theme (which is sooooooo her) .  She went on to say how I was a positive influence in her life during the very tumultuous teen and young adult years.  She said how our house was always a safe and welcoming place when her teenage self was such a mess.  There was one year where I took fencing lessons at Santa Rosa Junior College with my son, her, and a couple other of my son's friends.  Ahhhhhh, the good old days. 

What?  My son's friends are now embarking on their mid 30's and I thought at this point his friends from his youth had long forgotten about me and the nights at our house where I thought I was running a youth hostel complete with kids sleeping on the couch and on the blow-up mattresses on the floor.  Waking up in the morning would entail carefully stepping around a landmine of kids.  They would drain my refrigerator of milk and orange juice, and of any sort of snacks I happened to have on hand.  However, one snack I mastered was making homemade popcorn for all of them. 

Bottom Line:  I had no idea that I would receive a phone call from one of my son's friends from high school a decade plus later expressing gratitude for just being there.  

______________________________________________________

On another note, yesterday we ran into one the mother of one of our son's friends from elementary school at the grocery store.  After exchanging phone numbers, I talked to her for an hour and a half tonight.  She told me about how years ago she saw images of her deceased father and brother reflecting on the ferry window going from SF to Larkspur.  The image also included her mother, but at the moment she was still alive (as far as she knew).  

At the time of her vision, which was years ago, her son who was a friend of my son, was staying at our house.  After she got off the ferry, she trekked north to collect her son from our house and went home.  When she arrived home, her husband was sitting on the steps and told her that her mother had died.  It was then she realized that she had a premonition of her mother's death. 

Jayden Pienta - Maria Cervantes

 There was a stabbing murder at Montgomery High School in Santa Rosa the other day.  Parents and students are protesting and demanding more security and intervention at schools.  Here's the way I see it and it's not the scrubbed, politically correct version that will appear in mainstream media.

1.  There used to be a cop on campus.  His main job was to observe and be a resource for kids and squash trouble before things erupted.  However, because of "black lives matter" the school board got rid of the program because "people of color" were upset that it caused mental anguish.  

2.  It's not the teachers nor school administrator's job to act as crisis control.  School is to foster academics and it's not a substitute for parenting.  

3.  The victim, Jayden Pienta, burst into a classroom that was not his along with another student, started a fight with a kid who was rightfully attending class, and the student defended himself with a knife.  It's sad that the end result was death.  However, Jayden Pienta had no business picking a fight with another kid.  To be fair, the kid who committed the stabbing had no business possessing a knife. 

4.  Not ONE person has brought up that perhaps blame lies with the PARENTS.  There's all sorts of whining and protesting about what the school should or should not have done.  If the parents were actually parenting instead of getting facial tattoos that resemble prison gang affiliation, this could have been prevented.  There was an established pattern with the kids prior to the fight that ended up with a murder.  There is only so much the school can do.  Sorry, society can't raise YOUR kids you chose to have.  How is it the school's fault your kid has violent tendencies? 

5.  Schools can't win.  They are damned if they do, and damned if they don't.  I can't think of a worse profession to be in.  Wait.  Law enforcement.  

6.  Nobody is accountable for anything anymore.  It's so much easier to blame society at large rather than look in the mirror.  

Don't believe me about the facial tattoos?  Take a look at the mother.  

California Invasion

Everywhere is whining about the invasion of Californians.  Montana hates us.  Idaho hates us.  Utah hates us.  Oregon hates us.  Nevada hates us.  Washington hates us.  Alaska hates us.  Texas hates us.  Arizona hates us.  Wyoming especially hates us.  Tennessee hates us.  Georgia hates us. 

Why do they hate us?  Because Californians move to the above mentioned states with all cash offers gobbling up real estate above listing price.  

I can hear the grumbling from the other states all the way over here on this side of the San Andreas Fault.  Yes, breathe fire at the Californians.  Here they come with their liberal politics, hairy armpits, vegan gluten-free menus, and yoga studios.  RUN!!!  Did I also mention the Californians want to confiscate your guns.  But noooooooooooooooo.......they are not moving into your neighborhood to CHANGE anything and say they want to respect the culture (cough, cough, bullSH**).  

Before we get carried away bashing Californians moving to your state and you start your production line of bumper stickers that read, "Don't California my fill-in-the-blank location." 

Hey, it takes two to tango.  Californians may have all cash offers that exceed the sellers asking price.  However, the seller happily accepts the $$$$$$$.  Nobody ever blames the seller who is cashing out to Californians. 

Nobody ever sells their property for the lowest bid.  You all hate Californians moving to your state?  Here's a solution.  Sell to a local for less.  You won't do that.  For every buyer there is a seller.  Hate Californians buying up property?  Stop selling out for the highest profit.