It's a Costume Stupid

Song of the Day-"Dress You Up-Madonna

I don’t normally think about Halloween 3 weeks early, but anything to stop dwelling on the stupid economy. And this Great Pumpkin picture my friend sent me yesterday got me in the mood.

My Halloween costumes trend eclectic.  My creations are generally very “punny”. I get a lot of “What are you s’pose to be?” inquiries.

For example, one year in Jersey City, our local establishment was having a Halloween Costume Contest.  We decided to go at the last minute.  I grabbed a large white plastic garbage bag and went to check it out. 

Just before the contest started, I headed to the bathroom to primp with a bunch of girls dressed to the hilt as the entire Strawberry Shortcake gang. Elaborate costumes that took weeks to make, hours and hours of makeup-every detail attended to, carefully perfected,

I put a hole in my white garbage bag, poked my head threw and headed towards the contest.

“What are you suppose to be”, inquired one of Strawberry’s cronies.

“White Trash”, I said nonchalantly.

The Shortcakes’ rolled their over-painted eyes and snorted.  They thought they were ringers for the contest winnings and I just boosted their confidence.  Needless to say, there was a minor protest and ruckus from the ‘cakes when I took the 2^nd place prize.

Some other Pun with Halloween Costumes

Sand Witch

Dress up in black, pour glue all over yourself and roll in sand. Wear any other witch accessories if you’d like.  This ruined all the black clothes I wore that night, but it was worth it.

Blacked Eyed Susan

With dark make-up; completely black out an eye.  (I added “ make-up” because I don’t one anyone trying to punch out his or her own eye!)

Dress in yellow if you can and make some kind of head covering that looks like petals. 

Oh and get a name tag that says, “Hello, my name is Susan”.   The year I went as this, a lot of people thought I was the Statue of Liberty, I guess because of the flower hat and all.  Sometimes people don’t get it.  I guess we all can’t be on my train of thought.

Black Eyed Pea

Dress in all green; completely blacken one of your eyes. I wanted my husband to go as this the year I was a Black Eyed Susan but he refused.  

You could also pin a picture of Will. i. am or Fergie to yourself for overkill.   I completely believe in Halloween overkill.

More Dress Up Ideas

I never did any of these, but I think they are GENIUS!

Weather

Dress up in all blue.  Cover yourself with large mounds of cotton.  Carry a water gun. 

When asked, “What are you?” 

“Partly cloudy”, you say.

And then squirt them with your handy water pistol.

And say, “With a chance of rain!”  

Ziploc Finger Guy

This is from a few years ago; a finger character was as a spokesperson to close plastic bags in commercials.  Take a black market and draw a simple two eye dots and a half circle smiley face on your index finger. Dress normally. 

When someone asks what you’re suppose to be just put up your finger.  A little lame but good if you aren’t a Halloweeny person at all and get dragged somewhere last minute.

The Cereal Killer

And of course, the classic Pun Costume, we’ve all seen it before. Cereal boxes stuck all over your body with knifes and fake blood coming out of them.  Wish I had thought of this one!

Accepting Applications For Presidential Candidates

Song of the day: “The Politics of Dancing”-Re-Flex

"The Politicians Are Now D.J's" HA!

I’ve recently shifted sides a bit on the proverbial political fence.   But at times-I prop myself up on the fence, looking over at both sides and shaking my head.

It’s funny how the people you know react to the news of your new views.  Some are amused, like it’s a phase or something, you’ll grow out of it. Some are happy, embracing you with open arms, “I knew you’d make it, what took you so long?” And some are perplexed, even angry like “How could you do that?”

My husband and I were surfing the various cable networks last night after the so-called “debate” and we were AMAZED at the different biased each channel truly has.  It’s startling and scary.  

The thing is, you gravitate towards what you want to hear…listening/watching channels that share your views.  You keep hearing the same message over and over again, so you can shout them to others who don’t have the same outlook as you. And if they don’t have the same views as you, you wonder what is wrong with them; they must be awful stupid people. 

It’s so divisive, these politics of ours. I hate the HATE on both sides.   

It's like taunts on a playground: "I hate you, you hate me lets yell as loud as we can at each other without listening so we can get our point across and not even try to understand each other.   I don’t care what your candidate stands for; I only want to scream what I have been told by my fence-mates so that you and your poopy side of the fence people will go home."

This is MY dance space; this is YOUR dance space.    

It’s exhausting,  THIS is what we are reduced to?  The most important job in the land, and THIS is how we choose?

An article by the Associated Press talks about fact stretching shenanigans that occur on both sides. As I was reading it, a thought occurred to me…

WHY can’t a presidential contender fill out an APPLICATION like the rest us do as a  job candidate ???

Oh sure, there’s all kinds of stuff out there you can research yourself, but what side is it coming from, what is being filtered?  

I say, put the nominees alone in side-by-side rooms. Kind of like on police shows, when they use separate interrogation rooms.  Each candidate would have the same amount of time to fill out the application.  The form has to be filled out by the candidate alone, no spin master, or anyone in the room. The door would be guarded, and we could watch it on C-SPAN.  

When they’re done, we could compare and contrast the applications side by side; just like an H.R person does when Vodka Vinnie and Wendy Wineglass are applying for a job.

Sounds like something both sides of the fence could agree on. 

Words On Streets

Song of the Day-"Where the Streets Have No Name" U2

Tied with

"Takin' to the Streets" The Doobie Brothers

Lots of streets in the news these days, from Wall Street problems trickling down to Main Street to Madison Avenue trying to keep Fifth Avenue going.   It’s all got me thinking about the roads less traveled, the paths to personal growth and why the heck are there so many weirdoes on the streets of Seattle? 

Some streets are special to us. It’s funny how the mere sight of a sign can evoke emotions; provoke a saunter down memory lane. I have a montage of photos that contains a picture of Bleeker Street in NYC. A mere glance takes me back to the West Village for a second. And somewhere around here is collection of photos I took when a visiting friend dragged me on the Big Apple Tour of NYC.  Iconic streets like Broadway, Avenue of the Americas, 42^nd Street, rouse up recollections for the masses; and some of us have our favorite personal corners tucked in our memory, street where your first kiss took place, where your first job was located, where you found the most peace.   For me-Fifth Avenue at 82^nd Street-Home of the New York Metropolitan Museum, one of my favorite happy places. 

 New York-the land of landmark streets; in Seattle there’s streets I avoid, due to certain “elements” that lurk there.  It’s just a few odd little pockets all across town, and once you get the hang if it it’s a breeze strolling around.  Unless someone is walking towards you on the wrong side of the street.  Seems to be a Seattle thing too.  People walk on the wrong side AND don’t even bother to move.   Just FYI-to correctly be on right side of the street- always walk to YOUR right, and then you can never be wrong.  Something I picked up on the East Coast.

I find it a little comical that where I grew up, there weren’t any sidewalks in the neighborhood and yet as  a “grown up” I live in cities where without sidewalks, no one could walk around at all. 

Ahhh, the street you grew up on.  That’s good for the infamous“ What’s your Stripper Name Quiz”  (or is it Porn Star Name?)  Either way, take the name of your first pet and the name of the street you grew up on, and Viola', there you have it.

Mine is Rascal Drake, what’s yours?  J

How This Radio Life Began

Song of the day:  "Radio Silence" Thomas Dolby

Looking back now, the signs were all there. I was odd.  I pulled apart my radio, the shiny red Panasonic that twisted into shapes my grandma gave me, to see what J.P McCarthy looked like.  Yes I did.   May he rest in peace, the guy was THE man of Detroit Radio on “the Great Voice of the Great Lakes” WJR for so many years.  I really thought he lived in my radio.  I was very very young then.  Really young.  Ok, not that young, but big imagination is a funny thing.

I also PLAYED radio. I would write down the songs on a yellow pad, in the order that they were played. Didn’t know at the time that was a PLAYLIST and I was acting as a Program Director.  I liked to be boss and run the show even then.  

It was great when my best friend came over; she had an 8 track player and much different music selection than me. We could play one song on my turntable, and another song on her 8 track, without having to stop and change the record.

 It was sheer genius. 

It's Beginning To Look Like Rain

On the off chance that you might have read my previous, critically acclaimed but short lived blog, “Sleeping Pretty Good in Seattle” The following might give you a little déjà vu.  They're my words, I can reuse and recycle if I want to J

I believe it’s the beginning of the rain season in Seattle, so lets start with props to “High Fidelity” Top Five Songs About Rain….GO!

1.     “Purple Rain”-Prince

2.     “Rain King”- Counting Crowes

3.     “Fire and Rain”-James Taylor

4.     “Walk Between the Raindrops”-Donald Fagen

5.     “How I Wish it Would Rain Down”-Phil Collins

Different Tweets For Different Twitters

Song of the Day-"In a Big Country"-Big Country

For a variety of reasons, I Twitter now. Once I started using it with some regularity I’ve begun to understand its usefulness for promotion and networking.  I have promoted my blog on Twitter. I “met” a woman on the site who has thrown some freelance work my way for her new website launch, "Women on a Career Break Network".

And today, here was an interesting little”Tweet” that got me thinking and got me a blog post for the day ;)

Tweet from someone else: let's be honest, Alaska is a foreign country

My Comment to that Tweet: let's be honest most states are foreign countries to each other, like South vs. East...Midwest vs. West, etc.

I grew up Michigan, lived in the NJ/NY area for many years and did some time in places like Ohio and Kentucky.  I now live on the Far Coast of Seattle.  I can tell you the differences in all of these areas and then some from first hand experience.  I really do think this country is extremely divided and diverse. How can someone from San Francisco agree with someone from Atlanta?   And how can someone from Topeka agree with someone from Philadelphia? 

I could go on, but I think you get the picture.

Heck-In one city you have people divided about what baseball team to root for.  Look at Los Angels and Chicago right now! 

Something to ponder as you wait for the season premieres of “Pushing Daisies” at 8PM local time and “Dirty Sexy Money” 10PM on ABC.    Find something else to do at 9 PM though, ;)

How Are All of us Fitting on Main Street?

Song of the Day-"Down on Main Street" Bob Seger

It was BEAUTIFUL here in Seattle yesterday, two words that I don’t normal use together, Beautiful and Seattle, ha ha. 

But that ol’ recovering Catholic Guilt kept creepin’ in. It was so nice but I felt so weird about the market crash thing, and the bank take-overs.  It’s so Great Depressionny.  (I make up my own words occasionally, my excuse is I’m only an English MINOR.)

This whole Bailout Bust thing has really got me spooked.  From years of working in Downtown Manhattan  I developed a symbiotic relationship with the area. I have still have friends that work down there, some for NYSE which I am sure is just loads o' laughs right now.

But I am SOOO sick of the media saying “Wall Street VS Main Street” I don’t know why, but that is just so lame… calling the rest of America “Main Street”. This isn’t the time for cutesy or lame slogans or headlines.  That's just me I guess. 

The thing is, who on Main Street really understands what this is all about?  

Thank goodness for Google. What the heck did I do without search engines and the Internet?  How did I learn or  know anything back in the Dark Depressionny ages?? I can’t tell you how many times on a daily basis I use my Google Toolbar, especially these last few days.

Am I smarter because of it-the easy access to a gazillion piece of info, or dumber because I am too lazy to think about it for a second???

The Sudden "Full Pockets " Syndrome

Song of the Day-"Money Money Money" Abba

Tied with "Money" Milli Vanilli because I can't resist

My husband has been in London and my sleep schedule is all off.  I don't sleep well when he's not here, which is ironic since he's a HUGE snore monster and I don't sleep sometimes when he IS here. 

 

So I was up early and I flipped over to CNBC.  Like most people, I'm trying to grasp the whole B. D. D-Billion Dollar Bailout.  As an added bonus I was watching right as Citibank was buying out Wachovia.   That was comforting, NOT. 

I was questioned on the street last week by the local NPR affiliate KPLU what I thought of the whole deal and I pulled out of my bag a B.S  a surprising coherent answer.  I am in the middle, after the guy with the beagle. 

Anything to get on the air, that's me.

The whole $700  Bamboozling, I mean Bailout reminds me of this:

Once upon a time, small Susan asks Daddy for a few dollars to fortify her Bazooka and Skittles fix.  He says he doesn't have any moolah, and to "Go ask your Mother".

Mom says she tapped out.  Mom never gave up the goods. 

Go back to Dad, who sighs, reaches into his pocket and comes out with a couple of bucks. 

All of a sudden the government has the money in their pockets???  Seems kinda odd to me. 

A few randoms-

R.I.P Mr. Newman!!!   One of my fave movies of all time is "The Sting" and our cats are named Cassidy and Sundance, yes after the film.  It wasn't my doing.  

But Paul Newman was truly an inspirational man, using his celebrity for good and making some FABU salad dressing to boot.  

Also-

I want to send a shout-out to "the bankrupt divorcee'"  you left a message correcting a previous post, which I appreciate, and I screwed up how to publish your comment.   I don't want you to think I don't encourage comments, in fact I do.  

Still tinkering and figuring it all out. 

TTFN!

Tube Talkin'

Song of the day:  “I Don’t Want to Grow Up” –The Ramones

“Growing up isn’t about making the right decisions, it’s about dealing with the decisions you made” 

Betty’s dad to Betty on “Ugly Betty”

Just a side note-This blog isn't always going to be about TV.  But I do LOVE TV.  And when I was on the air I talked about TV. I did Trivia Contests about TV. (easy cheezy trivia! ally's answers!)

And since I am trying to do a “Blog Radio Show”-I’m talking ‘bout da tube if I want to. Beside, it’s “Stay at Home Week” on ABC.  New shows are on, so come on people!  Gotta keep up with the times. That's what pontificating on pop culture is all about.

The first five minutes of U.B was good.  Then it went downhill from there. I think we were really duped by the promos. ABC does fabulous promos.  They make the shows sooo much better than they really are sometimes.  You could just watch the promos and keep up on the shows.  "7th Heaven"  on the WB was like that. I NEVER watched it-but the promos really kept me in the loop. I am bettin' TV and Ad execs would LOVE that recommendation! HA HA!

Last night’s Betty wasn’t as excruciating as Grey’s Anatomy.  At 9:24 Grey’s was already too running too long. And it was a two-hour episode!  I loved G.A when it first came on.  I think it was a mid-season show, with only a few episodes made at first right? I know it used to be on Sunday’s and I’d have to watch it in the bedroom because football was still on. 

But Grey’s is still a guilty pleasure. 

Hey-that’s an oxymoron-“guilty pleasure”. How can it be a pleasure if you feel guilty about it ????  Heh Heh Heh

I digress.  

I spent a whole summer jamming to the music of Grey’s. They did for some bands what some radio stations USED to do for music, heh heh.  But there I was, boppin’ around JC and NYC never ever ever ever imagining in my wildest nightmares I’d be schlepping cross-country to the city where the G.A takes place. 

It really IS all about dealing with the decisions you made.

Sucks being a grown up sometime don’t it?

What Lipstick Goes with Jungle?

Song of the day “ Love to Hate you”- Erasure

“Joe-please, why don’t you save your pump and dump adventures for your blog?”

Quote from the dark haired babe Victory on NBC’S “Lipstick Jungle”

Victory.  What kind of a name is that??

Andrew McCarthy plays Joe.  I loved loved loved him in “St. Elmo’s Fire”. And “Joy Luck Club” and “Pretty In Pink” What am I missing? But man, he’s gotten old.

I digress.  The quote “Save the Adventures for your Blog” struck me as very funny. 

Funny ha ha, not funny peculiar.

Funny that it’s so commonplace to have a blog now.  Or at the very least a Facebook page.  

Ahh Facebook (cue the Homer Simpson Voice) I love me my Facebook.

We’ve become a bunch of navel grazers.(edit note: that would be navel GAZERS-thanks to the "bankrupt divorcee- I screwed up how to publish your comment :) We think the 

minutiae of our daily lives is interesting to others.   Well I know mine is…heh heh.

But back to the “Jungle”- I didn’t watch it last season.  I must confess I watched it last night because one of my friends posted on Facebook she was waiting for the season premiere. 

So I thought what the heck, I’ll check it out too.  Yeah, I’m that easily swayed.

One reason I didn’t initially watch “Lipstick Jungle” was mostly due to a long simmering hatred of Brooke Shields. I don’t know why I detested her soooooo much, but when I was younger, I really did. 

Maybe it was the eyebrows.

Or the fact that I could never fit, let alone afford Calvin Klein’s. And then ol’ B.S played a character named SUSAN on “ Suddenly Susan”. I was irate.  The nerve of her.

But then suddenly Susan stopped hating her.

Perhaps even grudgingly I don’t mind her in small doses.  No motive for the turnaround, it just happened.

It’s like the person in high school who was your arch nemesis-for no real reason you can recall now. You just LOVED TO HATE THEM.  You were always on opposite ends.

But as a so called grown up, you might run into old enemies and have some pleasant conversations.  All bad blood from the past is washed away for the most part.

It’s like that with Brooke and me.

I am sure she is very relived.  

It's the First Post-Finally!

           Song of the Day

        “ A Little Less Conversation a Little More Action” 

          Elvis Presley 

My name is Susan, and I am a Recovering DJ.  

For over 10 years, I made a living turning on a microphone and speaking into it between songs and commercials.  

Doesn’t sound so glamorous when you put it that way eh? 

For a cornucopia of reasons I’ve been attempting to get a blog up for AGES. 

I started this one:  Sleeping Pretty Good in Seattle

But for a myriad of motives, I inexplicably dropped it. 

For the last 18 months or so I’ve been reading books and articles and other blogs on how to blog-

but not actually blogging.   

I am very easily distracted. 

Lots o' Conversation with Li'l Action. 

So why am I a recovering DJ? Well I don't work in radio anymore.

But for me, I have finally admitted  radio is like the love you never really got over.   

I say I am over it.  I tell everyone I am.  

But every once in awhile when I am not paying attention it creeps out.  

The secret devotion lingering in the back cupboard of my cluttered mind.  

This blog is an attempt to fill that void.  To babble and entertain, to ramble and perchance to amuse.   A radio break via blog. 

I have spent many many a day trying to figure out what I want to do with the rest of my life,

and it is time to start doing something, however small, however insignificant.

I’ll pontificate on the latest pop culture that suites ME-the "Blog Runner" the "Former Talent."

The writing is sophomoric and the grammar is atrocious.  But I have seen worse out there in the blogasphere.  

And with that, for now I say” Good Day, and May the Good News be Yours."