Author: Jen Rios

ALMOST Forgotten Tune #87

My brother, Steve, nominated me to participate in sharing 10 albums that have shaped my musical taste. I Just shared my fifth album with my Facebook friends. Yesterday, my brother shared this album as one of his albums that shaped his musical taste:

That is a great album! I commented that I was going to share that album because I really dig it! I really dug it when I was young. I dug it when I was young because my bedroom was directly above his bedroom and I heard that I am bum often when he listen to it. My favorite song is:

I haven’t heard this song in so long, but I really dug that it is one of his albums!

Startling

So, Sean did not have school on Friday and he did not go out Saturday night. I have been glued to the TV and as I hear more and more, the concern for immunocompromised people, I get afraid. That’s me. I am immunocompromised. I watch TV and I am shocked and become aghast. I don’t want to get sick!

When it all started to get a Little too overwhelming, I changed the channel and watched one of my favorite movies, The Thomas Croen Affair:

Whenever I watch this movie, I fantasize and think about being that rich but also that able-bodied! But I feel that the most startling event happened to me and came early this afternoon as I ate lunch.

Sean, who was here, came into the kitchen to got himself a glass of milk from the refrigerator. I looked over at him from my corner of the kitchen and noticed him drinking his milk.

Because he did not have school Friday and did not go anywhere on Saturday, he did not shave his face. As I looked over at him, I noticed a substantial amount of stubble on his jawline and cheek which startled me the most. Amid all of the fear and uncertainty that I am feeling, the most sterling is to see visual evidence of my son growing up! Regardless of what may happen to me, I am still a mother first and foremost!

ALMOST Forgotten Tune #86 OR A Random Memory

A friend/former colleague, and Facebook friend shared this video yesterday on Facebook regarding the coronavirus and washing your hands:

I clicked the heart button when I saw it because that song has ALWAYS been my jam! In fact, only a few days ago, I remembered a random memory from my first do years teaching and I told Sean about it.

I told him that one evening, A few of my friends/former colleagues, Jaci, Suzie, someone else, and me went to a bar to watch our friend/colleague, Shannon, sing with her band. They were a cover band and we sat at a table upfront. The band did an excellent job and she really could sing!

She started walking around as the band started to play, “ I Will Survive“ and of course, I was jammin’ And she thrust the microphone in my face so I HAD TO continue to jam! On Monday morning, she walked into my classroom and told me that I didn’t know I could sing! I just laughed and said that I had to do with the microphone in my face. I used to be in plays in high school, and I sing in the shower and in the car. Young Sean thought I sounded pretty good but nothing serious.

I have forgotten about that time singing in the bar for about 12 or 13 years! I’m not sure what sparked this memory in the beginning of the week but I finally remembered what song I sang and then to see her Facebook post and it made me laugh, made me think fondly of the memory, and took my mind off this pandemic that is kind of freaking me out a little bit because I am a person with a compromised immune system.

My Mom is an EXCELLENT caregiver to me and I do pretty well with washing my hands and the whole “Social distancing” thing. but, since yesterday, this song has been in my head. Now, I will sing it the next time I wash my hands!

38

Yesterday, Sean sat on the couch and he let me know that tomorrow is my birthday. I nodded and asked him If he remembered us having a conversation the night before he started first grade. He asked me how old I would be when he was a senior in high school. I thought for a moment and did the math and I will never forget the look on his face when I told him that I would be 38.

He remembered that conversation and I told him that the time is here now. He is 18 and a senior in high school and I am 38 today. It’s crazy that I remember a conversation from so long ago but I can still conjure up the look on his face in my head! 38 is so old! is the kind of luck he had.

It may be but I don’t mind. I told him that turning 38 today makes it sound a little better that I have an 18-year-old. It’s been a pretty low-key day but I like it. I’m wearing my new sweatshirt that I got today from Sean!

Tune #65 Inspired by GMFB

Nate, Peter, and M.J. talked about Jalen Hurts today and Kyle who was in Chicago talked about him too. He is a quarterback prospect for the draft. He was the quarterback for the Oklahoma Sooners.

Kyle suggested John Mellencamp and, “Hurts so Good” but Nate suggested R.E.M., “Everybody Hurts” I liked that suggestion more! When Nate Boyer was on the show during the next segment with Jay Glazer we’re talking about their project, MVP (Merging Players and Veterans) commented on that song too. So here it is: my 65th song inspired by GMFB:

Tune #64 Inspired by GMFB

I didn’t see this gem of a segment until the rebroadcast because I woke up late this morning:

So, of course that is my 64th tune inspired by GMFB!:

… Through Memories

Last Saturday, my Mom brought up a photo album from high school from the basement. I didn’t know what it was until I saw the cover:

It kind of blew me away because I wasn’t sure what pictures were inside. Once I opened it, I saw this:

There ended up being a few blank spots in the album and I knew they were of a really good picture but I had no idea what it was. I shared over 65 pictures on Facebook with my Facebook friends, but some of them I saved for me.

I shared this one because I remembered taking it and I thought it was so funny!:

That’s what a selfie looks like when there is a one foot difference in height between the people and you have to send it away to be developed. I like it because I thought it was funny! But then, I saw a few other pictures that reminded me of the life I used to have when I was able-bodied:

It started when I saw this picture. Look at me acting like that was my car and it made me think about it back when I used to be able to drive. I told Sean yesterday that I could still walk in all of these pictures. He told me that was the first thing he noticed. Wow, I can’t anymore.

I remembered taking this picture when we were on senior retreat and I thought it was really cool to see my last name spray-painted on the door. It all seemed like a lifetime ago!

I made that sign for the gym for our basketball game. That was back when I could still paint and write.

That picture made me laugh, from the looks of it, it looks like I could play basketball! I really couldn’t.

That one made me laugh because I was the one who took the over developed picture but I was sitting at the top of the bleachers so back then, I could get all the way up to the top of the bleachers!

This one took my breath away because I remember running around and banging on the pep jug. I’m sure that someone told me to go back to class or something.

But, shortly after all of these pictures were taken, I was diagnosed with MS. 19 years later, I am confined to a motorized wheelchair. Given the weather, I rarely get out at all but I did go with Sean today to vote. It was his first time and I remembered going to vote with my Dad my first time:

Sean let me chronicle this moment by taking a picture. I saw another picture today and I think this is where it all started:

Porath park. It is where I practiced every day during the week in the Spring and had doubleheaders twice a week. I was a catcher. The park was closed due to high levels of lead and mercury the year after I graduated. Reading research, it may be linked to my MS diagnosis. That and I also had mono during my senior year. From the looks of all the pictures, did we ever go to class?! We actually did; I wanted to be in the yearbook class but I got AP Calculus instead. I’m glad I put that class to use! Actually, I am lying but I seem to be living my life through memories now… It kind of hurts.

Benny-Bear Pt. 3

I shared my two previous posts about Benny with him. He set a couple things straight for me. He had a shaved head the entire time he worst at Fairlane east and he didn’t start growing it out until after he left. Sean and I continued living there but I still saw him. He also told me that I called him,”Benny-Bear” to his face. At least I’m consistent?

I just remembered that I had texted him a few weeks ago, when Sean was sick because we were binging Prodigal Son and I totally thought that Malcolm looks like him!

At least that is what I think now. I haven’t seen him for a while!

ALMOST Forgotten Tune #86 OR Benny-Bear Pt. 2 OR Its in the Eyes

So, yesterday, as I took pictures of the pictures that were in the album that my Mom brought upstairs, I listened to music on my phone. I chose to listen to Kings of Leon. I listened to the album, Only by the Night about three or four times:

I remembered listening to the CD on loop in my car for months when it came out. Sean and I were still living in Fairlane East at that time. So when I would get home and would slow down to roll by the guard shack, I would wave to, “Benny-Benny.” I thought of him as I cropped the pictures. I decided that I really dug one particular song that I had at but forgotten about:

I laughed at a particular line, and it’s my favorite now!:

I love that line! I told Sean that, “I am no expert but I don’t think that’s how it works.” He laughed. I thought about that song this morning as well, after I texted my Mom, I played it again. It got me thinking that Benny has not even accepted my friend request on Facebook! But I think that’s because the last update he had was in 2014 and I didn’t join until 2016.

His profile picture:

Well, you can’t see but I met him with really short hair but over the years, he grew it out. I always told him he reminded me of Caleb Followill, the lead singer of Kings of Leon:

I remember that I texted him when I was watching, Ms. Potter because I told him that he looked like Ewan McGregor because he does. He told me that he has heard that before.

I don’t know what his hair length or facial hair status is but hearing Kings of Leon reminds me of him as well, it’s in the eyes.p