Author: Jen Rios

Tune #52 & #53 Inspired by GMFB

So, I woke up late this morning and after watching the first broadcast of GMFB, I felt that I was missing something so I continued watching the replay. I saw a new segment today that I hadn’t seen before. “Trend of the World.” Kyle began singing a line from the REM song but I didn’t know if I wanted to put that one on my blog.

As I was debating that in my head, Kyle began saying the lines from Conga by Gloria Estefan. Gloria Estefan was my aunt Rita’s favorite singer! Whenever I hear anything by her, I always think of my aunt Rita now with fondness! I think the segment may have changed to the three words to describe the upcoming game. I think Kyle chose ”Miami Sound Machine“ which is her band.

***GMFB just tweeted this:

As Kyle was talking, they showed a picture of Gloria Estefan singing at a concert and I couldn’t stop thinking about my aunt Rita! This isn’t the picture they showed on GMFB but it looked similar:

I was able to get out of my thoughts enough to hear Nate talk about Patrick Mahomes’ touchdown from the game against the Titans last weekend and he chose this song to describe it:

I really dug his choice of songs because in the wee hours of the morning, when I can’t seem to fall asleep, I watch my YouTube feed. Specifically, I watch the blind auditions on The Voice. I don’t watch the show on TV but rather just watch the videos that show up in my YouTube feed. I remember seeing a girl sing that song and Boy George didn’t realize it was his song for a little while because she sang it so differently. I think I watched that in a longer 17 minute video but I searched that particular audition today and I found it:

So I’ve been thanking about this particular audition and my aunt Rita all day long!

You Know What I Miss? Volume 8

Continuing with the focus on things that people don’t realize I can no longer do. 

I miss having my finger on the music pulse while teaching middle school students.

During my first year teaching, it was the very beginning of, the ”Justin Bieber Mania” I remember grading papers in my classroom while a school dance was taking place and I could never forget the middle school girls’ screams that accompanied the beginning of that, “Baby” song.

Once I became the Reading Specialist, after a few years, my classroom changed to being adjacent to the cafeteria where the students’ physical education classes took place. Mr. Curl always played music! I always knew which songs my students liked and overtime, I liked them too!

i’ve recently been seeing this commercial over and over again:

I really liked this song but I didn’t know who sang it. It wasn’t until I saw that the musical artist, “Lizzo” took a break from her tour to pack lunches for firefighters and people displaced in Australia.

I didn’t know who she was so I looked it up. She is the one singing in the GrubHub commercial!!! I would’ve known that if I was still teaching.

I miss teaching for so many more reasons than, “Knowing what the kids are listening to” but that’s one thing that I can admit without crying.

Andy Reid’s Time? OR Tune #51 Inspired by GMFB

Friday, on GMFB, Peter Schrager told a story about seeing a movie star at his local coffee shop. He immediately recognized the man but the man did not recognize him. He began talking football with Peter and another person.

As the story went on, Peter let the table and the viewers know that the person he saw was Ethan Hawke. Ethan Hawke just wanted to talk football and he asked the question, “Is this Andy Reid’s time?”

The table was amazed that Peter was NOT recognized and they all started talking about Ethan Hawke movies. Nate said that he’s favorite Ethan Hawke movie was Training Day and Peter said that his was Reality Bites.

Of course, Kyle had to make a remark about this song, “My Sharona”:

I think that that movie is the best, even though I haven’t seen it in so long, but that song is the best. I would agree with Peter about that being the best Ethan Hawke movie.

Now,I am not rooting for them so much but I like the idea of Andy Reid finally winning a Super Bowl. I guess it depends on who they play. That game is just about to start so I will wait to make that decision.

ALMOST Forgotten Tune #85

Anytime I write a new blog post, I have to manually share it to Facebook. Whenever I post something, I check Facebook to make sure it posted. I check my story to make sure it’s there. So, this evening, I did just that and when I opened Facebook, I saw an absolute gem!

I completely stole this song from my brother’s Facebook story and it immediately took me way back to being a child! So, Ray, this one is an absolute gem! I really forgot about it until I saw that you posted it today:

Live Symphony Orchestra & Choir

Lately, live symphony orchestra and choir versions of popular songs that I love have been showing up in my YouTube feed. The first one I saw was a Keane song which I hadn’t heard in a long long time. I shared that one here on my blog. The second song I saw, and I was really debating about sharing this one was, Nirvana, “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” But then, that song was completely eclipsed by this one:

Anyone who knows me or has read my blog knows that I absolutely, unquestionably LOVE U2 and Bono!!! This one is my jam!!! I shared the version on Facebook with Mary J singing not too long ago:

Both of these versions came out of the original song which I absolutely love! I can no longer song out loud along with it but I know all of the words and I mouth them with unapologetic tears streaming down my face!:

I LOVE YOU, BONO!!! 😍😍😍!!!

ALMOST Forgotten Tune #84

I got my taxes done on Thursday and I got a haircut and eyebrows waxed on Friday. I told the woman who does them that now, I can stay holed up in my house for the next month while this impending snow goes away. She laughed and told me that I should NOT be an outside at all! I told her that now that my hair is cut and my eyebrows are done, I won’t need to be.

As we drove to the salon, my Mom lets me choose the station we will listen to because we drive in my car and I have XM radio. I DON’T listen to commercials! All of my preset stations are Mostly 90s and early 2000’s radio stations. I like them! As we drove there, I heard this song that I haven’t heard in so long!:

I laughed when it came on and I told my Mom that my co-teacher probably my second or third year teaching had this song as her entrance song when she and her husband entered the reception.

I’m not sure what it was but maybe it’s the fact that I miss teaching, or the fact that she and I had so much fun, or the fact that this is a really funny entrance song for a wedding reception but either way I will begin to cry.

My Mom asked me what was wrong and I just shrugged. I can no longer control my emotions and I cry at the drop of a hat and I never know why. I also laugh inappropriately as well. regardless, the song has not gotten out of my head since I heard it in my car!

ALMOST Forgotten Tune #83 + Random Songs in My YouTube Feed #34

I shared this video on Facebook this morning when I saw it in my YouTube feed:

When I saw it, I waited until a commercial break on GMFB and watched the entire video. It brought back tons of memories! Memories of my first apartment with Sean and also, my first year teaching! I wrote that on my post on Facebook, “Vintage Ms. Rios in room 106” I pulled up the actual video and watched it and reminisced as it played as well.

Outside

I had to venture outside today, it was the first time I was out of the house since Christmas. It was COLD!!! I had to get my taxes done! I had to get them done early because a few years ago my Identity was stolen. That was a huge headache!

Well, based on my tax return, I am still NOT a millionaire! I told Sean about ”Throwdown Thursday” on GMFB. All of the guys and the breakfast table chose Johnny Knoxville over John Hamm. I told Jonah how fun it was to watch them all turn into 13-year-old boys!

Centennial Slate of C/O 2020 HOF Class

Sean got me out of bed this morning so I would be up and watching GMFB For the unveiling of the centennial Hall of Fame class of 2020. I sat in my living room not having my contacts in and had to wait until the first commercial break. I hurried up and washed my hands and put my contacts in. I loved watching every second of it!!! When my Mom got here, I was crying and she laughed at me. I didn’t even care!

I didn’t even know who most of these men were but see the old guys in the studio made me cry! I watched both Bill Cowher and Jimmy Johnson get The news that they were to be inducted while watching last weekend’s games and cried too!! I know these guys!

I even watched the replay because I really dug it! This afternoon, I took a huge nap in my wheelchair. By saying,”I took a huge nap,” I mean that I passed out reclined in my wheelchair for a long time! I really enjoyed watching it!