Black

Yesterday morning, (well, actually it was almost afternoon) when my Mom came into my room to get me out of bed, I was still kind of still sleeping. My face was away from the doorway and I was laying on my left cheek with my hair spread out behind me on my pillow. My Mom pulled my covers off and told me that, “You’re hair is really black!” Normally, I do not talk in the morning (even if it was almost afternoon) but as I rolled over for her to put my shoes on, I told her that I had noticed that and asked if it was because I have not been in the sun for months.

I noticed that my hair was darker the last time my Mom took a picture of its length now that I have been sheltering in place with her for so long. I usually get subtle light brown highlights from being in the sun. Don’t pay attention to the split ends but I kind of want to see how long it will get! Just so you know, moments after this picture was taken, I put my hair in a fold/over (or is it fold-under) ponytail and put a hat on.

Once my Mom took the picture, I noticed that my hair was a lot darker than it normally is. What do you think?

Also, looking at all of the pictures (which may or may not be out of order) I guess it looks the same. I don’t know. But the fact that my Mom said that my hair looked black, gives me a perfect segue to post this video because I ABSOLUTELY love this song!:

And by the way, I will NEVER show you my one eyebrow or my furry face until it is gone!

High-Five

In the 38 years I have been living, I don’t normally high-five my Mom. However, now that she is my full-time caregiver and we have been sheltered in place together since March 2020, we pray, listen to music, laugh, and talk about a lot of things every single day as she is assisting me to get ready for the day.

We laughed a lot today after we prayed and before we listened to music and it reminded me of our conversation from a couple weeks ago. I have heard this story numerous times but I really like to hear it. My Mom will tell the story and it always makes me laugh because this was back in March of 1982. My birthday. My Mom went into labor with me and she and my Dad were in the hospital room. She has told me that the intake nurse was gathering her information about how many children my Mom had. She asked my Mom my oldest brother’s name and his father. My Mom told her and then she asked my second oldest brother’s name and his father. My Mom listed all four of my brothers and my Dad is also their Dad.

The intake nurse was in disbelief and she called three or four other floor nurses to hear what my Mom had just said and asked her again. They all could not believe it and this was back in 1982.

A couple weeks ago, she was telling me that story again and I told her that in 1982, it was common place to have just one, “Baby daddy.” After she was finished telling the story and we talked about it. I told her that I had just one, “Baby daddy” because I only have one child.

Uncharacteristically, she told me that she also has just one “Baby daddy.” I began to laugh and put my hand up not really thinking that she would high-five me but she high-fived me. We both laughed a lot.

I remember when this song came out so many years ago and I think it’s kind of funny still:

Me and Bobby McGee

Janice Joplin videos have been showing up in my Facebook feed and I don’t mind it at all! The first one to show up was yesterday and it was, “Piece of my Heart” and today, I saw, “Me and Bobby McGee.”

I immediately was reminded of a conversation a had with a former colleague that had to be about 10 years ago now. Somehow, we were talking about music and I think I mentioned this song to her. My memory of this occasion is a bit hazy but she gave me a burned CD to listen to while I drove to my acupuncture appointment. She didn’t even tell me who was singing but I took it and loved this version of this song.

When I reviewed this song the next morning to her, she told me it was sung by Jennifer Love Hewitt. I have since misplaced this CD but I can always search it on YouTube which I did! I REALLY dig this cover!!!:

ALMOST Forgotten Tune #98 OR My MS Support Groups

I belong to 15 MS support groups on Facebook. A lot of my Twitter followers are neurologists, advocates, and follow MSers. Most of the groups on Facebook are private and I can discuss things going on in my body and know that they are experts because these things are going through their bodies as well!

I feel that I have developed somewhat personal relationships with a number of them even though they live thousands of miles away from me. They really get me at my most basic level!

I feel most grateful that I have just been invited to a group that focuses on music and MS. Music is kind of my thing and how I deal with what’s going on in my body. This is an extremely large group where we can just post songs. I am LOVING it! I can’t scroll through for sometimes hours and see random songs that I love! It is an extremely eclectic group whose members span many decades!

I saw this song just a few days ago and when I tried looking for it again, I couldn’t even find it because so many songs are posted throughout the day. I saw this song and I clicked on it to listen to it. It was a song that I have not heard or thought about for 20 years! Hearing it, made me cry and I remembered having to correct the person singing to me that I am only 5’0 and NOT 5’1.

ALMOST Forgotten Tune #97

Okay, so a couple things: my time shift has still NOT changed because I went to bed super early this morning and I woke up late in the morning. I am still drinking my water and I just finished my protein shake but my Mom is taking Leia for a walk so I might as well post now. Today IS a better day. Better than yesterday but in the past 20 years, no day has been really good. I would say lots of grants as my body spasms but the groans are reserved for when I am really in pain and I haven’t groaned yet. Grants, yes but groans, no.

I actually thought of this song for a couple of reasons. First of all, my Mom is not a football fan at all!!! Being sheltered in place with her, I have respected that fact and I just have checked the scores on my phone rather than putting her through hearing me scream at the TV.

However, today, the Saints are playing the Buccaneers. I told her that I want to watch that game this evening. I have so many memories tied to these two quarterbacks playing tonight. A few years ago, I had to be taken to the hospital via ambulance because my surgically repaired knee popped out and it really hurt and wasn’t popping back in.

it was Wild Card weekend and I really wanted the Saints to win and the EMT who was in the back of the ambulance with me wanted that too! We started off the conversation on our way to the hospital when I told him that all I wanted to do was watch football! As we talked, I discovered that we both wanted the Saints in the Super Bowl! That didn’t happen.

Then, I think back a couple more years when the Eagles were playing the Patriots in the Super Bowl. I’m not a fan of Tom Brady which is strange because he is a U of M graduate as well. My physical therapist said that I was just, “Hating on greatness.” Which made me laugh. But I’m going to watch the game tonight and my Mom is okay with that.

As I thought about talking about football with people I really don’t know, I was reminded of my five seconds of fame on GMFB.

This was a couple years ago, and they were discussing the London games. With all Kyle Brant’s 90s pop culture references, I tweeted him and asked him why he did NOT reference the Third Eye Blind song, “London.” Peter Schrager commented on my tweet and so, in the next segment, Kyle Brandt said, “Someone on Twitter…” and that someone he was talking about was me!

So, I thought about all of these things because I am going to watch the Saints and Drew Brees play Tom Brady this time on the Buccaneers. I still want the Saints to go all the way or at least beat the Buccaneers! But these thoughts/memories may bring me out of my 3eB rabbit hole of songs that I thought of that I almost forgot. It’s the song that I told Kyle Brandt to talk about:

I’m kind of excited to watch the game tonight!

Neural Ophthalmologist

So, I had an appointment with the neural ophthalmologist today. First appointment in about 10 years. My appointment was at 1:30 in the afternoon and then just got home at about 7 pm. I will write more about it, maybe tomorrow, but my eyes are still super dilated and I am tired!

You know that I had to cut off most of my overgrown eyebrow in this picture…

ALMOST Forgotten Tune #96

I have always used my music in everything in my life and even as Sean grew up. Now that the time has passed, I can’t believe I didn’t play this song for him just before he graduated. Maybe it’s because everything about his graduation of 2020 was awful and I couldn’t even attend. I remember arguing with people in my graduating class 20 years ago to see if this could be our graduation song but it’s totally inappropriate for a Catholic school:

Big Brother KNOWS my Soul…

Last night just before midnight, I shared this video on Facebook:

I didn’t see the 360° Tour because I was already a homeowner at that point and could not in good conscience pay $500 for two tickets to go see it. I would have taken my brother because I don’t share U2 with anyone!

Unfortunately, there are a couple guys who I think of when I hear certain songs but I try my best to put that out of my mind because they are my band!!! Even Facebook quizzes know that:

I really dig taking these Facebook quizzes and they let me know that big brother really knows me or more importantly, in this case, my soul! 😂😂😂

But, I watched this video because I never got to see the 360° tour and this song reminds me of so many things back when I lived in the land of the able-bodied.

This song reminds me of winter time and driving to my job while I was in college. I worked at DFCU financial credit Union. This song reminds me of Matt Davis, “My Matty.” He hired in after me and I was listening to the Best of 1990 to 2000 in my car at that time.

He told me that his older sister liked them and he specifically referenced this song. It’s really cool that I just put my Apple Music playlist on shuffle now and I can hear and then whenever I want to! This song specifically reminds me of working in the drive-through with Matty back when I was “Able.”


“Lasting Memories”

I am a very sentimental person and a lot of things I do go along with that fact! I do silly things for my own amusement but I think somewhere in there, I have given my son some lasting memories.

I just thought about this today in passing. I found out that it was December 15, 2020 that Sean texted me this picture from work. He is a porter and detailer at a local car dealership:

He was driving some car and this song started to play. I know this is a, “Lasting memory” because he is 19 years old now. 30 days before he was turning 17 and I was still recovering from knee surgery, I would play this song on my phone as I laid in bed when I heard him getting out of the shower and as he got ready for school.

I really dig this song and I didn’t mind playing it every day but I played it for my son who was going to be 17. When he sent me this picture, I laughed and later that day, I told him that when he has a 17-year-old, he knows what to do! It was his turn to laugh and he kind of shook his head and agreed.

I made a memory really just for my own amusement but the fact that my son sent this picture to me when he heard the song at work and he is 19 makes me feel like I may have made a few other, Lasting memories.”

“Little Red Pants”

I actually was not familiar with this song but Big Brother knew that my soul needed it! These Facebook quizzes are definitely on point sometimes:

I didn’t recognize this video when it popped up in my YouTube feed but I watched it and I REALLY dug Bono’s little red pants!