A Friendly Musical Visit Every Day

I've been feeling so sick the past few days that I've barely had the energy to watch TV--and that's saying something. Watching TV isn't exactly a gruelling task. But one of my meds has been making me sick to my stomach, and after days of this I am just so weak. It's times like this when I realize how much my partner does to take care of me and to take care of our surroundings when I'm unwell. I'm noticing how much he does because he's not here. He's at his house; I'm at my place. And my place is a mess because I don't have the energy to clean it properly. Now I'm realizing that usually, when I'm sick, he does the dishes, he dries them and puts them away so we don't have a kitchen full of dirty dishes. Normally when I'm sick to my stomach, he runs to the bathroom with me and holds my hair. If my hair is pulled back, he pets my head because he says he doesn't know what else to do. But clearly he does know what to do, beca...

If I'm going to mention The Twilight Zone (as I did yesterday), I should tell you this story: a couple weeks ago my partner and I were at my apartment. I've got a bunch of Twilight Zone episodes on the PVR, so I picked one to watch before bed. It was the episode where William Shatner takes advice from a napkin holder. My partner isn't interested in paranormal stuff (although I would argue that this particular episode is more psychological than paranormal) and at the end he said, "It was interesting to see William Shatner so young. I've never seen that before." I thought he was talking about the episode--he'd never seen that episode before. But no. He had never seen The Twilight Zone! Like, what? Shocking. There are a bunch of different openings for this show, but... here's one. If you're wondering how you can support me in bringing you songs and anecdotes, the easiest thing you can do is buy my books (most are for adults only!) or check t...

This song popped into my head just now. Not sure why. Not even sure why I remember it so well. Before today, I'd only ever heard it once, when I watched the movie Silk Stockings on TV as a teenager. It felt like a classic, to me, but I'm not actually sure if too many people have seen it. And, in fact, this song is the only thing I remember about the movie. You'll have to turn your volume up-up-up to hear this one. If you're wondering how you can support me in bringing you songs and anecdotes, the easiest thing you can do is buy my books (most are for adults only!) or check them out from your local library.  Supporting my  AudioErotica  endeavour on  Patreon  would also help me hugely. I'm also an  Amazon Influencer,  so hopefully I can make a little pocket change when you buy stuff by clicking through  my affiliate links . I also recommend subscribing to my newsletter. I generally e-mail subscribers with a weekly update, and I would LOVE to ...

When I was a kid, I thought I wrote this song. Turns out I did not. But neither did the composers of the musical Kismet, from which this song comes. The tune was written by Alexander Borodin. We'll listen to that tomorrow. If you're wondering how you can support me in bringing you songs and anecdotes, the easiest thing you can do is buy my books (most are for adults only!) or check them out from your local library.  Supporting my  AudioErotica  endeavour on  Patreon  would also help me hugely. I'm also an  Amazon Influencer,  so hopefully I can make a little pocket change when you buy stuff by clicking through  my affiliate links . I also recommend subscribing to my newsletter. I generally e-mail subscribers with a weekly update, and I would LOVE to have you on the list.  Click here to sign up:  http://eepurl.com/R4b11 See you soon! Giselle

I've been in horrible pain all day (pardon any typos--thinking and typing are super difficult right now) and I just remembered a rant that's been inside me since last year. So buckle up, I guess. My partner and I listen to a classical radio station he refers to as "the old people channel" because it's very much geared toward older people. They regularly play radio spots from the head of a seniors' organization. Last year the head of this organization did a radio spot condemning the media for its "negative portrayal" of older people by showing them using "walkers and canes." I hear a record scratch in my head, which probably shows my age. But I'm actually not a senior. I'm in my forties.  I use both a walker AND a cane (not at the same time). And I would really love to know how using a walker and/or a cane equates to "negative portrayal" of persons in any age category. The only thing I can come up with is that disability = ...

Remember when this song was made into a Cheez Whiz (sp?) commercial? Would have been in the late 80s or early 90s. That commercial (and thus this song) popped into my head this morning as I was reading an old story of mine. I thought to myself, "Wow, this story has personality!"  And I burst into song. My partner used to love Cheez Whiz before his cancer treatment. Radiation changed the way he tastes things, meaning most things taste like nothing. When he was undergoing radiation he had to eat mostly creamy foods because hard foods are too difficult to consume when your throat is full of radiation burns. Having to eat creamy stuff all the time really put him off that particular texture, and now that things like Cheeze Whiz and peanut butter, which he used to eat every day, taste like nothing and have an unappealing texture, he just avoids them. If you're wondering how you can support me in bringing you songs and anecdotes, the easiest thing you can do is buy my books...

 Not sure why this story just popped into my head, but a guy I once worked with told me about a temp they'd had at a different company he'd worked for. This was an older woman. She'd been hired to come in for a week to do some filing or whatever, and that was the gig. She was not a permanent employee.  But she kept coming back. Like the cat who came back... the very next day. And the day after that. And on and on. She wasn't coming into the office to work, though. This woman would come into this workplace, head straight to the kitchen, and make herself "a cuppa." That's what she called her tea. Then she'd settle in at a desk that didn't belong to anybody, and turn on the computer.  This was back in the early days of the internet, when a lot of people still didn't have web access from home. That was the case with this woman. So she'd go on the internet, and she'd pull up recipes (cake recipes, mainly) and print them off. All day. Every d...

As I mentioned yesterday, the most strenuous thing I've been able to do lately is watch cozy mysteries (or just listen to them, if my eyes were hurting too much).  For a while, now, I've been trying to figure out which Midsomer Murders episode taught me the very important lesson that detectives on mystery shows aren't allowed to make friends. All I could remember about the episode was that Barnaby (the original Barnaby) goes to some seaside town and befriends a guy who sells fish.  It took me quite some time, but I finally tracked down the episode: it was Season 9, Episode 4. Down Among the Dead Men .  At the start of the episode, Jones questions the murder victim's taste in music and holds up a couple CDs, one of which is Mario Lanza.  Barnaby replies, "Mario Lanza is very good." That made me laugh, because the classical music station my partner and I listen to often plays Mario Lanza and we both groan, then chuckle. My partner's late parents loved Mario ...

I had a wonderful time at my family's Christmas party yesterday. Most of my extended family was able to make it, and I got to see my cousins' little kids for the first time this year. Time went by in a snap. It was fun. There wasn't a quiet moment. Everyone was eager to catch up, but that side of the family is so big there are probably a dozen people I didn't get a chance to speak to at all. And I wish I had! One of my cousins is about to move to the same city where my stepkids went to university. I wanted to talk to him about that, but never got the opportunity. My cousins and I don't tend to communicate except in person, at these family gatherings--which are few and far between, now that my grandmother is no longer with us. I miss my grandma. I think we all do. She was our matriarch and we adored her. Today's song of the day is always the first one that pops into my head when I need to think of an example of a Christmas tune. No clue why. There are so many...

My partner used to work for rich people, and he's weirdly in awe of them. He thinks it's amazing what they've gone on to accomplish in science and the arts and... well, all the fields, really. But all I can think is: of course they can accomplish anything they set their minds to. They have money. Family money. Mega family money. Wealth equals connections. They can fund their projects with Daddy's cash, or with the help of rich friends. The other day, I told you about a visit from my partner's friends. I considered them to be bad company for many reasons, including the fact that they showed up at our door with a bottle of wine, even though my partner had told them he was no longer drinking alcohol (in large part due to the cancer treatment he was undergoing at the time). This weekend, we had a visit from a different couple. These people were rich. Very rich. Complaining about the quality of the free wine served at their very exclusive COUNTRY CLUB's Christmas ...

A couple years ago, my partner and I attended a Christmas choral service at a church near my house. We're not church people, but my partner loves singing Christmas carols--only, he won't do it unless there are enough people around to cover up his voice. He doesn't like his voice. This was a big fundraising event for a local food bank, and it was also recorded to be broadcast on TV Christmas night. I was at my mother's house for Christmas, and I told her my partner and I were going to be on TV.  This was the one and only time we'd be able to watch the performance. It wouldn't be on again. But my mother wanted to watch a rerun of a some stupid sitcom instead. So that's what we watched. If you were hoping for a warm and fuzzy Christmas story, this isn't it.  If you're wondering how you can support me in bringing you songs and anecdotes, the easiest thing you can do is buy my books (most are for adults only!) or check them out from your local ...

I have written hundreds of short stories in my years as a writer. Today I was putting together a collection of paranormal shorts for Halloween. One of them features a queer cupid. Naturally, this song popped into my head. As I listened to it just now, it occured to me that these are the kinds of songs I should be listening to when I'm deeply and desperately depressed: songs that are nostalgic for me, because I listened to them as a child, and songs that are upbeat and make me happily sing along instead of sinking down deeper into despair. If you're wondering how you can support me in bringing you songs and anecdotes, the easiest thing you can do is buy my books (most are for adults only!) or check them out from your local library.  Supporting my  AudioErotica  endeavour on  Patreon  would also help me hugely. I'm also an  Amazon Influencer,  so hopefully I can make a little pocket change when you buy stuff by clicking through  my affiliate ...

I actually do own a pair of blue suede shoes. I am reminded of them today because I'm wearing the socks they accidentally tie-dyed. Now, don't be thinkin I'm fancy, or that I'm a hardcore Elvis fan or anything. The reason I have blue suede shoes is that they were $15 at the shoe outlet where I shop. ( Check it out if you're ever driving aimlessly around Whitby, Ontario.) I make clothing purchases based almost solely on price. Although, when it comes to shoes, I also take fit and comfort into account. I'm big-time into Clarks, these days. They take good care of my feet. But my blue suede shoes are not Clarks. They're the shoes I wore outside when the lawn was wet. And my socks? They're the baby pink ones my sister gave me that say "Wake" on one foot and "Up" on the other. They're very cute. However, after wearing my very cute socks with my blue suede shoes on the wet lawn, my very cute socks are now covered in blue suede splo...

When you get to a certain point of illness, there's nothing else you can focus on. That's where I'm at today. I can barely string these sentences together. It's taking all my energy to type these words, and I'm typo-ing a lot. My health is atrocious. I'm in terrible pain. I'm still taking care of my partner. I still haven't gone to the ER. I'm scared to go. I don't want to leave my partner alone. I'm afraid, I'm afraid, I'm afraid. I don't know why I chose Singin' in the Rain as our song of the day. I do feel rained on, but I'm definitely not happy about it. I did enjoy watching the dancing in this video, though. It gave me four minutes of distraction. If you're wondering how you can support me in bringing you songs and anecdotes, the easiest thing you can do is buy my books (most are for adults only!) or check them out from your local library.  Supporting my  AudioErotica  endeavour on  Patreon  would also help ...

Yesterday I mentioned I've been watching old episodes of Northern Exposure to escape into nostalgia. This song was featured in the same episode as yesterday's song. I never get tired of The Coasters. If you're wondering how you can support me in bringing you songs and anecdotes, the easiest thing you can do is buy my books (most are for adults only!) or check them out from your local library.  Supporting my  AudioErotica  endeavour on  Patreon  would also help me hugely. I'm also an  Amazon Influencer,  so hopefully I can make a little pocket change when you buy stuff by clicking through  my affiliate links . I also recommend subscribing to my newsletter. I generally e-mail subscribers with a weekly update, and I would LOVE to have you on the list.  Click here to sign up:  http://eepurl.com/R4b11 See you soon! Giselle

Autumn makes me sad. It's my sad season. That's really not helping me right now. When the garden dies off, I become more than usually focused on mortality. That's not helping either. If you're wondering how you can support me in bringing you songs and visits every day, the easiest thing you can do is tell your friends about the site. Tell anyone you know--particularly people who are isolated and enjoy music. Readers of adult fiction can also buy my books or check them out from your local library. Supporting my  AudioErotica  endeavour on  Patreon  would also help me hugely! I'm also an  Amazon Influencer,  so hopefully I can make a little pocket change when you buy stuff by clicking through  my affiliate links . But you don't HAVE to do any of that. I'm very happy to get a daily visit from you, so just keep coming back. Oh, and I also recommend hitting the "Subscribe" button at the top of the page so you won't miss a song! See you tomorrow! ...

Bringing you autumnal music.  I'm struggling to keep up with work these days, this blog included, because of chronic pain and migraines and fatigue. For the first time in my life, I'm starting to worry about my future. I'm self-employed. I have no safety net. If I can't look at my computer for days (weeks...) on end, what then? All I can do is hope readers don't forget about me and continue to buy my books. If you're wondering how you can support me in bringing you songs and visits every day, the easiest thing you can do is tell your friends about the site. Tell anyone you know--particularly people who are isolated and enjoy music. Readers of adult fiction can also buy my books or check them out from your local library. Supporting my  AudioErotica  endeavour on  Patreon  would also help me hugely! I'm also an  Amazon Influencer,  so hopefully I can make a little pocket change when you buy stuff by clicking through  my affiliate links . But you...

 I don't think I've ever listened to this song in its entirety before today. The world "oversexed" certainly jumps out! I wasn't around in the 50s. Maybe it was a kinkier time than I'd imagined. If you're wondering how you can support me in bringing you songs and visits every day, the easiest thing you can do is tell your friends about the site. Tell anyone you know--particularly people who are isolated and enjoy music. Readers of adult fiction can also buy my books or check them out from your local library. Supporting my  AudioErotica  endeavour on  Patreon  would also help me hugely! I'm also an  Amazon Influencer,  so hopefully I can make a little pocket change when you buy stuff by clicking through  my affiliate links . But you don't HAVE to do any of that. I'm very happy to get a daily visit from you, so just keep coming back. Oh, and I also recommend hitting the "Subscribe" button at the top of the page so you won't miss a s...

My aunt and uncle are celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary.  Feels like only yesterday we were celebrating my grandparents' 50th, but I guess that was actually 25 years ago.  At the time, I worked at the world's worst department store.  I asked for the day off more than a month in advance so I could go to the party we were throwing for my grandma and grandpa. My supervisor refused to give me the day off, so I called in sick. In all my working days, that was the only time I called in sick when I wasn't sick, but I stand by that decision. After that, my supervisor was led out of the store in handcuffs because she'd been caught embezzling. So I felt especially okay about the fake calling in sick. She could have easily given me the day off. She was just mean. And a thief, apparently. If you're wondering how you can support me in bringing you songs and visits every day, the easiest thing you can do is tell your friends about the site. Tell anyone you know--particul...

I just threw out my 2007 calendar--the one that had all my appointments, deadlines and work shifts written in it.   My writing career began in 2006.   In 2007, according to this calendar, I worked two jobs (warehouse work on weekdays, retail on the weekends) plus any temp stuff and casual labour I could cram in on the side. And throughout all that, I was writing books, building my business, marketing, really going at it. Oh--and I did volunteer work at a women's shelter too. I have no idea where I found the hours. I worked seven days a week outside the house, plus writing?  When did I find the time?   Looking at that calendar was a real eye-opener. It made me even more grateful than usual for the life I have now.  My writing business supports me.  I don't need to take on outside work.  Thank goodness. Even though I had two consistent jobs in 2007, I found a bunch of job interviews pencilled in on my calendar because I was struggling to make ends meet. ...