A Friendly Musical Visit Every Day

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...

Okay, I mentioned I Dream of Jeannie yesterday, and since it's one of my earliest childhood memories, let's listen to the theme music. I was going to say that Dick York was in one of my favourite episodes of The Twilight Zone, but he was on Bewitched, not Jeannie. My brain is very hurting and foggy today, and I'm having trouble typing, so let's leave it at that. 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:...

You think we're listening to Stereophonics because the word came up in a song the other day, but no! We're listening to them because they are Welsh. And I'm going to admit something shameful: even though one of my grandmothers was from Wales, I still can never tell whether a character on a TV show is played by a Welsh actor who has an actual Welsh accent, or whether it's an actor doing a bad Welsh accent. Isn't that awful? I should be able to tell, considering my partial Welshness.  And I spent a lot of time with that grandmother, as a kid. She used to babysit me and my cousin while our parents were at work. My earliest memories are of watching I Dream of Jeannie with my Welsh grandmother. Mind you, by the time I was born my grandmother did have a type of facial paralysis that affected her speech, so I'm not sure what her accent sounded like before then. Anyway, that's my shameful announcement for today: I can't tell a real Welsh accent from a fake one...

My chronic illness was sparked by the onset of menopause (thank you very much, hormonal changes) and yet my mother is constantly saying to me: "I don't understand why you're so sick all the time. You were such a healthy baby." Yeah, you'd think that would have carried me all the way through life. Weird. I was listening to a Paralympian talking about proving to the world how much we (people with disabilities) can do. Because I became disabled in adulthood (well, midlife), I find it's the opposite with me: I feel like I have to somehow prove that I can no longer do things I could very easily do earlier in life. And I hate that feeling. And, realistically, it's not "the world" I need to prove this to. It's certainly not my doctors--they have been wonderfully supportive. Strangers at the grocery store and random people on the street are lovely and helpful, for the most part. The only people who challenge me are my closest family members. Main...

I have a sister who is in her thirties. We don't spend much time together, in part because of the age difference (we're always at vastly disparate life stages) and in part because we live in different cities/towns, but we were out together a couple weeks ago and a teenage boy called me ma'am. My sister burst out laughing. I didn't get the joke. She was like "Ma'am!" That was the joke, I guess. If she spent more time with me, she would know just how often I get called ma'am. I don't even hear it anymore. And if she just waits a few more years, it's very likely that teenagers will start calling her ma'am, too. (I'll wait a little while to warn her that eventually people who are OLDER than you start calling you ma'am as well...) This music video was on my mind because I took my walker for a walk this morning and I've never had so many young men be so cordial to me. Boy howdy. If you're wondering how you can support me...

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 ...

Sorry for taking off without letting you know what was going on. I didn't quite know what was going on, myself.  On the face of it, I just didn't feel like I had anything to share with you, music-wise. I'd been scrambling for songs, and that didn't suit the spirit of this here blog. But I think my health issues and mental health issues were actually weighing me down so badly I just wanted to hide. My brother had routine dental surgery that went wrong in a way I didn't even know it could go wrong, and he is suffering tremendously. He doesn't complain, but you can see it in a person's face (the sunken eyes, etc) when they are in terrible pain. I know because I see it in the mirror pretty much every day. I am worried about my brother, but I'm also worried about myself, because the thing that happened to him actually clarified one of the health issues I've been experiencing (we have some of the same medical problems) and now I am scared out of my mind. F...

Taking some time off for a variety of reasons. Hopefully I'll get back to posting soon. Take care, my friends.

Can't remember the last time I washed my hair, or bathed in any way for that matter. I splash water on my face in the morning, but that's it. Depression does this to me. I feel disgusting and I look disgusting, but the cashiers at my local grocery store are still so kind to me--even in this outwardly gross state--that I always leave the place with tears in my eyes. That's how much I appreciate their kindness. 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 yo...

When my partner moved from his apartment in the city to a (small) house in a small town, he said it was because he didn't want to die listening to the woman upstairs snoring. Now he's bought this condo in a his hometown and a move seems imminent. I keep wondering how he's going to react to the other-people noises in this new building. My own apartment building is a concrete structure. This morning, I woke up to the sound of a sneeze. My partner isn't here with me. The sneeze came from another unit. I'm not even sure whether it was a human sneeze. I think it might have been a dog sneeze. He got away from the thing he wanted to get away from, and now he's going back to it. What's worse is that he's moving farther away from the place he wants to be (the city) because it's so massively expensive to live here. I can only afford my place because I've lived here for twenty years and rent controls have kept the cost down somewhat (long ranty story). T...

The other night, I wanted chocolate. And I didn't have any chocolate. I was alone at my apartment in a city where stores are actually open past six in the evening (as compared to the small town where my partner's house is, where stores are... not open after six in the evening), so I went out to buy myself chocolate. I never do this. Go out to buy myself a treat? Just because I want it? I don't do that. But I did. I went to the store and picked out a chocolate bar, and then I went over to pay. The cashier was obviously bored, because she had no customers and was just scrolling on her phone, but when she saw me, she put down her phone and smiled so big I couldn't believe it. We small-talked very briefly as we transacted, and wished each other goodnight, and I left the store walking on air. That tiny encounter made me unbelievably happy. By the time I got home, I didn't want my chocolate anymore. I was content. I went to sleep. Sometimes the thing you think you w...

This song popped into my head while I was cleaning my apartment. Not sure why. I'm very frustrated and angry over the state of my apartment at the moment. If I get into it right now, I'm just going to get angrier and more frustrated. So maybe this is a story for another time. Maybe not. We shall see. Lots on the go, where housing is concerned. Very stressful. 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:  h...

I had to stop myself from singing this theme song to my partner in bed the other night--not to serenade him, only because it was stuck in my head. I thought I might be able to remember all the words, but no. In preparing this post, I discovered that Tress MacNeille did the voices of Chip and Gadget on the show. Simpsons fans (and fans of animation, generally) will know the name. 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 her...

I took a whole bunch of painkillers this morning because my partner's real estate agent and some other people were coming in to prepare the house for sale (long story), but after they'd gone I decided all the spider webs in the rafters needed to be dealt with. It's something we've been putting off the entire time he's owned this house. So I duct taped two brooms together, I brought the ladder in from the garage, and I insisted that I was capable of swatting at spiders. Except that climbing a ladder and bending your head back is a very stupid thing to do for someone with chronic vertigo, among other conditions, and as soon as I was finished my self-assigned task, I had to lie down. On the couch. Because the couch was close. Actually, my partner doesn't own a couch. It's a loveseat. So my legs flop over the side. For a long time after that, I couldn't move at all. Despite the many medications I'd taken. I felt like a ragdoll. And I've had this s...

When I was a kid, my favourite cousin lived in a small(ish) town. One March Break, my aunt invited me and my sister to stay over for the whole week, and she signed us and my cousin up for art camp. I loved art and I loved my cousin, so this was the best thing ever. One of our art instructors one day said to another, "I love The Police." Except I didn't know The Police was capitalized in her sentence. I thought she was saying, "I love the police." Which seemed very odd to me, because she dressed like a punk, in a leather jacket and everything. Punks and police didn't go together, in my mind. Not sure how long it took me to realize she was talking about a band. Could be minutes, could be years. My memory is kinda sketchy. But every time I hear a song by The Police, I think of that art instructor. 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 c...

When we were watching the Olympics, a commercial kept playing where a Paralympic athlete said something like: I'm disabled, but I'm not fragile. Every time we saw that, I would say to my partner, "I'm disabled and I AM fragile." For someone who always prided themself on being strong, it's been a huge shift. I can't do things I used to do, but I'm constantly forgetting how weak I am now. I try to do things, and I fail spectacularly. Which is often embarrassing, because I offer to help old ladies at the grocery store when I see them struggling to pick something up, and then I can't pick it up either.  (Oh, I've got a good story about that, but I'll save it for another day.)  Here's an example of how weak I am now: I had to ask my partner to refill my water bottle because I couldn't lift the Brita filter. This is pretty standard. Before I became disabled, I wrote characters with physical disabilities as fierce. And in one way I...

My partner and I cycled down to the lake to watch the Perseids meteor shower earlier this week. We brought a blanket and got down on the ground to stare up at the sky. We only saw two meteors this year, but they were spectacular, so I'm happy with that. A couple years ago, we were visiting friends at their cottage during the Perseids. Being far from any town or city, we saw tons of shooting stars. But the most I ever saw was camping with my mother and sister in a dark sky preserve. We went on a guided night hike and the sky was just constant streaks of starlight. We counted well over 100, but there were kind of too many to count. We were spoiled for stars. 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 Influe...

Fell down a rabbit hole, landed on Broadway. 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

Apparently my partner watched The Three Stooges growing up (as did I), so his sister bought him a box set of Three Stooges DVDs, which included the Three Stooges cartoon as well. He has no memory of the cartoon. I do, though I have no memory of when it was on TV. The classic Three Stooges episodes were broadcast Sunday afternoons when I was growing up, and my siblings would groan when I insisted on watching 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 (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 ha...

My partner and I heard a big band perform this number the other day, and it reminded me of a friend I had in high school--not because he's a gigolo (I don't think he is, but we haven't kept in touch) but because this is the first song I ever heard him sing. He was very talented. He went on to become a professional actor, but I'm not sure what he's up to these days. I've been singing this song around the house, and when I actually think about the words, it occurs to me that this is one of those upbeat tunes that are really depressing when you stop and think about them. Lots of songs from the 50s are like that (not that this song is from the 50s--it was actually written in the 1920s, I believe, and popularized in the 50s).  Fortunately, I have the uncanny ability to sing lyrics without ever thinking about them. I can (and usually do) also listen to songs without processing the words. My partner thinks this is weird. I don't know if it is. We'll have to d...

I have horrible fatigue and vertigo--basically can't do anything but breathe and cry right now--but I've been listening to the Rifftrax riff of A Talking Cat!?! since 4 this morning. There's a character in the movie named Tina, and I always end up hearing the "Tiny the Talking Tabby" jingle in my head when someone says her name. My baby sister loved Arthur, and forced our family to watch Arthur's Perfect Christmas every year, well into adulthood. Anyway, if I have to suffer, so do you. (sorry) 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 news...

My partner put in an offer on a condo in his hometown. Housing prices there are way cheaper than we're used to, but it means you're living in... well, I won't say where, but it wouldn't be my first choice. Anyway, a big part of the reason he wanted to move back to his hometown was so that he could spend more time with a friend he's known since they were babies. This friend is seriously ill. Moments after my partner put in the purchase offer, he got an email from the friend's wife. The friend has stopped eating and taking vital medications. He is likely to die in the coming days. 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 ...

I woke up with this song in my head, which bothered me deeply because I would say I do have strings and I am grateful for those strings. But I also woke up full of anxiety because my partner wants to move again, and moving is such a big thing. It's probably a smart decision. We never put down roots in the small town where he bought a house, and we kind of never wanted to. Moving here was a snap decision, and right away there were so many things where we were like... oh, this was a big mistake. Not that it's been all bad. But there are just so many reasons to leave, not the least of which is lack of access to sufficient healthcare. Also, it's expensive. Also, transit is extremely limited. Also, also, also... When I'm anxious, I am not at my best. But what I've realized this time around that I didn't realize the last time my partner wanted to move is that he is anxious too. None of this is easy or comfortable for him. We are experiencing a lot of the same emotio...

I've been thinking about childhood a lot lately. Last week, I found out one of my old school friends has a horrible form of cancer. She's going to receive treatment at the same cancer care facility where my partner was treated last summer. In fact, she's going to receive treatment in the same radiation department. When I told my partner all this, he said that his own cancer was Mickey Mouse compared to hers. I've got tears in my eyes just telling you this. I found it so generous of my partner to say this, because I was there with him, watching the pain he was in throughout, and the all-consuming fatigue. He forgets all this, now that it's in the past. I can't remember if I mentioned to you that he said, the other week, that he hadn't been in any pain during treatment. Well, I can tell you for certain that that isn't true. I sat with him, watching him cry because he was in so much pain. But he's probably put all that out of his mind for good reason....

This song popped into my head this morning--possibly because I can't dance, but more probably because I can't walk. Or potentially because I've taken to walking with my hands out in front of me like Frankenstein. You know my chronic illness makes me dizzy and gives me vertigo, but I'm not sure if I mentioned that one of the medications I'm on also makes me... something else? I'm not sure how to describe it. I don't feel dizzy in my head, but I start to fall over and I have to catch myself against a wall or whatever is around. That's when I'm indoors. Outdoors, I've got my cane or my walker to catch me, but indoors I rarely use either. I just hold myself up against the furniture. Anyway, I've been walking into doorframes a lot lately. Hence the Frankenstein walking. I'm trying to keep myself away from things that hurt me. If you're wondering how you can support me in bringing you songs and anecdotes, the easiest thing you can do ...

Sometimes I tell you things I don't tell my partner. Maybe he knows without me having to say. I don't hide my emotions well. So maybe he already knows that I'm worried about him. I'm worried about him because the mouth sores he had during radiation last year have returned. His sense of taste, which had started to come back, is going away again. I am so, so worried that his cancer's coming back, but I don't want to make him worry. He still has to see his oncologist every three months. He's under a doctor's care. I am not a doctor. I'm just a worrier. But maybe he's fine. I hope he's fine. 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...

Every time I walk out of the little grocery store in my partner's small town, I'm singing something. Yesterday it was this song, because it was playing over the speakers. They know their audience. While I was shopping, an employee asked if I needed help with anything, and my brain was screaming, "You're new here!" But I didn't scream that with my voice because I'm trying very hard not to freak people out these days.  So I left the store not only singing this song, but also saying to my partner, "That's how you know you live in a very small town: you can name every person who works at the one and only grocery store." (Okay, I can't actually name them by name, but I can definitely describe them--and I sure do notice when they add an employee to the mix.) 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 ...

Yesterday I told you about my partner's favourite number from the jazz festival. This one was mine. I'd never actually heard it before and had no idea it was a jazz standard (despite the fact that I listened to a jazz radio station for years). I had to do a bit of digging to find out who was the vocalist on this 1926 (yes, that's almost 100 years ago) track (her name is May Alix) and that led me down a slight rabbit hole, where I discovered that "butter and egg man" was 1920s slang for a big spender: a travelling salesman who spent his cash freely at nightclubs. At the jazz festival, various people were dancing to the Dixieland band--most notably, a man who looked (and dressed) exactly like Colonel Sanders. 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  w...

When we got home from the jazz festival, I asked my partner what was his favourite thing we saw or heard there. He surprised me by saying it was this song. I should have known, because I could hear him singing along and you know he rarely sings. 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 got into a bit of an argument with my mother about the way she imposes her excessive frugality on other people. Like, if that's the way you want to live, go for it, but I don't appreciate the snide comments when I choose to spend my money however I do.  And I'm not talking about spending thousands of bucks on... well, anything. I'm talking about buying a handmade handbag for $45 from a local artisan.  Supporting artistic entrepreneurs is important to me because I am also an artistic entrepreneur. But, you know what? It would be important to me even if I wasn't.  But my mom's got to raise her eyebrows and tell me that she got her purse for $3 at Value Village. Well, good for you. That's your choice. I had my first job when I was 8 years old. Let me spend the money I've been working for all my life. Anyway. Sorry. I visited my mother last week, and now I'm full of mom-related rants. The "dentist" verse in this track is so funny. As someon...