Friday Mieography

This one is very short, which is a bummer, I'd like to find more information about this lady.

Margaret Abbott was born in 1878 in Calcutta, India. Her family was from Chicago, where they had presumably moved back, before she and her mother moved to Paris, to study art and music, with Degas, and Rodin. While they were in Paris, they learned of of the Olympic Golf Event, and, both of them decided to enter. She is the first American Woman to win a Gold Medal. (Her mother took 8th place). The year was 1900. She played in a skirt and high heels.

An interesting fact is that at the time, Margaret thought it was just some sort of international competition, it was not billed as the olympics. She never knew she actually won a 'gold medal'.

Her score, for any curious? A 9 hole score of 47.

She married noted American humorist Finley Peter Dunne, and lived with him in New York City.

Wordless Wednesday

So This is what 40 looks like....

Thank you everyone for the good wishes. Daryl the card (s) are lovely, and Nana Kaos, nothing makes me laugh more than a Sock Monkey, or two. What an awesome birthday card!!!

Hello from the Dungeon!

to visit me in the dungeon, go here (oh, and you can see the other people's answers there, too...)

The Rules : Once you have been tagged (or commanded by the Queen) you are supposed to write down the top 25 SEVEN songs you cannot live without. The ones you can listen to over and over and never get tired of. They don't have to be in any particular order. These are the songs that make you laugh, cry, think of an old friend, whatever the reason. I know it's impossible for many of us to narrow it down to seven. There are just too many songs. Instead, make a list of seven songs that move you personally and tell us why. What memory does the song evoke? What emotion? Where were you when you first heard it? We'd like to know what's in your musical memory bank. Name seven songs and tell us about youremotional connection to the song.
Fair enough?

Let's get started!

1. Thunder Road- Springsteen. I just love the lyric of this song, and the simplicity. I could be Mary, wanting to escape with a boy in a fast car that showed up to rescue me. I probably would have had I known such a boy...where was I when I first heard it? I don't know. It's always been present

2. Red Admiral Butterfly- James Galway and the Chieftains. I played the flute from 4th grade, to 12th grade. I was no slouch with the instrument, but listening to this particular song makes me wish that I could have played like either James Galway, or Matt Molloy, who bring me to tears when they play. Unless I am driving, I usually close my eyes when this song is on, it's just one I can feel. And sometimes, I need to listen to it at least two times to be satisfied.

3. You Don't Own Me- Lesley Gore. This is one of the first songs I remember hearing where a girl was not all sickly sweet over this boy, letting him do what ever he wanted. Instead, she called him out and plainly said that he did not own her, and she was not a toy. It resonated with me. I still know every word to this song. It is a very empowering song, one that I recommend to everyone.

4. Alison- Elvis Costello. I don't really know what it is about this song. I just love it. And Elvis Costello. And his wife Diana Krall for that matter...in its own way, this song is wistful, but fun, Mr. Costello has a way with lyric, I think. I was stationed in Japan when I first heard this song.

5. Hysteria- Def Leppard. Just hearing this song takes me back to the 80's, high school, and a lot of goofy stuff my friends and I did while listening to Def Leppard. Someone had the tape, and we listened to it at school during lunch on a regular basis. I can still smell the hairspray..

6. I Don't Wanna Play House- Tammy Wynette. My Dad introduced me to Ms. Tammy, and some of her songs are so heartbreaking. Her incredible voice helps. This one, in particular, struck a chord with me. Odd, because my parents have been together FOREVER, and I never really knew a divorced couple until I was at least 10 years old. My dad owned the record, which I swiped from him, and played upstairs in my bedroom all the time. It is another song that has always been in my musical memory.

7. Belly Dance- The Wicked Tinkers. I am betting most of you have not heard of the Tinkers. They are a bagpipe/metal-ish band. This song is mesmerizing, and its even better live and in person. I actually heard it live, first, at a local Celtic Faire. Then I went to their booth and bought all their CD's. They are national, though, and in iTunes if you are so inclined. You won't be disappointed...

Now because I am in the dungeon, I am going to take liberties with this weeks meme (which will probably get me more time, but what the hell) and list seven PRISON songs (no, not poison songs, Bret Michael is a horrid toad) that I am probably listening to, curled up in the corner with my threadbare blanket, and my vase of tulips....

1. Folsom Prison Blues- Johnny Cash

2. Jailbreak- AC/DC

3. Chain Gang- Sam Cooke

4. Jailhouse Rock- Elvis

5. Nebraska- Springsteen

6. Cell Block Tango- from Chicago

7. In the Jailhouse Now- from O brother where art thou

the direction of television, at least in our house

It seems to me like lately, every time you turn on the television, you can find a reality show about home renovation. Usually, home renovation gone wrong.

Or some other real-estate reality shows. We've been watching a lot of them, actually, the renovation ones can be kind of scary, though, especially because even though it's been almost a year, I am not quite over the whole wood floor installation fiasco. (For the record, that asshole has STILL not come back to finish what he promised us. Think he's going to? Nah, me neither.). Still, we would like to, eventually, renovate our house. We have some good idea's, too, nothing crazy, just some things that we'd like to add, like a built in pantry, a mud room, a master suite... (both bedrooms here are pretty much the same...). But it's not like we're living in squalor. I love our little house.

The show that makes me crazy, usually, though, is House Hunters International. MOST of the people they show on there are these crazily pretentious people who seem to just want to show off the fact that they can purchase an island vacation home somewhere in sunnier climes. I swear the producers of that show go out and find the most annoying dumb asses they possibly can to feature. Every now and then they do "real" people, like the Canadians last night who live in more snow then I would ever tolerate who saved money for years and years and years to buy a cheap condo in the Dominican Republic. (they were kind of nice people, it seemed. Woman said "eh?" quite a bit... would have been a great drinking game).

For some reason, though, we find ourself watching these shows, a lot. Its fun to look at the other houses, even if the people are annoying...

Wordless Wednesday

Valentine's Day Style :)

Queen Meme Tuesday- and she had a grumpy VD...

The UnValentine Grumpy Meme

1. I, Mimi Pencil Skirt Peace Woman, have officially declared war on Valentine's Day. If I see one more chocolate rose covered in stupid red tin foil paper I'm gonna have a fit. What did you get for Valentine's Day?
Well I did not get chocolate roses! I got a vase of tulips, which are my favorite flowers. Better yet, my Jeep got cleaned for me, which is EXCELLENT. And I got a sweet card, and then a card that involved Transvestites... awesome. We also had a nice dinner. (Am I going to the dungeon for this answer?...)

2. What will you miss most about Valentine's Day? I will miss, um, the opportunity for nice tulips, and cards with transvestites on them? Oh, and the conversation hearts.

3. What could you have done differently yesterday to make the day sweeter? Gotten more sleep, probably...

4. How many roses make a dozen? It depends on which person is giving them to you.


5. You and your love are getting matching tattoos for Valentine's Day. What will they be? Ouch. They will be non permanent Henna tattoos. Of sea turtles... (?....)

6. My kingdom for a man who can spell. I am so tired of getting text messages from college educated 45 yr old men like .....I miss u ....wat up?.... B there by 8... or the ever popular U home? Does your significant other have an annoying cute little habit you'd like to break? Yes, he reads my blog (Hi sweetheart!). Seriously. Um, annoying habit... annoying habit... he is a blanket hog in the cold weather...




7. What did you get someone for Valentine's Day, if I may ask? I got MM a tres romantic gift. A laser leveler with a tripod, some sour patch kids, the DVD Young Frankenstein, and a card.

8. No one is looking. I promise.
Write one word on this candy heart you've been dying to say to a romantic connection from your past. I will not tell. Just one word? I have to have four, and they are "Grow The Hell Up".

9. Be a poet. Write a 4-line poem starting with Roses are red....Roses are red,
but Tulips are betterI need to go outand buy a new sweater.
10. What song best describes your Valentine's Day experience this year?Bolero...

why? Because I like it and I could not think of anything. My brain hurts.

11. I, Mimi Grumpy Skirt, am so glad this meme is almost over. This is my final question. I made it eleven questions in honor of the 11 roses I didn't receive. Aren't
they lovely? This is my final final question, Regis:
Two cupids are in a knock down drag out fight on the floor of the Senate. One is a constituent from Venus, the other from Mars.
What is the name of the legislation are they fighting over? The Poisoned Tipped Arrow Ban

as usual, for more fun, go here

playing hooky

When I was a kid, there was nothing more fun then staying home from school and hanging out with my Dad. Not that I got away with that very often. But every now and again....

My Dad always worked swing shifts. He wouldn't leave for work until around 2 in the afternoon. We would spend those hooky days watching old television. Hogan's Heroes, Dialing for Dollars, Green Acres... M*A*S*H. Dad would make one of his signature sandwiches, that usually involved at least 3 pieces of bread, peanut butter, bologna, jelly, mustard, onions, the kitchen sink...

No one else ate one of Dad's sandwiches, for obvious reasons. He would always offer us one, and seemed baffled when we refused....

I kind of miss those days, playing hooky with Dad...