Lucky Six

I woke up this morning and celebrated the fact that I no longer live in the Chicagoland area. As I type this, it's -1 degree in Chicago with an expected high today of 15. Eek!

Sorry y'all but it's about to be 80 degrees in LA today! Whoo hoo! And I'm listening to this. Yeah, rock the house! The weather was so nice this weekend that I spent most of my time outdoors upping my skin cancer ante.

But now I'm back on the blogging grind and happy to report that I've been tagged for some lovely memes.

The first encouraging meme comes from the always fly and fresh Bygbaby over at Bygbaby's Mindspill. I know he's cold over there in the Motor City today with it being 3 degrees, poor baby!

Here are the rules: (1) Link to the person that tagged you. (2) Post the rules on your blog. (3) Share six non-important things/habits/quirks about yourself. (4) Tag six random people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs. (5) Let each random person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

I have to think of six things I haven't told you all yet... that's quite a challenge. But here goes!

Six Random Things About Moi:

1) When I was nine, I beat up the boy down the street. His name was Andrew and I always teased him because his mom still blew his nose. Plus he annoyed me because he always bragged that Abraham Lincoln slept in his house. Anyway, Andrew got mad at me and pushed me up against our neighbor Mrs. Dill's house. That was clearly not going to fly. So, egged on by my two best friends, Greg and Rosie, I swung on him. He started crying and fell on the ground. I jumped on top of him and yelled at him to never push me again. And then I smashed his face in dog poop that was on Mrs. Dill's lawn. I might have called him a punk too.

The thing I never understood was why he didn't run and tell his mommy that he'd been beaten up by me. It would have been sooo Andrew. But, he didn't. Gosh, we were mean kids. I think we later tied him up to a tree and beat him with sticks.

2) I used to sneak to the corner store and buy bubble gum cigarettes. I was probably nine or ten as well and really stupid because I can remember actually trying to light the things. I just didn't get why the "cigarettes" just turned black and smelled bad instead of actually burning and, ahem, smelling bad.

I know these can still be bought online but I wonder if candy stores even sell them anymore. Probably not because it would be seen as luring kids into smoking.

3) I hate the song "Love You Down" by Ready For The World. I know many of you out there got your freak on to this song back in high school and college. But I hated it. All that moaning and whining just annoyed me to no end. Plus, every time I heard it, all I could think of was the annoying guy who rode my school bus because he looked just like the lead singer.

The guy on my bus also had a little flask that he'd sip on. He'd be quite tipsy by the time we were halfway to school and he'd start up with his, "Isshy, bring yourself over here, gal," mess. He was trying to pronounce "Lizzie" but "Isshy" was as good as it got for him most days.

Sad, I don't think he graduated.

4) My husband has several copies of "Moments in Love" by Art of Noise. He has the original version and the "Quiet Storm" version. Okay, so that's technically not about me, but back in the day I remember thinking he was so cool because he had the records. Here's the original version (and the original music video) in case you've never heard it:


5) I once walked from Battery Park to Harlem.
I've been a big walker since 1990 when I was down on Belmont and Sheffield in Chicago and realized I had no money to catch the El home. This was before cell phones and there wasn't anyone to call anyway so I walked from there all the way home to Evanston. It was maybe eight miles. I took my love of a good stroll with me to Manhattan where I once walked from Battery Park to Harlem. It's around nine miles and I think it took me maybe two hours, but that was with a lot of stopping and checking out a few stores.

6) I've never seen "Beat Street" or "Breakin'".

Over the past year I finally rectified the problem of me never having seen "Purple Rain" or "Flashdance". But lately I've been mulling over my list of movies I've still never seen still and the twin pillars of hip-hop movies remain unwatched by yours truly. And you know I've never seen "Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo" either.

Yeah, back in high school, all my friends sat around and talked about how awesome Crazy Legs was. I'd just play along with the conversation and pretend I'd seen the films. They're both in my Netflix queue so they'll show up here one day.

So who to tag? How about these lucky six!

1) Mamita Umita
2) Jameil at Exercises in Fabulosity (Jameil, you knew it was coming, right?)
3) Kari at "If I Only Had a Blog"
4) Lola at "Whatever Lola Wants"
5) Ian at "Or So I thought"
6) Nick at "Nick Here and Now"

I'll get to the other memes I've been tagged for later on today. And if you're in LA, enjoy the heat wave today!

Comments

Jameil said…
We're gonna fight. you know i can't stand tags. i've already done this one! :P don't brag about your warm weather!! at 12:18pm its 11 degrees, feels like 0. this am it was 3 but felt like -14. booooooooooo!! lmao @ I think we later tied him up to a tree and beat him with sticks!! i guess that's why you're so nice now. you used to beat the crap out of people! lol
Tafari said…
Now that I know you have a history of violence, I will not fuck with you. "I think we later tied him up to a tree and beat him with sticks." Damn do you you think you water boarded him too??? LOL

Love You Down was the worst & it makes me think of jheri curl juice on pillow cases.

Moments in love is the JAM!!! Now that is a song you can throw down to!

Bygbaby
BTW, it is cold has... Happy that I own a Eddie Bauer goose down that can withstand then temp & wind!!!!!!!!!!!!
Lisa Johnson said…
That was hilarious! That poor little boy. Tied to a tree and beaten with sticks! That sounds kind of Lord of the Flies! It's hard being a kid. Oh and the wind is whipping here too. With the wind chill the temperature is about 5 degrees. I have to go turn my heat up again. Luckily I'm home today and don't plan on going outside.
I love those gum cigarettes. Do they still make them??

It's great to learn a wee bit more about you. Thanks for sharing.
the joy said…
My bf has moments in love too. That song is 57 minutes long.

8 miles? Girl....
SheWhoLives said…
Funny post! Love it.

I'm so bloody jealous of you lot enjoying a phat heat wave over there! Ah well.. enjoy :-)

And you gotta see "Beat Street", man, talk about a classic...
Ian Lidster said…
I love you Liz, but I resent your heatwave, mainly because it's too damn chilly here. We're only about 1500 miles north of you, so how come it's so damn cold here?

Anyway, got the tag and shall get to it when I have a moment. Thanks.
Jen said…
Okay... 80 degrees... not fair.

Interesting meme, though.
Anonymous said…
Oh, I've done that meme already Liz, it's been doing the rounds over here. See Random and Weird Things 27.12.07! Actually I think I'm getting a bit memed out!
Anonymous said…
It was warm in the Bay Area too, Liz. I was suppose to be cleaning the house, but how can one stay inside on a day like today. I giggled when my brother-in-law mentioned the 1 degree temp in Ohio. You've never seen Breakin'? OMG! That was the movie!
Liz Dwyer said…
Jameil,
It was SO nice and toasty outside today! And 83 tomorrow! Whoo! I was sweating today! I'm sure our warm weather will be floating across the country to you eventually. Yeah, we definitely tortured that boy a little bit. I repent daily for it. Oh and c'mon, do this one again! :)

Bygbaby,
I'm glad you've got a warm coat. I wore a black Dickies t-shirt and some jeans today but I'll be back to wearing a jacket on Wednesday. The worst jheri curl moments were the guys who'd wear white jackets and then never wash the collars. Just disgusting. And no water boarding, but there were a few incidents with our neighbor's front yard "stink pond"...

Anali,
We just thought we were tough stuff even though we were all nerds. Andrew was the nerd whose mom blew his nose, so he was on the bottom of our little neighborhood barrel. Glad you got to be home and not have to face the cold.

Claudia,
I wonder if they do still make those. It was great fun to chew/try to smoke them.

It's is fun to share these kinds of things every once in awhile. And I still have to think up some writing advice!

The Joy,
Yes, that long version of "Moments in Love" is really long! And yes, eight miles...I only did two today but it was over hills and it was hot so I wore myself out!

Shelly,
But you get some variety in the weather which is cool. By the time August hits, I'm usually sick of "sunny and 80 degrees" because that becomes every day!

Ian,
If our little heatwave travels that far north then all the global warming nay sayers will finally have to shut up! Sorry it's so cold for you.

Jen,
And even hotter tomorrow! I have another meme I'm going to tag you for so get ready! :)

Nick
I hadn't done any memes in awhile. I think the stars had aligned and kept me from being tagged for awhile. I've done similar ones as well except it'll change the number of random things I have to tell about myself.
Liz Dwyer said…
The Fashionista & Baby,
Glad it was so super nice for you too after all the cloudy, cold days we've been having lately.

And yes, never seen it. My cool card is revoked!
Oh, Lizzie, you brute! Andrew is probably still in analysis and hates dogs. And girls.

I once walked from the lower tip of Manhattan to Harlem, too, to visit a friend. It wasn't intentional, really. I was a kid and I couldn't figure out where to get public transportation so I kept walking.
Ms Angela said…
I'm loving this weather! 70+ degrees here in Sac Town!

Confession: I LOATHED Ready For the World and their jheri curls! "Love You Down" was one of the WORST songs of the decade! I actually threw a shoe at my radio one time when it came on. My kids thought I had finally qualified for the funny farm. And I probably would have gone nuts if that song stayed in heavy rotation like it did for what...two years? That's what it felt like to me!

I refuse to listen to the old school station because they might play that song. That, and Kool and the Gang after they turned pop. Anything they recorded before the 80s was great, but after...sorry, I couldn't deal. No "Celebrate", "Too Hot" or "Ladies Night...give me "Funky Granny" or "Summer Madness"!
Ms Angela said…
Oh yeah...I used to beat up boys, too. Never lost a fight!
Liz Dwyer said…
Heart,
I think he became a hockey player so I'm sure he got some of his issues out through finally having the chance to whack others with a stick.

That's amazing that you did that walk as well! New York is so interesting though that the distance just seems to fly by.

Angela,
When you hate a song it just seems to be everywhere at once. But when you like it, the radio can't seem to play it enough. I wish I'd had the thought to throw a shoe at whatever was playing that song. It always seemed to be blasting from random cars driving by, on the school bus, at the school dance. AAGH!

And as far as beating up boys, later on in life I discovered there were much more effective means of "beating" a boy up, all which required no physical effort on my part. Tsk, tsk.
This was hilarious. I can't believe you shoved his face in poop.

I cannot STAND "Love You Down". God that song was played to death. Didn't they sing "Oh Sheila" as well?

One thing I really miss about NYC are those long walks. I used to walk from my office near Lincoln Center to my apartment on 22nd and 2nd everyday, unless it was raining.
Anonymous said…
I'm inspired. Thank you.
I'll do a list of movies I should have seen, but haven't.

I've done the long Manhattan walk myself, but there's always something interesting to see and it didn't seem far at all.
Breakin' 2 is nothing less than a kalidescope of day-glo lycra, headbands and the graffitied glory that is the LA River. Priceless homeage to 80's Los Angeles, even if you need protective eyewear to watch it. Beat Street is darker, more hardcore, of course, in true New York fashion. Love em both.
Jameil said…
wait. did you just TAUNT ME then ask me to participate? i guess its better than tying me to a tree and beating me BUT NOT BY MUCH!! that irish is coming out again. next thing you know you'll be eating a burger. lol.
Unknown said…
YES, LIZ, It was so cold I could not type to yell at you yesterday!
Today it is 13 degrees. So there!
Chicago is Hawk Zone right now for sure! LOL! Enjoy a chai in the sun for me ~
THANK YOU so much for Moments In Love!!!!!
Liz Dwyer said…
NYC/CR,
They did sing "Oh Sheila". On that one I used to at least appreciate the fact that they were all playing instruments in the video, but again, it's up there in the world's most annoying songs by jheri-curl wearing brothers from Flint, Michigan! I'm getting the walking in here too. I walked from Melrose/Martel to the Grove last Friday. It wasn't that far but one of my sons was riding on my shoulders. :(

Jali,
My parents were just really strict and so if there was a cool movie in the '80s, chances are, I haven't seen it. Most of them don't stand up to the test of time though. I saw Flashdance and was yawning and saying, "Um, this SUCKS!"

Piscesmama + One,
I've heard that Jean Claude Van Damme was in one of the Breakin' movies in a scene on Venice Beach. I need to watch it just to see that. LA must be so different from how it was back then because New York certainly is. I don't even recognize Harlem these days.

Jameil,
Hah hah! I would NEVER taunt you! Besides, even though it was like 80 something today, our heat wave is over with...high of ONLY 68 tomorrow! ;0 (Oh, wait, is that STILL 30 degrees warmer than you?)

Houseonahill.org,
Brrr! I know it was cold yesterday because my sister was complaining. She never complains about the weather! But I am feeling a little nostalgic about the cold. I sort of miss the hiss of radiators and having to heat up your car for 15 minutes.

DMB,
Isn't that a classic! Love it.

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