Sunday Stealing Archives - Ramblin' with Roger

Sunday Stealing Invites You to Be Bold

Niagara Falls

Welcome to Sunday Stealing. Here we will steal all types of questions from every corner of the blogosphere. Our promise to you is that we will work hard to find the most interesting and intelligent questions. Cheers to all of us thieves!

This week’s meme was stolen from blogging mom Blue Milk. Back in 2008, she stole it from an invitation-only meme. It was originally a very loooong meme, with more than 100 questions in all. Too much for me! So it’s been pared back to 35. If that still seems daunting, remember all you have to do is bold the ones you’ve done. If you’d like to elaborate, feel free.

Bold the Ones You’ve Done

But I’m not going to do that because the whole post is bold. Sunday Stealing Invites You to Be Bold. BTW, I loved that TV show.

Have you ever …

1. Slept under the stars - Of course. Sometimes, I even liked it

2. Played in a band I think once, in junior high school, and I hated it because I was playing percussion and had to wait something like 74 measures to come in. It was anxiety-producing, and I think I was late.

3. Visited Hawaii  - No, but I was invited to go. There’s a story about that.

4. Visited Easter Island – No.

5. Watched a meteor shower – I believe so.

6. Seen the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace - I’ve never been to the UK

Walt’s World

7. Been to Disneyland or Disney World  - No. My wife and I thought that we “should” take the Daughter there, but she never seemed all that enthused. I don’t think she understood what a Big Deal it was.

8. Climbed a mountain  - Yes. As I noted recently, it was to my detriment.

9. Held a praying mantis – I believe so

10. Been to the Louvre – Well, TO the Louvre, but not IN the Louvre.

11. Had food poisoning - Yes, including quite possibly this year.

12. Eaten vegetables you grew yourself – As a kid, yes. It was never my joy.

 13. Slept overnight on a train  - I don’t believe so, though I’ve slept from NYC to Charlotte and arrived around 4:30 a.m.

14. Built a snow fort – Undoubtedly.

15. Held a lamb -Possibly at a county fair; uncertain.

16. Gone skinny dipping – At least twice, once in Broome County (the cops showed up) and once in Ulster County

17. Been on a cruise (day cruises and dinner cruises count) – At least twice, my wife and I took a Dutch Apple Cruise up and down the Hudson River. It’s rather cool. This reminds me that some performer was singing Sweet Caroline, which reminds me of Hank and John Green’s version of Sweet Caroline.

There was another time we were on the Hudson and went through one or more of the Erie Canal locks. And we went on the now-closed Albany Aqua Ducks, which naturally reminds me of Aqualung.

18. Seen Niagara Falls  - several times, most recently in 2011

Roots

19. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors – it depends on how far back one wants to go. My maternal grandmother’s house is where her mother grew up. I’ve been in Wilkes-Barre, PA, where some of my paternal grandmother’s people grew up. But I’ve not been to Ireland or Nigeria or places like that.

 20. Sung karaoke - Yes, at least once at a work conference.

21. Sat for a portrait – yes, but generally by a caricaturist

22. Walked on a beach by moonlight - Yes

23. Been transported in an ambulance - yes, when I was in a car accident when I was 19

24. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling  - Yes, when I was in Barbados in 1999 on our honeymoon, but I wasn’t very good at it

25. Kissed in the rain - Yes

26. Played in the mud  – of course

27. Gone to a drive-in theater – several times growing up. I specifically remember seeing The Dirty Dozen.

28. Changed your vehicle’s oil yourself – well, it wasn’t my vehicle, but I did do this. Once. With constant instruction.

29. Taken a martial arts class  - no

30. Visited the Vatican - never been to Italy

31. Volunteered at a soup kitchen or food pantry - yes, but it’s been several years

32. Sold Girl Scout cookies – for some reason, yes, for friends’ kids

33. Bought a used car – no, nor have I purchased a new car

34. Sat on a jury – no, but I was in the courtroom in 2007 and 2014

35. Ridden an elephant – No. Or maybe yes? At a circus when I was a kid?

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Sunday Stealing: The $80K Meme

Back in 2007, Sparky Duck at Philly Transplant played the $50,000 Meme. That was nearly 20 years ago. To make it more relevant to our day and age, it’s been updated and is now the …

The $80K Meme

Premise: A philanthropist awards you $80,000 with the stipulation that you must spend half on yourself and half for the benefit of others.

For our overseas players, here’s a currency calculator.

1. Of the $40,000 you must spend on yourself:

a. First you throw yourself a lavish birthday party. Tell us about it.

Other than providing transportation for my far-flung friends to attend, I have no real feel for this. The truth is that I’d probably send out a survey and ask them what THEY would like to do. A concert? A trip down the Hudson River? And knowing my friends, there would be no consensus at all.

b. Then you take off on a cruise. Where are you headed?

Three come to mind. A trip down the Mississippi River, getting out at the states I’ve never been to: Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, and Arkansas. Or a trip down the Danube River, since I’ve been to NONE of those countries. Possibly a trip around Ireland and the UK, visiting Liverpool, England (Beatles’ hometown, of course) and County Cork, Ireland, where I clearly have ancestors.

Give it away

2. Of the $40,000 you must spend for the benefit of others:

a. Who would be on your gift list? What would you buy them?

I’d pay off the parental home where my baby sister lives. If there was anything left, I’d probably give it out to random strangers.

b. Which charities would you support?

There are SO many. Internet Archive, a non-profit library of millions of free texts, movies, software, music, websites, and more. The Smithsonian Institution, the world’s largest museum, education, and research complex. Electronic Frontier Foundation, the leading nonprofit defending digital privacy, free speech, and innovation. Red Cross volunteers and staff work to deliver vital services – from providing relief and support to those in crisis, to helping you be prepared to respond in emergencies.

And some local organizations, most notably the Underground Railroad Education Center, which researches and preserves the local and national history of the Underground Railroad movement, its international connections, and its legacy to today’s social justice issues, thereby empowering people of all ages to be agents of change toward an equitable and just society.

Money – Barrett Strong

Money, Money, Money -ABBA

The first one I thought of was Money Makes The World Go Round – Liza Minnelli and Joel Grey, from Cabaret

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Sunday Stealing — Now We Know Our ABC’s

Utah

Princess Ladybug tells us, “Don’t mind the crown. I’m really the jester around here.” She’s the one who turned to her ABCs to give us this meme.

The Alphabet Meme: Now We Know Our ABC’s

Answer these questions with anything from a single word to a paragraph or two. It’s up to you.

A is for Age. 73. I can remember it because it’s tied to my birthday 7 <arch.

B is for your Booze of choice. Kahlúa, though I don’t drink it often.

C is for Career. Librarian, which I probably should have figured out bearlier than I did.

D is for your Dog’s name. Stealing this paragraph from a 2023 Sunday Stealing, which is efficient, ironic, or both. In my life, I had only one dog. He was named Lucky Stubbs. I believe he was an Alaskan husky we had when I was a tween. He would nip at me, but my parents, specifically my father, seemed unconcerned. That is, until he bit one, or maybe both, of the minister’s daughters. THEN they got rid of him, ostensibly to a farm in the area.

E is for Everyday Essentials. Leaving the home, the mantra is keys, wallet, phone.

F is for your Favorite Food. Lasagna

Games people play

G is for your favorite Game. There are LOTS of games, and they’ve changed a lot depending on who’s available to play. If I have to play alone, Spades, Pinochle, and Backgammon are on my phone. But it’s been Hearts, Scrabble, Trivial Pursuit… I can’t even keep track. Songs are both Games People Play, totally different pieces by Joe South and the Spinners.

H is for your Hometown. Binghamton, which I haven’t written about since Thursday.

I is for an Instrument you play. Kazoo. Or a comb with paper, which sounds like a kazoo.

J is for your favorite Jam or Jelly flavor. Strawberry, which, BTW, is also my favorite ice cream flavor. Song: Strawberry Letter #23 by the Brothers Johnson; I LOVE this song.

K is for Kids. One daughter, who I haven’t mentioned in this blog since last month.

L is for the Last show or movie you watched. It was CBS Saturday Morning from the previous week, not yesterday.

M is for your most prized possession. Perhaps it’s the series of books from Record Research compiled by the late Joel Whitburn about the pop charts. They bring me joy.

N is for the Name of your first crush. I’m not sure. Maybe Diane?

O is for what you observe from your window. The glare off the roof of our car.

P is for Phobias. Mild claustrophobia. I think I have had agoraphobia, and occasionally, it’s still lurking in certain situations.

All together now

Q is for your favorite Quote. From You Can Make It If You Try by Sly and the Family Stone. Push a little harderThink a little deeperDon’t let the plasticBring you down (Ask me tomorrow and I’ll give you a different answer.)

R is for Regret. I wish Frank Sinatra were right when he sang: “Regrets, I’ve had a few, but then again, too few to mention.” I have quite a few, but only one I feel like sharing.

S is for Sweets. Oatmeal raisin cookie

T is for the Time you wake up. Lately it’s been about 8:30 a.m., but it depends on schedules.

U is for Underwear. Yes. Oh, briefs, T-shirt.

V is for your favorite Vegetable. Spinach.

W is for your Worst habit. Overthinking.

X is for X-rays. Ah, the Utah story, which is certainly one of my regrets. The in my knee is ongoing.

Y is for your Yummiest recipe. Betty Crocker cookbook lasagna.

Z is for your Zodiac sign. Pisces. Somewhere in this house, I have an extensive reading on the locations of the moon and the planets that someone got for me. I found it fairly on point, considering I don’t put much stock in astrology.

I should go with the obvious. Jackson 5ive. I could sing the Jermaine parts in the day, but NEVER Michael’s.

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Sunday Stealing Asks Your Name

What’s your name? Who’s your daddy?

Impetua loved a good meme and enjoyed playing this one. Let’s see if you feel the same.

Sunday Stealing Asks Your Name. What Is Your …

1. ROCK STAR NAME (current pet and first car)? Example: If you have a dog named Max and your first car was a Chevy Malibu, your rock star name would be Max Malibu.

This is incredibly difficult in that I have never owned a car. Moreover, I don’t remember makes or models of cars, including when I was growing up. Likewise, I know the make of our current auto, but not the model. (There was a recent NYT Connections; the only Pontiac I could name was the Firebird.) My ex, when I was in college, had a Volvo 140 series, I think? So I’m going with Stormy Amazon, because the previous line of Volvos included the Amazon.

2. RACECAR DRIVER NAME (the first names of your grandfathers)?

I had three of them, so Clarence McKinley Raymond. McKinley was interested in racecars.

The Guiding Light

3. SOAP OPERA NAME (your middle name, town you were born in)?

Owen Binghamton, which is a REALLY good soap name! I used to watch the soaps with my maternal grandmother and her sister after school (Edge of Night, Secret Storm) after elementary school.

4. WITNESS PROTECTION PROGRAM NAME (your parents’ middle names)?

Elizabeth Harold? Harold Elizabeth?

Actually, long ago, certainly by high school, I developed my spy name, which was George N. Rowen. It contains most of the letters of Roger Owen Green. Also, the name I was most likely mistakenly called was George. There’s some visual similarity between George and Roger, which made me think that when trying to remember someone’s name, certain people go through a mental Rolodex.

5. ROMANCE AUTHOR NAME (favorite flower, favorite season/holiday)?

Lilac Thanksgiving. OBVIOUSLY, I need to start writing romance novels.

Also, I need some name songs:

Time Of The Season – The Zombies

The Name Game – Shirley Ellis

I Got A Name – Jim Croce

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Sunday Stealing Is Artificial

Essential American songs of the last 250 years

Since it’s the 4th of July weekend, we’re going to keep this simple. On us all! The first question came courtesy of AI. Sunday Stealing Is Artificial.

4th of July Questions

1) If you could attend a 4th of July fireworks display anywhere in the United States, where would you choose?

I want to be somewhere with a great sightline, and not a lot of people setting off their own incendiary devices. In Albany, I used to have a great view in my former church’s parking lot on Lark Street. About 12 years ago, my daughter and I loved the view from the field behind Albany High School. But on the way home, only a half dozen blocks away, I felt as though we were going through a war zone. So, sadly, I settled for watching it on television.

2) What book are you currently reading?

Nothing. I’m doing a book review on Tuesday, July 7, at 2 pm at the Albany Public Library, 161 Washington Ave. The book is African-Americans in the Wyoming Valley, 1778-1990, by Emerson I. Moss. I picked this book because I have an ancestor, and indeed, a whole family to whom I am related, mentioned substantially in this book. Preparing a book review involves rereading, taking notes, and the like.

CCL

3) What have you been listening to?

Last week, CBS Sunday Morning offered up Essential American songs of the last 250 years. The presentation featured Sara Bareilles singing “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” made famous by Aretha, and Jon Batiste performing “Georgia On My Mind”

Here’s the Spotify roster. Lists like this always generate a certain controversy. “Where’s X? What about Y?” The missed choice I read about most was “Take Me Home, Country Roads” by John Denver. A guy named Mike Smith had a list of 15 alternatives; I totally agree with Midnight Train To Georgia, probably 16 Tons, and El Paso.

4) What shows or movies have you been watching?

I finally watched Idiocracy, an absurd 2006 film which is becoming more believable by the year. “Corporal Joe Bauers, a decidedly average American, is selected for a top-secret hibernation program but is forgotten and left to awaken to a future so incredibly moronic that he’s easily the most intelligent person alive.” Will stupidity win out? One fan on Rotten Tomatoes wrote: “The most prophetic movie ever created. It predicted Trump’s America in an amazingly accurate and satirical way!”

My wife and I are FINALLY watching The American Revolution. We’re 2/6 of the way through the Ken Burns documentary. It’s amazing how little we knew about the period between Lexington/Concord/Bunker Hill and July 1776.

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