Heartwarming Tearjerker of the Day: An anonymous businessman, inspired by Kansas City philanthropist Larry Stewart, has taken to spreading Christmas cheer to the less fortunate people of Reading, PA — one of America’s poorest cities — a hundred dollars at a time.
“There’s a lot of happiness that comes of this,” says the man who calls himself Secret Santa, in a human interest story produced by the Reading Eagle. “I get more out of this than they do.”
All told, the nameless St. Nick substitute gave out over $20,000 to the needy at bus stations and secondhand stores.
[philly.]
D-na
'We cannot have any unmixed emotions' - W. B. Yeats
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Allison Unsupervised: They drive me nuts, too, those people who pay good money to hear music...
They drive me nuts, too, those people who pay good money to hear music then talk through the whole damn thing. I mean, how about not pay and just sit in a bar and talk? But, crabby old lady who shushed my friend when she was not talking and then turned around and pointed as she warned me to stop…
Shhhhhh! No talking.
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No. You Come On
To the guy I said hello to because his profile said he was into music and he wanted someone selfless but responded with “come on. i work out 6 or 7 days a week” and then like a spineless bastard hurried and closed his profile so I couldn’t respond …
To him I say …
Fuck Off, Jackass!
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGFh0j8nM78&feature=share
Day 6 - A song that reminds you of your best friend
Ok, I am so excited for this one! Give me a soccer ball kicking around, bagpipers marching through and playing, and costume changes. Oh, always the costume changes! Most importantly, though, was the ever-moving-Scottish-Football-loving-spikey-hair guy with the gravelly voice who loved what he was doing.
In the 1990’s, my BFF and I, “discovered” Rod Stewart. That’s right. I said BFF AND Rod Stewart. Unless you were there, you have no idea how much fun it was.
He was this high energy guy who loved his audience and had fun putting on a show and singing all the songs they/we knew. He knew what we wanted and he never disappointed. And us? We were singing along, workin’ our backup dancer moves, and counting the costume changes. We looked for it all and had a blast doing it.
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Day 5 - A song that gets stuck in your head
Enjoy!
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Snow in March. To me, this now and forever, will make me think of the spring break trips to FLA with my BFF. And more specifically: the return trip knowing parents were waiting with a winter coat we hadn’t needed when we left, circling the airport because of the inevitable landing delay, and being able to ignore the mild misery of a requisite funky sunburn because I desperately need to pee.
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Day 4: A song that calms me
A friend from work shared the soundtrack this song is from with me a couple of years ago. I loved this song the first time I heard it. I don’t know how to explain it other than it resonates in my center of gravity.
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Day 3 – A song that reminds you of one/both of your parents
It’s a song they always dance to. I know this because of attending functions with them. But it reminds me of them because of all the evenings out that they had without me.
As a kid I always loved it when my parents were going out. It wasn’t the fact that we were having a sitter and got dinner from Burger Chef (the original “Happy Meal”). It was watching my parents getting ready to go out. I loved watching my mom do her hair and put on makeup. She’d pick out her dress and we’d look through her jewelry to see what she’d put on. Then she’d pick out a purse and she’d let me fill it: tissue, lipstick, mirror and gum. Meanwhile, my dad was shaving, blow drying his hair, picking out a suit and shirt. When he was ready to put on his tie, I loved to watch him tie it – and, btw, to this day I still love a man in a tie. All that hubbub of getting ready, to look nice for each other, and I all I wanted was to be in the center of it. Too soon, as far as I was concerned, they were ready to go. The evening would go by and I’d listen for them to come home. I loved to hear all about their evening out – dinner, dancing, laughing with friends. It was better than any bedtime story my mom could have told me.
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Day 2: Song of the recent ex.
The sun is shining so brightly I squint even though I have my sunglasses on. The car windows are open and my hair is blowing around wildly. I’m singing. The whole time you’re laughing.
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Click here to link to my childhood
Heh. I know this isn’t what anyone expected for a song from childhood. Also, if you ever met my mom you’d be hard pressed to believe that a) my mom had the soundtrack to “The Wild Angels” and b) she let us do what I’m about to describe. So. I’m going to attempt to paint the picture in your head as you listen to this:
My brother and me (our youngest brother isn’t even on the radar yet) just on either side of 5-ish hanging out in the kitchen after dinner. It was the 70’s so we had brown appliances, a microwave the size of small refrigerator, and the decor was turquoise. Our kitchen was huge. An open-floor plan way before there was such a thing. So big that we could play and not even be close to being under foot. Now also in that kitchen, on the wall behind the table, there was a stereo. A big stereo with a turn-table that could hold up to 6 LP’s at once. So cool. Well, if we promised to be careful and please, please, Puh-lease … mom would let us pick a record and play it. This was one of our favorites. We would get ready on our invisible motorcycles, revving our engines and as soon as the guitars would start - we were off. Two yahoos, with a long ‘a’ as my dad called us, running around the dining room table, lap after lap, until the song was over. Then we’d play it again. And again. And again until we were ready to collapse. Maybe it was her way to keep us entertained or wear us out, whatever her reason, she let us run we loved it!
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25 in 25
Alright. I’m up for the challenge. And, a little reminiscing sounds good to my nostalgia-loving soul. Let’s see what I can find …
- A song from your childhood
- A song that reminds you of your most recent ex
- A song that reminds you of one/both of your parents
- A song that calms you down
- A song that is often stuck in your head
- A song that reminds you of a best friend
- A song that reminds you of a great summer
- A song that reminds you of your first love
- A song that makes you hopeful
- A song by your favorite band
- A song on the soundtrack of your favorite movie
- The last song you heard
- A song that reminds you of a former friend
- A song that reminds you of your spouse
- A song you love singing along to
- A song that has made you cry
- A song that makes you want to dance
- A song that you love but rarely listen to
- The first song alphabetically in your iTunes
- The last song alphabetically in your iTunes
- Your favorite song
- A song that someone has sung to you
- A song that you cannot stand to listen to
- A song that you have danced to with your best friend
- A song you could listen to all day without getting tired of
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Unexpected
Ever have one of those moments when an emotion sneaks up on you? Catches you so off guard that you don’t quite recognize it until it hits you square between the eyes? I just had one of those moments. And the catalyst seems almost absurd - Julia Childs. I know. I know. You’re thinking ‘who gets choked up over Julia Childs?’ Yeah, guess that’s why it was so sneaky.
I was flipping through the channels and I stumbled across Julie & Julia. A movie I never had a burning desire to see but I remembered my dad saying he liked it. So, it was one of those movies on my ‘Eh, Might See It Sometime’ list. Apparently today was that time. Meryl Streep plays Julia Childs and Stanely Tucci plays Paul, Julia’s husband. There’s a scene in the movie where Stanley Tucci gives Meryl Streep a mortar and pestle for Valentine’s Day. And that’s when the tears snuck in. Crazy, huh? But it was love, pure and simple, right there in that very act. The joy he had in watching her learn to cook, seeing her eat, enjoying life was touching. It was, however, that gift that struck so deep. Later he makes a toast to her saying, “You are the butter to my bread, you are the breath to my life.” Beautiful.
So I guess this year it is apropos that, instead of wishing you a Happy Valentine’s day, I wish you bon appetite!
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A New Holiday
My 7 yr old nephew is crackin’ me up. Again.
The other night we were having dinner and he, as usual, had things that were important for him to tell me: we have NOT been to school all week … we’re going to have to go until June … my cousin’s birthday is May 23rd … I made a basket in my game on the first try. I listen and ask questions or comment appropriately. Then the conversation turns to football. I ask if he is planning to watch the Super Bowl on Sunday. “OH YEAH! And the Packers are gonna win!” This is the point at which his older sister, seeing her opportunity to stir the pot, jumps in to proclaim the Steelers will win because a boy at school that she likes-likes (gah!) says the Steelers will win so she’s sure they will. Just then my nephew turns to me and informs me that “the place the Packers are from is famous for their cheese.” I confirm that, yes, the Packers are from Wisconsin and they are famous for their cheese. I love that he matter-of-factly informs me of these Weekly Reader* facts on various topics whenever I see him.
Suddenly, it was time for me to leave. He’s instructed my his mom to give me a hug AND a kiss. Rarely to I get the kiss but the hug, always. This time, however, the hug was punctuated with my new favorite holiday greeting …
Happy Packers Day!
*I stole/borrowed this phrase allisonuninterrupted. Thanks
l
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Times are Tough!
So my brother and his son, my 7 yr old nephew, had gone to church a few Sundays ago. After the service my brother was talking to a couple of other members about people being out of work and how difficult things can be during a time like this. My nephew, meanwhile, was running around and playing with his friends. When they were leaving, getting buckled up in the van, my nephew piped up from the backseat “Times are tough, huh, Dad?” My brother hadn’t thought he’d overheard but replied “Well, it’s all how you look at it, son …” and then tried to find the words to be honest but not panic a 7 yr old. As he was thinking, the voice from the backseat said “Yeah, like 2 times 2 and 2 times 4 … times can be tough!”
And, apparently, so can gaining your composure. ; )
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Magic Computer Offering of the Day
Richard, Springfield, IL
Occupation:
Actor/Entertainer
I wonder if he’s still wishing for Jesse’s girl?
