NASA, MFG, VA, AL36... and Elvis!

"That's quite some alphabet soup you have going there, until the last part."

Right? But it does all tie together, as all of it was experienced today.

"Oh? Do tell."

Let me start with Elvis. "I Can See Your Voice" had all their possible "good singers" doing songs from the King of Rock'n'Roll's discography. You know that was a big draw for me!

"Most def!"

So, the very first one the contestant suspected was a "bad singer" was the guy dressed as a firefighter, the one in my photo. Only he wasn't! His rendition of "Burnin' Love" was spot on! It turned out he had won the Ultimate Elvis competition back in 2008.

"Very nice!!! He had been a real ETA!!! Was he the only one who had been?"

I don't know. I remembered I had reserved a spot to watch an AARP MFG, which had started at 8 PM, same as that show. Oops!

"Oops, indeed. Did you forget to tell your Thursday kitchen cabinet Elvis about that?"

No, that's how I remembered. I saw it when I got some water. So, I missed maybe the first ten minutes or so of "Space: The Longest Goodbye". I tuned in for the talk with Cady Coleman, who was on the ISS, and her son Jamey Simpson, who was 10 years old when his mom left Earth. Coleman was one day past her 50th birthday when she left for Expedition 26.

"Wow. That sounds like it was quite interesting."

It certainly was, though it left me with a lot of questions. The documentary was about the ability of humans to cope with long separations from family and friends, as well as their ability to acclimate back into those lives when the separation was over.

"Well I recall the difficulty you had adjusting back to civilian life when you returned home from the Navy. In fact, you'd had a bit of a disconnect every time you returned home on leave from wherever you'd been stationed. There were always a few days of feeling like being in the military was a dream, then you'd settle in."

You know, I had forgotten about that! This movie brought to mind the one I'd seen in 2020, during the summer of the pandemic, about Scott Kelly. He was 51 years old when he was part of NASA's yearlong mission on the ISS that began in March of 2015. The 340-day mission was to determine health effects of long-term spaceflight. For that mission to the ISS, Scott Kelly was also part of a study by NASA on twins, which found his DNA was altered, and cognitive ability as well, from that of his identical-twin brother, Mark. Very interesting studies! It was also a very interesting look at isolation during that summer of COVID-19.

"I bet it was. It really doesn't matter if the isolation was chosen or not, the ultimate effects are the same: a disconnect from self-identity due to loss of connection to others."

I would be interested in the Russian studies about such isolation. Scott Kelly is the only astronaut from the USA to do such a mission. Russia has four cosmonauts - Valery Polyakov, Sergei Avdeyev, Vladimir Titov and Musa Manarov - who have been on missions that were longer, and which were done in the mid- to late-1990's.

"That's amazing!"

Truly, it is. I don't recall that the earlier documentary raised questions so much as it was reassuring that I would survive the pandemic and the inflicted isolation from all the social activities that had been my norm. However, this MFG tonight left me pondering. How could NASA's research be utilized for prisoners returning to their communities after they are released? How could that research be applied for military personnel returning home to the US from war zones? How could it be used to help folks adjust to life working in remote locations, or even for troops before they go to strife-ridden sites? I even left those questions in the comment section of the post-film chat.

"I wonder if you will hear anything back from that? As for the questions you've posed, I'm willing to bet recent events have a lot to do with those. The monologue from Lee Osorio, the prison film on Monday, even the talk with your brother at dinner - those all have had an impact on your psyche and resulted in those questions being raised."

Oh, I am sure of that. As for the military angle, that's probably from the American Legion meeting earlier tonight. I have officially become the Historian for Post 36! The former Historian, Byron Stephens, passed over to me the thin binder of documents. Surely some are missing, right? I mean, Post 36 was the first American Legion stronghold in Savannah and is more than 100 years old. Perhaps the rest of our history is with the district site?

"That's something to look into, for sure. How many members showed up tonight?"

Six. There were six of us. I was disappointed. I created an event page on fb, on the Post 36 page, and I had hoped to see some new faces tonight. Doug told me that's the first time we've had such an event listed on fb, so kudos to me. I replied that I'd like to have seen all the officers show up, at the very least. He feels that once we have the Two Firsts Club up and running that we'll have many more members at the meetings.

"Let's hope so. But do you recall how many came for the meetings when they were held at the Thunderbolt location? At most, there were about twenty, right? Not including the wives who were part of the Women's Auxiliary?"

Yeah. Maybe 25 or 30 on really special meetings, like the one tonight, or for the one for the official induction of those elected. That would have represented about 10% of the membership at the time."

"That sounds right. Only about ten percent of the members of any group show up for the activities and meetings. Given that, and that current membership is down to about 120, then a good meeting attendance would be about 12."

Yeah. Okay, new topic! Today, I participated in the 14th Annual VA 2K Walk & Roll!!!

"I thought that was yesterday."

It was, but I couldn't work it into my schedule. Between my first day tending to my brother's dog and the impromptu dinner with Christina and her girls, I couldn't juggle in the time at the Purple Planet. Specifically, I wanted to be at the one on Victory. So, I took care of that today! I trod the treadmill for 42 minutes, racking up 2.3 km while watching Vince Vaughn for 45 minutes in "Couples Retreat".

"Something is amiss with your math..."

... no, it sn't! I continued watching during the three minutes of cool-down! Now, excuse me, but I must return to the dog for our sleepover tonight! Not that he sleeps in the same room I do, but he does like to know he isn't alone in the house. Bye!

never have i ever...

... heard an Elvis Tribute Artist sing "Honky Tonk Badonkadonk" -

taking off his coat to do so -

and really putting the moves out there -

even shaking his finger at me from the stage -

but that's exactly what Jordan Poole did this afternoon!

 

Here he is, right after that number, coat still off.

The other two guys are joking about that bawdy song with regulars in the audience, while watching for lightning from above.

Truly!

 

... heard "Kiss" done by an ETA -

yes, the one written by Prince -

the one I had requested but not expected -

sure that "Beth" by KISS would be performed instead -

but that's what Austin Irby sang right before Jordan's dance hit!

 

I was absolutely captivated by his rendition, too!

Remember - this man has dance moves for days and days!!!

No wonder that Jordan had to waggle his finger at me to behave!!!

Lord have mercy!!!

 

... attended a show where folks were called up from the audience to perform solo on stage -

like this woman Dana, and before her a guy named Mike -

and were allowed to do two songs each!

 

He sang "Achy Breaky Heart" and and Elvis song.

She did "You Ain't Woman Enough", with me mouthing the words -

then, in answer to my request, "Walkin' After Midnight"!!!

Maybe she thought I was special, there in Seat AA-2, right across from the tech station for the show...

I sure felt that way!

 

... heard original music at an ETA show -

but I did today -

and not just once, but twice -

with one written by Austin Irby and the other by his uncle.

 

"We Will Rise Up" was his and right in keeping with the theme of gospel for the first hour of this "Afternoon With The King".

The second was written for his mom, who died from COVID in 2021.

Titled "Just Believe (Your Miracle Is On Its Way)", it echoes the wisdom she would pass along to others when troubled.

Quite beautiful!

 

... seen an ETA doubling as emcee and tech guy -

as well as performing multiple times on the stage -

with ever a smile and a joke on his lips -

but that's exactly what Taylor Rodriguez has done all three days of this "Christmas With The King" show.

 

He even gracefully sang and danced to a song ("La Bamba") that he often gets asked to do just because of his last name.

He claimed that he hated the song... but he sure looked good doing it and smiled the whole time!

 

... seen a trio perform "American Trilogy" -

with each singer doing a section of the song -

and not a cape among them -

while the audience stood in allegiance -

whether southern-born or transplant.

 

Austin and Jordan are both Southerners, and Jordan is even Georgia-grown, so they were reverent throughout the song.

Usually two of them would have been cutting up while the third sang, but not for this final song of the afternoon - nope!

... taken a photo of an ETA holding a baby -

a child with no relation to them -

but there Taylor was, while Jordan and Austin looked on -

like they might all be honorary uncles -

and, perhaps, they might be!

 

The baby is six months old.

The mother is Dana, one of the guest singers, and she is apparently married to an ETA.

Was it the other guest singer, Mike?

No, I don't believe it was...

but I really don't know.

 

I snapped this photo -

instead of one with me and the three ETAs -

and then left to head home.

The time was already after 4 PM and I knew that darkness would come early on this drizzly day...

and it did.

It was definitely night when I got home about an hour ago.

What a marvelous birthday65 vacation I have had -

and safe travel back to Savannah!

i thank You, God!

christmas with the king, night 2

"Blue Christmas" was the title of tonight's concert, but it could have been dubbed "Rainy Christmas" just as well.

I snagged my seat up front - that would be AA-2 again! - and noticed the stage had been changed around.

Not just from last night, but from this afternoon!

The four columns were still in pairs to either side of the main stage, as they were for the matinee...

but the tree was over in the right corner...

and there was a karaoke-style screen set up front left.

How very curious!

That mystery was solved soon enough, though.

It was there to help out Jordan Poole!

All of these Christmas songs were new to him!

Well, he knew the choruses well, of course, but not all those lyrics in between.

Even two hours of cramming before the show had done naught to allay his qualms about "Jingle Bells" and "White Christmas" and "Walking In A Winter Wonderland".

Hence, the laptop on the stand as his cheat sheet.

To his credit, he tried to be mindful to not stare at it as he sang.

And even though it had been set up for his benefit, Austin Irby used the setup for a couple of solo songs, too (donning his glasses to do so).

As they explained, Christmas songs weren't usually fodder at the ETA concerts, so they only did these tunes once a year, if at all.

Taylor Rodriguez was the only one who knew all the verses, especially for all of the songs he sang, whether solo or as part of the "Three ETA Stooges" combo, as they repeatedly referred to themselves.

Taylor was the tech dude tonight, too, though he did have Austin monitor the board from time to time.

Here, Jordan, in the sparkly red jacket, keeps Taylor company on the sidelines as Austin takes a turn onstage and at the karaoke stand.

Mostly, though, they sang as a trio.

They would take turns being the lead on a song, with the other two as the background singers.

For some tunes, they took turns, each doing a verse before joining together on the refrain.

But don't think they didn't do plenty of solo numbers!

Austin did two beautiful songs I'd never heard, with one from 1983 by Amy Grant ("Tennessee Christmas") and one from 2019 by Keith Urban (I'll Be Your Santa Tonight").

Nope, Elvis never heard or sang either of those - he was already gone by the time either of them came out.

I liked all the classics: "Silver Bells", "Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer", "Feliz Navidad" - with Taylor tagged for a solo.

(smile!)

That song brought me back from the tears in my eyes from Taylor's heartfelt "I'll Be Home for Christmas"...

so beautifully done.

I don't know why it got to me this time, but it did.

I'm so thankful he followed that with the peppy Latin tune!

None of the other songs brought tears, not even "Christmas In Heaven", dedicated to Jordan's grandmother.

"Christmas In Dixie", "Run, Run, Rudolph", "Santa Claus Is Back In Town" - all are crowd pleasers and guaranteed to bring toe-tapping, not tears, and they did, too.

All in all, a very enjoyable time with these three young men!

And, after the show, I had my photo memento taken with them, in all their holiday finery!

Sweet dreams for me again!

(smile!)

christmas with the king, night 1

At long last, it was here!

Remember, I've had my three-day pass for this Christmas With The King festival since July -

that's a long time for me to wait for this birthday65 gift!

i thank You, God, that I bought the pass then, before the incident with the behemoth and the other struggle with Travelers about insurance.

Otherwise, I doubt I would have treated myself to this holiday vacation, birthday or no.

Again, i thank You, God!

 

The tickets were general admission, in a theatre that probably holds less than a hundred.

No worries, though - I snagged a front row seat!!!

In fact, my chair was directly opposite the tech station.

That means I had frequent access to Taylor Rodriguez!!!

I well remembered him from that trip to Las Vegas in 2018 -

what a fabulous birthday trip that had been!!!

I doubt if he remembered me from five years ago, but I certainly recalled him as the young Elvis Presley.

Tonight, he was serving as emcee and sound guy as well as ETA.

This was Tribute Festivals' second year with this show, having only two Elvis Tribute Artists part of it in 2023.

That put a lot of pressure on the two singers!

So, this time, they had a third fellow in the mix.

That's him on the right, Jordan Poole, just 22 years old, being interviewed by Taylor.

The show tonight was titled "Reflections On The King" and this segment was designed to give us some insight into why this young ETA had chosen this path.

I expected him to say his mom loved Elvis.

What a surprise to find out that it was his dad who was the big Elvis fan, it was his dad that shared the Elvis movies and music with him.

How very cool!

About thirty minutes later, Taylor asked the same question of Austin Irby.

Want to guess what his reply had been?

His dad was a big Elvis fan and they would watch the movies together and that's when Austin decided he wanted to be like Elvis.

As it turned out, that was Taylor's story, too!

Their fathers, not their mothers, had been the impetus behind them becoming ETAs. 

That was such a wonder to me!

But then I thought about a friend of mine.

This had reminded me of how much Mister Willie had loved Elvis, of him singing Elvis' songs to me during slow moments at Grayson Stadium.

"Forever Young And Beautiful" had been one of those songs, as well as "Don't Be Cruel".

Good times!

These were good times as well!

No one sang those two songs, but they did plenty of others, either solo or together, accompanied by the "band" on Taylor's laptop!

James Taylor's "Steamroller" ran over the stage and we all got to sing along with Neil Diamond's "Sweet Caroline", though I have to admit to a special place in my heart for "A Little Less Conversation"!

They also covered some of Elvis' most well-known: "The Wonder Of You", "You Gave Me A Mountain", "He Touched Me".

The trio even finished up with "Viva Las Vegas"!!!

I took that to be especially for me, of course.

(smile!)

But what I really liked were the songs that I didn't know.

Each of them did one of those, and all three were sad songs about the girl that got away.

So very nice!

Plus, there was my knock-knock joke.

There was a technical glitch and Taylor said, "Does anyone know a joke?"

So of course I piped up... and poor Jordan got caught in the middle.

"Knock knock," I asked him.

"Who's there?" he responded correctly.

"Banana," I said, followed by his "Banana who?"

I then immediately said "Knock knock" and flustered him.

He got even more flustered when I again said, "Banana" in response to his "Who's there?"

It took a couple of tries before Taylor stepped in.

"Knock, knock."

"Who's there?"

"Banana."

"Banana who?"

"Knock, knock."

"Who's there?"

"Banana." 

"Banana who?"

"Knock, knock."

"Who's there?"

"Orange."

"Orange who?"

"Orange you glad I didn't say banana again?"

Hahahaha!!! Hahaha!!!

That was great fun!

 

After the show, all who wanted to got to have photos taken with the boys.

I made sure to talk with each one, too!

I told Austin how impressed I had been with him ever since the 2013 Georgia Elvis Festival and his leg movements in those black and white shoes!

He smiled that I remembered his shoes.

(smile!)

I spoke with Taylor about how much I had enjoyed him at the Las Vegas Elvis Festival in 2018 when he was just 20.

He'll be 26 in another two weeks.

(smile!)

And I joked around with Jordan, kidding him about not knowing that elementary school joke.

Maybe kids in Sylvester, GA, don't tell those?

Maybe!

(smile!)

What a wonderful evening I had with them!

No wonder I have such a big smile on my face, with Austin held by my right arm, Taylor by my left arm, and Jordan right there with us!

I'll have sweet dreams tonight at the Sleep Inn!

(smile!)

halloween 2023

Here's one from Perry Foster's fb.

 

"Halloween [is] a day we get it right.

Strangers come to us,

beautiful, ugly, odd, or scary,

and we accept them all without question, compliment them, 

treat them kindly, and give them good things.

 Why don't we live like that? 

- Steve Garnass-Holmes "

 

I like it so much that I've had it as my fb cover photo ever since 11 October.

 

Then there's this guy!

I do so love Jack Skellington!

He's a scientist, ya know.

Hard to believe he's THIRTY YEARS OLD... right?

 

AMC had him back for his Big 3-o birthday party, so that's where I was on Tuesday, October 24.

I watched it on TV on Sunday, but...

he needed the A*List treatment...

and so did I.

This guy is no Jack, though.

He isn't even an ETA, much as he'd like to think he was Elvis.

Nope!

 

That's Kermit's nephew, Scooter.

He was all dressed up for the Halloween party that Gonzo missed.

And just why was that goofy creature not there?

He was at "Muppets Haunted Mansion" with King Prawn!

I watched that on the 26th, for Willie's birthday.

He would have been 86.

That was on Disney+, gifted from Comcast.

 

This was on Peacock, that reward from Comcast.

Last Monday, I'd watched "Death Becomes Her" on that 'channel', rather than wait for it on AARP MFG tonight.

 

Then, the next night...

and the morning of the 25th...

I spent with Bill Murray and "Zombieland"!

This scene, with him and Woody Harrelson acting as ghostbusters, while others are watching the movie in an adjacent room, is a favorite scene!!!

 

Too bad 'Columbus' mistook that professional makeup job for real zombie and shot him.

Oops!

And just what did I do on this Tina Tuesday Halloween?

I went to a crazy, zany, flick at the Victory!

Well, sure, it's called the NCG Cinema, but I'm old Savannah.

(smile!)

This one slipped right up on me, too.

Hard to believe, right, since it's Broadway-esque...

but it did!

I tried to get Boo and Sandy to join me for "Dicks: The Musical - The Sing-A-Long", but, no dice.

Just as well!

It was slap full of boy humor and they would have hated it!

I had a matinee for one and totally enjoyed myself!

What a treat after today's yard work!

(smile!)

that's lee-lo, not lee-loo and certainly not ligh-low

"What in the world are you talking about?"

Oh, that's funny that you should say that! "What in the world..." Hahaha! This scifi Disney even starts with the Magic Castle taking off like a rocket ship! That lets you know from the very get-go that this will not be one of their usual stories.

"Science fiction? From the land of princesses???"

Yep! And not a single royal chica in sight, either. Just a little girl with her doll, Scrump, that she made. Very different.

"Then why were you watching it?"

Hey, it's not like this is the first time I've never gone for the rough and tumble animated flicks. Right? Still, this one was off my radar. All I really knew about it was that my first niece really loved "Lilo And Stitch" and I had wondered what draw it held for her. That's why I chose it for my first 1-Dollar Weekend Movie this month. The theme is animated movies never seen.

"And have you figured out why she loves it so?"

Well, I thought I had. After seeing it the first time, I noticed it was released the year after Mama died. Its mantra is "Ohana means family, which means no one gets left behind... or forgotten." It also has a sister trying to get custody of her little sister via the foster care system, and the troubles with doing that. So, I thought those were the reasons.

"That sounds very logical. But those weren't the attraction?"

Nope. I was more on target when I texted her this evening with two photos from the movie. I then had gone on about the two reasons I thought she liked it. She set me straight! She missed it when it first came out, but recalled seeing the movie "since Miyah. Or possibly just b4", she said.

"Oh, that puts it into perspective!"

Right? So I quipped, "Little monster, and the alien, too, made me immediately think of Miyah!", being funny, right? She knew at once I was referring to the little girl! "Yep," she replied, "cute and crazy." 

"For sure! Let's hope Chloe is getting better role models now that she is in school."

I do hope so, but that'll take time. I've seen with Leila and Alyssa that they have definitely become their own selves now that they've been in school for several years. I'm so glad schools have the policy of placing twins in different classes from each other!

"I definitely like that, too. Now, tell me about this movie. Did you like it?"

It was... okay... the first time. It isn't a musical and isn't something that really appealed to me. Still, the setting in Hawaii and all the surfing made it seem like a good choice, given that I've recently seen "Point Break" and "Forgetting Sarah Marshall". Right place, right time coincidence, you know.

"Heard."

Its saving grace is the abundance of Elvis' music throughout. Like, seriously heavy rotation! Almost the entire soundtrack is comprised of his hits! And, when the social worker says the little girl's "dog" needs to become a "model citizen", I found it delightful that she chose Elvis Presley, her idol, as the one for him to emulate.

"Could you tell me about the movie? Just wondering how Elvis figured in."

Well, let's start from the top, shall we? There's Lilo with her doll, hoping to play with the other little girls, but shunned. She goes home to sing along with "Heartbreak Hotel", while her sister is trying to get in the locked house and, of course, the social worker - voiced by Ving Rhames and named Mr. Bubbles! - is waiting to check out the living situation.

Those monthly visits are something Christina has lived with for almost two decades!

Okay, back to the story.

The sister decides that Lilo needs a dog to keep her company, so off the the pound they go the next morning. The alien - Experiment 626 - has crash landed and been taken to the pound. Shape-shifting it becomes a 'dog', which Lilo sees and immediately wants, naming it "Stitch"... and, paying the two-dollar fee, she now has a pet.

The thing is, here's the thing: he's programmed as a destroyer. Gee, that's something they have in common! But she asks him to create something instead of breaking all her stuff. Justthatfast, he builds a model of San Francisco!!! Then immediately he goes into full-tilt-boogie Godzilla mode and wrecks it! Very funny!

Not acceptable by Mr. Bubbles. So, that's when she teaches Stitch to be like Elvis: to dance like him, play guitar like him, move like him, dress like him! And all around town they go, as her sister tries to find a new job... and they keep wrecking her chances. That's because, on top of his destructive tendencies, the alien doesn't like to get wet (even if it's an accident), has a short fuse, abhors bright lights (such as flashes on cameras taking photos), and now has other aliens trying to capture him to return him to planet Turo.

What a hectic time!

It's beginning to look bleak for Lilo and her sister.

Then the little girl is kidnapped and taken off in a rocket ship! Stitch manages to get free, as he's a bit of an escape artist. Then he gets to the big sister, who gathers others, and they manage to rescue Lilo from the aliens!

But Mr. Bubbles is displeased, as that's too much turmoil for a little girl to endure.

 

All ends well, with the aliens granting custody of Stitch back to Lilo, since she has a legitimate bill of sale for him. Moreover, the alien in charge declares that Lilo, Stitch, and the big sister stay together forever, something that even a social worker couldn't dismantle.

The end!

 

"Marvelous! And there's music from the King of Rock and Roll, too!"

 

Indeed! Plus, I get to watch it one more time, which I'll do tomorrow.

(smile!)

rx5: meat loaf aday

Somewhere in the ether world is someone with far, far, too much time on their hands.

(Yes, I just referenced a 1981 song by Styx, on their "Paradise Theater" album. That may lead to an incorrect assumption concerning the song I'll be highlighting this day from Meat Loaf's large repertoire. Kindly look more closely at the images above; those are the lyrics of interest on this Tuesday.)

My dear Rogue posted the above meme on his fb page a few days ago.

I was not only impressed with the time the meme designer took to input all that data, but also at the collection of artworks amassed to drive the lyrics home.

I recognize some of the paintings, but could not give their names, nor those of the painters.

Still, I know enough to wonder what coincidences had to fall into place - i.e., what worlds had to collide - that a person trained in classical art, of such an age to have felt a kinship with "Bat Out Of Hell" when it came out 45 years ago, would be moved enough by Meat Loaf's death to have composed this homage.

Well done, whoever you are, and thanks, Joe Guy, for sharing the meme.

Thanks also to Elvis Presley and his song, "I Want You, I Need You, I Love You", without which Jim Steinman would have never written this one.

*****

Two Out Of Three Ain't Bad

Baby we can talk all night

but that ain't getting us nowhere

I told you everything I possibly can

There's nothing left inside of here

And maybe you can cry all night

But that'll never change the way that I feel

The snow is really piling up outside

I wish you wouldn't make me leave here

I poured it on and I poured it out

I tried to show you just how much I care

I'm tired of words 

and I'm too hoarse to shout

But you've been cold 

to me so long

I'm crying icicles instead of tears

And all I can do

is keep on telling you

I want you

I need you

But - there ain't no way I'm ever gonna love you

Now don't be sad

(don't be sad)

'Cause two out of three ain't bad

Now don't be sad

'Cause two out of three ain't bad

You'll never find your gold on a sandy beach

You'll never drill for oil on a city street

I know you're looking for a ruby in a mountain of rocks

But there ain't no Coupe de Ville 

hiding at the bottom 

of a Cracker Jack box

I can't lie

I can't tell you that I'm something that I'm not

no matter how I try

I'll never be able

to give you something

something that I just haven't got

There's only one girl that I will ever love

and that was

so many years

ago

And though I know I'll never get her 

out of my heart

She never loved me back

Oooh I know

I remember how she left me on a stormy night

She kissed me and got out of our bed

And though I pleaded

and I begged her

not to walk out that door

She packed her bags and turned right away

 

And she kept on telling me

She kept on telling me

She kept on

telling

me

I want you

I need you

But there ain't no way I'm ever gonna love you

Now don't be sad

(don't be sad)

'Cause two out of three ain't bad

I want you

I need you

But there ain't no way I'm ever gonna love you

Now don't be sad

(don't be sad)

'Cause two out of three ain't bad

Don't be sad

'Cause two out of three ain't bad

 

Baby we can talk all night

but that ain't getting us nowhere 

elvis needs boats, elvis needs boats

Not really, but that silly song that proclaimed "Elvis Is Everywhere" popped into my head, so go ahead, go take a listen.
I'll be right here when you return - I will!
*
*
*
Now, let me tell you the truth of the matter.
Elvis needed water today and I was right there to give it to him - I was!

See, I told you so!
(smile)
Gotcha!
This is me with Reverend Billy Hester, at the church at the intersection of E. Henry Street and Waters Avenue. This was taken just after his stint as The King in last Sunday's production of "Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat". I truly love his God on Broadway sermons and that one, on reconciliation, was truly a sign that I was at the right place, at the right time.
i thank You, God!

But that is not the Elvis of which I speak.
Today, during the seventh year of the Rock'n'Roll Marathon Series in Savannah, two variations of Elvis Presley ran past the intersection of E. Henry Street and Waters Avenue. I was part of the Mile 10 Water Station tasked with slaking the thirst of the many runners as they proceeded on their quest.

Now, then, most of these folks were not Asburians, like me. In fact, there may have been eight of us from the church, total. Maybe.
But Miss Virginia was one of them! I worked right beside her most of the time, too!

We were far from alone, though.
A Boy Scout troop was right alongside us!
The Future Business Leaders of America group at one of the schools helped out, too!
There were some other students from another school group, but there was one child that stood out.
Steven Cowart, middle school student now, son of my friend Susan.
When she'd returned to Okinawa in 2004 and needed help, she asked me to come along. None of her family wanted the free trip, but she knew I had loved being on that island. My trip was free in return for my tending her youngest, Steven, while she handled the three-year-old Max.
And here my 'little bird' was, looking almost grown.
Of course I introduced myself to him!
This photo has the 95-years-young Virginia surrounded by all the children.
The child I cooed whale song to during the plane ride to Okinawa is the redhead in the back row, on the right.
(smile)

I'm sure you wondered how we kept our energy up, right?
After all, our shift began at 6:15 AM - the sun wasn't even up yet.
We were graced with a rock and roll band that was soooo good!
Everchange not only played a wide mix of songs, but they played a lot of songs I knew!
I was singing and dancing and moving the cups in my hands to the tunes!
Thanks, y'all!

A little more than five hours later, the last runners of the marathon and half-marathon had passed us by, with many of them taking the little paper cups of water from our hands.
Many of them thanked us for volunteering, too.
That was very nice!
The "Race Crew" T-shirt, cap, and tote bag were nice, too!

Now, if you'll pardon me, I'm taking a nap.
I had a nice lunch at Jalapenos with Kevin - he'd run the half-marathon, but we somehow missed seeing each other. He insisted that he had spoken with both of the Elvis runners and told them about me. For real!
(smile)
That's been the first time we've seen each other since I got weird.
Nice to have that episode firmly in the past tense.
Did we talk about that?
No, of course not.
He talked about his retirement investments and eBay sales.
I talked about watching "iZombie" on the bfe's netflix account and the correlations to "Warm Bodies" and to "Buffy The Vampire Slayer". I told him I'd seen "Frankenweenie" and was wanting to watch "ParaNorman", but On Demand had already pulled it. Netflix didn't have it, but they did have "iZombie", of which I'd seen an episode or two, but didn't know anything about. So far, I've watched five episodes, I told him, and really like it!
(I think he was incredulous that I liked those two television series. He had this look of amusement on his face!)
We also talked a little about Tony and his new move to the Transition Center, at last.
All in all, a very satisfying visit... with a 'budget-cut hug' afterward.
Very satisfying.
i thank You, God.