Saturday 9 & Sunday Stealing: A Two-fer

It's my weekend to work and I didn't have time to get my Saturday 9 post up on time so this is a two-fer, Saturday 9 and Sunday Stealing for the price of one!

Saturday 9: The Fool on the Hill (1968)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

Chosen because Monday is April Fool's Day.

1) As an April Fool's prank, Taco Bell once announced they had purchased The Liberty Bell and renamed it The Taco Liberty Bell. Describe your perfect taco.  Taco seasoned meat, mild taco sauce, cheese, lettuce, and tomato in a Cool Ranch Dorito shell.

2) Similarly, as an April Fool's prank, the Ford Motor Co. was supposed to wipe out the national deficit by purchasing the naming rites to a beloved monument, renaming it the Ford Lincoln Mercury Memorial. What model car do you drive?  Toyota Camry. I am at heart a Ford girl, but our son works for Toyota and can get us good deals, so.....

3) In 1998, Burger King got in on the April Fool's Day fun by promoting a special "Left-Handed Whopper," designed to be easier for a leftie to hold. Describe your perfect burger.  Ground beef patty cooked well (the only beef I don't like pink in the middle), cheese, lettuce, tomato, and ketchup (Heinz only) and no seeds on the bun.

4) In 1962, when color TV was still new, a Swedish station pranked viewers by telling them they could convert their black/white sets to color by cutting up a nylon stocking and stretching it across the screen. Of course, in 1962, more women wore nylons and screens were smaller. How big is your TV? Are there any nylon stockings in your home?  Our TV is 60". It's a guy thing...you know, bigger is better. As for nylon stockings, I suppose there must be a pair or two around but I couldn't say when I last wore them.

5) In 1957, the BBC ran an April Fool's story about how the Swiss were enjoying a "bumper spaghetti crop," with spaghetti literally growing on trees. Viewers who called the station, asking how to grow a spaghetti tree of their own, were told to place a sprig of spaghetti in a can of tomato sauce and hope for the best. Have you ever fallen for an April Fool's prank?  I'm sure I must have somewhere along the way, probably as a kid. We really don't observe the holiday.

6) When Crazy Sam was growing up, her mother would surprise her on April Fool's Day by slipping a rubber worm or plastic spider in her lunch box. When you were in school, did you more frequently brown bag it or buy your lunch in the cafeteria line?  I don't remember ever taking my lunch to school.

7) This week's song was an international hit for Sergio Mendes and Brasil 66. Because of the song's bossa nova arrangement, everyone assumed the lead singer, Lani Hall, was Brazilian. She was a folk singer from Chicago. Sergio Mendes discovered her at a charity benefit. Can you think of a time when doing good really paid off for you?  Not off hand.

8) In 1968, when this record was popular, Pierre Trudeau became Prime Minister of Canada. Today his son holds that office. When did you most recently visit our neighbor to the north?  I think it's been about 10 years.

9) Random question: Name three websites you visit every day.  This blog, Facebook, and the site my work does all of our time keeping, scheduling, and the like through.

Sunday Stealing: Thought Provoking Questions, Part 2

1. If you had to teach something, what would you teach?  Reading, writing, English...something along those lines, I suppose.

2. What would you regret not fully doing, being or having in your life?  My family and my relationship with the Lord.

3. Are you holding onto something that you need to let go of?  Not any more.

4. When you are 80-years-old, what will matter to you the most?  Being sure of where I'm going when my life is over and knowing whether my family will be joining me there.

5. When is it time to stop calculating risk and rewards and just do what you know is right?  It's always time to do the right thing.

6. How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you are?  Probably my early 20's. I never really feel like I'm all grown up. I still have a very goofy, playful side.

7. Would you break the law to save a loved one?  I'll say probably, but it would really depend on what they need saving from and the law. For example, I probably wouldn't break the law to save a loved one who was in jeopardy due to committing a crime themselves.

8. What makes you smile? So many, many things. Babies, the residents at the home, my husband, my children and grandchildren, the beach, a summer morning, rain storms, dogs, cats, friends.....

9. When it’s all said and done, will you have said more than you’ve done?  I don't know. I hope it's at least pretty even.

10. If you had the opportunity to get a message across to a large group of people, what would your message be?  If you don't have anything nice to say about someone, don't say anything at all. That was my dad's golden rule and it's a good one. It doesn't mean you have to agree with a person or like them, it just means not adding to the negative in the world. If you are always speaking badly of others, it says more about you than it does about them.

11. If the average human lifespan was 40 years, how would you live your life differently?  Ha! It wouldn't be a problem because I'd already be dead.

12. What do we all have in common besides our genes that makes us human?  A desire to love and be loved and to have a purpose.

13. If you could choose one book as a mandatory read for all high school students, which book would you choose?  I'm stumped. There are just too many good books to choose only one.

14. Would you rather have less work or more work you actually enjoy doing?  Less work. I'd rather have more time to spend with the grandkids.

15. What is important enough to go to war over?  Protecting this country, our rights and freedoms, and way of life. 

16. Which is worse, failing or never trying?  Never trying. If you don't try, you'll never know. If you fail, you can learn from your mistake and give it another try.

17. When was the last time you listened to the sound of your own breathing?  I don't know.

18. What’s something you know you do differently than most people?  Sleep. The covers have to be nice and neat and just so. I can't stand when they get messed up. We've mastered keeping my side of the bed neat while Tim's side looks like a tornado blew through.

19. What does ‘The American Dream’ mean to you?  Living with the freedom to do and be who and what I want to be.

20. Would you rather be a worried genius or a joyful simpleton?  A joyful simpleton. There are those who probably would say that I am. Ha!