Soulful Saturday - Country (Pop)

So, I have a friend that will absolutely HATE this post. I'm ok with it & sending him love and hugs anyway.

Lefty and I were having a conversation last weekend (that is how most of these blog posts start, a conversation in passing) about country music. I don't really DO country music. I mean, it just is not my thing. My contribution to the conversation was something along the lines of "I think that there is an outline for country songs. It has to have a twang, a pickup truck, a coon dog and they have to be in love with a sister or a cousin, right?" Lefty was not totally on board with my assessment, but at least he agreed that there HAS to be a twang.

I have a couple of friends (brothers, no less) that think that today's country is awful-- they are purists... Country Music Purists. Who knew? Now I am not sure what that entails, but I am SUPER SURE that country music purists will hate every song listed tonight. Know why? Because I like my country music catchy, poppy, with hot guys in a cowboy hat and tight jeans. And I make no apology for that. I am sure that country music of yesteryear (just like R&B music) was better than what is presented now... but my standards in the country genre are VERY low. So low... they only wear a cowboy hat and tight jeans. Here is looking at you, hot boys with twangs, in love with your sister, your dog and (most importantly) your pickup truck. Here is to you!!

Sam Hunt - Take Your Time

You know what? I feel your judgey eyes. I don't care. He played college football and in our pretend relationship his nickname is "The Body" and he loves chocolate girls. So now!





Florida Georgia Line - Cruise

The epitome of 'Bro Country' and honestly, I am sure they have come out with other songs... but those songs don't include Nelly... so I am not interested. Nelly: You make me wanna roll my, roll my... Ooo!!



Brantley Gilbert - Small Town Throw Down

WHO ARE THESE BOYS?!?!?! This video just cracks my shit up. I canNOT even deal when I watch this. It has no chill. Hey, did you know that there is redneck grapevine? Me either. Let's throw down!



Keith Urban - Come Back To Me

The prettiest of the pretty country boys. I don't care that he is 5 feet tall. I don't care that I (most likely) outweigh him by at least 20 pounds. I don't even care that on my best day, his hair will ALWAYS look better than mine. I don't care. Keith is my country husband. Don't be jealous. And back up... don't make me cut you for touching my little man.



Blake Shelton - Honey Bee 

He is SUPA fine... but I am scared of his wife, so I am laying no claims. SUPA FINE.

Soulful Saturday - Pat Benatar

A few weeks ago, Lefty and I took a short trip east on 70 to a cute little town called Zanesville, for a Pat Benatar concert. What?! Oh yes, that is right, Pat Benatar. Now, we have been trying to see this showstopper for a while. We got tickets twice last year and the show was rescheduled each time. We actually joked-- wondering if this concert was going to happen, but we took the trip anyway. It is about an hour in the car... and really, who wouldn't travel an hour to hear Pat Benatar belt out some 80s songs and hopefully NOT do a dance move.

This concert was part of her 35th anniversary tour with her seriously adorable husband. Seriously adorable. Like, hot. And when I tell you that we had a ball. Y'all, we had a BALL. There was dancing in the aisles. There was some loud singing along. Think of it as a two hour, stationary car concert... because that is what it was. And I loved every moment of it.

I think that Pat and Neil are still touring. If they are, do yourself a favor, GET THEE TO THE CONCERT. She still sounds and looks great and they compliment each other perfectly. Below, for your enjoyment (and mine-- reliving the night) here are some rocking selections from Ms. Pat Benatar. Feel free to dance, or just grab that paddle brush off your bathroom counter and sing along. If you want to dress in 80s clothes and crimp your hair, I can get with that-- just make a video because I need evidence that it happened! :)


We Belong




Hit Me With Your Best Shot





Heartbreaker/Ring of Fire (from another 2015 show!)





Love Is A Battlefield (yes, yes it is)
**ps I hope that whoever talked Pat into that dance sequence never worked on another music video for the rest of their lives.

Soulful Saturday - In Memoriam

This year has been rough. Lefty and I were talking yesterday and I recounted that in the last 9 weeks, three people that I have known well have passed away-- two of them were my age. You know, that is a lot... and those feelings led to this entry. 2015 has not spared musicians either. This week the world lost a genius. Someone who receives heavy play on my iPod-- the incomparable B.B. King.

Lefty told me yesterday that it is sad when someone passes away, but the good part (if there is one) is that people remember good things; we tell stories and reminisce. And I guess that is true. You don't really think of it at the time, because you are hurting, but remembering the good times is what gets us through.

Here are three giants that we lost this year... and their biggest hits.


B.B. King - The Thrill is Gone



Ben E. King - Stand By Me





Percy Sledge - When A Man Loves a Woman

**One of my most favorite songs, ever**

Manic Monday - Death By Social Media

Ah, weekends. Around here they are known as "catch  up on sleep days" or "have an actual conversation with your husband... two days in a row" days or, my personal favorite "let's make a list of all the shit we aren't going to get done in two days." This past weekend was a lovely mixture of all these things. I was feeling under the weather last week, so this weekend was gonna be my first few times out of the house (other than Friday's workout with momma HBB), plus we hadn't really started the garden yet, we needed groceries... you know, all that jazz. So here I was, checking Facebook on Saturday morning because... yeah, I wanted to. A bajillion things to do-- AFTER a Facebook check, right?

It was during that "quick check" on Saturday that I learned of the happenings of the night before. Picture this, a hot and muggy night in Georgia, a high school graduation and a chick off her rocker. I am sure that we all know by now that Nancy Gordeuk lost her damn mind in front of graduating seniors and their family members, calling people goobers, cowards and trying to call out Black people for leaving the graduation ceremony. After social media (primarily #BlackTwitter) completely lambasted her, she sent out a half-assed apology and appeared on her local news station. She says that the "Devil was in the house" on Friday night and "he came out of her mouth" in front of family members of the graduating seniors. That was her take in the pseudo apology. On the news she said she is NOT racist and it wasn't like she called those Black people the n-word. Ma'am. I NEED YOU TO TAKE A SEAT. IMMEDIATELY. The devil made you do it? Oh, ok.

She wasn't the only fool that died by social media in the last 72 hours. Her knucklehead son put his address on Facebook and invited people over to fight if they disagreed with his mama. He also used the n word in a subsequent post. Those posts have now been taken down. (Surprise, surprise... oh, I can guess what kind of backwoods upbringing that... youngster had.)

In addition to these shenanigans, some douchebag running for the mayor of Gahanna (a little suburb of Columbus) was taken to task about his previous social media posts. Joseph Gergley, a 26 year old special case, essentially showed his homophobic, racist side on his twitter account-- as recently as last year. When the sinister tweets were discovered, Gergley blamed it on youthful indiscretions.  Sir, what exactly did you think was going to happen when you ran for public office? Did you think that those tweets could just stay out there and never be questioned? Did you think it was funny to compare a central Ohio Walmart to Ferguson, Missouri? And you thought the voting public would be okay with that? Why exactly? Oh my, Monday, you do me so wrong. Annnnnnnd to round off the list of the top three most pathetic people of the last 72 hours, George Zimmerman was in the news today for being shot at in a road rage incident.

Listen folks, let me tell you what you should know already: if you are a horrible person in your every day life, you will get caught being a horrible person. Whether it is on twitter or in front of people who send their children to your school and in fact, pay your salary, YOU WILL BE FOUND OUT. I will never understand why people insist on being jerks AND doing it in writing or on video. Nancy yelled at a guy who was taping her. That is how this whole situation got started. So she HAD to know, before she made her super racist and unnecessary comment, that someone would see it. Gergley (who has since deleted his Twitter account) had a public page. Dude, what? I mean, I know that people are forgiving and you will (unfortunately) always have someone who will be willing to take your apology but why give them ammunition? Why put yourself in a position where you HAVE to apologize? Why not just be a stand up kind of person all the time? Too much like right? Oh, I see.

Listen: I know that not everyone agrees with my stances, political or personal. I get it. Not everyone agrees with being a liberal, the death penalty, interracial marriage, reproductive rights, feminism, civil rights, equal rights, equal pay, or pet rescue. There are people that will disagree with everything that I stand for-- and that is fine. But there is a way to say it-- especially if you are, I don't know, a principal or running for public office.  As my mother used to say (ok, she still says it to me because clearly, I need the reminder) "It is not WHAT you say, it is HOW you say it."  Don't put your business in the public forum, for everyone to see, and then complain when your credibility dies on social media, You did that to yourself and just like Nancy, Joseph and George, you deserve whatever the social media gods hit you with. Check yourself. We should ALL be using social media like everyone can see it... because everyone CAN.