David Spade

I have a silly routine here at home that I don't talk about because I'm afraid it makes me look like a lazy bum, but I'm going to share it with you today because you're THAT special.

I love David Spade. He's so funny! I heard him say in a interview once, "When I was younger, I was cooler than I thought I was. Now that I'm older I'm NOT as cool as I think I am." I can relate to that.

Within my daily routine I include reruns of "Just Shoot Me." I'm always doing something while I watch-like folding laundry-because if I sit still for too long (at any point during the day) I'll fall asleep for two hours and wake up pissed. No kidding! But that's another blog.

My beloved David comes on in fifteen minutes, so I'd better wrap this up. Today as I enjoy his silly antics, I'll be putting together a box to mail to my Mom. I missed her birthday, you guys! I'm a terrible daughter. Hope she enjoys the David Spade highlights tape I made her!! (haha- just kidding)

Beware The Homeowner's Association!

"You can't do that!"

Anyone thinking about moving to the suburbs (*ahem*...CW!) needs to know whether or not the neighborhood has a Homeowner's Association. And then you need to find out if my neighbor, Liz, lives there. If she does-run, baby, run!

Liz calls our Homeowner's Association over the tiniest of infractions. One house had a basketball hoop without a net way up in their driveway, in a cul-de-sac. Nobody could see it, still Liz made her complaint and that house received a threatening letter. Another neighbor tucked his boat so close to his garage that you had to strain your neck, looking up the driveway to see it. Liz made her call to complain and the boat was moved. In fact, the entire family moved because they were fed up.

We've gotten letters complaining about situations that didn't even exist at our house. About a month after we had our house painted, we received notice that one side of our house was covered with mold. Uh...no, it wasn't.

The latest letter informed us that we had to replace a tree we had just taken down (it was dead) because each property is required to have two trees in the front yard. The last time we looked, we still had three!

Then I remembered the day we were in the front yard, chopping up the branches into a manageable size when Liz drove by. She slowed to a crawl and took a good, long look at the tree stump and piles of branches. She probably went directly to the phone where she must have the Homeowner's Association on speed dial.

When we called to discuss the tree situation, we were told to worry about planting another one. In fact, they said we could even leave the stump if we wanted to. BUT they said we were supposed to ask permission first before cutting the dead tree down. *sigh*

I've thought of all the things I could place on top of the stump to annoy my good buddy Liz. A particularly gaudy garden gnome? A sign that reads, "Get another hobby!" Perhaps a sculpture of a hand giving the finger? Oh, oh! A small model of an old junker car up on blocks?

Do any of you have to deal with an effing Homeowner's Association?

Patriotic Taylor

Red Taylor:



White Taylor:



and Blues Taylor:



Finally, here's Taylor wearing his American flag hat:

A Tale of Two Taylors

Taylor Hicks is an enigma. Whenever I feel I've got him figured out, he does something new that makes me go, "heh?"

I always found it interesting that "On Broadway" was included on Taylor Hicks' first CD, "In Your Time". The words fit his early struggles, until you get to the last line: "I won't quit till I'm a star!"

I never thought that being a STAR was important to him. I always believed he traded stardom for musical integrity. It's one of the reasons I'm an ardent fan. I admire and respect his perseverance.

So, we have Taylor #1: Serious, brooding, stubborn musician.



Taylor #2 is that "give-em-what-they-want," smiling, goofy American Idol:



When I learned about Taylor's background, I found it hard to believe that Taylor1 would have anything to do with Taylor2. Taylor1 is cool and aloof. Taylor2 is Gomer Pyle. Taylor2 would do something like this:

And Taylor1 would kick his ass.

Perhaps the 2 Taylors duke it out within the man every time some project or gig is offered. Teen Angel is clearly being played by Taylor2, but I'm afraid when the first show is over, he'll think, "I've done Broadway!!" and Taylor2 will rear up and say, "Yeah, and we only have to do it exactly the same way 103 more times, dumbass!"

But, back to the song, "On Broadway". I believe it was Taylor2 who related to the lyrics, but Taylor1 provided the soulful sound (and screwed up the words as well):

"They say the neon lights are bright on Broadway.
They say I'll catch a Greyhound bus for home, they all say.
Heaven, no, I know they're wrong
cuz I can play this here guitar
and I won't quit til I'm a star on Broadway.

They say that I won't last too long on Broadway.
What they're saying just gives me the blues.
Well, how you gonna make some time
when all you've got is one thin dime?
One thin dime won't even shine your shoes.

They say the neon lights are bright on Broadway.
They say there's always magic in the air.
But when you're walking down the street
and you ain't had enough to eat
that's the kind of people I'd like to meet on Broadway.

And I won't quit til I'm a star!"

(Heh?)

Crawfish Boil

We have these wonderful friends who throw a crawfish boil every year. So, while Jamie was a-proming, Greg and I went to The Russells and took our place at one of the makeshift tables heavily laden with crawfish, corn on the cob, sausage and potatoes.



We used to have crawfish boils all the time when we lived in Louisiana. You throw everything into a big pot, boil it up and then dump it out on a table. Plates and utensils are unnecessary. Paper towels, on the other hand, are a must!



We had a great time until I twisted the head off my first crawfish, pinched off it's feet and remembered how much I've always hated doing that! In fact, it makes me a little queasy! (wuss) But the spicy potatoes, sausage and corn were delish, especially when chased by a nice, cold beer.

Good times.

"Jamie" Squared

Jamie's off at the prom as I type. He went with one of his best friend's girlfriend's best friend. (Got that?) His date's name is...wait for it...here it comes...are ya ready?...her name is Jamie! So my clever son named them "Jamie-squared".



The vest looks purple in this photo, but it was a light blue. Very sharp.



We had a major photo shoot down at one of the prettiest country clubs in the area. It must be a popular spot for photos because there were dozens of prom-goers walking in front of one another's cameras!

The whole group:

Hey! That's not the whole group! We're missing a couple!

That's better.

Jamie pimpin':

Bye! Have fun! (don't have sex)

Friends with Money

My little Jamiekins is going to the prom this weekend. His friends are going as a group. In fact, I'm not sure the girl he's going with is actually his girlfriend. I think they just decided to go together to be included in the outing.

Last night all the parents had a meeting to talk about the itinerary and whatever money we all had to chip in. I thought that was kind of odd, but Jamie insisted I go. I drove as Jamie directed me to his friend's house until finally we parked here:



Holy crap. The house was huge. I suddenly remembered that this was the house of Jamie's friend who drives his own Hummer.

The meeting went fine. We saw a slide show (on the flat screen TV mounted over the fireplace) of the lake house the kids are going to after the prom. The house is nicer than the one I live in, yet it's their weekend get-away that they say they rarely go to.

The boys went upstairs to the game room, while the girls planned when to meet for their manicures before the prom. I sank down into the leather couch, hiding my unpainted toenails under the granite coffee table and wondered if I could stow away on the party bus they were renting to transport the kids up to the lake.

*sigh* It's nice that my son gets to have these experiences as long as he realizes that when it's over, he goes back to driving his Dad's old pick-up truck and spending the weekend cutting our tiny lawn.

Taylor Does Broadway

Here's the song he'll be doing:

"Beauty School Drop Out"

http://blog.al.com/scene/2008/05/taylor_hicks_prepares_for_broa.html
Posted by Mary Colurso -- Birmingham News May 15, 2008 5:00 AM

Taylor Hicks will make his Broadway debut on June 6, playing Teen Angel in "Grease" at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre.

Taylor Hicks said being in New York for three months will allow him to continue working on his next CD. He's been writing songs and recording demos in Nashville, Hicks said, and hopes to release a new single in the fall.

"I'm honored for the opportunity to experience Broadway," Hicks said Thursday. "I feel blessed and excited."

"This particular part, Teen Angel, really allows me to put my toe in the water and test the waters," Hicks said. "I've always been a little over the top, so this is perfect for me."

"It's a cool song," Hicks said. "I can see myself being able to Taylorize it. Who knows? Maybe I'll do the Elvis meets Aretha Franklin meets Joe Cocker version of 'Beauty School Dropout.' I don't think anybody's taken that approach yet. I'll get with the producers and sink my teeth into the role."

Hello Kitty

Our new dog, Henry, is unlike any other dog I've known. He's by far the smallest, but he has the biggest personality. He will NOT be ignored.

He has to be right in the middle of whatever I'm working on. If I'm folding laundry, he engages me in a game of tug o' war or will simply steal a small item from the pile and hide it somewhere.

I know one of these days Jamie's going to have his soccer buddies over and they'll find one of my bras behind a couch pillow. Not one of my cute ones, either. It'll be some sorry old thing with worn out elastic and a big ole safety pin holding it together.

Henry's latest peculiar habit is to climb on the back of the couch and curl up like a cat.

His brown fur blends nicely with the leather and I often don't see him there. "Where's Henry?" I'll ask my husband, only to see those big brown eyes staring up at me about waist height. The dog's eyes, that is, not the husband's.

Taylor Tuesday

Taylor performing at the Hannah Home Shelby Fundraiser :


NY State of Mind from Lh1100 on Vimeo.


Alabama Frame of Mind from Lh1100 on Vimeo.

First Love

Things haven't been easy at my house lately. Images haunt my son of being trapped in his car after the accident, holding his friend's bloody head up and telling him help was on the way. As you can imagine, his sleep doesn't come easy and he rarely feels good about anything. I'm on call 24/7, often awakened by my son and his fears.

I'm doing OK, surprisingly. It's true that you'll do anything for your kids, so staying calm while he sometimes rages, and thinking of the right words to say at any hour of the day or night is, I suppose, my version of that story you always hear of a Mom full of adrenaline, lifting a car off her child.

Still-I break down at the oddest of moments when I'm alone. When I turned the key in my car tonight, the radio blared a song from my youth. Unexpectedly, I burst into tears. I can't put my finger on why the song triggered a crying jag. Maybe it reminded me of an easier time when my biggest worry was what to wear to school.

Or maybe it was the fact that this song was played for me by a boy who eventually broke my heart. I'm happily married, and so is he. It's not about that.

The song stirred up feelings of love experienced for the first time in my life: The first time I caught a boy watching me from across a room. That first case of butterflies, being scared and happy at once, meeting this golden boy and learning that he thought I was the special one.



This song reminds me of romance and the first time a boy said he loved me. It's sweet and it's sad, because when we broke up I lost one of my best friends. I still miss him sometimes.

Brown-Eyed, Long-Sleeved Man

There's no question Taylor Hicks cleans up nice. But why the too-long sleeves? What's he hiding in there? A harmonica? A can of mace for an overly zealous fan? Lyrics?

Whatever the reason, I think it's kinda cute. Do you have any theories about the loooong sleeves?