smile

Share Your World — 06/17/2024

Fandango9 Comments
Share Your World

Di, at Pensitivity101, is our host for Share Your World each week. Here are her questions for this week.

1. If you are feeling below par and a bit down, how do you lift your spirits?

I tend to be anti-social when I’m feeling down. I usually keep to myself until the below par feeling has passed. I may focus on something else, like watching a movie that I know makes me laugh, reading a book by a witty author, or even by spending time on WordPress.

2. Do you believe that laughter is the best medicine?

I don’t know if it’s the best medicine, but it helps to see the humor in something. I think humor helps take your mind off of whatever it is that ails you, even if just fleetingly.

3. What makes you smile?

Our grandchildren, our dog, my wife, and “Young Frankenstein.”

4. Do you have a ‘comfort’ food.

Pizza, a good Philly cheesesteak sandwich, steamed Maryland blue crabs, oysters on the half shell, steamers (long-neck steamed clams), sushi, baby back ribs, and Ben & Jerry’s Stephen Colbert’s Americone Dream ice cream.

Share Your World — 07/24/2023

Fandango5 Comments
Share Your World

Di, at Pensitivity101, is our host for Share Your World each week. Here are her SYW questions for this week.

1. What makes you smile at the drop of a hat?

My grandson is three years and two months old and I love listening to the things he says. He surprises me, amuses me, and makes me smile the whole time I’m around him.

My granddaughter is 20 months old, and while she knows a lot of words and what they mean, she’s not yet that verbal. But her expression, mannerisms, and reactions to things are precious.

2. What makes you angry?

Politics. Politics used to be about negotiation and compromise in order to get things done for the politicians’ constituents. Now it’s become radicalized and extremist and words like “negotiation” and “compromise” are considered to be weaknesses that will not be tolerated. Strict ideological positions have taken precedence over the needs of the public and the greater good.

3. What saddens you?

Related to the above, we seem to have become a nation of extremists in the United States. We are either/or. Either you’re “woke” or you’re “anti-work,” And it extends to almost all facets of life. It saddens me that so few people these days appreciate my philosophy of “whatever floats your boat.” They’d rather sink your boat if it’s not floating in the same direction or in the same waters as yours is.

4. What do you find most frustrating?

What I find most frustrating is the close-mindedness of people who have formed an opinion and stick by that opinion regardless of the facts. And I worry that such close-mindedness and willful ignorance of the facts will have disastrous consequences.

Gratitude

I’m grateful that most people I know and interact with in the real world do not fall within the bounds of those who are in my responses to questions 2 to 4 above.

Thursday Inspiration — Make Me Smile

Fandango12 Comments

For this week’s Thursday Inspiration prompt, Jim Adams has instructed us to respond to this challenge by either using the prompt word smile, by going with the above picture, or by means anything else that we think fits.

I immediately thought of the song, “Make Me Smile” from Chicago.

“Make Me Smile” was written by James Pankow for Chicago with the band’s guitarist, Terry Kath, on lead vocals. The song was Part 1 of Pankow’s 7-part, 13 minute “Ballet for a Girl in Buchannon” song suite and it was recorded for their second album, Chicago (often called Chicago II), which was released in 1970. The song “Now More Than Ever,” a separate track from the same song suite, serves as a reprise of the song and appears edited together with it on many later versions, including many live performances.

A radio-friendly edit of “Make Me Smile” was released as a single in March 1970, becoming the band’s first Top 10 record, peaking at number 9 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. Pulled from the first movement of the “Ballet for a Girl in Buchannon” suite, several changes were made in order to make the song more suitable for radio, including a modified introduction and abbreviated guitar solo. Finally, parts of the track “Now More Than Ever” were appended on the end to make a complete, 3-verse song.

What made songwriter Pankow smile was the thought of a beautiful relationship. He said, “Relationships, if they’re good, put a big smile on our faces. Love songs have always been a powerful ingredient in the song’s process — the songwriting process has often taken writers to that place.”

Here are the song’s lyrics.

Children play in the park, they don't know
I'm alone in the dark, even though
Time and time again I see your face smiling inside

I'm so happy (oh, oh)
That you love me (oh, oh)
Life is lovely (woah)
When you're near me

Tell me you will stay
Make me smile

Living life is just a game so they say
All the games we used to play fade away
We may now enjoy the dreams we shared so long ago

Oh my darling
Got to have you
Feel the magic 
When I hold you

Cry sweet tears of joy
Touch the sky

Now I need you (oh, yeah)
More than ever (oh, yeah)
No more crying (ohh, ohh)
We're together

Tell me you will stay
Make me smile

E.M.’s Sunday Ramble Prompt — Uplifting Chatter

Fandango9 Comments

It’s time once again for E.M. Kingston’s The Sunday Ramble. Her prompt is based upon a certain topic about which she asks five questions. We are invited to ramble on about that topic however we wish. Today’s topic is “uplifting chatter.”

E.M. said that with all of the negative things we are facing on the news, she wanted to give everyone a forum to uplift one another through the responses to this ramble. So let me see if I can dig deep to find some “uplifting” answers.

1. When you feel negative, what techniques do you use to bring yourself up to feeling positive?

Stop reading or watching the news and watch “Young Frankenstein” on TV.

2. What is a smell that made you smile when you woke up today?

Freshly brewed coffee.

3. An owl is known for its wisdom, what are you known for?

I’m known for not being an owl.

4. Do you know any good recipes? If so, can you share one?

Funny you should ask. This afternoon I’ll be grilling some surf and turf in our backyard. For the turf (New York strip steak), I will marinate the steak for a few hours in a mixture of barbecue sauce and teriyaki, season it with garlic powder, onion powder, and Montreal seasoning. I will then quickly sear it on both sides and then grill it for a few minutes until it’s medium rare. For the surf (lobster tail), I will be butterfly the tail, brush the meat with olive oil, and season with sea salt and black pepper. After grilling meat side down for a few minutes, I’ll flip the tails and brush a mixture of melted butter, garlic, lemon juice, smoked paprika, and cayenne over the lobster meat and continue grilling for another minute or two.

5. How do you console the people around you? (Online or in-person)

In person, there’s nothing better than a hug or a cuddle. Online, I send my thoughts and prayers.

Yeah, right. 🤣 Actually, I think the best way to console someone online is through expressing some empathy for what they are going through.

E.M.’s Sunday Ramble Prompt — Life and Positivity

Fandango5 Comments

It’s time once again for E.M. Kingston’s The Sunday Ramble. Her prompt is based upon a certain topic about which she asks five questions. We are invited to ramble on about that topic however we wish. Today’s topic is “Life and Positivity.”

1. What are the greatest attributes about you that make you feel good about yourself?

I’m me! What’s not to feel good about that?

2. What is/are your biggest motivation/s to get things done?

No question that my wife is my biggest motivation to get things done. Because, you know, happy wife, happy life.

3. Do you have any tips that could help others with their own motivation?

Marry someone like my wife. She’s a great motivator.

4. As you are sitting there reading this question, observe the area around you. What item in your home/work/car (wherever you are) made you smile when you observed it?

Our new rescue dog, who’s been with us for ten days.

What always makes you laugh and smile in your life?

My toddler grandson and infant granddaughter.