Guilty Pleasures

Thursday night we attended the Fabulous Armadillos (FA) second (in a series of four) concert. These shows are so fun! 

The theme was:

Guilty Pleasures - Songs You Hate to Admit You Love.

Most people who live in the St. Cloud area have heard of the Fabulous Armadillos. They have a large following and there are many reasons why they are so well liked. They are talented. The lead singer - he's humble and lovable.  He is visually disabled and sings using braille sheet music. He's got a wonderful sense of humor and even teases himself about his disability. They have a unique comradery that is clearly genuine as shown by their rapport and easy banter. They simply love what they do. I think it is especially nice that after the shows they hustle to the hallway to greet and visit with the exiting fans.

Even though recording is allowed during their shows, I normally don't.  BUT, since we sat on the end, next to the wall, and SINCE the ladies (and others) behind us taped many songs, and SINCE I knew I wanted to include some in my post....I did it anyway. I tried to keep them short. I was pleasantly surprised, they actually recorded well.

The selections are random. This one reminded me of my parents. They were Tom Jones fans back in the day.

 

I admit, I was not initially excited about this show. The theme suggested there might be some one-hit wonders (which there were) and numerous cheesy "roll your eyes" songs--which there were.

Regardless, the shows are always entertaining. Given this particular theme I expected some tomfoolery together with great singing. This was one of the male singers dressed as a woman and it was hilarious.

Part of the appeal of FA  themed shows is you never know what to expect--but you also know they never disappoint!

So, yes, we all have songs that we "hate to admit we love" (David Cassidy - "I think I love you") but there are also plenty of songs I "can easily admit I hate". Hate is a  strong word. Lets just say strongly dislike. They sang these doozies also (Barry Manilow ugh! Sorry to any Barry Manilow lovers.) I could only endure recording 14 seconds of Barry the man, man, Manilow. :)

So, when it comes right down to it...if a live band is good enough, any well played "guilty pleasure" song is enjoyable.

This last one is for my good friend Kim - remember Phil? How was he ever my favorite back then?

Finally, here are four more snippets from the show. Good times!

Embracing Your Inner Tourist

While I love to travel, (except the flying) I'm not always comfortable with being a tourist. Some people don their tourist hat proudly: take a lot of pictures, wear a fanny pack, see the obvious attractions, wait in long lines, and my favorite: stop to check a map in the middle of a walking crowd.

It's fun and easy to be a tourist at some destinations: Wisconsin Dells, Vegas, Mexico, etc. They love tourists and welcome them. Their livelihood is dependent on them after all.

But at others, tourists are not so happily tolerated. In large cities (ahem, New York) you best not dawdle in the middle of a sidewalk, or hesitate when ordering a slice of pizza from a street vendor. The Seinfeld Soup Nazi episode may be a bit of an exaggeration, but there is an element of reality and truth to it as well. 

In a couple of weeks we leave for New Orleans, and we will be there during Mardi Gras. I'm not too worried about the decadence, crime and other shenanigans. We will keep ourselves safe. I do hope that we can fully enjoy and immerse ourselves in the Mardi Gras spectacle without being too much the tourist. Or... maybe I'll just forget all that and give in to my inner tourist: "I'm here. I'm on vacation. I'm a tourist and proud of it!"

Fear Gets You Nowhere

I don't like the beginning of new projects. Yes, I am excited to begin something new, but my fear of the unknown (failure really) causes me anxiety. I look at what's before me and think "how can these raw materials possibly transform into something decent, something I am proud of?

Before: Garbage Bin bound, scratched up Bowling Balls

After: Cheerful Garden Friends

Before: 9x9" of rough edged, slivery wood.

After: Treasured memory!

Even with some successes under my belt, I always feel that little niggle of doubt. I've learned to deal with it. Part of it is accepting that I am going to have some flops, maybe many before I get it right (or simply better).


While I'd rather learn on my own, I get it, sometimes I will need professional help (with my projects, not the other kind - haha!). I can admit that.

Like learning to mosaic tile, I just could not seem to get the grouting figured out. This is just one of a couple of fails. Thank you to Beatrice of Michaels Stained Glass Studio for her talent, patience and sense of humor. I was her only student and we had considerable fun together.

Flop -  Professional help needed!

Much better!

Then there was the photo transfer project. After numerous flops, I finally bit the bullet and enrolled in a class. Got that one figured out too. Thanks Crafts Direct.

Flop - This isn't working!

But this is!

Not surprisingly, I had a great time at both. It was relaxing and enjoyable to have experts guide me through the processes. Success alone or with a little help. Is there really such a thing as failure?

The Art of an F-Bomb

There was not a lot swearing around our house when I grew up nor when I raised my own children. But I'd be lying if I said I never swore or that I don't enjoy it to some extent. I do. It's a way of coping when situations feel like, "damn it, I didn't deserve that." Some of my favorites: Golfing (need I say more) or dropping the hammer when your on a ladder, or smacking your foot into the corner bed post. I do it and I like it (swearing, not the bed post thing-Eric:)), even though it does absolutely no good to help a situation: My putt still isn't going to go in, that red wine is still going leave a stain and that's still going to be an ugly bruise in 2 days.  Argh!

I don't know if the F-word is the big daddy of swear words but it's close. It's an ugly word, sounding and appearance-wise. If you've ever played any word games, U's and C's are two of the least desired. But still, I admit, I drop an F-bomb once in a while. Some of my nearest and dearest friends do too. I like them the more for it. In fact, when I first meet someone, if they happen to drop an F-bomb here or there, I know we are going to get along just fine. Now, that's not to say that you HAVE to drop F-bombs, it's just that if someone does, I'm ok with it.

So maybe that's why when I saw this picture in a magazine

I smiled and thought: I gotta not only get me one of those, but I gotta make many more and share the joy! But not at $45 each - not when we're talking bulk quantities. It wasn't hard to figure out. A short (and inexpensive) supply list and quick run to Crafts Direct made it happen. 

It was the easiest and funniest craft project I've done so far. The finished product was met with such enthusiasm and humor that I ended up making several batches.

I think the reason the F-bombs are so well liked is because 1. They are a clever visual of a taboo word.

2. They take the edge off a harsh and mostly negative word. 3. It's an opportunity for those who would otherwise never utter that word - to still have a little fun with it. 4. And most important: They give humor and perspective to some of the daily frustrations we all deal with, and that in the scheme of things are really unimportant. 

They were definitely conversation pieces and it was fun to share a laugh with all the people who enjoyed them.  I still have a few around the house and display them like treasured artifacts. I have every intention of making more, later. Until then, the F-bombs will have to wait.   

Time Marches on.

I've found that as I get older reading the obituary page in the St. Cloud Times has become an important part of my daily routine. It is with a sympathetic heart that I read about the passing of a parent of a friend, previous co-worker or former acquaintance. These moments are particularly sad (but honest) reminders of how time marches on and there is nothing that can stop it or slow it down. I know part of my discontent is the deep down (scary) thought about how I, and everyone around me, is getting older...who hasn't thought THAT would never happen!

Jerry and Theresa

  

But this morning, what really made me start pondering was that I couldn't help but notice that of the seven written tributes, the youngest was 82. I guess that's a good thing: seven people who lived long and fulfilling (I'm hoping) lives. The youngest, being born in 1933, part of a generation that is slowly declining. One that has witnessed more changes in the world than any other generation. I could go on and on about how great they are. Within them, they have incredible stories, most of whom enjoy telling (and re-telling) them. 

So yesterday, (by coincidence) before this blog post was on my radar, I asked my parents (born in 1933 and 1934) to write down some experiences and stories about their earlier years. They really liked the idea and I am looking forward to  having them as "guest" bloggers--we don't want to lose these precious stories!!

My "most fun" craft post has to wait.

    Toasting to Posting!

Welcome to my Blog!

I’m thinking that anyone who has ever started a blog, must feel like me: What should my first post be about? It's an important one, make an impression right? I know my blog will evolve, but to begin with it will primarily be about my artwork, crafting, reading, travel and writing for therapy, all with a sprinkle of humor here and there. In the summer the humor part will be easy as I will be blogging about my golfing.

Theresa

About the name of my blog: Ish Ka Bibble. It took a long time to come up with it. Over a year actually. I thought about it (a name for my Blog) often, searched the internet for clever sayings and even went page by page through my dictionary. As it turns out I didn't need to do any of those things. It was here all along. It is just right and here is why:

First, Ish Ka Bibble has sentimental value: my Mom, pictured. She’s been saying this word forever, in the context of something being “ishy” like moldy bread or dog poop. We all say it now, even my kids. It's part of our family history. The sign below was the (kind of a joke) gift I gave her at Christmas.
                      
Second,  is its meaning, which as it turns out has nothing to do with ishy things. Technically it’s not even a real word, like in the dictionary real. But there are a few items I found that give the phrase context. The one that I'll talk about and want to represent my blog is "to have no worries” or “don’t worry”. I tend to be a worrier so it's a good reminder to me to chill out and just take it easy. Third, it’s quirky, unique and just kinda fun to say! I’m guessing this phrase (and several other nonsensical words my mom uses which I'll talk about in other blog posts) was something my grandma used to say and mom just carried it along with her.  Like I said, it's got history in our family.   

                                                 So Mom, this blogs for you!

If you are reading this, I sincerely thank you for visiting my blog. I hope you come back. I’m super excited about my new blog! My next post will be about one of my first - and most fun - craft projects. Slightly inappropriate but isn't that what made it fun?!?

Thanks to Kevin (my husband) for his continued encouragement and support for me about this blog and of course for helping me getting it up and running. I am looking forward to writing it and very grateful for this new opportunity.

(One other thing about Ish Ka Bibble. In 2005 a blog was created using Ish Ka Bibble as its name and internet address (no activity since then) so I had to add an "r" (ishkabbibler) to the end of my actual internet address. Just FYI if you ever notice the discrepancy.)