Saturday 9

On and On (1977)
Unfamiliar with this week's song. Hear it here.

1) This song describes the plight of "poor ol' Jimmy," who caught his girlfriend kissing someone else. Have you ever spied on a romantic partner?

I don't believe so.  It's been a very long time!

2) In this song, Stephen Bishop sings that he "smiles when he feels like dying." When did you recently put on a happy face, even though you really weren't all that happy?

That happens whenever I go to visit my mother.  I try to stay happy and upbeat, but watching her continual slide into Alzheimers is very sad.  I often have a little cry after I get back in the car.

3) Stephen Bishop always wanted to be a musician, and as a child he began playing the clarinet. Did you take lessons -- dance, art, music -- as a child? If yes, did you take them because you enjoyed them, or because your parents made you take them?

It's actually the other way around.  I so wanted to take ballet when they offered it in my grammar school, but I was a fat kid and my mother told me she was sure they would not let me dance because I was fat.  It was the first time anybody called me fat.  ~70 years later I still remember how much that hurt!

4) When he was 12, inspired by The Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show, he switched to the guitar and began writing songs. Tell us about someone or something that influenced your career path.

When I was working as a typist for a typing company, the boss one day tossed a tape and a medical dictionary at me and told me to type what was on the tape (dictation from an orthopedist).  It took awhile, but I eventually got very good at it...and then other medical disciplines.  I went on to work many years as a medical transcriptionist.  As a kid I loved medical stuff and this was ideal for someone without the ability to become a doctor or nurse, but still be involved in the medical profession.
 
5) Stephen Bishop attended Will C. Crawford High School in San Diego. This school requires students complete 20 hours of community service every year. Tell us about an organization, cause or campaign you volunteered for, either as a student or an adult.

I worked for many years for La Leche League helping mothers breastfeed their babies and talking with doctors and nurses in hospitals (in those days they laughed at us; how different it is today!).  It was a job I loved, until my youngest stopped nursing and then I lost interest.  But I have many happy memories of mothers I managed to get over rough spots.  The worst was the woman who called me at 2 a.m. to ask me if her baby was crying because she'd eaten rutabagas for dinner. She was an older mother, alone and scared.  I told her maybe. Then there was the couple who called the advice phone and got on their two extensions and had a fight while I was listening--he was jealous for how much time the baby spent at "his" breasts.  Better was the mother who adopted a beautiful newborn and actually was able to nurse her, after a lot of preparation.

6) In 1977, when this song was popular, Seattle Slew won racing's Triple Crown. Sam's mother has always been afraid of horses. Is there an animal you're uncomfortable with?

Snakes.  I'm not afraid of any mammal, but am a bit wary around animals like horses (whom I love) and zoo animals.  I love elephants, but imagine I'd be uncomfortable if I met one face to face.
 
7) Also in 1977, moviegoers waited in line for hours to see Star Wars. What's the longest line you waited in recently?

I'm too old to wait in line, so probably the longest line was shopping on Christmas Eve, when it seemed everybody in town was also shopping.  (I won't make that mistake again)

8) The mini-series Roots first aired in 1977. Today Americans are spending more time and money than ever to research ancestry. How far back can you trace your family tree?

I am fortunate that my cousin did extensive research on our grandmother's family and can trace it back to Robert the Bruce in 14th century Scotland.  I don't know much about our grandfather's family or about my father's side of my family, but I have recently "met" (via internet) a distant cousin who is also starting to research that part of the family.  So far I have not spent any money.  If the DNA kits were cheaper, I'd get one because I'm curious, but I'm not going to spend that much money

9) Random question: It's often said that nobody's perfect. How about you? What quality keeps you from being perfect?

Too many to list here!