My cellular phone vibrated. It was Ella.
Me: Are you on fire?
Ella: What?
Me: Are. You. On. Fire.
Ella: No. Why?
Me: What do you want?
Ella: Nothing. I just called to see what you were doing.
Me: I'm standing in the middle of Chuck E. Fucking Cheese's.
Ella: Oops. Forgot.
Me: Yeah.
Ella: Ok. I'll let you go. Have fun! [maniacal laughter] I love you. Bye!
Today was one of those days full of rushing around like crazy while accomplishing nothing. Zoey had to be at summer camp at 9:00 AM, which meant we had to leave the house at 8:30 AM. Zed and I got back around 9:30 AM, which left me forty-five minutes before his therapy session to straighten up the house, do some laundry, and other crap. After his session, Zed and I hit the backyard before picking Zoey up from camp. We then headed to Chuck E. Cheese's for a birthday party. A normal visit to Chuck E. Cheese's sends me over the edge. A visit to Chuck E. Cheese's after a morning of bouncing all over town?
Let's just say I was cursing the pizza rodent as I was loading two hyper, sticky, tired, complaining, and overstimulated children into the car. I was still cursing because I couldn't find anything on the radio. I was still cursing because traffic was backed up due to road construction.
And then I saw Mr. 250-Pound Construction Worker standing by the side of the road.
He was trying to entertain his coworkers by doing The Cabbage Patch. I have no idea if they smiled or laughed. But I know I did. And all the leftover crap from my busy, cranky morning washed away.
Thank you, Mr. 250-Pound Construction Worker.
Song Of The Day
Did you know Marla from …For A Different Kind Of Girl appeared in a music video? She recounts her brush with fame on her third day as Guest DJ.In my mind, I'm a video vixen. I'm the girl who slithers across the top of the car in the Whitesnake video. I'm that chick in Warrant's Cherry Pie clip. I'm every girl in Robert Palmer's clips from the 80s. Those babes in the audience of every hair metal band's performance videos? The ones who lift their shirt just prior to the cut back to the singer looking directly at the camera, nodding and sticking out his tongue? Yeah. That's me, too. I'm what Def Leppard referred to as a video vamp. With an overactive imagination.
I did perform in a music video once, in 1989. Perhaps you caught it if you happened to be up at 4 AM on some random Wednesday night, flipping channels and landing on MTV. That's the only time MTV seems to play videos (you're welcome for that tired cliché). See that hot girl stage right? The shadowy one? The one swaying her hips and clapping her hands? No, not the one with the mullet in the front row. Just a bit further back. Pink shirt? Yeah. That's me. I swear. This shot at fame in a clip for The Rainmaker's Spend It On Love was my introduction to the video babe lifestyle, but before succumbing to the drugs, drinking and groupies, I retired. One and done, I always say.
I met members of The Rainmakers while attending lead singer Bob Walkenhorst's college alma mater, the perks of being friends with broadcast majors at a time when Rolling Stone was championing them as the next big thing. From that moment on, I basked at Bob's feet to take in his Zen-like and sarcastic manner, hung out with them, followed them around for shows, interviewed them, and got to call myself a video vamp. If I could wish for anything, it would be to take credit for coming up with the lyric "The generation that would change the world is still looking for it's car keys" and that the Rainmakers, gracious and unpeggable, were still putting out music today.
Song of the day: Spend It On Love by The Rainmakers
