Friday, June 15, 2007

Eight things stuck in my head (forever?)

One: "The ABCs of Dead Russian Leaders". I heard this song exactly one time, in the mid eighties. I can't locate the lyrics, but have found that it was written and performed by Tim Cavanagh. It was all about the deaths of Andropov, Brezhnev and Chernenko, along with speculation that Gorbachev must be feeling fairly safe, as his name did not begin with "D". Heard once, stuck in my head ever since.
Two: The word "No". Need I explain this one? For maximum effectiveness, say it out loud.
Three: "When you get to the Spanish looking buildings on the left, turn right". This direction, given by a passenger in my car, is something I tend to repeat whenever giving or receiving directions under similar circumstances. Somehow, this dropped from its specific place down to the "template" level for general driving directions. It seems to alleviate some of the anxiety of not knowing exactly where I'm going.
Four: From the album Echolalia, I repeat (!) here for clarification, "Which Bobby Watson do you mean?" This line from Ionesco's The Bald Soprano got stuck way back in high school and is a general indicator of confusion upon hearing words or names. It is his wife that I mean. She is called Bobby Watson, too.
Five: General Cinema's theme song. Sublime. Perfect. Serve with extra salty popcorn.
Six: "Maxwell Smart is going to be the chief. But first the chief has to be the chief". This line was spoken in a dream had by my best friend in 1978. It means, things are going to work out, but you must be patient. I had this line engraved on a Zippo lighter. I don't smoke anymore, but a Zippo is a nice thing to have.
Seven: "There is a bigger one down the road". Similar in meaning to number six, but more about serendipity than success. This was stated by my brother on vacation in Florida (early 70s) about a Piggly Wiggly store. He thought we should shop at the bigger one; we never found the bigger one. We were quite hungry when we got back to the small one. "There is a bigger one down the road" applies not only to businesses, but to anything in life which has temporarily eluded.
Eight: "Ticket!" Left over from my days of restaurant work. Accompanies the sound of a ticket (order) coming out of the printer. More generally, used to indicate something which needs urgent attention. Tiiiicket!!!!
Note: The ticket pictured here is courtesy of says-it.com ticket generator. You can make your own! Fun and easy.

10 comments:

  1. Hi Bev -
    After reading Sharon's "8 things" post with an open invitation for others to contribute, I immediately thought of you. Is this your modified version of that? Or is it just an "8" thing. By the way, I think they are releasing the TV classic "Eight is Enough" on DVD soon. Of course, I assume you like this show, but that "7th Heaven" falls short of your expectations :)
    (Just poking fun. Sorry of my U.S. TV references don;t translate - I'm not sure which TV shows air in the UK)

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  2. Oh, I love perseverations. Joey gets them, and I get them. When I was little, I loved nothing better than to repeat words and phrases that felt good in my mouth. And every once in a while, I get the script from Kings Dominion rides I had to give stuck in my brain. I'd type one, but the inflection when spoken is part of it, and gets completely lost in plain text. BUt i love the word llama. (Try it out loud- llama. Its fabulous.)

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  3. One thing stuck in my head forever. bee bee bee bee bee bee bee bee bee bee bee bee bee b b b b b b b b b b b b b b :)

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  4. my experience with traveling has taught be that any locale with a Piggly Wiggly or Be-Lo will not have anything bigger down the road. If there was a Wal-Mart within 64 sq. miles it would have put everything else out of business!

    When traveling....I grab whatever looks good to me. One never knows when something else will come along palatable.

    ~Sarah

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  5. The ticket is fabulous. I'll look into it! I really enjoyed the stories behind the stories, such as "There's a bigger one down the road." My family is full of statements like that as well.

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  6. Steve,
    I'm rather annoyed about this "8 Things" meme. Eight is my number. I own number eight, along with a young lady in California who has the rights to it on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Seven is for all those who consider it lucky or special in any way. I choose not to say any more about seven.

    anonymous,
    I believe it has been scientifically proven that there is now a Wal-Mart within 64 miles of every possible location on earth. I prefer Piggly Wiggly, when I can find it. At least they are open about their porcine nature.

    Llama llama llama llama B B B B B.
    It is his wife I mean, she is called Bobby Watson too.

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  7. Oh NO!
    I went and participated in the 8 things thing without your approval!
    I should have told whoever tagged me where to stick it, and explained that the queen of 8 is NOT amused.

    Also, my 8 things were lame, your lists of 8 are always fabulous.

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  8. Wonder if a copy of a fake ticket could get me into an event?

    Make more faked images on www.CustomSignGenerator.com.

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  9. A modest but sufficient Piggly Wiggly in the hand is worth two brobdignanian ones down the road.
    BTW, my husband has an uncanny memory for old television theme songs, commercials and "jingles" going back to the early 1960s. He especially likes one about the new subway cars the city of New York laid on for the 1964 World's Fair. That's because it involved the '64 World Fair (one of his favorite things) and a form of public transportation (he really likes buses and subways, especially certain numbered ones which, as far as I can tell, are indistinguishable from all the rest.)

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  10. Here are some other ones: "Ra Ra Rasputin..." And "Since we're neighbors lets be friends. Safeways!"

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