Have Yourself a Merry Music Monday

I hope that all of you that read the Lettuce have a wonderful holiday. I will be back with more Music Mondays and other ramblings after New Year. Please be safe, keep your loved ones close, and if you pray, pray for peace. Our world needs it...a million dreams worth.

Music Monday: A Wink from my Dad

In case you were wondering, I've gone to Whamhalla. I lost on Saturday at the end of a Newcastle United game, when the person running the tannoy decided to play "Last Christmas" in the stadium and for once, Peacock didn't shut off access to the program early. Ah well, if I have to go out coasting on a 3-0 win for my Magpies, that's okay.

I thought about putting up Last Christmas as this week's Music Monday, but that would be Mary Jane levels of Petty and I'm just not there...yet. Instead, I want to share a story I shared on social media yesterday about what I've started calling "winks" from the universe. These have happened at important times during my chemo treatment, and I imagine that they will continue through the rest of this journey:

Got a wink from my Daddy when I sat down to rest and "She's Got a Way" by Billy Joel came on? ✅️He told me once that this song was on the radio in the car when he got pulled over for speeding on the way to the hospital because I was being born. Apparently they went early, Mom stayed and he went back to get things, and I guess was flying back to the hospital in his Corvair. So it was "my" song from then on.

I looked it up and while that song did indeed debut in November of 1971 like I did, I doubt he would have remembered what was on the radio that day. But he heard it a lot when I was new, and that might have made it my song too. My Daddy was magic like that.

Music Monday: Before you go...

Hey, so I'm still safe from Whamaggedon as of this morning. You? I'm also up to my ears in Getting Things Done for the DayJob™ so I'm going to leave you with this pretty little song that speaks to me of my current WIP (not to be confused with the Orana novel Edit In Progress that is sadly ongoing) and of the two MCs that seem to orbit each other at the moment without being physically together. Cryptic enough? I'm also coming off a very happy Critmas celebration with my DnD group yesterday, followed by trees taking out my power for a few hours so...normal levels of insanity around here. Lewis Capaldi, do your magic! (Lyrics in video.)

Music Monday: Just Say No to Whamageddon...

Don't worry, I'm not one of those players who will send you to Whamhalla on purpose, just because I can. Because I can't. Not from here anyway.

Not familiar with Whamageddon? In a nutshell, it is a game that is played from 1-24 December (the end of the day on the 24th). Kind of like a live-action advent calendar, if you will, but with no chocolates or tiny bottles of liquor. For more information and the rules, you can visit Whamageddon here. It's very competitive among those that play - and those that don't. For instance, my office mate (back in the before times, when we were all going to the office every day) didn't play but knew what it was, so when we were all gathered in our lobby for a holiday lunch and playing holiday music on someone's phone, she suddenly shouted at me, "Nancy, RUN!" So I did. No questions asked, I just ran. Turned out that the original "Last Christmas" had come on someone's phone.

So I'm going to give you some Christmas music this month that won't make you run, hopefully. Well, this first one might, but only if you're a soft chuff who forgot the chip pan on the hob. This song was in the running for Christmas Number One in the UK a few years back and is a good warning for what not to do after those late-night holiday do stumbles home.

Chip Pan

by Everly Pregnant Brothers

It were half past eleven,

I got in from t’pub,

I were feelin’ hungry,

Feelin’ hungry. 

In went into t’kitchen,

To cook up some grub.

I went and forgot it,

Like a soft chuff.

Ohhhh! Me chip pan’s on fire.

Should’ve had a pizza,

Or had a kebab.

I couldn’t be bothered.

I thought I were clever.

Now me ‘ouse is on fire,

And I’m out in t’street,

I’m in me pyjamas.

In pyjamas.

Ohhhh! Me chip pan’s on fire.

Noooo! Me chip pan’s on fire.

So if it’s half past eleven,

And you get in from t’pub.

You’re feelin’ ‘ungry,

A little peckish.

And you get into t’kitchen,

To cook up some grub.

Don’t go and forget it,

Like I did.

Noooo! Me chip pan’s on fire.

Noooo! Me chip pan’s on fire.

Noooo! Me chip pan’s on fire.

Noooo! Me chip pan’s on fire.

Dial 999.

Emergency. Which service do you require?