~*~My Grocery Store, Soon To Have Its Own Special On HBO:
These are actual photos taken by Me of actual signs in my funny grocery store's Closeouts Section. I hope it never, ever changes.
Listen, I'm still wearing the cute denim sneakers I got there three years ago for $3.99. Their signs may be awful, but the Closeouts department has great stuff, usually Target merch.
~*~Mom Goes To Music School
Last week, Maya wrote about talking music with her teen. Well, my two sons are way past being teens, but I had my own conversation over text with them about music last week, too. Rick and I were in the car, and Lose Yourself by Eminem came up on my playlist. (I love this song.) I got curious about its genre, so I texted Jared and Sam:
*Fetter is Jared's nickname for Sam, after the hip hop artist Fetty Wap. Not sure how it came about.
Let me tell you, I listen to a LOT of hip hop on the boat when the boys come to the lake. A. LOT. Theo dances to all of it. And just a heads up, if you haven't already, don't watch the video to the song Knife Talk. It's...really disturbing in a crazy, avant garde sort of way.
~*~
"These are the times that try men's souls," Thomas Paine wrote in 1776. "Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph." Resistance is not futile. What we say and what we do matters. Every act of Kindness is a defiance. Paine also reminds us that, "'Tis the business of little minds to shrink; but he whose heart is firm, and whose conscience approves his conduct, will pursue his principles unto death."
Resist.
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Resisting as hard as I can over here.
ReplyDeleteYou have to wonder. Exactly how good ARE those earbubs at $4.99????
Dee--The Closeouts they get are astounding. The earbubs are probably pretty good, despite the price. I once got 5 bottles of name brand hand soap for 99 cents. Probably the manufacturer was changing the label.
DeleteI'm glad to know you're on Team Resist. We're all in this together.
I'd probably try the earbubs. I mean, how can you miss? Also, I would HAVE to get a sequence dress. Heck, one in each color!
ReplyDeleteI am not a music person. I love music - mainly stuff that I can sing along to - but I mostly listen to audiobooks in the car. But lately I've been downloading other peoples' playlists (I follow a blogger whose college son helps her put them together) & I've been listening while I get ready for work. I love getting exposed to all the variety!
Yes, resist. I'm still trying to figure out what that looks like for me, but when one of my college contemporary Christian music crushes is getting in front of a church & calling actual representatives from the stage to show them how it's done - I think I might have a path forward.
Bug--Hey, if I were in the market, I'd buy one in every colour. That price is a steal!
DeleteLike you, I rarely listened to any music at all for years and years. Teaching and loud hallways made me crave quiet. Then Jared included us in a family package of YouTube Music, and I could pick and choose all my favourite music. I'm kind of stuck in old music, but now and then the boys recommend something to me. And I enjoy walking with music.
Love that link! Email me if you need a hookup to organizations that will help get you started beyond the few that I mention on my Other Blogs And Links I Live For page.
Earbubs, eh? And sequence dresses? What a wonderful store to shop in. So many unique items from which to choose. As for Thomas Paine, dude knew that of which he spoke.
ReplyDeleteAlly--I do love my grocery store. It's a surprise every single week, and often a good laugh. I swear someday I'll be able to buy a car there.
DeleteThomas Paine was a brilliant mind. And almost prescient.
I'm not into music much either but I enjoy the music lesson. It would have been fun to buy one of those dresses. It would be even more fun if one of them fit me.
ReplyDeleteJean--I think we enjoy learning new things, right? And I love having conversations with my sons.
DeleteThose dresses! I never wore something like that in my life, and I really, really wish I had reason to now.
I want a sequence dress! Sequence of what is the question. And ear buds? Who couldn't use an ear bub? Love these!
ReplyDeleteThe music texts had me laughing because it was like reading Greek. I am totally clueless about any of it.
As for the news. Resist is all we can do. He's a lunatic.
G Sue--My grocery store is always an adventure. The Closeouts department is the highlight of my weekly trip.
DeleteYou should read the conversations Jared and Sam have about basketball! They tend to make everything a science.
It's a given he's a lunatic; my concern is that so, so many who know better are meekly standing aside simply to protect their jobs. We can't let them with impunity.
All the good things in this post! From the wisdom of Nance's kids and Tom Paine to... are those sequined dresses really 2.99?!?
ReplyDeleteSam and Jared's School of Rap and Hip Hop was awesome. I love their tandem disquisition. And I'm glad they put Kendrick in the Hip-Hop category. I love "King Kunta" which references everything from Alex Haley and James Brown to Bill Clinton and Ralph Ellison. Real genius.
And, Nance, I love "Lose Yourself" too. It's a whole nostalgic vibe. And Eminem is good (Michigan) people :)
maya--They really are! It makes me want to get one, but heaven knows I am NOT sequence dress material. No way I could pull it off; besides, where on earth would I wear it?
DeleteKendrick Lamar is almost a category unto himself. Sam and Jared are very thoughtful about their music as well as basketball and football. Jared is also deep into Victorian literature, whereas Sam is a car guy. They're the best of friends.
I don't know what it is about that song and Eminem's voice. I can hear his sincerity, I think. And authenticity.
Hilarious! And thank God you provided footnotes at the bottom of the “Sequence Dresses.” I could not figure that one out at all from the handwriting! I can, however, clearly see the “Fabric Lantens,” with what must be the missing “r.” And “earbubs” … oh, my! —Sidebar: I recently came across an article about “eggcorns.” I did not know that term for words commonly misinterpreted (e.g., “inclimate weather” vs. “inclement weather.”) One of the words on a list of common eggcorns was “hear buds” instead of “ear buds.” I have to say, I kind of liked that version better, lol.
ReplyDeleteTotally lost on the hip-hop vs. rap discussion! I am not an avid listener of either. I listened to it on YouTube and completely understand your confusion. I asked Google that question and got this AI response: “Lose Yourself by Eminem is primarily a hip hop song, with elements of rap rock. It's a mid-tempo track with aggressive lyrics that tell the story of Eminem's character B-Rabbit from the movie 8 Mile. The song is known for its narrative delivery and powerful themes of overcoming obstacles.” The generic difference between hip-hop and rap was defined by AI as: “Rap is a musical style, while hip hop is a broader culture that includes rap along with other elements like DJing, breakdancing, and graffiti art. In essence, rap is a part of hip hop.” So there you are. All of that said, I like your sons’ back-and-forth convo much better.
Love your end quote from Thomas Paine. We all need that kind of inspiration these days…
Ortizzle--I actually watched a short video on YouTube once about eggcorns because that term rang a little distant bell, but I couldn't quite remember it. It's similar in my mind to malapropisms.
DeleteThanks for the Google input. I'm laughing at "aggressive lyrics" because I don't think of the lyrics as all that aggressive as much as his delivery of them. I think you should Google the song and listen to it and tell me what you think.
Thomas Paine's quotes are from his pamphlet read by George Washington to his troops at Trenton, I think. It was meant to inspire and raise morale in the winter of 1776. The title of the pamphlet is "The American Crisis No. 1". (Sigh)
I love that song "Lose yourself" and always have to wave my fist in the air like they do in the movie when it comes on my car radio. Have you seen this video of Obama doing the intro? Here it is on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cu3s1r5vzs
ReplyDeleteWhat a different world we would have if Harris/Walz had won... sigh...
Ellen D--Oh, thanks for that link! I remember seeing Pres. Obama at a rally in Cleveland. He is such a great speaker. And yes, what a different world...alas!
DeleteOh my goodness, the spelling errors are so comical. There is a sign in a small town by my parent's lake home that says "Holy cow, your in Clitherall" (yes, we could also talk about the odd name for the town that is very similar to a female body part...). You can tell that someone tried to fix it so it said "you're" but then it was painted over. Someone felt strongly about their grammatical error, I guess.
ReplyDeleteI love the convo with your sons about the distinction between hip hop and rap! I also like "Lose Yourself." My kids mostly listen to Taylor Swift these days since I am a big fan of hers and own all of her albums. I should expand their music horizons a bit.
Lisa--I'd be that person, probably, who fixed the sign. I did that with one of the signs at the grocery store once that had an apostrophe + s for a plural. That particular error really frosts my cupcakes.
DeleteJared is also a Taylor Swift fan. He urged me to listen to her after I disparaged her once. I said that all she sings is mopey songs about men. He said he refused to talk with me about her until I actually listened to more of her music, so I did. Now I find that I like her and respect her talent. I've challenged him to do the same with The Beatles, but he hasn't followed through for me. Time to nudge him again.
To be fair, the dresses are Hung In Sequence. But are they really dresses? They look like shirts to me. 😂
ReplyDeleteYour store is hilarious.
I love this deep, philosophical conversation about Rap VS Hip Hop and I agree; bitches, money and hoes generally go into the rap genre.
BB Suz--
DeleteLOL LOL! The dresses ARE hung in sequence. And now that I'm looking again at the photo, they DO look like shirts. Those are some SHORT sequence dresses. Ah, youth!
My store really is a joy to me every single week. If it's not the signage, it's the inventory in Closeouts. There's never been a trip that hasn't been A Trip, if you know what I mean.
Oh, Nance, I never tire of these sale mistakes or your family's conversations (obviously these two things are not at all in the same category!). Thanks so much for sharing with us. I am welcoming all opportunities to take my mind off of our current situation (not from everyone but definitely from folks like you who I know are taking our reality seriously). I do think those sequence dresses have a limited marketing audience but I still bet they will go quickly! At that price, they'd be great to simply add to some high school drama department's wardrobe reserve. Earbubs actually sound more appealing to me than earbuds. Hmm.
ReplyDeleteI never tire of hearing Lose Yourself. It's heads and tails above so many songs of similar ilk that make it big today, in my opinion anyway. But I'm so not well versed in this whole area of discussion. I confess that I only recognized a few names in your text discussion. I love the image of little Theo dancing to all the tunes at the lake!
Thanks so much for your closing--with help from Thomas Paine. We desperately need these reminders to keep going every day.
xoxo ... will write soon. Hope you're getting lots of lake time this summer!
Shirley
Shirley--Not as much lake time this summer. The weather has been so rainy, and now we're in the midst of a horrid heat wave with stifling humidity. But the season is long, so we're not too impatient yet.
DeleteThank you for all the kind words. I love having any sort of focused conversation with my sons. They are so much fun to talk to about so many things: basketball, politics, music, food, you name it. And they each have a delightful sense of humour as well.
Thomas Paine's words are so erudite and crucial. In a way, they're also sad. The fact that they are so easily applied to today shows me that people haven't learned from history, that what the Founders hoped for and planned for this nation is not only being unfulfilled, but it is being dishonored and, in many ways, decimated. We need to do better.
I've been thinking about you. This week is so busy. Let's try to chat next week! xxoo
Early next week should work. The "kids" are coming for several days for the 4th. Can't wait!
DeleteShirley--How wonderful for you! I know you'll enjoy their visit. We'll coordinate via text. Yay!
DeleteThank you for the good laugh! Your store is wonderful and I want some ear bubs!
ReplyDeleteMG--My pleasure. I love my funny grocery store. I can't wait to see what's there each week.
DeleteI am cracking up at the sequence dresses. Such a great misspelling.
ReplyDeleteYour discussion of hip hop vs rap is fascinating! I don't think I'd ever thought of them as so closely linked, or considered what differentiates them. I loved Eminem's early albums and found so much lyricism and prosody in his songs. Also a lot of misogyny and violence, to be fair.
Thank you for the Paine quotes. They are bolstering.
Suzanne--I'm not a huge fan of all of Eminem's work. I find a lot of rap/hip hop to be cacophanous and irritating, to be honest. I used to tell the boys, "If I want to be nagged and yammered at, I'll tell Grammy a bunch of stuff I did behind her back in high school and college" because that's the way a great deal of those genres make me feel. But there's something about "Lose Yourself" that's different.
DeleteThomas Paine was a fervent patriot and revolutionary. He wrote to remind Americans that what they were fighting for was dear and well worth the struggle; also, that what they were fighting against could be found within themselves if they didn't keep the goal in sight.
Long time no comment!
ReplyDeleteLove the signs. And REALLY good deals for earbubs and sequence dresses. I would be taking pictures and putting them online all the time. Instagram is good for this type of content every day.
Not, however, a fan of hip-hop or rap. Too much current music is just annoying noise, so give me the 80's and 90's if you must have music on. Otherwise, just peace and quiet is heavenly, as much of my day is busy with people, talking, and telephones.
Glad to see that the Department is still up and running with your usual excellent take on the world and its inhabitants. It was fun for me to catch up after a long absence.
Also, resisting REALLY hard over here.
LaFF--Wow! Talk about a blast from the past. Nice to see you here again!
DeleteI wouldn't say I'm a Fan of either genre, either. There are a few songs here and there that I listen to, but like you, I want my music more melodic. I'm in a huge Beatles phase right now, and I like to walk to Genesis. I'm partial to a lot of 80s stuff, too, but I have a soft spot for 70s soul as well.
I appreciate your kind words so much, and it's fun to know that you're catching up with me. I hope you've been well.
Hey Mom, I want a purple sequence dress. (Amusing, my Grammarly editor is marking that word as wrong. Yes, indeed.)
ReplyDeleteI read this on my phone first, to my great enjoyment, but I can't reply from it. For one thing, I can NOT type on it well. The speeding thumbs of my offspring amaze me. So, apologies for being so late. I am glad I did not miss it. Only you could find all of these weird signs and curate them so well.
I have just read that all of that bombing did not destroy the Iranian facility. I cannot help wondering if it destroyed the people working there. It is a terrible world, even with sequence.
Mary--It's astonishing for me to watch Sam type on his phone. Lightning speed, and thumb-exclusive. I never stop being blown away by it. He just laughs when he catches my expression.
DeleteYou know, sometimes I wish I didn't notice every little misspelling everywhere. It gets quite tiresome. I noticed one on a tv show and a commercial yesterday! I'd like to be able to turn that part of my brain off every now and then.
Yes, the braggart could not help himself and made grand statements before all facts were in. Nothing new there; he is a compulsive liar and an ever-shrinking, little mind.
As I am not really a fan of either hip hop or rap, I feel like this was a good education, so thank you and your sons! I love those signs, and I also hope they never change.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your message about resistance. It’s important always to challenge our government and encourage our elected officials to do better. It’s SO important right now.
J--You're welcome. You should hear them nerd out on basketball.
DeleteYou make a great point about always challenging our government, regardless of which party is in charge. Our elected officials are supposed to represent us and our voices. They need to remember that they were sent there to do our work, not serve their own interests and simply campaign to hold their offices in perpetuity.
I don't know what to think about those signs. On one hand, they're charming. On the other hand, what is happening to the literacy level of people in this country? (I say this after receiving a thank you note from my recent high school graduate niece - SHE WROTE A THANK YOU NOTE - and misspelled both the word "coming" and "celebrate.)
ReplyDeleteEngie--Of course there's that. But if I worried about that, I'd be in a ferment constantly. You should hear me correct people's speech on television as they report the news or appear in commercials, etc. Now my husband does it, too. Sometimes, I have to strive to turn off that part of my brain or it is hurtful. It makes it hard to read for pleasure.
DeleteIn the case of your niece, glory in the fact that she wrote you a thank you note. And leave it at that.
(One of my most esteemed colleagues, who taught history and had his PhD, was a horrid speller. He was the smartest man I knew. He often misspelled his own name, leaving out an N in Kenneth.)
Earbubs for 4.99?! That is quite a steal. I was working in New Orleans and someone put a sign on the toilet that said "BROKE" and I wanted to put a subtitle on it along the lines of "donate here" or "aren't we all" or "deposit money here" or something like that.
ReplyDeleteRe Eminem, I do like the song Lose Yourself, and I think I probably like lyrical hip hop better than I like hard core rap. I have never heard of Knife Talk but now I am afraid to Google it, but you can find me in the club with 50 Cent quite often, and I have also been known to get low with Lil John from time to time.
Kyria--Love your response to the broke toilet. You should have done it.
DeleteTheo "drops it low" on command. I'm amused at how many songs in the genre have the lyric phrase "in da club" in them. I feel like it's a lot.