SATURDAY 9

25 July, 2015

Welcome to Saturday: 9. What we've committed to our readers is that we will post 9 questions every Saturday. Sometimes the post will have a theme, and at other times the questions will be totally unrelated. Those weeks we do "random questions," so-to-speak. We encourage you to visit other participants posts and leave a comment. Because we don't have any rules, it is your choice. We hate rules. We love memes, however, and here is today's meme!

Saturday 9: All the Way (1957)

... because The Gal Herself is into Sinatra (and how could I NOT do it, given how much Paul loved Old Blue Eyes?)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) In this song, Frank sings, "who knows where the road will lead us?" Which leads Sam to ask, does your vehicle have GPS?
The car doesn't have GPS, but we have a separate Garmin unit.  It came with an annoying female voice, but when we found out you could change voices, we chose an English gentlemen we have come to call "Nigel."  I love listening to Nigel pronouncing Spanish names  ... like ca-LA-verous for cali-VER-as.

2) Sinatra introduced "All the Way" in the movie, The Joker Is Wild. During that film he also sang "Chicago (That Toddlin' Town)." A few years later, in the movie Robin and The Seven Hoods, he declared Chicago as his "kind of town." Besides Chicago, can you think of another city Frank immortalized in song?
New York, April in Paris,

3) When Frank was 19, he saw a pretty girl sitting on her front porch, giving herself a manicure. He went and got his ukelele and serenaded her. That girl became his first wife, Nancy. Tell us how one of your romances began.
My very first boyfriend was the nephew of the woman who lived next door to us.  I think she arranged for us to go to a movie, then he was in an accident and was hospitalized.  I visited him every day and when he got out of the hospital, we dated for 3 years, until he went into the seminary.

4) Both Frank and Nancy grew up in New Jersey. When you think of NJ, what else comes to mind?
Well, right now Chris Christie, of course.  But also my good friend Ron. And the boardwalk in Atlantic City where I spent one of the most miserable afternoons in my life, walking around the Trump casino with my friend and her one week old baby (the only chairs were in bars) while the baby's father gambled (I hated that guy)

5) Sinatra made Las Vegas as famous for entertainment as for gambling. He was so identified with the Strip, that when he played Caesar's Palace the marquee simply said, "He's Here." Have you ever been to Vegas?
Twice.  I hate Vegas. Too busy, too loud and I don't gamble.  Last time I was there was 1996, for our friend Merrell's 60th birthday party.  We went to the Liberace museum.  You should always go to the Liberace museum with gay guys.

6) Thin for most of his life, Frank was blessed with a metabolism that allowed him to whatever he wanted without gaining weight. He especially enjoyed clams posillipo. What's your favorite Italian dish?
Italian is not my favorite ethnic food, but I do enjoy lasagna and pasta with pesto.

7) Perhaps because of his hardscrabble childhood, Sinatra was a soft touch for charities devoted to kids. One of his favorites was Variety, which sends disadvantaged children on day trips to museums, zoos and sporting events. Here's your chance to tell us about a cause that's near and dear to your heart.
Anybody who is a regular reader of this journal knows that I sponsor 10 children through Compassion International and write to 20 more that others sponsor.  What people may not know is that I also support the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust in Kenya, which rescues orphaned elephants.

8) Sinatra was a neat freak who couldn't stand dust or clutter and showered at least twice a day. He got this from his mother Dolly, who was compulsive about housecleaning and hygiene. Can you think of a time when you caught yourself doing something and thought, "I'm just like Mom/Dad!"
I cringe when I find myself realizing that I'm doing something my father used to do, but if I'm honest, I am probably more like him than like my mother (who was more like Sinatra's mother!)

9) In 1998, Sinatra was buried with the things he always had in tow: a bottle of Jack Daniels, a pack of Camels, a Zippo lighter and 10 dimes. Why the dimes? According to his daughter, "He never wanted to be caught not able to make a call." Of course, 17 years later cell phones have replaced pay phones. Anyway, tell us what you always carry.
My camera.  And that's about it for unusual things.  Of course I have my keys, usually my cell phone and my wallet, but I certainly don't want to be buried with them.