THE WHY

I didn’t know what a telenovela was until about three years ago. I stumbled upon one while perusing Netflix movie titles hoping to find something good to watch. 

Weekends were long and boring. I wanted to find something that would make the time pass quickly  I was looking for a series so engrossing that I would forget that I lived in a nursing home. 

I found the 2014 Latin-American telenovela Lo Que La Vida Me Robo.  I soon found myself caught up in all of the storylines. I traveled to palm trees, crystal blue water, and beautiful haciendas every night. Mexico. It was the perfect diversion.

Luis Roberto Guzman portrayed the character, of  Jose Luis Alverez in the series. Jose Luis was part of a love triangle between Both Alejandro Almonte  and Jose Luis were in love with the beautiful  Montserrat Mendoza
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It is difficult for me to tell you why I admire Luis Roberto Guzman without sounding like a fangirl That's definitely not what I want to sound like in this post. A geeky old lady fangirl.

 He cares about humanity. He cares about our planet. He believes that we should never stop learning.

 He has traveled the globe. I am an armchair traveler. I find this fascinating. He has traveled to many. exotic locations like Turkey, Rio de Janeiro, and Iceland. He's posted beautiful photos. It would be amazing to interview him for this blog.

He has replied to several of my messages on Twitter. Getting those replies made my day. They made me feel special. (I know geeky old lady fangirl moment. Did you think that I  would finish this post without one?)

Why do I admire Luis Roberto Guzman?   Why is meeting him the #1 item on my bucket list? The answer's simple.

Because he's cool.

SHE DID IT

A support coordinator's job is never-ending. They are responsible for running the house and making sure clients have everything they need. They are on call 24/7.

Our house van has not been dependable for months. I and my housemates have not been out very much. Borrowing a van is a headache for the SC because other houses do not want to loan out their van. I have heard our SC on the phone begging to borrow a van. 

My housemates have missed important doctor's appointments. Until last week, I had not been to Happy Hour since before Christmas. Cabin fever was definitely setting in.

Last week, we were given a van that had only one working windshield wiper. On the way back from NHC it began to snow. The staff member got out of the van twice to adjust the wiper. She rolled down her window to see and drive. The drive back to the house was freezing cold.

NHC is having a big Valentine's Day bash today. This morning I was told that there would not be a fan available to transport me. The agency is having a party at the office. I was resigned to a day of writing and movie watching.

After breakfast, I was told they had found a van to take me to NHC.  Our SC had worked her magic. I want her to know how grateful I am. This afternoon when I am listening to the awesome entertainment provided by Sterling and in awe of the cholate fountain, I will know that I am privileged to be there because of the SC's hard work and dedication.

Thank you,.  Happy Valentine's Day.

KRISTEN SKEET AND FLEETWOOD MAC... THE INTERVIEW

Kristen with Lindsey Buckingham

Kristen Skeet is passionate. She is a  passionate writer and filmmaker. https://confessionsofadisableddiva.blogspot.com/2019/08/shes-teller-of-stories.html

She's also been passionately devoted to the band, Fleetwood, for over twenty years. Kristen has some amazing concert memories. If you are a fan of Fleetwood Mac this interview's for you

If you enjoy reading stories about someone who made their dream a reality this interview is for you. Either way, keep reading, you won't be disappointed.

How long have you been a fan of Fleetwood Mac?

I’ve been a fan of Fleetwood Mac since August of 1997. 22+ years.

What drew you to Fleetwood Mac?

“The Dance” is a live, reunion album that brought the Rumours 5 line-up back together in 1997 after a decade apart. I stumbled on to the video for the song “Silver Springs” from that album on VH1 or MTV while I was flipping channels that day in August of 1997. I was hooked immediately. That moment in time changed my life.

What is the name of the first album of Fleetwood Mac’s that you purchased? What’s your all-time favorite Fleetwood Mac song? Why? 

The first album I bought was “The Dance” but their album “Tusk” is the album that has had the most impact on my life. It may seem like a cop-out to say this, but it’s impossible for me to choose an all-time favorite song as it very much depends on my mood, and what I want to do about my mood. If I’m mad and want to stay mad, I’ll listen to songs by Lindsey Buckingham. Songs like “What Makes You Think I’m The One” “Not That Funny” “Go Your Own Way”. If I’m mad and don’t want to feel mad anymore, or if I’m feeling empowered, or if I’m feeling sad and want to continue feeling sad, I’ll listen to just about anything from Stevie Nicks. Especially “Storms” or “Beautiful Child”. If I just want to feel better about everything, I’ll listen to any song by Christine McVie. “Over and Over”, “Why”, “Songbird”, “Don’t Stop”. 

How many times have you seen them live?  What is your most memorable concert memory? Funniest concert memory?

I’ve seen them 27 times since 1997.

Honestly, all their shows are memorable. Every one of them.

Funniest concert memory…it would probably be the time Lindsey Buckingham handed me his sweat towel that was drenched in his sweat and how disgusted most people were when I told them about it.

My most memorable concert experience was being able to meet their newest members Mike Campbell and Neil Finn backstage before a show in Albany last year. Anyone who knows me knows how devastated I was when Fleetwood Mac fired Lindsey Buckingham and replaced him with Mike and Neil, but meeting them was one of the greatest experiences of my life.

You have been privileged to meet the members of Fleetwood Mac and to get to know them on a personal level. It must be a thrill for you to know that they know who you are when they see you in the audience.
I’m laughing at this one because as soon as my family and close friends read this question they’re going to go, “Uh oh, she’s opened a can of worms!” Yes, I’ve met Mick Fleetwood and Lindsey Buckingham both a handful of times. Those meetings were brief – beautiful, but brief – so I honestly don’t think they’d much remember me. Mick might recognize me due to… an incident when I accidentally became part of Fleetwood Mac’s entourage after running into him in the lobby of their hotel in Dublin in 2013.  And then met him again formally at his meet & greet before their show an hour later. The look he gave me when he saw me and realized I was the same girl from the hotel lobby is one that is hard to forget.

Running into Mick in the lobby of the hotel in Dublin:

Two hours later at his meet & greet before the show.

The very first time I met Mick in Pittsburgh in 2013:

As I explained earlier, I had the incredible opportunity to, not only meet Mike Campbell (and his wife Marcie) and Neil Finn but that it happened backstage before one of Fleetwood Mac’s shows as 15,000+ fans waited for the show to start. I got to play with Mike’s guitars and even got some pointers from him. I’d waited 20 years to get backstage at a Fleetwood Mac show and it finally happened in 2019! 

I’ve never met Stevie Nicks, Christine McVie, or John McVie but if I ever have the chance to meet the McVies everybody, everywhere will hear my fangirl scream.

What’s it like to decide you want to see Fleetwood Mac on the spur of the moment, then make it happen? What is the farthest distance you traveled to see them perform? 
The global travel began in 2013 when I jetted off to Dublin on pretty much a whim to see them. Dublin was a bucket list trip and Fleetwood Mac had just announced they were playing two shows there so I decided it was time to go.

My dad took me to my first Fleetwood Mac show for my 18th birthday in 1997. That was in Buffalo. I learned the art of “bettering” your seat from my dad when he grabbed my hand after the band left the stage, before the encore, and ran us down closer to the stage. Nowadays, I just pay the money for the good seats but before I was in a financial position to do this, this trick came in handy!

It was 2003 when I started traveling to see them and it just exploded from there. I saw them twice in 2003, three times in 2009, five times in 2013, seven times in 2015 and I outdid myself with their last monstrous 2018-2019 tour and saw them nine times, following them from Cleveland to Albany to Philly to Buffalo to Toronto, to Philly again, and then Boston to Quebec to Philly yet again. I bought the ticket to see them in Quebec City at 6:30AM on a whim (that happens to me often) not realizing that absolutely everything in Quebec is in French. My anxiety had never been higher as I rolled into Quebec City at nightfall after maneuvering out of the swirling cluster that is Boston that morning and driving up, up, up into Canada where I barely comprehended a single word on any street sign for 3+ hours. But it was all made worth it as soon as the lights when down at the Fleetwood Mac show the following night. 

At my last show, in Philly, the week of my 40th birthday, Mike Campbell wished me a happy birthday from the stage during one of their last songs, and my life was officially complete.  

What do Fleetwood Mac and their music mean to you?
Simply put, they mean everything to me. I wouldn’t be who I am without the support and guidance from their music for all these years. They’ve gotten me through every life crisis and emotional meltdown I’ve had since 1997. I was listening to Sirius radio earlier today. The Beatles channel was playing interviews from mega-musicians like Billy Joel and Bruce Springsteen and they were speaking about what seeing The Beatles on Ed Sullivan for the first time meant to them. They both said it was life-altering. That nothing was the same for them after that. And that is what Fleetwood Mac is to me. My life didn’t really begin until that August day in 1997 when I stumbled on to Fleetwood Mac for the first time.





  

FUN FACTS ABOUT LEAP YEAR

Are you confused about Leap Year? Read on. All of your questions will be answered.

A Leap Year is also called an intercalary year or bissextile year. It is any year that is divisible by four.

Leap Day is February 29th. Leap Day falls on the same day as February 1.

This year the first of February is on a Saturday. Leap Day in 2020 is the last Saturday of the month. An extra day is added to February every four years because having only 28 days, February is the shortest month of the Gregorian Calendar.

Every four years the Earth orbits the sun in a little less time. What happens to those extra minutes?  They become Leap Days. Without an extra day, every four years our seasons would begin a day earlier.  Julius Ceasar introduced a Leap Year to the Gregorian Calendar.

In a leap year, the months of January, April, and July all start on the same day of the week.
Countries that use a lunar calendar rather than a solar calendar add a leap month every four years.
Leap seconds are added when needed to keep the clocks synchronized with the slowing rotation of the Earth. The last leap second was added on December 31, 2016. There have been 26 leap seconds added since 1972.

Have a great February. Use your time wisely
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Source: Wikipedia/Google

MEET THE MONKEES ULTIMATE FAN

Kelly Suellentrop is a freelance writer and blogger, Her posts have been featured on Huffpost.com and Today.com. She is the author of a children's book.  She was a cast member of the 2015 stage production of Listen to Your Mother. Kelly is also a married mom of two
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All of these things would be enough to make Kelly a unique and special person, but there is something else that makes her unique and special. Kelly has been a devoted fan of  The Monkees for over thirty years.

This is a fun interview Want to know what each member of the band was like in person?  Keep reading to find out.

How long have you been a fan of The Monkees?  
Since I was nine years old. I guess that makes it thirty-three years now. The only other thing I’ve been consistent about for that long is breathing. 

 You’ve said you like all of the members of the group, but that Micky Dolenz has always been your favorite.  Tell us why?
Well, for starters, I think he’s adorable. There’s something incredibly sincere and kind about his smile, and I tend to gravitate toward sincere and kind people. I’m also a sucker for a sense of humor. And can we talk about his voice? Let’s talk about it. It sounds like the way melted chocolate feels in your mouth. Hearing him sing flips a mood booster switch in me every time I hear it. Aside from all that, I have an admiration for him as a person. He’s not perfect, but I respect his professionalism and his willingness to be accessible to his fans. He has a humility and lightheartedness about himself and about life that has served him well.

But I do have a confession to make. He hasn’t ALWAYS been my favorite. When I first became a Monkees fan, I pledged allegiance to Davy. He was the “cute one” after all. However, despite maintaining Davy was my favorite, I was always drawn to Micky. When I played Barbies, I used to act out a love triangle between her, Davy, and Micky. I once wrote a whole blog post about how my Barbie was a floozy for her two-timing ways. Eventually, I came to the realization that I only liked Davy because I thought I was “supposed to.” I replaced all my DJ teen mag pinups on my bulletin board with ones of Micky, and I’ve never gone back. (Although now, my husband won’t let me put them up in our bedroom, so they are all in a box. He’s kind of unreasonable.)


What’s your favorite episode of their television show? Their show is still on in reruns. Why do think their show is still loved by people today?
Favorite episode? I don’t know that I can really choose. I have favorite little moments from so many different episodes. I guess I could say “Alias Micky Dolenz” for the lone reason that Micky plays both his character AND a doppelganger gangster, so I get two Mickys for the price of one episode. It ain’t a bad deal. 

I think the show still holds up for the simple fact that it’s good, timeless comedy. Add the bonus of all this feel-good music during the romp scenes, and who wouldn’t want to watch? Terrorists, that's who. And people who don’t like to smile. 

How many of their concerts have you attended? 
Counting solo appearances, I think I’m up to 15. Holy cow, I just realized that’s a lot once I typed it out. Please don’t ask how much money I’ve spent on all this. 

What are some of your best and or craziest concert memories?

My first concert was special because I had been a fan for over ten years before I ever had the chance to see them live. But nothing quite matched when I saw them in Chicago in 2012 when Mike Nesmith rejoined after Davy passed away. There was this combination of electricity having Nez back in the fold and reverent sentimentality as they also honored Davy. I never had the chance to see all four of them live together, but I think that concert was probably the closest it could have gotten for me. 

As far as crazy goes, I have had some crazy good times with several friends who came into my life over our shared loved of this band…and we have had some interactions with other fans who were flat-out crazy. I have also found myself in some interesting post-concert locations, including a hotel piano bar with Micky and on Mike’s tour bus. I just realized those both sound way more salacious than they actually were. They were merely results of having the good fortune to be acquainted with some people who know people. I’d like to go on record saying I am NOT a groupie. I’m not above being one though.

You’ve met all of the Monkees. Tell us a little something about meeting each of them.

The first time I met Davy, the two girls in front of me asked to lick his elbows, and he let them. So of course, the second time I met Davy, I told him the elbow-licking story, to which he replied, “Ugh! Why would anyone want to do that? I hate my elbows! Look at them! They’re the worst!” That was pretty much the best thing he could have ever said because I didn’t know anyone existed that had such strong feelings about their elbows. Also, Davy and I were exactly the same height, so I felt extra connected to him.

Mike was everything I hoped Mike would be. Dry, charmingly aloof, intelligently bizarre, all wrapped up in a package that looks alarming like my own father. The whole “looks like my dad” thing makes me very sentimental about Mike, and it gave me the unabashed courage to walk right up and hug him that time I was on his tour bus. He hugged back, so that made an uncharacteristically brazen moment on my part totally worth it. He was also eating a Chipotle burrito during our conversation, which, for some reason, I found amazing. 

Peter…oh, Peter. The mere thought of him makes me melt a little because he was about as kindhearted as he could be. He sincerely appreciated it when people sincerely appreciated him. He was a toucher…in a good way. A little grab of the hand or shoulder, with the most genuine of intentions, let you know he cared about the interaction he was having with you. And he was so smart and funny…and awkward, but in a lovable way. I am sad the world is without him now. 

And Micky. I just…guys. He’s so tall. And he smells good. And he smiles that smile, and well, it’s over. I feel like I have had these great interactions with the other three because I had some of my wits about me with them. But I have encountered Micky, I kid you not, six times (not, I repeat, not a stalker…just incredibly lucky). And every time, I slink into myself because it’s pretty overwhelming to be in his presence. However, he has always been approachable and kind and I don’t know that I could ask for more. Plus, he hugged me once. And it was a big, both arms, wrap-you-up kind of hug that I can still feel if I think about it hard enough. 

Mike Nesmith even mentioned you indirectly during a radio interview. That must have been quite a thrill.

Understatement of the year. He had posted a photo of himself at a convention with a guy dressed up as Iron Man. I commented that I had shown the photo to my young son and said, “Look it’s your favorite guy and my favorite guy!” My son said, “Mom, I don’t think that’s the REAL Iron Man.” And I replied, “That’s okay, bud. It isn’t the real Mike Nesmith either.” Well, apparently Nez got a big kick out of that because he always talks about how people think he is actually his Mike the Monkee persona since they used their real names on the show. So he was discussing this phenomenon on a podcast and then mentioned my Facebook comment as hitting the nail on the head. I was more than tickled. I mean, not only is it cool to have a celebrity give you a shout out but as a writer myself, I have such tremendous respect for Nez’s brilliant ability for creative expression. To know a genius thought well of something I said is an honor.

What’s your all-time favorite song by The Monkees?

The Porpoise Song. It’s not one a lot of people know, but everything about it is beautiful. Whenever I hear it, I literally stop what I’m doing to breathe it in. If you think Monkees music is just bubblegum pop, this song will make you think twice.

Tell us about a favorite piece of memorabilia that you own.

Probably my concert shirt that was signed by Micky, Peter, and Davy…mostly because Micky signed it on my boob. *winky face* But honestly, while I do have a lot of Monkee memorabilia, what I cherish most are the experiences I’ve had following this band and the friendships that have been born because of it. If I lost every Monkee thing I own, I would still be happy with what remained in my mind.

What does your family think about your devotion to The Monkees?

After over thirty years, they all just accept it as a part of me. My dad used to poke fun at me because he’s a big Beatles fan and apparently you can’t be a fan of both. But he was actually the first person to call me when the news broke that Davy had died. It was sweet. My mom has always fed into my fandom because she was a fan when she was little. In fact, my first Monkees record was actually hers. I stole it from my grandparents’ house. As a kid, I got made fun of a lot for it, because no one my age was a fan of guys who were older than our parents. But I found friends who loved me for my quirkiness, and now it’s just one of those things that makes me memorable to other people. And thankfully, my husband has come to terms with me sometimes still turning into a fangirl over men who aren’t him…and that his wife’s hall pass is a 74-year-old drummer.

Kelly's book: https://www.amazon.com/Absolute-Mayhem-Kelly-Suellentrop/dp/0692311017 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kellysuellentropauthor/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ryoufinishedyet?lang=en

kelly's blog: http://areyoufinishedyet.com/