With the release of The Great Gatsby, do you think penciled-in brows will become a thing again?

Because I personally hope they do! Not only do I love the style, fashion, and decor of the roaring twenties, but the ladies were not afraid to pencil in some skinny brows! (though in the movie posters, the brows don't look all that skinny) And I have to pencil my own brows in. I always have. I may have been blessed with a head full of thick, coarse hair enough for four people, but what God giveth, God taketh away.

In my case, that means I got some thin, fragile, transparent lashes which point straight down and will not stay curled, and some sparse brows with baby-fine, colorless hairs towards my outer eyes. I've gotten to where I can pencil mine in and have them look semi-decent, but I would love to be able to use a heavy hand and obviously non-natural brows again without looking bizarre. The last time I was able to pull this off was in the late 90s when I hung around with mostly goths, many of whom also loved a drawn-on brow.

Since it's Music Monday, I headed to Amazon to check out The Great Gatsby soundtrack. Lo and behold, Jack White's "Love is Blindness" is the only song I really liked off the soundtrack, but it's already been featured on someone else's "Monday's Music Moves Me" post. Well, any excuse for Mr. White's music to grace my page again is valid, so here it is again for those of you who didn't catch it the first time:

So much for featuring a few songs from the soundtrack. Instead, I'll go to the actual 1920s for a few selections....and I'll also carry on with last week's theme of remakes. This was so much fun for me!

First up is "Wildwood Flower" by The Carter Family. I always assumed this was the original, but it's not. According to the song's Wikipedia page, it is "a variant of "I'll Twine Mid the Ringlets," written in 1860. The Carter Family recorded it in 1928.

Now, here's an AMAZING cover by Mike Ness of Social Distortion (from 1999's Under the Influences.)

And here's "Corrine Corrina" by legendary Delta bluesman Bo Carter (1928)

That song's been covered by everyone from Bob Dylan to Floyd Cramer to Bill Haley and His Comets - even Rod Stewart recorded a version! But my favorite is by Jerry Lee Lewis, recorded a few decades later in 1965.

And lastly, "Ain't Misbehavin'", as recorded by Fats Waller in 1929:

Hank Williams, Jr. covered this in 1986. I saw it performed on some awards show, and loved it!

Happy Music Monday! For more, be sure to check out these links:

X-Mas Dolly
Run DMT
Be There 2Day
My So-Called Chaos

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Well....this is a little....awkward.

And I'm not talking about the MTV show, though I could probably give those characters a run for their money.

WARNING: a bit of language ahead, for those of you who are sensitive to that sort of thing.

Today I decided to try and jump back into the writing prompts at Mama's Losin' It, and one of the themes was something entirely too familiar to me: "Describe a time you made things...awkward."

Well, hell. When don't I make things awkward? From my genuine knack for (including, but not limited to) saying the wrong thing at the wrong time, being in the wrong place at the wrong time, trying to help but only being more of a hindrance, etc., etc......I have honed awkward past an art form all the way down to an unfortunately unmarketable, non-lucrative talent.

But of all my awkward situations, I think the one where someone on the school bus wrongfully told our bus driver I said she was a slut. Yes. As strange as that sounds, a middle school-aged girl on the bus told our adult bus driver that I, a high schooler (just shy of my driver's license) at the time, said she was a slut. She was being reprimanded for some bus infraction. They verbally got into it, grabbing the rapt attention of every bored student on the bus. All of a sudden, she just threw ME under the bus! Pun intended. I think. Wait.....was it really throwing me under the bus if I didn't actually say it in the first place?

Regardless.....everyone got really, really quiet, and turned to me. The bus driver asked if that was true. I could literally feel my cheeks blooming floridly. I told her that it wasn't, and luckily for me, the other girl was the troublemaker so they believed me. Whew! But the bus driver never quite "liked" me after that. I'm just glad it didn't land me in the principal's office or kicked off the bus.

So the awkward things that happen to me tend to be serious-awkward rather than funny-awkward, though I still find myself in plenty of funny-awkward situations, too. What can I say? It's always a thing with me!

If you also have a knack for turning any moment into an awkward moment, I'd love to hear from you. We should chat. In a non-awkward way, of course. Or even if you just have sympathy for me and others like me who are afflicted with awkwardness, I'd love to hear from you, too. If your'e visiting, be sure to leave a comment. I'll feel really awkward if you don't.

Visit Mama Kat's Losin' It for more.

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Never judge a book by its cover.

We've all heard that expression before, and that brings me to one of my favorite things about music: the remake. Or cover. However you say it, I'm talking about when a band performs and/or records a song previously performed and/or recorded by another artist.

Now before you get all aural elitist on me, keep in mind that I already know many of you can't stand covers. But, you see, I am the exact opposite! I love it when a band or artist takes a song that is already familiar and makes it their own. And I could talk about covers for DAYS. I'm not even joking. So naturally, I jumped ALL OVER this week's them at Dolly's: remakes.

Here are just a few of my favorites:

Motley Crue - Smokin' in the Boys Room
(originally recorded by Brownsville Station)

The Power Station - Get It On (Bang a Gong)
(originally recorded by T. Rex)

Dwight Yoakam - Suspicious Minds
(originally recorded by Mark James but obviously made famous by Elvis Presley)

Type O Negative - Cinnamon Girl
(originally recorded by Neil Young)

Like I said above, I could literally post hours of covers that I love (maybe one day I will link to my Spotify covers playlist), but I think I'll conclude my selections with this one since it's probably my very favorite cover ever. ::sniffs:: How I miss TON! Especially this era TON. Peter Steele's been gone over three years now and I still can't believe it.

I may just take this theme and run with it, since I love so many cover songs. If you love the remake as much as I do, what are some of your favorites? Perhaps there are some out there that I haven't heard - yet.

Music Monday
X-Mas Dolly
Run DMT
Be There 2Day
My So-Called Chaos

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Summer, summer, summer........

If you've been reading my blog for a while, then you already know how ready I was to stop complaining about the cold weather and start complaining about hot weather instead. Well, that time has finally come, folks! It seems like we went straight from winter into summer here in the good ol' south. Actually, this is just our spring, since we still have low temps in the 60s and highs in the mid to upper 80s. Down here, our summers REALLY scorch.

This brings me to this week's Coffee Chat: the 'chat is taking the summer off, so this will be our last one before September. This week, we're dishing on what we'll be doing over the course of the summer. Whatever shall I post about on Tuesdays from here on out?

As for me, I have plenty to do. And I shall give it to you in bullet form.

• Finish laying new floor covering in my home. I have had floor covering for the living area, at least, for a few years now. I have also been walking around on subfloor for a few years now. As it turns out, it's been quite difficult to finish with a schedule that generally only allows for one day off here and there, and the room itself is one that sees more traffic than any other place in the house, even the kitchen.
• Finishing furniture projects. And other projects. Hopefully at least one, anyway. I still have the utility cart from a few years ago. I still have the fabulous vintage dresser I'm turning into an entertainment stand. And the chair from last year, which I can not seem to locate online. Hm. And also tons of cleaned milk jugs which need to be cut for my version of this faux capiz chandelier.
• Find more thrifty treasures. I've already started a wish list of both needs (well, as much as you can need something from a thrift store, anyway) and wants. It's fun!
• Keeping up with goals. With some of my Earth Day goals, I'm already off to a decent start. I have been saving newspapers, clean cardboard, and aluminum cans for recycling. I've been using far less electricity (having no central AC helps!). And I'm mostly all-natural, chemical-free with house cleaners. My fitness goals leave much to be desired, but I'm trying. And out walking again in the evenings.
• Filling my ears with the sounds of great music. And there is so much of it this year, from older favorites like Rob Zombie, Alice In Chains, Slash, Soundgarden and Filter to Stone Sour, Deftones, Black Veil Brides, Imagine Dragons and Thirty Seconds to Mars. So, so much to get excited about!

So what are YOUR plans for this summer? Vacationing? Tell me about it. Home improvement plans? I want to hear about them. Traveling? I'm jealous, but I'd love to hear about it all the same.

And to the Coffee Chat regulars - it's been nice getting to know you, and see you again in a few months! In the meantime, feel free to come on back anytime you like!

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Memorial Day and music for your Monday

Today is the day where we here in the U.S.A. honor those who have fallen in service to our country. I am so thankful to each and every service man and woman who risks their lives so that we can be free. And having both grandfathers, my father, an uncle, an aunt, my stepfather, and numerous relatives of my sons' on their father's side of the family (including him) who have served, we are very lucky that we never lost anyone while they were defending the nation.

So while I'm not into politically charged patriotic music, this video is a great live performance of a rock song with a patriotic message:

Don't Tread on Me - Metallica

Never forget those who have died serving this country, keep their loved ones in your heart and prayers/thoughts, as we honor their sacrifices.

Music Monday:

X-Mas Dolly
Run DMT
Be There 2Day
My So-Called Chaos

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