"G" IT'S HODGEPODGE DAY...I ALMOST FORGOT!

     Today is "G" day at the A to Z Blogging Challenge but it is also Wednesday Hodgepodge time. Being too lazy to write two blog posts my "G" post will appear in the Random Thought, question #8. Thanks Joyce for another essay test of our psyche. I hope you all enjoy this edition.

1. Besides left over Easter goodies, what's something currently kept in a basket at your house?
     As I look around the office I see a basket containing a bunch homemade cards waiting to bring cheer to their recipients. I see another basket containing gift wrapping paper for all occasions. Still another basket serves as a waste basket. We have many more baskets around the house because my beloved SWMBO loves baskets. You might say that she's a basket case! (Oh, yes I did!)

2. 'The greater danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it.' ~Michelangelo Buonarroti 

So which one are you...the one who aims too high, or the one who aims too low? Have you ever seen The Sistine Chapel? Did you know Michelangelo's surname prior to answering this question?
     It depends on the time of my life. There have been times that I aimed too high and failed miserably. There are other times when I aimed too low and knew that I could have done much better. I have never seen the Sistine Chapel and I still don't know Michelangelo's last name.

3. April 7th is National Beer Day. Hmmm...wonder how that's celebrated? Do you like beer? Have a favorite? If you're not a beer drinker do you have any recipes you enjoy cooking that call for beer?
     I do like beer. My favorite kind of is a light lager. Nothing tastes better than an ice cold beer when you're over heated on a hot summer's day. 

4. When did you last travel somewhere new? Tell us where? How'd it go?
     Last fall SWMBO and I packed up the fur babies and drove to Bar Harbor, Maine, and visited Acadian National Park. It was a wonderful time. We would love to go back someday.

5. The value of _________________________is greatly overrated.
     Two things come to mind. One is "FAME." I have seen many interviews with famous people who once obtaining fame, most long for the days when they were unknown. Bill Murray once advised people who want to be rich and famous to try the "rich" thing first and see if that doesn't satisfy you. He ruefully opined that fame is not all it's cracked up to be. 
     The second thing that comes to mind is "EDUCATION." Education without wisdom can be dangerous. Being a well educated idiot still makes you, well, an idiot. Pardon my cynicism but it seems to me that we have too many Ivy League educated idiots in high government positions. Look at the havoc that they have wrought!

6. What's a pet peeve of yours when it comes to restaurant dining?
     I love going out to a restaurant with my beloved SWMBO. I love being able to share a nice meal and a time of adult conversation about nothing in particular without the fur babies nosing around for table scraps, the phone ringing or other distractions. My pet peeve is the waitstaff coming by every five minutes to ask if you need anything. I would prefer that they come after the meal is served and we've had a chance to take a bite or two and then come by to ask if everything was okay...ONCE! Other than that quietly, keep the drink glasses filled and walk by periodically to see if we have finished our meal. Other than that leave us the heck alone!

7. It's Poetry Month...share a favorite poem, either the title, a few lines you find meaningful, or the whole kit and caboodle.
     "There once was a man from Nantucket..." Just kidding! I don't really have a favorite poet or poem. I do like poetry in the form of song lyrics, though.  There are some songs that resonate with me on an emotional level for one reason or another. 

8. Insert your own random thought here.

     My theme for the A to Z Blog Challenge is a walk through Rock and Roll history from A to Z. Today being "G" day I am remembering "THE GRASS ROOTS." The Grass Roots was a manufactured band not unlike the Monkees. Dunhill records was trying to cash in on the Folk Rock movement in the mid 1960's. Two songwriters who worked for Dunhill, P.F. Sloan and Steve Barri, wrote several songs, they just needed a band to play them...and so The Grass Roots was born. The band went through a number of revisions and personnel changes until the arrival of Creed Bratton, Vocals/Guitar; Rick Coonce, Drums/Percussion; Warren Entner, Vocals/Guitar/Keyboard; and Rob Grill, Bass Guitar. It was this lineup that performed most of their hit songs. 
     Interestingly, most of the studio music on their records was performed by the now famous "Wrecking Crew," a number of studio musicians who performed the music on the records of many famous artist of the day. The Grass Roots did play their own instruments at concerts and on tour. Another interesting factoid is that the Grass Roots was one of the first bands to use a brass section in their music. They included brass instruments before Chicago and before Blood, Sweat and Tears. 
     Some of my favorite songs are "Midnight Confessions," "Things I should have Said," "Bella Linda," and "Temptation Eyes," to name a few.  The Grass Roots, for being a manufactured band, made quite an impact during the 1960's despite never having a number one hit. Do you have a favorite Grass Roots song?