Thirty Days of Song - Day Nine

Day Nine - A song that makes you happy
Simon & Garfunkel - At the Zoo (Bookends)

Okay, so yesterday I made a big deal out of using songs that have a particular meaning for me, songs that spark a memory.

While I grew up listening to a lot of Simon & Garfunkel, this song - for some reason - never seemed to hit the radar for me. It wasn't until the mid-90's, when I purchased a boxed set (remember those?) of the entire Simon and Garfunkel discography (a grand total of four albums!), and then spent a lot of time listening to the individual songs that At the Zoo hit my radar.

It's a sweet little nonsense song about the Central Park Zoo in New York City (wait, you didn't know that Central Park has a zoo? It does!)

Someone told me it's all happening at the zoo.
I do believe it, I do believe it's true.
It's a light and tumble journey
From the East side to the park.
Just a fine and fancy ramble to the zoo.
But you can take the cross-town bus
If it's raining or it's cold.
And the animals will love it if you do.

Something tells me it's all happening at the zoo.
I do believe it, I do believe it's true.
The monkeys stand for honesty.
Giraffes are insincere.
And the elephants are kindly but they're dumb.
Orangutans are skeptical of changes in their cages
And the zoo keeper is very fond of rum.
Zebras are reactionaries,
Antelopes are missionaries.
Pigeons plot in secrecy
And hamsters turn on frequently.
What a gas you got to come and see
At the zoo.

I do take offense at calling the elephants "dumb" but I don't think there's another animal that will make the line scan so well. Regardless, it's a fun and sweet song that is so perfectly "early 1960s" and evocative of the gentle weirdness of New York City before all hell broke loose.

Watch on YouTube

( If you want to play along, here are the thirty days of song )

Meme - Days of Wine and COVID

Thank you, tjs_whatnot for this fun and thoughtful meme.

1. Are you an Essential Worker?

No, but I’ve been working from home for health reasons since last July, so I can keep on doing what I’m doing very easily.

2. How many drinks have you had since the quarantine started?

I’ve never been one to reach for the alcohol when things get stressful. Mostly it’s a control issue. I did purchase a six-pack of Angry Orchard hard cider when this started, and had one bottle so far. Last time I bought hard cider, it took almost two years to finish. Likely looking at the same timeline.

3. If you have kids... Are they driving you nuts?

No kids, and I thank the stars for that.

4. What new hobby have you taken up during this?

None, sticking with the ones that spark joy. I used my sewing machine to make a couple of masks and that was not a fun experience. Also, it’s got problems and it either needs a repair or replacement. Prefer repair, but that’ll have to wait.

I have been doing a lot of beading. Finished my homemade2homemade gifts very early, but then had a bit of executive disfunction in getting them to the post office…

I haven’t been stretching myself skills wise in my beading - creating things that are fun and comforting, rather than frustrating. I’ve started projects that frustrate me and have had to put them aside.

5. How many grocery runs have you done?

I go out one day a week. ONE DAY. I have to get everything done in one day. No excuses. I’ve been to my local small-chain market which has had most everything in stock, although chicken is iffy and prices on some things have skyrocketed. I’ve also gone to Costco (panic buying TP) a few times. Last Tuesday, I went two Costco, two local markets and Ocean State Job lot, which was an utter bust. The masks I made are extremely dense (300 thread-count cotton sandwiching a layer of wool/rayon felt) and are hard to breath through. I was utterly exhausted when I got home.

6. What are you spending your stimulus check on?

Bills and savings.

7. Do you have any special occasions that you will miss during this quarantine?

My birthday was earlier this month and plans to spend the day with friends were scuttled. If I actually celebrated Passover, that would have been difficult, too.

8. Are you keeping your housework done?

Oh, hell yes! I can’t stand a messy space. I have always kept up on housework, and admittedly it isn’t hard when you’re one person in a generous space. I do laundry on Sundays, vacuum every other week, kitchen is usually pristine since I hate having dishes in the sink. I’d say the house is no cleaner or no dirtier than it usually is.

9. What movie have you watched during this quarantine?

I haven’t been bingewatching movies, but I’ve watched a couple of old-favorites: Murder on the Orient Express, Elizabeth, L.A. Confidential, Shazam, Rocketman.

10. What are you streaming with?

I’ve become addicted to the Bon Appetite Test Kitchen videos on YouTube. Claire! Molly! Brad! Carla! Chris! Gaby! Delaney! Rick! Solah! Christine! I can’t live without them and their gentle sweetness. Tomorrow, they are doing a live fundraiser and we’ve been promised pets - more than Molly’s Tuna, too.

Also become addicted to Adam Savage, who had been my favorite Mythbuster by lightyears. He’s so sincere and charming and dedicated and very slightly crazy. I’ve even enjoyed watching him do Lego builds which is, in any other case, as boring as watching paint dry.

Also watched the first six eps of The Witcher on Netflix. I’ll eventually watch the last two.

11. What's your go-to quarantine meal?

Been indulging in corn muffins with too much butter. This has got to stop.

13. Is this whole situation making you paranoid?

A little?

14. Has your internet gone out on you during this time?

Shhh. You might summon the bad faeries.

15. What month do you predict this all ends?

I think the lockdown will start to lift too soon and we’ll see another wave of sickness in October and November - probably worse than what’s happening now.

16. First thing you’re gonna do when you get off quarantine?

Hair cut and color. I look like Albert Einstein right now.

17. Where do you wish you were right now?

I am exactly where I want to be. Safe and cradled in House Wonderful

18. What free-from-quarantine activity are you missing the most?

Beading with my Saturday peeps at the local bead store. We get together on FaceTime three evenings a week, but it’s not the same.

19. Have you run out of toilet paper and hand sanitizer?

No. I always have at least one six-by-six package of TP in the house and have added to the stock when I can (right now have three six-by-six packages in reserve).

As a general principle, I avoid hand sanitizers - they are, in a normal time - not good as their overuse contributes to antibiotic resistant bacteria. So I never had them in "stock" at home, but I had/have plenty of regular hand soap.


20. Do you have enough food to last a month?

Between freezer and pantry, probably more than a month, but I need fresh veg and fruit, otherwise I’ll go mad.

If you want to play along, here’s the code:

<B>1. Are you an Essential Worker?</b> <B>2. How many drinks have you had since the quarantine started?</b> <b>3. If you have kids... Are they driving you nuts?</b> <b>4. What new hobby have you taken up during this?</b> <B>5. How many grocery runs have you done?</b> <b>6. What are you spending your stimulus check on?</b> <B>7. Do you have any special occasions that you will miss during this quarantine?</b> <B>8. Are you keeping your housework done?</b> <B>9. What movie have you watched during this quarantine?</b> <B>10. What are you streaming with?</b> <B>11. What's your go-to quarantine meal?</b> <B>13. Is this whole situation making you paranoid?</b> <B>14. Has your internet gone out on you during this time?</b> <B>15. What month do you predict this all ends?</b> <B>16. First thing you’re gonna do when you get off quarantine?</b> <B>17. Where do you wish you were right now?</b> <B>18. What free-from-quarantine activity are you missing the most?</b> <b>19. Have you run out of toilet paper and hand sanitizer?</b> <B>20. Do you have enough food to last a month?</b> Meme courtesy of <user name=tjs_whatnot>