Project 3867: My First Car Lot

My first car, only no white leather roof, it was all red

We are back to cars. While Will is driving the convertible, I'm watching available used cars that may be more winter-friendly. I'm experiencing a little sticker shock, noting the first car my dad bought for me to drive was a $200 1976 Century Buick. 

As a new driver, insurance is very expensive, older cars with scratches and dents are to be expected. And you know what - a 16-year-old doesn't need to be driving something he can't afford. 

Ah, memories - the first thing I did was invest in a cheap car stereo

Thus, My First Car Lot, the new driver and poor man's friend. No sticker is more than $9,999. 

With Dave's background in finance, we can use the opportunity to educate new drivers on financial literacy, tax, insurance, building their credit score, safe driving, and making smart choices. 

When this was Mill Creek Motors, there were never more than 10 cars in this lot, but with affordable prices, you could expect lots of turnover. 

Promotional tie-in is to recreate Used Car Night at the Whitecaps, and give away a new-to-you car. Some of the wins were nothing but a broken-down minivan; but I remember being insanely jealous over someone winning a candy colored Geo Tracker convertible. 

I visualized using a primary color palette and juvenile fonts (but no Comic Sans), Little Tykes car on the marquee, and advertising. Fun keychains, too. 

The Cereal Project: The Prizes

One of my favorite cereal box prizes was a miniature microscope. Not that I could really see anything, I just pretended to be a scientist.

The cereal: Xs and Ohs

The audience: GenX

The promotional tie-in: Cameron Frye's Day Off

Next: THE PRIZES! 

There were a variety of prizes to be had in 70s cereals. I'll pick six retro-inspired prizes, and I can "create" one each for the next six months.

June: a record/song

July: stickers

August: puzzle book

September: something to wear, like a button

October: glow-in-the-dark pen

November: character figurine

December: bring it back to the cereal, which is why we are here in the first place

Let the fun begin!

Typing Out Loud: RBR 2025, the Participation Medal

The pre-race haul, going back to 2011. 

I was plowing through my April to-do list, and it's shocking at everything I have been doing, between work, baseball, marching band, skating, and family stuff.  I was surprised two weeks out that the race was coming up quickly, while running through the Philadelphia airport from Gate F37 to B13 so I wouldn't miss my connecting flight to Pittsburgh. 

I honestly kinda forgot to train.

Sure, there were lame attempts on the elliptical, but by the time I got home from photographing one of Will's games as designated administrator of the CP JV BB FB page, or hitting a desperate deadline at work, I felt I had already run a marathon. So got my freebies from the expo, put on my Air Nikes, and hoped for the best. 

A true participation medal - but I'm not sad

I felt the burn and shame of not properly training in the first mile, my shins screaming at me for being very stupid. I saw my friend Brandon, who was encouraging some of his clients along the route, and he waved me up to join him. My body protested, and I took on a power walking stance and waved him on. 

I did what every good Polish Catholic girl would do and beat myself up for the next mile. I grumbled that I should start over at the start line for the 5k walk, as that would be more honest. But then I mugged for the cameramen at various checkpoints, pretending to run for a stretch so the photos would be good. I relied on my old artistic perspective of finding things along the route that I wouldn't have otherwise seen if I were in my car, such as the ice sculpture building with its zipper illusion, getting "atta girl!" cheers from the homeless guys chain-smoking by the railroad tracks, enjoying the beautiful spring morning and flowering trees, and of course the Beatles channel. 

Approaching the finish line, I didn't hot dog it - I didn't want any additional cheers or display any fake bravado. I was pleased to find that I finished better than I had the last two times I did the race when I was injured, so I have some redemption. I also found out I finished dead ass last in my age group, and felt I deserved that. 

And yet, it felt good, somehow. Again, quitting was never an option. 

I whipped out my Tieks blue bag from my thigh pocket, helped myself to the finish line goodies, and went inside for my celebratory beer. I sat with stranger Ben, who admitted he has slowed in his middle age and only does this race once a year, cajoled into doing it with his healthier friends for the chance to celebrate their finishes with more beer and burgers when they finished their 10K and 25K races. 

So what do I want out of these races anymore? I've never claimed to be a runner, and yet I have 14 medals from this event alone, one of which is my second-best in age group from 2020. I want to make it to the 50th anniversary of the race in 2027, then retire to volunteer; I'm looking forward to the end. My boot box is full, but I think there's space for a couple more medals, and room on the lid for a couple more songs. For this year, I need to add Paul McCartney and Wings "Rock Show."

Lipstick on the Mic: Martha and the Vandellas

 Calling out around the world, are you ready for these evening gowns?

I feel compelled to add this one in May since it is the anniversary of being a Vandella for 10 minutes at a First Ladies luncheon for the Betty Ford Foundation. 

The group formed in 1957 in Detroit and was part of Motown’s Hitsville USA powerhouse of the 60s. Their string of hits include Heatwave, Nowhere to Run, Jimmy Mack, Quicksand, and Dancing in the Streets. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995.

So how did I happen to make Ms Reeves' acquaintance? A vendor invited me to the above-mentioned luncheon. Reeves, now a political activist, was in attendance and said the prayer. 

No singing?

After wrapping up our meal, she returned to the stage and said she needed some backup singers and dancers. I was already halfway out of my chair as Jen and I quickly made our way up to the stage to do an extended version of Heatwave and Dancing in the Streets. She even taught us how to be proper backup singers and dancers - with a pump pump left, pump pump right, twirl with my hands in the air, wave-wave left, wave-wave right, and twirl. 

I earned the right to a disco ball cocktail dress. 

I'm Just a Cat

A boy and his buddy

Sad news to report, Ace went on his final adventure yesterday, dying at the age of 9, which in cat years is more like 63. I had just come home from a skating competition in Pittsburgh, and Will's friend Ben found him on the sidewalk as he was leaving to grab a bite to eat. He was still warm, so I shouted for the family, and we were with him in his final moments. Our thought to take him to the emergency vet was quickly vetoed as we noted the light had gone out of his eyes. 

Will found him at the Humane Society after Christmas in 2017. He was rescued from a pet hoarder. He quickly made himself at home by drinking out of the toilet. 

He was a great and loving pet, but oh so messy. To hear him sneeze was pretty hilarious, not so much when he would cough up a hairball. He was a mainstay at meetings, perched on the back of my chair. He loved when the front door was open so he could peek out and chatter at birds, rabbits, squirrels, whatever was in the front yard. 

He was a jumper, usually on top of the grandfather clock, the bathroom vanity, back of the couch, anywhere he could take a better look. 

Will's going to miss playing tag, I'm going to miss my morning cuddles, and Dave is going to miss scratching the brains of the being that liked to curl up on his belly. 

Oh he's is going to be missed. 

The Fifth (and Sixth) Monkee, Rose Marie and Ruth Buzzi

Jeez Millie, have a heart. 

I've always had a soft spot for Rose Marie, who appeared as Millie in one of my favorite episodes, Monkee Mother. But she actually appeared as a guest star twice, showing up as the wife of a mobster who was bumped off, "so now I'm the Big Man!"

Rose Marie was born in 1923 and started her career in vaudeville as Baby Rose Marie at the age of three. Throughout her 90-year career, she did stage, small screen, large screen, radio, and animated voice-overs, which is amazing considering she started her career in the silent movie era. She died in 2017 at the age of 93; her last acting credit was in the cartoon series Garfield and Friends in 2015. 

Hello sweet boys

Edited to include some love for Ruth Buzzi, who passed May 2 at the age of 88. She got her start after high school in an off-Broadway revue, and her repertoire expanded quickly to include movies, television, and sketch comedy. She won a Clio for television commercials?! Her stardom rose in the 60s with appearances on The Monkees, That Girl, and in the sketch comedy show Laugh In. 

The next generation got to know her in Baggy Pants and the Nitwits, You Can't Do That on Television, Alice, and as a voice actor for numerous Saturday morning cartoons. By the 90s, she appeared on Sesame Street, making cameos in music videos for Weird Al and the B-52s, given story arcs on soap operas, and was Screech Powers' Elvis-loving mother on Saved By the Bell. 

A kind and creative person, she donated time and money to numerous charities, was an oil painting hobbyist, and was an avid car collector. 

She made a living as the old dingbat, but I never saw her as that. Her beautiful smile revealed she was in on the joke. What a life. Goodspeed.