Song Sung Blue | Don't Blink

It has definitely felt like spring around here which I guess makes sense…the first official day of spring was this past Friday. So as we enjoy warmer temperatures and tend our gardens, let me contribute to the positive vibes with my latest Thursday Rundown…

Ice Cream For All – I left the “after party” portion out of Sloan’s birthday bash blog post so let me fill you in. After we finished at Lush, we took the girls down the block for lunch at Red Robin. However, we had to switch gears when we were told that it would be a 45-minute wait. We instead ushered everyone across the street to the food court of River Park Square. It was there that I planned to buy a couple pizzas from Sbarro for everyone to enjoy. There was just one problem: Sbarro had not a single slice of pizza to sell that day (not kidding). Thinking on our feet, Sid and I just decided to take the kids to the Ben & Jerry’s stand in the mall. After they had their cones I expressed how sorry I was that we didn’t feed them a real lunch. No one seemed to mind.

Sloan and her friends enjoy ice cream cones from Ben & Jerry’s inside River Park Square.

Song Sung Blue – This week I watched “Song Sung Blue” and really enjoyed it. The film is about a recovering alcoholic and musician who becomes a Neil Diamond impersonator while falling in love and adding his girlfriend (and then wife) to his act. After the disappointment of Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere, this latest musical biopic truly hit the mark. Of course you have the awesome music throughout but there is more. The film kept me guessing between reality and dream throughout its duration and all the acting performances are superb. I found the character of Mike Sardina (the Neil Diamond impersonator played by Hugh Jackman) to be inspiring in an everyday guy kind of way. I recommend!

I think you should give “Song Sung Blue” a chance. It will give you some vibes.

Happy Birthday, Kenny – Today is Kenny Chensey’s 58th birthday. I think it is worth mentioning just because this blog is named after one of Chesney’s songs. I have been a true fan of the singer for 20 years and have enjoyed the opportunity to see him perform live multiple times. Kenny, please let me tell you one thing: Don’t Blink, 58 years go faster than you think.

One of the times I saw Kenny Chesney perform was on College Gameday when he was the guest picker. The show that week (Sept. 2014) was in Columbia, SC, and if you look closely at the arrow you will see your favorite blogger. But at the desk is Kenny Chesney on the left, Lee Corso (wearing the mascot head) in the middle, and Kirk Herbstreit on the right.

French Fries As Main Course – Yesterday I read an article from the Washington Post titled Make Fries the Star. It was a piece that encouraged all of us amateur cooks to consider and embrace ways to make French fries the star of a meal. Usually fries are relegated as a side (albeit one of the most prominent sides) but the WaPost author told readers to think a little more creatively. Believe it or not, my family has been thinking “more creatively” for 30 years. A marquee Friday night meal in the Reser household growing up was chili cheese fry bowls. My mom would bake curly fries and we would drop them into a bowl. We would then top that first layer with chili, cheese, onions, and whatever else we desired. I still enjoy them to this day.

Now is the time to share one of my favorite info charts of all-time. This list is lovely.

A Dozen Years Ago – On this date 12 years ago, I wrote about a road rage incident I had to break up. But I prefer the blog post I wrote a day later on March 27, 2014. This entry entailed me counting down the top five country music stars I met according to kindness/genuineness. I won’t spoil the whole list for you but I will include one of the photos below (spoiler alert: Kenny Chesney is not on the list…I have never met him before).