Monthly Archives: July 2009

Old School Tech

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Old School Tech

Jul09-5My Ipod Classic passed away recently and went to Ipod heaven.  I noticed the warning signs and rushed him to the Apple Store (hospital) in Oxmoor.  But by the time we arrived, it was too late.  He was gone and there was nothing that could be done.

I figured eventually I would purchase a new one, no big deal.  That is – until I had a meeting in Lexington.  One of the joys of driving is listening to your favorite music.  The ipod was great for playing all the jams.  I now had to find a substitute.  I first thought of taking some CDs.  But when I walked to get some, I found something even better!  CASSETTE TAPES!

Now, these weren’t the ones you bought in the store.  Nope.  These were the homemade tapes you made yourself.  I grabbed about 10 of them and ran to the car with excitement.  There was no telling what I was about to hear.  I heard a little bit of everything – me winning tickets on B96.5, an ex-boyfriend singing me a song, me signing songs, remixes I tried to make for my cheerleading dances, a slow jams tape…  It was pure comedy!

The most difficult thing about it, though, was just the basic operation of the tape player.  Although I was driving in a Lexus, a tape player is still a tape player.  If I wanted to skip to the next song, I pressed fast forward, counted to 10 and hoped I was on the next song.  Ah man, I went too far.  So, I’d press rewind, count to 3 and hit play again.  It was all about patience and timing.  Although frustrating at times, relieving the high school and college days made it all worth it.

So the next time you need a quick smile brought to your face, dust off those old cassette tapes.  You never know what you’ll discover!

M.Y.  July 2009

Pan-tee Dropper

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Pan-tee Dropper

Jul09-3You know I have always heard people use the above phrase, but never really knew what people were talking about.  It wasn’t until this week that I could see the significance of the term.

On Monday, Maxwell stormed into the Louisville Palace for a breath taking performance.   Now I’ll be one of the first to admit that I have never been a Maxwell lover.  I would classify it more as a Maxwell liker.  I’ve enjoyed some of his songs, but the thought of him has never made me shriek nor shiver.

The concert started late and then it took forever for intermission.  The crowd seemed to start falling asleep (it was a Monday night after all).  But as soon as Maxwell hit the stage, grown women starting screaming like their teenage children.  The entire crowd was on their feet.  Maxwell showed us that his hips still know how to groove and that his smile can still make you faint.  If you came for a show, you received your money’s worth.

Maxwell let you know that he was there for you.  It didn’t matter if you had been laid off, recently dumped or hated looking at yourself in the mirror.  Maxwell made you feel as if it was your personal concert.  He made you feel sexy.  He took your mind off everything else.   Maxwell, plainly and simply, was a panty dropper.  He could have asked for anything he wanted and easily received it.

The women in the audience weren’t the only ones who benefitted from the performance.  Several couples sat in front of me.  It was interesting to watch the men.  As the women stood up and swayed to the smooth grooves, the men also sat there with a smile on their face.  Not only did they enjoy watching their women move, but they knew their women were now in the mood and Maxwell was just the appetizer to the full course waiting at home.

Louisville has some wonderful artists coming to the area.  Treat yourself to one of the performances.  You deserve it!

M.Y. July 2009

Different Kind of Party

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Different Kind of Party

Jul09-2I went through my closets packing for a week in Houston. I knew we were going to the Carribean Festival there and would need to dress accordingly for each of the parties.  Now, anyone that knows me knows that if there’s a party and an outfit is needed, Michelle Yeager has a dress that will fit the occasion.  (with a closet dedicated just to dresses, one of the 100 in there must work).

I was pretty much set for all of the events – except for one.  I was told to not wear anything cute.  Actually, nothing even close to cute.  It was suggested I dig in my closet, deep in the back, and find something I probably never would wear again.  Hmmm!?  What type of party was this?

First of all, who really hangs on to clothes that they are never planning on wearing again?  Secondly, if I did find something, why would I want to wear it out in public?  I searched high and low and found a pair of old black shorts.  I went to the store and found a decent shirt on sale for $3.  I kept my hair wrapped and covered (as if I were on my way to sleep) and put a cheap baseball hat over it.  I got dressed, looked in the mirror, and couldn’t believe I was really headed to a party.

We pulled up to this huge empty space outside close to 1am and the place was packed with thousands of people.  Everyone, men and women, were dressed just like me.  Nobody looked cute.  And I soon understood why.  Within 10 minutes of being there someone walked up to me and asked if I was warned about what type of party this was.  I said yes.  Instantly I received a dab of green paint on my wrist.  I thought to myself that wasn’t too bad.  Unfortunately that thought didn’t last very long.  Within minutes I was covered with green paint on my arms, my legs, my face and even down my back.  Throughout the night people were covered with various colors of paint.  Oil was tossed through the crowd like free money.  Folks threw out more baby powder than Labron.  Fires were lit on sticks – and the crowd loved every minute of it.  I stood as far to the side as possible when I saw the water truck pull up. The people celebrated as the hose sprayed everyone in its path. I saw a real pig’s head (don’t know what happened to the body) and a guy dressed like Santa who had a bag for his urine/alcohol attached to his belt.  This was definitely a no holds barred event.

This was a traditional Carribean festival event and the crowd was proud of their heritage and their music.  Dozens of flags waved in the air of the different countries represented and everyone had a great time.   The hips gyrated, the sweat was dripping in full force, the soca beats were alive and people celebrated and could have cared less who was around.  The ‘get hype’ songs had everyone’s feet jumping off the ground and there was not a dull moment the entire night.  This party, called J’ouvert, was definitely a change from a typical Louisville party.  However, it was one I needed to experience and also one that I will never forget!

M.Y. July 2009

His Music Lives Forever

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 His Music Lives Forever

Jul09-1 It was a sad day last week to hear about Michael Jackson’s death.  Michael was an icon to anyone that is over the age of 30.  Even to the younger generation, he had an impact that reflects our music and dances today.  Everyone has their favorite song, their favorite video or their favorite dance.  Although not everyone will admit it, I even think each of us had performed a part of the Thriller dance whether behind closed doors, in the bathroom or drunk at a party.

The more I thought about Michael Jackson, the more I realized that he dedicated his entire life to others.  He is the ONLY person I can think of that started performing as a young child, became a superstar, then moved on through adulthood to be internationally known.  Even at the age of 50, Michael Jackson was seen in headlines worldwide.

Think about it – Michael has been compared to the fame of Elvis, Madonna, The Beatles and Frank Sinatra.  None of those mentioned became famous as child stars and then maintained that status through adulthood.  Not one.  All of them were pretty normal kids and teenagers that could run, play hide and go seek and attend school like the rest of us.  It wasn’t until they were older that anyone thought twice about their name.

Michael Jackson was an icon above the rest.  Starting at a young age, with his brothers on stage, he drew everyone to their tv screens and radios.  Michael didn’t have a childhood, his childhood was music.  When other child performers seem to drop out of the picture and have normal lives, Michael did the opposite.  He went solo and created the best selling album of all time.  He created the most memorable video ever.  Even with the changes of technology, nothing has come close to topping the Thriller video.

Michael Jackson was pure genius.  He has left a mark on our hearts and in our lives that will remain forever.  In January we made history with Obama.  Last week we lost history with MJ.  RIP

M.Y.  July 2009