E IS FOR EUCHRE

Before I begin this A to Z posting, I would like to let everyone know that I did manage to put together my weekly HERE'S TO YOU THURSDAY posting late last night.  It is dedications to approximately six people that I have read over the week, plus one dedication to everyone that I read.  It is just a big shout out to thank all of you for being so darn awesome.  I encourage you to read it.  Many wonderful blogging friendships have been made via the HERE'S TO YOU connection line... or so I'm told.  Plus, it is ever so much fun when one of your bloggy friends is tagged and you so know what that is about.  Hehehehe.  Now, moving on to the "E" post in this series...

If you know what euchre is, you live in the north.  If you don't, you are from the south.  Here I thought the Mason Dixon Line was strictly related to Coors Beer.  Turns out that there is a ban on euchre that is also somehow strictly related to this infamous line.  I don't know about people from the west, since I have never really lived there (aside from one summer in college and that doesn't actually count).  I don't know if people outside the U.S. know what euchre is.  ::scratches head::

Euchre is a card game.

I grew up primarily in Ohio.  I went to college in Michigan.  Folks in Ohio and Michigan are Drop Dead Serious about their euchre.  It could be a sport added to the Olympic Games if they had their vote.

I was very thankful that my parents were avid card players.  Even more thankful that they both played euchre (and were good at it).  These skills came in handy when I went to college.  I went in at the top of my game.  I spent as much time playing euchre as I did studying.  Sssshhh.  Don't anyone tell my mom.  She still thinks I studied A LOT.  And I did, but I offset it with a lot of euchre.  And sometimes euchre with shots.  I don't think that did much for the studying.  Bwahahaha.

To give you an idea of how serious I was about my euchre: I was always a part of the Geek Squad who was playing cards in the middle of some riotous Frat Party.  Usually on the floor.  But possibly at a table.  And sometimes with Frat Boys.  They like euchre, too.  The truth is that beer parties always bored me, so I always carried cards with me.  Euchre anyone?  Pleaaaassseee.   I will take a beer and three for euchre.  I once sat in a Frat House until 6am playing euchre on a Friday night.  Make that Saturday morning.  I was ready for someone to roll me home in a wheelbarrow.

Is euchre the only card game I like?  Heck no.  I was part of a Canasta Club in Georgia for many years.  I also love Hearts, Spades, Pinochle, and would like to learn how to play Bridge.  Of course I play Rummy and Gin.  Blah blah blah.  And the first game my parents taught me was Crazy 8s,  so it has a special place in my heart. 

However, I know how to play euchre with partners, three-handed, and even two-handed.  The only way I haven't figured out how to play it is solo.

Rating: Passion ~ Definitely

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Do you play euchre?  If so, do you play it like an Olympic Event, Pro Sport, or just a hobby?  Do you know how to play three-handed and two-handed?  Can you play *solo*????  Do you play any other card games?  What was the first card game you ever learned to play?  Have you ever played in a card club?  Do you play in one now?

INSPIRATIONAL SONG SATURDAY

Well, it is Saturday, and that means on this blog that we get to have a music appreciation day. Once again, the 80s pick wasn't all that difficult. It seems like my own inspirational choice of the day seems to be the toughie. However, once I do find the right thing, there is a click of satisfaction, and all is well.

I think that I kept getting hung up, because I really wanted to pick a George Strait song for this day. For those of you who follow country music at all, George Strait is the icing on the cake. He has a voice that I call a "cool drink of water." It is just smooth as can be. I suppose if I were actually drinking it would be the finest whiskey money could buy. In other terms, George crossed the Great Divide. He started singing in the 70s, when artists like George Jones were still the Big Names in country, and survived what I call the Great Shift in country. All of the old greats went down and the new kids took over. George Strait didn't go down; he survived the Shift. He survived and is still at the top of his game. The other thing that fascinates me about George Strait is this: he won't tour above the Mason Dixon line. Well, that bit of news was terrible when I was living in Ohio and Michigan. When I moved to Georgia, it got a lot better.

He's a family man. His family comes first, and they live in Texas, and he never wants to be too far from them, so that he can't get back if needs to, in case of emergency. He also wanted to be there for his son's life growing up. He is that guy who managed to have a career as a country singer, made a movie, has I don't know how many #1 hits, and still managed to be there for the big events, and some less big events, in his son's life. He and his wife are still happily married. He arranged his life so that he managed to have it all. He wouldn't tour anywhere north of the Mason Dixon line and he still is considered one of the best in country music. He never caved on that, not even when he was just starting out. When it is important, you make a stand and stick. I guess you can tell that I admire not just the songs, but the man. It was an honor just to see him and hear him sing. However, George is not big on making videos. I guess it is just not his thing. He has some, but not for my favorite songs. So...

Let's talk about Reba. Reba understands the power of the video. Actually, country singers still have their version of MTV, by way of CMT and AMC. Those are two country music video channels that mostly play country music video like MTV did back in the 80s. So, it is in the best interests of today's country music stars to make good videos and THEY ARE. Actually, CMT has been around for quite a while. I know this because my dad and I got pulled into its lure back in the mid 90s when I was living with him. At night we would watch it, and it would get later and later, and we would both say, alternately, "Just one more and then we're going to bed," or "This is the last one and then we're calling it a night." It really got to be ridiculous. That made me smile. Silly great memories of my dad.

Anyway, Reba knows how to rock a video. I was so impressed with her in concert. She has a full voice. Powerful. I felt the same way about Natalie Merchant when I saw her in concert. What a powerful voice. You just know that in a smaller forum (like a bar) they would blow it out because they wouldn't hardly need a microphone. Reba has also been around for a long time in country music. She may have been around as long as George Strait. There are so few that crossed the bridge of the 70s to the 80s. Or she may have arrived in the early 80s. I don't know. I wasn't a big fan then. Anyway, she has so many hits now that there is no way to get them all into a concert. However, this was her encore performance, and I think it might have been the song that rocketed her into superstardom. Don't quote me on that because it is me speculating.

Don't forget to turn off my music player at the bottom of the page.



Why is that inspirational? I think it's inspirational, because it is saying that you can take a bad situation and turn it around. If you're smart, you can move beyond where you started and into another, better place. That is what she did. She then came back to turn that property into something that could help other people ~ in this case runaways. Life is what you make it.

Okay, let's move on to the 80s, and our ongoing look at artists in that time period. I have been focusing on those who had two things: successful songs and interesting videos to go with them. I am trying to keep boring concert vids out, because all that does is shine a light on singers or bands that didn't really know how to work MTV. Although, there might be a lesson there. The better the video was, the higher it rose in the ratings on the radio. The two walked hand in hand with each other. It is a shame that it took so many artists so long to figure that one out.

Today we are looking at Tears For Fears. They actually had quite a few videos to choose from, so it was difficult to narrow the field on this one. I didn't come across any footage that was strictly concert footage. They did like to mix it up a bit. Just listening to their songs was a very pleasant step back in time for me. Same goes with the video footage. I confess I was watching some of it thinking I was going to know what would happen next, and I would get a surprise. Yeah, after twenty years, a person forgets stuff. Who knew? I am going to post several of their videos and you let me know which one YOU think is best. I just can't decide!





Everybody Wants To Rule The World @ Yahoo! Video




Head Over Heels @ Yahoo! Video




Mad World @ Yahoo! Video


Do you see my problem now? I couldn't decide AT ALL. So, what do you think? Which one is the best?


image found at www.weheartit.com