REPEAT FOR THOSE HIT BY SANDY

Please note that the videos embedded with the songs were posted by some great Parrotheads on YouTube and not my creation.

On a day when life was personally at its most confusing, I heard this song "Breathe In, Breathe Out, Move On" (2005) on Radio Margaritaville (where else) and thought what a great piece of advice Jimmy was giving me.

 

Then upon realizing that I had the song on CD, Take the Weather With You, I listened a little more closely to what Jimmy was actually singing about.  As many of you know, Jimmy Buffett grew up in Alabama and has strong ties to the Gulf Coast and here he is singing about when Hurricane Katrina and "Pontchartrain buried  the ninth ward to the second floor".  The song has a 2005 copyright so must have been written soon after this terrible hurricane hit in September 2005.  

At first it seemed rather banal advice to people whose loved ones died and had their homes ruined, but right after the storm what else was there to do but "Breathe in, Breathe out, Move on".  As he so often does, Mr. Buffett got it right again. 

WEEKEND JAZZ

Usually this blog features a Jimmy Buffett video for your "Weekend Song", but for this short weekend before the long weekend I thought we could all use some great jazz.  This is why I am introducing you to La Cuchina in case you aren't already into them.  What can I say about a group whose motto is "La Cuchina makes people want to dance to jazz again"!   It couldn't be better for a great spring weekend, so give the video a listen.

After that I know you will want to hear more and learn more about them.  They have great songs on the website so follow the link and become a fan.  LA CUCHINA

If Jimmy Buffett can play at Jazz Fest in New Orleans, these guys should be the headliner!!!!

MY GUILTY PLEASURE

For GBE2 #52: Guilty Pleasures

Most people think of pirate pleasures as being rum, a clear sail, booty, etc.  But, these are not guilty pleasures since most pirates have difficulty feeling guilt in any case.

I, however, not being the average pirate, do feel guilt and have quite a few guilty pleasures and the most ridiculous one (at least in some people's eyes) is HGTV"s "House Hunters".  Wait, not just "House Hunters", also "House Hunters International", "House Hunters World Tour" and any other variations on this show that HGTV wants to provide.  During rough times, when I've seen then all, I might even resort to "Property Virgins" and "For Rent".

When having a bad day, many of us turn to ice cream, chocolate, RUM, etc., but all I have to do is turn on an episode of "House Hunters"and am instantly cheered up.  Why?  I've always loved looking in other people's homes even if they are million dollar homes that have amenities that I would never hope to own.  But wait there's more, where else can you watch people with an amazingly low budget get upset because the house doesn't have stainless steel appliances.

Here are the must haves for almost all house hunters including the international ones:  Stainless steel appliances, double sinks in an en suite bathroom attached to the master bedroom, a master bedroom large enough to play tennis in, and a great back yard that requires no maintenance on the part of the owners (also no maintenance fees).  Are you beginning to see why this is fun?  The newer shows have actually been showing the exasperation on the part of the poor real estate agent who has been saddled with this couple.

Overseas, it's even worse.  People moving from Texas to Germany don't seem to get the idea that they won't have huge rooms, updated kitchens (sometimes there's no kitchen), at a reasonable price in German cities and the European countryside lacks even more of the amenities they can't live without.  Don't you just want to say "why didn't you stay home".  Is this a great distraction or what?  

The hardest part about this guilty pleasure is that HGTV has actually been cutting back on the hundreds of hours of House Hunters that they used to show in favor of OTHER SHOWS.  Still though there is a new one every weeknight at 10 p.m. eastern.  Check it out!!!