He said he wanted me to have a new iPod because I had been lusting over the new iPods of both he and his wife. Truth is -- like former U.S. President Jimmy Carter -- I did lust in my heart over their new toys. However, I was trying to be a grown-up and not whine because they had something I wanted and wasn't buying.
Not only did my baby brother send the new toy, he also loaded it with a lot of music ... more than 500 songs. He knows me fairly well, and knows I am a Parrothead. He has seen the parrot tattoo on my leg. He has seen me in shorts, Hawaiian shirt, straw hat or pink baseball cap, umbrella drink in hand, and Crocs on my feet (no flip-flops because I am very accident prone and have been known to trip over my own two feet even when sober). He has also heard me say "I'm in a Buffett State of Mind," meaning I need to get away ... even if only in my drink.
He loaded the iPod with lots of Buffett music. However, there is one Buffett song that is not written or performed by Jimmy Buffett, which has become my new theme song. It is Barmaid Play Me Some Buffet.
It has the most wonderful lyrics ...
Barmaid play me some Buffett,I'm in the mood to get away,So pour me a vacationI need to leave here right awayI gotta get down to the oceanIf it's only in my mindSo take me out to paradiseIf only for tonight, I can leave it all behind.
Truer words have never been spoke or sung!
My world -- and probably yours -- has been on overload for the past few months. We've had to deal with the hurricane that was and the hurricane that wasn't ... and deal with the bad memories, nightmares, and Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome of watching on TV as our friends and family in Texas suffer with the aftermath of that blasted -- good for nothing -- storm named Ike. In fact, the brother who gave me the iPod can't even read this because he lives in Texas and is still without electricity and internet. Prior to Ike, I don't think he has ever spent a night without air conditioning. I'm sure this has caused him to turn into one of the Seven Dwarfs ... not Bashful, Dopey, or Sleepy ... but probably Grumpy!
We've had to deal with the gas prices that seem to yo-yo up and down like the stretch waistband of my "fat girl" jeans. And speaking of earthquake like movement of my waistband ... have you seen the prices of a pint of ice cream lately. A carton of Ben & Jerry's best is right up there with a gallon of gas. Maybe I should spend the money on the ice cream, ditch the car, start walking, and give my waistband and break. The chance of doing that is about equal to my winning the Powerball Lottery.
If that wasn't bad enough, we have heard the news of the stock market imploding, the Wall Street meltdown, and the White House bailout. Lord only knows what those things mean, but they sure as hell don't sound good. And sooner or later we know that all of those things combines are going to trickle down on us the way pancake syrup slops down the side of a short stack of flapjacks.
It used to be that filling the gas tank was easy ... $25 and drive away with a smile. Now you need a bank loan to fill the tank. But don't bother going to the bank, because most of them are having their own troubles.
You know things are bad when going to the grocery is enough to give even the strongest among us a stroke. Now you need to wear horse blinders when buying the family groceries. You have to look straight ahead and stick to your list, because to make those impulse purchases, may just cause you to no longer have a pulse.
But tonight -- thanks to my brother -- I'm going to leave it all behind. Tonight I'm going to the local Taco Bell and get one of those Strawberry-Mango freeze drinks on their menu. I'm going to take it out of the plastic cup, pour it into a tall glass, and some good golden rum from Barbados, put my fanny into a lounge chair on my deck, put the earbuds into my ears, and crank up the new iPod and all 103 Jimmy Buffett songs, including my new theme song with the line "Don't wanna think about tomorrow .. not until tomorrow comes." You are hereby invited to join me ... even if only in your mind.
" ... and the buzzards keep circling!"
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