I Never Cared for Elvis

Here is a Saturday 9 that deals with two of my favorite things, Christmas and Elvis.  

Blue Christmas

1.  Do you ever suffer the blues during Christmas?

Inevitably, I do.  I think I am getting much better than I used to be during the holidays, though.  Before, I really let it influence my mood and demeanor.  Now I'm more inwardly sad.  Sad that my mother died on Christmas day.  Sad that not all of my kids are with me on Christmas.  Sad that if they were all here, there would almost certainly be conflict and contention.  Sad that I still am having trouble after 15 years reconciling the differences between how I grew up celebrating and how the family I married into celebrates.  Blah, blah, blah.  Next question!

2.  More than 18 million visitors have toured Elvis' home, Graceland.  Have you?

No, I never have, nor do I really have any interest in doing so.  There are so many other places in the world!

3.  Elvis dyed his naturally light brown locks black.  Do you dye your hair?

No, I never have.

4.  He also insisted his young girlfriend, Priscilla, dye her hair jet black.  If your lover asked you to change your hair, would you?

I suppose if he really wanted me to and I didn't think I looked terrible that way, I would give it a try.

5.  Elvis served his country at an Army base in Friedburg, Germany.  Have you ever been to Germany?

No, Germany is one of the countries in Europe that I have not yet visited.

6.  Elvis famously had an affair with Ann-Margaret during the filming of Viva Las Vegas.  Have you ever engaged in a dalliance with a coworker?

No.  I've had a couple of coworkers that I wouldn't have minded a engaging in a dalliance, though.  The trouble was, they were straight.

7.  Thinking of his movies...Elvis was, by and large, unhappy with his film career and once said, "The only thing worse than watching a bad movie in being in one."  Are you happy with the way your career is going/has gone?

Yes.  I always wanted to be a teacher, and I can't imagine what else I would want to be.  I have been teaching now for 20 years, and I have loved every one of them, even with the hills and valleys.  Although I will say that I almost hated last year.  Just on the verge of hating it.  But that really didn't have anything to do with the actual teaching process, or my students.

8.  Elvis lost the "battle of the bulge" toward the end of his life.  Are you happy with your weight?

Yes, I am.  What people always told me as a 107 pound teenage stick figure has come true.  Most of the jocks in high school no longer look like they used to, and I look much better than I did back then.

9.  As a teenager, Elvis worked as an usher at a movie theater.  What was your first job?

I worked in a school district office as a file clerk.  It was a pretty decent job, but it was incredibly boring filing utility bill stubs and vendor check duplicates all afternoon.  Later I worked at a local fast food place called Taco Amigo.  Now that was fun.

There.  I did something I never would have imagined doing, an Elvis-related post!