Friday 5: Mononymously yours

Happy Friday! Today is National Love Your Lunch Day (I had potato chips, which was not a great lunch but I did love it) and Talk Like a Pirate Day. Although it was created in 1995, Talk Like a Pirate Day feels like a remnant from those innocent ’10s, alongside mustaches and the bacon obsession. We’ve come along way, matey, and not much of the journey has been great.

It is after 10pm, so I’m going to barrel straight into the Friday 5. The theme is Mononymously yours.

1. What’s your favorite Elvis song?
   I’m not an Elvis fan because I read Elvis and Me very early on and he seemed like an asshole. My favorite song of his is The Wonder of You. Even though Elvis is take-it-or-leave-it for me, I’m a sucker for power ballads.
   
2. When did you last wear something Pink?
   I have a pale pink tee with the Hawaiian Punch logo that I wore last week around the house. I am a style icon!
   
3. What’s the most intereSting thing you learned last week?
   This is technically a discovery rather than something I learned, but my new work laptop has a dedicated key to start up Copilot, Microsoft’s AI product. I am not as anti-AI as some are. I think ChatGPT is a fun little tool and I’ve sometimes use it to edit my writing for grammar and clarity. That said, Copilot is terrible and doesn’t deserve a key.
   
4. When did you last treat someone awFlea (or when were you last treated awFlea)?
   I’m glad you asked because I need to get this off my chest. As you know, I work from home. And while most office workers swear it’s easier to focus at home, I disagree. One big reason? The constant parade of solicitors at my door. Solar panels, electricity providers, saving my soul — you name it. And if they know you’re home, they will keep knocking until you answer.
   
   Yesterday, I was working at my little table in the backyard when I heard the knockAnd not a plain knock. It was the “shave-and-a-haircut-two-bits” knock. Murphy didn’t hear it, and my MIL wasn’t at home to tell me that someone as at the door, so I ignored it.
   
   And then he knocked again. Knock-knock-knockknock-knock-KNOCK-KNOCK. And then the barking started. I flew into the house, up the stairs, yanked the door open and growled, “WHAT!??!?”
   
   And friends, I scared the stuffing out of this young man, who was only knocking to ask me to vote for the Democratic candidate for NJ governor, Mikie Sherrill. Which, of course I will! (I don’t think she’ll win, because I’ve seen centrist Democratic women run against Trumpublicans before. And as the Taylor Swift song goes, “I think I’ve seen this film before, and I didn’t like the ending.”)
   
   “You scared me,” he stammered.
   
   I feel terrible but I was so angry and tired I didn’t apologize.
   
   Days since I treated somebody awFlea: one.
   
5. Which notable people do you Cher a name or birthday with?
   Celebrities born on September 5: Dweezil Zappa, Bob Newhart, Freddie Mercury, and Louis XIV of France, aka the Sun King!

Have a wonderful weekend and I’ll see you on Monday!