And I Like Dancing in the Moonlight (with apologies to Rupert Holmes)

All day long, I searched my mind for something to blog about. Then, it finally came to me as I was putting groceries away.

First, you have to hear what my groceries consisted of:

1. Trash bags—last week my maid had to make do with the plastic bags you bring your stuff home in. I wouldn’t have even stopped after work if I hadn’t been in such desperate need.

2. A couple of Lean Cuisines—lunch fodder.

3. A package containing bially’s (sp?)—an English muffin/bagel combo with only 70 calories a piece.

4. A large brick of medium cheddar.

5. A twelve-pack of Fresca.

6. A six-pack of ice cream cones--low cal, low carb (natch).

Now, it may seem odd to most people, but items 3 through 6 are dinner staples. I toast the muffins, melt a little cheese on them in the microwave, eat them with a “side dish” of pretzels and shredded wheat mixed together, and wash it all down with a Fresca. The ice cream cone (obviously) is dessert.

So, I got to thinking, as I put this stuff away, how happy I am to be able to eat what I want for dinner. It’s not even about not having anyone else to cook for; I truly prefer “snacks” to meat and potatoes. And, who’s to say which is healthier? At least I’m getting whole wheat in the cereal, the pretzels are baked, not fried, and the Bially is gluten-free (or something). Only the cheese is a little edgy, but I don’t use much. Okay, so it’s not exactly a balanced meal. I try to eat an apple in the morning along with some more whole wheat cereal, and there are vegetables and whole grains with a little faux chicken in the Lean Cuisines.

Anyway, that wasn’t going to be my point. My point is that I wanted to share the lyrics to a song I first heard as a young adult. Barbra Streisand recorded it but I think a guy named Rupert (Holmes? Everett?—he’s the gay actor, isn’t he?) penned it. Anyway, here’s what I can remember (I'm no poet so forgive the punctuation, and it's not exactly word-for-word but you'll get the gist):

ODE TO MYSELF

Self-contained and self-content
No promises to keep
I’ve got things so together
That I just can’t fall asleep.
Walked the night and
Drank the moon
Got home at half past four
With no one there to mark my time
As I walked through the door.

It’s really lovely
To discover
That you like to be alone.
Not to have a man to answer
When he gets you on the phone.
Not to share
A pair
Of pork chops
When you crave champagne and cheese.
When your aim's to please yourself
And not to aim to please.
Oh, they sold me
When they told me
Two can live as cheap as one.
But I’m learning
Twice your earning
Doesn’t mean it’s twice the fun.
When you spend your time
And someone’s dime
On someone else’s schemes,
I’m not needy but I’m greedy
And I live my deepest dreams.
Take an hour in the shower,
Grab the water while it’s hot.
Just a man to scrub my back
Is all I haven’t got.

Self-esteem and self-aware
And grateful I would be--
If just one damn man
Would feel the need
To be alone with me.

Now, I don’t know if this song resonated with me because it described who I wanted to be--or who I was destined to be. I’m also quite fond of Sinead O’Connor’s “I Don’t Want What I Can’t Have,” so it’s hard to tell.

And, oh God...I just discovered Rupert Holmes also wrote the Pina Colada song.
Go figure.